News Extra October 2026
IGO October 26 News Extra
As the days grow shorter and autumn colours begin to appear, it's a lovely time to settle down with a cuppa and enjoy your favourite online groups, wherever you are.
We've got lots of new groups starting this month, so why not take a look and see if there's something new you'd like to try?
Don't forget, we always love to hear from IGO members about what they've been up to in their groups. If you have something you'd like to share in a future newsletter, please email interestgroupsonline@u3a.org.uk.
Helen Titherington, Trust Volunteer – IGO News Extra Editor
New Groups
New Groups
- Songs of the 60s and 70s
- 20th century world wars
- Northern soul
- Improv-advanced and formats
- Singer song writers' music group
- The Victorian novel book group
- Current affairs: an enquiring approach
- Creative writing
- Electric folk and folk rock
- Island grooves: the best of reggae
- The inner groove: the dynamics of a song
- Restart your writing
Join all groups via Beacon
New Group – Songs of the 60s and 70s
In this group, each member attending the Zoom session will be invited to request a song from the 60s or 70s. We will then listen to it via the leader Diana's Spotify account. After that, we will chat about it.
At each session, the song length and chatting time are variable – sometimes the attendees will have one or two requests each; sometimes there may not be enough time for everyone to have a request.
A fun way to listen to music together.
first Monday of the month at 7.30 pm
Join via Beacon
New group - 20th century world wars
The group will look at the 20th century's two world wars. Whilst focusing on the military aspects, we will consider the wider social, economic and political aspects. These conflicts have shaped the world we live in.
The group seeks participants with an interest and enthusiasm for 20th century history. No prior expertise is expected other than a desire to learn together.
Once a month, TBA.
Join via Beacon
New group - Northern Soul
Northern Soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in Northern England and the Midlands in the early 1970s. It developed from the British Mod scene, based on a particular style of Black American Soul music with a heavy beat and fast tempo. It also had its own dress style. It is still very much alive today.
If you are one of the Northern Soul Faithful or just want to hear some amazing music, then this group is for you...
2nd Tuesday at 2:00 pm
Join via Beacon
Northern soul at the Palais de Danse CC BY-NC 2.0, via Affective Digital Histories
New group - Improv: advanced and formats
This group is for Improv at a more Advanced Level. I already run Improv workshops at Interest Groups Online for ... Improv – Beginners & Practice ... + ... Improv – Intermediates & Scenes.
This new group will allow us to take our Improv to a higher level and provide focus on Improv Formats, including the well-known Armando and Harold Formats.
Time and day TBA.
Join via Beacon
New group – Singer song writers' music group
We will explore all the amazing Singer-Songwriters we have first in the UK, then spread our wings to cover the World. There are some truly outstanding Singer-Songwriters to explore. Eric Clapton; Adele; Lilly Allen; Joan Armatrading; Gary Barlow; James Blunt; and Kate Bush, to name just a few. This will be a really great exploration of their works.
3rd Wednesday at 10:00 am.
Join via Beacon
New group – The Victorian novel book group
First Book: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
Step back into the 19th century with us from the comfort of your own home! This online group is for anyone who enjoys—or wants to discover—the rich storytelling of the Victorian era. We will meet once a month on Zoom for a series of 8 or 9 sessions to discuss classic literature in a friendly, relaxed setting. We will kick off our journey with Charles Dickens’ dramatic masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities. Our early reading list will also include George Eliot's Middlemarch and Thomas Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge. Beyond these opening titles, members will help choose the rest of our reading list together. Whether you are revisiting old favourites or reading them for the very first time, all are welcome.
3rd Monday at 11:00 am.
First meeting on 16th November.
Join via Beacon
New group – Current affairs
We seem at present to have a public appetite for social improvement in the UK, but so often the question arises of where is the money to pay for it? There must be ways forward, but they are not simple and need a lot of thought and investigation of possibilities. There are strong disagreements in the political sphere on the best way forward for the economy. The big question is: what kind of society do we want to live in? Join in to what I hope will be an informed exploration!
We will meet once a month. We might have a monthly two-meeting cycle of outlining the problem in the first meeting, going away to investigate it, and then discussing what we have found in the second meeting. We'll decide the format as a group.
Timing to be arranged.
Join via Beacon.
New group – Creative writing
Join our new monthly writing group — a friendly space for poetry, memoir, fiction and all forms of creative expression. We offer gentle prompts, quiet writing time, and supportive feedback to help you get started or keep going. Everyone has a story. Come and share yours.
There’s time to write in the session and time to share work you’ve developed at home. Beginners and experienced writers are equally welcome. Sharing is always optional, and you can write in any way that suits you.
If you’d like a welcoming community to encourage your writing life, we’d love to have you with us.
4th Wednesday of the month at 3:00 pm.
Join via Beacon.
New group – Electric folk and folk rock
A group for those with a love of, or interest in learning about, electric folk/folk rock. Encompassing long-standing bands such as Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention through to modern artists who are exploring the boundaries of this genre, such as the Gigspanner Big Band and solo performers.
Time and date TBC.
Join via Beacon.
Brian Marks, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
New group – Island grooves – the best of reggae
The one thing I’ve noticed about the excellent U3A Interest Groups Online is the lack of Reggae. I, for one, really enjoy listening to Reggae but sadly haven’t much intimate knowledge of the Genre. Something I would love to change and grow my knowledge and enjoyment of this fabulous music.
So, if you are interested in Reggae and would like to get involved with an IGO covering this fabulous music then please register.
Our first meeting will be on Friday 23rd October at 10:00 am. Registered members will be sent the Zoom link closer to the time. I will also be asking for your choice of a track or two that we can listen to and enjoy.
Looking forward to seeing you at our first meeting.
4th Friday of the month at 10:00 am.
Join via Beacon.
New group – Restart your writing
Are you not sure that you can write something that others will want to read? Or have you ideas or beginnings of work that you are going to write one day? This group will help you share your ideas and help with your work. Let others hear your voice!
Go to the Beacon Members Portal to join and get details of when the sessions will take place.
Join via Beacon.
New group – The inner groove: the dynamics of a song
An online interest group that brings u3a members together to listen to landmark songs, explore the DNA of iconic tracks, and share memories and musical insights in a relaxed setting with no prior musical background required. The genre and age can be very wide, but the concept is to pick important or interesting songs that innovated at the time.
The structure would be 3 songs per session analysed under the following headings:
- Why this song?
- Innovative idea(s)
- Narrative of the lyrics
- Cultural impact
- Musical Structure
We will also split the song into separate tracks (stems) to see how each track adds to the overall sound, looking at, for instance, the vocal and rhythm tracks, lead instruments and others.
Finally, we will consider the role the recording process played, such as the studio, producer and the quality of the recording.
(The term Inner Groove refers to the famous hidden audio loop at the end of The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.)
Meeting times and frequency TBA.
Join via Beacon.
u3a Rewind – share the soundtrack of your youth!
Music has always been a big part of IGO, and with more than 30 music groups now running, it's clear that IGO has become a real home for music lovers! So we're particularly excited about u3a Rewind, a national project celebrating the music, memories and youth culture of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
The u3a Rewind webpage features some excellent learning packs exploring the music, fashions and cultural movements of these decades, from Teddy Boys and Mods to Northern Soul, punk and New Romantics. We're especially pleased that IGO members helped to create these resources – you know who you are, and thank you! They're full of ideas for group discussions and activities, so do take a look.
But we'd also love you to get involved! Is there a song that instantly takes you back to your youth? Perhaps it reminds you of your first concert, a favourite dance hall, a summer holiday or a special person. We're inviting members to share the songs that meant something to them, along with the memories behind them. Just a few sentences can bring a moment in time back to life, and we'd love to hear your stories.
Whether you're a member of one of our many music groups or simply enjoy reminiscing about the songs of your younger days, there's something for everyone in u3a Rewind.
Explore the learning packs and share your musical memories on the u3a Rewind webpage.
Quiz time
- In October of which 20th century decade did Henry Ford's Model T car go on sale?
- Which Indian was born in October 1869 – he was devout and nonviolent, and his resistance movement ended British rule over India?
- In October 1927, the first talking picture was released – what was its title?
- Maria Antoinette was beheaded in October 1793 – when the peasants had no bread, what did she famously declare?
- Margaret Singer opened the first clinic of its kind in the US in October 1916 – what did it provide?
- Who married Aristotle Onassis in October 1968?
- Pablo Picasso was born in October 1881 in which part of Spain?
- In October 1971, the House of Commons voted 356-244 in favour of what?
- What linked Great Britain to Europe in October 1990?
- Chiang Kai-Shek was born in October 1887 and died in 1975 – he led the struggle against what type of army led by Mao Zedong?
Answers at the end
Great Group Leader
I attend the psychology group led by Brenda Maciejkowicz.
I find the sessions so interesting and Brenda is very good at giving everyone a chance to express their views. She picks up on salient points raised and sends links for further study. She constantly encourages members to suggest topics of interest for future meetings, further engaging members in the group discussion.
I thoroughly enjoy these sessions – S. a group member ⭐️🌟⭐️
I would like to nominate a great group leader – Brenda Maciejkowicz, the leader of the psychology group, as being a tremendously good leader.
Very importantly, Brenda knows her subject matter very well, but on every occasion she has not been too proud to say I don’t know. But that is usually followed by BUT I will find out. And she does.
She is polite, very patient and a good communicator. I only wish some other leaders had her qualities.
Anthony - group member⭐️🌟⭐️
Recipe using my new slow cooker
Chilli con Carne
Minced beef browned off in a frying pan
Onion and garlic, Celery and green herb stalks chopped fine, softened in a pan with olive oil
Place the browned mince and the softened vegetables in the slow cooker pot, add drained red kidney beans and a pint of so of passata plus a couple or three whole medium hot chillies. Put the lid on, set to medium and cook for 3-7 hours. Serve with rice and chopped green herb leaves.
Tell us about your great group leader
We know, at Interest Groups Online, how vital our Group Leaders are, but we’d love to hear about them from you!
- Is your group leader amazing?
- How have they helped you to enjoy your group?
Please write a few lines about how they have made your time in the group really worthwhile and email interestgroupsonline@u3a.org.uk – help us celebrate our hard-working Group Leaders.
Quiz Answers
- 1900s (1908)
- Mahatma Gandhi
- The Jazz Singer
- “Let them eat cake” (although there is no evidence she actually said this)
- Birth control and contraceptive advice
- Jacqueline Kennedy
- Málaga, Andalusia
- Joining the European Economic Community (EEC)
- The Channel Tunnel (the British and French tunnelling teams broke through in December 1990, not October)
- The Communist Red Army, led by Mao Zedong
Back to Interest Groups Online Noticeboard