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Here's a convenient list of all our current groups, noting when and where they meet. If you click on it you can read it at fullscreen size. We plan to update it every three months.

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Last month I asked for ideas of how to distribute our new bookmarks effectively. Phil and Sue Bischler were inspired:

"We love the idea of placing the book marks around to bring in new members. Our idea, which we have already carried out, is to tape them to the two phone box libraries in our village. They are always being looked into by retired people to see what new books have been left.

Another idea, discussed with great laughter, at the last outdoor sketchers meeting, was to affix large print versions of the book marks to the ceiling above the beds in A&E. Thus the first thing you see when you wake up (hopefully) and think “I’m alive and must use what time I have left to the full” is the u3a advert! Not sure the hospitals would agree to this. But why stop there? Why not above the chair in the dentists surgery?" Phil and Sue Bischler

Pretty good - but I'm sure you can come up with something even better??

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The fabulous “Stroud u3a Elephant of Wisdom” trophy was lifted high by team “Los Amigos” at our social quiz on 16th April. Bien hecho! Well done!

Great fun was had by our 53 participating members. Until late in the quiz, the literary giants “Great Expectations” led the packed field of 9 home teams. Two perfect 10 rounds right at the end meant the Spanish contingent pipped them at the post. A group of (mostly) newcomers to Stroud u3a also performed respectably well as did all our participating teams.

This is a terrific event held about every 3 months usually on a Thursday afternoon. Please do consider joining us for the next quiz. Win or lose we guarantee a warm welcome, friendship and fun.

Look for the next time (the date will be published in this newsletter and on our website).

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The British Ornithological Society, together
with the RSPB, have some new advice about feeding birds in your garden.

Feeding can support birds in various ways, and also provides an opportunity for you to connect with nature. However, diseases can be transmitted at garden feeding stations – particularly  finch trichomonosis, a disease that has caused significant declines in finch populations in residential areas.

The post-breeding period is a time of higher outbreak risk. They therefore recommend not offering seeds and peanuts between May and October. Other foods, such as mealworms and fat / suet products may continue to be provided.

Whatever the time of year, good hygiene is vital – offering food little and often, cleaning feeders regularly, and moving them periodically to reduce build-up of waste and contamination.

Water can also be a transmission route for the Trichomonas parasite. If your garden or a neighbour's has a shallow-edged pond that allows birds to drink and bathe, there is generally no need to provide additional water. Where water is provided, it should be replaced daily. Bowls or trays should be cleaned weekly, then rinsed and dried before reuse.

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BT are changing the way our landline phones work, transferring them to a digital service. We don't have to do anything, and it shouldn't affect the service you receive. But you may have questions, and BT are running a drop-in public event (with a focus on older people) where you can find out more about what's planned and when, and what it means for you, on Thursday May 14th at the Stroud Congregational Church, Bedford St, 10-2pm. No need to book.

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You never know what you’re going to find when you go out with u3a rambling. The group leaders will have checked the route for you in advance, but you may find yourself surprised by a tall stile requiring manoeuvres, a lovely view from a gateway, a picturesque bridge, bluebells and anemones in the woods or a heron flying over the canal. We have met a Gruffalo at Westonbirt and had picnics on logs.

There are several different u3a rambling groups, tackling different lengths and difficulties of walk in the local area.  It’s a great way to get to know the area if you’re new, or to meet new people if you’re on your own.  Some groups stop for lunch at a pub afterwards to give people an opportunity to continue their conversations, and K Walkers meets every month for coffee between monthly rambles. Check the Groups page on the website to find a walking group that's right for you.

Jill Oberlin-Harris

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The Readers Group is now meeting at the very accessible Stonehouse Community Centre, twice a month, at 2pm on Thursday afternoons when there isn’t a monthly u3a meeting.

There is only one other u3a Readers Group in the country – the others are all university-led. We read and talk together about books that everyone has heard of but not everyone has read. On 23th April, we shall finish our work on The Distracted Preacher, in Thomas Hardy’s selection, Wessex Tales, a book we have studied and argued about since the beginning of this year. We are going to put some of our Thomas Hardy notes on our Group webpage – a good place to look if you want to know what we have done already.

Our next book will be George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss. If you would like to join our friendly Group, or find out more about what we do, contact John Peters on

01453 824459 or https://stroud.u3asite.uk/u3a_groups/readers/.

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We have recently established a small but enthusiastic Geology Group.

We started out looking at local Stroud and Cotswold Jurassic rocks, 201-145 million years old. Then we looked at much older rocks of Carboniferous age, 359-299 million years old. They can be found not far from here in the Bristol area. We observed not only the fossils in those rocks but try to discover the kind of habitat they lived in.

In our last session Paul gave us an interesting look at Montserrat's Soufriere Hills Volcano and its eruption. In our next session Phil is going to talk to us about iron.

Our aim is to explore all things Geological.

Contact me, Alan Severance, if you are interested in joining us, at https://stroud.u3asite.uk/u3a_groups/geology/.

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We are looking at local and national geology with some international implications, e.g. how continents move about over time. Also different types of rock formation processes and formations : Volcanic, Sedimentary and Metamorphic

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Canasta is a card game of the rummy family and can be played by 2, 3 or 4 people. It's a game which can be played at several levels and we can have fun together exploring different approaches if people would like.

Anyone else interested in starting up a group for playing Canasta? Days, times, venue all to be agreed amongst those interested!

If you might be interested in principle, please contact Peter Furtado in the first instance.

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We all know about scam emails that turn up alarmingly often, apparently from friends who are in some kind of trouble and need you to dip into your pocket to help them out. But they can occasionally catch out even the most sceptical of us, and the consequences can be devastating.

Over the last month, several such emails have been circulating, which apparently come from other members of Stroud u3a. We don't think this is anything to do with our Beacon database being hacked into - but better safe than sorry!

If you receive a contact from someone out of the blue (or even someone who may know), explaining they have laryngitis which is why they haven't just picked up the phone, and asking you for help, please DON'T REPLY, even to ask if they're OK, or if it's a scam.

Of course, there are many other email scams to trip you up and cause you grief. Here's some excellent advice on the subject: https://surfshark.com/blog/how-to-protect-your-email

And if you want to know whether your data has been included in any of the hundreds of data breaches that occur every year, you can easily find out at https://haveibeenpwned.com/. The information is historic, but you may find it useful to know whether your data has, or has not, been included in any recent databreach.

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7 best tips: How to protect your email account - Surfshark

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There are a few things you can do to secure your email, like using a strong password, enabling two-step verification, and protecting your connection with a VPN.

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At our meeting in March George delivered a fascinating presentation on the theme of what Aldous Huxley’considered the ‘Best Picture’, this turned out to be the ‘San Sepulcro Resurrection’ by Piero della Francesca.

Piero was born around 1412 in Sansepolcro,. a small town in the upper Tiber valley in the borderlands of Tuscany and Umbria, most of his surviving work is still there, in and around the town where he spent most of his life.

Charles Eastlake summarises what to look for in Piero’s works:

The laws of aerial perspective, of the harmony of colours, the proportions of light and shade, and the position of objects in space, were equally developed by one whose feeling for precise calculation went pari passu with that of pictorial representation.

Piero’s Resurrection probably dates from somewhere between 1459 and 1474 and it is located on the wall of the large meeting hall of the enlarged Residenza dei Conservatori (now Museo Civico) where the town’s council of sixty would meet and may have been moved from an adjacent room in the original smaller building.

George explored the picture with us and compared it with other pictures of the resurrection by artists from different time periods. The depth of research he had undertaken for the presentation was formidable and left us all with much to enjoy and pursue. There is also The Piero della Francesca Trail which takes people from Arezzzo to the small village of Monterchi, to Borgo San Sepolcro and on to Urbino on La Marche. So..... if you want to know more..... follow the trail!

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To all those who have joined this month. We hope you have found some activities that fit your interests and timetables. If you need any assistance, please contact Dilys Warren, our new member co-ordinator.

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April 28th: 10.30: Coffee morning at the Old Nelson, Stratford Road

May 7th: Lansdown Hall monthly meeting. Mark Cummings, Glorious Gloucestershire

May 15th - deadline for copy for May newsletter

May 21st - publication of May newsletter

May 26th: 10.30 - Coffee morning at the Old Nelson, Stratford Road

June 4th: 2.30 Lansdown talk: Alison Selby, BSAVA Petsavers and researching pet health

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Gloucestershire has been at the forefront of world-changing innovation throughout history, has inspired great works of literature and even has its own rhyming slang.

Mark Cummings charts a joyful journey exploring the Gloucestershire streets that gave us Scrooge and Long John Silver, pinpoints where classic TV and movie scenes were filmed and feasts on delicious nuggets about royalty, rock stars and rugby legends.

Walk with him to London in the footsteps of Dick Whittington, discover the true meaning behind Gloucestershire's quirky place names, and much more.

Mark Cummings has been an award-winning radio presenter on BBC Radio Gloucester for many years, and writes a regular column for Cotswold Life magazine.

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June 4th: Researching pet health, by Alison Selby

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June 4th: Researching pet health, by Alison Selby

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BSAVA PetSavers is a local charity, based in Quedgeley, which has been funding veterinary research for over 50 years.

They fund research into the diagnosis, treatment and management of diseases affecting companion animals, supporting the future of pet health. If you're a pet owner, it's very likely that the work they have funded has had an impact on the treatment your pet has received.

Alison Selby has a member of the fund-raising team for the last two years, having previously worked for Guide Dogs and the Marine Conservation Society. She is looking forward to sharing the ways in which BSAVA Petsavers has made a difference since 1974, during which time it has awarded grants to over 300 research projects. These cover areas as diverse as cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, bone and joint disease, immunological conditions, gastrointestinal disorders, and skin disease.

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PetSavers - Funding Veterinary Research | BSAVA

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Fund the future of pet health and make a difference in veterinary science with PetSavers. Learn about our grants, impact and 50th-anniversary. Donate today.

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Music Appreciation 2, run by Martyn Leighton, celebrated its 10th anniversary in May, with a special session in which each member of the group introduced a piece which they loved, and which they had been first heard at a meeting of the group over at sometime in the last 10 years.

It led to a fascinating - and typically varied programme, ranging from Handel and Beethoven to Borodin and Szymanovsky; Caroline Shaw and Nina Simone and Eva Cassidy.

Long may it continue.

Peter Furtado

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Are committees a boring waste of time?

Well actually, I was asked:  “What on earth does the committee do? Surely we, the members, do all the work”. Yes, all of you members do the work that makes all our activities happen. That is very special and amazingly successful. However, I think I should answer that question and report back from time to time.  So in essence your Committee of volunteers does two things.

First: support you all to make Stroud u3a what you want it to be.  From all the feedback, you have told us you would like even more things to happen and more choice.   If you look at our website (also managed by our committee) you will see we have over 60 Groups.  Some are already full, some would welcome more participants.  What to do? Our aim must be to encourage more diverse groups, and more members to deliver this.

Therefore, at the last committee we agreed to hold an event for members who have ideas for new groups and specially for those who might one day consider coordinating a group.  I shall be writing to you all about this event shortly.  We are also looking at the possibility of having a regular presence on Stroud Market days to demonstrate what our groups enjoy.  More on this in time for the summer.

Second Committee Responsibility: Good Governance - we must make sure that our u3a abides by good governance in accordance with the advice from the Third Age Trust and the Charities Commission.  That means managing our funds, membership, data protection, and producing and updating policies many of which relate to safety and any unfortunate incidents and lots more.  Also of course, we produce this newsletter, and make sure the monthly meeting happens.

We of course welcome all feedback from you, ideas, comments and volunteers to help.

Katherine Kirk

Chair