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2023-02-28-accounts

THE ARTS SOCIETY MOOR PARK Chairman's Report, Trustees, Report and Statement of Accounts for the year ended 28 February 2023 MOOR PARK DECORATIVE AND FINE ARTS SOCIETY Charity Number 1111942

Page
Chairman’s Report 2
Trustees’ Report 4
Statement of Financial Activities 6
Balance Sheet 7
Notes to the Accounts 8
Independent Examiner’s Report 9

Though we were made most welcome at Pinner Village Hall it felt quite special to return to the Winston Churchill Hall for our morning lectures. As ever, we are treated so well at our Moor Park venue and this was so evident at the very successful Gala Concert and Dinner in January 2023.

Of concern to me at the start of our Art Society year was the low state of our membership numbers, and the immediate task became how to increase those numbers using multiple channels from recommendations to targeted marketing. The response from our Members to invite visitors and bring guests to our lectures has been strong, and this needs to continue as we seek to return to a Society of ideally around 250 plus members rather than one of just over 200. Why is this so? With news of 10 Societies closing one of which is Chorleywood, and 25 Societies requiring special support, we cannot rest on our laurels.

You may ask what makes a good local arts society. My view is that a diverse programme of lecture subjects, well selected lecturers, a varied strong social programme, a Committee Team determined to do their best to serve the membership, and Members who are welcoming in attitude particularly to new/newer Members, are the essential and key ingredients.

We could add one other ingredient and that is to be able to offer lectures by Zoom livestream directly from the in-hall presentation. This is purely dependent upon having technical facilities and appropriate skilled human resources available and we cannot guarantee to be able to continue with hybrid lectures to your home computer or laptop.

Our diverse programme of lectures, study days and visits have included Canaletto, Monet, Banksy, Van Eyck, Salvador Dali, the lives and times of Peggy Guggenheim and Jennie Churchill, the photography, art and music of the 1930’s in Texas and Oklahoma, Architecture and the Sterling Prize, The Royal Collection of Henry VIII, Music and the Arts plus the Story of the British Musical, Art in Rehabilitation, Remembrance and Reform, and how the course of Modern Art was influenced in the 19[th] and 20[th] Centuries. Couple this with visits to Holland, Coventry, Mottisfont and Winchester, Batsford Arboretum and the Sezincote Mughal Palace, Eltham Palace and very recently to Liverpool, then surely every Member can say ‘there is something here for me’ in the Moor Park Arts Society.

(Chairman’s Report continued)

Tours of the Moor Park Mansion by our Heritage Volunteers have been very popular and fully booked. Our support of Young Arts and Artists has been constant and superbly managed by Angela Stein and our Church Recorders have almost completed their work at a church in Bushey under the direction of Joy Crosbie. These three activities contribute to maintaining our Charitable Status.

I want to thank our President Richard Bradley for his personal generosity and support of our Gala Concert and Dinner and his kind words at the recent New Members’ Welcoming Meeting. On behalf of all our members may I thank also Brenda Cochrane, our Membership Secretary, who is retiring after six years in the role (which has also included preparing the Agenda and Meeting Minutes for our Committee Meetings). Brenda’s work and attention to detail has been most helpful as has her warm greeting to members arriving at the Winston Churchill Hall signing-in desk.

Angela Stein has returned to the Committee and has taken on responsibility for our Days of Special Interest from Joy Crosbie. With the arrival of Jackie O’Rouke to help our Committee, we have been able to expand our marketing activities considerably and at the same time, relieve some of the pressure on David Duncan who has handled both IT and Treasurer functions with consummate skill. We owe special thanks to David for his innovative work introducing several digital payment methods for our society where previously payment by cheque was the only option. (We avoid payment by cash wherever possible for security reasons). To complete these changes Lynn Peters stepped into the shoes of Gill Cooper and organised her first five day tour of Liverpool in April 2023. This completes the round-up of people changes to our Committee team in 2022-23 and its dedicated helpers to whom I offer my sincere thanks.

I will finish where I started by saying a big thank you our Members here today, to those attending on zoom and also to those not here today. Without your dedication to maintain your subscription, attend events and support the Committee team we would have no Arts Society. It is your continued interest and support that inspires the Committee team to work hard on your behalf.

Andrew Egan, Chairman

12 June 2023

Moor Park Decorative and Fine Arts Society (the Society) was founded in 1968 as an unincorporated association governed by Rules agreed by the membership. New Rules were adopted on 22 June 2005 and the Society was registered as a charity on 4 November 2005. In 2018 it followed NADFAS’s decision to adopt the operating name ‘The Arts Society’, rather than change its legal name. In our Society’s case the operating name is ‘The Arts Society Moor Park’.

Under the Rules, the Society is run by a Committee, whose members are Trustees of the Charity.

The persons who formed the Committee from the Annual General Meeting held online via Zoom on 16 June August 2022 until now, together with their areas of responsibility, are shown below:

Andrew Egan Chairman, trustee
Brenda Cochrane Secretary, trustee
David Duncan Treasurer, trustee
Brenda Cochrane Membership Secretary, trustee
Jackie O’Rourke Publicity
Mary Egan Morning Meetings, trustee
Andrew Egan Evening Meetings, trustee
Maureen Atkinson Outside Visits, trustee
Joy Crosbie Special Interest Days, trustee
Angela Stein Special Interest Days, trustee, since Dec. 2022

Members are expected to put themselves forward for election to the Committee when vacancies arise, in accordance with the Rules.

During the year under review the Committee met ten times.

The President of the Society is Richard Bradley and the Vice President is Lynn Peters.

The Society correspondent registered with the Charity Commission is:David Duncan, 19 Eastbury Road, Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 3AJ Email: dduncan969@gmail.com

The website address is www.moorparkdfas.com

(Trustees’ Report continued)

The Society’s objects are the promotion and advancement of the aesthetic education of the public, the cultivation, appreciation and study of decorative and fine arts, and the giving of aid and expertise for the preservation of the artistic heritage of the United Kingdom for the benefit of the public. The Society is open to any member of the public without discrimination.

The Trustees have referred to the Charity Commission general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities.

Details of the achievements for the year under review are set out in the Chairman’s Report (see page 2).

The accounts of the Society are presented in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and comprise a Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 28 February 2023 together with a Balance Sheet at that date and Notes thereon. The accounts have been drawn up on a full accrual basis, which means that all items of income or expenditure that relate partly or wholly to periods outside the accounting year 1 March 2022 to 28 February 2023 have been allocated on a pro rata basis.

The Society maintains adequate reserves which, in the opinion of the Committee, are sufficient to meet all expected liabilities. However, it must be noted that the sudden and unexpected increase in costs since we returned to Winston Churchill Hall in September 2022 has been significant and the costs of Morning Lectures have increased by an average of £2,000 a year for each of the past two years. In returning to Winston Churchill Hall our liabilities will stabilise at or above this increased level and so an increase in annual subscriptions is inevitable.

Risk Management is considered by the Committee at its regular meetings.

The Trustees declare that they have approved this report.

Signed, on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees:

Andrew Egan, Chairman David Duncan, Treasurer

12 June 2023

Incoming resources
Subscriptions
(Note 1)
Donations
Income from Society Activities
(Note 2)
Bank Interest
(Note 3)
Gift Aid
(Notes 4 & 7)
Other income
Resources expended
Costs of Society Activities
(Note 2)
Publications
(Note 5)
Amounts payable to The Arts Society
(Note 6)
Administration and bank charges
Other overheads
Insurance
(Note 6)
Miscellaneous expenditure
(Deficit) for the Year		 2023
2022
£
£
9,547
8,640
15
4,479
29,091
13,342
37
1
2,399
2,510
0
77
41,089
29,049
36,516
22,496
1,700
1,683
3,290
3,264
1,704
659
0
0
145
132
606
881
43,961
29,115
(2,872)
(66)
Current Assets
Deposit at bank
Current Accounts
Cash in Hand
Sub-total of cash and bank balances
Payments in advance and amounts due to the Society
Current Liabilities
Income received in advance
(Note 7)
Amounts owed by the Society
Net Assets
General Fund
incorporating Young Arts Fund
(Note 8)
Balance brought forward
(Deficit) for the year
Total Funds
Andrew Egan, Chairman
David Duncan, Treasurer
12 June 2023		 2023
£
6,086
6,060
0		 2022
£
6,556
4,874
25
12,146
5,878
18,024
10,429
656
11,085
6,939
9,811
(2,872)
6,939		 11,455
6,200
17,655
7,844
0
7,844
9,811
9,877
(66)
9,811
2
Society Activities
Morning Meetings
Evening Meetings
Special Interest Days
Outside Visits
Five Day UK Tour
Special Functions
Young Arts
Heritage Volunteers		 Receipts
Costs
Surplus/Deficit)
2022
£
£
£
£
330
6,844
(6,514)
(4,833)
5,560
5,575
(15)
(1,134)
6,048
6,612
(564)
(1,486)
6,569
5,922
647
(645)
1,049
1,193
(144)
461
7,963
7,546
417
289
750
1,900
(1,150)
(1,807)
822
925
(102)
-
29,091
36,516
(7,425)
(9,154)

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(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility:

Basis of independent Examiner's statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. 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 unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and, consequently, I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent Examiner's statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the Trustees have not met the requirements to ensure that:

  2. proper accounting records are kept (in accordance with section 130 of the Act); and

  3. accounts are prepared which agree with the accounting records and comply with the

  4. accounting requirements of the Act; or

  5. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Christopher M C Rogers, FCA 11 Gatehill Road

Northwood, HA6 3QF

12 June 2023