FROM THE CHAIR
Just a reminder about the North West Region Summer School Tues 11th – Friday 14th August 2026 Manchester should you wish to attend.
Manchester Metropolitan University, M15 6GX.
An incredible opportunity for u3a members to come together to learn and develop new skills. The courses on offer are:
• Making sense of everyday Mathematics
• Photography - Beyond the Snapshot
• The UK and USA Political Scenes
• Operatunity – opera appreciation
An application form and further details are available online at northwestregion.u3asite.uk/summer-school-2026
Costs for attending are:
Full Board Residential Delegate £430 (+£15 parking charge if applicable)
Non-Residential Day Delegate
£215 (+£15 parking charge if applicable) Includes lunches, but only dinner on the gala evening.
Hazel J. Fraser.
U3a NATIONAL FESTIVAL (YORK) 2026
(Jill Pears, Committee Member)
Two years ago, I was looking through the 3rd Age Matters national mag when I saw an article on the u3A national festival which was coming up in the July at York University. It sounded great so I rang head office and found out all about it. I booked myself on the trip and really enjoyed myself; meeting lots of others from around the country. It's in a lovely setting with a lake and loads of wildlife. There's lots going on with classes and events off site as well. There are event venues with good bars and a couple of good restaurants also.
It's happening again this year again at York. (1st, 2nd, 3rd July 2026.) It's well worth going. To find out more Google U3A national festival and it will give all the details of how to book. It's easy to get there by train for those without cars. Hope it gets a lot of interest.
U3A MAGAZINE - Third Age Matters
We have had a reminder for the Direct Mail Scheme 2026. Members in the scheme receive 5 copies of the magazine. The charge is £4.00/year.
If you wish to receive the magazine, please confirm at the next meeting 18th Feb, or contact me with the cheque at the address below, payable to ‘Chester City U3A.
I will have some copies of the magazine at the next meeting for anyone who hasn’t seen it.
B. Howard, 76, Crossfields, Tarvin, Cheshire. CH3 8EP (Ph: 01829741129)
U3A GIFT AID
A WORD ABOUT GIFT AID
Chester City u3a is a charity and your annual subscription is regarded as a gift on which we can claim Gift Aid and boost your sub by 25% if you are a UK taxpayer and are willing for us to do so. Media reports suggest that over the past 3 years, when the HMRC tax free allowance has not increased, more than a million people paid income tax for the first time. If you fall into this category
and are willing for us to reclaim Gift Aid please complete the form, which is at the bottom of this Newsletter, and email it to our treasurer or hand it in at our meeting. Our committee suggest that everyone who is eligible should do so to ensure that we have a correct record and are not underclaiming from HMRC. Gift Aid is one of our few sources of income and provides about 10% of our budget.
Click button below to print a gift aid form.