2025-03-31-accounts

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BUCKHURST HILL u3a

ANNUAL REPORT

2025

Chair’s report 2025.
Audited accounts for the year to 31[st] March 2025.
Appendix 1 - reconciliation of gross income and expenditure to the audited accounts
Appendix 2 - analysis of Social account

BUCKHURST HILL U3A - CHAIR'S REPORT 2025

10[th] ANNIVERSARY 2015-2025

Writing this as the end of my tenure as Chair approaches, I am pleased to be able to report that the last twelve months have been very successful if somewhat testing for Buckhurst Hill u3a. This review gives me the opportunity to look back and highlight our successes.

With just 3 weeks’ notice from Buckhurst Hill Parish Council last December, we were advised that Roding Valley Hall would be closing in early January for approximately 8 weeks to do the repairs needed. After trying multiple other venues with no luck for our proposed (we thought) short break, we were fortunate enough to be offered a slot on a Wednesday morning from 9.30-11.30 at a hall in Chigwell. After careful deliberation we chose to take a chance and book Grange Farm Hall and see if anyone would turn up.

For our first meeting at Grange Farm, we experienced an exceedingly cold, and misty morning and we had an encouraging 39 attendees. We have continued to hold our monthly meetings at Grange Farm and are now seeing regular attendances of up to 53.

We are exceedingly grateful to Trevor Johnson, Chairman of the Grange Farm Centre Trust, for allowing us to use the hall and helping us out in our time of need.

5 months later, we still do not have a date to return to RVH.

Membership

Our membership year runs from 1st April to 31st March and, at the end of March this year, the membership stood at 324 compared with a total of 307 at the same time the previous year. During the year we gained 58 new members, but for a variety of reasons 41 members did not renew. The good news is that we now have the highest membership in our 10-year existence.

New members are always welcome as they can bring fresh ideas but, at the same time, we are happy if our current membership is maintained. It has never been our desire to grow significantly as we believe that being a smaller group enables our members to participate in a wider range of activities without the need for too many waiting lists and for us to remain friendly and sociable.

Finances

Our finances are expertly managed by our Treasurer, Kevin Lucas. Accompanying this report is a copy of the audited accounts for the year to 31st March 2025 which show a surplus for the year of £611 compared with a surplus last year of £1083.

Kevin will report in detail on these figures at the AGM. My thanks to Kevin for all his hard work, especially considering we at Buckhurst Hill u3a have participated in more outings and events than ever before which in itself caused him more than a few headaches!! (probably mostly my fault).

Activities

Our monthly meetings, interest groups, outings and social events are what make us such a successful u3a but none of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the small number of members who give up so much of their time to make these things happen.

The monthly meetings are an integral part of any u3a group, and we aim to provide a wide variety of interesting speakers. We cannot always cater to everyone’s taste but the regular attendance each month would suggest that our Speaker Secretary, Ruth Read has done an excellent job, along with guidance from Ann Denwood, our previous Speaker Secretary. My thanks to them both.

I know that Ruth has booked a full and varied programme for us until the end of 2025.

The subject matter of our talks included: The Art of London, Epping Forest, John F Kennedy, Georgi Markov – the Poison Umbrella Murder, Alfred Hitchcock. Interspersed with our talks we enjoyed Summer and Christmas afternoon teas,

We currently have 36 Interest Groups, including over 9 new groups and I must take this opportunity to thank all our Group Leaders for their considerable efforts. Running an Interest Group can be a demanding and occasionally thankless task but generally, the positive feedback from members, does make it very worthwhile as Interest Groups are such an important part of u3a life.

We have seen a few new groups take shape during the year some of which have been shared with other local u3a's. Sharing groups can make a new idea viable and we are always looking for new ideas and people to facilitate them.

We have now staged 3 fully sold-out quiz afternoons, sharing them with Roding Valley and Wanstead and Woodford u3as, and are having a final one at the end of May before taking a break until the autumn.

I must thank Fiona Lucas, our Group Coordinator, for producing the Events Calendar each month and for her hard work supporting Groups that may have needed some assistance during the year as well as helping the new Groups get properly established.

During this year we have been able to arrange a full programme of visits including the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the Chelsea Pensioners, Physic Garden Christmas Fair, visits to various livery companies, Arundel Castle Tulip Festival and many other places, as well as numerous West End theatre visits.

Meanwhile, Mary Nathan has been busy arranging our Macmillan coffee morning, local “theatre”, Court visits and other entertainments.

In addition to the outings, we also enjoyed a Music evening in November and various Afternoon Teas.

All of these outings and events were well supported and enjoyed by all who attended. My thanks to Mary and our very hard-working Committee for their unstinting work, and we are already busy organising outings and events for next year.

For the first time, we are arranging a short holiday which is “The Highlights of Normandy”. This is being run by Riviera Travel, and we have 18 members participating in this.

Our main line of communication with members is our monthly Newsletter which has articles and information about our Interest Groups as well as forthcoming events. Members also submit interesting articles, and outings reports, these and all other contributions are greatly appreciated.

The credit for the success of our Newsletter must go to our Newsletter Editor, Christine Slade, who masterminds the production and distribution each month, and who, in addition to this role, is also our Membership Secretary, and Hall Hire Secretary. My sincere thanks to Christine for all her hard work.

We are also continuing using new methods of communications with our members ie our Facebook page, and thanks to David Dooks for taking on the task of setting this up and continuing to run it for us.

Our website recently underwent major changes, and it is quite outstanding. If you haven't had a chance to look at it, please do so when you can, the changes are amazing. Our thanks must go to Fiona and Kevin Lucas who spend many hours keeping it updated. Indeed, other local u3as are seeking their help in setting up their own sites.

The Committee

The Committee is the backbone of the organisation, and I must thank all of the Committee members for their support, commitment, and the time they give so willingly to ensure Buckhurst Hill u3a succeeds. Without all the time and effort from our Committee members, we would not be able to function.

At the AGM all Committee members have to stand down and I must thank all those who have agreed to stand for re-election.

Owing to the u3a 6-year Committee service rule and other reasons, sadly, some of our members, including Margaret Bint, Ann Denwood as well as myself, have to stand down and cannot be re-elected. Sue Bird, our previous treasurer, had to stand down last year, but has kept in touch with Committee matters and was also instrumental in helping me with our Musical Evening.

I am delighted to announce that David Dooks has agreed to be our new Chairman if elected at the AGM. This will ensure continuity for us going forward, and I'm sure that I am leaving you in his very capable hands.

I hope you have enjoyed as much as I have our somewhat extensive events and activities programme during my tenure as Chairman and thank you for the opportunity of promoting and growing our u3a. I have been very proud to be your chairman.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank those members who help each month with the setting up of the hall and help with refreshments. Every bit of assistance is appreciated.

The Future

Formed in 2015, our u3a is this year celebrating our 10th Anniversary, and whilst I am confident that the next twelve months will see Buckhurst Hill u3a go from strength to strength, it really does rely on you, the members, to continue embracing the u3a ethos of ‘run by the members for the members’.

Your u3a needs you!

Finally, I must reiterate my thanks to the Group Leaders and the Committee for everything they do, and also to the membership whose enthusiasm and support make the whole thing worthwhile.

TEAM

Together Everyone Achieves More

Hilary Wrightman Chairman Buckhurst Hill u3a 2024/2025


Buckhu	rstH	illU3A				afiliguresE
Accounts
Yearto	31st	March2025			2024I2A2s	2023I2A24
lncome
		Mem bershi p subscriptions			51010.00		5,5L5
		Travelcommission			332.82 @re
Expnditure
		HallHire			l474.AAl		(432)
		ThirdAgeTrustCosts		Note1	(2,190.94)	(1,892)
		Administrationexpenses		Note2	(810.97)	(1,355)
		lnterestGroupsupport			(297.99)		(8)
		Speakers			(970.001		(e42)
		Equipmentpurchases			(20.991		(3e1)
		Ref reshments			(101.85)		(4s)
Net income Social Account				Note3	@rc
Totalnet income
Branch	funds
		Opening balance			5r280.40	4,L97
		Surplusfor theperiod Balancecarriedforward			610.51	m	L,0g3
Represented		by:
		Bankba lance			131298,67	73,885
		Cheques&cashtobe banked			745.2A		4L1
		Amountsreceivable	Ipaidinadvance	Note4	151.06		78
		Amountspayable/	received in advance	Note5	(8,304,02)	{9,034)
Hilary		(Chair)	+#*q-A_)
Date	k	s
KevinLucas(Treasurer)

Year	to	31st March2025	2024IZOZS	2023I2024
Note	1:	ThirdAgeTrustCosts
		Capitationcosts	(L,224.00)	(1,095)
		ThirdAge Magazine	(956.84)	(7e5)
Note	2:	Administrationexpenses
		Stationery	(146.09)	(171)
		Stamps	(377.661.	(8ss)
		Printerlnk	129.00)	(1.1_o)
		Postagesupplement	423.00	470
		MembershipCards	(44.40}	(40)
		Publicity material		(4e)
		E-mailcosts	{439.201	(324)
		Sundries	(L97.62], re	(246)
Note	3:	Social Account
		Thank you lunch	(423.96)	(421)
		DruryLane	(18.50)
		AndreRieu	50.00	I
		Sandhurst	245.84
		Summer Afternoontea(AGM)	(552.45)	(111)
		Angels	55.00
		MusicQuiz(EntertainmentEvening)	143.88	150
		Prom concert	46.A2
		LadieswhoLunch(Pearls&Prosecco)	66.55
		LadieswhoLunch{Halloween}	49.L7
		LadieswhoLunch{Holly&lvy}	53.99
		Xmasafternoon tea	(481.31)	rsoit
		CoronationLunch		55
		LadieswhoLunch(Glitz&Glamour)		53
		LadieswhoLunch'(AutumnLeaves)		33
		LadieswhoLunch{Turkey&Tinsel}		52
		LadieswhoLunch(EasterBonnet)		158
		Newmarket		L60
		The Clink		107
		Elv		25
		SisterAct		77
		TheKingandI		60
		GoldsmithHall		125
		Kew-Xmaslights		220
		ScottElvislunch		408
		Hitsfrom theBlitz {KennethMoore)		(4)
		KissMeKate		20
		Middle Temple		(60)

BuckhurstHillU3A	BuckhurstHillU3A		allfiguresf
Accounts Yearto31st	March2025	W	W
Note4:
	Amounts paid inadvance(or receivablel
	ThirdAgeTrust - creditnote	27.36	18
	Arundel	10.00
	ABBA (QueensTheatre)	26.20
	JointQuiz GroupreHallHire	48.00
	OperationMincemeat- outstandingticketmoney	39.50
Note5:	Amounts received inadvance(or payable)
	2025126MembershipfeeandP&Ppaid inadvance{24125I.	(4,362.00)
	HallHire re GrangeFarm{Jan/Feb)	(144.00)
	Arundelvisit	(2,472.50)
	ABBA	(314.40)
	Titanique-ticketoverpaid	(20.00)
	StationersHall	(80.oo)
	XmasFlower Arranging	(L2.00)
	SpringFlower Arranging	(259.00)
	LadiesWhoLunch	(5oo.oo)
	MNexpenses(cardsIstamps/refreshments)	(40.Lzl.
	Prince Regent-MotownXmas lunch		u,a81)
	DruryLanevisit		(3s2)
	Roydon Gardens		(1le)
	Sandhurst		(Lssa)
	GunpowderMill		(4s6)

counts	4,490.00 532.00 (4,100.00) (144.00) (18.00) 27.36 (11.70) (6.80) 234.00 56.00 (262.00) (21.62) 3,898.14 157.20 (3,757.90) 123.70 8,604.14 745.20 (8,304.02) 151.06 ADJUSTMENTS Monies paid / rec'd in prior year Cash / cheques to bank Monies rec'd in advance or payable Monies paid in advance or receivable	4,490.00 532.00 (4,100.00) (144.00) (18.00) 27.36 (11.70) (6.80) 234.00 56.00 (262.00) (21.62) 3,898.14 157.20 (3,757.90) 123.70 8,604.14 745.20 (8,304.02) 151.06 ADJUSTMENTS Monies paid / rec'd in prior year Cash / cheques to bank Monies rec'd in advance or payable Monies paid in advance or receivable	4,490.00 532.00 (4,100.00) (144.00) (18.00) 27.36 (11.70) (6.80) 234.00 56.00 (262.00) (21.62) 3,898.14 157.20 (3,757.90) 123.70 8,604.14 745.20 (8,304.02) 151.06 ADJUSTMENTS Monies paid / rec'd in prior year Cash / cheques to bank Monies rec'd in advance or payable Monies paid in advance or receivable	4,490.00 532.00 (4,100.00) (144.00) (18.00) 27.36 (11.70) (6.80) 234.00 56.00 (262.00) (21.62) 3,898.14 157.20 (3,757.90) 123.70 8,604.14 745.20 (8,304.02) 151.06 ADJUSTMENTS Monies paid / rec'd in prior year Cash / cheques to bank Monies rec'd in advance or payable Monies paid in advance or receivable		*Appendix 1* *all figures £*
	ADJUSTMENTS
Gross expenditure	Monies paid / rec'd in prior year	Cash / cheques to bank	Monies rec'd in advance or payable	Monies paid in advance or receivable	Surplus / deficit
						Audited Accounts
(50.00) (54.00) (366.00) (384.00) (46.00) (1,224.00) (966.20) (134.39) (370.86) (29.00) (44.40) (439.20) (253.34) (297.99) (970.00) (20.99) (80.23)
					6,010.00 - 332.82
						6,342.82

					(474.00) - -
						(474.00)

					(1,224.00) (956.84)
						(2,180.84)

					(146.09) (377.66) (29.00) 423.00 - (44.40) - (439.20) (197.62)
						(810.97)
					(297.99)	(297.99)
					(970.00)	(970.00)
					(20.99)	(20.99)
					(101.85)	(101.85)
						(4,856.64)
						1,486.18
(23,201.98)	3,898.14	157.20	(3,757.90)	123.70	(875.67)	(875.67)

(28,932.58)	8,604.14	745.20	(8,304.02)	151.06	610.51	610.51

Appendix 2 all figures £

Buckhurst Hill u3a

Reconcilaition of gross income and expenditure to the audited accounts Analysis of Social Account Year to 31st March 2025

- 518.00 455.00 550.00 - 1,317.50 1,232.50 750.00 646.15 582.77 454.39 - 416.50 131.00 2,497.50 975.00 1,100.00 140.00 330.00 128.00 259.00 240.00 260.00 1,210.00 - 750.00 162.00 54.00 689.36 100.00 36.00 670.00 220.00 780.00 829.50 416.00 658.00 153.00 245.00 148.00 480.00 111.00 750.00 460.00 21,905.17 Gross income		ADJUSTMENTS ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~	ADJUSTMENTS ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~	ADJUSTMENTS ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~	ADJUSTMENTS ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~ ~~Monies~~
	Gross expenditure	paid / rec'd in prior year	Cash / cheques to bank	rec'd in advance or payable	paid in advance or receivable
	(423.96) (888.00) (405.00) (2,254.16) (662.45) (1,262.50) (1,088.62) (703.98) (579.50) (533.60) (400.40) (481.31) (416.50) - (35.00) (975.00) (1,100.00) (140.00) (330.00) (128.00) - (228.00) (260.00) (1,210.00) (456.00) (750.00) (162.00) (102.00) (30.00) (100.00) (36.00) (670.00) (220.00) (780.00) (869.00) (416.00) (1,739.00) (153.00) (364.00) (148.00) (400.00) (111.00) (750.00) (440.00)
21,905.17	(23,201.98)	3,898.14	157.20	(3,757.90)	123.70