Introducing U3A
Princes Risborough and District U3A
What is the U3A?
U3As are self-help organisations for people no longer in full time employment or bringing up a family. They provide educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment and are open to all, regardless of educational background. There are local U3As all over the UK, all charities in their own right and all run entirely by volunteers with the backing of a national organisation, The Third Age Trust.
The U3A approach to learning is simple, no matter whether you are brushing up your French, solving crosswords or having a go at table tennis. We are all learning for the fun of it rather than for qualifications and awards.
Our History
Princes Risborough & District U3A was formed in 2001. It was the initiative of James Scott-Smith ably aided by Michael George and Geoff Young. Michael George was elected the first Chairman with James Scott-Smith, Anne Legg and Peter Wotton becoming Secretary, Membership Secretary and Treasurer. The other members of the inaugural Committee were Keith Johnson, Joyce Davies, John Hodge, Bill Scutt and Mick Gurney. Lesley Ball was recruited later in the year as Minutes Secretary. Geoff Young was also involved in his role helping the National Organisation set up new U3As in the Thames Valley area. Princes Risborough was the 29th U3A in the Thames Valley.
Membership
The basis for U3A membership is set out in our constitution but the key factors are that you are not in full time employment (and so have the time to become involved) and you are interested in learning new things.
To enquire about membership please see the page How to Join.
Interest Groups
The core of any U3A is its various activity groups. Some of our groups may have only a handful of members while others have 40 or 50. Many meet on a particular day of the month in the same place while others (such as the Theatre Group) meet as and when they have the opportunity.
Groups meet either in a member’s home or more usually in a hired room in the town. Details of when and where groups meet along with contact details for the Group Leader can be found on the relevant Interest Group pages. There is usually a small charge for group meetings to cover room hire, refreshments, any materials needed and occasionally the cost of outside speakers. Similarly there may be charges for outings covering coach hire and entrance fees.
We currently have around 30 groups, but if none of them are covering what you’d like to do please speak up and we can help you to get one started. Alternatively as a member of our U3A you are entitled to join any group in a neighbouring U3A where we don’t have an equivalent.
Communications
Our preferred method of communication with our members is digital, either through this website or by email. We do this for speed and efficiency and also to save a considerable sum on printing and postage. For this reason we encourage all members to provide a current email address. However we recognise that not all of our members use computers, tablets or smartphones and for this reason we provide quarterly Newsletters and monthly Diary Sheets. These can be downloaded and printed from the newsletters page and given to any members who need them.