Please note that it is currently only possible to join online if there is a monetary payment due. If you wish to join using one of our free of charge membership options then you will need to complete a membership form and submit it. Please go back to the Join Us page.
Please read all of the information below before clicking the button at the bottom of the page to join Stroud u3a.
Our membership year starts 1st September and ends 31st August. If you join and pay your fees after 1stApril, then your membership will not need to be renewed until 1st September of the following year.
By applying to join Stroud u3a, you agree to abide by our Constitution and our Policies which can be found via our Docs page.
Important: Joining Online
For our u3a each individual has their own personal membership. When joining online this means the individual who is joining is personally confirming their wish to join Stroud u3a, their agreement to comply with our Constitution and Policies and, importantly, if Gift Aiding, their own personal tax status. When you join online you are effectively signing to confirm all of this.
We know that when couples or friends are joining sometimes one or other of them will do the actual online joining up process for both. In this situation, it is very important that the person doing the joining has the consent of the other person, is certain of that persons' taxpayer status (when Gift Aiding) and pays the other person's membership from either an account in the other person's name or from a joint account.
Payment Options when Joining Online
Our online joining process uses Paypal as the intermediate service provider. You can either pay using your existing Paypal account (if you have one) or you can choose the option to pay by Card when you are first taken to the Paypal payment screen.
If you prefer to pay by bank transfer or cheque, you will need to complete our membership form on our main Join Us page and send it to us.
Gift Aid
You can make your subscription and any other donation go much further by Gift Aiding! For each £1 you Gift Aid, we can claim an additional 25p from HMRC to add to it. To qualify for Gift Aid, you must pay income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the amount that will be reclaimed on your subscriptions and any donations you make by Gift Aid in any given tax year. Please do Gift Aid if you can. Please note that it is not permissible to pay another person's membership and claim Gift Aid on it - see Important: Joining Online (above).
Emergency Contact Information
Emergencies of all kinds are extremely rare at Stroud u3a. But they could happen and we want to be as prepared as possible in case they do. So, when completing our online form to join, you will be asked for emergency contact information. Please provide this if you can. Ideally, we need a name and a phone number for your Emergency Contact. You might also want to insert their relationship to you (e.g. partner, friend, neighbour). Please note that your Emergency Contact is NOT someone who we expect to respond to help deal with any emergency situation but someone YOU would want us to inform in the event of you being caught up in some kind of significant problem or difficulty while on a Stroud u3a activity. Please also note, that in providing this information it is up to you to ensure that you have the permission of the person concerned to name them as your Emergency Contact.
Use of Images
Our members often take images and/or videos of fellow members and of our activities. You will be made aware of them doing this. We love to showcase our members enjoying activities within Stroud u3a. Such images may be published in our leaflet(s), on our website, on social media (e.g. Facebook), in a local newspaper or similar outlets. If you DO NOT want us to use images in which you are recognisable, please ensure you move out of the photograph or video when it is being taken.
Data Protection and Privacy
Stroud and District u3a and the national u3a treats your privacy seriously. Our Data Protection and Privacy Policies, which can be viewed on the Docs page of our website at https://stroud.u3asite.uk/, set out how we will deal with and use your personal information, which includes the following:
- Holding your membership information within the national u3a Beacon system
- Storing it securely for membership purposes and providing you with membership services.
- Communicating with you as a Stroud u3a member.
- Sharing with Group Coordinators for those groups that you are a member of.
Please be aware that we publish members names (only) in our newsletter which goes to all members of our u3a and that our newsletter also appears on our website. If you do not wish us to use your name in this way, or if you are in any way vulnerable, please contact our membership secretary (membership@stroudu3a.org.uk) or our safeguarding lead (safeguarding@stroudu3a.org.uk) BEFORE joining us so that we can be clear about how we can ensure we comply with your specific requirements.
By pressing the button below you confirm that you have read and, where relevant, agree to the above.
u3a Matters Magazine
The national u3a Matters magazine is issued by the Third Age Trust about 5 times a year but, because there is an additional cost to Stroud u3a, by default we currently operate an "opt in" arrangement. There is no extra cost to you as a member of opting to take the magazine and if a glossy magazine telling you all about the wider happenings and opportunities to join in the wider u3a movement is of interest to you then please DO "opt in".
You also need to be aware that to provide you with u3a Matters we must share your name and address details with the Third Age Trust and/or their chosen distributor for u3a Matters magazine. If you do NOT wish us to do this, then please do not opt in. If you "opt in" and wish to change your mind at a later date then please also use the link below.
First though, join Stroud u3a here:
Next, return to this same page and email us using the link below with the subject heading u3aM OPT IN (or "u3aM Opt In") or similar text. Provided that you use the same email address as when you joined Stroud u3a (above) when you do this, we will be able to match up your request to your membership record and ensure your details are added to our u3a Matters mailing list.
To OPT IN to u3a Matters magazine please email "u3aM OPT IN" using this link to Sylvia Pearse