Ross and District U3A are inviting retired or semi-retired people to come along to the Larruperz Centre for an open day for both members and visitors.

Hosted at the Larruperz Centre in Ross-on-Wye the open day takes place between 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Monday, September 19.

Not only will they be showing the various groups what’s on offer, but also celebrating 40 years of this national institution. The U3A host monthly talks,given by specialists in their fields and have ranged this year from the story of pub signs, the history of the long bow, to the geology of the local area. Now that they can meet again after pandemic restrictions, outings have restarted. During the spring a coach visited the Royal Mint, however no free samples were provided.

The event hopes to help people discover a new interest, as there are over 40 interest groups. All the groups are led by members who either wish to learn more about an interest or wish to share their passion and expertise that they wish to encourage in others. The U3A ethos is of shared, participative, and self-help learning.

New groups are formed often and others have been running as long as the Ross u3a. Some have been so popular that in some cases there are two or even three groups covering the same subject. Members are encouraged to share their interests, if there isn’t a group covering a desired subject, they endeavour to start one.

They’ll be enjoy a spot of cream tea to celebrate 40 years of adventures and activities.

Founded in 1982, U3A is a UK-wide network of locally-run interest groups that provide a range of opportunities for recreational education. Members explore new ideas, skills and activities together. There are 1,057 U3A chapters with over 388,000 members; membership costs less than £20 on average per year and is open to everyone who’s no longer in full-time work.

U3A has members who draw upon their knowledge and experience to teach and learn from each other but there are no qualifications to pass, as part of the organisations philosophy is that learning is its own rewards. Everything is voluntary and a typical U3A will be home to many activity groups covering hundreds of different subjects, from art to zoology and everything in between.