Art for Pleasure is a relaxed friendly meeting for anyone who is interested in coming together to paint and draw using a variety of suitable materials. We improve our skills and knowledge through discussion, books, handouts etc.

Each meeting has a ‘theme’ which members can interpret in their own way.

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

New members are very welcome
The group is suitable all levels of ability
The ‘themes’ are merely to provide some ideas
Members ideas and input is valued
Please contact me if you need more information or wish to join our group.

Bumblebees are in decline and conservation efforts  can be supported and enhanced by understanding the populations and distribution of the various species.  The Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT) has developed a national surveying process which we plan to join.  This will involve a small group undertaking a self-selected monthly walk of a set route and identifying and recording all the bumblebees we see.

We are especially lucky that the Thames Gateway is home to two rare species, the 'Brown-banded' and 'Shrill' carder bees, both of which have been seen on Two Tree Island.

We'll arrange for members to be given training to help you identify the bees you see.

If you want to be part of this exciting piece of work, have the chance to learn more about bees plus get a little bit of exercise each month or if you just want to learn a little more about what's involved, then please contact Richard using the button above.

We are a small friendly group and we like to read a variety of books, ranging from classics to biographies to thrillers -- in fact anything goes! We take it in turns to come up with a list of books and decide between us which one we are going to read next, which seems to work well.

Why play Bridge? Well in the words of the novelist W. Somerset Maugham “Bridge is the most entertaining and intelligent card game the wit of man has so far devised”.

As a social game, bridge is unparalleled and a great way to meet new people. Bridge is good for the mind – a mental workout that stimulates both halves of the brain in equal measure. Playing bridge develops both logical and lateral thinking, it helps short and long term memory among many benefits.

At the start of 2018, we were able to get a Bridge for Beginners group underway. After two years of learning and playing, the group acknowledge they are far from complete but decided they are no longer beginners so a name change to "Bridge for Improvers" might better describe where they are.  If you want to join please contact the Group Leader to check level reached and see if it might fit with your standard of play.  Beginners are also welcomed.

Leigh Estuary U3A Canasta Group has been going strong since November 2017 and meet at a members home on the first Thursday of the month. We have 12 members and we usually get 8-12 members attending. It is a very friendly group and although we did start with 2 or three beginners and a few who hadn't played for some time, everyone is of a reasonable ability now.

Bearing in mind that usually Canasta is played in fours, we do sometimes have to adapt to three-handed Canasta!

Of course we do have varying rules of Canasta within the group which is interesting but we ask that everyone plays the same as the majority and the people we have taught.

Already play canasta and looking to improve then contact me using button above to see if spaces.

VISITING ESSEX CHURCHES GROUP

This group is for people who are interested in church architecture, history and comparative religions. Members share organising the visits to places of worship. The group has visited many Essex churches of a variety of Christian denominations. We have also visited two synagogues, a mosque and a Sikh gurdwara along with Hindu and Buddhist temples.

Meetings having been put on hold over the period of Lockdown are recommencing on Wednesday 10th November at 10:00am at the Community Centre, room 3.

We have decided to change our group name from vigorous walking to Country Walks as this better reflects what we do.

Apart from the name change everything else remains the same.

Click on News & Events above for details of our walks.

This group has proved very popular with members wanting to get out and exercise and although the group is currently full with some 50 members, if you are interested please let Dave know using the button above and he will add your name to the waiting list.  Then again, maybe time to start another walking group - if you want to get another group going do shout.

The Craft Group is a very friendly, informal group which welcomes members with an interest in any craft, whatever their level of ability.

In keeping with the spirit of the U3A, we are all willing to share our skills with each other. Although we generally work on our own individual projects, which include knitting, crochet, quilting, card making, embroidery etc, we also, on occasion, try a new skill as a group, led by one of our own members. Member-led sessions to date have covered Chicken Scratch, Quilting, Iris Folding, Gift bags and boxes.

We meet at Leigh Community Centre, from 1.45 - 3.45 pm on the second Tuesday of the month. To enjoy a sociable afternoon and maybe feel inspired to try a new skill, please contact the Group Organisers via  the link above.

Good News, whilst it is early days, Richard has come forward to take on the running of this group.  If you are interested then please make contact with Richard for more details.  You can contact Richard on rimoco1945@gmail.com.  If you tried to contact Richard previously, it seems the link was not working so please make contact using his email address.

Richard tells us - "I took a Creative Writing course 3 or 4 years ago. I enjoyed it and recently rediscovered most of my notes.  I am happy to start a new group but once it’s up and running I will cede control should a more suitable candidate emerge."   Richard J H Moore  

The Cryptic Crossword group aims to support members to improve their skills at completing Cryptic Crossword clues (i.e. those which are not just straight definitions).
Both those with existing skills and those who want to learn how to do crosswords of this type are welcome to join the group.

Group members bring along crosswords they are working on and blank crossword grids are provided for those who are beginning to learn.

More experienced members of the group support new learners.

We also have general discussion on the different types of clues and how they can be solved
Members are invited to nominate a Clue of the Month which they have found particularly clever, challenging or amusing!

The venue for the meetings is generally at cafes in the Leigh area. At present it is at the TruLeigh Scrumptious, (opposite Leigh Library), Broadway West.

Your Group Contact will e-mail members each month to confirm the meeting date and venue.

Please check with Pat before attending.

The title says it all!

The group will enjoy bi-monthly(ish) visits to interesting venues using scheduled coach trips from local coach companies. Destinations will be within approximately two hours journey time.

I will be using Cooks Coaches for transport on all excursions, all their vehicles are air conditioned with a toilet. The pick-up points will be Chalkwell, Leigh Elms and Thames Drive, although if sufficient demand for other pick-ups these could be added.

I will also be using two companies with guides, Greatdays (www.greatdays.co.uk) and City and Village Tours (www.cityandvillagetours.com). Both companies have very good websites, so do take a look.

Please note: Payment arrangements:  I will be taking a non-refundable deposit of £5 per person at the time of booking, with the balance being due about six weeks before departure.  I will also limit each trip to a maximum of 40 people, and I will only do about six trips a year

Although the group is full, I do keep a waiting list and in the event numbers are down on any trip I do make contact to try and ensure our coach is full.  So if interested in Days Out then please do make contact using the link above.

The Mansion

This second Sunday Lunch group got off to a start with lunch at the Southchurch Park Dining Rooms.  Some wonderful home cooking that was enjoyed by everyone.  Plans for 2020 were also discussed and organised.

February's lunch will be on Sunday 16th February at The Trading Rooms pub on corner of Crowstone Road and London Road for 12:30.  Contact Trevor for more details.

This group does exactly what it says so if you want to enjoy lunch on a Sunday along with friends then please contact Trevor who will keep you informed of where and when.

Discovering Essex does what it says on the tin. We are a group keen to learn about the people and places of our County by visiting or, very occasionally, having a speaker. Essex, despite its reputation, is rich in history from the dawn of time right up until yesterday, and we intend to discover some of it.

One month there might be a guided tour of a historical building. On another, a trip on an ancient vessel or we might see someone practising an old Essex skill or craft.

We all take turns suggesting and organising an event of interest which means there is something for everyone and we all enjoy ourselves whilst continuing to feed our brains a little  (and usually, satisfying our bodies, too!).

Richard Lytheer is stepping down. Thus a new group leader is required. If you would like to take this popular group over, there are many ready-made ideas from previous trips mentioned on this webpage. The trip to Cudmore Grove CP in East Mersea 2022 was our last trip.

If you are interested in the role, please contact Richard Lytheer via Contact Us or Sally Dickinson, Groups coordinator.

It would be a shame to see this group close.

Here is a list of our previous trips...     Previous trips_20211209

Members of the group are now organising the sessions. Our objectives are explore and discuss people and their occupations, history events and locations that make up the area East of London. We do not restrict ourselves by looking at London’s East End only but will be exploring South East and North East districts as well as London’s sprawl into Essex.

This group is for everyone who is interested in family history matters in all its many facets. It is not solely for research into ancestry but covers any matter which is related, however loosely, to family history generally.

If you have a family history matter/mystery that you would like the group to research for you please get in touch with the group contact mentioned above. Derek will be able to indicate what may be possible and talk to you about what information you already have or need to find to enable the research to commence.

Fashion comes quite high on the list of interests of lots of women, with this in mind we could see the need for another group dedicated to inspiring and furthering our knowledge. Meetings are taking place on the 4th Friday of every month. Alternate months 'AT HOME', an hostess from the group members at 2.30 pm to discuss future events. The other alternate months we will endeavour to have an' AWAYDAY' to anything fashion related that catches our eye.

This promises to be a valuable and informative time for us which will hopefully enable us all to make the most of ourselves and not fall into the trap of 'looking old'.

If interested in finding our more about any of our planned trips then please contact Heather using link above.

• Mary Quant at the V&A Museum date to be confirmed
• ‘Out of the Blue’: 50 Years of Designers' Guild £15.50 or less if 9+ members attend – Wednesday April 5^th 
• 10^th June meeting at Jenny’s house.  Contact me for address.
• We are planning a "Behind the Seams" Tour in June/July to see what goes on and how they create those wonderful outfits for Strictly Come Dancing.  If interested then contact Heather using button above to check on availability etc.

For details of past trips please see our News & Events page

The group's initial meeting was on the 17th October 2019 and is being well supported.

The group mainly comprises members who have no previous experience of the guitar although a few have been playing for many years.

The intention is to gradually learn the basics of playing melodies and simple chords to reach a reasonable standard and have fun doing it. There are a few spaces available so, if you are interested, please contact Jim using the above "contact me" link for further details.