Fees, Costs & Gift Aid recap
As you will recall, we increased the annual membership fee last year from £40 to £50 – the first increase in 5 years, because of the increasing external costs we were facing.Thanks to this increase and due to the fact that members contributed a staggering further £13,000 to U3A Foyle via voluntary donations and fundraising events, the Board were able to recommend at the AGM that we maintain the membership fees at £50 for a further year. This was agreed at the meeting.As stated after the AGM, the Board of U3A greatly appreciates the efforts of members in contributing so generously via these voluntary donations and fundraising efforts towards the financial wellbeing of U3A Foyle.However costs continue to rise and we have been made aware that we will probably suffer a significant reduction in one of our major sources of Grant Aid in the near future and so we appeal to members to continue to contribute with their voluntary donations and fundraising.
We are also very pleased to say that our appeal last year for more people to sign up for Gift Aid proved to be very successful. The amount we have been able to recently claim in Gift Aid from HMRC increased by 54% compared to last year.We would therefore like to again strongly appeal to members to sign up for Gift Aid when renewing your membership in September. If you pay at least 12.50 in tax this year, sign up and we can claim the Gift Aid back on your fee on your behalf.
During 2022-2023 Membership fees totalled £42,000 and contributed towards partially meeting the following costs:
| Heat, Light, Cleaning, Security, Water etc | £36,500 | |
| Insurance | £3,000 | |
| Affiliation Fees | £3,000 | |
| Premises Maintenance & Repairs | £6,000 | |
| Office Costs (including Phones, Post, Computers, Accounts etc) | £11,000 | |
| Total | £59,500 | |
Plant Sale – Thanks!
Huge thanks to Catriona and her team for all their hard work over the last two Tuesdays – they made over £1,000 for U3A Foyle funds.What a fantastic achievement! Thanks to everyone who helped out or bought a plant!There are still a few plants left here in the Hub if anyone wishes to grab a last minute bargain.
Hub Session – Wednesday 21st June at 11am
Ethical Weigh in Eglinton (in the Benbow Estate opposite the DIY shop) started as a Zero Waste, plastic free refill shop. It closed in August 2022 and after a lot of behind the scenes work it transitioned into a Co-op and reopened in December 2022.
Two of our newest members here in U3A Foyle, Christine & Marelle, are directors and volunteers in the Co-op and will be here in U3A Foyle next Wednesday 21st June at 11am
to give a short talk about Ethical Weigh and to make as many members as possible aware of how economic and effective it is to buy only exactly the amounts you need.
Ethical Weigh runs a refill shop where you can bring your own bottles, jars and fill up on store cupboard essentials, eco friendly cleaning products and even make your own peanut butter! Fresh fruit and vegetables are available and there is a vegan/vegetarian cafe serving delicious food for sitting in or taking away.
Too many people believe that small community run refill shops must be more expensive than going to the supermarket. Christine & Marelle would like to challenge this by demonstrating how buying what you need in the amount that you need, without plastic wrapping or any environmental nasties is not going to cost the earth.
The Co-op also does outside catering delivering delicious vegan and vegetarian food and through the summer they will be doing Saturday night pizzas from 6- 9pm which should be worth checking out.
Everyone is welcome to come along at 11am on Wednesday 21st June to hear all the info and ask any questions you want.
Third Age Matters Magazine
Huge congratulations to David Hill who had his photograph used in the latest edition of Third Age Matters magazine.
It was of the Obelisk Making Workshop during Liz Thackeray’s visit. Liz is the current Chairperson of Third Age Trust and was visiting a number of U3As in Northern Ireland back in March.
Summer Programme List
We launch our Summer Programme next Wednesday evening 21st June at 7pm for a Midsummer Summer Solstice Walk.Depending on turnout we may divide into a number of walk groups – there is interest in doing a walk to the Lake, the Forest and to the new path leading up to Strathfoyle along the river.This is a fundraiser for U3A Foyle so we are asking for a £2 minimum donation and there will be tea and biscuits back in the building at 8pm (and water and juice if that heat stays with us!)
Seamus McGuire will be here on Thursday 29th June at 12.30pm for an Irish Viola Recital. There are a few spaces left for this very special event.
There are also spaces left in the Scams Awareness session which will be held here in U3A Foyle. The American company All State which is based in Derry will be running the course in person here in U3A at 11am on Wednesday 19th July.There are also still spaces too on the Guildhall & Tower Museum Guided Tours on Thursday 20th July.
Contact the office to book and pay for any of the sessions.
Table Tennis Match
Sean McAnaney from Table Tennis Ulster will be here on Monday 19th June at 1.30pm with a professional Table Tennis player from Ukraine, who is currently living in Letterkenny, to play a match for all those interested in coming along to watch. There will be a chance to have a chat afterwards too and some Q&A.All welcome in the Deery Hall starting at 1.30pm.
Podiatry Sessions
Noela will be holding a clinic on Thursday 22nd June 2023 – contact the office to make an appointment.
Altnagelvin Hospital Choir
Altnagelvin Hospital Choir is recruiting!
Can you sing, maybe read a little music, enough to get by?
We practice in one of the Hospital buildings from 7.30 to 9.30pm on Thursdays.
There are about 40 to 50 singers, about half from the caring professions and the rest, keen amateurs who love the music. We perform a few times a year to raise money for charity (around £40k in the past 25 years) and as with all choirs, it is a very friendly, supportive group.
You don’t need to work for the NHS, just be available and able. No auditions – just contact us and come along in September!
If you might be interested, contact AltnagelvinHospitalChoir@gmail.com and for more information, check the website, www.AltnagelvinHospitalChoir.org.
Causeway U3A holiday to Lake Maggiore 7-14th May 2024
Causeway U3A are planning a trip to Italy in May 2024 and would like to extend an opportunity to members of other Northern Irish U3As to join the trip.
Places are limited – if interested get in touch with me by email and I will forward you all the details as there are a lot of attachments to send out.
Our Recycling Programme in tandem with Terracycle
Over the last year we have been working with a local initiative to make money from rubbish and reduce the amount of plastic going into landfill.
With a small team – (Joy to sort and me to deliver) we have been collecting SPECIFIC items and passing them onto Vicky who then boxes the items collected from points all over NI and sends them off to Terracycle who in turn then donate money to charities according to the amount of rubbish in weight
The following are the ONLY items we accept.
PLEASE do not donate ANYTHING else even if you think it might be able to be used.
The following are the ONLY things that we are collecting.
Please bunch the similar items together and bag them in the PINK BINS in the Hub area.
ANY TYPE OF CRISPS, NUTS & POPCORN BAGS
Any brand of plastic crisps, nuts, popcorn and pretzel bags. No ‘nuts & raisins’ or seeds.
BISCUITS – but only PLASTIC biscuit wrappers
Any plastic wrappers from any brand of biscuit, bar that contains biscuit, cereal bar, rice cake, cake, cracker. Includes snack-a-jacks & sunbites.
SWEETS
Any brand of plastic multipack bags, individual wrappers, chocolate bars, chocolate coin nets, marshmallows, lolly wrap.
NO paper e.g. chewits. NO foil e.g. coins. NO quality street clear cellulose.
DENTAL
Any brand of plastic toothbrush, toothpaste, replacement heads, floss cases.
All packaging inc cardboard (this is the only one that takes the paper packaging too)
No electric toothbrushes, toothpaste pumps or bamboo.
PLASTIC BEAUTY
Any brand of metal or plastic beauty tube used for the body, face wipe packets, mascara, eye shadow compacts, lipsticks, gloss, balm, cheek highlighters, bronzer sticks (no bottles please).
FERREO
Ferreo Rocher/Rondnoir and Raffaello aluminium wrappers, plastic boxes and plastic trays.
PRINGLES
This brand-only we take the crisp tube, including foil at top and plastic lid.
BREAD BAGS
Any brand flexible plastic bakery item, like bread bags, pancakes, sodas, crumpets, croissants, rolls, wraps.
USED INK CARTRIDGES
ALUMINIUM CANS
please put all together in a separate bag.
PRESCRIPTION GLASSES
Prescription glasses can be collected for a project in Kenya
