Now in its 10th year, the Retford branch of the U3A has a membership of over 600 people. There are now over 1,040 branches of the U3A spread across the United Kingdom, with 425,000 members. The U3A is, at heart, an organisation where all members gain new skills, by shared experience. The ethos is to learn from each other in an informal co-operative manner, which embraces everyone.
Although all Retford’s members are either retired or semi-retired, and some may be living on their own, there are a number of interest groups anyone can either join or visit. Retford also liaises with Dukeries U3A based at Ollerton and Worksop U3A. Once a month, there is a ‘Cinema Visit’ to Worksop, organised by Worksop U3A, to see the latest releases. Parking costs are refunded and a cup of coffee provided to members, all for the cost of £4.00. Ollerton U3A sends, on average, eight members once a month to the Retford Military History Group. They were going to start their own group, but found the Retford group welcoming and they are a great bunch, providing interesting speakers and conversation.
One of the interest groups actively looking for new members is the Creative Writing Group. They meet once a month, on the third Thursday morning from 10.00am, at Idle Valley Nature Reserve. If you would like to pop along and meet some of the group, Julia Hathaway is your contact and can be reached via the Membership Secretary Paul Bacon, whose contact details are shown below.
If you have a friend who is thinking of joining Retford U3A or you might be looking for something new to do, maybe they are the organisation for you to join. There are many interest groups within Retford U3A. If you have a computer, Google ‘Retford U3A’, and have a look at the ‘Interest Group’ page, or if you do not have a computer, call the Membership Secretary and he will give you any information you need to become a member.
A full General U3A Meeting is held once a month, at the Well Baptist Church, Retford, on the fourth Thursday, starting around 1.15pm.
The ethos of the U3A, which stands for The University of the Third Age is very simple. They try to keep themselves active in body and mind, learning from each other, with shared knowledge and experiences. If you want to know more about the Retford U3A, have a look at their comprehensive website, or contact the Membership Secretary, Paul Bacon at membership@retford-u3a.org.uk, or call 01427 880502 for more details.