National Volunteer Week - 1st - 7th June

Sending out a huge thank you to all our group leader and co-ordinator volunteer!

The Joy of Sharing Your Passion

For Paula, the decision to step up brought immediate rewards.

"It enables us to run a group that previously wasn't there, with a group of like-minded people," Paula says. "It is the joy of sharing our passion for a subject and helping others to develop new skills."

Ultimately, Paula notes that becoming a leader has opened up wonderful opportunities to share passions, make lasting friends, and truly embody the u3a motto: Learn, Laugh and Live.

You Don’t Have to Do It Alone!

It’s true that running a group involves a little bit of administration. There are registers to keep, venues to liaise with, and an annual risk assessment to complete. However, Paula is quick to reassure potential volunteers that it is always a team effort.

You don’t have to do everything yourself! Other members of your group can pitch in, share the load, and take on specific responsibilities to keep things running smoothly.

Fantastic Support is Available

When you start a group, you are backed by both local and national networks. You have access to excellent resources, including:

• National Subject Advisors: For many subjects, there is a dedicated National Subject Advisor to help you with ideas and guidance. You can find their names and contact details listed in the u3a Matters magazine or on the national website at www.u3a.org.uk.
• Buxton Branch Support: Locally, we are here to help practicalities run smoothly. The branch can assist with the PAT testing of electrical equipment and offers financial support for small group expenses (up to £100).

Inspired to take the next step?

If you have a passion you'd love to share—whether it's academic, creative, active, or social—we would love to hear from you. Contact Jean Browntoday and let's get your idea off the ground!

What would I need to do?

Information for new group leaders is available by clicking this link. This document includes Information which is also useful or necessary for existing Group Leaders. A flow diagram of how to set up a new group is also available by clicking on this link.

Click on this link for a copy of the GDPR statement signed by all group leaders

Registers, Risks and Venues

All registration forms to be returned to the group leader liaison person Jean Brown

Group Registers - this link will take you to the Group Registers page where the forms can be found - updated 20/6/2025

To keep our members safe and well, and adhere to our u3a insurance, group leaders need to do a risk assessment for the venue they are using. We created the templates, you just need to assess the risks and send a copy back to Jean Brown. We ask you to review this annually or more often if your venue changes.

If you do cancel your face to face meetings please inform the venue immediately so that we are not charged for the room and also email the treasurer, Colin Woodhouse, to ensure future invoices are correct. Please also copy in Jean Brown as well for her records

Communicating with members of your group via email or Whatsapp

Beacon is a membership database system, specifically designed for u3as. As a group leader, you are not obliged to use it but you may find it helpful in filling out the registers - see previous section. The slides from the presentation given by Simon at the Group Leaders' meeting on 11th September 2025 can be viewed by clicking here (opens in new tab).

You may also want to contact your group by other means such as WhatsApp. You will need to manage this group. WhatsApp requires a mobile phone number to work, anyone who joins a standard WhatsApp group chat will be able to see the phone numbers of all the other members in that group. Ensure your members are comfortable sharing their numbers with the group before adding them.

Applying for equipment or small expenses

Hire or purchase of equipment

To find out how to apply for hire or purchase of equipment for a group and for access to the appropriate application form for purchase, click below - you can either print out the application form using the second button or fill in on-line using the form on the third button

Small expenses policy and claims form

More information and documents

Documentation on the following subjects can be found on the 'Documentation' tab on the main menu under the sub-menu indicated below in brackets.

• Copyright and Licences (General Policies)
• Data Protection (has its own sub-menu)
• Equipment Register (Documents)
• Organising events (Events, Outings, Personal Safety) ~~~~~~~~~~Updated November 2024
• Risk Management (has its own page)
• Safeguarding (General Policies)

Click on the link below to see the write-up of the
Results of the group leader/coordinator survey - published 2026

Want to share something on Facebook about your group?

To advertise your group on our Facebook page, contact Darren Finn-Hurst

Want to edit your own web page?

To edit your group page, click the link below in the yellow box. Please refer to the Webmaster if you need a username and password. Please keep your page up-to-date. The webmaster is happy to assist.

Click to edit your group page

There are five simple training documents to help you learn how to edit your page. You can ignore the statement at the end of each document telling you to advise the webmaster when you've finished. You can go straight on to the next document if you wish - or if you have questions, feel free to contact the webmaster.

If you have three failed attempts to access your group page, you will be locked out for 15 minutes, after which it will be unlocked again. You don't need to let the webmaster or the assistant webmaster know as the unlocking will happen automatically. If more than 4 lockouts happen within a 24 hour period, you will be locked out for 24 hours.

To find royalty-free pictures, click on the button below