The chair of Bishop's Stortford u3a, Dr. Sue Rayner Jacobs, attended the Annual General Meeting of the Third Age Trust in October. The Third Age Trust is the body that accredits, provides resources, represents and campaigns for the 1000+ independent u3as with nearly half a million members. The meeting was held in Milton Keynes but Sue, mindful of the financial and environmental cost of travel, attended remotely.

Much of the AGM was taken up with the important but mundane agenda that such meetings always follow but there were some more interesting items.

To mark the u3a movement's 40th anniversary in 2022 a woodland was planted in the Brecon Beacons. The AGM was shown a film about the creation and progress of this woodland, which will contain 8,500 native trees. The woodland is already encouraging native wildlife back to the area and will be opened to the public when mature enough. u3as and members can buy trees for the woodland at the u3a Brand Centre.

The meeting passed a resolution to support Resolution 500k, a strategy to increase membership to about half a million by the end of this year.

Perhaps the most important item of the agenda was an amendment to the Articles of Association of the Trust. This resolution, which was supported by Bishop's Stortford u3a and was voted for by Sue, clarified the Trust's structure and separated compliance and oversight of the charity from the day to day running. It was passed by a substantial majority.

Sue's full account, together with screenshots of slides presented on the day, are here.

The Third Age Trust's 2024 AGM page is here.