Message from the President: Jan 2023

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.

We hope 2023 will be a good one for you and yours.

The travel guys have already started on trips for this year with a lunch and afternoon out on Monday 23rd January and a visit to Huelva and Seville on 23rd to 27th April. As always, if there is anywhere you would particularly like to go to or can recommend please let them know.

This year we would like to re-instate our visits to the primary schools to read to the children in English, building on the work of their teachers and giving them chance to hear the language spoken fluently. However, most of our original team have moved on so we need help. If you have a few hours to spare once or twice a week and would like to spend those hours helping these children to learn, then please do contact us – by popping into the centre or emailing us.

We have three new initiatives to introduce this year:
First of all there is the Written Word Group creating an opportunity for lovers of the written word to come together. From 13th January they will be meeting upstairs in our centre each Friday from 10am to 1pm (more information later in this magazine).

In a similar vein, we have been asked if we could set up a reading group in the library. If any of you have experience of such and/or would like to take part, please do let us know.

Now it has been a personal ambition of mine for some years for us to organise monthly events. Those of you who have been members since 2004 or before will remember we used to have twice monthly evening social events. Those days are long gone but I would like us to get together once a month for some kind of social gathering. We could alternate our activities – speakers, quizzes, etc. We have had several suggestions but we need to know from you what your preferences would be – morning, afternoon or evening.

Finally, at our AGM on 30th January we need all our committee members to be voted in again and to ratify the appointment of our new Treasurer, Cliff Carter. This is to be held at 11:00 in La Parilla, Albox, on the Plaza Mayor near the main church. To attend and vote at the AGM you need to be in current membership so please renew as soon as possible if you have not already.

Shelagh