St Austell u3a August 2026 Newsletter
This is really turning out to be a very warm and dry summer for us here in Cornwall. The inevitable hosepipe ban is now in force. More information is available on the South West Water website https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/environment/water-resources/hosepipe-ban.
I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the Terms and Conditions of membership of St Austell u3a which all members have agreed to. Full details are here: https://staustellu3a.org/terms-conditions-of-membership In particular it is essential that we should all be treating each other with dignity and respect. This will include not acting in a way that would be deemed discriminatory or offensive.
AGM
Please note that the 2026 AGM will be held at the Arts Centre on 1st October at 11.00 am. Nomination Forms for those wishing to stand for Election are now available on the website as are a summary of accounts. It is important that as many members as possible attend, so please make a note in your diary.
The AGM will be followed by a talk by Ian Mitchell “Do you Know What I Mean”. Ian’s previous talks have been very popular and well received.
PPC Cards
PPC cards can be purchased on line by bank transfer (to a/c 33697363 or 33164489 for both the sort code is 20-30-47) using your membership number followed by “PPC”. The card
may then be collected at a coffee morning or Speaker meeting. Alternatively, where practical, can be arranged for collection at a group meeting.
Arts Centre
The Gardening Group will be starting work at 10.00 am on Wednesday 16th September to clear the front garden area. Additional volunteers to help would be very welcome. Please contact Peter Pateman if you would like to help:
Speakers
Our Speaker on Thursday 6Th August was Laurie from Flicka Donkey Sanctuary near Falmouth.
The talk was very well received with some members hoping to adopt a donkey and other planning a visit. Members donations totalled almost £120. https://www.flickafoundation.org.uk/
The next Speaker on Thursday 3rd September will be Craig Lang – Devon and Cornwall Police Cyber Protect Officer . Whose talk will be on Cyber Awareness.
Groups
Short Mat Bowls
Some interest has been expressed in the possibility of starting a new Short Mat Bowls Group. (Pre pandemic we had a very popular group). We would like to invite members who would be interested to let Ellie know so that we may see if this is worth pursuing.
Line Dancing
July 21st was the 100th line dance class! 27 members celebrated with dancing, drinking tea or squash with a tasty Courgette, lime and pistachio cake followed by a game of Irish Bingo!
Here’s to the next 100!
French Intermediate
The Intermediate French group met on 14th July to celebrate Bastille Day.
They learnt about the history and the modern day celebrations and shared some food and drink followed by a quiz.
Knit, Stitch and Crochet
The group recently took part in a “Crochet Diagonal Granny Square”
Everyone did a fabulous job and it was lovely to see the results. Contact:
Happy Snappers
The winning photos for Happy Snappers July competition are: Under Umbrellas, Best Buddies and Cool Eggs
Short Walks
The walk on 24th July to the Minions on Bodmin Moor was postponed due to the forecasted high temperature and humidity, but was able to take place the following week on 31st..
The next u3a Short walk scheduled is to the Luxulyan Valley on Friday 28th August. The walk is approx. 3 miles, and will start from Luxulyan Village Hall car park or on St Cyriac which is adjacent. Parking is free.
Travellers’ Tales
On Friday 7th August Carol Avery, who some of you may know from her excellent talks about her time in the RAF and to the Wine Appreciation group, gave a fabulous presentation about her travels to Chile and Easter Island.
On Friday, 4th September, Mark Stephenson, will be giving a talk about Peru, part 1 of a major South American adventure.
Have you had any fantastic travels in the past, and ideally have the photos to illustrate it, or are going anywhere interesting (don’t be modest, we can be equally interested in Scotland as in Iraq!!)? If so, please get in touch with the Travellers’ Tales group and consider giving a talk next year so that we can keep the group going strong.
For further information contact
If you have any ideas for new groups, please don’t hesitate to discuss with Ellie Evans our Groups Co-Ordinator. CONTACT:
The Great Cornish Cream Tea
St Austell u3a has received an invitation to The Great Cornish Cream Tea, taking place at the Royal Cornwall Showground on Saturday 19th September. This will be no ordinary cream tea but an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the largest cream tea party ever held. Please see the attached HERE
BBC Radio 4 Any Questions
Is coming to St Austell on Friday 18th September. If you are interested, free tickets are available HERE
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.
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Chris Crane
