Lancing & Sompting u3a showcase highlights 31 groups and the wide variety of interests shared under University of the Third Age umbrella

David Herson, chairman, said: "The whole idea is people with a common interest getting together and helping each other. We are very much trying to encourage a younger membership, as we are open to retired people and part-time workers. It has been my big motivational force and I feel quite strongly about it being a vibrant organisation. We are encouraging new groups all the time. I think the important thing is, like a lot of societies, things collapsed a bit during Covid but since June, we have had a bit of a rebirth. We are having a flourish post-Covid and have already seen a ten per cent growth since we started re-recruiting in June."

Lancing & Sompting u3a started about 2012 and there is currently a membership of 220, with a target of 500. The umbrella organisation has a committee of ten and members run the various locally-run interest groups. New groups include practical gardening, French for beginners and advanced French language. The French has proved particularly popular, with spaces filling up almost immediately.

Languages expert Kathy Schilbach, who runs both groups, said: "Some of the people in the beginners' group didn't do French in school, so I have to go slowly. We look at things like how to order at a cafe and how to understand a menu." The book group, which Kathy also runs, is linked with Lancing Library, which has been extremely helpful in providing enough copies of the chosen title each month.

Jenny Barnes runs the creative writing group, which meets on the third Thursday of the month at 10am.She said: "We have three or four suggested titles and I usually set a little writing exercise. We meet once a month and read our pieces out to one another and discuss them. It usually provokes a lot of talk. We managed to keep going in lockdown using email and Zoom. Nothing was going to stop us." Jenny also runs the rag rug group, where people meet on the first Thursday of the month at 10am to work on their own projects.

Terry Pashley runs the easy cycling group, which takes weekly rides on a Thursday at 10am, starting at Beach Green. He said: "I have run the group for the past eight to ten years and the number of members has always been much the same, between ten and 14. The main aim is to give the members a focus each week to get out their bikes and join a few like-minded individuals for a short ride, to include a coffee stop. As we always take into consideration the wind along the front, the direction of our ride and its destination is usually discussed and decided just before setting off. The topics discussed over coffee are for me a highlight of the morning out and have varied from conjugating Spanish verbs to holidaying in China to the progress of Brighton football team."

The u3a is currently based at St Michael's Church hall but hopes to be able to get back to Lancing Parish Hall, where it was based before the pandemic. David said: "The church hall is very nice and we are grateful but we would like to get back to the parish hall because you can get bigger numbers there." The group is planning to plant a tree in the grounds of St Michael's Church as a thank you and to celebrate 40 years of the University of the Third Age.

Tony Bellasis, a Lancing parish councillor and Adur district councillor, said ways to bring the parish hall back into community use were being looked at. It became the NHS Vaccine Hub during Covid and will be continuing the booster campaign in the autumn.