Hello and Welcome to Exeter u3a

A booklet describing the first 30 years of the Exeter u3a is available for download: 30th Anniversary Booklet

Who we are

Exeter u3a is an organisation which welcomes people who have finished full time employment or raising a family to join together to learn from each other and to enjoy social activities that are of common interest. We welcome members from Exeter and the surrounding area.

We manage our u3a through our Executive Committee with the help and support of our Group Convenors and other volunteer members. You can find details of our current committee members and other significant post holders on our COMMITTEE Page along with our detailed policies. Click on our Exeter u3a Constitution here to see how we operate.

We are a registered charity and an independent member of the Third Age Trust which supplies educational and administrative support to all the u3as in the UK. Here you can read more about the Principles and Vision of the u3a and full information about the Third Age Trust can be found on the Third Age Trust web site, where you can also sign up to receive copies of the u3a national newsletters or view copies from the archive.

What we do

We usually hold general meetings on the fourth Thursday of the month which are open to all members. We invite speakers who give talks on a variety of interesting topics and we keep members up to date on developments in our u3a. There is also an opportunity for members to socialise over a cup of tea or coffee before the meeting starts.

We form interest groups where members learn about a subject from each other or engage in social activities together. To view a list of current groups click 'Groups' at the top of this page or click GROUPS here.

We have a project team who are developing links with Exeter University. The University provides lectures for us and we get invited to take part in research projects. Click EXETER UNIVERSITY LIAISON for more information.

We produce a bi-monthly Newsletter which shows details of upcoming events, reports on recent group activities, communications from the committee and lots of contact details. To keep costs as low as possible this is e-mailed to all members with access to e-mail and only printed and posted free of charge to those members without access to e-mail. The latest Newsletter can be viewed by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page but please note that contact details are excluded from this version to protect the privacy of personal data on this public website. Please use our CONTACT page if you wish to get in touch.

What it costs

Our membership year runs from 1 April and we offer Individual Memberships (which is the main bulk of our membership) or Associate Membership (for fully paid up members of other u3a). Current subscription rates are as follows:

Membership	Full Year	Half Year
Type	1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026	1 October 2025 - 31 March 2026
Individual	£25.00	£13.00
Associate	£21.00	£11.00

Membership entitles you to:

- attend the monthly meetings

- receive the Exeter u3a Newsletter

- join as many of our interest groups as you wish as long as there is space available

- receive the Third Age Matters magazine (one copy per household)

- access the Newsletter and other resources of the Third Age Trust

Our Membership Policy can be viewed by clicking on the link.

If you join a group that meets in a room that incurs a hire fee then you will be asked to pay £1.50 per person per group session attended, towards the cost of that fee (payable quarterly in arrears). Please note this extra contribution made by members towards room hire does not cover the full cost of the room hire but helps to share the cost more fairly between members who attend groups in paid for venues and those who do not.

As well as room hire costs the subscription covers the administration costs of running our u3a (printing, postage etc) and contributions to the Third Age Trust to cover central costs including insurance, the use of the Beacon database to maintain membership and financial records and postage of the Third Age Trust magazine. Groups are expected to be self-funding with all members of the group, including the convenor sharing any costs equally.

Where we meet

Our Monthly Meeting is held at The Mint Methodist Church, Fore Street, Exeter and a number of our interest groups also meet there. Other groups meet in different venues around Exeter, some paid for and some free or in members's homes. Please check individual group pages or contact group convenors for details for individual groups

How to join us

Please go to our CONTACT page to get in touch with our Membership Secretary or contact our Groups Co-ordinator if you would like to try out one or two of our groups before deciding whether to join or not.

Newsletters

Newsletters are published every 2 months. The current newsletter covers forthcoming events for April and May 2026 where you can find descriptions of recent group activities and upcoming events. A library of Newsletters from 2023 is also available.