Chairman's report for the Annual General Meeting of Forest Row Village Hall Management Committee held on Monday 15th May 2023 (for the year for the year May 2022 to May 2023)
Object of the Charity “The provision and maintenance of the village hall for the use of the inhabitants of Forest Row and the neighbourhood without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, including use for meetings, lectures and classes and for other forms of recreation and leisuretime occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.”
Trustees
At present the trustees are; Mr. N. de Knoop, (Aikido) Mr. S. Hannan (co-opted) Miss. V. Hill, (co-opted); Dr. J. Josephson, (Forest Row Parish Council & Forest Row Business Group), Mr Richard Pike (Forest Row Film Society). We have to record the sad death of Miss Angela Yard, a trustee since 2011 and a supporter of the hall for many years prior to her trusteeship. We have three non-trustee committee members.
Management and staffing
We have two part-time hall managers who ably deal with the administration required in running the hall, working approximately twenty hours per week between them and a part-time caretaker/cleaner, working variable hours who keeps the hall clean and welcoming. I would like to thank these ladies for the care they put into the hall, their efficiency and enthusiasm. Extra time, often at short notice, is sometimes needed to enable the hall to work smoothly and this is not always recognised by hirers. Nick de Knoop is producing a new website to assist admin and attract potential hirers.
Policies and Procedures
These are updated on a regular basis at committee meetings, following the guidelines offered by the Charity Commission. Our working methods and data storage are compliant with the General Data Protection Regulations.
Finances
Our audited accounts as at the end of February 2022 show reasonable reserves and the auditor considers we have good in-house accounting and efficient professional accountants.
Bookings and therefore incomes have resumed to pre-pandemic levels, which is reassuring. We have found that administration for regular hirers is generally
straightforward but single event hirings can require a disproportionate administration time.
Building and Maintenance.
As reported last year the most urgent major work in hand is the repair of the entrance porch. Some scaffolding has been in place since February 2022. A more supportive scaffolding is planned until the actual building work takes place. Our architect Mr Iain Miller has drawn up the required plans and these were recently submitted to Wealden District Council for Listed Building Consent. To date we have spent approximately £11,000 fees for various obligatory professionals. The architect, the committee and I are unhappy with the amount of time lapsing between the engagement and actual reports of some professionals. We hope that once LBC is given we can provide a schedule of works to go to tender. Tender prices provide a reference for grant applications.
Other works have included further roof repairs to the Peter Griffits Hall, some drains replacement and many general maintenance and improvement works.
East Sussex County Council have applied anti-climb paint to the lamppost near the Peter Griffits Hall flat roof having been supplied with a video of unauthorised access. We hope that this will reduce these incursions.
In conclusion
I and the committee would like to thank the hall’s staff for all the work they do to keep the hall running so successfully. We have a committee that meets regularly, considers and decides actions and policies, our meetings are cheerful and productive and I am grateful to have such helpful colleagues.
We hope, in the coming year complete our current project, to continue to improve the hall and to plan the next major work, possibly the repair of exterior stonework as included in the LBC.
The trustees believe that this building continues to be an asset to Forest Row and the local area. It was built and founded to benefit the local people and the village as a whole. The trustees and committee members are a small group and we would welcome interest from local people who can offer new ideas and skills who would be interested in joining the committee, perhaps becoming trustees in their turn.
I believe we fulfil the object of the charity.
Thank you
Vivien Hill
Forest Row Village Hall Supplier Balance Detail As of February 28, 2023 DATE An8var Insuranc J110S12022 DUE t)ATE ANT OPEN BALANCE BALANCE CCP2195661 3.047.50 761.86 761.86 8iffa Waste SeNce8 3110112023 3110112023 2810212023 2810212023 S24T34 596C24T35 596C27116 598C27117 37.37 32.47 37.37 32.47 37.37 32.47 37.37 32.47 3737 69.84 10721 3010312023 139.68 Bu81n8 Stream 2911212022 2010112023 2610212023 01101r2023 51 1657442 41.22 41.22 63.79 BS 01103r2023 110.78 a7J6 ie EDF1871080 180 6451 1411112022 sUr Ci8dlt 2811112022 Expendtur• 29112fL022 ExpgNlturo 3010112023 Expen(Ituro 2810212023 Exp8ndtUT TfldlorEDF tin 110 141) EDF1671080 180 8521 0110212023 Expen(Iture 481.63 24.00 24.00 .10.00 -1.00 -765.12 -324.00 .324.00 .10.00 -785.12 -1.089.12 -1.413.12 -1,WZ3.12 -1,424.12 30ffJir2tr23 .13AO £-1&•9 -13.80 Flar6 System8 LTD 3011212022 Bll 248.40 248.40 248.40 H&R Decorang 2610212WJ Bll INV-0043 1.400.00 1.400.fy) 1,400.00 lan darn Gard•nlnp 2610212 81M 168.00 768.00 168.00 SccAtlsh Poww 8205 $153 012 2510112023 Bi 308.95 17.64 WJ4 17.64 Tèam 4 81U 32199 159.60 159.80 159.60 Tu88day. 18WI 20rJ 01..46 kxn W+OI 111