Elstree and Borehamwood Museum
Annual Report
April 2021 – March 2022
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| Contents: | |
|---|---|
| 1. Charity Information | 3 |
| 2. A Message from the Chairman | 4 |
| 3. A Review of the Year | 5 |
| 4. Background Activities | 5 |
| 5. Events | 6 |
| 6. Exhibitions | 7 |
| 7. Friends and Volunteers | 8 |
| 8. Trustees | 8 |
| 9. Collections | 9 |
| 10. Accounts and Finance |
10-16 |
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Charity Information
Charity Trustees
Clive Butchins (Chair) Simon Gee Elaine Butchins Pat Strack (V.C. and Secretary) Norman Shuker Betty Chandler Paul Welsh
Museum Manager
Dave Armitage
Museum Officer (Hertsmere Borough Council)
Ruth Stratton
Financial Representative
Ken Freeman
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.
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A Message from the Chairman
Well it has certainly been a year of ups and downs. Following the enforced closure because of the pandemic we reopened with the Holby City exhibition still in place for about three months, which was followed by, if anything, a more popular display about “The Line That Never Was” with its wonderful centrepiece of the working train model nearly six metres long. A tour de force by Tony de Swarte.
Looking to the future, we have a new exhibition lined up which should be open early in 2023. We are also in discussions with Sky Studios where, subject to planning permission, there should be some sort of Film and TV Heritage installation. We very much hope to be involved in its creation.
We welcome to the team Ken Freeman, who will be keeping our finances in order going forward. I am pleased to say that we continue to be in what appears to be sound financial shape, although we still have to sign our lease after all this time. The heads of terms have been agreed, we just await the actual document for it to be checked by our solicitor and signed so we can start paying our bills!
Please note that we have changed our financial year end to the end of March, to coincide with that of our major funder, Hertsmere Borough Council, so the financial report is for a 15 month period.
It just remains for me to say a really sincere thank you to all our volunteers and Jaspreet for once again preparing our accounts. However the museum could not be the success it is without our Museum Officer, Ruth Stratton from Hertsmere Borough, and our Museum Manager, Dave Armitage, who between them do an amazing amount of work.
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Review of the Year
The Museum remained closed from March 2020 until 4[th] September 2021. When it reopened, for various reasons, it was down 30% on staff. A temporary arrangement of closing on a Wednesday had to be put in place but by December normal opening hours had resumed.
During the enforced closure, the behind the scenes activities had continued, with the Object of the Week feature on the Blog and Facebook. A Halloween feature
about ghost stories in the area also attracted popular comments.
Social media and website activity kept people engaged with the Museum and consequently, requests for local history information filtered in, which kept Dave Armitage busy.
Dave was also working on populating a new Touchscreen computer for the archive photo collection. This will enable
visitors to search the photo collection themselves. This also creates a new role for volunteers, to keep adding the photos.
The Holby City at 20 exhibition was still running when the Museum re-opened. Some of the displays were tired and ceiling tiles had fallen down where work had been carried out during closure. Before the re-opening date, Ruth and Dave went into the Museum to spruce it up and get it ready for the return of the public.
The Museum was asked to move out of its Balmoral Drive Store to another property located at the Stanborough Avenue depot. This building has a toilet and washing facilities but also had a roof leak and the building smelled of damp. It was not felt to have the right conditions for storing a museum collection but with some double glazing installed by Dave and some ceiling heaters put in by Hertsmere Borough Council the building is much better now. Subsequently the roof leak has been fixed, Hertsmere Borough Council also agreed to the Museum using two rooms instead of just one originally provided. Many thanks need to go to Peter Windsor and his team at 96 Shenley Rd who have been invaluable supplying a van and driver to help the moves take place.
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Museum re-furbishment – stage one
Plans had been to completely refresh the permanent Museum displays in the autumn of 2020. Money had been secured from Hertsmere Borough Council’s S106 funds. However with the Museum having to remain closed, this
has not taken place as yet. In the winter of 2021, Dave and volunteer helpers, removed a cupboard area near the desk as a location for the new Touchscreen database. Behind the cupboard was a void, so with some alterations, gain 3 cupboard spaces
they were able to including a narrow void to shelve the archive photo files.
The Touchscreen went ‘live’ in March 2022 and the public are now able to swipe the screen and look at all the photos in detail with the ability to enlarge. More photos can be added as and when the photo archive is catalogued.
The Criss-Cross display was put up in the Foyer of 96 whilst the Museum had to remain closed. The original, unseen panels, Did You Know..? which had anumber of little known facts about Elstree and Borehamwood, were supplemented by two new panels on the history of the Prefabs. This proved of great interest to passers-by until it had to be moved to The Venue for a few weeks. A permanent public display place is being sought for it.
David Lally, long-time supporter of the Museum and Elstree Screen Heritage, presented a cheque to Dave Armitage for £750 on 15[th] October 2021. Also unveiled at Elstree Screen Arts is the model of the MGM Tower, built by students at the college and which will hopefully be on display in the Foyer display case soon.
Paul Welsh’s glossy coffee table book about MGM’s history was published and many copies were sold.
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Exhibitions
Some members of the exhibition team had been lost since the pandemic due to changes in circumstance. So it was that in the autumn of 2021, Dave, Ruth, Simon, Helen and model builder Tony de Swarte, all sat down to discuss plans for the next exhibition. It was a shorter time frame than usual. Tony had spent the previous two years of the pandemic constructing
an 18 foot model railway of how the line to Edgware from Elstree would have looked, had it been built.
We had hoped to borrow some Underground related objects from the London Transport Museum for the displays, but on enquiry, they specified a six month lead-in time, which we didn’t have. The exhibition team members made their own enquiries and contacts and items were eventually found.
The BBC team came in on January 3[rd] and dismantled the Holby City exhibition. Dave and Ruth were on hand to assist. A number of items from the show have been given as long term loans or gifts to the Museum’s collection. This now forms part of the growing TV and Film heritage
collection of the area. This is especially valuable now that production of Holby City has ceased after 22 years.
Off The Rails – The Line That Never Was opened on 1[st] March 2022 and in just two months, had 1,130 visitors.
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 live this year, the first time in the Museum’s history. You can view a prior staging of it at https://youtu.be/d18gW6HEAuk
A wreath was laid on behalf of the Museum by Clive Butchins in advance of the day.
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Friends and Volunteers
In October 2021 Hertsmere Borough Council funded a recruitment campaign across all four of the Borough’s museums. This consisted of Keely from Corporate
Communications filming at each location and a professional photographer taking shots of volunteers at work. The video was run
on You Tube and social media and a Volunteers Guide, leaflets and fliers were produced alongside.
Consequently, the
Museum gained 6 new volunteers, one of which is keen to take over the arrangements for our outreach visits to schools.
Sadly there was no summer party or Christmas gathering this year, due to the restrictions.
Volunteer Hours
April – December 2021: 827.5 recorded
January – end March 2022: 1,914 (these include all hours Tony Deswarte spent building the model)
Trustees
The first Trustee meeting after the Museum re-opened in September 2021 was held on 26[th] October.
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)
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Ann and Alan Lawrence remain Honorary Patrons .
Collections
When the Museum re-opened, much focus had to be given to the next exhibition, therefore the MODES team have been temporarily unable to continue, so the cataloguing project has been on hold since March 2020. However, plans are to re-start the sessions from the autumn of 2022.
Many donations continue to come into the Museum, however, including those from the BBC’s Holby City series, and these will be showcased as new accessions on the website once cataloguing can resume.
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ElJtrg9 & Borghamwood Mu¥•um statement of Financial Activities fortho 15 rnonth¥ wdgd 31 March 2022 15 months to 31 March 2022 Yéar to 31 Doc 2020 Income from: Donath)ns 14,395 12,708 Charftab aCts 502 11201 Invèstmnts 37 93 Total Income Expondlturo on: )atilab a¢twit*s ,373 11.586 Tolal eXpondIre 373 Nèt mtsv•nl In funds 6.561 1.095 Total fun¢J5 Ot the beginning ol the perK)d 5,355 4.260 Tolal funds atth• ond of the perfod io
Elslree & BorBharnwood Museum Re9l$twgd numbw: 1157770 Balance She¢¢ as at 31 March 2022 Y1 March 2022 31 Doc 2020 rront 8888ts Stocks CbtrJ Cash at bank 8nd in hand 1.308 1,341 83.801 1,002 14 78.438 86.450 79.454 Credltor8'. amounts lalllng due wlttbln one yoar Ntrt curr•nt aBsets 83,812 73,954 Total assets currort Ilabllllle 83.812 73.954 Provlsknns forllablllYe8 10 (r1.8961 (68.5991 pt a880ts Ibpr88entsd ty.. lthre8trctsd funds 11,12 11,916 5,355 Total fund 11.916 5.355 Th25e fin8nck?I statèrrnts vrts apP¥*d by tho Irustses on 2 seprnber 2022 and tsiuned on thèir bahaw by". CIIvo &Jtchln8 Nonngn Shuker li
Streo & BorahwOOd Mu8oum Notesto th&finCIal statements forthe 15 month period ended 31 Marrh 2W22 1court4 pollcfj•• ThBSB aunt5 hsve begn pr8paTrd und8r thg hlDrfr41 cast (x)n%f ntiDn ot (Xt0rtronsaIOn value stat8d n th8 nDt88 to thgsa actr. The accounts been prepaTed In AC(x)rdAn¢e 4th the tharfUe$'. St2tettÈnt of Re(x)mnded Prndr (appIcab lo chartles pleparfng they accoun16 in arulrdance lih ihe Flianck91 Repor@ Standa applkAble In the UK and Repubbc of lieland IFRS 10211 ltsued on October 20191 l(arttVè6 SORP (FRS 10211. the Flnancial Repong Standaj appllcable ID ihe UK Republt of IFRS1021 and vAth th8 Chat5 Act 2011. The aca)unts hakt en prepared on a golig rA7ncem bas. Is inthdBd In th8 Stat8Trnt of Flnanci41 Actrts ISoFAlth8n the chanty bgcatllBS BtB tD th8 Ou, it i8 lik8ly than not knstsos ¥¥41 r1v th9 rfjsou¥ gnd th¥ TrwJnBtsry vAlue rn be nEa9ured h suffent telabllty. GrdDts donatTr6 are onty InLe0 n the SOFA the g8neral recognmbn cntets a hryrj Jnwrjbyrshlp mbeyshlp sub$tth)Ik)ns reeeknd In the natute of A gKt ate reth9Th kn Th)natbns. Membèrsh subscrfpttons glves a mmber the ¢&hl to buy EeN*es or olher benelK5 are recognbed as hcome frorn aVe6. InthdÈd In the A(£otsnt9 en tecebt k4 probable ar ihe amunl reCEab eAn tYasurÈd Tellabty. This & nonNIty upon notlflotk)n of the kntereyi pakl orpayable bythÈ ban VolwJ•rh•lp Thp v8lug of any vobJnt8ry hfj nDI inrludg11 In thp ¥c(z)unts bul b 098thb9d kn Ihp ttee¥ annual teport. 8tOL Is hduded at the lowarof cost ornet reatsable value. Trade and other debt0 are tew9nbed al the Settr(nI am)unl due after Rny dThL offered. Prepants ate VAkned at the auTht ptepald nei ofany tradÈ d&counts. C•h •kxlth Cesh £1 bank and h hand Indudes CBGh and short tem) Iquhj cath depo619 he h bènk Llablrtles are COgnIsed there rTh)re Ilkely than not ihat there * a al or con51NLke oblalon conynttlng the thartty lo pay out and ihg anDunl of thg oblwJa1n be r¥Vo %¥¢h Faa8onaLge rtaty. Prnvljks lorllblllO0s A I01ty * nasured on reL>Jgnllbn al ns hlslorkal cost and then wb5equentty rrasured al the best esllmte of Ihe amunl requked lo *ttle the oblkJalbn atlhe rewrtlng dats. 12
Streo & BorahwOOd Mu8oum Notesto th&finCIal statements forthe 15 month period ended 31 Marrh 2W22 In¢¢m• ¢m donauord 2022 2020 natbns gYt5 GgngBI grnn 983 808 13412 Generdl grdnts Include an annual grant of £10.550 Trcefved rtsmer0 County Councl. Nl ofthe above lateS to unrnSled fund5. 2022 2020 ernhlp wb5¢tptbn& 18 138 120 Retall 502 Allof the above te8 lo UTrEt¢¢ted lunds. Inv••lmontlncom• 2022 2020 8aDk hteresl 37 93 Allof the above leteS lo unre2t¢rtted lunds. 5 Anlyl al4xp•th•thx• an ¢h•rftsbl• ¢tlvll• 2022 2020 ExhIbIn Elucalion e¥entS Insufdnce Ir equpTrnl expBns95 PTeThes and assothied COGtB prtnting, Ptsstsge & $tat&>nBry Other 1,986 (6,7971 18.0561 07 8,373 11.586 6 Stock 2022 2020 Opgnity stoth 85 at 1 J8nu8ry Change the perfod Clothy slo( as al 31 22131 Dpc 20 1.002 306 1.019 17 13
Streo & BorahwOOd Mu8oum Notesto th&finCIal statements forthe 15 month period ended 31 Marrh 2W22 D•btrJr• 2022 2020 PrepaTrts 1 341 14 8 C&•h attsnk 4Tr1 In Fthnd 2022 2020 9h at nkAnd kn hand 83 801 g Cr•JtyJrn= •mourl¥ f•lllngdv• wthln y••r 2022 202¢ Baknce al 1 January Anh)untsèdded il the year Amunls released lo incom fmm pvnr year Babnce 8131 22131 [ 20 5,500 2.638 500 5.500 S.500 leThgts rel6 tothe annual grdnl adyanre County Coun 10 Provl•lon• for IlablllUM and 2Q22 2020 at 1 J3nusry Change prosTr 8abnc0 8t31 Mah 22131 20 88,599 3,297 71,896 59.599 9.000 68.599 PTohI5bns knclude £60,763 (2020.. £40,966lpmvl0Tr fOrpreThse$ UJS16. £10.133 pmvtslon for (x)sts (2020.. £10.1331. £1.1)00 12020.. £45001 prO5n forexhlbklon rewmwal (x)5ts, £0 r2020'. £13.OWI foracqubttbn of stordge spxe forexhb¢bn rnatertals. The prowlaon of preTh¥es c05tswas Increased by £19.787 to £60.783 based on wsts detalkgd kn the draft H8ad5 of Tem% dated June 2022 and based on e911mSOf rent. The pro$Tr lorulWYLy (fJSts of £10,133 vmsbased on 3.6% of total uty (gas and electrictyl blb e5tlmled by chartered SU9yOl. Thg lin9 of Ihg po)fntS lorlhege 8tp unc¥rtgin Bnd o¥ 3t thF signing dots Df Ihow aw)unts Ihg y91 to bp dfte{l. The prowlaon forethbmon remval rtssts was reduced as these costswere kncumd by a Ihlrd paty Instead of the ISeuM. The prolOn loraqu151on of sioTage space for exhSblllon w85 raduced as su¢abLg premises have nol been In Ihe pedod and th8 timing of th* is yncertaln. The Museum. hoW¥tr. IsactrlY bokn9forprernb05 a3 ntsnds to UEe the aUted funds to 14
Streo & BorahwOOd Mu8oum Notesto th&finCIal statements forthe 15 month period ended 31 Marrh 2W22 11 Unr•¥trlthd Iry• 2022 2020 8aknce al 1 January Incofflkng SOurceS Outgolng rewurAs 5,355 4.26Q 12.681 14,934 (8,3731 Ba&nce at31 22131 [C 20 12 Analyl• ol notA•8•t bfrkn¥••nfund• N•t Curr•rt Totsl Unrestrfraed Inwrw funds 13 Otsr Inknal Elthe & 80rehaTr•d WEeum 15 a thartab licoonIe organ15albn and 15 gIstered wllh I Charfty ComThNssh)n. 11 15 not requhd lo regb5ter th the CoryanS use a5 a oiThyany. 11 has Urnle# lblty 8) that Is an¢ twaees not nee¢ lo contV kn the ekpnl of Ihg tharfty bakng y]und up. 15
E15treo & BoTrhamwood Musfum Detalled Statement of FlnancLql Actlvltle8 fortbe 15 month poriod 0nd0d 31 Marrh 2022 ThAs schedul8 Lloes not fo part oflh8 subnthell financ{stlennts ISM 31 hlarEh 2022 Year 31 DBC 2020 1C4 frorn.. tnation$". Grants Re¢ohed DonatYJn6 and pr¥sentsi)ns 13.412 983 11,900 808 14,395 12,708 Ch8rttsble acllmlies FrEnds subsolpth)ns Fund faing 18 502 138 502 11201 Inve51ments Bank InterBst eamed 37 93 Total Income EXpprr• on charllable aclvlllM'. Ttrmp Exhibition 088gn & Print Eduration and events Inwrance IT and 8quPrnI gxpenses prriseS and associated costs 1,986 11.6391 (7851 16.7971 16341 11.4001 15971 18,0561 11621 Prfnting, post898 & Statnary Other Annu81 $ub$cripllons and renewaL8 Bank charges Consumable5 (3111 (71 1461 P531 FrEnds Expense¥ Sundry TrBv81 31 145 400 207 Totsl expanthr• N81 rm¥emnl funds 8.561 1.095 Total fjJnds 811 January 5.355 4.260 Totsl thjndi at 31 lknrch 22131 Dqc 20 11.916 16