Third Age Trust

THE THIRD AGE TRUST

The Third Age Trust is the national representative body for more than 700 Universities of the Third Age which have between them over 200,000 individual members. The trust is a registered charity and also a company limited by guarantee with a National Executive Committee elected from the membership of the U3As at an Annual General Meeting, on a geographical basis. The members of the Executive fulfil the role of Trustees of the Charity and also act as a Board of Directors for the company.

The Universities of the Third Age are democratic, self-funded organizations which provide all types of educational, creative and leisure activities for older people at minimal cost, by making use of the knowledge, skills and experience of their members. Each U3A is essentially a co-operative of men and women no longer in full-time paid employment, who share common interests and a desire to learn for its own sake. No qualifications are required or awarded. The list of different subjects offered by U3As currently exceeds 300.

The principle roles of the Trust are to support the activities of existing U3As, to encourage the formation of new ones, to enable more people to enjoy the benefits of membership, to raise the level of awareness of the work of the U3As and to maintain links with educational institutions and other similar organisations, both nationally and internationally.

The Trust operates from a small National Office in Greater London and provides U3As with a comprehensive range of support services, to help with both their organisation and learning activities. These include liability insurance cover, information packs, publicity materials, U3A News, and an Annual Conference and AGM. To support the programmes in the U3As, the Trust maintains a network of subject specialists and organises subject study days, summer schools, and a system of U3A Learning Support. The Trust is funded by a small membership subscription and occasional grants from benefactors for specific projects. The Trust also runs a Resource Centre which provides U3As with a postal loan service of educational slides, videos, cd roms, dvds and distributes an educational bulletin called "Sources".

Contacts

The Third Age Trust

The Old Municipal Buildings

19 East Street

Bromley

Kent

BR1 1QH

Telephone: 020 8466 6139

e-mail: national.office@u3a.org.uk

Website: www.u3a.org.uk

What is the Third Age?

The Third Age refers to the period of time after the First Age of childhood dependence and the Second Age of full-time employment and parental responsibility. One in four of the UK population is in the Third Age

� 2008 Ross & District U3A - Registered charity number: 1022620