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2023-03-31-accounts

Friends of Highgate Library Charitable Foundation

Report of the Trustees for the year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

The trustees present their annual report and income and expenditure statement for the year from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 and confirm that they comply with the Charities Act 2011. The AGM for the year 2022/23 was held on 8 June 2023 virtually via Zoom as permitted by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020.

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: Friends of Highgate Library Charitable Foundation Charity Registration Number: 1161601

Trustees: Linda Lefevre (Chair) Paul Harris (Treasurer) Virginia Kerridge (Secretary) Sarah Harrison Agnes Stewart Sarah Carrier Michele Cohen Patrick Lefevre Margot Kafno Fabian Watkinson

Structure, governance, and management

Governing document

Friends of Highgate Library Charitable Foundation (“FOHLCF”) is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission in May 2015 under charity number 1161601. It is governed by a constitution lodged with the Commission.

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. The trustees meet together as a body four times a year and are responsible for all decisions taken in relation to the running of Highgate Library and the running of Highgate Library Hall which has been known as Highgate Library Civic and Cultural Centre (“HLCCC”).

The charity works in partnership with the London Borough of Camden (“Camden”) Library Services to run Highgate Library. Details of the partnership are set out in a Memorandum of Understanding dated 1 June 2015. To assist in the smooth running of Highgate Library the trustees have delegated responsibility to a management group who meet regularly with officers and staff from Camden in a Highgate Library

Management Group (“HLMG”). The operation of letting the HLCCC has similarly been delegated to a small group “the Hall group.” Each group reports to the full trustees at meetings.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

There are ten trustees. No new trustees were recruited to join the board during this year. The terms of office of trustees named below came to an end during the year but each put themselves forward again and were reappointed: Michele Cohen, Agnes Stewart and Sarah Carrier were each reappointed for a term of 3 years on 15/11/2022. Toby Faber continued as President.

Objectives and activities

The objects of the charity are set out in the charity’s constitution as follows:

  1. To advance the education of the public in Highgate by providing, or assisting in the provision of, a public library and associated services, including but not limited to, information and study facilities, educational programmes, courses, classes, and lectures.

  2. To provide or assist in the provision of facilities at Highgate Library and the Highgate Library Civic and Cultural Centre for meetings, classes, lectures and recreation or other leisure time occupation for those individuals living and or working in the London Borough of Camden and the surrounding area in the interests of social welfare and with the objective of improving the conditions of life of the said individuals.

  3. Such charitable purposes for the public benefit as are exclusively charitable according to the laws of England and Wales as the trustees may from time to time determine.

All the activities of the charity are carried out by volunteers. All our trustees and volunteers give of their time freely. HLMG recruit and arrange for training of new volunteers to the Library. All volunteers working in Highgate Library are DBS checked. FOHLCF operates the hiring of the Hall entirely with volunteers. The Hall is a much- needed community space in the area.

Activities and achievements

The charity carries out core activities in pursuance of its charitable aims. The trustees consider that these activities, summarised in this report, provide benefit to the community surrounding Highgate Library which includes Highgate Newtown, Dartmouth Park and Highgate.

HIGHGATE LIBRARY

Chair’s Report to AGM April 2022 to March 2023

Our charity was set up ten years ago and benefits the library by channelling the Civic and Cultural Centre hire fees into the library, supporting the work of our volunteers and adding stock and equipment. A dedicated group of volunteers manage the hall and its bookings. The charity has also obtained significant grants, for example to set up and run a toy library and chess club and to create the Meeting Room from the old office space.

Key members of the Friends meet quarterly with senior Camden library staff to review our performance and deal with major issues arising from the Memorandum of Understanding which guides our relationship with the Council.

Sarah Harrison chairs the library management group which meets frequently with Camden staff to manage the day to day running of the library and to recruit and train the volunteers who work in the library. The weekly rota of the essential volunteers is managed by Reg Herring, ably assisted by Paul Harris, who is also the charity’s treasurer. Thanos Morphitis manages the special local history and cemetery collection. Virginia Kerridge is the charitable foundation’s secretary, responsible for arranging meetings and submitting reports and accounts on time.

Our president, Toby Faber has made a very generous and welcome donation of new books.

Everyone is involved with encouraging people to become library volunteers working in a variety of roles. The Friends rely on volunteers to work in the library, manage the hall and assist with events. As Councillor Anna Wright recently said, Highgate Library is seen as a success in Camden because it is so firmly rooted in its community and has great links within it.

Report from Sarah Harrison, Chair of Highgate Library Management Group

This year was a time of growth for the Library. Having emerged from the Covid years the Library Volunteer group re-established itself and has become a strong, stable and creative element in both the management of the library and the delivery of services. Working with Fahd Toor is his new role as Community Library Manager the efficiency with which the Library core services are run has improved and new services offered. Many regular library users as well as first time visitors to the Library remark on what a lovely atmosphere there is in the Library.

The provision for children has been enjoyed by a growing number, with Rhyme Time, Singing Stories and the Toy Library all attracting an increasing attendance while for older children the Chess Club has become one of the most popular events of the week. A recent addition has been the Games Console session on Saturday afternoons, which after a slow start has seen children and often adults playing happily together. The Children’s Library itself has become a “go-to” place of choice for many parents/carers for the post school hour when it is alive with the happy chatter of children and adults. All of these except Rhyme Time and the Games

Console are directly funded by, or arranged by, the charity and evidence just how productive this combined management and service delivery can be.

The use of the Meeting Room, designed and funded by the Charity, has been increasing steadily. Two of the ward Councillors now use it for their monthly surgeries, the Working Men’s college has been delivering weekly classes, a local knitting group meets weekly, and there is a very popular and oversubscribed IT weekly class. We are hoping to extend its use to deliver advice sessions on welfare benefits, debt and legal issues but these agencies are currently too hard pressed to be able to release staff to run outreach sessions.

This year has seen the first year working with the new library structure. While it has been excellent having a Community Library Manager (CLM) there have been problems. The development of libraries, with an outward looking role engaging in their communities and becoming neighbourhood hubs, is impossible to achieve with just one member of staff who has to be in the library. Fahd focused his efforts on successfully developing the use of the Meeting Room but he was not able to do more. The Management Group brought these problems to the attention of the Head of Libraries, who was receptive and agreed that a Library Officer should join the staff for two days a week. This has made a significant difference and George, the new Library Officer, is proving very positive member of the library team. However the other problem stemming from the re-organisation, a failure to identify which administrative tasks should be devolved to the CLMs and which should stay with the centre, remains unresolved and is the cause of significant problems. It is something that the Management Group will continue to raise with the head of Libraries.

The Library building itself has been a growing cause of concern. Serious issues with all five parts of the roof have been discovered, and are evidenced by an increasing number of leaks. The heating system is no longer capable of producing sufficient heat to maintain an acceptable temperature throughout the building. Reporting of problems to the Camden Property Department has become an almost weekly event and the Management Group have been pressing for Camden to schedule a thorough refurbishment of this listed building. It is however recognised that funding such works is very difficult for local authorities in the current financial climate.

Treasurers Report by Paul Harris for the year April 2022 to March 2023

1. Annual Accounts

The figures in the Accounts shown the Charity’s Income and Expenditure over the period. Eta O’Brien FCCA has examined the Accounts and her Independent Examiners Report is submitted in addition.

2. Grants Received

The Charity received funds from Camden to support the Warm Spaces scheme in response to the Cost-of-Living Crisis. Funds received were used to purchase new tables and comfortable armchairs for the Adult Library, together with secondary glazing for the Library windows which resulted in a significant improvement in heat loss from the building.

A donation of £1.5k was received to support the continued running of the popular Chess Club until the end of 2023. 3. CIL Financed Projects Our Toy Library led by Rosanna each Thursday continues to be SUC￿$sful and has recently been augmented by a donation of battery powered toys. Funding is in place to retain staffing of the Toy Library until the end of 2024. Availability of suitable computer club tutor has prevented the Charity starting a regular program of classes for children,. however we have made small investments in technology to support the regular winter season Cartoon Club and regular Saturday Computer Gaming Club. 4. General Finances Post Covid income from the Hall has improved in the last year. We await a decision on the reunification of the Hall and Library as one entty, a proposal which is supported by local Councillors. Our Policy wtth Zurich for Public Liability Insurance was renewed. Report by Linda Lefevre, Chair FOHLCF and lead of Hall Group We have at last made progress resolving the future of the Hall and have had a positive meeting with the Camden Council officer responsible in property management. He saw how much the Hall is part of the Library's community offer and the value of linking it closely so that it hosts a mix of library activities and can also be hired for community events. meetings and classes. There are still issues to settle and further negotiations to take place but we are very optimistic. Our thanks to Councillor Anna Wright for proposing this solution. We continue to get excellent support from our three Highgate councillors. In the last two years the hall has been used for library activities, iwo sessions for families with under-fives, a growing chess club for adults and children, a cartoon film club for children and a monthly book group. Cultural activities, including a monthly author talk organised by the Friends have continued. Exercise classes, community meetings, an NHS health group a film club, a nursery nativity, choir rehearsals and family events are booked and paid for alongside these. Exciting news is that the library and hall are to have a major refurbishment to upgrade the building and improve its impact on the environment later this year. This will mean further disruption to our ServI￿S but will give us a building fit for the future and better for the environment. Signed Linda Lefevre, Chair Friends of Highgate Library Charitable Foundation

----- Start of picture text -----
Friends of Highgate Library Charitable Foundation NA
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
For the period Period start date Period end date
To
from 01/04/2022 31/03/2023
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Hall Lettings 7,660 - - 7,660 3,870
Warm Spaces Grant 2,618 - - 2,618 -
Donations 862 - - 862 275
- -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total(Gross income for
- - 11,140 4,145
AR) [ 11,140 ]
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 11,140 - - 11,140 4,145
A3 Payments
Toy Library Equipment & Stock 2,606 - - 2,606 3,206
Warm Spaces Furniture 2,594 - - 2,594 -
Management Software 404 - - 404 317
Chess Club Tutor 750 - - 750 -
Volunteer Recruitment, Training etc 298 - - 298 -
Computer Club Equipment 414 - - 414 -
Insurance 394 - - 394 197
Children's Xmas Event 99 - - 99 -
Library Materials & Equipment 981 - - 981 145
New books & Subscriptions 15 - - 15 303
Sub total [ 8,555 ] - - 8,555 4,168
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - - -
Total payments 8,555 - - 8,555 4,168
Net of receipts/(payments) 2,585 - - 2,585 - 23
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 45,246 - - 45,246 44,148
Cash funds this year end 47,831 - - 47,831 44,125
----- End of picture text -----

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

06/06/2023

1

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Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ members of Friends of Highgate Library Charitable Foundation

On accounts for the year 31[st] March 2023 ended Set out on pages 1-2

Charity no 1160601 (if any)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2022.

Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

The charity’s gross income is below £50000 and I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Date: 1/10/2023

Name: Bernadette O’Brien

October 2018

1

IER

Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):

Fellow of the Institute Of Chartered Accountants

Address: 10 Stormont Road Highgate LONDON N64NL

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

October 2018

2

IER

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

October 2018

3

IER