2021-03-31-accounts

	Page
TRUSTEES REPORT
INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT	13
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS	14
STATEMENT OFASSETSAND LIABILITIES	15

mes	ofthe charity trust	ofthe charity trust	ees who manage the	charity	charity
	Trustee name		Office (ifany)	Dates acted ifnot for whole ear		Name to a	ofperson lor body) entitled ointtrustee if an
	Elaine Barratt		Chair/Stewards/			Membership
			Shop Manager
	Sheena	Commons	Vice Chair/Collection			Membership
			Care/Display
	David Hardiman		Buildings
	lan Kellett		Secretary/Lectures			Membership
	Pauiette	McManus	Museology	On sabbatical	for	Membership
				personal reasons from
				April —August	2020
	Raymond	Simpson	Librarian/Archivist	To August 2020		Membership
	Mark Smith		Fund raising			Membership
	Susan Stamp		Membership/	From September 2020		Membership
			Newsletter
	Janet Swiss		Garden	To June 2020		Membership
10	Linda Wilton		Treasurer			Membership
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

		Names and addresses ofadvisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses ofadvisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses ofadvisers (Optional information)
T	e	ofadviser Name		Address
Bank		HSBC		19Minster Street, Salisbury SP1 1TE
Solicitor Rutter				2 Bimport, Shaftesbury SP78JG
Accountant Andrews			8	Palmer 32The Square, Gillingham SP84AR
Name		ofchief executive or names	ofsenior staff members (Optional information)
		~ a		~ ~ ~
	Description ofthe charity's trusts
		f 0vern In d 0um	t	CI0Association Const itution Iast amended 5 ApriI2018
		(eg, lille'I deed, conefitiitlon)
				CharitabIe Incorporated 0rgan isation ofapproximateIy 130 members
		!cg.trust, association. company)
		Trustee selection methods (eo. appointed by, =lected by)		Trustees must be members ofthe Society, elected by its members. One third ofexisting trustees retire each year and may stand for re-election. Trustees are elected at the AGM held in July following the end ofthe
				financial ear. Trustees have the ower to co-0 tas necessa
	Additional governance issues (Optional information)
	You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:			Volunteers, including new trustees, have a short induction on first arrival. Further training is ongoing within role, including any external training courses which may become available. A comprehensive Stewards' Guide, containing procedures and relevant
	~	policies and procedures		policies, is readily available to all volunteers; stewards are required to	sign
		adopted for the induction and		an annual declaration that they have read it. No trustees or other
		training oftrustees;		volunteers receive any remuneration or other benefits.
	~	the charity's organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;		Role descriptions for all trustees and other volunteers are available. DBS checks are only made ifappropriate. The Society operates published Volunteer; Safeguarding; Disability Discrimination; Equal Opportunities; Health 8 Safety; Education; Exhibition &Display; Financial Control; Lifelong Learning; Acquisition 8 Disposal; Care &Conservation;
	~	relationship with any related parties;		Collections Development; Environmental; Access; Data Protection Policies as well as Emergency; Resource; Audience Development; Forward Plans,
	~	trustees' consideration of major risks and the system		Security Review, and a Documentation Procedural Manual covering accessioning and disposal of gifts and loans, all ofwhich are updated schedule.	to
		and procedures to manage them.		The Society is a member ofAIM (the Association of Independent Museums), the South-West Federation ofMuseums and Art Galleries,	the
				Dorset Museums Association, the North Dorset Museums Group and is
				accredited with ACE (Arts Council England).
				The intruder and fire alarms, fire extinguishers, heating system, lift, and
				CCTV are held on routine service contracts.

			~ ~ ~
			The object ofthe CIO is to encourage the appreciation, study and
			enjoyment of history, especially that local to Shaftesbury, Dorset, and its
Summary ofthe objects charity set out in its		ofthe	environs, and thereby advance the education ofmembers ofthe Society and ofthe public of all ages and background by, in particular but not
governing document			exclusively: (a) operating a museum ofartefacts which reflect the history ofthe area and (b) maintaining a library ofbooks and documents of local
			historical interest.
			The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity
			Commission on public benefit. It has informed our decisions on opening
			hours, free entry to the Museum, temporary exhibitions, all age and
			lifelong learning, cooperation with other groups in the area and
			communication with the local community.
			The Society during normal, ie non-pandemic, times:
			~ owns, maintains and operates Gold Hill Museum which is open to
			the public daily for at least seven months ofthe year with free
			admission
Summary ofthe main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have			~ mounts at least two temporary exhibitions each year in addition to the regular displays ~ owns and maintains a local history library and archive which is open to members and the general public for research purposes by appointment at agreed times throughout the year ~ organises and holds lectures in the winter which may be
had regard tothe guidance			attended by non-members on payment ofa small fee
issued by the Charity			~ organises a learning and outreach education programme for
Commission on public benefit)			children and adults, parts ofwhich are conducted with the Abbey Museum and Gardens

			~ ~ ~
Summary	ofthe main		Management
achievements ofthe charity during the year			The Trustees held 8 committee meetings via Zoom when they delivered reports on their respective responsibilities. Sub-groups met as necessary
			to deal with matters such as Collections, Archives, Library and
			Exhibitions.
			Museum opening, shop and gardens
			The Covid-19 pandemic had a tremendous impact on our normal
			operation and, even when Government regulations allowed, lack of
			volunteer availability meant that the museum, giR shop and garden were
			open forjust three and a half weekends (Fri-Sun) in August.
			The gift shop has a wide selection ofsouvenirs, the majority ofwhich are
			made locally, and is a good source ofincome. Because we do not charge
			for entry, we rely on the generosity ofour visitors who normally number
			20,000 per annum. Shop purchases and donations which were meagre
			this year normally provide a large part ofour income.
			Our small team ofgarden helpers has continued to work steadily and
			reliably throughout the year, for which many thanks. The council's
			fortnightly garden waste collection, suspended for a short time at the
			onset ofpandemic measures, is invaluable.
			The Collection
			Gold Hill Museum was closed for the majority ofthe 2020 season,
			opening for only a few weekends in August. During a lot ofthis time many
			ofthe volunteers were self-isolating until the lockdown was eased when
			we opened briefly and background work was continued for a short time
			until the second lockdown in January.
			We have upgraded MODES, our Museum database and, with help,
			installed it. This gives us much more varied options in how we input data
			and keep our records.
			We have had several offers ofdonations but until Covid restrictions are
			lifted are unable to take them in.
			We continue to work on catching up with our backlog in accessioning and
			data recording and hope this winter to finally start on the re-organisation
			and audit ofthe storeroom.
			Temporary Display
			One ofthe temporary exhibitions we prepared for the 2020 season, all
			about Hovis and its iconic advert made on Gold Hill, was hardly viewed
			as the museum was open for such a short time sowe have kept it intact
			for 2021.This exhibition was made possible by the loan ofseveral items
			from a private collection.
			We have also been working on a new exhibition for this season based on
			the theme ofchildhood. Some years ago we were given two dolls houses
			and some box rooms and we have used these as the basis ofthe new
			display. We have also used other items such as an old wooden cradle,
			an old school desk, vintage toys and children's clothing to give an

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		impression ofa child's room. It is hoped that some ofthis will be
		interactive but this will be dependent on Covid guidelines.
		The Library/Archive
		Over the past year a team of nine volunteers has been carrying out an
		audit ofthe museum archives and books. We responded to the need	for
		social distancing by moving boxes ofdocuments temporarily out ofthe
		library into other rooms, thus allowing volunteers to examine, list and
		classify items in asafe space. In the face ofconsiderable difficulties,	the
		team has now completed this initial phase ofthe project.
		As there was limited storage space in the library forthese boxes it was
		decided to purchase two new bays ofshelves that were compatible with
		the existing shelving. Two tiling cabinets have also been replaced. The
		audit revealed original documents that need to be stored in acid neutral
		containers and folders, a quantity ofwhich we have now purchased.	The
		Dorset Museums Association has supported the project with valuable
		advice and a grant off500. The easing ofrestrictions will also enable	us
		to take up the offer ofconservation training by South-West Museum
		Development.
		Jeanette Hardiman has adapted the Modes cataloguing system to record
		the details ofapproximately 1,300books. She has also helped with the
		creation ofa similar set up for the future cataloguing ofarchival
		documents. We are most grateful to Andy Hargreaves for the free IT
		support he has provided in this process.
		Our long-term goal isto be able to connect with the public by providing
		digital access to indexed resources and through regular displays, whilst
		ensuring the safe storage ofour archives for future generations.
		Membership
		Membership has remained the same as the decision was taken by the
		trustees to extend it for a year without renewal subscription, given that we
		were unable, due to the pandemic, to offer the normal benefits.
		Magazine
		One edition ofthe Byzant magazine was produced in time for Christmas.
		Itwas very well received judging by the unprecedented, favourable
		feedback.
		Information Technology.
		There were some issues with our new computers and the implementation
		of cloud storage which were sorted out, pro bono, by Andy Hargreaves,		a
		local ITexpert. He drew to our attention to the seriously low
		download/upload speeds we were experiencing as a result ofwhich,	and
		unable to get anywhere with our current supplier, we have gone to
		another company.
		Life-long learning events and schools
		The pandemic has prevented any programme ofeducation.

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		The Lecture and Events Programme
		With lockdowns and social distancing in force itwas not possible to hold
		any ofthe planned lectures, or All Age Joint Activities with the Abbey
		Museum. The AGM was postponed, re-located and finally held online; the
		associated Garden Party and the Summer Outing were cancelled.
		Speakers were contacted individually as the months passed and all
		kindly agreed to defer their lectures for ayear. At this stage holding talks
		via Zoom was not considered, as it would exclude members who have no
		access to the necessary technology. Forthose who do have access,
		organisations such as Gresham College offer a range ofattractive free
		lectures online, and details were emailed to members.
		As there were no S8DHS lectures or events (with one "virtual" exception)
		to promote via the Gold Hill Museum website and Facebook page, the
		emphasis in the content of News Blogs shifted to more general historical
		matters; with ample time for reading, the posts became more detailed
		and thoroughly researched. Hopefully they were still helping to fulfil the
		Society's aim ofencouraging "the appreciation, study and enjoyment of History. "Sothere were pieces marking the 500th anniversary ofthe Field
		ofCloth of Gold; the 300th anniversary ofthe advent to power ofSir
		Robert Walpole, arguably the first Prime Minister; the centenary ofthe
		first live radio broadcast ofa musical performance (by Dame Nellie
		Melba); and the 75th anniversary of local VE Day celebrations. The
		situation where a serving Prime Minister was laid low during a pandemic
		was compared with the parallel of 1918.A local dimension could be
		found to all these stories.
		In the spring of2021, inspired by the preparation for eventual exhibition
		ofa set ofmagnificent doll's houses and room settings, an All-Age
		"Amazing Spaces Challenge" was launched online. Adults and local
		schoolchildren were invited to create a shoebox-sized model ofa room or
		living space, together with a short text, and email a photograph to Gold
		Hill Museum. Some ofthe entries will appear in a "Childhood"-themed
		temporary exhibition.
		The opportunity was taken to use Edwardian photographs ofShaftesbury
		and District from the Museum's own Tyler Collection, and to direct
		readers to the "Shaftesbury Remembers" website. Some interest was
		stirred by a post on the films likely to have been shown in 1920at the
		Picture Palace in the High Street, leading to a follow-up about the original
		Rin Tin Tin. Previously unseen photographs of Coombe House (St Mary' s
		School until 2020) accompanied a post on the history of its builder, M.H.
		Beaufoy, a South London vinegar manufacturer with a passion for
		country sports. A Cambdidge postgraduate student ofthe history of
		Country House Hotels found this useful.
		In the circumstances the numbers ofvisitors to the website held up well.
		In any rolling three-month period during the year the most popular Blog,
		reviewing the evidence that Thomas Cromwell might have visited
		Shaftesbury Abbey (as imagined by Hilary Mantel), was viewed over 400
		times. The most unusual response to a post, marking the centenary of
		the death ofSir Merton Russell-Cotes, Bournemouth hotelier and
		philanthropist, was a genuine offer by the author ofa recently published
		Russell-Cotes biography (a major source for the piece) to donate a copy
		to the Museum Library. This was gratefully accepted.
		2020/21

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imminent danger ofcollapse, it is in need of attention and re-pointing.
The original mortar is either in poor condition or missing altogether.
Further to a report to a Trustee meeting, an inspection by David Wheeler
ofWoolley &Wallis, Chartered Surveyor was arranged. He agreed that
the area of initial concern should be re-pointed, which would help to
reinforce it. However, he considered that other parts ofthe wall further
south are ofmore immediate concern and made recommendations
regarding the wall and its repair, which he suggested we put to Young's
Brewery. He doubted that the party walls act would be applicable in this
case. The Trustees wrote to Young's on 19March, expressing their
concerns.
Marketing and Communications
In anticipation ofa potential "staycation" boom in 2021, the Trustees
decided to invest in a short, professionally-made promotional video. This
was written by Trustees, shot in February 2021 and installed on
YouTube, the Gold Hill Museum website's Home Page and Visit Dorset's
Gold Hill Museum webpage in March. It rapidly clocked up several
hundred viewings and was admired for its striking drone photography and
positive representation of Dorset's highest hilltop town. South-West
Federation ofMuseums liked it so much that it was featured in their email
circulation of all member museums.
On Tuesday 13October 2020, as part ofthe BBC's Culture in Quarantine
strand, the BBCSouth Today regional news programme included a recorded report from Gold Hill, as a "smaller, quirkier museum. " There
was an immediate tenfold spike in hits on the Museum website, but no
short-term dividend in increased visitor numbers as the Museum was by then closed.
Members ofthe Society gave a favourable reception to a bumper 34
page, full-colour, printed edition of "The Byzant" Newsletter in December
2020. This incorporated the minutes ofthe online AGM held in
September and several well-researched articles on matters such as the
Blue Plaque planned for nineteenth century Shastonian John Rutter, the
story ofthe Ruhleben Internment Camp for Britons in Great War
Germany, and the troubled life of petty criminal William Sims, transported
to Australia in 1830. A Salisbury exile contributed Recollections of
Shaftesbury Life 1937-59.Also acknowledged was the considerable
achievement ofone Society volunteer in researching and uploading to
the "Shaftesbury Remembers" website the biographical details ofover a
thousand individuals recorded on local war memorials. This S8DHS site
offers a fund of information about all aspects of Life in and around
Shaftesbury during the era ofthe Great War, and inspires regular
correspondence from family descendants seeking or offering updated
information.
The evolving role ofthe News Blog on the Gold Hill Museum website is
reported elsewhere. Over 470subscribe to this Blog and 407 follow the
Society's Facebook page, which benefits from being able to share many relevant stories from "The Alfred Daily". This popular podcast oflocal
news and features is run pro bono by a professional journalist and travel
writer, and includes Society Trustees among its regular broadcasters.
Many ofthe GHM website pages provide useful information about
Society activities, Museum exhibitions and facilities, though many were
inevitably unavailable during the pandemic. The Anna McDowell Garden

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Room was previously being booked by regular, mainly educational user
groups on four days ofthe week, but could only be used by a maximum
often observing Social Distancing, when permitted. There are ambitions
to upgrade the Library and Archives page as part ofa drive to reach out
to the community from the foundation created by the cataloguing and
conservation work ofenthusiastic, socially distanced volunteers. The
opportunity was also taken to upload all recent editions of "The Byzant".
Gold Hill Museum continues to be publicised in atourist leaflet published
jointly with the Abbey Museum and Gardens, and in a Museums Trail
leaflet featuring several North Dorset museums. The trustees continue to
pay for advertising space on the Gillingham and Shaftesbury Tourist
Map.
Finance
The Year End bank account statements have been reconciled and the
relevant Sage Account records and documents have been deposited,
ready for Andrews and Palmer Accountants in Gillingham for the Annual
Audit for the Charities Commission.
Donations/ Shop Sales
As we were only open for four weekends in August due to Covid restrictions, income from Donations and Shop saies was f543.33and
2618.99respectively. Also we will not be able to put in a claim for
2020/21 under the Gift Aid and Small Donations Scheme; for 2019/20 we
claimed f1455, paid in May 2020.
However, we did receive a grant of825,000 from the Government, via
Dorset Council, which offset the shortfalls described above.
Bank Balances:
So overall we are maintaining healthy bank balances:-
Community Account R3?,249.18
Business Money Manager f20,848.44
M8G investment value dropped to 829,278 at 31st March 2020. This	year
there has been a recovery in the Stock Market and the value at the 31st
March 2021 isR37,935.79
Full figures and comparisons are shown in the attached, audited
accounts.
New Equipment
The new Zettle till system is in place with a card reader. This system	is
very user friendly for the stewards use and producing relevant reports	for
the accounts. Although the Museum was only able to open for a short
time in August 2020, the till system was tested for the first time and
proved an asset especially for card payments.
New monitors for visitors are in place. Cost 81566to be partly funded
with a Small Grant Big Improvement grant from SWFed ofMuseums.
New storage shelving and storage has been purchased for the refurbishment ofthe Library (partly funded with a grant off500from
Dorset Museums Association).
Broadband Provider/ Telephone
We have changed our Broad Band Provider to XINIX with a much better
contract from 30th March 2021.The Broadband connection is now fibre,
ultrafast. BTwere not able to respond to our Broadband update
application efficiently. Sofar the new provider has been very helpful and
efficient.

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Funding
It has been a challenging and perhaps at times frustrating year.
The trustees can report that the SG:Blfunding bid to the South-West
Museum Development Programme in respect of new monitors was
successful.
The terms ofthe agreement contained a number ofcommitments in
terms ofaims, objectives and actual process in order to satisfy the criteria
and generate the release ofthe funds/grant. Although Covid-19 slowed
down progress, the trustees are pleased to say that all stages ofthe
process have now been completed and anticipate that the grant/funding
in respect ofthe new monitors will be released in the near future.
A trustee is currently in dialogue with our Development Officer, Vicky
Dewit, with a view to clarifying the museum's position as regards any
eligibility in respect of'recovery assistance' funding.
As regards the future and having successfully re-opened the museum	to
the public, it isthe intention ofthe trustee with responsibility for funding	to
research opportunities offurther developing the society's profile and
service by investigating possible links with other 'bodies' in the
Shaftesbury community, (in particular local schools).
This is presently at the thinking stage but as ideas take shape, they will
be discussed in detail at future trustees' monthly meetings.

Brief statement ofthe charity's policy on reserves		The annual fixed costs (rates, insurance, utilities, maintenance contracts) of running the Museum are in the region off.10,000. Ifthe Museum must close for any reason, as demonstrated this year, we still have these bills
		to pay. The lift is necessary for enabling full access and would be
		expensive to replace. Substantial repairs to the fabric ofthe building may
		be needed at some time in the future. The Trustees have estimated a
		figure of5% ofthe rebuild value plus f10,000 annual fixed costs as the
		contin enc reserve.
Details ofany funds materially in deficit		Not applicable
Further financial review details		(Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about: ~ the charity's principal sources offunds (including any fundraising);		As we were unable to open for most of2020, our main source ofincome was the f25,000 government grant issued via Dorset Council and based on rateable value. The Museum has no loans and none ofthe Museum's assets (building and collection) is used as collateral. The Museum has just one site which is owned by the Society and the accounts cover all financial activity at that site.
~ how expenditure has		Our investment policy is based on the principle ofcaution using a deposit
supported the key objectives ofthe charity; ~ investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.		account and a Charifund investment at present. The Trustees thank all our donors, including our members, the general public and local businesses and groups, for their generosity. We also thank those local and regional businesses which offer concessional rates and those businesses who turn up at short notice to help us out in an emergency.
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We plan to open on Spring Bank		Holiday 31 May, two weeks after Government regulations will permit
museums to do so. The short	delay is to ensure that all our volunteers have been double vaccinated and to
allow time for the necessary	updating ofexisting stewards and induction ofseveral new volunteers. It is
hoped that we will be able to	operate 10.30 —16.30, seven days aweek as normal.

ned on beha	lf ofthe charity'	s tru tees
	Signature(s)
	Full name(s)	Elaine Barratt	Linda Wilton
Position (eg	Secretary,	Chair	Treasurer
Chair, etc)

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											Unrestricted	Restricted					Endowment
		Categories				Details					funds		funds				funds
											to nearest E	to	naarsstE				to nearest E
Bt Cash		funds				Bank Accounts					49,598					8,498
						Cash in Hand
								Total		cash funds	49,898					8,498
						(aawa balances		wftb	rcraipu acd paymenb
										account(s))	r)K	QK					Dl;
											Unrestricted	Restricted					Endowment
											funds		funds				funds
						Details					to nearest E	to	nearest E				to nearest E
B2Other		monetary assets				Debtors
											Fund to which						Current value
						Details					asset baton s						o onal
B3Investment			assets			Charilund	Accumulation		Units		Unraatnctad						37,936
						Details					Fund to which asset baton s						Current value o tional
B4Assets retained for charity's own use				the		Freehold Property Fixtures 8 Fittings					Unrestricted unrest cted				88,(49		675,000
						Computers					Unrestricted					9,940
						Heritage Assets					Unrestricted						132,624
						Stock					Unrasbicted						2,463
B5Liabilities						Details Creditors					Fund to which liabil relates Unrestnctad	Amount due 0 'onal 276					When dua 0 onal
Signed by one or two trustees behalf ofag the trustees				on			Signature				Print	Name					Date of e rove)
											E.Barrett
											L.Wilton