Taking the plunge: My first U3a Festival Experience

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I first heard about the U3a Festival when reading through the magazine ‘U3a Matters’ and I was intrigued.  When I decided to book a place at the U3a Festival at York University, I must admit that I had a few reservations.  My biggest concern was that I would be going on my own.  Would everyone else already know each other?  Would I spend three and a half days feeling out of place?

As it turned out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. From the moment I arrived, I discovered that many other people were in exactly the same position.  The atmosphere was welcoming, friendly and relaxed, and it didn’t take long before conversations started and new acquaintances were made.  In fact, I was rarely on my own for very long. 

What impressed me most was the sheer variety of activities on offer. With around 50 classes, workshops and events taking place each day, there was something to suit every interest from painting to bowls.  The evenings were just as enjoyable.   I attended the Open Mic session where I was entertained by poets, singers and guitar players.  I also took part in a nostalgic rendition of Juke Box Jury.  Armed with our “hit” and “miss” cards, we listened to a selection of music from the 1970s, voting on each song as we went along.  Four jury panellists also gave their opinions, which led to plenty of laughter, lively discussion and many happy memories.  

The highlight of the festival, however, was undoubtedly meeting Johnny Ball.  He gave an engaging and entertaining talk about his life and career, sharing how his interests in mathematics, science and comedy developed over the years. His enthusiasm and energy were infectious, and his talk was without question, the highlight of my visit.

Looking back, I am so pleased that I decided to take the plunge and attend. The U3a Festival offered not only an impressive programme of activities, but also the opportunity to meet interesting and welcoming people from all over the country.

The festival will be held again in two years’ time, and if anyone is hesitating because they would be attending alone, my advice is simple: don’t let that put you off.  Go along, embrace the experience, and you may well find yourself wondering why you ever had any doubts in the first place.

Sue Vaughan

Membership Secretary

Medium Walks

by WebmasterMedium WalksPosted on Comments are Disabled

On Monday 20th July, we completed a delightful 6.79-mile circular walk starting from the Foremark Reservoir Visitors Car Park. The route began by crossing open fields towards the attractive village of Milton, passing through the peaceful surroundings of Lamont Wood. The woodland provided welcome shade before we emerged once more into open countryside, enjoying wide-ranging views across the Derbyshire landscape.



From Milton we continued over fields towards Spurs Bottom, and then headed in the direction of the woods at Repton Shrubs. The scenery became increasingly varied as we entered the fascinating habitat of Hartshorn Bog, where there would have been a mixture of woodland and marshland, but for the dry weather, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Soon afterwards we reached Carver Rocks, an impressive sandstone outcrop that made an ideal place to pause and appreciate the natural surroundings.

The final section followed the shoreline of Foremark Reservoir, with attractive views across the water and opportunities to watch wildlife along the way. We then entered the woodland for the return journey, where the well-shaded paths provided a pleasant finish to the walk before arriving back at the National Trust Visitors Car Park. It was an enjoyable and varied route, combining woodland, open countryside, interesting geological features, and beautiful reservoir scenery. 

Real Ale Group

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 The Real Ale Group is thriving and now has 40 members, we meet once a month and visit different areas, hostelries and events, always using public transport for our journeys, either Tram, bus or train.

Our outings for the past year are as follows:-

August 2025, we visited the Sneinton/Hockley area of Nottingham, travelling by tram and visited The Bath Inn, The Vine (not a good pint), The King William (Billy) and The 6 Barrels.

September 2025, We were in the Nottingham City area and visited The Barrel Drop, a micro bar, The Dragon, which has a Scalextrix race track, The Bell, (the actual oldest pub in Nottingham, originally the Angel) ending up at The Malt Cross.

October, Mark Thornley organised a visit to a micro bar in Annesley called The Squires Musters, which had a selection of 3 real ales and the landlady put on a selection of cheeses and snacks for us, which was greatly appreciated.

November, Greg Umney organised a trip to Mansfield by train, starting at The Station, The White Hart (a Samuel Smiths pub that has no TV’s Music and allows no mobile phone use or any swearing or raised voices – unfortunately stopped serving real ale), The Garrison (a micro bar themed on the TV show ‘Peaky Blinders’, which also had entertainment on that night)

December we stopped in Hucknall, going to The Baker & Beer, The Hideout, Byrons Rest and Pilgrims Oak.

January 2026 saw us in the Canning Circus area of Nottingham, visiting The Organ Grinder, The Falcon, Sir John Borlase Warren and The Hand in Hart.

February we attended the CAMRA Real Ale and Cider Festival at the John Godber centre, where we had over 80 different beers to sample (but not all of them!)

March we did what is known as ‘The Tram Trail’ using the tram to, between and back The Lion in New Basford, The Fox & Castle in Old Basford, The Bulls Well in Bulwell and finally, Byron’s Rest in Hucknall.

April saw us down the Trent Bridge area, visiting The TBI, Tent Navigation, Embankment and lastly the Vat & Fiddle.

May we were back to the Nottingham Castle area, going to the Roundhouse, Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Salutation and finally The Malt Cross, which surprising had a Drag Bingo night, a surprise for all of us.

June and July we had A Beer B Q evening. In June we were at Mark and Lynda’s and in July at Gary and Tina’s, both parties brew excellent real ale and provided us all with exceptional barbecued food, burgers, hot dogs, kebabs, pulled pork, jacket potatoes, roasties, salads and a multitude of desserts, both were a fantastic evening, with 30 of us indulging, many thanks to both couples. See photos.

Melvyn Francis

Vegetarian Cookery

by WebmasterVegetarian CookeryPosted on Comments are Disabled

Just a reminder that there will be no meeting in July, but as August has 5 Mondays we can fit one in on Monday 24th August.

The group is currently full but if anyone is interested in joining the group please contact me with your name and I will put you on the waiting list.

Anne