Members Open Meeting: Thursday 9th July St Ives Corn Exchange 1.20 for 2.00pm Articles and features for the August newsletter should be sent to Anne by 17th July: editor@u3aivo.uk Newsletter July 2026 Website: u3aivo.uk, email: info@u3aivo.uk Or call 07458 197372 All Members Open Meetings are held at the Corn Exchange, St Ives 1.20pm for 2.00pm start. Please note: We kindly ask that members wishing to discuss membership matters or to book outings or theatre trips please arrive early to avoid disruption. Committee members and the Group Support Team will be available after the meeting to answer questions and discuss any matters of concern. Speaker: Martin Orkin A fascinating talk about the early years of The Beatles and how they got started on the road to amazing success! Our guest speaker Martin Orkin will discuss this wonderful group, who made so many fantastic recordings during the era of Beatlemania: 'Love Me Do', 'She Loves You', 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', 'A Hard Day's Night', 'Help!', 'Day Tripper' and 'We Can Work It Out'. We will hear snippets of each of these great records and many more, as Martin tells their story.

Theatre Trips The Magic of Christmas Show Thursday 17th December Brick Lane Music Hall Including three - course lunch ~ Approx £80 WAITING LIST ONLY 2 Booking Procedure for Outings, Theatre Trips and Events PLEASE DO NOT PAY FOR TRIPS BEFORE YOUR BOOKING HAS BEEN CONFIRMED • Bookings can be made at Open Meetings or on the website • Theatre Trips: u3aivo.uk/theatre • Outings: u3aivo.uk/outings • Events: u3aivo.uk/events • Outings: Sue Belcher (07778425052 — Strictly for members with no internet) • When booking a trip on the web page, click on the blue envelope, please DO NOT click on 'CONTACT' at the very top of the page. • ALWAYS BOOK BEFORE PAYING. All bookings will be confirmed. • BACS payment preferred please, either online or by going into your branch • Payment: St Ives (Cambs) U3A Social Account • Sort code: 40 - 16 - 08 Account: 74557352 • Ref: u3a membership number and trip name • If no alternative, cheques made payable to: St Ives (Cambs) U3A Social Account • Payment to be made at least six weeks prior to the trip

3 Theatre Trips The Choir of Man Friday 18 th September Cliffs Pavilion Southend £43.75 plus travel TBA 4pm performance Part musical and part concert, the show is set in a spit-and-sawdust establishment called The Jungle which has seen better days in terms of its decor but continues to host great nights for the bunch of blokes who gather there for a rowdy singsong, interspersed with a bit of poetry to ﬁll in the true-life backstories of the performers who play them. There’s no shifting scenery, no fancy lighting, no big dramatic reveals and indeed no plot to speak off. But it has one great tune after another and the nine-strong cast who deliver them are amazing, stomping their feet and singing up a storm. They also play instruments, backed by a four-piece band on a platform at the back. They're cast as archetypes, from the Poet, the Bore and the Hardman to the Joker, the Romantic and the Handyman. The harmonies are extraordinary, the song choices eclectic (one minute you get Luther Vandross’s beautiful Dance With my Father, the next it’s Queen’s rousing Somebody to Love) and there's a brilliant bit of choreography when the drum beat on Paul Simon’s 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover is done as a tap dance. You can buy a drink on stage from the fully-working bar before the performance starts and the cast hand out free pints and crisps at various points during a 90-minute show which, since debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017, has taken on extra resonance. You will have time to enjoy Southend before the show.

4 Outings Hatﬁeld House and Gardens Thursday 20th August WAITING LIST ONLY Hatﬁeld House is a Grade I listed country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of Hatﬁeld, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house, a leading example of the prodigy house, was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to James I. Hatﬁeld's connection to Elizabeth I, however, holds the greatest fascination for visitors. The Rainbow Portrait and The Ermine Portrait of Elizabeth are in the main house, along with her hat, gloves, and a pair of her silk stockings, thought to be the ﬁrst hosiery of its kind in England. • Arrive in time for coffee (not included) • Guided tour of the House & free wander of the Gardens • Rest of the day free, shopping in The Stable Yard • Time for lunch (not included) in the cafe or bring a picnic • Please note the visit does not include the Old Palace which may be closed • Cost £39 (Includes driver’s gratuity) Payment due now Visit to Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park Tuesday 15 th September Join us for a day out on the Farm, at Wherstead near Ipswich. Jimmy’s Farm & Wildlife Park is the vision of TV Presenter Jimmy Doherty and his wife Michaela and has taken years of dedication and hard work to achieve their dream. If you followed the TV documentary, you would’ve seen them turn a derelict farm into a thriving business. Arrive in time for coffee (own expense) and later lunch (own expense) in the 200- year-old Barn Restaurant & Coffee House. Free time to explore the Farm and Wildlife Park. For those of you who have time and like a little retail therapy, you will have the opportunity to visit the Farm Shop, Garden Centre, Clarkes of Walsham Country clothing and a sweets and toys shop all on site. Cost £36 (Includes driver’s gratuity)

5 Outings Events Following on from another excellent and well supported quiz night in May, we had an event in June to discuss Existentialism in Retirement which proved very popular. You can read Julia’s review on page 7. We are planning a Walking Treasure Hunt around St. Ives for early 2027. This will be a fun event (not too much walking!) and a test of local knowledge. See the Events section on the u3a website for latest updates. u3aivo.uk/events AI workshops continue to be popular with our members and please see the events page for future dates. Ian Pask Holkham Hall and Gardens Thursday 15 th October Join us for a day at Holkham Hall! Arrive in time for coffee (own expense) On arrival we will be met by the Holkham Visitor Team who will give us a brief introduction. Then free time to visit Holkham Stories, an interactive exhibition which includes tales of the estate’s 400-year-old heritage, and Holkham Hall to see its incredible treasures and architecture. Time for lunch ((own expense) About one hour before our departure, using our coach, the Visitor Team will take us to their beautiful 6 acre Walled Garden Café and gift shop on site Cost £39 (includes driver’s gratuity)

Volunteering within the u3a In September our current Chair and Secretary will be standing down from their roles as they have completed their terms of office. We are therefore looking for members willing to take on these roles. The Chair’s role: • manage general and committee meetings so they are productive • ensure we are going in the right direction, in terms of law, best practice, our members, the local community, and u3a movement • encourage the building of teams to do what we need, within our resources. The Secretary’s role: • manage general and committee meetings in liaison with the chair • deal with ofﬁcial reporting and correspondence on behalf of the u3a • keep appropriate records Both roles are important as it is a legal requirement that we have an ofﬁcial Chair and Secretary, and without them our charity cannot continue. Chat to Peter for more information. chair@u3aivo.uk Also—the Group Support Team would welcome another team member or two. A commitment of just an hour or so each month can help keep our u3a thriving, allowing us to offer more groups and activities for everyone. gst@u3aivo.uk Could this be you? 6 The Story of Our Lives I’ve had lovely comments from people about my article ‘Hooked on Knitting’ last month. It occurs to me that there are many members who have held amazing jobs and careers in their past that none of their new u3a friends and fellow group companions know anything about. If you have anything in your past life you’d like to share in the quarterly magazines I’d love to hear from you. Otherwise, it might have to be me again – talking about my time with the Secret Service, the BBC and Laker Airways! editor@u3aivo.uk Hinchingbrooke Hospital Request I’ve also had a request to ask u3a knitters and crocheters if they could knit toys for the children’s wards – something they can cuddle in hospital and then take home with them. They also need a constant supply of paperbacks, magazines and puzzle books for all wards. I can forward the contact to anyone wanting to donate.

Group News 7 EXISTENTIALISM and its applications in retirement - a ‘pop-up’ workshop for members of St Ives u3a On 4th June last, a 2-hour ‘pop-up’ workshop was held at the Golden Lion in St Ives, convened by Julia Bowman. The aim of the workshop was to introduce attendees to the ideas of some of the modern-day existential philosophers and to consider how they might utilise these ideas to enhance their lives in retirement. We then did an exercise identifying our core values and discussed how a knowledge of one’s values might be helpful in choosing which activities and interests to select when one retires. Group feedback was enthusiastic - and supportive of the view that other members of St Ives u3a might enjoy and benefit from the workshop. Therefore, a second pop-up workshop will be offered in the autumn - probably in September - the date to be decided. Julia Bowman Present in the group photograph are: Ann Crossman; Tracey Couper; Frankie Hall; Julia Bowman (Convenor); Kevin Bryant; Elizabeth Long Group Support Team As our membership continues to grow, we need more groups, more people to come forward with ideas and more members to get a new group up and running. The good news is you don’t need to be an expert! The Group Support Team are here to help and the National u3a have plenty of advisors and resources to help too, groups share their knowledge and learn together as you go along. September/October is a great time of year to get something started so perhaps we could get a few more going before the year is out. The ‘Possible Groups’ we already have listed on the website, all looking for interested members, are: Board Games, Bridge, Crafts, Hill Walking, Psychology, Sailing and Wine-tasting. But then looking around at other u3a’s around the country here are a few ideas that might work for St Ives too: Astronomy, Chess, Cryptic Crosswords, Film Club, Handbells, Lunch Club, Mahjong, Opera Appreciation, Walking Sports (e.g. Football, Cricket). If you’ve looked for a group and either found it to be full or not there at all, do get in touch with the GST as there’s so often like-minded people out there just waiting for you to come along! gst@u3aivo.uk

8 St Ives Library Library equipment that you can use at your local library: Scanners ~ Photocopiers ~ Printer Computers ~ Printing and photocopying is chargeable. Meeting rooms for hire. Lloyds Bank face-to-face for customers and help with their banking. Enquire at the front desk for times etc, telephone 0345 0455225 or e-mail stives.library@cambridgeshire.gov.uk We have the Summer Reading Challenge which is a 6 week event that encourages children to read. It starts on Saturday 4th July so as lots of u3a members are grandparents they might like to bring their grandchildren into the library. After the 4th July they can come in anytime Monday to Saturday. Last year we got 6000 children on the Reading Challenge in Cambridgeshire . There is a medal and a ceremony presentation at the end of the 6 week challenge . So we are hoping to get grandparents to participate . https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/ Open+ out of hours access: • Monday: 8am - 9.30am • Tuesday: 8am - 9.30am • Wed: 8am - 9.30am, 5.15pm - 7pm • Thurs: 8am - 9.30am, 1.30pm - 4pm • Friday: 8am - 9.30am, 5.15pm - 7pm • Sunday: 10 - 4pm