Rhiwbina Memorial Hall and Community Association registration number 1161074 Trustees report for 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025
I ntroduction
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The charity changed its status from an unincorporated body to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in April 2015 and assumed the assets of the previous charity in July 2016, which at that point was wound up. This report has been drafted in accord with SORP FRSSE. The report has been compiled so that it is consistent, as far as possible, with reports for previous years. Much of the report is unchanged from the previous year. The paragraphs containing significant changes are limited to:
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Financial summary appended.
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There is an independent examiners report attached.
Object
- Our object is “to maintain and manage the Rhiwbina Memorial Hall for activities promoted by the Association in furtherance of the undermentioned objectives or any of them and to promote the well-being of the community residents in Rhiwbina by associating the residents and sympathisers in a common effort to further health, to advance education, to provide facilities for physical and mental training and recreation, and social, moral and intellectual development, and to foster a community spirit for the achievement of these and other charitable objects.”
Governance
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Our constitution is based upon the Charity Commission model for a CIO with additional voting members. The Charity Commission approved this constitution on 26th March 2015 and the new charity became operational from 1[st] April 2015.
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As of 31[st] March 2025, we had eight trustees, although the constitution allows this to vary up or down slightly. They are Lucy Chiplin (RATS), Ann Bean (Floral Society), Christine Cleaver (Bridge Club), Maryon Philpot (Badminton Club) Suzanne Pearson-Scale (Independent), Carol Davies (Independent). The ex officio trustees are John Wake, Chair of the Hall Council and Gillian O'Keeffe, secretary to the Association.
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The trustees delegate all their powers to other people or groups, although they can rescind those delegations at any time and without notice if they feel the delegated powers are being abused. The delegations are to the Hall Council, the Groups and the Executive. The trustees however meet as a body at least once each year, and additionally to consider any matter that requires their specific consideration.
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The Hall Council comprises all the trustees, two representatives of each group and the Executive. There is provision within the rules for additional members having specific abilities, although we have no such additional members of the Hall Council currently. The Hall Council determines, within its delegated powers, policy and priorities. It also oversees the work of the Executive and the four groups.
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The Groups provide an opportunity for local people to participate in dramatic art, flower arranging, playing badminton and bridge. They each manage their own affairs within the framework set by the constitution and the rules.
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The Executive is responsible for the day to day running of the Association and comprises:
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the Secretary who is secretary to the board of trustees and the Hall Council and who is also, ex-officio, a trustee;
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the Chairman of the Hall Council who is also, ex-officio, a trustee;
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the Treasurer of the Hall Council;
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the Bookings Secretary who is responsible for looking after hirers of the Hall;
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the Hall Manager who is responsible for looking after the building;
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and the vice chair of the Hall Council.
Performance and achievement
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Our charitable requirement is to serve the local community. We estimate we have between 40,000 and 50,000 people through our doors each year and we see that as a sign of considerable success. We have three types of user:
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By making space available for local groups to hire rooms in the Hall for their own use. We have about 25 groups of regular users who account for more than half our income. In this way, we are very much at the centre of the local community. We maintain regular contact with these groups, many of which cater for young people or the elderly.
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We also allow for occasional hires for activities such as children’s parties and wedding receptions. They account for about 5% of our income. This group of users also includes services such as the blood transfusion service and use of the hall for local and national elections and those uses are given a high priority.
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We have four groups that form the basis of our membership. They account for slightly less than 40% of our income. The groups provide for local people to participate in amateur dramatics, floral art, badminton and playing bridge. All those activities help people to stay either physically or mentally fit.
Management of risk
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We continue to address the following risks. We have improved our control of all these risks over the past year. We have strategies to deal with all these risks.
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Insufficient funds to continue to operate.
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Ineffective financial control.
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Breach of trust.
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The building fails to meet building standards.
Finance
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We manage our finances and produce accounts with three aims in mind:
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To show that there is no improper use of our funds;
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To show that our funds are used predominantly to achieve our charitable object;
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To show that we remain a going concern as regards our financial viability.
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Our main banker is NatWest . We also have a COIF account (Charities Official Investment Fund), which is our only investment. We retain no professional advisers, and our trustees receive no payment for their services beyond reimbursement for matters like postage stamps nor did any trustee have any dealings with the charity during the year.
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We estimate that less than 1% of our expenditure goes on non-charitable activities. We spend nothing on advertising and the costs associated with our general meetings are minimal. We have an accounts system, based on Excel, that holds a ledger for our current account. Our full accounts are based on receipts and payments, not accruals, and are compiled by type of expenditure – wages, premises, utilities etc. These
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accounts identify separately any transactions related to insurance matters. The full accounts also identify separately, subscriptions paid by members of the association to their respective groups. We make small donations to other charities having an objective consistent with that of ours - serving a local community.
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Our accountancy principles do not depreciate our assets. Instead, we manage our finances to allow us to keep our assets in good order. That policy is the basis of our future financial planning as part of the process we identify the likelihood of various parts of the building requiring repair or replacement in the foreseeable future and we seek to ensure that our balances are sufficient to cover those likelihoods. A later paragraph reports on how we are progressing towards that objective. That policy also covers the way the four groups manage their assets. It is this requirement – very much related to our need to remain a going concern – that we find most difficult to achieve. As a charity that provides space for local groups, we must keep our rental rates as low as possible. It is difficult to reconcile that aim with the requirement to build reserves that will allow us to meet the cost of major maintenance items.
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Members of the Association make a substantial contribution to running the charity. Most of that work is through running the four component groups that are the backbone of the charity. We cannot make an accurate estimate of what that work would cost but at the levels of the minimum wage we estimate it would cost us at least £10,000 each year.
Finance Summary 2024 to 2025
| Income & Expenditure 2024to 25 |
Total |
|---|---|
| Income | |
| Group Income | 11,456.52 |
| Regular User Income | 28,537.81 |
| Other Income | 8,946.72 |
| Key Deposit | 38.00 |
| Income Total | 48,903.05 |
| Expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Utilities | 9,253.69 |
| Staff Costs | 13,036.31 |
| Other | 7,975.16 |
| Expenditure Total | 30,265.16 |
| Profit/Loss | 18,637.89 |
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RHIWBINA MEMORIAL AND COMMUNITY HALL Income & Expenditure for the year ended 3U03125 Total Income Group Income Regular User Income Other Income Ke DetM)sit 11,456.52 28.537.81 8,946.72 3800 Income Total 48,903.05 Expenditure Utilities Staff C¢)sts Other 9.253.69 13,036.31 7,975 16 Expenditure Total 30.265.16 Profit/Loss 18,637.89 nt udit verified. Alun Parry Rawlins FCA ICAEW Membership Nun*)er 7101430 5 Clos 8rynderi Rhiwbina Cardiff CF14 6NN 2610912025 Page | 4