Preston & District

Welcome

Preston & District u3a
Registered Charity No. 1141371
Chairman: Tony Cheetham Telephone 01772 736720 or Mobile 07425 172750

INTRODUCTION
U3A stands for the University of the Third Age – the third being a reference to that time of life when you give up full time employment and choose to do things that you may have always fancied trying but hitherto had no time or opportunity to indulge.
The only University it resembles is “The University of Life”, of which we are all current students.
It is a fun and enjoyable way of bringing people together for learning, leisure, fitness and fun whilst enjoying the camaraderie and friendship of other retired and semi-retired members.
Members share their knowledge and experience and learn together There is no curriculum - members decide for themselves which Interest Groups, Events etc. they wold like to attend.
The Preston and District U3A started in 2007 with the aim of providing educational, social and leisure opportunities for retired people or those near retirement age. It has grown in popularity and membership numbers since then. At the start of 2019 we had over 700 members.
See the History of Preston & District U3A on our Flickr site

BENEFITS OF JOINING
You will be able attend our talks, participate in any number of our Interest Groups, go on visits, and attend our varied additional events programme. You can attend two meetings (either a monthly meeting or group meeting of your choice) before deciding whether to join us. (You will pay the normal attendance charge, which covers the cost of room hire). You will be made most welcome.
Our u3a could not exist without the efforts of a large number of volunteers who lead Interest Groups, serve on the Committee and perform a range of other functions. New members are always welcome to put themselves forward for these very interesting aspects of our work from the date of joining.

ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP
The U3A is aimed at people who are retired or nearing retirement, and wishing to enjoy the benefits of sharing time and experiences with like-minded people. Like all organisations you also have to be willing to accept the responsibilities that come with those benefits.
The main responsibility is to conduct your membership in line with the branch policies and procedures. These are available to view by following links from the “Policies” page of this website.
One of the polices concerns:- PROMOTING NON-U3A ACTIVITIES AND ORGANISATIONS
We do NOT allow official U3A communication channels for promotion of private, business or commercial organisations or indeed to promote non U3A activities, however worthy they may be.
(See the full version by following the link “Promoting NON U3A activities” which is on the “Policies” page of this website).

HOW TO JOIN
If you wish to join us you can download a membership application form by clicking on “Membership Application” listed under links on the right-hand side of this page. Send the completed form with your cheque, made payable to Preston and District U3A, to the address at the bottom of the form. If you would like more details, please click the link for “Members Rep” on the Contact Page and include your name and telephone number in the Email content.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS FEES AND ADDITIONAL COSTS
Membership: £12.00 annual subscription from 1st April 2019
Subscription includes two editions annually of Preston U3A 'Good Times' magazine, and home delivery of U3A Third Age Trust magazines.

ATTENDANCE CHARGES
£3.00 for group meetings without a tutor, and indoor events
£4.00 for group meetings with a paid tutor i.e. Yoga
£1.00 For Home groups
£2.00 for Regular Monthly Meetings
For one-off events, outings, Theatre Visits etc. See the information in the listing on the “Events” page
All outdoor interest groups are free.

GUESTS AND MEMBERS OF OTHER U3As If prospective members, guests of members or members of other U3As wish to attend the Monthly Meeting they will be made welcome and will pay the regular attendance charge. For Group meetings, you should contact the relevant Group Leader first.

MEETING VENUES AND LOCATIONS
Details for each venue can be found by clicking on the required link on the Venues page.

MONTHLY GENERAL MEETING

All of our Monthly Meetings are now back at Fulwood Free Methodist Church

The Monthly, General Meeting is held on the 3rd. Thursday of each month, except August when there is no meeting.

We have a speaker at the monthly general meeting, see the Events page for details. Also it is at this meeting that all members have an opportunity to meet and socialise together. Group leaders are often present and available to field member’s queries. The meeting starts at 2.00 pm – arrivals from no earlier than 1.30pm please. Admission £2.00.

INTEREST GROUPS
See the tables at the bottom of the Groups page