As a u3a member you can attend the u3a's many online talks and courses. Here expert members share their knowledge. Well-known speakers appear from time to time. Most are free - the free events are so popular that it's an idea to book as soon as you find your interest. The events are listed below - get ahead and sign up for monthly updates: (u3a.org.uk/what-we-do/events/educational-events). The booking system uses eventbrite which sends out helpful reminders.
Scroll down to see the full programme below:
u3a radio podcast - May
Listen to our monthly radio series on our YouTube and podcast platforms. This month: Cycling the Ganges Cream horns & vol-au-vents Sudbury powerlifting
Date:
Time:
Location:
Mindfulness and meditation continuation session: May
Join us each month as we continue the practices introduced in the Mindfulness and Meditation Series, and introduce new ones. Thursday 21 May at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 21 May 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
AI news: May
How can AI help us to maintain our independence? Explore how AI can help you stay independent as you age, with practical tools, future insights, and guidance from the u3a AI team. Friday 22 May at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Fri 22 May 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Laughter yoga with Merrie Maggie: May
Bring more joy and laughter to your life with Laughter Yoga - an aerobic exercise with playful exercises combined with deep yogic breathing. Tuesday 26 May at 3.30pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Tue 26 May 2026
Time: 15:30
Location: online via Zoom
People's Collection Wales: exploring the public archive of Welsh history
Missing Pieces Explore how People’s Collection Wales helps communities share and preserve Welsh history through a unique public digital archive. Thursday 28 May at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 28 May 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Drones, huh? What are they good for?
Dr Steve Bullock gives his view of drones and their growing and evolving role in our skies. Friday 29 May at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Fri 29 May 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
u3a Yoga Network: summer yoga practice
Are you leading or are involved in a Yoga Group in your u3a? Join Subject Adviser Patricia for a flowing and relaxing summer practice. Monday 1 June at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Mon 01 Jun 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
Flight inspirations aviation meeting: June
The advent of the heavy bomber: inception to the late 1930s From fragile early aircraft to powerful WWII bombers, explore how aerial warfare—and the bombs themselves—evolved in just three decades. Tuesday 2 June at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Tue 02 Jun 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
FoodTech: the technology involved in food processing and food service
John Butler from the u3a Let's Talk Tech team explores the modern technologies taking our food from farm to table. Wednesday 3 June at 1pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Wed 03 Jun 2026
Time: 13:00
Location: online via Zoom
Making the most of artificial intelligence (AI)
Join AbilityNet, in partnership with BT Group, for a friendly session designed to help older people build confidence online, stay connected with family and friends, and discover simple digital skills that can make everyday life feel easier and less lonely. Tuesday 9 June at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Tue 09 Jun 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Learn bridge with u3a
Discover the joy of playing Bridge in this introduction to the game, and find out how to play online, with u3a Bridge Adviser, Steve Carter. Wednesday 10 June at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Wed 10 Jun 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
An ABC of Victorian painting
Simon Evers explores three Victorian painters - Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Ford Madox Brown and Philip Hermogenes Calderon - and a surprising discovery that transformed oil painting forever. Thursday 11 June at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Lost and Found: Recent discoveries by Film is Fabulous!
Professor Justin Smith talks about the work of Film is Fabulous! An initiative to preserve vulnerable film treasures for future generations. Friday 12 June at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Fri 12 Jun 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
Of Mice and Men: how experience shapes the ageing brain
Professor Sarah King tours us through her research into how experience influences brain development and ways of keeping our brains healthy. Tuesday 16 June at 11am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Tue 16 Jun 2026
Time: 11:00
Location: online via Zoom
Mindfulness and meditation continuation session: June
Join us each month as we continue the practices introduced in the Mindfulness and Meditation Series, and introduce new ones. Thursday 18 June at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 18 Jun 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
A history of Britain's roads: why we should feel proud
Discover the surprising stories behind Britain’s roads, from radical legislation to quirky inventors, with Diana Laffin. Friday 19 June at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Fri 19 Jun 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
One small triangle to a man, one giant leap for mankind
Explore the phenomenon known as Pascal’s Triangle and follow the number trail contained in it to look at Art, Music, Botany and brackets. Friday 19 June at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Fri 19 Jun 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Secrets of the human brain: A tour of the brain
Bob Pullen explores how the brain works, from nerve signals to thinking styles, with interactive insights into how we think and behave. Monday 22 June at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Mon 22 Jun 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Bollywood Laughter Yoga Dance
Judith and Merrie Maggie offer a session of gentle aerobic exercise combining the four elements of joy - laughing, singing, dancing and playing. Wednesday 24 June at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Wed 24 Jun 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
Wessex versus the Vikings
u3a Festival Fringe Charles Boundy gives a gripping exploration of how Alfred the Great and the kingdom of Wessex resisted the Great Viking Army, leading to the establishment of the Danelaw and the emergence of a new England under Alfred’s successors. Thursday 25 June at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 25 Jun 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Islands of the Venetian Lagoon
This engaging talk with pictures will guide you around twelve islands that can each be reached by public transport (vaporetto, or water bus). Friday 26 June at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Fri 26 Jun 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
The role of wind energy in the UK's electricity system
u3a Festival Fringe Join Chris Vogel to learn about the UK’s wind resource and the engineering involved as wind energy’s growing importance to UK’s electricity mix. Tuesday 30 June at 11am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Time: 11:00
Location: online via Zoom
Laughter yoga with Merrie Maggie: June
Bring more joy and laughter to your life with Laughter Yoga - an aerobic exercise with playful exercises combined with deep yogic breathing. Tuesday 30 June at 3.30pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Time: 15:30
Location: online via Zoom
The technology built into modern cars and trucks
u3a Festival Fringe John Butler from the u3a Let's Talk Tech team explores the technologies of modern vehicles, live from the u3a Festival in York. Wednesday 1 July at 11.30am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Wed 01 Jul 2026
Time: 11:30
Location: online via Zoom
Mrs. Charles Dickens tells her story
u3a Festival Fringe Annie Elliot gives a powerful reimagining of Catherine Dickens’ silenced voice, revealing love, betrayal, and truth behind Charles Dickens’ marriage. Thursday 2 July at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 02 Jul 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Watercolours with Tony
u3a Festival Fringe Join Tony Burke, who runs watercolour classes with Huddersfield u3a, for this interactive painting sessions. Monday 6 July at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Mon 06 Jul 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Laughter yoga with Judith: July
Laughter Yoga combines hearty laughter exercises with deep yoga-style breathing (pranayama). Hosted by Judith Anne Walker of Edinburgh u3a. Wednesday 8 July at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
The history of shoes
u3a Festival Fringe Robin Taylor takes us on a journey of shoes, from historical styles to modern trends, sharing insights from his career as a shoe designer. Wednesday 8 July at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Wed 08 Jul 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
Fusion tai qi gong
u3a Festival Fringe Discover calm, balance and wellbeing with Gordon’s gentle fusion tai chi & qi gong taster session on Zoom. Thursday 9 July at 10am Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 09 Jul 2026
Time: 10:00
Location: online via Zoom
Artemisia - vision or vengeance
u3a Festival Fringe Join us for a presentation where we delve into the groundbreaking artistry of one of history's most amazing female painters. Thursday 9 July at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Thu 09 Jul 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
The role of women in ancient Egypt
u3a Festival Fringe Join Neil Stevenson, Subject Adviser for Egyptology, to explore the status of women in ancient Egypt. Friday 10 July at 2pm Free - online via Zoom
Date: Fri 10 Jul 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: online via Zoom
*Our local u3a benefits from the effort, support and guidance of a national u3a umbrella organisation called the Third Age Trust. The initiative above is one of their many projects.