Many of us associate September with the start of a new academic year. U3a is a national movement which supports people in their ‘third age’ to continue their learning and interests in an informal environment, and we have a thriving local group.

Hassocks, Hurst and Ditchling u3a now has 357 members, exceeding pre-Covid levels. This great local organisation is open to anyone who is not working full-time, costs very little with an annual fee of £15, and offers great opportunities to ‘learn, laugh, live’! The local branch offers a wide range of subjects and activities.

Future Lives shares information and resources to inspire, influence and inform members about how we can improve our future lives by discussing and learning about relevant subjects. The new and very popular Men’s Meeting group meets on the second Monday of the month. The first meeting was a lunch in The Hassocks Hotel dining area. Local Outings enables members to contact others with similar interests to arrange outings or trips together, for example, art, films, live performances, places of interest, and music.
So far, members have attended events at the Ditchling Players, the Brighton Dome and the Brighton Fringe Spiegeltent, with upcoming events planned at Adastra Hall and The Old Market in Hove.

In the Board Games group, members learn and play games brought along by the group leader and members. This group meets monthly at The Purple Carrot café in Hassocks. The Russian Studies group reads and discusses Russian literature and culture. All you need is an interest in Russian culture, broadly defined, as the group works with translated materials. These are just a handful of our 40+ interest groups. We also have an open monthly meeting where all are welcome. To find out more visit www.u3asites.org.uk/hhd, or email: hhdu3amem@ gmail.com.