Chair’s Report: Lynda Jones
We last met for our AGM in 2019. In 2020, the shutdown was so severe that we had no AGM, and in 2021 our AGM was conducted on Zoom, and charted our progress through lockdown and our gradual opening of services. At that time, we were planning the first SRC for a couple of years, and following that, we were looking forward to our planned extension beginning in September. You will hear reports from other members of the management team which detail of what was going on. Hopefully, it will answer the question – how fully the library has recovered from the pandemic which closed our doors in 2-19.
In the event, it was amazing that the extension was completed in time for Christmas, and groups started occupying it almost immediately. And then, at our official opening of the community room on 9th April we were also able to celebrate the signing of the lease and agreement to manage and run the library for a further ten years.
As trustees, we were both delighted with this vote of confidence from SCC, but also a little daunted with the responsibility of this. What has become clear to us is that the building and fabric of the library and coffee shop have been considerably enhanced in five years – through a combination of grants, coffee shop profits and Frank’s considerable project management skills. In fact, the orange sofa seems to be one of the only fittings that remains!
So, what next for Shenstone Community Library?
As a management team, we have spent time over the last three months considering what the library needs to ensure that we continue to grow and prosper. To this end we have developed a strategic plan which has three key areas of focus – identifying the needs of our community and enriching what we offer, becoming more sustainable by reviewing our processes, and developing the capacity of our volunteer base.
To understand better the needs of our community, we will be launching a survey in the autumn which will ask both those who use our services – and those who don’t currently use them, how we might develop further., and we are hoping that our volunteers will help with the distribution of this survey. And we also intend to launch a skills’ audit to understand how we can continue to develop the already formidable skill base. And finally, in terms of sustainability, we want to consider all our processes so that we can continue to ensure that we can deliver.
A frequent consideration at our meetings has been recruitment to all volunteer roles, but this has become acute as the roles that some management team members – notably Jeff and Frank, have become more time consuming. We are particularly keen to hear from members of the community who might welcome becoming more involved in what Jeff and Frank do – please do be on the lookout for people who might fit the bill!
Shenstone Community Library Accounts
Charity Number 1170598
| balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
balanced to bank statement 31st March |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year ending 31 st March 2022 | |||||||||||||
| CharityNumber 1170598 | |||||||||||||
| Current Account |
Contigency | Library Float |
Coffee Shop Float |
TOTAL | |||||||||
Account* |
|||||||||||||
| Balance b/f | 01/04/2021 | 5936.88 | 40293.26 | 95.76 | 36.81 | ||||||||
| Interest | 3.77 | ||||||||||||
| Receipts | 46964.96 | 1000.00 | |||||||||||
| Payments | 73973.51 | ||||||||||||
| Transfer to contingencyAccount | 9800.00 | 9800.00 | |||||||||||
| Transfers to Current Account | 40106.40 | -40106.40 | |||||||||||
| Float | Library | ||||||||||||
| Interest | |||||||||||||
| Float | Coffee Shop | ||||||||||||
| Float to current account | -49.84 | 336.99 | |||||||||||
| Closing Balance | c/f | 9234.73 | 10990.63 | 0.00 | 45.92 | 373.80 | 20645.08 | ||||||
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Potential Contingency Account Expenditure
Utility Charge 2018 £1,500 estimated £300 per quarter £1200 pa Heating replacement £11,000 currently out of date & inefficient Insurance £750 fixed whether open or not - SCC condition Card Reader contract £1,500 3 year contract Carpet renewal £2,000 current carpet life limited Replace dish washer £2,500 current model purchased used Replace Coffee machine £3,500 current model purchased used Garden improvement £1,000 Coffee shop Counter £5,000 Community Room £26,000 plus lottery grant £30k? Total £54,750