Message from the Chair

Dear Friends,

It’s starting to feel like autumn again with the Canterbury Festival coming up and our u3a course programme in full swing.

The Third Age Trust, the national u3a body, recently ran a survey on how members felt about u3a. The headline findings were:

• 95% say u3a has improved their life in some way;
• 90% say u3a gives them opportunities to keep learning and stay curious;
• 79% say u3a has expanded their social connections;
• 77% say their sense of wellbeing has improved since joining;
• 66% say u3a has helped them stay mentally and physically active;
• 45% say being part of u3a has reduced feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Hopefully you are feeling those benefits too.

Do remember our Monthly Meeting on Wednesday 14th October, this time there is a talk by Amanda Buttenshaw on ‘My Life in Quilts’, as well as the usual chance to catch up with friends and meet new members over tea, coffee and biscuits.

Tim Landsman - October 2026

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Important Dates and Notices

Winter Extra Courses

If you missed the boat for the main programme or have an idea to run an additional course to the programme after Christmas, now is the time to start submitting a proposal.

Please note: I have earlier said that we have used up most of the available venue slots in Canterbury and that finding a venue for you might be difficult. If you are offered one you may need to be very flexible on dates, times and place. Courses or activities that are planned for one or two sessions only will be easier accomodate. However, if you are able to use your home or other venue, such as a community hub or pub that you can arrange yourself then, of course, this will be easier.

To submit a proposal, please go to the Course Development page on the website and follow all the instructions through to submitting a course. If this is a problem then I would be happy to help you. Jonathan Butchers

And also . . . There are many interesting and varied courses, talks and activities available on the Third Age Trust website. See Online Learning Events for current opportunities.

Research Group: Researching Missing Pieces

Missing Pieces is a national u3a initiative run in conjunction with Historic England (HE). Members are invited to search the HE list or interactive map of listed buildings in their area and contribute where there is little or no information since the original survey reports. A focus on everyday buildings, rather than the well-documented listings, such as the cathedral, is encouraged and there are a large number of these around Canterbury. Some members of the research group decided to take part in what is an enjoyable learning exercise. u3a is interested, in particular, in identifying, and recording, any personal links to a building, which may have changed over time. Alternatively, finding out about other individuals linked to a building in the past is equally relevant and fascinating. Contributions can be text, photos, videos or something more creative such as sketches.

We have already contributed to the HE website, with a copy recently added to the u3a.org website - scroll down from the Missing Pieces link above to learn about Beverley Farmhouse. We are continuing to work on other examples and would welcome any members to come and join us in this. We can offer some suggestions from what we are learning together. For more information contact Ann Skingley.

The next meeting of the Research Group will be on Wednesday 21 October at 2 p.m. at The Old Gate Inn, New Dover Rd. This is next to the Park and Ride car park. Anybody interested in the group and our activities is very welcome to attend. For further information please contact Jo Walker or Ann Skingley

Holidays: The Cotswolds, September 2026

A group of Canterbury u3a travellers returned home on 18 September feeling we had enjoyed a very special part of our country. We had travelled in a plush coach along narrow and contorted lanes, up steep hillsides, and seen miles of aesthetically pleasing dry-stone walls. We had travelled through beautiful villages of warm honey-coloured houses, and across a landscape which is 86% farmland. Our driver, Justin, lives in Cheltenham and his love of the Cotswolds shone through as he navigated paths unknown to the average driver and entertained us knowledgably and cheerfully as he drove along. We enjoyed visits to an eclectic range of venues nominated by the Canterbury u3a holiday planning group including Blenheim Palace, Tewkesbury Abbey, Gloucester Cathedral, Chedworth Roman Villa, St Peter’s Church at Winchcombe, Broadway, Snowshill Manor, and Hughenden Manor. We were enlightened with short talks, researched and delivered, by u3a members, Keith Aikin, Sue Langdown, Roger Lansdell, and Rona Hodges.

Photo gallery: (click the image to enlarge) 1. Our party arriving at Tewkesbury. 2. The beautiful interior of Tewkesbury Abbey, formerly a Benedictine monastery. 3. Sarah Taylor playing the harmonium in Winchcombe Museum. The harmonium was made in the USA and dates from 1896, It was previously installed in Winchcombe workhouse. 4. The party listening attentively as the National Trust guide outlines the history of Hughenden Manor, the former home of Benjamin Disraeli.

Evenings on these holidays are always great social occasions as we unwind from the day’s travels and deepen our friendships. I have not laughed so much in months, thanks to the good humour of our driver who joined me for dinner every evening. Fond memories, so look out for the next trip we are planning to Dorset, 17–21 May 2027.

Thank you to the wonderful u3a members who worked and joined with me to achieve such a lovely trip to the Cotswolds.

Robin Terry

Store to Door Books—A reminder of a new venture

Love of books and reading and a wish to share both with others has led to this new venture. Oh, and the plot in a short novel we both read recently: The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn.

You might be interested if you have reduced mobility, no easy access to shops/library or mobile library service and are reluctant to use the internet to make purchases.....

How it will work is described in the September issue.

Book Review

You are Here by David Nichols

Ask me a direct question about my choice of novels and you’d not hear the words ‘love story’ emerge from my mouth. Yet here I am, taking the time to write a brief reader’s review of what is at its core a story of emergent love.

Two people, both of them hurt deeply and hurting still, both hiding from the world—and from themselves—in one way or another, both as prone to self-doubt and delusion as the rest of us, both adept at walking into dead-ends: two people who finally begin to recognise that ‘You are Here’ might signify more than a spot on the map. However, as enamoured as I am with the story, it’s the confidently crafted writing, the beautiful use of English and crystal-clear observation that I’m as keen to acknowledge.

This book is a masterclass in creative writing. For instance, the use of sentence length and punctuation to control the sense of pace is noticeable: from short, pithy resignation to hardship and perceived failure to the helter-skelter avalanche of thoughts running out of control. The author’s use of simile (and the occasional metaphor) is sublime, it succeeds in putting the reader inside the character’s head and heart in situations where a more prosaic use of prose would falter. Even narrative distance—think movie: long-shot through to close-up of the eyes—is used with skill and purposeful imagination as a complement to the arc of the story.

What captivated me as much as anything was his skill in using the combination of terrain and weather to mirror the characters’ emotions and mental tussles. He gives himself plenty of scope of course in setting the story primarily within the context of Alfred Wainright’s famous ‘Coast to Coast’ walk. I try to reserve five-star reviews for those books that leave a lasting positive residue in my mind; this one deserves the rating. I loved reading it.

Bob Newport

And finally . . .  An appeal on behalf of Medical Detection Dogs.

We are currently looking for compassionate, home-based volunteers in Canterbury and the surrounding areas (specifically within 30 minutes’ drive of our training hub in CT3 postcode areas) to become Medical Alert Assistance Dog Puppy Socialisers.

For many retirees and semi-retirees looking for a purposeful routine, puppy socialising is an incredible journey. Our socialisers help raise and guide a future life-changing assistance dog during their crucial first 12–18 months—teaching them basic manners, getting them used to everyday environments, and preparing them for advanced training.

You can find out more details or apply here: Puppy Socialiser Kent