Bradford u3a

04/10/2026

At our recent Family History meeting we heard about how a member had come across a cousin she didn’t know she had, purely by accident at a u3a event earlier this year. They are now in contact. Our member came to ask the group for pointers about how to fill in the gaps in her family history. Her story about being brought up in Norfolk and her family running the flour mill was very interesting. We were also told another story by another member, and we are now trying to investigate this for her and hope to have some news for her at our next meeting.
Thanks, Susan, for this report.

27/09/2026

Bradford was the first UK city to have a flower carpet. Follow the link to read more about it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwg7k4rzz5eyo

27/09/2026

Five members of the Weekday Walking Group left Bingley Station on Friday morning for an exhilarating walk through Myrtle Park We crossed the A650 to walk along the bank of the River Aire and through Hirst Wood to join the Leeds-Liverpool Canal before walking back to Bingley. Fortunately, the weather was dull but stayed dry all the way.
Thanks to Dianne for this report.

24/09/2026

Another most enjoyable meeting of the Art Group, in September, at Bradford Arts Centre. I think most people chose a botanical theme for their work. I do think that we are showing some progress but most of the benefit comes from seeing how many ways there are of tackling the same theme, and having an entertaining chat while doing the tackling!
Thanks to Derek for this report.

17/09/2026

The u3a English Language Group recently had an 'away day' at the Hockney Gallery in Salt's Mill. In the lovely coffee bar, with leader Elisabeth's guidance, we all tried to deconstruct the iconic language used to contextualise works of art. I'm not sure that we can yet reliably distinguish between mature and primitive pieces, although I hoped that we all captured the zeitgeist!
Thanks to Derek for reporting back on this outing.

09/09/2026

In spite of some rain, the Weekday Walking group had a really good ramble in and around Judy Woods. We learnt about the history of the woods and found out who Judy was.
Thanks to Ros for this report.

05/09/2026

The Family History group had a really interesting talk this afternoon from one of our members. The talk was about Dr. Margaret Sharp who was a pioneering general practitioner and social reformer and the first female G.P. in Bradford. She was born in London, the 9th of 11 children in 1871. She moved to Bradford where she ran a Doctor’s surgery from her house in Manningham.
She helped to set up the Eldwick Sanitorium School in 1914 and she served as Chairman of the Bradford branch of the British Medical Association. During WW2 she led the Women’s Voluntary Service in Bradford and in 1943 was approved as a Member of the Order of the British Empire. She was a fund raiser for BRI’s Radium Fund, was involved in local cancer campaign lectures and helped set up Meals on Wheels in Bradford. Margaret died in 1963, but despite all she did there is no Blue Plaque to her!
Thanks Susan for sharing that.

31/08/2026

13/08/2026

At their recent meeting, the Family History group had a visit to the Bradford Police Museum in City Hall. During the guided tour we were told about the history of policing in Bradford, and then shown what would happen to somebody who had been arrested. At the first desk they would have had their pockets searched and all items put in a cloth bag. We then visited various cells which were cold, dark and very cramped. We were told about the Matron who gave medical assistance. We then went up the stairs to the court and stood in the dock and learnt about court procedure.
It was a very interesting tour, and we had the opportunity to look at an exhibition about policing at the end.
Thanks to Susan for this report.

06/08/2026

Current Issues group

Problems of the Young and the Old
Regarding the young we discussed problems of mental health, its links with social media and the impact of our high-tech economy on young people’s lives and job prospects. Also covered was the issue of affordability as it touched houses prices, travelling, even groceries. Lastly came the continued impact of social class on young people’s life chances: how did it affect their education, job prospects, even health.
Problems of the old.... plenty of personal experience to draw upon here! Firstly, what counts as old? ‘Seventy’ is the new ‘fifty’. But is the accumulated knowledge of a seventy-year-old outdated and therefore worthless? Do gramophones and carpet-sweepers have any relevance in a world of smartphones and air-fryers? Other questions were how far the state can underwrite the expanding costs of a long retirement and the need for private pensions rather than depending on government. Lastly, we talked about the breakup of families and neighbourhoods, social isolation and its knock-on effects.
Thanks to John for this report.