If you are already convenor, or considering becoming one, please accept a ‘thank you’ from the committee, you are, or will be, at the heart of how the u3a operates.
There are plenty of resources at your disposal, ranging from advice provided by our Groups’ Coordinator, Mo Salter, to the Third Age Trust web site, plus web, e-mail or phone support from national U3A Subject Advisers. More below.
View an A-Z list of Interest Group activities, or see more detail on the Interest Group Summaries page.
Guidance on Beacon use for convenors is available here.
Copyright concerns?
Here is a copy of our Copyright Licence Certificate for 2025-2026.
See also Windsor and District u3a policy on Copyright which will give you more details and outlines relevant guidelines.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Mo Salter, Groups Coordinator
Group funds
Note from Treasurer
Any money collected, by a cash group or one operating through the bank account, becomes u3a funds and can only be spent by convenors (e.g. to pay for a meeting place or for tickets) with the approval of a Committee member.
Money collected at meetings held in convenors’ homes and spent on refreshments does not need any Committee involvement.
Only Committee members or their delegates are able to commit the U3a to pay for goods or services. So for example, a coach can only be booked for a trip by a convenor, on behalf of Windsor u3a, with the approval of a Committee member.
Convenors of existing groups are already routinely operating with delegated approval from a Committee member to spend money. For example the Quiz group meets monthly and the convenor (with delegated authority from the Committee) commits the u3a to pay for the meeting place. Similar delegations apply to Table Tennis, London Explorers 2, Short Mat Bowls and Flower Arranging.
So, in practice, this guideline applies to any exceptional spending (e.g. on new equipment), to new groups or new trips and any unusual spending (say to reduce a group’s surplus).
Feel free to contact me (David Treder) if you have a different understanding, any feedback or questions.
New Members’ Meetings
These are held twice a year and convenors seeking to enlarge their group’s membership can speak to the assembled new* members to outline what’s on offer, when and where you meet, etc.
* Those who joined Windsor u3a within last 12 months or so.
Monthly meetings
Convenors that run open groups, or visit places each month, can take advantage of publicity in the slideshow and/or speak at the opening of a monthly meeting if desired.
Convenors Conference
This is held annually, with lunch provided to the convenors as a thank you for their dedication over the year.
The picture above shows convenors attending our 2025 conference in Wexham Park Golf Centre’s meeting room.
Third Age Trust resources
- U3A Subject Advisers (covering over 70 different topics) I cannot recommend enough how useful this could be to a new convenor, whether starting a completely new topic, or just looking for ideas to reinvigorate an existing group’s activities.
Some of the subject advisers offer a regular newsletter service to provide ongoing ideas and support, while others are receptive to e-mail or telephone queries. - See also: Sources online, a blog of inspiring articles from u3a around the country.
- Workshops offered on a variety of areas of running a u3a (log in required)