2023-03-31-accounts - Bracknell Forest University Of The Third Age

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year 1 April 2022 31 March 2023 From To

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name

Bracknell Forest U3A

Other names charity is known by

Bracknell Forest University of the Third Age

Registered charity number (if any) 1153789

Charity's principal address

25 Redditch BRACKNELL Berkshire Postcode RG12 0TT

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
Robert Goddard	Chair	Membershipat AGM
Bruce Collins	Vice Chair
Janet Russell	Admin Secretary
Graham Clark	Treasurer
AnthonyBolt	MembershipSecretary
Carol Clark	Groups Support Officer
Carol Morgan	Speakers Secretary
Diane Jones	Events and Trips Organiser
Shelagh Richards	Minutes Secretary
Vacant	PublicityOfficer

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name	Dates acted if not for whole year
None

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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
None



Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document Constitution (eg. trust deed, constitution) An Unincorporated Members Association, and a Member of the Third Age How the charity is constituted Trust (eg. trust, association, company) Elected by the membership at the AGM Trustee selection methods

(eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;

We have a Policies and Procedures document held on our website and reviewed annually

We follow the recommendations of the Third Age Trust on Trustee selection and induction

We liaise with other U3As in the region through the Thames Valley U3A Network

relationship with any related parties;
trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

Section C Objectives and activities

The charitable purpose of the u3a is:

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

The advancement of 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, residing in Bracknell Forest and the surrounding locality.

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Open meetings addressed by an outside speaker are held every six weeks, followed by a period for refreshments and social interaction. Special provision is made to welcome new members. During lockdown periods, these Open Meetings have been conducted over Zoom. Once lockdown ended it was decided to hold hybrid meetings so that members who were able to get out and about were able to meet socially face to face, whilst members who had to isolate were able to watch in the safety and comfort of their home on Zoom. Contact was made frequently during this period with emails to members and production of our humorous bulletin, The Isolation Times. It was decided to keep as many of our activities open as we were able safely, and legally.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the • Over seventy Interest Groups have been established. Here public benefit in relation to members pursue a wide variety of subjects on a self-teaching these objects (include within basis ie: all members are both teachers and learners. Such this section the statutory Groups are of benefit not only in an educational sense, but declaration that trustees have socially too. Members are actively encouraged to start up new had regard to the guidance Interest Groups. Many of our Group Co-ordinators keep in contact issued by the Charity with their members by email, phone calls and Zoom. Commission on public benefit) • We normally offer a range of outings and social events designed

We normally offer a range of outings and social events designed to promote both educational and social benefits, but due to Covid many of these had to be cancelled or postponed.
Taken together these activities help to combat loneliness and isolation for older members of the public. In particular we have a very popular MOTO Group for M embers O n T heir O wn to specifically address this problem.

These provisions show how the trustees have had regard to the requirement to provide a Public Benefit, as all activities are available to any person who chooses to become a member, provided they are no longer in full time employment.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

We recognise two categories of volunteer:

1) The Coordinators (leaders) of the Interest Groups. These Groups, and therefore their Coordinators, form the very core of the U3A activities and provide the major part of our Public Benefit.

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

policy on grantmaking;
2) A team of other volunteers who perform a range of duties including fire wardens, first-aiders, newsletter editors, the new member welcome team, and those who help set up the venue and equipment for Open Meetings.

At present there are about 100 Coordinators and 35 other volunteers

policy programme related investment;
contribution made by volunteers.

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Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

Over the past year we have seen a further increase in membership to almost 700 who are able to enjoy a wide range of activities including a holiday to the Isle of White in April and many outings ranging from places of interest to shows in the West End. Our interest groups now total 74 with 100 leaders. We have just launched our CAMEO interest group, (Come And Meet Each Other) which is a Noticeboard via WhatsApp Communities where our members can post an event that they prefer not to attend alone. It is intended to cover small numbers within a short timeframe. This is proving extremely popular with 60 members and rising all the time.

We have also offered talks at our Open Meetings on a variety of topics including a career in the Hampshire Constabulary, a solo walk across Africa, a demonstration of Alphorns and a talk on the Isles of Scilly.

We have introduced a new role to our committee, New Members Secretary. Amongst other things the New Members Secretary will encourage new members to participate in our activities such that they may introduce new ideas and hopefully new groups. The Secretary will show our new members the full benefits that BFu3a offers to our lives (in these challenging times).

We would however, like to see an improvement in our diversity, but past attendances at local Ethnic Diversity Fairs have not proved fruitful.

We maintain a close relationship with the local council, especially with the Public Health Directorate, Social Prescription and INVOLVE. This is an area we would like to develop further in future. Retired members of the community who suffer from loneliness and lack of social contact are not the easiest to locate and help. This is where our relationship with the Public Health Department will be of benefit.

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Section E Financial review

We hold reserves to cover
Brief statement of the • Three months cover for venue hire costs charity’s policy on reserves • Cash flow for four months before membership income is received • Possible need to purchase or renew equipment • Provision for set-up costs for new Interest Groups
• Other contingencies
Details of any funds materially None
in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;

Principal sources of funds arise from:

  - Membership subscriptions and Gift Aid arising from these

  - Charges to members for participating in social events and outings

  - • Charges to members for participating in their chosen Interest Groups to cover for example, hire of suitable venues

We make no investments.
investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

Section F Other optional information

Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Janet Russell Full name(s) Robert Goddard Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair Administration Secretary etc)

Date 27 July 2023

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Bracknell Forest U3A Income and Expenditure Account for year ending 31 March 2023 Charity Reg. No.~ 1153789 All figures in £. (brackets indicate negative) 2022. 23 Income Expenditure 7.397.50 2021-22 Category Membership subsa-iptions PayPal commission on online memberships Gift Aid Bank Interest Donations Membership Support National Office Capitation Fee hird Age Matters" Magazine Ad-Hoc Meetings Licences, Website & Beacon Support Thames Valley Network (TVN) Committee Expenses Trainin& Education Post, ststionery. printing (ex. newsletter) Publicity Newsletter AGM Miscellaneous Purchase of Equipment Open Meetings Christmas Social Group Start-up Grants Events. Outings Anniversary Celebration SulFtotsls Surplus for the year Brought forward Year-end Total Less transfer to Reserves Funds Available for General Use Income Expenditure 5,991.27 162.14 144.78 1.164.25 15.67 1.188.88 17.50 683.21 2,200.00 1,452.89 272.35 864.73 56.70 198.91 1.851.50 1.253.02 50.29 781.12 70.IX) 15.94 164.40 674.95 42.24 59.76 28.79 1.100.78 235.50 576.97 27.27 37.76 538.02 1.070.26 110.94 69.99 2.375.80 928.68 11.533.65 213.50 34.99 2.344.60 2.608.80 1.211.00 12,641.72 1,108.07 10.696.20 11,804.27 (5.000.00) 6,804.27 2.307.(X) 9.718.63 915.50 9,780.70 10.696.20 (5.000.00) 5,696.20 8.803.13 Balance Sheet Current Account Deposit Account PayPal Locally Held Group Cash-in-hand Totsl Funds 2022-23 5.267.44 9,792.56 Iix>.(x) 1.960.16 17.120.16 2021-22 8,868.70 4.715.98 166.48 1,160.28 14.911.44 kij Accruals and Deferrals Group Funds in Bank Locally Held Group Cash-in-hand Reserves Funds Available for General Use (2,483.70) (872.03) (1.960.16) (5.000.00) 6.804.27 (1,938.49) (1.116.47) (1,160.28) {5,000.00) 5,696.20 Forthe purposes of these accounts. subscriptions paid for the year to 30 September have been treated as cotemiinous with the year to 31 March. 2. Movement of group funds BalanS at year beginning Income Less expendtture Balances at year end 2,276.75 26,329.22 (25.773.78) 2,832.19 2,223.79 12.860.68 (12.807.72) 2,276.75 3. Gross Income Group Non-group Totsl 26.329.22 12.641.72 38.970.94 12.860.68 9,718.63 22,579.31 Graham Clark 21 June 2023 Re rt of the inde endent examiner I have examined the above income and expenditure account and balance sheet and confimi that they are in agreement Wtth the books of account and explanations given to me. Steve Edwards 21 June 2023