Tuesday, June 4th saw the long-awaited coach trip to Embsay, Bolton Abbey, and Skipton finally take place. The weather could have been a bit kinder as it was chilly and drizzly but we all enjoyed the day. Photos: Anne A and Pam T

On 2nd May we made Bishop Auckland u3a history as our speaker was almost 200 miles away in Prestatyn, North Wales and was using Zoom to talk to us. Chris Winner is Chair of Prestatyn u3a, has been Trustee for Wales, is on the TATTL board, and is Chair of the SiteWorks steering committee. More…

On Tuesday, 23rd January the very knowledgeable and entertaining Dr Bob Pullen came to Bishop Auckland again to talk to the S.E.T. group members. As always he kept us attentive as he described how our bodies process pain and the kind of things that can stop pain.

In July a small group of members were lucky enough to get a place on a small tour at Harrison & Harrison in Durham. This company restores and repairs organs. They had a large one in for some work and our members thoroughly enjoyed learning about the instrument.

In July 2023 a number of members made their way via car share to the Living Museum at Beamish. They made their way to the appointed meeting place and then used the Beamish transport to move to another area of the site to a meeting room. Tea/coffee and biscuits were waiting for them on arrival.…

Dr Bob Pullen delivered another of his fascinating talks on aspects of the brain.  Bob’s knowledge of his subject is impressive, and his enthusiasm is infectious.  He took us on a journey through the “old” brain, which controls automatic functions such as breathing and digestion, to the new brain (the cortex), where higher functions like…

After several attempts we finally made it to the Settle/Carlisle Railway and the Ribblehead Viaduct. We travelled by coach to Kirby Stephen railway station and by the time we arrived it was raining heavily. There had been a serious derailment up near Carlisle overnight and the train timetables on the route were being affected. We…

This museum is sited on a former coalmine.  The modern “Cutter Building”, houses the exhibitions but is surrounded by many 19th C heritage buildings. Below you will find a selection of photos from the visit. Please click on any image that interests you to see a larger photo.

Twelve members of the group visited the museum on March 3rd 2022. We started our visit outdoors where a Challenger Mark 2 battle tank is displayed. Normally this may not have stirred much interest but we had an expert within our midst by the name of Kim Hills, who is a former tank commander no…

The morning that we spent at the National Glass Centre was very quiet, meaning our members could wander at will around the exhibitions, some showcasing contemporary art glass.  The permanent display of glass making in Sunderland covered the early emergence of an industrial centre, its development and the range of companies based there, including the…