KIRKBY FLEETHAM VILLAGE HALL Registered Charity No. 1172318
## **Trustees’ Annual Report**
## 2023 – 2024
COMMITTEE 2023 - 2024
Names of Trustees
Mike Dillon Chairperson Lesley Bottomley Treasurer, Vice-Chairperson and Bookings Secretary Linda Lodge Secretary Lynda Dillon Assistant Treasurer and Communications Lead
Fran Artley Phil Mason Margaret Osler Linda Rough Kate Smith David Russell Co-opted
## **Governance**
Kirkby Fleetham Village Hall was established as a charity by a Trust Deed and Lease dated 7[th] December 1973. On March 29[th] 2017, it was entered on the Register of Charities as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), No.1172318. The original charity is now closed, with its assets transferred to the new charity. The Village Hall Management Committee is responsible for keeping the building in a good state of repair.
## **Trustees**
**Number of trustees.** There should be not more than 10 trustees with the remainder of the management committee comprising not more than 3 co-opted members and not more than 1 representative of each of the hall’s user groups.
**Appointment of trustees.** The constitution states that trustees will retire by rotation, one-third each year. Those to retire shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or reappointment, thus 4 trustees will automatically retire and this process shall continue at every subsequent annual meeting.
If the number of trustees is not three or a multiple of three, then the number nearest to one-third shall retire from office, but if there is only one trustee, he or she shall retire.
**Reappointment of trustees.** Any person who retires as a trustee by rotation or by giving notice to the CIO is eligible for re-election by simple majority vote of members.
## **Policies and Procedures**
To guide the Management Committee in exercising its duty of care to committee members and users of the hall, the following policy statements have been adopted: Meetings Policy; Finance Policy; Hiring Policy; Health & Safety Policy; Safeguarding - Child & Vulnerable Adults Policy; Equality Policy; Environmental Policy, Age Verification Policy and a Data Protection Policy. Copies of these policies are included in a Management File in the Village Hall and in the Trustees’ Welcome pack. Where appropriate, they have been updated. Trustees have revised and extended regular maintenance check lists and a detailed check list for the contract cleaner.
## **Hiring Agreement**
The village hall uses an on-line booking system. Each booking is subject to a Hiring Agreement to which all hirers must agree before any booking can be made. The hiring agreement sets out the conditions of hire and identifies the respective responsibilities of each party.
## **Licences**
The hall has a Premises Licence, including the sale of alcohol. The hall is licensed by the _Performing Right Society_ and _Phonographic Performance Ltd_ . for live and recorded music and has a Public Video Screening Licence.
## **Risk Management**
## **Insurance**
The village hall is insured with respect to property damage (buildings insurance) by Allied Westminster Insurance Ltd. It is insured with the same company with respect to loss of revenue; public liability; employers’ liability; and furniture, fixtures and fittings and all other contents. The Management Committee recognise that it is under a legal obligation to protect the building, its volunteers, its users and any employees through adequate and appropriate insurance.
**Building Issues** A building condition survey is undertaken at 5-year intervals as is the mains electrical installation, both by qualified professionals. A Fire Safety Risk Assessment is updated annually by the Committee’s own Fire Safety Officers as required by law. Firefighting appliances are inspected annually
under contract with the supplier. Volunteers from the Committee carry out other regular maintenance checks. A portable appliances check is carried out annually by a qualified electrician.
## **Objectives of the Charity**
The objective is the provision of a village hall for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Kirkby Fleetham with Fencotes without distinction of gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, nationality, race or political, religious or other opinions. Use of the village hall is for meetings, lectures and classes or other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the social conditions of the life of the inhabitants. The Trustees consider these objectives to be consistent with Charity Commission guidance on providing for the public benefit and these objectives have been pursued in the activities of the charity this year.
## P **rincipal Activities in pursuit of Objectives**
The Village Hall has been in use most days of the week for a variety of activities including Ballroom Dancing; Book Lovers’ Group; Bridge; Carpet Bowls; Church Coffee mornings; Gardening Club; The Village Hub; Keep Fit & Aerobics; The History Group; Parent and Baby Groups; ‘Sound Bath’ Group Relaxation; Yoga; Arts and Crafts; Community Cinema; Speakers and Women’s Institute meetings. The community library has been open at any time when the room is not in use by other groups. In addition, the village hall has been used for meetings of its own committee, of the Parish Council and of the Feast Committee. The village hall is also hired, increasingly so, for private functions / presentations. It has continued to be used by Hambleton District Council (now North Yorkshire Council) as a polling station. We have continued to take our responsibilities for public health very seriously, especially regarding COVID-19, always following national guidance and our own instinct for community safety.
The past year has seen several additional events linked to fundraising for the development of the new extension we highlighted in our plans last year and which have now come to fruition. The fundraising events have included a further Bingo Night, a Race Evening, an evening of live music and a talk about the Camino de Santiago. There has also been a highly successful original play by a local playwright which played to packed houses, raising funds for the new extension as well as a talk and afternoon tea by local author Suzanne Stirke in aid of village hall general funds.
## . **Funding Strategy**
The underlying funding strategy of the Trustees is to manage the revenue budget on a self-financing basis and we are aware that the careful management of resources has become increasingly important in a financial climate where running costs are rising whilst income for many of our users is falling behind inflation. We recognised the need to address this through revisiting our charging policy which, although now charging more than previously, still provides outstanding value for money compared with other venues. This year has seen very substantial investment in the building, particularly through the creation of an extension to the front of the village hall for a History and Resources room. Funding for this has come substantially from grant applications made by the Village Hall to a number of awarding bodies, the largest being Tarmac, as well as private donations, use of our own reserves and fund-raising activities organised by the Committee and supported enthusiastically by the community.
## **Volunteers’ Effort**
Management costs have been kept to a minimum through, where possible, the use of volunteers for aspects of maintenance and the improvement of facilities. We do, however, recognise the need to use professionals where this is appropriate, always mindful that many tasks require specialist skills and that voluntary effort must not become burdensome if we are to retain the energy and commitment of those who do so much to make our village hall such a good facility.
Our ongoing battle with nature has continued through leaf clearing in the patio areas of the Village Hall, and plant watering is managed in a way that ensures the village hall always looked beautiful. We have continued to publish a professional-quality community newsletter that provides updates on local events, community information and social news entirely by voluntary effort and hand delivered to those who cannot access it digitally or personally from the Village Hall. A Facebook Page for the Village Hall is maintained alongside the newsletter, highlighting much of its content and also updating the community on more immediate events and opportunities. We have continued to undertake, where appropriate, general maintenance of the Village Hall as well as undertaking the condition assessment required through our insurance policy. The Hub, our much-loved community café and meeting place, has continued to provide appetising food and beverages to regulars from the village and further afield. These are prepared and served by dedicated volunteers and are enjoyed by many in the warm and comfortable surroundings of our Village Hall. It would be impossible to list the many tasks undertaken voluntarily by members of the Village Hall Committee, but it is important to acknowledge that without the work they do we would not have the excellent facility we all enjoy.
## 2023 - 2024 Achievements
The period covered by this Annual Report has seen very significant change in the makeup of the Management Committee. Several long-standing Trustees who were instrumental to the major refurbishment of the village hall when it was transformed from its tired and under-developed state have now retired from office. The legacy they have left was built on hard work, determination and skill and this legacy underpins all that Kirkby Fleetham Village Hall represents today. The current Management Committee, indeed all those who enjoy using the village hall, remain deeply indebted to these stalwarts for all that they have done.
Despite these many changes, this has been an exceptionally productive year for the Village Hall, both in terms of the activities taking place and the significant improvements to the fabric of the building and the way we use it. In relation to our legal status, the transfer of Assets to the new CIO is now complete and the ‘old’ charity has been closed.
The whole of the exterior of the building has been repainted, using funds from the Solar Farm Grant that is managed and allocated by the Parish Council.
Our dedicated and proactive Management Committee, as well as the many volunteers who make The Hub the jewel in the crown of our village hall, continue to perform excellently. This ethos extends to the volunteers who ensure our community library is always attractive, welcoming and superbly organised.
The completion of the new History and Resources extension is the result of the enthusiastic effort of a group of dedicated people and is a fine example of commitment by a small team of colleagues focused on achieving their goal. It has also shown how enjoyable fundraising can be! The participation of our community in these fundraising events has been a joy to see and generous donations from individuals and groups have been deeply appreciated. The substantial grant from Tarmac has underpinned the viability of the project as a whole, but in particular, the hard work of key people on the Committee in managing and driving the whole project has been exceptional. We now have a great resource that will support local history study as well as providing space for IT access and our own administration. On top of all this the room looks stunning!
The Management Committee decided to use the impetus provided by the creation of the new room to upgrade and improve the entrance to the village hall so that the whole area appears integrated and attractive. Advice on health and safety has led us to declutter the hall’s entrance and our ambition to match the quality of the earlier refurbishment of the village hall has driven
us to pursue high standards in the new project, including the renewal of carpeting and paintwork in the front entrance and improving signage and noticeboards. This in turn has led to a will for continued improvement in the way we manage storage spaces and generally maintain a safe and pleasant environment for all to enjoy.
## **Reserves Policy**
It is the Trustees’ policy to maintain unrestricted reserves of between 100% and 150% of annual revenue budget expenditure.
## **Future Plans**
The Trustees’ efforts over the coming months will be concentrated on:
- Investigating ways for ensuring our heating system is controlled so that:
- heating levels are matched to the activity of the specific session
- individual rooms are controlled remotely to match the bookings on our online system
- `o` economies are achieved in our overall energy usage
- heating costs are assessed more accurately in relation to our expense in putting on activities
- Further developing the roles and responsibilities of Trustees and co-opted members
- Continuing the process of evaluating the effective use of village hall facilities, including the possible disposal of redundant or little-used items that impact on our limited storage space
- Training interested Committee Members in the use of our specialist PA and other equipment in order to increase the safe use of these facilities and extend the programme of activities that will use them
- Continuing to work collaboratively with our community partners in ways that add value each to the other and which make clear our separate mission and responsibilities.
**The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above.**
## **Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees**
**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s) Michael Dillon Lesley Bottomley Position Chair Vice Chair Date**
## INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF KIRBY FLEETHAM VILLAGE HALL 31 March 2024
I report on the accounts of the Charity for the period ended 31 March 2024.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The Charity's Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity's Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this period under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act;
- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act); and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner's report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act
have not been met; or
- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Suzanne Bolton FCA Streamline Accountants
5 Battalion Court
Colburn Business Park Catterick Garrison DL9 4QN 31 May 2024
## **KIRKBY FLEETHAM VILLAGE HALL CHARITY NUMBER 1172318 Receipts and payments accounts 1/4/23 to 31/3/24**
|||||**Unrestricted**||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**RECEIPTS**|**Restricted funds**|||**funds**||**4/23 - 3/24**||**4/22 - 3/23**||
|Hire of hall byusergroups|||£|11,166.20
|£|11,166.20
|£|10,887.88
||
|Private hire of hall/equipment|||£|810.25
|£|810.25
|£|1,180.52
||
|Fundraisingevents|£|2,739.86
|£|245.48
|£|2,985.34
|£|2,582.82
||
|Miscellaneous|||£|1,159.56
|£|1,159.56
|£|749.27
||
|||||||||||
|**Donations and Grants**||||||||||
|Gift Aid||||||||||
|Donations|£|9,100.00
|£|-
|£|9,100.00
|£|7,608.50
||
|Grants|£|31,000.00
|£|-
|£|31,000.00
||||
|||||||||||
|**Other Income**||||||||||
|Interest||||||||||
|PettyCash||||||||||
|||||||||||
|**TOTAL RECEIPTS**|£|42,839.86
|£|13,381.49
|£|56,221.35
|£|23,008.99
||
|||||||||||
|||||**Unrestricted**||||||
|**PAYMENTS**|**Restricted funds**|||**funds**||**4/23 - 3/24**||**4/22 - 3/23**||
|**Hall running costs**||||||||||
|Energy|||£|3,034.78
|£|3,034.78
|£|3,903.47
||
|Water|||£|333.75
|£|333.75
|£|316.91
||
|Insurance and licences|||£|1,480.60
|£|1,480.60
|£|1,609.81
||
|Improvement and maintenance|£|44,518.94
|£|5,181.69
|£|49,700.63
|£|3,178.48
||
|Broadband/Ink/Print costs|||£|1,032.90
|£|1,032.90
|£|406.20
||
|Miscellaneous|£|845.06
|£|4,713.86
|£|5,558.92
|£|2,688.40
||
|Accounting|||£|215.00
|£|215.00
|£|206.00
||
|**TOTAL PAYMENTS**|**£**|**45,364.00**
|**£**|**15,992.58**
|**£**|**61,356.58**
|**£**|**12,309.27**
|check total|
|||||||||||
|||||**Unrestricted**||||||
|**TOTAL RECEIPTS LESS TOTAL PAYMENTS**|**Restricted funds**|||**funds**||**4/23 - 3/24**||**4/22 - 3/23**||
|**ASSETS**||||||||||
|**Cash at bank and in hand**||||||||||
|Current bank account|£|6,939.42
|£|22,803.69
|£|29,743.11
|£|34,878.34
||
|Pettycash||||||||||
|**RESERVES**||||||||||
|Balance brought forward|£|9,463.56
|£|25,414.78
|£|34,878.34
|£|24,178.62
||
|Net surplus|-£|2,524.14
|-£|2,611.09
|-£|5,135.23
|£|10,699.72
|check|
|||||||||||
|**Balance carried forward**|**£**|**6,939.42**
|**£**|**22,803.69**
|**£**|**29,743.11**
|**£**|**34,878.34**
|check|