New Members
Thank you for your interest in membership of our u3a, which is open to people who are no longer working full time and are interested in participating in and furthering the work of our u3a. We look forward to hearing from you and hope that you will find much to interest you and enjoy as a member, and make new friends.
Anyone interested in becoming a member is welcome to attend one monthly General Meeting as a guest. See our Events page for details of forthcoming meetings. Please note you have to be a member of Preston Park u3a to be able to join an interest group or other activity.
You can download a membership form here: Membership Application Form.
The membership year runs from 1st January to 31st December. The current annual fee is £15.00 for those joining from January 1st to end of June and £7.50 for new members joining from July 1st until the year end. There is no fee payable for members 90 years of age or over. The Membership Application Form explains how you can pay your membership fee, or see Bank Transfer - Membership fees.
The membership fee paid to us includes a capitation fee which we pay to the Third Age Trust, our national u3a organisation. This is to cover public liability insurance, the u3a Matters magazine delivered free to those members who wish to receive it and other support and advice services. The remainder pays for our running costs (printing, postage, equipment and so on).
There may be additional costs to participate in some individual groups, for example, those that meet in a rented hall, have a paid tutor or go on trips.
Our Guidelines for Members explain how our u3a runs and what you can expect. Members are required to abide by these guidelines, by our Member Code of Conduct and our Constitution.
Please also see our Privacy Notice and Data Protection Policy which explain how we collect and use your personal information.
Please contact our Membership Secretary if you have any queries and return your application form to him at the address on the form.
After you have joined our u3a you will be invited to a New Members' Tea or other event where you will receive a welcome pack and written information about our Interest Groups. You will also meet our New Members' Friend, Committee members and other new members and have the opportunity to ask any questions about our u3a.
Once you are a member, you may contact our New Members' Friend with any queries you may have as a new member (see our Contact page).
Renewing Members
Annual membership of Preston Park u3a expires on 31st December. You will be sent a renewal notice in November. Please renew and pay your membership fee for the new year before the year end or at the January general meeting. If you haven’t renewed and paid your membership fee by 31st January, the Committee has the right to terminate your membership.
Online Membership Fee Payments
If you bank online you can pay your annual membership fee by online bank transfer, which simplifies administration considerably and will save you the cost of a stamp. Use the following details:
- Sort Code 20-12-80
- Account Name Preston Park U3A
- Account Number 33576914
- NB This is not the same account as for payments for visits and group activities
Please quote your surname and membership number for reference to help us identify who has made the payment. If your payment is for more than one person please quote each person’s first and surname.
See also Bank Transfer - Membership fees.
You may still pay by cheque, which should be made payable to Preston Park u3a.