The University of the Third Age, as it was originally known, which originated in France in 1972, came to the UK in 1982 and there are now over 1,050 local branches with 444,000 members around the country, of which Parbold, Newburgh & District is still one of the younger.

The u3a, the name-style we are now known by, exists to bring together retired and semi-retired people in a friendly setting (like a youth club for older people!) to help increase our knowledge by sharing our interests and talents with each other and to stimulate our minds and bodies by remaining active and therefore, hopefully, healthy. More information can be found on the National u3a website.