Our History

u3a is one of the largest membership organisations in the UK. Our members come together to learn for fun in retirement. Through u3a, members make friends and find community.

Founded in 1982, at u3a we've been bringing people together for over 40 years.

From the start, the guiding principles were to promote non-formal learning through self-help interest groups. Based loosely on the French model, our founders envisaged a collaborative approach with peers learning from each other. 

The u3a movement was to be self-funded, with members not working towards qualifications but learning purely for pleasure. There would be no distinction between the learners and those sharing their skills and knowledge – everyone could take a turn at being both if they wished.

2010 saw our membership hitting the quarter million mark. 2022 was the 40th Anniversary of the u3a movement in the UK. This milestone was marked with a year-long programme of events and celebrations.

While there are no age limits in place; most of our members have stepped away from full time work, or from raising a family. The focus at u3a is creating communities for those who love to learn together.

About Welling u3a

Welling u3a had its' first meeting in June 2013. It is a financially self-supporting organisation. We have approximately 30 learning groups/activities underway. These include history, creative writing, reading, art, flower arranging, discussions, games and walking. There are also a variety of social groups, including monthly meetings, several lunch groups and opportunities to meet for refreshments. Most months we offer a variety of trips and visits to places of interest.

All groups are organised by the members for the members.

This is a snapshot of our recent members’ meeting . The members are holding an embroidered banner , produced by one of our dear members many years ago..