u3a Core meetings allow all members to meet together as a single group, develop friendships, catch up on news, exchange ideas, and feel valued as part of a local community.
Our Core meetings take place on the second Monday of each month. We meet at at 13:45 for a prompt start at 14:00 in the Bentley Heath Community Centre, finishing by 16:00 at the latest.
The meeting starts with a welcome from our Chair, followed by the main topic of the meeting; a talk by a guest speaker on a topic chosen to be of interest to our membership. Over the years we have had a very wide range of talks and presentations, exemplified by some of the reports of ‘Recent meetings’ below. On some occasions, particularly in December, we have a more social party instead. We always break for refreshments partway through the afternoon, and this provides an opportunity for meeting other members.
Potential new members are always encouraged to come along for a ‘taster core meeting' and we have a good reputation for making them feel very welcome.
Forthcoming meetings
Monday 10th November 2025
14:00 - 16:00
Core Meeting
From Westminster to Solihull - Building a Better Britain
Saqib Bhatti, MP for Meriden and Solihull East, will give a talk on issues affecting our area. There will also be time for members to ask questions during the meeting.
Venue: Bentley Heath Community Centre
Recent meetings
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VIPs go to Everest
David Carrington-Porter
Blind intrepid adventurer David C-P recounted his 2011 trip to the Himalayas with other VIP's (visually-impaired people). Illustrated with excellent quality slides, he described the thrills and hazards of the flight into Lukla airport and the 50km onward and upward (2750m) trek to Mount Everest base camp.
As he explained, David made the trip with other members of the Milton Mountaineers, a charity group of blind and partially sighted hill walkers and sighted friends and relations who meet to climb hills or mountains. As part of that group David has also climbed Ben Nevis, Snowdon [Yr Wyddfa], Scafell Pike and Slieve Donard - the highest peaks in each UK nation. The Everest base camp trip was made in celebration of his 60th birthday.
David's partner Maggie and her lovable guide dog Jan sat patiently on the side-lines as he delivered his talk.
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Sing a Century
Andy Smith
Midlands-based musician Andy entertained us with a selection of songs from various decades of the past century. Accompanied by his ukulele and various guitars, he covered hits by artists as diverse as The Beatles, Oasis, Cole Porter, Don McLean, and Herman Hupfield*, inviting us to join in and sing along where appropriate.
He interspersed his own compositions, some witty and humorous, others personal and poignant. Between songs, Andy's anecdotes included his childhood, marriage and career as a working musician and tutor.
* ‘As time goes by’, from the film Casablanca
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Vintage Garden Tools
John and Carole Matthews
We were delighted to welcome John and Carole, who run the Vintage Garden Store, based in Redditch. They had lined up several dozen of their carefully-restored garden tools and utensils, variously dating from the mid-nineteenth century through to the end of the second world war. John presented and described each one in turn, explaining its origin, manufacturer(s) and often very specific uses of the tools. Who knew that there were so many different types of forks, spades, hoes and hand-tools?!
The talk was of great interest to the engineers, gardeners and nostalgists amongst us, and most of the audience eagerly gathered around during the break to ask questions and take a closer look at the (now) increasingly rare and curious objects that John and Carole had brought along. “Our family used to have one of those” became a familiar refrain during the meeting.
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AGM and The Melancholy Brothers
As usual, our AGM formed the first part of our Core Meeting in May - the Minutes, due for approval next year, are available on the Documents page. Over 70 members attended the meeting.
Afterwards, we were treated to a superb live music performance from a guitar and vocal duo; long-term ssu3a member Dave Thatcher with his good friend Russell Gain - a.k.a. The Melancholy Brothers.
During the course of an hour, and over two sets, they played a mixture of their own gentle and soulful songs and "covers" from bands as diverse as Crosby, Stills & Nash, Toto, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Throughout, our audience was captivated by their harmonies, proficiencies and clever arrangements. We hope they will agree to return and delight us again in the not-too distant future.
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Upton House and the Bearstead Art Collection
Tony Mawbey is a National Trust volunteer, and has a special role in delivering talks about Upton and its art collection. 
Our April Core Meeting was enlivened by Tony Mawbey's excellent talk about the extensive art collection at Upton House, near Banbury.
Tony described the origins and development of the house, now owned and run by the National Trust, and introduced us to the art collection assembled by the early 20th-century owner Walter Samuel, the 2nd Viscount Bearstead. The well-chosen slides included notable paintings and porcelain from the collection, illustrated by Tony's explanations of their origin and history, and enhanced by his gentle humour throughout.
Afterwards, Tony kindly stayed on to answer members' questions, providing even more insight into the house and its history.
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Financial Security – Scams and online banking
Georgia Sproul, Senior Branch Manager, Solihull Cluster, Nationwide, gave us advice on financial scams and online financial security.