Annual General Meetin Thursda IO. October 2024 CHAIRMAN"S REPORT Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Kingswood Heritage Museum Thist. We are now in the 9 Year of a 21 year Lease from South Gloucestershire Council and we have been an Arts Council Accredited Museurn for 7 years. The Museum re-opened on Saturday 30 March 2024 for the Summer Season and will close for the Wmter Shutdown on Saturday 30 November 2024. We will re-open again on Tuesday April 1° 2025. Finan Even though Muriel has not been well over the past year , she has managed to keep the Museum Finances under control. (See Finance Report). However Muriel will be standing down as a Trustee at this AGM and handing over all the Financial Affai to Paul Hunt by the end of November when we close down for Winter. I must thank Muriel on behalf of myself and the Trustees for all the hard work she has put in for the Museum over the past dozen years or so. The position of Treasurer is critical to the successful operation of the Museum and Muriel has carried it out superbly. We wish her well, with better health In the future. Buil The refurbishment of the Toilets took place over the Winter and Spring. I t has been generally hailed as being a great improVeent and we have had many compliments this year. When the old cladding had been removed from the internal walls of the Ladies Toilet, the whole area of the walls was found to be damp so we are going to replace the render on the exterior walls and waterproofing the roof. The Tower- After the fall of debris from inside the Windmill Tower, we had a survey carried out which showed that work was necessary to carry out repairs to the Interior of the Tower. Richard Hartill is currently working on a funding source for this work. For the present, the interior of the Tower remains closed to Visitors until the work has been funded and carried out. During the examination of the Tower, a Drone overfly was carried out which discovered that the Victorian chimney, which passed up inside the Tower and through the concrete cap, was in a poor state of repair and the capping slab on the chimney was missing. Fortunately we had enough funding to enable repairs to be carried out and this this work has now been carried out. Natural Stone and Copper Slag Block Wall - Chris Quarry has just about about completed this wall which runs along the entry to the Lower Car Park. It has improved the entrance to the Lower Car Park immensely.
The Garden behind this new Wall is being looked after by Mike and Jayne Hudd who are making a great improvement to it, even though most of the Garden is on a steep slope. Solar Panels - We are currently acquiring funding sources to carry out the purchase and installation of Solar Photo Voltaic Panels at a cost of £26k. Planning Pern]ission is also being sought. Aptrjn Car Park- It is hoped to carry out repairs to the badly cracked area at the entrance to the Apron Car Park over the Winter Shutdown period. External Appearance of Museum - it is hoped to make a start on repairs to the render on the front of the Museum next year and then repaint. Electrics an IT The new Broadband system is now in place. Fire alann System - The conversion of this system from Battery to Mains operation is being looked at by Alan Chillcott. The new CCTV has now in place for some time and the quality of the images is extremely good including those during darkness. Over the last year, we have continued to hold sessions to ensure that all Artefacts have been photographed. We are are grateful to Tony Cropper for his input with this. We have continued to add numerous Artefacts too the Museum"s collection. The total number of Artefacts in the Collection is around 12,500. They are all stored safely and their locations recorded. There are some Artefacts on display in cabinets around the Museum for Visitors to see. Ian Humphreys continues to monltor the Museum environment weeldy for temperature and humidity, monthly for light levels and 3 monthly for bugs and changes to silica gel with the delicate Artefacts. He continues to work on displaying Artefacts when they need flxing to walls or displaying in different ways. Heidi Ellison continues to sort out the latge amount of documentation in the Library, identifying those items needing to be put into the Museum"s Collection. Alan Bryant continues to develop the Museum"s Photographic Collection which is now one of the finest collections of local photographs in the area. Caroline Beresford continues to work on the Museum s Oral History Project, so we have both a digital and a paper copy for future generations. Roger Windsor reads through documentation identifying items which relate to the Museum area. This is helpful as it removes unnecessary documentation from the Library. Geoff Cole scans documents for the Curatorial Team. His work is used to add infonnation to the Visitor computers and since the beginning of the 2024 season, 9 booklets are now on display in the Douglas Roorn. Ralph Brain and Bill Douglas are the reliable Room Guides to the Douglas Room with their unrivalled knowledge of the Marque. In addition, Ralph continues to keep the Douglas Motorcycles and artefacts clean and shining.
The WECA Grant enabled us to buy 6 new cabinets with lights which have enhanced the displays where they are currently used. In addition, we purchased three 24" photoviewe which run in different rooms. For the Museum Talks, we purchased, with the help of funding from the Friends, a computer with software, a Projector, a Screen and a Wired System to keep the set- up tidy. All we need to do now is to purchase new carpet tiles which we hope to complete in Decernber 2024. The Dave Prowse Green Cross Code Droid has proved to be a popular feature for Visitors again this Year. The Addition of the Model Railway has also been very popular. During the Winter Shutdown, we aim to buy a new "Photoviewerf, and some 'Talking files" to provide more interactivity around the Museum. Tower access by the Visitors has been stopped for most of this Season. It reopened a few weeks ago to allow Vistors to look inside with a barrier across the entrance. Once repairs have been carried out to the inside of the Tower, the Visitors can go in side again but is likely to be some time before this happens. We have have been using blinds to cover pictures, paintings and delicate Artefacts to protect from ultra-violet light. They look neat and easier to use when closing the Museum after it has open to Y1t0[S. The majorfty of Artefacts are stored away on the Top Floor; Ian and Heidi have spent many hours tidying it and disposing of unwanted items. We continue to support schools and other institutions in the local community by lending them display items and information. As mentioned earlier, during the Winter Shutdown, we aim to buy new carpet tiles for all rooms without them, except the Douglas Room. The 2024 Season new displays were: Spot light on Wannley, Siston, Webbs Heath and Bridgeyate. Regent Street and High Street - Kingswood Pubs in and around the Kingswood area. 200 years since the birth of Handel Cossham. The Midland Railway including construction of a model railway. Some existing displays were updated. The Displays proposed for 2025 are: Spotlight on Kingswood. Mines - In and Around the Kingswood Area. Celebrities who have visited the Kingswood Area. Roll of Honour of Soldiers from in and around Kingswood Area who lost their lives during WW2. Additions to the existing WW 2 displays.
Some existing displays we hope to update such as Methodism and the Farn] Map. Events & Talks - O anised b Linda Pa Since April 2024 we have had 8 Talks on diverse subjects such as Bristol East Auctions and History of Bristol Zoo. All of them were were well subscribed and one Talk ,"The History of Coal Mining in the Bristol Area, especially Kingswood, Hanham and Warmley" was repeated due to demand. Further Talks this year are . 9 October - History of Wannley- Alan Bryant 13 November "I predict a Riot - The story of the 1831 Bristol uprising" 2° December ' The Story of Christmas Traditions" Talks booked so far for 2025 : 12 March 2025 "Witchcraft & Magic" 9 April 2025 "Buders Family and the Coal Tar Industy" 14 May 2025"Avon Wharf- Bitton" 11 June 2025 "Americans in Bristol in the Second World Warf, 9 July 2025 "The Story of Cossham" Events- 2024 The Museum re-opened on Eastsr Saturday 30 ch and Easter Sunday 31" March and Easter Monday I" April. Early Spring (May Day) Bank Holiday, the Museum opened Saturday, Sunday and Monday (4,, 5,, 6., May 2024). 6. July 2024 "Friends" heId a Table Top sale 13 July 2024- East Bristol Auctions - Well Attended. Late Spring Bank Holiday (Douglas Cavalcade) (25 , 26th 27th May 2024). August Bank Holiday (24. to 26° August 2024). 14 & 15 September 2024 Heritage Open Days. Tools for Self Reliance also held a Tool sale on both days. Saturday 5 October 2024- Volunteers" Social Evening & Quiz This went very well - Thanks to Annette and Alan Bryant. Saturday 2P October 2024 "Museum at Night" Sunday I" December 2024 - "Xmas Craft Fair" All thanks to Linda & Jo for organising many of the above. utofHo Grou s 2024 and I Grou We have had visits from 8 Out of Hours Groups including Margaret Wills's Birthday Party on 26 June and Mike & Jane Judd"s 40 Wedding Anniversary on 18 August. Still to come aTe: 14° October 2024 Redfield Edge School 7 November 2024 Wick Primary School and also on this date , Kingswood Cubs. 27th November 2024 Kingswood Scouts.
Lynda Blackwell also carried out Outreach visits to Wick Primary on 24 September and Courtney Road School on 27 September 2024. During the Winter, we lost the Glass Loft which has not helped our finances, but we still have the Boxing Gym, Tools for Self Reliance, Men in Sheds, Ladies DIY and Knitters & Natters who meet on Wednesday afternoons. Administration & Fund Raisin The Administration Office continues to be run very efficiently by Paul Evans and Dale Blackwell with Anne Pinker now helping Paul in day-to-day tasks. Paul is liaising with Richard Hartill to access grant funding for the repairs and improvements that the Museum needs. Currently we have achieved or are seeking, funding for Repairs to the Interior of the Tower, Solar Panels on the Roof, Waterproofing of the Toilet Walls and Roof and lrnproving the Appearance of the External Walls of the Museum. Future Projects are, Repairs to the Car Par Park Concrete, Batteries for the Solar Panels, Additional IR Heaters in Rooms with no heating, Insulating the Wooden Wall on the Second Floor and an External Fire Escape for the Second Floor. Statistics - Dale Blackwell Total Number of Visitors from start of January 2024 to end August 2024 was 1845 ( Including Group and School Visits and Douglas Club meetings). The September figures will include the Open Days when we did have a large number of visito through the door. Although they did not pay, the Cafe did very well. So far this year, we are about 100 Visito down on last year. The Cafe The Cafe has done very well this year, even making money when the Museum was open for free on the Heritage Open Days. I must thank the great work done by the Cafe Volunteers, Barbara Russell, Jill Robins, Jo Payne, and Sue Cook. A new Boiler has been fitted by Alan Chillcott and Paul Evans, plus a lirne de-scaling unit in the water pipe to the Boiler. nin and Rece tion De I must give my thanks to the two stalwarts Steve Wood and Ian Humphreys, who open up the Museum each week from April to November. We really need a few additional KeYhOlde to relieve the load on Steve and Ian. Also my thanks to Margaret Wills and Pam Hum who look after the Visitor Reception Desk at Weekends and Tuesdays. I must finish the Chairman's Report for 202312024 with my thanks to all Voluntee who have worked so hard and consistently over the past 12 months to maintain the Museum s high reputation. Also, this will be my last Chainnan s Report as l am stepping down after 6 Yea in the position. We have been through some difficult times with the various lock-downs and restrictions of the Covid pandemic but we all hope that is behind us now. I wish you all the best in the Future,
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To the Trustees and Members of KINGSWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM TRUST Receipts & Payments A¢count for the year ended 31 March 2024: I have examined the statements, vouchers and books made available to me and in my opinion the ReiptS & Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2024 presented shows a true and fair statement of the receipts and payments of the Kingswood Heritage Museum Trust for the year ended on that date and of the excess of receipts over payments for the period then ended of £10,973.67. The balance carried forward is represented by a reconciled balance on current account at the Natwest Bank of £68,347.93 and Cash in Hand of £427.62 and the documents presented to me are consistent with those balances. I have not fomially confirmed the Cash in Hand at the year-end. Michael Bendrey, 27 May 2024.
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To the Trustees and Members of KINGSWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM TRUST Receipts & Payments A¢count for the year ended 31 March 2024: I have examined the statements, vouchers and books made available to me and in my opinion the ReiptS & Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2024 presented shows a true and fair statement of the receipts and payments of the Kingswood Heritage Museum Trust for the year ended on that date and of the excess of receipts over payments for the period then ended of £10,973.67. The balance carried forward is represented by a reconciled balance on current account at the Natwest Bank of £68,347.93 and Cash in Hand of £427.62 and the documents presented to me are consistent with those balances. I have not fomially confirmed the Cash in Hand at the year-end. Michael Bendrey, 27 May 2024.