The U3A Jávea General Meeting was held at 10.30am on Wednesday 30th October at the Casa de Cultura in Jávea Old Town.
President – Claude Grealy
Sadly, the terrible news from Valencia was just starting to filter through. U3A Jávea President Claude Grealy welcomed everyone to the meeting and, in view of the unfolding tragedy, he asked everyone to stand and observe a minute’s silence to respect those who had lost their lives.
Claude informed everyone that the purpose of the meeting today was to hear a brief report from each of the Committee members, to take any questions that members may have and, finally, to be entertained by a performance from the Denia Rock Choir.
Vice President – Krystyna Stefancyk
First to present was Krystyna Stefancyk, U3A Vice President. Krystyna told everyone that the Autumn Ball on 17th November was proving to be a big success and that 115 tickets had been sold (now sold out).
Krystyna then moved on to talk about the Pre-Christmas Extravaganza at the Parador Hotel on 27th November. Information about this event along with a booking form would be published very shortly.
Finally, Krystyna noted that the U3A Jávea was going to be 20 years old in 2025! We are working on an event to mark our 20th birthday but, if anyone has any ideas about things we might do to mark it, please let us know.
Treasurer – Henrik Rasmussen
Regrettably Henrik, our Treasurer, had to miss the meeting but his report was delivered by Margaret March, the Secretary. Margaret reported that:
- The bank balance held in respect of SC&C and Travel trips was €68,327.76
- The bank balance held in respect of U3A funds was €23,815.20
- We hold €146.75 in cash
Secretary – Margaret March
Margaret informed the meeting that, in order to keep the balance in our bank account below €100,000 (the limit for protection if a bank becomes insolvent), we have now opened an additional account at Caixa Bank. This will be used principally to collect SC&C/Travel payments.
We have also opened an account with Wise as this will allow members without a Euro bank account to make Euro payments much cheaper and more easily than currently.
Margaret reminded everyone that bank transfers sent to us from non-EU bank accounts incur a charge of €18 (Sabadell) and €15 (Caixa Bank). Members must add this to the value of any bank transfers they make.
Finally, Margaret confirmed that she was preparing for the year end and the AGM in the New Year.
Mike Frost – Groups Co-ordinator
Mike started by reporting that the number of groups had grown to 43 over the past year. Mike went on to stress the importance of people advising the Group Leader if they are unable to attend a meeting after having booked themselves in.
He also reported that he is currently working on a possible Golf group and a Seated Yoga group.
Jim Short – Membership Secretary
Jim reported that the total Membership was now 1,106. The total number of new members in 2024 was 194.
Twenty new members had joined in the past month alone.
Some people have experienced problems with paying by credit card due to not having their banking app on their phones to verify the transaction. Paying by bank transfer has resolved the issue.
We have added a link in our letter of introduction for new members to contact Sandra von Esebeck, the New Member co-ordinator (new.members@u3ajavea.com) to help them integrate into U3A Jávea.
Steve Young – Communications Officer
Over the past six months, Steve has continued to promote the U3A Groups using the website and the weekly Newsletter. In 2024, the number of stories has doubled, and more Groups than ever have featured on the website.
As a result, the website is being used by more members than ever before:
- We achieved a new daily record of 663 visitors on 24 September
- The number of visitors each month has increased by 98.4% since April this year
- The range of stories has increased, and the use of your photographs has proved really popular
- More Group Leaders are using the website to promote their Groups and to report to you on what they are doing
Steve noted that the website has undergone significant change over the last six months and the website design was changed in July bringing:
- A simplified News section for the whole U3A
- A simplified Activity Group section allowing you to find what you’re interested in much faster than before
- An expanded Highlights section for important stories
- An enhanced calendar with all Group meetings
- A “What’s On” section so that you can see at a glance what’s coming up
- A weekly schedule so that you easily see what’s on on any day of the week
- A simplified booking section for all Trips and Events
- A new modern “look and feel” including redesigned Newsletters
Summary
The website has been significantly upgraded over the last six months and will continue to evolve. Its sole focus is to tell you about what is happening in the U3A Jávea and its Groups. Your feedback is always important so, if you have any feedback or suggestions, don’t hesitate to write to Steve at communications@u3ajavea.com.
The Denia Rock Choir
Claude then introduced the Denia Rock Choir along with their conductor, Aileen Lightfoot.
The Choir ran through a thoroughly enjoyable repertoire which included, amongst others, songs from ABBA, Roy Orbison, the Beatles, Miley Cyrus, the Mamas and Papas and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The audience were delighted with the choice of songs and there were plenty singing along to some of their favourite tunes.
So, whether you were there or not, please enjoy this video of the Denia Rock Choir singing “You got it” by Roy Orbison.
Finally, after a rousing rendition of several rock standards, Krystyna thanked Aileen and the choir for their super performance. Krystyna presented Aileen with a bouquet of flowers to mark the appreciation of everyone present at the meeting.
Finally, Claude closed the meeting and wished everyone a safe journey home.
