An international newsletter published on the first day of every month for U3A members and kindred groups anywhere in the world.

Please send items of possible interest to the editor, Tom Holloway.

Feel free to copy any or all of this information in your local newsletters.

With 385,029 individual members in 1010 U3A groups, the UK is probably the largest University of the Third Age, second only to China's.

The National Office has now moved to 52 Lant Street, SE1 1RB

Book groups for reading aloud are a great way to meet new people and discover new books. We run a variety of groups including those on poetry, graphic novels, general fiction and shared reading groups where we read short stories and poems aloud.

Also, most libraries keep sets of scripts that can be used for play-reading. The Guardian wrote an excellent guide to starting a script-reading club. You can read that here >>>

There is a good reason to question cultural norms of individual dwelling in Singapore today. A silver tsunami of seniors living alone is rolling across the nation. As Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister mentioned in an interview, the number of seniors who live by themselves has been increased from 14,500 to 42,000 from year 2000 to 2014. Based on the current growing rate, by the year of 2030, there are likely to be more than 80,000 elderly people living alone in Singapore. In a concerted push to help the growing population of seniors here lead more active and fulfilling lives in their golden years, the Ministerial Committee on Ageing today (Aug 26) announced a comprehensive raft of initiatives spanning areas such as lifelong learning, employment, housing volunteerism. Read more here >>>

OWCH is a group of women over fifty who have created our own community in a new, purpose-built block of flats in North London. As an alternative to living alone, we have friendly, helpful neighbours.

'New Ground' Cohousing is finally complete. OWCH members began moving into their new homes in December 2016 and our community is now fully resident. Our dream is being realised at long last and we are busy coming to terms with the realities of living as a group. We have organised household responsibilities among us and set up a programme of common meals and some shared activities.

"We are carving out a path for others in our age group to follow. We hope they have an easier journey than ours, now we have shown the way. The senior cohousing community could enrich the last years of many, and reduce pressures on health and care services, if local authorities, planners, policy makers and housing developers helped to remove the many obstacles society puts in its way".

Dressed in a neat sari and with her hair tied tightly in a bun, 55-year-old Bharti Rana shyly sits on a chair in a crowded room, carefully adjusting the tag tied just below her shoulder. The 55-year-old had never thought that she would one day sit among more than 100 senior citizens also seeking a live-in partner.

Rana and the others are part of an event called Jeevan Saathi Sammelan, which translates roughly as “life partner gathering”. It is one element of an emerging trend among single Indian adults aged over 50 who are looking for someone to share the rest of their lives with, without the burdens that accompany marriage. Attendees are mainly divorced and widowed men and women unnerved by the prospect of growing old alone.

“My husband died three years ago and my two children are settled. Though my job keeps me busy throughout the day, I need someone at home. Sometimes the loneliness weighs too heavy on me,” Rana says. Read about this here >>>

Here is a video of the AIUTA Bogota GB and International Conference -- Bogota Colombia 29th-30th November 1 December, 2017 - click here >>> For information ask Gustavo Rodríguez and his team email aiutacolombia2017@yahoo.com

Voulez vous trouver ci après le lien de présentation de la conférence internationale et du CA de l'AIUTA
en Colombie à Bogota les 29 et 30 novembre 2017 et 1er Décembre. Pour toutes informations, vous pouvez vous adresser à Gustavo Rodriguez et son équipe à l'adresse de la conférence aiutacolombia2017@yahoo.com https://youtu.be/pJ21mAEUYeE