FRIENDS OFCHATHAMTRACTION
2024 Annual General Meeting
Chair Report for 2023
The year has seen increasing focus on defining the Medway Heritage Bus as an operation, and on the need to seek experience and skills in directions appropriate to that end which we do not currently possess.
The remaining work on the bus, in both mechanical and bodywork areas, is now identified, and the necessary actions to complete it are known. Costs of remaining work are currently projected to be within available funds.
FoCT Organisation and Governance
Stuart Smith and Gordon Mackley joined the Committee during the year. Subject to the agreement of the 2024 AGM, they are willing to become Trustees.
The use of Zoom continues to be the principal means of formal communication for the committee, uncertainties of travel having been a factor.
Secretary duties continue to be covered by Mike Hodges. These include maintaining the Contacts list and dealing with membership requests, donations and subscription issues.
Progressive review of the Charity Commission’s Charity Governance Code has continued. The seven principles are covered individually as agenda items on selected monthly committee meetings, and adjustments made as necessary.
Funding
As the scope of remaining work on the bus becomes narrower so the detail of remaining expenditure becomes clearer. Our income over the year from subscriptions and donations continues to hold up well, maintaining a comfortable financial basis for items still to procure and covering our running costs. Our thanks in particular to those who donated significant sums. Gift Aid payments on subscriptions and donations and VAT recovery still provide a significant proportion of income. The largest items of expenditure during the year were the completion payments for the upholstery, which totalled roundly £6000.
Remaining significant expenditure (on gearbox cover casting, driver's seat upholstery and changing of rear road springs) can be met from within our current funds. A further advance of £2000 was received from BAE Systems under their Community Funding scheme. The Medway Lottery continues to provide a modest income stream.
Progress with GKE 68
Upholstery of the seats by South West Upholstery in Bristol was completed during the year - a superb job. All the cushions and back squabs, protectively wrapped, are now stored inside the bus at Aylesford.
The most sustained activity of the year was the work by Ian Marsh and James Hodgson to install most of the systems which control the engine and the bus itself, and which are necessary for the bus to be road-ready. These include the engine starting system and control linkage, the reinstatement of cab controls and the installation of electrical wiring and switches for the operationally essential lighting and trafficators.
Work on the engine itself turned out to be more than expected, as a number of defects were discovered, somewhat inexplicably on what was a fully overhauled engine. These
AGM March 2024 - Chairman’s Report for 2023 Page 1 of 2 Richard Bourne : richard@thebournes.me.uk : 01904 766375; 07771 831653.
were all rectified with help and advice from Gardner Marine Diesels at Hersden. Parts for LW series engines are still available, although a few items including the 12V starter motor, were recovered from GKE 65. Notwithstanding these issues, 68's engine was started for the first time under FoCT's ownership on 11th August. In view of access requirements and the weight of items involved special arrangements are being made to replace the rear road springs.
An agreement, yet to be finalised, has been reached with Gillingham Depot painter James Dawkins to apply the C&D livery to the bus.
Events
A further return to normality in March to an AGM held at the Visitor Centre in Rochester. The light relief slot was filled on this occasion by a showing by Mike Hodges of photos taken around Medway in the 1960s, most but not all featuring buses. A lively discussion on the merits or otherwise of "those days" and changes since was enjoyed by attendees.
The year's South East Bus Festival planned for 1st April had to be cancelled due to waterlogging of the Showground site.
Attendance at Chatham Dockyard’s 40s Weekend in September has become a calendar fixture, relevant to our purposes and usually with a big attendance. Again located in the Smithery courtyard near the main doorway we could engage with visitors directly as they moved into or out of the courtyard. We adopted "Chatham Traction Women" as the theme for our display of three photos each showing a group of female staff at key times in the company's history - the trams, the 1930s and the last new buses ordered by CT. It was pleasing that a few people recognised ancestors amongst the groups. We also attended the Medway History Showcase event in October at the REs museum, and gave a short talk on the Friends' aims.
Forming connections
Whilst completion of the bus remained the priority the committee felt that it was time to increase our efforts to ensure both the Friends and the bus are recognised as the educational and heritage assets we believe they can be. Richard Holdsworth, Emeritus Curator, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, has agreed to offer advice in this respect. We have also made contact with Simon Curry, Medway's new Councillor representing Luton who is a public transport advocate.
Updates remain the principal means of communication with members and supporters, three having been despatched during the year. Our other more general missive, Connecting Service, can appear whenever relevant content material is available.
Appreciation
Thanks are due once again to Members, supporters, donors, volunteers, restorers, Secretary Mike and book-keeper Janet. Also to our Financial Examiner John Croucher, and Richard Lewis for looking after our Facebook entry. Morrisons at their Strood store have made their Community Room available to us when required. Suppliers of items large and small (some surprisingly still available) and various sources of advice and shared practice have all contributed.
Lastly we should mention once again Norman Kemp and his Nu-Venture operation. The provision at no cost to us of a location for the bus in a friendly environment generates much peace of mind, both physical and financial. The contribution in kind that this represents will assist with grant applications still to come. Our thanks to Norman, Chris, Kim, Ron and all the team at Aylesford.
Richard Bourne, January 2024
AGM March 2024 - Chairman’s Report for 2023 Page 2 of 2 Richard Bourne : richard@thebournes.me.uk : 01904 766375; 07771 831653.
FRIENDS OF CHATHAM TRACTION - Receipts and Payments Account 2023
| Receipts Donations under Gift Aid declarations Donations without Gift Aid declarations Lottery Donations Crowd funding appeal without Gift Aid declarations Donations from non subscribers not exceeding £100 GASDS Grant towards costs of funding Gift Aid tax repayments Sundry sales including sales of product income Bank interest Total receipts Payments Administration - printing, postage, stationery and bookkeeping Bank charges and fees including card reader charges Publicity Insurance Subscriptions to mutual interest societies Volunteer Expenses - Travel Total of administration and overhead costs Bus GKE 68 restoration and maintenance costs Excess of income over expenditure in the year Excess of expenditure overr income in the year Excess of receipts over administration payments in the year |
Year ending 31 December | Year ending 31 December | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| General fund | Other designated funds |
All funds | |
| £5,887.00 £874.00 £201.50 £0.00 £102.40 £2,000.00 £1,526.41 £50.16 £29.31 £10,670.78 £747.92 £60.15 £17.88 £1,186.88 £91.00 £261.65 £2,365.48 £8,305.30 £8,384.55 -£79.25 |
£0.00 £0.00 £0.00 £0.00 |
£5,887.00 £874.00 £201.50 £0.00 £102.40 £2,000.00 £1,526.41 £50.16 £29.31 |
|
| £10,670.78 | |||
| £747.92 £60.15 £17.88 £1,186.88 £91.00 £261.65 |
|||
| £2,365.48 £8,305.30 £8,384.55 |
|||
| -£79.25 | £0.00 | -£79.25 | |
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FRIENDS OF CHATHAM TRACTION - Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2023
| Fixed Assets No financial value is attached to the vehicle, it's spares or any of the other material and documents held by the Friends of Chatham Traction. Current Assests Charities Aid Foundation Bank Cash Account Stock of material for vehicle seating Prepayments Debtors Balance on VAT suspense & control account Current liabilites Accrued amounts due to suppliers and contractors Loans from members Short term loans from members NET ASSETS |
As at 31 December 2023 | As at 31 December 2023 | As at 31 December 2022 | As at 31 December 2022 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £13,946.66 £1,260.00 £607.85 £0.00 £120.36 £0.00 -£7,000.00 |
- £15,934.87 -£7,000.00 |
£13,231.56 £1,718.33 £547.69 £0.00 £516.54 £0.00 -£7,000.00 |
- £16,014.12 -£7,000.00 |
||
| £8,934.87 | £9,014.12 |
Represented by:-
General Fund
Balance brought forward at 1 January 2022 Excess of receipts over expenditure in year Excess of expenditure over receipts for the year Balance carried forward
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TOTAL ACCUMULATD FUNDS
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| £9,014.12 -£79.25 |
£8,934.87 | -£2,572.07 £11,586.19 |
£9,014.12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £8,934.87 | £9,014.12 | |||
| Proof totals | £0.00 | |||
| £0.00 | £0.00 |
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