DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE PERIOD
FROM 1[st] JANUARY 2023 T0 31[st] DECEMBER 2023
DETAILS OF CHARITY
Name of Charity: Docklands History Group
Charity Registration Number: 1184430
Charity’s Address: 36 Manorgate Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 7AL
Summary of Purposes of the Charity as set out in the Governing Document:
To promote for the public benefit the study of the history of the Port of London and the River Thames by organising lectures, conferences, study tours and other relevant activities available to all and by publishing academic papers and other material relevant to the subject.
Charity Structure, Governance and Management:
The Docklands History Group was incorporated as a CIO on the 16th July 2019. Its governing document follows the Charity Commission’s Association Model for Charitable Incorporated Organisations.
The CIO is managed by a group of Trustees, some of whom also have specific areas of responsibility for the operations of the Group. At the 1st January 2023, the Trustees were as follows:
Trustees 1[st] January 2023:-
Edward Sargent Chairman Malcolm Tucker Treasurer Chris Ellmers Chairman of Editorial Board Sally Mashiter Programme Secretary Chris Everett Conference Co-ordinator Peter Stone Social Media Co-ordinator Graham Hall Financial Control Scrutineer Tim Peake (co-opted by Trustees 6[th] April 2022, elected at July 2022 AGM) Lorraine Ellmers (co-opted by Trustees 7[th] September 2022)
On the 1st January 2023 there were nine Trustees, one of whom was co-opted (Lorraine Ellmers). The then Chairman, Edward Sargent, resigned as both a Trustee and Chairman of the Docklands History Group CIO on 13th April 2023. This resignation resulted in some necessary immediate and formal changes on the management front. On 18th April 2023
Trustees agreed to Chris Ellmers becoming Acting Chairman. Chris Ellmers amended the Charity Commission Register on 20th April 2023 to record Edward Sargent’s resignation and a new Registered Address.
Edward Sargent’s resignation reduced the number of Trustees to eight. These have continued to manage the affairs of the CIO very successfully. At the date of the compilation of the Trustees Annual Report for 2023 (April 2024), the eight Trustees of the CIO were as follows:
Trustees April 2024:-
Chris Ellmers Chairman (elected at September 2023 AGM) Malcolm Tucker Treasurer Sally Mashiter Programme Secretary Chris Everett Conference Co-ordinator Peter Stone Social Media Co-ordinator Graham Hall Financial Control Scrutineer Tim Peake Lorraine Ellmers (elected at September 2023 AGM)
The Governing Document specifies that decisions of the members of the CIO may be taken by means of resolution at a general meeting but there is no provision for postal or electronic voting.
Trustees met on seven occasions in 2023. Trustee meetings took place in accordance with previously circulated agendas, and all were minuted. The Treasurer provided regular financial reports across the year. Trustees remained in regular contact with each other, between meetings, by email. All decisions made by email were carefully recorded and those made since September 2023 have also been noted in the Minutes of Trustees Meetings.
Trustees also began a Strategic Review of a number of operational and policy areas relating to the governance and activities of the Group. This is ongoing. Results and recommendations will be reported back to members in due course.
There are no Corporate Trustees and none of the Trustees hold title to any property belonging to the Charity. There are no Custodian Trustees, and no funds are held on behalf of others.
The Group had no paid employees in 2023. None of the Trustees received any payment from the Charity apart from the reimbursement of legitimate operational expenses incurred on its behalf.
THE DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP’S ACTIVITIES IN THE 2023 PERIOD COVERED BY THIS REPORT
Eight well-attended monthly meetings and talks took place in 2023, at the Museum of London Docklands. Unfortunately, both the planned February and October meetings had to be cancelled due to rail strikes. An external Group guided walk, along Deptford Creek, took place in August.
On the 20[th ] May 2023, the Group held its Annual Conference – under the title of the Eighth Thames Shipbuilding Symposium – at the Museum of London Docklands . Although this was
very successful in terms of papers presented and delegate satisfaction, attendee numbers were significantly lower than expected. Sadly, this resulted in a deficit of £757.00.
The Group held its Annual General Meeting – at the Museum of London Docklands – on 6[th] September 2023. This approved the previously circulated Trustees Annual Report for 2022. This was subsequently submitted to the Charity Commission.
Selected work on the programme of publication of the Proceedings of previous conferences continued but at a reduced pace.
The Group’s membership remained reasonably strong, with the number of subscribing and honorary members by the beginning of May 2023 totalling 67.
The Group continued to maintain and update its very informative public website. The Group’s Mailing List included around 350 persons, comprising both members and more general supporters. At the end of December 2023, the Group’s Facebook Group had over 700 followers.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Review of the Charity’s Financial Position at the End of the Period covered by this Report
The Group’s main sources of income are the subscriptions and donations of the members, which have usually been supplemented by income from Annual Conferences and sales of Conference Proceedings .
2023 saw a return to greater financial certainty after the earlier impact of the Covid Pandemic, and the necessary adjustments made to membership subscriptions (reduced) and Museum of London Docklands room hire fees (credited). Membership subscriptions were raised to £20.00 in 2023 to help meet the increased cost of room hire at the Museum, which had been introduced in 2022. The Group also continued to incur expenditure on insurance and communications. As noted above, the Group had also made a significant loss of £757.00 from the Eighth Thames Shipbuilding Symposium.
The planned transfer of funds from the original Docklands History Group – which had been delayed for administrative reasons in 2022 – was finally achieved in April and December 2023. These have created a considerable reserve fund.
Thus, at the end of 2023 the finances of the Group remained on a secure footing and sufficient to fund its future activities.
None of the Group’s funding is restricted to specific purposes.
Reserves Policy
The Trustees of the Docklands History Group do not consider it currently necessary to have a reserves policy. This is because it has a low turnover and financial transactions that are simple and, above all, relatively predictable. The Trustees take care to ensure that no financial commitments are made unless there is sufficient funding to cover these. The
Trustees will continue to ensure that there are always available funds to cover any unforeseen expenditure.
DECLARATION:
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Report above.
Signed on behalf of the Docklands History Group’s Trustees
Signature: Name: Chris Ellmers Position: Acting Chairman, Docklands History Group Date: 5th June 2024
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1[st] JANUARY 2023 TO 31[ST] DECEMBER 2023
| DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A, Receipts and Payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Total funds | Last year (2022) |
Notes | |||||
| A1 Receipts | Notes 1, 2 | ||||||||
| Donations | 138 | 138 | 50 | ||||||
| From Visitors at meetings | 82 | 82 | 108 | ||||||
| Subscriptions for current year | 1289 | 1289 | 279 | Note 3 | |||||
| Subs. received in advance for next year | 633 | 633 | 40 | ||||||
| Refreshments Sales | 91 | 91 | 70 | ||||||
| Publications sales via bank and direct | 137 | 137 | 100 | ||||||
| Publications sales by PayPal | 0 | 0 | 44 | ||||||
| Conference tickets | 1156 | 1156 | 2238 | ||||||
| Funds of the Old DHG Group | 10439 | 10439 | 0 | Note 4 | |||||
| Total receipts | 13965 | 13965 | 2929 | ||||||
| A3 Payments | Notes 1, 2 | ||||||||
| Room-hire for meetings | 1309 | 1309 | 786 | ||||||
| Speakers'fees and expenses | 8 | 8 | 80 | ||||||
| Insurance | 178 | 178 | 352 | ||||||
| Website | 110 | 110 | 60 | ||||||
| Printing and mailing | 60 | 60 | 61 | ||||||
| Conference expenditure | 1864 | 1864 | 1990 | ||||||
| Equipment | 95 | 95 | 0 | ||||||
| Total payments | 3624 | 3624 | 3329 | ||||||
| Net of Receipts/(Payments) | 10341 | 10341 | (400) | ||||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end, brought forward |
1197 | 1197 | 1597 | ||||||
| Cash funds this year end | 11538 | 11538 | 1197 | ||||||
| Section B, Statement | of Assets and Liabilities at the end of the period | ||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Notes | ||||
| B1 Cash funds | Lloyds Bank | 11519 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| PayPal account | 19 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total cash funds | 11538 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| B2 Other Monetary assets |
Nil | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| B5 Liabilities | Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount Due (optional) |
When due (Optional) |
|||||
| Creditors payable within one year |
Unrestricted | 104 | Note 5 |
| DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP CIO ACCOUNTS FOR PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2023 TO 31ST DECEMBER 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A, Receipts and Payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Total funds | Last year (2022) |
Notes | |||||
| A1 Receipts | Notes 1, 2 | ||||||||
| Donations | 138 | 138 | 50 | ||||||
| From Visitors at meetings | 82 | 82 | 108 | ||||||
| Subscriptions for current year | 1289 | 1289 | 279 | Note 3 | |||||
| Subs. received in advance for next year | 633 | 633 | 40 | ||||||
| Refreshments Sales | 91 | 91 | 70 | ||||||
| Publications sales via bank and direct | 137 | 137 | 100 | ||||||
| Publications sales by PayPal | 0 | 0 | 44 | ||||||
| Conference tickets | 1156 | 1156 | 2238 | ||||||
| Funds of the Old DHG Group | 10439 | 10439 | 0 | Note 4 | |||||
| Total receipts | 13965 | 13965 | 2929 | ||||||
| A3 Payments | Notes 1, 2 | ||||||||
| Room-hire for meetings | 1309 | 1309 | 786 | ||||||
| Speakers'fees and expenses | 8 | 8 | 80 | ||||||
| Insurance | 178 | 178 | 352 | ||||||
| Website | 110 | 110 | 60 | ||||||
| Printing and mailing | 60 | 60 | 61 | ||||||
| Conference expenditure | 1864 | 1864 | 1990 | ||||||
| Equipment | 95 | 95 | 0 | ||||||
| Total payments | 3624 | 3624 | 3329 | ||||||
| Net of Receipts/(Payments) | 10341 | 10341 | (400) | ||||||
| A6 Cash funds last year end, brought forward |
1197 | 1197 | 1597 | ||||||
| Cash funds this year end | 11538 | 11538 | 1197 | ||||||
| Section B, Statement | of Assets and Liabilities at the end of the period | ||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Notes | ||||
| B1 Cash funds | Lloyds Bank | 11519 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| PayPal account | 19 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total cash funds | 11538 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| B2 Other Monetary assets |
Nil | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| B5 Liabilities | Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount Due (optional) |
When due (Optional) |
|||||
| Creditors payable within one year |
Unrestricted | 104 | Note 5 |
Notes to the Accounts
1) Receipts and Payments Accounts
The charity has a gross income below £25,000 per year. These accounts have been prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with Charities Commission Guidance CC15d and modelled on the Charities Accounts Template CC16a.
2) Restricted Funds
The charity has no restricted funds.
3) Subscriptions Received for the Current Year
These accounts are on a receipts and payments basis. Subscriptions are due on 1[st] January. Those received in advance of the beginning of 2023 were not banked until the New Year, so are included under the 2023 receipts. Subscriptions received in advance for the following year are listed separately..
4) Relationship of the CIO to the Original Docklands History Group:
The Docklands History Group (CIO) was set up by members of the committee of the original Docklands History Group (the Old Group), following a resolution made by that Group at a General Meeting in 2019. The resolution included the agreement that, following the first AGM of the CIO, all the assets and liabilities of the Old Group would be transferred to the CIO. The Covid 19 epidemic prevented holding that AGM until July 2022 and transfer of assets from the Old Group then took place during 2023. The loan from the Old Group received in 2020 was cleared at the same time.
5) Creditors Payable within one year
Some charges for web hosting, mailings and conference publicity in 2023, were made by a trustee on behalf of the CIO but not invoiced until 2024, so not included in the current year’s payments (£104).
Signed by the following Trustees of the Docklands History Group CIO:
Malcolm Tucker, Treasurer:
Chris Ellmers, Acting Chairman:
Date: 5[th] June 2024
The Docklands History Group is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with Charity Number 1184430