When the family has grown up and moved on, when full-time work ceases and when there is no longer the necessity for a morning alarm to ring, then you can say with certainty that you have entered a wonderful period of your life - the Third Age.

This is the time for the highly successful national organisation called The University of the Third Age, commonly referred to as U3A, to give your life fulfilment by doing things that you always wanted to do but never had the time.

Even though it sounds rather academic, U3A neither gives qualifications nor offers them, nor does it have teachers and pupils, it is simply meetings of like-minded people who form groups to enable themselves to enjoy their particular field of interest.

It might be dealing with antiques and collecting things, or learning a new language, or learning more about local history, or visiting churches, or playing pétanque - the list is endless and limited only by the members’ interests.

U3A is coming to Gilwern, and on Wednesday September 7 at 2pm at Gilwern Community Centre in Common Road, anyone who is retired, semi-retired and fitting the Third Age description is welcome.

Unless sufficient people are interested, a Gilwern U3A will not be viable, so come along and bring others and find out just how much fun life can be when part of the Third Age.