Bristol u3a

Celebrating 40 years

u3a

Monthly Meetings

Our monthly meetings, open to all Bristol u3a members, normally take place on the third Tuesday of each month. These are a mixture of "live" meetings, zoom only and "hybrid" meetings.

Large group of u3a members attending a talk

We meet at The Foundation, Triodos Bank, on the junction of Deanery Road and St Georges Road.

Doors open at 10.00am. Hot drinks and biscuits are available and there is an opportunity to socialise before a talk given by a guest speaker.

An invitation with the details is sent out to all members in advance of each Monthly Meeting.

The speaker is not present at The Foundation but you can come along and watch the talk on a screen and socialise with other members. Alternatively you can watch the talk from home via Zoom, in which case there is the opportunity towards the end of the meeting to go into a ‘break out’ room to chat with a few other members.

16th June 2026
Meeting
Followed by a talk given by Ray Collier on the subject of the restoration of the Musgrave Steam Engine.
Venue: On Zoom
23rd July 2026
Meeting
PLEASE NOTE THIS MEETING WILL BE ON A THURSDAY. Peter Loy-Hancocks, an ecologist and member of Bristol u3a, will take a look at some environmentally positive actions and their results.
18th August 2026
Meeting
The speaker will be Kirstie Broadbent, a Chartered Civil Engineer. Her fascinating talk is appropriate for grandparents, for engineers, indeed for everyone!
15th September 2026
Meeting
When we think of Shakespeare’s plays, we are likely to name a tragedy or comedy first. However, the chronicle history play genre was hugely popular during the period. Darren Freebury-Jones, our speaker this month, reveals why audiences flocked to see plays such as Richard III and Henry V, and explores how Shakespeare, as a dramatist whose career spanned the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I, navigated tricky political terrain in presenting monarchs on stage. Was Shakespeare a propagandist, or a subversive writer? This talk grapples with the big questions Shakespeare raises in his history plays.
20th October 2026
Meeting
Paul Hardisty is the author of In Hot Water: Inside the Battle to Save the Great Barrier Reef.  He was CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science from 2017 to 2023, and before that was Director of Australia's national science agency, the CSIRO. 
Richard Burt, paralympian, with his guide dog and medals
Richard Burt - paralympian

Some of our most interesting talks have been given to us by our own members. If you have a talk to offer about your career or your interest do contact Anna, who is arranging our programme of talks for 2026/27.

Roger Browne on keyboard
Roger Browne - The Great American Songbook
Carole Tapper - The Bristol Tapestry
Carole Tapper - The Bristol Tapestry