Settle District U3A - Charity Number 1095635
Annual Report 2023/24
(From 1 July 2023 to 30 September 2024)

Our Aims

Settle District U3A is a charity affiliated to the Third Age Trust, with a membership of 470 at 1 October 2025 and a committee of trustees. Our aims are to:

• engage with people no longer in full time employment and
• provide the facilities for learning, leisure and recreational time for those
• people.

Our website contains more information about our activities: https://settle.u3asite.uk/

Committee

The committee of trustees manages the affairs of Settle District U3A on behalf of its membership. The committee is elected each year at the Annual General Meeting. Committee members during the year were:

• Chair: Robert Jackson
• Vice Chair: vacant
• Secretary: Lis Cribb
• Treasurer:
• Alie Bird
• Membership Secretary: Kathy Parker (and Denise Fenner)
• Group Co-ordinator: Sylvia Shepley
• Newsletter Editor: Sarah Lister
• Publicity: vacant
• Programme Organiser: Chris Barnes
• Equipment Officer: Colin Ashwell
• Web manager - Iain Burke (Richard Hine managed the previous website)
• Beacon Master - Keith Waterson
• Committee Member monitoring Enquiries: Sue Ashwell,

The committee has been supported by Rorie Grieve - Independent Auditor.

Membership and communication with members

Many meetings - including general monthly meetings, committee meetings and even the Annual General Meeting - have been made available both face to face and via teleconferencing. Maintaining good communication with our 470 members continues to be a high priority. Monthly newsletters are emailed to all members, with paper copies to those not on email. Settle District u3a also maintains a presence on social media maintaining both a Facebook and a Twitter account. Our thanks to Mary Leahy for organising this. Many members have taken up the option to view the Third Age Matters magazine online, rather than receive a hard copy, which is better for the environment and saves money.

After consultation with members and lengthy discussions at committee level, we decided to proceed with a new website, using the national U3A model, to replace that which had been in place for a number of years. Iain Burke took on the project and spent a huge amount of time ensuring a smooth transfer of data from one site to the other. The result is a site that is simpler to navigate and maintain, and does not rely on the expertise of just one person. Members who have yet to visit the new site can do so https://settle.u3asite.uk/.

This year, once again, various opportunities were offered to pay membership fees in advance of the Information Day, which lessens the queues on the day and allows more time to deal with enquiries. An increasing number of people now choose to pay by bank transfer, something which is much appreciated by both the Membership Secretary and the Treasurer.

The ‘Christmas Social’ continues to be extremely popular with members and Victoria Hall was packed to the rafters for the 2024 edition. A varied and entertaining show included performances from ukulele, poetry, line dancing, sport, singing for pleasure and Open Mic groups. In 2025 we introduced several summer activities. The aim was to offer something different at a time when many of the regular interest groups were no longer meeting. Activities on offer included an introduction to bird watching, bowling and a visit to the Folly.

Interest Groups

The u3a continues to support a large number of interest groups with new groups this year including Beginners Spanish, Science for All, Open Mic, Backgammon and Pickleball.

As ever our thanks go to all our group leaders, who work tirelessly to provide members with such a varied and fulfilling programme of activities. We are also grateful to our various venue providers that support our work. This includes St John’s Methodist Church, the Catholic Church, Friends Meeting House, Limestone View and the Swimming Pool.ol.

Community Liaison

Throughout the year Settle District u3a maintained its long-standing relationship with the ‘Settle Community Hub’ and The Place, and our thanks go once again to these organisations and their staff for supporting u3a members.

Settle District u3a also maintains close links with other local organisations. The committee continues to support Settle ‘Cobra’ and works closely with local community groups such as the local branch of Age UK. This year has also seen presentations by two local environment groups: Wild Ingleborough and the Ribble Rivers Trust. The hope is that in future this might lead to volunteering opportunities for members, either individually or as a group. We are also hoping to work with Settle Harriers to offer a ‘Couch to 5k’ running programme for people who are looking to develop or maintain their fitness.

We are also grateful to The Place, 11 Commercial Yard, Duke Street, Settle BD24 9RH who have kindly agreed to be our postbox and receive our mail. This is a more convenient and central location for members to leave post for any of the committee. Post will be collected once a week, so if any communication is urgent, email is always favourite.

We also had a presence at the Swimming Pool’s 50th anniversary event in June which provided an opportunity to promote the u3a, as well as to support a fantastic local organisation.

Looking Ahead

Settle and District u3a has been running at a deficit for several years now, but we have drawn down from reserves to continue to operate, and reduced high reserves in accordance with good practice, keeping only the recommended level until now. While the reserves remain adequate we cannot see any further erosion of them. Membership this year is below the anticipated budgeted figure, and consequently both the membership income and the income from the voluntary donations for group attendance will be lower. With a lack of clarity about the regulations involving Gift Aid we are currently unable to claim this additional source of income. At the same time a growing number of interest groups has seen expenditure on room hire increase considerably. In the long term a comprehensive review of the financial structure of the Settle District u3a is required and this is something that the new committee will have to undertake. However in the short term the committee will be seeking approval to raise the voluntary donations for attending a group to a minimum of £1, at least for the remainder of this year. This will therefore be a resolution for your vote at the AGM.

We pay tribute to those who have made, and continue to make, Settle District u3a the vibrant organisation it is: the founder members and previous committee members who have given so much to get us to where we are today; the current committee members; the group leaders; the volunteers who provide refreshments at u3aevents; the other volunteers who keep everything ticking over; and, of course, the members of Settle District u3a themselves, all of whom make it all worthwhile. Space prevents the naming of individuals of course but you know who you are! We are all very grateful for your efforts.

However, we do need some’ fresh blood’ on the committee. Without a Chair, we will be unable to carry on. Three committee posts are essential to the running of any u3a: Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. The Treasurer and Secretary are still able to carry on in post, but our Chair has performed his duties for two years now, which is the most the constitution allows, and we are obliged to ask members to elect a new Chair.

We need to get more members involved in the running of the u3a, either by helping at meetings and other events or by contributing specialist expertise in areas such as publicity and marketing, IT, recruitment and retention. It is also hoped that members will step up to shadow trustees nearing the end of their time on the committee by shadowing specific roles. From November 2025 a Chair, Vice-Chair, Programmes Co-ordinator and Publicity Officer will need to be appointed at the AGM.

As the Secretary has been in post for two years, this role is available for another member to take on, although I am happy to continue in post for another year if no- one is interested. It would be useful if a member would agree to shadow the Secretary’s role over the coming year to prepare for taking on this role fully.

If you are interested in any of these posts, or feel you can help just as a committee member ‘without portfolio’, please contact a member of the committee so you can be proposed and seconded. We are a welcoming and supportive committee and you will receive ongoing training throughout the year until you are confident to cover your role.

Lis Cribb
October 2025