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2024-03-31-accounts

Waterhouses Community Association

Trustees Annual Report 2023-24

As Honorary Secretary, it is my pleasure to present this Annual Report.

1) Waterhouses Community Association’s goals

Our goals are to raise funds to cover the cost of running the Village Hall, and to provide activities that improve the quality of life and the environment for residents of our Village and the surrounding areas. We could not achieve these goals without the hard work and continued support of our Committee Members and all our Volunteers.

Sadly, we lost one of our members this year, Nora Gill. Nora enjoyed attending hall events, including our weekly coffee mornings and our Grub Club. Nora was also a valued supporter of the Village Hall, allowing us to use her field each year for the Annual Duck Race. She will be greatly missed.

2) Projects

Over the last year, Waterhouses Woodland Group has continued to successfully manage the woodland. They regularly produce charcoal, which is sold to local residents and businesses, with the funds paid to Waterhouses Community Association. In addition, the group has completed a range of new activities in Waterhouses Woods, eg they have built a woven fence around the enclosure, scythed the meadow which will increase wildflowers, and thinned and coppiced the woodland to allow more light to the woodland floor to encourage more bluebells etc. The volunteers have also erected many bird boxes kindly made by Tom Finlay to British Trust for Ornithology standards.

The Durham Woodland Revival Project, which provided the initial funding and training, will come to an end in May 2024. It was initially suggested that Waterhouses Woodland Group sign up as official Durham County Council volunteers. Although this solution may be suitable for other groups, our group is by far the most active and ambitious, therefore this would not be an appropriate solution. For example, Durham County Council paid for Chainsaw Training at Houghall for two members of the group who now have a City & Guilds qualification, but as Durham County Council volunteers, they would no longer be allowed to use chainsaws in Waterhouses Woods. Stefan Gemski will continue to liaise with Durham County Council to see what other options may be available.

Ownership of the bar was transferred from Waterhouses Social Club to Waterhouses Community Association on 1 January 2023. The bar was refurbished in August 2023 using funds raised by the Social Club. The cabinets and worktops mirror those that were recently

installed in the kitchen, and a new bottle fridge and glass washer were also installed. I hope you will agree that the end result is a great success.

Following the refurbishment of the bar, we have listened to the feedback and suggestions given at the last AGM, and from our customers, and have improved and revised the drinks on offer. We now stock a wider variety of wines, both in small and large bottles, as well as introducing some better quality wines. Our range of ciders have changed again to better quality, and we have introduced a varying range of new 'guest' beers which change on a regular basis. We have also extended the range of low/non-alcoholic drinks available. The snack range has also been increased in variety. These have been well received, including the occasional 'special cocktails and spirits'.

The 'cost of living' crisis has impacted us, with wholesale costs increasingly significantly which has meant that we had to increase prices from 1[st] October 2023 although we kept these to a minimum. However we still offer excellent value comparative to other pubs, social clubs and continue to welcome anyone who wishes to pop into our Social Evenings on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.00pm as well as the other regular events held at the hall.

It would be remiss not to thank our team of volunteers who regular help 'man the bar', setting up, serving, and clearing away - it is truly appreciated and if anyone feels that they could help out it would be great to hear from you. Training is given and the pleasure of being 'Landlord or Landlady' is warmly received by our customers!

3) Future Projects

Several of the hall’s lights no longer work due to faulty fittings. However, due to changes in the law, all lights need to be replaced with LED fittings. Although costly to install, LED lighting uses 90% less energy and lasts up to 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs, which would reduce our running costs and be better for the environment. We have been fortunate in obtaining a grant through the Area Action Partnership to cover the full cost of the installation and would like to record our sincere thanks to Councillor Marion Wilson and Councillor Dan Nicholls for their generous support. The work is expected to be completed in May 2024.

The hall is currently heated by ageing electric night storage heaters, which are highly inefficient and becoming increasingly difficult to repair. We have been supplementing the heating by using four electric oil-filled radiators, which has increased our running costs further. Therefore, we plan to replace the current system with infrared heaters to ensure the village hall continues to be fit for purpose. This system is expected to reduce the running costs by about a third and has been shown to work well in other village halls in the area. Again, we have been fortunate in obtaining a grant through the Area Action Partnership to cover the full cost of the installation and would like to record our sincere thanks to Councillor Marion Wilson and Councillor Dan Nicholls for their generous support. The work is expected to be completed over the summer, so we can look forward to a warmer hall this winter.

4) Hall Activities

Thanks to our volunteers, we have continued to provide a range of regular activities over the past year:

The hall is also home to Beavers, Cubs and Scout groups, as well as Music and Memories run by Lesley Woodhead.

Our volunteers also supported several annual events:

This year, we also celebrated the King’s Coronation with tea and cakes, a children’s entertainer, and a commemorative coin for Waterhouses residents and hall members.

5) Fund Raising

The Village Hall depends on fundraising activities for income, therefore a special thank you goes to the many volunteers who contributed to these activities and to members of the community who came along to support us.

The hall was also hired for 17 private events, including two sleepovers for Beavers and Scouts, generating approximately £830 income. Users have been extremely complimentary about the hall facilities and the service they received from volunteers.

We would like to introduce more fundraising activities over the coming year to cover the increasing costs of running the hall, but we need your help. We are keen to find volunteers who can help organise and deliver events, where a couple of hours from each volunteer can make a huge difference. We know that everyone leads busy lives, but if you know of anybody willing and able to join us, please let us know.

6) Hall matters

Membership of our Management Committee is currently at an all time low with only five trustees. If anyone is interested in joining the committee (either as a trustee or as a representative of a user group), please speak to any member of the Committee.

In conclusion, I’m sure you will agree that it has been another busy year. We couldn’t keep the hall running without the support of our volunteers and the support of the local community who contribute to activities and events. Thank you all.

Treasurer's Report

WATERHOUSES (DURHAM) COMMUNITY ASSO

YEAR ENDING 31ST MARCH 2024

£

30294.97

Balance brought forward at 01.04.22
Receipts:
Bank Interest
Hall Lettings
WCA Membership subs.
Cinema Club
Tuck Shop/ Tea & Cofee
Puddle Jumpers
Fundraising Events
Drop In
Dance
Grants
Donations/Social Club
Beaver/Cub/Scouts
Wine Club
Floorball
Solar Power
Knit & Natter
Woodland Project
Bar
Refund re refrigerator
Total Receipts		 30294.97
300.25
1,560.00
17.00
720.60
235.60
811.35
3688.97
678.29
100.50
600.00
9,124.23
690.00
60.00
300.00
1,182.86
199.50
568.00
5,261.33
204.00
26302.48

Totals 56597.45

Cash and Bank Balances
Lloyds Bank Current Account
Lloyds Bank Short Term Investment Account
Petty Cash
Restricted Funds:
Sub Group
Other Restricted Funds
Planned storage and Maintenance
Defib Cabinet		 2024
2023
18065.41
19769.69
10000.00
10000.00
382.93
525.27
28448.35
30294.97
1000.00
20680.00
106.08

21786.08

*NB Petty Cash balance has not been verified

A. Collinsojn

Treasurer:-

………………………………………..

As approved by the AGM:-

T. Gemski

Secretary:-

……………………………………….

OCIATION

£

Payments:
Village Hall Costs
Examiner Fees
Hall Cleaning
Tuck Shop Stock & Tea & Cofee
ADT Alarms/Hall Safety
Hall & Trustee Insurance
BT Broadband/Phone
Electric
Water
Repairs maintenance
Fund Raising Costs
Restricted Funds
Warm Spaces
Woodlands Project
Equipment Purchase
Charity Donations
Other
Total Payments
Balances carried forward		 3,171.26
55.00
1,854.00
213.42
1,203.74
2,806.58
371.50
8,938.37
531.42
3,638.49
1,217.88
493.92
50.00
462.59
2704.43
436.50
0.00
28149.10
28448.35
56597.45

17.05.24 Date:-

……………...........

17.05.024 Date:- …………………………

Independent examiner's report on the accounts CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Waterhouses (Durham) Community Association On accounts for the year ended 31-0&2024 Charity no (if any) 1064926 Set out on pages Respectlve responsibilities of trustees and examiner The thariws trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Charities Act") and that an Independent examination is needed. ￿ he charity's gross income ex￿eded £250,000 and l am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [Damed body1]. Delete [ ] if not applicable. It Is my responsibility to: examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, to follow the procedures laid down ir) the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under sectton 145(5){b) of the Charities Act, and to state whether particular matters have CLime to my attention. Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordan￿ wlth general Directions given examinef s statement by the Charty Commission. An examination includes a review of the a¢￿UntIng re(x)rds kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts. and seeking explanations from the trustees concernlng any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair, view and the report is limited to those matters set oul in the statement below. Independent In connection with my examlnation, no matter has come to my attention axaminerfs statement which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: to keep accounting r8cords in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met-, or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 25-06-2024 Name: Philip Clasper 11ER