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2021-03-31-accounts

NORFOLK FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

AGENDA, MINUTES, REPORTS and ACCOUNTS

for presentation at the

25[th] ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

at

KIRBY HALL, NORWICH

on

SATURDAY 29[th] JANUARY 2022

Although COVID-19 infection rates continue to fall across the UK in light of the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant now prevailing the Trustees have decided reluctantly that it would be prudent not to have a large group of people attending a meeting in the restricted spaces of Kirby Hall at the moment and hence have decided that the AGM will be held solely on Zoom again – date and times remain unchanged.

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CONTENTS

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||| |---|---| |NOTICE OF MEETING .................................................................................. 2| |AGENDA ..................................................................................................... 2| |Note 1 ................................................................................................. 2| |Note 2 ................................................................................................. 3| |REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS| |FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2021 ................................................. 8| |REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES ............................................................................. 8| |Reference Details ............................................................................... 8| |Trustees .............................................................................................. 8| |ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS ............................................................................. 9| |Incorporation ..................................................................................... 9| |Trustees’ responsibilities .................................................................. 10| |Recruitment and appointment of new Trustees .............................. 10| |STRUCTURE,|GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT .............................................. 11| |Governing document ....................................................................... 11| |Risk Assessment ............................................................................... 11| |OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES ........................................................................ 11| |Objectives and aims ......................................................................... 11| |ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE .............................................................. 14| |Membership ..................................................................................... 14| |Coronavirus ...................................................................................... 14| |Achievements ................................................................................... 15| |PUBLIC BENEFIT ........................................................................................ 18| |FINANCIAL REVIEW .................................................................................... 20| |Reserves policy ................................................................................. 20| |Principal funding sources ................................................................. 20| |FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS ............................................................................ 21| |INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT .............................................................. 23| |STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES ........................................................... 25| |BALANCE SHEET ........................................................................................ 26| |NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ......................................................... 28|

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NOTICE OF MEETING

The 25[th] Annual General meeting of the Norfolk Family History Society will be held at Kirby Hall, 70 St Giles Street, Norwich, Norfolk on Saturday 29[TH] January 2022 at 12.00 Noon GMT.

AGENDA

No. Item Resolution
1 Apologies for absence
2 Minutes of the AGM of 27thMarch 2021 1
3 Matters arising from the Minutes of the meeting of
27thMarch 2021.
4 To receive the Directors’ / Trustees’ Report for the 2
year ended 31stMarch 2021
5 To consider and approve the Accounts for the year 3
ended 31stMarch 2021 (and the Auditor’s report
therein)
6 To re-appoint ARGENTS, 15 Palace St., Norwich as the 4
Reporting Accountants for the ensuing year and to
authorise the trustees to fix their remuneration
7 Re-appointment of Mrs Belinda Broad – see note 2 5
8 Re-appointment of Mr Charles Bush – see note 2 6
9 Re-appointment of Mr Peter Steward – see note 1 7
10 Re-appointment of Mr Steve Tartellin – see note 1 8
11 Re-appointment of Mr Phil Whiscombe – see note 1 9
12 To transact any other business of the Company

Note 1

In accordance with Articles 34 and 35 of the Society’s Articles of Association the Trustees recommend that the following members of the board retiring by rotation be reappointed.

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Mr Peter Steward, currently the Editor of the Norfolk Ancestor was appointed to the Board in 2014 and re-appointed 2018.

Mr Steve Tarttelin, currently the Transcripts’ Coordinator was appointed to the Board in 2016 and re-appointed 2019.

Mr Phil Whiscombe, currently the Chair was appointed to the Board in 2014 and re-appointed 2018.

Note 2

In accordance with Article 39 of the Society’s Articles of Association the Trustees recommend that the following members of the board who were appointed by resolution during the year, and hence are required to retire by the Articles, be reappointed.

Mrs Belinda Broad, currently the Membership Secretary.

Mr Charles Bush, currently the Premises and Maintenance Manager.

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MINUTES OF THE AGM OF 27[TH] March 2021

Minutes of the 24th Annual General Meeting of the Norfolk Family History Society held via Zoom link on Saturday 29[th] March 2021 at 12.00pm

18 voting members attended.

• Chairs Introduction

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1. Apologies for absence

2. Minutes of the 23rd AGM of 12[th] October 2019 (copies available

3. Matters arising from the Minutes of the meeting of 12[th] October 2019

There were no matters arising.

4. To receive the Directors’ / Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31[st] March 2020

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cast in favour).

5. To consider and approve the Accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2020 (and the Auditor’s report therein).

Issues raised in connection with the accounts were:

6. To reappoint Argents, 15 Palace Street, Norwich as the Reporting Accountants for the ensuing year and to authorise the trustees to fix their remuneration.

7. Re-appointment of Mr Richard Ashberry as a trustee – Resolution 5.

Proposed by Paul White, seconded by Carol Reeve. Carried

unanimously (73 proxy votes cast in favour).

8. Re-appointment of Mrs Carol Reeve as a trustee – Resolution 7

9. To transact any other business of the company

Meeting closed at 12.30.

Richard Ashberry – NFHS Minutes Secretary

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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2021

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees, who are also directors of the Charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31st March 2020. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities' issued in March 2005 and 2014 and the supplementary procedures.

Reference Details

Registered Company number: 03194731 Registered Charity number: 1055410 Registered office: Kirby Hall 70 St. Giles Street NORWICH Norfolk NR2 1LS

Trustees

The directors of the charitable company ("the Charity") are the trustees for the purpose of charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees. The table below shows the trustees holding office during the year.

Trustee Appointed Resigned Appointed Resigned Office
Carole Taylor April 2007 Carole Taylor April 2007 Carole Taylor April 2007 Treasurer
(part
year)
&
Membership
Secretary

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Robert
Kilbourn		 July 2019 July 2020 Treasurer
(part
year)
Phil
Whiscombe		 April 2014 Company Secretary
/Premises
&
IT
Maintenance/Chair
(partyear)
Carol Reeve Nov 2012 Volunteer
Co-
ordinator
Peter Steward Dec 2014 Ancestor Editor
Steven
Tarttelin		 May 2016 Transcripts
Organiser
Ellen Carr Sep2017 Librarian
Richard
Ashberry		 Dec 2017 Minutes Secretary
Charles Bush Feb 2021 Premises
Maintenance (part
year)

The Society has no salaried staff. All activities are undertaken by the unpaid voluntary activities of its members

Company Secretary

Phil Whiscombe

Reporting
Accountants
ARGENTS
15 Palace Street
Norwich
NR3 1RT		 Solicitors
LEATHES PRIOR
74 The Close
Norwich
NR1 4DR		 Bankers
HSBC
18 London Street
Norwich
NR2 1LG

ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Incorporation

The Norfolk Family History Society, which is governed by its Memorandum & Articles of Association, was incorporated as a private limited Company on 3rd May 1996 Company Number: 3194731 and registered as a Charity on 15th May 1996 Charity Number: 1055410 to take over the assets and

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liabilities of the General Fund of the Norfolk and Norwich Genealogical Society, founded in 1968. The transfer took place on 31st October 1996. The affairs of the Society are managed by the trustees’ committee which meets every month. It consists of the named trustees, appointed at the Annual General Meeting held in October each year.

Trustees’ responsibilities

Charity law requires the trustees to keep proper books of accounts in respect of all monies received and expended by the society and prepare financial statements for each financial year which provide a true and fair view of the state of the Charitable Company's financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees meet regularly every month to discuss the overall activities of the Society, to receive reports and take actions. They are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Society and taking reasonable steps to prevent fraud and other irregularities.

Recruitment and appointment of new Trustees

The Society requires a good cross section of skills on the Board of Trustees to cover all the areas which the NFHS encompasses. The Board is always looking for new trustees. Putting in place recruitment, selection and induction procedures as recommended by the Charity Commission is in progress. Role descriptions have been agreed and issued for several roles but a checklist for new Trustees to assess their skills and to ensure induction is carried out on all areas of operations has not yet been produced. Copies of the Charity Commission documents have been put on the server and printed and the Trustees continue to list and document their own procedures as these evolve.

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STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The NFHS is a registered charity governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

Risk Assessment

The trustees review the risks to which the Society is exposed on a regular basis and their comments are recorded in the trustees' committee meeting minutes. The principal risks and uncertainties facing the charity have been identified using a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, particularly those connected with the library premises and use of facilities; trustee and volunteer recruitment and membership attraction / retention. A business plan has been discussed with recommendations made and some actions taken although this is still and will continue to be an ongoing activity particularly with regard to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

The Objects of the Norfolk Family History Society are set out in its Memorandum and Articles of Association to advance the education of the general public by:

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The Society is fortunate to have its own premises and a sizeable collection of documents, books and records, known as the Kirby Hall Library. This is staffed by volunteers and normally opens to the public for 3 regular sessions each week. (For details see the NFHS website).

The Society aims to be a centre of excellence in Norfolk Family History Research and to promote the interests of both individuals and groups engaged in this activity. It seeks to encourage and assist those interested by providing the means to share, exchange and publish information about Family History.

In furtherance of the Society's objectives, the NFHS has established the following activities, services and facilities which contribute towards those objectives:

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This is used in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (2018).

The Society's main aims during the year have been to:

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ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE

Membership

The Membership of the NFHS at 31st March 2021 was:

Year Norfolk UK USA Australia Canada NZ Other Total
2020/21 969 2,483 138 221 83 34 40 3,968
2019/20 989 2,524 133 217 67 40 38 4,009

Coronavirus

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the Society with Kirby Hall remaining closed to all except those Trustees who were visiting to pick up post, check the building and carrying out any essential tasks. Many Trustees and Volunteers continued to work from home as best they could during this period and we are grateful to all those who continued to actively support the Society. The Society continued to provide its online services and the trustees carried out their duties remotely with trustees’ Meetings being held by means of video-conferencing. As the financial year ended the ‘stay at home’ rule was lifted and we look forward to fully reopening Kirby Hall later in 2021.

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Achievements

Website and online Database

Member Communication

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and non-members are finding it a useful discussion and research tool. We have had much less success with our Twitter account which has become largely dormant and we have struggled to find a volunteer prepared to administrate it.

Transcribing and Data collection

Library

Due to the Covid Lockdown restrictions, we have not achieved as much as we would have liked over this year. For the whole year we have not been allowed members of the public in the library building and input from our volunteers has been extremely limited. However, as well as changing protocols in the building to conform with changing Covid regulations, we have still managed to achieve the following:

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Events

Publicity

IT

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Premises

Data Protection

Miscellaneous

Governance

The trustees continue to update and advance the governance of the Society by adopting Charity Commission best practice and procedures. We still require more Volunteers, to help with Parish Register and Monumental Inscription transcription work and in the general management of the Society, its buildings and systems. Progress continues to be made and we are indebted to all volunteers who provide a professional service either working with the public or helping to create databases to improve the facilities in the library and the data on our website and NORS. With the retirement of a number of long-serving trustees over the last few years the Society is looking to recruit new trustees to strengthen the board, bring in new ideas and provide succession planning.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. The purpose of the charity is encapsulated in its objects to make available its resources to as wide an

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audience as possible, to encourage the study of family history. To this end the library is normally open free to the public on three days a week and the Society Website gives all necessary general information to ensure that the public can benefit from its services. The wide range of activities listed above makes a positive contribution to the study of Norfolk Family History and contributes significantly to achieving the aims and objectives of the Society.

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FINANCIAL REVIEW

Reserves policy

At 31st March 2021 total unrestricted reserves amounted to £182,210 of which £141,864 are free reserves to be used to fulfil the Charity's objectives in the future including the upkeep of the Society's premises. Investments held in the Kirby Hall Fund are M&G Charibonds.

The restricted reserve of £119,607 at 31st March 2021 is held in a permanent endowment fund and represents the net book value of the Kirby Hall premises. The fund value is reduced by the depreciation charge on the property.

The Trustees are reviewing the Society's needs for reserves in line with the guidance offered by the Charity Commission.

However, we believe that unrestricted reserves are needed:

Principal funding sources

In the year to 2021, incoming resources totalled £57,147 an increase of £4,268 over the previous year. Investment income was down about 25% due to low interest rates but Donations and Legacies increased due to more members joining than in previous year, which was probably due to people having more time to research their ancestors due to the pandemic.

Expenditure on support costs reduced by £7,964 mainly due to the pandemic. Kirby Hall was closed for most of the year, with only a few trustees visiting to collect post and ensure the building was in good

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working order, so electricity, telephone, stationery, volunteers and trustees’ expenses were all significantly reduced. Computer costs have increased as the Society made the decision to adopt Azure cloud back-up to augment our backups on portable hard drives. Depreciation charges have reduced as the website was fully depreciated by the end of 2020.

Charitable activities expenditure reduced by £24,188. For the first time in our history, we were forced to cancel the printed edition of the June 2020 Ancestor due to the printers closing down at the start of the pandemic. We have also changed printers which has resulted in some savings. The pandemic also forced us to stop planned Kirby Hall maintenance plans. Projects and library costs have reduced by £4,722 mainly as last year the Society spent £4,000 on fiche. We also negotiated extensions to some of our library subscriptions as we were unable to utilise these during the pandemic.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

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The Society intends to continue its activities and services as listed previously.

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 13[th] January 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

............................................................. Phil Whiscombe – Chair

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF NORFOLK FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Norfolk Family History Society (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2021.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity's financial statements as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) . In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

  3. the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].

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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 financial statements to be reached

Mark Johnstone FCA

Argents Chartered Accountants 15 Palace Street NORWICH Norfolk NR3 1RT Date: [13[th] January 2022]

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

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Norfo￿ FaD]ily Ilisiory Society BALANCE SHEET AS Af31 MARCH 2021 Flxed a%sths Tanglblea55ets Inhiments 12 I61.￿2 161945 •X6Q 8tOCkS Debiof5 Cash at bank ld In h)d 15 374 5279 491 48215 Crelliiois ￿oU￿1$￿1￿vlknW￿Nn oneye3r 11624n 1.1)731 Ntt cumi 853e Tol4 a55et5 less currentiirt Zl9210 Creditois ￿0v￿ls￿l￿r￿￿ieaIl￿T Dve Meye¥ 18 17.$22J ¢7212> Netas$a$ 11.617 ZTI. IW iun¢J$ Enttowrnait runlls I￿￿￿elun0$ Unreslncled fU￿- Designetr iunds Klrtjy 19 119.WF 121.121 141. 124.624 124.6 26 Genu unre5trICtedtsnlls 181210 1%>.Bn 1.817 271. 26

BALANCE SHEET (CONTINUED)

AS AT 31 MARCH 2021

13[th] January 2021

Chair

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

28

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

30

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

31

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

32

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

33

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

34

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

35

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

36

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

37

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

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NORFOLK FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

(Formerly the Norfolk & Norwich Genealogical Society – Founded 1968) A private company limited by guarantee Registered in England, Company No. 3194731 Registered as a Charity – registration No. 1055410 HEADQUARTERS, LIBRARY & REGISTERED OFFICE Kirby Hall, 70 St Giles Street, Norwich NR2 1LS Telephone (01603) 763718 Email: secretary@nfhs.co.uk

www.norfolkfhs.org.uk

PRODUCED BY THE NORFOLK FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

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