U3A
has begun in Penicuik
Penicuik & District
U3A beginnings here.
the
inaugural meeting on 23 March 2009
in Penicuik Town Hall
Exhibition in Penicuik Town Hall: 21 & 23 March 2009:
About U3A
U3A stands for the University
of the Third Age, which is a self-help
organisation for people no longer in full time employment providing educational,
creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment. It consists
of local U3As all over the UK, which are charities in
their own right and are run entirely by volunteers.
Local U3As are learning cooperatives which
draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their own members to organise
and provide interest groups in accordance with the wishes of the
membership. The teachers learn and the learners teach. Between them
U3As offer the chance to study over 300 different subjects in such fields as
art, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts,
photography and walking.
A typical U3A has about 250 members but
could be as small as 12 and as large as 2000.
There is no
accreditation or validation
and no assessments
or qualifications to be gained.
The U3A
approach to learning is – learning for pleasure.
History of U3A
The University of the Third Age began in France. In 1972 in Toulouse, a successful summer
school for retired people prefaced the very first Université
du Troisième Age. This was quickly followed by programmes in
other towns close to Toulouse and the notion spread
rapidly, not only in France. Such was the take-up of the idea in other
countries that an international body known as the International Association of Universitiés of the Third Age (AIUTA) was established as
early as 1980.
Contacts with the founder members of U3A in
the UK were made in 1978 and
these were maintained and built on over the next three or four years.
The French model centred around
universities. A committee of retired
people negotiated a contract with its university for the use of its facilities
and tuition. Our founder members
although greatly impressed by the achievement in France and stimulated by the
magnificence of the concept, felt there were drawbacks to this version. In effect a U3A could only operate if there
was a conveniently situated university. Moreover what was offered was
traditional academic fare and too much power could rest with the professional
body. .
It was felt by Peter Laslett,
Eric Midwinter and Michael Young that it should be possible to form a local U3A
anywhere there was a sufficient number of like-minded people; that the
curriculum should be as broad as possible and that it should be managed by the
people themselves.
The self-help model was
born.
In 1981, Peter Laslett
hosted a meeting in Cambridge, attended by
educationalists and scientists, which discussed and lent support to the notion
of bringing the U3A ideal to Britain. This was quickly followed by a workshop
organised by Eric Midwinter to which anybody who had shown an interest in the
idea was invited. These meetings led to
an application to the Nuffield Foundation for financial aid and the decision to
hold a public meeting in Cambridge. The meeting was judged a success, a view
reinforced by the request from BBC Radio 4 the next day for an interview about
the events of the previous evening.
The effect of the first ‘U3A’ broadcast was
amazing – over 400 letters arrived in a few days. The grant application was also successful and
it was determined to hold an experimental Easter school in Cambridge in March 1982. 75 people enrolled, the classes were mainly
in traditional subjects but with considerable scope for discussion and
participation. By the finish, a
Cambridge U3A was a certainty and a decision was taken to form a national
committee. A U3A in London was also on the
cards. The national committee performed
a dual function; it was both a small propagandist machine trying to persuade
others to start U3As and a hub for keeping the growing number of groups in some
form of meaningful contact.
Gradually U3A groups were born in different
parts of the country; Yeovil, West Midlands, Nottingham, Oxford, Wakefield, Barnstaple. In 1983, a second seminar was held and 22
delegates turned up representing localities where U3As had either started or
were under consideration. It was
tantamount to a national conference and local U3As were invited to become
formal members of the national body, which was registered as both a company
limited by guarantee and a charity in October 1983.
By the end of 1983, eight
U3As were officially registered and the U3A movement was on its way.
PenicuikU3A
is
about to start.
the
inaugural meeting will
be held on Monday 23 March
at
2pm
in Penicuik Town Hall
Over
70 people came earlier to a very successful introductory meeting in January in Penicuik Town Hall
convened by Bill Fearnley of Penicuik & District
Community Council.
PenicuikU3A
Interests in:
A)
Art, Crafts, Art Appreciation
B) Books & writing
C) Computing, Science, Internet,
Film
D) Photography
E) Energies,
sport & meditation
F) Languages
G) Gardens and Food Growing
H) History – Local, General,
Archaeology
L) Lunch Clubs & visits
M) Music
O) Outdoors -Walking, Cycling, birdwatching
Interest
groups recorded to date
Walking 20: GP JG
MS CJ CK PM TW A+MM GS AM MR TV GH SH HA PS PG CG GS
Arts General 12: DM EF
EG UH RS BF A+MM ST NL MS GM
Languages 11: MS EG RS MW
A+MM ST NI AK WM GS
Theatre 10: MD JD CJ CK
MW A+MM BD PS GS
History 9: GP RP TW A+MM AB WB SH LC
Literature 8: DM MC ET PM A+MM ST NL
Computing &
Internet 7:
RP EF EG RM WM ME HA
Meeting for lunch 7:
JD
MD CK MW TV HA PC
Birdwatching &
identification 6:
MS GS GM ME CG GS
Crafts 6: JD MW G+KH SH
HM
Archaeology 5: FB JG CJ AB GS
Photography 5: MS RM C+RH EB
Art Appreciation 4: GP JG
PM WR
Gardening 4: MS FB
MC EB
Local History 4: UH RK CG WM
Music 4: MC G+RH WM
Buildings &
Architecture 3:
RP EG CK
Science 3: ND BF MR
Visits to Museums
& Exhibitions 3:
FB CJ CK
Visits to
interesting places 3:
CJ HA PS
Creative writing 2: ST PW
Drawing 2: SH PW
French 2: WM GS
Keep fit 2: CK GH
Natural environment 2: C+RH
Spanish 2: MS QS
Technology 2: C+RH
Badminton 1: MR
Bridge 1: GS
Calligraphy 1: SH
Chess 1: MR
Churches 1: EG
Classics 1: FB
Community action 1: RK
Computer Hardware 1: WM
Current affairs 1: RM
Environment 1: UH
Family History 1: CJ
Films 1: RK
Garden History &
Visits 1:
GP
Industrial
archaeology 12:
RP
Making places better
1: RK
Metalworking 1: RP
Old Graveyards &
Inscriptions 1:
FB
Painting 1: EB
Painting from nature
1: PW
Painting in
watercolours 1:
CK
Philosophy 1: DM
Public speaking 1: MD
Relaxation 1: GH
Research 1: SH
Scottish country
dancing 1:
AM
Scottish history 1: MS
Scrabble 1: AM
Singing 1: MD
Swimming 1: CK
Mind and Spirit
the
inaugural meeting was
held on Monday 23 March
at
2pm
in Penicuik Town Hall
Over 70 people came earlier to a very successful
introductory meeting in January in Penicuik Town Hall convened by
Bill Fearnley of Penicuik & District Community
Council. The essentials of U3A, and the
first steps we need to take to start up in Penicuik, were explained by U3A’s Robina Hutton.
Scotland
The University of the Third Age
INTRODUCTORY
MEETING
TUESDAY 20th
JANUARY 2009 at 2pm
TOWN HALL, PENICUIK
Around 55 of those
attending indicated a definite interest in taking part in U3A. Of these, 21 volunteered to organise local
start-up and U3A activities, forming a steering committee which met 3 days
later and is now working towards the inaugural meeting for Penicuik’s U3A on March
23rd 2009. Until
then the group can be contacted at Penicuik Town Hall Open House every Saturday
10am-2pm.
Chair: Margot Daru-Elliott ~ Vice-chair: Devi Marshall
23/01/09)
Press Release Penicuik’s U3A launched
The Penicuik & District U3A is
launched. There was an outstanding attendance on 20 January at the
Introductory meeting of Penicuik’s University of the Third Age (U3A). Over 70 people attended at the event which was
held under the auspices of the Penicuik & District Community Council. The principal speaker was Robina
Hutton, Scottish U3A organizer.
The Penicuik & District U3A,
like its counterparts elsewhere in Scotland, will be an autonomous, self-help organization run by
the voluntary efforts of its members
About 50 of the audience signed up
immediately with an indication of the "personal interest" courses
which they would wish to be set up. 21 of these have formed
an initial Steering Committee with a chairman, secretary, membership
secretary and treasurer identified.
There is much to do to get the
initiative off the ground – a Constitution, a Bank Account for a national U3A
start-up grant, initial publicity....... The first meeting of
the Steering Committee was held on 23 January.
If you want to keep abreast of the
development of this exciting initiative, or want to find out what interest
groups will be available – or indeed want to suggest areas of interest to you
which could become involved -
please get in touch
End
WF/RH 23 Jan 09
PenicuikU3A
Activities will
take place during the day. At the inaugural meeting at Penicuik
Town Hall on 23 March 2009 there was a chance to add suggestions for groups to
the list and discuss arrangements with other potential group members.
There will be
afternoon open meetings of the new U3A each month.
See more details of initial monthly speakers
at the inaugural meeting
including Dr Brian Moffat
on Soutra Medieval Hospital
and Prof Geoff Palmer on Scotland &
Jamaica
PENICUIK LINKS
PENICUIK’S
SATURDAY OPEN HOUSE DISPLAYS
PenicuikGREATS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Penicuik & District
U3A beginnings here.
U3A U3A in Scotland