Evesham community group celebrating 20th anniversary.

One of the leading community groups in Evesham is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

The town’s u3a was founded on November 1, 2001 and will celebrate the milestone birthday by hosting its first open day in nearly two years.

The event will the place on Wednesday, November 3, at All Saints Church from 12:30pm to 3:30pm an will showcase all the group has to offer to both the public, as well as members old and new.

Deborah Andrews, chair of Evesham u3a, said: “How wonderful to find some of the inspired founder members are still members today. Those little acorns have grown into a mighty oak. Even a pandemic couldn’t keep us down.

“We come to organisations like the u3a for so many different reasons - how to deal with that free time after retirement? How to keep body and mind active? Or perhaps you suddenly find yourself alone. Let's keep that mighty oak growing”.

u3a is open to anyone no longer in full-time work and first launched in Britain in 1982.

The organisation - originally University of the Third Age - is for anyone no longer in full-time work.

One of the founding members, Sophie Dodds from Harvington, said: “It was the sheer enthusiasm and hard work by the original committee, and supported by many individuals of good will who volunteered their professional skills.

“That enabled us to go from strength to strength and eventually developed into the organisation of which we can be proud today”.

Chris Wolstencroft, committee member with responsibility for Shared Learning Projects, is keen to show off how the club has helped local projects.

He said: “We are also outward looking. During the past two years, u3a members have been involved with the Market Gardening Heritage project in association with the Worcestershire Archaeology and Archive Service. Members surveyed and assisted in archiving the Hovels used throughout the Vale of Evesham by generations of market gardeners”.