2020-12-31-accounts

Annual Report to Members 2020 including Chairman’s Commentary and Notice of AGM

Chairman’s report to members of the Society

Thank you to everyone involved with the Society this past year for their support. It’s not been the year we expected! It started so well with a symposium that was organised and facilitated by the Society in order to bring together all Chislehurstrelated groups, to share expertise and help collaboration and, whilst the implementation of some of the suggested outcomes has been hampered by the pandemic, they remain ready to be revisited once normal service is resumed. The pop-up shop that we organised in December was an example of our joined-up thinking.

The Covid19 pandemic hit in March and lockdown swiftly followed. The Society’s response was rapid and, working with Visit Chislehurst, we organised a community support group with over 290 volunteers to deliver prescriptions, newspapers and shopping to the vulnerable, befriending the lonely and generally responding efficiently to their many phone calls.

We were grateful to both Sainsburys and the local Co-op stores for their generosity in helping Trustee, Gabriella Toth, put together care packages that we distributed with the help of Eltham College students to the seven residential homes in Chislehurst.

Managing the Charity

The Board of Trustees has met regularly throughout the year with both face-toface meetings in the Old Chapel at a social distance and on-line discussion via Microsoft Teams. It has been interesting to try new methods of communication and, despite operating reduced hours from the office, I congratulate our administrative assistant, Deirdre Taylor, for keeping us organised, working from her new home/school office!

Our Annual General Meeting was postponed until July but, following Charity Commission guidance, we were able to fulfil our charitable obligations. The minutes were subsequently posted on our website.

We have missed face-to-face contact with our members and were particularly disappointed to have to cancel our

afternoon talks. We did manage to organise an outdoor book sale in July, with masks and books under wraps. The pop-up shop that we ran just before Christmas was a great opportunity to share our work and products with residents locally. The concept, sharing space with other local volunteer groups, gave us lots of ideas for the future and we will definitely organise other similar ventures as soon as restrictions are lifted. We were grateful to landlord, Guy Osborne, for the free use of an empty unit and, although we don’t like to see vacant shops on our High Street, it was to the benefit of the community.

Emma Tyrell has continued her work administering our membership database and I’m grateful to her for her organisation of the preparation needed to get our magazine out to members. Cockpit went out twice this year, packed by willing volunteers and delivered so ably by Alan Hunt and Peter Griffiths to our small army of distributors and then

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on to our stalwart Road Stewards.

We are always looking to increase our Road Steward numbers; it can be a happy and neighbourly role to fulfil, getting to know your street and recruiting new members. If you want to offer your time in this way, please get in touch. [e-mail]

In terms of membership, Covid has forced us into the twenty-first century as it is no longer acceptable to expect our Road Stewards to collect cash door-todoor. The successful membership drive last year by Peter Miller has added to the onerous collecting task so we have spent 2020 encouraging our members to sign up for a recurring card payment via our website. The move to online payments is steady and will need a final push to get us towards the finish line but the start is already encouraging with many members welcoming the ease of the transaction and, of course, Road Stewards will be released from the annual plea for a mere £5. Road Stewards will always be available to members and we will remain flexible in our approach to payments (we can continue to accept cash and cheque payments at the Old Chapel for those who prefer the old-fashioned service). However, the more people that sign up, the more streamlined our system will be and ease the way for faster, more effective communication with members as we increase our e mail contacts too.

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020 8467 0900
making a difference
Chislehurst
The
Society
Your name
[e-mail]
Chislehurst BR7 5APThe Old Chapel, 3 Queens Passage
Membership Card 2021/22 www.chislehurst-society.org.uk
Thank you for making a difference
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Our marketing strategy has made a big impact this year with so many of our members now embracing technology to access information. Hannah Green is contracted to keep us prominent on social media and accessible to more than just our local members. Hannah has facilitated a weekly quiz in place of our coffee mornings, which have been well received. We operate Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts and enjoy telling our stories and promoting our messages on local issues. Hannah has been particularly effective in attracting a younger audience and organising an on-line art competition. We enjoyed delivering prizes to the youngsters on their doorsteps and really commend young Freya for her amazing rainbow window in Belmont Lane.

This great charity requires clear fiscal probity and I am ever grateful to Colin Martin in his role as Treasurer, always paying our invoices swiftly and apprising all the trustees of our budget position at our Board meetings. Trustee, Christine Pearson, is a second signatory on our accounts and has familiarized herself with our investment profile. The Charity Commission receives our annual accounts which are published in this report for you

to peruse; please raise any questions by ‘phone or e-mail to the office.

I am very grateful to our Honorary Secretary, David Ely, for his endeavours in our corporate governance and also his contribution to our legal responsibilities in our time-consuming role as freeholder of Chislehurst Commons.

The astounding work of the Community Support Group, headed by Alison and Andrew Stammers, Gregor O’Brien and Jayne Harman, is hopefully to be celebrated in the naming of the footpath from the High Street to Empress Drive as ‘Community Path’, a reminder in perpetuity of the supportive work carried out. David Ely has been working with LBB who are liaising with emergency services following a member’s suggestion to recognise the activities of the community in this pandemic in this way.

Grants

The Society grants programme continued despite Covid and, in some cases, because of it. We are fortunate to have significant funds from legacies and investments which we are proud to put towards improvements for Chislehurst. We have provided a significant grant to The National Trust towards the reclamation of Pond Wood following the damage wrought by storm Ciara in February. It was very pleasing to hear the feedback from many residents who discovered the pond for the first-time during lockdown. We knew that the Trust simply could not have completed this massive task without our financial support.

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We were also pleased to finance the wildlife trail that Helen Baylis created for families to enjoy across Chislehurst Common. It was so important to create more engagement with the outdoors during these particularly difficult times for families facing home schooling and isolation from the usual classroom.

Again, lockdown meant that many more people were discovering our outdoor spaces and we were pleased to give a grant to the Friends of Chislehurst Recreation Ground to provide more benches in the Recreation Ground for all those needing a bit of a breather during their daily exercise!

Very excitingly, we were able to fund the initial condition survey work of the historic dining room panelling at Camden Place. This feature is said to be of national and even international importance and we look forward to the next stage which is an application to Heritage England for a major conservation grant.

We gave the Trustees of Chislehurst Commons significant funds towards the creation of a new path and feeding area at Prickend Pond which will improve the

to improve their website; we always welcome more ideas from local groups and, although we cannot justify a grant to every application, your ideas and suggestions are received with interest and given serious consideration.

We also donated money towards fundraising at the Cricket Ground in the hopes of seeing play resume. It was such a shame to see the rise in litter on this well-used open space over the summer and we were pleased to support the club and the local residents in their clear-up effort. Sarah Harris was given our Community Spirit Award for spearheading this early morning task.

muddy, inaccessible bank that exists at present. It will be fascinating to watch this enhancement into next year. The Trustees were also granted money to replace the Rush Pond borehole.

Planning and Conservation

Elmstead Woods Station gardeners and the Friends of Scadbury have had ongoing funding for local work and Visit Chislehurst benefitted from a small fund

I am very grateful to the hard-working approach of our planning team, four volunteers from planning, architecture

and surveying backgrounds. Barry Redding has led this team for 12 years and this year has tendered his resignation from the role. He will continue as a trustee in order to conclude the Conservation Area Review that has been worked on now for some time. Jennifer Dearing is making progress towards a revised strategy for our planning work and we will be able to have two panels in place in time for the new membership year. Jennifer also attends the Conservation Advisory Panel with Bromley Council and we are very grateful to her for her experienced voice at our meetings.

Despite the fact that the Commons Road and Cycle Scheme is moribund at the moment, we did a lot of work at the beginning of the year to develop ideas with the Council and the Trustees of the Commons to identify improved safety measures at the War Memorial and on the Commons Loop Road together with the introduction of new cycle routes. Although the Covid crisis brought an abrupt halt to this work, we are keen to recommence this work as soon as possible.

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Heritage

Education

We receive communications about the heritage of Chislehurst from all over the UK and from abroad. Heritage remains one of the strengths and interests of the Society and we were very pleased to acquire a striking collection of over 300 vintage postcards recently for which we have great plans.

We were disappointed to postpone both the Environmental Awards and our Recycling Roadshow though the preparatory work will be used when times are safer. Anne Lamb and Jennifer Dearing organised an art competition for both school pupils and adults to reflect their lockdown experiences. The winners have received certificates and gift vouchers from local shops and their handiwork will go on display again when times allow. We have kept in touch with Head Teachers and even delivered one talk over Zoom.

The heritage telephone kiosk on Royal Parade continues to be used to provide information leaflets. We are very grateful to Colin and Margaret Yardley who voluntarily manage the book exchange inside. I am very pleased that the children from Art on Parade, via Nicky Russo, still display seasonal contributions on the kiosk glass from time to time.

Environment Matters

troupe of youngsters keeping Chislehurst tidy. If everyone picked up ‘5 a day’, as several committed residents do, our village would be an even better place to enjoy.

The Society is determined to keep Chislehurst as green and clean as possible; we are very grateful to Crista Lyon for maintaining her passion for running our bi-monthly litter-picking sessions. Peter Miller had great success getting the next generation involved in litter picking; by delivering child-size equipment, including hi-vis jackets to willing junior volunteers, we have a

Trustee, Jeremy Dwight, represents us at National Trust meetings and has been instrumental in achieving the publication of our handy free map of the area which features photographs of our attractive environment. Jeremy has ensured that our local estate agents have copies and we have used them in school talks too.

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Town Team

We are pleased to work alongside the network of Visit Chislehurst and local businesses. The High Street has coped surprisingly well during the pandemic with more people working from home and shopping locally. We were sad to see the demise of the Workshop and Go Travel but welcome new independents such as Joelles and Burlington Food Hall. Royal Parade seems to be becoming a veritable foodie hub with the arrival of Fish Union, The Cockpit and Allganic and Moore.

Our role, as the freeholder of Chislehurst and St Paul’s Cray Commons and the holder of the ancient title of Lord of the Manor, is not without its challenges. As appointee Lord of the Manor representative on the Board of the Trustees of Chislehurst Commons, I thoroughly enjoyed my personal tour of the Commons, going to places in the truck that are normally inaccessible to me, given my own mobility limitations. To see the ancient trees, various habitats and boundaries close to hand was a powerful educational experience and I am very grateful to the experience and knowledge of head keeper, Jonathan Harvie, who acted as my tour guide. As we must always act in the best interests of our charity, we also rely on the professional advice of local law firm, Wellers, and nationally recognised surveyors, Strutt and Parker, where necessary.

We have been involved with the designs for Belmont Local Parade grant outcomes including the plans for CCTV.

Developments at the Chislehurst Library site for a health centre and new library consumed much of our time. Our survey, involving input from almost 1000 residents, was put to the Council and we

were actively engaged in what became something of a political issue at the eleventh hour of the Council’s decisionmaking process on the developer. We remain vigilant and ready to liaise with Council and Developer on the proposed consultation and planning process, as well as the interim provision of library facilities.

Alison Stammers’ tenacity in keeping our High Street vibrant is to be commended; she gets answers from our council colleagues and continues to update us all on local developments.

The Society was honoured to pay for the poppies that were displayed on our shopping area lampposts again this year; it takes a lot of coordination to erect the display and I’m grateful to Alison for organising this.

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Patricia Leach, Hall Manager, has been most efficient and resourceful in coping with the day-to-day activities in the hall which, this year, has meant calculating correct numbers for social distance spacing, refunding many deposits as events have been cancelled and managing cleaners and hirers as regulations chop and change. We did benefit from a local business grant from the council and our tenants upstairs have been punctual with rent despite having to work from home in the main.

Old Chapel Books has launched four new titles this year including a children’s colouring book, created by Trustee, Richard Green, and Tony Allen is to be thanked for his book layouts and liaison with the printers. Naturally we were disappointed to cancel all the planned events for the commemoration of the centenary of the death of Empress Eugenie in the summer but the new award-winning book, by Etienne Chilot and translated by Tony Allen, celebrating her life, remains proudly on sale via our website. We have, however, concluded our Amazon account as we were not generating the sales to justify the contract. Patricia Leach is to be thanked for the many hours she puts into managing our book sales.

In writing this, back in lockdown for a third time, it has been a difficult year overshadowed by the pandemic but we have risen to the challenge and perhaps even taken advantage of new ways of doing things that will help streamline work for the trustees and the community going forward. I know how lucky Chislehurst is to have its volunteer commitment. This network of contacts needs to grow and refresh so that we can all thrive and find a new normal, working for the benefit of Chislehurst and its residents. Thank you to everyone who supports the activities of the Chislehurst Society - long may it continue! We may be more on-line but we haven’t gone away.

Joanna Friel Chairman

The Old Chapel

In the Autumn, we were able to complete the restoration of the building by installing an antique bell in the longempty bell cot. This clanglerless feature (so we don’t annoy the neighbours) has already attracted the attention of conservationists and we are delighted that it acts as a permanent reminder on the landscape to ‘give us a bell’!

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Trustees’ report to members

The Chislehurst Society CIO, Registered Charity, No. 1166276, has its principal address at The Old Chapel, Queens Passage, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 5AP, and is established under a Constitution adopted in April, 2016.

Trustees of the CIO and members of the Committee during 2020 and up to the date of this report were:

Joanna Friel (Chairman) Jennifer Dearing (Vice-Chair) David Ely (Hon Secretary) Colin Martin (Treasurer)

Anne Lamb Peter Miller Barry Redding Alison Stammers Jeremy Dwight Richard Green Christine Pearson

Gabriella Toth – appointed August 2020

The Officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Hon Secretary and Treasurer) relinquish their office every year and are eligible for reelection at the Annual General Meeting; one half of the other (longest serving) members retire at the AGM, and are also eligible for re-election.

Do you want to be more involved in local matters, and help make a positive difference to Chislehurst?

Contact us to see how you can help! [e-mail]

Objectives and achievements

Financial Review

The Society’s objects are to promote high standards of planning and architecture in Chislehurst, to educate the public in the geography, history, natural history and architecture of Chislehurst, and to secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of features of historic, environmental or public interest in Chislehurst.

Our planning committee scrutinises all planning applications for Chislehurst; we assist individual members who request our help on planning issues, and we provide information generally to our members.

The attached consolidated accounts show the results for the year. At the time of printing the accounts were still with the independent examiner. The figures will be confirmed at the AGM. Our policy on reserves is unchanged: we maintain a level and range of investments in order to generate a regular income to supplement our modest subscription income and rental income, to enable us to acquire suitable assets, or give financial support to local schemes whose activities meet the Society’s objectives.

The Old Chapel was available throughout 2020 as the Society’s headquarters, community meeting hall and rental space, though subject to Covid 19 restrictions. We communicate to members in print, by email, via our website, and using various social media platforms.

We continue to support plans and action for improvements across Chislehurst, both the built and open environments. In our role as the freeholder and Lord of the Manor of Chislehurst and St Pauls Cray Commons we have appointed a Trustee as our representative on the Board of the Trustees of Chislehurst Commons. Our environmental work includes representation on the Petts Wood and Hawkwood National Trust Committee.

This report was approved by the Trustees on 20th January 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

Individual membership stood at 4692 by the end of 2020, in 2993 households.

Joanna Friel, Chairman C. L. Martin, Treasurer

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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 2020

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020

Receipts General Members subscriptions Gift Aid tax reclaimed Investment Income Rental income - Old Chapel Offce Rental Income - Old Chapel Hall Commons Income(net) Miscellaneous income(Note 1) Bequests and donations Charitable Activities Promotional sales(net) Expenditure General Cost of generating funds Administration Premises costs Administrative staff Stationery/Telephone etc Legal Depreciation Miscellaneous expenses Communications development & marketing Charitable Activities Grants and sponsorship to third parties(Note 2) Planning/Environment Publications & local study Heritage Environmental Awards Operational surplus (defcit) Investment revaluation Overall surplus (defcit)

2020 2019 9,043 14,039 1,683 750 24,350 23,866 11,574 11,574 6,690 23,142 23,711 4,000 12,410 496 5,448 191 1,240 1,350 96,149 79,408 3,209 3,275 13,036 18,157 3,630 4036 8,266 5666 - 1,503 2,298 2,414 715 3,968 1,632 2,938 41,505 24,281 2,858 1,207 4,908 8,954 3,972 1,596 428 3,774 86,457 81,770 9,692 ( 2,361 ) 50,640 120,564 60,332 118,203

Assets Cash and short tem deposits Investments(Note 3) Old Chapel Building(Note 4) Fixtures & fttings etc Less depreciation Chislehurst Commons(Note 5) Heritage art(Note 6) Heritage property(Note 7) Debtors & prepayments Liabilities VAT Creditor Hall deposits held Other creditors(Note 9) Represented by: Undesignated General fund Designated Funds Grants fund(Note 8) Environmental Awards fund	2020 2019 59,236 25,381 842,420 791,781 961,643 961,643 17,849 16,949 ( 10,736 ) ( 8,438 ) 160,576 160,576 4,505 4,505 - - 192 1,239 2,132 ( 1,493 ) ( 912 ) ( 1,149 ) ( 45,010 ) ( 19,430 ) 1,991,895 1,931,564 2020 2019 1,433,796 1,331,531 557,745 599,250 354 783 1,991,895 1,931,564

These accounts were approved by the Trustees on 20 January 2021 and signed on their behalf by:

J D Friel, Chairman C. L. Martin, Treasurer

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Notes to the accounts

Note 1: Miscellaneous income includes £11,525 Covid government grant.

Note 2: Grants approved this year: Elmstead Woods station garden, repair to commons borehole, Chislehurst Business Group promoting Chislehurst, National Trust renovation of Pond Wood, Chislehurst Cricket Club clear up after vandalism, Scadbury bramble clearance, Chislehurst Commons provision of path for Prickend pond, Chislehurst Recreation Ground seating, Chislehurst Golf Club heritage survey, Commons nature trail . We have also set aside monies for a ‘bear trail’ now planned to be implemented in 2021.

In addition smaller donations, sponsorship and affiliation fees totalling approximately £800 were paid, or agreed, for Covid support for local care homes, a Community Award, Friends of Scadbury, and to institutions such as British Legion, CPRE, LBBRF, Chislehurst Business Group, London Green Belt Council and London Forum.

Note 3: Investments are holdings of CCLA Investment funds

Note 4: The Old Chapel is valued at cost. The trustees see no requirement for any more formal valuation in the short term, but will review every five years starting in 2021.

Note 5: Chislehurst and St Pauls Cray Commons are valued at cost. The trustees see no requirement for any more formal valuation in the short term, but will review every five years starting in 2022.

Note 6: Heritage Art covers a number of paintings relating to the Townshend family relevant to the history of Chislehurst. They are valued at cost.

Note 7: The freehold of the access drive off Lubbock Road, Chislehurst is being retained indefinitely for environmental reasons to enable enforcement of a single dwelling restrictive covenant on land previously owned by the Society. The Trustees place no financial value on it.

Note 8: The Grants Fund represents money earmarked for future grants for local charitable purposes.

Note 9: The creditors figure includes £41K being grants approved but not yet paid.

Notice of 2020 Annual General Meeting

Change of date

Ordinarily we would hold the Chislehurst Society Annual General Meeting in late April 2021. The well-being of our members is vitally important to us and we ask everyone to adhere to the current Government instructions to stay at home and to note that we plan to hold the AGM on Tuesday 21st September in an open forum at the Methodist Church. We will of course review arrangements nearer the time to see if that will be possible or if some other approach will be needed.

Member engagement

The Trustees understand that the AGM serves as a forum for members to raise questions and provide feedback. If after you have read the Annual Report you would like to raise any questions or observations before the delayed AGM please email [e-mail] including your name and address or drop a letter into the Society’s letter box at the Old Chapel. We will respond to you as soon as possible.

Ongoing review

We continue to keep Government guidance under review and may make further changes. Members should continue to monitor the society’s website.

Agenda

• Minutes of Annual General Meeting held on 29th July 2020

• Presentation of Trustees Annual Report to Members

• Re - election of Independent Examiner

• Election of Officers and Trustees

• Member’s questions received

Note: Only members of the Society are entitled to vote or speak at the Annual General Meeting.

These may be obtained from the Secretary, The Old Chapel, Queens Passage, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 5AP

Tel: [phone]

The officers of the Society, and approximately one-half of the executive committee, are elected annually. Under the Charities Act 2011, persons elected are required to be acceptable as trustees. Nominations to serve as officers or members of the executive committee should be made in accordance with the Constitution of the Society. It is convenient, but not essential, for nominations to be made on the forms available.

email: [e-mail]

Copies of the documents contained in this report, and the Independent Examiner’s Report, are available on our website: www.chislehurst-society.org.uk

The Chislehurst Society CIO is a Registered Charity, No. 1166276

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The Old Chapel, 3 Queens Passage, Chislehurst, BR7 5AP [e-mail] 020 8467 0900 www. chislehurst-society.org.uk

THE CHISLEHURST SOCIErY STATEMEKf OF FINANCIAL ACTlVtnES 2020 2019 Grftkn lax iethrned 7SI IIS74 f1ST4 Zd142 23711 12410 Prorn(a¥)n sslnet) Expenditu 3275 1815T 2414 715 Gr4ntsatwJ sp￿scr%hip (P￿ts2} 41SJ5 24281 1ZD7 Hthtage 3T14 5r 8ITIO 11Ba]3

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020 2Q19 .381 791.T81 C4J Chllpd (P•21è41 FLthres &fithngseic 1.613 1.643 16.949 144381 IP+A8fj1 4x15 VATCtedrf 2.132 (1.493 1 (9121 (1.149 1 {45.0101 I19N￿l 1931564 Repre5•n¢ed ty. Unde5ignated GenEral fExKI 2019 IA31796 1.331531 Fund¥ GtsnlsfU￿j (We 71 5S7.745 783 1.991.895 1.931.564 in2V21. st￿rt terrn, but%1￿1 Tevew eyeryfive 5wrs stsrnr#J m aY21. 5 Chtskhursiand Si PaLls (cOm￿￿)n5 are at WsL Tr•trLth￿ seeno rewwdfc¢ J D Frlel, eh3*rnan

Independent Examinerfs Report to the Trustees of The Chislehurst Society I report on the acu)unts for The Chislthurst So(#ety for ts year ended 31 D￿rnber 2020. Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner the Soci8tys trustees you are responsible for the preparation of a(x)Junts. You (x)nsider Ihat an audit is not requtred under Sec11￿ 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibilty to examine the aco)unts under Sadion 145 of the Charities Ad 2011 follow the procedures Specif￿ in the General DirectK)n given by ts Charity Commissioners under Sedton 145(5)(b) of the Aci Basis of Independent Examinerfs Report My examination was Carr￿ out in accordance with the general diredi￿S given by the Charity Comm￿s1Oners. An examinalion includes a reviv44 of the accountirKJ records kept by the S￿iety and a o)mparison of the acu)unts presented wilh those records. tt also includes consÉderation of any unusual items or disdosures in Ihe ar￿unts, and seeking explanation from you as the Committee o)nceming any suth matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the eviden￿ that w￿Uld be required in an audi( and (x)nsequentty no opinton is given as to N%thether the accounts present a Inje arNJ fairvie and the retM)rt rs limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent Examinerfs Statement In ￿nne￿IOn )Mth my examinatton no matter has ￿)me to my attention." which gives me reasonable cause to believe thaL in any material respect. the requÉrements to keep accounting recxKts in acLxKdaI￿ Section 130 of the 2011 ACL and to wepare accountsYthiit accord the a(￿untIng recx)rds and to cx)mpty viith the accounting requirements of the ￿ have not been met to which. in my opinion. attention shcNJld be drawn in Ixder to enable a proper iindcrstsnding ofthe acu)unts reached. Signed: Date". 15. 3. 01 Derek Dobson FCPA Derek Dobson & Co 10 Sturges Field Chislehur51 Kent BR7 6LG