Registered
Public benefits
What are the direct benefits flowing from your organisation's purposes? In a recent message from the current Chair of the u3a movement, Liz Thackray writes that ‘the u3a provides opportunities for people who are no longer working full-time to come together to learn, volunteer, continue their interests and take up new pursuits. The things that we
enjoy doing as u3a members is positive ageing in action and sends an important message to the wider community that later life is a time of possibility and growth’. Joining a local u3a is a great way to find and develop new interests and make friends in a relaxed environment. Membership encourages people to learn together and attend learning events and talks. A local u3a provides a space for people with similar interests to meet, to learn and to share skills. At the moment, there is not a local u3a in the Saintfield area. A launch meeting in October 2023 attracted nearly 70 people, giving an indication that there is interest for a local group to be established. Following the pathway laid out by the the Third Age Trust, a Steering Committee of volunteers has been meeting with a view to starting a Saintfield u3a. At the October 2023 meeting, participants completed interest forms and some of the most popular were walking, dancing, badminton (physical education), gardening, culinary (creative and physical education), learning a language, IT skills (life-long learning), local and Northern Ireland history (community education). Saintfield u3a will follow the advice and guidelines of the Third Age Trust; interest groups run by members for the members. This benefits those who want to learn and those who have skills they would like to share with others. In addition, monthly u3a meetings will keep members up to date, and a speaker will give a talk on topics of local, national or international interest. How can the benefits identified above be demonstrated? The benefits will be evidenced by the number of Interest Groups that are set up after the Saintfield u3a has had it’s inaugural meeting, the number of members who renew their membership after the first year and the number of new members attracted. Is there any harm arising from any of the purposes? None are foreseen. Who are the charity's beneficiaries? The charity’s beneficiaries are older people who are retired from full time work, who live in Saintfield and the surrounding district. Is there any private benefit flowing from any of the purposes? Is it incidental and necessary? There is no private benefit to Trustees flowing from the purpose of our organisation.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
Saintfield u3a will use the Third Age Trust advice and guidance to fulfil its purpose. There will be a monthly meeting when all members will be kept up to date with any news pertaining to their u3a and usually listen to a speaker organised by the Committee on a topic of interest. Often the speaker will be a u3a member with knowledge of a subject,
or an individual from another organisation who may be paid a nominal fee. It is the responsibility of the u3a Committee to ensure that speakers provide an educational element to their presentation. With the approval of the Committee, members themselves will form Interest Groups, based on their interests, with one member acting as Group Leader. Their role will be to keep their Group up to date on their meetings, maintain membership records and take responsibility for any financial transactions. Their role will be supported by a Groups Convenor on the u3a Committee who will undertake training on risk assessment, health and safety, financial probity, interpersonal matters etc, closely following the Third Age Trust policies and protocols.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
Who the charity helps
- General public
- Older people
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information