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 members gain new skills, by shared experience. The ethos is to learn from each other in an informal co-operative manner, which embraces everyone.
August is seen as the month of holiday and relaxation. For a number of Retford’s members, and we imagine for members living all over the country, this means looking after grandchildren, whilst they are on their holidays. The wonderful thing about grandchildren, of course, is that usually you can give them back to their parents at the end of the day. However, it is a chance to see and be with family members.
This month sees a number of the interest groups taking a break. It can be stressful organising and running a group and leaders need a break as well, but in Retford, the very able group co-ordinator is Brenda Wilson, who is always ready to help and offer advice.
Retford U3A have an excellent website. It’s recommended that you have a look at the links box, as there are a number of interesting and possibly important contacts, covering travel and fuel costs, local bus companies, the CAB, Retford Hub and many more.
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. A full general U3A meeting is held once a month, at the Well Baptist Church, Retford, on the fourth Thursday, starting around 1.15pm, except in August.
If you want to know more about the Retford U3A, have a look at the comprehensive website, or contact the membership secretary, Paul Bacon at membership@retford-u3a.org.uk. or call 01427 880502 for more details.