2023-12-31-accounts

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2024

AGENDA

1. Members present and apologies for absence.

Eric Yates, Lyn Heslop, Anne Mavin, Gillian Balmer, Patricia Melo-Yates.

Apologies : Rob Yorke

1. Minutes of the last AGM (14.03.2023) and signing.

Is it your wish that the minutes, are signed as a true record?

Nominated by: Seconded by: Lyn Heslop Anne Mavin

1. Trustees' Annual Report for 2023, Achievements and Performance, presented to the meeting by Anne Mavin

2. Financial Report for 2023 presented to the meeting by Bette Taylor

Is it your wish that reports at 3 and 4 are accepted as a true record?

Nominated by: Seconded by: Lyn Heslop Gillian Balmer

1. Election of new trustees: None.

2. Chairman's remarks and vote of thanks:

to everyone who attended the meeting to the trustees who have kept the association going this year to the volunteers for their help throughout the year. We very much appreciate their help.

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

ESCOMBE COMMUNITYASSOCIA TION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2023

Monday, 20[th ] March 2023, 1:30pm at 17, Vicarage Farm Close.

MINUTES

1. Present: Anne Mavin; Joan Thompson; Lyn Heslop; Rob Yorke; George Smith; Bette Taylor.

2. Apologies for absence: Gillian Balmer.

3. The minutes of the 2022 AGM were read and accepted as a true record.

4. The full Trustees' Annual Report for 2022 had been sent to the trustees for reading before the meeting.

5. The Achievements and Performance section was read and accepted as a true record.

6. The Financial Report for 2022 was read and accepted as a true record.

7. The statements above at 3, 5 and 6 were signed on the Agenda as true records.

8. Election of new trustees - none

9. Chairman's Remarks and Vote of thanks

Thank you to the trustees who have given their time and energy in the management of the association during the year.

Thank you to David for doing the audit.

Thank you to the volunteers for their help in and around the hall. We very much appreciate everyone's help.

Minutes of the meeting after the AGM on 20[th ] March 2023

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

1. Donations:

We will donate £100 to each of the following, keeping as local as possible:

• Mountain Rescue

• RNLI

• Escombe Saxon Church

• Transfer of funds:

The meeting agreed that we should transfer £20,OOO from our Current Account to our Premium Business Account (deposit acc. (actually transferred £15,000.00))

1. New Secretary:

The post of secretary was not discussed at any length other than Rob would email someone in the village. I have asked Rob to phone me before he does this.

Anne — would you do research on where to send to the local mountain rescue. I will do the RNLI.

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION TRUSTEES' ANNUAL REPORT for 2023

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

1. The reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and its advisers.

2. 1.1 The name of the charity is Escombe Community Association.

3. 1.2 The registration number of the charity is 1162706.

4. 1.3 The address and phone number of the principal office is:

Escombe Community Association, Escomb Village Hall, High Escomb, BISHOP AUCKLAND, County Durham. DL14 7ST

Telephone: [phone] Email: [e-mail] Website: www.escombvillagehall.org.uk

• 1.4 The trustees of the charity are:

Councillor R. Yorke - Chairman Mr Eric Yates - Secretary Mrs. L. Heslop - Treasurer Mrs. G. Balmer Mrs Patricia Melo-Yates – Bookings Mrs. E. Taylor - Secretary, Co-Treasurer (Retired 17 Oct 2023) Miss A. Mavin - Co-Treasurer, Booking & Utilities Mrs. J. Thompson (Retired 17 Oct 2023)

• 1.5 The principal advisers of the charity are:

Durham Community Action Vicky Prendergast - Durham County Council Support Officer Councillor Rob Yorke -Local Councillor

2. Structure, governance and management.

• 2.1 The structure of the charity.

The charity was an association formed by the amalgamation of the George Pit Recreation Committee, which managed the children's playground and the Escombe Amenity Hall Association, which managed the village hall. A new association was inaugurated on 25[th] March 2004 as Escombe Amenity Hall and George Pit Community Association. The Association was registered as a charity and the governing document, the Constitution, was adopted. A new playground was created in 2012 and is managed by Durham County Council.

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

As from 30[th ] September 2015, the association is governed by a new constitution. A Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Escombe Community Association, was set up on the advice of Durham County Council in preparation for taking over the lease of the hall which also included the car park, patio, garden and hard court area.

A 30 year 'fully repairing and insuring' lease was signed with Durham County Council on 27[th ] April 2016.

• 2.2

The management of the charity.

There were six charity trustees, including the officers, throughout 2023 who comprise the Management Committee of the association.

Our treasurer is a member of our community who has been co-opted onto the finance team.

From the constitution.

Section14. Delegation by charity trustees

1. The charity trustees may delegate any of their powers or functions to a committee or committees and, if they do, they shall determine the terms and conditions on which the delegation is made. The charity's trustees may at any time alter those terms and conditions, or revoke the delegation.

la. a committee may consist of two or more persons, but at least one member of each committee must be a charity trustee.

All matters of management and governance are decided by the Trustees, the Management Committee, who normally have meetings throughout the year and at the AGM. The finance team would meet whenever necessary.

• 2.3 The Recruitment and training of charity trustees.

All charity trustees are recruited from within the association community. All members of the Management Committee (the charity trustees) continue in service from year to year unless they submit their resignation in writing to the secretary of the association.

On election, each new member receives a copy of "Duties and Responsibilities of Managing Charity Trustees" and signs a declaration to say they have studied the Constitution and that they understand the duties and responsibilities involved in being a trustee.

The duties and responsibilities of managing charity trustees are reviewed at meetings of the Management Committee when necessary.

1. Public benefit statement.

2. 26.1 The activities undertaken by the charity to further its charitable purposes for the public benefit are stated in section 5 Achievements and Performance.

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

• 3.2 The charity trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and duties.

• 3.3 The public benefits which the charity seeks to provide are to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the area of benefit through the advancement of community development, culture and heritage and amateur sport, leisure and recreation.

• 3.4 Through a pricing policy implemented by the association, the public benefits which the charity seeks to achieve are available to all the inhabitants of the Escombe area. NB The 'area of benefit' is not defined geographically but as a political area.

• 3.5 The inhabitants of the area of benefit do not need to become members of the Escombe Community Association in order to participate in and benefit from the activities and facilities provided.

• Aims, Objectives and Activities.

• 4.1 The aim of the charity is to promote community development and provide a safe and pleasant environment for activities to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the area of benefit.

• 4.2 The objectives of the charity as stated in the constitution are:

• a) "to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Escombe area (hereinafter called the 'area of benefit') without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or political, religious or other opinions by associating together the inhabitants, local authority and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time activities with the object of improving the quality of life of the said inhabitants."

• b) "to establish, or secure the establishment of a community centre (hereinafter called 'the Centre') and to maintain and manage the Centre whether alone or in co-operation with any local authority or other person or body, in furtherance of these objectives."

• c) "to promote such other charitable purposes as may, from time to time, be determined. The Association shall be non-party in politics and non sectarian in religion."

• Achievements and Performance.

• 5.1 Achievements and Performance (Jan. to Dec. 2023)

Our programme of weekly activities and classes continued and included carpet bowls, ballet classes, Kalma life (baby yoga), adult yoga, First Aid training. A new group, Dance Fit, joined us in the autumn and is doing well. We also had a local band rehearsing for a few weeks whilst looking for a permanent home.

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

The monthly coffee morning and book exchange continue to be popular.

In addition to the regular weekly and monthly hire, the village hall was used for a variety of other activities:

• Two funeral wakes for Des Graves and Jean Reece. They were long serving former trustees of Escomb Community Association.

• U3A Science and Technology group. 2 sessions.

• Parkinsons UK. Monthly Kurling group.

• Ballet examinations

• Ballet dance display

• Polling Station

• Yoga Sound Bath sessions

• The hall was hired for 22 parties.

• We also organised a special coffee morning in November to celebrate Christmas.

• 5.2 Volunteers

We thank our volunteers- the gardeners, the plants men and women, the cooks, the waitresses, the stall holders and the furniture movers.

• 5.3 The charity trustees feel that the association has achieved its aims and objectives to the best of its ability. We are finding that, like so many things these days, people expect others to do and organise activities and events, but few are willing to actually put in the effort to help.

Financial Review 2023

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

6.1 Income and expenditure

For financial year ending 31 December 2023

Income £15354.12

Payments £9183.35 Balance £6171.07

End of year balances

current account £19321.67 Cash account £30 Premium business [deposit] £35260.46 Total £54582.13 £15000.00 was transferred from current to deposit account

6.2

Policy on financial reserves

There is a ring-fenced amount of £10,000 for maintenance of the building as and when necessary

There is also a reserve of £5,000 which would cover six months running costs if we had no income

6.3

Grants

No grants in this year

6.4

Donations

Great North Ambulance £10 per month £100 to each:

• Mountain rescue

• RNLI

• Escomb Saxon church

6.5 David Jackson auditor but was unable to be contacted so 2023 audit done by George Smith/Henniker &co

ESCOMBE COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

Mrs E Taylor acting treasurer

7.

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others.

There are no funds currently held by the charity as custodian trustees on behalf of another charity.