NEWS for ...
Petersfield u3a members

Welcome to our latest e-newsletter, giving a quick summary of what’s happening within Petersfield u3a. To find out more, simply click onto the blue links to be taken straight to our website.

Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals 

To celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the birth of these two of our best-loved artists, Tate Britain has an exhibition of their work (until 12 April). Art critics have described their paintings as a clash of fire and water, and both these elements were evident when, fired with enthusiasm, a group of 45 Petersfield u3a members boarded the coach to travel through the drizzle to the exhibition on Friday 6 March. After viewing the vast number of canvases spanning the lifetime of both artists, many members favoured the ethereal works of Turner, but it was a great show, and an excellent u3a day.   

Dates for your Diary 

Please note carefully the start time of all Open Meetings at Petersfield Community Centre. Some members are arriving late to meetings which start at 2.00pm and early to ones starting at 2.30pm. 

Tuesdays at 2.00pm	Mondays & Wednesdays at 2.30pm
Health Matters	General Interest (Mondays)
Science and Technology	Arts and Heritage (Wednesdays)

It is not possible to have the same start time for all meetings (despite multiple attempts to do so) due to bookings of the PCC by other organisations for other activities.    

2.00pm – Tuesday 24 March 
Science and Technology – What has DNA ever done for us? 
This talk will be given by “self-confessed nerd” Sam Robson, University of Portsmouth Professor of Genomics and Bioinformation. Click on the link to find out more about his work and other interests – it’s absolutely fascinating! 

10am – 12.00pm Wednesday 25 March
u3a Welcome Team Coffee Morning 
Attention all members: come along and meet new members at this bi-monthly event, chat to people on your committee and get help with IT issues.  
A warm welcome is guaranteed and the biscuits are plentiful!! 

2.30pm – Wednesday 15 April  
Arts and Heritage – Jane Austen – A Life and Legacy 
Our speaker, Fiona Macconnacher, is a volunteer at Jane Austen’s house at Chawton and will shortly become a Director with Historic Houses. Jane Austen (1775-1817) began writing at an early age, and is buried in Winchester Cathedral. 

Around & About

Dear Theatregoers,  

If you have not yet paid for your tickets, please do so asap. CFT will not issue any tickets until the full amounts for all performances have been received. Payment should be made directly to the u3a bank account.                                                        
A SAE is also needed to send your tickets to you. Some of you have paid but, unfortunately, forgotten to send a SAE.                                                                      
All the details of the amount owed; the u3a bank account and where to send the SAE are in the email sent to you during the first week in March.  

The Cribbage group (first Thursday 10.15am – 12.00pm) has a vacancy. Guidance will be given if you are unfamiliar with the game and members of this friendly group will be happy to encourage you. For more information, contact the group convenor via the link. 

Have Your Say 

''Having turned 70 last December, I decided to arrange a driving assessment with a driving instructor to ensure that any bad habits we all develop over the years could be addressed. I was, therefore, very pleased to hear of a scheme run by the HCC Road Safety Team during a u3a Health Matters meeting in early February. The talk, by a representative of the Older Drivers Forum, was excellent and so I contacted HCC: 
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/roadsafety/drivertraining/driverskills
I can honestly say that the assessment was a pleasure to do and I am so pleased that I applied. I really recommend this to every older driver, and a big thank you to the Health Matters team for arranging the presentation." Gerald Pilkington 

‘Connect’ always welcomes news and feedback from Petersfield u3a members via editorconnect@petersfieldu3a.org.uk 

To ensure the e-newsletter is easy and enjoyable to read and that the style is consistent, the copy is likely to be edited.  

The next issue of ‘Connect’ will be emailed to you on Friday, 3 April, with a copy deadline for all contributions of Monday, 30 March.