Welcome!

Around Chesham by Lalage Smyth, former member of the Photography with Digital Imaging Group

Welcome to the website of Chess Valley u3a

As we have a fifth Thursday in October 2026, we are able to offer two talks this month.

The first is on Thursday 8th October and features Elizabeth Gowing with The Rubbish-Picker's Wife: An Unlikely Friendship in Kosovo. This is the inspiring story of the power of volunteers and when you find your community but it's a long way from home. The talk shares what Elizabeth, a teacher and education consultant who moved to Kosovo in 2006, learned with, from and about the Roma and Ashkali communities over a decade of working with them. Elizabeth founded a charity, The Ideas Partnership, when a nine-year-old girl from the excluded Ashkali community, expressed the apparently simple request to go to school. This lead to Elizabeth and a growing team of volunteers to help a community transform itself.

Then, on Thursday 29th October, we have Josh Windsor with AI Demystified. Artificial Intelligence seems to be everywhere at the moment but what is it really and how will it affect our lives? Josh provides an accessible introduction to at for the u3a community, exploring what AI is, how it already shapes everyday life, and where it may take us next. The talk covers practical issues, common myths, opportunities, risks, and simple demonstrations, with a focus on understanding the technology without jargon or technical knowledge.

The venue for both talks, as usual, is the Broadway Baptist Church, which is wheelchair-accessible and equipped with a hearing loop, and the meetings each start at 2pm. 

If you are not currently a member of Chess Valley u3a and would like to sample a Monthly Talk and learn more about us, please come along and you will receive a warm welcome.

Best wishes

James

James Cadle

Chair, Chess Valley u3a

Registered Charity 1126990