Blunham Village Hall Registered Charity No. 1183856 Trustees, Annual Report 5 April 2023 4 April 2024 Names of Trustees who served during the year Robin Boothby Treasurer Michelle Grice Chair Beverley Boothby Nigel Aldis Lindsay Rose Phil Rose Shell Eves Dee Bartholomew Yvonne Sargeant Sources of advlce and support Barclays Bank plc, Leicester LE87 2BB Norris & Fisher Insurance Brokers Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity, Cardington Blunham Parish Council Phil Rose (Maintenance), Shell Eves (Bookings Secretary) Independent Examiner.. Dr Roy Tipping Governance Blunham Village Hall was established by a Trust Deed & Lease date 20 July 1928. The Trustees manage the site under a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission on 12 June 2019.
Appointment of Trustees The Constitution of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation governs the appointment of trustees and the management of the charity. There must be at least three charity trustees. The maximum number of charity trustees is 12. Hiring Agreement Use of the village hall is subject to a Hiring Agreement which must be signed by the hirer when booking. The hiring agreement sets out the conditions of hire and identifies the respective responsibilities of each party to the agreement. Llcences The hall has a Premises Licence that permits the provision of regulated entertainment including the performance of plays and live music: the exhibition of fllms and the playing of recorded music. In 2017 the Trustees undertook the exerclse to dlsapply from the mandatory licensing procedures for the sale of alcohol and hirers who plan to sell alcohol at their events must now apply for a TENS license through the Council. The hall Is reglstered wlth the local authority for small soclety lotterles. The hall Is Ilcensed by the Perfonning Right Society for live and recorded music. We usually obtain our film licenses from Filmbank Media. Risk Management Insurance The Trustees recognise that they are under a legal obligation to protect the building, its users and contractors through adequate and appropriate insurance. The Village Hall is insured with a comprehensive policy by Covea Insurance PIC in respect of.. buildings and accidental damage with a sum insured of £619,893;
contents (up to £53,595); public liability {£5,000,000); employers. liability (£lO,000,000}; business interruption up to 24 months {£22,606}; trustees indemnity (£500,000). property owners liability {£5,000,000); legal expenses (£IOO,000) (insured through DAS Legal Expenses Insurance Company Ltd) Building Issues Gas appliances and portable electrical appliances and firefighting appliances are tested by qualified personnel annually. Volunteers from the Committee cary out other regular maintenance check5. Objectlves of the Charlty The provision and maintenance of a village hall for use by the inhabitants of the Parish of Blunham without distinction of political, religious or other opinions Use of the village hall for meetings, lectures and classes or other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation and with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants The Trustees consider these objectives to be consistent with Charity Commission guidance on providing for the public benefit and these objectives have been pursued in the artivities of the charity this year. Principal Activities in pursuit of Objectives The hall is in use most days of the week for a variety of activities including St Edmunds Fellowship, Gardening Club, Pilates and Boot Camp. Volunteers run a successful coffee morning every Monday. The Parish Council hold their bi-monthly meetings in the Hall.
The Blunham Young Farmers hold meetings and events on a regular basis. Blunham Community Cinema holds regular screenings on the last Friday of every month where members of the community have the opportunity to view a recent film at a modest price whilst being able to chat to friends before the performance and enjoy refreshments including ice creams during an interval. The Hall is available for hire for private functions including children's parties, wedding receptions, funeral teas, village social functions and occa5i0nal fund raising fayres. Reserves Pollcy It is the strategy of the Trustees to manage the annual budget on a self-financing basis and fundraising activities and hiring income aim to achieve this. The purpose of the reserves policy is to ensure that sufficient funds are always available to meet all reasonable short-term contingencies. This includes,. Cover for unforeseen day-to-day operational costs. Cover for unforeseen emergencylrepair (e.g. boiler breaks down). Loss of a source of Income {Could take time to replace). Buildup of reserves for replacemenvrefurbishment of contents that become necessary over time. Planned Commitments that cannot be met by futu Income alone, eg, plans for a project that require matched funding etc. The Trustees have resolved to maintain a minimum level of reserves to enable normal operating costs to be covered for a minimum period of 6 months, (approx, £5,000) assuming no income is generated during this time, and to hold a further buffer taking the total reserve to between the six month minimum period and up to a maximum of two years of budgeted annual expenditure. to meet the aims above. The trustees understand the principles behind the reserves, setting out appropriate levels of reserves based upon risk assessment, which is based on factors which impact on the hall. Each year they review the reserves to make sure they are relevant to the current prevailing conditions. This ensures the facility is maintained in good order for the benefit of all hall users.
Volunteers. Effort Management costs are minimised through the use of volunteers for regular maintenance and supplementary cleaning of the hall. On average 4 hours of volunteer time are given each week to cover routine tasks such as bookings management, additional cleaning and maintenance. In addition, trustees give time each month for meetings and organising and running fund raising events. Without the tireless efforts of the small band of Trustees and volunteers there would not be a village hall. The Trustees would like to recognise, with gratitude, the sUPPOrt given In time, effort and donations over the past year to ensure the hall is fit for purpose and used for the benefit of the community. The Committee would welcome offers of help from any resident and this could be undertaken ex-committee if desired. 2023 -2024 Achievements The Hall continued to attract regular Hirers and now offer Pilate5 or Bootcamp four days a week and classes are very well attended. The Committed hosted a free Family Fun Day in January 2024 which was exceptionally well attended and well regarded. The event raised over £ 100 in donations. They also organised a very well attended Quiz Night in February, The Chair organised a Blunham Open Day in April bringing together representatives of various local organisations including Gardening Club, King's Reach Church, the Parish Council, and the Blunham Sports and Social Club. The Chair also represents the Hall on the Blunham Working Group which seeks to promote a variety of events, activities and offerings across the various local groups. A defibrillator was installed on the outside of the Hall in early 2024 and various Trustees and other village residents attended training held at the Hall.
Future Plans The Committee is determined to offer a full programme of events and are investigating a number of options including the return of regular luncheons, a Vegan Supper, the always popular Quiz Night, and a Village Talent Show. 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 Mlchelle Grlce Chairman Date: 16 December 2024
BLUNHAM VILLAGE HALL Receipts & Payments Account forth* Year Ended 4th Aprll 2024 IAII Unrestricted Funds) YE 414124 YE 414123 Recei Regular hall Hire Ad Hoc Hall Hire Coffee morning Cinema Club Donations 4,408.90 2.645.40 962.40 778.37 2.878.50 2,294.00 I,oii.00 627.85 150.00 Grants Events Misc 1,348.87 756.26 otal Income 10.143.94 7,717.61 Pa ments Gas Electriclty Water 1.520.22 605.38 1,572.61 .24.12 lJil.v 946.53 4,054.41 146.9 324.59 958.37 2,445.iJO 145.20 381.10 302.IJO Insurance Cleaning Stat Inspect & Boiler Serv Maintenance- Internal Maintenance- External Maintenance One off Annual Merrber5hips Licen5eS Sundries 552.58 726.19 451.44 35.00 712.00 165.09 35.00 339.20 1.549.37 Total Payment5 8.605.43 9,446.71 Profit/lLossl 1,538.51 -1.729.10 ststement of Assets & Ltabllltles Opening Bank Balance Excess Of Income over Expenditure 16.188.71 1,538.51 17,917.81 -1,729.10 Closing Bank Balance Made up of..- Closing Bank & Cash 8alance Bar Stock Total A55ets 17,727.22 16, 1 ?8.71 17,529.19 198.03 16,024.?9 164.42 17,727.22 16,188.71 Signed on behalf of the Trustees Signature Print N'ame R l 8oothbv Date of Approval 0910112025
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A IndepeA¢enl Examiner s Report" Report to the trusteesl members of , BLUNHAM VILLAGE HALL On accounts for the year ended 4TH APRIL 2024 Charity no 118385 (if any Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust.) for the year ended 4° April 2024. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Tfust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515)(bl of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come lo my attention (other thai) 11-,3t ,d': - r.ed below *1 in Gannection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in a¢¢ordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concerns and have come across no olher matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in orderto enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the worda in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 711125 Dr Roy Tipping Relevant professional qualification{s} or body (if any): Address: 60 Barford Road Blunham Bedford MK44 3ND IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Qnly complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem {see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidan for examiners). Give here brief detalls of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018