Hale Village Hall (New Forest) Registered Charity Number 1175048 Annual Report for the 12 months ended 31[st] December 2023
Summary
We are pleased to report that the Village Hall had anther good year with plenty of use, further improvements and remains well funded Our own events of table tennis and film club continued to run as normal and while memberships still remain a little lower than pre-Covid these are well attended and enjoyed. The café and library continue to run and attendance for these afternoons is slowly growing. In 2023 we formed an Events Committee to organise ad hoc events in the village hall and we ran two events in celebration of the Coronation, one music evening and one picnic event but sadly the latter was not well attended.
During the year we replaced the ageing boiler with a new, more efficient unit and with our plans to insulate the hall in the near future we hope to reduce the energy costs of running the hall which have grown dramatically. We have also introduced an online booking and billing system which has streamlined bookings and invoicing.
During the year we received a grant from The National Lottery which we have used to fund the replacement boiler and also a grant from National Grid which we are using to provide additional female toilet facilities for the Cricket Club and other users for which the Trustees sincerely thank both the National Lottery and National Grid. A grant towards the electronic locking system was also received from County Councillor Edward Heron.
We ended the year with reserves in the bank that fall slightly short of the Trustees’ Policy on reserves when taking into account the risks and issues around the operation of the hall but we feel that this shortfall can be rectified during the next year. In the current economic climate the Trustees have taken the decision not to alter the hire rates for next year.
Objectives
The objectives of the Village Hall and its Trustees as set out in the Deed of Trust remain unchanged.
Trustees as at 31[st] December 2023
Jacqui Hartas – Chair Mark Nobes – Secretary and Health and Safety Marjaana Batterbury – Hall Manager Gary Adams – Treasurer Sue Adams – Village (Co-opted) Debbie Vine – Village Gary Kyle – User Group (Parish Council) – joined 31/05/23 Richard Barlow – User Group (Cricket Club) David Keniston – Village James Stewart - Village David Mussell – User Group (Horticultural Society) Sarah Pook – Village
During the year Ian Gemmell resigned from the Trustees
Policy Documents
We have policy documents covering all of the key areas of the Hall’s functions, including finance, Health and Safety, bookings, maintenance and safeguarding. We are grateful to Action Hampshire and the Association of Communities in Rural England (ACRE) for the advice and guidance they provided in these matters.
Financial Situation
The Income and Expenditure Statement for the 12 months to 31[st] December is shown below but in summary;
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Our income excluding grants was £29.7K, up by 30% from £22.7K in the prior year.
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Total income was boosted by the grants from the National Lottery (£9,500) and National Grid (£10,000) and the County Councillor Grant (£322).
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Overall taking the grants into consideration there is an in-year surplus of income over expenditures of £19.3K but Trustees have commitments and plans that will utilise this surplus in 2024.
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The Trustees have a detailed Reserves Policy which is reviewed and updated annually. The current level of required reserves is £68.1K against actual held reserves of £63.5K after commitments.
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There are no significant liabilities to disclose.
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Parish Magazine income and expenditure is held by the Hall but the magazine operates as a separate entity and the funds are reported separately from the Hall’s operational funds.
Issues
- There are no significant issues, complaints or disputes to report.
Appreciation
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The Trustees give their time and effort free of charge or benefit and in turn are grateful to all who support the Hall in terms of hiring the Hall, providing support to the Hall, attending events, running events and sessions, and donations received.
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Thanks are also given to those organisations who have generously given the Hall grants:
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We are also very grateful to the supporters of the 100 Club.
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Thanks are also given to our examiner of the accounts who generously carries out this task free of charge.
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Additional thanks this year to Jane Pearce and David Keniston for their continued hard work on the garden and to our café and library volunteers.
The Register of Assets is shown below in Appendix 1
J Hartas G Adams Chair, Hale Village Hall (New Forest) Treasurer
Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of Hale Village Hall
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Hale Village Hall (the Hall) for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees of the Hall you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the Hall’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Hall as required by s.130 of the 2011 Act or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention, in my opinion, should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Name: Julia Nobes, FCA
Signature: Date: 13 May 2024
Appendix 1
Hale Village Hall New Forest
Asset Register May 2024
2 x fridge-freezers, 2 x microwave ovens, kettle and two hot water urns
9 x oven trays Cutlery and crockery and wine glasses for 100 people, 40 x champagne flutes, 10 water jugs Downstairs – cutlery, crockery and glasses for 20 people, 2 x cafetieres
18 x tablecloths
Audio sound system, projector, hearing loop, DVD player and 2 x remote controllers 2 x hand-held microphones and 2 x lapel microphones Portable lighting and spotlights Portable stage, 2 stage trolleys, steps and skirt
3 x locking metal cabinets and 1 x locking wooden cupboard
2 x lockable home storage boxes for Treasurer and Hall Manager
3 x cash boxes
4 x wooden book cases
4 x table tennis tables, nets, bats and balls
1 x step ladder and 1 x kick step
90 upholstered chairs + 10 downstairs, 10 folding chairs and 5 x chair trolleys
15 square tables and 8 x long tables
10 pairs of curtains, 2 wall clocks, 5 pictures and plaques, 4 internal notice boards
6 dustbins and 2 bicycle racks
1 outdoor storage unit
2 x vacuum cleaners
3 x changing room benches
1 hand bell
4 x pedal bins, 3 x dustpan/brushes, 3 x yard brooms, 3 x soft brooms, 4 x mops and buckets Wall mounted TV and remote.
6 x concrete patio pots
4 x external flood/spot lights
9 x fire extinguishers (4 x foam, 3 x CO2, 2 x water) and 1 x fire blanket
1 internet router, 1 Hive hub and 1 telephone
50% share of dishwasher, gas cooker, combi-oven, water boiler and hot cupboard