Croydon

Discover Croydon u3a

WELCOME TO CROYDON u3a

If you are no longer working full time come and join us.

Now is the time to make the most of your life. The u3a will give you the chance to develop your interests, learn new things and make new friends. The opportunities are here. Be creative, learn a new skill, get fit, teach others something you are good at, help to organise an activity, become involved. For a modest annual fee, you can join as many groups as you want. You can attend the monthly talks, the outings, the study days, the lectures or meet up with others for coffee and a chat.

From Walking to Talking, Spanish to Singing, Dance Exercise to Writing for Pleasure, Table Tennis to Science & Technology – there’s so much on offer. There are no entry qualifications. You won’t get a certificate either. Learning is for the love of it. Extend your horizons. Feel stimulated. Make new friends. Share your knowledge and experience with others.

Look at the Diary and Groups Pages to see what else is on offer.

THE u3a STORY The u3a was founded nearly 40 years ago (2022 was an exciting 40th anniversary year) and is a UK-wide movement of locally run interest groups which provide a wide range of opportunities for retired and semi-retired people to come together to learn for fun. Members explore new ideas, skills and activities together.

There are 1,000+ u3as in the UK with over 450,000 members. Each u3a is an independent Registered Charity which is run by the members for the members.

The u3a is non-religious and non-political and is open to people from all backgrounds, religions and cultures.

The u3a vision is to make lifelong learning a reality.

The u3a principles are

  • Membership is open to all
  • Members learn from and teach each other
  • Each u3a is self-funded and members offer their services voluntarily.

The movement thrives on the love of learning in a social setting, purely for its own sake. The shape of each u3a is a little different depending on what the members want. There are certain common features such as Interest Groups, talks and lectures, social activities, sports and exercise groups, cultural outings, day trips and short breaks. (See the Management page for more details.)

WHAT ABOUT CROYDON u3a?
Q: How old is Croydon u3a?
A: It was founded in April 1987 (2022 was our special 35th anniversary year) and we were one of the first established in the UK.

Q: How does it work?
A: Members pay a very affordable annual fee, which pays the low running costs which include insurance, affiliation to the umbrella organisation The Third Age Trust, providing regular Bulletins and the Magazine and booking speakers.

Q: What does the membership fee cover?
A: Attendance at any of the talks, the Bulletins, Magazines (see the link right for the Croydon u3a Autumn/Winter 2023 magazine), the Third Age Trust Periodical (5 p.a.) and access to the groups and activities.

Q: What about the Groups?
A: Being a member allows you to join groups where there are vacancies. Depending on where a group meets there might be a small venue charge. If a group has organised a visit, the travel and entrance fee will be paid by the participating members. Day Trips are paid for separately. Everything is done to keep the costs as low as possible.

Q: How do I join?
A: We have 2 main types of membership. Decide whether you want to receive communications by email or post. Postal membership is a little more expensive to cover printing and postage. If you prefer to be a postal member and have an email address you can also opt-in to receive the extra information that is emailed out to members in between the regular bi-monthly Bulletins. We recommend this so you don’t miss out on anything.

Look at the Application for Membership form on the FormsDocuments page on this website – print it out, fill it in and follow the instructions for sending it off. At the moment you can’t join on line, but we will have that facility in the future. If you are not able to print the form, get in touch and we’ll send you one.

Q: How do I pay?
A: You can pay by Bank Transfer or cheque – the details are on the form. Then you will receive your Membership Card and number and be ‘Good to Go’.

Q: What if I’m not sure?
A: You can join a talk or a Group meeting as a trial to see if it is going to suit you before you take the plunge.

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Croydon U3A, Registered Charity Number: 1029466, University of the Third Age

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