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The latest new groups proposed are Latin for Beginners, Line Dancing and Sign Language. See the Groups page for more details.

On Saturday 24th February 2018 38 facilitators met in the Gordon Memorial Hall, Castle Douglas. After enjoying an excellent buffet lunch provided by Kirkpatrick Catering we moved on to discuss the role of the facilitator. It was impressive to hear how committed all the facilitators are to the ethos of the U3A – enjoying coming together to learn from each other in friendly surroundings.

We covered a lot of ground including the Beacon system for managing membership, the Third Age Trust, and many practical aspects of running a group.
As a result of the meeting we will be producing user- friendly guidelines for all facilitators.
We ended by reminding ourselves of the great benefits and enjoyment to be gained from being members of the U3A. We now have 52 groups from Amateur Artists to Wine Tasting.
To quote an NHS consultant “U3A is an inspiring example of the positive experience that many older people have after they leave work”
The Stewartry U3A groups are clearly in safe hands thanks to the enthusiasm of our facilitators.

John McQuistan
Groups Coordinator

Use the contact form to learn more about becoming a Stewartry U3A member or a Group Facilitator.

14.00 Tuesday 27 February 2018
Castle Douglas Parish Church

Sir Alex Fergusson

Personal Reflections on the First 17 Years of The Scottish Parliament

Sir Alex Fergusson, Scottish Conservative politician, was a member of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 to 2016, and served as the 3rd Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2007 till 2011. He represented the Stewartry for 17 years, most recently as MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries.

Third Age Trust, our umbrella body is holding an Extraordinary General Meeting at the University of Birmingham on 21 March 2018 which will be followed a panel debate on “The Great Ageing Well Debate”. The panel are experts in life long learning, health and the arts. Any member can attend. Registration details.

Following Katherine Naylor’s talk last October the Committee agreed to use Fairtrade tea, coffee and sugar at our meetings in future. Based on the interest Katherine’s talk received we believe members will approve of this!

Two schools will be held in July and September 2018 at Harper Adams University, Newport and Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester. There is a wide range of subjects on offer including Opera, French, Cryptic Crosswords, Maths, Art Between the Wars, Musicals and writing a TV Soap!
See National Summer Schools’ Residential Study programme 2018 for details.

Book now to avoid disappointment..

West Park Conference Centre, Dundee
Tuesday 21-Thursday 23 August 2018

Summer school proposed courses include

• American History
• Genealogy for Beginners
• Hands On Craft,
• Geology and Ecology

Please see the U3A Scotland site for details

In our 10th anniversary year, and as our membership nears 300, we face new challenges.  A number of our interest groups have waiting lists and it can be harder for new members to feel involved in an organisation this size.  The committee are looking at this and would welcome your feedback on how we can do even better.  

Stewartry U3A upholds the principles of the University of the Third Age in offering members the opportunity to Live, Learn and Laugh, as the slogan says.  We strive at all times to be inclusive and open to new and different ideas. We believe our members share our respect for other people’s rights to their views and, in so doing, recognising their individuality.  Respecting other people’s dignity, treating them fairly and behaving appropriately towards them is a central tenet of Stewartry U3A’s vey being.  To this end, our existing Problem and Grievance Resolution procedure now sits alongside a Bullying, Harassment and Equal Opportunities policy.  

We hope that any member who has a problem with access, or feels that someone is not respecting them, will approach their group facilitator or a committee member to talk the matter over.  If the problem persists we will follow the steps in our policies to resolve them.

This is a call for every member to come along side and work with us to make Stewartry U3A an inclusive and effective organisation for us all.  

14.00 Tuesday 23 January 2018
Castle Douglas Parish Church

Paul Goodwin
‘War Memorials of Galloway’: the art, the men, the women and their stories

Paul Goodwin lives in Dalry and has been recording and researching the War Memorials of Dumfries and Galloway since 2006. He has discovered many forgotten and barely known memorials as well as uncovering some fascinating stories.  He is a member of the Scottish Military Research Group and is a Regional Volunteer for the War Memorials Trust.  He is currently writing a book about some of the more interesting stories he has uncovered and is researching a second book on the men listed on the War Memorials of the Glenkens.