OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

← Denby Dale And District Men's Shed Association

2025-09-30-accounts

Denby Dale and District Men’s Shed Association Annual report and accounts for the period 1-Oct-2024 to 30-Sep-2025

Charity number: 1173137

Our Primary/ Fundamental Purpose

We are an inclusive self-funded registered charity working towards reducing social isolation, loneliness and improving wellbeing for men and women of all ages and ability. We provide a material-based workshop with woodworking and metalworking provision, but with the capacity to extend into other crafts and specialisms.

The type of crafting and “making” activities carried out by our members are recognised forms of art-therapy that alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, depression, loneliness and even dementia. We offer a workshop environment for members to share and learn craft-based skills. Everyone shares tools and workbenches promoting teamwork and providing opportunities to socialise. The Shed environment excels at building friendships.

The charity began in 2017 as a men’s shed with 8 members. It now comprises a men's and women's shed, and a share shed. We have 77 members and are currently located in 2,500 square feet of a former textile mill in the village of Scissett. Our members choose to work either on their own projects, or on projects that benefit the community.

Consequently, we regularly support local schools, churches and other charities by making the things that they need. We also sell items made by our members to raise funds and this helps with our operating costs. Our Share Shed enables us to share tools and household equipment with individuals from our local community. Most of the items within the Share Shed have been donated, though we have been able to augment our collection thanks to a small grant from our Kirklees Ward Councillors. We now have more than 150 Share Shed members.

Chairman’s Introduction

This year has been a successful and very busy year, and the calendar included as Appendix A demonstrates this very clearly.

The focus this year has been very much on acquiring our new home and after two years of negotiating and waiting, we finally completed on the purchase of the former Holy Trinity Church in Denby Dale in June 2025. This move is necessary to secure the future of our charity and to enable it to develop and to meet the growing demand for our services.

However, our real work began in October 2024, when the Leeds Diocese agreed that we could begin work to repair the leaking roofs that were causing so much damage to the interior. This work is now complete, and the building is no longer under threat.

1

Despite all the effort and attention given to our new home this year, our existing workshop continues to operate at full capacity, serving the needs of our members and the wider community. This is very much thanks to our Session Leaders and to their deputies, who give so generously of their time and expertise. We could not operate without them.

Picture:Some of our members celebrating completing the sale of the Church

Membership

The Men’s Shed membership continues to grow; this includes 14 new members replacing some that left in the year. The year 2024/25 ended with 77 active members – 56 Men and 21 Women. The following graph shows how the membership has grown over the years:

2

The original aim of reducing isolation and providing a space for men is being maintained with dedicated Men’s sessions. However, in addition to the Women’s Shed sessions we have introduced a mixed evening session to increase access for people of working age and volunteering opportunities at Trinity Workshops and on social events are open to all members.

Trinity Workshops

Due to increased costs and the space that we are renting nearing Trinity Workshops the capacity for what we need, we planned to acquire our own premises. We submitted a proposal to Denby Dale Parish Council and in October 2023 they supported in principle our business case to purchase the de-commissioned Trinity Church in Denby Dale. 1 ») al i Following a period of negotiation with the Closed Church Property | ih Team and community consultation we completed on the property Making /f Together purchase on 6[th] June. We are very grateful to Denby Dale Parish Council for supporting us with a capital grant. Many thanks are also due to the following who have provided or are providing Pro Bono Support:

In October 2024 the Church gave permission to begin repairs to the roofs that required making watertight to reduce further damage inside the building.

This will be an exciting new phase for the Shed but will involve a significant amount of fundraising and work to fix water damage to the church and convert it to a flexible workshop space with ancillary spaces such as a community café.

As the building has been de-consecrated, we consider it inappropriate to continue to call it Holy Trinity, but in deference to its past we are calling it ‘Trinity Workshops’ which will be the new home for the Men’s Shed, Women’s Shed and potentially the Share Shed.

Future Developments at Trinity Workshops

We completed the roof repairs at Trinity Workshops in October 2025 and the building is now completely weathertight. This is very much thanks to the huge contribution made by so many of our members, and since taking ownership in June of this year they have contributed more than 1500 hours. The work continues and now we are dismantling pews, removing building debris and repairing the rotten floor.

3

Prior to implementing our plans, it was necessary to submit a planning application to Kirklees. This is a lengthy process which began with a pre-planning meeting earlier in the summer. As a result of this process, we received a lengthy report from the planners which raised the issues we had to address in our full application. We submitted this in mid-October and recently received a request for a Coal Mining Risk Assessment Report and a Climate Change Statement. These were duly submitted, and we have now been informed that our application has been validated and that we can anticipate a formal response in early January 2026.

As Trinity Workshops will be a community workshop and public building, any alterations that we make will need to meet standards set by Building Control. We had agreed that this process would be overseen by a local company who were supporting our project for a reduced fee. However, they recently ceased trading and unfortunately, we have lost their support. However, after much discussion with our architect, we are now confident that our plans will meet the requirements for things such as accessibility, fire risk and structural safety etc.

Early in the New Year we will submit detailed building drawings to Kirklees Building Control and once we have their response, we will make a start on the major work of converting the building.

Fortunately thanks to our successful applications to the National Lottery Community Fund, the Bernard Sunley Foundation and to the Northern Powergrid we now have sufficient funds to begin the conversion. This may not be sufficient to complete all the work, but we have submitted several additional grant applications and anticipate that one or more of these will be successful! We are also very grateful to our members for their local fundraising. Additionally, the technical expertise, skills and labour of our members means that we can undertake much of the work in-house, and this is keeping the costs of this complex project to a minimum.

We have organised and participated in several events throughout the year to keep the local community up to date with our plans and have been overwhelmed by their goodwill and support. They appreciate that the building is being retained as a community asset and that we are making a minimum intervention into the structure and thus maintaining its much-loved visual character.

Grant applications

We are constantly applying for grants and donations from local and national organisations to enable us to complete the works required. As of 16[th] December we have raised nearly £160k from Denby Dale Parish Council, Denby Dale Lions, the National Lottery, Northern Powergrid Foundation, Bramell Foundation and the Bernard

4

Sunley. Of the successful grants £58,000 has been received in 2024/25 and the remainder should be received in 2025/26.

We are awaiting the outcome of grant applications to a further 13 organisations with a value of £95k. We have been unsuccessful with 4 applications.

When funds were low we ran a crowd funding campaign and received around £1,500 from individual donors, for which we are also very grateful.

Kirklees Ward Councillors awarded us £2,500 in year in support of the Share Shed. Not all of this has been spent, and funds will be carried forward to be spent in 2025/26.

Support from Members

Members continued fundraising efforts, making items – predominantly in wood, but also in metal – to sell at local charity craft fairs and Christmas fairs. There have been contributions from individual members and from specific ‘Maker’s Sessions’ to ensure we have a good range of items to sell. This raised £3,754 in the year.

Making to support community projects has raised £1,600 in the year.

General labour and using member’s expertise in plumbing, electrical and joinery at Trinity Workshops has saved the Charity a great deal in labour costs. We estimate that members have contributed over 1,500 voluntary hours on Trinity Workshops.

Professional Services such as legal, architectural and structural engineering from supporters on a pro bono basis is greatly appreciated.

Support from Suppliers

We have been very fortunate to build relationships with several local suppliers, who either donate, or supply materials at a preferential discount. Thanks particularly go to:

Achievements

As noted above the Shed continues to operate with great support from session leaders. We had a successful day at the Emley Show and attended a couple of ‘Eco Fairs’ and charity craft fairs – where we had a chance to talk to local people about our activities as well as to raise funds.

5

Projects undertaken by shed members this year include:

Photos of some the above projects are included at Appendix A.

Share Shed

At the start of 2025 we officially joined the nearly 300 groups in the UK who are part of a growing movement of “libraries of things”; promoting the “Borrow, Don’t Buy” message.

With a ready-made stock of excess tools donated to the Men’s Shed, we recruited our first member and made our first loan on 17[th] January. Ten months and over 70 loans later we have a membership of 163 and a Facebook following over 200. This has proved beyond doubt that there is a need for a community resource like The Share Shed in the area, and the positive response we’ve had has given us encouragement to press on into the new year to make the Share Shed bigger and better.

We were delighted to receive a grant of £2500 from Kirklees Council’s Ward Fund and are grateful to our local councillors for supporting The Share Shed group in its early days. This has been used to buy new equipment including our most popular item, the carpet cleaner which has been borrowed 13 times and our latest purchase, a thermal imaging camera which has already been snapped up for its first loan.

In addition, Wickes in Huddersfield gave us several items from their Community Fund and again we are grateful for their support.

Claire and Mike at Scissett DIY have been outstanding in their support for us. They store, issue and collect all our items from their basement and we simply could not have done it without them. Additional storage space has been kindly provided by Skelmanthorpe Community Centre.

We have produced publicity and been active on Facebook and in person at several events throughout the year. We plan to consolidate our progress over the next few months and expect a slow increase in membership and revenue into 2026 as we still

6

believe there are some people who may not have seen our publicity or come across us on Facebook.

The experience of meeting so many supportive people from around the local community has been gratifying. We continue supporting and enhancing a real sense of community in the HD8 area.

The Share Shed is now generating sufficient income to cover its operating costs. Our mission remains to empower individuals and foster a culture of sharing by providing access to tools, equipment, and other items that are often needed but infrequently used. By facilitating the sharing of resources, we aim to reduce unnecessary consumption and promote sustainability within our community.

Financial Review

The table below summarises the financial performance for 2024/25. Appendix B contains a more detailed table of the accounts with commentary on notable items.

Year ending
30/09/2025		 Previous
Year ending
30/09/2024
Income 81,353 18,908
Expenditure 79,536 18,135
Surplus for theyear 1,817 771
Total assets atyear end 20,048 18,230

In order to better understand the significant change in finances the following breaks down income and expenditure by main area:

----- Start of picture text -----
Net Surplus
Segmental Analysis (+'ve) or Loss
Income Expenditure (-'ve)
General Activities 21,792 19,614 2,178
Share Shed 3,031 1,093 1,937
-
Trinity Workshops 56,530 58,828 2,298
81,353 79,536 1,817
----- End of picture text -----

The increased income for general activities arises mainly from an increase in the membership fees to cover increasing costs. This is the first increase in fees since the Men’s Shed was opened in 2017, and for the women the initial fee reduction due to grant support has been removed creating equal fees. The Trustees, when considering the fee increase, proposed that fees are reviewed annually using the CPI in September. However, due to the increased contribution from members volunteering with the Trinity

7

Workshops project and thus saving commercial labour costs the fees will be frozen for the following year.

The charity has deliberately built up a reasonable reserve to invest in Trinity Workshops. It also should be noted that there remains a £1,492 balance of the £2,500 grant towards ShareShed equipment and marketing that is earmarked for use in 2025/26. Similarly, we were awarded £50,000 by Denby Dale Parish Council, of which £43,054 was paid in this period with the remaining £6,946 being paid in November and falling into 2025/26 accounts. As noted above, there are several other grant applications in progress or awarded and due in 2025/26.

The speed of raising funds will determine the speed and scope of the Trinity Workshops project as it progresses in 2024/25. Therefore, the Trustees are confident that the Charity can be considered a ‘going concern’.

Structure, governance and management

The following Trustees are responsible for the strategy and direction of the Charity:

The following Trustees are responsible for the strategy and direction of the Charity: The following Trustees are responsible for the strategy and direction of the Charity: The following Trustees are responsible for the strategy and direction of the Charity:
Name
Role
Date of appointment
ROBERT BARBER M.A.
Chair
21 April 2017
Tim Potts
Trustee
21 February 2018
GRAHAM TURNER cllr
Trustee
22 April 2017
MARTYN JOHN SIDDLE
Trustee
21 April 2017
Maria Leader
Trustee
15 May 2024
John Taylor
Trustee
10 May 2024

The Trustees meet around 4 times per year and are supported by a Management Team made up of around fifteen volunteers from the Shed Membership that meets monthly. (Membership of the Management Team varies as people join and leave within the year). Each session is then led by a volunteer session leader.

8

Appendix A: Review of the year

October 2024

We gained permission from the Leeds Diocese to begin weatherproofing the church

November 2024

Pickersgill Construction rebuilt the tower roof

Installed bat box and owl box at Emley Millenium Green

9

Christmas Fayres

St Michael’s Church Emley

Horbury Church

December 2024

Christmas Fayre. Scissett Middle School

January 2025 Pickersgill Construction rebuilt the organ space roof

Began developing our planning application with Mark Jackson (Architect)

We had a very useful donation of extraction equipment when Kinsley Craft Workshop sadly had to close. We’re very grateful that the Trustees decided we were best placed to make good use of it. Thanks to members for helping dismantle it and transfer to storage until it’s required at Trinity Workshops.

10

February - May 2025
Final negotiations to buy the Holy Trinity Church
Identified funding opportunities and began writing applications.
~q
ShareShed opened its doors at Scissett DIY
Noy
+
MeDee
June 2025
Completed conveyancing and became the new owners of the former Holy Trinity Church in Denby Dale.
11th June. Celebration at the church on completion of the conveyancing process (Photo on cover)
Removed the organ pipes and asbestos residue from the organ space. Some of the organ pipe wood has
been recycled into boxes sold at Craft Fairs.
July 2025
Stripped and rebuilt the flat roof over the former toilet block

11

Installed the 175th Railway Anniversary Exhibition at the station and a scale replica of the original locomotive in the centre of Denby Dale

5th/6th July. Open Day Event at the Church. More than 500 people attended and Denby Dale District Lions handover the first of two £1000 donations towards converting the church into a new community facility.

August 2025

Pickersgill Construction installed the Fibreglass weatherproof membrane on the toilet roof

12

Emley Show

Filming for the Chanel 5 TV programme. Our Great Yorkshire Life.

Cleared the overgrown shrubs/weeds from the garden and driveway

Installed the Denby Village Little Library

13

Handed over Fairy Houses made by Members and pupils at Cawthorne School for Earnshaw’s Woodland Walk Project

September 2025

Dismantled and removed the organ console

Began work to strip and rebuild vestry roof

Earnshaw and Taylor fell the trees which were threatening the foundations and drains.

14

Appendix B: Financial Performance for 2024/25

----- Start of picture text -----
Denby Dale Men's Shed
Income and Expenditure Statement Year Ending 30/09/25
Year End Commentary for Year 2024/25 Year End
30/09/25 £ 30/09/24 £
Total Bank Brought Forward 18,230 As per year end accounts & bank statement 17,459
Income
Mens Shed Membership Fees 10,140 Increased membership fees 7,610
She Shed Membership Fees 3,920 Increased membership fees 1,993
Grants 55,554 £2,500 for Share Shed, £53,054 for Trinity Workshop 0
Donations £1,414 General Shed donations, £2,000 Denby Dale Lions & £1,476
4,970 GoFundMe 742
ShareShed 531 0
Sales General 882 1,099
Sales Xmas Fairs, Shows & Events 3,754 3,700
Sales Comunity Groups & Projects 1,602 Activities at Trinity has reduced the time available for other local projects 3,514
Other miscellaneous income 0 249
Total Income 81,353 18,906
Expenditure
Rent 13,800 Full impact of increase in rent costs 12,652
Electricity 2,043 Price increase at old premises, plus cost at Trinity Workshops 677
Water 81 139
Increase due to adding ShareShed and Trinity Workshops to our insurance
Insurance
2,419 policy 788
Machinery 635 Greater need as equipment gets more use 206
Goods For Resale 1,010 Reduced number of projects cost less to deliver 1,850
Fairs, Shows & Event costs 244 452
She Shed expenses 0 Reduced need now up and running 61
Increase due to increased membership and ageing machinery requiring
Workshop Sundies and parts
869 ongoing consumables, such as blades and bearings 526
Share Shed 277 Admin Costs for ShareShed 101
Items for ShareShed 732 Items purchased from Grant Funding
Admin 85 Mostly website costs 426
Building materials 7,262 Repairing roof at Trinity Workshops 0
Labour and Contractors 13,208 Repairing roof at Trinity Workshops 0
Equipment hire 1,333 Skips, scaffolding and telehandler 0
Building purchase 35,160 Purchase of Holy Trinity Church, to convert to Trinity Workshops 0
Sundries 376 256
Total Expenditure 79,536 18,135
Surplus 1,817 771
Total assets at year end 20,048 18,230
Represented by:
23,084 Balance at bank 21,571
-3,270 Accrual for rent and refund due -3,450
233 Cash Float 109
20,048 18,230
----- End of picture text -----

In addition to the cash held and in the bank the Charity now owns Trinity Workshop – purchased for £35,000 as an asset. This has been valued at £1.2 million rebuilding costs for insurance purposes.

15

Report on the accounts for Denby Dale and District Men’s Shed Association for the year ended 30 September 2025

I have been asked to conduct an independent examination of the accounts for the year ended 30 September 2025. I am an AAT-Qualified Accounting Technician and had no financial conflicts of interest in the period examined.

An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Association and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. The examination was limited to this year’s transactions and assumes that the opening balances were correct.

In connection with my examination of the records presented to me (including testing the financial accounts against information held and discussion of process) no matters of concern have come to my attention which might prevent a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

I have examined the Income and Expenditure Account and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, and in accordance with the information and explanations given to me, they have been properly prepared from the accounting records of the charity and are in agreement with them.

Debra Smith BA, AAT-Qualified Accounting Technician

17 Black Horse Drive, Silkstone Common, S75 4SD

30 December 2025