The Parish Hall, Great Saling The Salings Millennium Hall, Piccotts lane, Great Saling, Braintree CM7 5DW Registered Charity number 1070514
Trustees Annual Report for the year ending 31 march 2025
We are an unincorporated Association. The Trustees for this year continued as the previous period Kevin Dorset , appointed May 2015 Clinton Cornish, appointed December 2020
The Parish Hall, also known as the Salings Millennium Hall, serves the villages of Great and Little Saling as a focal point for village activities, such as fetes and classic car shows, evening fun events, quizzes and plant sales. But to maintain an income to support the ongoing costs of running a modern Village Hall, the premises are let out to a variety of local clubs and private events.
This report period, April 2024 to March 2025, continued with regular hiring of the hall, following the huge success last year of the Kings Coronation Party. From Art groups to Tai Chi, from Carpet Bowls to Badminton, all continued with vigour and were welcomed by all.
We hosted, on behalf of the Parish Council, an Annual Parish Meeting, attracting many residents who attended an evening of multiple presentations by the various club and association with the village and surrounding parts.
A defibrillator was installed this year with appropriate training held at the hall.
Our hiring income source tried to find a balance between competitiveness and increasing charges, especially as the increasing cost of Electricity was a challenge and severely affected our profit and loss account. With the reducing costs of solar panel installation, we embarked on a project for an installation and obtained a grant from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and Rural England Prosperity Fund in the sum of £16500 to help us with the installation costs.
This year, financially, is another exceptional year, with the benefit of this large grant.
We cannot submit a independent audit report because the Trustees decided this report was not required (as recommended by the Charities Commission) in view of our turnover always being under £25,000. It is only the grant of £16,500 that has increased our turnover above the limit of £25,000
Looking forward to the next financial period, we do not expect to receive any further grants.
Our challenges in the near future are to balance our income with the projected running cost increases whilst offering our hirers a welcoming, safe and modern venue. To progress our interests in a Web based booking and payment system and overhaul our hiring charges . To continue in expanding our Committee personnel following many articles in our local parish magazine of encouragement. And to replace the existing Hall Lighting with LED units, ensuring a better quality of brightness for the badminton Club as well as everyone else .
This report was presented and agreed by the Trustees during a meeting on the 4th September 2025