South Bucks U3A About Page

is the new name for the Beaconsfield and District branch of the U3A. Founded in 1988, we currently have nearly 600 members and 28 active study groups. There is a General Meeting held on the third Tuesday afternoon of each month, usually with an invited speaker. This provides a regular opportunity for all members to meet and chat over a cup of tea and biscuits.

The Branch has about 28 special interest groups which meet usually on a monthly basis. Full details of these groups may be obtained by selecting the Activities button above. The current membership fee is £15 p.a.

If you require information on other U3A branches in Bucks, or neighbouring Counties then the Links button above provides direct links to the appropriate web sites. Click Here or scroll to bottom of page to see the Committee.

From the Chairman…………..

My name is Louis Moss. Now that is enough about me except to let you know that I am the new Chairman of the South Bucks U3A. I have not had the practice in writing a chairman’s report for a newsletter so please forgive me for its style, content and grammar. It is proof read, so there should be few spelling mistakes!

I feel like a ship’s captain who has just taken over a new command. We have a fabulous crew, with your committee of ship’s officers, helping us to set sail with, I hope, smooth seas on a voyage of discovery.

We have a fairly full complement of passengers; somewhere over 600, and I hope during my tenure as captain, to turn some of them into ship’s officers. Even with this number of members it has been surprisingly difficult to fill all the vacancies on our committee, but I hope this will change.

The rate of subscription has not increased in over 10 years which, in view of the inflation during that period, is a wonderful achievement and is a credit to past treasurers and committees. However, your committee has decided to bring in a joining fee of £5 for new members from the first of July. Our subscription to the Third Age Trust, who control all of the U3As, has increased and we do need the extra income. In addition, we have had a large number of members who have not paid by the first of April. I have spoken to our previous Treasurer, Kate, who has written to them several times. Besides the time and effort in writing to them this number of times, there is the additional cost of postage. This means that any member who has not paid their subs by the first of July has to rejoin and pay this joining fee. If there is any hardship problem, please contact either the Treasurer, Peter Chapman, or myself. After all, we are a charity.

I hope to visit as many groups as possible during this year and hope to meet many of our members. Including those of you I will meet at the General Meetings, this should mean that I will get to know the majority of you. This reminds me, please wear your badges when you attend the General Meetings so that they can be scanned and we then know who is there.

I hope that, together, we can improve our U3A and continue to have an organisation that we are all proud to belong to.

With kind regards to you all.

Louis Moss