A GROUP LEADER is the member of the group who volunteers to organise the group. They need not know anything about the subject to be a Group leader. They are the organiser of the group. The Trust u3a have a number of Subject advisers (registered members) who will help you start a group and/or help you with ideas for your group. There is a large amount of information available from the Groups Coordinator to help the administration of groups. Most details can be found on this page or contact Groups Coordinator .
New Groups: We are always looking for people who are interested in convening or being involved in one or more potential new groups. Please contact the Groups Coordinator. Once there is enough interest, the Groups Coordinator will contact everyone who has expressed an interest, in order to arrange a set up meeting. At that meeting everyone gets to discuss how the group will work including things like where they meet; date, time and frequency; and who will act as leader.
If you have any queries send a message to Groups Coordinator. If you are looking for a venue for an activity, try browsing the list of places we know about by clicking the button below.
Group Leaders are strongly encouraged to use the u3a Beacon system. The Beacon Portal is available for Group leaders to communicate to group members, amend group details, and to add/remove members from your group. If you need help to do this contact the Beacon administrator.
If you are a Group Leader or are thinking of becoming one this is the place to find documents that support this role. (Note: we call the people who organise each group "Group Leaders". The Groups Coordinator is the member of the committee whose role is to help with setting up and running of groups. Currently we have two Groups Coordinators, Dianna and Steve, one of whom will reply to your emails.) Our Groups Coordinator provides help and guidance on starting up a new group and what is needed in running one. To that end there are two short documents to get you started:
There are also national u3a subject advisors who may be able to help (see below) but we recommend that you speak to one of our Groups Coordinators first.
Risk Assessment
Group leaders must complete a short risk assessment for their activities. This need not be arduous but without it groups and their leaders run the risk of not being insured. Several appropriate forms can be found below. You might like to start by looking at the Generic Risk Assessment form.
- Generic Risk Assessment
- Home-based activities
- Indoor sporting activities
- Outdoor and sporting activities
- Venue-based activities
- Walking activities
If an incident occurs
An Incident Report Form must be completed for any accident/incident that any of your members experience. This must be sent to the Chair of Chester u3a, who will retain it in case legal proceedings are involved. The report will also be reviewed by the Committee.
More useful documents
- National Subject Advisers have a wealth of information on many group subject areas. They will help you start a group and/or give you some ideas of how to rejuvenate your group. To access subject advisers you must register on the national website Trust u3a
- The Beacon Group Coordinators Guide helps you maintain your group information on the Beacon system including how to communicate by sending emails to your group members. to use Beacon you must first register with a Username and Password Beacon Login . Please note that this document refers to Group Leaders as Coordinators contrary to our definition above. Sorry!
- A Safe Guarding Policy advises you how to keep your members safe
Licences
Licences for some activities are provided by the Trust u3a. Details are available on the Trust u3a website. A summary of the topics covered follows:
1. Copyright and re-using digital printed material, CLA licence is purchased by Chester u3a annually.
2. License to show films and other audio visual material. an MPLC Umbrella Licence is provided by Trust u3a
3. License to play music in public PPL and PRS (The Music Licence) is provided by Trust u3a
4. A license for u3a choirs and singing groups is not provided by Trust u3a
- Insurance is provided by The Third Age Trust. All details of the current cover note 2026, an overview of Insurance provided and Insurance FAQ's are available. You will need to register to access this area of the National website. All members have access rights to read. www.u3a.org.uk/advice/Insurance
- Sharing fuel costs on trips - The recommended rate when members share transport is 45p/mile as a contribution towards the cost of fuel. So, if there are 4 in a car that would be 11.3p/mile each (including the driver) or when only 3 in a car it is 15.2p/mile. This is the committee's recommendation but members/groups are free to agree their own figure if they prefer.
Money
How to handle money in a group is described on the Chester U3A Group Accounts page and other relevant documents are:
- Coordinators Expenses Form and Equipment Request Form are both appended to the Financial Policy
- Chester U3A Group Finance Template
Many Groups, but not all, incur costs (eg for room hire or refreshments) which are paid by the members of the Group. Technically these funds are part of the turnover of Chester u3a and have to be reported by the Treasurer. The Group Finance template (see links below) will be required for groups using venues and where monies are paid into Chester u3a bank account. Every Group Leader must report annually on their financial transactions for the year to the Treasurer, even if there are no transactions to report (a "nil return").