Ballymena u3a

Welcome

What is u3a?

It is a co-operative of mainly older people which enables members to share educational, creative and leisure activities. The ethos of u3a is that it is run by the members for the members. Each local u3a group operates independently within national guidelines. Anyone in the Third Age can join the u3a provided they are no longer in full time employment. It exists solely to provide enjoyment and interesting activities for and by its members. There are currently over 1000 u3a's in the UK with over 300,000 members, around 8000 of whom are in 24 groups in Northern Ireland. Ballymena u3a currently has about 180 members.

If you are interested in becoming a member please come along to one of our monthly meetings and see if u3a is for you. These are normally held on the first Thursday of each month at 11am in the ECOS Hub, Ballymena (Kernohan's Lane, BT43 7QA).

Tea/coffee is available from The Secret Garden Café, before the main meeting. Since the café staff will be serving both u3a members and other customers you should arrive with plenty of time to relax and chat with friends. The speaker's presentation will be followed by a short discussion about activities and other events.

How to Join

Please email u3aballymena19@gmail.com if you would like to join our group. We will send you an application form.

The annual fee is £15.00, valid until 28th February 2026. For this you will be entitled to participate in all, or any, of the Ballymena u3a activities – some are free while others charge a small fee to cover expenses.  Each year 5 or 6 copies of the u3a magazine, “Third Age Matters", will be delivered to your address.  You will have access to inter-u3a events such as Bridge, the Summer School, quizzes etc.  Best of all you will meet a new circle of friends.