**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
Crawley u3a Trustees Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022
## **Table of Contents**
|1|Reference and Administrative Details|2|
|---|---|---|
|2|Structure,Governance and Management|3|
|3|Review of theyear ended 31stAugust 2022|4 - 6|
|4|Aims for theyear ending31stAugust 2023|7|
|5|Review of Financial Activities for theyear ended 31stAugust 2022|8|
|6|Trustees’ Declaration|8|
|7|Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts|9|
|8|Accounts for theyear ended 31stAugust 2022|10 - 12|
Crawley Walkers Extra at the Woolwich foot tunnel 22[nd] September 2022 (Photo credit: Jan Morris)
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## 1. Reference and Administrative Details
Crawley University of the Third Age (Crawley u3a) is a member of the Third Age Trust as an unincorporated members’ association.
Registered Charity Number 1029004 Independent Examiner of the Accounts ASBA Accounting Ltd, 2 Furnace Parade, Furnace Green, Crawley RH10 6NX Bankers Lloyds Bank plc, 1 – 5 The Broadway, Crawley, RH10 1DU
## **Trustees and Committee Members during the year to 31[st] August 2022**
|**Post**|**Name**|**First Elected**|**Current Term ends**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Officer Trustees**||||
|Chair|George Redgrave|Nov 2019 AGM|Nov 2022 AGM|
|Vice-Chair|Jim McGough|Nov 2019 AGM|Nov 2022 AGM|
|Secretary|Alan Pay|Nov 2019 AGM|Resigned March 2022|
|“ “ “|Margaret Lloyd|Appointed March 2022|Nov 2025 AGM|
|Treasurer|Phil Light|Oct 2018 AGM|Nov 2021 AGM|
|“ “ “|Graham Friday|Nov 2021 AGM|Nov 2024 AGM|
|**Other Trustees**||||
|Membership Secretaries|Ann and Stewart Sole|Nov 2019 AGM|Nov 2022 AGM|
|Groups’ Co-ordinator|Peter Beckley|2020 AGM (Feb 2021)|Nov 2023 AGM|
|Communications Co-ordinator|Sue Parker|Appointed May 2022|Nov 2025 AGM|
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## 2. Structure, Governance and Management
## Nature of Governing Document
Crawley u3a is an unincorporated members’ association, and a member of the Third Age Trust. An organisation called ‘Learning in Later Years’ was founded in Crawley in 1981 and this became the ‘Crawley University of the Third Age’ when it affiliated to the Third Age Trust in March 1985. It was registered as a charity (Reg 1029004) by the Charity Commission on 24th November 1993.
The current constitution was adopted at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday 13th October 2017 with retrospective approval granted by the Charity Commission on 19th February 2018. further amendment to the charitable purposes approved at the Emergency General Meeting on Friday 8th June 2018 under the block consent authorised by the Charity Commission.
## Objectives and activities
Crawley u3a’s object is:
“The advancement of education, and in particular the education of older people and those retired from full time work, by all means, including associated activities conducive to learning and personal development in Crawley and the surrounding district”.
In pursuit of these objectives, Crawley u3a organises artistic, literary, fitness and recreational group activities alongside a monthly series of lectures and a programme of seasonal outings. The emphasis is on social and mutual support and the principle of self-help learning is followed; learning is for its own sake where no qualifications are sought or offered.
## Public Benefit
The activities undertaken by the charity to further public benefit are the provision of education for those no longer in full-time employment and fitness and leisure facilities to improve conditions of life for the aforementioned individuals.
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
## Committee, Trustees and Management
The management of Crawley u3a is vested in the Committee, which is also the governing body and its board of trustees for the purposes of charity law. There must be between 5 and 10 elected Committee Members. A nonvoting President, Maureen Wicks, has also been elected.
The officers and other Committee members are elected by the members at the Annual General Meeting and hold office for one year but are eligible to stand for the same post for a further two years (except for the Treasurer who may be elected for a second term of three years so serving up to six consecutive years in total). In the event of a vacancy the Committee may appoint a member until the next AGM.
The Committee meets at regular intervals during the year and is responsible for the strategy and policies of the Crawley u3a as well as dealing with its administration, management, and governance. All trustees are required to affirm annually that they satisfy the Charity Commission’s eligibility rules to act as trustees and that they comply with their responsibilities as trustees, all of which are set out in the Charity Commission guidance ‘The essential trustee (CC3)’.
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## 3. Review of year to 31[st] August 2022
## **Chair’s Report**
The 2021 AGM on 12[th] November saw only one change amongst the Officers. Phil Light stepped down as Treasurer after completing a three-year term of office. He worked very hard in that position, with no assistance, preceded by three years before that as Assistant Treasurer. We are grateful for his enormous contribution. Graham Friday was elected as Treasurer in his place and has put a great deal of effort into re-energising the work of the Committee and developing links with other u3a entities, including the Third Age Trust (the “Trust”), the u3a umbrella organisation _._ He is now a member of the Trust’s Finance Board.
Jim McGough has provided invaluable support to the Committee during his three-year term as Vice Chair and many of the achievements over this past year and aims for the future are the result of his vision and insistence that in order not to decline we must always try to advance.
Alan Pay resigned as Secretary in March after well over two years of service and Margaret Lloyd was appointed by the Committee in his place. We thank him for his work over his period of office. Margaret has implemented procedures to enhance the effectiveness of the Committee and undertook the work on the new constitution.
The Committee had no Communications Co-ordinator until May, when Sue Parker was appointed. She has already made a significant impact by increasing the frequency of the newsletters.
Ann and Stewart Sole continued in the Membership Secretary role throughout the year but will be stepping down from the Committee at the November 2022 AGM because they will have served their maximum three-year term of office. They have performed their role well throughout a uniquely difficult period and provided support to many individual members.
Peter Beckley provides the Group Leaders with a very high level of support. This is very much appreciated by them and makes their roles less onerous than they otherwise be. He intends to continue as Groups Co-ordinator until the end of his three-year term.
The Committee thanks those Crawley u3a members who undertook key support roles during the year; we could not operate without their contribution. Jean Elmer continued to lead the Really Useful Group (RUG) dealing with all the practical arrangements for the monthly Friary meetings, coffee mornings and other meetings; she steps down this AGM and we are fortunate that Sue Mearns and Isabel Baker have agreed to take her place. Liz Tennant organised the speakers for the monthly Friary meetings in addition to arranging the seasonal outings. Jan Morris produced quarterly newsletters until Sue Parker’s appointment and also helped out with the website. Anne Thorn provided a high level of support to Beacon users over several years, and assisted the new Beacon Administrator, John Walton, when he took over in August 2022 in his first few weeks. Stuart Spreadborough continues to provide technical support for the website. Valerie Graham acted as Assistant Treasurer, a time-consuming role, from November 2021. Until July 2022 Isabel Baker served the South-East Forum which is responsible for running the annual Chichester Summer School. Isabel also stood in for Peter Beckley for some weeks during the busy start of the Autumn 2021 term when he was ill. Finally, Brenda Ashenden has proved herself a valuable source of support to members in her Welfare Support role held since November 2021.
We must also acknowledge the commitment of the Group Leaders, and their deputies and other assistants. It has not always been easy restarting those groups which were unable to meet live during the Covid period. During the first part of the year 2021/22 they were still having to ensure compliance with Covid guidelines which added to their burden. The Committee is aware that it has not always been as responsive to Group Leaders’ concerns as it might have been and hopes to do better in this respect in future.
Finally, this is the last time I will be addressing you as Chairman as I now come to an end of my three-year term of office. I would like to thank you all for your support during what has been a more volatile period than I could possibly have anticipated. I do urge those of you who are not already volunteering in some way to think seriously about doing so. We get so much out of the u3a, it is not unrealistic to expect people to put something back in. That does not necessarily mean serving on the Committee; there are many other ways in which you can serve.
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## **Report from the Committee**
The Committee was able to start meeting again at St Paul’s and met formally eleven times during the year, once every month except for December.
Following a period during which the Committee’s main preoccupation had been reacting to the impact of the pandemic it took a while to move towards a more strategic and developmental outlook. The Committee recognised that some aspects of Crawley u3a’s governance and policy compliance had failed to keep up with what the u3a Third Age Trust and Charity Commission would recognise as good practice. In addition, it was not serving the Crawley u3a members as well as it should, particularly with regard to communications.
In January the Committee established a small Development Sub-committee which looked at how Crawley u3a should develop over the next five years, in terms of enhancing the range and quality of activities offered to members, and what type of organisational structure was most likely to achieve this. The following were achieved over the remainder of the year:
**1. Improving Communications.** Significant progress was made on drafting a Communications Strategy. This resulted in the launch of a regular monthly newsletter from July onwards. The website was taken in hand and parts of it are now fully up to date. This is a large project and some pages need a radical redesign which will take into 2022/23 to complete.
**2. Enhancing Compliance** . A Finance Policy was developed and agreed for the first time and at the same time the existing Group Leader Procedures were updated and extended. An improved understanding of the u3a insurance cover was developed and a set of comprehensive Insurance Guidelines produced. There is still a considerable amount of work to do on developing and updating our policies to bring them up to the level expected by the Third Age Trust. We have also developed a new format for the Annual Report and Accounts which meets the latest Charity Commission requirements as laid out in Section 7 of the Charity Commission document “Charity reporting and accounting: the essentials November 2016 (CC15d)”.
**3. Updating the Constitution** . The current Crawley u3a constitution, adopted in October 2017, is based on the Third Age Trust’s 2012 model. The Trust updated its model constitution in 2021 to reflect the latest Charity Commission guidance and equalities best practice, and to future proof it against future contingencies such as another pandemic by including clauses on electronic meetings and voting. We decided we should adopt this new 2021 model, but with a couple of amendments which were agreed by the Third Age Trust in August. The Charity Commission gave its approval in September. We will formally adopt it once our members approve it at the 2022 AGM (for more information see the AGM 2022 page on the Crawley u3a website).
**4. Assessing the Organisational Structure** . Under the UK Charity Commission rules all members of a charity’s managing committee must also be trustees. Over the years the duties and responsibilities of trustees have become more demanding and complex. This has two impacts. The first is that it discourages members from volunteering to become a committee member. Second it means that it intensifies the pressures on committee members as it is difficult to combine the governance and compliance duties with the more administrative activities such as membership renewal, supporting the group leaders, and organising events. An alternative two-tier organisation structure has been developed in outline which addresses these issues. In this alternative structure a series of sub-committees, reporting into the main Committee and whose membership includes a couple of trustees from the main Committee, is responsible for the various operational functions such as membership and the co-ordination of groups. This would leave the Committee free to focus on strategic and governance matters. But such a structure requires a higher number of members prepared to take on volunteer roles than is currently the case within Crawley u3a, and also the clear backing of the membership, so we are unlikely to adopt it in the immediate future.
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
**5. Induction and Support for New Trustees** . It was recognised that some knowledge and expertise had been lost since the pre-Covid era, particularly with regard to how the Third Age Trust operates, the obligations it imposes on member u3a organisations, and links with the regional and county u3a networks. An induction process and checklist has been developed for new trustees, and Sue Parker’s appointment presented an opportunity to test this.
## **Membership**
This last year has seen the resumption of our full indoor activity programme, following a break of 18 months due to the Covid pandemic. Covid guidelines were still followed, until their withdrawal by the Government in February 2022, and some members were still wary about participating fully.
Inevitably some members did not renew their membership following the long period of Covid disruption, but Crawley’s membership has suffered significantly less than that nationally. At the 31/03/20 u3a census date Crawley reported 612 members (excluding Associates) with an equivalent number of 577 at 31/03/22 indicating a fall of less than 6% since pre Covid levels whereas nationally membership declined by 20%.
There were around 8,400 attendances at over 550 room-based meetings. There were 21 organised paid trips attended by just over 700 members, plus numerous other walks and outings.
## **Activity Groups**
The number of active groups at the year-end was 42, the same as that at the end of 2020/21, but this disguises a number of new starts and the closure of others. A new Folk Dancing group was established which has proved very popular, a second Quizzing group, and two Short Mat bowling groups, a new activity for Crawley u3a. Against this, one of the two Book Groups had to merge with the other, and the Comedy, Music appreciation and Topical Discussion 2 Groups closed due to dwindling support.
A small Beginners Italian group started and also an Earth Matters group, both based in the leaders’ homes. Due to the retirement of the leader, the Parchment Crafts groups closed after a long period of existence.
All of the 12 outdoor groups active at the end of 2020/21 remained in full health throughout 2021/22 although the Tennis Group now incorporates Pickleball. The various Out and About groups were able to assume a full programme of events post Covid.
Since the start of 2022/23 a new Smartphone Photographic group has attracted a lot of members, and a Cycling group will be starting in Spring 2023.
**Monthly Talks, Seasonal Outings and Other Events open to all members**
The monthly Friday afternoon sessions at the Friary recommenced after the pandemic in September 2021, with the first one being a much-needed social event. The annual Open Afternoon took place in October, and the AGM in November. Despite Covid cases rising again many members were keen to attend the 2021 Christmas party on 10[th] December.
Talks by visiting speakers started up again in December 2021 and we enjoyed eight talks on a wide range of subjects between then and July. The May talk by Alan Kingshott, former Chief Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London, Beefeater, on the Tower of London and the role of the Beefeaters was particular highly rated, as was Sarah Oldridge’s July talk on “Behind the Scenes view of Kew and Wakehurst”.
May saw the first seasonal outing for well over two years, a trip to Eastbourne including an entertainment and tea. In late June we repeated the successful 2021 picnic event in the Memorial Gardens. Members of our Ukulele Group, joined by members of the Wimbledon Palais Ukulele Band, kindly played for us.
After a two year break the South-East Forum u3a Summer School was held at Chichester University in late June and was attended by eight members of Crawley u3a. Ann Sole of Crawley u3a successfully hosted one of the courses, on Earth Matters.
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## 4. Aims for the year ending 31[st] August 2023
The new Committee, following the AGM, will meet for the first time on 22[nd] November and a key agenda item will be the drawing up a more specific list of aims for the next year, along with a timetable. It is expected that these aims will focus on the following, with the target achievements and relative priorities for each to be the subject of further discussion:
1. Growth of membership;
2. Achieving long-term financial sustainability;
3. Encouraging more volunteers to come forward for Committee, Committee Support, Group Leader and Group Support roles;
4. Greater participation in u3a regional and local partnerships.
There is also still further work to do to achieve fully the objectives set by the Development Sub-committee in early 2022 and on which we have already made significant progress, as described in section 3 above. We aim to complete the following as soon as possible:
## **1. Improving Communications**
Complete the redesign of the website and establish procedures so that all pages are kept up-to-date
## **2. Enhancing Compliance**
Develop/update the full set of u3a proscribed policies and instigate a system whereby each policy is reviewed by the Committee at least every two years.
## **3. Constitution and Committee Procedures**
To develop a set of Committee guidelines and ways of working.
## **4. Organisational structure**
To reassess whether this is the right time to look at developing an alternative organisational structure, or whether it might be better to move at a more gradual and incremental pace, in line with the availability of volunteers.
## **5. Induction and Support for New Trustees**
To complete the Trustee Handbook and to ensure all trustees joining (or rejoining) the Committee in November 2022 go through a proper induction process, including participation in relevant Third Age Trust workshops.
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## 5. Review of Financial Activities for the year ended 31[st] August 2022
The accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2022 appear on pages 10 to 12. Points to note are:
- The format of the accounts has been changed from previous years to comply with the _Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (Financial Reporting Standard 102 (2019))._
- The fees and charges for 2021/22 were set against a backdrop of uncertainty over the social and financial impacts post Covid. The Membership fee was therefore reduced from £15 (years 2016/17 to 2019/20, with 2020/21 zero) to £10 for 2021/22 to reflect this. The deficit for the year on general activities was £5,956, with an overall deficit of £4,696 due to an adjustment to amend the reporting of prior year transactions.
- As at the 31[st] August 2022, the 2021/22 deficit has left the organisation with an a unrestricted reserve of £38,032. Around £6,000 of this has been earmarked to subsidise the 2022/23 Membership fee.
- 32% (£3,840) of the general activity expenditure related to our direct relationship with the Third Age Trust **.**
## **Policy on Reserves**
The Committee has approved a policy of keeping its (unrestricted) reserves at a minimum level of £19,000 sufficient to cover 9 months of standard expenditure on general and groups activity. Provided this level is maintained any surplus above this may be spent on investment or development initiatives designed to increase membership and attain financial sustainability over the long term.
## 6. Trustees’ Declaration for the year ended 31[st] August 2022
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and are consistent with the charitable purposes of the charity as described in clause 3 of its constitution adopted ion October 2017.
They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by the trustees of the charity on 1[st] November 2022 and signed on its behalf by:
George Redgrave, Chair
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## 7. Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts
## **Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees of the Crawley University of the Third Age**
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31st August 2022.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for the year and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:
Examine the accounts; to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners, and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiners' report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination included a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
## **Independent examiners' statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention, which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material aspect, the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with CC32, and prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements have not been met.
No matter has come to my attention in connection with the examination to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
ASBA Accounting Ltd 2 Furnace Parade Furnace Green Crawley RH10 6NX
24th October 2022
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Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31" August 2022
st
8. Accounts for year ended 31 August 2022
Crawley u3a
Statement of Financial Activity
for the year ending 31st August 2022
UnrestriLted Restricted
Funds
Funds
General
Activity
Group
Artimty
Total
Premous period
Income
Membership Su bs
Group Activity fees
Events & Trips fees
Gift Aid
5,522
5,522
12,992
16,074
159
12,992
16,074
372
1.194
Other Income
277
277
5,799
29.066
34,865
1,728
Expenditure
Group Activity Expenses
Events & Trips Expenses
General Equipment
Meeting expense5
Monthly
-AGM
Other meetings & Coffee mornings
Christmas Party
Main Committee
Venue hire and other costs
Third Age Trust
Annual Subscription
Third Age mazIne ITAMI
Membership services
Postage, Stationery & Printing
Health and Safety equipment
Publicity and Promotion
General operating Licences
Accountancy / Audit fees
Information Technology
cence5. SubscTiPtions & Equipment
13,574
15,647
13,574
15,647
2,127
1,139
2,127
1,353
138
314
1,353
138
314
405
534
534
290
290
62
2,308
1.532
2,308
1.532
2,139
989
179
989
179
624
1.692
60
3()0
300
288
1.631
11,755
-5,956
1.631
40,976
-6,111
1,415
-4.696
843
29.221
-155
1,415
1.260
7,192
-5,464
Net Income / Expenditure l-l
Other adjustment
Net movernent in funds
-5.956
Reconciliation of Funds
Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward
42,728
36,772
42,728
38,032
1,260
io
**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## **Crawley u3a**
## **Balance sheet as at 31st August 2022**
|**Current Assets**
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Bank - current accounts
Bank - deposit account
Cash Floats
**Liabilities**
Creditors - falling due within one year.
Creditors - falling due after more than one year
**Total net assets**
**Represented by:**
Fund balances
Restricted Funds
Unrestricted funds
_Net current assets_
_Total current assets_|**Previous year**
**£**
**£**
3,330
0
10,746
44,328
30,000
0
193
7|**Previous year**
**£**
**£**
3,330
0
10,746
44,328
30,000
0
193
7|
|---|---|---|
||44,269
44,335
6,102
1,492||
||38,167
42,843
135
115||
||38,032|42,728|
||**£**
**£**
1,260
0
36,772
42,728||
||38,032|42,728|
The accompanying notes form part of these financial statements.
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**Crawley u3a Annual Report and Accounts for year ended 31[st] August 2022**
## **Crawley u3a**
## **Notes to the Accounts**
## **1. Accounting convention.**
The format of the accounts has been changed from previous years to comply with the _Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS102)._
The accounts have been prepared on a fund basis.
**Unrestricted fund** – covers the general operating costs with are funded from the Annual Membership fee and miscellaneous income sources. The figures are compiled on a receipts and payment basis.
**Restricted fund** – covers all the activities undertaken by Groups whether room based or outdoor, plus all trips undertaken within the u3a. Costs and income are accounted for in the financial year the activity is undertaken.
The financial year runs from 1[st] Sept to 31[st] August. The Previous Period covered a 13-month period from 1[st] August 2020 to 31[st] August 2021, to reflect a change in the timing of the financial year.
## **2. Other adjustment**
This relates to surpluses generated from activity trips that have been accumulating on the balance sheet for a number of years. These were recorded as creditors in previous years’ accounts but cannot be linked to relevant individuals.
## **3. Income**
This is a combination of money generated during the year from a number of sources, including the Annual Membership fee, Group fees, Gift Aid (HMRC), donations and other sources.
## **4. Expenditure**
This is a combination of the costs and expenses incurred during the year on both the running of the organisation and the delivery of all the activities and meetings undertaken during the year.
## **5. Fixed Assets**
The u3a does not have any individual asset that is valued over £500, therefore there is nothing to report.
## **6. Cash at Bank or In Hand**
Cash includes both current bank accounts, petty cash balances, and short-term liquid investments (in the form of a Bank deposit account).
## **7. Debtors**
This is a combination of expense payments made during the year that relate to Trips being undertaken in September 2022, and Activity income due for the year, but which had not been received and banked.
## **8. Creditors (falling due within one year)**
This is a combination of payments not yet made for activities undertaken during the year, and income received during the year but that relates to Trips being undertaken in September 2022.
## **9. Creditors (falling due after more than one year)**
This relates to annual membership fees received from former members.
## **10. Funds**
_Unrestricted Fund -_ can be used and applied to support the u3a’s general financial activities.
_Restricted Fund -_ comprises surpluses or deficits accruing from a specific activity or event. It can only be used to fund activity similar to what it was originally intended for. The surplus money generated from Trips remains the property of the individual Members who contribute to the costs of the trips and can be reclaimed by those Members.
12