WEBVTT

1
00:00:01.280 --> 00:00:04.679
<v Speaker 1>Hello, I'm Ray Lee and this is the Gillingham Podcast

2
00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:30.480
<v Speaker 1>for anyone living in the Gillingham and Spa area. I'm

3
00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.359
<v Speaker 1>talking to Roger Laidler, who is the chairman of the

4
00:00:33.399 --> 00:00:37.159
<v Speaker 1>Shaspbery and Gillingham University of the Third Age. Can you

5
00:00:37.159 --> 00:00:40.000
<v Speaker 1>tell us a bit about the university and then who

6
00:00:40.039 --> 00:00:40.520
<v Speaker 1>is it for?

7
00:00:41.159 --> 00:00:45.960
<v Speaker 2>Okay, Well, the term university is a bit what's the

8
00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:47.759
<v Speaker 2>word loose?

9
00:00:48.200 --> 00:00:49.399
<v Speaker 3>Yes, that's a good word.

10
00:00:49.719 --> 00:00:52.479
<v Speaker 2>The term universe is a bit loose inas much as

11
00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:58.320
<v Speaker 2>certainly some people are war don't feel that it is

12
00:00:58.359 --> 00:00:58.880
<v Speaker 2>for them.

13
00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:00.679
<v Speaker 3>Because of the university word.

14
00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:04.519
<v Speaker 2>But basically SGU three A was the U three A

15
00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:10.040
<v Speaker 2>movement was started over forty years ago, forty five years

16
00:01:10.040 --> 00:01:14.640
<v Speaker 2>ago and it's an international organization and over the years

17
00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:18.799
<v Speaker 2>different areas in the country have started their own branch

18
00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:23.480
<v Speaker 2>and our branch, Shaftsbury and Gillingham U THREEA started up

19
00:01:23.599 --> 00:01:26.840
<v Speaker 2>in nineteen ninety nine, so we've been going for twenty

20
00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:32.760
<v Speaker 2>six years now. And it's a loose organization which caters

21
00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:39.719
<v Speaker 2>for retired and semi retired people to come and enjoy

22
00:01:40.480 --> 00:01:44.760
<v Speaker 2>and perhaps learn things to enjoy it, to take part

23
00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:50.560
<v Speaker 2>in activities, in other words, to keep your mental health

24
00:01:50.799 --> 00:01:57.159
<v Speaker 2>going and we are as The membership of our group

25
00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:01.400
<v Speaker 2>is around about three hundred and forty. It's been around

26
00:02:01.400 --> 00:02:05.879
<v Speaker 2>that for quite a few years really, and it's a

27
00:02:06.040 --> 00:02:10.080
<v Speaker 2>very loosely mixed group of people from all walks of life,

28
00:02:10.680 --> 00:02:19.319
<v Speaker 2>and we all enjoy sharing our life and our activities

29
00:02:19.360 --> 00:02:22.360
<v Speaker 2>with other people. So it's obviously open to women and men.

30
00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:25.879
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, yes, of course, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

31
00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:30.360
<v Speaker 2>I had a look at your website yesterday and approximately

32
00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:34.759
<v Speaker 2>thirty five groups on there doing different activities. Yeah, are

33
00:02:34.800 --> 00:02:36.520
<v Speaker 2>they are they also active.

34
00:02:36.240 --> 00:02:38.439
<v Speaker 3>Or yeah, there's thirty five groups which are active.

35
00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:41.520
<v Speaker 2>Other groups on the website are active and they vary

36
00:02:41.599 --> 00:02:51.039
<v Speaker 2>from walking, playing scrabble, book clubs, play reading, cosmology.

37
00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:52.960
<v Speaker 3>There's a whole list of.

38
00:02:53.479 --> 00:03:02.520
<v Speaker 2>Activities international history, philosophy, and music appreciation, digital photography.

39
00:03:02.680 --> 00:03:04.639
<v Speaker 3>I could go on, but they're all.

40
00:03:04.479 --> 00:03:09.719
<v Speaker 2>Active and they meet generally they meet in each other's houses,

41
00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:12.400
<v Speaker 2>so it sometimes that will limit the size of the group.

42
00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:17.000
<v Speaker 2>Other times, bigger groups like genealogy meet in a hall,

43
00:03:17.599 --> 00:03:21.479
<v Speaker 2>a separate hall because it is a larger group. But yeah,

44
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:26.479
<v Speaker 2>it's a very eclectic mix of groups. Can anyone start

45
00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:30.520
<v Speaker 2>a group, anybody can start a group. Yeah, and the

46
00:03:30.560 --> 00:03:33.560
<v Speaker 2>group when the group is started, it's a member. You

47
00:03:33.639 --> 00:03:35.479
<v Speaker 2>need to be a member of U three A to

48
00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:40.159
<v Speaker 2>start a group. But once you start it, then you

49
00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:45.800
<v Speaker 2>put the information out and people then join. For instance,

50
00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:50.280
<v Speaker 2>our last couple of groups we've done, one is started,

51
00:03:50.360 --> 00:03:53.520
<v Speaker 2>one is church visits where somebody organizes a visit to

52
00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:57.639
<v Speaker 2>different churches and have someone to tell you all about

53
00:03:57.680 --> 00:04:02.319
<v Speaker 2>the church. And the latest one is dancing ballroom and

54
00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:06.039
<v Speaker 2>Latin American dancing. That group's just started as well. So

55
00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:07.800
<v Speaker 2>it's a very varied mix of groups.

56
00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:08.080
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

57
00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:10.479
<v Speaker 2>And so with the dancing, one of most people I

58
00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:13.919
<v Speaker 2>just say retired, oh yeah, we're also having retired or

59
00:04:13.960 --> 00:04:19.360
<v Speaker 2>retired it's still still. Yeah. Dancing is supposed to be

60
00:04:19.399 --> 00:04:20.879
<v Speaker 2>one of the things which is really good for you

61
00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.600
<v Speaker 2>because you're using your brain and you're moving as well,

62
00:04:23.720 --> 00:04:25.879
<v Speaker 2>so it is really good for you.

63
00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:26.600
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

64
00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.839
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I understand that you get guest speaker sometimes at

65
00:04:30.839 --> 00:04:31.279
<v Speaker 2>your meeting.

66
00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:31.600
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

67
00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:34.839
<v Speaker 2>What we do is part of it for the organization

68
00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.399
<v Speaker 2>that then they've always done this since it's been going,

69
00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:42.639
<v Speaker 2>is once a month we have a meeting at which

70
00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:47.519
<v Speaker 2>now we hold it at the Charlton Hall, the village

71
00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:52.639
<v Speaker 2>Hall in Charlton, which is south of Shaftsbury going towards Schalisbury.

72
00:04:54.360 --> 00:04:54.560
<v Speaker 3>Yeah.

73
00:04:55.079 --> 00:04:59.920
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, and we have a guest speaker there, which is,

74
00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:02.319
<v Speaker 2>you know, something of interest.

75
00:05:02.680 --> 00:05:03.519
<v Speaker 3>Often it's.

76
00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:09.720
<v Speaker 2>Moving, a historical thing, or once a year we will

77
00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:12.040
<v Speaker 2>have a charity talk about. The last one we had

78
00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:16.000
<v Speaker 2>was the charity the Friends of Guy's mass Prison, and

79
00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:19.600
<v Speaker 2>we had a really moving talk from a next inmate

80
00:05:20.279 --> 00:05:22.560
<v Speaker 2>whose life was turned around and a lot of it

81
00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:25.199
<v Speaker 2>was through help from the Friends of Guys Mass Prison,

82
00:05:25.279 --> 00:05:28.720
<v Speaker 2>and he gave a really memorable talk. So it's quite

83
00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:35.000
<v Speaker 2>a variety of talks, but sometimes entertainments, entertaining, sometimes informative,

84
00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:39.639
<v Speaker 2>but almost so. Does he take place every month every well,

85
00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:42.800
<v Speaker 2>first Thursday of the month, you have a speaker everything.

86
00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:46.319
<v Speaker 2>We have a speaker everyone, Yeah, apart from August Chris,

87
00:05:46.920 --> 00:05:52.319
<v Speaker 2>August time, Everyone's we have we have a lunch then.

88
00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:54.879
<v Speaker 3>I understand.

89
00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:57.160
<v Speaker 2>Also you do outings, theater trips and stuff like that.

90
00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:01.839
<v Speaker 2>There is one group that does trips to the symphony,

91
00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:07.360
<v Speaker 2>Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and that is to their concerts in

92
00:06:07.399 --> 00:06:07.959
<v Speaker 2>the season.

93
00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:11.160
<v Speaker 3>And that is in their.

94
00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:14.439
<v Speaker 2>Season which I think goes until about May. That maytime

95
00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:16.800
<v Speaker 2>now and then it starts again. This episode of October

96
00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:21.879
<v Speaker 2>so a lady who organizes a coach to take people

97
00:06:22.480 --> 00:06:25.920
<v Speaker 2>obviously pay to go in and everything. So that's one

98
00:06:26.160 --> 00:06:32.160
<v Speaker 2>out in there's a natural history group that has outings. Unfortunately,

99
00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:34.040
<v Speaker 2>at the moment we used to have a lot of

100
00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:36.639
<v Speaker 2>day outings, day trips, but at the moment we don't

101
00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:39.120
<v Speaker 2>get anybody to organize it, so we're waiting for someone

102
00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:41.040
<v Speaker 2>to come forward to organize that.

103
00:06:41.399 --> 00:06:42.839
<v Speaker 3>But we have had many in the past.

104
00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:45.360
<v Speaker 2>So those those trips are they open to any members?

105
00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:47.079
<v Speaker 2>Have you got to be a member of that specific

106
00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:50.000
<v Speaker 2>group to go and they're open to members of the

107
00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:54.800
<v Speaker 2>U three A, yeah, SDU three A. We do have

108
00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:57.959
<v Speaker 2>visitors come in and that's fair. We're quite happy to

109
00:06:57.959 --> 00:07:02.240
<v Speaker 2>have a visitor, but we don't encourage visitors to do

110
00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:06.759
<v Speaker 2>more than two trips before they join. So that's that's

111
00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:11.240
<v Speaker 2>the system recently. And if you want to join the

112
00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:14.639
<v Speaker 2>you three are what are their membership fees? The membership

113
00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:19.720
<v Speaker 2>fee is twelve pounds a year and that covers because

114
00:07:19.759 --> 00:07:23.399
<v Speaker 2>we have to pay money to our national organization, which

115
00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:26.199
<v Speaker 2>is called the Third Aid Trust, so we pay a

116
00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:31.319
<v Speaker 2>capitation fee to them. We also pay so much towards

117
00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:37.040
<v Speaker 2>them for our website and also for a data collection system,

118
00:07:37.240 --> 00:07:39.160
<v Speaker 2>which is a secure system.

119
00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:40.959
<v Speaker 3>So twelve pounds a year membership.

120
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:46.720
<v Speaker 2>They forms is on the website, or alternatively, people can

121
00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:49.360
<v Speaker 2>come along to the first Thursday of the month and

122
00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:52.120
<v Speaker 2>come in as a visitor, no problem, Come as a

123
00:07:52.199 --> 00:07:56.000
<v Speaker 2>visitor and see what it's all about, and you know,

124
00:07:56.160 --> 00:07:58.639
<v Speaker 2>join them if you wish. But I do recommend to

125
00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:01.759
<v Speaker 2>people that that's the best way to join, is to come.

126
00:08:01.720 --> 00:08:04.040
<v Speaker 3>And see everybody and join them.

127
00:08:04.439 --> 00:08:07.639
<v Speaker 2>So it's the best way to join through the website.

128
00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:11.279
<v Speaker 2>Or you can join through the website, or download the

129
00:08:11.319 --> 00:08:13.959
<v Speaker 2>form from the website and you know, put it in

130
00:08:14.000 --> 00:08:17.000
<v Speaker 2>the post as usual or as I say, go to

131
00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:20.279
<v Speaker 2>the monthly meeting. I always say to people, just google

132
00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:23.720
<v Speaker 2>SGU three A and then that brings up the website,

133
00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:27.079
<v Speaker 2>no problem. Can you can you say Google, Google, Google

134
00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:29.120
<v Speaker 2>or any other search engine?

135
00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:30.879
<v Speaker 3>Yeah?

136
00:08:32.559 --> 00:08:34.600
<v Speaker 2>I mean are you actively looking for members all the

137
00:08:34.639 --> 00:08:36.600
<v Speaker 2>time or yeah?

138
00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:41.200
<v Speaker 3>The knowledge of members? Yeah? I say this because people.

139
00:08:40.919 --> 00:08:45.000
<v Speaker 2>Are dying, you know, yeah, yeah, so yeah, we are

140
00:08:45.080 --> 00:08:48.279
<v Speaker 2>actively looking members. So do you do you get a

141
00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:54.440
<v Speaker 2>high turnover of members? Were mostly we lose about fifteen

142
00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:59.559
<v Speaker 2>to twenty a year, and game fifteen to twenty and

143
00:09:00.039 --> 00:09:02.159
<v Speaker 2>you know, some people have been in it for twenty

144
00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:05.840
<v Speaker 2>six years. You know, not many now, but there our

145
00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:07.759
<v Speaker 2>people who have been in twenty six years. I mean

146
00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:10.960
<v Speaker 2>I've been in it for me and my wife, Pam

147
00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:14.000
<v Speaker 2>and I have been in it for probably about fifteen

148
00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:20.039
<v Speaker 2>sixteen years. I've been on the committee for nine years

149
00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:26.320
<v Speaker 2>because we're a charity. Charity commission don't want committee members

150
00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:30.000
<v Speaker 2>more than nine years. Yeah, so we are a charity,

151
00:09:30.159 --> 00:09:33.799
<v Speaker 2>which is quite important, which does affect some of our rules.

152
00:09:34.679 --> 00:09:39.759
<v Speaker 2>But it means that you get that's the word gift

153
00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:42.879
<v Speaker 2>aid we get, you get gift aid back. You know,

154
00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:46.320
<v Speaker 2>it's really okay, Thank you, Roger, thanks very much for

155
00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:46.720
<v Speaker 2>your time.

156
00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:48.200
<v Speaker 3>Okay, well, thank you.

157
00:09:49.840 --> 00:09:52.200
<v Speaker 4>If you have anything you'd like to share, be it

158
00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:56.000
<v Speaker 4>news or details of organizations or groups that you belong to,

159
00:09:56.639 --> 00:10:01.919
<v Speaker 4>you can email me at Gillingham Podcast email dot com.

160
00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:02.759
<v Speaker 4>Thanks for listening.

161
00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:05.519
<v Speaker 3>Oh