Wantage & Grove

WELCOME TO WANTAGE AND GROVE u3a

Third Age Trust

As a Registered Charity and member of the Third Age Trust we aim to offer educational, creative and leisure activities for retired and semi-retired people using the skills, knowledge and enthusiasm of our own members.

Our main meetings are held at 2.00 pm on the 3rd Tuesday of each month in Grove Parish Church Hall (opposite the Village Hall). A varied programme of talks is arranged throughout the year with contributions from our own members and invited outside speakers. Visitors are welcome at our main meetings in the Church Hall for a small donation.

Talks are also currently delivered in person or by Zoom on the 1st Tuesday of the month. All meetings are available from 1.30 pm with a screen presentation about current activities, and music appropriate to the subject. The talk begins at 2.00 pm. The link to join is emailed to all members beforehand. It is also possible to listen by telephone, if you don’t have email.

We also hold a monthly 'New Members Meeting'. The next coffee mornings will be on Fri 15 March and Fri 19 April 10.30-11.30 am in the The Old Stables cafe, Stirlings Close, Wantage. These meetings provide a way to get to know other members, and offer new members and individuals thinking of joining the u3a an opportunity to find out more about the movement and, specifically, the activities within our own branch.

Special Interest Groups are led by members and held in members’ homes and other locations. For the full list, see the Groups tab at the top of this page. Special Interest Groups are for u3a members only.

Our annual Membership subscription is payable in January at a cost of £22. Each member receives a copy of 'Wagtales', our bi-monthly newsletter by email.

The History of Wantage and Grove u3a
The University of the Third Age (u3a) originated in France in 1972 and the first British U3A was established in 1982. Wantage u3a was formed in 1985, meeting in a classroom at King Alfred's School in term time only. In 2008, to accommodate a growing membership we moved to Grove Village Hall in Main Street, changing our name to Wantage and Grove u3a. A successful application for a grant from the Big Lottery Fund (National Lottery) enabled us to purchase equipment, and financed the setting up of the Film Group. The website was launched soon thereafter, and a short newsletter published which, in 2011, was expanded to become Wagtales. A substantial increase in membership necessitated a move to larger premises, in Grove Parish Church Hall, in December 2016.

Full information on the 'Third Age Trust' can be seen using the u3a tab at the top of this page

POLICIES The 'policies' applicable to the way this charitable organization is run are set out in the POLICIES tab at the top of this page. Each individual policy is accessed through the appropriate related LINK on the page

YOUR U3A NEEDS YOU

We are always on the lookout for U3A members with hidden talents, who hide their light under a bushel, but are eager to volunteer their services to help out. There is a list of shoes which need filling, big and small, to keep the U3A show on the road.

Registered Charity No.294827

Page revised 16/01/2024.