Welcome to the Bookham & District U3A Web Site

Introduction

This page will be updated on a regular basis with new information or ideas that may help members during the period of lockdown and self-isolation. The information will fall into a number of categories: 

1. Details of local services, including shopping and help for those unable to leave home;
2. help for those members who wish to use videoconferencing to take part in 'virtual' group meetings, or to impress children and grandchildren with new found skills;
3. suggestions for activities to while away the time before restrictions are eventually lifted.

New pages have been added to the website to hold this information and can be found by clicking the Covid-19 menu item on the menu bar above.

Where appropriate, use is also made of the ' Useful Links '  section to hold 'Live Links' to appropriate websites; by 'Live Links' I mean where a single click will take you directly to the relevant site. These links are always in blue. On occasions there may be so many suggestions being made that a link to a website if preferable to copying the information in our pages. it has the benefit that this information can be updated  by the originator, not me!

Updates to the Website

Information on entertainment sources included in a recent mailing from Leatherhead Theatre are included on the Entertainment page. These have been copied from the email and may duplicate other entries. 

Updated instructions on the use of Skype have been added to the Skype page as a result of the issues encountered when setting up a group session.

New entries have been added to both 'Useful Links' and 'Covid-19' pages.

These include links to online chess, brain yoga, National Theatre, Sherlock, and entries on the Learning, Entertaining and Humour pages. Also pasted is a link to a short video by Tom Way, the wildlife photographer who gave an enjoyable talk to us a couple of years ago. Enjoy and keep the suggestions coming!

Added recently is information and links to Marquee. Marquee TV offers a very wide range of Theatre, Opera and Ballet performances - see more on the Covid-19/Entertainment page.

News

A number of groups have been run successful Zoom meetings. One of the walking groups held a meeting today - my observation 'I am not sure whether they used smartphones and spent the time walking around their gardens!' produced a stinging rebuke from Chris Middleton.

It has become a tradition with this walking group to start our expedition around London with a coffee stop and so that is what we did from the comfort of our own chairs. We had been due to visit the Aga Khan Centre at Kings Cross, so after checking everyone on the call was alright, I shared my screen and showed them all a video tour of the Centre live streamed from the Centre website. It went down a treat and so for our next video call I will be presenting the photos that were taken on the recce just before the lockdown with commentary by another member.

An excellent example of what can be achieved!

If you want to have a go, there is plenty of material on the Covid-19 pages, on the Internet and YouTube.  If you need help feel free to contact webmaster@bookhamu3a.org.uk. I will try to get one of the experienced Group Administrators  to provide help. We are building the knowledgebase quickly,  with a bit of trial and error long the way!

These pages are open to all members without the need to sign into the website, although Bookham & District members are encouraged to set up passwords if they have not already done so.

If any members have  ideas on interesting  websites or another  thoughts on keeping mentally or physically active during periods of self-isolation, I am happy to consider including them in some of the new pages or in the 'Useful Links' section of this website.Links to these suggested ideas can be found in the ' Useful Links  page. 

More ideas please to webmaster@bookhamu3a.org.uk

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