2022-12-31-accounts - Milton's Cottage Trust (CIO)

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MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION

Charity Registration Number (England and Wales) 1163039

TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

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Trustees	Simon Avery (Chairman)
	Dr Heather Barrett-Mold OBE
	Hugo Brown
	Timothy Butcher
	John Dugdale Bradley
	James Freemantle (resigned 29 March 2022)
	David Hicks-Beach (resigned 29 November 2022)
	Aimee Hudson
	Jeremy Ryman
	Tim Simmons
	Karen Welch
Charity number	1163039
Registered office	Milton’s Cottage
	21 Deanway
	Chalfont St Giles
	HP8 4JH
Director	Kelly O’Reilly
Honorary secretary	James Freemantle (resigned 29 March 2022)
	Kelly O’Reilly (interim appointment 21 June 2022)
Honorary treasurer	John Dugdale Bradley
Independent examiner	Philip Lea-Wilson
Honorary solicitor	BWK Solicitors
Bank	NatWest / Buckinghamshire Building Society
Investment manager	CCLA

MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) CONTENTS

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	Page
Chairman’s statement	4
Trustees’ report	5 - 8
Receipts & Payments and Balance sheets	9 to 11
Notes to the financial statements	12 to 14
Independent examiner’s report	15

MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

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CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR 2022

“And what thy stores contain, bring forth” - “Paradise Lost”, 1667.

Last year’s report expressed “confidence, not complacency” for the coming year 2022, when recovery from covid showed promise and the impact on the UK economy of inflation and the Ukraine conflict had not emerged.

As evidenced in the following pages, that confidence was not misplaced:

The fabric of the listed building remains sound, due to the on-going maintenance programme.

The Registered Garden flourishes and evolves, furthering greater appreciation of the Museum as visitor numbers recovered to pre-pandemic levels and as its use for events expanded in both scope and frequency.

The Collection displays were refreshed and complemented for visitors of all ages by the Augmented Reality tour of the Cottage.

Appreciation of what Milton and the Museum have to offer culturally, botanically, architecturally and historically, has grown significantly through the wide range of events, projects, workshops and collaborations with other institutions which reopening to the public enabled.

That has all been made possible by the grants and other funds already secured, most of which are on-going for 2023.

The sincere thanks of the Trust continues to go to all who have given that support, including The Mercers’ Company, The Big Give Trust and the Friends of Milton’s Cottage.

Confidence in the delivery of that “outreach programme” is also founded upon the underlying stability of the Trust’s finances, matched by the continued striving for longterm fiscal sustainability.

Whilst future impacts on the Museum from international factors are perhaps more uncertain than a year ago, the proven robustness of the Trust’s vision, strategy and operational flexibility encourage continued optimism for the coming season.

That is made possible by the dedicated expertise of the Director and of the strong team of Trustees alongside her. So again, in thanking all those who have given invaluable support to the Trust, let me express particular gratitude to our two departing Trustees, James Freemantle and David Hicks-Beach, for their advice and wisdom, leaving the Trust strengthened for their successors.

Simon Avery - Chairman

MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) TRUSTEES’ REPORT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

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The Trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022.

The Trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015). The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in the accompanying notes and comply with the Charity's governing document and the Charities Act 2011.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

Milton’s Cottage is the only surviving residence of the visionary poet and parliamentarian, John Milton – the place where he sought refuge during the Great Plague of 1665 to complete his epic masterpiece, Paradise Lost . It is part of our shared national heritage, offering everyone the opportunity to experience where literary history was made.

Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) is the registered charity that has been set up to protect this irreplaceable landmark for future generations. Central to this process is ensuring it is a place where literature and storytelling continue to live, where audiences feel welcome and engaged, and where Milton’s contemporary relevance is discussed, debated and celebrated.

Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) has accredited museum status and houses the world's most comprehensive collection of material relating to Milton on permanent public display. A temporary exhibitions, events and workshop programme enhances and complements the permanent collection, as well as the Grade I listed building and Grade II registered garden that houses it.

Public benefit

Promoting public benefit continues to be at the heart of all Milton’s Cottage activities, through the advancement of education, heritage, culture and the arts - and by opening up discussion about Milton’s life and works and his enduring influence on contemporary society as widely as possible.

As an independent museum we currently rely on visitor income (along with grants, individual giving and investment income) to protect Milton’s Cottage for future generations, but make our charges as low as possible and offer subsidised prices to students, older people, carers and people in receipt of government benefit payments. We also offer free admission to young people under the age of 16 and a wide range of free workshops, events and activities to reach those who might not otherwise visit and to ensure no-one is prevented from visiting on the basis of cost.

Increasing access is a key aim for Milton’s Cottage, from physical access to intellectual access, widening our audience base and making our resources more

widely available. To support this, the trustees have recently instigated a programme of free community events and workshops to engage new audiences with Milton’s Cottage. As part of this process, they are looking at ways to improve physical access to the museum.

Overall, the trustees consider that the Charity satisfies the public benefit requirement as Milton’s Cottage is open to all members of the United Kingdom and worldwide, making its collections accessible for scholars and the general visitor via its public programmes.

Achievements and performance

2022 has been another difficult year for the cultural and heritage sector - beginning with the continued uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic and ending in a cost-ofliving crisis.

Milton’s Cottage has worked hard to respond safely and effectively to these challenges, developing a range of outdoor events and workshops as a way of adapting to an environment in which COVID-19 is still present, whilst still fulfilling our mission. Our outdoor spaces have a key role to play in recovering from Covid and mitigating the climate crisis and we want to engage more people with our unique literary garden - planted with trees, flowers and fruits referenced in Milton’s poetry.

Thanks to support from the Mercers’ Company, as well as everyone who contributed to our 2021 Big Give Christmas Challenge campaign, we were able to test new approaches to nature-writing during 2022. By engaging young people with literary, creative and environmental activities in our garden, we have helped them re-connect with nature, learn outdoors and have fun as we emerged from lockdown.

Workshop participants, including those with limited access to green spaces, were invited to discover poems, stories, notebooks and writing materials hanging from trees and hidden in flowerbeds and use these tools to observe nature in closer detail and record, draw, write stories and share statistics about their findings.

Other projects that invited people to explore and enjoy our literary garden included an outdoor music performance and our second shared reading of Paradise Lost . This took place on 20[th] August – the anniversary of its registration with Stationer’s Hall – with over 120 people of all ages taking part, with many dressing up and bringing props to help them get into character.

We were also delighted to support a number of local initiatives during 2022, including the Chalfont St Giles & Jordans Literary Festival, Chalfont St Giles Show, Chiltern Heritage Festival, Bucks Art Weeks and Bucks Open Weekend. Midsomer on the Misbourne – a themed, self-guided walking tour - launched at Milton’s Cottage, while local authors Paul Waters and Stevyn Colgan hosted a live edition of their podcast, We’d Like a Word , at the museum.

Working in partnership with Bucks Culture, the Paralympic Heritage Centre and cultural venues across the county, we developed Together We Build - a multi-venue exhibition celebrating the 10[th] anniversary of the London Paralympic Games and Buckinghamshire as the birthplace of the Paralympics. Co-curated in partnership with I Can Do That Too! – a Buckinghamshire theatre group for adults with learning disabilities – this has enabled us to explore ways of making Milton’s Cottage more accessible to people with learning disabilities.

We also continued to work with our Darkness Visible steering group to explore ways of making our venue more accessible to visitors with vision impairments, reflecting the fact that Milton was blind when he lived here. Together we have co-curated Making Sense of Milton , a multi-sensory programme of activities launching in 2023.

The Friends of Milton’s Cottage also held a number of social and fundraising events, starting with the 11[th ] Annual Milton Lecture – held as a hybrid lecture now that we are once again able to return to the magnificent Mercers’ Hall in the City of London. Their Pimm’s Party was expanded to include outdoor poetry and music (including an interactive element) while their Apple Day celebration has become a regular feature of the Milton’s Cottage calendar.

Future plans

Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) plans to continue with a range of activities to meet its charitable objectives. This includes the development of a masterplan to gain a greater understanding of the organisational challenges that must be faced as the world emerges from the pandemic – and make the right choices to unlock the full potential of the Charity’s historic buildings, collection and outdoor spaces.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

Receipts and payments

The Statement of Financial Activities shows net receipts for the year of £56,424 – down on income received during 2021 (£79,398), reflecting the completion of a oneoff capital project (to develop a new AR app to engage younger audiences with Milton’s Cottage) in the previous year. Net payments during the year was £54,126 (2021: £78,392), leaving an overall surplus of £4,921 (2021: £2007). Unrestricted reserves currently stand at £38,5252, in keeping with the reserves policy.

Visitor numbers for 2022 were 1,777 (1,158 paying museum visitors and 619 people who took part in our accompanying events and workshop programme). This is a significant increase on 2021 visitor numbers (359 and 613 respectively), reflecting the end of lockdown and social-distancing requirements, and was similar to prepandemic levels (for comparison, a total of 1,638 people visited in 2019).

Reserves policy

The reserves policy of Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) is to maintain a minimum of six months’ worth of general payments in unrestricted reserves at any one time, affording the trustees time to source new funding should current sources decrease or come to an end.

Investment policy and objectives

In accordance with the trust deed, the trustees have the power to invest in such stocks, shares, investments and property in the UK as they see fit. The current policy is to adopt a low-risk investment strategy, whilst aiming to maximise income within these parameters.

Risk management

The trustees have examined the major strategic and operational risks that the charity faces and confirms that, where possible, measures are in place to manage the significant risks. An organisational risk register is maintained and regularly reviewed, along with an organisational emergency plan.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

Organisation

Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) is registered with the Charity Commission, number 1163039, and is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The constitution states that the Charity should be governed by a body of no less than 3 and no more than 11 appointed trustees. Apart from the first trustees, every appointed trustee is appointed for a term of 3 years.

The trustees administer the charity in accordance with its Constitution and the strategic objectives outlined in the Charity’s four-year Forward Plan, which is reviewed annually. At quarterly trustees’ meetings, also attended by the Museum’s Director and the Chair of the Friends of Milton’s Cottage, the trustees review performance, set goals and receive reports. Management accounts are monitored and reviewed against the budget set at the beginning of each financial year.

A Director is appointed by the trustees to manage the day-to-day operations of the charity, supported by a team of local volunteers and trustee sub-committees that cover a range of issues, including collections management, garden management, fundraising and master planning. The overall responsibility for the operations of the Charity and its finances is with the trustees.

Appointment of trustees

New trustees are selected from people who have the appropriate skills and resources to contribute to the affairs of the Charity. Skills audits are undertaken to inform this process, and to ensure an effective succession strategy is in place.

Trustee induction & training

Upon appointment, each trustee receives an in-house induction training programme to acquaint them with the museum and its activities as well as: their obligations under charity law; Charity Commission guidance on public benefit; the content of the Constitution; decision-making processes; current policies and procedures; the current Forward Plan and its identified aims and objectives; the recent financial performance of the charity.

During the induction process they have the opportunity to meet other trustees. All trustees are encouraged to attend appropriate external training events and courses where these will facilitate the undertaking of their role.

Declaration

The Trustees Report 2022 was approved by the trustees on 4 April 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Simon Avery – Chairman

MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING RECEIPTS & PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

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Receipts and Payments 31 Dec 2022 2022 2022 2022 2021
Receipts Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Donations £6,277 £6,277 £7,260
Capital donations to PMEF £0 £0 £2,000
Grants £21,745 £21,745 £48,354
Museum Shop sales £1,063 £1,063 £768
Visitor income £6,318 £6,318 £2,862
Investment Income £16,960 £16,960 £16,161
Bank and BS interest £1,115 £1,115 £105
Gift Aid recovered £2,947 £2,947 £1,889
Total Receipts £56,424 £0 £56,424 £79,398
Payments
Training and Project costs £0 £0 £30,480
Museum Shop costs £228 £228 £395
Fund Raising Expenses £1,587 £1,587 £534
Utilities £1,875 £1,875 £1,103
Office, internet and computer £2,684 £2,684 £2,278
Fire and Security £1,033 £1,033 £777
Maintenance £3,709 £3,709 £1,423
Garden expenses £7,017 £7,017 £7,506
Museum expenses £1,707 £1,707 £800
Repairs and Renewals £0 £0 £168
Capital transfers to PMEF £0 £0 £2,000
Insurance £4,060 £4,060 £3,584
Bank Charges £275 £275 £199
Staff Salaries, PAYE and pension £26,842 £26,842 £25,588
Professional Fees £485 £485 £555
Total Payments £51,503 £0 £51,503 £77,392
Surplus/(Deficit) £4,921 £4,921 £2,007
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MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

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----- Start of picture text -----
ASSETS
Fixed Assets
Total Fixed Assets £0
Current Assets
1001 - Stocks of Miscellaneous Goods £744
1200 - Bank Current Account £26,851
1210 - Bank Account Paradise Maintain'd Endowment Fund £3,629
1220 - Building Society Account £2,064
1230 - Petty Cash £180
1260 - COIF Charities Investment Fund £500,000
1265 - COIF Charities Deposit Fund £63,000
1270 - COIF Deposit ac Operations £100,000
Total Current Assets £696,468
TOTAL ASSETS £696,468
LIABILITIES
Current Liabilities
Total Current Liabilities £93,937
Future Liabilities
Total Future Liabilities £0
TOTAL LIABILITIES £93,937
TOTAL NET ASSETS £602,531
Reserves
3295 - Paradise Maintain'd Reserve £566,629
Unrestricted reserves £35,902
TOTAL RESERVES £602,531
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See note 3 refence Current liabilities.

The Trustees confirm, in accordance with the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2012, that at year end the CIO did not have any outstanding guarantees to third parties nor any debts secured on assets of the CIO.

The above balance sheet at 31 December 2022 was approved by the trustees on 4th April 2023 and signed on their behalf by:

Simon Avery

Simon Avery - Chairman

MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) BALANCE SHEET – PARADISE MAINTAIN’D ENDOWMENT FUND

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

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----- Start of picture text -----
Paradise Maintain'd Balance sheet 2022 2022 2021
ASSETS
Fixed Assets
Total Fixed Assets £0 £0
Current Assets
Bank Account PMEF £3,629 £2,093
COIF Charities Investment Fund £500,000 £500,000
COIF Charities Deposit Fund £70,000 £63,000
Total Current Assets £573,629 £565,093
TOTAL ASSETS £573,629 £565,093
LIABILITIES
Total Current Liabilities £0 £0
Future Liabilities
Total Future Liabilities £0 £0
TOTAL LIABILITIES £0 £0
TOTAL NET ASSETS £573,629 £565,093
Reserves
Paradise Maintain'd Reserve £573,629
Total reserves £573,629 £565,093
----- End of picture text -----

MILTON’S COTTAGE TRUST (CIO) NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

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1. Statutory information

Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) is registered with the Charity Commission, number 1163039, and is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation within the UK. The registered address is Milton’s Cottage, 21 Deanway, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, HP8 4JH.

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (published October 2019) and the Charities Act 2011. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

2.2 Income

The day-to-day operations of the Charity are accounted for in the unrestricted fund, including proceeds from entrance fees, surpluses generated from charitable trading activities, non-specific donations and investment income from the Paradise Maintain’d Endowment Fund.

Donations and grants that are subject to restrictions imposed by the donor are credited to the restricted fund, and allocated only to designated areas of expenditure.

2.3 Expenditure

Expenditure is included in the accounts on an accruals basis. All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

2.4 Investments

The value on investments is shown at the cost value of £500,000 (current value on 31 December 2022 is £567,198). The Endowment Advisory Group has invested in the COIF Charities Investment account as shown in the accompanying balance sheet. The Paradise Maintain’d Endowment Fund is a permanent investment of capital to generate investment income to support the running costs of Milton’s Cottage.

2.5 Bank and building society interest

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when received and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.

2.6 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Fixed assets, comprising the property known as Milton’s Cottage, its garden and adjoining land are not capitalised in the accounts. Valuation of these inalienable assets would involve expenditure beyond the means of the Trust.

Assets acquired for less that £2,000 are written off in the year of acquisition. Equipment, net of grants, not forming part of the above is capitalised and depreciated to projected residual value over its estimated useful life, as follows:

Garden equipment: 3 years. IT systems and equipment: 2 years Museum equipment: 4 years

2.7 Heritage assets

Heritage assets, represented by books, pamphlets, prints, paintings and artefacts forming the museum collection, are not capitalised in the accounts. Valuation of these inalienable assets would involve expenditure beyond the means of the Charity. Depreciation is not charged on these as they are deemed to have a long useful life and any depreciation would therefore be immaterial to the accounts.

2.8 Cash Flow Statement

Under Financial Reporting Standard SORP (FRS 102), the Trust is not required to produce a Cash Flow Statement as it is a small charity.

2.9 Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient, with the level of reserves, for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

3. Donations & grants

The accounts include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes where grants received in one year are reserved to cover project liabilities in future years:

Grants - balance of accounts			31/12/2022
Name	Original Grant	Cumulative Expenditure	Cumulative Balance [for futureyears]
AIM TacklingInequalityGrant	£5,000	£1,022	£3,978
Gardenproject	£6,000	£0	£6,000
Social Mediaproject	£15,296	£0	£15,296
Darkness Visible reserve	£21,503	£13,598	£7,905
Milton's Garden	£20,079	£12,221	£7,858
AugmentingMilton reserve	£19,524	£9,041	£10,483
	£86,402	£35,882	£51,520

The difference between the balance sheet current liabilities of £93,937 and £51,520, is the balance of grant liabilities of £42,417 for a number of smaller projects spread over different financial years. During 2022, donations and grants were gratefully received by Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) from the following organisations and individuals: Arts Society Amersham; Big Give Christmas Challenge; British Schools and Universities Foundation Inc: Four Acre Trust; Friends of Milton’s Cottage; Sir Alexander Graham, The Earl Howe and South East Museums Development / Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust, as well as all ten Trustees.

In addition, £2,000 of the government Covid grants of £8,000, awarded in 2020/2021 through the Restart Leisure & Hospitality scheme in response to the pandemic, has been incorporated in the 2022 offset Restart costs.

In addition, all trustees have made a financial contribution during the year and have committed to leaving a legacy to Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO).

4. Charitable activities

In 2022, the whole of the income derived from charitable activities (visitor admissions and events) was designated as income to unrestricted funds.

5. Trading activities

In 2022, the whole of the income derived from trading activities (shop sales and film hire) was designated as income to unrestricted funds.

6. Investments

The Paradise Maintain’d endowment fund is comprised of capital permanently invested for the purpose of receiving a sustainable return to be used in support of the museum. The fund was formed through a Heritage Endowments match-funding grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and its investment status fulfills the requirements of the grant agreement with that donor. The income is reflected as a transfer to the Unrestricted Funds in the Statement of Financial Activities.

7. Trustee remuneration and related party expenses

No trustee or other person related to the charity received any remuneration or had any personal interest in a contract or transaction entered into by the Charity.

8. Taxation

As a registered charity, Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within part 10 of the Income Taxes Act 2007 or section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. Since the charity only uses its funds for charitable purposes no taxation is payable on income or gains.

9. Contingent liability

Following the import of material from the USA for the AIM Biffa History Makers Award in 2021, a dispute exists with UPS as a result of their inaccurate calculation of the VAT due to HMRC on this import. This amounts to £4,255 with any attempts by UPS to recover this sum being disputed due to the error by UPS.

10. Outstanding guarantees

The Trustees confirm, in accordance with the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2012, that at year end Milton’s Cottage Trust (CIO) did not have any outstanding guarantees to third parties nor any debts secured on assets of the Charity.

Independent Examiners Report

Report to the trustees of Milton’s Cottage Trust CIO

On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022 – Set out on pages 1 to 14

Responsibilities and basis of report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31[st] December 2022.

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation 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 all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

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

Signed Philip Lea-Wilson

Philip Lea-Wilson

10[th] April 2023