Teesdale U3A celebrates 10th anniversary

A DALE club bringing new life to those in their autumn years is marking its tenth anniversary.
The Teesdale branch of the U3A (University of the Third Age) formed with just 20 members at Cotherstone Village Hall in 2007.
A decade on, the association for retirees is now more than 360 members strong with about 25 individual groups.
Former mining technician Roger Stanyon runs the branch’s Art Appreciation Society.
The 79-year-old said: “I think it’s been very successful.
“A lot of other people think Barnard Castle hasn’t got that much but it’s a way of meeting people and there are a lot of single people here.
“There's no pressure to do anything and we’ve got all the groups you’d need.”
Julia Wright, 77, has been part of the group for more than three years.
She said: “My next door neighbour asked me if I wanted to come along after I was widowed so they brought me along – I thought it was great, so I joined.
“We have got a very friendly group and it's an very good thing – especially since we're now at The Witham – it’s made a huge difference.”
The U3A provides opportunities for retired and semi-retired people to come together and share their interests.
There are more than 900 groups across the UK and Teesdale’s branch is beginning to widen its sphere of influence.
Founder member and former chemist Barry Cook now runs the geology club with the U3A.
The 85-year-old said his section was drawing in members from as far away as Northallerton.
He added: “It’s tremendous – it gives you the chance to get into things and they become your main hobby.
“We’re one of the few branches with a geology group so we get people coming in from surrounding areas.”
Monthly talks and presentations at the U3A shifted from Jersey Farm to The Witham, in Barnard Castle, to cater for the influx of new members.
One of the newest at the branch is former accountant Maggie Salmon.
The 69-year-old moved up from Norfolk nine months ago and didn’t know anyone in Teesdale when she joined.
She said: “I’ve made a lot more close friends.
“I’ve been on really interesting gardening outings – places I would have never gone to on my own.
“It’s a big transformation to retire and have no job – you do things you wouldn’t have the time to try in your working career.”
Founding chairman George Jameson revealed how much of difference he’d seen the club make.
The 90-year-old said: “A good friend of mine had lost her husband and she reckoned that it saved her life – metaphorically speaking.”
Festivities marking Teesdale U3A’s tenth birthday will begin in the summer with a pictorial display in The Witham in June and an afternoon tea at Headlam Hall in July.
The branch is aiming to raise £1,000 to be donated to a good cause in the dale.
Raffle prizes will be up for grabs at the July event and are still being sought.
Membership to Teesdale U3A costs £15 a year with guest speakers every month.
For more information, contact Ian Reid on 01833 631304.