COMMITTEE Members of the Crediton and District U3A met on Crediton Town Square to say farewell to their chairman, Richard Durant, who is moving from the area.

Group co-ordinator Liz Ouldridge, who is standing in for the chairman this month, said: “Richard was chairman during the very difficult Covid lockdown periods.

“It was thanks to his visionary leadership that we emerged from this time with an increased membership.

“We now have more than 290 members.”

U3A is run for and by people who are retired or semi-retired.

They draw upon the knowledge, experience and skills of their members to organise and provide interest groups in which the teachers learn, and the learners teach.

The group offers the chance to pursue different interests such as art, crafts, history, photography, poetry and church visits, as well as like-minded companions for pub lunches, walking, bus trips and much more.

There are three new groups currently forming, a Ukulele group, a gardening group and a theatre group. The U3A group is also looking for a leader for a Tai Chi group.

New members are warmly welcomed, and anyone interested can go along to one of the monthly meetings at the Boniface Centre in Crediton.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 20, from 10am to 12 noon when Ian Barclay will give a talk entitled “A history of the BBC”.

Members attending the March meeting made a collection for Ukrainian refugees and raised £620.10 with matched contributions from elsewhere the total donation to DEC came to an amazing £2,440.40.

For more information visit: https://u3asites.org.uk/crediton/events or visit the Crediton and District U3A Facebook page.