Barn dance will celebrate a year of Bognor's U3A

Members of the town’s branch of the University of the Third Age are marking its first anniversary with a barn dance tomorrow.

The occasion will round off a successful initial 12 months for the organisation and its aims of combining interests with having fun.

Branch chairman Jill Wellman said: “Our first year has gone really well. We have just over 240 members and 35-40 interest groups on subjects which range from learning German to gardening.

“We also have meetings most months with speakers and get between 80-90 people attending.

“So, the U3A has really taken off in Bognor and it’s still growing. It shows there is a definite need for it in the town among retired and semi-retired people.”

The U3A exists to enable individuals who are not in full-time work to learn new interests or pass on their passion about subjects to others who are interested in them.

“It’s a good way to discover new subjects and to keep doing things if you are on your own, or even if you’re not. The activities are also reasonably priced,” said Mrs Wellman.

The branch will hold an open day in late October, after a successful event last autumn, to publicise its activities.

This will give members the chance to find out about sessions of which they are unaware and newcomers to find out about the branch.

Details about the birthday barn dance, to which new members are welcome, can be obtained from Mrs Wellman on 01243 553641.