The  readers of this   website may find  this piece  from Mr Geoff Gwyther  of the   local  branch of the U3A  quite useful.  He  recently visited the Bolton Over 50s Federation  open meeting to talk about it.   The information supplied by him will be very informative   towards living a fulfilling  retired life.

 

Learning is for life  and it's never too late  to expand your horizons. No body has to stop learning just because the've stopped 'working'. The University of Third Age ( U3A) offers the opportunity to share your knowledge,experience and talents with others and learn from them in  friendly surroundings. It is for people who may be  retired or semi-retired wanting  to remain active in mind and body and are no longer in full time employment.

 

There's first age learning- at school, college , university . There's second age learning -ie  the skills learnt at work. And there is third age learning, when people learn whatever they want. That's what happens in  U3A groups -  who come together  to study a subject they all find interesting.

 

There are 700 U3A s throughout the UK and over a quarter of a million have decided to keep on learning and are enjoying benefita from their local U3A. Members are typically busy individuals leading at least as  full and satisfying lives as when they were working full-time. They all have a continuing sense of achievement with something to look forward to every day.

 

There is no fixed  curriculum or exam and there  are no entry requirements. A desire  to lean is all that is needed. There is  a U3A branch in Bolton. On 4th Friday of each month, a General Meeting is held between 2 and 4 PM at the church hall of St Andrews & St George  on St George Road usually with a talk from a guest speaker  

Most of the ''groups'' meet once a month and  a wide range of topics is  covered  eg   Art Appreciation, Philosophy, History , Languages , Various musical topics , Film forum  etc. Currently about 25 different topics are offered /available.  One can attend any of the monthly meetings just as a 'tester'  and also to  pick up one of their Newsletters  showing the full range of topics currently available. The Membership Secretary can provide further details - annual subscription is  a mere £20  for such a vast opportunity for learning without travelling far.  If you want to know more please contact

Ann Waring - ann.waring@hotmail.co.uk