2024-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1 January 2024 To 31 December 2024

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 more generally in the history of 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) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
	Para 1.38	The Society is not a grant-giving charity but, as an activityancillaryto its charitable

Policy on grant making		purposes, it has been the charity’s practice 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 website www.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 by volunteers.
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	The Society enlisted our former chair for two historic walks this year. In May, we were taken around our area on the theme of Belsize House and other Local Country Mansions, looking at the story of the Belsize estate before the 1850s. Our September walk covered the Victorians who shaped Belsize. We were also able to host events jointly with the Friends of the Belsize Community Library, with a talk by Martin Sheppard on the War in Belsize Park. The event was very well attended, with the library full as Martin presented a picture of a wartime London. Other library events held jointly with the Friends were Averil Nottage’s illustrated talk about the development of the Chalcots/Eton College Estate and Lester Hillman’s talk about local weather events over the last centuries. December saw us host the Society carol singing which raised over £350 for the Royal Free Hospital Maggie’s Centre. It again featured the Primrose Hill Community Choir. The summer party benefitted from a sunny day and was well attended. This year, the Society was able to present a commemorative award to David Percy, sponsored with the Belsize

Conservation Area Advisory Committee, to mark his contribution to local history. This was at the launch of his new book about Belsize homes, The planning team has continued to look at applications commenting on around 18 this year, raising objections for 12. This year has also seen a new developer for 100 Avenue Road revising the plans for the scheme. The Society has been considering the changes, ahead of the formal application. There have been 239 tree applications reviewed, of which comments were made on 25. The Society participated in various other local meetings and saw some success as, with other resident bodies, we convinced the Council to maintain parking scratchcards for the time being, alongside the digital short-term parking permits, so that residents without access to IT were not excluded. The Society helped with the organising of a Camden Council sustainability team’s Strategy Room, bringing together some members for a Citizen’s Jury as the Council developed its strategy. The Society has also publicised initiatives to retrofit older properties. The quarterly newsletters continued to be produced, with the 2024 edition of Tradesmen You Can Trust accompanying the May newsletter. The website is publishing newsletter articles and other notices online. Many members have switched to receiving the Newsletter online only, saving printing costs and delivery. Also, a project to renew the website has been initiated to allow for online payment and a members’ area. This is being paralleled by the Society setting up social media sites and developing a policy for this. Throughout the year, our noticeboards have publicised non-commercial local events, services, and notices of interest.

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: £5,029 Expenditure for the period: £5,807 Total cash assets (including reserves): £14,803 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 membership fees.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£14,803
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	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 though we are progressing a decision to raise fees to £20) and occasional unsolicited donations. All fees are paid by members resident locally. 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 2024, 25 new member households joined the Society. At the end of the period the total paying membership was 473, with a further 11 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 2024 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 during 2024. 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 the pre-AGM papers.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements	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 related parties	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 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 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	Membership
	Michael Jampel	Governance
	Barbara Abraham	Trees
	David Thomas	Climate change & retrofitting

– 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	Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
Description of the assets held in this capacity	N/A
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	N/A
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	N/A

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

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

Other optional information

N/A

Declarations The Irustees de¢lare that they have approved the trustees, report above. Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees Slgnature{s) Full name(sl Position (eg Secretary. Chair, etcl Prabhat Vaze Anne Stevens Chair Membership Secretary Dale 30 October 2025

9 February 2025