Stokesley & District

Welcome to Stokesley and District u3a

THIS PAGE WAS UPDATED ON 30th November, 2023

Full details of group meetings can be found by clicking on the GROUPS tab at the top of this page. These pages are being updated frequently.

Monthly meetings now take place in Stokesley Town Hall - click on the EVENTS tab at the top of this page.

The University of the Third Age (u3a)

The u3a was formed in 1982 and is a non-political, non-religious organisation dedicated to providing a social and self-learning environment for retired/semi-retired people.

In the UK there are now well over 1000 u3a's with a new one forming every week and a combined membership of over 385,000. The aim is to encourage members to help each other and to share their knowledge, skills and experience. The pleasure of learning and socialising is the driving force of u3a and members see themselves as both learners and teachers.

The u3a is a brilliant concept - a national organisation aimed at active retired (or semi-retired) people who wish to develop new interests, or pursue current activities with like-minded folk. Local groups (such as the Stokesley and District u3a) work to a loosely-defined national concept but are not controlled by the central organisation. They establish their own informal activity sections covering anything their members choose and ranging from informal education, walking, discussion and travel to sport, reading, drama and music - the list is endless. The only requirements are sufficient people with a similar interest - and someone to act as organiser and/or instructor for that subject. Groups plan their own schedules of meetings to pursue that interest.

There is normally a monthly meeting to which all members are invited to socialise, enjoy a speaker, take part in general discussion and find out about group activities. But the great strength of the u3a lies in its internal activity groups pursuing whatever subject their members wish and meeting where, when and how often they decide.

Since we learn for the pleasure of it, no qualifications are required and none are given. There is no attendance requirement and no tutor fees. It is a great way to keep body and mind active as we travel through this 'third age' of our lives.

Stokesley and District u3a

Stokesley and District u3a was formed in June 2004. Since then we have grown rapidly to a membership of over 500 and with over 40 activity groups. We are a member of the Third Age Trust and a registered charity.

If you are interested in joining us then please go to the How to join page.

Activity Groups
These are formed to satisfy interest in any subject, with frequency, location and timing of meetings decided by the group. Someone acts as a leader/organiser/tutor/convener and liaises with the Activity Group Coordinator to avoid clashes where possible with other groups on the timetable and to decide on a meeting place.

Details of these groups are given on the GROUPS page. If you have an interest that is not covered by our groups but would like find others with similar interests then please contact us.

Monthly Meetings
These are usually held in Stokesley Town Hall on the 2nd Wednesday of each month.

Details of these meetings are shown on the EVENTS page.

Doors open at 1.30pm - any announcements about u3a are usually made before the talk. The talk starts at 2pm for about an hour including questions.

Finance
The annual subscription for 2023/2024 is £17/person, which includes free attendance at all monthly meetings. In addition those members of groups meeting in rented rooms must also pay £1 each time they attend.

For those groups which incur travel or entrance fees the full cost must be paid. The Group Leader will arrange with the group how these fees will be collected.

There are reduced membership fees for affiliated members who are members of another u3a and who have paid their membership fee. There is a reduced fee of £10 for the part year from 1st April. Our subscription year runs from September to August.

If you pay tax, your subscription may be Gift Aided.

Members' Handbook

The handbook is no longer being produced in printed form due to the frequent changes of venues and times of meetings. A simplified online version is available to download by clicking on the Handbook tab above this page. This can be printed out if you wish.

Newsletter
A newsletter is published several times a year and is sent to each member via email. If a member does not have an email address a printed copy will be sent by post.

All members are invited to contribute newsletter items.

The Committee
Details about the Committee can be found by clicking on the 'Contact' tab at the top of the page.

National and Regional u3a
As a member you are also entitled to use the facilities of the Third Age Trust and attend events organised by the regional organisations. To find out more click the National and Regional link.