Welcome to U3ACommunities
U3ACommunities is a free on-line platform for enquiring minds. It hosts a number of subject based groups who meet on-line monthly. It is independent of the Third Age Trust.
Whilst most of our members are beyond the age of retirement, we do allow anyone to join.
Use the GROUPS menu above to browse the groups and SUBSCRIBE to join one or more groups – you’ll then be emailed about new meetings and other posts. Both subscribing and attending meetings are free.
Individual groups may allow commenting on pages for any post-meeting follow-ups or discussions. The previously offered discussion forum has been disabled due to lack of use.
Why not join the fediverse u3a.social for discussions ?
A journey of discovery and appreciation!
Explore, create, inspire the literary journey
Inside every problem lies an opportunity
How computing works under the covers
Have your say on the big issues of the day
All about earth sciences
The immediate and/or the far past
Proposing improvements to current legislation
Meet top scientists sharing their current interests
The ideas & inventions that shape our world
Upcoming Online Meetings
History Month March 2026
History month: Tuesday 24th March at noon, we have a guest speaker from Newcastle u3a to tell us about, 'Interesting News'. This is a compilation of talks our speaker has[...]
Discussion on the Poetry of Philip Larkin
Just over a century after Philip Larkin passed away we will chat about what his poetry means to us today. We will start with his "A study of reading habits"[...]
WASTE AND CLIMATE CHANGE 10am-11.30am Wed 25 March
Modern consumer society is currently trapped in a "take-make-waste" cycle, with the average person in the UK generating 620kg of waste annually—a figure contributing to 5.5% of the nation's greenhouse[...]
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – a study of musical expression
Speaker: Professor Milton Mermikides University of Surrey Why does some music hit us straight in the gut? Why can a single guitar phrase feel joyful, unsettling, or transcendent? In this[...]
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Over the next decade, AI is set to transform healthcare by introducing machines with human-like intelligence that operate with greater speed and cost-efficiency than traditional methods. This technological shift spans[...]
Mineralogy in Art
Speaker: Doctor Chris Duffin, Scientific Associate, Natural History Museum, London This month Dr Chris Duffin will be focusing on the geological materials used in painting. Geological pigments have been used[...]