u3a

South East London

Our Groups

Below is a list of all our groups, which can be sorted using the buttons.

Some of our groups are open, meaning that any member can attend the group's meetings.

Other groups are limited either by the nature of the group or its meeting location. For those groups, contact the convenor to check availability. At the bottom of this page is information about what to do if a group is full.

Groups listed alphabetically

  • Ancient History
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Thursday mornings 10:00 am-12:00 pm
    Please contact the group convenor for the next date.
  • Apple Mac computers
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Thursday afternoons 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
    Last Thursday of each month except August and December
  • Architecture
    Status: Active
    Periodically on Tuesday mornings
  • Art in Greenwich
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Monday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
  • Backgammon
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Monday afternoons 2:00 pm
    Fourth Monday of the month
  • Badminton
    Status: Waiting list
    Fortnightly on Thursday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    Grove Park
  • Badminton (NEW) Group
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Thursday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
  • Bird Watching
    Status: Waiting list
    On Mondays
  • Board and indoor Games
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Thursday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
  • Book Group
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday mornings 10:00 am-12:15 pm
  • Bridge at Grove Park
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Thursday afternoons 1:30 pm-4:00 pm
  • Bridge at St Mary's
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Friday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    Every 1st Friday of the month
  • Computer Group
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Thursday mornings 10:30 am-12:30 pm
    Blackheath - monthly
  • Country Dancing
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Monday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    Term time only
  • Cribbage
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Thursday afternoons 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
    First Thursday of the month
  • Crime and Thriller Book Group
    Status: Active
    On Saturday mornings 11:00 am
    1st and 4th weeks in the month.
  • Cryptic Crossword
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons 5:00 pm-6:30 pm
  • Current Affairs Discussion - Eltham
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Monday mornings 10:30 am-12:30 pm
    We do not meet on Bank Holidays and have a summer break from late July to September
  • Current Affairs Discussion - Ladywell
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Tuesday mornings 10:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Danish Longball
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Tuesday mornings 10:30 am
    Second Tuesday of the month, March to November
  • Essay Reading
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Thursday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    The third Thursday of the month
  • Evening Restaurant Group
    Status: Waiting list
    On Wednesday evenings
    3rd Wednesday alternate months
  • Film Club
    Status: Active
    Afternoons 2:00 pm
    Usually fortnightly, but day of the week and dates may vary
  • French Conversation Intermediate
    Status: Waiting list
    Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons 2:00 pm-3:30 pm
  • French Intermediate (Friday)
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Friday mornings 9:00 am-11:00 am
  • French Intermediate Thursday
    Status: Active
    On Thursday mornings 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  • French Intermediate Wednesday
    Status: Active
    On Wednesday mornings 10:00 am-11:30 am
  • French literature reading
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Thursday afternoons 3:00 pm-4:30 pm
  • Friday Talks
    Status: Active
    On Friday mornings 10:15 am
    10:15 for refreshments, 10:30 for the talk
  • Gallery Visits & Excursions
    Status: Active
  • Genealogy
    Status: Active
    On Tuesday mornings 10:30 am
  • German
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Thursday mornings 10:00 am-11:30 am
  • Greenfingers (Gardening)
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Friday mornings 10:15 am-12:00 pm
    We meet on the 3rd Friday of every month January to November (we do not meet in December)
  • Heritage Group
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Friday mornings 10:15 am
    Last Friday of the month.
  • History / Social studies
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons 2:00 pm-3:30 pm
    Eltham - fortnightly
  • Italian Conversation
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Thursday mornings 10:30 am-12:00 pm
    Eltham - weekly
  • Italian Intermediate
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Monday mornings 10:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Jogging together
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Wednesday mornings 10:30 am
  • Lunch Club - Sunday
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Sunday afternoons 1:00 pm
    First Sunday of the month
  • Lunch Group - Friday
    Status: Waiting list
    On Fridays
    Every other month, usually on the last Friday at 12.30 / 1.00 pm.
  • Mah Jong - (Eltham Friday)
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Friday afternoons 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
  • Mah Jong - Beginners
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Thursday mornings 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  • Mah Jong - Chinese - Lee
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    Second Wednesday of the month
  • Mah Jong Beckenham Wednesday
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    Beckenham - monthly
  • Mah Jong Eltham Monthly
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Tuesday mornings 9:45 am-12:00 pm
    Second Tuesday monthly
  • Meditation
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Monday mornings 10:30 am-12:00 pm
    Twice each month on 2nd & 4th Monday mornings
  • Memoir Writing Group
    Status: Active
    On Friday afternoons 3:00 pm-5:00 pm
    first & third Fridays
  • MOTO (Members On Their Own)
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Friday mornings 10:30 am-2:30 pm
  • Needles and Natter workshop
    Status: Full
    Fortnightly on Wednesday afternoons 2:00 pm
  • Padel
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Monday afternoons 2:00 pm-3:00 pm
    We have a break during the winter
  • Philosophy Discussion
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday mornings 10:30 am-12:30 pm
  • Photography
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Tuesday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    2nd Tuesday of each month, except August, meeting in the Bowls Room
  • Pickleball
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Wednesday mornings 10:00 am-11:00 am
  • Poetry
    Status: Waiting list
    On Wednesdays
    Monthly, fourth Wednesday, 2pm to 4pm.
  • Reading Fiction
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Thursday mornings 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  • Reading Shakespeare
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Saturday afternoons 12:00 pm-3:00 pm
    Second Saturday
  • Recorder Group
    Status: Active
    Normally on the first Monday afternoon of each month, (except Bank Holidays).
  • Rummikub
    Status: Full
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    Third Wednesday of the Month
  • Rummikub Eltham
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Friday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
    2nd Friday of the month.
  • Russian Reading Circle
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday mornings 10:30 am-12:30 pm
    Breaks by arrangement
  • Russian Reading Group 2 - Русская группа чтения 2
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Friday afternoons 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
    First Meeting of this group is on Friday 25th April 2025.
  • Science
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Tuesday afternoons 2:00 pm-3:30 pm
  • Scrabble Lee
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Friday mornings 10:30 am
    Every third Friday
  • Scrabble Westcombe Park
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Wednesday afternoons 2:15 pm-4:30 pm
    We meet on the first Wednesday of the month.
  • Shared Learning Projects
    Status: Active
  • Spanish Advanced Reading
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Thursday afternoons 3:00 pm-4:30 pm
    Breaks by arrangement
  • Spanish Conversation Group
    Status: Dormant
    Fortnightly on Monday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:00 pm
  • Spanish Intermediate
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Monday mornings 10:30 am-12:00 pm
    Breaks by arrangement
  • Spanish intermediate class with a tutor
    Status: Waiting list
    On Wednesday mornings 10:00 am-12:00 pm
  • Stroll with a Camera
    Status: Active
    Monthly on Tuesday mornings
    Last Tuesday of each month except August, December and January
  • Table Tennis
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Friday mornings 10:30 am-12:30 pm
  • The Woolwich Walkers
    Status: Active
    On Thursdays 10:15 am
    First and third Thursday of each month
  • Theatre Club
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Monday afternoons 2:00 pm-4:30 pm
    First Monday (unless a Bank Holiday)
  • Theatre Group (West End)
    Status: Active
    Approximately 6 outings a year
  • Walks
    Status: Active
    Collation of walking activity
  • Wine Tasting (Tuesday)
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Tuesday evenings 7:00 pm
    On the third Tuesday of each month
  • Wine tasting (Wednesday)
    Status: Waiting list
    Monthly on Wednesday evenings 6:30 pm
  • Woodwind Chamber Music
    Status: Active
    Weekly on Friday afternoons 2:15 pm-4:00 pm
    Breaks by arrangement.
  • Yoga
    Status: Active
    Fortnightly on Friday afternoons 2:00 pm-3:00 pm
    Second and fourth Friday of each month with some exceptions.

'Full' groups and what to do about it:

Some groups have a limited maximum size because they meet in a private home, or the nature of their topic means they cannot be above a particular number. Unfortunately when that number is reached the convenor has to close the group to new members until someone drops out. Some convenors do run a waiting list and it is worth contacting them directly but we also are trying to set up a waiting list at committee level to try to be proactive.

So, if you want to join a group but are told it is full please:

  • contact the convenor of the group
  • email the Groups co-ordinator on the committee
  • consider similar groups
  • read the following.

Setting up a new group:

SE London u3a thrives on developing new groups and topics or expanding the provision of existing topics. It is simple to set up a new group and the Groups Co-ordinator will guide you at all stages. Briefly:

  • Email the groups co-ordinator with an idea even if it is vague
  • Put out feelers using the weekly email (u3aselnews@gmail.com)
  • See if there is a waiting list already of like minded people
  • The committee needs to authorise anything which has a cost, like hiring a room, but a group of people meeting in a house to mutually look at a topic will always be supported.
  • We will do all we can to minimise the admin required and it really isn't much.

Go for it!

More information about setting up a new group can be found here.