## **Annual Report of Meole Brace Peace Memorial Hall Charity Reg no. 1170090 January 1[st] to December 31[st] 2023** 1 **Address:** Meole Brace Peace Memorial Hall, Upper Rd, Shrewsbury SY3 9JP **Trustees:** Peter Dunhill (Chair), Jane Williams (Treasurer), Andrew Hulme (Website/Facebook), Anne Davies, Helen Smart, Heather Macleod (from March), Lucy Walton (March to December) **Management Meeting Attenders:** Ruth Jones (Nobold WI Rep up to July), Clive Goodwin (Meole Brace Garden and Allotment Association Rep) **Contact for bookings:** Peter Dunhill 01743 246574, email meolepeacehall@gmail.com **Banking:** Nat West, Telford Town Centre, Telford **Insurance cover:** Village Guard (Allied Westminster) – Property Damage, Employers Liability, Public Liability, Legal Expenses, Trustee Indemnity **Local authority areas:** Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council - - - - - - **Facebook page:** https://en gb.facebook.com/pg/Meole Brace Peace Memorial Hall 538869346237711/about/ **Website:** https://sites.google.com/site/meolebracememorialhall/home ## **Our facilities** The main hall (12.5 x 6m + Stage: 4.8 x 6m) is equipped for a variety of uses including meetings, slide/powerpoint shows, dance, drama, parties, lunches and indoor recreation - Stage with lighting and curtains. - Side dressing/green room - Plenty of stackable tables and chairs. - Maximum Capacity: 100 people standing, 90 seated - Wide door and wheel chair access - Heating An entrance lobby A meeting room (4 x 5.7m) that is suitable for committee meetings or refreshments - a partition wall can be opened onto the side of the main hall, A fitted kitchen with - Hot water boiler and kettles for drinks - Fridge - Electric Cooker - • Microwave Toilets (male, female, accessible for people with disabilities) and cloakroom area Plenty of storage space Off road parking for 7 vehicles + on road parking – we are located in a built up area 2 ## **Chairman’s Foreword** November 26[th] 2023 saw a first for me. I found myself fully dressed for my role as Father Christmas asking children to identify pictures of Santas’s reindeer by name and giving out small gifts with an appropriate ho ho! Persuading me to do this was just one of the achievements of the Frost Fayre steering group (Jane Williams, Helen Smart and Heather Macleod) who raised a magnificent £663 towards the refurbishment of the Hall. The same group had also organised a successful Ceilidh earlier on in the year. The major project to reinvigorate the Hall took a number of significant steps forward in 2023. Architect Steve Hayward translated his initial design into a detailed pack which secured Building Regulation approval and then Planning Permission. This pack also enabled Quantity Surveyor Paul Majski to offer, free of charge and we thank him for that, an estimate of £465,000 for the overall works. Despite all the refurbishment plans in place we need to keep the Hall usable but want to avoid spending any more than is necessary in doing so. However during the course of the year there have been some unavoidable repairs and replacements. These have included replacing two toilets and repairing two of our gas heaters. **Defibrillator training** **Father Christmas at the Frost Fayre** We are indebted to Dave Crockford, a local plumber and gas engineer who did the work on the toilets at a very competitive and generous rate. We carried out a ‘deep clean’ in February with the aid of seven volunteers. It was hard work and for the most part satisfying though flaking plasterwork was a tribulation. Sarah Adams our cleaner went the ‘extra mile’ by washing all the curtains. These have now been recoated with fire retardant. We are delighted to have formed a close relationship with the recently formed Meole Village Community Association. We were able to respond positively to a request to host a defibrillator though it is uncertain whether the Hall will be the chosen venue. We will be giving time and space for training local people in its use. So it has been a busy and fruitful year and I must thank all those who have helped keep the much loved Peace Memorial Hall open and fit for purpose. **Peter Dunhill** 3 ## **History** Meole Brace Peace Memorial Hall was the product of many years’ work by a committee formed to try to create a Peace Memorial in memory of the sacrifices made by local people during the First World War. Early Committee minutes from 1920 record the failure to raise sufficient funds a very ambitious proposal –spare cash for donations was short at the time The plan was then changed to building a hall on a piece of land opposite The Sycamores (now known as Millford Lodge) to be donated by the Bather family - Lords of the Manor for many years who had provided the vicars of Meole Brace almost continuously between 1778 and 1931. On the back of this donation it was not long before £180 had been raised. The committee agreed to purchase a hall built of concrete from a Mr Edwards at a cost of £650. It would contain a room 60ft x 20ft wide, a 20ft x 20ft square club room adjoining, a kitchen equipped with a boiler, and ladies’ and gentlemen’s cloakrooms with lavatory accommodation. **Bell ringers in Meole Brace c 1920** The building was soon erected and an opening concert arranged for Thursday October 20[th] 1921 followed by a whist drive and dance on Friday 21[st] October. Invitations were sent out to all householders and ex-servicemen who had lived in the area. There was a dispute with Mr Edwards about a significant disparity between the original estimate and the final cost. Eventually the matter was resolved amicably through negotiation. The list of committee members over the years includes the surnames of many well known Meole Brace families: Aris, Ashton, Bather, Burd, Chambers, Cox, Edwards, Evans, Griffiths, Harris, Jones, Massie, Purslow and Tanner This is an A-Z of just some of the groups and functions that the Hall has hosted over the years: Alexandra Players - Art Classes - Arts Alive - Auction Sales - Boy Scouts - Bridge Club - Child Welfare Clinic - Choirs - Coronation parties for children - Dancing Classes - Gardening Club - General and Local Elections - Girl Guides - Jazz Band - Martial Arts - Men’s Institute - Play Groups - Rummage Sales - Salinka Stars - The Women’s Institute - Whist Drives In 2002 many of the Hall Trustees had lost heart and it seemed as though the Hall might close. Even though there were plenty of bookings this was not matched by any enthusiasm to contribute to the running of the Hall. However a public meeting resulted in the election of a new committee and a great number of improvements were made especially to the entrance and cloakroom areas which had a new concrete floor and also to the heating system. 4 ## **Hall usage** ## **Regular Users during 2023** – _Meole Brace Garden & Allotment Club_ Club talks and Committee meetings _Nobold Womens Institute_ –11 evening meetings a year _Salinka Stars_ (young and teenage dance troupe) –4.00-9.00 pm every Thursday _Puddles Playgroup_ –one morning (Friday) every week _Art Group_ –Monday mornings _Keep Fit_ – Friday afternoons _Puppy Clases_ –Saturdays/Sundays _Yoga_ – Wednesday mornings/Friday evenings _Pilates_ – Thursday mornings _Dance classes_ – Tuesdays and Thursdays _Tai Chi_ – Tuesday evenings _Ballroom dancing practice_ – Thursday evenings _Drumming Workshop_ – Sunday afternoons **Meole Brace Garden and Allotment Club Annual Show was reinstated in 2023** **Carol singers at the Frost Fayre** ## **Occasional Users** The hall is used as a _polling station_ for local and general elections _Severn Hospice_ events _Childrens Parties Frost Fayre (Hall fundraiser) Ceilidh (Hall fundraiser) Play rehearsals and performances -_ Big Dickie Whittington, Jack and the Beanstalk _Tap dancing classes Creative dance sessions_ ## **Booking rates in 2023** Groups: _£9_ per hour, _£27_ for half day /evening session Parties, events depending on time: _£35 - £60_ **Ceilidh dancing in the Hall** 5 ## **Maintenance + Cleaning** Over the course of the year repairs and maintenance work have been undertaken on the toilets and drains, the emergency exits, the heating and the kitchen. Peter Williams (husband of our Treasurer Jane Williams) has made a particularly active contribution this year in sorting out the electrical issues following the five yearly electrical inspection, and cleaning out the gutter between the two pitched roofs. Rumour has it that the Chairman occasionally turns his hand to miscellaneous repairs. We have also had some failing plasterwork properly patched up thanks to the Paz – partner of Trustee, Helen Smart **Our Planning Permission notice** ## **Plans for Hall improvements** During the year we focussed our attention on our major refurbishment project. Our architect Steve Hayward’s design has ensured the structural stability of the building, improved energy efficiency and comfort and in general created a modern and welcoming ambience while retaining the traditional feel of a village hall. Sarah Adams took over the cleaning from Lorna who stood down in December 2022. The job time was extended to two hours a week. Dawn and then Gloria took on one of those hours each week but Sarah finished the year in sole charge and has been thorough, cheery and conscientious ## **Inspections** The Hall has complied with the legal requirement to have annual (electrical) Portable Appliance Tests and a commercial Gas Installation Examination. The Gas Examination revealed faults with two of our three gas heaters. These were repaired at some cost and were ready by September when the weather started to get colder. In addition the fire extinguisher inspection by Oakleys took place in July. He completed the ‘technical design’ stage where the general concept of the refurbishment was translated into a scheme that was approved by the Council’s Building Regulations Department. A survey revealed that the Hall had no foundations to speak of and extra reinforcement for the proposed porch was required. Planning Permission was applied for and granted. Paul Majski a local Quantity Surveyor who volunteered his time for free offered an estimate of £465,000 including VAT. This will be a significant fund raising challenge. 6 ## **Summary of Annual Accounts** |**Payments**|2023|2022
£
564
1273
327
813
198
1118
5286
709
123
163
243
**_10816_**
12223
25638
**_37861_**
118
46
**_48840_**| |---|---|---| ||£|£| |Electricity|1240|564| |Gas|2209|1273| |Water|377|327| |Insurance|800|813| |Licences/Subs|109|198| |Maintenance/Repairs|2740|1118| |Renovationcosts|12185|5286| |Cleaning|1216|709| |Fundraising costs|689|123| |Consumables|358|163| |Printing/Banners|173|243| |||| |**_Total expenditure_**|**_22095_**|**_10816_**| |Current account c/f|5716|12223| |Reserve account c/f|21937|25638| |||| |**_Total carried_**
**_forward_**|**_27114_**|**_37861_**| |Cash in hand c/f|457|118| |Stock held|50|46| |**_Overalltotal _**|**_49715_**|**_48840_**| **Receipts** 2023 2022 |**Receipts**|2023|2022| |---|---|---| ||£|£| |Hire of Hall|10104|8632| |Donations|42|10| |Interest|299|53| |Fundraising|1350|1137| |Electricitymeter|12|28| |Grants/other|0|2667| |**_Total income_**|**_11808_**|**_12527_**| |||| |Current account b/f|12223|13505| |Reserve account b/f|25638|22585| |||| |**_Total brought_**
**_forward_**|**_37861_**|**_36090_**| |Cash in hand b/f|2|105| |Stock held|45|118| |**_Overalltotal _**||**_48840_**| ## **This summary is purely indicative. The full inspected accounts are available on request.** **The Ceilidh Band in full swing** 7 Salinka Stars are long ter **m** regular users of the Hall. We wish the **m** luck in all their activities and competitions 8 ## **The Meole Brace Peace Memorial Hall** _(Registered Charity Ref 1170090)_ ## **Financial Statement for the Period 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023** |**_Receipts_**
Hire of hall receipts
Donations received
Interest received
Fundraising proceeds
Electricity Meter
Grants/Other
**Total Receipts**
**_Bank Balances brought fwd_**
Current Account
Reserve Acccounts
**Bank totals brought fwd**
Cash in hand brought fwd
Stock held
**Grand Totals**|**_2023_**
**_2022_**
10,104
8,634
42
10
299
53
1,350
1,138
12
28
-
2,670
**11,808**
**12,533**
12,223
13,505
25,638
22,585
**37,861**
**36,090**
2
19
45
118
**49,715**
**48,760**|**_Payments_**
Electricity
Gas
Water
Insurance
Licences/Subscriptions
Maintenance and Repairs
Renovation Costs
Cleaning
Fundraising costs
Goods & Consumables
Admin Costs/Printing
Expenditure from Grants
**Total Payments**
**_Bank Balances carried fwd_**
Current Account closing
Reserve Acccounts closing
**Bank totals carried fwd**
Cash in hand carried fwd
Stock held
**Grand Totals**|**_2023_**
**_2022_**
1,240
564
2,209
1,273
377
354
800
813
109
198
2,740
1,118
12,185
5,286
1,216
709
689
123
358
163
173
251
**22,095**
**10,852**
5,176
12,223
21,937
25,638
**27,114**
**37,861**
457
2
50
45| |---|---|---|---| ||||**49,715**
**48,760**| _Notes_ 0 Hall hire income increased this year, total £10,104 Fundraising - Ceilidh held 10th June which made small surplus. Frost Fayre proceeds totalled £755 and costs £92.50 Overall profit £663, increase on Renovation costs include payments of £10,500 to Form Form Architects (£4.8k for full design stage), and £1050 to PB Structural Design Due to extensive renovation costs, transferred £4,000 from the Reserve account during October Cleaning costs increased this year as we are doubling up on hours, 1 hr per week given how busy the hall is was deemed not enough, we are very pleased with the standard of the cleaning. Need to remind hall hirers of their commitments to ensuring floors are swept and rubbish is removed etc ready for the next group(s) coming in.