The Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey
Report of the Trustees
1 September 2021 to 30 September 2022
Reference and Administrative Information
Registered charity The Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey name
Charity registration 1181213
| Constitution | Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), |
|---|---|
| Association model. | |
| Established by constitution dated 21stOctober 2018, | |
| amended 15th | |
| December 2018. Approved by the Charity Commission | |
| and registered | on 17thDecember 2018 |
| Operational address | The Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey |
| Castle Street | |
| Nether Stowey | |
| Bridgwater | |
| Somerset | |
| TA5 1LN | |
| Trustees | Susan Aubrey |
| Catherine Christie | |
| Norma Frood | |
| Eliza Sackett | |
| Roger Stacey | |
| Bankers | Co-operative Bank |
| 1, Balloon Street | |
| Manchester | |
| M60 4EP |
Structure, Governance and Management
The charity is administered by a Management Committee consisting of the Trustees above and the following officers:
| Eliza Sackett | Secretary |
|---|---|
| Eric Coates | Treasurer |
| Catherine Christie | Oversight, including budgeting, forward |
| planning, compliance | |
| Roger Wallbank | Health and Safety Oficer |
| Kevin Ferriday | Parish Council representative |
| Bill Streeter | |
| Janet Burdge | Co-opted |
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Sian Stafford SCC/TPLNS
Events and Publicity Manager. Employed by
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Objects
1) For the public benefit, the provision of a library in Nether Stowey, Somerset and a library service for the village and surrounding parishes
2) To promote for the residents of Nether Stowey and the surrounding area the provision of a public library for recreation and or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the residents.
3) To advance the education of the public in the history and heritage of the area, in particular of the lives of Samuel Taylor Coleridge and local benefactor Thomas Poole, and the local environment.
Public Benefit
In planning activities for the period covered by this Report the Trustees kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
Library Performance
TPLNS is one of only three public libraries in Somerset to be entirely managed and run by volunteers.
Opening hours: 14 hours per week (down from 23 hours pre-pandemic).
Volunteer hours: volunteers gave a total of 1,659 hours of their time, both within the library and elsewhere.
Community Library Partnership Review meetings: two have been held with Somerset Library Service representatives to review performance. It has been agreed to hold two meetings a year in future, and that TPLNS will receive performance statistics quarterly.
Meetings: two meetings of the Trustees were held, six of the Management Committee, and one of the Volunteers.
Activities
Evening Talks : eight were given.
Coleridge seminars: three were given.
Groups regularly using the Library : Reading Group, Patient Participation Group, Mind in Somerset
Regular Weekly/Monthly/Annual activities : Knit and Natter
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Children’s activities, including weekly Storytime for toddlers, weekly Story Reading to a class from the village school, and reading and craft activities for children in the holidays, including the summer Reading Challenge Book sales – held regularly, plus a book table in the library and book stalls at village events Thrive Tribe – free NHS health checks
Women’s Walk – help with planning and catering, plus storage of archive and banner
Participation in village events, including the Walking Festival and Party in the Park Ancestry research facilities available Displays, including natural history, local history, arts and crafts, children’s art Annual plant sale
Other events
The High Sheriff of Somerset visited the library.
The library is now at the ‘recommended’ stage for listing on SW Heritage’s Local Heritage List: buildings, structures and places which have cultural significance in Somerset.
The Quantock Landscape Partnership Scheme has been leasing an office in the library since November 2021. TPLNS is delighted to host QLPS, who are doing so much to enhance this area.
The Coleridge Collection is now housed in the library. This is a collection of old, rare, valuable and more modern scholarly books by and about Coleridge and his circle which is owned by the Friends of Coleridge. The books used to be on display at Coleridge Cottage, but when the Cottage was refurbished the books were stored at Dunster Castle. TPLNS is privileged to host this collection, and very pleased that the books can be seen and used by the public once more.
A group of delegates to the Coleridge Conference, which is organised by the Friends of Coleridge, visited the library to see the Coleridge Collection and learn how Tom Poole built the free school, now the library building.
Sian Stafford has joined the Quantock Messenger editors’ group and edits the magazine every three months.
Grants and Financial Aid
We are grateful to the following organisations for their generous support:
Sedgemoor District Council
Waiving of remaining 20% Council Tax (discretionary relief) after 80% charity relief
Somerset County Council
Revenue grant of £5000.00 p.a. for the financial year 2021-2022
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HPC Community Fund Grant of £25,000 for period June 2021 to June 2022 Grant of £15,000 for period July 2022 to June 2023
National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All Grant of £10,000, 2022
Major maintenance work carried out
New boiler
Refurbishment of the shed, including installation of electricity and heating, and its transformation into Book Sales HQ Electrical work within the library New signboard in the car park Bookcase in children’s section New flat roof and insulation above the office Tarmac renewal in TPLNS’s part of the car park and the shed area
Website and social media
TPLNS’s website and Facebook continue to be updated regularly.
Acknowledgements
The Trustees express their sincere thanks to the Officers and Members who make up the Management Committee, to the Events and Publicity Manager, and to the Volunteers for their committed service in carrying out daily librarian duties, ensuring that The Thomas Poole Library, Nether Stowey continues its Community Library Partnership with the Somerset Library Service.
Signed R.J.Stacey
For and on behalf of the Trustees
26 October 2022
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The Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey Registered Charity No. 1181213
The Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey Receipts and Payments Accounts for the Year from April 1[st] 2020 to March 31[st] 2021 /
| Incoming Resources Surplus from 2019-2020 Grants Grants for Operations SCF Grant Covid-related Grants Revenues from Operations Bank interest now included with 'Other' Subs Wednesday Talks Book Sales Library Takings Hall hire Other Total Income Expenditure Services and Utilities Maintenance Employee Outreach including Speakers Speakers Subscriptions Miscellaneous Total Expenditure Net (outgoing) incoming resources |
2021-2022 | 2020-2021 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | £ | £ | |
| a | £40,605.02 | £39,265.00 | |
| b | £5,068.08 | £5,500.00 | |
| £25,000.00 | |||
| c | £10,667.00 | £19,669.00 | |
| £129.00 | |||
| £225.00 | £0.00 | ||
| £166.00 | £89.00 | ||
| d | £336.80 | £16.00 | |
| £539.50 | £103.00 | ||
| £200.00 | £0.00 | ||
| £4,659.54 | £862.00 | ||
| £87,666.94 | £65,633.00 | ||
| £2,960.19 | £3,585.00 | ||
| £5,589.94 | £3,627.00 | ||
| e | £19,902.02 | £16,644.00 | |
| f | £620.95 | £754.00 | |
| £0.00 | |||
| £0.00 | £0.00 | ||
| £1,165.95 | £417.00 | ||
| £30,238.65 | £25,027.00 | ||
| £57,228.29 | £40,606.00 |
The Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey Statement of assets and liabilities as at March 31[st] 2021
/ /
| / / |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Notes | 2020-2021 | 2020-2021 |
| Co-operative Bank | |||
| Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey Community Directplus Account |
£1,240.73 | £1,850.37 | |
| TPL SCF Grant Instant access savings account |
£55,987.56 | £38,754.65 | |
| Total Bank | £57,228.29 | £40,605.02 | |
| Total Cash funds | £20.13 | £20.00 | |
| Total Funds | £57,248.42 | £40,625.02 |
Assets (note g)
| Assets (note g) | |
|---|---|
Item |
Value £ |
| Dishwasher | £161.19 |
| Henryvacuum cleaner | £86.66 |
| Displaystands | £52.78 |
| Copier | £46.09 |
| Bookstands | £53.14 |
| Book Rack | £88.55 |
| Copier | £219.99 |
| Total | £708.40 |
Notes to the Accounts
- a Surplus from previous FY, including unused portion of grant from Somerset Community
Chest
-
b Consists of annual grant from Somerset County Council Library Services, annual grant from local Parish Council if any.
-
c Grants under Government schemes to alleviate Covid losses
-
d Income from selling donated second-hand books.
-
e Employee salary (paid via SCF fund) plus direct employee expenses
-
f Costs of public-facing and public relations activities (e.g. the Website, information panels), funded via SCF grant
-
g Items on the Asset Register, depreciated at an arbitrary 10% p.a.
Independent Examiner's Report to the Trusteej of the Thomas Poole Library Nether Stowey I report on the accounts of the Thomas Poole Library Nether Stow¢y for the year April 1st 2021 to March 3 ISI 2022 which ar¢ set out in the Fages (following) Respective resp005ibititie3 of trystees and reporting examiner The Charity's trustees are r¢S)nsIble for the preparation of the account The Charity's trustees consider that the audit wuiranent of section 144 of the ChaTiti¢s Ad 2011 (the Cbariti¢s t) does not apply and that an indyndent ex8minatioD is needed. It is my restK>nsibility to: examine th¢ accounts under lon 145 of the Charities Acc to follow the procedures laid down in the general Direaions given by the Charity Commission (und¢r seaion 145(5Xb) of the 2011 Charities Ac¢ and to state whether partIlaT matters have come to my attention. Basi$ of independenl exam&ner's My exatnination was catri¢d out in occordaoce with the General DI10S given by the Charity Commissioners. An examinthon includes a review of the accounting rewn15 kq)t by the charity and a comparison of th¢ accounts present with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or th"bclosures in the account& and seeking explallatsons from the trustees COD¢erning ally such matte78. The procedures undertaken do not wovid¢ all the cldence that would be required in an audil and consequently no opinion is siven as to whether the accounts presatt a Irue and fairf view and the report is limifyd io those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement In on with my exatninatioffj no matter has come to my attention.. which gives me Teasonable caus¢ to believ¢ in any material TespecL the rtyuirem¢nts: to ke¢p accounting rKords in rdance with section 130 of the Charities Act. and to pr¢pare arUnts which alwrd with those Tord s aod to eompty with the wunting recoTds of the Act have not t¢ell m¢t" or to whicty in my Opinio attention should be drawm in order to enable a proper understandin8 of the accounts to be re¥hed. Independent Ex*miner IName: