# **Glenfield u3a Fourteenth Annual General Meeting Thursday 27 March 2025, at 2.00 pm** ## At St Peter’s Church Hall All members are cordially invited to participate in our AGM ## **AGENDA** 1. Welcome and introduction of the current Committee Members 2. Apologies for absence 3. Minutes of the AGM held on 26 March 2024 4. Matters arising from the minutes. 5. To receive and approve the Annual Report 6. To receive and approve the Annual Accounts 7. To approve Membership Fees for 2024/25 8. To approve the appointment of the Examiner of the Accounts 9. Election of Committee Members 10. Proposals Secretary to the meeting: Sue Bicknell Minute Taker: Sue Bicknell Tellers: Karen Herringshaw Lynda Tyers ## **Minutes of Glenfield u3a Thirteenth AGM Held on Thursday 28[th] March 2024 at 2.00pm, at St Peter’s Hall, Glenfield** **1** The Chairman, Stuart Galloway, welcomed the 80 members present and reported that 70 members had voted by proxy. He introduced members of the committee and requested other members to consider offering their services by joining the committee. He also thanks Heather Massey and Jack Proctor for their contribution as committee members who are retiring. **2** Apologies for absence were received from Gill Speechley, Carole Reeves, Mick Reeves, Maureen Kendall, Avril Lennox, Thelma Abbott, Rita Morley, Valerie Dayman, Angela Barbour, Michael Barbour and Jane Adams. **3.** Minutes of the previous AGM, held on 23[rd] March 2023, were approved. Proposed by Dennis Walker, seconded by Ailsa Jelley and accepted unanimously. **4** Matters arising from the minutes, item 8 concerning subscriptions for Third Age Matters magazine was discussed by the committee and no change is to be made. **5.** The annual report was previously circulated and there were no matters arising. Acceptance of the report was proposed by Pat Humphries, seconded by Lynda Tyers and accepted unanimously. **6** The annual accounts were presented and were previously circulated. An explanation was given on the change to card payments from cash. Acceptance of the accounts was proposed by Cynthia Alton, seconded by Peter Knill and accepted unanimously. An explanation was given on the costs associated with the production of the newsletter. **7.** It was recommended by the Committee that membership fees be increased to £18 for 2023/24. Acceptance of the increase was proposed by Carol Knill, seconded by Bill Mainwaring and unanimously accepted. **8.** The continued appointment of Peter Briggs as Examiner of Accounts was proposed. Acceptance of his appointment was proposed by Vivienne Galloway , seconded by Peter Knill and unanimously accepted. **9.** Committee members have agreed to continue to serve except Heather Massey and Jack Proctor who have come to the end of their terms of office and are not to re-stand for election. Judith Harriman (Vice Chair), Joan Thomas, Andrew Thomas (Joint Group Secretary) and Paul Linnett have been co-opted to the committee during the year and have agreed to stand for election. On advice from The Third Age Trust, it is proposed to amend Section 7 of the Constitution to: “If insufficient nominations are received for Officers and/or Committee members, a majority decision can be taken by the committee to ask the retiring officer(s)/members(s) to remain in post until the next AGM for a maximum of one year”. The election of the Committee en bloc and acceptance of the change to the constitution was proposed by Pat Humphries, seconded by Dennis Walker and agreed unanimously. **10.** There were no other proposals formally received and the meeting closed at 2.20pm ## **Annual Reports** ## **Chairman’s Report.** It has been another successful year of activities. We have had a range of speakers on various interesting topics. From Bharat Patel describing his experiences in different cultures to a demonstration of middle east dancing from Roxanne Dinsdale. The speakers entertained and informed us. My thanks go to Bill Jones for selecting a wide range of interesting speakers. Our coach trips to various locations including the walker’s trip to Stratford upon Avon continued to be popular. The gardening group have taken a lead in many of these trips to gardens including the recent one to Anglesey Abbey. Our thanks go to Jan Parris and Judith Harriman for organising them. This year we have a number of committee members and officers standing down from the committee. Alan and Susan Hodkinson are standing down as Treasurer and Business Secretary respectively, Sue Bicknell as Minutes Secretary, Bill Jones as Speaker Secretary and Jan Parris as events and theatre organiser along with myself who will be stepping down as Chair. I have enjoyed my time as Treasurer and Chair of our u3a and would like to thank all the committee members over this time for the work they have done. My constant nagging for members to come forward to serve on the committee seems to have finally worked!!! We have a full complement of officers with Paul Linnett taking on the Chair role, Alistair Exon the Treasurer and Linda Thompson the Business Secretary. In addition, Paul Marriott has put himself forward as Speaker Secretary, Michael Barbour makes a welcome return in his role as Webmaster and Sue Lamprell as IT support. This means we have the full complement of 12 members going forward. All, of course, subject to you voting them on to the committee! Finally, can I thank all members for making the last 4 years so memorable and also those who helps to run of our wonderful u3a. In particular our coordinators that are the heart of our u3a and our non-committee roles including our newsletter editor Colin Sage, our webmaster Michael Barbour, Dennis Walker who helps with our publicity, our catering team and meet and greet team. Stuart Galloway ## **Membership Report** I have been Membership Secretary for coming up to 5 years and have recently taken on the role of an Administrator for Beacon, the system we use to record our membership and groups. The number of members, as of 31 January, is 365whereas this time last year it was 350. Unfortunately, 19 members chose not to renew their membership in October for a variety of reasons including leaving the area and feeling unable to partake in any of the groups due to declining health. Of course, some members sadly passed away. However, each month, we are gaining 2-3 new members so I’m confident the numbers will remain steady. The number of members at our Monthly Meetings is continuing to rise since Covid and last month we had a record number (103) attend the talk on Richard III. Gill Speechley ## **Groups Report** The Glenfield U3a Activity Groups have in the main performed well over the last year with the potential of a new Pickleball group being integrated into the fold anytime soon. The group’s members numbers have remained at more or less the same level as the previous year even after several changes due to retirements and the addition of new recruits. A recent request was emailed to all the group leaders for an update on each group membership list and although the vast majority of the 25 different groups responded 6 of the group leaders have not come back to confirm their list of members. We look forward to the groups having another good year in 2025. Andrew Thomas Twenty five Interest groups continue to be well supported by u3a members and their group coordinators. The launch of the Knit, Stitch and Share group in September was a great success, reaching full capacity in a matter of days. Unfortunately, the proposed ‘Painting with a Tutor’ group failed to progress, proving impossible to match members, room and tutor availability. However, research into other local art provision, enabled several u3a members to independently pursue their interest and join groups. The annual Coordinators meeting, held in November, was very well attended by both interest and active group, coordinators. Giving us the opportunity to ‘put a name to a face’ and the chance to meet with others to share experiences and ideas for the future. It would be fair to say, that once we got talking, it was almost impossible for our Chair to keep us to allocated time. Given that we were sharing, and pretty much on task, surely a sign of a successful meeting. Thanks, as always to the group coordinators for supporting u3a interest groups. Kim Thorogood ## **Treasurer’s Report** I have been privileged to hold the post of treasurer for four years. Yes there have been times when I queried “Why on earth did I take this on?” but in the main it has been a satisfying and rewarding experience. I have been blessed to work alongside the previous treasurer who has served as chairman so well. My first year was dominated by Covid. None of us planned for such an event or made any provision for it but we survived it. We introduced the Beacon system and have found it to be adequate and valuable in several areas but I was disappointed in its less than wonderful performance for accounting. We introduced the use of cards for collecting membership fees and group fees. They have simplified the lives of treasurer and group co-ordinators who no longer have to make frequent visits to the Post Office to deposit money. I have also had to call on Stuart to step back into the treasurer’s role on three occasions whilst I have been hospitalised. (Over 70 years without spending a night in such places then three visits in three years). It signals the wisdom of laying down this task. Our bank balances are healthy. We are not asking you to authorise any change in fees this year. Our expenditure is under control and our membership numbers continue to edge upwards. Please continue to ease the load on my successor by paying your fees promptly. Thank you for granting me the privilege of this position. Alan Hodkinson **Unexamined Accounts for 2024 are in the appendix. The audited account should be ready in time for the AGM** ## **Appointment of Examiner of Accounts** Peter Briggs has been our Examiner of Accounts for some years but is unable to carry this out in future. The advice from the Third Age Trust for appointing examiners is: "An independent examiner could be a member of your u3a but not a trustee/committee member. They cannot be related parties to a committee member either, this includes familiar/in-laws or business partners. They do not have to have an accounting background. A good understanding of basic record keeping would suffice. A common practice is to ask a treasurer from another local u3a to examine your accounts It is standard practice for the independent examiner to be appointed by the members at the AGM or approval to be given for your Committee to award" As we have not identified a suitable candidate we seek your approval for the committee to appoint a suitable Examiner of Accounts following these guidelines. ## **Election of Committee Members** ## **Pen Pictures of proposed new committee members** ## **Alistair Exon** I spent my youth in the South-West of England (Gloucester, Bristol, Southampton) then gained an Engineering degree (and a wife) at Durham University. Helen and I have been living in our house in Glenfield since January 1986. We have a daughter and two young grandchildren who we meet on a regular basis. My working life has been in the field of computer control systems to manage electricity, and in more recent years, anything that sails on the sea and uses electric motors for propulsion. Even though my father worked in a bank I’ve never managed anyone else’s money before, but I have managed million pound projects and my work has given me a good knowledge of computers - and I have always been happy working with numbers. ## **Linda Thompson** Linda graduated with a degree in Economics and Accountancy from Manchester University, before working for the AA; the Civil Aviation Authority; the International Wool Secretariat, and Mercedes. When her husband David was transferred to Kenya in 1991, she enrolled on an MBA programme by Distance Learning – in the days when there was no internet! Having moved on to South Africa in 1995, she got involved with the establishment of a school and community centre in a township outside Johannesburg, before returning to the world of paid employment when she and David were required to become permanent residents of SA. Linda went on to become the Continental Fundraising &Communications Director of SOS Children’s Villages for Africa and the Middle East; before finishing her career as a Project Manager within a World Bank project - empowering the youth of Kenya. Linda is currently the President of Loughborough Rotary Club, and a one-day a week childminder for their Loughborough-based grandson. Both these roles are scheduled to end in the next six months, giving her more time to devote to U3A matters…… ## **Paul Marriott** **I** fully retired in April 2024 having completed a career as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor working in private practice. I am currently aged 67 and generally in good health. I joined the u3a, I believe in early 2024. I am a member of the Gardening group, Photography group, Art Appreciation group and Nature Walking group. In addition to the u3a, I also volunteer for the Leicester Forest East Library, as a general librarian and The Great Central Railway as a Trainee Porter. I also enjoy photography and I am a member of the Leicester Forest Photography Society. During my career, I presented to junior staff on a variety of topics to assist with their training, so have some limited experiences of presenting in public / at meetings. Whilst I enjoy a range of activities, I believe that I would have the time to carry out the Speaker Secretary role. ## **Susan Lamprell** After spending much of early my life in London, I moved with my husband to Kent and from there Buckinghamshire. Following our early retirement, we moved to South Leicestershire 18 years ago. Last July we relocated to Glenfield, where we quickly became members of the u3a and are thoroughly enjoying participating in some of the many activities on offer. This community has also provided us with a wonderful opportunity to make new friends. My career has always been intertwined with technology, a field that has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. Every role I have undertaken has demanded a high level of technological proficiency, and I have continuously honed my skills in this dynamic and ever-evolving domain. Now, as a member of the Glenfield u3a committee, I am eager to leverage my technological expertise to contribute meaningfully and support the organisations’ initiatives. ## **Proposals received for committee member roles.** |Vacant position|Nominee’s name
(block capitals)|Proposer
(block capitals)|Seconded by
(block capitals)| |---|---|---|---| |**Chair**|Paul Linnett|Sue Black|Sue Smith| |**Treasurer**|Alistair Exon|Helen Exon|Paul Marriott| |**Business Secretary**|Linda Thompson|Jack Proctor|David Thompson| |**Committee Member Speakers**|Paul Marriott|Helen Exon|Angela Barbour| |**Committee Member**
**Webmaster**|Michael Barbour|Karen Herringshaw|George Herringshaw| |**Committee Member IT Support**|Susan Lamprell|Paul Lamprell|Viv Galloway| ## **Proposal** The following proposal was put forward by Michael Barbour and seconded by Angela Barbour. Please record a vote of thanks to the Committee team and Stuart Galloway for his tremendous work and commitment to our u3a over the last 4 years, especially steering us through the difficult days of COVID u3a learn, laugh, live Glenfield wwwu3osites.org uklglenfield wwwu30.org uk Appendix - Unexamined Accounts for 2024 Glenfield u3a Glenfleld u3a Account Balances at December 2024 General Fund Income & Expendlture 2024 R*con¢ll•d OJI￿dI 16.737.26 SSS.42 2024 CU￿Ent￿￿ Equasca FNEdAssets 4pt* Carri¥JFOtyi¥d 6S6.42 B[Du8htFor*￿d 13,117 0.02 17.393.70 425.661 It.967 04 DonaiknDs.CoDty*ul￿Ds ftA 523 Fund Analysls for 2024 Fee9 6J39 6,868 7A39 InTotri Tran Totrl e17 382 420 .PUbG￿e3 .S*tt#e5 (3201 (3971 1681 6U (8211 11061 15301 21 A¢¢oyntEwkn*D 1601 Cam Fees (2491 811 11631 sii 11921 112281 827 530 1.300 2,370 395 [9591 Commun*ètbn .wkntEthoumÈ 31 11.9501 (3481 321 71 ItsToomS.coatheg.e Frpnch G8tdBnknÈ H&tDrrf Photowhy 49 333 1,127 $81 240 S.260 (3771 15481 799 119 12,7881 16,6381 Thvd tTotsl TNst 48 186 230 389 302 l72Q41 1S.3381 248 794 225 Tr*51wreJfrom E￿￿t$ 1.144 2A41 7A35 26.744 11.5491 .3641 .6591 Yoga 6Ertr rriedFotwxd Carrid Forward 14.096 13.117 15.021 IIQ 14.097 16.967 [d5p￿dU￿edtDrn Th￿P￿Du￿￿￿￿ebP￿￿P[Qv& bythetrustre FHo¢kin$onlFreJsUtfjrl PW8WFCAIEvmlnwJ