Ashbourne and District Annual General Meeting
Date :4th April 2025
Venue: Elim Church Hall, Ashbourne.
Time: 14.30pm
Matters Arising.
- The meeting started when Sheila Crawley, existing Chair, welcomed a crowded hall and thanked members for attending. 85 members attended.
- Matters proceeded with the delivery of the Chairs report.
Chairmans Report
- Sheila Crawley, the chair confirmed that membership numbers were continuing to rise which is not in line with the national picture. To date there are over 600 members. Sheila emphasised the strength in having an enlarged membership as more members meant more groups and more varied ideas coming into the organisation. She spoke about the introduction of a new members coffee mornings on the third Monday of every month that introduce new members to other people and enables them to discover the range of activities which are available. Groups such as Spanish and Recreational Painting have recently been introduced which are being well received. A slide show preceding the AGM and accompanying her talk demonstrated the range of activities available, as does the website. Additionally, the monthly meetings enables considerable social interaction in addition to a range of various speakers. Sheila praised Pat Faulkner for her diligence in sourcing new speakers and also thanked Pat Hall for taking on this as a new role. Joy Watson and Pat Faulkner were now stepping away the committee and were thanked and given gifts to recognise the amount of time that they had volunteered. Sheila has to step down as Chair as she has completed her three-year tenure. She pointed the attention of those in the hall to the splendid exhibitions which were displayed in the library every September to encapsulate the various activities of the U3A. John Rawson was thanked for these displays. Sheila went on to thank the Ashbourne News and Telegraph for the publicity which it gives to U3A activities. Sheila and Patti Green have both been given The Mayors Award for their work within the U3A.Sheila commented that the extensive information on social media sites not only helped members but also gave information to the families of people who could join U3A to promote membership. She emphasised how useful the Weekly Activities schedule was in encouraging members to try new things and went on to thank Mavis Lund and Pamela Boura for respectively looking after the website and monthly newsletter. Sheila concluded by thanking all group leaders for giving their time to run the groups and all of the membership for attending.
- Andrew Cree thanked Sheila on behalf of the committee and the membership for all her hard work and dynamic leadership. Sheila has served six years on the committee as she was Secretary before becoming Chair. She was instrumental in keeping communication going effectively throughout the pandemic by using Zoom. There are 48 groups now. Andrew commended Sheila for creating a U3A presence owing to her drive and passion for U3A.He told members how she takes an active part in U3A national forums and has recently given a talk to groups across the country on how to use social media effectively to increase membership. More importantly he paid tribute to the way in which she is always so calm, organised and approachable. Sheila accepted a gift of a David Austin rose which as a keen gardener is bound to flourish under her care.
The Treasurers Report
- Sue Edmonds said that the accounts were done on the Beacon System which was paid for out of membership subscriptions. Copies of the accounts were published on the website, but paper copies were available for those who wished to have them.
- Smith Cooper accountants had externally validated them. Sue outlined the funds within the U3A and explained how accounts were generated.
- She was thanked for her work in looking after the accounts
Election of Officers
Sue Hall Chair
Shelia Crawley Vice Chair
Sue Edmonds Treasurer
Alan Keizer Secretary
Jan Dodd Minutes Secretary
Mary Hall Membership Secretary
Liz Hoof Committee
Pamela Boura Committee
Andrew Cree Committee
Sheldon Davies Committee
To conclude
General information was given about activities, and a request was given for others to contribute to the upkeep of the Memorial gardens in Ashbourne. A reminder was given about the start of the Quiz group on the 15th April. A date for the new members meeting will be published soon. A place has become available for the Harrogate trip please contact Sue Hall. Thanks were given to Alan Coker for the wonderfully hand painted card and to the craft club for the beautiful, knitted arrangement of daffodils. Advance information was given for the theatre visit to Nottingham on August 21st to see Fiddler on the Roof. Cost £60 per ticket. Please see Peter and Pauline Worboys. Further information is on the website.
Meeting closed at 3.00pm.
Signed…………………………………………………………………………..
Date………………………………………………………………………………