We have decided to send a monthly bulletin to IGO group leaders which will include all important information we need to send to you for that month. This will reduce the number of emails you get from us, and should make it easier to retrieve information from your email system. It is also attached as a PDF file which you can save for future reference.

Requests

Updating group webpages

Thank you to everyone who has done this. There are 18 groups who have not yet done so. Can those of you who have not yet done so, please let us know if you are happy with your current webpage, or else fill in and submit this form to have it changed.

Members on waiting lists

When someone applies to join a group, Beacon puts them on a waiting list, whether or not the group has vacancies. Beacon sends an email to the group leader saying that they are on the waiting list and also tells them whether or not the group has vacancies. If your group has vacancies, you should admit them to the group on Beacon, and you should email them to welcome them to the group.

If a vacancy occurs in a group which was previously full, Beacon does not take any action. Group leaders should regularly check the Members list on Beacon, and admit someone from the waiting list when a vacancy occurs. This should be done on a first come first served basis.

Today, there are 20 groups that have vacancies that also have up to 5 people on their waiting lists. Please check your group regularly to make sure people are not waiting unnecessarily.

Online Autumn Fair – volunteers offering tasters required

Plans are underway for a schedule of IGO taster sessions in the first week of October. Everyone will be welcome to attend these sessions, whether an IGO member, u3a member or prospective member. The idea is to showcase the opportunities on offer through IGO and recruit new members and new group leaders.

We need willing groups to participate and offer a half an hour taster session. Whether this is 30 minutes of activities or learning led by the group leader or a collaborative effort from your group, all ideas are welcome! Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to express an interest.

Information

IGO website

The IGO website now has an Information and Help section which should be helpful to you and your group members.

All group leaders should already be familiar with the Group Guidelines information, and we recommend you read our FAQs too.

What to do in case of an emergency during an online group meeting.

If you have concerns about a member during an online meeting, it is recommended that you interrupt the meeting to check if the person is okay and if help is required. Where emergency contact details have been given, the group leader will be able to access these on Beacon. However, it is important to note that it is not mandatory for a member to give emergency contact details when joining IGO – it is their preference. The Third Age Trust highly recommends that all members note emergency contact details on Beacon and ensure these are kept up to date – these will only ever be visible to the group leaders of the groups you belong to and to the IGO administration team.

How to change your change your group webpage and your Beacon entry

These are entirely separate – changes on one are not automatically implemented on the other.

If you want your website entry to be changed, you should use this form – this will then be implemented by the IGO web team.

All the group information on Beacon is controlled by the group leader(s) and can be changed by them at any time. There is information about this in the IGO Beacon for Group leaders

Zoom calendar

We’ve produced a Zoom calendar showing all future meetings currently booked on the IGO Zoom account. They should all be booked until the end of the year. If any of your meetings are missing, please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. This calendar will be updated every month. In September, I will extend bookings to end of July 2024.

Suggestions from members

It would be good to know where other members of the group are located. Group leaders could suggest to members that they add their location to their name on the Zoom screen.

Some members would like to be in direct contact with other members of the group. This can be done by following the guidance in IGO Group guidelines

Thank you

To you all for the terrific service you give to IGO members!!!

Best wishes from the IGO team
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