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2023-12-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period start date Period end date
**From ** 01 Jan 2023 To 31
Dec		 2023

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 ~~—~~

Registered charity number (if any) 1012343

Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole
year		 Name of person (or body) entitled
to appoint trustee(if any)
1 Chris Barclay Chairman
2 LibbyBarton Vice Chairman 1 Jan thru 30 Nov 2023
3 Susan Wood Secretary
4 Carole Fletcher Treasurer
David Wood Membership
Secretary
6 John Cardwell
7 Bob Litherland
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
~~ee~~		 ~~ee~~ ~~ee~~ ~~ee~~

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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

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:

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.

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.

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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 June, Geraldine Wear agreed to join the committee and was coopted on. She will formally be elected to the committee at the next AGM, scheduled for March 2024. We are still seeking further committee members as we are currently below capacity.

During the summer we learnt that the council were once more hiring out Clarendon Hall where we used to hold our monthly meetings. Many of our members and also committee members had expressed disatisfaction with the church which we had been using since April 2022; so it was decided to conduct a survey of our membership to determine the majority view. Although the response was quite low a significant majority were in favour of returning to Clarendon Hall. So with a majority on the committee in favour of this change, we took the decision to revert back in early 2024.

.

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:

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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 1335 at the end of 2022 to during the year 1365 by the end of 2023.

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. They have been held in St Mary’s Church, Twickenham close to the river.

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 97% 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)

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March 2012

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

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 10 years.

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

----- Start of picture text -----
Signature(s)
Chris BARCLAY
Full name(s) Ernest John CARDWELL
Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Trustee Chairman
etc) ee
Date
20 April 2024
|
----- End of picture text -----

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March 2012

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Richmond U on Thames U3A Accounts for the Year ended 31 December 2023 Year to 31 2023 Year to 31 12 2022 INCOME Subscriptlons Group Members, Contrlbutlons Coach trips Glft Ald 22,367.00 14,773.01 1,214.50 3,809.00 21,238.00 10,196.93 6,159.00 3,653.09 42,163.51 41,247.02 EXPENDITURE Monthly meetlng speaker fees Monthly meeting room hlre Monthly meetlng caterlng Printing and Stationery Postage Group room hlre Group Leaders, and Volunteers, lunches New Members Lunches IT costs and Communicatlons National U3A News u3a Membershlp Charges Coach trips expenditure Bank charges Copyright Ilcence Presents and Donations 1,197.00 1,200.00 112.84 5,403.37 2,974.70 15,232.22 2,790.00 535.46 2,535.37 3,095.50 5,636.00 1.153.00 262.04 64.20 35.00 918.00 750.00 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 42,226.70 37,622.36 SURPLUS OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE 63.19 3,624.66

YEAR ENDED 3 l. SubKrlpllons The annual subscription has remalned the same at £15 and £25 forjolnt membersh5p. At the year end there were1365 fully pald up members, Compared with 1335 for last year. I Gmup M•mb•rs' ContrlbutloDs Vthere a group is of a $lze or nature that cannot be accommodated In a private home a suitsble venue Is h[￿d and group members are asked to contrlbute to the cost of hSp. The Indlvldual contrSbutlon 15 £3 per meeting. 3. Coach Trtps There was only one outlnq thls year, to Sallsbury In November. As usual It was well attended and a qreat suc¢e$5, 4. GIftAld Gfft Ald was clalmed for the tsx year 202V2023 based on the membershlp fre$ of the number of people who have sllned up forGfft Akl. S. Monthty M••tlnq• Monthly meetln8s havè been held In St Marys Churth, Church Stree( Twkkenham and each month 4 Speaker Is en8a8ed to speak on varlou$ topl¢s of Int•rg5t. Firture meetlngs. from February 2024. wlll be hqld In aarendon Hall In York Hous0. 6. Prlnlkn8 •nd Ststlon•ry These costs ffjlate malnlyto the prlntlng of the Rlchmond U3A Newsletters and tt> our prlnted Prospec￿* 7. Posl•8• These costs a￿ the malllng charges relatlng to the New51etters and Prospectus. 8. Group Room Mlr• These are the costs of hlrln8 venues ft>r group actlvltles whkh Include varfou5 sports artlvltles and also rooms for groups wlth farger membershlps. g. Group L•4d•rnlvolunt••rn' Lun¢h•s To show appre¢Eatlon forthelr commltrnent Group Leaders and Volunt¢ers are Invlted to a lunch each year at the expense of Rlchmond u3a. 10. N•w M•mb•n' Lynth•i New members are also Invlted to a lunch to Introduce them to the Commlttee Member5 and some of the ¥¢tlvltles of Rlchmond u3a. 11. IT Costs and Communlutlom Thls c05t Is malnly the contrlbutlon Pa￿ to the Natlonal OT8Jnlsatlon ft)r our use of 89o¢on whl¢h has b&on ¢har8ed at a rate ol Él per member. Th1$ year's figur• 150 Includes the purchase of a new ma¢hlne for prlntlng membershlp cards. 11 Natlonal U3A N•wl•t Thls ¢05t Is char8ed bythe NatlonJl or8anlsatlon ata rnte of £3.60 per member fort￿ TAT ma￿lIneS. 13. UJA M•mbetshlp Chw Fees are levled bythe Natlonal or8ant5atlon at a rate of É4.CKI per member. Th1515 expected to remaln the same forthe currnnt year 2024. 14. B•nk alance at 1st January 32,361.18 28,736.52 surplus foryear 63.19 3.624.66 8BlarKe at 31rt December 32,297.99 31361.18 Thls balancè exdudesfvnds belon8ln8to SW London Network of £155.38 ACCOUNTS EXAMFNÉD AND APPROVED Jeremy 8arton UaA member No.2692 0410312024 Carole etther T￿Osurer 0410312024 REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1012343

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 2023.

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:

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.

J . k

Jeremy Barton

Date: 4/3/10) A

83 Stanley Gardens Road, Twickenham TW11 8SY