Tring & District Local History & Museum Society Registered charity no. 1053276 Annual Report 2024-25Adopted by the trustees on 23 April 2025 This has been a highly satisfactory and momentous year for the Society and its museum. Membership of the committee (which is the trustee body of the charity) remained unchanged, al- though regrettably towards the end of the year our Membership Secretary. John Savage, told us he would be unable to continue owing to poor health. John held the position for ten years. and brought his customary integrity. exacting standards and efficiency to bear on the task, for which we are most grateful. David Annstrong kindly stepped in to help with the annual subscription renewals. At the AGM in 2024. members agreed to convert the Society from Registered Charity status to that of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Regrettably, owing to the ill health of the consultant ad- vising us and the perversities of the online conversion process. we were not able to achieve the change by the year end, but it is hoped that it will be made very soon. Our programme of speaker evenings, assembled by Shelley Savage, brought us yet again a variety of fascinating topics. Mike Hutchinson recounted the history of Tring Park School, enlivened with hair-raising memories of fornier pupils. Paul Ilabbitts took his book Leighton Buzzard in 50 Build- ings as the basis for a tour of our neighbouring market town, and Liz Young described the ancient but endangered craft of bookbinding. Local resident Liz Green told us about the role of a High Sheriff, along with her own charitable activities. Frank Iddiols identified and explained the numer- ous but largely forgotten Ordnance Survey bench marks still to be found, and the ever-dependable Julian Hunt spoke of the representation of Bucks and Herts in the Domesday Book. We remained as ever grateful to Tring Town Council for their moral support. and their grant which largely offsets the rent. Steps have been taken towaTds the renewal of the museum lease next year. Museum activity has been dominated by the loan of two complete and two fragmentary examples of the medieval 'Tring tiles, from the Victoria and Albert Museum. It remains highly unusual for a museum of our size to achieve a loan from a national institution, and yet this is our second such loan. following that of the 1315 Charter from The National Archives in 2015. Many hurdles had to be jumped before the loan could be agreed, but the display has proved very striking and popular. Alongside the V&A tiles have been shown the remarkable interpretations of tiles thought once to have existed, using the same comic-book style and made by artist Susan Elaine Jones, who also pro- duced an explanatory book on the subject. Various groups were invited to make private visits to the exhibition and the response was remarkable. Prehistory returned in the fonn of fibreglass dino- saurs. bringing us at least to the attention of a large number of parents. These initiatives all contrib- uted to a 24 % upturn in annual museum attendance, bringing the number of visitors by the end of March to 2,952. We have at last achieved the restoration of an oil painting from our collection which was in no state to be displayed. being damaged and discoloured and without its frame. Home Farm, painted in the 1890s by Kate Gardiner Hastings. sister of Richardson Carr who lived there. has now been repaired by conseTvators Therese and Al Prunet-Brewer, and it will go on display soon. We were delighted to receive a generous grant towards this work from the Hertfordshire Heritage Fund. Driven Principally by insurance requirements, our lan(llord Tring Town Council presented us with a number of compliance obligations. on matters ranging from electrical and fire safety to the potential presence of legionella and asbestos. These have necessitated some expenditure, without iaising any
insunnountable problems. An expensive upgrade to the sliding doors also had to be carried out, as well as security improvements needed for the V&A display. We have maintained an ample number of volunteer stewards, on whose support the museum de- pends. We remain anxious to improve the comfort of the Outer Gallery and hope to be able to in- stall additional insulation and better heating before cold weather sets in again. Our ability to collect and store artefacts continues to be impacted by the constraints of the Heritage Store in Berkhamsted. We welcomed the appointment of Melissa Maynard-Linsey to the post of Museum Manager there and can only look forward io the eventual resolution of the storage issue. Our very existence relies on a strong membership base and our numbers have held up well, as have our finances, despite the numerous costs incurred in meeting the V&A and Arts Council England's requirements in connection with the loan of the tiles. We were thriIled to hear that a local charity, on winding up its activities and distributing its capital, had chosen to make us a grant of £10,000, a generous endorsement of the work which the Society does and a recognition of the place which the museum has come to occupy in the local community. Customary Society activities like the Reminiscence Group and the Quiz sheet have remained suc- cessful and popular. The Newsletter has thrived and the contribution of sixth form history students at Tring School has continued. The website has experienced over 126,000 visits. We returned to the Victoria Room to participate in the town's Christmas Festival, our display bringing 475 visitors. The indefatigable Wendy Austin has written a new volume, Communications come to Tring, and generously given us copies to sell. Our popular title The Rothschilds and Tring was reprinted, justi- fied by strong sales at Waddesdon Manor and the Natural History Museum. Walks were conducted for Heritage Open Days and the Chiltem Society's heritage festival. All of this requires leadership and direction, and the trustees have taken steps to plan for their suc- cession, preferably involving younger people. While firmly believing that the Society punches above its weight and is well regarded in the local history world, it is dear that it can only continue to succeed if it attracts people who can bring energy and enthusiasm as well as adaptability to new ideas, methods 3JJd opportunities. Our organisation is entirely voluntary, and we would like to thank all Society mernbe, especially those who are active participants, for their continuing support. Without their dedication and hard work, the Society and its museum would be unable to make the strong contribution to Tring life that it does. Itm Amsden Chairman
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1053276 TRING & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY AND MUSEUM SOCIETY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 CONTENTS Receipts and Payment Account Statement of Assets and Liabilities Independent Examiners Report
Unrestrlctsd funds Membershi Book sales &rehandisa sales Fundraisir¥i_ Donatiork8 & bequests Giants_ iTdnA Tom Coun¢il Bahk inter•st HMRC gift ald refund 2.474 13.731 2.200 2,200 1,055 28.208 16.077 Herts IqentaAe Fund- ,.Dacorum 8orouLh Counc ',Share Museums East- Tile demonstrai 800 '.Reminiscence rou funds Kl In 103 rAL RÉCEIPTS 30,707 16,980 MLbs•um runntng_costs Mlwum building developm•nt & improvement costs E£upi_mentpurcha6e & maintenance 5.523 637 Book p.ublishinA.costs Of p.urchased fc resale Merchandis6wrchased for iesale Hall hire, exhibition and fvndraiSin$e eoker evonin.9_eo$ts txdudinAhall hire sa¢ not• 7 Subscriptions Admlni3tration costs Bank and c8r(I machK)è costs New616tter costs PubIiri¢0ts Slewdrds èvent Trust88.pvblic liabl_ity aNI eont8nts insurnTh Traini& conlerence sts Website hosti_n9_COSts Ch8rltable InrpOrat¢d O --nI$80rt wv8r8bn costs Yaar book publishSnAcosts sUndendure TOTAL PAYMEpirs 1,215 311 S02 201 155 513 174 159 650 31,852 18.t38 1.14S Toi81 Bank lunds at 1 ri12024 67,278 TOTAL CASH & BANK FUNDS AT 31 March 2025 86,133;,
4th Bank Awiunts Current Totsl Bank Accourt Balances Cash in hand 65,930 67,128 Totsl Bank & Cash Account Balances 67.278 Leasehokl Mitseuin Bulldlry Renovatlon & Dlspl_ . Set Up_costs (An70rtlsed over 14 y_ears to 2026) Totsl Orinal costs IMrOvementS frc>m own fijnds du 306,195 3.195 ar 308,583 1245,3271 3r,195 -j245.32?L 18.322 42,546 ,. Léss Building_irants recesved Other grants receiv¥d 44.934 .Amoitlsallon of leasehohj Im Balance cathed foM8r¢l 31 March 2025 6.211 i E9ulp_mert (DereCIated 200/0 RB Xcost brou9hl foAvard 1 nI 2024 rAddilions duringar Diyposals during year 11.202 1 512 13,258 12,746 Pepreaabon lo dalt ,Balance carried forward 31 iAarth 2025 3.C(J2 ',Current Assets .' Merchandise & book stock ,. Relit heid as depiisrt 3.225 4,225 77,860 '; 80,427 Curinit Uabllities 77.660 ' 80,427 Rresented bj balafi on: Allocated funds: . Museum development & Im Artefa¢t acqulsilion fund Washirytors mgmodal fun R&minls¢ence 9rOU fvnd 11,893 eb ,,Genefal lund Total Funds 77,660 80,427 IR. C. H@n$ FCA tHon. Tfe8surer
& District Local Histo and Museum Soeie INDEPENDENT EXAMtNER?S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF TRING & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY AND MUSEUM SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR EM)ED 31 MARCH 2025 I report to the Tn]stees on my examination of the accounts of Tring & District Local History and Museum Society for the year ended 31 March 2025. Responsibilities and basis of this report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for th¢ preparation of the accounts in accordanc¢ with the Charities Act 2011 (*he Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the Society's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examinatioffj I have followed all the applicable directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5Kb) of the Act Independent examiner's statement I bave completed my earnITtion. I confirni that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the exarnination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: l. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Society 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 examinatson to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Zoi) B Johnson B Com FCA 9, Slllublands Road Berkhamsted HP4 3HY Date TDLH&MS Reg. CharirN' no. 105i?76 Independent ExamTner's reFM)rt
& District Local Histo and Museum Socie INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF TRING & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY AND MUSEUM SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Tring & District Local History and Museum Society for the year ended 31 March 2025. Responsibilities and basis of this report As the charity's trustees. you ar¢ resp)nsible for the pryration of the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (*he Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Society's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In canying out my examinatio I have followed all the applicable directions given by th¢ Charity Con]mission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Act Independent examiner's statement I bave completed my examinOn. I confirn] that no material matters have come to my attention in connection the examination giving me use to believe that in any mat¢rial respect: accounting records were not kept in respect of the Society as required by section 130 of the Act. or 2. the 0ullts do not acrd with those records I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. B Johnson B Com FCA 9. Slllublands Road Berkhamsted HP4 3HY Date TDLH&MS Reg. Charit%. no. IOi"?76 Independent Examiner's report