## Victoria County History of Essex Trust Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Contents ||page| |---|---| |Trustees and Advisers|2| |Trustees’ Report|3| |Trustees’ Responsibility Statement|5| |Receipts and Payments Account|6| |Statement of Assets and Liabilities|7| |Notes to the Accounts|8| |Independent Examiner’s Report|10| 1 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Trustees and Advisers |Trustees|Kenneth L Crowe, BEd, MA, AMA, Chairman| |---|---| ||Rt Hon Lord Petre, KCVO, JP, MA, Vice Chairman| ||Louisa Tippett, BSc, ACA, Treasurer| ||Sarah E L Manning-Press, BA, Secretary| ||Benjamin J Cowell, OBE, BA, PhD (appointed 15 June 2024)| ||Johanna Dale, MA, PhD, FRHistS| ||Amanda Flather, PhD| ||Sir Graham Hart, KCB, PhD| ||John Jowers| ||Darren McLoughlin (appointed 15 June 2024)| ||Professor Anthony Tuck, PhD (retired 15 June 2024)| |Principal address|25 Sussex Road| ||Colchester| ||Essex CO3 3QH| |Registered charity number|1038801| |Editor|Herbert Eiden, BA, PhD| |Independent Examiner|Samantha Martin, FCCA| ||119 Colchester Road| ||West Bergholt| ||Colchester| ||Essex CO6 3JX| |Bankers|HSBC Bank plc| ||99 High Street| ||Chelmsford| ||Essex CM1 1EQ| 2 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Trustees’ Report We are delighted to welcome two new Trustees this year: Dr Ben Cowell ad Darren McLoughlin. Ben is Director General of Historic Houses and was previously the regional director for the National Trust in the East of England. Darren is a senior building surveyor who has worked in Southend (notably on the Prittlewell Priory restoration project), in the south-west of England and for the National Trust, based in Kent. He is now back in south–east Essex. Herbert Eiden and Andrew Senter, along with your Chairman, attended the VCH Day in May at Senate House. Dr Ruth Slatter presented a paper on the programme of digitising the Red Books, while the principal talk was by Dr Catherine Clarke, the Director, on the future of VCH Shorts. University of London Press will no longer be involved in the publishing of the shorts series and in the future individual Trusts will be responsible for publishing, although VCH Central will still have oversight to ensure academic standards are met and also facilitate the process. This will inevitably put an extra burden on our editorial team. The Southend short will be the final one published by ULP and it is pleasing to report that the final proofs for this volume were received towards the end of the year. VCH Central Office invited all VCH Trusts to complete a “Knowledge Exchange Survey” the purpose of which was to discover how Trusts engage with the public and communities, contribute to local growth and regeneration, together with sections on research partnerships and publications. We are grateful to Chris Thornton and Herbert Eiden for completing this form for the Essex VCH Trust. The work on Volume XIII (Harwich and Dovercourt) has progressed steadily, with final drafts of the completed chapters having been uploaded onto the VCH website. These include Medieval Landownership together with the sections on Religious History, Government and Politics and Social and Economic History for the 19th century. Work is progressing on the interwar period and on the ‘long’ 17th century. We must extend out thanks to Essex Heritage Trust for their continued support, and also to our marvellous supporters and regular donors, although the financial situation remains challenging. The Clacton Group had a very successful launch of their latest publication, The Holland Brook Story and the Tendring Hundred, in Tendring Village Hall on 20 April. Talks were given by Chris Thornton, Herbert Eiden and Ken Crowe to the Clacton Group during the year. 3 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Trustees’ Report VCH Essex held their second annual conference at the Galleywood Heritage Centre in October, on the theme of Religion, Reformation and Society. This was a very successful event, with many very favourable comments afterwards, and helped to raise awareness of the VCH Essex Trust and the work we do. Thanks to our speakers, three of whom were Trustees! Ticket sales, raffle and sales from our second-hand bookstall raised about £1,000, a valuable contribution to our funds. Finally, I must thank our external examiner, Samantha Martin, and my fellow Trustees for their support throughout the year and, in particular, our Secretary, Sarah Manning-Press and Treasurer, Louisa Tippett; and our splendid editorial team, Herbert Eiden and Andrew Senter and, of course, Chris Thornton, who continues to contribute so much. Ken Crowe Chairman 4 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Trustees’ Responsibility Statement The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for preparing a receipts and payments account and a statement of assets and liabilities for each financial year that properly present the Charity’s receipts and payments during the year and its assets and liabilities at the end of the year. In preparing those statements, the Trustees are required to: - select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently; - make judgements that are reasonable and prudent; and - prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in operation. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which enable them to ensure that the receipts and payments account and the statement of assets and liabilities comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 5 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2024 |2024
£
Receipts
Designated funds and donations
Unrestricted donations
Donations from individuals (see note 3)
**13,666**
Gift Aid (including interest) reclaimed
**1,527**
Donations from Councils and Societies
**1,188**
Donations from Trusts
**4,250**
Legacy
Investment income – interest
**1,513**
Other income (see note 4)
**1,581**

Total receipts

Payments
Direct charitable payments
Payments in respect of Volume XII,
Volume XIII, Harwich and Southend
Editors
**17,765**
Assistant Editor
**19,200**
Grants – Clacton Group
**500**
Other expenditure (see note 6)
**1,894**

Total payments

(Deficit)/surplus of receipts over payments
Funds balances brought forward

Funds balances

Designated funds included in funds (see note 2)|2024
£
**13,666**
**1,527**
**1,188**
**4,250**|£
**5,000**
**20,631**
**1,513**
**1,581**|2023
£
8,820
5,031
4,300
4,250
500|£
5,000
22,901
1,354
1,155| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**1,513**||1,354|| ||**1,581**||1,155|| ||**17,765**
**19,200**||14,125
20,000|| |||**28,725**||30,410| |||**36,965**
**500**
**1,894**||34,125
2,663| ||**500**
**1,894**||2,663|| |||||| |||**39,359**||36,788| |||**(10,634)**
**88,369**||(6,378)
94,747| |||**77,735**||88,369| |||**120**||120| 6 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Statement of Assets and Liabilities for the year ended 31 December 2024 |Monetary assets
HSBC current account
HSBC deposit account
Cash|**2024**
2023
**£**
£
**2,941**
2,340
**74,750**
85,985
**44**
44| |---|---| ||**77,735**
88,369| Approved by the Board of Trustees on 4 March 2025 and signed on their behalf by Ken Crowe Louisa Tippett Trustee and Chairman of the meeting Trustee and Hon Treasurer 7 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 ## 1 . Accounting policies General These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011. ## Basis of preparation The financial statements are prepared on a cash basis whereby income and expenditure is only recognised as it is received or paid. 2. Designated funds and donations In 2022 donations were received to assist with postage and publishing costs for members preferring to receive AGM papers rather than digital delivery and costs have reduced this designated reserve. In 2024 we received the final annual payment of £5,000 of a total grant of £15,000 from the Essex Heritage Trust which has been used to partly fund the work of Dr A Senter for his continued work on Harwich for inclusion in Volume XIII. 3. Donations from individuals Donations from individuals in 2024 amounted to £13,666 and £8,820 in 2023. Where available the claim for Gift Aid of £1,527 was received with interest for 2023. A claim of £3,359 has been made for 2024. |4.Other income
Raffles – AGM and 120
th
Celebration event
Lectures
120
thCelebration event
Book sale
Sales of Newport ‘Short’
Sales of Harwich ‘Short’|2024
£
**247**
**130**
**1,035**
**95**
**64**
**10**
**1,581**|2023
£
232
60
628
91
48
96
1,155| |---|---|---| 8 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 ## 5 . VCH ‘Shorts’ Newport – The Trustees funded production costs of £1,748 in 2015. During 2021 a further print of 50 books was funded at £328. Total sales up to 31 December 2024 amounted to £2,760 (2023: £2,696). Harwich – The costs of production were agreed at £1,220 in 2020. During 2024 a further print of 50 books was funded at £156. Total sales up to 31 December 2024 amounted to £2,160 (2023: £2,150). |6.Other expenditure
Editors’ other services
Insurance
Subscriptions and books
Newport ‘Short’
Stationery, printing and postage
Room rental
Bank charges
Publicity material|2024
£
**825**
**90**
**24**
**156**
-
**301**
**201**
**297**
**1,894**|2023
£
1,750
90
6
-
420
318
79
-
2,663| |---|---|---| 9 Victoria County History of Essex Trust ## Independent Examiner’s Report To the Trustees of the Victoria County History of Essex Trust I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 December 2024. ## Responsibilities and basis of the Report As the Trustees of the charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## Independent Examiner’s statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act: or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Samantha Martin FCCA Independent Examiner 119 Colchester Road West Bergholt Colchester Essex CO6 3JX 31 May 2025 10