Friends and Patrons of the Buckinghamshire County Museum
(Charity No - 1059377)
Annual Report 202412025
CHAIRMAN'S REPORT
This report covers the period April 2024 to end of March 2025
The Friendsand Patronsconts'nuedtosupporttheDiscoverBucksMuseum, notonlythrough
grants to acquire items to enhance the Museum's collections, but also by providing
volunteers to help the Keepers at the Halton Resource Centre and to steward various
exhibitJ'ons,This includedthe Off The Wall Exhibition which provided a useful incomeforthe
Friends, and we were very grateful to Sue Gilbert for organising this on our behalf. During
the year the Friends and the Patrons each contributed £6,000 in order to upgrade the
Museum's IT infrastructure, and our other grants are listed elsewhere in this report. More
sign ificant grants will be needed in 2025126 as part of the planning for the major Saxon
Heritage Exh ibition scheduled for 2026.
By the end ofthe yearwe were looking forward to seeing the Museum's promised Strategic
Plan,which will guide oursupportoverthe nextten years. Meanwhile we hope thatournew
membership leaflets will help us to recru it more Friends so we can ￿nts'nue to support our
excellent Museu m in the difficult economic climate prevailing at present. We would also
welcome more members to join our Committee, which only meets Ihree times a year but
keeps us in touch with all that is happening at this key tourist attracb'on in Aylesbury.
Main Achievements
Over the year 2024125 the Friends and Patrons have given grants to the Museum totalling
£14,788.59 (see below). The Museum received a grant of £12,000 from the Friends &
Patrons for replacement hardware for their IT infrastructu re and migration to the cloud has
been completed. However, fu rtherfunding ofc. £20,000 will be needed forfuther ITsupport
in respect of the Collecb'on Management System (MODES).
Grants made during year ended 31 st March 2025.
Patrons
Hire of Light Fantastic exhibition alongside photography exhibition
Contribution to DBM IT infrastructure
Total
£2,725.00
£6,000.00
£8,725.00
Friends
Fire Safety Equipment for Museum
Replacement glass washer for Museum
Children's toys to enhance Children outdoor experience
T552 Gold Ring (contribub'on)
T1275 Iron Age Staters (contn'bution)
T890 4 Medieval silver pennies
Halloween materials for ch ild visitors
Project sensory materials for child visitors
Early Medieval Silver Pyramid
£1,578.60
£1,259.99
£1,000.00
£350.00
£550.00
£80.00
£300.00
£200.00
£300.00

Investigationlremoval wall plaster
Hire of Light Fantastic exhibitj'on {contribub'on)
Redecoration of Museum leaming zones
Development brief for Anglo-saxon exhibition
Contribution to DBM IT infrastructure
Total
£170.00
£1,000.00
£1,000.00
£1,000.00
£6,000.00
£14,788.59
Membership
At 31 March 2025 total paid up individual membershipof the Friendsand Patrons amou nt&
to 129 Friends and 79 Patrons (2024 = 135 Friends and 81 Patrons). There were also Iwo
Honorary Life Patrons. In addib'on to the individual members there were five institutional
members.
Annual Meeting
The Annual meeting was held at the Museum on Saturday 16th. November 2024. Earl Howe
on beha￿ of the President, Viscount Younger, opened the meeting and Roy Collis, Chairof the
Friends & Patrons introduced the Annual Reportfollowingwhich theannual accountswe
formally approved. Elects'ons took place. The Meeting was followed by a private view of the
Off the W811 art exhibib'on, organised by the Sue Gilbert on behalf of the Friends.
Officers and Commlttee Members
The full elected Committee at 31 March 2025 comprised Th8 Viscountyounger, President
Mr Roy Collis, Chairman; Mr John Galbraith, Honorary Treasurer, Miss Pam Russell,
Honorary Secretsry; Mrs Doreen Holmes, Membership Secretary; Committee member, Mr
Stephen Mulcahy.
In accordance with Article 17 of the Constitution there were hvo ex-officio members of the
Committee, The Earl Howe representing the Patron membership with Mrs Kate Eckett as
Patron Secretary.
Meetlngs of the Commlttee
The Committee met th ree t'mes. Much of each meeting was taken up by oral reports from
the Chairman, the Patron Chainnan and the Museum Director. Financial reports and
discussions of possible allocations also featured in all three meetings.
Patrons
Several new Patrons were welcomed to the membership and thanked for their support.
The Annual Patrons Meeting was held at Penn House on 25th October 2024 by kind
permission of Earl and Countess Howe. The Patrons were given an interesting tour of the
house.
Outings
Visits were organised by Doreen Holmes to the Museum of Oxford and the Hare Krishna
temple in Radlett.
Newsletter
Two issues were prepared by the editor, Pam Russell, and distn'buted to all Friends and
Patrons.
August 2025

Ixdependellt eurnineej report to the truxtees of
The Friends and P*tronB ofthe BueknnglthnLTkn County
I report on the accouttts of the Tntst for the ye•r e4Mled 3111 mo￿h 2Iy25. set on th¢ attathed page
ResP￿tIV¢ Tejpiwibilities of truth aRd examiner
The charitv's tnj8t￿S are responsible for the prep￿10￿ of the ac¢oW￿. The charity's ttustees consider that
audit is not required for this year undtr Sectio￿ 144(2) of the Ch8ritieg Aa 2011 (the 20I l Act) and that
independent exaD]ination is ne¢do(L
It is my resFK)nsilJllity to..
examine the wAounts Lu¥Jer section 145 of the 2011 A
to follow the procethlles laid dowD in the 8eneral Direaions 8iveD the CIJaTity CommissioD under
sectlon 14515Xb} of the 2011 Act
io Sta￿ whether particular matters have come ￿ rny attention
Basia of independent e￿￿£￿er.¥ report
My examination w&% csrried out in acconkncx with the 8rneral Diiections given by the Charity Commi9sion.
An examination in¢lud¢s a revicw of the 8ccounting records k¢pt by the ¢harity and a comparison of the
accounis presented with those records. It also iTrclud¢s consideration of any unusual ith8 or diK105urcs In the
accounts, dnd scekiDg explan￿lull$ from you as tswtCC5 concerning ￿Y s￿h matters. The prwedures
hlertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be requtred in an audii and consequently no opinlon is
given as to whcihcr the aCco￿lts presenl a 'In￿ and fair vitrv, and the rep(*t is limi¢ed ￿ th08e matters set out
ill rh¢ staiemeni klow.
Independent exAmiuerfs Jtatement
Im comiectiun with my aaminalion. Th) mattry ha8 c(rfne to my atrntion:
( l) which ￿yeS me re&8Lmabk cause to beheve that in any matenal Tesixct thc requirernents..
to keep ￿coUntIng T¢cords in accordatt¢e with 5¢Ction 130 of the 2011 Art
lo prep*¢ accounts which 8￿rd with the accountin8 records and compty with the a¢counM%
requir¢m¢nts of the 2011 A
have not been m￿. or
(2) to whid¥ in my (￿7￿10￿ atterrt1O￿ Shou￿ be dravrn ID order to enable a proper undeThtandiDg of the accounts
to b¢ reached.
Signature:
Natn¢:
HfiTr ELIA.
Address..

FRIENDS AND PA
OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE couKrY MUSEUM
Funds
2024
Furxls
Recelpt8
Friend8
Patn)ns
IT￿IlL￿O
20￿.(￿)
7480.fA)
180.(KI
2090.
7480.00
180.(K
0.00
2385.CQ
7455.00
180.00
Donations
Income Tax re(x)vered. Gift AKI
Incomè frfyn events
'Off the W811, Art Matsl
Bank It)terest
313.40
1978.94
o.Ix)
5270.(hJ
7849.56
313.40
1978.94
570.00
1981.72
5270.00
7849.56
0.00
e655.57
2516190
25.161.90
19227.29
"Off The W811° Art Market Costs
Cost of events
AdmFnistration . AGM Costs
Generdl AdministratK)n Expense8
Nekn*tter Printiry
&4fM SubsCfiPtionnnsuraTKe
Admin payrronts lo museum
Grants to Museum:
Fflends
3688.81
3688.81
o.oo
158.33
91.61
630.00
470.00
1095.00
0.00
158.33
91.61
630.00
470.IJJ
109S.OQ
0.00
342 13
386.78
528.39
470.00
1235.00
14788.59
8725.iJ)
14788.59
8725.00
17469.12
10929.87
2￿7.34
31361.2
Net Rece* (Payments)
Cash funds at 18t April, 2024
4485.44 4485.44
-12133.98
O.(M) 20&￿38 202863.38
214997.36
Cash Funds at 31 kknch 2025
198377.94

Friends and Patrons ofthe Buckinghamshire County Museum
(Charity No. 1059377)
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
This report covers the period April 2024 to end March 2025
The Financial Statement for the Friends and Patrons covering the last financial year
(2024-251 has been approved by Les Sheldon, the appointed Independent Reviewer, and
is presented as part of the Committee's Annual Report to the Annual General Meeting.
The following are the key headlines:
Total expenditurewas £29,647.of whichthe total paidout as grantsto the Museum was
£25,513.
Total income was £25,161. Membershipsubscriptions being £9,750. andthe remainder
being madeof incomefromthe Offthe Wallexhibition, bankinterest, and donations.This
included £1 ,978 received as Gift Aid recoverable from tax.
The Committee has been able to absorb the operating deficit of £4,465 from the reserve
held.
Gift Aid is veryvaluable to the Friends & Patrons and incurs no costto the subscriber. The
only stipulation is that the individual must be a UK taxpayer. It just calls for the
completion of a simple form and we do the rest. We are very grateful to those who are
already signed up, and if anymemberwould like to availthemselves of thisfacility please
contact the relevant Membership Secretary for the form.
Yourcontinuinggenerosity is much appreciated and, as youwill see, is putto good use in
supportingthe Museum.
John Galbraith
Hon Treasurer