2024-12-31-accounts

Annual Report of The Troyte Ringing Centre

(Registered Charity No. 1179374)

St. Michael’s and All Angels, Bampton

2024

[This page is intentionally blank]

2

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

TROYTE RINGING CENTRE

Annual Report of the Trustees for the year ending 31[st] December 2024

CHARITY DETAILS

CHARITY NAME

The Troyte Ringing Centre (often known as the “TRC”) was set up in 2004.

CHARITY REG’D NUMBER

The Centre was granted charity status by the Charity Commission in July 2018. Its Registered Charity Number is 1179374.

CONTACT ADDRESS

Five Oaks, Bampton, TIVERTON, Devon, EX16 9LE.

CHARITY TRUSTEES Name Office Held Christopher Bolt Leslie Boyce Chairman Michael Hatchett Treasurer Jennifer Jones Secretary Sheila Scofield Michael Ward

ADVISORS Robert Brown Principal Conductor Donald Carter, John Martin & Fergus Stracey Conductors Simon Bartlett Examiner of Accounts Ken Smith Webmaster

WEBSITE

http://www.troyteringingcentre.org.uk/index.htm

3

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT

The Troyte Ringing Centre is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and its governing document is the TRC Constitution adopted on 27[th] July 2018. The members of the TRC are for the time being its trustees. Additional trustees or trustees to fill vacant posts are appointed by the remaining trustees with due regard to the knowledge, skills and experience of the candidates. In particular, appointees must demonstrate their competence in ringing full circle tower bells and in the training and development of appropriate ringing skills.

Management

The TRC operates primarily from St Michael and All Angels Church, Bampton and from All Saints Church, Huntsham in Devon. The Centre has management agreements with the Parochial Church Councils of both churches which provide for access and maintenance arrangements and the respective responsibilities of the TRC and the PCCs. The trustees and other voluntary helpers appointed by the trustees are responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of the Centre. All the trustees and helpers work for the Centre on a voluntary basis without remuneration other than the reimbursement of reasonable expenses.

The Centre has developed a range of management policies covering issues such as health and safety, safeguarding, COVID-security and investment.

Links to other bodies

In addition to the agreements in place with the respective PCCs of Bampton and Huntsham, the Centre cultivates links with the North East Branch of the Guild of Devonshire Ringers and is designated an ART Teaching Hub by the Association of Ringing Teachers. The TRC also has a close relationship with Bampton Church of England Primary School and restarted an after-school bellringing club for its pupils in February after a suspension for the COVID pandemic.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The TRC sets out its objective in its Constitution, namely:

For the public benefit, to recruit and train bell ringers, using individual and group-based programmes of continuing education and development, in Mid Devon, West Somerset and surrounding areas for the purpose of advancing the art of bell ringing on bells hung in towers for full circle ringing which are audible to the general public.

• Note: This object requires the TRC to operate within three principal fields of activity:

• with the general public for the purpose of increasing public knowledge and understanding of tower bell ringing,

• within groups of practising bell ringers for the purpose of developing group ringing performances

4

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

• and with individual bell ringers to enable them to integrate more effectively into existing groups of ringers.

In attempting to meet this objective the TRC carries out a range of activities, primarily:

1) Developing competence in the full circle ringing of tower bells through training, mentoring, focused practices and recorded performances for those living principally, but not exclusively, within the local authority areas of Mid Devon and the western part of Somerset.

(2) Providing suitably competent bands of ringers to meet the reasonable bellringing needs and interests of the communities of Bampton and Huntsham and those living within the wider geographical areas of interest to the Centre.

(3) Providing appropriate recruitment information and events for those living principally within the geographical areas of interest to the Centre.

(4) Using any surplus income not used for meeting objectives 1,2 or 3 for the long-term maintenance and enhancement of the equipment used by the Centre which is owned by others and to support local communities.

Public Benefit

The Trustees are mindful of the guidance given by the Charity Commission in respect of demonstrating public benefit arising from the work of the TRC. In carrying out the activities outlined above the following public benefits are derived:

• Towers within the geographical area of interest are supported to provide information, open events and recruitment activities to explain and foster an understanding of tower bell ringing in the general population. Raising awareness of the heritage and history of bells and tower bell ringing from the mid-16[th] century is a key component of our public information activities.

• Through helping teachers in local towers or by directly providing tuition, the TRC enables new recruits to bellringing to be taught to control bells safely and effectively, thus sustaining ringing activities in towers that might otherwise fall silent and maintaining the centuries old tradition of ringing bells in England.

• Through providing continuing training in bell ringing, less experienced ringers are supported to maintain and develop their ringing and thus to improve their standard of public performance.

• Through offering readily available practice facilities using well-maintained bell installations, sound control systems and silent practice computer-based training, the TRC is further supporting ringers of all levels of ability. It thereby encourages the retention of ringers and supports ringers to achieve higher standards of public performance, while avoiding excessive disturbance to neighbours from long and frequent periods of open ringing.

• Through raising funds through its activities, the TRC supports its host churches to meet running costs, the costs of day-to-day bell maintenance and the investment needs for the longer-term overhaul of the bell installations.

• Bell ringing is an activity open to people of all ages from 8 to 80 and of all backgrounds. It offers good physical exercise and the opportunity for mental stimulation and social interaction.

5

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

CENTRE ACTIVITIES IN 2024

Recruitment, Publicity & Fundraising

Recruitment remained a priority for the year. In addition to the usual coffee morning, teddy bear parachuting and Heritage Open Day events, the Centre had a stall at a local Community Groups showcasing fair in Bampton. None of these events produced any recruits, but we were fortunate to attract a “ready-made” ringer who had moved into the area from Wiltshire. We have a pool of 12 service ringers and a further 5 support the weekly practice. It is pleasing that work with pupils from the local primary and secondary schools has resumed.

We retain a set of display boards illustrating the history and practice of bells and ringing. These were well used throughout the year for Heritage Open Days in September in Tiverton and Bampton and during fundraising events at Bampton and Tiverton. In all 9 bookings were made during the year.

Coffee mornings were held at Bampton in April and October and a cream tea in the Bampton churchyard in June to raise over £1,400 for the Centre. The August Bank Holiday Monday event parachuting teddy bears from Bampton church tower and a tower open event in September for Heritage Open Days generated good public relations for the TRC. The funds raised by these events, peal fees and other donations allowed the TRC to support the running costs of the two churches and to make provision in the longer term for major work on the bells. Details are given in the financial review below.

Service ringing and requested ringing

In normal circumstances the Centre’s band of local ringers performs regularly prior to most Sunday services at Bampton and Huntsham. This is at least four times a month. The TRC band also rings for mid-week church services, weddings and to celebrate anniversaries, other life events and civic occasions when requested. Particularly noteworthy was special ringing for the visit in August of an Australian family whose relatives had been ringers in Bampton in the 1950s and 60s. Local Facebook pages are used to inform the community of ringing for special occasions.

Group practices and Training Events

Regular Thursday night practices at Bampton have been held throughout the year. It has been possible to expand the repertoire of methods rung at practices in the last year and attendances regularly exceed 12 ringers.

The TRC programme of 7 training courses and Extended Practices saw 30 ringers, 27 of whom were from local towers, benefit from these events. Demand for help with raising and lowering in peal remains strong and much of the training programme focuses on the needs of less experienced ringers in the earlier stages of their ringing careers.

Recorded performances – peals and quarter peals

The TRC promotes the value of extended ringing performances as a way of developing the skills of ringers. Ringers throughout the South West are encouraged to participate in weekly peal attempts. A “peal” is a continuous performance of a minimum of 5,000 changes and takes between 2½ - 3 hours to complete. 43 successful peals were recorded in the year.

6

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

Details of the peals rung at Huntsham in 2024 can be seen on the TRC website: https://troyteringingcentre.org.uk/peals/peals2024.htm

Similarly, the Centre also hosts regular quarter peal attempts by the local ringers and bands from further afield. 18 successful quarter peal performances were recorded at Huntsham, many being rung to develop the skills of the TRC local band. A “quarter peal” is a continuous performance of a minimum of 1,260 changes and takes about 45 minutes to complete. At Bampton there was one peal rung on Bampton Fair day in October.

Governance

The trustees were able to meet face-to-face on 5 occasions in 2024. The trustees receive regular reports on finance, health and safety, safeguarding and tower maintenance issues. As well as planning and reviewing Centre activities, the group has considered the maintenance needs of both bell installations and the arrangements for booking bells for weddings being held at Huntsham Court. A printed guide for wedding couples was produced.

We continue to search for new trustees from amongst those with both the relevant bellringing skills and other abilities in managing the organisation. A young ringer attended our December meeting as an observer and will be invited to future meetings before he leaves the area for university.

Facilities Maintenance and Improvement

New sets of ropes for both Huntsham and Bampton were purchased in 2024. In addition, work was done to inspect and treat the main sub-frame beams where they enter the tower walls at Bampton and to make repairs and adjustments at Huntsham.

The main project for 2025 will be the repainting of the bell frame at Bampton. Volunteer help for the work is being sought from outside the ringers’ group.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

The Financial Statement for the period 1[st] January to 31[st] December 2024 and the Report of the Examiner of Accounts are appended. Our financial activities are summarised here under three headings:

Current Account Activities:

On 01 January 2024 our current account had an opening balance of £8,002.75 and on 31 December 2024 there was a closing balance of £4,278.13.

Income during the year was £8,232.08 and is summarised as follows. Bampton based activities contributed £3,152.28 and consisted mainly of community-based activities including coffee mornings, parachuting teddy bears, cream teas and open tower events designed to build good working relationships between bell ringers and residents with future recruitment of ringers in mind. Huntsham based activities contributed £3,029.00 and consisted principally of income from peals which contributed £1,500 and income from weddings which contributed £420.00. Looking ahead income from weddings is declining as the lettings policy of Huntsham Court moves from weddings to company residential courses. Training activities generated an income of £571.00 and other income generated £1,479.80 which included £632.08 in income tax repayment through the Gift Aid system. £654.00 of income was transferred to our account electronically mainly through “Easy Fundraising” and similar systems.

7

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

Expenditure during the year was £10,860.19 and this is summarised as follows. The Centre donates £2,000 each year to investments held by each PCC anticipating future major works to the bells and/or bell frames which require faculty procedures. Further details of this expenditure are included later in this report. The Centre also donated during 2024 £1,000 to Bampton PCC and £700 to Huntsham PCC for the Centre’s use of church facilities including space heating, lighting and access to other church building facilities by bell ringers. Thus £3,700.00 of our income is currently paid back into church managed finances. In addition, the Centre spent £6,322.50 on new bell ropes and inspections and repairs to bells and their frames and fittings undertaken by our preferred bell hanger. Most of this expenditure falls within the Listed Places of Worship Scheme whereby each listed building is able to claim funding equal to the VAT paid on each approved service provided. Therefore, the Centre pays the actual cost of the work done or product supplied to each PCC and the PCC pays the contractor or the supplier for the work done or products supplied together with the VAT and then claims back a grant equal to the VAT paid through the Listed Places of Worship Scheme. In addition, we paid £603.86 to cover the costs of insurance, management and Ringing Society affiliation and other related arrangements. Finally, we reimbursed the costs incurred by trustees for their training and recruitment activities.

The surplus of more than £4,000 which is available at the end of December 2024 is ear marked for expenditure during 2025 for the repainting of the Bampton bell frame, which is now somewhat overdue and for the replacement of pulley bearings to the Huntsham bells as a consequence of more than 600 peals being rung during the last twenty years.

Our Reserve Fund Activities:

We have a reserve fund which is held in case our normal sources of income decline below committed expenditure. Our reserve fund is a single holding of £3,000 in the COIF Charities Deposit Fund. There has been no expenditure or transfers from this fund during 2024 and at 31 December 2024 the fund was valued at £3,348.79 with income earned reinvested.

Funding arrangements for future major works to the bell installations at Huntsham and Bampton:

The Centre arranged shortly after it received Charity status for Huntsham PCC and Bampton PCC to each establish a Bells Major Works Fund restricted to the payment of those major work items of expenditure to tower bells and their bell frames which required each PCC to obtain a faculty for the work to be done. The intention being that if this fund is managed effectively there should be no need for any major fund-raising activities at any time in the future. This was the lesson learned when it was found in 2001 that the bells and bell frame at Huntsham were in such a poor condition that it would cost in excess of £68,000 for the bells to be brought back into a good working condition. It was also discovered that the Huntsham PCC had no funds available for such work and thus if bell ringers wanted to ring these bells they would have to provide the PCC with the funds required.

At 31 December 2024 the Huntsham Bells Major Works fund is valued in excess of £13,148.20 and the Bampton Bells Major Works Fund is valued at £21,139.00. These are the valuations as at 31 December 2023 and also include the donations of £1,000 made to each PCC during December 2024. The Troyte Ringing Centre will be informed when each PCC receives the valuation of these funds as they were at 31 December 2024.

At the present time no major works to either Huntsham or Bampton Bells or bell frames which require a faculty are anticipated. Also at the present time all minor repairs and

8

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

maintenance work required, to keep these two rings of bells in good working order, are managed and paid for by the Troyte Ringing Centre at no cost to either PCC.

DECLARATION OF TRUSTEES

This annual report and the accompanying accounts were approved by the Trustees at their meeting held on the 14th day of May, 2025

Signed Leslie Boyce Chairman Signed Jenny Jones Secretary

9

Troyte Ringing Centre Annual Report 2024

Troyte Ringing Centre

Financial Statement for period 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
TOTAL TOTAL
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT General Huntsham Bampton Training
2024 2023
Note Unrestricted Designated Designated Designated
£ £ £ £ £ £
RECEIPTS
Use of bells 1 2,256 255 2,511 2,263
Voluntary receipts 2 728 1,028 1,541 124 3,420 2,865
Fund raising 3 0 1,596 1,596 1,913
Other incoming resouces 4 320 0 0 584 904 465
Total receipts 1,048 3,284 3,392 708 8,432 7,506
.
PAYMENTS
Maintenance & Repairs 5 2,301 4,022 6,323 1,039
Fund raising costs 6 27 27 58
Facilties 7 1,700 2,000 3,700 3,578
Training 8 270 270 274
Other outgoing resources 9 584 29 29 643 575
Total payments 584 4,030 6,078 270 10,962 5,524
Surplus (Deficit) 464 (746) (2,686) 438 (2,531) 1,982
TRANSFERS
Transfers between funds 10 0 0
Surplus (Deficit) after transfers 464 (746) (2,686) 438 (2,531) 1,982
AVAILABLE FUNDS 11
Available funds at start of Financial Year 2,592 629 5,267 1,938 10,427 8,343
Available funds at end of Financial Year 2,986 7 2,642 2,324 7,959 10,427
TOTAL TOTAL
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES General Huntsham Bampton Training
2024 2023
Note Designated Designated Designated Designated
£ £ £ £ £ £
Monetary assets
Bank current account 2,986 (1,823) 867 2,246 4,276 7,321
Cash & cheques not paid in 0 156 100 78 334 0
Deposit account 0 1,674 1,674 0 3,349 3,106
2,986 7 2,642 2,324 7,959 10,427
Investments
Bell Major Works Funds 12 13,780 22,168 35,948 32,659
Liabilities
Cheques not presented 0 0 0 0 0 0
Agency Account 13 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
----- End of picture text -----

Jack Ward Mike Hatchett Accounts Manager Treasurer

Approved at Trustees Meeting on

Jenny Jones Secretary

----- Start of picture text -----
TOTAL TOTAL
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT General Huntsham Bampton Training
2024 2023
Designated Designated Designated Designated
£ £ £ £ £ £
1 Use of bells
Peals 1,605 85 1,690 1,420
Quarter Peals 171 171 173
Weddings, funerals and celebrations 480 170 650 610
Visiting Ringers 0 12
Branch Practices 0 48
0 2,256 255 0 2,511 2,263
2 Voluntary receipts
Online Giving 96 96 62
Non-Gift Aided Donations 548 389 27 964 478
Gift Aided Donations 480 1,152 97 1,729 1,735
Income tax recovered (Gift Aid Scheme) 632 632 590
728 1,028 1,541 124 3,420 2,865
3 Fund raising
Trading 0 21
Events 1,596 1,596 1,892
0 0 1,596 0 1,596 1,913
4 Other incoming resouces
Bell Club fees & subscriptions 168 168 0
Training fees 346 346 331
Refreshments 59 59 56
Grants 0 0
Transfer from Deposit Account 0 0
Other 320 12 332 78
320 0 0 584 904 465
5 Maintenance & Repairs
Maintenance & repairs 2,301 4,022 6,323 1,039
New equipment 0 0
0 2,301 4,022 0 6,323 1,039
6 Fund raising costs
Invoices & reimbursements 27 27 58
Cost of trading 0 0
0 0 27 0 27 58
7 Facilties
Use of faclities 700 1,000 1,700 1,578
Major Works Investment Fund 1,000 1,000 2,000 2,000
0 1,700 2,000 0 3,700 3,578
8 Training
Training material
Reimbursements 170 170 159
Other 100 100 115
0 0 0 270 270 274
9 Other outgoing resources
Administration 75 75 345
Bank Charges (included in Other in 2023) 102 102
Insurance (included in Administration in 2023) 347 347
Other 60 29 29 119 230
584 29 29 0 643 575
----- End of picture text -----

10 The General Fund is used for payments which are not liabilities falling to one of the other funds (e.g. administration, insurance, bank charges, website costs and governance) and receipts which are not other fund credits (e.g. income from internet puchases) or not attributal to a single fund (e.g. standing orders and donation to the TRC and Gift Aid).

11 Monetary Assets less Liabilities

• 12 Investments in the Bell Major Works funds are made by the Huntsham and Bampton PCCs using the annual grant made by the TRC (see Note 7). The funds are controlled by the respective PCCs but can only be used for major work on the bells.

13 Money which passes through the TRC's bank account but which is not part of its income or expenditure. e.g. Collections for other charities.

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLANO AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Report lo the Irustee81 membgrn of Troyte Ringing Centre On accouiits lor the year ended 2024 Charity no (11 any) 1179374 Set out on pages The attached pages I report to the trustees on my 8xaminalion of the accounts of the above harity {Ihe Tfusf) for the year ended - Responsibilities and basis of report As the chantys trustees. you ar8 responsiblè for the preparation of the accounts in acccxdance with the requirem8nls of the Chariti8s Act 2011 ('Ihe Acr). I report in respecl ol my examinat￿ of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(51{b) of the Act. Independent examiner's statement aPpkÈa￿￿￿1]. Delete [ ] rfnot applKable. I have completed my examination. I confimi Ihat no material matters have come to my attention in wnneclion with lh8 examination (etkoF lose&bW which gives me cause to believe thal in, any mat8rial respecl: the accounting records were not kept in accordarKe with section 130 of the Chariiies Act; or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records.. QT the accounts did not comply wilh the aFvlicable requirernents conc8rning the fom and content of accounts sel out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports} Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Yrue and fair, view which is not a Matter considered as part of an independenl examination. I have no COn￿mS and have come across no other matters in connection Ih the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please delete the words in the brackets il they do nor apply. Slgned: (kn Date: 10,2 Name: IER Oct 2018

Relevant professlonal qualification(8) or body (If any): Address: A￿eltiNf F>lb OIFF Seclion B Disclosure Only complete it the examiner needs lo highlight rllalerial matters of concem (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guIdar￿e lor examiners). Give here brief detslls of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclose. LL¥ IER Oct 2018