St Austell u3a March 2026 Newsletter
At last we have had a few dry days and the sun has made an appearance. The days are slowly getting longer and it’s beginning to feel as though spring is just around the corner.
We have had two recent examples of member’s emails being “hacked”. Please be very careful if you receive any emails from anyone asking for help or for money.
Here is a link which gives some guidance of what to do if your email has been hacked. https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/what-to-do-if-your-email-has-been-hacked-aQag71v05nMN
REMINDER: Change of times for Meetings
With effect from April 2026, Coffee Mornings and Speaker Meetings will start 30 minutes later, that is to say at 10.00 instead of 9.30!
Coffee Mornings will continue to end at 11.30. With tea and coffee being served until 11.15 and card payment facilities also closing at 11.15.
Speaker Meetings tea and coffee will cease being served at 10.45 as will card payments. The speakers will commence at 11.00 and should finish by about midday with another 15 minutes of Q&A.
PrePayment Cards
I am pleased to confirm that for the immediate future, there will be no increase in the cost of prepayment cards or for group sessions at the Arts Centre.
Speaker
Our Speaker on Thursday 5th March was Ian Rickard from the RNLI.
Ian gave an interesting talk on the history and work of this wonderful organisation which is so important to us here in Cornwall and this island nation as a whole.
Our Speaker on 2nd April is Ian Mitchell – “Are the brains of men and women really that different?”
St Austell u3a Member and former Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Ian has previously given us some very interesting and controversial talks and this one looks like it will continue the trend! There is a commonly held belief that the brains of men and women are different. This talk will review scientific evidence of just how great those differences may be.
It will also present a potentially surprising conclusion as to who wins the battle of the sexes with respect to brain function.
Social Group
The February event was an entertainment evening at Charlestown Church Hall on 21st February. There was a theme of Spring hence the abundance of yellow clothes! The main entertainment was from the St Dennis Ukulele Band which was excellent and enjoyed by everyone – even dancing in the aisles!
The March event is a trip to Cotehele on 13th, and 10th April is to The Box in Plymouth to see the Beryl Cook exhibition. CONTACT: ">
Groups
NEW GROUPS
Board Games
This group meets on the first Thursday of the month from 14.00 to 16.00 in the Assembly Room at St Austell Arts Centre and is for those who love playing board games, introducing them to others and discovering new ones. CONTACT: or
Art & Crafts
This group meets on the third Monday of the month 10.30 to 12.30 in the Assembly Room at St Austell Arts Centre. This group is for anyone who loves crafting whether you’re are a beginner or skilled. Come along and try new crafts and share your skills and ideas, whilst meeting new people for a fun relaxing time.
NB There will be a small charge of £2.00 to cover the cost of materials in addition to the usual u3a charge (using your pre payment card). CONTACT:
If you have any ideas for new groups, please don’t hesitate to discuss with Ellie Evans our Groups Co-Ordinator. CONTACT: %20">
Other Groups
Theatre Group
On Thursday 26th February, 60 members went up to Plymouth to see “Miss Saigon” at the Theatre Royal. It was a fantastic show and a really good day out!
Forthcoming events:
“Come from Away” musical by St Austell Operatic Society. Matinee on Saturday, 18th April at the Keay Theatre.
“Spring Variety show” Saturday 2nd May, at the Arts Centre.
“Mamma Mia” live musical at the Hall for Cornwall Thursday, 4th June.
Happy Snappers
Here are the winning three photos from February, which show that Spring is on the way!
The Happy Snappers group hold a themed competition each month.
Short Walks
27th February was a walk at Lostwithiel. It was a rather wet start to a mostly dry walk with even a few glimpses of the sun. The ground was very wet and the River Fowey very full.
The next walk is on 27th March at Porthscatho.
Travellers’ Tales
Join us at the next Travellers’ Tales meeting when Roger Jones will be giving a presentation about the recent u3a tour to Puglia, Italy.
This is on Friday 3rd April and will be taking place even though it’s Good Friday. 2pm in the Arts Centre Assembly Room. All welcome. Please remember to bring your payment card.
For further information contact
Don’t forget to tell me of any interesting events your Group may have participated in and include photos whenever possible. I am sure all members would enjoy hearing about them in this newsletter.
If you are a Social Media user please follow St Austell u3a on:
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/StAustellU3A
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staustell_u3a/
X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/@StAustellU3A
Please don’t forget to: Follow, Like, Share and Repost.
Chris Crane
