Houghton Regis Heritage Society (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Annual Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements
st for the Period Ended 31 December 2020
Charity Number 1174720
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Trustees Report for the period to December 31[st ] 2020
Charity Name
Houghton Regis Heritage Society
Charity Number 1174720 Registered Office C/O Houghton Regis Town Council Peel Street Houghton Regis LU5 5EY
Trustees Office Held Term of Office Ends David Hill Chair June 2021 Roger Turner Treasurer June 2022 Dudley Smy June 2020 Janet Smy Secretary June 2020 Tracey McMahon June 2021 Joanna Hillyard Resigned March 2020 Allan Grubb June 2023 Susan Thorne June 2023 Bankers Nat West, Dunstable
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Trustees Report for the period to 31[st ] December 2020
Aims and objectives
To advance the education of the public in the history and heritage of the town of Houghton Regis, in particular but not exclusively through the collection, preservation and making available to the public of material and artefacts of historic significance by the establishment and maintenance of an archive and collection for the preservation of such material and artefacts and by the production of literature, films and recordings.
Governance and management
The Society is managed by the Trustees whose are elected at the Annual General Meeting. The committee elected the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. The powers of the management committee are set out in the Constitution agreed at the Annual General Meeting.
Summary of the main achievements during the period
We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the first six months of operation of the Charity. The review looks at the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help. The review also helps us ensure our aim, objectives and activities remained focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aim and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
The Society has been unable to hold public meetings, but the Committee has met on several occasions using video conferencing. Who would have thought, at the end of 2019, virtual meetings would be common place?
Several new items have been added to the Heritage Society’s Archive – www.hrhsarchive.org.uk - and we will be pleased to accept any photographs, documents, etc, which you may have so that we can continue to add to it. The Archive is a record of the past history of Houghton Regis for today’s and tomorrow’s generations to enjoy and learn from. However it is not a static record and today’s images are tomorrow’s heritage. The Town is changing rapidly with the massive development of HRN1 and other house building and we hope that this development can be recorded.
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Our website has also been updated regularly with news items, such as the wreath laying at the War Memorial on Armistice Day, 11[th] November – www.hrhs.org.uk We were sad to hear of the death of Robert Brandreth-Gibbs earlier this year. He lived in Canada and visited Houghton Regis on several occasions. He was a supporter of the Society and, over many years, compiled a substantial family tree.
The Society has been working to prepare a plaque in remembrance of Robert. It has been decided that an oak tree will be planted in Houghton Hall Park and an interpretation board with the Brandreth Family Tree and other information about Houghton Regis will be erected in front of the tree. Allan Grubb, a Trustee, has been working hard to make the Family Tree suitable for printing on the interpretation board. We will keep you informed of developments.
We have been given permission to publish a book detailing the history of the Brandreth Family and their time in Houghton Regis called The Family on the Green . The book was researched and written by Rosemary Harris and we hope to publish it as soon as we can.
Financial Review
The Charity generated a surplus of £1352.91
Principal Funding Sources: Membership subscriptions amounted to £130.
Future funding will be via Member Subscriptions, fund raising activities and grants.
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing Document
The Charity is governed by its Constitution (Articles of Association) and is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered as a Charity on 19[th] September 2017. In the event of the CIO being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1, which is held in the Member Liability Fund.
Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees
The directors of the company are also the Charity Trustees for the purposes of charity law. The Trustees form the management committee for the Charity. The Trustees are appointed for a period of three years, by election at the Annual General Meeting.
All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity.
Responsibility of the Trustees
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Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees should follow best practice and:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
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prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is not
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appropriate to assume that the company will continue on that basis.
The Trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 1985. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
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Balance Sheet for the Period ended 31[st ] December 2020
| Fixed Assets Tangible Assets Current Assets Current Account Less Outstanding Cheques Debtors Current Balance Cash Total Assets Current Liabilities Creditors Member Liability Fund Member Liability for the Year Total Assets Less Current Liabilities Represented by General ReserveB/F Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year General Reserve C/F Member Liability |
£ 2020 £ 0.00 3146.60 -95.19 3051.41 3051.41 0.00 3051.41 29.00 1.00 30.00 3021.41 1698.50 1352.91 3051.41 -30.00 3021.41 |
2019 £ 0.00 0.00 1698.50 0.00 1698.50 29.00 29.00 1669.50 1643.50 55.00 1698.50 -29.00 1669.50 |
2019 £ 0.00 0.00 1698.50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | |||
| 1698.50 | |||
| 29.00 | |||
| 29.00 | |||
| 1669.50 | |||
| 1669.50 |
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Receipts and Payments for the Period Ended 31[st ] December 2020 Receipts
| Receipts Subscriptions Member Liability Society Meetings/Quiz Shows Book Sales Walks Grants/Donations Total Income Payments Stamps Web Site Society Meetings Shows Insurance Walks Expenses/Equipment Total Expenditure Surplus Bank and Cash Bank at the start of the period Cash at the start of the period Total Bank at the end of the period Cash at the end of the period Total |
130.00 1.00 280.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1505.00 |
|---|---|
| 1916.00 0.00 179.60 90.37 0.00 138.64 0.00 154.48 |
|
| 563.09 1352.91 |
|
| 1698.50 0.00 |
|
| 1698.50 3051.41 0.00 |
|
| 3051.41 |
This statement includes all gains and losses in the period. All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.
Approved by the Trustees on 20[th] January 2020 and signed on its behalf by
Roger Turner Treasurer
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Statement of assets and liabilities at 31[st ] December 2020
| Cash Assets Current Account Cash Total Cash Assets |
£ 3051.41 0.00 3051.41 |
|---|---|
Other assets
2 Digital Recorders & 2 Lapel Microphones 6 Panel Display Stand PC Projector
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Notes to the Accounts for the Period Ended 31[st ] December 2020
1. Receipts & payments accounts
Receipts and payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement of cash into and out of the organisation during the financial year. In this context "cash" includes cash equivalents, for example, bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay for debts as they become due.
The Trustees decided not to ask for a subscription for 2020. Subscriptions of £5 per member will be due in January 2021
2. Grants & Donations
| J. Carroll J Hillyard Key Partner Grant HRTC Catherine Siscoe Total |
£ 15.00 5.00 500.00 985.00 |
|---|---|
| 1505.00 |
3. Trustees Remuneration
No Trustee received any remuneration during the year.
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