From To
Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date 1st APRIL 2025 31st March 2026
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Sawbridgeworth u3a Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1173937 Charity's principal address 1 Seymour Mews Sawbridgeworth Postcode CM21 0BD
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gill Sewell | Chairperson | |||
| Carol Dixson Smith | DeputyChairperson | |||
| PhilipSimmons | Treasurer | |||
| Derek Piercy | ||||
| Maxine Tilley | Secretary | |||
| Margaret Giles | ||||
| Alan Goodman | ||||
| Neil Munro | ||||
| Barrie Lazarus | ||||
| Trevor Rawson | 7/11/25 to 31/3/26 | |||
| James Mutter | 6/2/26 to 31/3/26 | |||
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
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)
Trust How the charity is constituted
- (eg. trust, association, company)
Elected by Members Trustee selection methods
- (eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
We are affiliated to the National Third Age Trust
-
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;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Section C Objectives and activities
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, in Sawbridgeworth and its surrounding locality.
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Running over thirty interest and self- learning groups covering all aspects of educational subjects and visits to places of interest and enjoyment specific to the third age generation to educate and enlighten. Providing speakers on a variety of topics and interest at our monthly meetings to enhance members perspectives on these issues.
The Trustees declare that they have had regard to the Charity Commission public benefit guidance when exercising any power or duties to which the guidance is relevant.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
-
policy on grantmaking;
-
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
During the period under review the Trustees and members of the charily have continued to be well supported by the membership whose numbers are maintained at around 450. We have had a full year of activities and during the year we celebrated our 10[th] anniversary. Thanks to our hard-working team the hall is full for our General Meetings where we have entertained speakers ranging from an informative talk from the Herts Cyber Protection team to an entertaining afternoon with a talk, Burlesque Me and the WI. The hall is full most months.
Our interest groups continue to function well. New activities and interests are developing with the introduction of Italian added to our other recent additions. A solid core of them continue to grow and the walking groups flourish and have waiting lists. New members are being attracted on a regular basis and enthusiasm is being maintained.
There were several visits to the Theatre in the West End included in our programme this year, as well as regular trips to the Military Spectacular at Horse Guards Parade, a Christmas Lunch and visit to a Historic House and Carols at the Royal Festival Hall. We were lucky to have this opportunity, as these visits were made possible by our membership of the u3a.
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Section D Achievements and erformance p
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Section E Financial review
Brief statement of the
charity’s policy on reserves
Our Target Reserves are based on twelve months on any expenditure with an annual commitment plus six months on any other revenue expenditure.
Details of any funds materially 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);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
The scrutiny required for the examination of our records is by Independent Examination rather than an Audit as our total income is less than £250,000.
Each year we prepare a financial projection to forecast the year ahead; we have normally performed in line with these.
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Based on our accounts and forecasts the trustees consider we are a going concern.
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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)
G Sewell
Full name(s) Gillian Sewell Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chairperson etc)
Date 1st May 2026
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- Sawbridgeworth U3A Charity Number 1173937 Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31st March 2026
| Notes | General | Groups | Social | Total | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account | Account | 2025 | |||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Receipts | |||||||
| Membership | 1 | 7025 | 7025 | 6560 | |||
| Gift Aid | 369 | 369 | 442 | ||||
| Donation | 0 | 0 | 50 | ||||
| Social Events booking fees,tickets | etc. | 68880 | 68880 | 79728 | |||
| Groups - Income | 6138 | 6138 | 5488 | ||||
| Total Income | 7394 | 6138 | 68880 | 82412 | 92268 | ||
| Payments | |||||||
| Subscription Fee (Third Age Trust) | 1628 | 1628 | 1772 | ||||
| Meetings | |||||||
| Hall Hire | 1007 | 953 | |||||
| Speakers | 901 | 995 | |||||
| Refreshments | 163 | 109 | |||||
| 2071 | 2071 | ||||||
| u3a Magazine | 1278 | 1278 | 1279 | ||||
| u3a Beacon | 453 | 453 | 446 | ||||
| Zoom | 0 | 0 | 156 | ||||
| Printing, Postage & Stationery | 216 | 216 | 494 | ||||
| Cards & Flowers | 60 | 60 | 338 | ||||
| New Groups Funding | 20 | 20 | 143 | ||||
| Siteworks Subsription | 50 | 50 | 0 | ||||
| Independent Examiner | 312 | 312 | 300 | ||||
| Social Events Transport & Entrance Fees etc | 66979 | 66979 | 77718 | ||||
| " Admin /Printer |
7 | 7 | 285 | ||||
| " Raffle Costs |
189 | 189 | 169 | ||||
| Groups - Expenditure | 5955 | 5955 | 5288 | ||||
| Total Expenditure | 6088 | 5955 | 67175 | 79218 | 90445 | ||
| Net Income | 1306 | 183 | 1705 | 3194 | 1928 | ||
| Retained Income | brought forward | 10178 | 1272 | 8312 | 19762 | 17939 | |
| Retained Income | carried forward | £11,484 | £1,455 | £10,017 | £22,956 | £19,867 |
| Sawbridgeworth U3A- Charity Number 1173937 Balance Sheet As at 31st March 2026 Notes Assets General Account Bank Balance 2 Social Account Bank Balance 3 Social Account Paid in Advance Cash held by Groups Cash in Hand Liabilities Membership fees received in advance Social Account Payments received in advance Independent Examiner Net Assets Reserves General Reserves Group Reserves 4 Social Account Reserves Total Reserves |
£ £ 14310 10088 0 866 5 25269 1925 76 312 2313 £22,956 11484 1455 10017 £22,956 |
2025 £ 16113 15874 13813 752 5 |
|---|---|---|
| 46557 | ||
| 5115 21380 300 |
||
| 26795 | ||
| £19,762 | ||
| 10178 1272 8312 |
||
| £19,762 |
Notes to the Accounts
-
1 Membership subscriptions relate to 476 members
-
2 General Bank Balance includes £1925 membership fees received for 2026/2027
-
3 Social Account Bank Balance includes£76 payments received for future functions
-
4 Group Reserves consist of cash held by Groups £866 and £589 held on their behalf in the General Bank Account.
The above accounts were approved by the Trustee on the 1st May 2026 and signed on their behalf by the Treasurer Philip Simmons.
P Simmons
Philip Simmons
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinèr s Report Report to the trustoosl members of Chanly fvame On o¢counts for the year 3111 Marth 2026 Charlty no (If any) 1173937 1 to 2 plus the tnte88 Annual ReFx)rt I report to the trustees my examination of the a(Unts of the above charty (Yhe Trusf) for the year ended 31" March 2025. Ro8pon8ibllltlos and As the (tharity trustees of tts Trust. you are responsible for the prep8ratM basis of report of the aco)unts in aca)rdance wilti the requirements of the Charit9 Act 2011 fthe W. I rewrt in r88ped of my eXamKt10n of the TnJsV6 accounts carriod out under Secti 145 of the 2011 Act and in rying out my examinatton. I have followed the applicable Dir1 given by the Charity Cc¥nmis5ion under section 14q5Xbl of the Act. Indep8ndont I ha &Jnpl8ted my exarnlnation. I cThffimi that no material matters have examlnerfs stat•m•nt (x)rne to my attOnt in conned*)n wrth the oxamination ¥stiich gives me use to b8heve ttwt in. any material respect". accounting rwds were not kept in acaJrdan¢e ¥th Section 130 of theAdor the ac&iutts do r accord wilh ts acc¥)untlng rets)rds I have no concems and have o)me acmss no 0th8T matters in connection th the examinatth to attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understandirKJ of the ac£ounts to be roached. 0110S12026 Slgn•d: Namo". Mr Ashley S Filer R•lenI profe88ional quallfi¢ation(sl or body {If any): MAAT Address: 254 CcyJeshall Road Litue Tey. Colche5tsr C06 1HT IER Odober 2018