2021-03-31-accounts - The Chiltern University Of The Third Age

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Chiltern University of the Third Age

Annual Report of the Trustees

Year Ended 31 March 2021

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: Chiltern University of the Third Age (hereinafter referred to as “Chiltern u3a”)

Charity registration number: 1082794

Trustees

The following served during the year:

Helen Beaumont David Bender Kenneth Bodman Resigned 14 May 2020 Allan Ferrier Resigned 14 May 2020 Jennifer Susan Harold-Barry (Treasurer) Mike Hender Jenny Jobson (Vice-Chair) Sarah Jones (Chair) Barbara Miller Resigned 14 May 2020 Ernest Newhouse (Secretary) Christian Scott Appointed 14 May 2020 Carolyn Spencer Appointed 14 May 2020 Linda Walton Appointed 14 May 2020 Wallace Wormley

All the trustees in office at the end of the year were still in office when this report was signed.

Location

Chiltern u3a does not have premises of its own. The majority of its activities normally take place at the Amersham Community Centre, Chiltern Avenue, Amersham, Bucks, HP6 5AH, which will accept correspondence addressed to Chiltern u3a.

Bankers

CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling ME19 4JQ. HSBC plc, 92 Sycamore Road, Amersham, HP6 5EW

Independent Examiner

Alex Hughes, ACCA, 95 Hundred Acres Lane, Amersham, Bucks. HP7 9BP.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The Constitution of Chiltern u3a was adopted on 6 April 2000 and amended on 16 October 2002, 19 April 2004, 16 May 2012 and 21 May 2014.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees.

Trustees are elected for 2 year terms at the Annual General Meeting and may be reelected. They are drawn from the membership of Chiltern u3a. When necessary, trustees may be co-opted from the membership.

As a result of the Covid pandemic, it was not possible to hold the Annual General Meeting in May 2020 as planned, so that new trustees were appointed rather than elected. The appointments were confirmed when the AGM was held in February 2021, by Zoom.

Risk Management

Risk Assessment procedures and appropriate insurances are in place. Appropriate protective software is installed on Chiltern u3a’s IT equipment and users are trained as necessary.

Objectives, Activities and Public Interest

The objectives of the charity are to advance the education of middle-aged and older citizens not in full time gainful employment and living in Amersham and Chesham and the surrounding locality; to provide facilities for leisure time and recreational activities aimed at improving the life-style and social welfare of those citizens.

Chiltern u3a generally holds one general meeting each month, at most of which a presentation by a member or an outside speaker is the main item on the agenda. A variety of interest groups meet, generally once or twice a month. These cover a range of academic, exercise, cultural and social matters according to the expressed wishes of the members and the willingness of organisers to come forward. Excursions are also arranged.

The trustees are satisfied that the objectives of the Trust meet the public interest.

Employees

Chiltern u3a does not have any employees.

Achievements and Performance

The year has been dominated by the pandemic, which initially caused the suspension of most activities. Much use has been made of remote meetings using Zoom; roughly half the interest groups have used it to continue their programmes, and outdoor activities continued to the extent permitted. The frequency of general meeting talks, given by Zoom, was increased to weekly, and in addition a Zoom ‘tea party’ has been held 3 times a week – much appreciated by members who are otherwise lonely.

Membership declined to 1352 [March 2020: 1476] due largely to a lack of new members joining during the pandemic. At the end of the year there were 104 interest

Chiltern u3a TAR 2021 Page 2 of 3

groups, including excursions, [March 2020: 103], ranging from Ancient Cultures to Yoga for Beginners. 3 new groups were formed and 2 were closed.

Plans for Future Periods

The uncertainty caused by the pandemic has made planning difficult.

The redevelopment of the Amersham Community Centre, where the majority of the activities normally take place, is well under way and there will be a period of adjustment once the new buildings open, due September 2021.

Financial Review

Reserves Policy

Budgeting is based on a policy of maintaining a reserve broadly equivalent to 6 months’ expenditure. This year it is significantly larger, since as a result of the pandemic room hire costs have been significantly reduced.

Fixed Assets

Chiltern u3a has no Fixed Assets apart from computers and similar equipment, which are written off to expenditure on acquisition.

Results for the Period

The accounts for the year are presented with this report.

Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The trustees are required to prepare accounts for each financial period which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity at the end of the financial period and of its surplus or deficit for that period. In preparing the accounts, suitable accounting policies have been used consistently and reasonable and prudent judgements made. The trustees are also responsible for maintaining accounting records, for safeguarding the assets of the trust and for preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities. The trustees are satisfied that Chiltern u3a is a going concern.

Audit

Under the terms of the Charities Act 2011, the size of Chiltern u3a is such that the trustees may choose between an audit and an independent examination. The trustees have determined that the accounts should be independently examined and the corresponding report follows the accounts.

This report was approved by the trustees on 15 April 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

Chiltern u3a TAR 2021 Page 3 of 3

Sarah Jones Chair

Chiltern u3a TAR 2021 Page 4 of 3

CHILTERN UNIVERSITY of the THIRD AGE (CU3A) Registered Charity Number 1082794 INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for YEAR to 31 MARCH 2021

----- Start of picture text -----
Notes 2020/21 £ 2019/20 £
OPERATING ACCOUNT (1)
INCOME
Subscriptions (2) 35,161 32,248
Bank Interest 14 40
HM Revenue & Customs - Gift Aid (3) 6,715 6,133
Sundries (4) 108 402
41,998 38,824
EXPENDITURE
Accommodation (5) 1,745 22,238
Guest Speakers - Fees & Expenses 500 775
Broadband, Telephone Fees & IT 348 894
Newsletter - Production and Distribution (6) 3,984 12,770
Administration (7) 122 838
Simple & Membership cards (8) 2,222 1,603
Software for Administration (9) 334 1,015
Banking Costs (10) 853 120
Membership Fees to Third Age Trust (11) 5,166 5,233
Equipment Purchases & Maintenance (12) 515 8,787
Activity Support 10 577
Sundries (13) 693 1,263
16,491 56,114
SURPLUS/DEFICIT FOR THE YEAR 25,507 -17,291
Funds brought forward from 1 April 2020 14,443 31,734
FUNDS AS AT 31 MARCH 2021 39,950 14,443
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2021
ASSETS
Bank Balances 64,253 35,490
(Delayed 2019/20Gift Aid Receipt) 0 6,133
Prepaid Expenses (14) 0 972
TOTAL ASSETS 64,253 42,595
LIABILITIES & RECEIPTS IN ADVANCE
Subscriptions for 2021/22 24,304 28,152
Other Liabilities 0 0
TOTAL LIABILITIES 24,304 28,152
Specific Reserve for Equipment (15) 10,000 2,000
General Reserve 29,949 12,443
NET ASSETS (OPERATING) 39,949 14,443
EXCURSIONS & GROUPS ACTIVITIES ACC (16)
RECEIPTS 2,349 38,025
PAYMENTS 2,089 39,635
SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR 260 -1,610
Funds brought forward from 1 April 2020 9,171 10,781
FUNDS AS AT 31 MARCH 2021 9,431 9,171
BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2021
ASSETS
Bank Balance 9,430 9,171
LIABILITIES
Group Activities for future years 0 1,219
NET ASSETS (EXCURSIONS & GROUPS) 9,430 7,952
TOTAL INCOME (17) 44,347 76,849
TOTAL EXPENDITURE (17) 18,581 95,749
TOTAL NET ASSETS (17) 49,379 22,395
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J S Harold-Barry - Treasurer

S M Jones - Chairperson

Notes to accompany end of year accounts to 31 March 2021

The Operating Account is presented on an Accrual basis, showing Income and Expenditure together with a Balance Sheet. The notes below focus on material items. Assets are written off in the year of purchase. The Excursions & Groups Activities Account is presented on a Receipts & Payments basis.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a modest decrease in the numbers renewing or joining. Excursions and group outings stopped and activities were impacted. Outdoor activities took place when permitted and many groups met by Zoom or maintained other forms of communication. General talks and social gatherings took place by Zoom multiple times a week.

OPERATING ACCOUNT

1 The accounts are shown separately for the monies used to run Chiltern U3A (Operating Account) and for the monies held on behalf of excursions organisers and groups (Excursions & Groups Activities Account).
2 Subscription income for the year of £35,161 was received from 1,366 members. The main rate had been decreased to £22 for 2019/20 to reduce the reserve, and was restored to £26 for 2020/21.
3 1,035 members were registered for Gift Aid. We received £6,715 which included £31 interest on the previous year's receipt.
4 Sundries income for 2020/21 comprises donations from members, over and above subscriptions.
5 Accommodation costs comprise heavily discounted fees for the Pottery Room, a small retainer fee, and late invoices.
6 Newsletter distribution was reduced to 3 digital-only issues for most members with monochrome printed copies for those without email, and one monochrome printed issue for all members containing important inserts.
7 Administration costs include postage, stationery, and printing costs, incurred by or on behalf of the committee.
8 The Simple membership management system was introduced during 2019/20.
9 Other software costs are included under Equipment or Newsletter, as appropriate.
10 We changed our bank during 2019/20 in order to benefit from dual-authorisation on-line banking.
11 TAT Membership Fees of £5,166 are based on £3.50 per member, based on the maximum membership during the preceding year, and payable to the Third Age Trust for National Office services and insurances.
12 A major upgrade of audio-visual systems in the Barn Hall and Pottery Room was undertaken during 2019/20. Costs for 2020/21 comprise Zoom costs.
13 Sundries expenditure of £693 includes cost of Third Age Matters, licences, and the CU3A website.
14 Prepaid expenses in 2019/20 were the printing and postage of membership cards for future years.
15 £10,000 has been set aside for future equipment updates for the Barn Hall and the Pottery Room, and new equipment which may be necessitated by the new accommodation and by hybrid Zoom/face-to-face meetings.

EXCURSIONS & GROUPS ACTIVITIES ACCOUNT

16 Monies collected by convenors and excursions organisers are held in a dedicated bank account. Expenditure of these monies for groups activities and general excursions is administered by the Treasurer and overseen by the Committee. Funds collected by any individual group are only made available for use by that group for a specific activity. Activities normally include visits to theatres, art galleries, gardens, museums and other places of interest, dancing tuition, and specialist speakers. In 2020/21 some talks were presented to groups by Zoom but most transactions were refunds for pre-booked activities which were cancelled.

TOTALS

17 Because the Operating Account is presented on an Accrual basis and the Excursions & Groups Activities Account is presented on a Receipts & Payments basis, these figures are indicative of scale only.

Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees & members of Chiltern U3A (Reg. No. 1082794)

I report on the accounts and notes for the year ended 31 March 2020 which are set out above and on the previous page.

The Charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. They consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility: to examine the accounts (under section 145 of the Act); to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act); and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by Chiltern U3A 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 the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be requested in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair' view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent Examiner's Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

1 which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act; and

to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act, have not been met; or

2 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Alex Hughes ACCA

95 Hundred Acres Lane Amersham HP7 9BP

14 April 2021