Leisure

What do we do?

We are a friendly social group bonding over a radio programme that’s been woven into British culture for over 70 years and continues in popularity.

There is an abundance of contemporary and relevant topics to discuss in a coffee morning format.  We laugh, speculate where plot lines are going and spot new themes early.

We reminisce about the comfort given when we listened from abroad or from a topic that has touched our own lives.

The group is now full.  A waiting list will be maintained.

What do we do?

The group is only suitable for those people who have some experience of the game. There is no formal teaching but the sessions take the form of Duplicate Bridge and are supported by Chris Park as our tutor.

We are a friendly mixed ability group with about 24 people attending each week. We can accommodate a few more people and there is no need to bring a partner as everyone will get a game. Hand sanitiser is available on entry and face masks are optional.

There is no charge but members are encouraged to buy a drink from The Apex Coffee Shop.

The Group is currently full, if you would like to go on the waiting list please contact the Group Leader.
Alternatively, waiting list members could start a second Bridge Group – please fill in the form, section 1  https://www.u3aburystedmunds.co.uk/joining-a-group/

What do we do?

Canasta originated in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1939.

Initially, you make melds of 3 cards of the same value which you build on to make a Canasta (7 cards). Cards have different values according to their face value. The purpose of the game is to reach 5,000 points. The more points you score, the more card values you need to put in an initial meld – in other words, you are handicapped. This is what makes the game interesting.

I have a copy of the Canasta card game that we would follow because I know that there are several different ways to play.

Beginners and new members are always welcome.

What do we do?

The chess group is for people of all abilities; from absolute beginners to Russian 12 year olds!
We’re a friendly bunch who don’t take chess too seriously. Instruction/guidance provided if required.
Boards and pieces provided. No fees.
Why not come along and check us out? Just turn up if that suits you.

What do we do?

Meet up, have a coffee, play several hands of crib (cards and boards provided), have lunch and then go home.
Games can comprise of 2, 3 or 4 players.

We are a convivial group of people who enjoy playing Crib, with life stories to tell/ exchange.
The morning starts with coffee before playing groups sort themselves out, arranging in tables of 3 or 4 players.
Play is much fun and very lively, interrupted only by ample lunch served in quality and quantity.
Never had a dull session yet.

This group is now full. If you would like to be added to the waiting list please email the Group Leader.

What do we do?

An oversubscription of this popular interest group triggered the creation of this new Cribbage: Tuesday group.

We meet in the same venue and follow a similar format.  organising into groups of 2,3 or 4 to play rounds of cribbage over good food with friendly people.  Boards are provided.  All are welcome whether novice or veteran. The group is currently fully subscribed, please contact the group organiser to be added to a waiting list.

What do we do?

We are a group exploring and developing our skills in Cryptic Crosswords. Solving abilities in the group range from the novice to more experienced solvers. Each month we cover:

• A briefing on and then practice at cryptic clues of Clue Type of the Month. We have been following the sequence of the U3A Cryptic Crossword subject adviser Henry Howarth’s online course and book Learn How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords: A Course for Beginners and have now completed our tour of the main types of clue. Tutorial and practice material we collect is available to all members.
• Solving/reviewing a  set of Cryptic Crosswords of the Month together. A link to them is sent a few weeks beforehand so members can have a go on their own before the meeting. These in difficulty from the Guardian Quick Cryptic series, through the Times Quick Cryptics to Mainstream 15×15 puzzles.
• Tackling a selection of Clues of the Month collected from recently published crosswords.
• Practice at setting clues with three Words of the Month.

The group is led by John Moody, an experienced cryptic crossword solver, blogger and compiler. John is a Times Crossword Championship semi-finalist, leader of the crossword blogging site Times for The Times and founding compiler and editor of the Weekend Quick Cryptic Crossword series. New members of any level of solving ability are always welcome.

Please contact the group organiser if you would like to join us.

What do we do?

This is a very sociable group which meets every month.

Ordinarily, you work in a small team. No prizes. No losers. Just light-hearted sociable fun with 10 rounds of quickfire questions and answers.

98% of all questions are answered by someone so don’t be shy; come and check us out.

If you’ve got the answers to most of the questions and you’ve had fun then I’ve done my job.

The quiz format has been changed somewhat, so you should see some improvements, it’s still all fairly light-hearted fun!

Please be sure to allow time to buy a drink before we start at 10am.

What do we do?

We are a group of people who enjoy socialising and eating!

We meet on the 4^th Tuesday of each month at 12.00 at a previously agreed venue for lunch. The venue for the following meeting is decided by those present giving everyone a chance to participate and introduce us to new places. It is planned that venues will be in Bury and surrounding areas not too far out of town.

The group is not yet full so why not come along? Contact the group organiser for details of the next meeting.

What do we do?

A five-week introductory course followed by play and further instruction.

Preferred minimum number four players and maximum number eight players.

Any member of the u3a is welcome to attend subject to the above restrictions.

What do we do?

Open to all levels of experience. The desire to improve your photography skills could range from the desire to capture memories through to learning more artistic or creative techniques.

Are you interested to learn along side each other or have an interest in a particular form of photography, whether it be for your holiday snaps, or landscape, portrait, family occasions, animals, pets, wildlife, insects, buildings, objects, flowers, street, sport, black & white, macro, or just to feel more confident taking photos?

Come along regardless of the type of camera you have whether it is on your mobile phone, instant, bridge or SLR camera.

There is no expectation that anyone is an expert who has to teach the others, the philosophy behind u3a is that we learn from each other – and preferably have fun too.

Each month a photo theme and technical topic selection will be based as far as possible on members’ suggestions. For example: Shutter speed as technical topic and photo theme ‘fill the frame with colour’

Our aim is to be an inclusive group and encourage shared learning.
New members with any level of experience are welcome and should contact Mary Proctor.

Browse through a selection of our member’s photos here member’s photos

What do we do?

There’s not really any organising to do. We turn up with our boards and word books and get on with it!

What do we do?

*Please note the group is closing at the end of 2024*

Click here to see a statement from the group leader.

At our monthly meetings, members, and sometimes outside speakers, share their travel experiences with the rest of the Group by means of illustrated talks.

Each year we arrange a group visit, travelling together by coach, to a UK city where we stay in a hotel for a few days and explore the special places of interest nearby.

We also arrange day visits to local places of interest in the East Anglia area. Members join together for foreign travel.

This is quite a big Group but we try always to welcome new members and there are plenty of opportunities for people to take part in helping with the Group.

New members welcome.

Note: to contact the group leader, Frances, her email has an “underscore” between her first and surname: frances_lewis
If you move your mouse to hover over her email, then click, it will automatically copy and open in your email-app.

What do we do?

The u3a Wine Appreciation Society has now been running for 10 years.

Our objective is to take a not too serious look at the world of wine by keeping up to date with all new trends and products available on the market; discussing Grape varieties and new trends often with blind tastings.

The group now has considerable experience in buying and tasting and all members are welcome to front a session should they wish.

We normally taste and discuss 7 – 9 wines and conduct regular “blind” tastings all of which are a lot of fun.

Membership needs to be restricted to 30. The group is at present oversubscribed and there is a waiting list. Inquiries from new members would always be welcome. Please contact me directly, Bob.

Tasting glasses and tasting sheets are provided. A kitchen is available for the supply of water.

All costs are shared and the average “fee” will be £12 per head, this covers the cost of wines and of course the room hire and parking charge, this is presided over by our treasurer working in conjunction with the u3a in Bury.

In the past, we have organised a group visit to a local vineyard and this is something we hope to repeat.

Future plans hope to include Food, Cheese, and Wine pairings.

Membership needs to be restricted to 30. The group is at present oversubscribed and there is a waiting list. Inquiries from new members would always be welcome. Please contact me directly, Bob.

Read about our latest tasting and evaluation session here

What do we do?

Due to popular demand a second Wine Appreciation Interest Group has started.

This group is now full. Please contact the group organiser if you’d like to be added to the waiting list. Plus you can use the form to express interest in joining a new group of the same subject, click here  and complete the form (Option 1) and select the option “Wine Appreciation” from the list.

We have capped the group at 12-13 to allow everyone to be involved and contribute in the discussions during the tastings.

We sample wines from the primary styles of wine to the more unusual from the top wine producing countries to the lesser known from around the world.

We sample 6-7 wines each month. We take turns to volunteer (if they want) to research and bring the wine one month and guidance on groups of wine to sample can be provided.

All costs are shared, and we each pay £12 per head covering the cost of wines.