SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT HAYLE-PENWITH u3a
WHAT EXACTLY IS THE u3a?
The University of the Third Age (also known as the Third Age Trust) is a world-wide network aimed at providing life-long learning and stimulating activities. It has been around for over 30 years and is particularly strong in Britain, where you will find a u3a in most large towns or districts.
IS IT A REAL UNIVERSITY?
It’s called a university because it offers opportunities to learn and participate in new activities and to experience the pleasure of learning together with others, but there are major differences between the u3a and normal universities. For a start, we don’t have students; we have members. You join a local u3a just as you’d become a member of a local amateur dramatic society or tennis club. You pay an annual membership fee, which means you can go to meetings and get involved in activities or subjects that interest you. Another difference is that there are no entry qualifications to worry about, or exams to take at the end! In fact there isn’t an ‘end’ as such; you can carry on with a subject or activity as long as it is on offer, and no one will turf you out for failing, or for not doing enough work.
WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE JOIN THE u3a?
The u3a is for all people who wish to keep their minds and bodies in good shape with the passing years. Your previous experiences – jobs, qualifications, achievements, etc. – are irrelevant, although they may come in useful if you are willing to share those experiences. The u3a welcomes everyone who is no longer in full time employment or raising a family and gives all-comers the opportunity to try out new things.
IS THERE AN AGE LIMIT?
No. There is neither an upper nor lower age limit, u3a is open to all those no longer in full time employment or raising a family. You don’t need to be a senior citizen, though most u3a members tend to be in that category. And you don’t need to be permanently retired either. In fact, no one will delve into your background at all if you come along and ask to be a member. An important point to note, though, is that nearly all meetings are held during the daytime rather than evenings.
WOULD I BE JOINING A LOCAL OR A NATIONAL ORGANISATION?
A bit of both - When you pay your membership fee you are actually joining a particular local u3a and can then take part in any of the subjects, activities and meetings run by that u3a. However, there is a national umbrella body, called the Third Age Trust, which exists to provide advice and resources that are made available to all the local u3a groups and all u3a members. A part of your membership fee goes to the head office to cover things like insurance.
HOW DO u3a GROUPS DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER?
u3a Groups are independent bodies. They organise their own programme of activities and fix their own subscription fees. In practice, however, most u3a tend to be run on fairly similar lines, each offering a set of ‘interest groups’ that members can join. The
number of such groups varies, as does the actual subjects on offer. These reflect the interests of the local membership.
WHAT’S ON OFFER FROM HAYLE u3a?
Hayle u3a has a number of interest groups:
Art
Creative Writing
French Conversation
Local History
Luncheon Club
Music Appreciation
Social (at which speakers are invited to talk on various topics)
We also offer one-to-one help with computing, available on request.
Most group meetings are held 2 or 3 times a month, but there are some variations, details are on the programme.
WHERE DOES HAYLE u3a MEET?
The majority of our groups meet at the Philip Smith Annexe of Hayle Day Care Centre, which is located between Hayle Library and Commercial Road Car Park. The exceptions are the Creative Writing Group which meets in Hayle Library, and the Luncheon Club which goes to a different venue each month.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
Our annual subscription fee for 2026/2027 is £12.00 (£4.00 of this goes to the national organisation to cover insurance, resource, training and administration costs, etc). The membership period is April 2026 to March 2027, and the cost for those joining Hayle u3a from November 2026 to the following March is reduced. The membership covers attending as many Hayle u3a groups as you wish to. There is also a £2.00 charge for attending each of the group meetings. The Luncheon Club cost varies depending on the venue, but we try to keep it in the range of £18.00-£20.00 for a two-course meal plus tea/coffee.
CAN I JOIN THE u3a FOR THE SOCIAL MEETINGS ONLY?
Yes, a number of our members do just this, it depends on your interests.
CAN I JOIN A GROUP BUT NOT ATTEND THE SOCIAL GROUP?
Yes, some of our members do this. But as well as offering some interesting talks on various topics, the Social Group gives us an opportunity to keep members informed of developments such as new groups starting up, and to make announcements about future events. It’s also a nice social get-together and a chance to meet members of other Groups.
CAN I JOIN MORE THAN ONE GROUP IN HAYLE u3a?
Yes, you can attend as many as you like.
WHERE DO THE GROUP LEADERS COME FROM?
This is an important point. A basic principle of the u3a is that of ‘shared learning’. All of the people who run groups are u3a members themselves – they volunteer to lead a group. In many cases the group leader is simply a member who volunteers to co-ordinate the group’s programme of meetings and claims no more knowledge or skill than the average group member. It’s worth mentioning that joining the u3a doesn’t mean that you will be expected to be a group leader; only a small proportion of members are group leaders.
WHO DECIDES WHICH GROUPS ARE ON OFFER?
The members themselves. Our u3a has a committee that endeavours to ensure that our affairs run smoothly, However, the committee doesn’t decide which groups will be offered – all groups come about as a result of members expressing an interest in a particular subject, and someone willing to take on the organisation.
IF I JOIN A GROUP, WILL I BE EXPECTED TO DO WORK BETWEEN GROUP MEETINGS?
You will never be forced to do anything. Whether you do things between meetings depends on the type of group, and the time that you are able to give to it. The group leader may in fact suggest some ‘homework’ and obviously you will learn more quickly if you find the time to do it. Other groups such as the Creative Writing Group involve doing some private writing or reading and bringing this for discussion at the next meeting. Some other groups may involve members being advised to do some background exploration of a subject in advance of a talk or discussion to be held later. As an example, in the Social Group a member may offer to give a talk about somewhere they have visited or a topic that they have a particular interest in. But such talks are always voluntary, and you certainly won’t be pressurised into giving one if you don’t feel able to.
WHAT IF MEMBERS OF A GROUP HAVE WIDELY VARYING ABILITIES OR KNOWLEDGE?
This does not matter. Hayle u3a is an inclusive group and will welcome you whatever your level of expertise or knowledge.
HOW DO I JOIN A GROUP?
It’s best first of all to have a word with the relevant Group Leader, whose details are available from our Secretary. They will explain how the group operates, such as confirming when and where the group meets, how the meetings are organised, and what the current programme of meetings involves. You should be able to assess whether the group in question seems to fit the bill.
If you are interested in joining the Social Group you are welcome to contact our Chair, Vice Chair, or Secretary, whose details are shown at the end of this document.
WHAT IF I’M NOT SURE WHETHER A GROUP IS FOR ME?
You will be more than welcome to attend a group as a guest for one meeting, to see if it is suitable for you, providing you have arranged this with the Group Leader. All that we ask is that you pay the meeting cost of £2 towards the rent and refreshments for this “taster” session.
WHAT IF THERE ISN’T A GROUP THAT CATERS FOR MY SPECIAL INTEREST?
We are always on the look-out to start up new groups, and it’s possible that your interest is shared by others. The first step is to contact our Chair to find out if the subject or activity has already been suggested by others. Usually the next step is to put out feelers at a Social meeting, or to phone people who might be interested in joining you. If sufficient people express an interest, it’s a short step to getting the new group off the ground, but obviously someone will need to agree to be the Group Leader.
WHERE DO YOU GET THE SPEAKERS FOR THE SOCIAL GROUP?
We are always looking for speakers to come along and welcome introductions or information regarding potential speakers that we can approach, and our own members often give talks on subjects that interest them.
CAN I BE A MEMBER OF MORE THAN ONE u3a?
Yes, you can, and you will only have to pay the national levy (currently £4.00) to one u3a, but obviously you will need to pay the local annual membership fee.
CAN HAYLE u3a PROVIDE TRANSPORT FOR ME TO ATTEND?
Unfortunately we are not able to provide transport, but our venue is on the main road through Hayle and is reasonably close to the bus stops at Hayle War Memorial and Copperhouse.
DOES HAYLE u3a HAVE PARTICULAR ARRANGEMENTS TO HELP REDUCE THE SPREAD OF COVID AND OTHER INFECTIONS?
We have produced Guidance for attending meetings which includes the requirement for us to ensure there is good ventilation in the room for our meetings – this means that the doors and windows will be open, so it may be cold, and members are advised to dress accordingly. Although we meet in Hayle Day Care Centre Annexe, we ask that our members use the Annexe door only and do not access the Day Care facility itself, as we do not wish to compromise the vulnerable clients who attend the Day Care Centre. A copy of the Guidance can be obtained in advance by contacting the Secretary (details below). We have undertaken a Risk Assessment, a copy of which is also available from the Secretary.
As Government guidance and restrictions change, we will review our infection control arrangements, but we believe that we will retain some of our Hayle u3a requirements in order to help reduce spread of infection, whether it be Covid, flu, or other conditions.
AM I COVERED BY u3a INSURANCE WHEN I ATTEND u3a MEETINGS?
All u3as which are fully paid up members of the Third Age Trust have the benefit of the nationally provided public and products liability insurance cover.
What is meant by public liability insurance?
In general, public liability insurance is intended to indemnify the insured against compensation, which they become legally liable to pay, following injury or property damage sustained to others as a result of an activity. Legal liability to another person can arise in a number of ways but by far the most common is negligence. Public liability does not cover pure accidents where no legal liability has been established, so the u3a insurance does not provide personal accident cover.
What is meant by product liability insurance?
Product liability protects the u3a against claims arising from injury or damage sustained by a product supplied by the u3a and for which it is held legally liable.
CAN HAYLE u3a PROVIDE CARERS FOR MY SPECIAL NEEDS?
We welcome everyone to attend our u3a, and our venue is on the flat with no steps to negotiate, so is accessible. We make every effort to make our meetings enjoyable and suitable for those with special sight or hearing needs. However, we do need to make you aware that, although we meet in the Annexe to Hayle Day Care Centre, we do not have carers available, but anyone is welcome to attend with their carer.
DOES HAYLE u3a HAVE A WEBSITE/FACEBOOK PAGE?
We do not have a Facebook page, but we have a website on which information is posted, including a copy of the timetable. This is available at:
However, we appreciate that not everyone has access to the internet or a smart phone, so printed copies of documents are also available for those who require them. If you do have an e-mail address or mobile number that we can text, we would prefer to use that form of communication if possible to reduce postage costs.
HAYLE u3a CONTACTS
Chair Mike Stuckey 01736 697771
Treasurer Richard McAulay 07544 001827
Secretary Lisa Symons 07860 721091 Lisasymons@aol.com
Author: Lisa Symons Version No: 10 Date of Issue: 30 June 2026 Review Date: 30 June 2027