Members of the Tenby branch of the U3A met last Monday, February 27, at Augustus Place for our monthly meeting (writes Jo Tasker). Their short business meeting was followed by refreshments and a very interesting talk by chairman, Graham Goodeve, on a holiday he and his wife spent in the West of the USA.

Do you remember where you were on 9/11? Well, Graham and Jean were preparing to fly from Vancouver Island to San Francisco for an important family occasion. The only problem was that all flights had been grounded. Not to be deterred, Graham and Jean hired a car and drove 1,200 miles in record time to get to San Francisco in time for the celebrations.

Then, as they had a car, and Graham is a geologist who specialises in geomorphology, they decided to drive back through the Cascades, a vast, mountainous, volcanic 'spine' which runs up through California, Oregon and Washington. Graham illustrated his very entertaining and informative talk with many interesting photographs and diagrams.

If you haven't heard of the U3A, you'd be very welcome to come and find out about us at one of our meetings. We have a programme of activities which can be enjoyed by all. For example, our Walking Group consists of 20 members who walk twice a month, with most members suggesting routes and leading walks. So far this year we've covered the Carew area, Broadhaven West and Dale. This latter walk was on Valentine's Day when 14 walkers shared a lot of fun and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. We also run a Strollers' Group for more leisurely walkers, and our next walk will be in the beautiful Canaston Woods.

We have just started a Cinema/Theatre Group with 22 members and over the past month have been to see four films at the Torch Theatre: War Horse, My Week with Marilyn, The Iron Lady and Descendants. A further trip is planned to see The Artist.

We have a Painting Group which meets weekly at Augustus Place, open to all abilities, from the frankly terrified to those who have quite a lot of experience. Other groups, which meet on a monthly basis, are the Classic Music Group, the Poetry Group, the Art Appreciation Group and the Spanish Conversation Group. We're hoping to start other groups in future - a Local History Group has been mooted, for example - with the encouragement and involvement of our members.

We also have a programme of visits in which members can participate. Trips are planned to the Dean Heritage Centre in Gloucestershire, the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth and to Oxford, to the Pitt Rivers and Ashmolean Museums.

Lastly, but most importantly, we meet for lunch once a month at various venues. This month's lunch will be at the Carew Inn on March 21 at 12.30 pm.

If you are interested in finding out more about the U3A, do come along to one of our monthly meetings (the next one will be at Augustus Place on Monday, March 26, at 10.30 am), or you could ring our membership secretary, Reg Hadfield, on 01834 812991, and ask him to send you an information pack.