## **Elstree and Borehamwood Museum** ## **Annual Report** ## **April 2020 – March 2021** 1 |**Contents:**|| |---|---| |**1. Charity Information**|**2**| |**2. A Message from the Chairman**|**3**| |**3. A Review of the Year**|**3**| |**4. Background Activities**|**5**| |**5. Events**|**6**| |**6. Friends and Volunteers**|**6**| |**7. Trustees**|**6**| |**8. Collections**|**7**| |**9. Finance**|**8**| ## **Charity Information** ## **Charity Trustees** Clive Butchins (Chair) Betty Chandler Elaine Butchins Simon Gee (Co-opted 22/01/21) (V.C. and Secretary) Pat Strack Cynthia Barker Norman Shuker (Passed Away Sept 2020) Paul Welsh ## **Museum Curator** Dave Armitage ## **Museum Officer (Hertsmere Borough Council)** Ruth Stratton **Principal Address:** 96 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire WD6 1EB **Website:** www.elstree-museum.org.uk ## **Registered Number:** 1157770 **Principal Activities and Objectives:** The charitable objects are to advance education for public benefit, in particular in the subject of Elstree and Borehamwood, its history and heritage. 2 ## **A Message from the Chairman** As you will see from the Review of the Year below, 2020-21 was both difficult in many ways but in others easy, as work on Museum related activities all but ceased. Please note that our financial year runs coincident with the calendar year, whilst the rest of our report is from April to March. I must in any case praise the work done by all our volunteers – this includes our outstandingly dedicated, innovative and resourceful Museum Manager, Dave Armitage - all of whom deserve most sincere thanks. Since the year end in summer 2021 a stand-alone unit with panels illustrating facts about Borehamwood entitled “Did You Know?” was erected in the Café area at 96 Shenley Road. It was very welcome when the museum was finally able to open again with the Holby Exhibition on 4[th] September 2021 with most of our fantastic volunteers being raring to get stuck in once again. We now look forward to our next exhibition due to open in 2022 with new and exciting displays. ## **Review of the Year** 2020 opened with the successful _**Holby City at 20**_ exhibition just three months into its six month run. It continued to be very popular with people planning to travel long distances to see it. Visitor figures for the period October to March were already 1,411. In response to demand, Hertsmere Print Services produced postcard sized staff files of some of the most popular characters and these were offered as souvenirs free of charge but donations welcomed. These ran out almost immediately and several more print runs followed. Plans were moving ahead for the commemoration of 50 years since MGM Studios closed, with meetings taking place with Paul Welsh and Bob Redman of Elstree Screen Heritage to discuss a display in the Foyer area. This was also to coincide with the publication of Paul’s coffee table MGM history book. 3 This collaboration was just one of the plans as part of of activities and events for the Hertfordshire 2020 Culture Campaign. a series Year of planning called The Exhibition Team had met and were well into the next temporary exhibition which was to be _**Northern Heights and the Lost Line,**_ the subject being local transport and the abandoned plan of bringing the Underground from Edgware to Bushey. Unfortunately everything was brought to an abrupt halt on 17[th] March 2020 when the first lockdown was introduced due to the Covid 19 pandemic. The Museum was forced to shut its doors like everywhere else and very Tweets by @EBWMuseumHerts i quickly, a team of volunteers adapted material to Ee]== EBW@EBWMuseumHertsMuseum create a Virtual Museum online, using the Facebook, Please be serious not silly! These school pupils are certainly serious! Medburn School in 1910 Please #shareyourmemories @hyoc2020 website and other social media platforms. very Volunteer Matt Caro worked alongside Hertfordshire Museums with a weekly # campaign based on various themes. Matt used photos from the Museum’s archive posted them daily on Facebook and Twitter. The # to all the other county museums and promoted our and linked museum more widely. Matt reported Facebook enagagement numbers were between 20-25,000 people. Heritage and Museums Officer, Ruth Stratton worked alongside volunteer Simon Gee to produce Object of the Week feature for Facebook and the website blog. The idea was that if visitors could not come to the Museum, the Museum would come to them. Objects were selected in an A-Z format with background help from volunteer MODES cataloguer Peter Seaman and Museum Manager Dave Armitage. When National restrictions began to ease in July 2020, some of the other Hertsmere Museums were able to open. Unfortunately, Elstree and Borehamwood Museum was not one of these. The small size of the Museum would have made rules about 2m social distancing very difficult. Also, with the stairs and lift out of use due again to social distancing requirements, there was no access to the top floor. The Library 4 used the area to quarantine incoming books and for extra office space to allow the staff to socially distance. In August 2020, Dave Armitage held a socially distanced meeting of the volunteers in the Hall at 96. When asked who was willing to return to work, all were keen. With the Museum out of bounds, a plan was hatched to use the café area in the Foyer of 96, which was not being used. Peter Windsor, Building and Events Manager at 96, agreed to the plan, and Ruth and Dave worked with Peter on a risk assessment and Dave drew up a workable layout for a temporary exhibition space. The idea was to put up a series of display boards showing unseen photographs from the archive, to keep the Museum in people’s minds whilst it was closed. The Foyer area is prime exhibition space and a good opportunity to publicise the Museum. Chairman of the Trustees, Clive Butchins applied for a grant from Hertsmere Borough Council to cover the cost of providing PPE and this was given. Ruth and Dave spent many hours trawling through the Museum’s photo database looking for images. However, before the display could get off the ground, another Lockdown was announced and everything stalled once again. At the time of writing, we are still in the third National Lockdown and with no clear idea of when things will change, we are putting plans on hold for the time being and continuing with our online effort. ## **Background Activities** More enquiries have been coming in via the Museum’s email and Dave has been busy behind the scenes researching and answering these. This has certainly been a year like no other and whilst many will be happy to forget it, 2020 will go down in history for the profound effect it has had on all our lives. Future generations will look back at this time and learn about it. The Hertsmere Heritage and Museums Officer, Ruth Stratton, initiated a campaign across all four Hertsmere Museums to actively encourage donations for the collection which reflect and encapsulate this period in our lives. Indeed, this Annual Report also becomes a piece of history, charting how the Museum has coped during this unprecedented year. This campaign links to a National initiative #Collecting Covid Campaign. Elstree and Borehamwood Museum have wholeheartedly signed up to this initiative. 5 ## **Events** Armistice Day could not be attended due to Lockdown restrictions. Therefore the ceremony could only be viewed virtually and was not able to be recorded this year, the first time in the Museum’s history. You can view it at https://youtu.be/d18gW6HEAuk A wreath was laid on behalf of the Museum by Cllr Clive Butchins in advance of the day. ## **Friends and Volunteers** Florrie Cowley celebrated her 100[th] birthday in July 2020. A card from the Museum was sent to her. Sadly there was no summer party or Christmas gathering this year, due to the restrictions. ## **Volunteer Hours** March 2020: **221** April – December 2020: **1,322** (Lockdown) January - March 2021: **63** ## **Trustees** In September we were very sad to learn that Cynthia Barker had passed away. Cynthia had been a great supporter of the Museum and a Trustee from the beginning. The AGM was held in October via Zoom. Trustees standing down and offering themselves for re-election were: Elaine Butchins. Volunteer Simon Gee was voted onto the Board. 6 ## **Thus the Board of Trustees as of 26[th] October 2021 after the AGM was:** Clive Butchins: Chair Elaine Butchins: Vice Chair and Secretary Paul Welsh Pat Strack Norman Shuker Betty Chandler Simon Gee (co-opted January 2021) Ann and Alan Lawrence remain Honorary Patrons **.** ## **Collections** Due to the pandemic, the MODES team have been unable to continue, so the cataloguing project has been on hold since March 2020. Hertsmere Borough Council has stated that it will be closing the Balmoral Drive storage facilities at some point in the near future. A new store is being developed in Stanborough Avenue. Items relating to the Covid crisis are being encouraged. People are being asked to send an email with a photo of the potential donation and some background information. Once volunteers are allowed back into the Museum, donations can start to be taken in. 7 Finance Elstree & Borehamwood Museum Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2020 2020 2019 Nots Income from: Donations 12,708 13,520 Charitable activities 11201 479 Investments 93 210 Total in¢ome 12,681 14,209 Expenditure on: Charitable 8ctiMties 11,586 12,649 Total expendlture (11,5861 {12,6491 Net movement in funds 1,095 1.560 Total funds at 1 January 4,260 2,700 Total funds at 31 December 5.355 4,260 Elstree & Borehamwood Museum Registered number- 1157770 Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2020 Note 2020 2019 Current assets Stocks Debtors Cash at bank and in hand 1,002 14 78,438 1,019 12 68,328 79,454 69,359 Cr•ditors'. amounts falllng du• within one year Net current assets 73,954 63,859 Total assèts lèss Currènt Ilabilities 73,954 63,859 Provisions for liabilitie 10 168,5991 159,5991 Net assets 5,355 4,260 Represented ty. Unreslricled ftlnds 11,12 5,355 4,260 Total lund$ 5,355 4,260 These financial state￿￿nts were approved by the trustees on 31 July 2021 and signed on their behalf by.. Cllve Butchlns Nomian Shuker Elstreè & Bor8hamwood Museum Notes to the financial statements for thè y•ar ènd•d 31 D•¢•mb•r 2020 Accountlng pollele$ Basis of preparation These accounts have b8en prepared under the historical cost conv8nticm wlh item8 recognised at cost ortransaclion value unless otherwise slated in the relevant notes to these accounts. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Stsl8m8nl of R8comm8nded Practice.. A¢¢ounting and Rep￿ing by Charities preparing their a¢¢ounts In acGordano wlh the Financial Reporting Stsndard spplicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021 issued on October 2019. and ￿th the Charities Act 2011. Recognition of income IntomÈ Is in¢luded in the Ststen*nt of Fina￿la1 A¢tivities IS(FAI when Charity be¢off*s entided to the resources, it is more likely than not the tNstee5 wll rec8ive the resource5 and the monetary value tan be W￿aSUred wth sufficient reliability. Grant5 and donatic￿s are only induded in the SoFAwhen the general income rewnilion criteria are r￿t. ItKome from membershlp subscrlpllons Membership subscriptions r8e8iv8d in the natur8 of a gift ar8 r8(wnis8d in DOnat￿n8. Membership subscriptions whi¢h gives a ft*mb&r Ihe right to buy services or ott)er benefits ar¥ recognised as income from charitable activities. Income fmm Interest This is included in the accounts %vhen r8ceipt is probable the amount receivable rAn te measured rglia￿y. Volunte8rh8lp The value of any voluntary help reoived is not induded in the a¢¢ounts but is des¢ribEd in t trustees, annual report. Stocks Goods provided as part of a charitable activity ar8 measured at net realisa￿e value based on the seM¢e potential rxovided t)y items of St￿￿. Llablllty re¢ognltion Liabilit188 are r8cogni88d where il is more likely than not that th8re is a legal or constructive obligation comtnitting Ihe charity to pay out resources and the arnount of the obligation can be m8asured Mth r8asonable certainty. Pmvi510n5 forliabilities A liabilty is trtasured re¢oynition at its histori¢al Cost then sut)seouenUy measured at th$ best estimate of the arnount requir8d to setde the obligation at the reportiro da18 io Elstree & Borehamwood Museum Notès to thè financlal stat8m8nts for the year ended 31 De¢ember 2020 2 Income from donations 2020 2019 Donation5 and gift5 G8n8ral gr8ntS 1,970 11,550 13.520 11,900 12,708 All of the above ￿lateS to unrestricted funts. 3 Income from charitable activities 2020 2019 Membership subscriptions Retail loss 18 11381 11201 628 11491 479 l of the above relates to unrestricled funds. 4 Imiostment in¢omo 2020 2019 Bank Interest 93 210 l of th8 abov8 r81ate5 to unr88tricted fund5. S Ajjal￿19 of expendlture on charitable actlvltle$ 2020 2019 Exhibitions Education and events Insuran IT and 8quiprnent expenses Premises and associated costs Printing, postag8 & station8ry Other 11,1451 1191 11,4001 15971 18,0561 11621 12071 111,5861 17,4101 12341 11,3651 15551 12091 12,1871 16891 112,6491 6 Stock 2020 2019 Charitable actlvitles.. Opening stock as al 1 January Change in the year CIosiTVJ Stock a5 at 31 Decetnber 1.019 1171 1,002 1.168 11491 1,019 li Elstree & Borehamwood Museum Notes to the financial statements for tho year gndod 31 Dac8mbar 2020 7 Debtors 2020 2019 Prepayments 14 12 8 Cash at bank and in hand 2020 2019 Cash at bank and in hand 78,438 68.328 9 Cr8ditor5'. amounts falling du8 within one year 2020 2019 Deferred income 5.500 5,500 Mov8m8nl in d8f8rr8d incom8.' Balance at 1 January Amounts added in the year Amounts released to incorne from prior year Balance at 31 D8C8ntsr 5,500 5.500 15.5001 5,500 5,500 15.5001 5.500 10 Provlslons for Ilabllltl•s and Char￿5 2020 2019 Balance at 1 January Change in provision Balan￿ at 31 Decernber 59.599 9,000 68,599 56,099 3,500 59,599 Provisions indude £4,50012019.' £35001 provision for exhibition removal costs, £51,09912019.' £46,099) of historic PTemis8S Co5￿ which are 8W8iting 8ssessm8nt by the landlord, and £13,(KJO 12019.. £10,000) which is reserved lor acquisition of storage space lor exhibition materials. The timing of both of th818tt8r Iwo oufflows is uncertain. 11 UnrestrScted Income funds 2020 2019 Balan￿ at 1 January In¢oming resources (￿tgoIng resour 4,260 12,681 2,700 14,209 111,5861 112,6491 Balance at 310ecentsr 5.355 4.260 12 Elstree & Borehamwood Museum Notes to the financial statements for tho yoar onded 31 Decembgr 2020 12 Analysls of net assets behveen funds Net Current assèts Provlslons Total Unrestrcted income funds 73,954 168,5991 5,355 13 Oth•r Infomiatlon Elstree & BorehaM￿(KI Museum is a ¢haritsbl8 I￿￿)rporated organisalion and is registered wlh th8 Charity Cornmission. It 15 not r8quired to r8gist8r with the Compani8s House as 8 company. It has limited liability so that its tnernbers and truste85 do not need to contribute ir? the event of the charity being wound up. 13 Elstree & Borehamwood Museum Detailed Statement of Financial Activiti9$ for the year ended 31 December 2020 This schedule does r￿t fonn part ofthe submitted linancial staten￿ntS 2020 2019 Income from= Donations.. Grant5 Received Sales, d￿atIonS and presentations 11,900 808 11,550 1,970 12,708 13,520 Charitable a¢tivities FrEnds 5ubsciiptions Fund raising Retail 18 628 138 149 11201 479 Investments Bank inter8St 8amed Total income 210 14.209 12,681 Expenditure on charilable activltie$: Tetnp Exhibitiori Design & Print Eduration and ev8nts 11,1451 1191 11.4001 15971 18,0561 11621 17,4101 12341 11.3651 15551 12091 12,1871 Insuran IT and equipment expenses Pretni5es and associated costs Printing, POSta98 & stationery Other Annual subscriptions and renewals Bank charg8S consUma￿e$ Fr*nds Expenses Incre85& in accru81s 12531 13111 45 1451 12271 1991 Sundry Travd 1771 74 145 207 689 Total expenditure 111,5861 112.6491 Nel movement in funds 1,095 Total funds at 1 January 4,260 2,7(M) Totsl funds at 31 December 5.355 4.260 14