Who are the Membership team?
You’ll find our names and contact details in your handbook. Membership Secretary sits on AUK Committee, coordinates the team and the member database (with help from the systems manager) and deals with general enquiries. The New Member Delegate enrols new and lapsed members (around 800 per year). Renewal Delegates process the 4000 renewals each year.
Do AUK have an office, like CTC?
NO. All AUK officials and delegates, including the Membership team, are volunteers. We have to fit our AUK work in with all our other commitments (and get out cycling sometimes too!).
Who to contact if ...?
Changed address/tel/email/club: update your own record online or contact MemSec.
Publication/Mem Card not arrived MemSec
Query about joining New Members Delegate or MemSec
Query about Standing Order: renewals_team@audax.uk.net or MemSec
How do I update my details online?
On this website, go to GATEWAY mems. Enter your AUK membership number (as user name) and your password. Your password is sent to you with your membership card, you can change it if you like.
What does the membership letter mean - it appears to change each year?
Yes it does, though your number and password stay the same. The letter tells us when your membership expires and a subscription is due. If you are currently B your membership expires Dec 31st 2007. C expires end 2008, you have 1 year left, so renew next autumn. D= end 2009, and so on.
When should I renew?
Soon after receiving your renewal form in November, and by December 31st. Please remember that it takes your Membership Team all of December and January to process all the renewals (4000 members!). If you renew late we normally charge you an extra £5; this reflects
the extra work for the Membership team, who have to post your publications
individually.
How do I renew?
With Autumn Arrivée we send you a renewal form; it tells you when your membership expires and how much subscription you should pay (it could be 0 if you paid for 5 years so please check). The renewal form shows your details from our database, please inform us of any changes.
If you pay by cheque (1 year or 5 years for price of 4) please do NOT staple the cheque to the form. It would help us if you write your membership number on the back of your cheque. Please make cheques payable to Audax UK.
My renewal cheque has been cashed, but I haven’t received my Membership Card.
Membership Cards are NOT sent individually - they are printed and mailed by AUK’s Printers, as are all our publications (see Publications schedule below). During December and January around 4000 renewals are processed by our renewal delegates. At the end of January, when the database is up-to-date, we send the Printers the list of paid-up members.
I want to enter an event in January - can I tell whether I’ve been renewed?
You can check your own membership record online (see above). However, the database may say you are not yet renewed because your renewal is waiting in a large pile to be processed. DON’T PANIC! If you have sent us your cheque, or you are paying by SO, then you are a valid, insured member.
NB If you do not receive your February publications and Membership Card, please contact us.
Can I add a household member to my membership?
Yes - at any time of year. It costs £5. A household member is someone at the same address - they get full AUK membership, but only one copy of Arrivée is sent to the household.
Adding a Household member - I paid for 5 years (Commuted membership)?
Your household member(s) must join for the unexpired period of the commuted membership; the fee is £5 x the number of years of commuted membership to run. Eg if you have 2 years of membership left, the fee is £10 for the new member, to cover them for the same period.
When can I set up my SO?
ONLY at renewal time. A SO form is included with your personalised renewal form in November Arrivee. The SO form contains AUK bank account details, required payment date, your reference number, etc.
OK - what do I need to do to set it up?
1. Complete the SO form and send it to your bank (normal practice for SOs) NOT to the membership team. Alternatively you can set up the SO online, using the details on the form.
2. Please send the completed slip from the renewal form, with SO box ticked, to the address provided. This informs us that you have set up a new SO and we will renew you. Later in January we check that your SO has been paid OK, and we will contact you if there is any problem.
The form gives a payment date for the SO - can I change that?
NO. Your bank needs time to pay the SO to AUK, and then the renewals team need time to check your SO payment has gone through OK. All this processing must be done by end January when we prepare the mailing list.
Subsequent years?
Once you have set up your SO, you do not need to do it again (unless you have changed your bank account of course). Your renewal form should tell you that you pay by SO. The only thing you need to do with the renewal form is check that your personal details are correct.
What if I change my bank account?
Please inform the Membership Secretary, who will send you a new SO form.
When should I expect to receive my publications?
Normally middle of the month but the exact date varies.
February (1) Winter Arrivée. (2) Handbook and Membership Card
May Spring Arrivée
August Summer Arrivée
November Autumn Arrivée, including renewal forms
December Calendar for next year’s events.
Who sends me my AUK publications?
Our Printers distribute publications to our 4000 members - we do not stuff envelopes ourselves; that is, unless you are a new or lapsed member (ie late with sending in your renewal). If you miss the print deadline, our membership team has to post publications individually to you directly from our spares - and while stocks last of course.
We send the mailing list to the Printers a couple of weeks before the mailing date, so if you move house don’t forget to let us know in good time and/or redirect your mail.
The Handbook used to arrive in December, now it’s February - why?
The AGM now takes place in January, and any changes to the AUK rules etc that are decided at the AGM must go in the Handbook. So the Handbook is published in February.
The AGM used to be in November, but was altered to January as from 2006.