ILKLEY & DISTRICT u3a
ANNUAL REPORTS
2024 – 2025
Registered Charity no. 1070945
Chair of Trustees Report 2025
This report from the Trustees to Ilkley & District u3a membership complies with the requirements of the Charity Commission and the Third Age Trust and covers the period between December 2024 and November 2025. Ilkley & District u3a is an independent charity registered with the Charity Commission. The Management Committee (MCoT) currently has 9 members, all of whom are trustees. The Management Committee is supported by a number of Action Teams covering specific areas.
We are a learning cooperative , and depend on members contributing by participating in groups, courses, open meetings and visits, and by joining supporting roles and/or teams.
Management Committee
| Management Committee | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Office | Date Started |
| Richard Bell | Chair/Communications | 19.11.22 |
| David Eadon | Secretary | 22.11.24 (co-opted) |
| Liz Billings | Treasurer | 16.11.24 |
| Jean Smith | Membership Secretary | 16.11.19 |
| Jacqui Wellbrook | Groups Coordinator | 19.11.22 |
| Margaret McCabe | Asst. Groups Coordinator | 20.11.21 |
| Catherine Pulle | Asst. Groups Coordinator | 22.11.24 (co-opted) |
| Nikki Falconer | Fitness Coordinator | 18.11.23 |
| John Blewitt | Events Coordinator | 18.11.23 |
The committee has met 10 times in the last 12 months and continued to support Drop ins, New Member Meetings, events and Yorkshire Region meetings.
Ilkley & District u3a continues to thrive. We are attracting new members almost daily and we now have well over 2,100 members.
It is part of the core ethos that the u3a experience be available to all those who would like to join and therefore waiting lists either for groups or membership should be kept to a minimum. We set out a Development Plan at the start of last year recognising our priority area to be increasing the number of groups along with widening the geographical spread of our activities. The Ambassador work has continued in Otley, Silsden, Guiseley and Yeadon and our membership in those areas is increasing.
A selection of Short Courses has provided additional offerings and, in some cases, have led to new Interest Groups. There is much more work to be done.
We have also focused on compliance with Charitable Law (Risk Assessments, Finance) guidance for Group Leaders.
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We have targeted digital inclusion via a venture with Clarke Foley to run digital drop ins in Ilkley alongside our u3a drop ins. This has proved popular and has been supported by volunteers from u3a, Clarke Foley and Virgin Media.
Constitution
Our new constitution has been approved by the Charity Commission, but they have asked for a specific resolution relating to the Object clause and then a confirmation of the new Constitution.
These are mere technical points to satisfy Charity Commission requirements, and I would be grateful if you would vote for them.
Finance (Liz Billings)
The Treasurer’s Report and Annual Accounts follow this report.
Secretary (David Eadon)
Our governance, compliance, risk assessments and incidents have been efficiently dealt with through our secretarial function.
Heather Dunlop-Jones, who has acted as minutes secretary in recent years, is stepping down shortly to take up grandparenting duties and is being replaced by Elizabeth Ainscoe. My thanks to Heather for her hard work, especially making sense of some of the Trustees convoluted discussions.
Events (John Blewitt)
The Christmas Cracker featured a variety of our Groups who entertained us royally. There were some excellent acts and a visit from Santa. Group Leaders were thanked during a supper event in May.
Our annual Showcase event in June at Clarke Foley was very well attended as was the excellent Summer Programme. A total of 296 members participated in 47 sessions, with walks, talks, tasters and visits. An incredible team effort led by Angie Grain who stepped in to lead it.
Our monthly meetings have also continued to be popular, with a remarkable range of subjects covered by our speakers over the past year, thanks to the programme put together by our speaker finder, John Blewitt. To my mind at least, the meetings alone are worth the annual membership fee – not to mention the free tea coffee and biscuits.
We started the year with a trip to the Tan Hill Inn, bringing memories of the Everest Double Glazing advertisement with Ted Moult. We then moved on behind the Iron Curtain with Gregory Mendel and later in the year left Barrow and ended up in Baghdad. Closer to home, our own Sue Stevens valiantly battled sound system
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issues to explain the Environmental Impact of Burying the Dead, and we had a history of Leeds Playhouse among other fascinating talks.
We continued to participate in local community events all over the valley.
The Members Market Place has been used to find new owners for a number of unwanted items which have found new homes. We have supported and advertised community events via our social media.
Our partnership with Ilkley Lawn Tennis Club continues successfully. The offer of reduced priced gym membership for all u3a members has reached the agreed of 150ty and now has a waiting list.
We continue to connect with other u3as via WestNet. Members of other u3as attend our activities by joining us as Associate Members with a reduced fee.
Groups (Jacqui Wellbrook, Margaret McCabe, Catherine Pulle)
Fitness Hub (Nikki Falconer)
Each year we report that we have insufficient groups to meet the needs of our members. We have over 450 people who are not members of any group. Some may not want to join a group, but others do and, sadly after a frustrating time they resign their membership. This is not good for Ilkley u3a, both in reputation and for future existence.
Your Trustees would be grateful for any help or assistance that any member can provide.
Jacqui and her team have worked tirelessly to develop new Groups, both broadening the offering and duplicating existing groups, but we are now only at about 145 and we really need to be closer to 180-200.
As Neil Stevens emphasised last year, the issue remains a strategic goal for our u3a. We need to emphasise to both new and existing members one of the key principles of the u3a movement: -
“As an Educational Co-operative there is an expectation that members will share their interests and skills.”
Of course, we don’t expect everyone to take part in this way, but we do encourage some of our more active members to come forward with offers to lead new groups particular in those subject areas with waiting lists.
Communications (Richard Bell, assisted by John Hancock)
I must emphasise that I merely represent the Communications Team at the Trustee meetings.
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John Hancock, who is not a Trustee, heads up the team and does an inordinate amount of work as do all the rest of the team.
Their brief continues to be to engage with existing members and raise awareness of u3a in the wider community which they do very successfully.
The website
Our primary shop window for non-members to discover u3a, a place for existing members to find the latest updates and for u3a to manage membership records. A search on Google for “u3a near me” always returns top of the page links to our online content.
Nothing is worse than a website that looks the same on every visit so the main links (e.g. Summer Programme, short courses, renewal of subscriptions, AGM) are regularly changed. Our images are mainly of people “doing stuff” with text kept to the minimum. The ability to join and pay subscriptions online is prominently featured along with testimonials from existing members.
The list of events shows activities still to come, and the latest newsletter is available to read on the day of publication. Our daily Facebook postings are shown in real time. The Market Place continues to successfully recycle unwanted items.
There was also significant time devoted to supporting registrations for c40 events in the summer programme and a number of short courses.
News Flash (our emailed newsletter)
The primary way of communicating to our existing members about opportunities to join groups and other activities. Publication is generally twice per month with roughly 80% of each issue being opened. Links to additional information on the website and social media allows text to be kept to a minimum. A paper copy is provided to around 30 members who do not have an email address.
Social Media
Both our Facebook and Twitter (now X) accounts have sizable followings. The range of topics covered in posts is of interest to the demographic that might be also interested in u3a. Links to our website provide more information for those that need more detail. Social media is also the way we can engage with other organisations, so, for instance, we post to the Silsden Facebook Group about u3a activities locally. Our posts also lead to others reposting our content. A recent example is the retweeting of a u3a post by Ilkley Literary Festival and provision of a discount voucher offered exclusively to our members.
Press and Media coverage
Ilkley Chat, Otley Matters and Ilkley Gazette have all prominently featured our u3a content and stories. Details of the coverage available to see on our website.
Looking ahead
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It is anticipated the continued campaign to increase the number of active groups will involve the Communications team to a significant extent.
Membership (Jean Smith)
Our membership continues to grow, and we recruit c350 new members each year. This rate of increase comfortably compensates for c250 who do not renew for a variety of reasons.
The membership role is complex and time consuming and I am grateful to Gill Burrell who has organised drop in rotas and Pam Lamming who updated the Gift Aid part of the database.
Membership renewals and the database have run smoothly as usual, albeit with some furious paddling below the water on occasions. The work of the Webteam assisting Membership is also very much appreciated.
Thanks
Our u3a could not be managed effectively by just a small group of trustees. We rely on so many volunteers who give their time and experience to support our extremely hardworking Action Teams. Our social media presence, website and NewsFlash is envied by other u3as. Gillian Morse and her willing band of volunteers are always on hand to do refreshments and the enthusiastic meeter-greeters welcome our first time visitors.
Most importantly, I need to propose a huge vote of thanks to those members who lead our groups. Without such people there would be no Ilkley and District u3a.Thanks to all our Coordinators and Deputies and all our members who contribute so much to our success story.
Goodbyes
It is always difficult to say ‘goodbye’ to those you have worked closely with over a period of years.
At this AGM we are losing Jacqui Wellbrook, my immediate predecessor, who has just served a year as Groups Coordinator and retires to grandparenting duties. Also, Catherine Pulle, who was co-opted after the last AGM, has family health issues to manage and leaves us. Finally, Jean Smith who steps down as a Trustee having served for the permitted nine years. She will continue with membership, in a nonTrustee role. I am delighted she wishes to continue. My thanks to all of them.
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Other u3a members have stepped down from their roles and I thank them all for their contributions to our organisation. One I mention in particular is Peter ‘Venues’ Maufe who has kept, expanded and updated our comprehensive Venues schedule for more years than anyone can remember – many thanks Pete.
Conclusion
u3a is run by the members for the members and relies on everyone putting in their share of the work to get their share of the benefits. Being a Trustee or Action Team member is not only an essential and important role but can also be rewarding and enjoyable. Could you help us with this? With a regular input of new members learning from experienced members and then taking over key roles and training their successors we will assure the continued success of our u3a for years to come.
May I, once again, wish you all lifelong learning, great fun and enjoyment for 2025/26 within the family of the u3a.
Richard Bell
Chair – Ilkley & District u3a
20 October 2025
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Treasurer’s Report on the Financial Statement for the Year Ending 31 July 2025
I am pleased to present the year-end financial statement for Ilkley & District u3a for the year to 31 July 2025. Susan Fisk came on board as Treasurer Support in June and is doing an excellent job. She is also bringing insights from previous experience in similar roles to help us develop working practices.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Trustees, Group Leaders and Treasurers for their help and support this year for Susan and myself. I hope the finance team can count on your continued support in the future.
The financial statement shows a deficit of £4633. Some explanation around this might be helpful, as the figures are not a true reflection of how we spend members’ subscriptions and any other small sums of income we receive.
Charity Commission rules and Charity law require us to show the gross income and expenditure received and paid out in relation to all parts of our activities including interest
groups. Our annual financial statement therefore shows the income and expenditure relating to the money that interest groups deposit to pay for their outgoings such as room hire, equipment or travel costs. The interest groups deposit the money in advance to pay for these services, and the service provider invoices the Treasurer who then pays the bill on behalf of the interest groups. The interest groups fully fund their outgoings in accordance with the u3a rules.
Unusually this year, there was a deficit (£8,229) shown in the money deposited (£122,435) by interest groups versus what was paid out on their behalf (£130,664). This was because a few suppliers were slow in submitting invoices for the term ending July 2024, so although money was taken during 2023/2024, it was not paid out until 2024/2025 (£7,616). All these suppliers caught up with their invoicing during 2024/2025, so we effectively paid out 15 months of venue hire during the financial year.
Outside of the group income and expenditure we also have money in and out covering the day to day running of our charity, which we call our Operating Income and Expenses. It is the members subscriptions that by and large fund our operating expenses, so this is something the management board has to keep a close eye on.
In 2023/2024, operating income was £43,779, compared to £34,883 this financial year. These figures are skewed due to two years gift aid being claimed last year and none this (documentation is still being processed). Gift Aid equates to approximately £5,000 per annum.
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Expenses were £33,892 in 2023/24 compared to £31,2287 this financial year. So relatively consistent.
So, even without the Gift Aid, we showed an operating costs surplus of £3,596.
For the forecast for 2025/26 we are anticipating operating with a deficit. Our reserves are well in excess of requirements, so we are looking to spend money in a proactive manner. The Committee of Trustees are looking at a variety of options and initiatives, whilst closely monitoring our reserves.
If any members have any ideas for spending our reserves constructively, please contact any Trustee. This can be for group activities, standalone events or other initiatives.
In summary, our finances remain very healthy and are in an excellent position should there be any sudden impact on our day-to-day business.
I will be stepping down as Treasurer and will be succeeded by David Eadon who should more naturally fit into the role as an experienced accountant.
Many thanks for your support.
Liz Billings Treasurer Ilkley and District u3a
25th September 2025
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Ilkley & District U3A: Accounts for the year ended 31 July 2025 Income & Expenditure Account: Year to 31 July 2025
| Income | Note s |
2024/25 | 2023/24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Membership fees receivable | 1 | 32,595 | 32,468 |
| Groups income | 2 | 122,435 | 100,881 |
| Summer programme and events | 3 | - | 88 |
| Gift Aid received | - | 9,584 | |
| Bank interest received | 1,321 | 862 | |
| Other income | 4 | 967 | 777 |
| 157,318 | 144,660 | ||
| Expenditure | |||
| Groups expenditure | 2 | 130,664 | 97,955 |
| Stripe admin fees | 710 | 736 | |
| Subscriptions and licences | 5 | 19 | 6,560 |
| Summer programme and events | 6 | 7,510 | 5,179 |
| Communications | 7 | 1,188 | 872 |
| Third Age Trust | 8 | 12,664 | 11,867 |
| Governance and compliance | 9 | 2,110 | 1,071 |
| Drop-in and new member meetings | 2,236 | 2,187 | |
| AGM | 123 | 494 | |
| Miscellaneous | 10 | 2,772 | 3,211 |
| Depreciation | 1,955 | 1,715 | |
| 161,951 | 131,847 | ||
| (Defcit)/surplus for the year | (4,633) | 12,813 |
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Balance Sheet as at 31 July 2025
| 31 July | 31 July | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| Fixed assets | ||
| Equipment & other assets | 11,545 | 10,589 |
| Depreciation reserve | (8,171) | (6,216) |
| Total fxed assets | 3,374 | 4,373 |
| Current assets | ||
| Current account | 16,924 | 17,300 |
| Deposit account | 68,899 | 56,029 |
| Membership account | 8,910 | 23,755 |
| Total current assets | 94,733 | 97,084 |
| 101,45 | ||
| Total assets | 98,107 | 7 |
| Current liabilities | ||
| Membership fees for 2025/26 received | ||
| in 2024/25 | 23,394 | 23,666 |
| Total current liabilities | ||
| 23,394 | 23,666 | |
| Total net assets | 74,713 | 77,791 |
| Accumulated funds as at 1 August 2024 | 77,791 | 66,435 |
| (Defcit)/surplus from income and | ||
| expenditure account | (4,633) | 12,813 |
| Surplus/(defcit) held in individual group | ||
| bank accounts | 1,555 | (1,457) |
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Accumulated funds as at 31 July 2024
74,713
77,791
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Accounting Policies
Accounts have been prepared on an annual basis following the Charity Commission’s Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of recommended practice (SORP), 2005. The financial statements are prepared on a receipts and payments basis with the exception of membership fees which reflect the fees receivable for the 2024/25 accounting year on an accrual’s basis and in accounting for depreciation on Fixed Assets.
The Northern Towns, Drama, Railway, Science & Technology, Pickleball and Circle Dance (Otley) Groups
Appropriate accounts and financial statements, where available, showing their current financial position have been prepared and are consolidated in the main Ilkley & District u3a accounts.
Gift Aid
Gift Aid for 2024/25 is being claimed in 2025/26.
Fixed Assets and Depreciation
Fixed assets are capitalised and depreciated where appropriate. Depreciation is calculated at 25% of the net book value of the assets brought forward plus any expenditure on fixed assets incurred during the year.
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
1) Membership Fees
| Membership Fees Received in 2024/25 Plus fees relating to 2024/25 received in 2023/24 Less fees relating to 2025/26 received in 2024/25 Total fees receivable on accruals basis for 2023/24 2) Groups Income (deposits, transfers) Group Expenditure (Room Hire, Travel and other costs) Group balances surplus for the year Surplus groups balances at 31 July 2025 |
£32,323 £23,666 |
|---|---|
| £55,989 £23,394 |
|
| £32,595 £122,43 5 £130,66 4 |
|
| (£8229) | |
| £21,911 |
3) Summer programme and events income
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| Summer programme Study Days 4) Other income Riviera Travel Unidentifed deposits 5) Subscriptions and licences 2 year software licence Other licences 6) Summer programme and events expenditure Summer programme Study days Saturday talks and other events 7) Communications Postage Printing and copying Other expenses 8) Third Age Trust Membership subscriptions (capitation) Contribution to Third Age Matters magazine 9) Governance & compliance Trustee meetings Other inc. First Aid training |
£- £- |
|---|---|
| £- £967 £- |
|
| £967 £- £19 |
|
| £19 £2,173 £- £5,337 |
|
| £7,510 £157 £911 £120 |
|
| £1,188 £8,528 £4,136 |
|
| £12,664 £1,192 £918 |
|
| £2,110 |
10) Miscellaneous expenditure
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| Storage rental at Clarke Foley Admin charges Other smaller items |
£780 £- £1,992 |
|---|---|
| £2,772 |
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Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Ilkley & District U3A
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Ilkley & District U3A for the year ended 31st July 2025.
Responsibilities and Basis of Report
As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
The accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
The accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Independent Examiners Qualified Statement
The Northern Towns, Drama, Railway, Science & Technology, Pickleball and Circle Dance (Otley) Groups interest groups, while part of Ilkley & District U3A, have traditionally prepared their own accounts which are now consolidated into the Charity’s accounts. I have not examined these group accounts and therefore I am unable to report on them.
Signed: Mike Roberts
Name: Michael Leslie Roberts
Address: 1, Bark Lane, Addingham, ILKLEY, LS29 0RA
Date: 1[st] October 2025
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