## **FLACKWELL HEATH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION** Straight Bit, Flackwell Heath, Buckinghamshire, HP10 9LS Registered Charity No 1044870 ## **– REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES 2023** The Trustees have pleasure in submitting their Trustees Annual Report, the Chairman’s Report from the AGM held on 8[th] May 2024, the minutes of said AGM and the audited financial statement for the Association for the year ended 31[st] December 2023 Increases in utilities, cleaning and general running costs, combined with a slight reduction in centre bookings (following the bumper 2022 post-Covid year) and Grapevine advertising/circulation, led to a deficit of £7,206. However we do not expect this trend to continue through 2024. At the time of writing bookings are up on the same date in 2023 and we have covered major renovations (replacement windows) through successful grant applications. It is therefore expected that the charity finances will return to a ‘break-even’ situation in the near future. The FHCA committee have continued to maintain the Flackwell Heath Community Centre, and the adjoining Day Centre to a high standard. ## _**Trustees**_ The Trustees at the end of the year were: Chris Cramer, Chris Thomas and Barrie Walmsley. We are grateful to all those who have supported the Association and encouraged us in our efforts to improve the facilities for the community of the village of Flackwell Heath. Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by: Electronically signed by: Christine Cramer Reason: I am the author of this document Date: Jun 20, 2024 14:41 GMT+1 Chris Cramer Chairman ## TAR 2023 Final Audit Report 2024-06-20 Created: 2024-06-20 By: Christine Cramer (christine.cramer@worldwide.com) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAActQsyaCp1v9ovPtLUL3wYI-XNKo4zS5q ## "TAR 2023" History Document created by Christine Cramer (christine.cramer@worldwide.com) 2024-06-20 - 1:40:43 PM GMT- IP address: 163.116.177.124 Christine Cramer (christine.cramer@worldwide.com) authenticated with Adobe Acrobat Sign. 2024-06-20 - 1:41:41 PM GMT ## Document e-signed by Christine Cramer (christine.cramer@worldwide.com) Signing reason: I am the author of this document Signature Date: 2024-06-20 - 1:41:42 PM GMT - Time Source: server- IP address: 163.116.177.123 ## Agreement completed. 2024-06-20 - 1:41:42 PM GMT **FLACKWELL HEATH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION** Registered Charity No. 1044870 http://flackwellheathcommunitycentre.org.uk ## Chairman’s Report 2023/2024 It is with much sadness that I open my 2023/24 report with the news that Barrie Walmsley, our Treasurer for approximately six years, sadly passed away in March. Barrie had planned to stand down at this AGM due to health concerns but his death so soon was unexpected. Our thoughts are very much with Sheila and his family. Barrie did much for the community in Flackwell Heath. Not only supporting both the Community Centre and the Day Centre but so much more. He was someone that could be relied on and we are sad that he is not here today for us to show him how much he was respected and what he meant to our team and the village as a whole. Lynne Wallis has very kindly agreed to take on the treasurer role for FHCA and she is aware that she has big boots to fill. Since we last met in 2023, the committee has kept up with the general maintenance and completed all the major tasks outlined at our AGM and many more besides. This has ensured that the hall continues to serve its key purpose, that of a central meeting place available to all villagers who wish to make use of its facilities. ## **Bookings:** Bill Austin, our Bookings Manager, has been attempting to stand down for the last couple of years. He has done an amazing amount of work in maintaining our bookings system and has made changes to keep it operating efficiently and we are so grateful to him. He has been a key influence within our team. I am happy to say that we have now secured a new recruit, Sarah Taylor, to take over from Bill. Sarah has been steadily taking over the invoicing (over Bill's watchful eye) and communication aspects for the regular users and proving to be a great asset to our committee. Chris Thomas is continuing to manage the one-off bookings, but I am sure she would be happy to pass that on should someone be prepared to offer their services. Between them they are keeping things going extremely well but would, I am sure, be delighted to have an offer of help. As a reminder for regular groups invoices are raised three times a year and generated from the calendar dates booked. Thanks to the team of Natalie Caldwell, Chris Thomas, Frank Hynes, Susan Lawes who assist me, in de-alarming the Centre on Saturday and Sunday mornings and Bank Holidays, then checking all is shipshape before setting the alarm again after the last activity. This all helps to keep running costs down as we do not need to use RFA (the security firm who secure the premises Monday to Friday nights), unless we have a very late booking, at weekends. Ad hoc bookings have remained as popular as ever, with at least one party or other local event most weekends. We still have a few available slots through the week but most weekdays (and weekday evenings, Monday through Thursday) are quite full. A few new groups have been added during the year. If you look at the Centre calendar on the website you will see the many activities that take place in the course of a week. Almost all our hirers leave the Centre clean and tidy. FHCA: Managing the Community Centre and providing The Grapevine newsletter for the villagers of Flackwell Heath ## **Social Activities/Fund-Raising:** As in previous years we have joined forces with the Flackwell Heath Residents Association in the following events (Just as a reminder, we do not commit any Centre funds to the FHRA, all income from bookings goes towards the upkeep of the Community Centre and Day Centre): - September: Quiz Night, very well attended and a highly successful event from both a social and financial aspect. Craig Lewis and his helpers produced another excellent set of questions and, with the scores being totaled electronically there could be no arguments! It’s always a close-run thing and everyone enjoyed the quiz and supper. - December: We made the Centre available for the annual Christmas village event, with plenty of stalls along The Common. Various group and entertainers performed on the stage and the carol signing and tree lighting went ahead as usual. Father Christmas was in residence in The Day Centre and had a steady stream of young visitors. The Paperback and Jigsaw library continues to increase in popularity with visitors coming from, not only the village itself, but also from further afield, for which we thank Alison and Jeff Harvey and their team of helpers. The numbers attending, and the donations of books and jigsaws have increased month on month. A few new helpers have stepped forward, but I know that Alison and Jeff would always welcome a few more people to support them, even if only for a few months a year. The helpers enjoyed a Christmas lunch together at The Three Horseshoes in December and were thanked for their efforts. ## **Future Events:** In the coming year we have the following events scheduled: - Sunday, 30[th] June: Grapevine Road Reps Tea - Saturday, 28[th] September: Quiz Night with FHRA - Saturday, 30[th] November: Christmas event – street fair, tree lighting, Father Christmas etc. If anyone would like to suggest and/or hold an event in the Centre to bring the people of the village together we would love to hear your ideas. ## **The Grapevine:** The village magazine continues to provide a good source of information for forthcoming village events and other local news. The team of helpers under Joyce Wiles guidance are keeping everything running smoothly and they never seem short of copy. Thank you to Joyce and her team, to the Peaches for managing the distribution and for all the road reps who perform the house-to-house deliveries. I should probably also thank Craig Lewis and Malcolm Wiles who seem to find time to provide articles and great photographs for each issue. We hope to have another afternoon tea, as a show of thanks for all the distributors, in June as time didn’t permit last year. ## **Maintenance** ## : Frank Hynes has continued to manage all maintenance and improvements to the Centre structure and facilities, and also to manage the annual safety inspections and regular carpet cleaning etc. He contributes so much to the Centre (and Day Centre) week in, week out that I can’t thank him enough. Paul Sutherland has continued to provide a great deal of help with the general maintenance, assisting with many repairs which has been greatly appreciated and I know Frank really appreciates his support. ## Works accomplished 2023/2024: - Paint/repair Sarney projection wall - Replace two Sarney Room windows - Unblock Day Centre sewerage drain due to tree roots - Draught proof Day Centre doors - Electrical system check and certification Day Centre and Centre - Gas safety check and certification Day Centre and Centre - PAT test appliances in Centre - Fire extinguishers check and service in Centre - New high level efficient windows and remote openers in main hall - Various minor repairs, blocked toilets, light fittings, roof leaks, missing screws, etc. (too many to list, it’s an old building) ## Plans for 2024/25: - New windows and openers in toilet block, Lottery grant received. - New LED lights in Kitchen, **done.** - New LED lights on stage, **done** - New soakaway to fix drainage problem, **done** . - Replace cladding above high-level windows to fix persistent leaks, **done** . Gas usage 2022 compared with 2023, almost the same. Electricity usage 2022 compared with 2023 down by 23%, due to LED lighting ## **Website** : Our website - flackwellheathcommunitycentre.org.uk – has been kept up to date throughout the year. Thank you to Alison Baker for her assistance in maintaining the front end of the website and to Malcolm Wiles for keeping an eye on the back end and security. Booking and general information enquiries are made directly from the site and back copies of The Grapevine continue to be uploaded for reference. ## **Gardens:** Our gardener, Katrina Scott, together with Kieran Upward who has been cutting the grass, has kept the Centre surroundings neat and tidy. We also had some help from the Community Payback team who cut the hedge along the car park. ## **Mast Installation Update:** Fortunately, we have heard nothing further and other sites in the village have been investigated. ## **General:** I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank my committee for all their hard work and support throughout the past year, without which the Community Centre, and by association the Day Centre, simply could not function. Thanks also to Video Express for continuing to be our key holders and A1 taxis for allowing us to use their letterbox to return keys after hours. Although we have coped incredibly well throughout the year, despite being a relatively small team, by working together efficiently and sharing tasks as evenly as possible, there are occasions when we do become overstretched. We would therefore be delighted to welcome new committee members and charity trustees. Hence the time you would be committing to does not need to be much and can be tailored to match your skill sets and preferences. Even one hour a month can be put to good use! It would be great to have a new person come forward to take over from me, in my role as chairman to ensure fresh ideas are put on the table. However, should that not be forthcoming I am prepared to continue for another year should the assembled audience and fellow committee members wish me to do so. If anyone feels they might feel more confident joining as a co-chair or ‘understudy’ in the first instance feel free to come and have a chat. Chris Cramer Chairman FHCA 01 May 2024 FLACKWELL HEATH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Registered Charity No. 1044870 ## **MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD IN THE SARNEY ROOM ON WEDNESDAY, 8TH MAY 2024** ## PRESENT Elected Officers & Trustees: Chris Cramer (Chairman), Chris Thomas (Secretary). Committee Members: Frank Hynes (Facilities Manager), Susan Lawes Affiliate Representatives: Brenda Aldridge (WI), Barbara Dickinson (Evening WI), Anna Hayward (arrived 8.15pm) (Anna’s Dance Fitness), Trish Phillips (Badminton E), Alex Sanmogan (Anna Rose Dance), Joyce Wiles, Grapevine, Village Residents: Peter Lawes. Alan Phillips, Paul & Pauline Sutherland, Lynne Wallis ## WELCOME The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and stated how grateful the committee were for their support. ## 1.0 APOLOGIES Apologies were received from: Bill Austin (Bookings Manager), Sue & John Crowden, Jeff & Alison Harvey (Paperback Library), Mary Heffernan (Table Tennis), Isobel Middleton (Age Concern Day Centre), Alison & Nigel Peach, Sarah Taylor, Carole Telfer, Barbara Thompson, ## 2.0 MINUTES OF LAST MEETING The minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held on the 10[th] May 2023 were agreed as a true record and were adopted. Proposed: Frank Hynes, Seconded: Sue Lawes ## 3.0 CHAIRMAN’S REPORT - 3.1 The Chairman then gave a brief summary of her report. - 3.1.1 It is with much sadness that I open my 2023-24 report with the news that Barrie Walmsley, our Treasurer for approximately six years, sadly passed away in March. Barrie had planned to stand down at this AGM due to heath concerns but his death so soon was unexpected. Our thoughts are very much with Sheila and his family. - 3.1.2 Lynne Wallis has very kindly agreed to take on the treasurer role for FHCA and she is aware that she has big boots to fill. ## 3.2 Bookings: - 3.2.1 Bill Austin, our Bookings Manager, has been attempting to stand down for the last couple of years. He has done an amazing amount of work in maintaining our bookings system and has made changes to keep it operating efficiently and we are so grateful to him. He has been a key influence within out team. I am happy to say that we have now secured a new recruit, Sarah Taylor, to take over from Bill. Sarah has been steadily taking over the invoicing and communication aspects for the regular users and proving to be a great asset to our committee. Chris Thomas is continuing to manage the one-off bookings, but I am sure she would be happy to pass that on should someone be prepared to offer their services. As a reminder for regular groups, invoices are raised three times a year and generated from the calendar dates booked. - 3.2.2 Thanks to the team of Natalie Caldwell, Frank Hynes, Susan Lawes and Chris Thomas who assist me in de-alarming the Centre on Saturday and Sunday mornings and Bank Holidays. We then check after the event that all is shipshape before setting the alarm again. This all helps to keep running costs down as we do not need to book our security company unless it is a late booking. - 3.2.3 Ad hoc bookings have remained popular. We still have a few available slots through the week. The Centre calendar is on our website so you can see the many activities that take place in the course of the week. ## 3.3 Social Activities & Fund Raising: - 3.3.1 As in previous years we have joined forces with the Flackwell Heath Residents Association in the following events (Just as a reminder, we do not commit any Centre funds to the FHRA; all income from bookings goes towards the upkeep of the Community Centre and Day Centre): September: Quiz Night, very well attended and a highly successful event from both a social and financial aspect. Craig Lewis and his helpers produced another excellent set of questions and, with the scores being totaled electronically there could be no arguments! It’s always a close-run thing and everyone enjoyed the quiz and supper. In December we made the Centre available for the annual Christmas village event with plenty of stalls along The Common. Various groups and entertainers performed on the stage and the carol signing and tree lighting went ahead as usual. Father Christmas was in residence in The Day Centre and had a steady steam of young visitors. - 3.3.2 The Paperback and Jigsaw library continues to increase in popularity with visitors coming from, not only the village itself, but also from further afield, for which we thank Alison and Jeff Harvey and their team of helpers. The numbers attending, and the donations of books and jigsaws have increased month on month. The helpers enjoyed a Christmas lunch together at The Three Horseshoes in December as a thank you for their efforts. ## 3.4 Future Events: - 3.4.1 In the coming year we have the following events scheduled: Sunday, 30[th] June: Grapevine Road Reps Afternoon Tea Saturday, 28[th] : Quiz Night with FHRA - Saturday, 30[th] November: Christmas event – street fair, tree lighting, Father Christmas etc. - 3.4.2 If anyone would like to suggest and/or hold an event in the Centre to bring the people of the village together we would love to hear your ideas. ## 3.5 Grapevine: - 3.5.1 The village magazine continues to provide a good source of information for forthcoming village events and other local news. The team of helpers under Joyce Wiles guidance is keeping everything running smoothly and they never seem short of copy. Thank you to Joyce and her team; to the Peaches for managing the distribution and for all the road reps who perform the house-to-house deliveries. I should probably also thank Craig Lewis and Malcolm Wiles who seem to find time to provide articles and great photographs for each issue. - 3.5.2 We plan to have another afternoon tea in June as a show of thanks for all the distributors and Paperback Library volunteers. ## 3.6 Maintenance - 3.6.1 Frank Hynes has continued to manage all maintenance and improvements to the Centre structure and facilities, and also to manage the annual safety inspections and regular carpet cleaning etc. He contributes so much to the Centre (and Day Centre) week in, week out that we can’t thank him enough. Paul Sutherland has continued to provide a great deal of help with the general maintenance, assisting with many repairs which has been greatly appreciated and I know Frank is really grateful for his support. - 3.6.2 Major refurbishment accomplished 2023-2024: - Paint/repair Sarney projection wall - Replace two Sarney Room windows - Unblock Day Centre sewerage drain due to tree roots - Draught proof Day Centre doors - Electrical system check and certification Day Centre and Centre - Gas safety check and certification Day Centre and Centre - PAT test appliances in Centre - Fire extinguishers check and service in Centre - New high level efficient windows and remote openers in main hall - Various minor repairs, blocked toilets, light fittings, roof leaks, missing screws, etc. (too many to list, it’s an old building) - Plans for 2024/25: - New windows and openers in toilet block, Lottery grant received. - New LED lights in Kitchen, **done.** - New LED lights on stage, **done** - New soakaway to fix drainage problem, **done** . - Replace cladding above high-level windows to fix persistent leaks, **done** . - 3.6.3 Gas usage 2022 compared with 2023, almost the same. - 3.6.4 Electricity usage 2022 compared with 2023 down by 23%, due to LED lighting ## 3.7 Website: - 3.7.1 Our website has been kept up to date throughout the year. Thank you to Alison Baker for her assistance in maintaining the front end of the website and to Malcolm Wiles for keeping an eye on the back end and security. Booking and general information enquiries are made directly from the site and back copies of The Grapevine continue to be uploaded for reference. ## 3 8. Gardens - 3.8.1 Our gardener, Katrina Scott, together with Kieran Upward who has been cutting the grass, has kept the Centre surroundings neat and tidy. We also had some help from the Community Payback team who cut the hedge along the car park. - 3.9 Mast Installation Update - 3.9.1 Fortunately, we have heard nothing further and other sites in the village are being investigated. ## 3.10 General - 3.10.1.I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank my committee for all their hard work and support throughout the past year, without which the Community Centre, and by association the Day Centre, simply could not function. - 3.9.2 Thanks also to Video Express for continuing to be our key holders and to A1 Taxis for their support too with regard to the key safe. - 3.9.3 Although we have coped incredibly well throughout the year, despite being a relatively small team, by working together efficiently and sharing tasks as evenly as possible, there are occasions when we do become overstretched. We would therefore be delighted to welcome new committee members and charity trustees. Hence the time you would be committing to does not need to be much and can be tailored to match your skill sets and preferences. Even one hour a month can be put to good use! It would be great to have a new person come forward to take over from me, in my role as chairman to ensure fresh ideas are put on the table. However, should that not be forthcoming I am prepared to continue for another year should the assembled audience and fellow committee members wish me to do so. If anyone feels they might feel more confident joining as a co-chair or ‘understudy’ in the first instance feel free to come and have a chat. - 3.10. The Chairman’s report was accepted. Proposed by Frank Hynes and seconded by Joyce Wiles. - 4.0 ## TREASURER’S REPORT - 4.1 Provisional accounts for 2023 were circulated. These were prepared by Lynne Wallis and Chris Cramer. - 4.2 Grapevine advertising is down as some invoices were not sent out. - 4.3 Cleaning costs have risen and will continue to rise since the basic wage rate is due to increase. - 4.4 Costs of repairs are down as most of the larger projects have been undertaken. We have also been fortunate to receive small grants this year. - 4.5 Our net deficit for the year is (£7726). We are down by about £7,000 from last year. - 4.6 We will re-examine our finances and may have to increase some of our hire charges next year. - 4.7 The Chairman thanked Lynne for all her work on providing these accounts. Lynne replied that it was made easier by the leg work that Barrie had previously undertaken. - 4.8 There were no further questions and it was unanimously agreed to accept the draft accounts. These will be updated and sent to the Independent Examiner for her approval. - ’ ## 5.0 ELECTION OF OFFICERS - 5.1 The officers were happy to stand for re-election:Chris Cramer, Chairman Chris Thomas, Secretary Lynne Wallis was approved as Treasurer and welcomed to the committee. Sarah Taylor would take over as Bookings Manager with Chris Thomas continuing to concentrate on the one-off bookings. Frank Hynes as Facilities Manager. We believe that Alison Barker was happy to remain on the Management Team. - 5.2 It was proposed that the willing officers be elected and this was unanimously agreed. - 6.0 ELECTION OF AN INDEPENDENT EXAMINER FOR THE COMING YEAR Carolyn Collins was willing to continue as Independent Examiner for which we thank her. - 7.0 ANY OTHER BUSINESS - 7.1 It was noted that the photograph of King Charles had not been ordered yet but Barbara Thompson is dealing with this. **(Action: BT)** - 7.2 Barbara Dickinson said that the WI was grateful for the new microphone although some speakers do not like to use it. - 7.3 Brenda Aldridge thought it would be beneficial if the microphone was used at the AGM. This was noted for next year. _**(Action: CC/CT)**_ There being no further business to discuss, Chris thanked everyone for their attendance and closed the meeting at 8.45 pm. All were invited to partake in the refreshments. Chris Thomas, Secretary FLACKWELL HEATH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION FINANCIAL ACC NTS FOR THE YEAR ENDIN 31DE EMBER 2023 Noles 2023 2022 Hall Bookin Fundraisin Gra evine Advertisin Gra evine Sales Interest on Bank Balances saw&Pa r back Libra Donations l Grants s & Affiliation inc £248 rec'd 30112122 34772 742 1695 4225 3359 2476 3057 50326 41940 718 3977 4410 883 2516 2189 56633 Total EXP Cleanin Gardenin Gra Insurance Performin hts Socie airs Renewal & Maintenance Securi servI￿s Sundries Utilili8s Rates Website 12751 10307 1070 5985 2651 333 24820 5185 741 3425 5860 3059 536 18277 5151 282 9904 728 140 57532 nla 55203 Total NET SURPLUS DEFICIT FOR YEAR Add: Balance of Funds broughl forward 7206 169247 1430 167894 BALANCE OF TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 162041 169247 BALANCE OF CASH CARRIED FORWARD 15699 14385 Approved by ￿￿.c- Chairman Chnsts'ne Cramer Trustees Treasurer Lynne Wallis FLACKWELL HEATH COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION No io Accounts End December 202 Fundraising 2023 2022 Fundraisin Donations Grants 582 160 3234 145 2044 See Total 742 5423 Utilities Electricit Gas Water Tele hone Total 1767 6387 1197 552 9903 1584 2479 1123 485 3425 Interest r￿e1Ved Business Savin s Account Barcla Charities De osit Fund CCLA Nationwide 95 Da Tolal s Bus Premium 22 1282 2055 3359 nla nla nla 883 Balance of Funds Unrestricted Funds Current Account Barcla s Communit Business Savin s Account Barcla Charities De osit Fund CCLA Nationwide 95 Da Total 15699 676 21093 124573 162041 14385 2535 29810 122517 169247 Bus Premium Report of the independent examiner to the twstees of the Flackwell Heath Community Association I have examined the Re￿iptS and Payment account for the year ended 31 $1 December 2023 as set out on pages 2 and 3 and report that it is in accordance with the records and vouchers presented to me. Carolyn Collins Ledgers Accountancy Services Ltd L•dg•v• *¢￿IlDI￿rty s*ry￿r.￿s Lt