Southwold Library North Green Southwold IP18 6AT Registered Charity Number 1163526 # **Trustees’ Annual Report and Statement of Accounts 6 April 2020 – 5 April 2021** I am pleased to present the sixth Trustees’ Annual Report and Statement of Accounts of Friends of Southwold Library (FoSL) since we became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). It has been a very unusual year. We started and ended the year in lockdown and very few FoSL related activities happened in between. There were no fund-raising events during the year and all the activities which FoSL traditionally sponsor such as Slaughter in Southwold and Harry Potter Night were cancelled. Some donations were still made and gratefully received, and the Patrons also generously contributed £2,540. The other main forms of income were from donated items sold on E-bay and gift aid. The sale of donated books using Ziffit and sales of merchandise when the Library managed to open also provided an income. There were few opportunities for FoSL to spend money to further its aims and there was a modest surplus over the year of £4,155. More details can be found in the attached statement of accounts. The Trustees met regularly during the year on Zoom. It was decided that given the lack of activity and the restrictions applying to meetings, not to hold an AGM. Under our constitution seven of the Trustees were due to stand for re-election. Mary Allerton. Sara Farrands, Honor Mason, Kathy Oliver, Eric Sortwell and Kate Stevenson agreed to be co- opted onto the committee for another year. Miriam Bennett stood down and we are grateful for her contribution as a Trustee. The Library move to the old Southwold Hospital site is still being discussed. The target date is September 2021 but at the time of writing the move has not yet been formally agreed. The Trustees have identified several potential improvements that FoSL funding can provide should the move happen as expected. FoSL will continue to support activities in the current Library but will not spend significant sums on projects that cannot be transferred to the new location. ## **The Objectives for 2020/21** Given uncertainty that the pandemic has created no objectives were set for the year. ## **The main activities of FoSL** Sponsorship of Library events which promote Library use and recreational reading to the public. - FoSL supported Suffolk Library Day by sponsoring the online dog show and the treasure trail. Provision of equipment for the Library - FoSL replaced the microwave oven. - Provided rodent proof storage boxes. Payment of services for the public - Provision of WiFi. - A newspaper. In selecting these activities to fund the Trustees have chosen those which will contribute to the maintenance of the Library, promote its use, and give benefits to the wider community. The Trustees have taken full consideration of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when deciding to fund activities. ## **Achievements and Performance** ## **Risk Management** The risk of a pandemic had not been previously identified as a risk to FoSL. While the pandemic restricted FoSL activities it did not pose a risk to the continued existence of FoSL. The Trustees agreed that the main risks to FoSL continue to be the difficulty in finding enough Trustees and maintaining enough members to support events held. Currently FoSL has enough Trustees. Should there ever be insufficient to run the Charity the constitution allows for Suffolk Libraries to appoint Trustees to run the organisation. Membership is stable and by keeping membership free and regular running of a recruitment exercise numbers are expected to remain adequate. ## **Reserves Policy** The Trustees have agreed that the Reserves Policy should be to hold funds equivalent to the total of any on-going costs to which FoSL has committed for at least the next financial year, although the reserves remain unrestricted funds. At present the on-going commitments are Wi-Fi provision (£444 per annum) and the provision of a daily newspaper for public use (£480 per annum). ## **Community Support for FoSL** The success of FoSL would not have been possible without the efforts and generosity of our members, patrons, donors, and other supporters of the Library. The Trustees would like to thank all those who contributed to this uncertain year. ## **Our Patrons this year are-** Mrs Carol Horton Mrs Alva Semple Mr Mark Eagles Mrs Kay Eagles Mr Robert Mole Mrs Brenda Mole Mrs Mary Allerton Mr Reg Wafer Dr Diana Dixon Mrs Laura Houson Mrs Miriam Bennett Viscount & Viscountess Mackintosh Dr Peter Fells Mrs Christine Fells Mr Robert Andrewes Mrs Ita Miller Mrs Shirley Cordeaux Wilde Mr Ridley Burnett ## **Trustees** The Trustees of FoSL are- Mary Allerton Charlotte Clark, Suffolk Libraries IPS representative Honor Manson Eric Sortwell John Verity, Chairman Miriam Bennett , until June 2020 Sara Farrands, Secretary Kathleen Oliver, Treasurer Kathryn Stevenson **John Verity Chairman, Friends of Southwold Library May 2021**