WELCOME TO
SUTTON COLDFIELD U3A

learn, laugh, live


What is the u3a?

The u3a is a UK-wide movement which brings together people in their ‘third age’ to socialise, develop their interests, and continue their learning in a friendly and informal environment. But it's not just in the UK,  the u3a movement is active in over 24 European countries and is widespread across Asia, Australasia, and South Africa.

If you’re wondering what we mean by the third age, it's the time after you have finished working full-time or raising your family and have time to pursue your interests, or just try something new. There is no specific age limit to membership.

u3a has members who draw upon their knowledge and experience to teach and learn from each other but there are no qualifications to pass – it is just for pleasure. Learning is its own reward, and it's been repeatedly shown that people who continue to socialise and lead an active and mentally stimulating life are often healthier and live longer. For some further information about this, visit Age UK.

It's virtually all voluntary; a typical u3a will be home to many activity groups chosen from hundreds of different subjects - from art to zoology and everything in between - usually led by other members with expertise in those subjects, sometimes from their previous employment and sometimes from a hobby. Some groups have regular or visiting speakers for more specialised talks and activities.

Formed over 40 years ago, there are now over 1,000 u3as across the UK, with thousands of interest groups between them, and more than 430,000 members nationally - plus we’re growing every day. Sutton Coldfield u3a is one of the largest in the UK with around 1,500 members, and we celebrated our own 40th anniversary in 2023. Come and join us!

More About The u3a About Sutton Coldfield


Latest News from Sutton Coldfield u3a

New Members Information

New Members Joining - You can download a Members' Application Form, or preferably use our Online Membership Application. If you join online you can pay your fee by credit or debit card using PayPal - you do not need to have a PayPal account to do this.

There's a single-page overview leaflet for prospective members of Sutton Coldfield U3A, which can be downloaded from here.

There's also a single-page leaflet about the u3a generally, which can be downloaded from here.

SCu3a Information Booklet

We've produced a comprehensive information booklet about Sutton Coldfield u3a for new members, detailing all our groups. This is available by clicking the image below.

Monthly Talks

Monthly Talks are one of the key events in the u3a diary and are considered important to all u3as scattered up and down the country. Speakers from all walks of life give us interesting, informative, and often amusing talks on a wide range of general-interest topics.

Admission to Monthly Talks is open to all u3a members and their guests; you do not need to belong to any specific group to attend.

Details of upcoming Monthly Talks, held in the Cedar Hall at the URC on the morning of the last Thursday in the month, can be found here. 

British Society for
Research on Ageing
2026 Public Lecture Series

The British Society for Research on Ageing (BRSA)  is the world’s oldest scientific society devoted to research into the biology of ageing, and each year it holds a series of free public lectures highlighting some of the latest research into this topic, a subject of significant importance to members of u3a, not just in Sutton but globally.

This year there are 5 such lectures given by experts in their field, who have been invited to talk about their research and what it means for each of us as we get older. No scientific knowledge is required for these lectures!

2026 PROGRAMME

Wed 4 March – with Dr Richard Siow, Director of Ageing Research at King’s College, London. Provisional title: Nutrition for cardiovascular health and ageing. If you want to watch this lecture, it's now available on YouTube here.

Wed 6 May – with Professor Gordon Lithgow, from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in Novato, California. Provisional title: Discovering drugs that slow ageing.

Wed 2 July – with Professor Dawn Skelton, Professor in Ageing and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University. Provisional title: Exercise as treatment for falls prevention.

Wed 9 September – with Dr Valter Longo, Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California. Title: Fasting Mimicking Diet Cycles, Cellular Reprogramming and Healthy Longevity.

Wed 4 November – with BSRA Trustee, Dr James Murray from Swansea University. Provisional title: Could fish be the key to understanding dementia?

If you would like to watch any of these online lectures via Zoom, and have the opportunity to put your own questions to the speakers, please email bsra@scu3a.org.uk with your name and email address, together with which lecture(s) you would like to attend. These will be forwarded to the BSRA who will reply to each person individually, providing further details of the lectures together with full instructions about how to join in at the appropriate times. If you don't already use Zoom, full instructions on how to do so are provided.

If, for any reason, you can't attend, each lecture is recorded and will be available to watch on YouTube. A link to these recordings will also be provided subsequent to each lecture.

Sutton Coldfield u3a
Address

Sutton Coldfield u3a
c/o URC Conference Centre
1 Brassington Avenue
Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands
B73 6AA

Location on map: Click here

Contacts

General enquiries: enquiries@scu3a.org.uk

Website Feedback: webmaster@scu3a.org.uk

Group Organisers: Use the contact form on the relevant group page

Links

National u3a Website

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Links to u3a on Social Media

Sutton Coldfield u3a on Facebook        u3a on Instagram        u3a on X (Formerly Twitter)        u3a YouTube Channel

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