Great Aycliffe Village Hall Association, a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
The Trustees present their annual report and audited financial statement for the year ended 31 December 2024 and confirm they comply with the Charities Act 2011, as amended by the Charities Act 2016.
Charity name Great Aycliffe Village Hall Association
Charity Registration number 1158767
Address North Terrace, Aycliffe Village, County Durham, DL5 6LG
Trustees
David Gordon Lewis (Chair) Alan Harley (Secretary) Susan Mariana Hindle (Treasurer) Carl Joseph Robinson (Vice Chair) Patricia Johnson
Pauline Welsh David Baker Bryan Matthews Jacqueline Craft Margaret Lenahan (10)
Auditor
David L J Blair
Bankers
Barclays Bank PLC & Lloyds Bank PLC
Report of the Trustees for the year ending 31 December 2024
Governance, Structure and Management
Governing Document
A Charitable Incorporated Organisation with voting members other than its charity trustees. It is governed by a Constitution dated 14[th] September 2014.
Organisational Structure
The charity trustees are responsible for the general control and management of the charity. The trustees give their time freely and receive no remuneration or other financial benefits.
There must be a minimum of three trustees and a maximum of twelve. The day to day running of Aycliffe Village Hall is controlled by the trustees.
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
At every Annual General Meeting one third of the trustees shall retire by rotation. They are eligible to stand for re-election along with any other volunteers and the vacancies so arising are filled by the decision of the members. In selecting new trustees, we seek to identify people who regularly attend events and functions organised by the charity and are willing to volunteer to help in the broader community.
Premises
The freehold of the property is owned by Durham County Council and it is leased to the Great Aycliffe Village Hall Association by a lease dated 27[th] November 2014 for a period of 30 years. Under the terms of our lease, building insurance is arranged by Durham County Council and charged to ourselves.
Private company, Gas Service Industrial, have serviced the gas boilers since April 2023.
Repairs & Improvements.
In February a small number of damaged ceiling tiles were replaced with newly purchased tiles. During March the overgrown trees and shrubs along the rear fence and in the front garden were cut well back and the plant material was removed in two skips provided free of charge by the quarry owners, Ashcourt Group.
A repair to the cement step at the entrance to the small room was carried out and the coping stones on the flat roof above the kitchen were re-seated and repointed.
In May water damaged paint in the kitchen was removed and the wall repainted.
In June rotted timber above the rear fire door was replaced.
The floor covering in the Ladies toilet cubicle was noticed to have bubbled up. Paul Thompson Flooring contractor inspected the floor which registered a high damp reading suggesting a possible water leak. Water meter readings did not indicate a leak. The flooring was cut to let the moisture out and will be reaffixed in the drier weather of 2025 when the floor should have dried out.
In August the wall corner at the north fire door was repaired.
In October a new boiling water dispenser was fixed to the wall in the kitchen to replace the old free standing boiler.
In November the outdoor storage shed was given a new coat of creosote.
In December the paper towel dispenser in the Gents toilet was reaffixed to the wall. During the year Pauline Welsh continued to remove fallen leaves, weeds and debris from around the Hall.
Building and Electrical/ mechanical services were inspected during December 2024 by a contractor working for Durham County Council and we await the results.
A number of trustees and a volunteer have met at the Hall each Monday morning to carry out cleaning duties; any minor repairs that may be required are dealt with or scheduled for repair at a later date. This equates to at least 750 volunteer hours a year.
Activities
A variety of activities take place within the Hall including Beavers/Cubs/Scouts, Dancefit, Darlington Video Makers Club, Social Club, Local History Society, Women’s Institute, Pimm’s & Needles Group, Pilates, Yoga and the monthly Breakfast Club. The Hall has been available to hire for private parties and to the public and private sector. St Andrew’s PCC were able to use the Hall for their meetings.
Finance
During the year difficulty continued with Barclays Bank regarding the status of our account and a problem arose in trying to add a new signatory. It was agreed to seek an alternative bank. New accounts have been opened with Lloyds Bank PLC and the Barclays account balances have been transferred and the Barclays Bank accounts reduced to nil balance.
On the 1[st ] January 2024 total funds held were £35405.36, by the year end 31 December 2024 funds in hand totalled £35185.06 . Finances are being controlled and carefully monitored.
David Gordon Lewis (Chair) on behalf of all Trustees. 8/02/25
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