Doors open at 9:45, tea and coffee are served from 10:00 to 10:30, and are free as long as you bring your own cup. The meeting starts at 10.30 am with notices, followed by the talk.
Meetings labelled "Hat", will take place in Breaks Manor Youth Centre, Link Drive, Hatfield, AL10 8TP. If you're online, you can click here for a map.
Meetings labelled "WGC" take place in the Ludwick Family Centre, Hall Grove, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4PH. If you're online, you can click here for a map. There's sometimes a problem with parking for cars at Ludwick - if you don't mind a walk you could try parking in Caponfield - click here for a map.
There have been complaints from residents about the parking on the road in front of Ludwick Family Centre. If you plan to park here, please could you ensure that you 'follow the trend' and park on the same side as those cars already parked. This ensures that delivery lorries and emergency vehicles can pass through. Many thanks.
If you come along to the Wednesday meetings at Hatfield, you will know that there is very limited parking. They have a growing number of nursery children needing to be dropped off and picked up and if U3A has taken up all the spaces, it becomes a Health and Safety issue for them. They have therefore notified us that the area in front of the building is strictly for Pick Up and Drop Off only. This means that we may ONLY use the car park at the rear of the building. We appreciate your co-operation with this.
If you want to display notices on the projector, or notice boards, at the meetings, contact Tony Tutton on 01707 328943, or E-mail him: "tonytutton1@yahoo.co.uk".
Please note that, for health and safety reasons, we have to limit attendance at these meetings to 170
Please note that the Welwyn Hatfield U3A does not endorse any products or services provided by the speakers at our meetings.
If you can't attend the Wednesday talk you could watch from home on Zoom. For details email: Wednesdayzoom@u3awelhat.org.uk
Or we record most talks so you could catch up after the event. To receive links to recordings, email: video@u3awelhat.org.uk
Planned meetings for Autumn 2026
| Date | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Sep | WGC | Mike Barbakoff – “The Secret War in St Albans 1939-45” St. Albans has an extraordinarily rich 2,000-year history. What is relatively unknown is its role in accommodating some of the most secret and clandestine operations of the allied forces in WWII. This illustrated talk is based on extensive original research carried out at The National Archives and the Hertfordshire Archives of Local Studies and unveils a story never before cohesively told. |
| 16 Sep Note Change! | Hat | Colin Smith – “Coffee from Tree to Cup” Colin owns a coffee shop and roaster in Hemel Hempstead. They roast 10 tons of coffee a week and he will be bringing coffee of different varieties for members to try before his talk. It will be available to buy, too, should you wish. All profits from sales and talks go to The Hospice of St Francis, Berkhamsted. |
| 23 Sep | WGC | MEET THE GROUPS – Open Meeting |
| 30 Sep | Hat | Colin Slade – “Beyond the Sirens:
the Reality and Courage of a Career in the Fire Service Colin says: I would like to share some insights into what life in the Fire Service is really like – the challenges we face, the training required, the rewards of helping others, and the unique camaraderie that exists among firefighters. |
| 7 Oct | WGC | Martin Orkin – “The Beatles Story – Part 1” Relive the early years of the Beatles – Beatlemania - during which they made so many fantastic recordings such as “Love Me Do”, “She Loves You”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Help!”, “Day Tripper” and “We Can Work It Out”. Including snippets of these great records and many more. |
| 14 Oct | Hat | David Williams – “Mysteries of the Estuary” The Thames Estuary has a strange, fascinating and often mysterious history. Vast mud flats are exposed at low tide and so is the pathway from Wakering Stairs to Foulness Island - but why is it considered the most dangerous footpath in Britain? And what happened to the female aviator Amy Johnson who disappeared during the war when flying over the Estuary? |
| 21 Oct | WGC | Martin Attridge – “William Hogarth – inventor of a bold English style” Creating a genre of popular, innovative, commercial art, Hogart (1697-1764) was an original and combative painter, etcher and engraver. We will hear how his difficult childhood shaped his views and subjects, setting the path for other successful satirists to follow. Illustrated with prints from Hogarth’s original plates |
| 28 Oct | Hat | Lucy Allen – “The Highs and Lows of a Stuntwoman’s Life” This talk is about Lucy's life as a Stunt Woman: How she got into it, what Stunt Work actually is, the highs & lows of the work stuntmen/women do and other stories about her long career, which after 35 years is still ongoing! |
| 4 Nov | WGC | Simon Keable-Elliott – “Utterly Immoral - Robert Keable and His Scandalous Novel” Why did a priest and former WW1 chaplain write a scandalous international bestseller 'Simon Called Peter'? The book became a Broadway play, the sequel a major Hollywood movie and Scott Fitzgerald, who called it utterly immoral, included it twice in The Great Gatsby. Simon tells the extraordinary story of his grandfather's life and the novel that made him famous in the 1920s. |
| 11 Nov | Hat | Jim Stebbings – “Through the Stage Door” We go through the Stage Door of six Palaces of Entertainment in a tour of Theatreland. |
| 18 Nov | WGC | Stephen Goss – "Opulence, Innovation and Intrigue: The History of the Orient Express" An enthralling journey into the glamorous yet shadowy history of a train that defined an era. |
| 25 Nov | Hat | Elizabeth Gowing – "Mulberry Trees, Macchiatos, Mosques and Mother Teresa" Elizabeth’s talk last year enthralled us with her experiences working to improve lives of the poorest in Kosovo. Now she returns to give us a virtual tour of Kosovo’s capital. |
| 2 Dec | WGC | Mervyn Edwards – The Road Through the Trees Mervyn served for more than 30 years with Thames Valley Police, retiring in 2020. Over half his service was spent as a marksman with the Tactical Firearms team and he was also in charge of Special Operations and was part of the National Network Group. |
| 9 Dec | Hat | CHRISTMAS PARTY & QUIZ |
| 16 Dec | TBA | CHRISTMAS LUNCH |
Preparing tea & coffee: please click here (PDF).
Setting up the computer & projector: please click here (PDF).