Our membership year runs from 1st March through to the end of the following February. Annual Membership of Bishop Auckland u3a for 2026-2027 for anyone joining from March to August 31st 2026, is £24 for Individual membership and Associate membership is £20. From 1st September 2026 until 28th February 2027 the fees reduce to £14 and £12. This includes access to all Monthly Meetings, access to all study and activity groups, and a subscription to the u3a magazine called ‘u3a Matters’. If you are already a member of another u3a then you can join our group as an Associate upon presentation of your current membership card.
This annual fee covers the £4 capitation fee paid to the National Office to cover such things as insurance, media licences, resources, advice, National Conference facilities and workshops. We also pay £2.50 per household to the National Office for the quarterly magazine. The remainder of the fee covers local costs such as printing, postage and room hire for general and committee meetings. It does not subsidise group activities.
New Members
New Members who are no longer in full-time employment and would like to join Bishop Auckland & District u3a then please contact our Membership Secretary via the Contact page. You will be sent an application package that includes an application form with a Gift Aid section. If you are a UK taxpayer and pay enough tax to qualify then please consider this as it enables u3a to reclaim tax on your payment. The u3a Registered Charity number is 1086702. You can also download the Application form below then complete and return it to our Membership Secretary.
If you are a new member and you join part way through the year then the annual fee is pro-rata and you will be advised of the sum at the time of application.
All Members
Payment
All Members Membership fees can be transferred online via BACS direct from your bank account or you can pay by cheque. Details will be provided in your application package or in your renewal notification. Bank details can also be found in the Members section.
Can you add Gift Aid?
We can claim Gift Aid on your membership subscription at no additional cost to you. If you are a UK taxpayer please do consider this. n.b. you must have paid sufficient tax (Income and/or Capital Gains) to cover the total extra 25% that can be claimed from HMRC on these sums of money.
Beacon Record for existing Members
Beacon is the u3a Membership Management System where your records are securely stored and from whence we can send out group mailings securely. The system also provides a facility to manage our u3a Finances.
As a existing member you have access to your own record on the system. You can use our Members Portal to see the personal information we hold for you. You need your logon details to do this. If the information is not correct and needs changing it can be altered online through the option in the portal to 'update your personal details' (including updating your address, telephone and mobile phone numbers). The Members Portal also gives information of all our current groups and lets you know for which groups you are currently a member. If you prefer that this is done for you then please contact the Membership Secretary.
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