Waterhouses Community Association
Trustees Annual Report 2024-25
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.
2) Projects and Initiatives
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a) Waterhouses Woodland Group (Report from Stefan Gemski, Waterhouses Woodland Group Leader)
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Over the last year, we began our long-term project to improve the paths through the woods. This has included laying down wood-chip in muddy areas to help them to dry out, digging run-aways to drain standing water in many areas, and formation of rustic steps to reduce the risk of slipping on muddy slopes. This work is on-going. We have added notices at entrance points to remind people that motorised vehicles of any kind are not allowed, and to respect the work we are doing.
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A new bench has been installed near the green footbridge which looks out over the meadow area. It is beneath an oak tree which we hope will provide some shelter when it rains and shade if it's hot.
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We have completed our first charcoal burn this year. Hopefully, this summer will be better than last year! If so, we will expect to carry out at least two more burns over the summer months. We produce top-quality hardwood charcoal which is available from Deerness Valley Meats in Esh Winning at competitive prices. The wood we use is completely sustainable and is collected in a way which improves the woodland environment. All proceeds go to the Community Association.
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Durham County Council sent a forestry crew to carry out 'haloing' around a number of specimen trees in our woods. This involves felling any trees which were interfering with the canopy of the trees that were selected. The work to tidy up continues.
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A meeting between Durham CC and Waterhouses Community Association was held on 6th May to explore the possibility of leasing the woodland to enable the completion of our woodland management plan. Discussions are at a very early stage, with WCA making an expression of interest.
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Our group has a regular session from 1 – 4 pm each Friday, but other sessions may be accommodated if there's enough interest. All ages and abilities are welcome, although children will need to be accompanied by parents/carers.
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b) Heating and Lighting
As reported at our last AGM, we received a grant from the Area Action Partnership to cover the cost of installing LED lights and infrared heating. The lighting was installed in May 2024 and the infrared heaters were installed in August, which kept us considerably warmer over the cold winter.
3) Hall Activities
Thanks to our volunteers, we have continued to provide a range of regular activities over the past year:
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a) Weekly events include coffee mornings, cinema nights, playgroup, social evenings, dance fitness sessions and floorball.
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b) Knit and natter takes place every two weeks.
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c) Monthly events include family film nights, grub club, and a games night. The Theatre Club isn’t running at present, but if anyone would like to see show, we would welcome help getting this off the ground.
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d) Our bi-monthly quiz night and wine club are as popular as ever.
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e) The hall is also home to Beavers, Cubs and Scout groups, as well as Music and Memories run by Lesley Woodhead.
Our volunteers have also supported several annual events:
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a) We had some fabulous entries for our Scarecrow competition, with ‘I am Groot’ taking first place.
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b) Lots of local residents carved pumpkins and decorated windows for the Halloween Trail, and it was lovely to see families in fancy dress come into the hall for hotdogs and spooky activities before following the trail.
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c) Despite the cold weather, we very much enjoyed our Christmas tree lighting service. We sang carols around our tree which looked amazing, then enjoyed mulled wine and mince pies, while our Christmas raffle was drawn.
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d) Our Senior’s Christmas Lunch was as popular as ever, with a fabulous traditional dinner served to over 50 guests.
4) 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.
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a) We had a wide variety of stalls at our Summer Fair in June. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, so ice creams were popular, as was PCSO Winstanley with his police van.
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b) We held a MacMillan Coffee morning in September, with all proceeds going directly to MacMillan Cancer Support.
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c) We held Ceilidhs in October 2024 and March 2025, which were great fun as always.
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d) We introduced a 60s night in November 2024, and plan to build on this with a 70s night scheduled for 17 May.
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e) Unfortunately we experienced heavy snow on the day of our Christmas Fair, which meant that some of our stall holders couldn’t make it. Nevertheless, the fair was well attended by local residents.
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f) The hall was also hired for 10 private events, generating approximately £570 income. Although this is lower than last year, users have been extremely complimentary about the hall facilities and the service they received from volunteers.
Over the last year, members of Management Committee have been successful in securing a number of grants. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the following organisations for their generous support:
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a) In October 2024, West Durham Community Support Fund kindly approved two grants. The first grant of £900 covered the cost of the Seniors’ Christmas Lunch which included a singer, a children’s Christmas Party with entertainers, and selection boxes for the children who attend Playgroup. The second grant of £900 allowed us to provide toy trolleys for Playgroup, which have improved storage and accessibility of toys.
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b) In January 2025, the Durham City Freemen Charitable Trust kindly approved a grant of £600 which will cover the cost of a Village Afternoon Tea taking place on 5th July.
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c) In March 2025, West Durham Community Support Fund kindly approved a further grant of £500, as a contribution towards the cost of redecorating the village hall. This work is expected to take place over the summer.
Looking ahead, 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.
5) Hall matters
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a) Repairs and maintenance tasks have been carried out throughout the year, all funded by Waterhouses Community Association. This included external painting of the windows, repairs to the cinema equipment, annual PAT testing and chairs were professionally cleaned.
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b) The defibrillator has been deployed several times since installation. However, the code needed to open the cabinet was only obtainable by calling 999. In order to allow immediate access in an emergency, the Resuscitation Council UK now recommend that public access defibrillators should be placed in unlocked cabinets. Therefore, the code was removed from the cabinet in September 2024 and residents were notified.
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c) In September 2024, we were privileged to receive the King’s Cipher, a tablet hand-crafted in sandstone by Durham Cathedral mason, Steve Mann. The oak frame on which it is mounted was made by joiner Anthony Swallow, a colleague in the cathedral team of masons. We would like to express our thanks to Steve for presenting us with the cipher, which now hangs in the foyer of the village hall alongside the Queen’s commendation.
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d) Membership of our Management Committee remains low, with only six 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 2025
£
| Balance brought forward at 01.04.24 Receipts: Bank Interest Hall Lettings WCA Membership subs. Cinema Club Tuck Shop/ Tea & Cofee Puddle Jumpers Fundraising Events Drop In Dance Games Night Grants Donations/Social Club Beaver/Cub/Scouts Wine Club Floorball Solar Power Knit & Natter Woodland Project Bar Other Total Receipts Totals Cash and Bank Balances Lloyds Bank Current Account Lloyds Bank Short Term Investment Account Petty Cash Restricted Funds: Sub Group Planned storage and Maintenance (inc. planned storage & maintenance) |
28448.35 174.52 1,749.00 44.00 804.17 275.00 421.10 3289.78 797.47 123.50 9.00 14,400.00 713.00 1,230.00 50.00 301.00 0.00 212.00 200.00 4,286.60 340.00 29420.14 57868.49 2025 2024 18882.26 18065.41 10000.00 10000.00 310.94 382.93 |
|---|---|
| 29193.21 28448.35 |
|
| 21704.85 |
21704.85
*NB Petty Cash balance has not been verified
Treasurer:-
………………………………………..
As approved by the AGM:-
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 Woodlands Project Equipment Purchase Charity Donations Bar Total Payments Balances carried forward |
1,325.62 55.00 1,944.00 104.20 924.50 2,557.18 446.03 3,526.84 243.70 1,230.39 1,384.11 14067.57 342.14 0.00 454.00 70.00 |
|---|---|
| 28675.28 | |
| 29193.21 | |
| 57868.49 |
Date:- ……………...........
Date:- …………………………
Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees/ members of On accounts for the year ended Waterhouses (Durham) Community Association 31-03-2025 Set out on pages 1-2 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Charity no (if any) 1064926 Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity's 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 ("the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. The charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [named body]]. Delete [ ] if not applicable. It is my responsibility to: , examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Ac , to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by th Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and • to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given examiner's statement by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusua items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning 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 out in the statement below. Independent In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention examiner's statement i me reguremen easonal cause to ble that any materia respect. • to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 ot 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: P. Mager Date: 08-06-2025 Name: Philip Clasper 1IER