Apart from Sutton Coldfield u3a Interest Group meetings, a variety of other u3a sponsored events are held at various venues across the UK throughout the year for any members who wish to attend. These includes study days, specialised workshops, outings and any special seasonal activities. Details of upcoming events planned by the National u3a can be found here.
Some typical external visits linked to specific Sutton Coldfield u3a Interest Groups have been:
The Garden Interest Group organises visits to gardens of special historical or horticultural interest.
The Travel, Food & Wine Group organises visits to Food Fairs, vineyards, and different restaurants, including that at the renowned Birmingham College of Food. They also organise occasional wine tastings, cookery courses, and short holidays in Europe.
The History of Art Group organise visits to Art Galleries and Exhibitions, which have included:
Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
General exhibition at Walsall Gallery
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
General exhibition at the Barber Institute, Birmingham
Wm Morris at the National Portrait Gallery
Pop Art at the Herbert Gallery in Coventry
Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s last house commission in Northampton
The Out & About Group arrange a wide variety of external activities, visiting many places of interest such as:
National Motor Museum
Blenheim Palace
Coventry Cathedral
The British Library
Bletchley Park
Concorde at Manchester Airport
Shrewsbury Prison
Birmingham Museums Collection
Elan Valley Reservoirs
The National Trust Group arrange regular visits to many National Trust properties within a 100 mile or so radius of Sutton.
The Walking Group have regular monthly rambles of 4-5 miles, usually ending at a country pub for lunch.
In all cases, the members of a specific group are offered places first, but then any spare tickets or seats on a coach are made available to other Sutton Coldfield u3a members who may wish to attend.
Although non-political, Sutton Coldfield u3a has also organised a number of talks by prominent national and local politicians on topics of general interest to members, such as:
The then Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow talking about the history of Parliament.
Sutton Coldfield MP Andrew Mitchell talking about the long history of our town.
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street talking about development plans for the region.
Leader of Sutton Town Council Simon Ward talking about the proposed town regeneration plan.
As arrangements for specific outings or meetings are finalised, details will appear on our monthly calendar and on the appropriate Group Page for the group concerned. All u3a members on external visits are covered by u3a insurance.