Trustees’ annual report and accounts 1[st] February 2021 – 31[st] January 2022
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Administrative information | 3 |
| The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum (“the Museum”) | 3 |
| The collection | 4 |
| Risk Management | 5 |
| Review of the | 6 |
| Year | |
| The Covid-19 pandemic | 6 |
| UNESCO designation | 6 |
| Funds and fundraising | 7 |
| Temporary exhibitions | 7 |
| Governance | 7 |
| Other developments | 7 |
| People | 8 |
| The future | 8 |
| Financial report | 10 |
| Approval | 11 |
| Appendix – independent examiner’s report | 12 |
2 | P a g e
Administrative information
The Trust is a charitable unincorporated association registered as a charity in England & Wales, number 1040128. It is governed by its Trust Deed dated 11[th] July 1994 with its principal object being:
“the collection, conservation and display of narrow-gauge railway relics and material for the education of the public in an enjoyable way”.
Accredited Museum No 1433
Registered office: Wharf Station Tywyn Gwynedd LL36 9EY
Personnel
| Trustees appointed by | Ian Evans | Minutes secretary |
|---|---|---|
| the Talyllyn Railway | John D Olsen PhD, MRSB, CIBiol | |
| Preservation Society | Malcolm Phillips | Collections manager |
| Wendy Pink | ||
| C Keith Theobald | Chairman | |
| Co-opted trustees | Diane K Drummond PhD FHEA | |
| C Russell Hatt CEng MICE (resigned 8th | ||
| December 2021) | ||
| Frank Nolan (appointed 8thDecember | ||
| 2021) | ||
| Officers | Charles Fleming | Legal adviser |
| Robert Gwynne BA, PGCE, DipM, AMA | Museum mentor | |
| Andrew Nock | Secretary | |
| Stephen Powell | Treasurer |
Unless otherwise shown, all personnel served throughout the reporting year.
The Trustees met 10 times during the reporting year. In order to comply with official guidance regarding Covid-19 security, and recognising consequent difficulty for some in travelling to Tywyn, all meetings were held remotely by audio-video conference. At all their meetings the Trustees kept in mind their duty to provide public benefit.
Bank: CAF Bank Ltd
25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ
The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum (“the Museum”)
The Trust’s aim is to record and interpret the history of narrow-gauge railways in the British Isles and beyond. While a number of passenger-carrying railways have been preserved and still operate, primarily now to serve the tourist market, many other passenger-carrying lines, as well as numerous industrial and military ones, ceased to exist in the mid-20[th] century. The pioneering enthusiasts and collectors of those times laid the
3 | P a g e
basis of the collection while it was still possible, so that today the story of these railways can be told, most of which never achieved the widespread following enjoyed by the main lines, but were in their own way important contributors to economic and social history.
The Trust’s main activity is managing the Museum to ensure its current operation and secure its long-term sustainability.
The Museum occupies a purpose-made building, opened in 2005 as part of the major redevelopment of the Talyllyn Railway’s Wharf station in Tywyn. Its location alongside a working narrow-gauge railway gives the Museum’s story a living context, and adds a significant attraction to the pleasure and interest of a journey on the Railway. Elsewhere on the Wharf site the Museum also has use of the historic Gunpowder Store and new building featuring the original Talyllyn Railway weighbridge.
The Collection
The main collection consists of items relating to narrow gauge railways of the British Isles, and to the Talyllyn Railway in particular.
The Trustees continue to review selectively items offered for sale at auction, and make a reasonable bid for any item which they consider would enhance the collection. Items are also offered to the Museum from time to time, with any accession decision being taken by the Trustees. Accessions now tend to be small items, reflecting the reality of new material availability, and the pressures on the Museum’s space.
During the reporting year, 33 objects were added to the Main Collection . Amongst these were two rare locomotive works plates, and three large models, two being of Talyllyn Railway rolling stock and the third a model of the old Corris Station. Examples of the items added are:
| added are: | ||
|---|---|---|
| TYWRM:FMR004 | book | Fairbourne Miniature Railway guide book |
| TYWRM:FR061 | plan | Track plan of the Festiniog Railway drawn by J.C.Gillham dated February 1957 showing the lines in place at the time. |
| TYWRM:FR065 | book | Festiniog Railway Gravity Trains |
| TYWRM:IOM105 | document | Isle of Man Railway Statement of Accounts and Balance Sheet 31 December 1944 |
| TYWRM:MOD007 | model | 7¼ in gauge model of a slate wagon |
| TYWRM:MOD008 | model | 7mm scale model of Corris Railway Station c1930 |
| TYWRM:MOD009 | model | 7¼ in gauge model of Talyllyn Railway van 146 built by Viv Thorpe |
| TYWRM:SDR003 | works plate | Works plate from Baldwin locomotive 44522 |
| TYWRM:TR364 | timetable poster | Talyllyn Railway timetable poster for 1970 |
4 | P a g e
| TYWRM:TR365 | book | Talyllyn Railway Guide Book for 1965 |
|---|---|---|
| TYWRM:TR370 | timetable | Talyllyn Railway Timetable; undated; possibly 1940s |
| TYWRM:TSQ001 | nameplate | Cast iron nameplate MARGARET found at Talysarn Slate Quarry. Margaret was the daughter of owner John Robinson. |
| TYWRM:VER001 | booklet | Volks Electric Railway and how it is worked |
| TYWRM:WHR035 | works plate | Works plate from Baldwin locomotive 45172 WHR No.590 |
| TYWRM:WHR036 | button | North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway uniform button |
89 items were added to the Support Collection , mostly reference books for the Museum library.
10 items were added to the Awdry Collection , most coming from the Rev W.V. (Wilbert) Awdry’s family. In particular, the Trustees were delighted to receive the clerical cloak worn by Wilbert, which used to hang on the back of his study door at Stroud.
| TYWRM:AWD515 | record | Chiltern Records recording of Edward's Day Out and Edward and Gordon read by the Rev W.V. Awdry. |
|---|---|---|
| TYWRM:AWD516 | cloak | Clerical cloak worn by Rev W.V. Awdry |
Some items in the collection – mainly wagons – are displayed outdoors on the Wharf site. Some large items – locomotives and a wagon – which cannot be accommodated at Tywyn for lack of space are on loan to appropriate institutions elsewhere in the UK.
Risk management
The Trustees maintain, apply and review policies relating to:
-
Emergencies
-
Safeguarding
-
Health and safety
-
Environment
-
Data protection
-
Managing conflicts of interest and conflicts of loyalty
The Trustees maintain a Designated Insurance Reserve fund as cover against loss or damage to items in the Collection.
The Trustees also earmark a proportion of the Trust’s cash balance (held in a high-interest account, £42k at the end of the reporting year) as a hedge against higher running costs. The Trust occupies its premises on very beneficial terms from its landlord the Talyllyn
5 | P a g e
Railway, and could face substantially higher costs if changing circumstances caused the Railway to alter its terms.
Review of the year
The Covid-19 pandemic
At the start of the reporting period the Museum had been closed to the public since 5[th] December the previous year in compliance with Welsh Government restrictions. Changes in official regulations allowed the Trustees to re-open the Museum on 17[th] May, and the Museum continued to open for the rest of the reporting period on days when the Talyllyn Railway operated a public train service; in practice, this meant that opening was daily throughout the summer and until the end of October, on weekends in November when the Railway decided exceptionally to open because of the significant number of tourists visiting the area at a conventionally quite time, and on certain days around Christmas and New Year. Initially only restricted numbers of visitors were allowed in the Museum at one time to maintain social-distancing, with these restrictions being gradually relaxed.
The Museum requires an Attendant to be present whenever it is open to the public, and until the pandemic all attendants had been volunteers; most of them because of age were in Covid at-risk categories and were therefore unable or reluctant to resume duty when the Museum re-opened. In the previous reporting period the Museum had employed two temporary Museum Assistants to provide attendant cover; from 1[st] April 2021 the Talyllyn Railway Company took responsibility for the postholders, continuing to make them available for Museum duties to supplement those volunteer attendants who decided to resume duties, and consequently it has proved possible to staff the Museum in order to open whenever needed.
Visitor numbers, total 13476, substantially exceeded the previous year’s, reflecting the relaxing of Covid restrictions and the strength of tourism in Wales. The total in the most recent ‘normal’ year (2019) was 16671.
| Year | Days open | Adult visitors | Child visitors | Total visitors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 194 | 10501 | 2975 | 13476 |
| 2020 | 84 | 1248 | 204 | 1452 |
UNESCO designation
On 28[th] July UNESCO announced that it had recognised World Heritage status for the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales, the culmination of many years of hard work by the NW Wales community. The designation included the Talyllyn Railway, along with
Abergynolwyn village, and Bryneglwys Quarry, whose slates the Talyllyn Railway carried to Tywyn. There, the Wharf station where the Museum is now located was equipped from the outset with a purpose-built facility for transshipping slate from narrow to standard-gauge wagons, enabling the onward movement of Bryneglwys slate within Britain and across the world.
6 | P a g e
The announcement was a great encouragement to the Trustees, who are intent on ensuring that the Museum fulfills its potential to support public understanding of the vital part narrow-gauge railways played in Wales’s slate industry, taking advantage of Its situation alongside a working slate railway with its original locomotives and rolling stock, and its many exhibits from the slate quarry railways.
Funds and fundraising
In the previous year the Trust had received £52620 in public grants to support its operations during the pandemic, and in the reporting year it received £40,910 , including £23,000 from the Welsh Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund.
The Trustees cannot reasonably expect such public support in the future, but running costs have risen and the Trustees therefore must actively promote other sources of funds. Previously, cash donations from visitors had provided a steady income, but because many visitors no longer carry cash the Trustees have set up cashless payments options; online, via SMS text, and in the Museum by card reader. For the longer term they are working with a consultant as part of the ‘Prospering Boards’ programme run by AIM (Association of Independent Museums) to identify other new sources and approaches to fundraising.
Temporary exhibitions
To enhance its interpretation and provide fresh interest for repeat visitors the Museum regularly mounts temporary exhibitions, often to celebrate a significant anniversary or to focus on a special area of interest. Low visitor numbers meant that the 2020 exhibition – ‘narrow-gauge railways in literature’ – had a much smaller audience than it merited, and so it has been placed in its entirety on the Museum’s website to enable more people to enjoy it, the first time this has been done.
The 2021 temporary exhibitions marked two centenaries; of the Abermule single-line collision on the Cambrian Railways, and the construction of Talyllyn Railway (and previously Corris Railway) locomotive no 4, along with the history of Kerr, Stuart & Co the locomotive’s builder.
Other developments
Over the year the Trustees have continued to work on two important projects, following the setback caused by the pandemic:
-
The oral history project, to record personal memories of narrow-gauge railways and the slate industry;
-
Digitising and cataloguing the Museum’s extensive photographic collection.
The Museum has lately been offered substantial collections of books and artefacts as bequests from former supporters, creating a significant workload identifying items for the Museum collection, and sensitively disposing of other items to good advantage.
Governance
Following a recommendation in the 2018 accreditation review the Trustees continued to pursue incorporated status for the Museum Trust. Their application in September to the Charity Commission for CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) registration was declined, and the Trustees expect to re-apply in the current year.
7 | P a g e
People
Most Trustees and Museum officers served throughout the reporting year. By mutual agreement Mr Russell Hatt resigned amicably in December to create a vacancy for Mr Frank Nolan, who lives locally to Tywyn and is able to devote considerable time to the Museum. Dr Drummond also moved to Tywyn, meaning that the Museum now benefits in terms of oversight and activity from having 4 trustees living close by. His colleagues thank Mr Hatt for his service and continuing support.
As noted earlier, some volunteer attendants felt able to take up duty again after the pandemic; the Trustees thank them, as well as putting on record their gratitude to those who served loyally over the years but no longer feel able to do so.
Museum working parties, which generally meet on Thursday mornings, outside during the summer and indoors in the winter, and do work vital to maintain the Museum, were able to re-start on 6[th] May.
To the Trustees’ regret the deaths took place during the reporting period of three gentlemen who had each made uniquely significant contributions to the Museum’s life and work, and are much missed:
Alan Holmes Former trustee and secretary Winston McCanna Former trustee; working party organiser 2005 to 2016 Don Newing Former trustee, secretary and archivist
The Trustees gratefully acknowledge their service and commitment, and express sympathy to their families in their loss.
The passing of former supporters underlines the importance of adequate personnel succession planning, and for some time the Trustees have been keen to find opportunities for children and young people to become involved with the Museum. During the October half term week, Talyllyn Tracksiders[1] did some work to support the Museum and enhance the Wharf Station area in support of the UNESCO world heritage status, replacing the modular track under the Museum's 2ft gauge wagons using heritage/original TR rails and chairs.
The future
The Museum’s Accredited Museum status was to have been reviewed in the coming year, but administrative pressures within the Welsh Government following the pandemic have delayed this by a year or more. The Trustees continue to maintain and review their policies in order to maintain good governance practice and be in a fit state when the review eventually takes place.
The Trustees must also take all possible steps to secure the Museum’s financial sustainability.
1 ‘Tracksiders’ exists to provide opportunities for families with children to work together on the TR during the May and October half terms.
8 | P a g e
More broadly, the Trustees look forward to a period of ‘normality’ again, with activities unconstrained by pandemic restrictions, and to welcoming many visitors to enjoy all that the Museum has to offer.
9 | P a g e
Financial Report
| Financial Report | Financial Report | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Trust | Registered charity 1040128 | |||||
| Accounts foryear ended31st January 2022 | ||||||
| Fund Type | Unrestricted | Designated | All | Previousyear | ||
| Fund Name | General | Insurance reserve |
||||
| RECEIPTS | ||||||
| Donations in Museum | £2,592.53 | £2,592.53 | £495.00 | |||
| Other Donations | £6,238.30 | £6,238.30 | £4,734.74 | |||
| Friends Subscriptions | £1,112.00 | £1,112.00 | £887.00 | |||
| Legacies | £1,000.00 | £1,000.00 | £0.00 | |||
| Grants | £40,909.78 | £40,909.78 | £52,620.00 | |||
| Gift Aid Tax Reclaim | £0.00 | £0.00 | £3,698.69 | |||
| Sales | £120.00 | £120.00 | £0.00 | |||
| Fees | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
| Miscellaneous | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
| Bank Interest | £3.89 | £188.25 | £192.14 | £601.70 | ||
| Total Receipts | £51,976.50 | £188.25 | £52,164.75 | £63,037.13 | ||
| EXPENDITURE | ||||||
| Collection | ||||||
| Acquisition | £3,927.28 | £3,927.28 | £78.68 | |||
| Repair & Maintenance | £5,685.84 | £5,685.84 | £0.00 | |||
| Presentation | £1,007.93 | £1,007.93 | £1,164.73 | |||
| Subscriptions | £389.20 | £389.20 | £277.80 | |||
| Grants | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||
| Staffingcosts | £26,439.83 | £26,439.83 | £10,783.14 | |||
| Covidprecautions | £0.00 | £0.00 | £11,540.40 | |||
| Miscellaneous | £13,900.13 | £13,900.13 | £455.23 | |||
| Total Payments | £51,350.21 | £0.00 | £51,350.21 | £24,299.98 | ||
| Net Receipts | £626.29 | £188.25 | £814.54 | £38,737.15 | ||
| Balances b/f 01/02/21 | £64,490.07 | £41,947.68 | £106,437.75 | £67,700.60 | ||
| Balances c/f 01/02/22 | £65,116.93 | £42,135.93 | £107,252.29 | £106,437.75 |
10 | P a g e
----- Start of picture text -----
Fund balances at 31/01/2022
Fund Balances
General Insurance Reserve £ 42,135.93
Represented by
NWB A/C gross £ 436.20
CAF Cash A/C 31/01/20 £ 23,444.86
less unpresented cheques etc.
£ - £ -
plus unstatemented credits
£ - £ -
£ - £ -
CAF Cash A/C net £ -
CAF Gold A/C 31/01/22 £ 41,235.30
plus unstatemented credits
£ - £ 41,235.30
CAF Gold A/C net £ 41,235.30
£ 65,116.36 1-year Bond £ 42,135.93
----- End of picture text -----
Financial commentary
Total expenditure at £51k was more than double that of the previous year, and even higher than in the most recent ‘normal’ year, 2019, when it was £6k. This is largely explained by higher running costs, in particular staffing, with the Trust reimbursing the Talyllyn Railway for Museum attendant cover by its employees until the end of September. Because such costs are now met by the Railway, future running costs will be below this peak, but the Trustees must plan for the probable absence of significant revenue grant funding in the future, further underlining the importance of developing other funding sources.
Approval
This report was approved by the Trustees at their meeting on 17[th] May 2022.
11 | P a g e
Appendix
Independent examiner’s report
12 | P a g e
35 l