u3a is a UK-wide movement of 1000+ charities and collectively form an organisation that brings together people who are no longer in full-time employment to share knowledge, develop new interests and participate in a range of educational, creative and leisure activities within a friendly and supportive environment. Each local u3a is run independently by and for its members, including ours, Bradford on Avon u3a. Our charity purpose is the advancement of education, and in particular the education of older people and those retired from full time work, by all means including associated activities conducive to learning and personal development in Bradford on Avon and District.

Membership is open to anyone who is no longer in full-time work and wishes to continue learning, make new friends, or take part in group activities. There is no age restriction in either direction!

Meetings are held regularly, offering members frequent opportunities to participate and engage with others. Full details regarding dates and content can be found in our events section.

Meetings take place at a designated venue, providing a central location for members to gather and take part in activities. Full details can be found in our events section.

You can find out a full guide on how to access Beacon and what you might need it for here.

To become a member, you need to complete a straightforward joining process and pay the membership fee, which covers access to all standard activities and events.Click on  Membership for more information. Applications can be made online or by printed application form.

Members receive our own regular updates and newsletters, and have the option to receive Third Age Matters (a magazine produced nationally by the Third Age Trust); invitations to a number of trips, visits and lunches; open meetings, online talks,and social events

Most certainly! There are many ways to help – co-ordinating an interest group, volunteering for the committee, organising a talk or visit, preparing refreshments, being a ‘new member’ buddy etc. We ask all members to consider how they, personally, can contribute to Bradford on Avon u3a – not necessarily as soon as they join, but over time.

Research shows that social activities are crucial in educational settings and environments because they enable us to further develop our ‘softer’ but still essential life skills. Skills including teamwork, empathy, problem-solving and communication. Social activities also improve cognitive functioning, build confidence and relationships, boost emotional intelligence and help maintain our mental well-being all of which benefits academic engagement and life long learning. We have also found they are a lovely way for new members to get to know our local u3a community.

The founding principals of the u3a are that it is all run by members for members on a voluntary basis. You could describe it as a cooperative or self-help organisation. If there is a big demand for a particular subject or interest then the committee will explore with the current group coordinators how the demand might be met ; solutions can include finding a bigger venue, encouraging and supporting another member to set up another group or managing an active waiting list. We also meet with new members to see if they will set up new topic groups, and existing members are always welcome to contact us for support to set up groups for topics and subjects that they would like to see.

Charity Trustees have a duty to build reserves as a buffer against fluctuating income and rising costs. Reserves also help manage cash flow and enable us to invest in new projects such as the current redesign of our website and purchasing equipment for events and new groups. The Trustees recognise that we must balance holding funds with spending them on charitable aims, which is why we have a reserves policy that explains the appropriate level for our charity.
In 2025/26 the surplus is high as it had been envisaged that the new website costs would be significant. Changes in approach mean that this is now not likely but new costs of moving to St Margaret’s Hall for the monthly meetings will cut into this, and the trustees are also exploring new ideas for events and other activities that would enable us to further achieve our charity purposes. Members are actively encouraged to participate in this work.

The committee is responsible for advancing the purposes of our u3a as set out in our constitution and for ensuring that we carry out only these purposes. We need a minimum of 5 members on the committee and we are also required to meet at least four times a year. We actually meet more frequently since we also oversee the day to day operations of Bradford on Avon & District u3a.