Dunstable
Registered Charity No: 1079444
Dunstable U3A Trustees’ Annual Report: 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
The Trustees submit their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 based on the requirements of the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (2005).
Structure, Governance and Functions
Trustees
Chair: Bernie Naughton Vice-chair: Vacancy Secretary: Linda Lawson Treasurer: Edwina Byass Christine Adams (Co-opted November onwards) Trustees: Membership Secretary : Alan Sparshott (June until September) Sept. onwards covered by Bernie Naughton. Speaker Secretary: Vacancy covered by Bernie Naughton Group Liaison Officer: Sally Clark (November onwards) Martin Young (August until November) Miriam Murtagh (until April) Minutes Secretary Heather Brown . Welfare Secretary Laina Geleit Social Media Secretary Nick Porter (co-opted September onwards) Non trustee positions Assets Registrar Nick Porter New Members Secretary Penny Tooth Newsletter Editor Janet Davison Webmasters Andy Hodge/Nick Porter Logistics Officer Victor Dove.
Purpose. “By the members for the members”
2022-23 A Busy Year when much was Achieved.
The Trustees met 11 times during the year to manage the affairs of Dunstable u3a in this, its 24[th] year since formation, and to ensure that its objectives and policies were maintained. The workload continued to be shared by the Trustees according to their particular interests and expertise. The Trustees thank all the other members who have made a significant contribution to the management of Dunstable u3a
The core objective of Dunstable u3a is :
To help advance the 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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2022 will be remembered as the Post Covid Year when we emerged from lockdown and discarded our masks and sanitizer. At our first open meeting the small group of attendees described how getting back together again as a great experience. Recovery to our previous way of operating was slow with members still fearful of meeting in large crowds. Many members were also mourning the loss of loved ones and even more in need of the social companionship that the many u3a activities could provide.
Rebuilding our membership
Continuing on from the previous involvement of the Pathfinder scheme, trustees sought to recruit new members as we had lost many members during the two years of Covid-2019. This was spearheaded by the Public Relations (PR) group and amongst other publicity, included advertising in the Vine magazine. During the year 2022-23, 120 new members were recruited. The 2023 membership renewal resulted in the majority of members renewing, with the exception of 70 members, who through a combination of ill-health or relocation decided not to renew their membership. At the end of the 2023 renewal period, we are pleased that the total membership had stabilized at 780.
Attendance at the quarterly New Member meetings, which are held in the Methodist Church, has increased. At these meetings new members are given the opportunity to meet others and to discuss with trustees what they would like from their local u3a
Dunstable Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The 2022 AGM was held on 20th June in line with our Constitutional rules.
Following the formalities of the AGM, members present were entertained to a carefully selected performance of songs by the Dunstable u3a choir, conducted by Liz Higgens. This was a reflective and at times sombre concert, due to the recent loss of their long-term choir leader.
Monthly Meetings were held, with guest speakers, on the 3[rd] Monday of the month. Attendance has increased since the reopening of monthly meetings in March 2022. Regular monthly attendance is now over 200 members and there is a real buzz in the hall when the doors open at 1:15pm. We were fortunate in having some excellent speakers during the past year. These ranged from factual educational talks to light hearted entertainment when speakers had the audience participating, and on one occasion, even bidding for precious antiques; although only in role play. Competition was much in evidence.
The 2022 Christmas Concert was an outstanding success and the 230 members present were entertained to an excellent performance of music, singalong and seasonal readings, all performed by Dunstable u3a members.
The September monthly meeting date had to be changed as it coincided with the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Fortunately, we were able to rearrange the meeting and had a speaker well suited to the occasion.
Social Group Outings
The Social Committee have had a busy but challenging year. The re-opening of day trips began with a Mystery Tour to Cambridge for a fun day filled with food, drinks and retail therapy. Due to insufficient bookings the planned trip to Bristol had to be cancelled. However, as confidence in socializing grew again so did the demand for coach seats. Seats on recent social trips were filled as soon as the bookings were announced.
Trips to Bletchley Park Museum, William Morris Museum and Cheltenham Town were very popular and were fully booked, with some members prepared to be added to a waiting list. The Social Committee have been successful in recruiting new members, but with more volunteers they could organize additional outings.
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Group Activities
Groups have been and remain the backbone of Dunstable u3a, but severely impacted by lockdown, with a marked reluctance for many members to rejoin face to face meetings. During this past year the situation has slowly changed and with many new members joining, demand for group membership has resulted in some members having to join a waiting list. There are now 78 different Groups covering a wide variety of subject areas¸ and there are 96 leaders and coordinators managing these groups. There has been a number of new groups started throughout the year and all have quickly filled the places. Regrettably, a few groups have closed down due to the lack of volunteers to lead groups, or due to health-related issues amongst members.
The Travel Group closed down during lockdown, but has since restarted. The enthusiasm of a dedicated leader has resulted in its first holiday being booked for December.
Outdoor groups, which were popular during lockdown have continued to grow and walking groups in particular are enjoyed and well attended.
In October, group leaders met for an education & social gathering in Creasey Park Football Centre. They met the trustees and were informed about a number of changes. All group leaders were provided with the latest version of the Group Leaders Handbook, which has been updated to contain many changes, including those relating to Insurance and Risk Assessment.
Group leaders requiring replacement for outdated equipment have been helped with the purchase of new equipment. There has been advice offered on PAT testing and most equipment used in outside venues, especially the Churches, has been tested.
Group leaders wishing to improve communications with their members have had training in the use of the Beacon management system. They were also encouraged to make use of the Website and Facebook to interact with their members.
Communicating with the Membership
Feedback from members that they want to receive regular information from their u3a has resulted in the continuation of the monthly Keep in Touch letter. This is in addition to the Newsletter sent to all members three times a year. The Newsletters are full of factual information, stories from group leaders and news about what is happening in the coming months.
Members who attend the monthly meetings also receive a Factsheet, containing factual news about u3a current activities, including what’s coming up. All these papers are on the website so even if members don’t attend, they can still access the Factsheet etc.
Our Facebook page, started during lockdown, has been a powerful tool to showcase the many activities that members have participated in. These include activities such as Social Outings, the Sequence dancers who waltzed their way onto the front page of the Third Age Trust magazine, and the many happy walkers investing in their health and wellbeing.
Third Age Trust (TAT) AGM 2022
In October the Chair and GLO attended the Third Age Trust AGM in Milton Keynes, and met the current Chair, Liz Thackray, and several of the regional trustees who are providing much of the trustee training and support nationally. In addition to the formal part of this AGM, it was important to learn about the many developments being considered or already in the pipeline. Developments such as the expansion of Beacon (the membership database) and its integration within the new website structure will have an impact throughout u3as well into the future.
East of England and the Hertfordshire Network
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The Hertfordshire Network, of which Dunstable u3a was a member, decided to close down, as the East of England Regional Committee was offering almost the same programme as had previously been offered at Network Level.
Financial Management
The Dunstable u3a bank accounts are currently with NatWest bank. However, with the planned closure of the Dunstable branch from the beginning of May, it has been decided to switch to the Dunstable Lloyds branch.
There has also been a change of Treasurer in the past year, but we are fortunate that Edwina, the previous treasurer has stayed in post to prepare the year-end accounts and to help her successor to take over the treasurer role. The transfer has gone smoothly and the new treasurer is now in place
There have been numerous changes to the management of our accounts including:
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60% of all membership renewals were done on-line this year
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80% of the Social Trip payments are now made at Monday meetings, using the Sum-up payment machine.
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99% of all payments made by the treasurer are by bank transfer.
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100% of all group income & expenditure is operated online through the main account.
We have continued to manage our members’ fees in a prudent manner with all purchases having to pass a ‘value for money’ test. To that end we were able to reduce the annual membership fee to £8.50 in 2022/2023. Membership for the 2023/2024 is £12.00 and it is planned to keep it at this level for 2024/2025. This remains lower than pre-Covid membership fees
The 2022-23 Annual Accounts form part of these AGM documents circulated to the membership and you will see that we hold a healthy financial reserve. Many of our fixed costs are increasing but suffice to say we still finish this year in a strong financial position.
The effective management of our financial affairs has been evidenced and reported on by David Gayfer, Independent Examiner of charity accounts. He reported that he had no items of concern.
Role of Trustees
Dunstable u3a is fully compliant with the requirements of our Constitution (formally adopted on 21[st] June 2021) and the model Trustee Code of Conduct which outlines the expected standards of behaviour from Trustees in performance of their role.
In line with the advice from Third Age Trust (TAT) the following policies have been reviewed and formally adopted
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Members Code of Conduct
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Finance Policy including the use of a debit card
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Trustees Code of Conduct
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Disciplinary Procedure
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Complaints Procedure
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Safeguarding Policy
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Data Protection
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Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
This has been a difficult year when we experienced unusual churn with the recruitment and retention of trustees. Thanks to the generosity of time and effort by Sally Clark and Edwina Byass who remained
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active in their previous roles we have been able to service the requirements of the groups. As we prepare for the 2023 AGM and with the further uncertainty during the past few weeks, when the future survival of Dunstable u3a hung in the balance, we are very fortunate to have the following nominations for election and re-election.
Nominees:
Please note the following nominees for election in 2023 plus the members who proposed or seconded them.
Treasurer
| Christine Adams | Membership no | 2353 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposer: | Bernie Naughton | Membership no |
2335 |
| Seconder: | Edwina Byass | Membership no. | 2535 |
| Secretary | |||
| Victor Clinton Dove | Membership no | 2758 | |
| Proposer: | Sally Clark | Membership no. | 2020 |
| Seconder: | David Hunt | Membership no. | 2560 |
| Trustees | |||
| 1) Heather Brown | Membership no. | 2370 | |
| Proposer: | Linda Lawson | Membership no. | 331 |
| Seconder: | Nick Porter | Membership no. | 2654 |
| 2) Nick Porter | Membership no. | 2654 | |
| Proposer: | Janet Davison | Membership no. |
1178 |
| Seconder: | Malcolm Davison | Membership no. | 806 |
| 3) Pat Boult | Membership no. | 2504 | |
| Proposer: | Linda Lawson | Membership no. | 331 |
| Seconder: | Penny Tooth | Membership no. | 1705 |
| 4) Peter Tasker | Membership no. | 415 | |
| Proposer: |
June Byrne | Membership no. | 855 |
| Seconder: | Dudley Lowe | Membership no. | 945 |
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Looking to the future
Dunstable u3a is a well-established, strong, lively and purposeful organization, which provides an excellent value for money, social & educational service for its members. With a membership of 780 members and a strong committee we can offer security and further development. The incoming committee will have new ideas, and will aim to recruit both members and leaders to sustain its growth and leadership in the future.
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by
Bernie Naughton. Chair
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UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE (DUNSTABLE) Charity no. 1079444 Receipts and Payments Account Dunstable U3A Main Account for the period from 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023
| Receipts Group Support Inactive group balances Gift Aid Membership for year Jan-Dec 2022 (from Membership Account) Sales of u3a diaries Miscellaneous Museum of Timekeeping Total receipts Payments Group support Third Age Trust membership subsciptions Third Age Trust mailing Beacon & licences Trustee expenses Stationery Postage Toners/Cartridges Monthly Speakers Printing Zoom Purchase of u3a diaries Advertising in The Vine Account Examiner fee Third Age Trust meetings Hall hire & catering Newsletters Social Committee funds Miscellaneous Payments sub total Asset purchases Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) Cash funds last year Cash funds this year (as per Beacon accounts) |
2022 2023 £ £ 11,129.79 35,568.83 - 3,260.39 1,155.69 957.17 - 6,944.95 - 138.50 905.25 130.75 456.00 - 13,646.73 47,000.59 10,754.65 37,618.68 2,936.50 3,264.00 395.56 957.52 908.00 880.00 - 258.22 390.24 471.28 796.54 1,085.74 702.19 2,112.86 1,105.00 1,090.00 156.00 4.50 175.89 28.78 - 220.26 470.68 460.00 200.00 200.00 70.00 102.75 86.09 3,417.63 502.19 - 866.05 - 967.88 - 21,483.46 52,172.22 1,156.79 835.58 22,640.25 53,007.80 -8,993.52 -6,007.21 45,182.61 37,626.09 37,626.09 31,618.88 |
|---|---|
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UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE (DUNSTABLE) Charity no. 1079444 Statement of Assets and Liabilities Dunstable U3A Main Account
| 31st March 2022 | 31st March 2022 | 31st March | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Current Account | ||||
| Balance b/f at 1st April | 45,182.61 | 37,626.09 | ||
| Receipts | 21,121.42 | 47,000.59 | ||
| Less: Payments | 22,640.25 | 53,007.80 | ||
| Current Account Total | 43,663.78 | 31,618.88 | ||
| REPRESENTED BY: | £ | £ | ||
| Cash in Main Current account | 37,626.09 | |||
| Cash in Membership Account (now a separate account) | 6,037.69 | |||
| 43,663.78 | 31,618.88 | |||
| Bank reconciliation: | ||||
| Balance (as above) | 31,618.88 | |||
| Plus: Deposit banked by cash in March 2023 but unidentified (in suspense) | 60.00 | |||
| (Update: the deposit has since been identified and attributed to the correct group) | 31,678.88 | |||
| Less: Deposited in March 2023, but banked in April 2023 (cleared in April 2023) | -120.00 | |||
| Less: Duplicated payment in March 2023 (now set against April invoice) | -80.00 | |||
| As per bank statement 31st March 2023 | 31,478.88 |
| UNIVERSITY OF THE THIRD AGE | (DUNSTABLE) Charity no. 1079444 | (DUNSTABLE) Charity no. 1079444 | (DUNSTABLE) Charity no. 1079444 | (DUNSTABLE) Charity no. 1079444 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income and Expenditure Account Dunstable | U3A Membership Account | ||||
| for the period from 1st April | 2022 to 31st March 2023 | ||||
| 2022 | 2023 | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Income | |||||
| Membership receipts | |||||
| (1st April 2022-31st December 2022) | |||||
| Gross receipts | 1,437.00 | 909.50 | |||
| Less: bank fees for card payments (SumUp) | 0.00 | 1,437.00 | 2.24 | 907.26 | |
| Membership receipts | |||||
| (1st January 2023 to 31st March 2023) | |||||
| Gross receipts | 6,041.50 | 7,369.08 | |||
| Less: bank fees for card payments (SumUp) | 3.81 | 6,037.69 | 15.33 | 7,353.75 | |
| Membership receipts 1st April 2022 - 31st March 2023 | 7,474.69 | 8,261.01 | |||
| (including donations of £13.00) | |||||
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | Dunstable U3A Membership Account | ||||
| 31st March 2022 |
31st March 2023 | ||||
| Balance b/f 1st April 2022 | 7,955.00 | 6,037.69 | |||
| Plus receipts 1st April 2022 - 31st March 2023 | 6,041.50 | 8,261.01 | |||
| Less: Membership receipts for year 1st Jan 2022 - 31st Dec | 2022 | 7,958.81 | 6,944.95 | ||
| (transferred to Dunstable U3A Main account) | |||||
| Balance as per bank 31st March 2023 | 6,037.69 | 7,353.75 |
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Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of University of the Third Age (Dunstable) On accounts for the year 31 March 2023 Charity no 1079444 ended (if any) Set out on pages Three
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended: 31/03/2023
Responsibilities and As the charity trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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the accounts did 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.
Date: 10 May 2023
Signed: Name: David Gayfer Relevant professional FCCA qualification
October 2018
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IER
Address: 184 London Road
Biggleswade SG18 8EH
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
n/a
October 2018
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IER