Adventure Group This group meets several times a year for members to try a new adventure. We have had a go at 'Go Ape, Hovercrafting, White Water Rafting, Clay Shooting, Archery, Axe Throwing, Karting, Escape Rooms, Hawk Walking, Absailing, Canoeing and Gliding as well as a trip to Everads Brewery.' More escapades are in the pipeline, as soon as there are enough members interested in an adventure we will give it a go.
Art Appreciation
Bird Watching
Bridge The bridge group meet weekly on a Friday afternoon. We meet in a members house and during the afternoon we have a break with tea and biscuits being served and of course we catch up on any news.
Buffet Supper Group This is a very sociable group who meet once a month on the first Monday of the month to have a buffet supper. We take it in turns to host this, in your own house, and members arrive with a main course and a dessert course, if they are a couple and single members with just once course. These are all displayed as a buffet and members help themselves from the selection. We all provide our own drinks. Hosts provide all china, cutlery and glasses. There are two separate venues on the same night each month and there are usually between 10 to12 members at each party.
Canasta Groups The two Canasta Groups are very popular. They meet in a members home and play two different types of Canasta. On Wednesday mornings we play with 3 packs of cards and now on Wednesday afternoons at 2.00pm where we play with the more traditional two packs. We stop after an hour for tea and biscuits and all go home after a most enjoyable two hours.
Card and Board Games This group meets on the third Monday of each month in the Wellbeing Hub in the Leisure Centre at 2.00 pm. There is a small kitchen available where members make themselves a drink and have a biscuit if they wish. We are very lucky to have this facility as the Leisure Cenre does not charge us to use the room. Occasionally potential members of Lutterworth u3a have contacted us to say they would like to join the u3a in order to learn to play or simply play Bridge. As this was not possible with the way that our Bridge Group is run, it was decided to start a group where these people could be accommodated. Instead many members have come and learned to play Canasta. Canasta is a good alternative to Bridge as you do not need to have a group of 4 to play. Others play Rummikub or Rummikub Word or Sequence although there are lots of other games available. Another fun way to spend an afternoon with friends.
Days Out The name of this group does not adequately describe what the group does. True to its name it does arrange a day out for members which takes the place of our July General Meeting but it also has arranged a Murder/Mystery Evening, a day out to Nottingham Castle, a lunch with Juke Box Jury, a trip to the Greyhound Racing in Nottingham, an evening at Leicester Racecourse and our 20th Anniversary lunch with a band playing hits from the 60s and 70s so that we can have a dance, amongst other events.
Garden Visits This group goes to visit some lovely gardens, often with houses or halls to explore, once a month for most months from February/March to September each year. We usually travel by coach. We also try to arrange a holiday in May/June for all members of the u3a. The visits are well-supported and we are usually lucky both with the venue and the weather.
Golf (Joint with Wycliffe) This group arranges three or four tournaments each summer with a meal after to which family and friends are invited. We have played at Lutterworth, Whetstone, Ullesthorpe, Great Glen and we are venturing out to Ansty as well this summer. All are very welcome to come and join us for a most enjoyable day.
History The History Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month in Bitteswell Village Hall from 2.15 pm. When we started the group it was decided that we would work our way chronologically through history learning about the Kings and Queens from King Alfred the Great. We have now reached the reign of King George V having spent quite some time on the Victorian era. Members can do some research if they wish and share it with us all or simply come and listen. We have been on some visits and have had a speaker on one occasion as it is good sometimes to vary our routine. We have tea and refreshments halfway through the afternoon and have a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.
Jazz The Jazz Group meets once a month in members homes, where we listen to a wide variety of music closely and sometimes loosley associated with Jazz. Each member brings along at least two items for others to listen to. This can range from early New Orlean's jazz of the 1920's through swing, bebop to modern and contemporary styles. We often also feature jazz and jazz influenced singers. Depending on the venue we can always play CDs but often vinyl and sometimes tape are used as well as occassional video. Sometimes we feature a short presentation on a particular musician.
Line Dancing This group is not running at present but we will update members once sessions commence again.
Music and Memories Groups 1 and 2 Members of these groups meet up once a month in each others' houses and bring along music in a shared 'Desert Island Discs' format. We sometimes have an accompanying story about the occasion that makes these pieces of music memorable or it could be a piece that is just liked because it is played by a favourite group or artist. We have even discovered that years ago we had been present at the same concert as the person who brought along a particular track!
Music Appreciation If you wish to join us and learn to appreciate mainly classical music, continuing your education in true u3a tradition, you will be made very welcome. You do not have to bring a knowledge of music, just try us and have a gentle morning appreciating the themese used by our members.
Music for Fun - Ukulele As the name implies playing a ukulele is fun. No previous knowledge is required and there is no need to be able to read music. Tuition will be given and the first few chords can be mastered quickly and with a bit of practice before long you will be able to play and sing hundreds of songs. We have several spare ukuleles so anyone can along and have a go and try before you buy, but be warned ukulele playing can become addictive.
New Age Kurling New Age Kurling is based on the original concept of sliding "stones" along a court on ice. The "stones" we use are actually rubber discs with three large ballbearings underneath and a handle on the top to allow the stones to be either bowled or pushed along the floor to a target. The idea is to score points against your opponent by getting your stones closer to the centre of the target than theirs (similiar to bowls).
Petanque Petanque is a French outdoor game also known as Boule played in teams and we meet twice a month at the Axe & Compass/Pestos in Wolvey. We usually play from April to October
Photography The photography group generally meets on the first Friday of each month at various venues. The aim of the group is to improve the images we take and is ideal for people who enjoy taking pictures, have a camera with some functions on it and would like to know more about what the various buttons and switches do. It is not necessary to have a DSLR and does not need to be an expensive piece of equipment or of a particular brand. We support each other, discuss how pictures can be taken and improved, but most importantly we enjoy ourselves. The emphasis is on getting pictues we want and not entering competitions.
Poetry The Poetry Group is for anybody who enjoys reading or listening to poetry of any kind. We meet once a month on the first Wednesday at 2,00pm. We take turns to read the poems we have found relating to the given subject but don't have to read aloud if you prefer to listen. We are a jolly group and enjoy tea, refreshments amd a natter at half time.
Quiz Group Our group meets on the second Thursday of the month in the home of one of our members. We take turns to host the afternoon providing the questions and refreshments. The afternoon is conducted in a spirit of friendly rivalry. Small teams competing against each other. We also quiz together at charity events and/or pub quiz evenings.
Reading Group The reading group meets on the first Tuesday of each month in Bitterswell Village Hall from 10.00am. We read a wide variety of books which are chosen by members. We spend the first hour sharing our views on the chosen book followed by refreshments and chatter. Sometimes we have a quiz or discuss the books we love and if we haven't chosen a book to read in a month or two's time we will make a choice. Please join us if you enjoy reading a wide variety of books and getting together with a friendly group to share your views each month.
Scrabble We meet in members homes on the third Wednesday of the month at 2.00pm to enjoy a couple of competitive and friendl games of this mind blowing game. Come and join us.
Singles Dining
Singing for Fun This is a new group set up by Hamish. You do not have to be able to sing, it is not a choir but a fun morning. It meets on the 1st Tuesday of the month in the Methodist Church from 10.00am until noon. All are welcome although he would like to see a few more men in the group.
Strollers Group The Strollers group will not be running until the new year due to holidays and other commitments.
Table Tennis Meetings take place every Monday afternoon (except Bank Holidays) at Walcote Village Hall where we have three tables and we meet jointly with Wycliffe u3a. Doubles games are mostly played. This is a very good way to keep fit and even if you have never played before a good standard of play can soon be reached.
Ten Pin Bowling We meet at the recreation ground in Lutterworth for any lifts needed on the second Friday of the Month at 10.30am. We then make our way to Nuneaton Bowl for an 11.00am start and usually play for about one and a half hours. We split up into groups, according to numbers present and play three games with a refreshment and chat break in the middle. No one has scored a maximum of 300 yet. Our abilities vary but it is a relaxed and friendly group.
Topical / Current Affairs We meet on the first Wednesday of the month at 10.00am for a couple of hours of friendly discussion about recent issues in the press or TV or anyone's ideas. We alternate around members homes and take it in turns. I am not sure if we make any final decisions but we do give topics a very good airing of all our different opinions, with or without any arguments.
Various Walking Groups We have various walking groups and share some of the groups with Wycliffe u3a and times and dates are shown on both web sites. Obviously members abilities have a bearing on which group to join in with and will obviously benefit from a chat with the group organiser/leader.
Wine & Social Group As the group and its meeting place do not have a licence to collect any money for alcohol, it is proposed that a topic will be suggested for either a specific wine or a country for each meeting. Members who then state that they would like to attend will be split into groups of six with one pair from each group being asked to bring a red wine from that type or country, another pair to bring a white wine and the tgird pair a rose wine. This means that no member will be paying for any wine other than the bottle they bring and share with the others in their group. We can all research the wines that we will taste and I will find out which foods pair best with these wines. So when you come to the meeting all we need then is to share the cost of the food and hall hire. We will spend one of the meetings during 2024 visiting a local brewery, another visiting Rugby Gin, where I have been told that we can have a go at making our own gin and another visiting a vineyard. This means that we shall not be meeting in Bitterswell Village Hall for every meeting.
Members are free to arrange social activities for the months in between the visits or those in Bitterswell Village Hall such as going to the Hollybush to play table skittles, or going to a pub with a skittle alley or a social with fish and chips in a members garden in the summer.
It is your u3a and you can let me have your views on what you would like from this group.