Category Archives: National

NW Region U3A Conference and AGM

I am pleased to provide the following pre-meeting papers for the Annual General Meeting on 29^th May in Liverpool.

This contains the list of Nominations for Officers and Committee Members of the Executive. As the number of nominations received is fewer than the number of vacancies, no election is required.

There have been no resolutions proposed for consideration by the meeting.

Minutes, AGM 2017 Document >> HERE

Annual accounts, 2017/18 Document >> HERE

I should be grateful if Delegates would please bring these attachments – the Agenda, 2017 Minutes and the Annual Accounts – to the AGM. The current Constitution can be viewed on the Region’s website (from Welcome page click link to NW Region Documents).

The Annual Conference Day itself

There are still some spaces available for any of your members to attend (10.30am start, Quaker Meeting House, Liverpool); there are discussion groups and two guest speakers prior to the AGM at 2.45pm. It is FREE but you need to register. On-line registrations can be accepted up until 24th May from the NW website: Link >> HERE – scroll down to the Annual Conference Day item and click ‘Register’.

I have also attached a map >> HERE for getting to the Meeting House. (red 41 in C2). Lime Street station is about 9 minutes walk (D1) and Central Station is C/D2. School Lane is very narrow and the Meeting House is a modern brick building on the left when approaching it from Hanover Street. The nearest car park is in Gradwell Street off Hanover Street.

I look forward to seeing you in Liverpool.

Rosalie White

Secretary NW Region U3A

U3A Workshops: Keeping it Legal

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The Third Age Trust will be piloting a new series of training events in 2018 for U3A committee members. The workshops will be held in two locations which we calculate to be accessible to the largest number of U3As: the northern pilot in Leeds, and the southern in Surrey. If the pilots are successful, the programme will be taken to further venues.

These workshop days are being offered in response to requests and enquiries from U3A committee members regarding the legal requirements and responsibilities of running a U3A.

As charities (registered or otherwise), U3A committees are required to ensure that they are aware of and compliant with the legislation that impacts on their work. U3A committee members are the foundation of the U3A movement. These pilot days, which will be led by industry experts, have been designed to support you to fulfil your requirements as both committee members and charity trustees.

Each workshop day will cover a number of important topics:

General Data Protection Regulation
Safeguarding
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Insurance

The format will be a mix of plenary and break-out sessions, with plenty of time for networking and discussion. Lunch will be included, and to further facilitate attendance, accommodation and dinner is available the night before if required.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

From May 2018 the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) is being updated to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The updated legislation has implications for how U3As obtain, process and manage information obtained from their members. The introduction of GDPR offers a useful opportunity for U3As to review their current practices in relation to how they manage data.

This session will be led as a group plenary session by industry experts ArcNet Security. The trainers will provide a bespoke session for U3A members. This will include an overview of the relevant points from the legislation as well as advice as to the steps that U3As should take. There will also be an opportunity for members to ask questions.

Safeguarding

U3A Committees have a duty of care to their members. Safeguarding practice within U3As covers a range of issues from being aware of and responsive to members health-related needs as well as ensuring appropriate behaviour between members. The Charity Commission website states:

“Having proper safeguards in place means your charity can promote a safe place for your beneficiaries and gives the public confidence in your charity and trustees.” (www.gov.uk/charitycommission)

This session will be run by industry experts who will lead smaller break out groups. Each group will benefit from a trainer led presentation on the relevant legislation as well as an opportunity to review and discuss some U3A-based scenarios. Group members can also discuss any particular concerns they may have.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The Equality Act came into power in 2010 and merged nine existing pieces of legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the 2006 Equality Act. The Equality and Human Rights Commission website states:

“Equality law affects everyone responsible for running your organisation or who might do something on its behalf, including staff or volunteers if you have them.” (www.equalityhumanrights.com)

Guidance from the Commission details that where volunteers are acting on behalf of the charity, the charity would be legally responsible were they found to have unlawfully discriminated against a service user (members qualify as service users).

This session will be delivered by industry experts who will lead a presentation on the relevant legislation, discuss and review some U3A-specific scenarios, as well as providing you with the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

Insurance

The most common queries coming in to the office are those that relate to insurance cover. These are reflective of the diversity of interest groups, members, members’ needs and the individuality that is inherent within the U3A membership. This session will be led by the Trust’s insurance broker. Our broker has worked with the Trust for several years and has developed an in-depth understanding of the U3A movement and how we operate at a local level.

The session will be run as group plenary with an overview of the cover provided by the products and public liability insurance. The session will also look at scenarios based on U3A practice and provide members with an opportunity to ask questions.

AGM 2017: Live streaming

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agm

Dear members,

We are looking forward to welcoming many of you to the conference, and, for the first time, to give those who are unable to attend the chance to watch the AGM live on the internet. This live streaming will enable all you who wish to hear and see what is happening at the AGM, and to listen to the morning presentation before and the constitutional discussion after.

To access the AGM live stream, visit https://conference-2017.u3a.org.uk/live on 31st August. The whole day will be broadcast so tune in from around 9am to catch the morning speaker, Jo Coleman. The full programme is available at https://conference-2017.u3a.org.uk/programme/thursday/.

This link is the first time we have tried to engage with members in this way, and we hope once we have learned the lessons of what works well and what needs to improve, to offer more accessibility to members in this way.

We are now settled into Lant Street, and have had our first visitor, and hope to see many more of you if you are visiting London.

Watch the live stream

AGM Agenda Amendment

Please note the following amendment to item 5 which now reads:
To appoint Knox Cropper as the Auditors and to authorise the Executive Committee to set the remuneration. To further authorise the Executive Committee to put the audit to tender and create an Audit Committee to manage the tender process