Bishop’s Stortford University of the Third Age
Registered charity number 1132055 Trustees’ Annual Report
Introduction
The trustees submit their report and the accounts of Bishop’s Stortford University of the Third Age (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2024. The accounts have been prepared based on the accounting policies set out in the notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s constitution and the Charity commission’s guidance in relation to charities with annual income falling within the range of £25,000 to £250,000.
Structure, governance and management.
The governing document of Bishop’s Stortford University of the Third Age is its constitution adopted on 14[th] April 2014, amended on 11[th] March 2019 and updated on March 2022. The charity was entered on the register of charities on 9[th] October 2009 under charity number 1132055 and accepted as a charity for tax (gift aid) purposes under reference XT22494 on 4[th] February 2010.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
The charity’s constitution requires that new appointments of trustees must be nominated by two members of the charity (not themselves being trustees at the time of signing the nomination form) and duly elected by the membership at an annual general meeting. In addition, the existing trustees may appoint a member to fill a casual vacancy amongst the trustees and may also co-opt up to two trustees as long as the total number of trustees does not exceed 12 at any time. In the latter case, the newly appointed co-opted trustees will remain in office until the next annual general meeting. All trustees serve for a fixed three year term at the end of which they may stand for re-appointment for a further three year period, to give a maximum period of six years’ service in the same office. At the end of that period an individual may stand again for a different office for a three year period, but no individual can serve more than nine years consecutively on the committee.
The following trustees held office throughout the period from 1[st] Jan2024 to 31[st] Dec 2024 Sue Rayner Jacobs – Chair
Jacqui Cable – secretary
Alice Dain -Treasurer
Charis Bailey
Judith Monaghan
Roz Howlett
Other changes in trustees holding office during 2024
Stuart Jacobs, died February 2024
Jim Paterson- Vice Chair from 1st April 2023, resigned 31[st] March 2024
Jack Treves- Assistant Treasurer from 1[st] April 2023, resigned 31[st] March 2024 Carole Scott, resigned 31[st] March 2024
Kath Hird, resigned 31[st] March 2024
Gerry Sumpter, appointed 1[st] April 2024 resigned 1[st] July 2024 Steve Howe, appointed 1[st] April 2024
Lesley Pamphlett, appointed 1[st] April 2024
Agustin Tristan, appointed 1[st] April 2024
Rebeca Aldave, appointed 1[st] April 2024
Katharine Rutherford- Assistant Treasurer, appointed 13[th] May 2024
Objectives and Activities
The objectives of the charity are the advancement of education of older people and those who are not in full time employment, and who are living in the vicinity of Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire.
In planning the activities of the charity, the trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular to its supplementary public benefit guidance on advancing education.
The trustees have also taken into account the Third Age Trust ethos when planning the charity’s activities for the year. In summary, the Third Age Trust ethos is as follows
To be a self-help organisation run entirely by volunteers
To look to members to give time and effort to advance the charity’s objectives and to learn from each other.
Achievements and Performance
The charity continues to support the interest groups. There are currently 60 active interest groups with 452 members participating in one or more groups.
There were 60 interest groups at the end of 2024. (55 at end 2023)
There were 9 trips and outings in 2024, which is the same number as during 2023.
There were 725 members of the U3A at the end of 2024 (same number as at the end of 2023).
The monthly general meetings are well attended with an average attendance of 125 members.
Financial Review
Our reserve policy is to maintain free cash balances within the range of 2 to 5 months of unrestricted expenditure. At the end of 2022, our free cash amounted to 4.8 months of unrestricted expenditure. This rose to 8.5 months of unrestricted expenditure by the end of 2023. This figure fell to 5.2 months at the end of 2024 as expenditure increased on trips and outings.
BISHOPS 'S STORTFORD U3A
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2024
| CHARITY | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAIN | GROUPS | COMMISSION | Year ended December 2023 | |||
| ACCOUNT | ACCOUNT | ANNUAL RETURN | ||||
| £ | £ | £ | ||||
| RECEIPTS | RECEIPTS | |||||
| Subscriptions | 10,904 | 14,529 | Subscriptions | 23,311 | ||
| Gift Aid | 1,118 | Gift Aid | 1,182 | |||
| Interest | 273 | Interest | 264 | |||
| Sundry | 1,806 | COMBINED | Sundry | 555 | ||
| Sale of outings tickets | 32,787 | 6,831 | RECEIPTS | Sale of outings tickets | 17,428 | |
| Key deposits | 150 | |||||
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | 47,038 | 21,360 | TOTAL | **68,398 ** | Total Receipts | 42,740 |
| PAYMENTS | Expenses | |||||
| Outing costs | 34,879 | 6,700 | Outing costs | 14,259 | ||
| Groups expenses | 13,455 | Groups expenses | 12,628 | |||
| Capitation TAT | 2,560 | Capitation TAT | 2,592 | |||
| Hall hire | 1,950 | Hall hire | 1,834 | |||
| TAM magazine | 2,037 | TAM magazine | 1,958 | |||
| Beacon fees | 641 | Beacon fees | 648 | |||
| Printing/photocopying | 2,854 | Printing/photocopying | 2,804 | |||
| Speakers | 1,335 | Speakers | 1,190 | |||
| Catering | 33 | Catering | 28 | |||
| Stationary | 48 | Stationary | 32 | |||
| Postage/telephone | 7 | COMBINED | Postage/telephone | 25 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 396 | PAYMENTS | Miscellaneous | 189 | ||
| Key deposits | 50 | Key deposits | 350 | |||
| TOTAL | ||||||
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | 46790 | 20,155 | **66945 ** | Total payments | 38,537 | |
| Surplus | 4,203 | |||||
| SURPLUS | 1,453 |
The accounts set out on pages one to two were approved by the trustees on 4th February 2025 and signed on their behalf by the treasurer Alice Dain
page 1
BISHOPS 'S STORTFORD U3A
| CASH 31st DECEMBER 2024 | CASH 31st DECEMBER 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Main Bank Account | 3,224 | Main Bank Account | 2,781 |
| Groups Bank Account | 6,233 | Groups Bank Account | 5,370 |
| Savings Account | 19,030 | Savings Account | 18,757 |
| Petty Cash | 250 | Petty Cash | 376 |
| TOTAL | 28,737 | TOTAL | 27,283 |
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st December 2024
All funds are unrestricted
Accounting Policies and Conventions
The principal accounting policy of the charity is the receipts and payments method of accounts, as permitted by the charity commission.
Reconciliation of funds
| Reconciliation of funds | |
|---|---|
| Cash balances @ 1st January 2024 | 27283 |
| Add surplus for 2024 | 1453 |
| Cash balances @ 31st December 2024 | 28737 |
page 2
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| Kos) CHARITY COMMISSION | Independent examiner's report on the
| (334 | FOR ENGLAND AND WALES accounts
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Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
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Report to the trustees ranty DIAITE ; Bishop’s Stortford Third Age Trust
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On accounts for the year | 31 December 2024 ended
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Charity no | 1132055
(if any)
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| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2024.
Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
| 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, | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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e the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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e the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or e 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.
| 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.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
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Name: | Peter Bass FCCA director Morannedd Ltd
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Relevant professional
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qualification(s) or body Morannedd Ltd (if any): Chartered Certified Accountants 6 Parsonage Lane
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IER
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1
Oct 2018
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Section B Disclosure ie oe
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern.
(see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and
guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of
any items that the
examiner wishes to
disclose.
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IER
2
Oct 2018