Burnham-on-Sea

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Burnham-on-Sea u3a Groups

Book 1     

When Last Friday of month 2-4pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Anne 793355
Information 

Book 3     

When Last Thursday pm of each month
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Diane 787856
Information Book Club 3 meets in the Community Centre on the last Thursday afternoon of each month. It is quite difficult choosing books for a diverse group of people, but I think we have managed this fairly successfully. I must say that we have had some very lively debates during our two hours of discussions. Diane Cruickshank

Brushstrokes     

When Wednesdays 9.30 - 12.00
Normally meets 09:30 to 12:00
Enquiries Sue 792021
Information We meet every Wednesday from 10.00 am until 12.00 at the Community Centre where we explore the many varied techniques associated with this wonderful art form.

Burnham U3A Singers     

When 2nd Wednesday in the month
Normally meets 14:30 to 16:30
Enquiries Marilyn on niknak49@gmail.com
Information How does the U3A Singers (formerly Off-Key Singers) group work? The idea is that people get together - with others who also think they can’t sing, are tone deaf, can’t hold a note, or actually, really do sound awful in the shower - to belt out a few songs without worrying about what they sound like. Nobody is asked to sing individually. Selected songs are copied onto CDs and everybody has a printed set of lyric sheets to sing from. So, if your singing voice has meant that you’ve always mimed your way through hymns in Church or only sing along to the radio when you’re on your own …… Marilyn would really like to have you in the group!

Classical Music 1     

When Burnham every 2nd and 4th Monday 2-4pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Roy 324020
Information This Group is concerned with music appreciation and not performing. We cover a wide range of music from Gregorian Chant and plainsong to the 20th Century but we don't cover 12 note music by such composers as Boulez et al. each member is invited to present a 2 hour programme of his or her personal choice and we have an interval half way with tea and biscuits. Burnham U3A now offers three different listening groups. Group 1 Burnham, every 2nd and 4th Monday - 2-4 pm * Roy West 324020, r.west4 @ sky.com Group 2 Mark, every 1st and 3rd Monday - 2-4 pm * Ken Henton 641278, ken.henton @ gmail.com Group 3 Burnham, every 2nd Friday 2-4 pm * Roy West

Classical Music 2     

When Mark; every 1st and 3rd Monday - 2-4 pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Ken 641278
Information I have been interested in classical music since my schooldays and I was fortunate in having an uncle who introduced me to a wide range of different composers. It was all 78 rpm and fibre needles in those days, and looking back one marvels at the patience of music lovers then. You had to buy several heavy shellac records for a Beethoven symphony with breaks in awkward places! Today we rejoice in the CD with enough space to cover all but the longest works, equipment at cheap prices compared with 50 years ago and a remote control to boot! I enjoy listening to music on my own, but I like it more in the company of others; and Burnham U3A now offers three different listening groups. Group 1 Burnham, every 2nd and 4th Monday - 2-4 pm * Roy West 324020, r.west4 @ sky.com Group 2 Mark, every 1st and 3rd Monday - 2-4 pm * Ken Henton 641278, ken.henton @ gmail.com Group 3 Burnham, every 2nd Friday 2-4 pm *. Some members take their turn at choosing music and putting together a programme while others just sit back and enjoy it. Everyone has found their knowledge of music enlarged and their appreciation deepened. Group 4? We are thinking about setting up a fourth group to cater for the many who might enjoy lighter fare popular classics, film music, Gilbert & Sullivan, musicals, etc. If this idea appeals to you, do get in touch with one of the above for further information.

Classical Music 3/G&S Operetta     

When 3rd Friday of month
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Paul Hambleton
Information New group Jan '24 for Gilbert & Sullivan appreciation.

COFFEE MORNING     

When Thursdays 9.45 am -11.30am
Normally meets 09:45 to 11:30
Enquiries Brenda 782150
Information At our weekly Coffee Morning you can join up or renew your membership in person, book a one of our Day Trips or one of our Holiday trips. You can take part in our weekly quiz, check the latest notices and information, catch up with your friends or -um- have a cup of coffee! (Or even tea). coffees@burnhamu3a.com

Craft & Card Making     

When 1st and 3rd Wednesdays in the month 2.00pm-4.00pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Jenny Collins
Information Group for making Greetings cards but also general craft activities. Enjoy a cup of tea or coffee and some chat as well.

Creative Writing     

When 1st Friday am
Normally meets 10:00 to 12:00
Enquiries Niki Bowden 07739 533329
Information Room 5. More recently.

DAY TRIPS     

When Bookings at Thursday Coffee Mornings 10-11.00am
Normally meets 09:45 to 11:15
Enquiries Gerry, daytrips@burnhamu3a.com
Information Book Day Trips at Thursday Coffee Mornings 9.30-11.00am Email: daytrips@burnhamu3a.com Day Trips by coach are usually on Wednesdays, at approximately monthly intervals, departing around 10.00am, returning about 4pm. See the website for the current programme: www.burnhamu3a.com Please note that Covid Vaccination cards must be be seen by the Day Trip organisers prior to joining a trip.

Facebook Group     

When N/a
Enquiries 
Information Our U3A approved Facebook group members.

French 1     

When Wednesdays 2.30-4.00pm
Normally meets 14:30 to 16:00
Enquiries Jane Osborne
Information This started as a 'Beginners' group, though the present members have progressed beyond that level. If you have studied some basic French before, at school for instance, and you want to refresh and improve the French you studied earlier, you will be very welcome and this small class will be very suitable. This group uses the two-book course 'Façon de Parler' by Angela Aries and Dominique Debney. At date of writing (May 2022) we are nearing the end of Book One, so a new Group member will need to buy the Level 2 Course Book, 5th Edition (Hodder Education, ISBN-13:9781444168389) The emphasis throughout is on listening, speaking and reading, with little or no written work, and a minimum of formal grammar. Meetings are every Wednesday afternoon except when there is a clash with U3A Day Trips; with a break in the summer.

French 2     

When Thursdays 10-11am
Normally meets 10:00 to 11:00
Enquiries Colette 238583
Information Intermediate French. French conversation and French written articles

French 3     

When Tuesdays 10.00 am - 11.30 am
Normally meets 10:00 to 12:00
Enquiries Geoff 07766 670737
Information We are a friendly, lighthearted group of around 9 people, who all share a love of the French language. One of our aims is to improve our listening and conversational skills, which for some of us, are the most difficult. We listen to recordings, do reading and translating. We meet at The Community Centre at 10 a.m. each Tuesday morning and welcome anyone keen on French on joining us there and for a coffee afterwards. Email contact is geoff@burnhamu3a.com

French 4 10.00 a.m.     

When Friday 10.00 start
Normally meets 10:00 to 11:30
Enquiries Robert 641853
Information We learnt our English before we could write and long before we studied grammar. This course aims to prove that this is still the only way to achieve fluency in communication. Since 60% of the French vocabulary is also in the English language and we use so very few words in our day-to-day lives, this is not likely to be an obstacle. We cannot though understand what is said to us a word at a time. The method I have chosen to adopt is learning French in phrases and repeating them over a rolling 20 session tide. So we start building phrases until they become routinely understood and we can use them without great thought. This normally takes about 20 repetitions which, once they become part of the brain's 'muscle' memory, can be dropped off at the rate of three or four a week and new ones added at the same rate - this is the rolling tide. Most phrases can be expressed in many ways and it's important that folks retain any that are correct and that and they know well and that they don't try to supplant them by other ways of saying the same thing. We will stress accurate pronunciation and we will have brief visits to rules of grammar where they aid a significant block of phrases but, for those who find grammar difficult, it is rare that 'incorrect' grammar gets in the way of fluent conversation.

French-la table francaise     

When Mondays 11.00-12.30
Normally meets 11:00 to 12:30
Enquiries Robert 641853
Information An opportunity to talk French in ordinary conversation. Whilst everyone who comes to La Table Francaise (LTF) is U3A, it is open to anyone who wants to chat in French. We ran these in Louisiana USA, France and now England. We have a deal with the Dunstan House pub that they reserve a space for us every Monday of the year at 11:00 for 90 minutes when they are at their least busy. No one has to announce whether they'll be there, they just commit to waiting till at least 11:20 if they are the first to arrive. No one demands that we make a purchase but traditionally most have a coffee etc. I am there if anyone needs a little help speaking but mostly we pair off in twos or threes to maximise the chance of speaking which doesn't happen in French classes.

German     

When Tuesdays 14.00 - 15.00
Normally meets 14:00 to 15:00
Enquiries Gail 07883005115
Information We use various books for learning German. We also use News in Slow German, as this contains up to date news articles.

Keep Fit     

When Thursdays 10.00
Normally meets 10:00 to 11:00
Enquiries Rosemary 01278 786054
Information Rosemary Lane 01278 786054 roselynnelane@gmail,com Sessions in room 10 upstairs at the Community Centre. £2 each session attended. U3a membership is required.

Luncheon Club     

When 3rd Thursday pm
Enquiries NULL
Information 

Luncheon Club 2     

When 2nd Mondays
Normally meets 12:30 to 00:00
Enquiries Maria 0751 5682079
Information NULL

Magazine Distributors     

When N/a
Enquiries Geoff 07766 670737
Information List of our u3a magazine distributors.

MEMBERSHIP TEAM     

When Thurs Coffee Mornings, 9.45-11.30am
Normally meets 09:45 to 11:30
Enquiries Adele Deakins 07831 197512
Information These are the people who will sign you up as a new member of Burnham u3a and renew subscriptions for existing members. Membership Secretary. Email enquiries: membsec@burnhamu3a.com

Needlework     

When Friday pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Julie 07766 520781
Information Embroidery 1 Joy started the Embroidery Group in 1992, not long after the U3A was started in Burnham. I believe it was the first Group to be started. I started in 1996 when there were 12 members in the Group, and we used to meet in each others houses. I did not know much about cross-stitch which is the primary discipline done in this Group, but soon learned from the other members. Joy was always there to oversee us. When the U3A moved to the Baptist Church, we then had our meetings in the main room there as well, and the Group began to grow. We used to sit in a big circle and we could all chat to each other. Our main project that we did under Joys supervision was the wall-hanging for the Millennium. That is in Room 1 of the Community Centre. It depicts all the Groups that were in existence at the time. Everyone stitched a square for it and I well remember sitting in Joys sitting room working out how to do the lettering around the outside. It took ages to do! Our latest project was a wall-hanging for St Andrews Church for their 700th Anniversary and that now hangs on a door in the Church. We have also had exhibitions at the various Open Days that have been held. All this and many, many pictures, cards and other projects have been stitched by our members and Joy has always been there to offer advice, encouragement and even threads, materials and patterns. She has been a stalwart leader for nearly 25 years and although she will not be our leader, she will still come to our meetings when she can. Thank you Joy for all you have done. We welcome Lisa as our new leader and know that she will do a good job of following Joy. Margaret Budden

Painting for Pleasure     

When Wednesdays am
Normally meets 10:00 to 12:00
Enquiries Jane 783511
Information In this group you paint what you like, in whatever medium. There is no tuition. Other members are usually prepared to offer advice. It is a friendly group which enjoys a good chat while we work.

Patchwork 1 & 2     

When Tuesdays pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Julie 323573
Information We are a group who do mostly hand pieced patchwork. We do not do machine patchwork at the Community Centre. We are a self-help group with some very knowledgeable members.

Philosophy 1     

When Thursdays, 1st and 3rd of the month 10:00am-12noon
Normally meets 10:00 to 12:00
Enquiries Katrina Gardiner
Information 

Philosophy 2     

When Friday mornings, fortnightly
Enquiries Margaret Stewart 07980 001343
Information New group started 2023.

Philosophy 3     

When Every 2nd Thursday afternoon., 2.00 pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Roger Miller 784658
Information 

Poetry Etcetera     

When Every 2nd Tuesday afternoon 784658
Enquiries Colette 238583
Information POETRY ETCETERA How often have we heard it said that “I could not lead a group because I don't have the expertise”? We wonder how many groups fail to get off the ground because of this reluctance? In fact, it is one of the principles of U3A that you don’t require expertise, only a keen interest and enthusiasm. The original title for this U3A group was Poetry and Prose. As lovers of poetry and bearing in mind that the interest is shared by many, this group was formed in the expectation that many others would know more about the subject. They do, and that’s great! So, what is POETRY ETCETERA all about. Well, principally, it's poetry of course, but also about good and memorable writing of many kinds. These might be extracts from great novels and plays, historical documents, speeches; or a session might be devoted to themes such as nature, historical periods; topics - humorous as well as serious. The Oxford Book of English Verse begins with the 13th century "Sumer is icumen in ..."; and contains nursery rhymes, hymns, satire, parody, limericks and nonsense verse. An amusing form is the witty clerihew e.g. Sir Christopher Wren Said "I'm going to dine with some men. If anybody calls Say I'm designing St. Paul's." Many poems are by writers in the Americas and other parts of the English speaking world. Some poetry of the Romantic era could be very long, but poetry need not be long or tedious. A number of modern writers keep it short, yet profound. This was Adrian Mitchell’s obituary of a great jazz instrumentalist. “He breathed in air, he breathed out light. Charlie Parker was my delight.” Finally, while we mostly look at well-known writers, individual members may like to try out their work on the rest of us. The great Roman writer Horace (65 BC-1 CE) is encouraging: "Skilled or unskilled, we are all poets”. In that spirit, members' own contributions are welcome. The meetings have gone very well with lots of lively discussion. We meet every two weeks. The initial group is full, but a second group could be formed!

Rummikub     

When Mondays, 2.00 - 4.00 pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries groups@burnhamu3a.com
Information TBA: Contact Groups Coordinator

Shorter Walks     

When Monday
Normally meets 10:00 to 12:00
Enquiries Julie 07916517774
Information Shorter walks aims to walk locally within the Burnham on Sea area. Each walk will be approximately between 3 to 5 miles. If driving is required to reach a starting point this will be less than half an hour. A sociable activity for fitness and fun.

Spanish For Beginners     

When Mondays 14.30 - 15.30
Normally meets 14:30 to 15:30
Enquiries Karen Robinson 07546 570128
Information The previous Spanish 1 group restarted in February 2025

Supper Club     

When The last Wednesday of the month
Normally meets 18:30 to 00:00
Enquiries Chris 784500
Information Informal get together to share various meals at restaurants and pubs in the local area. We take it in turns to organise a venue and act as convenor for that months' arrangement. Email: chrisowen@burnhamu3a.com

Supper Club 2     

When Every last Wednesday evening
Enquiries Wendy Westwood
Information Meeting at various restaurants once a month to enjoy good food, conversation and company. It is intended that members take it in turns to arrange a venue and co-ordinate attendance.

Table Tennis 1     

When Wednesdays 2-4pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries John 787200
Information We are a friendly group and would welcome new members. There are two tables which we take turns to play doubles on. The standard is generally good but we would not want this to deter new members. We also have an interval for tea and coffee and a chat. There is plenty of free parking at the Bay Centre. Please contract jean matthews 784012

Table Tennis 2/3     

When Fridays
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries Nora 07928 765453
Information Leader was Ian Nield (before that Jean Matthews). Ian Nield died Jan'25; GB. Nora Phyphers became leader Jan'25; GB

Table Tennis 4     

When Tuesdays am
Normally meets 09:30 to 10:30
Enquiries Jill Grant 07900 664418
Information 

Table Tennis For Beginners     

When 1st & 3rd Saturdays 10.30am
Normally meets 10:30 to 11:30
Enquiries Peter 07976408843
Information This group is a 'trainer' for new players to gain some proficiency before moving up to one of the regular Table Tennis groups

Ukulele     

When Mondays 2pm to 4pm
Normally meets 14:00 to 16:00
Enquiries cats4t5@hotmail.com
Information Ukulele Group Contacts:- U3A & CC Matters Allen Owen (01278 784500) Treasurer Ros Gait (01278 767715) Gigs & Performances Bernie Wheway (01278 287502) Ukulele Beginners Pam Cowley (01278 787495)

Walking     

When Wednesdays - See programme
Normally meets 10:00 to 00:00
Enquiries Jean 07939939204 and Chris
Information Leaders Jean Fincken & Chris Preston. Details of the group is published on U3A Website ans the current programme of walks can be obtained by contacting either of th leaders.

WELCOME & INFORMATION     

When Thursday Coffee Mornings 9.45-11.15 am
Normally meets 09:45 to 11:15
Enquiries welcome@burnhamu3a.com 792618
Information Also info@burnhamu3a.com Members of the Information & Welcome group will meet you when you join U3A and introduce you to other members and activities. They will also keep in touch with members who are unwell, so if you hear of another member who would appreciate a card, please contact Rachel. They also maintain a list of useful contacts, especially tradespeople recommended by other members.

Wine Appreciation Group     

When First Wednesday Evening of the month
Normally meets 19:00 to 21:00
Enquiries David Norton 07883 005114
Information This group is for wine appreciation and wine tasting. They meet once a month on a Wednesday evening at the Community Centre.