U3A

‘u3a’, or ‘University of the 3rd Age’, is a UK wide cooperative movement of people no longer in full time work, who come together to continue their educational, social and creative interests in a friendly and informal environment.

Each of the 1000+ u3as across the UK host interest groups chosen and run by members, for members. Members help each other in their learning groups and form strong and meaningful relationships together with a sense of community, social wellbeing, fellowship and belonging. The subjects are wide-ranging - from Architecture and Biology to Yoga and Zoology with every topic you can think of in between. There are at least 10,000 + u3a interest groups taking place in the UK every week.

Benefits of joining u3a

• Make a difference, stay active, keep learning and have fun.

• Get out to meet face to face? Learning together and making the most of life

• Access to online learning, training and resources to inspire you and attend learning events and talks for free.

• Meet other people with similar interests: learn new things and share your skills.

Joining a u3a is a great way to find and develop new interests and make great friends in a relaxed environment. It doesn’t cost much to join - on average it costs less than £15 to join a u3a near where you live.

How to Join

There are two ways to join a u3a: find a local u3a group near you and get in touch with them directly, or join our online-only group called Trust u3a.

Each of the 1000+ local u3as in the UK are run as individual charities and are responsible for managing membership and organising courses and meetings. Joining a local u3a will let you meet up in person with others in your area to learn and make friends, while the Trust u3a is run online using software like Zoom to deliver engaging courses and a community accessible to anyone across the UK regardless of location.

Join your Local u3a

The Preston ‘u3a’ group can be contacted by email at https://u3asites.org.uk/preston, or on the web at https://u3asites.org.uk/preston/contact where they will give you further information on how to join, or ring Tony Cheetham on 01772 759415. Each u3a manages their own membership and sign-up process. Look at the local u3a website HERE

HERE there is a story written by Barry Crossley, one of our congregation, who is in the Creative Writing group at Preston ‘u3a’.