Jean’s story: Retirement and new beginnings

When approaching retirement, clients often wonder, sometimes with a sense of trepidation, how they will fill their time. Meet our inspiring client, Jean. Jean is one of life’s doers, who unsurprisingly met this quandary head-on and kindly shares her experience.

As retirement approached, Jean discovered the u3a. There she met like-minded people, learned new skills and formed meaningful friendships.

In this article, Jean shares her journey with u3a and how it has transformed her retirement into an exciting and fulfilling chapter of her life.

When I decided to retire from full time employment, I was a little apprehensive about how I would fill my time, but more importantly, how I would find new social interactions in my local area. I was aware of u3a but had not joined and didn’t know what groups were on offer in my area.

The first time I heard the name u3a it was from a work colleague who was getting close to retirement. I asked her, what she planned to do with all the extra time she would have. She said, ‘I’m going to get more involved with my u3a. I immediately thought she was going to go back to studying. She then explained what u3a is. It’s a national organisation with over 1000 regional networks in the UK. No exams are involved!

We have an annual open day here, where anyone can come along to find out more about the groups running from members who attend those groups. I think this will happen in most areas. There is also information online listing the groups running in each u3a. Once a member, you can also join other groups in neighbouring towns, if you wish.

It is open to everyone who’s not working full-time. Local networks are run by volunteers and most small and large towns will have an active u3a offering a wide range of activities which are run by members sharing their knowledge and experiences.

The first groups I joined were, two walking groups, table tennis, Scottish country dancing and Rummikub. I have recently joined a quiz group which meets in the evening at a local pub. Groups normally meet twice a month but there are no hard and fast rules.

Once you sign up to a group there is no requirement that you have to attend every time the group meets – you go along when you are free. Through u3a I have met many different people, made new friends and learnt new skills. Now that I’m living on my own, it is lovely to walk into town and nearly always meet someone I know, even if its just to say ‘hello, how are you’. It also provides a structure to my week, which when you stop working can be quite an adjustment. I’m spending time with like minded people, staying active both mentally and physically, and having fun.

Meeting other local people also means you find out about other events/activities going on in your area that you may not have been aware of. My favourite group at the moment, is Scottish country dancing. We meet twice a month and our teacher is a retired teacher who taught Scottish country dancing to school children in Scotland. We have so much fun, with everyone sometimes forgetting what comes next, even our teacher! We often end up in fits of laughter – the best medicine there is.

To find out more about u3a, just google it to find your nearest one and discover what groups are available. Contact details for the membership secretary should be listed and once you have joined just sign up to a group. You’ll be able to contact the leader of the group to find out more. You don’t have to commit if you find the group is not for you, just try a different one. I have found all the groups that I’m a member, to be very welcoming and always enthusiastic to have a new recruit.

Each u3a creates its own groups in response to the demand from local members. A small annual fee is paid once you are a member, normally around £15-£20. In my small market town there are more than 600 members and over 50 active groups. These range from local history, future issues, to canasta and Tai Chi.

Any member can suggest a new group and if there is sufficient interest, someone to lead, it will be set up. The parent organisation also offers a range of online activities.