Bring along your surplus seedlings, rooted cuttings, houseplants etc and swap for something else! Please label everything and wrap appropriately. Thursday 2nd  May at the Scout & Guide HQ during Horizons (9.30 – 11 am approx).

Very recently, your Web Manager discovered – quite by chance – a music Radio Station that plays all her old pop favourites. (The tunes on Radio 2 were becoming increasingly unfamiliar and sometimes she yearns for some lighter entertainment than Radio 4.) It is called Boom Radio – not because it blasts out loud music all the time… Read More »

A coat was left in the Scout & Guide HQ by a Scout Helper over the weekend of 2nd /3rd March.  It is a large Man’s Berghaus black raincoat. If you have seen it or perhaps taken it home by mistake, or as Leader of a u3a Group on Monday 4th / Tuesday 5th may have set it… Read More »

The Musical Theatre Group’s next production stages at Aughton Village Hall on Friday 22nd March at 7.30pm, and Saturday 23rd March at 2.30 and 7.30pm. See more details about The Trinket Box.

Advance Notice ……… The date and time of the 21st AGM will be the 13th June at 11:30am. The meeting is to be held at Scout & Guide HQ following Horizons. It is hoped a Zoom meeting option could be set up to facilitate those who may not be able to make the meeting. Volunteers are needed to… Read More »

This Spring of 2023, the Nolan household, in the interest of the local insects, decided on a No Mow May policy for the Front Lawn.  This experiment has produced some quite interesting results. Many more wild flower varieties popped up than expected. These included: shining cranesbill, dandelion (in profusion but surprisingly few daisies), wild violet, pansy (probably reseeded… Read More »

On Thursday 6th July at Horizons, we will welcome Dave Carlos, who will speak on the important topic of Cyber Crime.  See Speaker Meetings for details.

This event was a great success! look our for a report in the next u3a Magazine.  Many thanks to all those involved both at Edge Hill and within A&O u3a. And thanks too to all those who attended – Edge Hill staff and students, u3a members and the local community. As a follow on from the successful collaboration… Read More »

please visit the National u3a Home Page.

Cancelled due to lack of numbers! Helping Each Other Group  have planned a Tea Dance at the Sefton Park Palm House on 13th September. But if they do not get more people signed up by this coming Tuesday, 6th September,  it will regretably have to be cancelled. Please phone  Judy ASAP on 01695 423141 if you would like… Read More »

On Thursday 11th August we will welcome Jeanette Lupton and Gaynor Caldwell from Macmillan Cancer Support at our Horizons Meeting. In addition to general information about the services provided by Macmillan, Jeanette and Gaynor will be telling us about the Aughton Support Group, which meets on the 2nd Friday of every month, from 9.30 – 11.30 am, in Christ Church… Read More »

Film Appreciation has a new programme for the summer and early autumn months in its new afternoon slot at the Scout & Guide HQ. Come and join us for a relaxing afternoon.

To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Social Subcommittee organised a Summer Dance on Saturday 25 June.  This turned out to be a most enjoyable and jolly ‘do’.  The dance floor was never empty while the excellent band – the Rollercoasters – rocked out a series of old favourites from the 50s through to the 80s. The eatables… Read More »

The next Speaker Meeting will be at 11 am on Thursday 9th June at the Scout & Guide HQ, when David Hearne will speak to us about Sir William Brown.

We are holding an Open Day on Saturday 23 October in the Scout & Guide HQ.  It will be open from 10.30 to 3.30 and will showcase groups and other activities that our u3a has to offer its members. We have over 80 interest Groups ranging from Aerobics right through to Zumba.  Indoors or out, active or leisurely, doing or… Read More »

Most Groups have now restarted following on from the times of  lockdown, tiers and  social isolation during 2020 and the first half of 2021. If you are a Group Leader of a Group without a Group Author, please check your Group Page and contact the Web Team as to any updates your Group Page you require to bring… Read More »

With some Groups restarting in September 2021, your Web Manager had a notion to try out something completely new.  I was seeking a non-techie subject that I’d never before studied.  Spotting a new series of 7 introductory talks being organised by Tim Miles of the Philosophy Group, I thought this might well fit the bill, took the plunge… Read More »

In Person Speaker Meetings are back! The plan is to hold all Speaker Meetings at Aughton Village Hall as part of New Horizons, starting at 11.15 am. The first of these will take place on Thursday 19th August, when author Carolyn Kirby will speak about the background to her new book, When We Fall, a gripping 2nd World War thriller which was chosen by the Times… Read More »

Another request for research volunteers has been received: I have been approached by Liverpool University Biomechanics Laboratory who are looking for volunteers to take part in a research project investigating the effect of ageing on leg muscle strength.  Please see more information on the Research Poster. Our u3a have taken part in a previous project at the Biomechanics… Read More »

Our June Speaker Meeting, featuring the Fool’s Gold duo, was live on Zoom on Thursday 3 June… click the poster for the full size version Fool’s Gold – Dark Light This Zoom Meeting was very much enjoyed by the members who attended.  To find out more about Fool’s Gold, and future u3a talks and events, see the Speaker… Read More »

Keep an eye on this website for the latest u3a news – check out the links displayed in sidebar of this Front Page or the items on the News Page. The brand new Restart Page will also increasingly keep you informed as Groups and other activities get underway again over the next few months. Refer to  your email for past and… Read More »

Thank you to all those who have supported our Zoom Speaker Meetings so far. The talks have been hugely enjoyable, entertaining and informative, so if you haven’t zoomed in already, why not give it a try? The next one will take place on Thursday 6th May at 11 am, when John Whittles will join us to speak about Mason Bees. Click… Read More »

We are part of the North West Region of u3as,  all 100 plus of them.  From time to time the regional committee organises events and projects for their membership.  “My Street” is the latest one with an aim of fostering local and regional involvement, pride and awareness – a sense of place to present to the outside world. … Read More »

The first meeting took place via Zoom at 11 am on 4th February when Julia Clayton  provided us with a fascinating talk on the topic of What did the Spartans do for us?  Details of this and future Speaker Meetings already arranged for 2021, including how to sign up to attend, can be viewed on Pam Ball’s Speaker Meeting webpage. If not familiar with joining in… Read More »

The latest enews was sent out by the enews Editor to all members with an email address on Monday 28 December. If you have not received it, check your Spam folder. If not there, check with the Membership Team that they have your correct details on record If you missed the enews deadline, and have some U3A content you would like to publicise… Read More »

If you have set up an email address for the first time (or you have changed your email address), please don’t forget that you can logon to update your u3a Beacon details for yourself.  Or  if you need it to be added, changed or checked for you on your Beacon membership record, contact the Membership Team. It is… Read More »

The most recent enews came out on Monday 30th November (last Monday of the month). If you missed the deadline and want items posted in the December enews, please send them to the enews Editor In the meantime, if you want u3a information posted on the website, contact the Web Team. The Third Age Trust also has a… Read More »

A new virtual group – Science during Lockdown – has been specially set up for these strange times.  It features a Daily Science Snippet, Science Jokes and Cartoons, Illusions, online Science Quizzes that any member can try out and links to Coronavirus articles.

Following on from the Post called TAT Advice and Info on this website, here are some other great lockdown ideas and activities from the Third Age Trust (TAT). Exercise Motivation Find out about a great opportunity that has been arranged for U3A Members via YouTube. Mr Motivator has joined forces with U3A for a weeklong series of exercises.… Read More »

Although fairly familiar, or at least aware of, a good number of apps, I had never heard of Zoom until the start of social isolation.  When asked about video conferencing, a younger family member immediately said Zoom.  Soon after that, we also heard mention of it from a couple of U3A members.  A Computer Helper, Ann P, had… Read More »

Many of our favourite activities and interests have been curtailed due to social isolation.  But here are some ideas how can keep your participation alive. National Theatre at Home Watch top-notch online shows for free. Productions are shown every Thursday at 7pm and are then available for 7 days. ‘Local’ Theatre Spot On is Lancashire’s touring theatre network. They are… Read More »

Following a meeting of the Management Committee and Trustees, all Aughton & Ormskirk U3A face-to-face activities are suspended with effect from 17 March 2020, until further notice. This government guidance on coronavirus includes ongoing and changing information about how to protect yourself or check if you need medical help, and provides advice about social distancing, staying at home and travel… Read More »

As you probably are aware, enews is emailed to all members with an email address on the Beacon Membership System.  But you may not be aware that Group Leaders can send emails to all members in their Group.  A number of Groups are set up in Beacon to enable this already – extremely useful in the current circumstances.… Read More »

Check out the Digital Photography Group Page (and the Group Posts that follow it) for details of the first meeting this year and exhibitions of the excellent photos taken in past years.

English Medieval Cathedrals of the South and South-east Commencing Tuesday 28 January, for this fourth series of Church History we move to medieval cathedrals in the south-eastern extremity of England, interspersed with two visits to more-local medieval sites. The 1st talk is on Canterbury Cathedral – part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and mother church of the… Read More »

  Click or tap on any photo to see a slide show of bigger pictures!

Newsletters from the Previous Gardening Group (written by David Blanchflower) February / March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 September 2018October 2017 March 2017 December 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 See also some Posts below describing meetings of the Previous Gardening Group (run by David Blanchflower).

The current Aughton & Ormskirk U3A Website has been going now for 3 years. The Web Team hope you find it informative and useful. We know that some potential members do refer to it prior to joining, so please help us keep it interesting and relevant. This year, we have been making some changes to help the Website… Read More »

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is currently much in the news!  We have a Working Party delving into possible implications for an organisation such as Aughton & Ormskirk U3A. The Working Party has published a Privacy Policy. More documents providing advice and some new or adapted forms are in the pipeline. In the meantime, if you have any… Read More »

Great day out at Lichfield         with the Occasional Tours group.  Organised by Cathleen Barnes. Photos  by Bill Fitzpatrick.     Click or tap on any picture to start the slideshow!

Earlier this year we held a competition, open to non-members, for the best story or poem on the subject of Home. Though the number of entries was not overwhelming, the quality was excellent! The best entries are listed below. The overall winner was judged to be the story The House by Sue Watkinson. Congratulations Sue and everyone else who… Read More »

A member from Oundle U3A  – Kathryn Baird, a former resident of Aughton – has contacted the Web Team as follows: I was born and brought up in Aughton but left in 1980.  I am a member of Oundle U3A where I belong to two Creative Writing groups.  Inspired by those U3A groups, I have published my family’s memories of… Read More »

A Communication from the U3A National Office……….. I am pleased to let you know that Eric Midwinter, one of our founders, has been asked to speak on the Radio 4 programme, “You and Yours” at lunchtime on Monday 12th December in recognition of achieving 1000 U3As. This was the programme where the U3A concept was first aired by… Read More »

Don’t throw out your local freebie, the Ormskirk Champion dated 17 August 2016 until you read the front page article.  It features our very own Graham Sumner and his cliff fall and the unexpected aftermath. His amazing story has also attracted the attention of other media such the Cheshire Chronicle, the Southport Visitor and Radio Merseyside. Or you may be able… Read More »

The speaker on Monday 14th March on the topic of “All you need to know about Fuchsias” was  Brian Houghton who has over 30 years experience of growing fuchsias. He is President and Secretary to the Merseyside Fuchsia Group also Chairman of the Wigan Fuchsia Society. He is a committee member of the British Fuchsia Society. Brian has a lifetimes interest… Read More »

The meeting held on 8th February was an outstanding success with a record attendance of 120 people to hear Peter Gateley speak on the topic “A flower for every day”.

Bob Cratchitt…retired was performed at Ormskirk Civic Hall in December 2015.  It was written by the very talented Eric Midwinter, one of the founder members of the U3A in Britain. It’s a sequel to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Tony Crimlisk wrote the music, John Hardiker directed and Gaynor Hale was our choreographer. We thank you for all your usual… Read More »

It’s a musical called ‘Bob Cratchitt, retired’ which tells the story of the character from Charles Dickens‘A Christmas Carol’ as he reaches retirement.  The musical is written by the very talented Eric Midwinter, one of the co-founders responsible for introducing the U3A to the UK during the early 1980’s.  The music has been written by our very own… Read More »