## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
## **From 1 November 2023 To 31 October 2024**
## **Charity name: Historic Croydon Airport Trust**
## **Charity registration number: 1166732**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To educate the public on the history of
London Croydon Airport and associated
activities, and to secure the preservation
and protection of buildings and artefacts of
historic or public interest relating to London
Croydon Airport.|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|The charity maintains a Visitor Centre
within the original Croydon Airport building,
which is opened to the public at least once
a month and for group visits on application.
Our major sources of income are donations
and retail sales from visitors, as well as
subscriptions and donations from
supporters of the charity.
We also maintain a substantial archive on
the history of London Croydon Airport and
associated activities, with a comprehensive
website available for public education.|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|The trustees have regard to the Charity
Commission’s guidance on public benefit
when deciding on any new projects to be
undertaken. They consider that their
education and archive activities help to
preserve our aeronautical heritage and are
for the public benefit.|
community groups. They are also involved in the charity’s administration, planning and delivering projects, and creating educational content through our social media channels. The Open Days alone have created 22 volunteer positions and generate over 2,500 volunteer hours per annum. In addition, the administration and archives create another 8 volunteer positions and generate over 2,800 volunteer hours per annum.
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|We have continued to educate the public
on the history of London Croydon Airport
and associated activities, through granting
access to the Visitor Centre on Open Days
and group visits. After the Covid lockdown
and restrictions, we moved to a pre-
booking model at Open Days This has
resulted in more certainty over visitor
numbers which, after running two additional
Open Days in the last year, increased from
1,461 in 2022/23 to 1,978 in 2023/24.
The Open Day operation consistently
receives 5-star reviews on Trip Advisor and
we are placed as No.1 of “Things to do” in
Croydon.
In addition to welcoming visitors to Airport
House, we reached out to a further 475
children and their teachers and 237 adults
through conducting visits to local primary
schools, youth groups and adult societies.
After many years of negotiation with our
landlord in Airport House, we signed a
long-term lease on the Visitor Centre in
June 2023. This expires in November 2096
and is at a peppercorn rent. During that
year, we also relocated our archives back
into Airport House, providing more secure
premises and a better working environment
for our volunteers. Our archive collection
continues to increase through donations
from the public.
Our Website, LinkedIn, Facebook and
Twitter accounts all receive a large number
of “visits” every month, and we issue
regular Newsletters to approximately 150
Friends and supporters of our charity.|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|Although we did not receive any grants in
the year, we continued to make additions
and improvements to the storage and care
of our archive documents and memorabilia,
as well as expenditure on improving the
experience of our visitors at Open Days.|
|---|---|---|
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Given the current levels of income and
expenditure, the trustees consider the
financial position to be satisfactory. Year
end funds of £103,001 are considered
adequate to meet future outgoings and
proposed projects.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|Much of our reserves have arisen from past
donations and legacies, and are intended
to be used for capital expenditure,
particularly to refurbish and improve our
Visitor Centre displays. Reserves are also
required to cover routine expenditure,
particularly if income from donations or
subscriptions were to fall in future years as
a result of further Covid outbreaks or other
unforeseen disruptions.|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|At the year end, £103,001, all of which was
unrestricted.|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|After the Covid lockdown and restrictions,
which severely impacted our charity’s
operations in previous years, we
restructured our Open Days to allow for
reduced visitor numbers in smaller groups,
and moved to a pre-booking model. This
has resulted in more certainty over visitor
numbers, enabling us to better match
visitor numbers with volunteer guides.
Our current income generation stream,
together with the strength of our reserves,
enables the trustees to conclude that the
charity continues to be a going concern.|
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|Our major sources of income are donations
and retail sales from visitors during Open
Days, as well as subscriptions and
donations from supporters of the charity.
Where possible, we reclaim tax on this
income via Gift Aid.
For particular projects, we apply for grants
from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts
Council England, the Association of|
Independent Museums and other similar bodies.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document|
Para 1.25|The charity is governed by its constitution
which establishes the objects,
administration and powers of the CIO and
its trustees. The first constitution was dated
25 April 2016 and it has subsequently been
amended on 20 June 2017 and on
10 February 2022.
The activities of the charity are managed by
the board of trustees, who meet regularly to
consider and adopt suitable policies,
consider opportunities and manage risks
and uncertainties.|
|How is the charity
constituted?|Para 1.25|CIO Foundation|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|The founder trustees were also trustees of
Croydon Airport Society. Since then, new
trustees have been selected by interview
and elected by Board resolution.
Trustees are appointed for a three-year
period and are then eligible for
reappointment. Their time is given to the
charity on a purely voluntary basis.|
||||
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|The trustees have received a full briefing
on the activities of the trust and on the
issues involved with running public Open
Days and maintaining the Archives. The
majority of the trustees have experience
with other charities and are familiar with
governance issues. All trustees adhere to
the principles promulgated in the Charity
Commission’s publication “The Essential
Trustee”.
The trustee board seeks to maintain skills,
plan succession, increase knowledge and
expertise, and is always looking for
potential new candidates as board trustees.|
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51|The charity was formed on 25 April 2016 in
order to take on the activities of the existing
charity Croydon Airport Society (charity
number 287303) (“CAS”). By a Transfer of
Assets Agreement dated 10 October 2016,
CAS’s assets were to be transferred to this
charity as soon as practical. Because of
delays in opening bank accounts for the
charity and in obtaining HMRC recognition,
transactions were recorded in the books of
CAS until July 2017. The majority of CAS’s
bank balances were transferred to this
charity during the 2017/18 year, with any
remaining balances being treated as this
charity’s funds and reported in its accounts.
The CAS bank account was finally closed
in February 2021 after the remaining
balance had been transferred to this
charity, and CAS itself was wound up and
removed from the register of charities in
February 2023.|
|---|---|---|
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Historic Croydon Airport Trust|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses||
|Registered charity number|1166732|
|Charity’s principal address|Airport House
Purley Way
Croydon
Surrey CR0 0XZ|
**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Mr Michael Thorn|Chair from 1.6.24|||
||Mr John Whitley|Treasurer|||
||Mr Graeme Roy|Chair until resignation
on 31.5.24|Resigned 31.5.24||
||Mr JeffreyAndrews||||
||Mr JeremyOvenden||||
||Mr Edmund Rudder||||
||Ms Elena Verigo||Appointed 11.6.25||
||Mr Duvall James||Appointed 8.7.25||
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
|**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**|||
|---|---|---|
||Michael Alastair Thorn|John Duncan Whitley|
||
Chair|Treasurer|
||13 August 2025||
||13 August 2025||
## **HISTORIC CROYDON AIRPORT TRUST**
## **Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 October 2024**
|**Income**
Subscriptions
Donations
Visitor Centre Donations
Visitor Centre Sales
Visitor Centre Group Visits
External Talks given
Archive Sales and Donations
Gift Aid reclaimed
Bank interest on deposit account
Sundry income
**Income from ordinary activities**
**Grants**
**Total income**
**Expenditure**
Visitor Centre and Archives
Office supplies
Office equipment and maintenance
Website development and maintenance
Postage
Publication printing
Advertising and Publicity
Retail Purchases (for resale)
Property costs
Insurance
Legal fees
Subscriptions paid
Staff costs
Trustee and volunteer expenses
Bank charges, SumUp and PayPal costs
Sundries
**Expenditure on ordinary activities**
**Grant-funded projects**
**Total expenditure**
**Excess of Income over Expenditure/**
**(Expenditure over Income)**
Ordinary activities
Grant-funded projects
**Total**|**Total for**
**year**
**£**
**3,690**
**1,139**
**11,871**
**2,544**
**834**
**470**
**3,510**
**3,825**
**3,176**
**148**
**31,207**
**-**
**31,207**
**(3,221)**
**(99)**
**(3,301)**
**(923)**
**(221)**
**(445)**
**(430)**
**(966)**
**(14,860)**
**(1,367)**
**(1,549)**
**(111)**
**(2,768)**
**(302)**
**(291)**
**(229)**
**(31,083)**
**-**
**(31,083)**
**124**
**-**
**124**|_Previous_
_year_|
|---|---|---|
|||_£_
_2,890_
_9,675_
_7,287_
_2,116_
_895_
_390_
_5,160_
_2,514_
_1,938_
_-_|
|||_32,865_
_-_|
|||_32,865_|
|||_(13,017)_
_(129)_
_(129)_
_(1,266)_
_(544)_
_(1,273)_
_(525)_
_(1,673)_
_(10,433)_
_(1,200)_
_(7,002)_
_(108)_
_-_
_(783)_
_(204)_
_(49)_|
|||_(38,335)_
_-_|
|||_(38,335)_|
|||_(5,470)_
_-_|
|||_(5,470)_|
Signed on behalf of all the trustees
Mike Thorn John Whitley
13 August 2025
## **HISTORIC CROYDON AIRPORT TRUST**
## **Notes to the Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 October 2024**
## **1 Basis of preparation**
**(a)** Historic Croydon Airport Trust ("HCAT") was formed as a CIO on 25 April 2016, in order to take on the activities of the unincorporated Croydon Airport Society (charity number 287303) ("CAS"). This was achieved by a Transfer of Assets Agreement dated 10 October 2016.
**(b)** The Receipts and Payments Account has been prepared from the cashbook records of HCAT, save for the inclusion of certain year end debtors and creditors already advised and subscriptions received in advance.
## **2 Bank account balances**
|Movements in the year comprised :
**Total at 1 November**
For general use
Business rates rebate receivable
Creditors
Excess of Income over Expenditure/(Expenditure over Income) for the year
**Total at 31 October**
For general use
Retail cash float
Royalties receivable
Business rates rebate receivable
Creditors (see note 1(b))|**2023/2024**
**£**
**102,833**
**44**
**-**
**102,877**
**124**
**103,383**
**22**
**41**
**-**
**(445)**
**103,001**|_2022/2023_
_£_|
|---|---|---|
||||
|||_111,422_
_145_
_(3,220)_|
|||_108,347_
_(5,470)_|
|||_102,833_
_-_
_-_
_44_
_-_|
||||
|||_102,877_|
## **3 Other assets**
In addition to the funds detailed in note 2, the charity owns assets not recognised in the balances above. The major items comprise:
(a) museum contents, artwork, memorabilia and other archived material
(b) furniture and fittings in the Visitor Centre (museum and control tower) and archives in Airport House, including computer equipment, display stands and cabinets, storage racking and office furniture
(c) retail stock and office consumables
(d) a lease, at peppercorn rent, of the Visitor Centre in Airport House which expires in November 2096.
All tangible assets are fully insured for loss and other risks under insurance contracts.
## **4 Reserves policy**
HCAT held £103,383 in its bank accounts at the year end, much of which has arisen from past legacies and is intended to be used for capital expenditure, particularly to refurbish and improve our Visitor Centre displays and to extend and improve our archive collection and its storage. This is also considered adequate to cover routine expenditure, particularly our property costs, where this is not covered by income from donations or subscriptions as has happened in the last few years.
## **5 Guarantees and debts**
There were no outstanding guarantees to third parties nor any debts secured on the charity's assets at any time during the current or prior years.
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Historic Croydon Airport Trust
istered Charity No. 1166732)
I report to the trustees on my examinatson of the accounts of Histonc Croydon A¥rport I rust
(the "Charity") for the year ended 31 October 2024, which are set out on the attached sheet.
nsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in
accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,).
I reu]rt iirTr eS
jinat'i(
of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examinatson I have followed all the applicable
Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
' Uirr
In
ndent examinerfs statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my
attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material
accounh,
records were not ke
130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records.
respect of
as requured
have CChTE across no ol
r mallers in cx)nnedK)n wyth the
examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper
understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Do
as R Logan BSC, FCA
1 Hillside
Crawl y Down
RH104XD
13 August 2025