Join a group

This site provides several ways to find out about our different groups:

• The 'Open Groups' page lists all our groups that are open to new members - if you log in to the web site, the list excludes any groups you might already belong to
• The calendar shows which groups are meeting on particular days in the week (most groups meet on the nth weekday of the month - for example, the third Thursday)
• The 'Groups by activity' page shows groups under activity headings to help you find those that interest you
• The 'All groups' page provides a brief description of all our groups
• If you have a particular interest, you can search the site (click the magnifying glass icon at the top right of any page) for terms matching your interest (you should log in first to ensure your search includes private articles)

Other possibilities include:

• Attend a monthly meeting - some groups display boards describing their activities and you have the opportunity to meet some of our group leaders (ask at the door if there's someone in particular that you'd like to meet)
• The quarterly Hayling Island newsletter sent to all members includes reports from various groups letting us know what they've been getting up to
• Chats with members - most of us belong to multiple groups

Regardless of how you find out about a group, you can find out more on the group's page (click 'more' next to any entry in a group list). This will:

• Tell you a bit about the group including its status, one of:
  • Any member can attend
  • Open to new members
  • Currently closed to new members
  • No longer meeting
• Link to planned meetings and events
• Link to items of news and other articles
• Provide contact details for the group's leader(s)
• Provide contact details for event leader(s) if different to the group leader(s)

To see all the available information you should log in to the members' area first since some entries are not visible to the public.

You can usually attend these groups without providing advance notice. However, it's best to contact the group or event leaders for outdoor groups to make sure you get to hear about postponements or cancellations. In any case, it's worth checking the event page on the day you intend to join to make sure there are no last-minute changes.

This means the group has one or more vacancies for new members. If you'd like to join the group (or attend a meeting on a trial basis) you should first contact the group leader(s) using the links provided on every group page.

This usually means a group meets in members' houses and is currently too big to accept any more.

If you'd like to join a group that is currently closed to new members, go to the group page where you'll see a box that explains that the group is not currently accepting new members and provides a link to allow you to register your interest. That will allow us to contact you if:

• The group has a vacancy
• We start up a new, similar group
• There's a possibility for you to help us create a new, similar group

In any case, if you're interested in helping to start a new group, please get in touch.

Please note that some groups have special requirements for people wishing to join them:

• There's no cost for joining a group, but some groups need to levy a charge to cover: materials, hall hire or refreshments. Others imply a cost (such as visits).
• Most groups do not require specific expertise, however some are explicitly not for beginners; others imply some ability (some of the musical groups and the walking group, for example).
• A few groups need to make bookings for their meetings so you have to arrange attendance in advance.
• A few groups require you to bring your own equipment (for example, the cycling group and some of the musical groups)

The group page will describe or imply those requirements. If you are uncertain, please contact the group leader.

Some groups - notably those that do not meet in members' homes - are happy to welcome potential new u3a members on a trial basis. Please contact the relevant group leader (via the group pages) to find out more.

You are welcome to attend any of our monthly meetings as a non-member. This gives you an opportunity to see presentations from some of our groups and meet some of our members. There's a £2 entrance fee for non-members to help us cover speaker, hall and refreshment costs.