ALTON U3A has an “Essex man” at the helm after Rob Smith was co-opted as chairman on October 20, filling a vacancy left by John Stanton whose period in office came to an end in June.

Mr Smith, who is married and has two grown up children, moved to Alton two years ago having been brought up and spent his working life in Essex, where he worked as a lawyer after studying law at Cambridge and gained an MBA from Nottingham Law School.

He is joint leader of the English literature course run by Alton U3A and also enjoys the poetry, painting and art appreciation courses.

A U3A spokesman said: “We are delighted to welcome Rob on to the committee and we are pleased he has agreed to be our chairman.

“Alton U3A has more than 500 members and offers more than 40 courses, as well as running excursions and holidays. U3A plays a vital role in making available activities for retired and semi-retired people to keep both mind and body healthy.

“It also provides fantastic social opportunities. We are looking forward to working with Rob to maintain and improve what we do for our members.”