Report by Trustees of the Fareham Men’s Shed February 2024 **Trustees Annual Report & Accounts for the year to 31[st] December 2023** **Registered Charity number 1178126** **The annual report by the Trustees of Fareham Men’s Shed (FMS) presented to the Annual General Meeting on 26 February 2024 by Chris Hodgson (Chairman).** The Trustees are pleased to provide this report together with a financial statement of our charity for the year ended 31 December 2023. The statements have been drawn up in accordance with the recommendations of the Charity Commission. ## **Governing Document** The Fareham Men’s Shed is a registered charity, number 1178126. The FMS is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and is governed by its Constitution and Rules. ## **Trustees** The Trustees manage the day to day running of the charity. The rules of the FMS allow for the stepping down of one third of the trustees annually, returning and new nominations are approved at the AGM. **Trustees & Committee as at 31 December 2023** Chairman: Chris Hodgson Public Relations: John Zalenski Vice Chairman: Milton Hewins Sales: Richard Bunce Secretary: Peter Childs Health & Safety: Pat Kinchen Treasurer: Cliff Jones I.T.: John Rawlinson Membership Secretary: Chris Nixon Social Secretary: Tony Crane Workshop Manager: Chris Lane Project Co-ordinator: Brian McCarthy Workshop Deputies: Mick Foster & Rod Parker ## **Address of the Fareham Men’s Shed** 73 St Margaret’s Lane, Titchfield, Fareham, Hampshire PO14 4BG (within Titchfield Festival Theatre) **Bankers -** HSBC, 71 West Street, Fareham, PO16 0AN ## **Purpose of the charity is to:-** - provide a workshop and social centre for members - help and encourage members in maintaining their mental health and wellbeing, making new friends and enjoying working together on a range of projects - assist the local community in practical ways, whenever and wherever possible ## **Organisation:-** - **Trustees** - meet monthly throughout the year in order to administer and steer the charity. - **Investment powers -** The Trustees have unlimited investment powers. - **Related parties -** The charity has no related parties. ## _**Charity Status**_ Fareham Men’s Shed became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (C.l.O.) in 2018 to give more flexibility and opportunities in the running of the shed and reducing risks to the Trustees in carrying out their management responsibilities. 1 Report by Trustees of the Fareham Men’s Shed February 2024 ## **General Report** 2023 was a momentous year for our shed! In January we were asked to vacate our rooms to make way for start of building works on the expansion of the Titchfield Festival Theatre (TFT). We quickly packed up the workshop and social areas within 3 days. Heavy items were put into a local storage unit while some delicate items were housed by members. Venues were hired for twice weekly mornings to enable social meetings for Shedders. It was important that we continued to provide such opportunities to keep the spirit of the shed going and to continue to provide a weekly haven for those needing to meet with fellow shedders. It quickly became apparent that the period away from a new home was going to be quite protracted. Once the new workshop and social room had been plastered, it was our own more practical Shedders who completed the decorating, ‘moving in’ and ‘kitting out’ process. By October the social room and workshop were fully available to all members. Well done and thank you to those who spent many hours on these tasks! The temporary displacement did cause extra expenses for the year (storage and venue hires) as can be seen in the accounts. Some valuable financial assistance came via our local County Councillor ahead of the move in 2022, for which we were very grateful. Membership - 19 new members joined during the year taking the membership to 77 by the year end. Inevitably each year, for one reason or another, some do not renew and some sadly have left us to the great Shed in the sky! ## _**Men’s Health:**_ Fareham Men's Shed promotes Men's Health and Wellbeing. We constantly encourage our members to ‘open up’ about health concerns they may have. Unfortunately, so often men do not wish to talk about such issues. The focus this year was on Prostate Cancer and in March we were pleased to welcome an Ambassador from Prostate Cancer UK to spell out the signs and symptoms to look out for. His personal experience was a wakeup call to us all! We continue to emphasise the importance of keeping hydrated and trying to maintain a healthy diet! ## _**Events in 2023:**_ In spite of upheavals, the shed continued to provide social events and activities throughout the period. During the year we attended; the Titchfield Garden Club fayre in April; the Portchester Eco Fayre at Wicor primary School in May; the Stubbington Bank Holiday Fayre in August. Macmillan Coffee Morning in September – we ran this again and raised £918. Christmas Charity Hampers - Shedders personally made donations and helped out with deliveries. ## _**Social activities:**_ Due to disruptions, the trustees quickly set up SOGs (the Social Organising Gents) committee to keep Shedders updated and provided with social activities. A regular ‘SOGs Newsletter’ was born! Twice weekly morning social venues were hired, one in central Fareham at the W.I. Hall and the other in the west at the Park Gate St Margaret Mary church hall. The main aim was for us all to meet and chat with the essential tea, coffee and biscuits! Social outings were also made for lunch and pub evenings. We received talks from visitors on hovercrafts, specialist adaptions for wheelchair users etc. Visits made included The Tangmere Aviation Museum, Tools For Self-Reliance and Screwfix Live. 2 Report by Trustees of the Fareham Men’s Shed February 2024 ## _**Projects:-**_ Projects remained active even without a workshop and donations for work done amounted to £750! ## _**The forthcoming year 2024**_ As the dust has settled (literally!) on the new premises and in our new rooms, we expect a fully functioning Shed again involving social activities, events and practical workshop-based projects. The trustees are also seeking more convenient and charitable banking and investment for a reserve fund. ## _**Financial policy and risk management**_ We continue to budget with care, and we monitor our cash flow. Reserves are held for future development of the charity's equipment and premises. We have no major fixed assets, so we have no risk of loss or depreciation. Risk from public liability is covered by insurance. The accounts are operated on a Receipts and Payments basis throughout the year and are summarised in this report as at 31[st] December 2023. Training – all Shedders wishing to use the workshop machinery must undertake first time or refresher training within the new layout. ## _**Financial position 2023**_ Income was virtually as 2022. Expenses were a lot more due to the costs of the move and the purchase of new workshop items. We were very grateful for over £1,000 received from the ASDA foundation. Shedders raised over £5,000 from sales of donated tools; £1,000 from wire stripping and scrap collected; over £1,000 raised at events attended in the year. Shed running costs and new equipment were just about balanced by member subscriptions. Our financial position continues to be healthy, with most of the funds earmarked for potential shed development. 3 Report by Trustees of the Fareham Men’s Shed February 2024 ## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Fareham Men’s Shed (FMS)** I have examined the accounts and supporting documents of the FMS for the year ended 31 December 2023, a summary of which is shown below. I have no concerns and confirm that the summary is a true reflection of receipts and payments during the year. ## **Stuart Rowe - Independent checker** 24th January 2024 ## **Fareham Men's Shed Summary Account 2023** **----- Start of picture text -----**
INCOME 2023 2022 EXPENDITURE 2023 2023 2022
£ £ £ £ £
Membership fees 5,052 3,460
Shed Running Costs:- 6,436 3,642
Member Donations re Tea & Coffee etc 474 570
Grant re shed move 0 2,000 Shed shirts subsidy 32 265
Donated items/material sold:- 6,252 7,226
Events: Sale of items made tec. 1,033 830
Shed Move Costs 3,722 462
Donations Received:
Projects completed 785 718
ASDA Foundation 1,082 -
Other 449 361
TOTAL RECEIPTS 15,127 15,165 TOTAL PAYMENTS 10,190 4,369
Fund Summary for 2023 Bank and Cash Reconciliation 2023
£ £
Fund brought forward from 2022 36,941 Bank Statement as at 31st Dec 2023 42,158
Add O/S Bankings 33
Total Net Income 15,127 Less - Unclaimed Petty Cash 0
Less - Total Net Expenditure -10,190 Less - O/S cheques -514
Adjusted bank Position 41,677
Workshop Managers float 50
Treasurer's Float 150
Axminster Gift Cards 0
Total Fund 31st December 2023 41,877 Cash Total 41,877
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## _**Notes:-**_ _**1) A payment of£105 relates to 2024 year; a £100 deposit was refunded in Jan 2024**_ - _**2) Figures rounded to nearest pound may cause £1 discrepancy in totals**_ Accounts prepared by FMS Treasurer - Cliff Jones Dated 20th January 2024 Independent Checker - Stuart Rowe Dated 24th January 2024 4