## **NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY SHEDS**
## **Registered Charity Number 1184438 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st AUGUST 2025**
|**Receipts and Payments account**
**Notes**
**Receipts**
Grants
Sales of donated tools & shed made items
Member subscriptions
Donations
Raffles
Local Giving
Craft Fairs
**Total receipts for the year**
**Payments**
Rent
Insurance
Telephones
Local Giving membership fee
Professional fees incl website costs
Tools & consumables
Social & organised trips
Moulton Allotments
First aid training & supplies
Office / admin costs
Craft stall rental
Travel expenses
Donations
Meeting costs
**Total payments for the year**
**Net Receipts / (Payments)**
Cash funds at 01.09.24
**Cash funds at 31.08.25**|**Unrestricted Restricted**
**2025**
**2024**
**total**
**total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
8,444.53
-
8,444.53
0.00
2,685.96
-
2,685.96
1,886.70
3,571.11
-
3,571.11
2,277.35
259.00
259.00
1,800.00
167.00
167.00
155.00
160.95
-
160.95
467.50
1,069.60
-
1,069.60
834.13|
|---|---|
||16,358.15
-
16,358.15
7,420.68|
||5,320.00
-
5,320.00
5,040.00
469.34
-
469.34
447.68
0.00
-
0.00
48.00
180.00
-
180.00
180.00
12.46
-
12.46
12.46
1,291.85
-
1,291.85
1,245.97
140.88
-
140.88
146.13
20.00
-
20.00
20.00
0.00
-
0.00
213.95
0.00
-
0.00
12.98
91.00
-
91.00
123.78
60.00
-
60.00
10.00
0.00
-
0.00
30.00
50.00
-
50.00
98.60|
||7,635.53
-
7,635.53
7,629.55|
||8,722.62
-
8,722.62
-208.87
19,877.36
-
19,877.36
20,086.23|
||28,599.98
-
28,599.98
19,877.36|
## **NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY SHEDS**
## **Registered Charity Number 1184438 STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES**
## **FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST AUGUST 2025**
There are no employees at present
During the year the Trustees received no remuneration
|**Statement of Assets and Liabilities**
**Assets**
**Cash funds**
Current Account
**Liabilities**
None
**Charity Funds**
Unrestricted Funds
General Reserve
Designated Fund - new premises|**Unrestricted Restricted**
**2025**
**2024**
**total**
**total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
28,599.98
-
28,599.98
19,877.36
28,599.98
-
28,599.98
19,877.36
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Opening
Balance
01.09.24
Incoming
Resources
Outgoing
Resources
Transfers
Closing
Balance
31.08.25
£
£
£
£
£
11,245.36
16,358.15
7,635.53
-
19,967.98
8,632.00
-
-
-
8,632.00|**Unrestricted Restricted**
**2025**
**2024**
**total**
**total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
28,599.98
-
28,599.98
19,877.36|
|---|---|---|
|||28,599.98
-
28,599.98
19,877.36|
|||-
-
-
-|
|||-
-
-
-|
||19,877.36
16,358.15
7,635.53
-
28,599.98||
Approved by the trustees at a management meeting held on 7th November 2025 and signed on their behalf:
Philip Osborne Chair
## **Northampton Community Sheds Annual General Meeting 2025**
## **Chair of Trustees Annual Report** – Philip Osborne.
First established in 2016 as ‘Northampton Men’s Sheds’ and in 2019 as Northampton Community Sheds, when we registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
As well as a woodworking workshop, we have developed allotment, computing, upholstery and repair facilities.
The Shed is governed through its trustees and the members, and our activities are chosen and developed by the shedders themselves.
## **Our Aims**
1. To serve the good health and wellbeing of individuals through their active participation in fulfilling and collaborative activities of their own choice; and by bringing companionship and active involvement in developing local community.
2. To reduce loneliness and social exclusion that results from people’s uncertainties, unemployment, financial hardship, bereavement, ill health or older age.
Northampton Community Shed is currently hosted by Spencer Contact who provide us with a workshop of approximately 58 square metres at a reasonable rent. They also make available to us a wide range of damaged or waste items and materials which can be repaired or upcycled.
We currently open on Tuesday’s and on Friday’s. We provide a place for members to meet, socialise and undertake personal, team and community projects at their own pace and in their own time; with the advantage of guided supervision by people experienced as craft-people and professionals.
The Shed is governed through its trustees and the members. Our activities are chosen by the Shedders themselves.
The Shed continues to be a welcoming place, a place of good humour where creativity and positive enthusiasm blossom. Not to mention a good brew, plenty of cake and friendly banter.
## **Review of our Mission Statement**
Earlier in the year Anne proposed and took us through a review of our Mission statement and produced a sharper more concise statement.
‘’ At Northampton Community Sheds our mission is to create a welcoming and inclusive creative workspace, where individuals can connect, belong and feel supported.
We foster a sense of purpose and wellbeing by encouraging creativity, skills sharing and collaboration, through meaningful partnerships with businesses, local charities and authorities.
We strive to build a stronger more connected communities where everyone has the opportunity to contribute, grow and share together.’’
I will come back to this later…….
## **Our Finances**
Our accounts are in good health for our position and continue to move in the right direction. My thanks go to our treasurer Teresa for all her hard work and meticulous nature. Keeping our trustees and members focused is no easy ride.
Our reserve continues to grow which may give us opportunity in the future.
We are a self-funding group in our present situation, and I would suggest the commitment shown by members to go to bank transfer payments at the last AGM has been successful
We had continued for too many years on an informal payment scheme, this member commitment shows the community we are here to stay, and intend to grow our membership, it sends a message………
I would also like to thank South Northants Council for its payments of the discretionary funding to the value of nearly £6000.00. This was to cover our running costs for the past year.
## **Structure, Governance, and Management**
Our trustees are all people that support NCS, they………
Meet once a month and….
- Volunteer to support the operational management of the organisation
- Ensure that the Charity carries out its purpose for the public benefit
- Ensure that the Charity’s Constitution is followed
- Act in the Charity’s best interests
- Manage the Charity’s resources responsibly
- Act with reasonable care and skill
- Ensure that the Charity is accountable. Arrange AGMs / EGMs
- Regularly review the strategic development of Shed plans and activities
## **………they do all this free of any charge or expense.**
So must thank all our trustees who started the year with us……
Teresa, Derek, Anne, Francis, Keith and Hars
Due to my own family circumstances, I have not been involved as much as I need to be as Chair, that said I have been most grateful to those that have chaired meetings or took on work on my behalf.
Particularly chasing up the opportunities at the Barracks and ACRE
premises on Hunsbury and others.
Teresa thank you for keeping us solvent and providing clear guidance on financial matters.
Derek I appreciate you have had health problems but you have made a difference, not only in supporting myself as Chair but in the Shed as Quartermaster organising donations and sales, along with Maureen. In fact, far too successfully to the point where we are running out of room again and must review our social media about donations. I remember Queen Elizabeth having a horrible year in 1992 and calling it Annus horribilis but I’m sure no one wants to know any further detail.
My particular thanks to Anne for her work reviewing the Mission Statemen and the subsequent leaflets and for her work projecting the Shed on Social Media and connecting us to other Northampton Charities. You continue to raise our profile within the Community and hope we can sustain this for the future. In between holidays abroad of course…………
**Francis** you have kept us well informed and focused on tackling the real issues. Thank you.
And especially **Keith** who has continued as our secretary. He continues to put in the hours and commitment to ensuring we can all enjoy the opportunity that the shed provides. In my view if it wasn’t for Keith there would be no Shed. I continue to be privileged to call him a friend and colleague. I know some have taken some work from you which is
I believe we have other nominations as Trustees and I would ask that you give these people your support.
We may not agree on all subjects, and no doubt differ on our politics, however a broad range of ideas and opinions on any board is a good sign. It is a team effort, and when we work as a team, we will make the correct decisions.
## **Our Members**
## **My thanks must go to…**
As always Bill and Brett for continuing to represent us at county Fairs and markets, I know Bill needs assistance with this both here in the Shed and at Fairs. It is not so much about funds but also about the Shed being seen out in the community. Thank you.
Maureen deserves an extra special mention for fronting our sales both online and by way of Fairs and Fetes. She has produced considerable income by selling our excess tools and small furniture items by internet sales….and I have given my full support to the guys who will be producing the most amazing bespoke, garden gate for you by way of recognition of you hard work. Thank you.
John Perkins for standing in when Derek was unwell, you have been a great help organising stores etc. Thank you
Kev continues to manage our Health and Safety, First Aid and Social Events. Thank you
Albi its good to see you getting involved and influencing the general running of the Shed, thank you.
Alan and Knowle for your work in picking up donations and keeping Derek gainfully employed. Thank You
Isy for helping the shop and generally keeping Kev in line, thank You.
I’m sure I have missed someone, if so I apologise.
## **Everyone a star in my eyes……**
It only takes for everyone to do a little bit and a lot gets done, leave it to one person and we will fail.
## **Next year**
Trustees have tabled the notion that we should not be so focused on new premises and that growth of membership is not a given.
It has been suggested we should invite the membership to air their views and discuss the future after lunch, as a first step in seeking some agreement regarding this proposal.
I should make my own position clear though, as mentioned in our mission statement… ‘’everyone has the opportunity to contribute, grow and share together’’….. That is my ambition, and I would like to take members with me.
I understand the frustrations of the numerous opportunities that we have investigated without success.
Derek and myself visited the National Men’s Sheds Meeting at the
beginning of the year and it was clear from the people that we spoke to that the only way to a larger shed was a benefactor or Local Council Authority involvement.
The truth is we don’t have the funding or the people in place to manage and run larger premises, however, is there a pathway involving small steps that could allow us to grow and expand.
Whatever the route we should commit ourselves to ensuring we can expand our Shed and welcome more of our community in, because if we don’t, they may just knock the door down and walk right in.
Perhaps it's time for a new Chair, and this is in my mind, but I think we should appoint a secretary first.
That’s something for members to decide upon.
Thank You
Phil Osborne
7[th] November 2025