Here are the photos of the month chosen from our February technical theme of ‘Street Photography/Strangers’ and the Fun theme of ‘On The Edge’ plus a monthly favourite as voted on by the group. Each month we choose challenging themes to go out and take photos to suit.

If you are interested in Photography, why not join us at the New Life Church on the first Monday of the month.

For further photos taken by our group through the months go to our challenge page https://westwoldsu3a.org/?page_id=22714

Here are the photos of the month chosen from our January technical theme of ‘Simplicity’ and the Fun theme of ‘A Fresh Start’ plus a monthly favourite as voted on by the group. Each month we choose challenging themes to go out and take photos to suit.

If you are interested in Photography, why not join us at the New Life Church on the first Monday of the month.

For further photos taken by our group through the months go to our challenge page https://westwoldsu3a.org/?page_id=22714

Cathy Whelan will be taking bookings and payments for the following Theatre Visits at the Louth Riverhead Theatre at the March meeting, payments are preferred by Cheque or cash at the time. Please come to her table near the back of the Hall to sign up. Cathy has reserved blocks of seats.

The February newsletter is here…

You can access the newsletter from this post or from the email the majority of our members will receive by the 6th February 2023

If you haven’t told us your email address or if it has changed… to avoid missing out send your updated email details to membership@westwoldsu3a.org.

If you would like to make comment on this newsletter or submit an article for the next issue then please send details to newsletter@westwoldsu3a.org by Friday 1st March 2024.

We would really like to hear from you about any events your groups are involved in. The Newsletter is only as good as the articles submitted by members. We relish any feedback.

Littlethorpe Manor Garden Special Excursion

Click here for poster Full Day Excursion.
Leaves Market Rasen @ 9:00am. Returns @ 17:30pm.

This is a special event to celebrate our 25th Anniversary Year.
Cost just £45.00 per person to include: Coach Travel, Entrance fee to Garden,
Driver’s Tip, Tea and Cake.

Booking and further details are available from:
Jane Guy
Email: jane.m.guy@gmail.com
Full details available on the booking form.

Littlethorpe is an 11 acre site of beautiful formal gardens and parkland.
Something for everyone to explore and enjoy.

At our meeting yesterday, 11th January, we saw the launch of our special events for the West Wolds 25th Anniversary.

Anniversary Monthly Meeting

Starting on March 14th with our Anniversary Monthly Meeting this special event will be held at the Festival Hall from 9.45am.  If you’ve not yet let us know, please reply to Shirley Fuller by 29th February chairman@westwoldsu3a.org

Please keep the following dates in mind and don’t forget to book your places early to avoid disappointment.

Dates for your Diary

Anniversary Monthly Meeting        March 14th, 9.45am

Thorne Beehives Visit                    April 24th, 2pm

Car Treasure Hunt                         May 1st, 10am

Baumber Walled Garden               June 27th, 2pm

Indoor Bowls Event                        July 4th, 2pm

Book your places at any Monthly Meeting or by email to chairman@westwoldsu3a.org or vicechair@westwoldsu3a.org

 Look out for more events to follow

The first speaker at West Wolds U3A for 2024 was Diane Tuckett who has worked for The Rasen Mail since 1998. She gave a comprehensive history of the newspaper which released its first edition in 1856. The paper was founded by Walesby farmer Richard Hackett, who was also a printer, engraver and bookseller. Priced at one penny, the newspaper became a weekly source of information which included local news and stories, agricultural facts and figures as well as national and international news, serialised books and handy hints all mixed in with a gamut of adverts placed by local traders. In the days before TV and radio, the Rasen Mail soon became a very important source of information and entertainment.

This format sustained the Rasen Mail for many years despite it changing ownership several times and its eventual merging with the Horncastle News and Louth Leader whilst under the ownership of Teddy Sharpe.

Charles Edward (Teddy) Sharpe started out as a typesetter at the Mail; over time, he became a freelance reporter and, in 1947, he bought the paper from the then owners Whittingham & Baty Ltd. Although he was not technically minded, Teddy acknowledged the need for mechanised typesetting to be introduced and set out to modernise the Mail’s production equipment.

Ten years later, and Teddy had bought the Horncastle based publishing company of W K Morton & Sons; this acquisition enabled the printing of all the local newspapers to be undertaken in Horncastle. In 2001, the Morton newspapers were bought by East Midlands Newspapers who are a branch of the nationwide newspaper giants Johnston Press. The new owners have maintained the editorial office of the Rasen Mail in Horncastle and are now taking it into the digital age and, although its print readership is in decline, people are still driven to buy the Rasen Mail because it remains an important source of hyper-local community news and events.

ADVANCE NOTICE OF A PROPOSED CHANGE TO OUR CONSTITUTION; SECTION 4.1[i]

Following our AGM in November 2023 several West Wolds u3a members queried why the principal committee officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Business Secretary & Treasurer) names were not announced at the meeting.  This is because of our charitable constitution where it states 4.1[i]) that ‘the committee vote in the principal officers at their first committee meeting following the AGM’. There is a short period of time between the AGM and the first committee meeting when principal officers are only ‘acting up’ and not officially voted into their roles. The committee have taken this opportunity to review the West Wolds constitution and would like to change it to improve the voting process for both the members and committee officers.

The committee at the February Monthly Meeting, would like to put the following proposal to the Membership to vote on. The change to the constitution in this instance does not have to be carried out at an AGM or EAGM it is within the regulations to do it at a monthly meeting with the appropriate 21 days notice given to members.

 A link to our current Constitution and the proposed amended wording will be sent by email and put on our website 21 days before the February meeting (i.e. 18^th January) for members to consider.

New Voting Process at AGM

The Committee are proposing a change to our Voting Process at the AGM’s. From this year onwards (2024), the proposed (principal officers) Chair, Vice Chair, Business Secretary & Treasurer will be voted by the membership who are present in the hall. A Proposer & Seconder will be required for each role, and following this the membership can vote; a majority will be accepted. Voting for other nominated non- principal Committee members will be en-bloc by the membership at the AGM.  Their roles will continue to be decided at the first Committee meeting after the AGM.

In advance of the AGM, each nominee will write a short piece about themselves so that the members have information on which to base their vote. This will be distributed 21 days in advance of the AGM by email and on our website.

In order for a valid vote to be recorded, we require 20% of our membership to be in attendance, so please endeavour to come along to the February 2024 monthly meeting for this important proposal and change to the constitutional voting process.

Sharon Rupp – Secretary