Spare places on a coach visit to Burton Agnes Hall Friday 4th December

Join the Historic Houses group for their last ever group outing. Local pick up points from around 9 am and returning just after 3 pm. The cost is just £57 and a discounted price of £41 for members of the National Historic Houses Association. Price includes travel, coffee/tea and biscuits on arrival, an introductory talk, and a soup and sandwich lunch with a hot drink.

Select this link for more information. Please register your application before Friday 20^th November by emailing susanward29@icloud.com. Payment details will be provided if you are allocated a place.

Fancy meeting up for fish and chips at the Wetherby Whaler?

Members of Guiseley Scrabble Group are meeting up for lunch at 12 noon Thursday 19^th November. This is an open invitation to join them. This is just being sociable so not obligation to join the group, unless you want to! Details of the group on this link.  To meet for fish and chips, contact Liakat by email Parapia@doctors.org or phone him on 07970 752179

Volunteering is good for you!

We all know that volunteering our time and using skills we have acquired over the years is what keeps our u3a an active and thriving organisation. A new page on our website aims to highlight the often hidden benefits you can get from volunteering. Worth a read. Select here.

Could your video skills or contacts help new groups to flourish?

Could you, or someone you know, help us create a few short, friendly videos explaining how new u3a groups get started and the support they received? The aim is to give others the confidence to share their interests and hobbies with other members as part of a new group.

If you’d like to share your video communication skills, introduce us to useful contacts or help new groups take shape in other ways, please email newgroups@ilkleyu3a.org.

New Group: Artificial Intelligence for Everyone

This new group is for those who already use AI for a variety of tasks on their personal computers and mobile devices. Meetings are on the third Monday morning of each month at Clarke Foley. Details and contact information for the u3a AI group here. Note this is not a tuition group.

If you are curious about personal use of AI, read on. AI is best described as an assistant that can help with hobbies, problem solving, analysing spreadsheets, enhancing old family photographs and even suggest improvements to newsletters! There’s an online course run by our parent body starting today, Monday 2^nd November. Details and booking here. No charge. All part of your annual subscription.

Interested in joining our u3a online quiz teams?

At 7 pm on the last Wednesday of each month, Ilkley & District enter a couple of four-member teams to compete against other u3a teams in a quiz organised by Ayr u3a. Started in Covid, it has continued to meet via Zoom ever since. Read more about our participation on this link to our website.

If the idea of joining one of our teams appeals, just reply to this News Flash. Some teams clearly have some really good quizzers in their ranks. We do not. We enter for a bit of fun and learn a few new things along the way.

Autumn events of interest

YAHR workshop on Running Outdoor Activities and Travel Groups. The aim is to give help and guidance on organising these events.  It’s a free event with lunch included and is open to all our members who might already organise visits and those who might like to do so. Monday 23rd November 2026, 10am to 3pm in the centre of Leeds. An opportunity also to meet and share ideas with members of u3a elsewhere in Yorkshire. More information and booking on this link.

A survey request from Ilkley & District Good Neighbours

Ourgood friends, who do so much to help those less fortunate in our community, are seeking feedback on their services. Please take two minutes (yes that’s all it will take) to complete their survey. Select here to access. Thank you. 

On line presentations from u3a

The usual interesting mix of topics, all of which are available to join as part of your recently paid annual subscription. The full list of u3a online events on this link including exploring world faiths, how to edit your creative writing and learning more about the House of Lords.

Of particular interest is a presentation by one of our own members who will explore the rise, sound, struggles and legacy of Stax Records. Please join Lee Wellbrook on Thursday morning 5th November. Details and booking for Lee's talk here.

Coffee mornings. All invited

No need to book. Just drop in and chat with any u3a friends who happen to be around. Maybe an opportunity to bring a friend? Details here.

·    Courthouse Otley 10:00 am to 11:30 am Monday 2nd November

·   Clarke Foley Ilkley 10:30 to 12 noon Wednesday 4^th November

·   Everybodys Guiseley 10:30 am to 12 noon Wednesday 25^th November

Regular and digital drop ins

We are at Clarke Foley Ilkley Friday 6th November (10:30 am) and OtleyFriday 13th November Details here. Free refreshments! Meet some of our trustees, ask questions about u3a or bring along a friend who might like to join us.  All ver informal.

Our digital drop-ins, where we help to resolve specific queries about smartphones, tablets and laptops, run alongside the Ilkley drop ins. Next one is Friday 6th November (10:30 am). Details here.

Market Place for u3a members

Members can look for, sell or give away items via our Market Place. You can also promote approved activities that might be of interest to our members.  Select here to create a post.

Please make contact directly with the poster of each item. Replies added to the forum page may not get read.  Select the poster’s name to show email and phone number.

Last of the Summer Wine DVD'S. Various series. Contact details for the post here

Children's toys and books (part 1)  Contact details for the post here

Children's toys (part 2)  Contact details for the post here

2 single bed frames already dismantled Contact details for the post here

Afternoon Concerts Kings Hall Thursdays 5th, 12th and 19th November

Wheeled walker and a fold up commode for free  Contact details on opening the post.

200th Edition of Encyclopedia Britannica  Excellent condition. Charity donation please.

Grey Desk extendable £75 ono With a picture.

Use social media? Help spread the word about u3a

If you see one of our Facebook or Instagram posts that interests you, please like it and share it. Even better, please add a comment. To our amazement, a recent post about a railway group visit to Bridlington and Hull was commented upon by Northern Rail. This resulted in our post being seen by 24,000 people, most of whom had no connection whatever to u3a! So just a few seconds of your time can help us reach people who may never otherwise hear about the opportunities u3a offers.

Recent posts from our Facebook page

The following links open on our Facebook page. You don’t need an account to view these posts. In case of difficulty, there is further guidance at the foot of this newsletter.

Gardening group planting bulbs for Nell Bank

Promoting our entry into the national u3a monthly online quiz

Canals Group visit to Leeds discovering connections between canal, river and railway

A reminder to put the clocks back one hour. Automatic these days except in my car!

Railway Group visit Bridlington and Hull. This post now seen by 24,000 people. See details above.

Congratulating Joan Tibbs on her 100^th birthday. And still leading our Philosophy Musings Group.

Report on the monthly talk by Alan Hunton, a volunteer for The Woodland Trust

Please send photographs, a couple of sentences plus event details to Helen (helen@saltedit.co.uk). This all helps explain u3a to a new audience. We are now also on Instagram.

If you use Facebook, please ‘Like’ our posts—it helps Facebook show them to more people in our local community.

We hope these raise a smile! Boom! Boom!

I wore my new jacket to the local bonfire, and it burst into flames. It started as a smoking jacket and ended up as a blazer.

I searched on line for something to start a bonfire with and it said, “No matches found.”

I’m good at firework displays. I’ve got a flare for it.

Best wishes

John & Christine

Email Newsflash@ilkleyu3a.org or call 0300 102 4549 (local rate).

Trouble accessing our Facebook page?

You don’t need an account to view the posts. To use Facebook as a guest, ensure the links take you to the Facebook page via a web browser. When prompted to log in or join Facebook, select ‘Not Now’ or close the prompt using the ‘x’ in the top corner. NB. These links will try to open the Facebook App if it’s installed on your device. Delete the App so the link uses a web browser to open. Then follow the above guidance.

Latest newsletter from Third Age Trust

Includes a report on the AGM. Select here to read.

A reminder that our AGM is on Saturday 21^st November

See all the documentation on this link. Online voting here.