Holme Valley

Our committee

Registered charity - 1171722

Most of the day to day practical arrangements of Holme Valley u3a are looked after by an elected committee. Members of the committee are also trustees, so they have obligations to make sure we all respect the Third Age Trust ethos.
The committee meets once a month, usually on the fourth Friday, timed to help us prepare for the Friday all-member meeting. We welcome ideas, so if you have one please share it with any committee member. We have reports on finance, membership and progress with setting up groups.

The first elections for your committee took place at the AGM in April 2015 when the shape of the committee was also approved. It is set out in our constitution which was also approved at the 2015 AGM. Constitutions can be changed at a subsequent AGM or EGM subject to approval of the national u3a and two thirds of those present voting. Any change to the constitution must be published well in advance. With that in mind the committee looked at the constitution in some detail early in 2016 and decided it worked well as it was. An amendment to section 3. Charitable purposes, recommended by the national u3a and required by the Charity Commission, was made to the constitution in March 2018.

The constitution sets out that we elect some individuals to specific posts. They are the ‘Chairman, not more than two Vice Chairmen, Treasurer and Secretary’.

In 2022 you elected:

David BarnettChairmanAs well as chairing most committee meetings and your monthly meetings, David is adjudicator and leader, making sure all works smoothly.
Helen WilberforceBusiness SecretaryHelen is our main liaison with the regional and national U3A. She also coordinates our Media and publicity and is the committee member who would deal with any disciplinary issues.
Sally HedgesTreasurerSally keeps a close eye on our finances and ensures each group manages their finances.

Our constitution says there are a maximum of ten people elected to the committee. The remaining committee members have taken on specific tasks, but to ensure flexibility these are not specified when they are elected.

Jenny BagworthMembership SecretaryJenny is the first point of contact for most members and deals with many phone enquiries. She keeps records and issues membership cards. She also ensures new members know how to find out about activities and adds them to our email database.
Rose CuthbertsonGroups coordinatorRose works to establish the groups our members want. She works closely with Group leaders and keeps members informed of changes, including the creation of new groups.
Ian McCullochMembers' meeting ManagerIan manages the Member's monthly meeting by arranging the venue, ensuring the speaker has their required facilities and ensures the kitchen is adequately staffed.
Roy BiggsIT, Website & DatabaseRoy maintains our website and is our Beacon database administrator. He also ensures our IT technology is up to date and working correctly.
Rena SoutenCommittee memberRena manages our facebook page , edits the website and produces the newsletters.
Keith Wilberforce AlmonerKeith is charged with the welfare of our members.
Andrea Goodall Committee member.
Judith Gibbons Committee member.
Geraint Johnes Committee member.
Keith Knutton Committee member.
Barry DaleAlmonerBarry is charged with the welfare of our members.
Michael Burn Committee member, recently co-opted.
Peter Drakenon-committee memberPeter is our Speaker finder gathering details of potential speakers and arranges for their attendance at each monthly meeting. He arranges payment and ensures they have the equipment they need on the day.

There is also scope for smaller groups planning on specific issues, such as planning events. These groups or sub-committees would need to include one member of the main committee, but could also include other individuals.
We are also working to ensure our group leaders all know each other and can share ideas. We produced a briefing pack for them and we are arranging discussion meetings.