FERNDOWN & DISTRICT U3A
MANAGEMENT REPORT for the year ending 31 May 2022
Registered Charity Number: 1073206
This report meets all the current statutory reporting requirements
The Charity Commissioners require a response to a number of specific questions, and these are included below (marked ‘CC Ref.’) where applicable
LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Ferndown & District University of the 3[rd] Age (Fu3a) is a member of the Third Age Trust as an unincorporated association.
The Trustees are the members of the Committee elected annually at the AGM. The following members served during the year:
Keith Banks, Jenny Bass, Glyn Bosanko, Jo Brearley, Clare Clayton, Jane Cresswell, Vivian Dedman, Malcolm Gill, Anne Hutton, Angela Larcombe, Thelma Poole, Bob Reeve, Jean Stone, Richard Tucker.
Keith Banks retired from the Committee in March 2022.
We welcomed our Honorary President , Gerry Lewis, to our meetings by invitation.
Our Independent Examiner is Ian Burr, 84 Twyford House, Fairways, Ferndown BH22 8BB.
Our Bankers are Lloyds Bank, Ferndown Branch, Victoria Road, Ferndown.
OUR PROGRAMME
We continue to strive to offer the best opportunities for Lifelong Learning, Recreation and Leisure to all those living in Ferndown and the surrounding areas who are no longer in full-time employment.
For 2021-22 we advertised 88 Groups, led by 68 Group Leaders, to 560 members who were able to enrol in up to eight different Groups.
We continue to champion the advantages of our enrolment process which gives every member - new or returning - an equal opportunity to join their chosen Groups. We believe that this is a fairer system than asking new members to wait until vacancies arise. This arrangement also helps support a flow of ‘new blood’ into the membership.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS & MANAGEMENT
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A Statement of Accounts for the year 1[st] June 2021 – 31[st] May 2022 is attached. These have been audited by our Independent Examiner.
Our reserves are considered sufficient to meet current and future liabilities.
We continue to use the Third Age Trust ‘Beacon’ finance system to monitor our monthly cash-flow against budget. Our Finance & Membership sub-group monitors our policy and practice on financial control and investment (CC Ref.36).
The following statements are included in response to Charity Commission requirements which
reflect its continuing concern about illegal activity (such as money laundering) across the charity
sector. While there has never been the slightest suggestion that any FU3A monies have been
misappropriated, we nonetheless recognise that we are expected to respond and have systems
in place to provide an audit trail if required.
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Our charity does not make grants as the main way of carrying out its purpose (CC Ref.10)
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We did not receive income from contracts from central government or a local authority (CC Ref.11), nor did we receive any grant funding from these sources (CC Ref.14)
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We did not receive income from outside the UK (CC Ref.17)
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We did not operate outside England and Wales (CC Ref.20)
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We have no trading subsidiaries (CC Ref.27)
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None of the trustees received remuneration or benefits other than expenses incurred (CC Ref.29), and none were paid for any services (CC Ref.30)
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None of the trustees resigned and took up employment with the charity (Fu3a does not employ any staff: CC Ref.31)
FU3A CHARITY OF THE YEAR
In 2018 we began a tradition of identifying a ‘Fu3a Charity of the Year’, mindful of the fact that individual U3As are not permitted to make donations to other charities except on a marginal basis (the sums we raise are kept entirely separate from the Fu3a accounts).
A total of £3296 was raised in the 2021 calendar year for the Fletcher Foundation .
ACCOMMODATION
Securing appropriate, accessible and safe accommodation at a reasonable cost remains an on-going challenge. In 2021-22 we used nine different
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venues in the wider Ferndown area, with 14 Groups meeting in members’ homes.
During the winter period we were informed that the Barrington Centre Management Committee were considering a significant increase to their rental charges; it was clear that a major driver in this was to ensure Ferndown residents did not ‘subsidise’ Barrington users living outside the town itself. In December the Fu3a Chairman and Vice Chairmen attended a meeting of the Management Committee, and stressed the obvious importance of Fu3a bookings for the Barrington’s overall budget. We argued that we should qualify for a ‘Community Rate’ given that c.60% of Fu3a members live in Ferndown. This factor was acknowledged, but the hire charges subsequently announced still reflected a three-fold increase on the rates we had paid previously. The Fu3a Committee concluded that we could not afford that level of increase, and we found alternative accommodation at the King George V Centre and the Heatherlands Centre. Only ‘First Fridays’ now remain at the Barrington.
ADMINISTRATION
Once again this year we produced our brochure in hard-copy format, supported by our expanding website. Communication with members is now generally done via email (fewer than 1% of our members do not have email access).
The following Committee sub-groups continued to meet as required, benefitting from the interest and specialist expertise of individual members:
Finance & Membership Accommodation, Equipment & Risk Visits & Events Brochure Production Governance
Each group is chaired by either the Chairman or one of the Vice-Chairmen, subsequently reporting recommendations to the full Committee for confirmation or amendment.
We continue to keep our governance under review, especially our policies relating to Health & Safety, and the Assessment of Risk. There were no serious incidents to report (CC Ref.4).
VOLUNTEERS
Our Group Leaders and Committee Members remain the Charity’s greatest resource, since without them it would be impossible to achieve our objectives. A significant number of other members undertake a wide range of tasks to ensure that our charity continues to be a lively and successful organisation. We estimate that in 2021-22 at least 110 members contributed in either or both of these categories (CC Ref.35) , and we are extremely grateful to them all.
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None of the trustees or volunteers work directly and unsupervised with children or adults at risk (CC Ref.37).
On behalf of the Trustees
Bob Reeve Chairman
November 2022
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| Ferndown & District University of the Third Age | Ferndown & District University of the Third Age | Ferndown & District University of the Third Age | Ferndown & District University of the Third Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statement of Accounts 1stJune 2021 to 31st May 2022 | |||
| Current Account | |||
| Income & Expenditure: | |||
| Income | Expenditure | ||
| ADMINISTRATION: | |||
| Third Age Trust: Annual MembershipSubscription | £ 2,272.00 | ||
| Central,Equipment,Meetings | £ 2,393.24 | ||
| SundryItems | £ 151.00 | £ 1,107.80 | |
| MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS | £ 10,263.00 | £ 201.00 | |
| HMRC GIFT AID | £ 1,598.03 | ||
| GROUP FUNDS | £ 1,080.44 | £ 662.91 | |
| GROUPS - ACCOMMODATION | £ 21,009.38 | ||
| FIRST FRIDAYS | £837.63 | ||
| EVENTS | £3,790.00 | £ 3,477.67 | |
| VISITS | £25,968.25 | £ 25,032.30 | |
| Sub-totals | £42,850.72 | £56,993.93 | |
| Current Account Operating Defcit | £14,143.21 | ||
| BALANCE OF TRANSFERS TO/FROM RESERVE ACCOUNT | £ 14,000.00 | ||
| Current Account Defcit | £ 143.21 | ||
| Reserve Account | |||
| **Income & Outgoings ** | Income | Outgoings | |
| TRANSFERS FROM CURRENT ACCOUNT | £ 0.00 | ||
| INTEREST | £ 31.89 | ||
| TRANSFERS TO CURRENT ACCOUNT | £ 14,000.00 | ||
| Sub-totals | £ 31.89 | £ 14,000.00 | |
| Reserve Account Defcit | £ 13,968.11 | ||
| Total Surplus/Defcit for theyear: | |||
| Current Account | £ 143.21 | ||
| Reserve Account | £ 13,968.11 | ||
| Combined Defcit | £14,111.32 | ||
| Balance Sheet at 31st May 2022 | |||
| CURRENT BANK ACCOUNT | £3,613.75 | ||
| COIF CHARITIES DEPOSIT FUND | £27,467.91 | ||
| Total | £31,081.66 | ||
| ACCUMULATED FUND AT 31st MAY 2021 | |||
| Current A/c £3756.96 + Reserve A/c £41436.02 | £45,192.98 | ||
| LESS DEFICIT FOR THE YEAR | £14,111.32 | ||
| Total | £31,081.66 | ||
| 10/31/2022 |