Trustees’ Report for 2021
Current Trustees
Chairman: Tony Kippenberger
Vice-chairman: vacant Treasurer: Keith Fry Secretary: Eileen Rainey
Trustees: Mike Berry, Sandra Boyd, Lindsay Edge, Anita Taylor, Robin Shepherd, Fred Woodfine
John Hayter
It is with great sadness that we have to record the death, in November 2021, of John Hayter – a founding member of the Society who worked in many roles (Vice-chairman, Secretary, etc.) in its early years. John will be remembered by many for his efforts in the Planning arena and his diligence in keeping the Society true to its origins and Constitution (see Minutes of the last AGM above).
COVID-19
This has continued to be the dominating factor in the Society’s activities and your Trustees have continued to take the precautionary approach by not returning, yet, to meetings in the Church Hall. The transmissibility of the Omicron variant has made this approach a sensible choice. However, there are indications that the peak of this wave may be passing and that we can imagine returning to face-to-face meetings by April. We will keep members aware of our deliberations.
Membership
At the end of 2020 our membership numbers stood at 335. At the end of 2021 membership numbers had reached just over 365. We are delighted therefore that the Society’s membership has grown by nearly 10% over the year. We had recruitment stands at the English Heritage Open Day and at St Peter’s Country Fayre but word-of-mouth must have also played a role. A big welcome to all those new members!
Members’ Meetings
This year we had a full year of meetings, including one in January, all via Zoom. Attendance at many was high. The 2022 programme is complete all the way through to October and the last two slots will be filled shortly. See https://www.bishopswalthamsociety.org.uk/meetings.
Planning
During 2021 the Society has been involved in the planning process for the Malt Lane development (broadly approving) and the new Solar Farm proposals for Lock’s Farm – strongly opposing. Copies of the Society’s letters are available under ‘Planning Matters’ on our website. In 2022 we hope to reconstitute the Society’s Planning Committee. We would like to hear from any members with an interest in planning activities who might be prepared to offer assistance in this important role for the Society. Significant planning applications have remained low in 2021, but we expect a new application for the Abbey Field/Abbey Mill site to be submitted soon.
Grants and Donations
These are briefly covered in the Treasurer’s report, but we are pleased that we were able to continue making donations during the year including the hypothecation of our Gift Aid. Donations were made as follows:
Bishop’s Waltham in Bloom - £150; St Peter’s Church (Country Fayre) - £50; Start-up Fund for Henry VIII Commemoration Event - £1,000 (to be refunded if a surplus is made at the event in July 2022)
Website
Our website is designed to attract new members and to be an easy place for current members to keep in touch with what we are doing. It can be found at www.bishopswalthamsociety.org.uk.
Publications
No new publications were forthcoming in 2021 and our stock of existing books is now quite small. This means that this source of revenue is drying up. There are longer term plans in the pipeline but none are near to fruition yet.
Subscriptions
Since 2020 the Society has planned to raise subscription rates from £7 (single) and £12 (couple) to £10 and £16 respectively. The Trustees left this in abeyance for 2021 and 2022, but we be proposing at the AGM that from January 2023 these new rates will apply. This will be the first increase since 2013 – ten years earlier – and reflect the increased cost of goods and services and the current and expected rise in inflation.
Trustees
The chairman again wishes to express his gratitude for the hard work and dedication shown by the Society’s trustees during the year. We are delighted to welcome Mike Berry and Lindsay Edge to our Committee – both were co-opted during the year. We still have space for more. If you would seriously consider joining a friendly, good-humoured group of trustees, please contact Tony Kippenberger to discuss what is involved in serving on the Trustee committee via info@bishopswalthamsociety.org.uk.
Treasurer’s Report to the AGM February 2022
The examined accounts and examiner’s statement were presented below for approval.
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In common with many features of our lives, 2021 has been, for want of a better word, another interesting year!
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Within the accounts it is always pleasing to see membership increasing.
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Donations have decreased but 2020 was an exceptional year for donations.
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The price reductions on our major publications put in place by the Trustees has seen a major boost to book sales both in volume and income. Books sitting in store are a depreciating asset!
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On the cost side administration continues to grow - we now have a storage facility, but other than that nothing exceptional.
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The cost of meetings also grows because the Trustees have decided to keep our Parish Hall booking slot for the times when we might be able to hold real meetings rather than zoom meetings. So at the moment we are paying for both.
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With many thanks to our loyal supporters, we have finished the year with a small surplus.
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The Special Projects Fund has seen a temporary increase in money from the Town Team and the Museum Trust, as they together with Bishops Waltham Society are underwriting, to the tune of £1000 each, one of the major events in the town in 2022 - Henry VIII in Bishop’s Waltham: A Tudor Experience – being held at the Palace on 2/3rd July.
"I confirm that the Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 31 December 2021 is correct based on the information provided"
Paul Emmerson – Examiner January 2022