The Isle of Wight branch of the u3a celebrated this year’s u3a Day on 2nd June with a team walk covering all 70 miles of our Island’s beautiful coastal path.
Teams wearing yellow u3a hi-vis jackets covered the whole coastal path in 26 sections. Participants tied blue and gold pompoms at the start and finishing points of each section, circling the Island in the blue and gold colours of the u3a. Some teams walked a couple of miles, others walked 5, 6, or more – and the whole route was covered by lunchtime.
A large, bright yellow gazebo welcomed u3a members in the afternoon at Church Litten, Newport, where both walkers and non-walkers had a picnic. On proud display was a large map of the Isle of Wight showing the names of all the walkers and their routes.
While in Church Litten the organisation received a visit from Kate Collins, one of the Deputies of Susie Sheldon, Lord Lieutenant of the Isle of Wight. Kate was most interested in the hard work put into organising the celebration day.
She applauded the efforts the Isle of Wight branch has made to keep in touch with members during the pandemic, helping them use Zoom, organising online coffee mornings, talks, walks, and safe outdoor activities in small groups, as permitted.
In the evening there was a celebratory Zoom cocktail party. Cocktails included a blue and yellow one especially for the day.
Chair of Isle of Wight u3a Carol Bradshaw says:
“We intend to keep meeting in the coming months, including throughout the autumn and winter. Indeed, several of our groups will be holding fortnightly and monthly meetings all through the summer.
Article continues below this advertisement “We hold some meetings online on Zoom at present, but expect to be able to have more of them in person when it is safe to do so. I am happy to be able to announce that we have grown significantly in size even under lockdown and look forward to ever more new members joining with us in our diverse and stimulating programme of activities.
“If there is an interest, we aim to embrace it. IoW u3a groups of all kinds already exist, but there is plenty of room for more!”
Find out more about the Isle of Wight’s u3a branch here.
