2025-12-31-accounts - Teesdale Village Halls Consortium

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THE VILLAGE HALLS CONSORTIUM Director Trustees Annual Report Year ended 31 December 2025

The Village Halls Consortium is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (1172429).

Aims: To promote and improve the effectiveness of Village Hall and Community Organisations in Teesdale and the surrounding area by the provision of advice, information, training and support, with a view to improving the efficiency and management of their resources.

Members of the Board and Professional Advisers

Registered charity name: The Village Halls Consortium Charity number: 1172429 Registered office: Mickleton Village Hall, Mickleton, Barnard Castle, County Durham, DL12 0JY Website: www.thevillagehalls.co.uk Telephone: 07809314248 Trustees: David Hutchinson Michael Bettison David Bailey Administrator: Sophie Stanwix villagehallsconsort@hotmail.co.uk

Independent Examiner for accounts: Jayne Holmes

Bankers: National Westminster Plc

The Trustees of (The) Village Halls Consortium, for the purposes of company law, have pleasure in presenting their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31st December 2025.

Chairman’s report

The Village Halls Consortium (TVHC) regularly provides information and guidance to our member community buildings, including advice on request.

Following feedback from members at our previous AGM, we adjusted our grant fund. From 1 January 2025, we consolidated the two £250 grants into a single £500 grant. Members who have paid their annual subscription are eligible to apply once a year for 50% matched funding, up to a maximum of £500. In 2025, we paid a total of 7 grants, as summarised in the table below.

Community building	Application month	Completion month	Project	Total cost	Grant received
Scarth Hall	Dec 2024	Feb 2025	Hive Heating system installation	£864.24	£250
Toft Hill and Etherley	Dec 2024	Feb 2025	New chairs and cleaningequipment	£540.46	£250
Mickleton	Feb 2025	March 2025	New vinyl flooring	£2010.66	£500
Toft Hill and Etherley	May 2025	June 2025	Decorating	£1050	£500
Winston	July 2025	Sept 2025	Ventilation unit	£1770	£500
Bowes	July 2025	Oct 2025	New tables	£536.78	£268
St Mary’s	Aug 2025	Oct 2025	New outer rear doors and frames	£5972.54	£500

The previous TVHC website was outdated and lacked features, so we created a new site, which launched in February 2025. It works well on both mobile and desktop, and we've received positive feedback. I want to thank Sophie and Joe for their work in developing an excellent website. The cost of the new website was £455.00. Sophie now has control of the content on the website. Please go to your page and ensure all the information there is still relevant. Mickleton Village Hall and Eggleston Village Hall both highly recommend the ‘Hall Booking Online’ system, as it simplifies checking availability and making bookings. This also makes it easy for Sophie to make bookings on behalf of enquirers.

TVHC is partially funded by annual subscriptions of £50, with the remainder funded by our investment portfolio. As of 1 January 2025, the Brewin Dolphin portfolio was valued at £164,885. Between August and September 2025, we transferred our investments from Brewin Dolphin to St James’s Place. The total liquidation value from Brewin Dolphin was £165,570.33. We moved £160,000 to St. James’s Place, investing £154,345 in a Unit Trust and paying a 3% fee of £4,630.35. Throughout the year, £9,570.33 was withdrawn for operational costs. On 31 December 2025, the St. James’s Place portfolio had a closing value of £156,248.

As TVHC’s turnover is below the Charity Commission’s threshold for mandatory professional audits, we decided to commission an independent examiner to review our accounts. I would like to thank Jayne Holmes for kindly auditing the accounts again this year. In 2025, none of the directors claimed any expenses.

We are still seeking new trustees to join TVHC. If you're interested, feel free to contact Sophie or me – we'd be happy to welcome you. We usually hold around 6 meetings each year, typically in the evenings.

David Hutchinson

Chairman

Structure, governance and management

The Consortium was formed in 1995.
On 3[rd] January 2003 we became a registered charity (1095212).
On 27[th] October 2006 the Consortium was incorporated under the Companies Act 1985 as a private company limited by guarantee (company number: 5980201), and we were issued with a new charity number (1116933).
This decision was taken to limit the personal liability of the Trustees and give the Consortium a legal identity, which positively affected our approach to risk and our ability to take advantage of the wider opportunities facing us.
In June 2011, the title of the Consortium was changed from ‘Teesdale Village Halls Consortium’ to ‘The Village Halls Consortium’. The reason for this was to expand our support for community buildings located outside the Teesdale area. The change of title was registered with the Charity Commission and Companies House.
On 5[th] April 2017 we became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a new charity number (1172429) and our status with Companies House was dissolved on 28.11.17.

The Village Halls Consortium (TVHC) comprises volunteer trustees from community building management committees, as well as members and representatives from partner organisations. To become a TVHC member, each community building pays an annual fee of £50, due in January or February.

Membership entitles members to:

An individual website page on www.thevillagehalls.co.uk
Access to a grant fund of up to £500 towards capital or revenue projects per year.
Event listings and marketing support
1:1 advice and support when required
Regular information, advice and guidance updates
General advice and guidance on relevant and up to date information
General meetings for TVHC members when relevant
Support with hall redevelopments
Training opportunities

Members of The Village Halls Consortium 1st January – 31st December 2025 29 community buildings

Barningham Village Hall Boldron Village Hall Bowes and Gilmonby Parish Hall Butterknowle Village Hall Carlbeck Community Centre Cockfield Lipscomb Hall Copley Village Hall Cotherstone Village Hall Dalton and Gayles Village Hall Eggleston Village Hall Gainford Village Hall Hamsterley Village Hall Hutton Magna Village Hall Ingleton Village Hall Marwood Social Centre Mickleton Village Hall Middleton in Teesdale Village Hall Newbiggin Village Hall Newsham Village Hall Ovington Village Hall Romaldkirk Reading Rooms Scarth Hall School Aycliffe Community Centre St Mary’s Parish Hall Stainton and Streatlam Village Hall Startforth Community Centre Toft Hill and Etherley Community Centre Whorlton Village Hall Winston Village Hall

Related parties

The Trustees are involved with various other local charities and businesses. Any transactions with these organisations are on an arm’s length basis.

Partnership working and representation

TVHC has a good relationship with the Teesdale Mercury and Durham County Council.

Details of wider networks

TVHC is involved with several networks which are listed below:

Durham Community Action
Rural Design Centre
Teesdale Day Clubs
Teesdale Action Partnership (TAP)
ACRE - Action for Communities in Rural England

Risk management

We have reviewed all major risks facing the charity in the future and have implemented controls where necessary to ensure:

We meet our charitable objectives
We have sufficient reserves to cover financial liabilities
We have sufficient policies and insurance to cover all possible liabilities

The role of The Village Halls Consortium

The aim of TVHC as set out in our Memorandum of Association is: “To promote and improve the effectiveness of Village Hall and Community Organisations in Teesdale and the surrounding area by the provision of advice, information, training and support, with a view to improving the efficiency and management of their resources.”

Objectives

TVHC has four objectives which we are constantly striving to achieve through our work and various projects that we deliver:

To support the provision of improved and more accessible facilities and services at local community buildings to meet community needs.
To encourage participation in capacity building training opportunities.
To develop effective communication between the members and other local organisations which are interested in community development.
To improve the long-term viability of the community buildings as rural assets for the benefit of all residents.

We set specific key targets to achieve these objectives, which are discussed at

monthly directors’ meetings and reviewed annually.

The Trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when determining the activities TVHC should pursue. Additionally, we have highlighted important aspects in our CIO Constitution, along with pertinent guidance.

Activities, Achievements and Performance

TVHC website

Our website serves as a central information hub for members, local communities, and broader networks. It provides essential details about our member community buildings, including contact information, facilities, hire rates, events, and images. Users can submit details of upcoming events through the website, which can then be shared with local press such as Teesdale Mercury.

Information, advice and guidance

Regular updates are sent via email as needed. Our contact database is expanding to include community services, role lists, and contact details for each member, in compliance with GDPR.

TVHC grant scheme

Our revised grant scheme allows each member community building to receive 50% matched funding up to £500 annually for capital or revenue projects. The directors reviewed the application form and added a new requirement: to submit an up-todate copy of the charity's constitution. In 2025, our grant scheme supported 7 projects, including 2 applications carried over from 2024.

Community building	Application month	Completion month	Project	Total cost	Grant received
Scarth Hall	Dec 2024	Feb 2025	Hive Heating system installation	£864.24	£250
Toft Hill and Etherley	Dec 2024	Feb 2025	New chairs and cleaningequipment	£540.46	£250
Mickleton	Feb 2025	March 2025	New vinyl flooring	£2010.66	£500
Toft Hill and Etherley	May 2025	June 2025	Decorating	£1050	£500
Winston	July 2025	Sept 2025	Ventilation unit	£1770	£500
Bowes	July 2025	Oct 2025	New tables	£536.78	£268
St Mary’s	Aug 2025	Oct 2025	New outer rear doors and frames	£5972.54	£500
Total				£12744.68	£2768

Thank you to the following organisations for their support in 2025

Jayne Holmes for auditing the accounts Charity Commission Durham County Council Durham Community Action Rural Design Centre Joe Hutchinson (Website Design) Mickleton Village Hall North East Ambulance Service Teesdale Action Partnership Teesdale Day Clubs Teesdale Mercury

Financial review

As of 1 January 2025, the Brewin Dolphin portfolio was worth £164,885. By 31 December 2025, the St James’s Place portfolio was valued at £156,248, including a £9,570.33 withdrawal for The Village Halls Consortium's operational costs.

Exit strategy costs

The exit costs remain at £2000. This is reviewed regularly.

Investment policy

We have changed our investment approach from low to medium risk, on the advice of Tullock Wealth Management, to achieve a better return on our investment. We have a very good relationship with St. James’s Place through Tullock Wealth Management.

Accounts - CIO Charity Number 1172429 Stj¢'Bp1lc SJL4ry Grants £160.0 Doithln £169,570.33 41500 MMRC W•bw SnSUTanrg OHutchlnwn £1 £1LX) Atsm h• £171.07th33 traccOUnt E1041.94 1.1.2S 31.1125 56248 31.1124 Èo leccrrr 2171Lb tMJinuwyt• 31M D•c•mb•r2024 ExpEnSQS Income £5940.th1/ BrevAn r)Win £1751.28 / s>SpIOr £1123.98/ Easy FUTh £35828 1 D Hui¢h1npn £217.15 / £42.(0 Gr8nts HMR I1rar Wobsite AGM hlrè £18(K).wJ / £37.09 Tolal•yn £b430.69 / T•ial Incon £9937.09 0 £124656 / CthrBnl ar%x)unl E*xn9 bAignro 31.12.24 £1751.96 0 1.124 £157,259.74 porttd at 31.1223 £164,6&4lX) 31.12.24 1&124-

Management Director Trustee responsibilities for the financial statements

Charity Commission rules require the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the financial activities of The Village Halls Consortium (TVHC) during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements, the directors are required to:

i. select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently.
ii. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
iii. state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practices have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statement.
iv. prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that TVHC will continue to operate.

The directors are also responsible for maintaining proper accounting records that, at any time, disclose TVHC's financial position with reasonable accuracy and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993. They are responsible for safeguarding TVHC's assets and, accordingly, for taking steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the directors

D Hutchinson

David Hutchinson

Chairman

The Trustees thank everyone who has contributed in any way to the work of The Village Halls Consortium during 2025.

This report is compiled from information given by user groups, partners and members of The Village Halls Consortium.

The report is produced, assembled and printed on behalf of The Village Halls Consortium.