In 2003 there were people living in Sandbach who were members of Crewe & Nantwich or Congleton u3a and had the vision for one in Sandbach. They got together and formed a working party to fulfil that vision.
The first committee meeting was held on 20 June 2003 then followed up with a questionnaire to gauge interest. The first meeting revealed the groups that would be most popular – for instance 35 people were interested in art and 80 in walking.
On 1 July 2003, a public meeting attended by 130 was held in the Town Hall at which 14 group leaders volunteered and subsequently more quickly followed.
The first enrolment day was 3 September 2003 when 213 members signed up to join 26 activity groups.
Group leaders’ meetings were a feature of the new u3a, the first being held on 11 August 2003.
The first AGM was held on 28 April 2004 in the Town Hall.
In 2019/2020 membership was over 1400 with more than 100 interest groups. Some leaders became responsible for more than one group and some groups with two or more leaders sharing responsibility for contacting interested members, planning sessions, and collecting fees.