Whitwick & District U3A
Chairperson’s Report to the AGM 2024
I have written annual reports before in my previous term as Chair but this time is rather different as I have been in post for less than half the year in question. However, much of WAD u3a’s activity has carried on throughout 2023-2024 without a hiccup.
Our Group Leaders are the backbone of our organisation and have carried on running group activities in terrific variety. Around three dozen different groups meet to learn and share skills, ideas and fun on a regular basis, or go to see shows and places of interest, and I offer thanks to all Group Leaders for enabling this. The Group Leaders’ Manual has been revised and updated and offers a sound guide to both new and experienced Group Leaders. Our talented Webmaster keeps us informed of group activities online and our Update Editor collates monthly information for us all, as well as organising external publicity and recently taking on responsibility for data security.
Other volunteers deserve our thanks too. Many of us take for granted the efforts of those members who put out the chairs and make the tea at General Meetings, but we need to stop and say thankyou. Somehow microphones and projectors appear for our speakers, visitors are welcomed and members are checked in, payments are taken and queries answered. Every month we have a different speaker and thanks go to our outgoing Speaker Seekers and the new one for arranging such a wide range of topics for us.
Membership numbers appear to be steady just below the 300 mark, with quite a few visitors recently at General Meetings, many of whom are joining WAD u3a. However, there are always a few members leaving for any number of reasons so it is important that we all encourage more people to join to maintain our momentum.
Clearer financial guidance for Group Leaders has been introduced and after some initial isolated difficulties these new arrangements now appear to be bedded in and serving us well. Our Treasurer has moved our accounts to a different bank which both avoids some charges and also enables money to be paid in at Post Offices which are rather more convenient than bank branches these days. We have a sound financial reserve in case of unforeseen circumstances but everyday running costs are creeping up and in order to stay in the black we are proposing a small increase in membership fees from next year. Subscriptions have not gone up for quite a while, and indeed we had a free year during Covid, but we cannot avoid inflation.
In December we experienced a crisis when five Committee Members resigned, leaving fewer than the minimum number required by the Constitution. Our Vice-Chair became Acting Chair and deserves our thanks for keeping things going, but he was not eligible to be Chair long-term. Members may not realise how close WAD u3a came to folding at this point. After some thought three members including myself volunteered to join the Committee and one resignation was withdrawn, so from the New Year we have all worked to get things back on track and our u3a can move forward. Many thanks to all the Committee for their hard work behind the scenes.
Pete Johnson
WHITWICK & DISTRICT u3a
Financial Statements
Year ending 31 March 2024
Income and Expenditure Account
Income
| Income | ||
|---|---|---|
| Membership Fees | 4370.50 | |
| Gift Aid (Years x 2) | 1332.65 | |
| Christmas Raffle | 204.00 | |
| Sale of Eqipment | 20.00 | |
| Group Cash Income | 8801.65 | |
| Lless Cash to Bank | -7168.91 | |
| Group Bank Income | 20057.46 | |
| 27617.35 | ||
| Expenditure | ||
| u3a Capitation | 1064.00 | |
| Third Age Trust Magazine | 648.65 | |
| Speakers | 891.00 | |
| Website | 189.39 | |
| WAD Room Hire | 1233.00 | |
| Postage | 121.91 | |
| Print/Stationery | 88.39 | |
| Equipment | 182.98 | |
| Refreshments | 286.98 | |
| Bank Charges | 110.33 | |
| Leics & Rutland u3a | 5.00 | |
| Calandars 2025 | 49.33 | |
| Publicity | 69.75 | |
| Donation Christmas Raffle | 204.00 | |
| Group Bank Expenses | 17096.92 | |
| Group Cash Expenditure | 3670.95 | |
| 25912.58 | ||
| Excess of income over expenditure | 1704.77 | |
| Balance Sheet | 31/03/2024 | |
| Group Cash | 289.39 | |
| Bank 31 March 2024 | 10420.87 | |
| Prepaid Membership Fees | 80.00 | |
| 10790.26 | ||
| Group Cash B/F | 2327.60 | |
| Bank Balance B/F 31 March 2023 | 6676.68 | |
| Dance Group Funds (Discontinued) | 81.21 | |
| Excess Income over Expenditure | 1704.77 | |
| 10790.26 |
l the trwttej on my ex•min•iion of the a¢¢ounts of th¢ WhlNick And District u3• fol the ye•r e4xltd 31 Mw¢h 104. R••pon•lbllltl•• and ba•1• of r•port As the ¢hArity lnthites of the Trtl you •rv rewnsÈble for the preparon of the with the requircments of the ChAriiAeg Aei 2011 {'the Act,). I in tYsp¢ci of my examinjtion of the Trtt's tOunts carried out under se¢tion 145 of the -Wl l Act and In canyin8 Out my examination I have followed 811 th¢ wlicabl¢ DiT¢ctions 8iv¢n by the Chlty ComMi10n under s¢ction 145(5Xb) of the ACL nd•p•nd•nl •Mmln•rf• •tat•m•nt mpled my examitIon. I confiTm that no material matters have come io my attcntion in nellOll with the examination giving me cause to beli¢v¢ thai in any material respect: 1. occountin8 records were not kept in Tespe¢t of the Tn required by section 130 of the Ac4 or 2. the x¢ounts do noi rd with those rwirds. or 3. the *counts do not comply with the applicable r¢quirements concernin8 the forni and conteDt of a¢Unts sd in the chltieS (Accounts and R¢port5) Rc8ulation$ 2008 other than any Tequirement that the accounis give a 'true and fair view which is not a matter onsid¢rcd pan of an independenl examination. '.Ihave no concer8 and have come across no othu matkrs in connection with the examination to ch attention should bc drAwTL in this report in order lo enable a proper underslanding of the UDts to I reached. .' Roger Bis8rovc l¢vanl PTofessionaI qualificaiion or memEtTship of professional bodies (if any): fOrnrIY member of IStitute of Public Finance and Accountsncy (CIPFA) O& View Corner. 2 Batsons Coun. Top Road Griffydanl Coalville. Izicestrrshire. LE67 8 Ilthmay 2024