Membership
This page is for New Members. Existing members should go to Renew Member
New members are very welcome to join us.
What does it cost to join? Membership of Shipston on Stour u3a costs £15 per year. Our membership year runs from April to March. People joining between 14th February and 31st March will enjoy membership until the end of the next membership year.
The membership fee entitles you to join as many Interest Groups as you wish providing there are spaces. Interest Groups may require a small contribution to running costs – refreshments, materials, sheet music etc.
Giving the u3a a try. Non-members may attend one of our Monthly Meetings or two Interest Group meetings as a taster but you must join the u3a before attending any more. Please contact the Membership Secretary or Chairman to enquire about attending a General Meeting, and the individual Group Leader or Groups Coordinator about attending an Interest Group meeting. (See Contacts Page)
What else do members get? As well as being entitled to attend Monthly Meetings and Interest Groups, members get copies of our local newsletter “UPDATE”, and can opt to receive “Third Age Matters”, our National magazine for a small fee £3.60. They will also receive invitations to occasional trips, visits and lunches and the chance to join one group in a neighbouring u3a, via our reciprocal agreements. There is no charge for members attending Monthly Meetings after 1st April 2023.
How do I join?
To join online using PayPal We strongly encourage you to join online at Online New Membership Application Form where you can provide us with your personal information and where you can pay by credit/debit card using PayPal or, if you prefer, you can join online and then pay by bank transfer or by cheque. Just complete the application form and then make the bank transfer or send your cheque to me as Membership Secretary. If you are a UK Taxpayer you will be asked to consent to our recovering Gift Aid on your subscription as part of the online process.
To join by post and pay by bank transfer or cheque you need to complete a New member Application Form (to the right of this screen). You will need to print, complete and send it with a stamped addressed envelope, to the Membership Secretary, c/o Dassett Cottage, Blackwell, Shipston on Stour CV36 4PE. You should pay by bank transfer to the account shown on the form, or you can include a cheque with your application. If you are not able to print the form, please contact the Membership Secretary via the CONTACTS section of our website leaving your address and telephone number.
Members of another u3a can buy Associate Membership for £11.50, if they can show that they are a paid-up member of another u3a.
Gift Aid Since SoSA U3A is a charity, it is eligible for Gift Aid. If you are currently paying enough income or capital gains tax to cover all of your Gift Aid payments, you can boost the value of your membership fee by 25% by ‘Gift Aiding’ it. To do this please check/tick the Gift Aid box when you fill in the membership form. SoSA U3A will then collect Gift Aid from this and all of your future membership fees until you tell us that we can’t. Please notify the Membership Secretary if:
• You want to cancel this declaration
• You change your name or home address
• You stop paying enough income or capital gains tax to cover the amount of Gift Aid – otherwise you become liable to pay the difference.
If you are joining as a couple, and you are both eligible to Gift Aid your fee, please do not pay for both of you from one account (unless it is a joint account) since HMRC will only let us claim gift aid from the payer.
Privacy and Data Protection Your personal details will be held on a secure database and will be used solely for the purpose of administration and the distribution of U3A communications. They will never be supplied to an outside agency or party, other than for you to receive Third Age Matters Magazine by direct mail and to claim Gift Aid entitlement from HMRC For further information see the General Consent and Privacy Statement.
Check the Policies page for copies of relevant SoSA u3a policies.