2025-07-31-accounts - The Carriage Foundation

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From: 1 August 2024 Period start date To: 31[st] July 2025 Period end date

Charity name: THE CARRIAGE FOUNDATION

Charity registration number: 1162356

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The objects of the charity are:- To advance the education of the public in horse-drawn carriages, their history and carriage driving in particular but not exclusively by: a) Compiling, maintaining and publishing an online database containing a detailed list of historic horse drawn carriages that are in accessible public and private collections throughout the UK; b) Organising study days and tours and offering collections and conservation advice; and c) Publishing articles, books and booklets on horse-drawn carriages.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	- the events programme is publicly available to all - educational outreach work is carried out through Study Days and tours - volunteers are encouraged to be actively involved in projects
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit in reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and have taken due regard of its contents.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about

:
	SORP reference
Policyongrant making	Para 1.38
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Volunteers continue to assist with the cataloguing of carriages for the databasewww.carriagefoundation.org.uk .This has resulted in a substantial amount of information being made available in the public domain. One volunteer continues to manage a small team of people to further develop the list of coach builders and associated trades. Another volunteer is co-ordinating a new initiative to contact nationwide auction houses, offering an advisory service on carriage related matters. Volunteers have also attended events during the year and assisted with the Charity’s promotional stand increasing awareness and promoting membership.

		Several volunteers have been working on the Holmes of Derbyshire Archive at the Derbyshire Record Office, transcribing logbooks and correspondence and documenting the archives contents.
Other	SORP reference
Achievements and Performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	Over the past 12 months The Carriage Foundation has launched a project to transfer two important carriages, that belonged to 18th century Birmingham Businessman John Baskerville, to the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery from Wollaton Hall. The Carriage Foundation organised a Specialists Day Wollaton Hall and the Nottingham Industrial Museum to bring specialists together who are working on the project. The monthly talks and discussions via Zoom have continued throughout the Autumn and Winter months and have helped build up contacts as well as raising the profile of The Carriage Foundation. Educational stands have been present at two events at Shuttleworth and at the Lymm Transport Festival. We have provided speakers to deliver talks to historical groups and societies and provided guided tours of the Maidstone Carriage Museum during Heritage Open Week and delivered staff/volunteer training days and public talks at The National Trust’s Arlington Court in Devon. We have introduced day visits to the Derbyshire Record Office. The charity’s Trustees have continued to work closely with museums and other organisations to assist with documentation and public enquiries. Museums now send enquiries directly to us to respond to and we have been working closely with museum staff not just in the UK but worldwide. Museum staff continue to expand their knowledge of horse-drawn carriages within the collections under their care. Subscriptions to The Carriage Foundation remain steady. This has been achieved through the website and the dedicated Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thecarriagefoundation/ as well as networking with people from other countries who are taking an active interest in the work of the Charity and helping to achieve its educational outreach aims. Demand for The Carriage Foundation’s first major publication ‘The A to Z of Carriages’ continues and has been well received. Plans are now set in place to publish a series of booklets in addition to the charity’s biannual publication The Whiffle Tree.

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	Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	The four key objectives identified for progression in 2025/26 have been developed as follows:- 1Collections and archives : to set up a resource room/safe storage facility The Carriage Foundation continues to explore setting up a room Incorporating their collections into The National Archive. This Include the Sedan Chair Archive, gifted to The Carriage Foundation in 2023. The Carriage Foundation have been instrumental in securing, for the nation, an archive of international significance relating to the coach builder Holmes of Derby. This archive is now in the care of the Derbyshire Record Office. Carriage Foundation volunteers have been working to transcribe and catalogue the archive. 2.Fundraisin g:to expand and increase our fundraising activities It is anticipated that these will become active during 2025/26. 3.Communications : to optimise the website potential and increase on-line networking opportunities The monthly Zoom sessions will resume in October and a recording circulated afterwards to reach a wider audience. 4.Projects: to continue to develop the Carriages of Britain and Coachmakers of Britain projects. The Carriage Foundation is heavily

		involved in a research project on two carriages that belonged to John Baskerville of Birmingham and will be co-ordinating to move of these carriages from Nottingham back to Birmingham.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	There has been an increase in the number of international members over the reporting period as well as the number of Facebook regular ‘followers’. Some donations have been received during the year but a targeted grant application process for specific projects is being developed by the Project Curator and will be implemented once the Fundraising and Development Sub-Committee is in place.
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	The Charity has continued to operate on a breakeven basis.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The Charity considers it prudent to retain sufficient reserves to cover its annual operational costs. A Reserve Fund of £2,500 is therefore held in a CCLA COIF Deposit Fund.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£2,500
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	N/A
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	N/A
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	Trustees are aware that there is a reliance on income from the subscription base and is therefore seeking to raise specific funding from charitable trusts to enable new projects to be developed.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	Principal sources of funding are subscriptions, Gift Aid, Study Day/Museum Visit fees, donations and grants.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	A risk analysis matrix is reviewed at each Trustees’ Meeting and assesses the following risks: Financial(cash flow and working capital); Operational(business continuity, loss or prolonged absence of key personnel); Strategic/governance(succession planning; ongoing compliance with Charity Commission regulations/charity law); Reputational(risk of being associated with unsuitable or failed projects) The Trustees continue to hold their meetings on a hybrid basis to enable participation both in person and via electronic means (in accordance with the Charity’s governing document). The Trustees remain of the opinion that the charity will continue as a going concern for the next 12 months on a break-even basis.

Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	CIO
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term (to be fixed by the trustees) by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In the appointment of new trustees, a potential nominee is invited to attend at least two meetings of trustees as an ‘Observer’. This initiates a two-way process enabling both the Observer and existing trustees to learn more about each other before any appointment is formalised. Background information is provided to the nominee at this stage and includes information about The Carriage Foundation, a copy of the Constitution of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation, the latest Annual Report and Accounts, minutes of the previous two trustees’ meetings, together with the Charity Commission’s publication ‘The Essential Trustee’. Any training needs are identified and arrangements made on an individual basis once an appointment has been made.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	The Carriage Foundation
Other name the charity uses
Registered charity number	1162356
Charity’s principal address	The Carriage Foundation Red House Stables Old Road Darley Dale DE4 2ER

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Colin Henderson	Chairman
	Amy Bracey	Project Curator
	Caroline Dale-Leech
	Alastair Gordon
	Andrew Derbyshire
	Susan Anderson
	Medina Dicks

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser	Name Address	Name Address
Independent Examiner	Mills & Black Chartered Accountants	141-145 Dale Road, Matlock, DE4 3LU

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s)A Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date	A Bracey

	Amy Bracey A	Andrerw Derbsyshire

	Project Curator	Vice Chairman

The Carriage Foundation 1162356 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period 01/08/2024 31/07/2025 To from

Section A Receipts and payments

A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 2,050 843 1,494 - - 704 129 320 5,540 - - - 5,540 1,254 1,231 - 650 956 976 - - - 5,066 1 - - - 5,066 474 - - 474	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 2,050 843 1,494 - - 704 129 320 5,540 - - - 5,540 1,254 1,231 - 650 956 976 - - - 5,066 - - - 5,066 474	Last year to the nearest £
StudyTours	2,050				-
StudyDays	843				-
Subscriptions	1,494				-
Grants and donations	-				-
HMRC Gift Aid	-				-
Publications	704				-
COIF Interest	129				-
Other	320				-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	5,540				68,812

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-
	-				-
*Sub total*	-				-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					68,812

StudyTours	1,254				-
StudyDays	1,231				-
Fees	-				-
Publications	650				-
Project Curator	956				-
Other	976				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
**Sub total **	5,066				69,880

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)	1
	-
	-
**Sub total **	-				-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
					69,880

	474	-	-	474	- 1,068
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	4,281	-
	474	-	-	4,755	- 1,068

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

13/05/2026

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

ADerbyshire Signature ABracey Details Details Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - 4,755 - Agreement Error OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name A BRACEY A DERBYSHIRE	Endowment funds to nearest £
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		OK
		Endowment funds to nearest £
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		Date of approval
ABracey	A BRACEY	29/04/2026
ADerbyshire	A DERBYSHIRE	29/04/2025

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

13/05/2026