Celebrating 40 Years of u3a

Recently, Reigate and Redhill u3a put on a special event to celebrate 40 years since u3a was founded.

Their anniversary day was part of a “Come and See” programme spearheaded by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council to encourage people living nearby to take part in local activities, this showcased the talents of some of their activity groups.

Whilst it’s not practical to exhibit everything they do (for example social cycling), the stalls included antiques and bygones, creative embroidery, earth sciences, local history, art for pleasure, patchwork, stories produced by creative writing, creative stitch, Scrabble and Rummikub.

R&R u3a was delighted the event was attended by the then Mayor of Reigate & Banstead, Councillor Jill Bray, along with representatives from partnership teams from Reigate & Banstead and Surrey County Councils. The Mayor said on her Facebook page afterwards, “What a fab group the u3a are! People of a certain age coming together for mentally, physically and socially stimulating activities!”.

During the afternoon performance, attendees were entertained by humorous sketches and poetry; by singers and musicians including ukuleles and handbells, then occasionally the audience sang along. This caused slight consternation to the handbell conductor as he had to change his tempo to match the speed of those singing! After the entertainment, the anniversary cake was wheeled in on a very mundane tea trolley! So, there was laughter as the Mayor formally cut the cake and then spoke a few words, highlighting how much she had enjoyed the occasion and how she valued her own membership of u3a.

The spanner in the works for Reigate and Redhill u3a was illness, both amongst performers and key members for organising stalls and teas. Alongside activities performed and exhibited, the afternoon showcased the members’ teamwork skills in pulling together to put on a highly successful day.

The photos, account and YouTube video on their website www.rru3a.org.uk say it all, showing the enjoyment not only of participants but the ‘behind the scenes’ members.

You can view the video, below.