Wonersh & District
Minutes of 38[th] Annual General Meeting Monday 20 March 2023
Held at Bramley Village Hall and attended by 47 members
As Chairman, Vicki Jackson opened the meeting by welcoming those present and thanking them for attending. A number of apologies had been received from members who were unable to attend and they are listed below.
Vicki had also received a note of appreciation from Barbara Pearce which read: ‘I would like to thank you and the committee for all your efforts on our behalf in making Wonersh U3A such a good organisation to be involved with. I am a regular table-tennis player and thoroughly enjoy being part of the Wonersh group on Wednesdays. Opera was another group much appreciated’.
1. Attendance and Apologies for Absence
Attendees: Angela Bik, Rosemary Bloss, Valerie Brockman, John Bryson, Tim Bullivant, Chris Christensen, Linda Clements, Denise Cooke, Marcia Delaney, Gloria Dorman, Colin Frost, Deirdre Glynn-Jones, Cynthia Hammersley, Pat Hawkins, Andrew Hayler, Jean Hook, Nadine Hunter, Vicki Jackson, Jane Landells, Jean Matthews, Dennis May, Alison McCluskie, Veronica McLellan, Penny Moran, Alex Morris, Cilla Morris, Thelma Mullinger, Sue Oldrey, Laraine Owen, Barbara Pearson, Jeanne Penny, Patricia Pratt, Mavis Rauch, Joy Stockwood, Margaret Surrey, Simon Swindells, Margaret Taylor, Michael Taylor, Liz Tingley, Nancy Tuite, Maaike Van Raaij, Hilary Vogel, Sue Westmacott, Barry Williams, Clair Williams, Wendy Williams, Jackie Young.
Apologies received from: Beth Arnold, David Arnold, Christine Barton, June Bell, Jill Buist, Jennifer Capon, Keith Capon, Isabel Cheeseman, Tony Cheeseman, Joyce Coles, Mary Connell, Jan Cooper, Althea Dorey, Chris Evans, Mike Evans, Myris Evans, Laurie George, Val George, Sue Goodsir, Nick Hardy, Jonathan Harrison, Ann Heath, Anne Hillier, Marian Homar, Penny Howell, Sue Jacques, Karin Jameson, Graham Jelley, Christine Kateley, Ray Knight, Jenny Love, Anne Macdonald, Colin Matthews, Elizabeth Oliver, Liz Paterson, Barbara Pearce, Cynthia Plewman, Diana Richardson, Gillian Rix, Gerlinde Roder-Bolton, Jo Rooke, Vernon Salt, Margaret Sherwood, Susan Simmons, Barbara Smith, Jennie Smith, Carol Smithyes, Jill Smyth, Peter Smyth, John Stansfield, Derek Westmacott, Brian Whibley, June Whibley, Ann Willimott, John Willmott, Seana Willmott, Felicity Woods, Howard Woods.
2. Election of Officers and Committee
Firstly Vicki introduced Deirdre Glynn-Jones who was seconded to the Committee in February. Deirdre takes over the role of Secretary to replace Liz Paterson who moved to Cornwall at the beginning of the year. All other Committee members are to remain in their roles as follows:
Officers: Vicki Jackson Chairman Tim Bullivant Vice-Chairman John Bryson Treasurer Members: Jeanne Penny Membership Secretary Liz Tingley Programme Coordinator Angela Bik Social Secretary Marcia Delaney Speaker Secretary Chris Christensen Member (Refreshments) New Officer: Deirdre Glynn-Jones Secretary
The membership as above was proposed by Pat Hawkins, seconded by Margaret Surrey, and agreed unanimously.
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Before leaving the matter of Committee, Vicki advised that her three-year terms of office as Chairman comes to an end at the next AGM in 2024. She hoped that someone would be willing to take over the role when she stood down as in the past there had been difficulties in recruiting new Committee Members, the most crucial being ‘Officers’ who are Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. Without these roles being filled our U3A would be unable to continue.
To avoid this situation arising the Third Age Trust state that the Committee could put forward a resolution for a oneyear extension of any particular Officer role should it become necessary, which they now do, and which needs to be approved by the membership at an AGM.
The resolution was proposed by Penny Moran, seconded by Nadine Hunter and agreed unanimously.
Vicki did state however that she would remain on the Committee in a different capacity and would continue to be responsible the Website and Printing in addition to the Outings programme and other groups she is involved with.
3. Minutes
The Minutes of the 37th AGM held on 21st March 2022, which had been available on our website, were unanimously approved by a show of hands, and signed by the Chairman.
4. Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
5. Chairman’s Report
Vicki now continued with her general report followed by her reports on Programme & Events (item 6) and Publicity & Website (item 7) as follows.
The confidence of members has greatly improved since the introduction of regular Covid vaccinations and this is reflected in increased attendances at many of our meetings. We are also seeing an increase in the numbers of new members joining us. Whilst our membership is not yet up to the level it had been pre-Covid, we are definitely climbing the ladder.
Naturally each year, and for a variety of reasons, we lose some members and sadly a number of our members have passed away. These were: Margaret Burgess, Hazel Curnock, Arthur Hayes, Jan Knight, Liz Moran, Betty Nicholson, Shirley Ruppen, Joan Tubbs and Christopher Weeks.
All will be missed by the friends they had made over the years and condolences were sent to their families on behalf of everyone at our U3A who knew them. We also said farewell to Joan Startin and Mary Thompson, both of whom moved into Care Homes.
This year we were able to keep our renewal subscription at the same amount as last year. The Third Age Trust had put forward resolutions at their AGM held last October to increase the capitation fee we have to pay for each member. Their proposal was that the fee be increased by the Government’s Triple Lock Pension percentage rate at that time and to use that same rate each year thereafter. That proposal was defeated and for this year their fee per member remains as it was last year at £4. It is likely that the fee will be increased next year but not by the excessive amount they originally proposed.
6. Report on Programme and Events
6.1 (Groups)
Each year there are inevitably some changes affecting our groups and it is with great disappointment we have very recently lost our ‘Opera Appreciation’ group as the presenter retired due to his ongoing health issues. The group had been running successfully for 10 years and was the most popular with regular attendances of around 60. It is thought highly unlikely that we would be able to find someone with such specialist knowledge to replace him.
However, both ‘Listening to Music’ and ‘Big Band Music’ groups have reported increased attendances at their meetings, so some members are still getting their ‘music fix’.
Others like to have a ‘keep fit & fun fix’ and we have seen a huge increase in those wishing to play Table Tennis, so much so that meetings are now held on a weekly basis to give everyone the opportunity of playing.
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It is very promising to see the momentum continue amongst other groups with new members joining across the board whether it be for Interest & Leisure groups, Health & Fitness groups, Conversation groups, Lectures or just Socialising.
We do of course welcome all ideas and suggestions for new general interest groups so if you have a particular hobby, skill or interest that you would like to see included in our programme please do not hesitate to speak to any of our committee for help in setting up a new group.
We should always remember that the ethos of the U3A is that members themselves share their skills and knowledge with other like-minded members.
6.2 (Outings)
During 2022 our outings attendance numbers fluctuated from previous years and were unpredictable. Mostly we had not reached pre-pandemic levels of participation and the extreme heat experienced in June/July also had its effect. Nevertheless the participation level, with the exception of a couple of visits, ranged between 30 and 44 with everybody enjoying themselves.
The theme for this year’s selection of outings is to visit a different county each month with of course the inclusion of two theatre visits. We started the year at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre to see a production of the ‘Lavender Hill Mob’ in January. No visit was planned for February but we’re back in full swing this month starting with a visit to Salisbury to explore the beautiful Cathedral and town and also Edward Heath’s former home.
The remainder of visits are as shown in the yearbook with the exception of one. The visit to Frogmore House cannot go ahead as we have been advised it is to remain closed all year… no doubt because of all the controversy surrounding Prince Harry that we are reading about in the press! In its place, a visit to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire has been arranged. Blenheim was designed on a much grander scale and far more palatial than Frogmore, with so much to see and do.
Details for our visit to Chichester Festival Theatre in August have been released and we will see a production of ‘The Sound of Music’, one of the most successful musicals in theatre history. Good stalls seats are already reserved but you will need to be quick to secure one of them.
Many of our visits are being aided a little this year while everyone gets used to the all-round rising costs we are experiencing as a result of the war against Ukraine. Obviously not a long-term situation, so make the most of it while it lasts and book up early.
Explore London group also have two further outings this year. Although described as ‘walks’ they are not at all strenuous as we stop every few minutes to view and hear about a particular place or area. These trips are so worthwhile as you get to explore parts of London you normally wouldn’t see and learn a little of the history from the experienced guides we have.
Details and application forms for all the summer season of visits will be mailed out during the first week of April.
6.3 (Social Events)
Two regular social events in our calendar are the New Year Lunch and Summer BBQ. We had not held the New Year Lunch for two years due to the restrictions imposed during and post-Covid but it was re-introduced this year to everyone’s delight, with large numbers attending. Unfortunately Ann Willimott was unable to provide the usual musical interval due to ill health of some of the members. We did however engage a professional harpist to fill the slot and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the light-hearted pieces she played together with her amusing anecdotes.
The Summer Thai BBQ has been really popular since it first started in 2017 and we only missed one year whilst the country was in lockdown. Attendance levels have ranged between 75 to 90 each year which gives an idea of its popularity… but then where else can you go for a three-course meal for less than £15.00! We look forward to having a good turnout again this year.
Behind the scenes, not just for social events but for larger gatherings such as this AGM and the Guest Speaker meetings, we have had a small team of regular volunteers to help get everything ready and clear away afterwards. But time moves on… we are not as nimble as we once were and could really do with a few more volunteers now to help lighten the load, especially when it comes to setting out tables & chairs and serving where necessary. So can I please ask for offers of help so that we can keep these events and meetings running.
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6.4 (Members Holiday)
The Members 2022 Annual Holiday was a five-day tour of the Severn Valley covering bordering parts of Worcestershire, Shropshire and Herefordshire which took place late September. 23 members came on the holiday and although this was less than the original 30 required to obtain good group rates, the travel agent honoured the price quoted, as they had done previously.
We are lucky to have Jackie still arranging holiday breaks for us as there is masses of ‘behind the scenes’ organisation involved in putting together a group travel plan. All you have to do is pay your money, pack a case and turn up and enjoy the holiday.
Jackie had been looking at options for this year based on member requests and has now provisionally arranged a holiday for early September. I will ask her to give you some details after we have finished the reporting.
7. Report on Publicity & Website
Many organisations similar to ours suffered loss of membership post-Covid and indeed one or two have closed down as a result. Our own level of membership is down by around 35% from its high of 360 in 2019.
The most effective tool to encourage new members is by ‘being seen’ via advertising. Where and how we advertise is dictated by available circulation methods and costs. A few Parish Magazines have adopted more costs effective ways of publishing their magazines, some online and via social media. This is not overly helpful to us as there are still many who do not use the internet and equally not everybody reads through the Parish Magazines that are popped through the letterbox.
Another factor to be considered is that although many may have heard about the U3A and what it offers, there are just as many who don’t know. Most of the new members who have joined in recent months heard of us by way of ‘word of mouth’.
The committee have discussed advertising options, these are:
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To ‘be seen’ by having professionally printed laminated posters displayed in post office shops, on notice boards and in bus shelters where appropriate around the villages. Drafts are now designed and awaiting final approval.
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To change our advertising format in Parish Magazines from a list of activities to a more general form. We are asking Alex Morris who runs our external Publicity & Advertising to investigate possible costs and what would constitute ‘free advertising’ before any decision can be made.
Vicki will continue with internal advertising notices and managing our website which is quick way of checking our full programme should you have lost the Annual Yearbook.
As far as the website is concerned, it had been inaccessible for a period from December last year whilst the Third Age Trust had issues with their host provider. Those issues were resolved in January but necessitated all U3As having the time consuming task of reloading their information.
Notification has recently been received from the Third Age Trust of their plans which are now in motion to move away from their current SitetBuilder tool and migrate to a new system using different development software. This process could last up to the end of 2024 but they have confirmed that existing websites will continue to be supported until then so there should be no disruption for those of you who do access our website.
Having concluded her report Vicki took this opportunity of expressing her thanks to all committee members, group organisers, Jean and Cilla who circulate the weekly bulletins and all other ‘behind the scenes’ volunteers.
She said they all do a tremendous job, not only in keeping groups active by their volunteering and dedication, but in supporting her whenever needed on other occasions. Without all these wonderful people our U3A would not survive, as it has done now for so many years, so we really do need some new volunteers to keep the momentum going forward. Next year it will be our 40[th] anniversary so let’s make our group bigger and better.
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8. Treasurer’s Report
John Bryson reported that during 2021 our costs were much higher than usual mainly due to using alternative means of remaining engaged with the membership by way of providing twice monthly meetings via Zoom given by External Guest Speakers throughout the period of Covid restrictions. Membership income was also suspended for 2021. Overall this resulted in a deficit of £3,601 for that year.
During 2022 we returned to a normal pattern of activities. Income from membership subscriptions and fees, including Gift Aid reclaimed in the amount of £608, less operating expenditure for the year resulted in a surplus of £530. To this was added a very generous anonymous donation of £750 making a total recorded surplus of £1,280.
As regards the Balance Sheet, the balance at the bank has benefitted from some subscriptions for 2023 having been received in 2022 which are shown as a liability of £2,059. Other assets and liabilities are as shown. The overall surplus for the year of £1,280 has been added to the capital balance of £16,017 brought forward resulting in a reserves balance of £17,297 at 31 December 2022.
The group continues to be in a sound financial position and the Accounts were independently examined by Iain Richardson who was appointed External Examiner in 2021. There were no questions raised. The adoption of the Accounts and re-appointment of Iain Richardson was proposed by Veronica McLellan, seconded by Linda Clements and approved unanimously.
9. Report on Membership
Jeanne Penny reported that there has been a significant drop in members renewing this year, which can be attributed to several factors including the loss of our Opera for All group which had and average attendance of 5060 members at monthly meetings.
Many organisations similar to ours are experiencing reduced membership post covid. Currently we have 257 members compared to 310 at the same time last year. 10 new members have enrolled since the 1st January and it is hoped that our new publicity drive will help restore numbers to the higher levels that we have been used to.
10. Any Other Business
10.1 Holiday 2023 .
Jackie Young gave a brief summary of the 5-day holiday tour to Norfolk/Suffolk that has been planned for early September this year which includes visits to many interesting places including Ely Cathedral, the late Queen’s Sandringham estate and Sutton Hoo (NT). The tour also includes a cruise on the Norfolk Broads, various guided tours, trips and free time at several historic market towns and coastal resorts and a visit to Dunwich Heath Nature Reserve. Leaflets had been distributed at this meeting and considerable interest had already been registered with Jackie. The holiday ‘flyer’ will be included with the General Mailing to all members at the beginning of April.
10.2 Walks 2024
Dennis May advised that the Long and Short walks would be amalgamated for next year. He also advised that as he has been unable to participate in any of the walks this year he would be retiring from organising the group as at the end of 2023. Colin Frost has been arranging the Short walks but there is now an urgent need to recruit volunteers to assist in running the group.
There were no further matters raised.
Vicki Jackson thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting at 3.30pm.
Signed .......................................................................................
(Chairman)
On ..............................................................................................
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U3A WONERSH
Income and Expenditure Account Year to December 31st 2022
2022
| INCOME Membership Subscriptions Gift Aid Reclaimed Donation U3A Functions:- External Speakers:- Theatre Visits:- Explore London:- Outings:- Holiday:- Group Activities, Income less Rents and Expenses:- Total Income EXPENDITURE U3A Capitation Fee Printing Postage Other Total Expenditure Surplus/(Defcit) for the year |
Income Expense Net 3794 0 3794 608 0 608 750 0 750 2040 -2677 -637 0 -248 -248 3138 -2948 190 2009 -1926 83 7182 -5827 1355 0 -64 -64 8805 -9756 -951 |
Income Expense Net 3794 0 3794 608 0 608 750 0 750 2040 -2677 -637 0 -248 -248 3138 -2948 190 2009 -1926 83 7182 -5827 1355 0 -64 -64 8805 -9756 -951 |
|---|---|---|
| 28326 -23446 4880 |
||
| 0 -1144 -1144 0 -1605 -1605 0 -731 -731 0 -120 -120 |
||
| 0 -3600 -3600 |
||
| 1280 |
2021
Net
2726 412
0 -1481 -832 -195 0 -284 0 -686 -340
-987 -1271 -686 -317 -3261 -3601
U3A WONERSH Registered Charity No. 1096989
BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2022
| Current Assets Cash at Bank Gift Aid Debtor Stamp Stock Key Deposit Prepayments:- New Year Lunch (to date - costs paid, less tickets sold) Arbuthnot Hall Rent (2023) Liabilities Subscriptions received in advance Accruals:- Pilates Arbuthnot Hall Rent Table Tennis Expenses Bramley Golf Club Rent Theatre Trip (to date - tickets sold, less costs paid) Wonersh PCC Rent (2022) V Jackson Printing Costs (2021) Net Assets Capital January 1 2022 Surplus/(Defcit) for the year Capital December 31 2022 |
2022 18133 597 90 50 781 241 19892 2059 0 0 0 0 81 210 245 2595 17297 16017 1280 17297 |
2021 17346 1047 275 25 63 0 18756 2034 135 200 10 360 0 0 0 2739 16017 19618 -3601 |
|---|---|---|
| 16017 |
These accounts have been prepared from the records of the U3A Wonersh and to the best of our knowledge and belief are a true record of the Financial Affairs of U3A Wonersh for the Year ended 31 December 2022
J Bryson - Treasurer Signed Dated 2 March 2023
V Jackson - Chairman Signed Dated 8 March 2023
I have examined the records of the U3A Wonersh, and the Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet prepared therefrom. To the best of my knowledge and belief the latter are correct. I have not carried out an audit.
I Richardson - Independent Examiner Signed Dated 2 March 2023