2024-12-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date 01 Jan 2024 31 Dec 2024 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 52 Essex Court Station Road London Postcode SW13 0ER ~~—~~

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	1 Jan – 20 Mar 2024
2 Susan Wood	Secretary
3 Carole Fletcher	Treasurer
David Wood	Membership Secretary
5 John Cardwell	Chairman	20 Mar – 31 Dec 2024
6 Bob Litherland
7 Geraldine Wear		20 Mar – 31 Dec 2024
8 Charlotte Gregson		20 Mar – 31 Dec 2024
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 ~~ee~~	~~ee~~	~~ee~~	~~ee~~

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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)

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.

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March 2012

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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 an increasingly diverse range of subjects of interest to our existing members, rather than on attracting new members.

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 Summary of the main membership fees exceptionally low. In addition, we do not require activities undertaken for the payments from the Government or Local Authority. Indeed, we pay about public benefit in relation to £4 per member to the Third Age Trust each year, in addition to payments these objects (include within for the Third Age Matters magazine, but we are not part of a centralised this section the statutory organisation. Third Age Trust ensures we comply with Charity declaration that trustees have Commission rules and negotiates more favourable rates of insurance but had regard to the guidance otherwise we are independent issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

• .

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.

Section D Achievements and performance

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March 2012

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Section D Achievements and erformance p

Summary of the main Our membership numbers increased from 1365 at the end of 2023, to achievements of the charity 1457 at the end of 2024, an increase of 7%, a remarkable rate of during the year increase well in excess of what had been achieved in the previous few years. No promotion campaign had been conducted so it is difficult to know to what this increase can be ascribed. 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 attempt to hold a meeting on the last Wednesday of each month, open to all our members, with an invited guest speaker. These have also been used to disseminate information about our U3As activities. In 2023 we took the decision to relocate these meetings to Clarendon Hall in Twickenham from our previous venue of St Mary’s Church. The hall has a significantly greater capacity and also a high quality and reliable sound system and projector/screen combination for showing slide presentations and videos. The average attendance figures since we moved to Clarendon Hall have exhibited a marked increase as a result. Unfortunately, four of our meetings had to be cancelled due to the hall being requisitioned by the council for various reasons. During the year we published and mailed/emailed to all members two 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. During the year the website was successfully migrated to a new platform, SiteWorks. This will make it easier to maintain and synchronise the information with that on our membership system, Beacon. 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 99% of the membership).

David Wood, our Membership Secretary, has invested a lot of effort in trying to maximise our use of the membership system, Beacon. Among other initiatives, he has successively introduced on-line renewal of subscriptions using the Beacon Members’ Portal. This not only makes it easier for our members to renew but considerably reduces the workload of our Treasurer.

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.

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March 2012

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Details of any funds materially in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

Our principal source of funding is the annual subscription. Single You may choose to include members pay £15 p.a.; joint members pay £25 p.a. for two people at the additional information, where same address. These rates have been maintained at the current level for relevant about: the last 12 years.  the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);

• 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) Geraldine WEAR Full name(s) Ernest John CARDWELL Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chairman Secretary etc) ~~ee~~ Date 6 May 2025 ~~Po~~

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March 2012

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Richmond U on Thames u3a Year ended 31st December 2024 Year 31 2023 INCOM Sub5crlptlons Group Member5, Contrlbutlons Coach trlps 22,565.87 22,367.(10 18,591.30 14.773.01 2.445. 1,214.50 Bank Interest 163.17 Glft Ald 3,943.24 3.809.00 47,708.58 42,163.51 PEND Monthly meetlng speakerfees Monthly meetlng room hlre Monthly meetlng catering Prlntlng and Statlonery Postaie Group room hlre Group Leader5, and Volunteers, lunches New Members Lunches 646.00 1.197.LM) 924.00 1,200.00 275.96 112.84 3,401.92 5.403.37 2.288.14 2,974.70 15,232.22 20,042.42 2,888.96 2,790.00 535.46 IT costs and Communlcatlons 2,053.24 2.535.37 Natlonal U3A News 4,485.48 3,095.50 5.636.C u3a Membershlp Char8es Coach trlps expendlture Bank charges Copyrf8ht lI￿nce SW London Network 5,692.1)0 2,134.00 1,153.00 143.00 262.04 64.20 64.20 50.00 Presents and Donatlons 35.00 45.089.32 42,226.70 SURPW5 OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE 2.619.26 63.19

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 2024.

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:

• e examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act

• e 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

• e 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 tT. , fi j Barton Jepty G , ij 6 t aon

83 Stanley Gardens Road, Twickenham TW11 8SY