The u3a is a nationwide self-help organisation that brings together people who share creative, social and learning opportunities within their local community with strapline of Learn-Laugh-Live.

The u3a is a membership organisation and is open to any individual who is no longer working full-time, is in their ‘Third Age’ and have a passion for life-long learning. You don’t need any qualification to join and there are no exams or certificates. You can also join more than one u3a as sometimes areas overlap and you may find different interest groups set up.

The Founding Principles of the u3a as a whole are just as relevant today as they were when they were first introduced. They can be viewed by downloading from the link below which has been taken from the 'Learning not Lonely' report on the national u3a website.

Please click the link to see the Benefits of Buxton u3a membership.

We were founded in 1996 and have currently about 500 members and various interest groups. Have a look on the Groups tab and see if there is anything that attracts you or browse our leaflet . You can attend two group sessions for free as a 'taster'. We welcome interest from members wanting to start a new group and our Group leader liaison can be contacted for advice. In addition to interest groups we offer events such as Charabanc outings and hold a general meeting every second Monday of the month with a variety of speakers covering varied interesting topics; see Events tab. If you miss one, you can catch up by clicking on Reviews of the Talks for a write-up by Janette Sykes.

Group members support each other to learn. We do not provide certified teaching and training

Go to the how to join page for more information. We will be delighted to welcome you.

You can choose to receive the quarterly magazine 'Third Age Matters' by post when you join. If you change your mind, contact the Membership Secretary (see table below) to stop or start it.

You will receive a notice to renew your membership one month before it is due.

We will take all reasonable steps to ensure that existing and potential members with impaired mobility, hearing or vision can participate as fully as possible in both general meetings and interest/activity groups. Members who cannot manage to participate in their chosen u3a activities without help may bring a companion/carer with them, who doesn't need to be a member and for the time that they are in attendance, will be covered by the liability insurance provided by The Third Age Trust. (The only exception to this is a professionally employed carer who would have to be covered by an individual liability policy). Unless it is a registered assistance dog you must ask the Group leader and group members for permission to bring it, for example walking groups may not accept dogs due to accessing farm land and styles.

The magazine 'Third Age Matters' is available on the Third Age Trust website in screen reader format at https://www.u3a.org.uk/news/u3a-matters/screen-reader-editions

If you have no internet access, it is worth pairing up with an ‘e-buddy’; a friend or family member that is able to show you our website. You can always ask your group leader to show you our web pages too!

We have an Events page, a News page and Facebook page. On the welcome page you will see a list of this month's notices. The Third Age Trust also has regular newsletters to which you can subscribe.

*The events page is a diary of u3a activities which may be of interest. These include monthly meetings, new member get-togethers and Coffee and chat.

*The news page contains the monthly News Bulletins written by the chair with the most recent at the top. Each month you will be sent an email reminder that the bulletin is available to read. On this page you will also find news that might be of interest outside of our u3a.

*Our Facebook page is our events hub showing past, present and future events.

Direct communication with you

Group leaders will make announcements to their group members via email, this way your contact details remain safe. You may also choose to join their WhatsApp group if they have one.