## **Gressingham Village Trust a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Registered with the Charity Commission as charity number 1181569. Trustee’s Annual Report 2024** 

Gressingham Village Trust (GVT) was incorporated and registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 15 January 2019, with registered charity number 1181569. 

## Overview 2024 

During 2024 GVT continued to manage and maintain Gressingham’s Old School Room (OSR), including the grounds and the first floor flat. 

At the Annual Parish Meeting on 29[th] May John Hamlett was re-elected as a trustee to a term of office to run to 2028. 

GVT Trustees met twice (May and November) during the year. Use of the OSR has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels but Grafters, a weekly craft group, is the most regular user of the room. 

The OSR building is in need of significant repairs and maintenance for it to continue as a fit-for-purpose community centre.  Grant funding, together with the OSR’s own resources, will be required for this.  The first priority is to renew the roof.  Quotes were obtained, a preferred contractor selected and a £4,000 grant to go towards the cost was awarded by Halton River Trust.  The work was expected to be carried out in late 2025. 

## Constitution and ‘committees’ (subcommittees) (to be noted in each annual report) 

The constitution is very practical and sets out in detail how the organisation is to operate. It should be referred to for questions on practical matters such as what constitutes a quorum (clause 15(3)) and the election and appointment of trustees (clause 10). 

- At the end of 2024 The Gress (formerly known as The Gressingham Fellowship) which organizes social, educational and recreational activities in the village, became a ‘committee’ of GVT under clause 14 of the constitution. 

- Independent examination of accounts is required when income exceeds £25,000 per year. 

## The following policies are in place (to be noted in each annual report) 

- Emergencies can be handled in good faith between meetings (adopted 29 April 2019; the example was slates having blown off the roof and a repair having been quickly organised). 

- Any three trustees acting together can attend to repairs, renewals and replacements between meetings up to £500 (adopted 11 July 2019). 

- The following policies have been submitted to the Charity Commission, which requires policies in each of these areas to be in place: 

   - Investment Policy. Funds beyond those in the current account are currently held in a bank deposit account. 

   - Risk Management Policy. A Risk Assessment has been carried out for the building and activities within it. The risk of loss of money by fraud or theft by a trustee is managed by requiring two signatories on cheques and other instructions to the bank. 

   - Conflicting Interests Policy. This is set out in the GVT constitution. 

   - Complaints Policy. Should a complaint be made it will be addressed by all Trustees by meeting, or by online communication, within one week of the complaint being made. 

   - Volunteer Management Policy. Volunteers and volunteering will be overseen directly by the trustees. 

   - Safeguarding Policy. Best practice will be followed in relation to safeguarding practices for young people and vulnerable adults. Advice is available via the church-appointed trustees from the Diocese of Blackburn safeguarding team. 



## ◦ Staff Payments policy. Payments to staff will be made by bankers order only. 

## Property ownership (to be noted in each annual report) 

- GVT has Possessory Title at the Land Registry on “School House, Gressingham, Lancaster LA2 8LP”, title number LAN220739, Registered Proprietor Gressingham Village Trust, since May 2019. Absolute Title can be claimed after twelve years, that is, in May 2031 (see minutes of 11 July 2019). 

- GVT additionally holds title to the septic tank site across the road from the OSR. Registration of this with The Land Registry, title number LAN247174, was completed in May 2023. 

## Key observations in relation to current tenancies (to be noted in each annual report) 

- From the current tenancy agreement for the upstairs flat: “The Landlord may increase the rent on 1 January each year, by a maximum of the percentage change in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to the preceding June, as published in the middle of the preceding July. To do so, the Landlord must serve a rent review notice on the Tenant during September or October each year specifying: (a) the percentage by which the rent will increase on the forthcoming 1 January; and (b) the new rent payable from the forthcoming 1 January.” 

## List of attachments 

- Accounts 2024 

_Jane Paxman (Chair of Trustees) 11 September 2025._ 



## **Gressingham Village Trust Accounts 2024** 

## **Year end: 31st December 2024** 

|**Income**||||**Expenditure**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**General**<br>**(£)**|**The**<br>**Gress**<br>**Cttee (£)**|||**General**<br>**(£)**|**The**<br>**Gress**<br>**Cttee (£)**|
|Flat rent|5,508.00|||Water|0.00||
|LCC election<br>room hire|260.00|||Electricity|1,224.21||
|Donation<br>(The Gress)|18.00|||Electricity refund|-154.83||
|Donation<br>(Halton Lune<br>Trust)|4,000.00|||Insurance|1,283.15||
|Donation<br>(Parish<br>Council)|400.00|||Cleaner|120.00||
|Savings<br>interest|987.43|||Fire inspection|54.00||
|||||Bat survey|108.00||
|||||Roof repair|120.00||
|||||Window locks|106.19||
||||||||



|**TOTALS**||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**General**<br>**£**|**The Gress**<br>**Cttee £**|**TOTAL**<br>**£**|
|Income|11,173.43|0.00|11,173.43|
|Expenditure|2,860.72|0.00|2,860.72|
|Income over expenditure|8,312.71|0.00|8,312.71|
|Brought forward from 2023|53,180.60|0.00|53,180.60|
|Carried forward|61,493.31|8,425.32|69,918.63|
|as:-<br>-<br>current account<br>-<br>savings account<br>-<br>The Gress<br>account<br>TOTAL|10,671.49<br>50,875.82<br>61,493.31|8,425.32<br>8,425.32|69,918.63|



## **Notes:** 

- Water Plus is failing to bill GVT and despite GVT’s attempts, they refuse to recognize GVT’s account. GVT makes a £100pa provision (plus June’s CPI) for when bills resume. 

- £124.50 of Pearson Trust Working Group (a now dissolved committee) funds have been absorbed into general funds. 

- Current account balance includes £400 (deposited January 2025) from Gressingham Parish Council for use of the room in 2024. 

- GVT has absorbed the previously separate organization, The Gressingham Fellowship, which runs social, cultural and educational activities in the village.  Now known as ‘The Gress’ it will operate as a GVT committee with its own bank accounts.