East Midlands U3A Region

Latest News

A proposal to dissolve the Association of East Midlands U3As and its governing body the Regional Representative Council (RRC) was put to the Association's AGM held on 19th September 2016.  More U3As were in favour than against but there was not the necessary two-thirds majority.  

The good news is that the East Midlands U3A Region and the support from the Regional Trustee continue whether or not the Association is dissolved as they.are integral parts of the national U3A structure.  The Association was formed in the region before the County Networks were established and has successfully overseen the growth of County Networks and Neighbourhood Groups to an extent that dissolution can be considered. 

A meeting of the RRC was held on 9^th November 2016 where the dissolution of the Association of East Midlands U3As and the RRC was discussed.  The Chairman and Secretaries were tasked with putting a statement to all U3As in the Region on the dissolution of the Association and RRC and a survey conducted.

Having reviewed the detailed result of the survey a resolution to dissolve was prepared for the meeting of the RRC held on 1st March 2017. The members attending that meeting unanimously agreed the resolution and the Association is to be dissolved.  Please see the News section for more information. 

About the Region

U3As are organised into Regions in England, and into countries for Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.  The East Midlands Region comprises the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Nottinghamshire.


The Region has two fundamental purposes:

1. To enable U3As to work together to help them meet their objectives (learning, recreation and companionship) – by cooperative activities usually involving discussion and sharing of experiences.

2. To ensure U3As have the opportunities to propose and vote for their representative on the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Third Age Trust.  The Regional Trustee provides a means of communication to the NEC.  Read more about the role of Regional Trustee under the Region tab.

Because of its geographical size the Region has divided itself into five County Networks of U3As (with Leicestershire and Rutland operating as one).   Find out more about the extent of the U3As and their Networks under the U3As and Networks tabs.  You might like to have a look at the websites for the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire Networks to see what they do and their latest news.

The Region and Networks are about U3As (and their members) doing things together. 

About the U3A

In the UK the U3A is a movement which provides opportunities for retired and semi-retired people to participate in learning activities both educational and recreational.  It also provides companionship.   There are over 1000 U3As in the UK with over 365,000 members and each, under the umbrella of the Third Age Trust, is independently operated. The range of activities in each one is up to the members to decide and provide.

U3As provide a wonderful opportunity for retired and semi-retired people to enrich their lives by learning new skills and developing new interests. To Learn Laugh and Live is the aim of all members. Each U3A is a “university” of people, who come together to share and pursue learning in all its forms.   It is also a member of The Third Age Trust (TAT), which is the national support and advisory body and to whose aims and guiding principles every U3A member adheres.

To learn more  about the TAT aims and guiding principles follow this link - Aims and Guiding Principles - to the TAT website.