In normal times, Speaker Meetings are held at 10.30 on specified Thursday mornings throughout the year, either in the Scout and Guide Headquarters adjacent to Christ Church, Christ Church Ministry Centre or in Christ Church itself. Coffee is available in the Scout & Guide HQ from 09.30 to 10.15 before the meeting. Everyone is welcome, so bring family, friends and neighbours.
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- Christ Church, Aughton
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- Scout & Guide HQ
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- Ministry Centre and Cafe Vista
Speaker Meeting news
Those of you who attended Carolyn Kirby’s talk in the Ministry Centre last year will remember that she gave a very interesting and entertaining talk on the background to her first novel, The Conviction of Cora Burns. Carolyn has written another book, When We Fall, based on the female pilots of WW2, which has been published through a small publisher, No Exit Press. She will be coming to talk to us in October (all being well), but in the meantime I have received the following email from her:
This is a very tough time for small businesses, my publisher – No Exit Press – being one of them. In order to bring in some income, the availability of my new book When We Fall has been brought forward and for a limited time the price has been cut – by 50%. So even with £2.90 p&p (which remains the same even if you order some more of the excellent No Exit Press books at half price) the cost is less than the full price if the book. Full details of this offer – which is only available if the book is ordered direct from the publisher – are here: http://noexit.co.uk/index1.php?imprint=1
I wonder if you could put this info in the U3A newsletter? The members might be in need of reading matter for the coming weeks!
Carolyn is also planning to produce a short video by way of an introduction to her talk, which we are hoping to be able to post on the website.
Pam Ball
Speaker Meetings in 2020
Here is the latest information from our Speaker Secretary – Pam Ball
See Pam’s Past Speaker Meetings for info on last year’s events.
On 5th March we welcomed Natalie White, Community Banker for NatWest bank. Natalie’s talk was based on the Friends Against Scams initiative, which through organisations such as the U3A, aims to contact one million people by the end of the year, raising awareness of scams and how not to fall victim. We heard about many different scams: postal, phone, doorstep and online, and of how scammers are trained in befriending and grooming techniques in order to gain trust. 43% of people over 65 have already been targeted, resulting in huge financial loss and emotional impact. Natalie summarised her talk by suggesting 5 things to remember: Never disclose security details, don’t assume everyone is genuine, don’t be rushed or forced to make a decision, listen to your instincts and stay in control.
(Since the outbreak of the corona virus there have been reports of scammers attempting to take advantage of people’s vulnerability – please be extra vigilant).
Not Dragons’ Den …
As Peter Jones would say, I’m going to tell you where I am.
Speaker meetings in their traditional form have been cancelled for the next 3 months. I have left the September, October and November speakers in place in the hope that those meetings will go ahead.
In the meantime, can I suggest you have a look at the TED talks website, which is packed with talks on all kinds of subjects. I must admit I hadn’t come across this before, so thank you to the member (you know who you are!) who told me about it.
Also, I have been hard at work emailing speakers asking them if they would consider making a short YouTube video for our website, and I’m pleased to say that I’ve had quite a favourable response. One speaker in particular seems quite excited about the idea and is considering a whole new avenue of diversification (come to think of it I might ask him for a cut …).
So, watch this space!
And I’m definitely IN!
Pam Ball
Dates for your diary:
3rd September Philip Caine: From Barrow to Baghdad
1st October. Carolyn Kirby: Women with Wings
5th November Pete Turner: Through the Eyes of a Magician
More details in due course. I would be very pleased to hear from any members who would like to give a talk, or maybe you remember a past speaker you would like to hear from again.
Please email any ideas to speakerteam@aughton-ormskirk-u3a.co.uk or phone 07974 749362.
A Message from the Speaker Secretary:
- Speaker meetings are open to the public. So do invite your friends even if they are not U3A members.
- Parking can be tricky on Thursday mornings. So, if you can, please consider car-sharing or alternative modes of transport. The handy half-hourly 310 Ormskirk – Liverpool bus stops very nearby on Holborn Hill. Some members ‘get active’ and walk, while a few even cycle now and then.
Past Speaker Meetings
DVD recordings
The Speaker Meetings are recorded on DVD. DVDs can be obtained from Bill Evans at a cost of £3.
To order one, phone Bill on 01695 312479 or contact him at Horizons.