GTI Chairman’s Report 2025
This has been another eventful year in the life of the village and there are encouraging signs of transition and progression in the year to come. Recently Mike Saull undertook a review of the feedback regarding the role and function of the GTI and he produced an exhaustive report in the form of a powerpoint presentation to the Trustees and the organisers of village events. Here, he identified areas of concern (recruitment of new Trustees, post holders, administrative structure, social media and branding). He also highlighted the positives such as the numerous standalone events and regular activities that take place under the aegis of the GTI of which more later. This report has been invaluable in pulling together the range of views and opinions voiced over the year and coordinating them into a series of targets for the near future and also the setting of more long term goals. Adjacent to this report is a brief film and slide show celebrating the year’s activities which will be shown to the village in the coming month. Much thanks to Mike and his contributors to this endeavour.
The above shows that GTI is in relatively good shape and it has a keen eye on its role in the future. There will be changes to the structure of the organisation with the Trustees taking on the most of the administrative business: management of its charitable status, the management of the Village Hall and being the contact point for external enquiries. Other business will be conducted by the Events Committee where and when the need arises. This is in recognition of the fact that the real energy of the village comes from those who wish to promote an event or activity; the drivers of success are the villagers who organise and coordinate their particular concern or idea so that it comes to fruition. GTI is here to help by using its Charitable status, experience, expertise, membership and contacts. It can also advise on logistics, provide a meeting space and help with drawing up Risk Assessments etc. Essentially, GTI exists to facilitate those who wish to promote an event or an activity in the village community. We are also lucky to be in close contact with the Llanrhian Connected Community initiative run by Delyth Williams. Our interaction with other villages and local organisations is significant in the success and wellbeing of the village.
A particular case in point is the way in which the Pickleball Club was able to use the authority of the GTI’s Charitable status to access funding for the refurbishment of their playing area. The trustees were able to draw up the required documentation to enable their funding request. Similarly, on a more prosaic level, GTI provides the High Vis jackets for the Car Rally Marshalls, litter pickers etc! GTI also lends a significant voice in any ongoing discussion of the provision of Public toilets in the village area.
The changes to the rules for the electricity supply for the Village Christmas tree required protracted negotiations with a range of authorities. Anthony Daniel spent over six months in trying to secure the new connection by liaising with the council, the electricity supplier and numerous other interested parties. Much of his work was to try to bring common sense to an increasingly bureaucratic system. The village is grateful for his endeavours and the tree was again the bright heart of the village at Christmas. The Council would not have dealt with an in individual villager - it was significant that Anthony was acting on behalf of the GTI and therefore the community.
The idea of “community” is key: although Trefin is an identifiable centre, the membership stretches far and wide and many of those who partake in events come from well beyond the village boundaries. This is a strength. GTI serves the needs of Penparc, Llanon, the houses on the roads to Llanrhion, Abercastle and Croes Goch and there is regular contact with Mathry and Porthgain The growing interaction between village communities through the Connected Communities initiative is something GTI is proud to support and enhance if possible.
It is worth listing what the village does during the course of the year. Some of this centres on The Ship Inn but the Ship and the GTI have a long history of mutual support and interaction and I make no apologies for including Ship-centric events! My wish is to show a thriving community.
Tea and Chat, Coffi a Clonc, Cor Y Felin, Arts and Crafts Group all take place in the Village Hall and the Hall is also a designated “warm space” should the community require it. Book Club, the
Quiz, Open Mike and Bingo and other fund-raising events are centred in The Ship. The 100 Club, the Scarecrow Trail, Litter picks and Beach Cleans and, of course, the VE Day Celebrations and subsequent “tour” to Mathry all take place in and around the village.
Without doubt the two big events of the year were the VE Day Celebrations and the Scarecrow Trail, sadly, The annual Car Show and Run had to be cancelled because of the awful weather on the day. The VE Day celebration involved a great deal of preparation and it drew together a committed team to plan, liaise with The Palace, publicise, risk assess, cater, and coordinate with The British Legion, the Military authorities, the police and Fire Brigades, the Sea Scouts etc. As usual all of this was meticulously planned and overseen by Lynne Gardner and her team. Cor Y Felin provided a musical accompaniment (and floor show in period costume) and the inclusion of a bugler and a piper lent emotional weight to an unforgettable evening. Again, the occasion drew crowds from near and far and the village is one of the firmly established locations for National celebrations. The Palace now initiates contact with us whenever a National celebration is in the offing!
The busy nature of the community was underscored by the fact that we had to postpone the the St Martin’s Fair (and the Mock Mayor Investiture) form November to January. Typically, this has led to the creation of a new event: the Winter Fair to lend a little cheer to the dark days of January.
The inaugural Scarecrow Trail was a fantastic success and it promises to be a regular and growing event over the coming years. Village members enthusiastically embraced the idea by building scarecrows, allocating space in their gardens, participating in the tour. Tourists and locals alike picked up a Trail Guide and they got to scour the village for various book-based characters in scarecrow form. In doing so they raised valuable funds for the upkeep of the Hall and other costs. The weather helped but such was the enthusiasm that, on occasion, I saw cagoule-clad families braving wind and rain to tick increasingly soggy lists…
The green space at the entrance of the village on the Penparc side is now being managed as a “mini-Meadow”. With the help of EcoDewi we secured funds for a mow at the end of 2025 and another mow in the spring of 2026; harrowing and seed sowing will also take place in early 2026, again using funds accessed through EcoDewi. The latter also hope to provide a tool-sharpening session in the Village Hall at the start of the gardening calendar and to initiate a Moth survey and Talk by an Oxford Academic in the coming months.
The 100 Club continues to help fund the GTI and, although we can’t arrange for a giant arial finger to indicate a fortunate winner, I am sure excitement mounts in every household every time a draw is due. Tickets are on sale all year - if you aren’t in you can’t win and everyone’s a winner if the I00 Club thrives.
Vicky Henson is the driving force behind The 100 Club, she also initiated and and realised her idea of The Scarecrow Trail and she manages the bookings for the Village Hall. Without any doubt, she is an asset to the community!
Besides the individuals mentioned already, other significant names behind village projects should be noted. Often these people do not seek the limelight but their contribution is much valued. Ann Canning continues to be the quiet force behind Tea and Chat; Huw Morris and Carl Davies are behind the creation of the village Pickleball Club, Huw is the organiser of the Classic Car Show, David Gardner continues to be a proactive member of the community in a variety of ways, Sue Hood directs the Choir, Martyn Hood is chief lumberjack re the Christmas tree, Abe Williams and Richard Cotton mastermind the Quiz in The Ship and Sara is the charismatic caller in The Ship’s Bingo evenings. Abe Williams is also our esteemed Mayor. Carole Kidd coordinates the Book Club, Sheelagh Frankland has taken on the role of note-taker for GTI meetings and my fellow Trustees are unflagging in their support of every community initiative. Penny Oday has served as Treasurer for many years and her no-nonsense approach has given the GTI a firm financial footing. Ceri John is in charge of our social media and Richard Cotton develops and produces the posters and graphic design for our events; each of these individuals juggles year tasks in amongst their own busy schedules. Partners of all of the above should be thanked too - without their support the forenamed would probably fall over! I have named these people because they deserve our thanks but also because it indicates just how many villagers are willing to get
involved in events and activities - but we are a greedy and ambitious bunch - we would love more people to join us…
Specifically, we are looking for someone to take on the role of Chairperson and for someone to volunteer to be Secretary. We would welcome a couple more Trustees too. This brings me to the proposed changes to the GTI that I mentioned in my opening paragraph. The details of these changes will be presented in a public meeting and a celebration of village events over the past year. The administration is being slimmed down to around three meetings per year for the Trustees with the bulk of the work being done by an Events Team where the personnel will change according to the nature of the event and the person running it. In this way we can best meet the needs, interests and life of our very special community.
In conclusion, I would formally like to thank Anthony for his invaluable work over the years as a Chair and Trustee of the GTI. I am sure he will continue to participate in village life and I hope this committee can continue to draw on his experience and expertise in the future.
I commend this report to the committee.
Robert Kidd Acting Chair
| Overall a good year. Would have been Backlog of elecricity now paid and agre Hall building insurance not received ye Great fundraising year depite classic ca |
Accounts GTI 2025 broken even if extra lease payment not paid in error. Will have credit this year. ed on £100 per quarter from Nov 2025 onwards with Paul Moger. t from The Church Hall owners. r run cancelled due to weather. Around £824 spent on getting Christmas tree light connected. Total Bank Profit/ Loss TY vs LY -£891.51 |
Accounts GTI 2025 broken even if extra lease payment not paid in error. Will have credit this year. ed on £100 per quarter from Nov 2025 onwards with Paul Moger. t from The Church Hall owners. r run cancelled due to weather. Around £824 spent on getting Christmas tree light connected. Total Bank Profit/ Loss TY vs LY -£891.51 |
Accounts GTI 2025 broken even if extra lease payment not paid in error. Will have credit this year. ed on £100 per quarter from Nov 2025 onwards with Paul Moger. t from The Church Hall owners. r run cancelled due to weather. Around £824 spent on getting Christmas tree light connected. Total Bank Profit/ Loss TY vs LY -£891.51 |
Accounts GTI 2025 broken even if extra lease payment not paid in error. Will have credit this year. ed on £100 per quarter from Nov 2025 onwards with Paul Moger. t from The Church Hall owners. r run cancelled due to weather. Around £824 spent on getting Christmas tree light connected. Total Bank Profit/ Loss TY vs LY -£891.51 |
P.J.Odey | 07/01/2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| broken even if ext ed on £100 per q t from The Church r run cancelled du |
Total (2020) | £17,653.05 | ||||
| Total (2021) | £16,786.20 | |||||
| Total(2022) | £15,424.93 | |||||
| Total(2023) Bank | £14,805.14 | |||||
| Total Bank Profit/ Loss TY vs LY -£891.51 |
Total(2024) Bank | £12,384.71 | ||||
| Total(2025) Bank | £11,493.20 | |||||
| Savers Account(0732466) | 2025 | |||||
| Balance Dec 20 | 17 | £1,590.84 | Row Labels | Sum of Debit Amount | Sum of Credit Amount | |
| Balance Dec 20 | 18 | £1,591.64 | TFR | £1,500.00 | £600.00 | |
| Balance Dec 20 | 19 | £18,261.02 | GWELLIANT TREFIN I 309398 00717353 | £1,500.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 20 | £16,039.11 | GWELLIANT TREFIN I 309398 74609660 | £600.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 21 | £16,080.70 | (blank) | £92.79 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 22 | £13,983.18 | INTEREST (GROSS) | £92.79 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 23 | £13,308.10 | Grand Total | £1,500.00 | £692.79 | |
| Balance Dec 20 | 24 | £12,016.72 | £600 transferred from 100 club | sales. | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | £11,209.51 25 |
£1500 transferred out to other a | ccounts. | |||
| Current Account(0717353) | 2025 | |||||
| Balance Dec 20 | 17 | £3,983.82 | Row Labels | Sum of Debit Amount | Sum of Credit Amount | |
| Balance Dec 20 | 18 | £2,651.92 | Bills | £1,066.29 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 19 | £1,086.99 | Bills - electric | £647.21 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 20 | £541.44 | Bills - Insurance | £528.28 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 21 | £303.05 | Bills -lease | £2,000.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 22 | £752.25 | Charitydonation | £80.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 23 | £1,170.54 | Classic car refund | £10.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 24 | £350.99 | Donation | £510.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | £202.19 25 |
Equipment hire | £50.00 | |||
| Fundraising | £1,230.48 | |||||
| £400 paid in (cash from 100 club). Donation Lease paid twice in error. Not to be paid in 2 from Neil Poulton. |
includes payment from Llanrhian CC. 026. Building insurance yet to be paid - awaiting |
Hall | £1,202.50 | |||
| Transfer between accounts | £310.00 | £1,500.00 | ||||
| Grand Total | £4,641.78 | £4,492.98 | ||||
| Electric bill for 15 months. Going forward £4 | 00 p.a. agreed. | |||||
| 100 Club (74609660) | 2025 | |||||
| Balance Dec 20 | 20 | £1,072.50 | Row Labels | Sum of Debit Amount | Sum of Credit Amount | |
| Balance Dec 20 | 21 | £232.50 | COR | £35.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 22 | £689.50 | FPI | £997.50 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 23 | £326.50 | FPO | £778.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 24 | £17.00 | SO | £100.00 | ||
| Balance Dec 20 | 25 | £81.50 | TFR | £600.00 | £310.00 | |
| Grand Total | £1,378.00 | £1,442.50 | ||||
| £600 transferred to savings acco | unt from 100 club sales. | |||||
| £310 transferred in to pay for prize money. | ||||||
| Total Debit | £7,519.78 | |||||
| Total Credit | £6,628.27 | |||||
| -£891.51 | ||||||
| Cash | ||||||
| Petty cash | £12.51 | |||||
| 100 club cash held Dec 2025 | £13.63 | |||||
| Total | £26.14 | |||||
| Note for 2026 account. £12.51 petty cash paid into | bank in Jan 2026. | |||||
| Total (including cash) for 2025 | £11,519.34 | |||||