Is NCT membership worth it?

[MrsLovell]

I'm looking at booking NCT antenatal classes and I notice they stick in an "optional" 40 fee for membership of NCT. This is supposed to get you extra benefits like a magazine, alerts to upcoming events and early entry to nearly new sales. My question is, is it really worth it? How many of you have paid the 40 and bin the magazine without reading it and never went to a nearly new sale? Or was it the best 40 you ever spent?

I didn't pay for the NCT antenatal classes as I'm too tight and couldn't justify the money; however, I did pay the NCT membership as my local NCT had a fantastic group and u went to a lot of mother and baby groups that without the NCT finding wouldn't have run and I met a lot of friends. For that reason I felt that it was a worthy charity to donate to.

The magazines and entry into nearly new sales was a bonus!!

We've paid the membership fees but have barely used any benefits. The newsletter gets kept for about a week, neither of us reads it then it gets recycled (reading time is precious when you have a baby ) and every time there's been a nearly new sale we've not been organised enough to get there early!!

However I agree with Rum that the support they give is really important to a lot of people and so we were pretty happy to pay the £40.

Classes - yes.
Membership - no.

As far as I'm aware membership fees do not fund local activities such as baby groups. Local activities are funded by local fund raising, branches don't get money from HQ.

Definitely. I found it very useful indeed. Classes, newsletter etc. We had a local group for working mothers too at one point.

I was just wondering - do you have to be a member to go to these extra groups, or will they also advertise them at the antenatal classes?

No you don't need to be a member, they will probably advertise them at classes, via social media if they have a techy volunteer and on the NCT main website.

I did classes (best thing ever) and had membership. Main benefit was early entry to the nearly new sales which is brilliant when heavily pregnant and in need a good bargain!