CALDICOT & DISTRICT U3A ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING held in Choir Hall, Caldicot at 2.15 p.m. on 20th April, 2017 1) APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Apologies received from: Rob Harry Muriel Metcalfe Brian Metcalfe 2) MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON 21st APRIL, 2016 The Minutes of the above meeting were distributed to those present and approved. Proposer: Seconder: Gary Thompson Marilyn Thompson 3) CHAIRMAN S REPORT Afternoon Everyone, Well I never thought I would be here today back in the Chair s seat giving you the yearly report, but here I am. Firstly I would like to thank Sheelagh Burton for the ten months she served as Chairman. It was with regret we had to accept her resignation but this was offered due to ill health. During her term of office she had a few difficult situations in which to deal with and, with the help of the Committee, she did this to the satisfaction of all involved. We wish Sheelagh well and hope that her health improves in the very near future. As Vice Chair it has fallen into my lap to take the helm once more. During the last year we have achieved some changes to our U3A. One such change is our Website. As you all know we were left without a website for a few weeks but thanks to our Committee member John Jeffrey, he worked hours at home in order to set up a new one which I think you will agree, fulfils our needs. Thanks go to John and his Wife, Jennifer, for the hours she spent without his company in the evenings, some who know John would say this was probably a blessing but I am sure Jennifer wouldn t. Thank you both. Another change was to our Newsletter. Brian Metcalfe who was the Editor again had to resign from that position due to poor health but I am pleased to say it was handed over right away to our present Editor Angela Hodson-Hirst, so we didn t lose 1
3) CHAIRMAN S REPORT (Continued) any month s editions. Angela has changed the look of the layout and has added some new points which I am sure you all find useful. Thank you Angela and Brian for past efforts. Another important change was the fact that we are able to keep the subscriptions down for another year to 10.00 per member. I think you will all agree it is little to pay for a year s membership to such a social and life learning association. One more thing, we also dispensed with the price of a cup of tea and a biscuit at the monthly meeting which I think was approved by all those people that attend the monthly meetings. We do receive advice from the Third Age Trust at Bromley from time to time, some of this advice we will act upon if it is advantageous to our own U3A but as we are self-funding and our own Charity, then we are not obliged to follow all their advice. When we think it is appropriate we will endeavour to pass this on to you the members either by the Newsletter or on the website. My thanks to the all the Convenors for the groups, too many to name personally but you all know who you are. Unfortunately Don Wood the convenor of History is retiring in July and to date we have no-one from that group volunteering to take the position over. Don has said there will be a hand-over time and I must emphasis the fact that should no-one come forward History is in danger of closing down. This we do not want. So if there is some-one out there that believe they could do this job then please let us know. I am sure Don would advise anyone what is entailed. To avoid such a thing happening within any of the other groups, it may be a good idea to approach people within a group to maybe volunteer to take over as and when the Convenor decides to retire. The last thing we want is for any group to close down due to the fact they haven t a leader. There are many people to thank for their contribution to our U3A which keeps it running smoothly. Alma Gaskell has been our members secretary since we started and she is helped with registration at monthly meetings by Mo Baker and Carole Elliot. Thank you ladies. Where would we be without our tea and biscuits every month if Ken, Viv and Cindy decided to retire? So a big thank you to them. June Brown retired from being our link Secretary this year something she has done for many many years. Thank you June. This has been taken over by Angela Hodson- Hirst as she has access to all members name and addresses and it stands to reason it works hand in hand with the Newsletter. Thank you Angela. You may or may not know that Dave Edwards is our Public Relations representative. Should you have any special announcements you wish to make then please remember Dave who will endeavour to get these into our Third Age Trust and also local newspapers. Not only is this a way of advertising ourselves it is good to have our achievements acknowledged. Two achievements this year. Short Mat Bowls are still champions in the league and we have a special gentleman in our Computer Group who was awarded the highest medal given by France, what an accolade! So come on put your good news to Dave and let s get our name in the TAM. 2
3) CHAIRMAN S REPORT (Continued) A big thank you goes to Pam Simpson who was our Treasurer but retired from the committee earlier in the year. Pam hadn t really left us as she has been a massive help in aiding, who took over as Treasurer at last AGM. The handover has been a bit of a chore due to changing trustees signatures for the groups cheques to be signed. The Bank has not been the greatest of help in this and has put up many obstacles but we are winning. In order to help each group with this problem we are putting forward a new directive which I am sure Tony will explain in his report. So thank you to Pam for all your help and to Tony for tackling this tremendous task. Due to lack of volunteers for the Committee I am pleased to say that Jackie Hicks, our Secretary is staying on as minute secretary and she will be helped by Susan Gilbert who will be helping with other duties performed by the secretary. John Jeffrey will be staying as will Rob Harry and I must thank them for their contribution during the last twelve months. John Duke will take over as Network Secretary and Anne Duke will stay as Speakers Secretary. Thanks to them both. Of course normally you the members would be able to vote for these people but as no-one has come forward to challenge them, then there is no need. Again no-one has come forward to be Chairman so, if you approve, then I will stay for the next two years, which would have been Sheelagh s term of office, but then out of at least 480 members, it will rest on someone coming forward to take the Chair. We also need a Vice Chairman which to date no-one has come forward. I am sure there are many more people out there that I should be thanking but if I haven t mentioned you then please forgive me but I whole heartedly thank you all as without you then our U3A would not be as active as it is. We have lost many members during the last year and it is with great sadness that we remember them but, we have gained many new members too and we go forward into the new year and look forward to great things and new beginnings. Thank you all for listening to me and thank you for being members of Caldicot and District U3A. Good luck and God Bless. 4) TREASURER S REPORT 3 Good afternoon Fellow members of Caldicot & District U3A Last year my predecessor, Pam Simpson, handed over the reins, as your Treasurer, to me. You will doubtless appreciate that our being a charity in our own right the role of the Treasurer is quite exacting as we account to the Charity Commission for our financial conduct generally in accordance with guidelines laid down by The Third Age Trust. This apart the committee administers to some 22 individual self-funding groups, mostly with their own bank accounts, liaising with HMRC with regard to Gift Aid funding and with The Third Age Trust at Bromley in respect of payment of capitation, direct mailing of TAM, licensing and, other fees necessary to our subsistence.
4) TREASURER S REPORT (Continued) I would, frankly, have been quite lost in all this if it were not for the smooth handover afforded to me by Pam and, I thank her for the most valued guidance and her preparedness to lend her further support into the immediate future, which is thankfully ongoing. Further, I have been quite fortunate in receiving assistance from some past officers not least Glenice Dallow who knows the membership in depth and to a degree to which I could not even aspire. Glenice has agreed to continue to assist me, particularly in respect of collecting, collating and maintaining our returns for the next Gift Aid application. In short I am intending to rely on such teamwork to consolidate and build on the very firm foundations that have been laid by the good work of Pam Simpson and her immediate predecessor Beryl Lewis. To return to the business in hand, we have had a good year financially and our bank balance is only a little below that at the start of the year. We have, in the past year, purchased new sound, safety and display equipment which equates to the reduction. I mentioned earlier that we are accountable to the Third Age Trust and the Charity Commission and in this we are bound by certain rules and guidelines. Effectively we are constrained in respect of the level of reserves we may hold whilst conducting our Charitable Aims. At the same time we are bound to ensure that our U3A is well funded. So a fine balance needs to be struck. Pam, Glenice and I with the additional cooperation of many of our Conveners have, by various inputs, managed to accumulate an anticipated return on Gift Aid of something in excess of 1,500.00 in respect of the year 2015/2016. The total is only just now finalised and as a result does not figure in the 2016/2017 accounts supplied to you. When the benefit is felt within the 2017/2018 figures it will more than compensate for the reduction in income resulting from the reduced membership subscriptions that were voted last year. Continued work in this area, despite a potential reduction in Gift Aid proceeds due to increased tax thresholds, and new investment income allowances, should allow us to sustain, if the meeting is in agreement, the continued reduction in membership fees at 10.00 / 6.50 for a further one year period after which time the committee will need to review the situation. For the immediate year ahead we are of course financially healthy. Our membership figures at the close of the year stood at 477, slightly down on last year but recruitment is currently at a reasonable level. Prudent expenditure by your Committee has put us in a good starting position for the New Year, continued initiatives by the financial team will hopefully maximise our recovery under Gift Aid, with your kind and increased cooperation. 4
4) TREASURER S REPORT (Continued) Next year we would like to further consolidate our position by approaching and working with the remaining groups that to date have not yet been gathered into the fold and indeed any new groups such as Jive Bunnies, our latest, which is flourishing. In closing I would thank Gary Thompson for examining the accounts with such alacrity and you, the membership, for your kind attention. I invite, through the chair, a proposal to maintain subscriptions for a second year at the present reduced rate to be reviewed prior to the 2018 AGM. Approval of Accounts The Statement of Accounts for 2016/2017: APPROVED Proposal to retain 10.00 membership fee for 2017/2018: APPROVED 5) PRESENTATION OF COMMITTEE Referring to the nominations received, presented the Committee for the 2017/18 electoral period and welcomed the new members: Chairman: Vice Chairman: Treasurer: Minute Secretary: TBC Jackie Hicks Committee Members: Ann Duke John Duke Susan Gilbert Jean Gilham Robert Harry Angela Hodson-Hirst John Jeffery Merrill Lang The meeting APPROVED all nominations. 6) ANY OTHER BUSINESS 5
Short Story Competition John Jeffery drew attention to the Short Story Competition organised by U3A Wales and encouraged members to submit their stories. There was also an opportunity submit an entry in Welsh. Details of how to enter are available on the Caldicot U3A website or from any Committee Member. Entries should be submitted between 1 st July and 31 st August. PAT Testing Members were reminded that PAT Testing would take place the following day, 21 st April, at the Computer Group Meeting, Baptist Church, Neddern Way, Caldicot.... The meeting then welcomed Caldicot U3A Ukulele Group.. 6