Volunteers Week (1st to 7th June) is about recognising the unique and significant contribution that volunteers make around the country. Volunteers are at the heart of the U3A movement. The founders initiated the movement to be based on the principles of self-help and mutual aid which means that volunteers are the life-blood of the U3A.
Each U3A is governed and managed by committee members who are all volunteers and who oversee the contribution of the volunteer group leaders. Volunteers help coordinate over 10,000 U3A learning and activity groups which run across the country every week.
In supporting the individual U3As, the Third Age Trust recruits, trains and supports over 200 volunteers whose contribution ranges from growing the movement through to assisting with new start-ups to offering specialist subject advice to group leaders. In addition, the Trust's Board of Directors are drawn from the membership and give a huge number of hours overseeing the governance of the Trust and undertaking work in their region.
The U3A movement was the brainchild of three innovative and motivated academics and the movement is now over 400,000 members and is 1028 U3As strong which is thanks to the movement's diverse, creative, passionate and committed volunteers.
All the staff at National Office would like to acknowledge, recognise and encourage the membership to celebrate this hugely significant contribution.
We Learn, Laugh and Live with you and because of you.
Sam Mauger
Chief Executive
