2026

SUBSCRIPTIONS 2026

  • The Sherwood u3a Committee are confirming that for another year we will not be increasing your membership subscription for 2026/2027 which will remain at £21 for both full members and postal members.The newsletter is now being printed in-house. If you wish to have a copy of the newsletter each month starting in April you can pay an extra £10 with your membership fee when you renew. Please note: we will not be able to accept requests for newsletters after you have paid your membership renewal.
  • Any queries should be directed to: – Terry Dillon (Mrs.), Members’ Secretary.

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SHERWOOD U3a Beacon News for Members

  • Good news!! We are now beginning to use Beacon email to send messages to members. You may have already received a message if you are in Afternoon Tap Room Games, Gardening Group 2, or Strolling – where the Christmas meeting had to be cancelled at short notice.
  • We will soon be sending emails to all members and hope to send Newsletters too via Beacon email in future. It is important that we have members’ up-to-date email addresses so please add them to your Membership Renewal Form, or email them to me, Kate Kiely, at beacon1@sherwoodu3a mansfieldwoodhouse.org.uk. We appreciate that there are still members who do not use email so we will continue to contact you in the usual
    way.
  • Where Group sessions are being cancelled for whatever reason, we are asking Group Leaders to send emails out by 8 am on the morning of the event. This is particularly relevant to all the walking groups who meet from 9 am, so we are asking Members to get into the habit of checking their emails in the morning.
    Beacon emails won’t look any different to your usual emails but will have the following statement at the end of the email: This email was sent by Beacon on behalf of … (name of Group Leader) Gradually, over the coming weeks, you will notice that your committee will move away from using personal email addresses for committee business, and will have new email addresses like the one above @sherwoodu3a-mansfieldwoodhouse.org.uk.
  • This is simply for administrative reasons and to ensure continuity when a committee member leaves their role. Their replacement committee member will simply inherit the email address.

A Reminder about Beacon and Information for New Members. Kate Kiely, Beacon Administrator

Beacon is an online management system designed by u3as, for u3as and it is currently used by over 600 individual u3as across the country: It allows us to manage data and to communicate with members easily and e iciently via Beacon email

• It is a time saver for those who manage membership and group information

• With new regulations on Data Privacy, it ensures that we comply with all legal requirements

  • In the future we plan to send Newsletters via Beacon email and, as you know, we ran some tests in March to find out if there were any problems with doing this.
  • Thanks again to all those who let us know they did receive the email and Newsletter without any issues occurring. We did find a few minor teething problems, such as incorrect email addresses which we have now resolved. If you never received a test copy of the Newsletter via Beacon, please get in touch with me as soon as possible and let me have your email address for checking purposes. We plan to run the same test again with April’s Newsletter, which means you will still receive your Newsletter from Margaret as usual, and in addition another test copy via Beacon. In May we plan to switch over entirely and you will get your copy of the Newsletter via Beacon. Email me at: beacon1@sherwoodu3a-mansfieldwoodhouse.org.uk

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INVITATION TO GROUP LEADERS’ MEETING

Monday 5th October. IN TURNER LOUNGE from 10am till noon.

  • Kate Kiely and Sue Davison, Group Coordinators.

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POSTAL MEMBERS’ COFFEE MORNING

 You are invited to the Postal and new full members’ coffee morning on Thursday the 21st May from 10.00 to 12.00.

This is an opportunity to meet and chat to Committee Members and Group Leaders in a more relaxed environment.

You can also bring along a friend who may be interested in finding out more about Sherwood u3a.

Terry Dillon

Member’s Secretary

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SHERWOOD u3a ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

  • The Business Secretary of Sherwood u3a is giving notice that the Annual General Meeting will be taking place on Thursday 11th June 2026 at Turner Hall, Mansfield Woodhouse at 9.45 am.
  • There are several vacancies on the Committee this year and if you wish to volunteer please inform the Business Secretary beforeThursday 28th May 2026 and a nomination form will be given/sent to you to complete.
  • Please note that if there are more applicants than vacancies a vote will take place at the AGM.
  • If you wish to change or amend the Sherwood u3a Constitution or have Any Other Business  that you wish to bring up at the AGM please put in writing to be received by the Business Secretary before Thursday 21st May 2026.  Please note that any items submitted after this date will not be considered at the AGM.
  • An Agenda and “draft” Annual General Meeting Minutes dated 08.05.25. will be published in the June newsletter. Annual Accounts from 01.04.25. to 31.03.26. will be available at the Annual General Meeting.
  • Margaret Taylor, Business Secretary,

Newsletters

East Midlands U3A newsletter

First newsletter for U3A networks in the East Midlands