Royston u3a’s clever solution

Jackie Gellert, Chairman of Royston U3A, talks about how a £850 local council grant helped them involve all their members in its monthly meetings

After a devastating fire which damaged the local Parish Church where Royston U3A was using, we had to find a venue quickly that could accommodate at least 200 members every month.

There aren’t many places in Royston and we wanted to keep it as central as possible so the only place was the Town Hall. It has tiered seating for 150 people in their upper hall with additional seating available for another 100 in the lower hall.

A way had to be found so everyone attending meetings could see and hear the guest speakers. The clever solution hit upon was to video conference monthly meetings between the two halls and if members in the lower hall have any questions, they could send them via mobile phones or WhatsApp

Royston U3A was awarded an £850 grant by the local council towards the purchase of audio visual equipment for use at its monthly meetings.

The equipment needed is currently being hired and I’m delighted that my grant application was successful.

I met with members of North Herts District Council’s Royston and District Committee to explain how vital it is for us to buy our own equipment. We really appreciate their support and encouragement as we are the largest charity in Royston with just under 500 members.

We attract so many members at our monthly meetings that there isn’t one hall in the town large enough for us all. We are delighted to have been able to come up with a solution that fulfils our members’ needs.