2022-12-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date 01 Jan 2022 31 Dec 2022 From To

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name

Richmond upon Thames University of the Third Age

Other names charity is known by

Richmond upon Thames U3A

Registered charity number (if any) 1012343

Charity's principal address

32 Orleans Road

Twickenham Middlesex Postcode TW1 3BL

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any)
	Chris Barclay	Chairman
	LibbyBarton	Vice Chairman
	Susan Wood	Secretary
	Carole Fletcher	Treasurer	23 Feb thru 31 Dec 2022
	David Wood	Membership Secretary
	John Cardwell
	PeggyRoe
	Bob Litherland

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

TAR

March 2012

1

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Type of adviser Name Address Examiner of the Accounts Jeremy Barton 83 Stanley Gardens Rd, Teddington, TW11 8SY

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Stephen Jakobi

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Constitution Type of governing document First adopted 25 Feb 2003 and subsequently amended on 28 Feb 2006, (eg. trust deed, constitution) 27 Feb 2007, 28 Nov 2012, 28 Feb 2018 Unincorporated association How the charity is constituted

• (eg. trust, association, company)

Elected by the membership at the annual general meeting of the Trustee selection methods organisation (eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

• policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;

The Richmond upon Thames U3A is a member of and is affiliated to the Third Age Trust (reg charity no 288007).

We follow the Principles of the U3A Movement as set out in the Mission Statement of the Third Age Trust.

• the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;

• relationship with any related parties;

• trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

The advancement of education and, in particular, the education of older people and those who are retired from full time work, by all means including associated activities conducive to learning and personal development.

TAR

March 2012

2

At the start of the year we had all hoped that our troubles from Covid and lockdowns were over so that everything would improve in 2022, perhaps even return to normal. It did not turn out quite like that, but Richmond u3a has done well. Many u3as have faced a decline in membership and have been putting more effort into public relations to attract more members.

We have been very fortunate in Richmond u3a that our membership totals have stayed high and people are still joining us every month from word of mouth recommendations. Therefore our focus has been on finding enough for our existing members to do, rather than on attracting new members.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

We are a co-operative with all our groups and other activities run by our members. Thus, joining u3a offers scope for helping as well as access to courses. We operate an impressive range of some 130 groups, each led by one of our members. Our model enables us to keep our costs and membership fees exceptionally low. In addition, we do not require payments from the Government or Local Authority. Indeed, we pay about £4 per member to the Third Age Trust each year, in addition to payments for the Third Age Matters magazine, but we are not part of a centralised organisation. Third Age Trust ensures we comply with Charity Commission rules and negotiates more favourable rates of insurance but otherwise we are independent. We believe that our independence and flexibility is important to our success. What works well in one area might not work at all well in another part of the country, but this is part of the strength of our autonomy.

The committee is also composed of our members, and we welcome any members interested in becoming more involved in our work. In February, Carole Fletcher joined the Committee and became Treasurer, one of the most important roles, taking over from John Cardwell who in turn has taken on Peggy Roe’s role with finding speakers. We are still seeking further committee members as we are currently below capacity.

In March 2022, we found a new venue for monthly talks and meetings. We have been able to resume monthly meetings in person after two years when Clarendon Hall was not available and we had to rely upon Zoom. We now use St Mary’s Church, Twickenham, the beautiful 18th century church where the great poet Alexander Pope is buried.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

The organisation is entirely run by volunteers. None of the trustees/ You may choose to include officers nor individuals running groups receive any payment from the further statements, where organisaon for their services. relevant, about:

• policy on grantmaking;

• policy programme related investment;

• contribution made by volunteers.

TAR

March 2012

3

Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main The number of members in Richmond upon Thames U3A increased achievements of the charity slightly over the course of the year, up from 1306 at the end of 2021 to during the year 1335 by the end of 2022. The number of groups which members can join is currently around 130. Most of these meet either in hired premises, public venues or in private homes but around 30 meet on-line using Zoom or similar. We have held a meeting on the last Wednesday of each month, open to all our members, with an invited guest speaker. These have been used to disseminate information about our U3As activities. Until March these had been held on-line using Zoom but in April we were able to revert to holding them live in a meeting hall. This allowed those without access to Zoom to attend once more.

During the year we published and mailed/emailed to all members 4 newsletters. These were in addition to the publications produced by the Third Age Trust which are mailed to all members five times a year.

We maintained our own website which contains information on all groups and events arranged by our U3A. We also produced a printed Prospectus containing this same information in printed form, required because many of our members do not use the internet.

The main mechanism for keeping members informed of future events and new groups is by email. We typically send out 4 to 6 emails a month to all those of our membership who are on email (around 95% of the membership).

Section E Financial review

We try and maintain a minimum balance on our accounts equivalent to 3 Brief statement of the month’s worth of operational expenditure – currently equivalent to £9,000 charity’s policy on reserves – though because the bulk of our income is received during August and September when members pay their annual subscription, the balance during the preceding summer months is inevitably somewhat lower.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

TAR

March 2012

4

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

• the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);

Our principal source of funding is the annual subscription. Single members pay £15 p.a.; joint members pay £25 p.a. for two people at the same address. These rates have been maintained at the current level for the last 9 years.

• how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;

• investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Chris BARCLAY Full name(s) Ernest John CARDWELL Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Trustee Chairman etc) Date 04 July 2023

TAR

March 2012

5

Richmond Upon Thames U3A

Accounts for the Year ended 31 December 2022

Note INCOME Subscriptions 1 Group Members' Contributions 2 Coach trips 3 Gift Aid 4 EXPENDITURE Monthly meeting speaker fees 5 Monthly meeting room hire 5 Monthly meeting catering Printing and Stationery 6 Postage 7 Group room hire 8 Group Leaders' and Volunteers' lunche 9 New Members Lunches 10 IT costs and Communications 11 National U3A News 12 U3A Membership Charges 13 Coach trips expenditure 3 Affiliation fees Bank charges Copyright licence Presents and Donations SURPLUS OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE	£ £ 21,238.00 10,196.93 6,159.00 3,653.09 41,247.02 918.00 750.00 62.04 2,680.51 1,964.23 12,015.30 2,698.36 574.60 1,469.12 3,698.40 5,480.00 4,985.00 - 227.85 60.00 38.95 37,622.36 3,624.66 Year to 31/12/2022		£ £ 20,119.00 2,977.00 - 3,670.56 Year to 31/12/2021	£ £ 20,119.00 2,977.00 - 3,670.56 Year to 31/12/2021
			£ 20,119.00 2,977.00 - 3,670.56
			405.00 - - 3,358.64 3,952.36 3,727.16 1,999.33 - 1,895.53 3,152.08 4,459.00 - 35.00 278.60 - 62.50	26,766.56 23,325.20
				3,441.36

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Richmond upon Thames University of the Third Age

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022.

Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The charity trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is required.

It is my responsibility to:

• examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act

• to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under Section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and

• to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of the Independent Examiner’s Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with these records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present ‘a true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out below.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

1. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that:

2. a) proper accounting records are kept in accordance Section 130 of the 2011 Act and

3. b) accounts have been prepared which accord with the accounting records and which comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act; or

4. To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Jeremy Barton

31/1/2023

83 Stanley Gardens Road, Twickenham TW11 8SY