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BARNSLEY AND DISTRICT u3a
Internet: Barnsley U3A / Charity no. 1077654
Send info. and photos to: bu3anews@outlook.com
1
Let me jump straight to two pieces of headline news for all members.
First: the front cover photograph of me (Derek’s decision to put it there, not mine) receiving on behalf of all 1,171
Bu3a members, Barnsley Council’s Age-Friendly Award trophy which recognizes the unflagging effort made by our
Committee, Coordinators and Members to make our Barnsley group so vibrant and successful.
Second: The subscription renewal cost for all existing Bu3a members will be reduced for 2021 from £12 to £3.
This is our way of thanking you for your loyalty and in recognition of the fact that those who stayed with us as the
pandemic took hold have largely missed the opportunity to join in with our normal activities. It also recognises that
2021 is the 25th Anniversary of Barnsley u3a and we want all members to celebrate this milestone with us; reducing
the renewal fee for this year is a way of doing this. We are financially strong and this one-off reduction will be met from our
reserves. Our financial accounts are printed in every Summer Buzz, as you know.
For the sake of certainty, let me explain that the £3 is for one year only and does not affect the normal subscription
level which will be charged to any new members who join us during the coming twelve months. We did consider
offering free renewal to existing members but the Committee view was that, bearing in mind the ongoing costs of the
national subscription and our Buzz printing and posting, we need to ensure that members are positively prepared to
give a commitment to stick with us. This small £3 fee gives us certainty in this regard.
The subscription renewal process, which commences as normal in early April, is set out by our Membership Secretary,
John MacKinnon, on the inside back cover of this Buzz.
I mentioned in the Winter Buzz that, in the very difficult and seemingly endless times of the pandemic and ensuing
closedown of our group activities, the challenge for us would be to keep our members onboard with us. As you know,
in addition to ensuring that everyone gets their Buzz, we have put a lot of effort into using video technology. Our aim
has been to create as many opportunities as possible for everyone to get involved with their friends and colleagues
within our Activity groups. Our biggest single venture has been to create the ‘Presentation Hour’ Group which now
has over 260 members and, together with the Monthly Meeting, meets on three Monday afternoons per month.
We recognise that whatever we set up using video technology is only a substitute for face-to-face meetings. Meeting
and socialising with fellow members in the flesh is what we are about. This is what we are missing. However, I don’t,
for one minute, underestimate the value that we witness with Zoom and the other video options we are using and I
am sure that we will continue to make use of this technology as we come out of lockdown. At this stage I need to
propose a massive vote of thanks to Vanda Outram who has taken on the Zoom mantle lead so brilliantly. Thanks to
her endless energy and commitment, we can now see the ever-growing number of members getting involved with the
video technology. As a small tribute to Vanda, we have her photo on our front cover of this edition of the Buzz.
As we approach the month of June, we have to prepare for our Annual General Meeting (AGM). At this stage it looks
increasingly unlikely that we will be able to run the meeting at our normal venue of Priory Campus and so we are
preparing to meet on Zoom again as we did successfully in the Autumn of 2020. Whilst all the necessary papers will be
set out in the June (Summer) edition of the Buzz, we are required by our Constitution to set out the official notice
some weeks prior to the actual date of the meeting. With this in mind, the formal notice is shown on page 21.
Lastly, and very importantly, you will see an advert, also on the inside back cover of this Buzz, seeking a member or a
small team of members, to step forward to take over the management and editorship of our fantastic Buzz newsletter.
If everything goes according to plan, Derek will take over the Chairmanship of Bu3a in June 2022 and will have to
relinquish his role on The Buzz. This gives 16 months for us to ease a new member or members into the role. Anyone
interested will get the chance of watching, supporting and helping Derek prepare a number of Buzzes. Please let us
hear from you if you want to know more and would like to discuss this brilliant opportunity.
Let’s all hope that the vaccine has the effect that we desire and we can then meet up again very soon.
Keep safe and well.
Alan Swann
2
Vice-Chairman and Buzz Editor: Derek Bacon
Welcome to the Spring 2021 ‘Buzz’.
I hope that you enjoy it.
For this edition of The Buzz I have decided to dispense with the usual Page 3 Contents Column as I am not
convinced that it is needed; with a compact magazine, it does not take long to flick through the pages to re-find
an article or advertisement that we want to re-visit. If I am deluged with complaints … in its place I am able to say
a little bit more about some of the material that has come in to make the magazine. My real gratitude goes to
those who make such an effort to support The Buzz and get their writing, photos, pictures and jokes to me.
The first dozen or so pages of this Buzz are dedicated to what I believe to be good evidence of an impressive
response by us to the second and third Coronavirus lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Alan’s ‘Message’ comments
rightly on the unflagging effort, enthusiasm and commitment of Vanda Outram over the past months to master
the management of Zoom and of our web pages. It has become a ‘labour of love’ for her, I suspect, and with great
support from Trudy Atkinson, a vast amount of personal contact among Bu3a members has been maintained.
Alan has also mentioned in his ‘Message’ the ‘Presentation Hour’ and our ‘Monthly Meetings’. I am pleased to
offer a brief report, just one page each, on a whole range of online Zoom meetings that have added an impressive
yet unimagined-a-year-ago dimension to our brilliant organisation. If YOU haven’t signed up to Zoom, I think that
perhaps you should because it has been a revelation to me and possibly to most of us - AND it is NOT complicated.
The front cover shows Vanda Outram with the Zoom logo that she must almost own by now, Alan Swann receiving
the Barnsley Age-Friendly Award, a clip of a Choir Zoom meeting and a shot of our Zoom Christmas Pantomime.
The back cover speaks for itself; beautiful art from Anne Smith of ‘Brushstrokes’.
The arrival of Gloria King’s ‘French Conversation’ article (p 22) about a Bu3a trip she took to France in 2011 amused
and delighted me; I was even contemplating putting a photo of Burnley Miners’ Club on the front cover! But then,
in a serendipitous way, we found the 2011 Buzz article about that same trip and the follow-up opera synopsis
written about it! I think it makes for a great double-page read.
Alan Swann’s Advice Page (p 34)is leading to hundreds of requests from you for more individual, personal advice.
I have since discovered that Alan actually gets one of his servants to write his Advice Column! That news came as
a shock! Additionally, another u3a has spotted this Advice Page and is now including it in THEIR newsletter under
another name! This is TRUE! A court case is pending. This is NOT TRUE! Are you baffled? Good!
I commend to you all the articles sent in; Roy Judge’s ‘Searching for the Stars’ story (p28) was the first piece to
arrive for this Buzz almost three months ago and it is a good one, Also read about special concrete, horse racing,
forgotten trousers, our new (and only?) member with an MBE, and much, much more. To improve our intellect, I
have included Japanese Haiku poetry from David Lambert (p32); his introduction needs a few more hours study
by me but you lot’ll get it straightaway, no doubt. Geoff Pike’s challenging poetry (p40) needs a bit of work, too,
but the streaker should help keep you on the page! Lots of artwork arrived, too, and to those whose submissions
of all kinds are not included, my sincere apologies. Everything is saved for later editions.
Beneath Membership Secretary John MacKinnon’s Membership Renewal Notice on the inside back cover, there
is a request for someone or for a team of people to replace me as Buzz Editor in June 2022. I am not resigning
from the job, far from it, and do not really want to relinquish The Buzz because I enjoy doing it, but Alan has to
stand down after 11 outstanding years of service as our Chairman (it’s a 2 year job!). As things stand, I, as Vice
Chairman, will be replacing him next year. Editing The Buzz is a fantastic opportunity to put together this
magazine/newsletter, that I hope is seen as a kind of ‘glue’ that augments the unity of Bu3a.
Full training can be offered now via Zoom and in person once the pandemic allows. For anyone with even a basic
knowledge of ‘Word’, The Buzz can be put together quite straightforwardly; there are many ‘Word’ experts in
Bu3a who will be willing to help with the technical side.
DEADLINE FOR SUMMER BUZZ 2021: FRIDAY 7TH MAY
3
2020 BU3A PRESENTATION HOUR via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 9th November
‘BARNSLEY BACK THEN’ written and presented by SUE STOKES
Sue Stokes’ talk, delivered with her typical clarity, was so nostalgic for us
because the vast majority of our members are Barnsley born and bred. She
used a wide range of photos to illustrate her early memories of features and
locations in Barnsley before married life took her away to the Midlands.
Barnsley was known for a thriving cottage industry, the weaving of linen,
prior to the arrival of the coal industry. From the 1850s onwards, a large
number of mines opened and coal was the major industry until the late
1950s, when a long-term decline set in. In 1960, there were an amazing 70
collieries within a 15-mile radius of Barnsley town centre, but the last of
these closed in 1994. Wire, linen and glass-making were also major
industries, but now only glass-making remains, with just one company,
Redfearn, which operates as Ardagh under foreign management. The coat
of arms for the town has both a coal miner and a glass-blower. Barnsley's
culture remains rooted in its industrial heritage with its tradition of brass
bands, originally created as social clubs by its mining communities.
A large part of Barnsley town centre was constructed during the 1960s. The
area around Cheapside, May Day Green and the ‘brutalist’ brown concrete
Metropolitan Centre are giving way right now to a brand new £170 million
centre known as The Glass Works. For many of us who have been in strict
lockdown in 2020 and 2021, the town centre will probably be a bit of a
revelation once we are vaccinated and free to travel around more.
Sue’s talk, full of respect and affection for the town, dwelt on the buildings
that Bu3a members will all know or have known. From the top we have an
early photograph of Peel Square, with its twisty road layout little changed.
Then, under construction, Barnsley Town Hall where many of us will have got
married, no doubt. Built of Portland stone and costing £148,000, it was
opened in December, 1933. The Queen visited it in October 1954.
The third picture shows a steam train entering Court House railway station.
Midland Railway purchased the Old Court House on Regent Street as a ticket
office and waiting room. In the early 1970s, the station was demolished. The
station site is now a car park, of course, and the Old Court House is a pub.
Other buildings vying for Sue’s attention were the Barnsley theatres which
were so important in the pre-television days. The Alhambra Theatre on
Doncaster Road was opened in 1915 by Countess Fitzwilliam of Wentworth
Woodhouse. A large theatre with 2,362 seats, it was a live theatre for ten
years, became a cinema until 1960, then re-opened as a Bingo Club before
being demolished in 1982.
Bailey’s baby goods store is noted for its large advertising sign of a stork and
for its motto ‘We supply everything but the baby’. When I moved to the town
in 1977, I seem to recall it being near the Alhambra entrance on Cheapside
but Sue’s picture shows it a couple of hundred yards away next to Boots.
The bottom picture brings us to colour photography and Barnsley Bus
Station, as it was. Ah, memories! A great talk! Thank you, Sue!
Derek Bacon
4
2020 BU3A PRESENTATION HOUR via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 23rd November
‘TRUST ME, I’M A DOCTOR’ written and presented by INDU KUMAR
40 years ago I came to Barnsley as a junior doctor in BDGH and I’m still here! I’m often asked why I chose the Accident
and Emergency department. My reply is “Why not?” This is where you save lives! This is the place to be when you’ve
had a heart attack, a stroke or an accident.
Breaking bad news Unfortunately, a common and difficult occurrence. First make sure you
are talking to the right person. You don’t want to tell Mrs A about her partner’s death when in
fact he has been discharged by the doctor and is already down the pub! Be clear and
unambiguous: “He’s died”; avoid “He has left us”, “He is no more”, “He has gone” which may
all be very confusing. We see shock, stunned silence, hysterical crying, screaming. Some show
no reaction at all. One lady accepted the news and asked if she could go home to feed her cat!
Children in A&E One swallowed a penny and came in saying
“I’m a money box!” Another swallowed a button battery and
thought he was a torch! Common items ingested are detergent, pesticides and
grandma’s tablets! Cuts, bruises and broken bones are just run-of–the-mill. Well,
children will be children! But unexplained and old injuries are red flags to us. Safety of
the child is always the priority! Life is better now for children with glue steristrips
instead of stitches. Stronger oral painkillers have replaced injections
Foreign bodies in adults Incompetent DIY men arrive with screws, staples, fish hooks, cotton buds and splinters
everywhere. Nails banged through fingers attached to planks of wood! Most swallowed stuff safely passes through
and comes out the other end!
Piercings I’ve seen piercings up noses, under tongues,
across both lips, in every nook and cranny down below,
unseen to most of us, thank goodness! Just lovely when
they get badly infected and need removal! Often it’s a
blood bath down there!
Tattoos Barnsley patients come in covered with tattoos on
arms, hands, faces, necks and legs. We just have to find
blue veins for cannulas, infusions, injections and drugs. And
there’s so many enormous ‘tough’ Barnsley men terrified
of needles!
History In A&E we don’t have patients’ records. So we welcome the Asda bag of
medications they use. Then we know some history.
Waiting time The waiting time in A&E is a problem; often too many patients and too
few staff, but that is not always the case. Life-threatening conditions need more
nurses and doctors. Some patients go to the Hallamshire, heart attacks go to Northern
General. Often A&E doctors are in the ambulance for a safe transfer.
Complaints These are very, very common. We say “If you haven’t had a complaint,
you haven’t seen enough patients!” Most complaints are sorted with an apology or explanation.
Rewards We receive loads of cards and chocolates but a sincere “thank you” was always the best reward for me and
made my day.
5
2020 BU3A MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS: ARMCHAIR TRAVEL, Saturday 21 st November
‘THE COMING-OF-AGE DAY’ IN JAPAN’ written and presented by Ingrid Colley
In January 2006 we travelled to Japan to meet our new grandson and
whilst there we visited our daughter-in-law’s parents. Her mother,
Yaeko, has a hairdressing and beauty salon. I noticed that one room was
full of kimonos which were absolutely beautiful. The fabrics, the bright
colours and the patterns were a feast for the eyes. We were told that
these were for the young girls to wear the following day which was ‘The
Coming-of-Age Day’.
This occurs annually on the second Monday in January. It is a national
holiday and all the young
people who celebrate their
20th birthday between 2nd April the previous year and 1st April the current
year are invited to attend. The ceremonies take place in town halls, sports
halls and large venues across Japan. They have even held them at
Disneyland in Tokyo. The ceremony marks the fact that these young people
are now adults. Local dignitaries make speeches about their increased
responsibilities as adults and they are often presented with certificates and
gifts. Afterwards they go to religious shrines or to other gatherings and
parties, where they may get drunk because they are now legally allowed to
drink alcohol. In 1976, 2.76 million 20-year-olds participated in the
celebration. With Japan’s declining birth rate, this had reduced to 1.22 million in 2012.
It is a wonderful opportunity to dress up. It is difficult for a girl to dress herself in the kimono so the girls go to salons
to have their hair and makeup done and to be dressed. The demand is such that Yaeko
had her first client booked in for 3.30 am on that Monday morning. Young girls wear
Kimonos called furisode which means long sleeves. These sleeves make them
impractical but they are very decorative and are designed to enhance the beauty of
the girls. There are many layers to put on – underwear, then a chemise, a shorter silk
kimono, several sashes to be wound around the body before adding the final kimono
and sash known as an obi. The desired silhouette is a cylinder with no female curves.
The obi has an intricate knot at the back to represent a flower or butterfly. Silk kimonos
are expensive so the girls often wear family heirlooms or they hire one for the day.
The young men also appear to enjoy dressing for the
occasion. Some are rather understated, wearing
black suits to which they have added their own
individuality with upturned collars and chains. Others
embrace colour and go down the traditional route.
They are not wearing skirts but culotte-style pants
called hakama. If they belong to a certain group, such
as a sports team or school class, the young men will
co-ordinate their outfits. Just like the girls they have
put time, effort and expense into their appearance.
The following day I returned to Yaeko’s salon to have my hair done. All the brightly
coloured kimonos had gone. However, one kimono remained. It was a soft muted colour,
not much in the way of pattern and it had shorter sleeves. This was a married woman’s
kimono, a much more practical garment. I was dressed by my daughter-in-law and her
mother with great ceremony and attention to detail. I felt absolutely wonderful. We spent the rest of the day
sightseeing and shopping and despite the very cold January temperature, I felt so warm. Come the end of the day, I
did not want to take it off!
6
2020 BU3A ONLINE MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 7th December
‘THE RISE, DECLINE AND REBIRTH OF ST PANCRAS STATION’
presented by John Hancock of Ilkley U3A
This was our first Zoom ‘Monthly
Meeting’ under our arrangement with
Ilkley u3a to share speakers and
presentations. It has to be said at the
outset that it was delivered brilliantly.
The commentary by rail expert and
obvious aficionado, John Hancock, was
masterful. Dozens of outstanding
photographs accompanied the fast
moving talk as John showed how this
station and its world famous hotel has
moved from being underfunded,
unkempt and unloved over decades to
the much-loved International Eurostar
terminus that it now is.
The station, designed by William Henry
Barlow and constructed with a single-
span iron roof, was opened in October
1868 with Midland Grand Hotel on the
station's façade, widely praised for its architecture and now a Grade I listed
building along with the rest of the station.
John’s talk dwelt on the troubled history of the station as it struggled to
compete with its next-door neighbour ‘King’s Cross’ and ‘Euston’ just down the
road. But after being bombed in the War, it continued to struggle on and
refused to die. The magnificent hotel became mundane, functional, British Rail
offices but it has now been returned to its former glory as a 5-star hotel.
Neglect in the
50s and 60s led
to attempts to
close the station and demolish the hotel. This
provoked strong and successful opposition, with the
campaign led by the late Poet Laureate, John
Betjeman. Even in 1993 British Rail had to be ordered
to spend £9 million on patching up the leaking roof!
In the 90s, at last, the complex underwent an
£800 million refurbishment and was opened by
Queen Elizabeth II and Francois Mitterand in
November 2007.
Twenty three Eurostar trains now travel daily from St
Pancras to European destinations such as the French
Alps, Marseille and Avignon. Non-stop trains take just
over two hours to Paris and under two hours to
Brussels.
7
2020 BU3A ONLINE PRESENTATION HOUR via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 14th December
‘GAUDI’S BARCELONA’ written and presented by Derek Bacon
This ‘Presentation Hour’ talk took me back 51 years to my time as a student in Barcelona in 1969. I loved to walk this
exciting city, whose most famous son is undoubtedly the architect Antoni Gaudí, whose greatest works are there; they
enjoy global popularity and admiration. I focused on the four most famous buildings, Casa Milá, Casa Battló, Parc Güell
and La Sagrada Familia.
Gaudí's work was influenced by his three passions in life: architecture,
nature, and religion. His tragic death in 1926 when he was hit by a tram in
Barcelona and left unattended because he looked so unkempt, only adds to
the mystery and cult following of his life and work.
Casa Milá (below, left) is almost a sculpture as much as a building. Started
in 1906, its frontage consists of three
different façades with striking, unusual
windows arranged asymmetrically. God
didn’t create straight lines so neither did
fervent believer, Gaudí! The astonishing
roof of Casa Milá with its warrior-type
figures is like no other.
Casa Battló (right) is remarkable, like
everything Gaudí designed. Known locally
as ‘The House of Bones’, it has skeleton-
like balconies. The roof is arched and is
understandably likened to the back of
a dragon or dinosaur.
Parc Güell (below, left) is a huge 45-acre
space destined for housing but turned into a garden complex, designed
and built between 1900 and 1914. The focal point of the park is the main
terrace which is surrounded by a long bench of ceramic-covered, snake-
like seating.
La Sagrada Familia (The Holy
Family) cathedral (right) is one of
the most emblematic structures
in the entire world and no visitor
to the city will want to miss this
most idiosyncratic of buildings.
Gaudí’s still-under-construction
masterpiece is the most visited
monument in Spain. Started 140
years ago in 1882, it remains far
from complete in 2021 and 2030
is now a suggested completion date. It is a running joke that Barcelona never
wants it finished because there is a never-ending flow of visitors wanting to
see the most recent developments. The construction has always depended
on donations and visitors’ fees. There are many towers still to be built.
8
A 2020 BU3A ‘SPECIAL’ via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 21st December
CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION
Christmas is a time of celebration of friendship for all u3a’s but Barnsley probably do it as well as most others, if not
better! In a normal year we have our main Christmas lunch at Burntwood Court at Brierley for between 150-200
people. The Choir always performs its Christmas Concert at Emmanuel Church to a full audience and gives concerts in
a local church or two, as well, and it was due to perform at Priory for our 2020 Christmas Celebration.
Our other music groups, including the Old Blowers, Stringalongs and Flutes Galore, would no doubt have been
entertaining folk in community centres, care homes, churches, supermarkets and other venues as they did in 2019.
But perhaps more important than any of them, our Activity Groups, now numbering some 130, would have been
having their final meeting of December 2020 and then going to a pub or restaurant or a member’s home for the annual
‘fuddle’. As a southerner, not fit to walk less than 200 yards behind any true Yorkshiremen and women, I’d never heard
of the word ‘fuddle’ before I joined Bu3a, so I asked Alan Swann to explain it, and he said “It’s where all t’men drink
four pints of John Smith’s before t’meal arrives. Then they eat lots of pork pie. Then they drink four pints of John
Smith’s. Then they eat t’Christmas puddin’. Then they drink four pints of John Smith’s. Then they drive home.” Wow!
That’s great, I thought! I’ll have some of that Yorkshire sophistication!
This year’s Christmas Celebration was a classic Zoom pantomime: Cinderella. It was wonderful to have an all non-star
cast of Vanda Outram, brilliant in the starring role as Snow White, and John and Ingrid Colley as the Two Unwise
Shepherds bringing their gifts of lamb chops and mutton curry to Cinderella’s baby (am I getting this right?). Derek
Bacon starred as Beautiful Sister, Gorjosita, and Alan Swann was The Not-Worth-Naming Unbelievably Ugly Sister. The
play will possibly move to The National Theatre on London’s South Bank when the end of the pandemic allows.
In addition to the stunning pantomime, there was a Dingbats Christmas Quiz. The best question was:
ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
The Best Christmas Joke was: How do you recognise a Christmas Tree from BHS? All the branches have gone!
The Fancy Dress Competition Prize was shared between:
The Colleys dressed as The Two Unwise Shepherds and
Roy Marsden wearing one of Brenda Marsden’s dresses (is this correct?)
The funniest email in response to the pantomime came from Indu Kumar who wrote:
“I laughed so much! I hope the same cast are already booked for next year.”
Indu was immediately rushed back to BDGH for a brain scan! Nothing was found!
9
2021 BU3A ONLINE MONTHLY MEETING PRESENTATION via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 4th January
‘SUPPORT DOGS’ presented by Tess Thompson Introduction by Alan Swann
Those who attended this talk and video
presentation by Tess Thompson from
Meadowhall-based ‘Support Dogs’ were
hugely affected by it, I am sure. It was an
outstanding hour and we were held spell-
bound, almost in disbelief, by the outcomes,
results and achievements of this small
charity.
What an eye opener it was. I was fully aware
of Guide Dogs for the blind and deaf but this
was something else. Dogs of all kinds trained
to support children with autism, people with epilepsy and
other physical disabilities. I had no idea that dogs could be
trained to alert a person suffering from epilepsy up to 50
minutes before an episode or seizure becomes evident.
What an incredible and little known charity this is!
There was no fee involved in the presentation but the 100+
members attending were all given the opportunity to make individual donations through
their website and some did, we know. This Monthly Meeting was an hour well spent in
Bu3a.
One case study
Seizure alert dog Wadsley is helping Brogan to regain the lifestyle she enjoyed
before epilepsy. Before “wonder-dog” Wadsley came into her life, Brogan was
having up to four seizures a day.
Now, Brogan can lead a near-normal life, knowing that Wadsley will give her
a 100 per cent 48-minute advance warning of an oncoming epileptic seizure.
Brogan now has profound peace of mind, an active lifestyle, swims and climbs
mountains. She even plays rugby – with Wadsley sitting by the touchline and
making sure she’s safe to continue by giving her a clean bill of health at half
time!
Brogan developed epilepsy at 17 and had up to 14 seizures a day. The cause
was possibly an earlier head trauma when, aged 13, doing a back flip, she
landed on her head. “My life before Wadsley was miserable. I was on medication but nothing was working. I couldn’t
have a bath or a shower in case I had a seizure and drowned or fell and banged my head. I couldn’t cook or leave the
house; things that people take for granted I wasn’t allowed to do”.
When she first met Wadsley at the training centre, she had three seizures and Wadsley knew something was wrong –
he just stared intensely at her. Her seizures have now reduced to about eight a month, with Wadsley alerting Brogan
by persistently nudging her with his nose. He can detect a seizure and give her a 100 per cent 48-minute advance
warning even though he can’t see her. When he’s not working, Wadsley loves running around on the beach just being
a dog, but when he has his jacket on he is the most focused, sensible dog ever.
Google: Support Dogs Tel: Sheffield 0114 261 7800
102020 BU3A ONLINE SATURDAY CHAT via ‘ZOOM’, Saturday 16th January Derek Bacon
I already love Saturday Chat; at only the second meeting there were only
nine of us there, but that’s a perfect number for everyone to have a say -
although I expect the others think that I talked too much. I can’t help being
enthusiastic when chatting with these lovely people.
So where do you start a meeting with no agenda? Well, there was our
newest Zoom Coordinator, Ingrid Colley, welcoming people and having a
question or two ready to get things going. It was all light-hearted, trivial and
amusing; the amount of laughter was enormous! If you look at the screenshot (above) you can see me with head down
because I suddenly felt that I had to jot down the huge range of subject matter. Talking of ‘matter’, I’m not sure how
we got to talking about nappies, but we did! Everyone there had used terry towelling
nappies with their children and related the joy of disposing of the ‘matter’, then
dropping the nappy into a bucket of sanitiser before the washing and hanging out on
the line. Happy days! Well, to be honest, they were! From
nappies we moved logically(!) to Victor Allt’s reminiscences
of Green Shield stamps and the wine glasses he collected,
at a time when, I suppose, we were all cool kids drinking ‘Blue Nun’ and Mateus Rosé. Ingrid
Colley recalled a female relation of hers who hated her daughter-in-law and collected cheap
and nasty plates with Green Shield stamps so she could give her a full set as her Christmas
present, each one individually wrapped in newspaper! Nice!
When Ingrid asked if any of us had seen anything worth watching on TV, BBC’s recent ‘The Serpent’,
set in 1970’s Bangkok, came up and it was remarked how almost everyone chain-smoked in it. Ingrid
confessed to being a cool chick with a French boyfriend back then, so she smoked Gauloises
cigarettes to top up her image! Victor Allt recalled how young men used to smoke a few packets of
Gauloises before their army medical so that they would fail the test through breathlessness! This got
Brenda and Roy Marsden recalling their pub landlord days in Wakefield and Barnsley. Thick smoke
in the pub was the norm and was never questioned. Roy, a life-long non-smoker, remembers still the
day the men came to build an extension to the concert room, but before they
could start any work they had to scrub years of accumulated nicotine from the
concert room ceiling. Roy then had us in fits as he produced cigarette packets
that had been left in the last pub they ran. We were shown some of the collection
and couldn’t stop laughing as more and more of our past ‘favourites’ appeared.
Are these packets on display on the mantelpiece of the Marsdens’ front room,
we wondered? Woodbines, Embassy, Star, BDV and many more were proudly
held up for the screen shot you can now see (right). Roy said that his brother-in-law smoked 100 cigarettes a day and
he wondered what that would cost him these days!
The only possible next topic was Chrissie White recalling her weekly weekend Mod trips with her Mod boyfriend on
their Mod Lambretta to Scarborough to terrify the locals! This led to my recollection of ‘working on the deckchairs’ on
Brighton beach at the time of the Mods and Rockers invasion, and pitched battles on Brighton seafront, while tough
me ran off into hiding! Mention of Mods and Rockers brought ‘Quizmasters’ music gurus Chrissie and Brenda to talking
about the film ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘The Who’s rock opera of the same name.
I’m glad that we also discussed van deliveries by Rington’s Tea, William Hague’s family’s ‘pop’ drinks and by the local
fish van. Also, Flatley tumble dryers, Canadian dishwashers, Bette Davies in ‘Now Voyager’, ‘Queen’s Gambit’,
‘Designated Survivor’, chewing gum ‘blasting’ machines, women’s inability to load dishwashers …. I’ll leave it there!
All too feeble for you? Well, we don’t care! Not too feeble? Then come and join us! You’ll be very welcome!
112020 BU3A ONLINE PRESENTATION HOUR via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 24th January
‘THE HISTORY OF WENTWORTH’ – ‘Keeping up with the Joneses’
written and presented by Sue Green
The grandeur, size and scale of Wentworth Woodhouse and
Wentworth Castle are breath-taking, but the story behind
them is equally extraordinary. Both properties are the legacy
of a bitter family feud which expressed itself through
architecture, a real- life 18th century game of ‘Top Trumps’.
The root cause of the fall-out was a family will, following the
death of William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford, of
Wentworth Woodhouse.
In 1695, William Wentworth died without a direct heir. His
first cousin, Thomas Wentworth (below, left) was his closest
male heir and expected to inherit everything at Wentworth Woodhouse as well as all the other lands and titles
associated with it.
William however, broke with protocol and left everything to a young
nephew, Thomas Watson.
We can’t overestimate the profound effect this had on Thomas
Wentworth, the aggrieved cousin, who regarded Thomas Watson as
an interloper, even though he had now added Wentworth to his
name and become Thomas Watson Wentworth.
Thomas Wentworth’s bitterness and humiliation at being treated so
badly led him to embark on a personal crusade to restore his family’s
honour and supplant the Wentworth Woodhouse family.
He began by purchasing an unremarkable country house, Stainborough Hall, and land from neighbouring estates
including Wentworth Woodhouse. Throughout these transactions he used a secret code for the members of the
Wentworth Woodhouse family. The code name for Thomas Watson Wentworth was ‘vermin’!
Plans were drawn up for a new house (right), copying the
Baroque style of Versailles, whilst inside a grand long gallery
and a greatly admired staircase were added.
The gardens had a make-over with a mock ruined castle added
and the whole residence was renamed Wentworth Castle.
Meanwhile another Thomas Watson
Wentworth (left) had inherited
Wentworth Woodhouse and responded
to the re-build at Stainborough by also
building a Baroque style house (right) to
replace the Jacobean house at Wentworth
Woodhouse.
However, this was a disaster. It was
underwhelming on every count compared to Wentworth Castle, and even before the red brick
Baroque house was completed, Thomas Watson Wentworth commissioned another house to be
built in the new Palladian style. This time it was to be built on a grand style, outdoing anything
that had been built at Stainborough! So, the impressive East Front (top) that we recognise today was built.
This was the final gesture in the family feud, the legacy of which we enjoy today as we visit the three wonderful country
houses, their gardens and parklands.
122020 BU3A ONLINE SATURDAY ARMCHAIR TRAVEL via ‘ZOOM’, Saturday 16th January
Four brief presentations at this very well attended Zoom meeting, and it was thrilling to see some of those who had
attended the Zoom training session four days beforehand there at this meeting. See! It is dead simple, as they say.
Sue Stokes spoke of her affection for the city of
Hereford. Sue started with a photo of the 2012 5ft
high bronze statue of a Hereford bull in the town
centre. But she devoted most time to the treasures
of the cathedral, the world’s largest surviving
chained library with its collection of medieval
manuscripts and, of course, the world-famous
Mappa Mundi, the spiritual and geographical
representation of how the world was seen in 1360. Sue suggested Hereford as a future Travel Group destination and
Coordinator, Chrissie White, who was in the large audience, took note of the good suggestion.
Jo Kasparek spoke about the island of Spinalonga, nicknamed
the island of the living dead. Having read Victoria Hislop’s ‘The
Island’ she decided to visit this former 85-acre leper colony in
Crete. Spinalonga is known world-wide as the host of a leper
community from 1903 to 1957, and as one of the last active
leper colonies in Europe, with 400 inhabitants during the
outbreak of the illness. A beautiful island with a dark history.
A brief but poignant and very moving talk by Jo.
Andy Kasparek’s ‘bucket list’ of things to see
contained Peru’s ‘Machu Picchu’, one of the ‘New
Seven Wonders of the World’. A P&O ‘Oriana’ cruise
that docked in Lima allowed him to take a flight up
to Cuzco, then the amazing train ride in the Andes to
Aguas Calientes, then a bus that zigzags its way up
scarily (right) to the Inca citadel itself (left).
The Incas built the estate around 1450 but
abandoned it a century later when the Spanish
conquest began. It was not known to the Spanish
during their colonial period and remained unknown
to the outside world until Hiram Bingham brought it
to international attention in 1911.
Derek Bacon, his brother and brother-in–law decided to
‘bond’ for a week, walking six days on the ‘Camino de
Santiago’, the pilgrim route in Northern Spain. This was a
walk for ‘softies’ run by a British company. A small group
of walkers stay in good accommodation. The problem is
you’ve got to walk to your next accommodation after
being dropped off after breakfast each day. But you get
to walk the ‘best bits’ of the Camino. Derek’s group had
3 Americans, 2 Australians, 2 New Zealanders and 2 Mexicans. Fantastic company! You
walk around 17 miles each day to qualify for the Camino certificate that you’ve walked
100 miles of the route. The unprepared walked for a while and then opted to get in one
of the Mercedes vans that are there to whisk you off to the day’s hotel. Most suffered
a bit on the long, winding, rocky climbs, but all adored the easier bits. It was a fabulous week; happily, you forget the
tougher bits and remember only the really good bits.
132020 BU3A ONLINE MONTHLY MEETING via ‘ZOOM’, Monday 31st January
‘GREENLAND’ written and presented by Beth Rudkin
“Greenland has nothing but it has everything” and it
has profoundly changed Beth.
Beth is an eternal student. In 2018, she was reading
about Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian, who in 1893
wanted to reach the North Pole. He raised funds and
built a ship, the ‘Fram’. Beth was googling the ‘Fram’
and saw that the cruise company Hurtigruten had a modern ship called ‘Fram’ and it was in
Greenland! She got excited. Beth ‘does’ excited! She booked. That July, she and a friend, Margaret, set off on ‘Fram’.
Greenland is the largest island in the world, the 12th largest country in the world, four times the size of France.
Population 56,000. Compare Barnsley 250,000. Some 18,000 live in the capital, Nuuk. Greenlanders speak
Kalaallisutand and Danish. In 1979 the Danish government granted Greenland home rule, with Denmark keeping
control of foreign relations, defence, currency matters and the legal system. Then Greenland voted to leave the
European Union. (Grexit? Ed.) Fishing is the main industry. There are no cars. After all, where would you drive to?
All the ship’s passengers had to wear day glow coats on land so they would be visible! Then they
were let loose in vast tracts of absolutely deserted territory. Look out to sea and there are always
icebergs. Beth’s best days were when they dropped anchor in small bays and there was nothing. No
humans except them, and they all scattered away so there was just you. Just a few sea birds. It isn’t
for everyone. Just barren, noble earth. Beth felt privileged to be there.
Beth took a helicopter trip to the ice sheet, which covers 80% of the country. They landed 50 metres
from the edge of it. It was a sad moment when the pilot said that 5 years ago he would not have
been able to land here. But now the Ice Sheet had shrunk due
to global warming. They flew over it and got some idea of the
enormity of it. It averages about 1.2 miles thick, but that reaches nearly 2 miles
down. Beth thought it would be smooth, like a sheet. But it is more like millions
of stalagmites, spikes standing up. Like everything about this country, it was
not gentle and kindly, but raw and defiant and wonderful.
On board ship was a marine biologist who told them about miniscule copepods. “There are trillions of these things in
rivers and seas. They are very nourishing. If there were a dreadful virus that wiped out these little things, the next
layer up in the food chain would starve, and the next layer and the next and the next”. There was silence. Viruses in
2018 didn’t sound major. Someone said: “What if a virus wiped out humans?” The man pondered for a moment. “Then
the whole planet would jump for joy”, he said. One of the reasons
that this country is so magnificent is that humans are not here to
spoil it. It is not jumping for joy but it is standing proud, and raw
and wonderful.
Beth was asked if she wanted to go kayaking! Unbelievably she
plucked up the courage from somewhere! For the first half hour
she shook with fear. Her little kayak tipped from side to side and
the water was horribly close. But she headed for an iceberg. They
had seen icebergs every day from the ship but nothing like this. It
was as massive as a three-storey building, white and grey and blue. And silent. There were other icebergs nearby, but
this was Beth’s iceberg. Nobody had been so close to it, ever. And nobody would again, for it would drift out to sea.
And ever so slowly, melt. She lingered before this great temple and worshipped. A moment of silence and majesty she
had never experienced before. This was the Earth, as God had made it, before humans with their noise and rushing
around arrived. She doesn’t think she’ll ever experience this moment of awe again. It has changed her forever.
14THE BIG ZOOM PHOTOGRAPH THAT PERHAPS SAYS IT ALL!
Alan Swann, Derek Bacon, Vanda Outram, Trudy Atkinson
Towards the end of January this year, we felt both pleased and frustrated by our year-long efforts to keep Bu3a alive
by means of online meetings, specifically on Zoom, for which we had agreed to pay for a full licence so that every one
of our Activity Groups and newly-created Zoom-specific Groups could continue to meet, chat and comfort each other
in these difficult times.
We were delighted by so many reports of enthusiasm for ‘Presentation Hour’, ‘Monthly Meeting’, ‘Saturday Chat’ and
‘Armchair Travel’ with 280 members signed up to them.
Additionally, we knew that hundreds more were meeting up in their Groups, but we didn’t know exactly how many.
So we guessed that it would probably be around 500, but that still left about 500 more who have internet access
probably not taking advantage of what was on offer.
We offered a ‘Zoom Beginners Session’ in a Beacon email to everybody. The response was immediate and two days
later the screenshot above was taken of some of those members having their first experience of Zoom. With just one
tap of an ipad screen or click of a mouse, they joined us and the faces say it all! For example, Gill Errington on Row 2,
Carroll White on Row 3 and Glenys Lord on Row 4 never stopped smiling during the entire hour as we explained the
possibilities of Zoom.
After the meeting, emails of gratitude arrived, and the one that struck me most said: “Thank you for today. Living
alone, I have found it a little difficult in this lockdown and this Zoom will open a door for me. Thank you for your time
and patience.”
WORD and EXCEL TRAINING with DAVID ANDREWS Derek Bacon
David Andrews, our ‘Maths man’ is a very clever bloke and he is running training for us on the
Microsoft applications WORD, EXCEL and POWERPOINT. It is great to hear that with this
having been advertised on our private Facebook Members page, so many of us have already
taken up the offer. David has produced outstanding Bu3a training leaflets for you to have for
the courses. ‘Word’ is for producing documents like The Buzz. ‘Excel’ is a spreadsheet for loads
of things including money, schoolwork and organisation of data. Powerpoint (see page 35) is
for producing presentations. All this is FREE!
15GROUP ACTIVITY ON ZOOM
This is a round-up of what some of our groups have been up to on Zoom in recent times.
What better place to start than Classical Studies! Bravo, Coordinator Jeremy Dinsdale!
Zeus must be looking down on us in disbelief at what we’re doing these days!
Classical Studies Sessions on alternate Fridays at 11.00am. For Tuesday and Friday groups
Female characters in Greek mythology; the myth and their after-life:
exploring the stories of each of these characters and looking at how their lives have
been viewed and interpreted from Classical times to the present day in Art and
Literature.
Helen Medea Phaedra Penelope Antigone Electra Clytemnestra
Literature Beth Rudkin
th
We have just finished the Literature Zoom group for today, Wednesday 20 January. The wonderful
Sarah Guifo Guifo does all the hard preparation work and I just lead it.
This term we are studying Dickens' ‘Great Expectations’, which has got so
much better than when I did it for ‘O’ level. There were 27 in the group
this afternoon. We do structure it a bit, but almost everybody had
something to say. Some of the members are from Wakefield, which is
going part way towards my erstwhile dream of sharing our groups with
other u3as. The group has steadily grown since September when Lynn
Maloney led us with Shakespeare's ‘Macbeth’. Do you know, you could
get used to this Zoom thing. It has its attractions on a cold, rainy day.
History Beth Rudkin
The History group is studying the 19th century. Vanda does the clever bits for this. Everybody enters into
the spirit of it. John and Ingrid usually put a background that is appropriate to the subject under discussion. It attracts
similar numbers as the Literature group, and I love it. Again, some Wakefield members come - even though they have
their own group now. I notice that some Barnsley members are sneaking into that one.
Philosophy Beth Rudkin
This is a smaller group, but the members are enthusiastic. Last time we discussed the
fact that Plato did not like democracy. He said that if he was making a sea journey, he would want a
Captain who knew his stuff about navigation and things. How much more important is running a
state - much too important to be left to all of us who know nothing about it. Did he have a point?
No screenshots. Just never thought about that! I just keep all those faces in my heart.
Flutes Galore Derek Bacon
Melanie France I look forward to our Thursday morning flute group on Zoom. It gives me some
normality each week in these difficult times. I particularly enjoy playing along with Helen and I feel I have grown in
confidence as a result. A big thank you to Derek and Helen for organising it for us.
Jayne Welburn Helen leads and we all follow! Great duet playing! A good range of music chosen by Derek! Culture
for flute players! A good time had by all!
Hazel Sutcliffe After another Flutes Galore zoom session I feel I have earned my lunch! It is always lovely to catch up
with fellow fluters and play along with the experts in the grateful knowledge that no-one can hear my missed or
wrong notes! Not quite real life but the next best thing.
Janet Elvy A highlight of my lockdown week seeing the friendly faces of Flutes Galore at our Zoom meetings, having
a chat and a laugh then getting down to business - playing our flutes - which keeps the neurons firing and fingers
flying.
16Theatre Deputy ‘Gogglebox’ Coordinator: Pat Butcher
Pat and John Dawson – Theatre Group Zoom meetings are: Contact, Contribution, Continuity, Cohesion.
Pat Saxton - whether a good week or a boring one, it is just
lovely to see and hear everyone at the Theatre Zoom meeting.
We always have a good laugh. We even managed a virtual
Christmas Party!
Margaret Crow - I really enjoy our Theatre Zoom meetings and
look forward to receiving Pat’s suggestions for our weekly
viewing. Sometimes the programme isn’t one I would
normally have watched so it’s interesting to see something
different. It is also good to listen to other people’s views about
what they have been watching. I enjoy the quizzes and the
presentations about different actors and it is nice that
everyone is willing to make some sort of contribution to the meetings.
Jayne Welburn - recommendations, reviews, quizzes, theatre dames and knights, Who Am I? Theatre Group Zoom is
an amazing hour and a half!
Anne Stewart - what would Theatre Group be without Zoom? We would all be going crazy at home without watching
TV and talking to our friends.
Janet Feerick - Theatre Group Zoom meetings give you something to look forward to, keeps you in contact with your
friends. It’s a really enjoyable afternoon.
‘Sandy’ Sandiford - our time spent as a group on Zoom is a virtual interaction that all of us experience. Each of us
contributes to the cohesion of the group, it makes everybody responsible and accountable. It is a shared experience.
Jan Morris - my first experience of Zoom and I was amazed how easy it was to use (Pat set it up for me). Theatre visits
are out of bounds but I enjoy the company and catching up on the items that we now follow on TV and radio,
Sandra Bailey - it’s great to join Theatre Group Zoom meetings, to see everyone and know we have all survived another
week. Never watched so much telly, but Pat says stay safe, stay well and stay viewing, and we always do!
Suzan and Bill - we look forward to our weekly Zoom session. We can forget the outside world and see smiling faces
and listen to critiques of selected TV viewings. It is an opportunity to share our thoughts on specific productions. It
gets the old grey cells going. Especially heart-warming is that the fortnightly meetings have become weekly and over
the last year seeing the regular faces has been constantly reassuring. We have learned to Zoom and proved that new
technology is no barrier; we want to learn and even in lockdown we are able to stretch out and reach friends.
Pat Butcher - I think that the last passage sums our Zoom experiences up quite eloquently. I am so proud of Theatre
Group, and I feel that through Zoom we have found friendship and support that has helped us cope a little better
perhaps with the pandemic.
French Language and Culture Pat Wassell
During lockdown I have enjoyed many full U3a Zoom meetings as well as family Zooms and Zooms from
other countries. However, I was wary of becoming the host of a group, but after Christmas I decided to ‘bite the bullet’
and introduce my French Language and Culture group to Zoom. With Trudy Atkinson’s invaluable help and
encouragement, we had our first meeting on Tuesday 19th January with eleven members. It was successful. It was so
good to see each other and talk together. Everyone wanted more so we have arranged meetings in February and
March. From April onwards we will meet twice a month. I am so glad I took the plunge!
Penistone Walkers
David Slater ‘Through the screen it reminds us there will again be life beyond'
Sheila Metcalfe I joined Penistone walking group when the first lockdown began, didn’t know
anyone but they were very welcoming. I felt a little unsure of Zoom chats when it started but
I now feel much more part of the group. It’s lovely to see friendly faces and Sue and Andrew
are superb Coordinators. I attend any Zoom meeting on offer as it really is keeping our U3A
vibrant and alive. Give it a go! It’s something to write in your empty diary!
17ZOOM GROUP MEETINGS TIMETABLE
At the time of going to press (Feb ’21), all in-person meetings are suspended due to Covid.
Please check with Coordinators to see that these Zoom meeting dates are correct.
18ZOOM GROUP MEETINGS TIMETABLE
At the time of going to press (Feb ’21), all in-person meetings are suspended due to Covid.
Please check with Coordinators to see that these Zoom meeting dates are correct.
19BARNSLEY AND DISTRICT U3A
24th Annual General Meeting: 2020
Minutes of the video meeting held on Zoom on Monday 5th October 2020 at 1.30 pm.
In attendance.
Executive Committee Members: Alan Swann, Derek Bacon, Hilary Newton, Jacqui MacKinnon, John Mackinnon,
Max Senior, Margaret Saxton, Helen Dew, Lynn Maloney, Mike Booth, Mike Nevins, Trudy Atkinson, Vanda
Outram, Sue Rowley. Compliance Officer: Mike Pease Regional Trustee/National representative: Sue Stokes
Plus 70 members. [As per screenshots]
The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and explained that this was the reconvening of the originally
scheduled AGM which was due to take place earlier in June but which had to be postponed because of the
Coronavirus pandemic. He reminded all those present that all the relevant papers had previously been circulated
to all members as part of the Spring and Summer Buzzes and that they were all still available to be viewed on the
Bu3a website.
The specific items were:
Proposed change to the Constitution set out in the Spring Buzz on page 4.
The Annual Report set out in the Summer Buzz pages 4 and 5.
The Annual Accounts set out in the Summer Buzz page 6
The 2019 AGM Minutes set out in the Summer Buzz pages 48 to 51.
The SGM Minutes from 7th October 2019 set out in the Summer Buzz page 51
The nominations for the Executive Committee. [All positions uncontested]
The Chairman went on to explain that this Zoom meeting was the culmination of a process which commenced at
the end of August when emails or letters were sent to all members seeking their support or otherwise to all the
issues noted as ‘specific items’ above. He explained that after the ‘cut off’ date of 30th September Chrissie White
[an independent member with no links to the Executive Committee] had collated all the responses.
There were valid responses received from 342 members as follows:
Change to the Constitution. 335 For and 7 Against.
Annual report 342 For Nil Against
Annual Accounts 342 For Nil Against
2019 AGM Minutes 342 For Nil Against
SGM October 2019 342 For Nil Against
The Committee Nominations were all approved as follows:
Alan Swann, Chairman until June 2022
Hilary Newton, Treasurer until June 2022
John MacKinnon, Membership Secretary until June 2021.
Lynn Maloney, Development Officer until June 2021
Helen Dew, New Member Secretary/ Travel Group Representative until June 2021
Robin Northcut, Website Manager until June 2021. [temporarily covered by Mike Booth]
Mike Nevins, Room Bookings Officer until June 2021.
Max Senior, Equalities Officer until June 2021
Margaret Saxton, Social Committee representative until June 2021.
Sue Rowley, Choir Committee representative until June 2021.
It was noted that there were two co-opted members: Vanda Outram [Publicity] and Trudy Atkinson [Risk
Assessments] and that there were also two elected members who were part way through a two-year term to end
June 2021: Derek Bacon [Vice Chairman] and Jacqui MacKinnon [Business Secretary]
AOB. There being no other business the AGM was formally concluded and the meeting reverted back to a normal
monthly meeting.
Date and time of next [25th] AGM: Monday 7th June 2021. 1.30 pm Priory Campus? [Subject to review]
20BARNSLEY AND DISTRICT U3A
Notice of 2021 AGM: Monday 7th June
In accordance with the Constitution, notice is hereby given that the 25th Annual General Meeting of Barnsley
and District U3A will be held on Monday 7th June 2021, at 1.30pm.
In the likely event that the meeting cannot take place at Priory Campus, the meeting will take place as a video
conference remotely on Zoom. All members are invited to attend, including those without access to video
technology who will be able to join the meeting via telephone handsets. Any member wishing to join the
meeting in this way should contact any committee member in order to register their interest.
All the necessary paperwork will be set out in the June Buzz.
The business of the Annual General Meeting will include:
1. Approving the Minutes of the 24th AGM held on Zoom on Monday 5th October 2020.
2. Receiving and approving the Annual Report
3. Receiving and approving the examined accounts for the year ending 5th April 2021
4. Election of two Officers for a 2-year term
5. Election of up to 8 non-Officer Members of the Executive Committee to serve for a 1-year term
6. Appointing examiners for the accounts for the year ending 5th April 2022
7. Considering all resolutions previously submitted in writing and any other business
Nomination forms are available and members are encouraged to consider if they are willing to be nominated
for the Executive Committee. All completed nomination forms must be delivered to the Business Secretary as
soon as possible, with a closing date of Monday 3rd May 2021.
A list of responsibilities for Executive Committee members is available via the Bu3a website [click on
‘Documents’ and ‘Roles and Responsibilities]
The existing Chairman will remain in post for a further year.
The existing Treasurer will remain in post for a further year.
The other specific Committee roles to be filled at the meeting include the following:
a. Vice Chairman [2 years]
b. Business Secretary [2 years]
c. Development Officer
d. Membership Secretary
e. New Member Secretary / Travel Committee representative
f. Website Manager
g. Room Bookings Officer
h. Representative of Choir Committee
i. Representative of Social Committee
j. Equalities Officer
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