2021-03-31-accounts - Levenshulme Old Library

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Levenshulme Old Library CIO

Annual report for the Fifth Annual General Meeting,

1[st] September 2021

Registered Charity Number: 1165870. First registered 4 March 2016

History of LOLCIO at Levenshulme Old Library up to 2019

Levenshulme’s council run Library closed its doors on Cromwell Grove in February 2016, before re-opening shortly after within the Arcadia Leisure Centre. The Levenshulme Old Library group (LOL) set itself up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in that year to re-open the building. In the last 5 years, and in the years before we became an incorporated charity, the LOL CIO has been developing an Arts and Culture Centre that celebrates the energy, skills and passion in our community.

By Christmas 2017 LOLCIO, ALLFM and Manchester City Council had agreed a temporary arrangement giving access to the Old Library building. This meant that ALLfm could move in at the beginning of 2018. Over the next few months it was agreed that the Owl and Coconut would also become permanent residents, and that the building would also become a home for Levenshulme Youth Project.

Chairs Report: Olivia O’Connell

Thank you to all for those that are attending this evening and to everyone who can’t be here, but have made this past 12 months a wonderful time at Levenshulme Old Library. Following on from John’s Chair report last September, this year has also been a strange one. We have had to make things happen in ways we never have done before; adapting existing programmes such as Levy Fringe to being an online experience and being so flexible to the changing tiers in which Levenshulme found itself in. Thank you to all of our wonderful staff across this past year.

Laura has been phenomenally adaptive and creative with new events, keeping all our lovely users and friends informed to the changing nature of the pandemic as well as being a pleasure to work with and being one of hardest working people around. We say goodbye to Laura briefly during the Autumn and Winter and say a big hello to Richard Hirst, who will be covering the Hires and Building Coordinator role.

Thank you to Jason, who has taken on many different hats over the course of the year and we are very, very grateful for his flexibility and never ending ‘can-do’ attitude making sure we were ready to welcome back our users.

Thank you to Jayne for her amazing work on our finances, as well as making sure we had enough to keep going by applying for many successful COVID-19 recovery grants.

Thank you to Neil for his marvellous work taking care of the building - it doesn’t run without you and your care and attention!

And thank you to Veronika, our Arts Coordinator for Levy Fringe 2020 - Veronika battled against the odds to make sure Levenshulme had a bright light to celebrate and experience art in a dark time - thank you so much for your hard work and resilience.

A huge thank you to our regular users and ALLFM for their generosity of spirit and HUGE amounts of patience while we closed, reopened, closed, reopened, closed and finally reopened across in March 2021. Your support and tenacity to adapt has kept the whole community going through a really tough time. Even though the pandemic gave as many false starts, it didn’t stop us engaging with the local community. Across 2020-21, we have had makers’ fairs, a community day and even a virtual Father Christmas!

We were also successful this year in receiving a grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund Covid Recovery scheme; which allowed us the wonderful opportunity to employ a Business Consultant, Kate Rodenhurst and a Community Connector, Jen Roche-Newton. Both Kate and Jen have been brilliant and have been delving deeply into the organisation and interrogating our business practices and our community outreach. We will have a set of outcomes and next steps from both roles to take us into the next year post AGM.

Thank you to all trustees for your advice, guidance and general participation over the past year. Zoom meetings, in person meetings and the less successful hybrid meetings of the two mediums, you’ve stuck with us and I’m very grateful for all you do. Early this year, we welcomed Matt Byng to the Board of Trustees. Matt has already thrown himself into multiple trustee tasks including being on the shortlisting panel for recruiting the Autumn cover for the Building and Hires coordinator role.

We have also recruited a Trustee Administrator, Tasneem Perry who will work 2 days a month; this role will take minutes, pull together actions that the board of trustees will need to agree on etc. Welcome to the team, Tas! Thank you again to Laura who has valiantly been an administrator to the board over the past two years as part of the Building Coordinator role. We hope this new role will be the point of contact for all trustees from now on.

I have made the decision to step down as Chair of the Board at this AGM. Although I have been in the role for one year only, I have been so proud of what the staff, trustees, user groups, volunteers and user groups at LOL have been able to achieve in the past challenging year. I stepped down as Chair due only to my new job in Birmingham which will be taking up a lot of time, plus not being in the city for trustee meetings. I sincerely hope to stay on the board as a trustee as I really do believe wholeheartedly in LOL, its mission and its’ people. I am of course willing to step aside should someone want to become a trustee who is living in the local community.

Thank you to everyone who has made this past year a success in the most stress inducing and challenging times we may ever face; I hope this next year runs smoother and we prosper to even greater success.

Olivia O’Connell, Chair of Trustees at Levenshulme Old Library (2020-2021)

Review of a more than a year under COVID (April 2020- September 2021):

With the announcement of the first national lockdown we had to close our building in March 2020. We temporarily furloughed Laura, and yet managed to keep connected with our community and prepare for re-opening. This has been slower than we hoped and sadly we lost our valuable relationship with the Owl and Coconut in September2020. We worked hard to prepare for a safe wider re-opening last autumn, but then had to close again for the second lockdown. Yet ALLfm are back broadcasting from the building, and we have lots of exciting things happening this autumn.

Besides periods where we have had to shut rules we have continued to hire out the central shared area of the building for activities such as performances, rehearsal space, yoga, and projects such as the Levenshulme Fringe 2020. We’re taking it slowly as we develop policies for safe use, and a pricing structure that can sustain the building, keeping as much access to local people as possible, and making sure we compliment other facilities in the area.

We have a number of regular groups using the space, such as Levy Little Theatre, Dance Like a Mother and Levenshulme WI, to name a few, and we seek to nurture those relationships. Undoubtedly the last year has been challenging. It meant we didn’t reapply for funding for Levy Fringe 2021, though we are committing some of our resources to make at least some activity for the fringe in October half term, which will be led by Laura.

Security was a concern whilst the building was largely empty, but using money from our successful crowdfunder in summer 2020 we have now installed new security fencing, put up a gazebo to make better use of our outside space and developed our garden areas.

We continue to liaise with other projects and buildings, such as Inspire, and Levy Market, as well as community networks and projects wherever we can. For example making a joint application for a Levenshulme wide volunteer development project.

Treasurers Report, Including Future Challenges and Opportunities

Whilst successful in initial fundraising, including from the Our Manchester fund, and new fundraising such from the Arts Council, the Windrush project, Architectural Heritage Foundation and Manchester Airport Trust (we have raised over £100,000 in one way or another so far) developing a sustainable business model remains a challenge. The uncertainty of the ongoing pandemic places considerable risks on our future income and our ability to raise capital funds. That hampers our future plans.

We know to run the building may end up costing near to £60,000 every year. We can’t live on grants alone and need to generate more income from our own community fundraising activities and events (which is why the successful 2020 crowdfunder last summer is so pleasing). Whilst by keeping down hire charges we are maintaining as much community access as possible. Balancing being affordable, open to all and paying our way can be a constant stress.

We have been successful in reducing our costs over the last 18 months, and raised many thousands of pounds in Covid recovery funds, as well as having built up a sizeable reserves

fund in previous years. This has allowed us to survive, offer discounts to regular hirers during covid closures, and even offer a small pay rise to our staff this summer (like many in our sector these arguably remain too low, but remain in line with living wage rates.)

Managing a community building is not an easy task. But we are working tirelessly with making improvements all the time. Each challenge is an important learning opportunity, and we have remained viable, and have continued to run excellent events and raise our profile in our community and in our city.

However we aren’t out of the woods yet. The 2020/21 accounts show a £5,000 deficit of expenditure over income. In 2021/22 this will rise to £11,000 by next April unless we bring in new money in the year through grants, hires or donations (at current budget projections). But we are solvent and positive about the future. Noting Trustees approved the draft 2020/21 accounts at the August 2021 meeting. These are therefore submitted for approval at this AGM.

The objects (purposes and powers) of the CIO are

To benefit and further the residents of Levenshulme and the neighbourhood, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents and the local authorities, voluntary 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 occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents.

In furtherance of these objects but not otherwise, the trustees shall have power:

To establish or secure the establishment of a community centre and to maintain or manage or co-operate with any statutory authority in the maintenance and management of such a centre for activities promoted by the charity in furtherance of the above objects.

Trustees of Levenshulme Old Library,

Number of available Trustee places under the constitution: 12

Trustees serving at or since October 2020’s AGM

Name	Role (2020)	Retiring	Joined	Reselected
Hilly Barber			2016	Oct 2020
Jez Hall	Treasurer		2016	Oct 2020
John RobyBrown			2016	Oct 2020
Brittain Adams			2017
Sidra Iftakhar			2017
Evan Pritchard		Pending	2017
Jean Bernard			2018
Saf Horrocks			2019
Olivia O'Connell	Chair		2019
Sana Rahim			2019
Claire Sharples			2019
Matthew Byng			May2021

Matthew Byng was accepted as a new Trustee in May 2021, and it is recommended his trusteeship be approved at the 2021 AGM.

Rules for Trustee elections

Trustees serve for a term of 3 years. Trustees may join at any point in the year, but if new must be approved at the AGM. Formally, 1/3 of trustees stand down at each Annual General Meeting. If fewer than 1/3 (4) voluntarily stand down and there are no other vacancies it is based on those serving the longest since being re-elected as Trustees. Those standing down, if they wish to continue as Trustees, have to be approved at the AGM, before they begin a new 3 year term. (Noting also the maximum number of terms any trustee can serve without a break is also 3 (e.g. 9 years)

If the total wishing to become Trustees would create more than 12 trustees then a formal election may be required. Brittain Adams, Sidra Iftakhar and Evan Pritchard are ‘next in line for seeking re-selection this year.

Evan Pritchard has not attended any trustee meetings since the last AGM and based

on a vote of approval at the 2021 AGM will be formally removed as a Trustee . If Brittain Adams and Sidra Iftakhar wish to continue we have a total of 11 trustees at the AGM 2021.

Therefore, assuming no other trustees voluntarily stand down, we don’t need to hold a Trustee election process unless more than one person wants to join the trustees at this AGM.

The election of any officer roles, those selected to serve as Trustees for 2021 onward, including any retired voluntarily, or by motion, is confirmed at the next Trustee meeting.

Eligibility for becoming a trustee

(a) Every charity trustee must be a natural person (i.e. not a group, company or other body).

(b) No one may be appointed as a charity trustee:

if he or she is under the age of 16 years; or
if he or she would automatically cease to hold office under the provisions of clause [15(1)(f)] of the constitution.

(c) No one is entitled to act as a charity trustee whether on appointment or on any reappointment until he or she has expressly acknowledged, in whatever way the charity trustees decide, his or her acceptance of the office of charity trustee.

(d) At least one of the trustees of the CIO must be 18 years of age or over.

Proposed Trustee Motion for AGM 2021:

“The AGM confirms that Evan Pritchard is retired as a Trustee, and based on no more than one new trustee wishing to stand for re-election formally approves Brittain Adam and Sidra Iftikhar have been re-elected as trustees for a further 3 year period, alongside new trustee Matthew Byng.”

Charity No=1165870 Levenshulme Old Library Financial Statements For The Year Ending 31st March 2021 cimA

Levenshulme Old Library Contents Pagè Accountants, report Income and Expenditure Account Balance sheet

Levenshulme Old Library Accountants. report on the unaudited accounts to Levenshulme Old Library You have approved the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021 which comprise the Profit and Loss Account, the 8alance Sheet and the ielated notes. In accordance with your in5tiuctions, we have compiled these unaudited accounts from the accounting records and information and explanations Supplied to us. Helen J. Guest Accounting Chartered Management Accouniants 482 Liverpool Road Ainsdale Southport Merseyside PR8 3BB 8 July 2021

Levenshulme Old Library Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 March 2021 2021 2020 Income Operating Activities To Generate Funds.. Fundraisers CJRS Grants Grants Donations Room Hire 4.075 23,382 46,744 14,431 25,660 41,888 72,404 Expenses AdvertisingNarketing AudiUAccounts Bank Fees Cleaning Consultancy D8preciation Ernployers Nl Entertainment 100°/p business General Expenses Insuran Legal Expenses Light, Power, Heating Pension Rates Repairs & Maintenance S818ries Stationary & Printing Subscriptions Telephone Travel 200 100 27 1,121 1,235 100 1,140 539 260 272 55 11,426 842 12,767 858 300 150 567 3,290 24,067 1.998 723 4,370 35,516 1,859 880 823 214 47,005 59,988 Net Surplus 5,117 12,416

Levenshulme Old Library Balance Sheet As at 31 March 2021 2021 2020 Assets Fixed Assets Banklbuilding society balances Cash in hand Debtors 3,551 48,067 109 3,218 54,945 1.259 50,205 12 1,421 51.638 Llabllltles Income Received In Advance PAYE Payable Other liabilities and accruals 5,750 11221 2,634 455 642 46,683 50,996 Fund5 Tot81 Funds BIF Net Surplus 51,800 -5.117 12,415 39,385 46.683 51.800

Charity No=1165870 Levenshulme Old Library Financial Statements For The Year Ending 31st March 2021 cimA

Levenshulme Old Library Contents Pagè Accountants, report Income and Expenditure Account Balance sheet