CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Trustees, Annual Report for the period From l April 2024 period start date to 31 March 2025 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 Herlta8e Development Foundation, 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 Office l NROI a nd its pa rtner orga nisations, in particula r but not excluslvely bv funding the following. l. The acquisition, preservation and processing of records and printed materials worthy of permanent retention so they can be made accessible to the public by the NRO and its pa rtner orga nisations. Projects and activities which engage different audiences with records and printed materials worthy of permanent retention. The Cha rity a ims to f und the followl ng activitles in support of its cha rita ble objectives for the public benefit. l. The main aim of purchasing Norfolk's archives is to ensure they are made freely accessible, or surrogate coples for fraglle Items, to members of the public on permanent basis by organisations such as archives, libraries, museums, and herltage centres, There must be clear and demonstrable evldence 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, a nd preservation digitisation. 3. The aim of processing Norfolk's archives is to make it easier for members of the publ ic to a ccess a nd i nterpret those archives. Associated a ctivities i ncl ude appraisal, cataloguing, indexing, summarisation, transcription and translation or digitisation for access. Page1of7
- 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 understandlng. 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 Charity Commission for England and Wales trustee eligibility declaration in which they acknowledge understanding of the Charity's purpose and rule5 set out i n its constitution, Achievements and Perfonnance Grants Paid and Awarded by the Charity durlng 2024-5 During the financial year of 2024-5, NorAH has paid grants totalllng £4,086, and agreed to spend a further £5,500. These grants support the work of heritage and community archive organisations in Norfolk to preserve and make accessible Norfolk's archives. In total, NorAH has given out and promised to pay over £66,200 since starting. The Charity anticipates that in the next 12 months it will be able to extend such support, subject to success with its f undraisin8 efforts. Archive Purchases In July 2024, the Charity gave £2,100 to the Norfolk Record Office towards the purchase of several archive documents. They have been added to the permanent collections 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. Details of the documents purchased were given in the Charity's annual report for 2023-4. They include Stow Bridge school records, 1896 to 1904,. court books and rolls for the following manors - Grimstone Rectory, Walsoken, 8romholme and Keswick in Bacton, and Lopham, 1652 to 1925; sketchbook of Hilda North, later Hilda Zigomala of Rougham Hall in Norfolk, 1885-6; business records of William Cox of Alburgh, coachbuilder, wheelwright, and carpenter, 1895-1933. All of the documents purchased have significa nt historica I va l ue, adding to our collective knowledge of the activities of Norfol k residents and orga nisations. The Charity welcomes opportunities in the future to help secure important archives for free, public access which add to our collective understanding of Norfolk's past. David Stannard Memorial Project Page2of7
In July 2024, the Charity paid £1,786 to the Norfolk Record Office for work to conserve two fragile documents which matched the research interests of the late David Stannard, namelv Norfol k's c03Stline, its erosi on, a nd specifically the lost vi Ilage of Eccles-on-sea. After conservation work had been completed, both documents were exhibited at The Archive Centre in Norwich. The first document was a rental, dated 1486, for the Manor of Eccles on Sea INRO ref. EVL 673). It mentions six tenants whose holding5 were 'debased' by the sea and therefore were given reductions in the amount of rent owed. The second document was a lease for the Manor of Eccles on Sea, dated 1685 INRO ref. HNR 723113}. One of the terms of the lease was the'right of wreck,. This right differs from one manor to the next. However, we know from the conserved lease and other documents which accompanied it what the arrangement,was for Eccles-on-sea. 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 accessible to researchers in the NRO'S public searchroom, where they can be used to add to our collective knowledge about Norfolk's past. Change Minds in King's Lynn and Norwich In July 2024, the Charity gave £200 to the Norfolk Record Office INROI towards a Change Minds mental wellbeing project using archives targeted at young people in King's Lynn. In September 2024, the Charity agreed to give the Norfolk Record Offlce a further £500 to help support a similar project wlth young people aged 16 to 23 years old who are being supported by Clty College Norwich Mental Health Services. Participants use Norfolk's historical archives to research and develop creative responses to the lives of asylum patients in the past, developing a deeper understanding of their own experience along the way. The Charity is very keen for archives to be used to improve wellbeing and hopes to support similar projects in the future. Hall Marks: The Long Shadow5 of Norfolk's Lost Country Houses In June 2024, the Charity offered to give the Norfolk Record Office £5,000 on condition of successful funding application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for its project entitled Hall Marks.. The Long Shadows of Norfolk's Lost Country Houses. The Heritage Fund agreed to support the project in March 2025. Under the theme of Norfol k's lost country houses and estates, Hall Marks over the next two years will promote the use of archives to research local history; improve access to important sources for local history research. create and operate two significant volunteer projects aimed at indexing land ownership records and publishing information about Norfolk's lost country houses; deliver an exhibition about Page3of7
Norfolk's lost country houses,. and deliver several multi-session wellbeing workshops on understandi ng our l ocal history. The Charity is keen to support multi-faceted projects which encourage new audiences to engage with Norfolk's archives and to make it easier for everyone to access and interpret Norfolk's archives. Norfolk Archives Supporter Scheme The Charity continues to operate the Norfolk Archives Supporter scheme. It offers three types of membership.. individual, organisation, and gift. In return for supporting the work of the Charity, members receive various benefits, including day photography permits for use in the Norfolk Record Office's public searchroom. Events for Scheme members have included a visit in July 2024 to the British Archive for Contemporary Wrlting at the University of East Anglia and free attendance at a symposium on John Thelwall and Radical Norfolk in October 2024. Talks Programme The Charity continues to offer talks to organisations within Norfolk. The amount of monev 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. Financial Review As of 31 March 2025, the Charity has total funds of £26,187. Of that, £13,504 is unrestricted. It Is a decrease of £1,291 on the amount of unrestricted funds reported at the end of 2023- 2024, The Charity has no reserves policy. However, it continues to aim for a minimum reserve of £15,000, whllst carrying out activities and supportln8 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 possble reductions in support from the Norfolk Record Office. The charity's current sources of funding are as follows. Individual giving via two donation boxes at the NRO and via its website. 2. The charity claims Gift Aid on eligible donations. Grants from trusts and charities. Donations given in return for talk5 provided as part of its lecture programme. 5. The Norfolk Archive Supporter scheme. Page4of7
Structure, Governance and Management The Charity is a Foundation Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), 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 (NRC) is an ex officio member of the charity's board of trustees. The Charity's constitution allows the NRC to nominate one other trustee. When filling vacancies, the Charitvs board of 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 trustees sign el igibi l ity a nd a utomatic disqua l ification decla rati ons, 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 Office Ilf any) Date acted If not for Name of person lor whole year body entltled to appoint trustee If anv) Mrs Natalie Butler Chair N/A N/A Mr Brian Horner Treasurer N/A N/A Dr John Alban N/A N/A Michael Chenery of yorsbrugh N/A Norfolk Records Committee Page5of7
Ms Helen Green N/A N/A Dr Christopher Kemp N/A NIA Ms India Sowe N/A N/A Mr Alan Steynor N/A N/A Mr Julian White N/A NIA 10 Mr Peter Williams N/A NIA 11 Vacant N/A N/A N/A 12 Vacant N/A NIA N/A The Charity does not have any corporate trustees and none of Its trustees hold title to property belongin8 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 exemptions from disclosure. Declarations The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Slgned on behalf of the charltls trustees. Signee I Slgnee 2 Signature Full name Position Date 1112J...... .. Jonathan Draper, September 2025 Page6of7
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(HARIIY (OMMISS FOR ENGLAND AND WAlfS a Merli•9• D•¥glopm•rt Faw)d•ts' 1167279 Recelpts and payments accounts CC16a Fw lh¢ p•rlod Q1 Xi24 31 2025 Section A Receipts and pa ments R••trb¢t•¢ tunth U+w•8trKted lund• D••bgrb•tsd tund¥ D•swi•d lunds lunds •knwi#h C•A•b•tsry G•¥rt Tolal lunth L• y••r Iwd• i• n¢arnt £ th• n•ap••i t A1 R•co 3.J66 2.bl¥ 0.1•5 pn 2,•1• 22YI 5.361 SI iotsj IGrtsss lor Alll A2 PSMI •nd lft¥••im• Sub io Total MWPts 0.1•5 &J61 nl• 57 35 124 639 )s IJ) Js 1706 pJnd éwiptsvngnl Aelvnd¥ i¢* Ut rooms c&lèii 6J6 Sub total 2.4T5 l.T81 4 •1 and inv••tff•nt Ich•Ms Sub total 2,475 1.796 4.262 1.611 Id•t ofrnc•4Wp•ym•ntsJ A5 TTansf•r• b•lwn fwd• Ca8h funds la8t Y4•r •nd Cash funds this y•ar end J.710 3,14• 501 1 7fl6 20,4•5 24,2 13. 5.158 2.024 2&107
SectK>n B Staiomont ol assets and Iiabilrts al Ihe end ol Ihe perd Unr•svi•d ()••igf¥l•a D•ts9n•l•d C#T k•LII •1 C••h AMM lJ> I )&141 5wI 4L I11ban Draper. June 2025 Sl¢n•ture Full N4fne Posltlon Dat• ol approv•1 S*Tree I SlYe 2 P&fEL li iy/!s.__