We have recently enjoyed some wonderful events and trips, as reported elsewhere in this newsletter, and have much more to look forward to: including the Party in the Pak at Los Arcos on 19 June and our summer dinner dance at the beautiful Vall del Pop restaurant in Lliber on 29 June. A few tickets are still available for both events; in case you have not already signed up!
My main theme this month builds on the excellent speech by Richard Green, President of Jalon Valley Help (JVH), at this month’s general assembly. He spoke enthusiastically about the close relationship we have developed between JVH and our u3a and of the importance of partnerships within the voluntary community more generally. As Richard said, it is vital that we all make best use of the available information and avoid unnecessary duplication of effort.
The following are three real examples of how our relationship with JVH is already working in practice:
Our role in all of the above centres on the provision of information. This is one of the key purposes of our Friendship & Support group. It is also why we regularly invite organisations such as Age in Spain, JVH and the Red Cross to present their services at our general assemblies. The same need for local and reliable information led us last year to issue our first and very well received Friendship and Support assistance booklet, which we hope to update during this year’s summer break.
In the same spirit I was pleased to offer our help when we were approached recently by a PhD student at the University of Alicante who is researching how retired British migrants residing in the province of Alicante value their life in Spain, especially in the context of post-Brexit changes. The researcher hopes to highlight from the perspective of social services situations of vulnerability arising from social isolation, age and the impact of Brexit. This should be of benefit not only to our members but also to many other people in similar situations. I am therefore very grateful to everyone who has come forward and agreed to be interviewed as part of the research,
It then only remains for me to wish you all a very happy summer, whether you will be staying here in Spain or travelling abroad. We will be taking a summer break with the next general assembly on September 4th. However, our coffee mornings will run through the summer, as will some groups, and the committee members will continue to respond to any requests for help or information. As last year we also plan to issue a single summer edition of this newsletter around the end of July, in case you have anything you would like to share with fellow members.
With best wishes,
Chris