2022-11-30-accounts

Annual General Meeting Report

for

Historic Swale CIO 1177323

Reporting period

1st December 2021 to 30th November 2022

Prepared by Richard Emmett MSc, GCGI, PGDip-arch Chair of Trustees Dated on 16[th] February 2023

Contents:

1.	Governance.............................................................................................................. 3
2.	Public Benefit Statement, Aims and Objectives...................................................... 4
3.	The AGM and Agenda............................................................................................... 5
4.	Chairman’s Annual Report....................................................................................... 6
5.	Financial Report....................................................................................................... 7
6.	Fundraising(Position vacant) presented by Richard Emmett ......................................... 8
7.	The Future and objectives for 2023........................................................................ 8

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1. Governance

1.1. Trustees & Administration

Richard Emmett - Chair - Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne (HRGS) Harold Goodwin - Vice-Chair - Faversham Society Ken Ingleton - Treasurer – Sheppey Minster Gatehouse Liz Fuller - Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway Allen Whitnell – Webmaster – Sittingbourne Heritage Museum

Paul David - (Non-Trustee) Membership -– Friends of Milton Regis Court Hall Theresa Emmett - (Non-Trustee) – Temporary Administrator (HRGS)

1.2. Voting Members and Management Committee

List of all members:

1. Blue Town Heritage Centre and Criterion Music Hall

2. Chart Gunpowder Mills

3. Dolphin Barge Museum

4. Eastchurch Aviation Museum

5. Fleur de Lis Museum / Faversham Society

6. Historical Research Group Sittingbourne

7. Kent Police Museum

8. Maison Dieu

9. Milton Regis Court Hall, Friends of

10. 10.Minster Abbey Gatehouse Museum

11. 11.Murston All Saints Trust

12. 12.Queenborough Guildhall Museum

13. 13.Raybel Charters Community Interest Company

14. 14.Rose Street Cottage of Curiosities

15. 15.Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway

16. 16.Sittingbourne Heritage Museum

17. 17.Sittingbourne Society

Registered address: Heritage Hub, The Forum, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3DL.

1.3. Review of Corporate Governance and Controls

On file exist:

Historic Swale Membership Form Historic Swale Aims Poster Historic Swale Privacy Statement Historic Swale Complaints Policy Data collection form

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2. Public Benefit Statement, Aims and Objectives

The Trustees of Historic Swale will present the annual report and accounts for the year ended 30th November 2022 at their Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) held on 16[th] February 2023 via Zoom, and confirm they comply with the requirements of the various Charity Acts.

Historic Swale operates under a Constitution of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with voting members, other than its charity trustees using an Association Model Constitution approved and registered by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales on 26[th] Feb 2018 which included the regulations for appointment of trustees.

2.1 Aims and Objectives for 2022

• 2.1.1. Historic Swale aims are : The promotion of the efficiency and effective use of charitable resources of museums, archives, the arts and heritage organisations in the Swale area of Kent whose collections are open to the public and are operated on a not-for-profit basis with the aim of advancing education, the arts and local heritage for the benefit of the public by: a) promoting the highest professional standards of work and public service of such organisations; b) encouraging public education through the promotion and maintenance of, and access to high quality museums, arts and heritage organisations; c) supporting the education, training and development of the staff and volunteers of such organisations and delivering other services to support the charitable work of such organisations; d) actively seeking partnership opportunities with heritage groups with similar interests; e) acting as a representative to other bodies; and f) to further such other purposes which may be charitable according to the law of England and Wales as the trustees see fit from time to time.

- 2.1.2. Objectives for 2021 2022:

As it was decided at the last AGM (held 2[nd] December 2021) that there was a need for the group to exist and represent the interests of the membership and a number of scenarios were discussed at length.

The following resolution was adopted –

• a. That the group goes into stasis for a period of one year until the next AGM.

• b. The current board of trustees should remain in post, subject to retraction of resignations and re-election.

• i Chair – Richard Emmett

• ii Vice Chair – Harold Goodwin

• iii Treasurer – Ken Ingleton

• iv Trustee – Liz Fuller

• v Trustee – Allen Whitnell

• vi Membership – Paul David (Non-Trustee)

vii Temporary Administrator – Theresa Emmett (Non-Trustee)

• c. All of the above named were unanimously re-elected to serve for the next year.

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• d. No membership fees should be requested from the membership for Oct 2021Sept 2022.

• e. That minimal administration would take place until the next AGM calling notice in October for the 2022 AGM. The Historic Swale website would be continued to be financed from existing funds.

2.2. Suggested objectives for 2022

In line with the above, no objectives were set for 2021/2022.

3. The AGM and Agenda

The holding of an Annual General Meeting (AGM) is a legal requirement at which a board of trustees is elected. It is an opportunity for members to ask questions about the direction the organisation will take in the future. Copies of the Annual Report and Accounts is available in section 5 and can be discussed at the AGM meeting and will be published on the Charity Commission’s Website.

The constitution states that a quorum for general meetings shall be the greater of 5% or three members. Every member has one vote.

3.1. The Agenda (for 16[th] February 2023):

• 3.1.1. Welcome and Apologies

• 3.1.2. Acceptance of Previous Minutes

• 3.1.3. The Annual Reports and Accounts

• 3.1.4. Swale Migration Stories Project Update

• 3.1.5. The future for Historic Swale

• 3.1.6. Election of Trustees

• 3.1.7. Admin support

• 3.1.8. Historic Swale Membership Fees - due Sept 2022 onwards

• 3.1.9. Any other business

Rose Street Cottage of Curiosities – recruitment of volunteers

• 3.1.10. Close of the meeting

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4. Chairman’s Annual Report

Welcome to the fourth Annual General Meeting of Historic Swale; this report covers the 12-month period of Historic Swale activities, since its last AGM held in December 2021.

Despite the resolution passed at the 2021 AGM that Historic Swale be inactive for one year, some activities continued and are reported below in section 4.1.

During the year, I have become aware of other forums being set up around Kent – for example there is the ‘Dover Big Local Partnership’ and we in the Heritage Hub in Sittingbourne were visited by representatives from the Gravesham area looking at how heritage is managed in Swale. They are wishing to set up something in their local area. This suggests that others see the value of having networking groups.

As discussed at the AGM in 2021 the administration is seen as an additional task on top of those of us organising our own groups. The Trustees recognise that if we wish to continue, then additional funding streams should be identified in order that the group can recruit a suitable self-employed candidate to take on the role of ‘Development Coordinator’. One such funding stream has been identified, and I am pleased to advise you that early discussions with Colyer-Ferguson and myself are looking favourable.

The trustees have made a suggestion of a suitable candidate, being Martin Goodhew, and again I am pleased to advise you that he is willing to consider this position.

I remain convinced, as do my fellow trustees there is great value in there being a networking group within Swale and it would be a great shame if all of the hard work of the Swale Museums Group and Historic Swale CIO were to be allowed to fail.

4.1. Our Objectives - reviewed:

No objectives were set for 2021/2022. However… despite Historic Swale being technically ‘on hold’ for 2022, there have been various activities, summarised below:

1. Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne (HRGS) has produced a Swale Migration Project e-book that is available online on the Historic Swale website. -

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w0UYO2bbk XkHxxBJXZ_5QOT3zun64bX/view

1. A physical Swale Migration Project book has been produced and published (March 2022) by HRGS from funding re-directed from the monies provided by Swale Borough Council relating to the cancelled conference (March 2020/Nov 2021) grant, plus £400 from HRGS and £100 from Raybel Charters.

2. Ten free copies were provided to each of the 17 member sites to help promote Swale heritage.

3. HRGS has continued to host and maintain the touchscreen dedicated to the Historic Swale project in the Heritage Hub in Sittingbourne.

4. Six people underwent an InfoAktiv training day (in Nov 2022) to enable further updates to the Historic Swale touchscreen.

5. Liaised regularly with Justin Aggett, Swale Migration project lead – to provide copies of the books to schools and local libraries.

6. Fulfilled Secretary and Treasurer rolls, including submitting the Historic Swale Charity Commission returns – 26/1/2022.

7. Trustees met via zoom on 24[th] January 2023 to discuss Historic Swale’s future.

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4.2. Summary

The Trustees met on 24[th] January 2023 and unanimously agreed that there was still a need for the Historic Swale networking group, which can speak with a collaborative voice and share training and good practices. To be able to deliver this, the group will need to seek funding for a Development Co-ordinator.

5. Financial Report

Accounts presented by Richard Emmett

----- Start of picture text -----
Historic Swale Accounts Year Ending 30/11/2022
Receipts difference on last year £ .p Payments difference on last year £ .p
Donations £ - Bank Charges £ -
Events £ - Courses, Trips, Lectures £ -
Fund raising/ Interest £ - Equipment £ -
Sponsorship £ - Insurance £ -
Membership £ - Postage £ -
Printing & Stationery £ -
Subscriptions £ -
Sundry £ -
Travel £ -
Website maintenance £ 180.00
Total £ - Total £ 180.00
Summary £ p Account Balances at: 30/09/2021 £ p
Balance from previous years 774.72
Receipts less Payments for 2021/2022 -180.00 Current Account (subject to Cheques being cleared) 2,878.44
Balance (excluding specfic funds) to date 594.72
Ring fenced balances to date 2,283.72
Grand Total £ 2,878.44 Grand Total £ 2,878.44
----- End of picture text -----

Ring Fenced Monies – total £2283.72

£83.72 remaining monies from Swale Museum Group

£2,200.00 remaining monies from lottery Start Up grant

Our funds are made up of two stands – ‘members monies’ which totals £594.72 and ‘ring fenced monies’, which is for specific functions which totals £2283.72. Costs have been minimal as meetings have been via zoom, courtesy of the Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne (HRGS), which has meant no room hire costs. The only outgoing were £180.00 a year for the maintenance of the Historic Swale website.

£25.00 cheque not cashed by Sue Akhurst – refund for Conference issued November 2021, and chased Feb 2023, paid from petty cash 15.2.2023. Cheque to be voided.

£35 is being held in petty cash for attendees (£5 per ticket) who advised us to keep the funds and those who never claimed their refund from November 2021. These monies should now be banked, and should anyone wish to claim in the future a cheque should be raised.

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Membership Secretary’s Report

Paul David was appointed as Membership Secretary in September 2020. No subscriptions were collected in 2022, as per the resolution in 2021 (normal membership fee £25 per organisation). The resumption of subscription were discussed at the 2023 AGM, and it was proposed that fees were increased from £25 to £30 with effect from December 2022 onwards.

Currently Historic Swale has the following members: paid up as at end of October 2021

1. Blue Town Heritage Centre and Criterion Music Hall

2. Chart Gunpowder Mills

3. Dolphin Barge Museum

4. Eastchurch Aviation Museum

5. Fleur de Lis Museum / Faversham Society

6. Historical Research Group Sittingbourne

7. Kent Police Museum

8. Maison Dieu

9. Milton Regis Court Hall, Friends of

10. Minster Abbey Gatehouse Museum

11. Murston All Saints Trust

12. Queenborough Guildhall Museum (in the post)

13. Raybel Charters Community Interest Company

14. Rose Street Cottage of Curiosities

15. Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway

16. Sittingbourne Heritage Museum

17. Sittingbourne Society

6. Fundraising (Position vacant) presented by Richard Emmett

No targeted fundraising has taken place over the last year.

7. The Future and objectives for 2023

The future of the Historic Swale CIO was debated during the 2023 AGM, and the following objectives set:

7.1. Objectives for 2023

1. Obtain funding for a Development Co-ordinator to support and expand the networking and training opportunities

2. Formalise job descriptions for governance roles

3. Maintain regular meetings for the trustees and membership

4. Maintain and develop a website promoting the various members

5. Find networking opportunities

6. Review the submission of data returns

7. Increase membership – aim one new member each year

8. To provide a heritage conference open to the public in November 2024

9. Promote Historic Swale

10. 10.Develop a Swale wide ‘Heritage Trail’ passport

11. 11.Hold a Historic Swale Forum

12. 12.Become self-sustainable

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