Frequently Asked Questions
You probably have lots of questions – we hope we can answer some of them below… if not, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Q. Is The Principle Club a dating agency?
No, The Principle Club is a social Club for the unattached or as we like to call ourselves sociable singles! Members organise their own social programme of events which other members are welcome to attend. Sometimes relationships may develop but this is not the main aim of the Club.
Q. That all sounds great – how can I join?
Simply call or email a member of the Committee and they will discuss the Club with you, and answer any further questions you might have. We ask you to attend some of our weekly Club meetings, after which you will be able to apply for membership. The Committee will assess your eligibility for acceptance to the Club, at which point you will be asked to set up your monthly membership subscription. Once in place, you will receive our programme of events on a regular basis (currently every one to two months).
Q. Do you interview prospective members?
No! However all prospective members are asked to attend several of our weekly Club meetings, so we can get to know you … and you can find out whether the Club is right for you … before making your application to join.
Q. Why do I pay a membership fee?
We charge a modest monthly membership fee of £5.00. Any charges for activities (such as dinner, trips to the cinema etc) are additional to this charge. Our monthly membership fee helps to contribute towards Club overheads such as the website and advertising. These fees also allow us to help members with events, for example with the advance purchase of theatre tickets with subsequent repayment to the Club once the tickets have been sold to members.
The Principle Club is a non-profit Club, run by members who are all volunteers. Three times a year every member who has passed the qualifying period, receives several pounds worth of ‘vouchers’ that can be used to offset payment for activities they may wish to attend during their validity period.
Q. Where do you advertise?
We find most of our members find us through a web search or by word of mouth, so we have no need to advertise. However, we occasionally advertise in a local magazine such as the Net magazine.
Q. What about confidentiality?
We do not divulge any confidential information; your information will never be passed on to any third parties. In the highly unlikely event it is necessary to do so, we will ask your permission first.
Q. How many members do you have and how old are they?
We currently have over 50 members; we range in age from around 55, with an average age of 65.
Q. How often do you hold social events?
We aim to organise Social events for every weekend and bank holiday throughout the year. All events are organised by other Club members, so it is up to members to decide how many Club events are running. A monthly ‘Programme of Events’ is provided to members and you are free to attend as many or as few events as you wish.
Q. What type of social events are organised?
Just about anything our members want to put on – there is a full programme of social, cultural, sporting and leisure activities. All social events are arranged by our members, so anything from cinema, theatre, dancing to murder mystery weekends and tennis may appear on our programme. If there is an activity not currently on our programme that you wish to attend – we encourage you to host your own event! If you have never done anything like that before, don’t worry, a Committee member will be happy to work with you.
Q. Can I attend an event before I apply for membership?
Before you become a member we expect you to attend the Wednesday evening social several times so that we can get to know each other. In this period you can also attend any of the events on the programme that are not marked as Club events only. We will share with you a programme without contact details and your attendance can be arranged by one of the Committee.
Q. Where are your members from?
Most of our members are from Kent, but we also have members from Surrey and Sussex too.
Q. How do I find you?
Our social meetings are held twice a month on Wednesday evenings – at The Barn’ in Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, or at the Royal Wells on Mount Ephraim.
Volunteers will be around from 7.30pm looking, to “meet and greet” any new arrivals and introduce you to existing Club members, so you do not need to worry about being unable to find the group. If you prefer, we can also arrange to meet you outside so you don’t have to enter on your own.
If you are thinking of joining the group, please email us via our secure CONTACT US form.