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2023-12-31-accounts

Registered Charity No. 1156170

www.barrowuponsoar.org.uk

ANNUAL REPORTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2023

FORWARD PLAN AND

BUDGET 2024

Barrow-upon-Soar Community Association is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered address: Barrow Library, 33, North St, Barrow upon Soar, Loughborough LE12 8PZ

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TRUSTEES May 2023

President: Frances Thompson - 17 North Street, Barrow-upon-Soar 01509 414068
Chair:Fiona Laywood – 14 Huston Close, Barrow-upon-Soar 07896963024
Vice Chair -Nicola Noble - 39, Beveridge St, Barrow-upon-Soar 07786 232766
Treasurer:Roy Bird – New Street, Barrow-upon-Soar 07823 480468
Minutes Secretary:Nicola Noble - 39, Beveridge St, Barrow-upon-Soar k07786 232766
Membership Secretary:Eluned Webb 10, Beveridge St, Barrow upon Soar 07801 200 743
Council Members
Chris Bates - 29 Mill Lane, Barrow upon Soar 01509 413475
Steven Crossley - 3 Staton Rd, Cropston 07710 577122
Ceri Fairbrother - 95 Melton Road, Barrow-upon-Soar 01509 413039
Val Gillings - 60 Beaumont Road, Barrow upon Soar 07423 061303
Craig Johnstone - 8, The Pingle, Quorn 07540722094
Eluned Webb - 10, Beveridge St, Barrow upon Soar 07801 200 743
David Rodgers - 155 Notngham Road, Barrow-upon-Soar 07850 471853
Judith Rodgers - 155 Notngham Road, Barrow-upon-Soar 07718 153117
Helen Sadler - 17, Wyclife Avenue, Barrow upon Soar 01509 621050

Retired trustees during 2023 Betty Turner - 53 Damson Drive, Barrow upon Soar

01509 412911

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Structure, governance and management

The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Membership of the Charity is open to all residents of Barrowupon-Soar and the surrounding district on payment of a small subscription. The Charity holds an annual general meeting to which the public is invited. The Charity is governed by its Trustees (the Council) who meet on average four times each year. Trustees are typically long serving. They are appointed at the AGM each year and new Trustees are recruited either by self-selection or because they support specific aspects of the work of the Charity. There is a simple induction process and training is typically delivered during meetings of the Council.

A number of sub-committees organise specific activities and report to the Council. Full details of these subcommittees appear in the detailed reports, forward plans and budgets which follow.

The Charity uses the names Barrow Community Association, BUSCA, Barrow Voice, Barrow Arts & Theatre Society, BATS, Barrow Panto Group, Barrow Youth Theatre, Barrow Heritage Group, Barrow upon Soar & District Twinning Association, Library Management Committee.

Aims and Objectves

(a) To promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Barrow-upon-Soar and the neighbourhood ("the area of benefit") without distinction of gender, race, occupation, disability or political, religious or other opinions by associating the local authorities, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the condition of life for the said inhabitants

(b) To establish or secure the establishment of a Community Centre ("the Centre") and to maintain and manage, or to co-operate with any local statutory authority in the maintenance and management of such a centre for activities promoted by the Association and its constituent bodies in furtherance of the above objects

Reserves policy

The Charity pays its debts as they arise and there were no significant sums due to be paid by the Charity at the end of the year. A large part of the cash assets of the Charity are held as unrestricted reserves and hence are available to meet the liabilities of the Charity. In the short term, therefore, the Charity has little need of reserves.

However, the Charity has potential long-term liabilities. These arise out of:

Public beneft statement

The Trustees have referred to the general guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when planning the Association’s activities. This report looks at how the activities of the Charity contributed to public benefit in 2023 and how they will do so in 2024.

Signed

Date

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Chair’s Annual Report for 2023

The sub-groups of BUSCA are thriving and this annual report is bursting with things to be proud of. None of this would be possible without the determination of the members of these sub-groups and their dedication to providing opportunities to our village.

This year some of the most obvious changes and happenings have come in the physical changes at the library where an accessible ramp has been installed that can be reached from the newly resurfaced car park. Thanks to a couple of grants received to supplement the work, the library is now fully accessible to all during all months of the year whatever the weather. The additional flexible shelving in the library creates more space and therefore groups looking to hire the space is increasing making the library the true community hub of the village.

Barrow Voice came in the top 5% in the National Parish Magazine Awards and rightfully so! It continues to be a source of interesting and valuable information for residents in the village and its growing relationship with both Hall Orchard Primary School and Humphrey Perkins School will hopefully create valuable partnerships that may even produce new contributors!

BATS have continued to produce successful, enjoyable and well-attended shows which have yielded positive profits. The Sound of Music and Taught a Lesson were both incredibly successful and well-supported by full audiences and by the support of local businesses – a real community effort!

The first village fete in a number of years was held in conjunction with Humphrey Perkins and although started small for the first year it was a huge success. The Dog Show in particular was very competitive and hundreds of four-legged friends won rosettes and prizes kindly donated by Barrow Upon Soar’s very own Feather and Fur pet shop.

2023 also saw a visiting group from Marans spend time with the Twinning Association in Barrow exploring a number of museums and attractions from the local area. Fundraising events by the Twinning Group continue to be successful.

Moving forward there is much to be excited about with The Wedding Singer, a further murder mystery and a pantomime planned for 2025 with BATS and the next Village Fete in May. The Heritage group is actively seeking a new project and the library continues to move from strength to strength. On a slightly less exciting front, yet important nevertheless, with all policies and risk assessments brought fully up to date we can move forward with an assured confidence that all of our wonderful volunteers, members and the wider community of Barrow Upon Soar can continue to enjoy everything that BUSCA has to offer safely.

Treasurers’ Annual Report 2023

The Treasurers : The Association has four treasurers:

Roy Bird General Sally McHale Library Steven Crossley Barrow Arts and Theatre Society – BATS James Fuller Barrow upon Soar and District Twinning Association

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General Treasurer 23

During 2023, unrestricted, undesignated reserves reduced by £861, falling from £30,600 to £29,739.

The key reason for this reduction was a deficit in Barrow Voice magazine activities of £1,220. Income was down £3,299 compared to 2022, but it should be noted that this in part was due to advance payments made in 2022 that related to 2023 issues. Mechanisms are being developed to match income and expenditure to each issue to provide better insight of seasonal variation across the four issues.

There is still no plan to develop a community building, so in 2023 the annual insurance premium of £1,573 was paid from the Community Building Designated Fund.

A surplus of £205 from events held in 2023, plus £125 of membership subscriptions, helped to partially offset the deficit made on Barrow Voice.

Roy Bird Treasurer (General).

Library

The Community Library’s restricted fund increased by £3,678 during the year (£1,748 decrease in the previous year). The following grants were received during the year:

In addition, an award of up to £2,500 towards 50% of the cost of the access ramp was made as a Community Facilities Grant by Charnwood Borough Council, but this has not yet been received. If this is utilised, then it is anticipated that a matching amount of the Awards for All £5,000 may have to be returned if an alternative use of that amount cannot be identified and agreed.

We would also like to acknowledge a donation of £200 received from Barrow Holy Trinity church which was used to purchase lightweight chairs for the library and a donation of £150 from the Barrow Co-op store which went towards the cost of a new rug for the children’s area.

At 31 December, the Library’s total funds stood at £29,630. Of this, £13,462 represents the funds for the day to day running of the Library (down from £14,016), and £11,618 is the development fund (down from £11,937). The balance of £4,550 represents grants received but not yet spent. The access door was completed in late December and the invoice of £4090 is due to be paid in January 2024.

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We must also acknowledge the enthusiasm and effectiveness of our employees and our team of volunteers for keeping the show on the road during a difficult year and thank Barrow Parish Council for their continued support of the library.

Also included in Annual Accounts is the reserve policy:

Reserves policy

The Charity pays its debts as they arise and there were no significant sums due to be paid by the Charity at the end of the year. A large part of the cash assets of the Charity are held as unrestricted reserves and hence are available to meet the liabilities of the Charity. In the short term, therefore, the Charity has little need of reserves.

However, the Charity has potential long-term liabilities. These arise out of:

• The employment of two staff in connection with Barrow Community Library. The Charity must take account of the cumulative nature of the employment rights of its employees. At present these are insignificant in the context of the unrestricted reserves of the Charity.

• The lease of Barrow Community Library from Leicestershire County Council. As the lease is at a nominal rent and the Charity is not responsible for the fabric of the building, the potential liabilities are limited. However, the Charity has made alterations to the building and the licence authorising these contains a reinstatement clause. While it is unlikely that this clause will be invoked at the end of the contractual term of the lease or at all, the reserves policy of the Charity must, if the work is carried out, recognise this potential liability and take it into account in fixing future reserves policies.

Sally McHale Treasurer (Library)

Twinning Association

The balance at the beginning of 2023 was £5,418, and at the close £5,217, a reduction of £201. In June, the Twinning Association hosted a party from Marans at a net cost of £1,085. In 2023 there were 42 members, which raised £210 in subscriptions.

During the year, 3 major fundraising activities took place: a 50s/60s dance at St Gregory’s Hall in Sileby and 2 quiz evenings at the Bishop Beveridge Club. These raised a net income of £684, supplemented by raffle net income of £193. The Twinning Association also had stalls at the village “Party in the Park” in June and the Christmas Street Fair in December.

James Fuller Treasurer (Twinning Association).

BATS

Overall, funds held by BATS have fallen from £19,229 at the start of the year to £16,292 on 31st December 2023, a reduction of £2,937. This principally consists of £2,317 of costs processed this year but related to 2022’s main production, Legally Blond, and £680 paid in advance of 2024’s production of The Wedding Singer. 2023’s productions consisted of a murder mystery that produced a net income of £1,328, and The Sound of Music that produced a net income of £1,824. The latter was performed at Mountsorrel Memorial Centre rather than Humphrey Perkins. These proceeds were used to purchase new equipment totalling £3,180, including microphones

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and associated battery packs. The pantomime this year, Beauty and the Beast, whilst generating £6,039 of income, effectively broke even due to high production costs.

In 2024 The Wedding Singer will again make use of the performance space at Mountsorrel Memorial Centre in September and a murder mystery is planned for October. Thanks go to all those who continue to make BATS such a success both those on stage and those who work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure all performances run as smoothly as possible.

Steven Crossley treasure (BATS).

The Treasurers

GROUPS

Annual Reports of 2023 and Forward Plan 2024

1. Barrow Voice

Annual Report 2023

Barrow Voice continues to be valued by many residents of Barrow. In the 2023 National Parish Magazine Awards, we came in the top 5% of 450 magazines entered - many of which are professionally, or semi-professionally, written and produced. We continue to aim to include interesting information about the village and village residents alongside some articles of wider interest. We continue to build links with both Hall Orchard and Humphrey Perkins schools. We have lost our young journalist, Xander Dolby-Campbell, to A-levels and university!

Forward plan 2024

The key challenges for the future (which the editorial team is discussing and examining different options) include:

Karisa Krcmar (editor)

2. BATS (Barrow Arts and Theatre Society)

Annual Report 2023

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Forward plan 2024

Murder Mystery

Annual Report 23:

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turned a healthy profit. Having said that, the bill to hire the hall for the performance night and a two hour dress rehearsal was £645.

It was a good evening, supported by local businesses such as The Navigation Inn who allowed us free rehearsal space, Charnwood Brewery who donated to the hall costs and gave a donation to the raffle, Paul Bott Builder and SJS Carpet Cleaning (donations to the hall costs.). We were also very privileged to receive donations from two local artists, Chris Bates and Stuart Pawley as well as from the village Co-op.

Forward plan 2024

3. Events Committee

Annual Report 2023

Forward plan 2024

4. Heritage Group

Annual Report 2023

Forward plan 2024

We are seeking another project which would be of interest to the village and for which there is adequate material available.

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5. Library Management Committee

Annual Report 2023

Forward Plan 2024

6. Barrow upon Soar & District Twinning Association

Annual Report 2023

The village of Barrow upon Soar is officially Twinned with the Community of Marans in the Charante Maritime region in south west France. The Twinning Association was formed at the instigation of and is recognised by Barrow upon Soar Parish Council.

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Forward Plan 2024

7. Website administrators for : www.barrowuponsoar.org.uk www.barrowuponsoarheritage.org.uk www.busca.org.uk www.barrowvoice.co.uk and www.barrowcommunitylibrary.org.uk

Annual Report 23

Forward Plan 24

Miscellaneous Projects and Activities

8. Fossil Trail

Annual Report 2022

Forward plan 2023

10. Special Projects

Annual Report 23

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Forward Plan 24

List of publications

Social media (Facebook pages)

 BUSCA * Library * Barrow Voice

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nth cc unt Report to the Trust809 of Barrow- upon- Soar Communlty Assoclatlon On accounts for year endod 31•t December 2023 Charity Numbor 1156170 Set out on Pages 14 I report tothe Trustees on myexamination oftheaccounts of the Barrow-upon-soar CommunityAssociation (the Charity) fortheyear ended 31 December 2023. Responsibillties and basis of report. Asthe charitytrustees ofthe Charity. you a￿reSponsIble forthe preparation ofthe accounts in accordance with the requirements ofthe CharstiesAct 2011 ItheActl. I report in respect of myexamination of the Charitys accounts carried out under section 145 ofthe2011 Act and in carying out myexamination I havefollowed allthe applicable Di￿tionS given bythe Chartty Commission undersection 14515llbl ofthe Independent examinerf¥ statement I have completed myexamination. Iconfim) that no materialmatters have cometo my attention in connection with the examination givingme causeto believe that in any material respect 1. Accounting records w8r6 not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of theAct" or 2. The accounts do not accord with those records. I have no concems and have ¢ome across no other matters in conn8Ction with the ex8min8tion towhich 8ttention should bedrawn in this report in orderto enable a proper understanding ofthe accounts to be reached. Signed Name Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies {if any) Address 1g/./A&

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