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2023-03-31-accounts

The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames CIO Report and Financial Statements

For the Year Ended 31 March 2023

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The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames CIO

Report and Financial Statements

For the Year Ended 31 March 2023

CONTENTS

Trustees’ Report 3 – 10 Independent Examiner’s Report 11 Income & Expense Statement Appendix A Page 1 Balance Sheet Appendix A Page 2 Notes to the financial statements Appendix A Pages 3-4

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The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames

The trustees present their report along with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on Appendix page 3 and comply with the charity’s governing document, applicable law and the requirements of the statement of Recommended Practice ‘Accounting and Reporting by Charities’.

Constitution and Objects

The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames is constituted under a trust deed dated 7 February 2001 and became a registered charity on 14 February 2001.

On 10 June 2015, The Millennium Embroidery Group became a Charitable Incorporated Organization.

The Trust and the CIO share the same objects and continue to coexist at present. However, the Trust is currently in the process of being dissolved. The accounts relate solely to the activities of the CIO.

The objects of the charity are to advance the education of the public with regard to the archaeology, history, geography, wildlife, development and daily life of Sunbury-on-Thames.

Organisation

The trustees who have served during the year and since the year end (except as mentioned thereon) are set out on page 11. Trustees are appointed by the Board of Trustees.

Reserves Policy

The trustees administer the charity’s reserve policy which is to build up sufficient funds to pay for the embroidery centre’s continued operation and future development of the Gallery & project.

MAIN ACTIVITIES and ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR

• Trustees

The Board of trustees met 5 times during the year to agree future policy, monitor the group's activities and approve the workings of the Operations Committee. There are currently 6 trustees.

• Operations Committee

The committee held frequent management discussions throughout the year and implemented measures to enable the Gallery to return to a more normal way of operating as the year progressed.

At the start of the year the decision was taken to make efficiency improvements and changes to the day- to- day operation and layout of the café kitchen. This resulted in a refit to the project room during which we were

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able to relocate the main dishwasher from the kitchen to separate this activity from the food preparation area. This decision streamlined table clearance & freed up significant working space in the kitchen. During the year we also had to replace several key items of kitchen equipment:

The changes made have made a significant difference in the working environment and a significant reduction in noise in the kitchen / Café area.

In November 2022 we upgraded the Gallery electronic till to bring it in line with the Café electronic point of sale system using SumUp / Goodtill software. This provides a comprehensive sales database for the Gallery from which sales reports can be run.

In response to ever-increasing operating costs (ingredients, energy & staff salaries) we explored opening the patio in the evenings. The first evening formed part of our Gallery Development fundraising Open Garden event over the Platinum Jubilee weekend. The success of this event prompted us to schedule 4 additional evenings, one of which was a private event for a local group of 10 couples and their children all of whom had met at the Gallery during their pregnancies.

Due to the Gallery’s location, we are regularly asked to open the Gallery / Café for private hire. While this does not form part of our regular activities, we do consider each request on its merit. During the year, we held wakes for 2 of our long-standing volunteers.

• The Building and Attendance

As previously mentioned, the building was open for its first full year without any restrictions since March 2020. The total number visiting the gallery space during the year was 10,126. Of these, 3,415 (or 33.73%) were recorded as new being visitors. Talks were given to 22 visiting Groups. An estimated total of 40,000 people visited the building as a whole during the year.

ACHIEVEMENTS

• Launch of the Community Fundraising Initiative

After a protracted delay due to Covid restrictions and other priorities we were finally able to commence with our fundraising programme in mid-2022. We launched this with a community fundraising event at Monksbridge, a local riverside house with a magnificent garden which the owners generously made available to us. The day in June coincided with HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and with over 2,000 people passing through the garden we were able to raise just over £23,000 on the day, which was a spectacular result. The day had a real celebratory feel, and one was aware this was the first time that

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many people had felt confident to gather in large numbers since the beginning of the pandemic.

At the event we launched our community sponsorship scheme, which will run for the duration of our fundraising. It is based on a huge 1,421piece jigsaw puzzle of the plans of Café & Gallery development. Sponsors have the chance to purchase jigsaw pieces from the various areas that make up the new development. By the end of the year, we had raised a total of £10,335.

PUBLIC BENEFIT

The Embroidery Gallery is located in an award-winning walled garden which many people had discovered on their walks during lockdown. The garden and the building convey a great sense of wellbeing.

During the year visitor numbers noticeably increased and many people appreciated the return to more normal times.

We ran a full range of exhibitions during the year – 8 in all - and had 21 educational workshops. We had had several school visits, but we were unable to run our regular arts programme with Manor Mead School for children with special. We hope to be able to continue with this next year.

Entry to the building is free, as is access to the permanent embroidery display and all exhibitions. We were able re-commence regular talks to visiting groups and we mounted a full programme of exhibitions. The building was able to open to the public as it would in a normal year - six days a week for a total of 300 days over the year. Opening hours did however remain slightly reduced.

The permanent embroidery display is at the heart of the project and embodies all the charity’s objects. Members of the project team guide visitors through this display and the history and subject matter of the embroidery. Visitors to the Gallery cover all age groups and sections of the community.

During the summer months, the local authority arranges weekly music concerts in the Walled Garden on Sunday afternoons. During the year 10 such concerts were held in the garden. Depending on the weather, these can attract audiences of 200+ people. Due to its location, the Gallery benefits from additional revenues from Café sales during these events while providing much needed rest room facilities for visitors. The Gallery is a member of the community toilet scheme run by the local authority.

The building welcomes and provides for people with disabilities. In normal years we receive regular visits from groups with special needs as well as from visitors with sight impairment and physical disablement. A wheelchair is available to visitors. Audio guides are also available on request as well as the written transcripts of these, together with a

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Braille transcript of both our visitor leaflet and our descriptive booklet on how the embroidery was created.

The tactile guide to the embroidery enhances the visitor experience to the gallery. The display system, which cantilevers from the wall below the embroidery, allows for wheelchair access to the various panels and carries titles in relief lettering together with their Braille equivalents. A tactile map of the Walled Garden is also available.

• EXHIBITION and EVENTS

There were 8 exhibitions held during the year, 6 of which were community based.

Pam Judd, the Chief embroidery of the Sunbury Millennium Embroidery sadly died in 2020, aged 95. Due to covid restrictions at the time we were unable to celebrate her creative life and work, and particularly her immense influence and contribution to the Millennium Embroidery. She coordinated the 147 embroiderers who worked on the embroidery, entertaining many at her house and passing on her expertise and guidance. Pam was a prolific and highly accomplished embroiderer who depicted in stitch many of the ‘lost houses of Sunbury’ before the Millennium Embroidery came into being. She developed many of the skills which she was later able to impart to others in the making of the larger work.

Pam’s intense passion and observation has left a legacy of exquisitely embroidered images. Her work, with its detail and freeness and her inventive use of materials, has a unique and almost painterly quality.

Pam was a Trustee of the project for many years and, following the completion of the Embroidery, remained as a generous volunteer.

The Royal School of Needlework celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022 and brought to the Gallery work by its 2022 graduating class from the BA Hand Embroidery Degree and the Future Tutors programme.

Both courses learn the same techniques, but the students are challenged to take them in very different directions: for the Future Tutors it is to develop the highest technical skills, for the Degree it is to take the stitch into many different directions that might include fashion, interiors, textile art, jewellery or costume.

The School of Needlework teaches stitch to a very high level and students have won a number of awards, most notably the Hand and Lock international embroidery competition which has a world-wide entry and was won by RSN Degree students in 2017 and 2018 and by an RSN Future Tutor in 2020. The exhibition featured two and threedimensional work and displayed stitch in innovative as well as traditional ways.

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Karen Nicol is a London based mixed media and embroidery textile designer and artist working in fashion, interiors, and gallery installations.

Karen was founder, senior lecturer and visiting professor of the Mixed Media MA course at the Royal College of Art, London. In 2015 she was made an RDI (a Royal Designer for Industry). This is an annual award given to only 200 designers world-wide, in all fields, from engineering to architecture.

Thie exhibition explored Karen’s creative processes with sketch books of drawings revealing a ceaselessly enquiring mind. She collects quirky relics such as plastic jewellery, millinery trimmings and old buttons which get re-worked and up cycled into unique colourful extraordinary works of art.

She has created concepts and designs for embroidered textiles for ready-to- wear and couture fashion, working with many fashion design houses including Schiaparelli, Alexander McQueen, Jasper Conran and Giles Deacon.

She has also designed and produced interior textiles for clients including the King of Qatar, the Pope, Estee Lauder and Gwyneth Paltrow. Also creating own label collections of home pieces for companies including Anthropologie, Pottery Barn and Designers Guild.

Karen became a Trustee of the Millennium Embroidery Group in 2023.

We presented a selection of contemporary works recently acquired by Diana Springall. We last featured a selection of the Diana Springall collection in 2020 alongside an exhibition explaining the future plans for the Gallery.

The Victoria & Albert Museum describes Diana as ‘amongst the most well-known of all British textile artists.’ She has an acclaimed collection of British embroidery and textile art amassed over a 60-year period. This nationally important collection is to be gifted to the Millennium Embroidery Group and will be housed in the new extended Embroidery Gallery. The collection will be housed in its own archive with attached Study Centre and become an educational resource for future generations.

We had body of work by a local textile artist, Darren Ball who is trained in Fashion Textiles and specialises in hand knit. His embroidery reflects his love of textiles, and the visual qualities present in fabric and thread. Darren aims to draw and paint with textiles, his mark making is achieved through sewing, contrasting surface qualities and embellishment. Often working with fabrics collected over many years.

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Darren is a member of the Sussex Guild of Craftsmen and has exhibited at many of their shows throughout the south of England.

Jason Hart is a local wood turner and furniture maker and works with wood from fallen trees, often with historical heritage and sourced locally. He seeks out the ones that are suitable for crafting bowls, furniture, and large sculptures. All his pieces have a wider provenance with details of their place and history.

• WORKSHOPS

We were able to have a full workshop programme and carried out twenty-one educational classes during the year. These included classes in embroidery, lace making, willow weaving and screen printing.

The Members of The Sunbury Embroidery was established January 2018. Members benefits include advance notification and priority bookings and a discount on all purchases and ticketed talks. They also receive a loyalty card for use in the Gallery Café. Members’ activities were hindered during the year because of circumstances. Monies raised help to support our community outreach programme.

This past three years have been very challenging for some of our volunteers. A number of them have been with us since the beginning of the project - some 26 years ago - and we are pleased that many were able to return. We gained seven new volunteers during the year which increased our compliment to 46 regular volunteers. Some volunteer their time for part of a day and others for longer periods.

One example of the latter is the Sunbury Gallery Beading Group made up of 6-8 volunteers. They meet in the Gallery every Tuesday morning and create wonderful, beaded jewellery and other items. During the year the merchandising of their work has had more prominence resulting in an uplift of sales. All proceeds are donated to the Gallery.

Other volunteers offer their help in different ways, such as with picture framing, photography, and the printing of material. The project could not function as it does without their continued and invaluable help. They have enabled the project to be entirely self-sustaining since it was established.

OTHER ORGANISATIONS

The Gallery hosts quarterly meetings of the Friends of Sunbury Park (FOSP), a local voluntary group liaising with the local authority on the management of the parkland in the village. In collaboration with FOSP the Gallery team have designed a series of booklets describing the Flora and Fauna of Sunbury Parks and open spaces. Added to three previous publications, we helped produce a further title this year, entitled The

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Trees of Sunbury Park, Orchard Meadow and Hawke Park. All titles are available in the gallery and in local outlets at a very modest cost. This is an ongoing collaboration describing the diversity of animal and plant species in the locality. There are several more titles in the pipeline.

The gallery also hosts meetings of the Lower Sunbury Residents Association (LOSRA) once a month, whose purpose, as a voluntary association, is to optimise and enhance the quality of life for Lower Sunbury residents. The Embroidery Group is collaborating with LOSRA in producing a revised edition of ‘The Sunbury Trail’ booklet – a walking tour of the village, highlighting notable buildings and aspects of the history of the village. The 2.5 mile walk around the village starts and finishes at the Gallery.

• LOCAL SUPPORT

The building’s activities continue to enhance its community role. It has strong local support as well as attracting visitors from a wider area. It is a well-established meeting place and a significant part of community life in the village.

The fact that we were able to open at times during the pandemic has been warmly acknowledged by visitors, and the proposals for the future of the gallery have been enthusiastically received and are eagerly awaited.

We were able to launch our community fundraising initiative this year. We also received a number of separate donations and were generously remembered in the will of a long-term volunteer.

• THE GALLERY CAFÉ

The Café is very much the vibrant hub of the building. It is a valued community meeting place and destination. The revenue earned by the Café helps the entire project to remain self-supporting.

• EMPLOYMENT

The year saw business return pretty much to normal pre-Covid levels which resulted in employees returning to their normal pre-lockdown working rotas. During the year, we had on average 8 permanent parttime employees (including a cleaner) and up to 8 occasional part-timers who mainly worked weekends or provided weekday cover. One longterm permanent employee left at the start of the year and 2 additional long-term employees switched to provide occasional part-time cover. Towards the end of the year, one employee announced that she was pregnant and so we recruited a replacement to provide support up to and through her maternity leave which was due to commence in July 2023.

GALLERY OPERATION and APPRAISAL

The Trustees were encouraged by the way that we had been able to negotiate the pandemic, and in a better financial condition than many similar

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organisations. The days we were able to operate were back to normal for the whole of the year – although our operating hours were slightly reduced compared to pre-pandemic opening times. This was partly due to staffing difficulties, which was something experienced across the whole of the hospitality sector. Consequently, visitor levels were slightly reduced, although by the year end, when we were able to extend times of opening, attendance began to approach more normal levels.

The Project faced a challenging year with many operating cost adjustments in the wake of the pandemic, the most significant of which was in the salary bill. Hourly rate increases required to retain staff added £12,500 and the requirement to recruit a Gallery Assistant added a further £12,500. This resulted in an overall operating loss of £25,000 which was covered from the charities reserves. Subsequent close monitoring of the operating P&L does not indicate that this has rolled forward into the current year. Our loyal team of staff and volunteers continue to make the Gallery both a friendly place to visit and a popular and valued resource for the local community.

Regarding our fundraising, we were able to properly turn our attention to this once again. We launched a community initiative in June which generated over £23,000 in a single day, which was an astounding result, and it was especially rewarding for the many people involved in the day’s success. Early in the year we took advice from a professional fundraiser and began our approaches to larger funders. Although support from our local council remains undiminished, they too have been challenged over the past few years and a firm financial commitment from them is still to materialize.

We were able to offer a complete range of exhibitions and other activities during the year and we continued to advance the educational and community role of the project. The charity’s ‘objects’ continue to be met and exceeded.

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by

Date: 30 January 2024 Chairman Trustee The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery The Walled Garden Thames Street Sunbury on Thames TW16 6AB

Trustees who have served during the year ended 31 March 2023:

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The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of the Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames

I report on the accounts for the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2023 which are set out in Appendix A, pages 1 to 4.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Honorary Auditor

As described on page 3 the trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

Robert Thorne, FCCA The Annex 143-145 Stanwell Road Ashford, Middlesex, TW15 3QN

Dated: 30 January 2024

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Appendix A

The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames

The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames

Income and expenses for the year ended 31 March 2023

Unrestricted Restricted Total Total Funds
Note Funds Funds Funds 31-Mar-22
Incoming Resources
Donations, grants, legacies & Sponsorship 0 £7,527 £7,527 £12,791
Investment income £451 £451 £4
Bank Switch Incentive £0 £4,000
Activities in furtherance of the charity's objects:
Workshop sales and commissions received £36,976 £36,976 £11,973
Cafe sales £169,307 £169,307 £138,451
Rental Income £462 £462 £0
Miscellaneous £19,177 £19,177 £500
HMRC Grants - CJRS £0 £13,716
Total Incoming Resources £226,373 £7,527 £233,900 £181,435
Resources Expended
Cost of generating funds:
Cost of goods sold in workshop £9,082 £9,082 £2,316
Equipping & Furnishing the Gallery & Cafe £5,452 £5,452 £7,982
Food & Drink, etc. for Cafe £46,864 £46,864 £30,654
Fundraising and publicity £10,984 £10,984 £2,334
Charitable expenditure:
Cost of operation of workshop and centre 8a £21,480 £21,480 £18,110
Salaries, NI, etc for Cafe 6 £114,311 £114,311 £81,449
Training projects & outreach work £0 £0 £0
Managing and administering the charity 8b £20,555 £20,555 £18,362
Total Resources Expended £228,728 £0 £228,728 £161,207
Net Movement in Funds £5,172 £20,228
Balances brought forward at 1 April £149,294 £129,066
Prior Year Adjustment £137
Balances carried forward at 31 March £154,603 £149,294

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Appendix A

The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2023

Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2023
Note
Current Assets
Stock
2
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
3
Creditors
Amounts falling due within one year
4
Net Current Assets
Creditors
Amounts falling due after more than one year
11
Total Net Current Assets
Fixed Assets
Payments in relation to new building
Total Net Assets		 2023
£5,186
£7,857
£170,931
£183,974
£32,972
£151,002
£0
£151,002
£3,601
£154,603		 2022
£5,186
£7,857
£156,206
£169,249
£23,556
£145,693
£0
£145,693
£3,601
£149,294

Approved by the Board of Trustees on ……………………... 2024 and signed by:

………………………………………………...Treasurer Trustee The notes on pages 3 & 4, Annexe A form part of these accounts.

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Appendix A

The Millennium Embroidery Group Sunbury-on-Thames

Notes to the Financial Statements

For the Year Ended 31 March 2023

1. Principal Accounting Policies

Accounting Convention

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with best practice in the Statement of Recommended Practice "Accounting and reporting by Charities" (SORP2000)

Resources expended

Resources expended are included in the statement of financial activities on an accruals basis inclusive of any VAT that cannot be recovered

Fund Accounting

Funds held by the charity are either:

Unrestricted general funds - these are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees.

Designated funds - these are funds set aside by the Trustees out of unrestricted general funds for specific future purposes or projects

Restricted funds - these are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.

Incoming resources

All income is accounted for on a receivable basis.

2.Stock
Opening Stock @ 1 April
+ Purchases
- Cost of Sales
Closing Stock at 31 March
3.Cash @ Bank and in hand
Bank Deposit Account
Bank Current Account
Credit Card Account
Petty Cash in Hand
4.Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year
Supplier Accounts
Taxation and social security
Pension		 2022/23
2021/22
£5,186
£5,186
£0
£0
£0
£0
£5,186
£5,186
£107,834
£106,794
£50,619
£48,558
£5,225
-£1,343
£7,253
£2,197
£170,931
£156,206
£8,724
£7,030
£23,046
£15,473
£1,202
£1,053
£32,972
£23,556

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Appendix A

5.Trustees Benefits and Transactions

During the year £301 was reimbursed to one trustee for miscellaneous expenses associated with the operation of the gallery and café (2022: £301 to one trustee)

No remuneration was paid to any trustees for the year for their duties as trustees (2022: NIL). 2 trustees were employed parttime in capacity providing Gallery Manager and book-keeper & HR/payroll services. (2022: 2)

6.Employees
During the year there were eight permanent part-time employees
(2022: eight) and up to eight occasional employees during the
year (2022: eight). The total remuneration paid to all employees
including employers national insurance amounted to
7.Auditor's remuneration
The independent examiner made no charges for his work
during the year (2022: NIL)
Audit Work
Accountancy
8.Charitable Expenditure
8a. Cost of Operating the workshop and centre
Printing, post, stationery, telephone and newspapers
Building cleaning, maintenance, security and insurance
Equipment hire and maintenance
Utilities
General Expenses - PPE/donation
Travelling expenses
Rent and Rates
8b. Managing and administering the charity
Bank charges
Professional fees
9. Restricted Funds
Building and equipping fund
At 1st April
Incoming resources
Outgoing resources
at 31st March
10, Analysis of net assets between funds
Cash at bank and in hand
Fixed assets
Other current assets
Current liabilities
Totals at 31 March 2023
(Totals at 31 March 2022		 2022/23
2021/22
£114,311
£81,449
£0
£0
£0
£0
£0
£0
£4,984
£3,544
£4,915
£3,948
£813
£2,401
£4,081
£2,999
£3,375
£4,084
£226
£55
£3,086
£1,079
£21,480
£18,110
£3,207
£2,432
£17,348
£15,930
£20,555
£18,362
£78,316
£65,525
£7,527
£12,791
£0
£0
£85,843
£78,316
General
Restricted
Total
£85,088
£85,843
£170,931
£3,601
£0
£3,601
£13,043
£0
£13,043
£32,972
£32,972
£68,760
£85,843
£154,603
£70,978
£78,316
£149,294 )

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