St Austell u3a September 2026 Newsletter
I start this newsletter with the very sad news that following a tragic accident, Pete Tombs passed away on August 18th. Pete was a very enthusiastic and popular member of the Petanque and Wine Appreciation Groups and will be sorely missed by both groups. Our thoughts are with Nicky and the family. Pete’s funeral will be held later this month.
AGM
A final reminder 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. Please note that it will not be possible for payments to be taken on the day of the AGM.
Arts Centre
Thanks to all present at the Speaker Meeting on 3rd Septemberfor your co-operation during the Fire Drill despite the rain! However, some members were observed stopping for personal items and / or returning for coats. I would like to remind you all that the building must be evacuated immediately as the seconds it takes to collect personal belongings could be fatal.
The Fire Alarm System at the Arts Centre is rather old and needs to be upgraded to an automatic system. The cost of the upgrade is somewhere in the region of £18,000. A Crowd Funding page has been launched at https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/st-austell-arts-centre–fire-alarm-system if you feel that you would like make a donation.
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:
The Committee receive many requests from other charities to promote their cause or local events. As you are aware, we invite such locally based organisations to some of our Speaker Meetings where members may make personal donations if they so wish, but due to Charity Commission rules, we are generally unable to actively promote other charities. However, we will wherever practical, add any promotional literature to our noticeboard at the Arts Centre.
Speakers
Our Speaker on Thursday 3rd September was Craig – Devon and Cornwall Police Cyber Protect Officer. Craig’s talk was amusing at times but very informative and made us all more aware of how to stay safe on line.
For those who attended the talk, it would be very helpful to the Cyber Protect Team to understand how their presentations are being received if you could complete a very quick survey which should take no longer that 5 minutes.
A summary of the presentation is available on the website or HERE and a Social Media Safety document is HERE
The next Speaker on Thursday 1st October immediately after the AGM will be Ian Mitchell. Ian’s talks are always very popular. This one is entitled “Do you know what I mean?“
It is sometimes said that people from the North of the UK have a tendency to speak bluntly and to “say what they mean.” This implies that the rest of the population tend to speak in a more guarded and potentially ambiguous manner. This talk will review how specific circuits in the brain enable us to resolve these ambiguities. It will also examine why children and patients with some neurological conditions may find it harder to understand the thoughts and behaviours of others.
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.
Sewing Machine Group We have had two sewing machines donated to us and there has been some interest in forming a new group. If you are interested and particularly if you are prepared to help co-ordinate, please let Ellie know. ">
Painting for Pleasure
Painting for Pleasure group having happily sketched on the hottest day of the year in the shade and breeze, were found in the fencing and potting area at St.Austell Garden Centre.
Theatre Group
Members of our Theatre Group attended the outdoor performance of ‘Peer Gynt’ at Tregrehan Gardens on 12th August. It was a lovely evening (not spoilt by the partial eclipse!) and very entertaining! Well done to the four actors who performed multiple roles, including ugly trolls!
Gardening Group
Enjoyed a talk at Treverbyn hall with Chris Waitz who runs the Greenspace there with great success.
His knowledge is phenomenal and the talk was about the technical side of composting and also Carlyon Farm china clay works of bygone days, which was mothballed in the ‘60s. Contact:
Short Walks
The Short Walk to the Luxulyan Valley was on Friday 28th August along the majestic Treffry Viaduct and with an autumnal atmosphere in the woods.
The next short walk is scheduled on Friday 25th September. This will be a walk from Lerryn of approx. 3 miles. It will take around one and a half hours and will start from the free car park in the village centre next to the river.
Travellers’ Tales
On Friday, 4th September, Mark Stephenson, who usually organises our Speakers, gave a talk himself about Peru, part 1 of a major South American adventure. Some amazing photos and videos transported the whole audience to Peru.
There will not be a meeting in October so the next meeting will be on November 6th at 2pm when Travellers’ Tales is welcoming a new speaker at the meeting.
Toni Sutton will be recounting many interesting stories from her time living and working in Italy in the 1970s at a volatile time in its history. The title is “Romance in Italy”, which might have a wider interpretation than you would think…Please note that Toni doesn’t have photos from this time so the talk will not be illustrated.
Any u3a member with an interest in Italy is very welcome to attend, even if you do not normally come to the group.
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:
BBC Radio 4 Any Questions
Is coming to St Austell on Friday 18th September. If you are interested, free tickets are available HERE
Margaret Reeves has booked her tickets and suggests that any other u3a members who have booked might like to all be together. 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.
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Chris Crane
