Application Form 2023-24
Joining or renewing your subscription? To use our new online Application Form, please click here.
We recommend that you submit your membership application online, as this will be quicker, avoid postal delays and save you the cost of postage. We are using a new database system to record memberships and allocate classes this Summer. When you apply online, your details will go directly onto the database. There will still be the option of applying using a paper form, but your data will then have to be transferred manually onto the database which may take a few days.
However, if you prefer to apply using our paper Application Form, it can be downloaded here.
The allocation of members to classes will commence on 1st August, so to have the best chance of getting onto your preferred classes, you should ensure that we receive your membership application by 1st August.
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Changes for 2023-24
This Summer we are introducing a new system of membership fees to overcome the deficits that we have incurred in recent years. We will have a much lower annual membership subscription (£25), and venue costs will now be covered by an annual class fee, shown in the class lists, which will vary depending on the cost per class member of hiring that venue.
This is probably the biggest change at Poole u3a since we started 30 years ago, and it brings us into line with most other u3as across the UK that have always had a lower membership subscription and then paid additional class fees. If we had carried on as we were, it was likely that Poole u3a would have folded up in 2 to 3 years. The committee is now confident that we will be financially secure in the long term and hopefully still thriving in another 30 years.
Join Us
Poole u3a is a registered charity operating over 100 classes, which usually meet weekly, and a range of social activities and events. All are run by volunteer leaders.
Membership is open to people who are no longer in full-time employment. In practice, the u3a meets the needs of the rapidly growing number of people over the age of 50.
To join: It's easy! Either apply online or download the paper application form - see above - and send it to:
Poole u3a Office
The Spire
High Street
Poole
BH15 1DF
enclosing a stamped addressed envelope. Do not include any money; you will be invoiced for your subscription and the classes in which you are allocated a place.
If you can contribute by sharing your experiences or specialised knowledge and leading a class, please contact the office on 01202 678113.
Term dates can be found here.
Fees
Membership fees for the academic year 2023-24 are:
- £25 for the full year*
- Plus a fee for each class you sign up for (related to the venue cost) - see Class Finder for details
* Members joining after 1st January pay a reduced fee of £20, and those joining after 1st April pay £15, for the remainder of the u3a year (i.e. till 31 August). Please ask the office for details.
Classes
In addition to the fees above, some leaders may require contributions to cover the cost of incidentals such as handouts, equipment and consumables.
More information on individual classes is available here or can be obtained through the office (contact details here) or phone 01202 678113.
Please note that some classes get booked up very quickly, especially the sports classes. If the class you are interested in is fully booked, please complete this form or contact the office (tel: 01202 678113) if you would like your name to be added to the waiting list for that subject.
The Poole u3a Committee monitors the class waiting lists and will try, if possible, to organise additional classes for those subjects that are heavily oversubscribed although, of course, this depends on the availability of class leaders and suitable venues. In the meantime, we hope that you will find another class to join which is interesting and enjoyable.