Ian Scott, chair of the Rye branch of the u3a (University of the 3rd Age) met one of his neighbours recently who had moved to Rye and she told him: “I moved to the town last summer to be nearer the family having lost my husband in 2016. Initially I felt lonely, even though my daughter was near, and I thought I had made a mistake. I missed my house, garden and friends, though brought my cat. Some find it difficult to make friends and I hope my experience helps others to make contacts locally.
“I am a social person so joined various things, one of which was the local u3a at a Monday meeting when they usually have a speaker on various interesting subjects. The first two people I met happened to live on my road so that was encouraging. Since then I have joined several of the u3a activity groups that interested me and have made friends in the town. Everyone has been welcoming and friendly.
“The u3a groups meet mostly in homes or a village hall and the leaders of the groups give generously of their time. There are also outdoor meetings for walking and birdwatching, as well as arts, games and crafts. I believe there are 24 different activities, so something surely for everyone. Anybody who has moved recently into this area or just retired, I would recommend joining the local u3a.
“Although the U stands for University, don’t let that put you off. There are no exams or lectures and it is not at all ‘highbrow’. It’s just likeminded people meeting to share interests, tea or coffee with cake and sometimes a glass of wine.
“I belonged to the u3a where I lived but Covid took its toll and all the groups ended. But now we can meet again face to face, our local u3a is picking up after all the restrictions. So please don’t sit at home alone, missing seeing people and making friends.”
You can ‘dip a toe’ in the water by attending one of the Rye and District u3a monthly meetings and decide. Or contact the Membership (very reasonable) Secretary for more information. Gill Scott – 01797 226 732, u3aryesecretary@gmail.com
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird , Texas Eagle https://www.flickr.com/photos/texaseagle/7110981609/sizes/l CC BY-NC 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/.