Currently, Sutton Coldfield u3a has around 60 different interest groups, covering such fields as arts, crafts, languages, history, sciences, physical exercise, mental challenges, social and recreational activities.
Apart from interest group meetings at fixed venues in the town, a variety of other events are held throughout the year, including country walks and rambles, outings to places of interest and lunches at local venues.
There is no pressure to join any group, but if you do decide to join one, you will be assured of a great welcome and all support you need to get the most out of it. All of the groups are informal and friendly and the social element is very important.
Programmes are worked out by mutual agreement amongst the group members. All groups have a named Group Organiser but in some groups the role can be shared between several of the members.
The time and location of group meetings are published in our monthly calendar and in the regular Sunday evening mailings. Prospective new members of any group should contact the Organiser of that group for further information and details on how to join. Numbers in some groups are necessarily limited by space and other constraints, which means that there may be a waiting list of people wanting to join.
When this happens, a new group can be formed if there is someone prepared to lead it. Even if a group is currently full (usually due to room size constraints), it's important to register your interest so your name can be added to a waiting list. If this waiting list gets beyond a certain size, a second interest group in the same topic may be formed.
There is always a shortage of willing volunteers to help organise and run groups. If you would like to assist in any way, or have an idea for a new group, please contact the Interest Groups Coordinator. Details of how to do this are in the Members' Only section of this website.