Active Adventurers
u3a is a national organisation for people who are retired or semi-retired. The members organise groups providing a large variety of activities in their local areas. The members decide on the activities they want, so each local u3a is different.
As one of the 20% of the population in BANES that are 65 or over, I know that retirement is the end of many parts of our lives. It is a time when we need to find new challenges, ways to be active and opportunities to be social.
Richard Hatton
Taking the Plunge
Pamela Galloway, a member of the U3A in Bath, had done a sponsored abseil down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth Harbour. This was back in 2015. She put an advert in the U3A magazine asking if anyone was interested in doing that sort of activity. There were four responses and so we met in a church hall and signed up to start a group.
The first event we organised, was a speedboat ride down the Solent. Three of us went with Pam. Then we formed a committee because we'd enjoyed it and we thought we'd invite other members of the U3A to join in. For the larger group, the first thing Pam came up with, was to climb the O2 in London. It was a full-day trip to London and was absolutely fantastic. We started early and finished late. But for most those who came along, it was their first adventure with us and it caught their imagination. From four, we now have 80+ members, with six of us on the Committee.
We asked the membership to give us their ideas for adventures and created a bucket list. We realised that some of the organisations that we were dealing with needed a deposit to be able to accept a booking. So, we introduced a £10 joining fee. This is a lifetime joining fee of the Active Adventurers group. That provides us with a pot of money for these deposit payments.
How it Works
The Committee follows practical guidelines for the adventures we organise. We set a maximum two-hour drive to wherever the activities might be and a two-hour drive back. As an activity in between might be about two hours, we often fill a day
Richard points the way on an adventure in map-reading
We also take into account differences in the level of activity that people want. Some like an adrenaline buzz and go for high activity events. Others prefer a lower level of activity, that might allow for sightseeing. One such example is crossing the Newport Transporter Bridge. The crossing requires physical effort but it is also an historical site that people enjoy visiting and learning about.
We take into account the age and physical ability of the membership. I know one member who is 80. I would guess the average age is around 65.
Wall climb
One of the things we do is encourage people to challenge themselves. An example of this was when we went indoor wall climbing. The adventure started with a climb along a wall at a very low level and we slowly climbed higher. Then we were taken to another wall which was reasonably high. One of our group went up really quickly and came back down again as quickly. I said ‘Crikey, you've done this before.’ He replied ‘No. I'm scared of heights.’ And that was the thing – he was challenging himself. He went to the last wall, which was much higher and he did it again.
Handbells
Another factor we must consider is cost because we can’t all afford expensive adventures. Post Covid-19, prices have gone up. We keep that in mind and offer a range of adventures to our members. We've done handbell ringing. For that, there was no cost involved apart from a donation to the premises, a church. The handbell ringers showed us how to ring. Then they gave us the bells to try. They'd written all the sheet music out and marked it up for us. We practised for about an hour and a half. Very gentle. Very interesting. We learned a lot. Even better, they gave us a beautiful tea with homemade cakes at the end of it. It was a magical experience.
We encourage car-sharing to reduce the cost of getting to the venues and minimise greenhouse gas emissions.
The companies that we deal with are all certified, but our individual members are responsible for making their own assessment of the venues and the activities. For example, for medical reasons I could not go bungee jumping or do a parachute jump. We are considering repeating an adventure at the Clifton Suspension Bridge. They do a hard hat tour, which takes you underneath the bridge support structures. But you must wear a hard hat. You must be able to climb down a vertical ladder, and you must be prepared to go underground.
The companies are grateful for our business for two reasons. First, we go adventuring between Monday and Friday when they aren’t busy. Second, we listen to the instructions and we're sensible. We have fun. We joke with them. But they know that we will be careful because at our age we won’t risk breaking bones in falls and the like.
Zip wire
We've done so many things. The zip wire up in Wales was absolutely phenomenal. It took two hours to get up to the top of the wire and then 58 seconds to get down. It was an awfully long way down, and, boy, it was a wonderful 58 seconds. Some people have talked about doing skydiving but that's very expensive. So, we found a way of doing something like it in Basingstoke in a tunnel. They use a jet engine to create air pressure inside a tube. You go in at the top of the tube and then you float on the blast of air coming up from the engine. They leave you in there for the same amount of time that it takes you to jump out of an aircraft and descend to the ground – about a minute.
The group activities are very sociable. Whatever we do, it's usually a good laugh and ends up with us going for a meal or to a cafe for a drink. The members make new friends. They get to see people and chat.
I think the group membership blossomed because we offer things they’ve always wanted to try, and some things they would never have even thought of. Some of the things, for example the First Aid Course, are more than an adventure. They are a benefit to the wider community.
There is a lot of variety in our adventures and we make sure that each of them includes an activity. We don’t just go for a walk, or if we do it is to learn something like orienteering.
What is an Adventure?
An adventure is doing something new, something you would never think of doing. It doesn't have to be an adrenaline thing. The actual adrenaline buzz comes from doing a new activity, whether you enjoy it or not. Obviously, it's a great thrill if you go out on a skid pan, make the car skid and have to control it. You would never do that in everyday life, would you? But you could also go to an escape room where you're given a series of clues and you have to work your way through them to get out of one room into another and another until you escape. It sounds very dull, but you've only got an hour to do it and there's a bomb going to go off. (You know, there is no bomb but everybody gets into the mood and the excitement becomes infectious.) It becomes a bonding thing. I've never been bored with any of the adventures I’ve done. I enjoy the challenges and it doesn’t matter what they are.
Being Active
Being active doesn’t have to be sporty. Being active is glass blowing. Being active is handbell ringing. It's doing something new, something you haven't done, or haven’t done since you were a lot younger.
We did a tour of the Banksy graffiti in Bristol. As part of the tour, we all produced our own graffiti art. That was a different type of activity.
The Future
The members say what they want and the committee will try to find an organisation that can provide it. I know they appreciate what we do. We get thankyou emails after the adventures.
The thing is to keep the group going. It’s Pamela’s legacy. She really would have loved it. Some of the Committee have been doing this for eight years. But we'll find a way to make sure it carries on. We’ll keep adventuring.
And now I've done another adventure. I've been interviewed. That's a new one for me.
April 2023
u3a website u3a.org.uk
Bath u3a website u3ainbath.uk