Houghton Regis Heritage Society (Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Annual Report of the Trustees and Financial Statements
st for the Period Ended 31 December 2024
Charity Number 1174720
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Trustees Report for the period to December 31[st ] 2024
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 2025 Roger Turner Treasurer June 2025 Dudley Smy June 2025 Janet Smy Secretary June 2025 Tracey McMahon June 2025 Catherine Aganoglu June 2025 James Carroll June 2025 David Woods June 2025 Lorna Morrison June 2025
Bankers Nat West, Dunstable
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Trustees’ Report for the period to 31[st ] December 2024
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 elect 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
The Society has concentrated on two main projects.
The Red House
The Society worked to maintain the building for Community and Society use. Houghton Regis Town Councilors agreed to work with the Society to try to ensure Community use of the building. The property is owned by Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC). To fund such a project, we have drafted a business plan in order to apply for grants. This is an ongoing project to save a valuable Heritage building for public use.
Vane Cottage
This 14[th] century, Grade II listed building is sited on Park Road North, and has been left vacant after the previous occupier moved into a care home. When the property was sold after being empty for over two years, the new purchaser stripped the garden of trees, shrubs and grass and started to do work on the cottage without Listed Building or Conservation Area consent. Subsequently a planning application was submitted to CBC to demolish the cottage and replace it with a new building. The Society mounted an email and social media campaign to make members and the residents of Houghton Regis aware of the danger of losing a valuable heritage asset. We received support from over 150 residents. The planning application was subsequently withdrawn. No further application has been submitted to date. The Society is keeping a watchful eye out for further developments.
The Society’s Archive (hrhsarchive.org.uk) is a valuable asset in making the heritage of Houghton Regis available to all. It is financed with assistance from the Houghton Regis Town Council. We continue to receive pictures and stories from the public and several new items have been added to the Society’s Archive.
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The Society has also maintained a website (hrhs.org.uk), a Facebook page and an email contact list to keep members and residents updated on the work of the Society.
We attended the Annual Houghton Regis Carnival and a Craft Fare in the Memorial Hall. We also gave presentations to the Tibbs Dementia Charity.
An information board describing the History of the Brandreth Family in Houghton Regis was installed in Houghton Hall Park in September and unveiled by the Town Mayor Cllr Elaine Cooper.
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Financial Review
The Charity reported a deficit of £221.27 Principal Funding Sources: Membership subscriptions amounted to £100.00 Houghton Regis Town Council Key Partner Grant and other Grants £800.00 A donation of £500.00 was received from D Woods. Other donations amounted to £57.00.
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. A copy of the Articles of Association can be found on our website – www.hrhs.org.uk In the event of the CIO being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1, which was paid with their initial subscriptions and 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
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 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 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ |
£ | £ | ||
| Fixed Assets Tangible Assets |
0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 0.00 | |||||
| Current Assets Current Account |
1996.28 | 2069.45 | |||
| Less Outstanding Cheques | -235.17 | ||||
| 1761.11 | 2069.45 | ||||
| Debtors | |||||
| Current Balance | 1761.11 | 2069.45 | |||
| Cash | 121.86 | 30.79 | |||
| Total Assets | 1882.97 | 2100.24 | |||
| Current Liabilities | |||||
| Creditors | |||||
| Member Liability Fund | 34.00 | 33.00 | |||
| New Member Liability for the | 4.00 | 1.00 | |||
| Year | |||||
| Less Members Leaving | -3.0 | ||||
| 35.00 | 34.00 | ||||
| Total Assets Less | |||||
| Current Liabilities | 1847.97 | 2066.24 | |||
| Represented by | |||||
| General Reserve B/F | 2100.24 | 2590.62 | |||
| Surplus/(Deficit) for the Year | -221.27 | -479.88 | |||
| Member Liability for the Year | 4.00 | ||||
| General Reserve C/F | 1882.97 | 2100.24 | |||
| Member Liability | -35.00 | -34.00 | |||
| 1847.97 | 2066.24 |
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Receipts and Payments for the Period Ended 31[st ] December 2024
| Receipts Subscriptions Society Meetings Quiz Shows Book Sales Walks Archive Web Site Grants/Donations Vane Cottage Donations Total Income Payments Stamps Web Site Society Meetings Quiz Shows Insurance Equipment Expenses Total Expenditure Surplus/Deficit 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 |
£ 100.00 0.00 421.30 6.10 103.40 0.00 12.00 1357.00 130.00 2129.80 0.00 1304.10 12.49 99.17 25.32 96.00 441.39 372.06 2351.07 -221.27 2069.45 30.79 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 2100.24 | ||
| 1761.11 121.86 |
||
| 1882.97 |
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 30[th] March 2025 and signed on its behalf by
Roger Turner Treasurer
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Statement of assets and liabilities at 31[st ] December 2024
| Cash Assets Current Account Cash Total Cash Assets |
£ 1761.11 121.86 1882.97 |
|---|---|
Other assets
2 Digital Recorders & 2 Lapel Microphones Panel Display Stand PC Projector Gazebo
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Notes to the Accounts for the Period Ended 31[st ] December 2024
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.
Subscriptions of £5 per member will be due in January 2025.
2. Grants & Donations
| D Woods Houghton Regis Town Council Donations from Talks to Organisations Miscellaneous Total |
£ 500.00 800.00 50.00 7.00 |
|---|---|
| 1357.00 |
3. Trustees Remuneration
No Trustee received any remuneration during the year.
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