As you know, this year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Buxton & District u3a! From our humble beginnings in 1996—starting with just a handful of members and 5 original groups—we have grown into a thriving community.
Still to come
Creative Arts and Leisure Show (CALS)
What is CALS?
Wednesday 7th October Palace Hotel Ballroom 11am to 4pm
Discover Buxton u3a: Connect, Learn & Explore!
Looking to stay active, pursue new interests, and meet like-minded local people? Whether you are already a member or curious to see what Buxton u3a is all about, join us for our upcoming showcase!
What’s On Offer:
- For Current Members: Explore the incredible variety of activities, projects, and talents thriving across our different group showcase tables. Discover a new group to join or get inspired by what fellow members are doing!
- For the Buxton Community: Our doors are open to everyone! Come and discover who we are, what we do, and how our vibrant, member-led community brings learning and social connection to life.
- Interactive Workshops: Get involved on the day! Take part in hands-on workshops led by our group leaders throughout the day!
Come along, try something new, and see where your curiosity takes you.
Free Admission • All Welcome
Have a go workshops available throughout the day
Bookable workshops (limited places) please use the link to book a place.
All day - Make a vintage pin cushion
Drop in any time during the day to make a vintage pin cushion. Using traditional hand sewing skills and vintage cotton reels, you could walk away with a delightful vintage pin cushion.
11am - 12.15pm - Greeting Cards for Beginners
Drop in to discover the simple joy of handmade greetings cards in our beginner-friendly workshop! We’ll cover essential techniques, and fun embellishments to make greeting cards for all occasions.
12.30pm - 1.45pm (10 places available)
In this workshop you’ll be creating designs by recycling a variety of scrap papers and trying out simple painting techniques to develop colourful patterned pieces of work. No experience needed, just have a go!
11am - 1pm and 1.30pm - 3.30pm (20 places available morning and afternoon)
Discover the traditional art of button making with a modern, creative twist! Whether you are an experienced crafter or completely new to thread crafts, this friendly hands-on session is a wonderful way to learn a historic skill and take home a unique piece of artwork.
2pm - 3.15pm - Zentangle Art
Drop in to try this easy to learn and mindful way to create art using abstract images and repetitive patterns known as tangles.
Previous Events
Happy Feet and Cooling Drinks at our Barn Dance
On Thursday 25th June, the Buxton & District u3a celebrated a massive milestone—our 30th Anniversary—with a fantastic Barn Dance at Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Hall.
It certainly was a scorching summer day, but the heat didn't stop us! We were treated to wonderful entertainment provided by the brilliant duo, Graeme and Gill. Graeme kept the energy high with a perfect mix of traditional and modern tunes, while Gill expertly called the dance instructions, ensuring everyone could join in the fun.
Because of the glorious sunshine, we made sure to take frequent, well-deserved breaks to cool down with juice, tea, and plenty of biscuits.
A Journey Through the Dances
Our dancers tackled a wonderful variety of styles throughout the event, including:
- Traditional Barn Dances: Classic favourites like the St. Bernard’s Waltz, the Gay Gordons, and (of course!) a lively Barn Dance.
- Country & Ceilidh: Beautiful traditional routines that had the whole room moving.
- Line Dancing: A crowd-pleasing performance of the Cowboy Charleston.
A True Community Celebration
The afternoon was made even more special by the crowd. Alongside our wonderful u3a members, we were absolutely delighted to welcome family members, old friends, and new faces alike.
Thank you to everyone who came along, raised a glass (or a teacup!), and danced the afternoon away to help us mark 30 fantastic years of the Buxton & District u3a.
A wonderful retro Beetle Drive
What a fun Thursday afternoon we had, as we transported ourselves back to being young teenagers again playing Beetle. Malcolm, our Mad Beetle Man, his antennae trained to listen into all our questions, told us how to play, how to score and blew his referee whistle for us to start and then long and sharp blast from his whistle telling us to stop as a team had a completed beetle.
Would we ever get a six on the dice to start drawing our beetle’s body, then quickly we added the head, 2 eyes and 2 antennae and shaking the dice rapidly to get a tail and those 6 legs before shouting Beetle loudly for everyone to stop.
No time to scrabble on the floor for a pen while shaking the dice! Just shake the dice! It’s all fast and furious with the noise levels rising of shouts of joy and despair at not getting that 6 for the body!
Jane and Mary were the winners narrowly betting Mary and Andrew by 1 point.
At half time we had a fabulous finger buffet organised by the Anniversary Committee.
A huge thank you to the 30th Anniversary Committee and all the helpers for giving everyone such a fun retro afternoon, and especially Malcolm our Mad Beetle Man tuning in with his antennae.
Buxton & District u3a Celebrates 30 Years with a Miniature Masterpiece
“With model railways, you’ve got to look at it as an art form… It’s not just about the train, it’s about the scenery that train is running through, getting the proportions perfect.”
Alf Fantham,
Chairman of The Warley Model Railway Club.
In honour of the B&D u3a’s 30th Anniversary, the Model Railway Group opened its doors on Tuesday 10th February, offering members an exclusive look at their incredible layout in full operation.
Visitors arrived throughout the day, many standing in awe of the intricate detail and technical skill on display. Members of the group were on hand to provide live demonstrations of various locomotives and answer technical questions from an inspired audience.
This philosophy was clearly evident in the B&D layout, where the seamless blend of engineering and artistry created a truly immersive "three-dimensional picture."