Monthly Meetings

January 2024 Newsletter message from our Chair

Newsletter message from our Stewartry U3A Chair
The full newsletter is emailed to all members monthly.

Hello, and welcome to our new members.

We start 2024 with a bumper issue of our monthly u3a Newsletter.

Thanks to a number of our busy and very enjoyable Groups, this Newsletter is full of informative and interesting articles about recent topics discussed by our members. A big thank you to these Groups for their contribution.

Our Events Team have been collecting feedback from members nominating destinations for our major u3a excursions in 2024. Full details of the 4 most popular are detailed in this Newsletter. There is still time to cast your vote at the January Members Meeting, so please come along and have your voice heard. Just visit the Events Team table in the Hall where refreshments are served after the meeting.

With this months Newsletter you will have received two attachments which are information leaflets from SP Energy Network. These leaflets contain useful information which you may wish to read to decide if help is available in your circumstances.

Additionally a further attachment sets out the dates and programme of speakers for our 2024 Members Meetings. This gives you dates for your 2024 diary and helps you to see the wide range of speakers and topics we have planned for you to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you at these Members Meetings.

Our speaker this month is Stuart Anderson from the Stroke Association. Stuart will explain how we can spot the signs of Stroke, what risk factors we need to consider during our daily lives and how we can help prevent ourselves and our loved ones from suffering a Stroke. This is valuable, life changing advice, which we should all take very seriously. So we would like to see as many members as possible attend this meeting on Tuesday 23 January starting at 2 pm in Castle Douglas Parish Church in Queens Street.

Stephen Bullock
Chair

November 2023 Newsletter message from our Chair

November 2023 Newsletter message from our Stewartry U3A Chair
The full newsletter is emailed to all members monthly.

Hello, and welcome to our new members.
This month is the last Members Meeting of the year, and our Annual General Meeting. The AGM is the time when we conduct the formal business of our u3a, but it is also the occasion when we can thank those members who have given their time and effort to make our u3a the successful and vibrant organisation that we all enjoy. So please come along and show your support and appreciation for the efforts of our committee, group facilitators and helpers.

We have a rather special guest speaker this month. Allan Winn has had a high-profile career in the aeronautical  industry and has been heavily involved in redevelopment of Brooklands in Surrey. We believe this will be a very interesting talk.

Nearly half our membership have enjoyed at least one of our excursions in 2023. We now turn our thoughts towards preparing our 2024 excursion programme. Now is the time for you to vote on which excursions you would like to see being offered next year. Please register your votes at the November meeting.

Our Catering Team are planning to offer some seasonal treats after the meeting on the 28th November, so please join us in the church hall after the meeting. I would like to say hello to as many members as possible.

Stephen Bullock, Chair

Monthly Meetings program

Please see our events listings for details of the meetings.

Notices, followed by a speaker, then refreshments and a chance to chat to other members. Held in Castle Douglas Parish Church on the fourth Tuesday of the month, new and current members welcome.

Monthly Meeting Tuesday 24th May 2022 2pm

James Dunlop is a well-know farmer in Kirkcudbright. The Dunlop family came to the area in 1908 and James’ father was born on the Army Tank Range outside Dundrennan. James will talk about his grandfather and his father’s involvement with the Tank Range.

The talks are held on the fourth Tuesday afternoon of the month in the Parish Church in Castle Douglas.

Entry is free to members, £3 for non-members.

Monthly Meeting Tuesday 26th April 2022 2pm

The Monthly Meeting talk will be from Hamish McRae who is an acclaimed speaker on global future trends in economics, business and society.

As an economic journalist he was financial editor of The Guardian before moving to The Independent.

He will be in Castle Douglas speaking about his new book The World in 2050: How to Think about the Future.

He is also the author of The World in 2020: Power, Culture and Prosperity.

Monthly Meeting Tuesday 22nd March 2022 2pm

The next Monthly Meeting talk will be from Rosie Page, daughter of Alf Wight who is better known as James Herriot the author of the famous vet books.

James Herriot began writing his books at the age of 50. Rosie will discuss how her father became a best-selling author, and the legacy he left behind.

The talks are held on the fourth Tuesday afternoon of the month in the Parish Church in Castle Douglas.

Entry is free to members, £3 for non-members

Monthly Meeting Tuesday 22 February 2022 2pm

The next Monthly Meeting talk will be from Paul Campbell – The Story of English – the first thousand years.
English developed into a global language from Anglo-Saxon dialects to the language of Shakespeare via the Normans, and the Norsemen from Scandinavia.

The talks are held on the fourth Tuesday afternoon of the month in the Parish Church in Castle Douglas.

Entry is free to members, £3 for non-members

Monthly Meeting 25 January 2022 2pm

The AGM will be held before the Monthly Talk, Start time 2pm

The Monthly Meeting Talk will be given by Phil McMenemy – My Journey as an Artist.

Venue – Castle Douglas Parish Church, Queen Street DG7 1EG

Monthly Meeting 23rd November 2021

At Castle Douglas Parish Church, 2pm – 4pm

This illustrated talk will look at how the Kirkcudbright Artists Remembered Project was conceived, and implemented by a willing and enthusiastic band of local volunteers. The historical context, and its impact upon present day Kirkcudbright will be discussed, and the outcomes will be described and viewed. Their significance is not just of local interest but of national value.

This project involves the recording of oral histories of people growing up in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, their lives and interactions with the painters and makers who were an integral part of the community at that time.
The Speaker – Hilary Alcock is an international education consultant, passionate about art, design and the theatre.