Shaping Places in the Third Age
How do older people experience, understand and shape the places where they live?
Shaping Places in the Third Age is a research project led by Hélène Solvay at the University of Cambridge. The project is exploring the relationship between place, ageing and participation, and how older adults can play a more active role in shaping their communities.
The project will work with older adults to co-design a learning programme focused on placemaking and the built environment. Through a series of collaborative sessions, participants will be invited to share their experiences, contribute ideas, learn about different aspects of place-making and help shape the development of the programme itself.
The aim is to create opportunities for learning, knowledge exchange and meaningful participation, while ensuring that the voices and experiences of older people are better reflected in discussions about the places where we live.
The project is being developed in collaboration with the Cambridge Room and is currently looking to connect with older adults who would like to be involved in helping shape the programme.
If you would like to find out more, please contact Hélène Solvay at has61@cam.ac.uk.
Cambridge Concert Orchestra – All Aboard!!
3.30pm Saturday 28th November 2026
A concert of trains and travel
To raise funds for the Friends of Blue Smile
Conductor: Suzanne Dexter-Mills
To include:
Waltz: The Orient Express – Richard Rodney Bennett
Scenes from the Humber – Anthony Hedges
Coronation Scot – Vivian Ellis
Hampstead Heath – Phyllis Tate
Puffin’ Billy – Edward White
and more!
Bottisham Village College (Evans Auditorium), Lode Road, Bottisham, Cambridge CB25 9DL
Tickets: £12 for adults, FREE for children
Online box office: cco.org.uk
Please do NOT contact venue for tickets
We are also on Facebook and Instagram
Our popular Christmas Magic event returns to Peterborough Cathedral on Saturday 12th December, with an afternoon matinee at 2.30pm and an evening performance at 7.30pm.
With something for everyone – including live music, candlelight and a magnificent light show – it’s the perfect start to the festive season in a wonderful, historic setting!
Organised by local music education charity Peterborough Sings!, Christmas Magic is a firm favourite with audiences from across the city and beyond, attended by over one thousand people every year!
We’d like to extend a warm welcome to u3a members from across the region this Christmas, and would be very grateful if you could share details of this event with your members and – if possible – in your newsletter or magazine.
We’d like to draw your attention to our special group rates for parties of 10 or more, and hope that some of your members might join us for a wonderful festive outing together!
More information and tickets at: https://www.peterboroughsings.org.uk/christmas-magic
Concessions (65+) and companion tickets are also available.
Mens Health Testing Event in Histon & Impington – Tuesday 24 November
In partnership with The Graham Fulford Charitable Trust, Cambridge Clinical Laboratories are organising a Prostate Cancer Testing Event, hosted at Histon & Impington Royal British Legion Club on Tuesday 24 November 2026.
The event aims to raise awareness of prostate cancer and the importance of early detection, giving local men the opportunity to take a proactive approach to their health.
Men attending will be able to access a PSA blood test alongside the Proclarix® advanced prostate cancer blood test if required, at a reduced price of £59.
Testing is available for men aged 40–80, with men considered at higher risk potentially eligible from age 35. Appointments take approximately 15 minutes.
Event details:
Date: Tuesday 24 November 2026
Time: 10.30am–2.30pm
Venue: Histon & Impington Royal British Legion Club, 22–24 Saffron Road, Histon, Cambridge, CB24 9LJ
Cost: £59
Tests: PSA blood test & Proclarix® advanced prostate cancer test where required
Appointment length: Approximately 15 minutes
Pre-registration is required, please the link to book your 15 minute slot:
PSA Testing Events @ GFCT – The Graham Fulford Charitable Trust
Men who are unable to attend the event but would like to arrange a test can contact the team at customer.services@sourcebioscience.com
Anglo-Rossica: Seven Objects from My Collection — A Talk by Prof Anthony Cross
Please join us for this special evening of exploring personal memories and cross-cultural histories with Anthony Cross – a distinguished academic and scholar of modern Russian history. He was Professor of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge between 1985 and 2004.
When: Tuesday 24 November 2026, 18:30-20:30 (GMT)
Where: Cameron Lecture Theatre, Fitzwilliam College, Storey’s Way, Cambridge CB3 0DG
Language: English
Format: In-person & Online via Zoom
In-person tickets: £12 — Standard (Zoom recording included); £8 — CamRuSS Members
Zoom tickets: £6 – Standard (Zoom recording included), free – CamRuSS Members
Please book via AllEvents
For more information please visit:
That’s the topic for the 2026 NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Cambridge Open Event – Stopping Disease Before It Starts
Back by popular demand, this free event will showcase how Cambridge researchers are working to prevent disease and improve early diagnosis. Join the team on Wednesday 11 November at the Frank Lee Centre, Cambridge University Hospitals, to discover the latest research and developments.
The event will feature:
Choice of sessions times
There are two opportunities to attend this event, either the 4pm or 6pm talks, so you can choose which time suits you. Plus, stay after or arrive earlier to chat with researchers over food between 5pm and 6pm and view the research posters, on display or simply come for the talks.
This is a free public event, but tickets are limited. Please book via the NIHR BRC: Cambridge EventBrite page.
Come and find out how Cambridge researchers are improving healthcare.
Frankincense, myrrh and more: Aromatic presents
Get into the festive spirit with this hands-on workshop exploring the many ways essential oils can enhance your Christmas season. Create aromatic bath salts, a bespoke perfume pulse oil—perfect as a gift or personal treat—and a special festive blend to take home and fill your space with the scents of Christmas.
All materials are provided. Spaces are limited to allow plenty of individual guidance.
Botanic Garden Cambridge Classroom,
Tuesday 10 November 2026
10am – 1pm
Tutor: Maike Dring
Price: £70
About the tutor
Maike Dring, MIFPA, is a professional Aromatherapist with more than 30 years of experience and runs a thriving multidisciplinary clinic in Cambridge. Alongside her clinical work, Maike is an enthusiastic and experienced educator. She loves sharing the magic of aromatic plants for health, wellbeing and natural beauty through a wide range of classes and workshops.
Bookings for this course will close on 20 October.
Further details HERE.
The Cromwell Museum
There is a new programme of lectures starting online next month, with top historians talking on aspects of the mid-1600s:
‘‘The dimensions of this mercy are above my thoughts‘: Cromwell & the Battle of Worcester’ – A talk by Professor Peter Gaunt on Wednesday 11 November at 7.30pm
‘Ranters Ranting during the English Revolution’ – A talk by Dr Joel Halcomb on Wednesday 18 November at 7.30pm
‘The House of Cromwell: the Family that made Britain’ – A talk by Dr Miranda Malins on Wednesday 25 November at 7.30pm
Click on the titles for more information and individual bookings; Discounted Season Tickets for all four talks can be booked at: https://cromwellmuseum.org/whats-on/cromwell-museum-autumn-online-lecture-series-2026/
PLEASE NOTE: These talks will be held online via Zoom. Joining details will be sent 48 hours before the talk. These talks will be recorded and put on a private channel after the ‘live talk’ for ticket holders to view at their leisure if they miss the live talk or wish to view them again.
Admission: £24 Adults (for 4 talks), £18 for students/Museum Members (for 4 talks); for individual talks £6.50 Adults, £5 students/Museum Members.
If you’re booking now, or you’ve already booked, we look forward to seeing you there!
David Parr House – workshops until December
An Introduction to Glass Painting with Flora Jamieson: 14 November 2026
https://davidparrhouse.org/whats-on/an-introduction-to-glass-painting-with-flora-jamieson
Rush Christmas Decorations with Nadine Anderson: 28 November 2026
https://davidparrhouse.org/whats-on/rush-christmas-decorations-with-nadine-anderson
Screenprint Mono-printing with Adam Bridgland: 12 December 2026
https://davidparrhouse.org/whats-on/screenprint-mono-printing-with-adam-bridgland
HIAM Sports &Social Club,
Putney Hill Rd. Prickwillow, Ely, Cambs. CB7 4UU.
Lovely dance floor. Great acoustics. Licensed bar. Level access, Raffle. Free Wifi. Ample free parking.
NOVEMBER
Saturday 21st: David Last
Sunday 29th Tea dance: Gary Cole
Plus: Thursday tea dances with CDs hosted by Amanda & Richard 2-4:30 p.m. £4 including tea/coffee/biscuits.
Doors open at 7pm for evening dances. (1 pm for Tea dances)
Sunday Tea dances : 2 til 5 pm Members £6.50. Non-members £8.00 incl. tea/coffee/biscuits.
Saturday night dances : 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Members £7.50. Non-members £9.00.
Contact details on Website: https://www.hiam.org.uk
CAMMS Meals on Wheels
We provide hot and ready to eat two-course lunches, delivered directly to customers’ homes between 11am and 2pm, Monday to Friday, across Cambridge and surrounding areas of Cambridgeshire.
Our current price for a two-course meal is £10.55, and our supplier is Apetito.
Customers can choose from four main courses and four desserts (or soup), with menus rotating fortnightly and options available to accommodate different dietary requirements. We also offer frozen meals for weekends, usually delivered on Fridays.
Our service is entirely flexible, with no contracts or subscriptions. Customers can order as many or as few meals as they wish, with additional orders or cancellations accepted before 9am on the day of delivery.
New customers register by phone or email, while ongoing meal choices are arranged through our drivers or directly with our office. Every delivery includes a valuable welfare check, providing regular human contact, reassurance and an opportunity to identify any concerns about a customer’s wellbeing. For many older and vulnerable residents, our drivers may be the only people they see that day, making this personal interaction just as important as the meal itself.
Further information can be found HERE.
Current as of November 2026
Volunteer with the British Red Cross in Cambridge
The British Red Cross Clothing Shop on Burleigh Street is looking for friendly volunteers to join their team. Whether you enjoy meeting people, working with fashion, creating displays, sorting donations or supporting customers, volunteering is a rewarding way to stay active, learn new skills and make a real difference in your community.
Flexible opportunities are available, no previous retail experience is required, and full training is provided. Every hour volunteered helps the British Red Cross support people in crisis across the UK and around the world.
To find out more or apply, visit:
Shop Volunteer (Till & Customer Service Volunteer – Cambridge) | British Red Cross Volunteering
Current as of October 2026
RSPB Cambridge
The Cambridge Local Group of the RSPB meets on the third Wednesday of the month in the Wilkinson Room at St Johns Church, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB1 2RN. New members are welcome and there is no requirement to be a national RSPB member. The meetings start promptly at 7.30pm with a range of interesting speakers covering topics across the natural world. We have a Facebook page at RSPB Cambridge Local Group with lots of information. And our details can also be found at http://www.group.rspb.org.uk/cambridge
On Wednesday 21st October there will be an illustrated talk about Herzegovina, presented by Denis Bohm who is the tour guide for Wild Herzegovina. Photographs and information about his work can be found at https://wild-herzegovina.co.uk/aboutus.html. The talk will be followed by the Group AGM. Non members are welcome for a charge of £3.00 on the door, but will not be able to vote at the AGM.
Current as of September 2026