Chichester U3A
Chair’s Report 2023/2024
Between the beginning of September and the end of March more than 150 new members joined our u3a. One of them told me recently that they had joined Chichester because it is an “interesting, active and pleasant u3a”. To those positive comments I would add “enthusiastic, happy and vibrant”. We try to provide learning and entertainment to suit all our members, many of whom come up with suggestions and ideas for new and interesting activities.
The most important change over the last year has been the development of our Groups Team, which has enabled more Interest Groups to be set up, now totalling more than 80. Led by Jacky Easton, we now have 6 Groups Facilitators who are responsible not only for helping the establishment of new Groups but who are in contact with our current Group Leaders and Administrators to ensure that they are running their Groups efficiently and successfully. Caroline Davis had acted as a tireless Groups Administrator for several years, and she is now enjoying some well-deserved free time. I’m sure all of you who benefit from our Interest Group activities join me in thanking Caroline, Jacky and her devoted team and all our Group Leaders and Administrators.
We held a “Thank You Tea” in February to show our appreciation to all those members who have contributed to the organisation and running of all our activities over the last few years. It was a very enjoyable occasion and gave all present the opportunity to exchange ideas and suggest possible procedures and ways to keep our u3a welcoming and lively.
In common with other organisations we are constantly working to keep up with our technical requirements, and thanks to several Committee members as well as other IT experts amongst our membership, we are now cutting back on paperwork and are storing our documents on Google Drive. We are also putting Succession Plans into place for the future, and this is a good opportunity to mention, again, that our Committee meetings are open to all our members, with no commitment, so if you would like to see how we plan our activities and discuss our current programmes, you are most welcome to join us. Talk to any Committee Member, or a Group Administrator, to show your interest.
I would like to express my thanks to all our volunteers but especially to our hardworking and enthusiastic Committee members. Barry keeps us informed about our financial affairs, Pat is an efficient and conscientious Secretary, Gill and Philip have provided us with entertaining speakers and have already planned the Monthly Talks programme for 2025. Peter keeps our website up to date and informative, and Miriam and David tell you what’s happening via our fortnightly Bulletin. My thanks also go to Margaret Le Good, who has been an industrious Vice-Chair, picking up the pieces and keeping our social events ticking over, and to the membership team for welcoming so many new members to our flourishing u3a.
Mike Cockerell, who set up our Climate Change Group, is leaving the Committee, and I would like to thank him for his participation over the last two years. Miriam Knight is stepping down from her role on the Committee but we are delighted that she will continue to produce the Bulletin, and David Rees is also ending his contribution to the Bulletin after several years of involvement: some long-standing members will no doubt remember his droll comments on our events!
Thank you for your support and I look forward to joining you in our activities during the next year.
Jil�Co�k
Chair
April 2024
Chichester U3A Treasurer’s Report for year ending 31 March 2024
I took over as Treasurer in April 22 with the finances in a healthy position but with some uncertainty around the financial activity that would represent a ‘normal’ operational year post Covid.
I am pleased to report that the financial position of the Chichester U3A remains strong. There has been a focus on growing the number and range of groups that are available and building on the existing social events with additional larger group events.
The accounts separate Income from Expenditure and Restricted from Unrestricted funds. The membership fees are unrestricted funds. These are donations to the Chichester U3A and are not directly related to the benefits received by the individual members. It is for this reason we can reclaim Gift Aid where members choose this option. Restricted funds are collected for a specific purpose, such as room hire for interest groups, or for social events, and can only be used for that purpose.
Our accounts are maintained on a receipts and payments basis. This is the simplest approach, is approved by the Charity Commission, and is the only option available in the U3A Beacon system that we use. There are a couple of drawbacks to this: firstly, it does not reveal any outstanding liabilities at the end of the accounting period, and secondly, it can be misleading when comparing the current year with the previous year.
Looking first at the comparison of the 2 years shown in the Financial Accounts (2024 & 2023):
-
Gift Aid is the claim for 2023 as it is claimed in arrears, the 2024 figure will appear in next years accounts and is anticipated to be £2,192
-
TAM The Third Age Matter Magazine costs £3.60 per member who requests it.
-
Capitation and Beacon: These are charged based on the membership on 1[st ] April which aligns to the Membership fees of the previous year.
-
The income and expenditure associated with Group and social events is markedly higher reflecting the large increase in the number of groups and associated activities.
At year-end (31/03/2024) we carried forward £24,014.91. Of this:
-
£3.552 is required to cover existing liabilities (Capitation Fees)
-
£6,188 represents membership subscriptions for the period 01/04-31/08
-
£3,402 are restricted funds.
The remaining £10,873 plus the £2,192 Gift Aid credit represent our current Financial Reserves of Unrestricted Funds: £13,065. This represents 67% of our total annual income last year or approximately 8 months. This is a slight reduction on last year but has remained higher than anticipated due to the jump in membership during the year from 817 to 921, an increase of 12.7%
We expect costs to rise in line with inflation and are looking at new ways to increase events open to all members. Our reserves are healthy and will give the committee leeway to provide these additional membership services.
As ever I am grateful to all the membership team who have to manage and log the 900 plus membership fees and to all the group leaders who ensure the viability of their groups.
Finally, I propose the adoption of these Financial Accounts.
Barry Easton Hon. Treasurer
Chichester U3A Statement of Accounts 2023-24
| Chichester U3A | 01/04/2023 | - |
31/03/2024 | 01/04/2022 | - | 31/03/2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Sub-Category | in | out | in | out | |||
| Income | ||||||||
| Membership | Annual Membership(1) | £16,556.05 | £14,850.90 | |||||
| Gift Aid(2) | £2,308.20 | £2096.81 | ||||||
| Donations | £700.19 | £761.50 | ||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Charitable Activities | Group Subscriptions | £9,403.51 | £7824.00 | |||||
| Social Events Income | £9,056.30 | £8,571.91 | ||||||
| Total Income | £38,024.25 | **£34,105.12 ** | ||||||
| Expenditure | ||||||||
| Capitation | U3A(3) | £3,036.00 | £2,844.00 | |||||
| Beacon | £817.00 | £747.00 | ||||||
| Communications | Newsletter | |||||||
| TAM | £1,995.84 | £1,640.87 | ||||||
| Other Marcom | ||||||||
| Website | £194.75 | £144.00 | ||||||
| General Events | Speaker Fees | £1,317.20 | £1,588.60 | |||||
| Refreshments | 361.72 | £211.19 | ||||||
| Hall Hire | £1,964.80 | £2,864.28 | ||||||
| Other | £8,487.75 | £1789.54 | ||||||
| Group Activities | Room Hire | £7,456.75 | £4,908.72 | |||||
| Other Group Expenses | £719.94 | £1,687.72 | ||||||
| Events, Trips & Visits | Social EVT Expenditure | £9,531.00 | £8,134.12 | |||||
| Xmas Lunch | ||||||||
| General Admin | Stationery & Postage Travel Expenses |
£52.94 | £177.01 | |||||
| General Admin/IT | £996.64 | £876.72 | ||||||
| Insurance | ||||||||
| PayPal Commission | £214.52 | £237.57 | ||||||
| Mailbox | ||||||||
| Storage | £650.00 | £560.00 | ||||||
| Regional | ||||||||
| Miscellaneous | £205.00 | £258.00 | ||||||
| Total Expenditure | £38,001.85 | £28,709.34 | ||||||
| Brought forward | **£23,992.51 ** | **£18,596.73 ** | ||||||
| Total carried forward | £24,014.91 | **£23,992.51 ** | ||||||
| 31/03/2024 £18,118.99 £3,162.20 £193.05 £0.00 £844.63 £1,696.04 £24,014.91 |
31/03/2023 £19,584.57 £1,747.38 £193.25 £0.00 £902.33 £1,564.98 £23,992.51 |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance Sheet | 31/03/2024 | ||
| Current (Membership) | £18,118.99 | ||
| Groups | £3,162.20 | ||
| PayPal | £193.05 | ||
| Petty Cash | £0.00 | ||
| Social | £844.63 | ||
| Treasurer | £1,696.04 | ||
| Total | £24,014.91 | ||
| Membership at Year−end | Membership at Year−end |
|---|---|
| Members | 888 |
| Associate Members | 33 |
| Total | 921 |
Notes:
(1)[Annual][membership][runs][to][31/08.][So][£6449][is][attributable][to][period][01/04-31/08][(i.e.][5/12][of][membership][fees)]
(2) Gift Aid claim due in April: £2192
(3)[U3A][Capitation][Fee][for the period 01/04/04 to 31/08/25 (current membership fees) is][£3552]
Financial Reserves:
Of the £24,015 carried forward;
£3,402 is required to cover existing liabilities
£6,449 represents membership subscriptions for the period 01/04-31/08 £3,552 is the Capitation fee that will be due under current membership fees The remaining £10,873 plus the £2192 Gift Aid credit represent our current Financial Reserves of Unrestricted Funds: £13,065
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Rew)rt RerK>rt tt> the tnteI ' memr5 af U3A CHICHESTER On accounts lor thè yèar 31" March. 2024 gnd9d . 10371)27 Set out Pa9¢ | 2 I report to the trustee5 on my eXMninatp crf the accounts of the atK>ve charty (Ihe Trustl lof the ycar cnded 3110W2024. Rgsponsibilitios and As the charity trustees of Ihe TrusL you are resi¥SIble fsy the prewa1 basis of reptyt of ihe accounts in acmrdance with the requirernents of the Charit$ Acl 2011 lllhe AKI-). I report In fesr>ocI of my eXaMinatK of the Tru5t'3 KrntS carrd out under sect 145 of thp. 2011 Acl and in caryirw Olrt my elMInatI¢). I have followed Ihe applKabSe Directions gtven by Ihe Charrty Cornmissv)n und&r sec1 145(5Xb) of the Ad, I hjve ¢Cete0 ffty ewination. I confirm that no maten.al matters have comc lo niy attentjon in conneclion wrlh the ex•ninJlion which gives me cause to beIve Ihal in: any maefial re5rt". accounting recoros were kepl In accordarre ith section 130 of the Ara the accounts do not aCCd wilh th• accountin9 re¢atds Independent •xamin•rf¥ st•temont I have no concems and have come &ross no other manors in connedi with the examinaii(ffl to whh aliÈnin should be dramm in order to ersable JJ prOr understsndiw of the counts to be oa¢hed. Slgrbèd: Namo: P A N.,G, RIML R¢lev•nt profo$$lonal l FCA qualifDcation{sl or body I Irf •ny>= Addre43: 43. Sea Placo, Worthing, BN12 48Y
Chichester U3A Treasurer’s Report for year ending 31 March 2024
I took over as Treasurer in April 22 with the finances in a healthy position but with some uncertainty around the financial activity that would represent a ‘normal’ operational year post Covid.
I am pleased to report that the financial position of the Chichester U3A remains strong. There has been a focus on growing the number and range of groups that are available and building on the existing social events with additional larger group events.
The accounts separate Income from Expenditure and Restricted from Unrestricted funds. The membership fees are unrestricted funds. These are donations to the Chichester U3A and are not directly related to the benefits received by the individual members. It is for this reason we can reclaim Gift Aid where members choose this option. Restricted funds are collected for a specific purpose, such as room hire for interest groups, or for social events, and can only be used for that purpose.
Our accounts are maintained on a receipts and payments basis. This is the simplest approach, is approved by the Charity Commission, and is the only option available in the U3A Beacon system that we use. There are a couple of drawbacks to this: firstly, it does not reveal any outstanding liabilities at the end of the accounting period, and secondly, it can be misleading when comparing the current year with the previous year.
Looking first at the comparison of the 2 years shown in the Financial Accounts (2024 & 2023):
-
Gift Aid is the claim for 2023 as it is claimed in arrears, the 2024 figure will appear in next years accounts and is anticipated to be £2,192
-
TAM The Third Age Matter Magazine costs £3.60 per member who requests it.
-
Capitation and Beacon: These are charged based on the membership on 1[st ] April which aligns to the Membership fees of the previous year.
-
The income and expenditure associated with Group and social events is markedly higher reflecting the large increase in the number of groups and associated activities.
At year-end (31/03/2024) we carried forward £24,014.91. Of this:
-
£3.552 is required to cover existing liabilities (Capitation Fees)
-
£6,188 represents membership subscriptions for the period 01/04-31/08
-
£3,402 are restricted funds.
The remaining £10,873 plus the £2,192 Gift Aid credit represent our current Financial Reserves of Unrestricted Funds: £13,065. This represents 67% of our total annual income last year or approximately 8 months. This is a slight reduction on last year but has remained higher than anticipated due to the jump in membership during the year from 817 to 921, an increase of 12.7%
We expect costs to rise in line with inflation and are looking at new ways to increase events open to all members. Our reserves are healthy and will give the committee leeway to provide these additional membership services.
As ever I am grateful to all the membership team who have to manage and log the 900 plus membership fees and to all the group leaders who ensure the viability of their groups.
Finally, I propose the adoption of these Financial Accounts.
Barry Easton Hon. Treasurer
Chichester U3A Statement of Accounts 2023-24
| Chichester U3A | 01/04/2023 | - |
31/03/2024 | 01/04/2022 | - | 31/03/2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Sub-Category | in | out | in | out | |||
| Income | ||||||||
| Membership | Annual Membership(1) | £16,556.05 | £14,850.90 | |||||
| Gift Aid(2) | £2,308.20 | £2096.81 | ||||||
| Donations | £700.19 | £761.50 | ||||||
| Other | ||||||||
| Charitable Activities | Group Subscriptions | £9,403.51 | £7824.00 | |||||
| Social Events Income | £9,056.30 | £8,571.91 | ||||||
| Total Income | £38,024.25 | **£34,105.12 ** | ||||||
| Expenditure | ||||||||
| Capitation | U3A(3) | £3,036.00 | £2,844.00 | |||||
| Beacon | £817.00 | £747.00 | ||||||
| Communications | Newsletter | |||||||
| TAM | £1,995.84 | £1,640.87 | ||||||
| Other Marcom | ||||||||
| Website | £194.75 | £144.00 | ||||||
| General Events | Speaker Fees | £1,317.20 | £1,588.60 | |||||
| Refreshments | 361.72 | £211.19 | ||||||
| Hall Hire | £1,964.80 | £2,864.28 | ||||||
| Other | £8,487.75 | £1789.54 | ||||||
| Group Activities | Room Hire | £7,456.75 | £4,908.72 | |||||
| Other Group Expenses | £719.94 | £1,687.72 | ||||||
| Events, Trips & Visits | Social EVT Expenditure | £9,531.00 | £8,134.12 | |||||
| Xmas Lunch | ||||||||
| General Admin | Stationery & Postage Travel Expenses |
£52.94 | £177.01 | |||||
| General Admin/IT | £996.64 | £876.72 | ||||||
| Insurance | ||||||||
| PayPal Commission | £214.52 | £237.57 | ||||||
| Mailbox | ||||||||
| Storage | £650.00 | £560.00 | ||||||
| Regional | ||||||||
| Miscellaneous | £205.00 | £258.00 | ||||||
| Total Expenditure | £38,001.85 | £28,709.34 | ||||||
| Brought forward | **£23,992.51 ** | **£18,596.73 ** | ||||||
| Total carried forward | £24,014.91 | **£23,992.51 ** | ||||||
| 31/03/2024 £18,118.99 £3,162.20 £193.05 £0.00 £844.63 £1,696.04 £24,014.91 |
31/03/2023 £19,584.57 £1,747.38 £193.25 £0.00 £902.33 £1,564.98 £23,992.51 |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance Sheet | 31/03/2024 | ||
| Current (Membership) | £18,118.99 | ||
| Groups | £3,162.20 | ||
| PayPal | £193.05 | ||
| Petty Cash | £0.00 | ||
| Social | £844.63 | ||
| Treasurer | £1,696.04 | ||
| Total | £24,014.91 | ||
| Membership at Year−end | Membership at Year−end |
|---|---|
| Members | 888 |
| Associate Members | 33 |
| Total | 921 |
Notes:
(1)[Annual][membership][runs][to][31/08.][So][£6449][is][attributable][to][period][01/04-31/08][(i.e.][5/12][of][membership][fees)]
(2) Gift Aid claim due in April: £2192
(3)[U3A][Capitation][Fee][for the period 01/04/04 to 31/08/25 (current membership fees) is][£3552]
Financial Reserves:
Of the £24,015 carried forward;
£3,402 is required to cover existing liabilities
£6,449 represents membership subscriptions for the period 01/04-31/08 £3,552 is the Capitation fee that will be due under current membership fees The remaining £10,873 plus the £2192 Gift Aid credit represent our current Financial Reserves of Unrestricted Funds: £13,065
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Rew)rt RerK>rt tt> the tnteI ' memr5 af U3A CHICHESTER On accounts lor thè yèar 31" March. 2024 gnd9d . 10371)27 Set out Pa9¢ | 2 I report to the trustee5 on my eXMninatp crf the accounts of the atK>ve charty (Ihe Trustl lof the ycar cnded 3110W2024. Rgsponsibilitios and As the charity trustees of Ihe TrusL you are resi¥SIble fsy the prewa1 basis of reptyt of ihe accounts in acmrdance with the requirernents of the Charit$ Acl 2011 lllhe AKI-). I report In fesr>ocI of my eXaMinatK of the Tru5t'3 KrntS carrd out under sect 145 of thp. 2011 Acl and in caryirw Olrt my elMInatI¢). I have followed Ihe applKabSe Directions gtven by Ihe Charrty Cornmissv)n und&r sec1 145(5Xb) of the Ad, I hjve ¢Cete0 ffty ewination. I confirm that no maten.al matters have comc lo niy attentjon in conneclion wrlh the ex•ninJlion which gives me cause to beIve Ihal in: any maefial re5rt". accounting recoros were kepl In accordarre ith section 130 of the Ara the accounts do not aCCd wilh th• accountin9 re¢atds Independent •xamin•rf¥ st•temont I have no concems and have come &ross no other manors in connedi with the examinaii(ffl to whh aliÈnin should be dramm in order to ersable JJ prOr understsndiw of the counts to be oa¢hed. Slgrbèd: Namo: P A N.,G, RIML R¢lev•nt profo$$lonal l FCA qualifDcation{sl or body I Irf •ny>= Addre43: 43. Sea Placo, Worthing, BN12 48Y