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The Friends of
Milton Regis Court Hall
Registered Charity No. 1156115
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TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR 2021
Name and identification of the Charity:-
The Friends of Milton Regis Court Hall CIO, registered under Charity No. 1156115. The registered address is 11 Farm Crescent, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 4QD.
Trustees of the Charity as at the date of this report are:-
Dr Michael K Baldwin (Chairman), Mr Paul David (Secretary and Deputy Chairman), Mr Michael Nicholls (Treasurer), Mr Keith Robinson and Mrs Janet Halligan.
Other Trustees during 2021.
There were no other Trustees during 2021.
Organisation and Structure of the CIO.
The Trustees are the supreme authority within the CIO. The Covid-19 restrictions made it impossible to hold a live Annual General Meeting, which had been scheduled for Friday 16[th] April. Instead, all members were supplied by email or post with all documents necessary for them to make informed votes, as required by our governing document. The Trustees are confident that the arrangements made to allow the membership to vote were both sound and justifiable.
In accordance with the governing document, the Trustees Michael Baldwin and Paul David were re-elected unanimously by an email and postal ballot of the membership. The remaining Trustees were not due for re-election. In accordance with the Governing Document of the CIO, future Trustees will be nominated by the existing Trustees, for approval or rejection at the next AGM.
The Trustees are assisted by a Committee, which usually meets approximately six times per year. Because of Covid-19 restrictions, physical meetings could not be held in 2021, but the schedule of meetings was maintained, using email and telephone communication. The Trustees are members of that Committee and the Chairman or his deputy chair meetings of the Committee. Committee decisions are usually made on a unanimous basis, though majority decisions are allowed. Future new Trustees will normally have proved their commitment to the CIO by service as Committee Members.
The governance of the Committee is according to procedural documents produced by the Trustees and agreed by the Committee. These procedures are in accordance with the Governing Document of the CIO. The Governing Document is in accordance with the “Association” model constitution issued by the Charity Commission.
The Milton Regis Court Hall High Street Milton Regis Sittingbourne Kent www.friendsofmiltonregiscourthall.co.uk
11 Farm Crescent Sittingbourne Kent ME10 4QD The Friends are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Financial Reserves:-
The normal routine outgoings of the CIO are modest, about £1,000 per year. Accordingly, it is not necessary to maintain large financial reserves. As at 1[st] January 2021 our reserves were £21,640.29. At the end of the year reserves were £29,640.29. The major items of expenditure for 2021 were insurance, reframing of paintings and electricity. Income for 2021 was £394.35.
We hold no funds in trust for other organisations.
Activities carried out to meet the Public Benefit requirement of the CIO:-
The Objects of the Friends of Milton Regis Court Hall are:-
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To preserve and maintain, for the benefit of the public, the 15th Century Court Hall at Milton Regis, Kent.
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To advance education by operating a museum of local history for the benefit of the public in the 15th Century Court Hall at Milton Regis, Kent.
Following the major renovation work carried out in 2016, the Court Hall is in good repair and we are confident that the first of the aims is being achieved.
It was not possible to open the Court Hall to the public in 2021 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which hampered our ability to fulfil our obligations to meet the second objective. That was unavoidable. Our web site contains a lot of information about the Court Hall. The public has free access to the outside of the building, where there is pleasant landscaping and seating. Cataloguing of artefacts continued in preparation for an eventual re-opening when the Covid-19 situation allows. We participated in a local history day at a local village, showing some chosen exhibits to visitors to the open day.
The Friends participated in the “Wheels of Time” scheme in 2021. Inaugurated by Ashford Museum, the scheme encourages children (and their parents) to visit museums in Kent, awarding them badges and lanyards. The scheme has been very successful in previous years, encouraging many child visits to the museum, but the pandemic made it impossible to do other than on-line activities in 2021.
The charity participated in a National Heritage Lottery-funded project to explore the influence of migration within Swale over the years. Extensive photography took place within the hall. The results of the project will be published in 2022.
We are aware that disabled visitors are unable to visit the second floor of the building, so we have liaised with a local producer of DVDs of historic places. We plan to produce a DVD, which will be played as necessary on the ground floor. This will enable disabled people to see more of what is on display in the building. Production of the DVD in 2021 was impossible.
The Milton Regis Court Hall High Street Milton Regis Sittingbourne Kent www.friendsofmiltonregiscourthall.co.uk
11 Farm Crescent Sittingbourne Kent ME10 4QD The Friends are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Financial Report 2021
| INCOME | 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscriptions | £50.00 | £205.00 | |
| Fund raising special events | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Donations | £83.35 | £0.00 | |
| Grants and company donations | £260.00 | £10,000.00 | |
| Sales, shop and other | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Interest | £1.00 | £0.75 | |
| Gift Aid | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| TOTAL | £394.35 | £10,205.75 | |
| BALANCE SHEET | |||
| 2021 | 2020 | ||
| Accumulated Funds at 1st Jan. | £21,640.29 | £12,018.50 | |
| Excess Income over Expenditure | -£410.40 | £9,621.79 | |
| Accumulated Funds at 31st Dec. | £21,229.89 | £21,640.29 |
| EXPENDITURE | 2021 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Repairs / Maintenance | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| incl. storage facility & display plinths | ||
| Equipment | £0.00 | £15.98 |
| Conservation / Displays | £260.00 | £64.19 |
| Printing & Postage | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Utilities | £102.15 | £97.91 |
| Insurance | £392.60 | £294.00 |
| Stock Purchases | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Other | £50.00 | £111.88 |
| incl. Website and "Wheels of Time" | ||
| TOTAL | £804.75 | £583.96 |
| 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| (31/12/21) | (31/12/20) | |
| Deposit Account | £10,006.77 | £10,005.77 |
| Current Account | £11,223.12 | £11,634.52 |
| Uncleared cheques & pay-ins | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Cash | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| £21,229.89 | £21,640.29 |
MUSEUM SHOP ACCOUNT
| 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Stock | £338.77 | £338.77 |
| Purchases | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Donation (cost) for Books | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| £338.77 | £338.77 |
| 2021 | 2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| Closing Stock | £338.77 | £338.77 |
| Sales | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| £338.77 | £338.77 | |
| Profit/(Loss) | £0.00 | £0.00 |
File: Financial Report 2021 v01 /mjn