What on earth is a ‘u3a’?
To find out, read on ...........
The UK u3a
The u3a (originally named U3A - University of the Third Age) is a UK-wide self-help movement which brings together people in their ‘third age’ to develop their interests and continue their learning in a friendly and informal environment.
If you’re wondering what we mean by the ‘third age’ – it is a time after you have finished working full-time or raising your family and wish to pursue your interests or just try something new.
Formed over 40 years ago, there are now over 1,000 u3as across the UK, with thousands of interest groups between them and more than 400,000 members nationally.
The Aughton & Ormskirk u3a
Our branch started in 2003 and is one of the largest branches in the UK. Our u3a has gone from strength to strength and has over 1500 members! In 2008 we received a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
We provide opportunities for a wide variety of life-enriching activities in a friendly and informal manner. While a principal focus is informal ‘life-long learning’, hobbies, cultural and physical activities also feature strongly.
We aim to be more than a social club and have nearly 100 friendly Groups catering for all tastes. These range from more leisurely pursuits such as scrabble, film-watching or bridge to more physically active ones such as cycling, walking or zumba. Some groups have organised holidays, outings and performances for you to enjoy.
No qualifications are required to join the u3a. Activities depend on our members volunteering to organise and participate in the meetings, activities and events.
Every Thursday morning, we hold our Horizons Meetings where members can catch up over a cup of tea or coffee, and meet some Group Leaders and Committee Officers. This is also a really good place to come to learn about the u3a with a view to possibly joining up.
Most months we have a Guest Speaker at Horizons. These special Speaker Meetings are often open to non-u3a members. Some months, we have Guest Visitors - look out for notifications of these on the Events Page of this website.
Many people have found the u3a a lifeline following bereavement, retirement, moving into the area or other life-changing events. At times such as these it is sometimes a problem finding like-minded people and new challenges. But not when you have an active u3a in your district!
The positive attitude of the members and their group leaders and the support and companionship they offer, has transformed many lives. It has encouraged members to have more fulfillment in retirement than they could have imagined.
Where we meet
The Scout & Guide HQ at Christ Church is our main location for activities. However, we also use several other venues including the Christ Church Ministry Centre, and various village halls in the locality. See the maps on Our Venues page.