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This page gives links to sites providing further learning; or holding events that may be of interest to our members. These are not necessarily u3a events and some may charge. Please read the disclaimer below.
Disclaimer
Lancaster and Morecambe u3a is not recruiting or recommending these websites and events. We are not responsible for content on any other websites linked to from this site - the inclusion of any such links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them. We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites and you view them strictly at your own risk.
Please report any link whose content you consider may be illegal, inappropriate or offensive to the Web Manager .
Our own events will be found on the News Page.
Lectures and other activities at The Judges Lodgings Lancaster
Friday lectures are being held at The Judges Lodgings 12noon – 1pm. They get booked up quickly so don't delay if you are interested. Below are some details of the next three, for more details click the link below: Judges Lodgings Lectures
Some are free and others are paid. All require per-booking.
26 June: Washington in Lancashire – 250 Years of the Declaration of Independence Lecture
What is the hidden connection between George Washington, the American flag and a small Lancashire village? Popular speaker Dr Colin Penny is back with a new talk to mark 250 years of the American Declaration of Independence. Uncover another unique Lancashire link across the Atlantic with this talk at Lancaster's oldest Town House.
31 July: Policing the Past: Lancashire Constabulary 1840-1925 Lecture
Discover more about the police in Lancashire and the surviving historic records of Lancashire Constabulary held at Lancashire Archives & Local History, from the early days of policing in the 1840s to the development of a modern police force in the 1920s. Discover how they can help answer questions about the history of policing and those who served with the Lancashire County Constabulary between 1840 and 1925.
28 August: John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster Lecture
Warrior. Prince. Statesman. John of Gaunt was Duke of Lancaster and founder of the royal House of Lancaster. Discover more about this incredible man, known from Shakespeare's play Richard II, who was at the heart of British politics in the 14th century.
C4AR Seminar – Evaluation of the Benefits of SMART Lamp Technology
The seminar will explore the recent independent evaluation of “Smart Lamps” smart fall detection technology, which aims the reduce falls and assist in the provision of high-quality care.
Date: Weds 17th June 2026 1-2pm
Venue: Bowland North SR11 (also on Teams)(online)
Falls are a significant issue for older adults. This seminar will present some of the findings from our independent evaluation of smart fall detection technology (“Smart Lamps”) piloted in 68 residential and nursing homes in the North-West of England. With an introduction and three short presentations from our team, we will examine the impact of the lamps using different types of data – ambulance call outs and cost saving, how long people were stuck on the floor in their bedroom before someone came to help them, number of falls, predicted risk of falling and of course qualitative data from care staff and managers on how they thought the lamps were contributing to the care they provided, what they saw as the benefits and impact on care support patterns and residents’ health and safety.
Presenters for this seminar are Prof Carol Holland, Srinjaya Saha, Hebatallah Ali, Luis Felipe.
Meeting ID: 381 227 530 939 8
Passcode: pg7jJ9xx
Lancaster Day - Friday, 12 June 2026
Throughout Lancaster City there will be talks, tours, special displays and entertainment.
For the full list please click to link below to see the list.
Lancaster Day Leaflet
Friends of Carnforth Library Group
At Carnforth Library Tuesday, 16 June 2026 6:30 to 7:30pm.
A reading by author Hank Williams and a Q&A session.
See full details via this link: Author Reading
Festival of Bowland events 2026
Full details of the 2026 Festival Bowland events programme are available on the Forest of Bowland National Landscape website. New events that may be of interest are being added regularly.
University Research Volunteers
We have very good links with the Psychology Department at Lancaster University. Throughout the year, there are opportunities to take part in research taking place in their labs which may be of interest and relevance to members of our u3a. In return, PhD students come and talk to us about their findings.
Details of the current research volunteer projects are on this page. If you want to take part in any of these research projects, please contact the relevant researcher whose email is attached to each item.
Lancashire Place Name Survey is seeking volunteers
The Lancashire Place Name Survey was founded in 2000 with the aim of collecting and publishing the major and minor place names of pre-1974 Lancashire, including those areas now in Cumbria, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside.
We explore all Lancashire place names - from single fields, streams, and hills to hamlets, villages, and towns. We study their origins, and record changing spellings from the earliest written manuscripts to the present day.
We are seeking new volunteers to help with the project: collecting names from archive catalogues, original documents, maps, and printed sources. If you would like to learn more, please see our website www.lancspns.weebly.com or contact Nigel Neil .
LESS is seeking new Directors
LESS is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company.
It has been working in Lancaster District since 2007 to support more sustainable living. LESS currently holds the coordination function for the Food Futures network and has supported the set up of other strategic local food projects such as Gather, The Plot, Where The Wildings Are! and the Closing Loops project
It organises the quarterly seasonal markets in Lancaster too and publishes the Thrive magazine. It has recently purchased a community farm in Lancaster with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and this will be developed to include food production, community building, education and training.
LESS is looking for a couple of new Directors to join the organisation. The roles are voluntary and we welcome people who are passionate about local food systems, creative local solutions to global challenges and/or have skills/experience in Finance, HR, Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion, Safeguarding and Health & Safety. If you are looking to be involved in making Lancaster a more sustainable place to live, this is an opportunity for you!
More information is available at https://lessuk.org/less-is-seeking-new-directors-copy/
Part-Time Adult Learning Courses
Lancaster and Morecambe College has a variety of part-time Adult Learning Courses that may be of interest to members.
Some are free, others have a small fee of around £4.
To look at what’s available in the coming months, click on the website on the link below and look at the index A-Z.
https://www.lmc.ac.uk/part-time
u3a Learn to Live Report
A new report, titled Learn to Live: A blueprint for better health and wellbeing, has been published. This report sheds light on the value of a low-cost, non-formal learning model for better health and wellbeing, and for healthy and active ageing.
Non-formal learning, unlike formal learning, happens outside organised education. It is a mutual experience with no strict hierarchies - everyone shares their skills and learns from each other. There are no qualifications as continued learning is its own reward. The u3a is arguably one of the biggest and most successful examples of non-formal learning in the world.
Now, a report published by u3a suggests that non-formal learning can help tackle loneliness, encourage social connection, and even improve the health of participants and wider communities. The u3a model embodies the five ways to promote wellbeing - connecting, being active, taking notice, continuing to learn, and giving. It also tackles ageist attitudes and stereotypes. u3a members are active participants in society who continue to learn and give back to their communities. To read the report, click here: Learn to Live Report
Free IT Help in Local Libraries
Did you know our library service run FREE sessions to help people get the best out of their phones, tablets and laptops?
Take along your phone, laptop or tablet and the staff and volunteers will help you. You can use the library desktop if you prefer and there is free wifi in all our libraries. Complete Beginners are welcome as well.
- Bolton le Sands: Thursday 10-11am * booking required
- Carnforth : Thursday 2-3pm
- Heysham : Friday 10-12 noon
- Lancaster : Thursday 2-4pm
- Morecambe : Friday from 10am. Sessions supported by Lancaster and Morecambe College staff but will be temporarily suspended during the summer months; please ring for information.
- Silverdale : Thursday 2-3pm
For bookings and more information, ring 0300 1236703 or visiting Lancashire Libraries
Can you help at these sessions? Halton Library is looking for a volunteer to run their computer help sessions, if anyone is interested , please follow this link : Halton Library Digital Champion
Local Arts and Talks
In and within easy reach of our local area we have:
Talks and other local events
Lancaster University Public Lectures
Lancashire Libraries online services
Members of Lancashire County Libraries can obtain online access to read a wide range of newspapers and magazines, as well as ebooks and audio books. Virtually all daily newspapers are available and many of the magazines that you might see in the shops. The choice includes foreign newspapers and magazines which can be translated by the website. You can have a look at on the Lancashire Libraries Digital Library page