CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Trustees, Annual Report for the period
From l April 2023 period start date to 31 March 2024 period end date
Charity name: Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundation
Charity registration number: 1167279
Objectives and Activities
The object of the Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development Foundatlon, hereafter
referred to as '.the Charity,, as stated in its constitution, is the advancement of education for
the public benefit, in the history of Norfolk by working in conjunction with the Norfolk
Record Offlce INROI and Its partner organisations, In particular but not exclusively by
funding the following.
l. The acquisition, preservation and processing of records and printed materials worthy
of permanent retention 50 they can be made accessible to the public by the NRO and
Its partner organisations.
Projects and activities which engage dlfferent audiences with records and printed
materials worthy of permanent retention.
The Charity aims to fund the following activities in support of its charitable objectives for
the public benefit.
l. The main aim of purchasing Norfolk's archives Is to ensure they are made freelv
accessible, or surrogate coples for fraglle items, to members of the public on a
permanent basis by organisations such as archives, libraries, museums, and heritage
centres. There must be clear and demonstrable evidence of public interest in any
document purchased.
2. The aim of preservation is to allow archives to be accessed by members of the public
now and in the future, whilst minimising the threat of damage, theft or loss. Activities
associated with preservation include provision of secure storage, packaging, invasive
conservation, and preservation digitisation.
.3. The aim of processing Norfolk's archives 15 to make it easier for members of the
public to access and interpret those archives. Associated activities include app_raisal,
cataloguing, indexing, summarisation, transcription and translation or digitisation for
access.
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Activities such as publication on the Internet and hard copy, exhibitions, talks and
workshops support people's engagement with Norfolk's archive, the aims of which
are threefold.
a. To enable people to learn more about Norfolk's past.
b. To develop individual capabilities, competences, skills and understanding.
c. To strengthen communities through an enhanced sense of common identity.
The main beneficiary for all activities of the Charity is the general public. The Charity also
supports endeavours which focus on specific communities and new audiences.
All trustees have signed the Charlty Commission for England and Wales trustee eligibility
declaration in which they acknowledge understanding of the Charity's purpose and rules set
out in its constitution.
Achievements and Performance
Grants Awarded by the Charity during 2023-4
During the last financial year, NorAH has agreed to provide £4,310 in grants to support the
efforts of heritage and community archive organi5ations in Norfolk, though not all of the
payments were made during this reporting period. In total, NorAH has given out over
£59,000 since starting. The Charity anticipates that in the next 12 months it will be able to
extend such support, subject to succe55 Wlth its fundraising efforts.
Archive Purchases
In September 2023, the Charity agreed to give a grant of £2,100 to the Norfolk Record Offlce
INRO) towards the purchase of several archive documents. They have been added to the
permanent collectlons of the NRO, where they can be freely accessed by the public. All the
documents purchased were being sold at auction, meaning they could have easily gone into
private hands and therefore not be publicly accessible.
Documents purchased with the help of this grant are as follows.
Records of Stow Bridge Board School which date from 1896 to 1904. They include
record books of work stsndards 111,111 and IV, V, Vl and Vll; pupil teacher's record book,
record book of work done by the infant class {NRO C/ED 185).
Manor of Grimstone Rectory court book, 1803-1925 INRO MC 3645).
Manor of Walsoken court book, 1802-circa 1817 INRO MC 3645).
Sketchbook of Hilda North, later Hilda Zigomala of Rougham Hall in Norfolk, Jan 1885-
Apr 1886 (NRO MC 3652).
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Manor of Bromholme and Keswick in Bacton court book, 1652-1660 and inserts.
including Seymour family tree and notes covering 1531-1696 (NRO MC 36601
Manor of Lopham court roll, 1655-1661 INRO ACC 2022/166)
Ledger accounts of William COX of Alburgh, coachbuilder, wheelwright, and carpenter (5
volsl, 1895-1933 INRO BR 4081
Plan of fishing premises at South Denes, Great Yarmouth for Messrs Bloomfields,
nineteenth century {NRO ACC 2023/1171
In all instances, the Charity is confident of the.historical value of the documents purchased.
Manorial records are a key resource for family and local historians. School records are an
important resource for family historians and education and Social historians. Business
records are also important and are relatively rare. They allow local and social historians to
research the links between those businesses and their clients. The period covered by the
archive of William Cox also covers an important period in the history of transport, with the
rise in popularity of the motor car and of the bicycle.
Many of these documents were exhlblted at The Archives Centre in Norwlch durlng the
winter of 2023-4. The Charlty welcomes opportunities in the future to help secure important
archives for free, public access which add to our collective understandlAg of Norfolk's past.
Community Archlve Falr
The Charity held a fair at the Forum in the middle of Norwich city centre to promote the
Norfolk Archive Supporter scheme and the work of Norfolk-based community archives. In
support of this, the Charity gave small grants of up to £50 to cover expenses to exhibit gt the
fair to the following organisations: Brundall Local History Group, Dragon Hall Heritage
Group, Girlguiding Norfolk, Loddon and District Local History Group, the Norfolk Polish
Heritage Group, the Norfolk Record Society, the Norfolk Wherry Trust, the Norwich Jewish
Herita8e Group, and the Wise Archive.
David Stsnnard Memorial Project
In May 2023, the Charity agreed that £1,786 donated to it in the 2022-3 should be used for
the Norfolk Record Office (NRO) to conserve documents deemed to be fragile which
matched David's research interests, namely Norfolk's coastline, its erosion, and specifically
the lost village of Eccles-on-sea.
The first document to be conserved and subsequently exhibited, was a rental, dated 1486,
for the Manor of Eccles on Sea (NRO ref. EVL 673). A manorial rental contains a list of
tenants, names, type of tenure, and the amount paid by each tenant. The conserved rental
mentions six tenants whose holdings were 'debased' by the sea and therefore were given
reductions in the amount of rent owed.
The second document which was conserved and subsequently exhibited was a lease for the
Manor of Eccles on Sea, dated 1685 (NRO ref. HNR 723/lal. One of the term5 of the lease
was the 'right of wreck,. This right differs from one manor to the next. However, we know
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from the conserved lease and other documents which accompanied it what the
arrangement was for Eccles-on-sea.
The conservation work was completed in 2023-4 and both documents featured in an
exhibition at The Archive Centre in Norwich for several months. The Charity held a launch
event in December 2023 to which members of David's family were invited together with
members of the Norfolk Archive Supporter Scheme.
The Charity welcomes opportunities to fund the conservation of fragile archives and hopes
to support similar projects in the future. Without intervention, and depending upon their
physical condition, fragile documents are either unavailable for research, or at best, require
supervision from an archive conservator for which an appointment needs to be made. As
with the two documents described above, conservation work allows documents to be freely
accesslble to researchers In the NRO'S public searchroom, where they can be used to add to
our collective knowledge about Norfolk's past.
Previous Grants
Needham HFstory Book Community Research Project
In October 2022, the Charity agreed to give Harle5ton and District Historical Society £1,000
towards a project to translate and transcribe some key archive documents relating to the
history of Needham and to suppol members of the community to visit the Norfolk Record
Office. This project was completed during 2023-4, culminating with the publication of
Stephen Jeffery-Poulterfs Needhom.. History of a Norfolk Village. In March 2024, th'e Charitv
hosted a launch event for the book which was held at The Archive Centre in Norwich.
Stephen gave an entertaining and informative talk which focussed on the stories told by
those key documents which were translated and transcribed because of the Charity's grant.
One of these documents Is an early-fifteenth-.century papal bull Issued during the Western
Schism by Pope John XXIII to the then Bishop of Norwich, Alexander Tottington. Transcribed
in the Diocese of Norwich institution register {NRO ref. DN/REG 4 book 7), this document is
a papal instruction for the Bishop of Norwich to ensure Mendham Priory fulfilled its
obligations to provide a priest in Needham to administer sacrament. It is rare for a small
hamlet to be the subject of such a powerful commandment and tells us a lot about the
history of the church and Needham.
Without the support of the Charity, such important stories will remain hidden within
archives to only those researchers who can read medieval, papal Latin.
Change Minds in King's Lynn
Jn March 2023, the Charity agreed to give £2CM) to the Norfolk Record Office {NRO) towards
a Change Minds mental wellbeing project using archives targeted at young people in King's
Lynn.
The project was delivered in the spring of 2023 as part of Scaling Up Change Minds project.
A total of nine young people took part in 12 session5. Participants were recruited through
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partners who recommended attendance to their clients as a means of improving their
mental wellbeing. Six came from College of West Anglia, one from a local mental health
trust, and two from youth groups. Participants carried out research, visited the NRO in
Norwich, and then produced creative responses to their learning. The latter was included in
a display case in the Stories of Lynn exhibition and featured as part of Heritage Open Days.
Evaluation of the project was positive with good feedback from both participant5 and their
parents.
The Charity is very keen for archives to be used to improve wellbeing and hopes to support
similar projects in the future.
History Begins at Home
In 2020-1, the Charity gave £600 to the Norfolk led, History Begins at Home project. Thi5
project continued to post new resources on to its website during 2023-4 on a wide variety
of subjects, including winter, in service, design, health and fitness, jubilee, clubs and
societies, money, and friends.
The Skills for Norfolk's Community Heritsge Project
In 2019-20, the Charity supported community archives in Norfolk. One of the project's
outputs was the creation of an online forum for archives in Norfolk. The forum continues to
be used through 2023-4. It enables community archives to publicise event5, share successes
and ask questions in a friendly, helpful environment. The forum can be accessed at
htt
rou
00
le.com
norah-df.or
norfolk-archives-network.
Norfolk Archives Supporter Scheme
In April 2023, the Charity revised the types of membership on offer, what was given to
members, and sought to offer at least one event per quarter. As a result, membership has
increased by over 300%. In addition to individual membership, there is a separate
membership for organisations as well as a gift membership. The Charity has also facilitated
online subscription and payment.
Events for Scheme members have included a visit in April 2023 to the King's Lynn Borough
Archives to view archives purchased by the Charity; a visit to the John Innes Centre in July
2023 to view its historical collections; free entry to a conference held in September 2023 on
the history of Norfolk and the Low Countries; launch of an exhibition on the documents
conserved in memory of David Stannard and a viewing of documents recently purchased as
result of a grant made by the Charity. and the launch of Stephen Jeffery-Poulter's
Needhom." History of a Norfolk Village in March 2024. The Charitys running and promotion
of the supporter scheme continues to be assisted by a grant received from the Norwich
Freemen's Charity.
The Charity plans to hold more events in the future. These will include vislt5 to Norfolk-
based archives events promoting the use of Norfolk's archives in current historical research.
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Talks Programme
The Charity continues to offer talks to organisations within Norfolk. The amount of money
this raises has not recovered to pre-covid levels. One of the reasons for this is a reduction in
the number of talks being offered. David Stannard, a former trustee of the Charity, who died
in 2022, was a popular and entertaining speaker on many 3spects of Norfolk's history.
Financial Review
As of 31 March 2024, the Charity has total funds of £24,244. Of that, £14,795 is unrestricted.
It is an increase of £3,332 on the amount of unrestricted funds reported at the end of 2022-
2023.
The Charity has no formal reserves policy. However, it continues to aim for a minimum
rèserve of £15,000, whilst carrying out activities and supporting projects which allow it to
meet its charitable objectives. Having a reserve of this amount will allow the Charity to
respond to unanticipated events, such as document sales and to reductlon5 in support from
the Norfolk Record Office.
The charity's current sources of funding are as follow5.
Individual giving via two donation boxes at the NRO and via its website.
2. The charity claim5 G ift Aid on eligible donations.
3. Grants from trusts and charities.
Donations given in return for talks provided as part of its lecture programme..
The Norfolk Archive Supporter scheme.
Changes to the Norfolk Archive Supporter Scheme have seen unrestricted income from that
source increase from £65 to £2,292, an increase of just over 400%.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Charity is a Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisation ICIOI and Its governing
document is a constitution. The Charity does not hold any Trusts.
The constitution of the Charity allows for a maximum of 12 trustees. The chairman of the
Norfolk Records Committee INRC) is an ex officio member of the charity's board of trustees.
The Charity's constitution allows the NRC to nominate one trustee.
When filling vacancies, the Charity's board o! trustees invite applications which are assessed
against an agreed role description and person specification, and the needs of the charity at
that moment. At the point of appointment, the charity undertakes checks and ensures all
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trustees sign eligibility and automatic disqualification declarations. The Charity agreed to a
trustee recruitment policy in September 2023,
The Board has met regularly throughout the year and reviewed how effectively it has
managed to support the local archive community.
Reference and Administrative Details
Charity name".
Norfolk Archives and Heritage Development
Foundation
Other name the charity uses..
NorAH
Registered charity number:
1167279
Charity's principal address:
NRI 2DQ
The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk,
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
Trustee name
Offlce
(if any)
Date acted If not for Name of person (or
whole year
body entltled to
appoint trustee if
any)
Mrs Natalie Butler
Chair
N/A
N/.A
Mr Brian Horner
Treasurer
N/A
N/A
DrJohn Alban
N/A
N/A
Michael Chenery of
Horsbrugh
N/A
Norfolk Record5
Committee
Mr Geoff Doggett
Became a trustee on N/A
22 September 2023,
resigned 6
November 2023.
Ms Helen Green
Became a trustee on N/A
22 September 2023
Dr Christopher Kemp
N/A
N/A
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Ms India Sowe
Became a trustee on N/A
22 September 2023
Mr Alan Steynor
N/A
N/A
10 Mr Julian White
N/A
N/A
11 Mr Peter Williams
N/A
N/A
12 Vacant
N/A
N/A
N/A
The Charity does not have any corporate trustees and none of its trustees hold title to
property belonging to the charity.
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
The Charity does not hold any funds as custodian trustees on behalf of others.
Exemptions from disclosure
There are no exemption5 from disclosure.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above.
Signed on behalf of the charlty's trustees.
Slgnee I
Signee 2
Signature
Full name
MALI e @ofLÉ2
8121
Position
Date
2.5.....59..& 1
Jonathan Draper, September 2024
•r
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