Our 'drop in' General Meetings are key opportunities for finding out what's on offer. 

On the first and third Wednesday of each month, from 10:30 to 12:00, you can find us at the Wigan Sports Club (Bull Hey Cricket Ground, Parsons Walk) for our 'open' meetings. Come along to meet fellow members. The first Wednesday is our ‘Speakers Meeting’, with guest speakers on a variety of topics; then the third Wednesday our ‘Members Meeting’ will keep everyone in touch with what’s happening and give a chance to socialise over tea/coffee and a fun quiz.  No prior arrangement required, just drop in to meet organisers and other members and to find out about what’s happening.

We then have our scheduled Groups, each for a specific Activity or Interest. 

Each group has its own way of operating – meetings might be weekly, twice a month, monthly or more occasionally. These are where you can find others with similar interests to yourself.  Perhaps a group for something physical like walking, or to build up a skill such as photography, chat to fellow book enthusiasts, learn languages, do crafts, or just get together for coffee and chat – the choice is yours. If the group you were hoping to see isn’t there, or is full, you are welcome to contact our group co-ordinator to see if this might change going forwards.

The groups meet in various venues, each run by different volunteer leaders. If your interest in the u3a is mainly for a particular activity, then perhaps one of these might be a better start point.  The Group Pages of the website describe what's on offer, plus give links to contact group leaders. Use this to check if a group is what you are looking for, and possibly to arrange a first visit.  Our ‘try before you buy’ approach means you can check out groups of interest before committing to membership.  Plus often people find it easier to come along to a small group at first, rather than to walk into a larger open meeting where they might not know anyone! - although either way you'll find we’re a friendly bunch and you’ll definitely receive a warm welcome.

And last, but far from least, we also have our Social Events and Outings. 

These are the one-off dates, added to the calendar for outings, meals, parties, theatre visits, etc, (and for which we always advise signing up early as many dates will sell out as the event comes closer).   Bookings and deposits and payments are done mainly at the open meetings.  These are generally only open to current members, and it is useful to be at the main meetings, or to keep an eye on Events Listings or email notifications to be aware what is on offer.

Plus it's not just our local Wigan offerings

While you join the u3a via a local branch, this then makes you part of the national organisation too, and gives you access to other initiatives run at regional or UK level: on-line courses, competitions and projects, occasional festivals and summer schools, and similar. And once a member of one u3a branch, you can then pay a reduced fee at other local branches which perhaps offer different activity options.

Still want to know more?

What does u3a stand for? What will it cost? Who can join? See our u3a FAQ page for further details.

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