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2021-03-31-accounts

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee

Annual Report of the Directors

& unaudited Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2021

Company registered Number: 03266526 Registered Charity Number: 1062215

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Contents
Page
Directors and other information 1
Directors report 2
Statement of comprehensive income 3
Statement of financial position & notes 4 – 5
Detailed income statement 6 – 7

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors & Other Information Year End 31 March 2021

Directors Mrs D R Gwilt (Chair) Mr K W Slater Mr A G Bathurst Mrs B Baynham Dr C Smith Ms Avriel Reader Mrs J Denne

Company number 03266526

Registered office

The Shire Hall Broad Street Presteigne Powys LD8 2AD

Retirements during financial year Mr C Kirkby MBE

Page 1

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

The directors present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the company for the year ended 31 March 2021.

Incorporation

The Company was formerly known as The Presteigne Shire Hall Museum Trust Limited and commenced activities on a charitable basis with effect from a April 1997 and was registered as a charity (Number 1062215) with effect from 1st November 1997.

Directors

The directors who served the company during the year were as follows:

Mrs D R Gwilt (Appointed 13 June 2016) Mr C Kirkby MBE (Appointed 4 April 2018) Mr K W Slater (Appointed 4 April 2018) Mr A G Bathurst (Appointed 4 April 2018) Mrs B Baynham (Appointed 18 May 2018) Dr C Smith (Appointed 22 October 2018) Ms Avriel Reader (Appointed 21 August 2019) Ms Janet Denne (Appointed 19 November 2020)

Other matters

The Directors Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2021 is annexed hereto and follows this page.

Small company provisions

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption.

This report was approved by the board of directors on 2[nd] November 2021 and signed on behalf of the board by:

.............................. Director

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Commencement of Activities

The company, formerly known as The Presteigne Shire Hall Museum Trust Limited, commenced activities on a charitable basis with effect from 1st April 1997.

Constitution

The Judge’s Lodging Trust is a Registered Charity, no. 1062215. Its address is Shire Hall, Broad Street, Presteigne, Powys, LD8 2AD.

The Charity is administered by a Board of Directors, also referred to as its Trustees, with a Development Manager and supporting staff employed by them. Directors are chosen for their relevance to the work of the Trust.

No Trustee receives remuneration for their work with the charity. Any connection between a Trustee and contractors for any work on site, from building works to exhibitions or events, must be disclosed to the full board of Trustees. In the current year, no such transactions were reported.

Objects

The Judge’s Lodging Trust was formed to administer the running of The Judge’s Lodging museum based in the old town Shire Hall. The Trust obtained an agreement with Powys County Council to open and maintain the building as a visitor attraction, to be known as The Judge’s Lodging, along with a shop and Tourist Information Centre. In December 2018, it became the sole owner and administrator of the building, following a Community Asset Transfer with Powys County Council.

The core attraction itself is the meticulously restored and recreated 1860s judge’s apartments. These are accompanied by exhibitions on Radnorshire and Presteigne. A Manager/Curator deals with the daily running of the building and meets regularly with the Trust to report on progress and review any procedures. Its aims as an Accredited Museum (No. 1960) state:

The Judge’s Lodging exists to interpret and preserve the history of the Shire Hall and to provide visitors with a portrayal of a working Victorian house and collects objects and other materials associated with these aims. It is also custodian of Presteigne’s collection of local history objects and aims to expand, interpret and preserve this in an appropriate way. It accomplishes these aims through a mixture of museum collections, recreated interiors, displays, audio visual interpretations, events and educational services.

Operation

All operations of the Trustees relate to the upholding of these objects. The objectives and operation of the Trust take consideration of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. It aims to work with a substantially varied user groups, whether or not they are able to physically visit the building.

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Types of visitor

General visitors to the museum include mainly tourists and local residents. In addition to this, the museum operates a successful educational programme for schools, provides tailored tours for further education groups & specialists and leisure groups. Visitors also come to the varied special events programmes and community exhibitions. The building is additionally used for several ‘non-museum’ functions: is a registered venue for weddings and civil partnership ceremonies, private functions, and is used regularly for the Installation of the High Sheriff of Powys.

The museum carries out visitor surveys and studies its visitor comments regularly, and carries out discussions with interested user groups. It regularly reviews its visitor information and compares this to its marketing strategy.

Charging Policy

Particular attention has been paid to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and fee charging. It is important to the survival of the charity that it charges for admission to the museum, events and educational services. It relies on these charges, along with shop sales and grants, to cover its operating costs. However, several strategies are employed to ensure that this necessity to charge does not have a detrimental effect on the museum’s benefits to its potential audiences:

Opening Hours

The museum, its shop and Tourist Information Centre usually have extensive opening hours in April – October, with special opening and pre-booked visits in the winter. Educational visits and groups are welcome on any day and at any pre-booked time. Use of the building in the evenings is also common.

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Throughout the period of this report, these usual hours were restricted by the Covid pandemic. Lockdowns limited opening to a shorter season from mid-July to late October 2020 (the final week being lost to a second Wales lockdown). Due to the raised level of workforce needed to ensure Covid-secure operation throughout public opening, the days each week were by necessity reduced. We were unable to open for the February 2021 half term, as planned, following its success in 2020. The building was also unable to be used for evening events. We were, however, able to open for a special event set over several days in the winter, which was extremely popular with visitors.

Educational work

A prime performance indicator used within the organisation’s operation is that of educational visits. Unfortunately, the entire period of this report has been overshadowed by the Covid pandemic and educational visits have necessarily been halted.

For comparison, in 2019, The Judge’s Lodging received 849 children on educational visits. This number was increase on the 2018 figure of 14%, despite a few cancellations in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 situation.

This period has been used to start reviewing educational provision, working with an education specialist, which will continue in 2021, to provide a comprehensive analysis of current provision and possibilities for future development in line with the national curriculum for both England and Wales. It had been hoped that this period would be a time for consultation with both user and non-user schools, but the pressures on education professionals during this period has inhibited this.

The Judge’s Lodging has held a Sandford Award for Heritage Education for 20 years, from the Heritage Education Trust, which independently assesses the quality of educational visits at heritage sites throughout the UK. In 2020 they agreed to extend the current award into 2022, to allow time for educational visits to restart.

In previous years, the museum has taken regular work experience applicants from local high schools and young people on training schemes. Although this was not possible for 2020, plans were put in place to provide two placements on the government Kickstart programme in 2021, with the aim of training and supporting young people from the area.

Community Engagement

The building, its furnishings and the history behind it is a vital part of the history of the town of Presteigne. In addition to this, the Trust owns the former Presteigne & District Museum Collection, once housed in part of the building. This collection continues to expand and in 2020 saw, despite museum closure for a large part of the year, a steady flow of donations from the community, showing further growing confidence in the museum’s commitment to its

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Presteigne Community Collections work, boosted in recent years by HLF and MALD: Welsh Government - funded project work.

During the pandemic lockdowns, the museum joined with Presteigne Festival of Music & Arts and two professional writers, Helena Attlee and Emma Beynon, to create a project aim at those who had or were in danger of becoming isolated. The Thing About Things took the form of a series of creative writing workshops, delivered by hard-copy information packs and online meetings, running through late 2020 into spring 2021. Each session focused on objects and period rooms from the museum, delving into stories and details to inspire participants to write, with the guidance of the writers. This proved hugely successful and two events and an exhibition of the subsequent work have followed in 2021.

Volunteers usually work throughout the year on collection care, visitor services and maintenance. Collections volunteers were only able to work for short periods between lockdowns, and at limited capacity due to the need for social distancing, but were keen to maintain their link with the museum and continue their projects. The decision was made that volunteers were not to work in a front of house situation during opening, leaving staff to man positions that required more extensive public interaction and ensuring control of Covidsecure operations stayed with a core workforce. Cleaning and maintenance were also only allowed during closed periods and limited to staff and a few volunteers. Volunteers supported the museum throughout the opening by stewarding both outside, to control visitor flow, and inside, helping visitors with one way systems, signposting them to facilities and providing reassurance. Their work in this was essential support for the staff and opening could not have worked without their support.

The Development Manager worked to ensure that those unable to attend the site were kept regularly informed of what was happening at the museum and several took on research work and similar projects from home.

The pandemic has cause the inevitable loss of some commitments from volunteers, but those remaining have worked tightly together to keep the museum going through the difficult time. The team did expand by 9 other local people, after a call to help with the logistics of opening in 2020, many who have remained into 2021.

The community exhibition about women in the town Ladies of Llanandras , which was scheduled to open in Spring 2020 was cancelled due to the Covid-19 situation, with any remaining resources being transferred towards helping the museum reopen in the Summer. All work towards the exhibition has been kept and it is hoped that an online representation can take place at a later stage.

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Events & Alternative Income Generation

The programme of events throughout each year is organized to provide variety and target specific audiences. Some events are directly produced to encourage local families; there are local history and specialist talks, flower and craft demonstrations, music and drama events, all designed to appeal to varying sectors of the user profile.

The situation in 2020, moving in 2021 saw the postponement and then cancellation of several events. However, a collaboration with Richard Studer, Artistic Director of Mid Wales Opera and artist, led to Art@TheLodging, an outstandingly successful selling art show featuring 25 artists displaying works throughout the period rooms of the museum. Aside from the money it raised for the museum, it allowed over 500 people to visit and lightened spirits during the short period between Wales and England Winter lockdowns. The event ran for four of its scheduled six days, before another lockdown curtailed it. It is due to run once more in 2021.

All paranormal investigation bookings were postponed, along with the cancellation of the charity shop selling week. The volunteer-run tearoom was also not able to operate throughout the year. All of these are anticipated to resume in 2021/22.

Although use as a filming location was inhibited, we hosted the Rural Media Company for two separate filming projects with young people on the Young Creatives scheme through closed periods.

‘Virtual’ Visitors

In July 2020 The Judge’s Lodging launched a new version of its website, www.judgeslodging.org.uk, designed to enhance the museum’s virtual presence and help support income-generating work to provide a more sustainable future. This website is the final part of a rebrand, which saw a new logo, colours and marketing style rolled out in 2019, thanks to the support of the Association of Independent Museums.

The website, along with Facebook and Twitter, were used throughout 2020/21 to keep users engaged with the museum whilst it was closed, with virtual school holiday trails, closer looks at objects from the collections, activities for all ages and historic recipes to try at home. They then become useful tools to alert people to opening and Covid-secure operation information to reassure visitors. The website is planned to expand in 2021, including the completion of a new education section and inclusion of more income-generating packages to help support operation.

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Other visitor Facilities

In addition to these facilities, the operation of a Tourist Information Centre within the building helps to support tourism in the area. Within two years of opening, it had increased tourist enquiries and visits to the office by over 50%, based on figures from the town’s previous TIC. These figures continued to rise for many years. This service is operated by the museum staff, who have all been trained in tourist information work and customer care. In 2020, this tourist information provision had to be removed from its usual location, to allow for social distancing within the visitor welcome area. Information was included into a separate space, and volunteers helped with disseminating information as visitors entered and left the building.

The Museum operates a policy of providing information bilingually wherever possible. All display boards and educational facilities on the website are, for example provided in Welsh in addition to English.

Heritage Assets: The Shire Hall Building and its Collections

The Shire Hall, Presteigne, known to the public as The Judge’s Lodging, is a Grade 2* Listed Building. Its upkeep is paramount to the purpose of the charity which works towards its continued maintenance. Advice from CADW and other specialists is sought regularly. In 2019, maintenance and repairs to its roof structure and front façade were supported by a grant from MALD: Museums, Archives, Libraries Wales.

Within the building the museum collections can be split in the following way. Of the objects currently on display and in storage within the building:

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

These three distinct collections are melded together for display purposes to form the period and local history rooms.

There are currently approximately 5,650 objects between these collections, all of which are listed on a detailed inventory and are in the process of being documented to high museum standards. Their documentation and conservation is paramount to achieving the aims of the charity.

A loan agreement is in place, since February 2019, between Powys County Council and the Trust to ensure original furnishings to the building remain in place, now ownership of the premises has been transferred.

All collections are overseen by the building’s Development Manager, who is a professional curator. The Trust also employs a Museum Assistant & Technician to assist in this task. Volunteers are trained to help in various areas of collection care.

There is a very limited budget for conservation work and the purchase of new acquisitions. Grant funding is sought for works outside of this scope when appropriate.

Report prepared by Gabrielle Rivers, Development Manager October 2021

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The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Chair’s Report for the period 1 April 2020 - 31 March 2021

Throughout the period 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic has been the predominant feature. Despite the operational difficulties this presented, it also opened up opportunities to progress key projects.

In the immediate aftermath of the lockdown which began on 22 March 2020, our energies were focused on accessing emergency funding, initially in the from of a business rate grant from Powys County Council (PCC), then from The Federation of Art Galleries and Museums in Wales (The Fed). A total of £31,000 was secured from these sources by the end of May. Through totally furloughing two members of staff and flexibly furloughing the remaining two, we have been able to maintain a viable and stable staff structure.

In the early months of the pandemic, the Development Manager put together a comprehensive plan for Covid-secure re-opening. The Board took the decision in May that The Judge’s Lodging should re-open to the public as soon as Welsh Government made this practically possible. Consequently, we re-opened to the public on 12[th] August 2020, and remained open until the firebreak lockdown was initiated on 24th October 2020. The Board are extremely grateful to our staff and volunteers for providing the best visitor experience that they could in what were very challenging circumstances. 1,441 visitors were welcomed to the JLT, generating £10,050 in income.

In July, we succeeded in securing £9,700 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Heritage Emergency Fund. NLHF also approved an application to re-direct the remaining £8,310 from a previous Your Heritage grant to respond to the Covid situation. Throughout the reporting period, we received further support through business rate grants from PCC in response to the programme of lockdowns.

As the year progressed, the focus of the grant funding that was available shifted from response to recovery. Further funding followed in December 2020, with an award of £33,161 from the Welsh Government Cultural Recovery Fund. Part of this funding was to cover salary costs for the Development Manager, and other operational costs incurred during our closed season (1 November – 31 March). However, £10,000 of the funding was for activity to support and develop community engagement and to build up sustainability and resilience. This funding has been used to commission three reports that will support fundraising for the development of the two holiday lets, where work continued on revising the planning application for re-submission:

2 h

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee 03266526

Directors report Year ended 31 March 2021

Our major success of the year was undoubtedly our inaugural Art@TheLodging art show in November. Although opening was curtailed by the extension of Covid restrictions at the beginning of December, the amazing footfall generated a profit of £5,853. The Board would like to formally thank Richard Studer for creating this event, which we will be running again in November 2021.

Following an application by Creative & Cultural Skills to the Kickstart Programme, in February 2021, we were allocated funding to provide work experience for two young people for a period of six months. The focus of the work placement will be working front-of-house during our 2021 open season, to develop customer care and other generic skills that are required to create a positive visitor experience.

Although we have not had any school visits in the period covered by this report, we have been continuing our work to review our educational offer in the light of the new curriculum for Wales. Due to funding we have previously received from the Powys Community Endowment Fund, we have been able to secure the services of a retired Head of English and Drama (who also volunteers with us) to reviewing and developing our provision in the light of both the Welsh and English curricula.

As an award-winning museum, The Judge’s Lodging makes an important contribution to the local economy of Presteigne attracting visitors from all over the UK and from abroad. Thanks to the Covid support provided via The Fed, PCC, NHLF and Welsh Government, The Judge’s Lodging has been able to continue as a going concern as well as invest in new developments that will improve resilience. However, these are likely to take some time to come to fruition as their realisation is dependent on external project funding. We need to be mindful that without prudent management, the currently improved financial position could decline rapidly. Even with the support of the community, either as volunteers or donors, the future for the Judge’s Lodging remains challenging.

Diane Gwilt 22 October 2021

Diane Gwilt ......................................... Date 2/11/21 Chair of the Board

2 i

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee

Statement of comprehensive income Year ended 31 March 2021


Turnover
Other income
Cost of raw materials and consumables
Staff costs
Depreciation and other amounts written off assets
Other charges
Profit/(loss)		 2021
£
162,592
8
_
162,600
(50,585)
(46,475)
(218)
(16,326)
_
48,996
 2020
£
221,641
24
_
221,665
(142,620)
(51,067)
(272)
(30,466)
_
(2,760)

All the activities of the company are from continuing operations.

Company registration number: 03266526

Page 3

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee

Statement of financial position Year ended 31 March 2021


Fixed assets
Current assets
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Net current assets
Total assets less current liabilities

Net assets
Capital and reserves
Notes to the financial statements		 2021
£
870
_
77,353
(24,114)
_
53,239
_
54,109
_
54,109
_
54,109
_		 2020
£
1,089
_
41,521
(37,497)
_
4,024
_
5,113
_
5,113
_
5,113
_

Page 4

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee

Statement of financial position Year ended 31 March 2021

1. Employee numbers

The average number of persons employed by the company during the year amounted to 4 (2020: 4).

During the year the company entered into the following guarantees on behalf of its directors:

Mrs D R Gwilt
Mr C Kirkby MBE
Mr K W Slater
Mr A G Bathurst
Mrs B Baynham
Mrs C Smith
Mrs Janet Denne		 Maximum liability Amount paid/liability incurred
2021
2020
2021
2020
£
£
£
£
1
1
-
-
1
1
-
-
1
1
-
-
1
1
-
-
1
1
-
-
1
1
-
-
1 1
_
_
_
_
7
7
-
-

Serving Directors are bound by guarantees of £1

For the year ending 31 March 2021 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors responsibilities:

• The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

• The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the micro-entity provisions.

These financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 2[nd] November 2021, and are signed on behalf of the board by:

Mrs D R Gwilt Director

The company is a private company limited by guarantee, registered in Wales.

Page 5

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee

The following pages do not form part of the statutory accounts.

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited Company limited by guarantee

Detailed income statement Year ended 31 March 2021

Turnover
Shop Sales
Admissions
Discounts
Events
Income Generation Events
Fund Raising
HLF Resilence Grant fund
Coronavirus Support Payments
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Presteigne & Norton TC Grant
Project Grants
Garfield Weston Grant
HLF funding release
Powys CC - repairs/ insurance fund
Donations
Other income
Bank interest received		 2021
£
3,308
6,742
(49)
22,540
333
1,130
-
87,326
13,467
1,750
17,207
-
8,310
-
528
_
162,592
8
_
8		 2020
£
8,001
28,184
(284)
5,963
8,657
8,245
7,599
-
-
1,250
119,965
10,000
2,200
20,413
1,448
_
221,641
24
_
24

Page 7-8

The Judge's Lodging Trust Limited

Company limited by guarantee

Detailed income statement Year ended 31 March 2021

Cost of raw materials and consumables
Opening stock
Shop Purchases
Event Costs
Coronavirus Specific Costs
Project costs
Closing stock
Staff costs
HLF Funded Wages & Pension Contributions
Wages and salaries
Development Manager salary
PAYE / NIC Interest
Development Manager pension contributions
Depreciation and other amounts written off assets
Depreciation of tangible assets
Other charges
HLF Funded Expenses
Staff training
Water charges
Insurance
Light and heat
Cleaning
Repairs and maintenance
House & garden
Museum costs
Printing and stationery
Small equipment
Telephone, broadband, alarm & postage
Sundry expenses
Travel & subsistence
Marketing
Card charges		 2021
£
(8,658)
(2,036)
(16,687)
(12,834)
(18,799)
8,429
_
(50,585)
-
(16,324)
(29,250)
(23)
(878)
_
(46,475)
(218)
_
(218)
-
(16)
(346)
(3,745)
(3,233)
(23)
(2,452)
(275)
(233)
(712)
(11)
(3,430)
(233)
-
(1,310)
(307)
_
(16,326)		 2020
£
(6,156)
(7,144)
(5,551)
-
(132,427)
8,658
_
(142,620)
(5,983)
(14,181)
(30,003)
-
(900)
_
(51,067)
(272)
_
(272)
(3,185)
-
(589)
(3,875)
(4,779)
(118)
(3,278)
(861)
(362)
(1,078)
(175)
(2,702)
(693)
(33)
(8,738)
-
_
(30,466)

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