It’s less than one week from the AGM at which I was elected to be Chair, and it is with a mixture of trepidation and excitement I sit down to write my first “From the Chair” report. Perhaps the trepidation comes because although I’ve had many years of writing monthly reports for work, they would certainly not be anything you would find interesting at all!
Firstly, as many of you won’t know me, perhaps a short introduction may be useful. Alison and I moved to Southwell 32 years ago, coming here from Bramcote and, previously, down to the Nottingham area from Sheffield. However, I had a career working in the chemicals industry where companies and locations were acquired and sold on a regular basis. As such, we decided to make Southwell our family home, where our three daughters could have a fantastic childhood and education. Additionally, Alison could still work, which she continues to do, working in the palliative care team for the Nottingham University Hospitals. I then left home very early on a Monday morning to head off to some far away location to work, returning, again, on a Friday evening.
Whilst many of these places were far away, I won’t use the term “exotic” as they included spells living or working in places from Salford to parts of New Jersey you’ve only ever seen on the Sopranos when they’re disposing of a body somewhere! Therefore, not so “exotic” but certainly full of colourful characters and all part of life’s rich tapestry. There were also many plus points - I became adept at packing a small carry-on bag to leave room to bring back a stash of Swiss chocolate! With all of that time away, I feel as if I’ve only actually lived in Southwell for about 7yrs, so taking on the Chair of the u3a gives me a great opportunity to engage with and support, finally, this wonderful community of ours.
The other trepidation comes from having to follow in the footsteps of all the other Chairs, most recently Jean and, previously, Brian, who have all led and established this vibrant and successful u3a. At the AGM not only did we say farewell to Jean, but two other stalwarts of the committee also left. Many of you may remember that old tv series called the A-Team. Well, we lost our very own “J-Team”, as Jean, Jane and Judy all stepped down. On behalf of us all I’d like to thank them for the hard work and dedication they’ve given in supporting Southwell u3a so we can keep on learning, laughing and living.
I hope you all found time to enjoy the summer, be that travelling away, enjoying Southwell and the surrounds or making those treasured memories from grandparenting duties. We’ve an interesting set of talks coming up from the Universe to Song books, and finish the year with a pantomime (“Oh yes we do!!”). We’ll also have a stall in the market square on the 20th September to promote the u3a. With that, I think my first challenge is over. It was nice to get to meet some of you, already, for a pizza after the AGM and I look forward to meeting more of you, in person, over the coming months.