## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** ## **From 1 January 2023 To 31 December 2023** **Charity name: The Belsize Society** ## **Charity registration number: 1180842** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To promote high standards of architecture,
conservation, planning, design and use of
buildings in Belsize and to promote the
protection and improvement of historic or
public interest;
To promote high standards in urban planning,
infrastructure and transport, the maintenance
and improvement of streets and public places,
and the protection of the environment in
Belsize;
To foster interest amongst the public in Belsize
and moregenerallyin the historyof the area.| |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|The Society's activities allow Society members
to contribute views on local public services,
and allow the Society to co-ordinate views on
local planning applications and as appropriate
make representations to the local authority.
They allow the Society to participate in projects
designed to improve local environmental
conditions.
The Society provides information about local
issues and activities through quarterly
newsletters, two noticeboards and a website.
As the accounts show, a large proportion of our
annual expenditure goes towards
printing/maintenance in these areas.| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|The Trustees have had regard to this guidance.| |**Additional information (optional)**
Youmay choose toincludefurtherstatements|**Additional information (optional)**
Youmay choose toincludefurtherstatements|whererelevant about:| |---|---|---| ||SORP reference|| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|The Society is not a grant-giving charity but, as
an activity ancillary to its charitable purposes, it
has been the charity’spractice from time to| |||time to make donations that are in accordance
with the Society’s general aims. Full details of
the Society’s Donations Policy can be found on
its websitewww.belsize.org.uk| |---|---|---| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|N/A| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|The Society has no employees, therefore
almost all activities are undertaken on a
voluntary basis. Specifically, the Society
publishes a quarterly newsletter which
volunteers from the membership help to
distribute.
The Society’s educational events (for example
guided historical walks)are led byvolunteers.| |Other||| ## **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|Very sadly Neil Harris, our Treasurer, Trustee
and Committee member passed away suddenly
in March. The Society celebrated his
considerable contribution and helped in
various arrangements after his passing. The
Committee and Trustees worked hard to fill the
gap for Society business and transfer the
responsibilities Neil held.
We welcomed Peter Wallace as a new
Committee member in May.
The Society held a wide range of activities in
2023.
We held a historic walk, open to non-members,
that took us through the Eton College Estates
in the Belsize area.
We were also pleased to host events jointly
with the Belsize Community Library, with a talk
about the local, listed, Goldfinger House. In
December the Society hosted carol singing in
Belsize Terrace, joined by Primrose Hill
Community Choir, and raised a considerable
sum for the Marie Curie Hospice.
The planning team has continued to look at
applications for planning permission made to
the Council in the Belsize area, commenting on
around 10 this year in support of local planning
policyandguidance.| We have continued to monitor local tree applications, looking at 243 applications and commenting on 16. The Society was pleased to have three trees planted under the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative in the Belsize area. The Society has commented in consultations, such as by the Council about understanding and experience at community level as plans are made to prepare for climate change. We also publicised initiatives to retrofit older properties, including events allowing residents to see premises that have progressed retrofits. The Committee have also engaged with local councillors, both through meetings and as individual Society initiatives have progressed. There was an informal meeting with councillors from local wards in November to discuss matters of interest and concern locally. Throughout the year, our noticeboards have publicised non-commercial local events, services and notices of interest. The Society’s financial position has remained healthy. Like last year, we have made donations to bodies supporting the community. ## **Additional information (optional)** ## You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|N/A| |---|---|---| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|N/A| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|N/A| |Other||N/A| ## **Financial Review** |**Financial Review**||| |---|---|---| |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Income for the period: £5,899
Expenditure for the period: £5,666
Total cash assets (including reserves): £15,626
The Societyhas no non-cash assets.| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|The Society holds cash reserves for use in the
event of its future involvement in initiatives
involving financial outlay which could not be
covered by the Society's annual income
through membershipfees.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|£15,626| |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|N/A| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|The Society derives its annual income from
membership fees (currently £10 a year) and
occasional unsolicited donations. All fees are
paid by members resident locally, except for
one member resident in the Republic of
Ireland. There is no requirement to live locally
to be a member of the Society – anyone with
an interest in the area is welcome. Also, there
is no requirement to be a member to attend
the majority of our events, such as historic
walks. During 2023, 35 new member
households joined the Society. At the end of
the period the total paying membership was
508, with a further 16 complimentary
members.
Membership fees support the costs of
producing material reporting on the Society's
activities (such as quarterly newsletters) and
advertising events (e.g. posters), as well as the
maintenance of noticeboards and a website.
Since becoming a charity in November 2018
the Society has not engaged in any fundraising
exercise.
During 2023 the Society received no income
from contracts or grant programmes from
central government or a local authority.
The Society did not operate or spend money
outside England and Wales.
The Society does not engage in trading
activities and so has no trading subsidiaries.
The Society has no employees and all Trustee
and Committee posts are honorary so no
salaries, benefits or honoraria are paid.| |---|---|---| |Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|N/A| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|The Society relies on its volunteers, several of
whom have been in position for many years
and/or are advancing in years. The Society is
actively seeking new volunteers, to avoid the
need to curtail activities in the future.| |Other||N/A| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed,royal charter)|
Para 1.25|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
trustees|Para 1.25|Five trustees were in place until Neil Harris
passed away in March 2023. Committee
member David Thomas was appointed as a
new trustee in December 2023. At the AGM,
the trustees and committee were proposed to
the 60 attendees and, as there were no
objections to the nominations, passed without
a vote. To date trustees have been selected
from past or present Committee members.
Nominations to join the Committee are
solicited in thepre-AGMpapers.| ## **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|Trustees are made aware of the Charity
Commission’s requirements on, and guidance
for, trustees. One trustee (responsible for
governance matters) is available to be
consulted by others, and by members, who
have questions or concerns about propriety.
The constitution states that each new trustee
must receive, on or before his or her first
appointment:
(a) a copy of the current version of this
constitution; and
(b) a copy of the CIO's latest Trustees' annual
report and statement of accounts| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|The day-to-day business of the Society is taken
forward by a committee which includes most
Trustees plus some other members appointed
at the AGM. The Trustees meet alone (i.e.
separately from the committee) when
necessary to consider trustee-specific matters.| |Relationship with any
relatedparties|Para 1.51|N/A| |Other||N/A| ## **Reference and Administrative details** Charity name The Belsize Society Other name the charity uses N/A Registered charity number 1180842 Charity’s principal address Flat 1 20 Netherhall Gardens London NW3 5TH ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
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20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Prabhat Vaze|Chair||| ||Anne Stevens|MembershipSec||| ||Neil Harris (dec’d
15.03.23)|Treasurer|01.01.23-15.03.23|| ||Michael Jampel|Governance||| ||Barbara Abraham|Trees & Acting
Treasurer||| ||David Thomas|Climate change &
retro-fitting|Appointed 12.12.23|| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved **Director name** N/A Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity |**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year **|| |---|---|---| |N/A||| |||| |||| |||| ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** Description of the assets N/A held in this capacity Name and objects of the N/A charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for N/A safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets ## **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** |**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**|**Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**| |---|---|---| |**Type of**
**adviser **
**Name**
**Address**||| |N/A||| |||| |||| |||| |**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**||| |N/A||| N/A ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details N/A ## **Other optional information** N/A ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** **Signature(s)** |||| |---|---|---| |**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**|Prabhat Vaze|Barbara A Abraham| ||

Chair|Trustee/Acting Treasurer for 2023| ||18 August 2024|| ||18 August 2024|| I he beisize bociety ACCOUNTS FOR THE 12 MONTHS TO Jl DecEMBEP 2023 INCOME & WENOITURE ACCOUNT IN¢E SU8SCRIPTIONS uv¢tA5 txthès INlÈNtbl (?IP I AIU NUI ILttlUAIWb UQNA I iuNb (ir( mernDws1 IM¢k< Iiiirningi 2023 £5.456 0 2022 £5.160.CrfJ 130.L t11135 £o.ts) £1.275 IXI £80 fKI YJ21 r.fj.iryJ.on LS00 £4194 r328.85 EO.aO £0 EO.fAJ 000 L95.00 IUIALINLUM £0.$56.35 £5.702.2J EXPENDITURE PROVL%N$ FOR EVENTS STATIONERY PRINTING PHOTOCOPIES POST AGE GIFTS HIRE OF ROOMS SU8SCRIPTIONS REFUNDED WE8SITE DONATIONS lio• b•kty41'1 ENTERTAINMENT INSUFIANCE NOTICEBOAROS Iln¢. Prkn¢ing1 IUNA4Ji & rtÈMUVAL IACC¢WIII R¢¢ofd$ & NH 8ooksl OTHER l¢arc4s Foel8enk ¢harAesl TOTAL EXPENOff LIRE £39.26 £99.58 E1.640.C(S £o.c4) £183.78 £o.ty) E661.tJl £Q.L £362.44 £1.450. £190.C8 t131.97 £t rATrO.04 £0.00 £227.24 fo.oo £643.C £to.o) £95.40 EO ofj f284.00 fD.¢)E) L1104Q r2.ILY).00 £0.00 1-231.00 co.00 £231.00 £2.(.1) £242.¢)J £410.21 £41143 £0. £0.00 Ele4.) £150. £7.540.78 485.00 ts.44S.$4 8URPLUSIIDEFicifi FOR YEAR £233.•• 4884.43 £256.69 ALANCE SNEET AT: 8ANK BALANCES LESS UNPAID tK)NATI(hYS 3111212023 £15.626.30 3111212022 £15.520.77 E200.IJI 3111212021 £16.445 20 TOTAL NET oANcE £14IX30 £11320.77 £18.445.20 AEPReseNTED BY.. SURPLUS AT START OF YEAR SURPLUSIIDEFICITI FOR YEAR £iS.W.77 £n3.98 £18.445.20 .£884.43 £16.168.$1 L256.69 SUIIPLUS AT END OF YEAR E15.554.73 £15.560.77 £16,445.20 ' Dgmtiom M•d• In 20 NW3CLT Belsize Ililkge lihlfj Camdén Age UK C4WS Hom¢ks5 Pr¢i 8CL Tot•1 £29).tJl t?.{ £1.450.00 Paydwuk Ju5tr 8arrry ExarnineT rieasurer