u3a

Olton and District

Events

Core meetings

Core meetings are held at Olton Friary on the second Tuesday of the month. The meetings last from 1.30 pm to 3.30 pm. Doors open at 1.15 pm. We are currently limited to 100 members and pre-registration with the Membership Secretary is required. Tea, coffee and biscuits are available at the meetings. Please bring your own cup.

Parking at the Friary

When entering the car park, you should enter the side with the raised barrier. There are plenty of car parking spaces to the rear, so please continue to the end. If you have things to carry, please take them into the hall and then re-park your car.
The parking at the front is reserved for parents of children in nearby schools.

Visiting speakers

We have a varied programme of visiting guest speakers. The topics covered are very variable, but always interesting and often amusing. The Core Meeting schedule is shown below.

If you have any suggestions for a future speaker then please contact the Speaker Secretary.

Core Meeting Schedule

DateSpeakerTopicFocus Group
12th May 2026Stephen HoddellMusical instruments demonstrationPlay Reading
9th June 2026Bob KingThe Magic of Glass - from Concorde to Flat Panel TVsCreative Writing
14th July 2026N/AAGM, followed by open meeting
8th September 2026David WilliamsMind the GapStrolling
13th October 2026Andrew LoundCarpathiaTai Chi
10th November 2026Shaun HigginsFrom Poet to Soldier - the life of Wilfred OwenScrabble and Rumikub
8th December 2026N/AOpen meeting

Special events

On occasion, we celebrate a special event. Olton and District u3a celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the u3a by holding a picnic on the lawn at Olton Friary. Members brought their own picnic food. Many of the Interest Groups did a demonstration or a display to highlight their own formidable talents. A great time was had by all.

Forthcoming events

Monday 9th November 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Meeting
Monday 9th November 2026
2:00 pm
Other
Email and attachments, cc and bcc, recovering lost files (Recuva)
Venue: Zoom
Tuesday 10th November 2026
Meeting
Beginners - 10.15-11.15: Improver/Intermediate - 11.15-12.15
Cost: £2.00 per session
Tuesday 10th November 2026
10:00 am
Other
Email and attachments, cc and bcc, recovering lost files (Recuva)
Venue: Zoom
Tuesday 10th November 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Meeting
Tuesday 10th November 2026
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Shaun Higgins - "From Poet to Soldier - the life of Wilfred Owen". Focus group is Scrabble and Rumikub.
Venue: Olton Friary
Booking Required
Wednesday 11th November 2026
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Meeting
Wednesday 11th November 2026
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Cost: £6.50
Wednesday 11th November 2026
6:30 pm
Social
The Sharman's Cross, Prospect Lane, Solihull. B91 1HT
Booking Required
Thursday 12th November 2026
10:00 am
Meeting
Thursday 12th November 2026
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Venue: Olton Friary
Cost: £3.00
Thursday 12th November 2026
2:00 pm
Outing
Friday 13th November 2026
Outing
Lunch at the Twisted Boot.
Booking Required
Friday 13th November 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Meeting
Monday 16th November 2026
10:30 am
Meeting
Middleton Hall.
Monday 16th November 2026
2:00 pm
Other
Photo Editing (Picasa 3 and Google Photos)Computer advice, free software, utilities
Venue: Zoom
Tuesday 17th November 2026
10:00 am
Other
Photo Editing (Picasa 3 and Google Photos)Computer advice, free software, utilities
Venue: Zoom
Tuesday 17th November 2026
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Meeting
Wednesday 18th November 2026
Meeting
Wednesday 18th November 2026
2:15 pm
Meeting
Wednesday 18th November 2026
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Cost: £6.50
Thursday 19th November 2026
10:00 am
Meeting
Thursday 19th November 2026
1:30 pm
Meeting
Friday 20th November 2026
Outing
Serbian Orthodox Church, Harborne
Cost: £10.00
Booking Required
Monday 23rd November 2026
10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Meeting
Monday 23rd November 2026
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Meeting
Tuesday 24th November 2026
Meeting
Beginners - 10.15-11.15: Improver/Intermediate - 11.15-12.15
Cost: £2.00 per session
Wednesday 25th November 2026
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Meeting
Wednesday 25th November 2026
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Cost: £6.50
Thursday 26th November 2026
Meeting
Competition - "Panoramic"
Thursday 26th November 2026
10:00 am
Meeting
Thursday 26th November 2026
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Meeting
Venue: Olton Library
Cost: £3.00
Tuesday 1st December 2026
Meeting
Beginners - 10.15-11.15: Improver/Intermediate - 11.15-12.15
Cost: £2.00 per session
Tuesday 1st December 2026
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Meeting
Wednesday 2nd December 2026
10:00 am
Meeting
Wednesday 2nd December 2026
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Cost: £6.50
Thursday 3rd December 2026
Outing
Thursday 3rd December 2026
10:00 am
Meeting
Thursday 3rd December 2026
2:00 pm
Meeting
Thursday 3rd December 2026
2:00 pm
Meeting
Glorious Exploits (Ferdia Lennon)
Venue: Member's Home
Friday 4th December 2026
Outing
Fully booked.
Cost: £9.50 for NT members, £27.50 for non-NT members
Booking Required
Sunday 6th December 2026
10:30 am
Meeting
Monday 7th December 2026
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Meeting
Monday 7th December 2026
2:00 pm
Meeting
Glorious Exploits (Ferdia Lennon)
Venue: Member's Home
Monday 7th December 2026
2:15 pm - 4:15 pm
Meeting
Tuesday 8th December 2026
Meeting
Beginners - 10.15-11.15: Improver/Intermediate - 11.15-12.15
Cost: £2.00 per session
Tuesday 8th December 2026
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Open meeting.
Venue: Olton Friary
Booking Required
Wednesday 9th December 2026
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Meeting
Wednesday 9th December 2026
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Meeting
Cost: £6.50
Wednesday 9th December 2026
6:30 pm
Social
Location to be confirmed.
Booking Required
Thursday 10th December 2026
Social
Celebrate Christmas with a 2-course lunch at The Crown Plaza, Solihull.
Booking Required
Thursday 10th December 2026
10:00 am
Meeting
Friday 11th December 2026
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Social
Christmas indoor picnic, garden quiz, Christmas outfits!
Venue: Olton Friary