Minutes of Westerham U3A
Annual General Meeting
10 July 2014
1. Apologies
Apologies for absence included:
Rosemary Pearson, Carol Swetenham, Sally Pratt, Dawn Crisp, Anne Spragg, Mary Hutchinson, Anna Woolven, Carolyn Anton, Jenny Taylor, Margaret Turner, Rosemary Buchan, Carol Marshall, Glyn Bullock, Tricia Saward, Elaine Merrylees, Pam Brandon-Bravo, Pam Chittleboro, Joan Edgington
2. Welcome
Jacquie Mather, Chairman, welcomed all members to the meeting and also welcomed Pam Jones, South East Regional Trustee, who was present at this first AGM for Westerham U3A.
3. Trustees Report
The Chairman said that, as members had received the Trustees Report ahead of the meeting, she would not read the full report but wanted to highlight that the first year for Westerham U3A had been a great success and that, as at the date of the AGM, there were 222 members and 39 study and interest groups, with more groups in the pipeline.
The Chairman asked members to show their approval of the Trustees Report via a show of hands. The report was unanimously accepted.
4. Treasurer’s Report
Jane Dodd, Treasurer, drew member’s attention to the Income and Expenditure Account for year to 31st March 2014, which was included in the papers provided.
The Treasurer reported that it had been a very successful 1st year and advised that the Committee had agreed that it was expedient to keep 6 months meeting expenses in reserve. Following a question from the floor, the Treasurer advised that each Open Meeting cost approximately £150 and that all funds were raised from the annual subscriptions.
The Treasurer announced that it was proposed to keep the annual subscription fees at the same level as last year.
The Treasurer asked members to show their approval of the Accounts and the level of subscriptions via a show of hands. The accounts and subscription fees were unanimously approved.
5. Election of Officers: Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary
The Chairman explained that the Officers and other Committee Members had been acting as a Steering Committee ahead of the first AGM and that there was now an opportunity to elect them on a formal basis.
She advised that the Officers, the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary, had all agreed to carry on in their roles and, as there were no further nominations for these positions, asked members to show their acceptance for each Officer role by a show of hands
The Chairman, Jacquie Mather, Treasurer, Jane Dodd, and Secretary, Linda Little, were all unanimously elected.
6. Election of Committee Members
The Chairman introduced the other members of the Steering Committee to the members and advised that they were all willing to continue in their roles: As no further nominations had been received, Stuart Barnes, Kay Ions, Sharon Lord, Tina Rhoda, Lyn Snowdon, and Louise Wood, were unanimously elected as Committee Members via a show of hands.
7. Acceptance of Constitution
The Chairman explained that the Westerham U3A Constitution, which had been circulated prior to the AGM, was based on a model used by all U3As in England and Wales. However, there were a number of variables which the Trustees had previously agreed. These variables were listed on the meeting papers handout.
The Chairman asked members to formally accept the constitution via a show of hands. The constitution was unanimously accepted.
8. Any Other Business
The Chairman asked if there were any questions from the floor. There were no questions.
The Chairman formally closed the AGM.
Pam Jones, South East Regional Trustee for the Third Age Trust, congratulated the Chairman and Committee on a beautifully run AGM. She was particularly pleased to note that attendees had been given papers for the meeting as they arrived. She then presented the Chairman with the formal Affiliation Certificate for Westerham U3A and said that everyone was doing a great job in making the group a success.
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