Settle District

u3a

Group admin guidelines

The u3a group leaders are the life blood of the organisation, without you we wouldn’t exist. We appreciate the time and energy you give to your groups and thank you for your contributions.

These guidelines are based on the guidelines for group leaders produced by the Third Age Trust (TAT). We have highlighted here the most important things for you to know as group leaders and also some locally relevant guidelines specific to Settle District u3a.

We hope these guidelines give you everything you need to know about setting up and running your group – but please never feel alone in doing this – if you need any additional help or guidance please speak with the Group Co-ordinator, who will be happy to support you. You will be offered a 1-1 induction session with the Group Coordinator, this is especially useful if you are a new group leader and new to u3a. You may, however, choose to refer to your present group leader if you are taking over as leader from a well established group or a mixture of both. Our Group Coordinator is a useful resource.

Third Age Trust (TAT) group leader handbook and guidelines

The Group Leader Handbook is produced by TAT and can be found on their website using the link here: https://www.u3a.org.uk/.

You will need to log in or create an account. Once you have done that, select ‘Support for u3as’, then select ‘Interest groups’ from the right hand menu to access the handbook. The handbook covers the key responsibilities of group leaders and also gives a great deal of information and advice about setting up and running groups.

The u3a has subject specialists who can provide help and assistance to you in organising your programme (contact the u3a Resource Centre on 020 8315 0199 or email resource.centre@u3a.org.uk) and see the u3a Sources, an educational journal which is included in the direct mailing of Third Age Matters. Additional information and guidance can be found by typing ‘Subject advice’ into the search box. Scroll down the list until you find ‘Subject advice’ and click on that. The list of groups is extensive; from Amateur radio to Yoga. All the information you need is behind your member login.

Key guidelines group leaders need to follow are highlighted here:

Group accommodation and room hire

It is your role to contact and book a venue for your group. You will be sent the latest Room Hire document when you start as a group leader and at least once a year after that. This document is a list of all local venues with facilities, dimensions and room hire rates. The venues invoice our treasurer direct, so you never have to pay for the room yourself. As accommodation is our biggest expense it is obviously important to take the cost of room hire into consideration, so please try to match group needs to lowest cost, however, it is also very important that the venue is right for you and for the activity group you are running. So if you feel you need a different venue for your group please discuss this with the Group Co-ordinator. There will never be any pressure to downsize unnecessarily.

Remember to accommodate the access needs of your group members for classes and outings. If you have any safety concerns about a venue do not continue a class unless these concerns can be resolved to your satisfaction.

Recoverable costs

This was a new initiative in 2023 and is aimed at facilitating the smooth running of your group, please discuss the necessary purchases with the group coordinator beforehand and if agreed please raise the invoice to the Treasurer. Receipts must accompany all claims. Consumables such as paint, card, and crafting materials are met by members of the group. The expenses claim form is listed in the leaders tab.

Outdoor activities

It is important to make group members aware that they are advised to have their own personal insurance to cover them for all outdoor activities such as visits, outings and the walking groups and all participants take part at their own risk.

It is advisable for all u3a members taking part in outdoor activities to give a copy of any medical conditions and details of an emergency contact to the group leader.

Risk assessments, insurance cover and accidents


A risk assessment is needed for all groups. The Group Co-ordinator will help you produce one before you have your first meeting.

All members of the u3a are covered by the u3a’s public liability insurance, but they are not covered for personal accident insurance. You will need to ensure that people attending your u3a group are enrolled paid up members of a u3a in WestNet (Bradford, Ilkley, Cookridge and Horsforth or Settle District).


If a group member has an accident or near accident or there is damage to a group member’s property then full details should be taken down and an incident form should be completed. This should be passed on to the Group Co-ordinator or Committee Secretary. They will then complete an accident report form and make a decision about whether any follow-up action is needed.

Health and safety

Heath and safety is everybody’s responsibility.  It is incumbent on all those involved to behave in a way that is safe to themselves and others and to report anything that might be hazardous so that it can be put right.

To this effect group organisers should

  • Keep an accurate and up to date register for each class 
  • At the first session check emergency contact numbers and details of any relevant medical issues or disabilities 
  • Be aware of the guidelines issued by venues in the event of a fire or an accident
  • Check the venue for the class carefully in order to identify potential hazards which should be removed or brought to the attention of participants.
  • Before the first meeting a risk assessment should be completed with the help of the Group Co-ordinator.
  • Check electrical equipment before use and report any concerns to the Group Co-ordinator.
  • Follow up all incidents where health and safety has been compromised by contacting the Group Co-ordinator and completing an incident report.  This should be done even if nobody is hurt in case lessons need to be learned.    

If in doubt please err on the side of caution.  It is better for people to be disappointed than hurt.  You can always discuss anything relating to health and safety with any member of the committee who will be only too happy to help.

First aid

There is no legal requirement for a first aider to be present at u3a group meetings but it’s always worth knowing if any of your group members are qualified first aiders or retired health care professionals.

Group organisation

Ensure that group members have enough information to make an informed choice about what is involved in participating in your group; you may wish to discuss the programme with them and invite them to make contributions.

The frequency of meetings is upto you; for example, weekly, twice a month, or monthly all work well.

As a group leader you are responsible for the running of your group and for resolving any difficulties that may arise. However, the Group Co-ordinator is there to provide advice and support if you need to talk anything through and it’s quite often useful to have a deputy if possible; somebody to look after the group should you be away or unwell.

Advertising your group

You will be offered a Beacon page and a website page. Our Beacon administrator will give you guidance on how to edit your Beacon page; they can be with this link: Beacon administrator. The website page will allow you to post photos in addition to other details such as group description, venue and time. The Web Manager and Website editor will give you 1-1 instructions on how to edit your page if you wish. Contact Web Manager or Web editor for help here.

Using the u3a logo and recommended fonts

If you are providing written material and wish to use the u3a logo please contact the Group Coordinator, Secretary or Publicity Officer. Alternatively, all forms of the logo are available from the TAT brand centre. Incidentally the Brand Centre also has downloadable PowerPoint templates and recommends DM sans as the u3a preferred font. Fonts and Powerpoint

Group membership

Most u3a members sign up for groups at the August sign-up event. Members can join a group using the Beacon system if there is space in that group. Alternatively people wishing to join a group throughout the year could contact the Group Co-ordinator who will check with you that you have space and then pass on their details to you.

It is up to you to set a limit on the number of group members to ensure that running the group is practical. If the maximum membership for your group is reached then a waiting list will be kept on Beacon. Alternatively there may be the option of setting up a second group.

We operate a ‘try before you buy’ of 2 sessions for non u3a members, the group attendance donation should be collected. You should then make sure that people join the u3a after these 2 sessions or inform the membership secretary.

You should keep a record of attendance including any visitors, at each group meeting for insurance, fire evacuation, health and safety purposes.

You may want to nominate someone to be an assistant leader to help you run the group, collect group fees and cover for you if you are away on holiday or unwell etc. An assistant leader can also help with succession planning when a current leader wishes to retire.

Contacting group members

The Beacon system is the best, most inclusive way of contacting all group members and is the preferred system to ensure that you can have regular contact with your group and inform them of any change of plans or illness. All group leaders will have guidance on how to use Beacon for this. The group coordinator and Beacon administrator offer continued support.

If you use emails outside the Beacon system remember to use the Blind Copy or BCC option to ensure confidentiality. More guidance on this can be found on our own website - Data protection.

Collecting the group attendance donations

Leaders should collect members’ meeting donations and put them into an envelope or money pouch including details of the group and the date. This should then be delivered to Alison, The Treasurer, or the safe at Victoria Hall. Their addresses and details of the location of the safe at Victoria Hall are available from the Group coordinator. Alternatively, these donations can be paid directly into our Nat West bank account with the group name as a reference. The bank account details are:

Settle District U3A, 01-07-93, 53206274

This group attendance donation is currently set at £1 or more. It is a voluntary contribution in recognition of the social benefit we all enjoy and in acknowledgement of the organisation (a charity) that brings us together and contributes to Settle District u3a's finances. All groups collect the agreed amount from each attending member wherever they meet.

Please consult the treasurer if you handle money on behalf of the group for any other purpose, e.g. for outings and visits. Always get receipts for any money handed over.

Photocopying

There are important guidelines covering photocopying multiple copies of articles, music, maps etc and for printing off the internet. Settle District u3a has purchased a license for this. UK copyright law allows you to copy “an insubstantial amount for personal use, private study or non-commercial research” but the law does not define insubstantial. Please consult the committee if you have any problems in this area.

Social media guidelines

It can be good to share information about your group and we’re always looking for great photos and stories for our website and our newsletter. Increasingly many of us are also sharing on social media and this can be a great way to promote the fantastic activities on offer. But do remember if you are posting anything on social media to make sure that people in any photos/stories have agreed for them to be used. If in doubt about anything refer to Settle District u3a data protection guidelines or talk to a committee member.

Car parking and car sharing

Settle District u3a have an informal arrangement with the Cricket Club when car sharing takes place and some vehicles are left behind. Members need a car parking permit and these are available from the Secretary on sdu3a.secretary@gmail.com Cars must be parked on the right. It would be helpful to remind members that the arrangement with the Cricket Club covers only u3a activities. The car park cannot be used at other times. If we abuse the arrangement with the Cricket Club they’ll stop us parking there.

Car sharing passengers should contribute towards travel costs. The advisory rate for travel costs is now £1 per 30mins of the journey time, there and back, pro rata’d for part hours.

We hope that you find this information helpful in your role – but if you’re not sure of anything – or if you feel we need to include additional guidance to group leaders please let us know. You can contact the Group Co-ordinator, or any other member of the committee.

Guidelines relating to u3a policies

Policies are there to make sure we do things consistently, legally and in line with the principles of the u3a.  They are all based on national guidelines.  Following them will make sure that we are covered in the event of anything untoward happening.  This is a summary of the key points but full versions are on the website.

Code of conduct

Everybody linked to the u3a is expected to abide by the code of conduct.  It outlines things that we would take for granted anyway like treating people with respect and tolerance and is linked to the equality and diversity policy.  There are grievance, complaints and disciplinary policies in place should there be a problem.  However the main message is that if there are problems, the best thing is to talk about them so they can be sorted out quickly and effectively.  

Data protection

As a group leader you will have access to personal information about people in your group, including addresses and contact details. These are confidential so please keep them securely. They must not be shared with anybody else unless you have checked in advance. Use blind copying (bcc) when sending e-mails to prevent this happening.

Finance

As a group leader you should not be out of pocket as a result of your work. If you have to purchase things in order to run your course, you can claim the money back provided you have a receipt. Please always check with the Group Co-ordinator before you do this especially if large amounts of money are involved. If you are buying things like materials on behalf of people in your group or if you are sharing lifts, then it is reasonable to ask them to make a contribution. If you think somebody in the group might struggle financially with these costs or the donation, please use your discretion. We will always find the money to make sure that everyone in the group can join in.

Safeguarding

We all have a duty to look after people who are vulnerable from abuse; physical, financial, sexual or emotional. It can happen to anyone. If you think somebody is being abused or if somebody makes a disclosure to you must pass on this information. The designated person in charge of safeguarding is Robert Jackson, the chair, who will decide what to do next. Please always err on the side of caution and don’t think “it couldn’t happen here”.

Health and safety

We are jointly responsible for the safety of people in your group. Any problems with the venue or with the equipment you are using should be reported to the Group Coordinator so that we can sort it out. If somebody is behaving in a way that is unsafe or you believe is not fit for the activity then you can refuse to let them take part. People have a responsibility to let you know of any medical conditions that might affect them in your group. However it is worthwhile reminding people of this and asking them to let you know in confidence of any conditions that you need to be aware of. You should also have an emergency contact number for every person and should have this with you at every session just in case. For the same reason, please take a register at the start.

To show that you have taken all reasonable precautions to prevent any accidents you must complete a risk assessment. In most cases this is very simple (see example) and you only need one for the whole year. It just says what the possible risks are, what you have done to reduce them and what you will do if somebody has an accident. More hazardous activities or activities in different locations will require individual risk assessments. Any member of the committee can help you complete your risk assessment.

If somebody has an accident that requires medical attention you should complete an accident form. This will be a record of what happened and should be sent to Lis who as secretary is responsible for all the paperwork. Again if in doubt ask Jeanne or any member of the committee for help. As in so many things the golden rule is “if in doubt err on the side of caution” even if the person assures you they are ok.

Thank you again for your time and contribution to Settle District u3a and all its members.

April 2025