The following article is from Brian Harris of Limebrook u3a. Here he talks to member Mike Stringer about his personal u3a journey. If you are considering becoming a member and would like to find out more, details of how to are included below.[.B]

"I was still working full time when we moved to Bicknacre, when my wife Chris found out about u3a while talking with our neighbours.

"The Heybridge u3a group they were part of was not taking any new members at the time, so it was decided that a new u3a be formed in Maldon.

"Chris got involved with the initial meetings to set up Limebrook u3a and was a founding member, as I continued to work. Chris became very active with Limebrook and we attended social trips and theatre visits together. When I retired at the end of 2015, it was an easy decision to join as a full member of Limebrook - the wide range of interest groups looked very interesting and created good opportunities to meet new people. It is especially good for people on their own.

"There were no all male groups when I joined, and so I decided it would be good to have a mix of my favourite pastimes by setting up a new group, the Real Ale Group, or RAG as we called it. It was formed in 2017 and the original numbers have grown and now we have around 18 members to call on.

"Other u3as might regard us as a 'social science' group, the only difference is that ours takes place in the pub. We are from a wide range of backgrounds, and it is very good finding out about common interests and various thoughts and ideas over a pint or two at a CAMRA pub. We like to support local businesses on our outings, and these are arranged not just in Maldon, but also the surrounding villages and Chelmsford as well. On one of our trips, we arranged to start at the Cricketers in Moulsham Street - we had 14 of us for lunch, before working our way down to the Woolpack taking in other pubs and a micro pub, where crowding 14 of us in was interesting to say the least!

"A favourite haunt is the Queen Victoria in Spital Road, Maldon. They provide excellent food and real ale, great service and a warm welcome. Our monthly meetings were off the agenda from March 2020 owing to Covid, so we kept in touch using Zoom. We have now restarted our monthly meetings and have a full programme arranged for the rest of the year.

"You do not need to have a partner to be part of a u3a and my wife Chris isn't able to do long walks (she says I ramble enough anyway!), so I joined the Walking Group. The u3a is ideal for couples to have different interests as if your partner isn't interested in the same activities as you are, you can explore different things. When we are walking with the group, it is usually in the morning, and we stop for lunch, which means you get to meet different people during the walk, get some exercise and have fun at the same time.

"One group that was missing from Limebrook u3a was on the topic of history, although Chris runs the family history group. Something broader appealed to me after a member floated the idea of forming a History Group. A list of people was prepared but the chap who volunteered then didn't have time to organise things. I spent 40 years in my professional life being organised and doing research, and by nature I'm curious and a little nosey and like to find out about things that are of interest to me. So I took on the role of interest group leader. It was decided to make this subject of history general rather than specific to one topic or era.

"We have over 50 people who have taken part in our activities. We have had indoor meetings with a variety of speakers, together with visits to different places of interest. We've had guided tours in various places as far afield as Ingatestone Hall, the Moot Hall in Maldon, Bury St Edmunds and Harwich, and trips to London which have included the Guildhall, the Dickens Museum, and the Post Office Museum.

"Having a guide has been an important part of these visits, and with a group of around 20 people, someone will always ask a question you wished you had thought of as not everyone feels comfortable raising questions.

"Our winter programme keeps us busy with speakers and we've been using Zoom, which enabled us to arrange talks with people who are not in our area. I've more recently been involved in a pilot scheme with the National u3a where we can exchange speakers, material and presentations. This scheme helps to reduce the burden of preparing and researching topics and finding speakers, all within this swap scheme.

"The u3a has been a really good thing for me and Chris. We meet people with common interests and spend time with groups who are passionate about the topic, and there is always something going on. The costs are minimal and there is no pressure to do anything that your partner doesn't want to. With all the different groups which include the monthly meetings with top quality speakers, an annual quiz and lots of social meetings, it is really a great way of spending your leisure time. Is there any other organisation that can give such a wide range of activities?

"So, if you're winding down from work, looking for things to do, then I strongly recommend u3a as a wonderful organisation to be part of."

Limebrook u3a has booked Friday, 10 September for our Monthly Meeting at 2pm and we are excited about seeing Vince Eager. He is a professional speaker, and his talk is 'What time is the Midnight Buffet?'. Vince spent 14 years as a cruise director and will be revealing the hilarities and horrors that go on behind the scenes on deck and in the ports.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact Tim Stubbings, our membership secretary, on 01621 855158 and he will provide information and links.