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2024-11-30-accounts

Ramsden Bellhouse Village Hall AGM

26[th] January 2025 3pm

In attendance: 32

  1. Apologies : Rob Mitchelson, Ann Wellborne, Richard Wellborne

  2. Jamie welcomed everyone to the meeting. There were no issues raised with the minutes of the last meeting.

  3. Chairman’s Report – this year has been very positive, with two successful events - St George’s Day Breakfast and the Christmas Bazaar. Jamie thanked all the people that helped, planned and participated to make these events a success. There have also been many changes as part of the overall refurbishment and updating of the hall. The online booking system is now fully complete and is operating very successfully, thanks to Carol. The transition to online banking is also complete which has greatly improved control over the finances and removed the need for cash and cheque payments. A card reader has also been used at the Bazaar to take payments.

Jamie thanked Barbara Stanton who has resigned from the committee after serving as website administrator for 13 years, giving us her time and experience and always supporting the events. It is hoped that Barbara will still be an integral part of the team for future events. Barbara was presented with a bouquet of flowers.

Jamie thanked Leigh Woodward, who organised the Social Dance classes at the hall. She has now stepped away from this as a section and resigned from the committee. Leigh has helped out this year to support the treasurer and played a part in preparing the accounts for the Charity Commission and the audit. Leigh organised the Christmas Tree Lighting event this year as well as supporting other events. Leigh was presented with a bouquet of flowers.

Jamie also expressed his thanks to Ann Wellborne, who unfortunately could not be present at the AGM. She has supported the village hall on the committee but also with the social secretary role. She has very successfully organised several events such as the long-standing St George’s Day Breakfast and the Christmas Bazaar.

We will not be replacing the role of Website Administrator for at least a year. This is due to us using an external provider to produce a new website for us to match the changes in the hall. We hope to be able to encompass the history of the old website with a modern face. As soon as we are ready we will share with you the launch.

The plans for the coming year are to continue decorating the hall internally as well as some improvements externally. We are looking to improve our lighting externally, car park facility and replace fascia boards there will also be some new additions as there have been this year, such as a fridge and internal party lighting.

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Jamie thanked the committee for continuing to give up their free time to make the village hall the success it is, especially to Melvin as vice chairman and Carol for stepping into several roles when needed.

  1. Treasurer’s Report – Carol introduced herself and explained that the person replacing the previous treasurer had to resign so she and Leigh had taken on the role. Carol thanked Leigh for her contribution, and her work in providing the financial documentation to the Charity Commission. Leigh is unable to continue in the role so Carol will remain treasurer for the time being.

The priorities in the last year have been to maintain the hall, increase usage and fundraising efforts. There has been significant progress as you can all see. Last year IMF Coult were appointed as auditors for the accounts, which have been audited successfully with no issues. It is intended to appoint IMF Coult again this year.

During the year, the Village Hall generated income from a variety of resources which are included in these figures. We have purchased equipment this year and have been renting items such as our 1100 litre bin, the car park, the backdrop and selling anything unnecessary in the hall:

Our key expenses included:

In summary, the net surplus of receipts for the year is positive at £5,701.48, up on last year due to all the items mentioned above and we managed to save some money to continue updating the hall and providing our users with the best facilities possible.

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Key points for the financial outlook for 2025:

Carol thanked everyone who has helped out through the year, from the villagers who helped her to cut back the hedge in the summer, to all the volunteers at the hall events. If any of you would like to help out, then let someone in the committee know. It’s a great opportunity to get involved in your local community.

  1. Bookings Secretary’s Report – Carol gave us a report:

The Booking Stats:

We have achieved this through a variety of solutions;

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Challenges:

Conclusion: This year has shown a successful increase in the usage of the hall and we look forward to continuing to serve the community by providing a versatile and welcoming space. We are confident that with the recommended changes and ongoing support from the community, we can ensure even greater success in the coming year.

Acknowledgements: We thank all our users, volunteers, and committee members who have contributed to the smooth running of the village hall this year.

  1. Facilities Management - Melvin presented a summary of the work that has been undertaken this year. Firstly, he acknowledged all the routine tasks that take place such as maintaining supplies, gardening, fire certificates among others. The Christmas tree was erected together with a new permanent light control box.

  2. Repairs and replacements included

  3. New Hall door glass replaced after accidental damage

  4. Dishwasher faulty, 10 years old, replaced it with a lease scheme

  5. Old Hall main doors painted; letter box removed; new door handle fitted

  6. Toilets - seats repaired, aged urinal pipework leaking, replaced

  7. Storeroom cupboard door fixed

  8. New drain manifold installed in car park to address long standing flooding issue

  9. Rear lighting added to illuminate rear car park

  10. Boiler gas pressure inadequate, new piping layout required, urgent action needed to keep hall heating on

  11. Broken Gas Governor cover replaced

  12. Large Hoover cleaned and now in regular use

  13. New batteries fitted to the defibrillator

  14. Kitchen First Aid Box Contents refreshed

Improvements that have been carried out include:

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Some of these are small changes but make a big difference for users

A tidy up of the outside area has been carried out too

In terms of hall management:

Improvements to equipment and facilities:

Future activities planned:

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  1. Election of Officers and Members of the Committee – the posts have been filled as follows: Chairman - Jamie Ward

Vice chairman - Melvin Simpson

Secretary - Hilary Simpson Treasurer - Carol Wraight Booking Secretary - Carol Wraight Publicity Officer - Richard Wellborne

Website - vacant, not needed this year as we have professional support for the year Social Secretary - there is a potential candidate

Public members - Pauline Greenan. The section reps will remain the same as last year.

As mentioned in the chairman’s report, Leigh Woodward, Barbara Stanton and Ann Wellborne have resigned from the committee

  1. Village Hall Charity for 2025 Selection

Five charities had been nominated and a vote among the committee narrowed this down to 2 charities - Spotlight and Basildon Minds. Unfortunately, Basildon Minds did not have a representative at the meeting - Jamie outlined their work. A representative from Spotlight was at the meeting and told us about their work fundraising for the radiotherapy unit at Southend Hospital which serves all of the Mid and South Essex area. They have funded equipment for Surface Guided Radiotherapy which will improve the experience of patients undergoing radiotherapy by detecting if they have move position and exactly where the radiotherapy is to be applied. This removes the need for patients to have tattoos, makes the radiotherapy for patients with head cancers less claustrophobic and means that the treatment will be more effective as it is always directed to the correct area. Further funding will be used to make the department more pleasant for everyone, for example having images on the ceiling of the radiotherapy room to improve the patient experience. A vote confirmed Spotlight as the charity for the year.

A member of the public suggested that Aspire cafe, staffed by students at Castledon School, is considered next year. The usual process is that the charities are nominated by the sections and committee members and the nomination must be a charity.

  1. Any Other Business – The Aspire Café which used to be called Poppies was recommended. The issue of people driving on the grass and causing ruts was discussed - it is planned that the old rotten wooden posts will be replaced by posts with lighting. There has been one incident where a hall user did not know how to turn the heating on. Rusi thanked the committee for all their hard work over the year

The meeting closed at 3.35pm and was followed by a cheese and wine – thanks to Pauline Greenan and Melanie Ward for arranging this.

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RAMSDEN BELLHOUSE VILLAGE HALL ACCOUNTS

1st December 2023 to 30th November 2024

Opening Balances

Current Account 2,797.29 9,797.29 Total all accounts
Business Premium 7,000.00
Receipts Expenses
Rental Income 19,686.80 Repairs/Maintenance 7,961.17
Private Rental 6,111.40 Cleaning 5,361.31
Events 2,510.55 Donatons 50.00
Charity RBVH 3,636.50 Subscriptons 200.40
Bowls Insurance 95.32 Electricity/Gas 6,283.80
WIFI - Idnet 329.00 Rates 236.30
Electricity/Gas 568.15 Waste (1100l bin) 105.00
Loan 98.75 Gardening 640.00
Water 1,724.97
Insurance 873.49
Equipment 1,197.00
Audit 480.00
Internal Transfer 4,000.00 Cash Account Closure 989.73
Sundries 121.58
Loan 1,220.00
Internal Transfer 9,890.26
37,036.47 37,335.01
Closing Balances
Current Account 2,498.75
Business Premium 13,000.00
Total all accounts 15,498.75

RAMSDEN BELLHOUSE VILLAGE HALL CHURCH ROAD, RAMSDEN BELLHOUSE CM1 1RH

External Financial Review of Ramsden Bellhouse Village Hall Registered Charity No. 1025468 Period Ending: 30[th] November 2024

Following my review of the financial records provided by RBVH, I confirm the following:

Treasurer Succession Planning: Policy Recommendation:

Developing a comprehensive financial policy can support future treasurers by providing clear, consistent guidance. Such a framework promotes strategic continuity, strengthens transparency, and safeguards the charities financial integrity through well-defined practices.

This review does not constitute a formal audit but reflects a thorough examination of the financial data made available to me. I remain available to support any follow-up actions or provide further clarification as needed. Lastly, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Carol for her efforts in providing all the supporting documentation.

Prepared by:

Tarnya Brannon

BBS Bookkeeping & Accounting Services

Ls) 07878 022435 | tarnya@bbs-accounting.com ~~oo~~ | bbs-accounting.com

Supporting your financial clarity from Tiptree, Essex

Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT)