Lea
Valley u3a
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Interest Groups online
Interest
Groups Online (abbreviated as IGO) is an online u3a community that gives you
the opportunity to join groups, talks and courses from the comfort of your
home.
Why not pay it a visit? Click on this link:-
Interest Groups online
If you know anyone who might benefit, please pass the information on.
An Exploring London Group outing
Walk
around the Royal Parks.
Hoddesdon Heritage Weekend
Good Friday Nature Walk
Hertford Heath
PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR MAIN MEETING IN MARCH 2026 WILL BE ON MONDAY 16th MARCH (THE THIRD MONDAY OF THE MONTH), NOT OUR NORMAL SECOND MONDAY. THE SPOTLIGHT HAD A LONG-STANDING PRIOR BOOKING.
Our National Office, the Third Age Trust ("TAT") issues monthly online newsletters full of great ideas on how to stay connected and involved. The TAT has asked committees to encourage members to sign up for the newsletter, which can be accessed from the link below:
Either click on the link (or type the website name into your address bar) and then scroll down to the foot of the main page. Under the heading Quick Links there is a heading "Newsletter Signup". Click on this and you are taken to a page where you can input your details and receive the newsletter.
I hope you find this helpful.
Glynis Evans, Chair
Our monthly Newsletter has been produced as
a downloadable (pdf) file, which should be compatible with any
computer. It contains the "Chair's Corner" message, details on some forthcoming events and other information about Groups etc.
To view the latest edition please "click" on the link:-
Therefore members need to refer either to the version emailed to you, or the paper versions available to collect at main meetings, as those versions do contain contact information.
Alternatively anyone (members and non-members) can use the club's email system to make contact with us - please refer to the top of the left hand margin of this page, and go to the 'CONTACTS' page, and our email address is in the margin.
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CHAIR’S CORNER
(COPIED FROM THE JANUARY 2026 NEWSLETTER)
Hello again.
I am sure that all our Lea Valley u3a members will have heard the sad news of the death last month of our previous Chairperson, Mary Cole. I joined LVu3a six years ago and got to know Mary, not only as the hardworking and committed figurehead of our u3a, but also as the dynamic and vibrant group leader of a number of groups she led.
I was quite taken aback when she first approached me and suggested I could take over as Chair – it seemed impossible that I would be able to fill her shoes, as she had set such a high standard, and it’s the way I have felt ever since taking on the role. I visited Mary in hospital a few weeks ago and was pleased to find her in good spirits,
with a twinkle in her eye. We engaged in lively conversation and she went to great lengths to impress upon me how much LVu3a had contributed to her life, which of
course gave me the opportunity to tell her how valued and appreciated she was for all she had done for LVu3a.
Not only had she remained as our Speaker Secretary after she had been Chair, but at our AGM last year she came back onto the Committee and had all sorts of ideas about the work she would do with our groups. This was only shortly after taking on the responsibility of becoming Chair of BArts – her drive, enthusiasm and energy knew no bounds and is an inspiration to the rest of us, She will be sorely missed.
Looking ahead now to 2026, we have a varied programme of good speakers, which Mary had booked for us. The first of these is on Monday 12th January when we have a returning speaker, Fran Sandham who will be telling us about his Solo Walk Across Africa.
Our Interest Afternoon this month will take place on Friday 23rd January. As usual this will be at the Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon starting with drinks and cakes and the chance to have a chat with fellow members from 1.30pm. Then our speaker, Brad Ashton, will be giving his talk, The Job of a Laughtime at 2pm. Brad has spent decades writing sketches and whole series for some of the most wellknown comedians in the 20th and 21st centuries.
In his career, Brad has worked with a galaxy of comedy legends including Ken Dodd, Les Dawson, Tommy Cooper, Mike and Bernie Winters and Morecambe and Wise. He has a formidable credit list of entertainers and shows in comedy theatres, radio and TV. He provides his audience with a unique insight into the personalities behind the public images including the highs and lows in their careers. Tickets are available on the door priced £3 – do come along.
If you are a Group Leader, a member of the Meet and Greet team and/or a Helper you would have been expecting there to be a meeting on 13th February. This had been postponed and is now likely to be in April – more details to follow in due course.
For many people, the start of a new year is a time of reflection over the previous twelve months and an opportunity to look ahead and consider what can be achieved over the coming new year. With this in mind, could 2026 be the year when you enrich your life by a fuller involvement in Lea Valley u3a? There are opportunities to take on some of the responsibilities listed on the back page of the Newsletter, or we are constantly looking for people to start new groups. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss how you could get more involved.
I hope you have already renewed your membership for 2026. If not, you can do this at our January meeting, through our website or by contacting Lesley Turner, our
Membership Secretary.
I hope to see as many of you as possible at our Main meeting at the Spotlight on 12th January and at our Interest Afternoon on Friday 23rd January.
Chair
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Friday 23rd January, Interest Afternoon - Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon, 1:30 for 2pm. Tickets £3 on the door, including refreshments. "The Job of a Laughtime". Brad Ashton.
Monday 9th February, Main Meeting - Speaker Mel Byron - "How Old Movies Changed My Life"
Friday 29th February, Interest Afternoon - Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon, 1:30 for 2pm. Tickets £3 on the door, including refreshments. ”Meet a Famous Woman" Louise Reed.
Monday 16th March, Main Meeting - PLEASE NOTE THE MEETING IS ON THE THIRD MONDAY THIS MONTH; THE SPOTLIGHT HAD A PRIOR BOOKING. Speaker Patrick Thompson - "The Good, The Bad, and The Downright Painful" - The history of underwear.
Friday 27th March, Interest Afternoon - Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon, 1:30 for 2pm. Tickets £3 on the door, including refreshments. ”The History of the Ukelele" . Lloyd Crowley
Monday 13th April, Main Meeting - Speaker Lindsey Barrell (aka Ms Cherry Bombe) - "Burlesque, me and the WI"
Monday 27th April, Fun Quiz - At The Parish Centre, St Augustine's, Broxbourne (so no Friday Interest Afternoon this month) .
Monday 11th May, Main Meeting - Speaker Martin Orkin - "The Beatles - Part 1 , Beatlemania"
Friday 22nd May, Interest Afternoon - Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon, 1:30 for 2pm. Tickets £3 on the door, including refreshments. Nan Millette "Hand-hooked Rug Making; we are not doormats"
Monday 8th June, Main Meeting - Speaker - Dr Steven Dowiggin - Capel Manor
Friday 26th June, Interest Afternoon - Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon, 1:30 for 2pm. Tickets £3 on the door, including refreshments. Glynis Evans - "A u3a Whodunnit Mystery"
Monday 13th July, Main Meeting - Speaker - Tony Harris - Henry VIII.
Friday 24th July, Interest Afternoon - Barclay Hall, Hoddesdon, 1:30 for 2pm. Tickets £3 on the door, including refreshments. Derek Prior - "The Royal British Legion - The First 100 Years"
 | LVU3A FUN QUIZ - MONDAY 27th APRIL 2026, STARTING AT 1:30PM SHARP |
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Ticket prices are £2 for LVu3a members and £3 for non-members, which includes tea/coffee and a cake.
Tickets must be purchased (or reserved) inb advance, they cannot be purchased at the door. This is so we can cater appropriately and set up the hall.
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FESTIVE LUNCH FOR THE SOLOS ADVENTURE CLUB
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Solos Adventure
Club held their second event. They met at The Galley Hall Pub, to enjoy a
delicious festive Sunday lunch whilst chatting and laughing with existing
friends and making new friendships. Why not become
a member of Solos Adventure Club? We welcome new members. See the
newsletter for contact details. |
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LEA VALLEY U3A CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS 2025
Glynis gave a talk on the historic and non-religious background to the seasonal story, with some surprising facts. Glynis had also arranged for some table games and quizzes to get everyone in the festive spirit.
Broxbourne MP, Lewis Cocking attended as a guest and several members took the opportunity to talk to him on local matters and he advised us of some of the issues he is currently dealing with in the Borough of Broxbourne.
As the Lea Valley u3a’s last event of the calendar year, this Christmas event was enjoyed by all.
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READING GROUP 2
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Seven members
of LVu3a’s Reading group 2 spent a very enjoyable morning at The Glass House,
Hoddesdon enjoying a pre-Christmas chat, coffee & cake. A great place for a
visit, pleasant surroundings and welcoming helpful staff. |
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EXPLORING LONDON 6 VISITS SOMERSET HOUSE
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On 2nd December EL6 had a very interesting visit to Somerset
House. On arrival we enjoyed the festive vibes at the ice-skating rink before
entering the South Wing for our very informative Historical Highlights guided
tour. Following our tour, we enjoyed a drink in the café before some of us set
off to see the London Christmas lights!
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PUB LUNCH FOR
CREATIVE SCRIBES
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The Creative Writing Group met for lunch at the The Bull in Broxbourne for their pre-Christmas get together. Each member had penned a short Christmas themed poem or prose which was read to the group ahead of lunch. With a light-hearted take on the
Nativity as well as a Christmas poem about bats, the group enjoyed plenty of
laughter and chat. If you’d like to join this joint group with Broxbourne
u3a, please get in touch with Lesley Robinson |  |
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INTEREST AFTERNOON - CYBER CRIME - Protection & PreventionOur November Interest Afternoon was very well attended when Chen Tsui, Hertfordshire Cyber Protect & Prevent Officer with the Hertfordshire Police spoke to us about being cybercrime & fraud aware. Chen’s presentation was extremely informative, interesting as well as eye-opening as to how cyber criminals work and how they go about it. We were given plenty of advice and tips on protecting ourselves when online. ABC took on a different meaning when we were told: Accept nothing on face value Believe nothing until confirmed Confirm Everything If you were unable to attend this meeting or would like further advice or to ask a question, Chen will be at the Cybercrime & Fraud Awareness session at Hoddesdon Library on Friday 30th January between 10.45 a.m. – 3.30 p.m. It is free and no need to book. More details will be available on the Hoddesdon library website in due course. |
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EXPLORING LONDON 6 AT MIDDLE TEMPLE
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In November a group of us from EL6 had an extremely interesting tour of Middle Temple where our guide explained its fascinating history. We learned that the 29-foot oak ‘High Table’ in the Elizabethan Hall, used by members of the Bench, had been made from three planks cut from a single 1,000 year-old tree in Windsor forest at the bequest of Queen Elizabeth I! Following our tour, we had a delicious lunch in the Middle Temple Hall. |
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EXPLORING LONDON 5 - "SEVEN DEADLY SINS" TOUR
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Our
group met our guide, Ulrika, outside the Royal Exchange on 17th
October for an extremely interesting and enlightening tour. Ulrika had certainly researched her topic
well and had some very amusing and, at times, quite risque stories to tell! As
we walked through the streets and alleyways, we stopped at various buildings of
interest to link a person in history to one or more of the deadly sins. Each sin was interspersed with a tale of lust
– of which there were many! We were all
surprised by Samual Pepys’ antics! We
finished our tour at the Tower of London and were asked who we thought was
guilty of all seven deadly sins! Apart
from the obvious, we were intrigued to discover stories which suggested that
Sir Isaac Newton was the culprit! It
had been a fascinating tour and talk.
Thanks go to Linda Williams for arranging. |
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PUBLICITY EVENTS IN HODDESDON
On Thursday we were in the High Street and we even had the Town Crier announcing our presence! On Saturday we were in the library. We had some good conversations with members of the public on both days. Hopefully, we’ve encouraged a few new members.
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THE RAMSGATE TUNNELS EXPERIENCE
Everyone agreed that the tour had been extremely enlightening and had, for some, evoked memories of their own war time experiences as young children.
Following the tour, we had time to explore the town in the glorious autumn sunshine. A big ‘thank you’ to Joan Underwood for arranging such an interesting trip.
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NEW GROUP 1 – COUNTRY DANCING
Members of Lea Valley u3a have been invited to join a Country Dancing Group which is held on the 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the month in the large room at Bollescroft from 2- 4 p.m. An enjoyable way to exercise to good music. First meeting is free then it’s £4 per meeting. Please remember your u3a Membership Card!
Please see the Group Listings in August's Newsletter for further details. Contacts are Val Foster and June Brown
No Meetings in August. Next Meetings: Thursday 4th September, Thursday 18th September.
Lea Nunzia Cusumano runs an Italian group to which members of all u3as are welcome and she would be delighted to invite members from the Lea Valley u3a.
The group meet every Tuesday from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Nunzia’s home in Hoddesdon for a beginner-level course. Nunzia assesses each individual’s proficiency to ensure they are placed at the appropriate level.
Each lesson is £5, with payment taken in advance on a monthly basis. The first lesson is complimentary so that students can experience the structure and content of the course before committing.
If you are interested or have further questions, please contact Nunzia on her mobile 07359 737687 or by email at nancycusumano1@gmail.com
LINE DANCING
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Sarah Hill would love to see Lea Valley u3a members at her
brand new absolute beginners class starting on Monday 21st July 2025. Please give Sarah a call to let her know you're going, on 07899 076843 Venue: The Hunt Room, St Paul's Church, Hoddesdon EN11 8TR. |
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There are always plenty of online learning events to book. The website to look at is:
There are new events each month.
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However, if you are a Facebook user you can ‘like’ the posts and comment on them! We would encourage positive comments to our posts to enhance our profile on Facebook. Posts will be added regularly but please do let Lesley Robinson know by email at secretarylvu3a@outlook.com with any posts you would like added.
Particularly, Group Leaders with information on events etc or a post following an event which will help to advertise and promote our u3a. Names or personal information will not be adde, to ensure privacy. Click on the link to go to our page:-
Newsletter & Social Media
If your LVU3A Group has enjoyed a good meeting or outing, please send a report (& photo if possible) for the Newsletter to Alan at mail@alanjc.plus.com and to Lesley for social media at secretarylvu3a@outlook.com
Please make sure you have permission to do so from members appearing in photographs.
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We are delighted to announce a new range of services to those who sign-up to receive the u3a Friends newsletter.
u3a
Friends Extra is a benefits website developed exclusively for members
of the u3a Friends newsletter community. The website provides access to
a wide range of offers, discounts and additional services. Friends
Extra is completely free to access. Anyone signed up to the u3a Friends
newsletter can now also make savings on well-known brands, shopping,
travel, days out and more. Offers and services on Friends Extra include:
✓ Health and wellbeing
✓ Shopping savings on major brands and retail discounts
✓ Travel and holidays
✓ Leisure offers, like family days out, trips to the cinema and theatre
✓ Insurance offers on car, travel and medical insurance
✓ Access to financial advice and a legal helpline.
It also currently offers a 25% off the price of English Hertitage membership:-
To become a ‘Friend’, simply sign up to receive the Friends Newsletter on the u3a website via the link below.
Each issue of the Friends Newsletter will include a link to the Friends
Extra benefits website and highlight one of the offers. This is just
one element of the u3a Friends newsletter, which brings together
stories from local u3a groups, learning opportunities and news of
upcoming events to highlight the fun and learning within the u3a
community.
u3a Friends Newsletter shares news from u3as, national
learning opportunities and access to u3a Friends Extra, a wide range of offers,
discounts and services.
Go to the u3a website, and sign up via the "Get Involved" tab
www.u3a.org.uk
KEEP UP WITH OUR NEWS
 | Our
Knit & Natter group, which opened early in 2023, has been very
successful. We have all made lots of new friends, had lots of tea,
coffee and biscuits and lots of laughs! We have all learnt new skills and shared our tips with everyone. We have recently made knitted and crochet squares which have been sewn together to make blankets which have gone to the hospice department at Princes Alexandra Hospital, Harlow. These were done with the Dobbs Weir Crafty Cuppa group who also meet at the hall and knit and natter too! Gill Fowke |
 | On another crafty note, one of our members would be interested in starting a Needle Felting group. Needle felting is a creative craft that involves sculpting shapes and figures using wool and special felting needles. If you are interested please contact Glynis Evans (Chair) Click on heading to see more ideas. |
 | SECRETARY'S TABLE It’s always good to chat with you when stopping to read our notice boards in the foyer of the Spotlight at our main monthly meetings. The boards are updated each month so it’s always worth having a read to keep abreast of dates and events. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting. |
SEE WHAT OUR u3a CAN OFFER YOU
One of our members, John Astin, produced another excellent video in December 2019 showing what happens at Lea Valley u3a. Sadly John passed away in March 2021.
The video includes comments from a few members who explain what joining us has meant to them, and an insight into what some of our groups get up to.
It is available to watch on YouTube.To view, please click on the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ECUfIJ7nn8
Playreading Group
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Come along to our group on the first and third Thurdays monthly at 2pm to enjoy the world of theatre. Click on the poster for more information:-
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East of England Region of U3As
The East of England region comprises the six counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire. The website can be viewed via the following link:-
https://eastofengland.u3asite.uk/
"Regional News Bulletins" are published each month containing details of this month’s events and presentations both regionally and nationally. The latest edition can be viewed by going to their website. then click on the "Publications" link at the top of the Home page.
Group Sharing Agreement
The idea behind this is that where any of the u3as in the agreement have groups that are keen to increase their numbers, they can open the group to members of other u3a's and you will be allowed to attend those groups without having to join the other u3a. Conversely, where we have groups that are struggling with low numbers, they can participate and open themselves up to members of the other u3as.
It is very important to note is that members of our u3a can’t just see a group in another u3a newsletter and go along and join it. Only those groups which are struggling to be viable and which have agreed to open up to members from other participating u3as can be approached.
1) Cheshunt
Please click on the link to go to the relevant page on Cheshunt u3a's Group Sharing page on their website:
https://cheshunt.u3asite.uk/cheshunt-sharing-groups/
2) Hertford & District
Please click on the link to go to the relevant page on Hertford & District u3a's Group Sharing page on their website:
3) Waltham Abbey
Please click on the link to go to the relevant page on Waltham Abbey u3a's Group Sharing page on their website:
The groups at Lea Valley U3A which have agreed to open up their groups to the other u3a's in this arrangement (as at March 2022) can be found by opening this link:
LVu3a Group Sharing
If you have a query about the scheme, please contact me.
Lea Valley u3a's Constitution
Lea Valley u3a's Policies
The Third Age Trust provides guidance to branches on Policies that should be adopted.
The current versions of our Policy documents are available to open and read by clicking the relevant link(s) below:-
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Disputes (Complaints, Discipline and Grievances)
You can view these by clicking on the links below:-
Complaints Procedure
Disciplinary Procedure
Grievance Procedure
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO LISTEN TO CHILDREN READ IN LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS
Please visit the website www.schoolreaders.org to join or call 01234 924111 for further information, or click on this link:
BArts offers activities and events which are not usually provided by the Borough of Broxbourne's Leisure and Entertainments programme.
www.broxbournearts.org.uk
Lea Valley Discussion Group
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