## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** **From 01/04/2023 Period start date To 31/03/2024 Period end date Charity name: Rothwell Community Library Trust** **Charity registration number: 1178745** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To promote, for the benefit of the residents
of Rothwell and surrounding area, the
provision of a public library space. This to
be used for recreation and other leisure
time occupation of individuals and the
general public who have need of such
facilities by reason of their youth, age,
infirmity or disablement, financial hardship
or social or economic circumstances.| ||Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit. In particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.
Para 1.17 and
1.19
Through the dedicated support, of around
30 volunteers, the following activities take
place to meet the following identified
purposes:
**Provision of a public library**
A full book lending service including a “click
and collect” service during opening hours.
Access to computer terminals
Help with bus pass and blue badge
applications.
**Activities and facilities for young people**
A children’s library area which includes a
range of toys. Weekly Rhyme Time, Story
Time and parent and under 5 year old
sessions. In addition there is a weekly
session for parents and children who are
home educated. Regular craft and child
focussed activities in school holidays. A very
active participation in the summer reading
challenge with a RCLT volunteer providing
an introduction to the scheme which is
rolled out to local primary schools ahead of
the annual launch.
**Adult activities and facilities for adults**
Active Scrabble club, daily group
completing the large number of jigsaws
available. A monthly coffee morning is held
with home made cheese scones and cakes.
The library hosts a weekly dementia group
meeting . Local beaders and crafters have
evening meetings and amongst other
activities help to produce knitted poppies
and ‘toppers’ which decorate the town for
specific occasions. Regular craft fares take
place during the year. The library is a
named dedicated warm space during
winter months with additional drinks and
food available. However, tea, coffee,
biscuits and other snacks are available all
year round.
**Outreach**
Visits from Council representative, Mental
Health outreach worker and Citizen’s Advice
Bureau – with access via pre-booked
~~appointments~~| |---|---| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|The Trustees confirm that that they are
aware of the guidance and have taken it
into account when considering the range of
activities offered by the Trust. All of
activities undertaken are there to meet the
charitable purposes of the Trust to benefit
the community of Rothwell and the local
area.| |---|---|---| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|No grants are made by the Trust| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|Not applicable| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|The library is staffed, and run, entirely by
volunteers. In addition, the volunteers
undertake fund raising activities and, along
with the Trustees, seek to secure grants.| |Other||The lease for the building has been taken
over from the local council by the Creating
Tomorrow Multi Academy Trust which
operates several SEN schools in the area.
Pupils from the schools visit the library on
certain days each week and undertake
supervised work connected with the library
and upcoming events.| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|RCLT has continued to ensure that the
library has remained open throughout the
year allowing free access to book lending.
During the year additional activities have
started including a Saturday morning ‘Story
Time’ session for younger children and
carers. Funding was again secured from the
County Council to enable the library to be a
designated warm space during the colder
months. A grant was obtained from Rothwell
Town Council for the purchase of a shed
allowing for the storage of ‘event chairs’ and
freeing up space for the increasing number
of child entered activities. The footfall has
again increased during the year - up by 9%
to 18,123 visits. This was matched by the
increase in active users during the year - up
by 8%. An important service provided at the
library - help with completing applications
and renewals for bus passes and blue
badges - also increased and remains a vital
help for those residents who cannot access
the technology required at home and/or
have difficulty in understanding how to do
this.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|| |---|---|---| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|| |Other||| ## **Financial Review** |**Financial Review**||| |---|---|---| |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|The total funds of RCLT, as at the 31 March
2024 were just under £20,000 - with £7,054
held in the RCLT account with the CAF
bank and the balance in the original account
opened with a local Building Society. With
the addition of a card reader at the library,
and the CAF bank introducing the facility for
cash deposits, the need for an active local
BS account has decreased. Shortly after the
year end the majority of the BS funds were
transferred into the CAF account. A smaller
balance was retained in the BS - see below.| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|We have set a low reserve of £2,000 which
will be retained in the RCLT account held
with the local BS. Only a low reserve is
necessary because, as RCLT is not the
leaseholder or responsible for any utility
charges, then the Charity does not have
any ongoing day to day liabilities . There are
no employees so the £2,000 will be there
just as a cushion in case of donations/grant
shortfalls - to allow the children's holiday
activities to continue. These are the only
activities that require funding. All the other
activities are either self-funding or covered
by grants.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£2,000| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|N/A| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: The charity’s principal sources of funds (including Para 1.47 any fundraising) Investment policy and objectives including any Para 1.46 social investment policy adopted ||A description of the principal
risks facing the charity
Para 1.46
Other| |---|---| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s

||| |---|---|---| |~~t~~
~~t~~
Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|CIO Foundation Constitution| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|CIO| |Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
|Para 1.25|Apart from the initial Trustees, the
appointment for Trustees is for four years or
less. Trustees are selected based on their
interest, skills and knowledge - required for
the effective administration of RCLT.| |~~trustees~~||| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|RCLT have an agreed Trustee induction
pack.| |---|---|---| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|There were 7 current Trustees at the
beginning of the year. Two trustees
resigned during the year and three new
trustees were appointed shortly after the
year end. There remains a mix of Trustees
who are also active volunteers in the library
and those who are not. This mix continues
to ensure that there is a balance giving a
‘line of sight’ across the Volunteer activities
together with a ‘challenge’ element from
those not directly involved in the running of
the library. This increases the robustness of
the Trustees Governance ability.
Separately, there is a Volunteer Committee
which undertakes the organisation of the
volunteers and is responsible for dealing
with the induction of new volunteers
including completion of the necessary DRB
checks and GDPR training.| |Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|As mentioned under ‘Objectives and
Activities’, during the year a local Academy
Trust formally took over the lease of the
library building from the County Council.
The RCLT volunteers are still responsible
for the running of the library and the local
activities but the partnership with the
Academy Trust has ensured that the library
has a secure longer term future. The
Academy is using the library to give work
experience for some of its students which
are supervised by an Academy employee.| Other ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Rothwell Community Library Trust| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|| |Registered charity number|1178745| |Charity’s principal address|Market Hill
Rothwell
Northamptonshire
NN14 6EP| ||| ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** ||**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(if any)**| |---|---|---|---|---| |1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10|Kate Ley|Chair||| ||Linda Crossey|Secretary|01/4/23 -
21/02/2024|| ||Maureen Hill|||| ||Mark West|||| ||Victoria Bell|||| ||Ann Relf||01/04/23 - 31/12/24|| ||Christine
Gordon-Smith|Treasurer
Temporary
Secretary|All year
21/02/23 - 31/03/24|| |||||| |||||| |||||| Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved ## **Director name** Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity **Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year** ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** Description of the assets N/A held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets ## **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** **Type of Name Address adviser** **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff mem bers (Optional information)** ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details ## **Other optional information** **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees Signature(s)** Kate Ley **Full name(s)** Kate Ley **Position (eg** Chair **Secretary, Chair, etc)** **Date** 27th June 2024 |||| |---|---|---| |**Rothwell Community Library Trust Annual Accounts**||| |||| |**Year ended 31 March 2024**||| |||| |||| |**Balance brought forward as at 1 April 2023**||**£5,212.23**| |||| |**Plus**
**Unrestricted receipts**
EON credits
£2,497.01
Interest received
£9.08
Insurance reimbursed (NNC)
£282.72
Event receipts
£471.31
DonaDons
£1,505.41||| |||| |||| |||| |||| ||**£4,765.53**|| |||| |**Restricted receipts**
Rothwell Town Council (RTC)
£1,000.00
Co-Op DemenDa group donaDon
£500.00
Warm Space (WS) -NNC
£2,000.00||| |||| |||| ||**£3,500.00**|| ||**£8,265.53**|**£8,265.53**| |||| |**Less**
**Unrestricted expenses**
Monthly bank fees
£60.00
Gardening costs
£410.00
Insurance cost
£282.72
Film night expenses
£540.00
Children acDviDes
£658.45
Non capital equipment
£643.98
DemenDa group expenses
£218.69
CraX, misc expenses
£475.38||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| |||| ||**£3,289.22**|| |||| |||| |**Restricted expenses**
RTC - shed
£929.30
WS - various
£555.43
ANPR -various
£1,150.00
Co-Op - for DemenDa group
£500.00||| |||| |||| |||| ||**£3,134.73**|| ||**£6,423.95**|**£6,423.95**| |||| |||| |**Balance carried forward as at 31 March 2024**||**£7,053.81**| 1