Most of our events are group based and follow a regular pattern of meetings or activities including Bridge, Current Affairs, French, Italian, Reading, Spanish, 10-pin Bowling, and Walking Cricket (summer only). You will find more details about each of these on the respective group pages and also on the calendar. This page provides information about irregular or one-off events so please check back often to see what is new.
You will also find a calendar showing all of our u3a events and activities with a month to a view.
Forthcoming events
Yet another new one this year and another recommended by a member. The Duke of York in Fir Tree, Crook. Please book at August or September town halls. Last date […]
Cost: Each member pays for his/her own meal plus an appropriate tip
Booking Required
20th October 2026
10:30 am
Open Meeting
Doors open 10 am for registration and group information with a 10.30 meeting start. Xerxes Senta will be our speaker today talking about Parsi culture and Persian spices.
Venue: Bishop Auckland Town Hall
Cost: Free to members
Please note that this talk is Wednesday, 4th not Tuesday, 3rd. Our November speaker is Martin Roberts and he will be giving one of his garden talks about our local […]
Cost: Free to members with £2 contribution to overheads from any other u3a visitor
Booking Required
A chance to see this famous opera from Opera North.
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Cost: Ticket £66 plus coach fare
Booking Required
Instead of our usual Enterprise House meeting we have organised a trip to The Story in Durham, DH1 3TQ. Here is the weblink to The Story if you want to […]
Cost: Admission free to members. £1.50 contribution to the talk.
Booking Required
Our autumn programme continues on Friday, 13th November with a talk from Richard Annis entitled 'North Eastern Mills'. Tea/coffee and biscuits will be available as usual from 10 am and […]
Cost: Free to members
We're making a habit this year of new venues for us :). We're going to give The Foresters in Stanley Crook a go. Book at September or October town halls […]
Cost: Each member pays for his/her own meal plus an appropriate tip
Booking Required
17th November 2026
10:30 am
Open Meeting
A talk by Edward Gorringe CEO. Doors open 10 am for registration and group information with a 10.30 meeting start.
Venue: Bishop Auckland Town Hall
Cost: Free to members
Lesley Collins will talk to us about fashions in English gardens. Doors open 10 for 10.30 start.
Cost: Free to group members. £2 for other u3a members towards room hire.
Booking Required
On Friday, 11th December we have our final talk of 2026. The title is 'Greetings from the North East' and our speaker is Tom Hutchinson. Doors open at 10 am […]
Cost: Free to members
15th December 2026
10:30 am
Open Meeting
Entertainment from our own String Band. Doors open 10 am for registration and group information with a 10.30 meeting start.
Venue: Bishop Auckland Town Hall
Cost: Free to members
15th December 2026
1:30 pm
Social
Our Christmas Lunch will again be at The Green Tree 1727, 41 Tudhoe Village, Spennymoor DL16 6LE at 1.30 pm on Tuesday, 15th December. Numbers are limited as usual. Those […]
Cost: 2 Course £26 and 3 Course £31
Booking Required
Our New Year lunch and quiz last January went down very well indeed and many of you asked us to do it again next year. We had our garden group […]
Cost: Members will pay for their own food and drink with an appropriate tip.
Booking Required
Sue has booked National Trust speaker, Phil Burton, to come and talk to us about Mount Grace Priory. This will be a repeat visit for Phil as we had him […]
Cost: Free to members but a small charge to non-members
Booking Required
For March Sue has asked National Trust volunteer, Liz Finch, to come and talk to us about Wallington. Last year the Local History group kindly invited members of the Garden […]
Cost: Free to members but a small charge to non-members
Booking Required
Another brain-related talk by Dr Bob Pullen. Please see Linda at the SET table at Town Hall if you would like to put your name down to attend.
Cost: Free to members
Booking Required
A chance to see this show with Sam Ryder as Jesus.
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Cost: £60 plus coach fare
Booking Required
Pam is organising our first outing of the year that will be to the lovely Wallington gardens near Cambo, Morpeth. We visited in autumn some time ago but this spring […]
Cost: TBA but likely to be about £23-£24 plus coach cost
Booking Required
Billed as a Valentine to the power of love this theatre trip is a tribute to dance.
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Cost: Ticket £49 plus coach fare
Booking Required
Pam is organising our second outing of 2027 that will be a private visit to Langton Farm at Great Langton, not far from Northallerton, owned by Annabel and Richard Fife. […]
Cost: TBA plus car-share
Booking Required
Another chance to see this acclaimed musical.
Venue: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
Cost: Ticket £46 plus coach fare
Booking Required
19th May 2027
9:00 am
Study Day
There will be another Regional Festival at Ushaw historic House and Gardens on Wednesday, 19th May 2027. The event in May 2026 was a resounding success. Tickets sold quickly and […]
Cost: TBA
Booking Required
On Wednesday, 16th June, Mary has organised a coach trip to Jervaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire. This is not a public open visit but we shall be sharing the event […]
Cost: TBC but likely to be £10 admission plus about £24 coach fare.
Booking Required
Mary is working on a trip to Mount Grace Priory around July 2027 as a follow-on to the March National Trust speaker talk. This is not a full day so […]
Cost: TBA
Booking Required
Norman will be organising an outing to Old Durham Gardens in August 2027. One part of the garden has limited opening times so our visit could very well be on […]
Cost: TBA
Booking Required
Pam will organise our final coach trip of the year that will be to the Autumn Flower Show that is held at Newby Hall each autumn. Ticket prices will not […]
Cost: TBA but likely about £25 pp plus coach cost
Booking Required
On Tuesday, 5th October 2027 we shall hold our annual planning meeting. Doors open at 9.30 for a 10 am start with a view to having the room cleared by […]
Cost: Free to members
Booking Required
Sue and Eileen are collaborating to get a speaker from Ushaw to come and talk to us about the lovely gardens there.
Cost: Free to members but a small charge to non-members
Booking Required
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