SHAKESPEARE SOUTHAMPTON LEGACY TRUST
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT
Founder & Patron Lord Montagu of Beaulieu Trustees Ralph Douglas-Scott-Montagu Laura K. Matthias Dorna L. Bewley Marilyn Wilton-Smith Registered Charity #1184734 Palace House, Beaulieu Brockenhurst SO42 7YL United Kingdom +44 (0)7811 032657 thesslt.org sslt@beaulieu.co.uk
Period start date: 1 January 2023 Period end date: 31 December 2023
OPENING STATEMENT
Established in 2017 by Lord Montagu of Beaulieu, the Shakespeare Southampton Legacy Trust (SSLT) advances education through the appreciation and study of the life and times of the Wriothesley Earls of Southampton (1505-1667), including their collateral descent, with added reference to the advancement of Shakespearean knowledge as it relates to Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton (1573-1624), William Shakespeare’s sole dedicatee.
Its second purpose, for the public benefit, is the preservation, restoration, repair, maintenance, improvement and beautification of the historic grade 1 listed building known as the Parish Church of St Peter, Titchfield, particularly but not exclusively the chapel, monuments, and subterranean sepulchre of the Wriothesley Earls of Southampton. For over a century, the Barons Montagu of Beaulieu have taken an interest in preserving the Southampton Monuments, which now extends to the sepulchre of their ancestors.
Championing high standards of heritage preservation, promotion, management, and education, SSLT brings together professional conservators, researchers, institutions, and scientists dedicated to raising awareness of the cultural, social, and economic value of caring for cultural assets.
The Board of Trustees is chaired by Ralph Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 4th Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, and consists of four Trustees. Our work is grounded in a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Shakespeare Southampton Legacy Trust was entered on the UK Register of Charities on 2 August 2019 (registration #1184734) as a standard organisation with a governing trust deed dated 6 July 2018 and amended by deed dated 29 June 2019. Trustees are appointed by recruitment.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The ’Objectives’ of the Shakespeare Southampton Legacy Trust are exclusively charitable and operate for the public benefit worldwide from Palace House, Beaulieu, Hampshire, United Kingdom, according to the laws of England and Wales. In setting
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up the Trust’s objectives and planning its activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, advancing education, and its supplementary preservation and conservation guidelines.
SSLT achieves its outcomes particularly, but not exclusively, by:
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raising funds
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carrying out research
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providing information
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raising awareness
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developing, supporting, and making research scholarships, maintenance allowances, and grants
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developing and sponsoring conservation and preservation initiatives
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promoting, producing and supporting information media for internet, radio, television and film
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establishing and maintaining an online repository of books, manuscripts, records of historic interest, pictures, photographs, and objects of antiquity
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sponsoring, hosting, and contributing to conferences, lectures and commemoration events, bringing together individual researchers and members of the public worldwide
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engaging in academic discourse as it relates to the life and times of the Wriothesley Earls of Southampton (1505-1667) and Shakespeare without prejudice
ACHIEVEMENTS & PERFORMANCE
As the Managing Trustee of the Shakespeare Southampton Legacy Trust (SSLT), I am pleased to highlight SSLT's achievements and performance in 2023, advancing all three core charitable objectives: Heritage Preservation, Education, and Research.
Heritage Preservation and Conservation
Background
As the senior hereditary descendant of the Wriothesley Earls of Southampton and current custodian of their mortuary chapel and subterranean Sepulchre, Lord Montagu first convened a desktop study in 2015 to assess the state of their preservation. By 2016, the desktop study had matured into SSLT’s inaugural heritage preservation programme, the Southampton Monument & Vault Initiative (SMVI), a programme of discovery, heritage conservation and commemoration aimed at the long-term preservation of the outstanding historical and architectural features of the Grade I Listed Southampton Chapel in the Parish Church of St Peter, Titchfield.
With the fulfilment of each phase of SMVI, SSLT continues to uncover the Sepulchre’s extraordinary historical value, both as the final resting place of the Earls of Southampton, whose legacy the SSLT has worked to preserve and share and as a rare window into a range of early modern burial practices. To date, SSLT has gifted over £ 132,057 in support of SMVI’s heritage conservation goals.
Re-establishing access to the Wriothesley Southampton Sepulchre has instituted the first comprehensive conservation plan in four centuries, safeguarding the nexus from further deterioration caused by environmental and structural factors impacting the once inaccessible subsurface fabric. With the condition of the Sepulchre and its contents now better
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understood and conservation plan proposed, SSLT is poised to serve history by preserving it, emboldened and fortunate to have some of the best advice informing the final restoration and commemoration phase. To that end, His Honour Judge Philip Waller of the Portsmouth Diocese granted an extension to the existing Faculty until 3 December 2023.
Achievements in Heritage Preservation and Conservation
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In response to evidence of intermittent high groundwater throughout the Southampton mortuary complex, SSLT commissioned historic buildings environmental specialist Tobit Curteis to undertake a study of the environmental conditions of the Chapel and subsurface Sepulchre. The survey, completed in December 2022 and sponsored by SSLT, resulted in a Building Environmental Performance Assessment Report (2023), the first of its kind in the history of St Peter’s. It has become an invaluable resource in determining a holistic approach to conserving the Southampton Chapel, its remarkable monuments and Sepulchre, and the entirety of the Church envelope. Tobit Curteis has prescribed remedial measures that will be implemented in the final phase of SMVI, pending consent.
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In June 2023, Ptolemy Dean, architect and 19th Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey, joined SMVI as its project architect. Throughout his remarkable career, Ptolemy has designed and been entrusted with some of the UK’s most sacred spaces. He is inspired to collaborate with the PCC to propose elegant and historically accurate solutions for the overall design aesthetic of the Wriothesley Southampton mortuary nexus. In November 2023, Ptolemy Dean delivered a draft of his Outline Feasibility Study , paving the way for PCC and DAC deliberations scheduled for 2024, sponsored by SSLT.
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In 2023, SSLT continued reconciling the Titchfield Burial Registers with the physical evidence in the Vault, amending and expanding the Funerary Archaeology Report slated for publication after Phase III of the Southampton Monument and Vault Initiative. Lord Montagu intends that plans for permanently secured access to the Sepulchre should include a strategy for memorializing the interred on a sealing stone. In due course, Ptolemy Dean will design and coordinate the commemoration scheme above and below the Chantry Chapel in cooperation with Lord Montagu and the PCC.
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In April 2023, SSLT engaged the esteemed Latinist and funerary monuments specialist, Dr J. L. Wilson MBE FSA, to translate the Latin inscriptions on the depositum plates found in the Sepulchre. This vital heritage transcription has enabled the creation of more detailed biographies of those interred. A customized SMVI monograph is currently in development, partially fulfilling SSLT’s commitment to providing thoughtful information for educational purposes.
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In April, renowned conservator Dr David Carrington, Managing Director of Skillington Workshop Ltd, submitted his 73-page draft report on the Wriothesley Monuments. SSLT will sponsor their sympathetic restoration in 2025. The report’s thoroughness testifies to the importance of unrestricted access to all parts of the Southampton Chapel, especially the support structures of the Southampton Monument.
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At the close of 2023, SSLT was finalizing its Phase III proposal for Diocesan consideration. Once completed, it will reinstate the Sepulchre’s historical position, safeguard its contents, respectfully commemorate those interred with a memorial sealing stone, restore both Wriothesley Monuments, and re-plaster the Southampton Chapel, pending consent.
Achievements in Research and Education
- On 22nd May 2023, the Friends of St Peter’s (FoSP) reconvened their Brian Anderson Memorial lecture, inviting Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and Laura Matthias, SMVI Project Coordinator, to provide an exclusive look inside the
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Southampton Monument & Vault Initiative. It was a privilege to reveal some of SMVI’s preliminary findings and recent accomplishments to a full house, which included the founders of FoSP and over 200 enthusiastic parish, history society and community members. Thanks to the Friends of St Peter’s, proceeds from the lecture, totalling £1,300, were gifted to the ongoing restoration of the Southampton Chapel.
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In promoting, producing, and supporting information media for the Internet, radio, television, and film, SSLT commissioned ThinkSee3D, an industry leader in photogrammetry, to continue state-of-the-art, interactive 3D heritage recordings of the Chapel and its rare floor monuments. These multi-media assets will be integrated into SSLT’s public-facing platforms in due course, fulfilling, in part, its commitment to provide sensitive and considered information for educational purposes to a broader public audience.
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Throughout 2023, Trustees Laura Matthias and Dorna Bewley continued to evolve SSLT’s public-facing online platforms, showcasing new archival materials for the public benefit. Managing Trustee Laura Matthias identified the need to evolve the platform to include professional collections management software, thereby providing users with gold-standard functionality and searchability worthy of the Wriothesley legacy it promotes. Upgrading the website will be given missional priority in 2025, subject to funding.
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In support of research priorities in 2023, the trustees continued consulting Prof. Paul Hammer and Prof. James Doelman of the newly formed SORR Editorial Board. The editorial board vets biographical assets before uploading them to SORR and in advance of inclusion in the bespoke SMVI monograph in development.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN FUNDRAISING | 2023 | £28,000
In July 2022, SSLT was awarded a conservation grant of £1,800 from the ChurchCare/Church Buildings Council, distributed in April 2023. The grant was used to fund the Building Environmental Performance Assessment Survey by Tobit Curties at the Parish Church of St. Peter, Titchfield.
Building on this partnership, SSLT applied for a second conservation grant from ChurchCare/CBC and was awarded £1,200 toward the cost of a conservation report on the Wriothesley Southampton Monuments by Skillington Workshop Ltd (to be distributed in 2024 upon completion of the report). These acknowledgements by the National Church reflect SSLT’s dedication to best practices and are appreciated.
In 2023, the Caroline Montagu Weston Fund awarded £25,000 towards SSLT’s ongoing restoration of the Wriothesley Southampton Sepulchre and Monuments. In closing out 2023, representatives of the Caroline Montagu Weston Fund also expressed continued interest in supporting SSLT’s research, education, and heritage conservation mission moving forward, a partnership the SSLT Trustees sincerely appreciate and honour.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY AND ACCOUNTS
As Chief Financial Officer, I am pleased to present SSLT’s financial results for 2023. SSLT’s principal benefactors for 2023 were the Caroline Montagu Weston Fund (£25,000) , and ChurchCare (£1,800). Utilising the Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant Scheme, SSLT also recouped £4,428 in VAT in 2023. These combined gifts, cash donations, and interest earned resulted in receipts totalling £31,330 in 2023.
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Charitable activities and operating expenses were met by receipts and restricted reserves carried forward from 2022 (£58,590). Payments totaled £59,513 in 2023.
SSLT’s NET for 2023 was £(28,183) . (See Form CC16a enclosed)
SSLT’s ending CAF bank balance for 2023 was £31,506.
The Charities Aid Foundation is the sole transacting banking partner on behalf of SSLT.
Lorna MacPhee Chief Financial Officer, SSLT
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As we conclude another year of charitable service, I recognise my fellow Trustees and the newly expanded SMVI Advisory Panel for their readiness and dedication in 2023. Additionally, I commend the performance of SSLT's Chief Financial Officer, Lorna MacPhee, who adeptly oversees the financial aspects of the Trust with enthusiasm and efficiency.
The Trustees also recognise the performance of Dorna Bewley, SORR Research Coordinator, and Laura Matthias, SMVI Project Coordinator, for their exceptional supervision of SSLT's conservation, research and education agendas. They continue to perform vital roles supporting SMVI by searching public and private archives in the UK and abroad to uncover historical documents related to the lives of the Wriothesley Earls of Southampton.
Likewise, the Trustees also wish to acknowledge the outstanding performance of Trustee Marilyn Wilton-Smith, who stepped down as Chair of the Titchfield History Society in 2023 but remains its champion. Her commitment to sharing the Wriothesley narrative is evident in the informative local historical tours she conducts at Place House and St Peter's Church and in the original research she promotes.
The Trustees also recognise the outstanding performance of Associate Lisa Wilson. She has played a vital role in transitioning the Trust's business to virtual platforms. Furthermore, Lisa continues to produce professional-grade multimedia presentations, which greatly benefit SSLT. In 2023, these presentations were instrumental in conveying SMVI's historical findings to Parish and Diocesan leadership, SSLT's benefactors, conservation stakeholders and the Titchfield community.
In recognition of his family's continued stewardship of the Wriothesley legacies and his invaluable contributions to SMVI and SSLT, the Trustees recognised Lord Montagu of Beaulieu for his leadership in 2023, also for his incalculable in-kind contributions to SSLT and SMVI for nearly a decade. His ancestral home, Palace House, frequently hosts project critical meetings of the Trust and Diocesan leadership and serves as overnight headquarters for the Trustees and the SMVI Advisory Panel during Titchfield conservation works and archaeological investigations. Thank You!
SSLT welcomes Johane Pitney, PA, to Lord Montagu and thanks her for the professionalism and compassion that energised our philanthropic pursuits in the second half of 2023.
Finally, and in concert, the SSLT Trustees would like to recognise Graham Weston and the Caroline Montagu Weston Fund Trustees, principal benefactors of SMVI. It is only through their philanthropy and awareness of the cultural, social, and economic value of caring for cultural assets that SSLT can serve the Wriothesley legacy. This notion is especially relevant as SSLT prepares for the final phase of SMVI in 2025. Once realised, it will restore the Sepulchre's historic position, safeguard its contents, respectfully commemorate those interred, restore both Wriothesley Monuments and re-plaster the Southampton Chapel. SSLT is inspired to collaborate with St Peter's PCC to propose elegant and historically appropriate solutions for the overall design aesthetic of the
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mortuary nexus, unifying the vision of reclaiming and restoring the Southampton Chapel, thereby furnishing the nation with a site of pilgrimage worthy of the remarkable legacy it safeguards.
In Service,
Laura Matthias, Managing Trustee
On behalf of the Trustees of the Shakespeare Southampton Legacy Trust 29[th] October 2024
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
| Trustees | Offce | Dates acted if not for whole year |
|---|---|---|
| Ralph Douglas-Scott-Montagu | Patron | Founding Trustee 24 Dec 2017 |
| Laura K. Matthias | Managing Trustee, SMVI Coordinator | Founding Trustee 24 Dec 2017 |
| Dorna L. Bewley | SORR Research Coordinator | Founding Trustee 24 Dec 2017 |
| Marilyn Wilton Smith | Trustee | Appointment 29 June 2019 |
| Associates | ||
| Lisa Wilson |
Senior Staff
Lorna MacPhee, Chief Financial Officer, SSLT, Beaulieu, Hampshire UK
DECLARATION
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Ralph Douglas-Scott-Montagu
| Patron/Founding Trustee | Signature | Date 29thOct 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Laura K. Matthias | ||
| Founding Trustee | Signature | Date29thOct 2024 |
| Dorna L. Bewley | ||
| Founding Trustee | Signature | Date 29thOct 2024 |
| Marilyn Wilton-Smith | ||
| Trustee | Signature | Date 29thOct 2024 |
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees On accounts for the year Charity no ended 3[\ s-i-] 'Dk� VIA e,, �/4. 2-o[2-][7] (if any) \�4-,3<.r Set out on pages 7-10 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended "3 ·t / i 7....)2· 0 2.) Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 basis of report ("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 carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent [The charit¥'i iRGQA=IO o�sgoded £250,000 and I am qualified to examiner's statement[undortako ][the examination by being a qualified member of (insert name ef ] gi:gss applicable listed-body]]. Delete [] if not af)f)!icable. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
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• the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
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Pl the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: ~~I~~ � /� ~~� I~~ Date: �I z.__//c_;:; )/�?--4--.-� ...e- Name: . • , ,_I ___ P_lc-_,'-_y' __ ---:-=-)_c .._V'-_,,,>'-•::,,-"..:;; _ _______ � Relevant professional I qualification(s) or body t __ f·r _C.C... __ - _rA. _______ �
IER
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{if any): L_____--------------------------�
Address: 2LtVV\ � /!-D QN A \ ~~E~~ C \ A"') L \';,.-(....5, ro�v l [e ][i] [<][;-] L E i GH 50.' I �J
Section B
Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.
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IER
Charity Registration Number 1184734 Entered on the UK Register of Charities on 2 August 2019
Shakespeare Southampton Legacy Trust Receipts and Payments Accounts
| For the period from | 1/1/2023 | 1/1/2023 | to | to | 12/31/2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds | Restricted Funds | Endowment funds | Total funds (2023) | Last year (2022) | ||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||
| Unrestricted Cash Donations CAF | £ 16 |
£ 16 |
£ 5 |
||||||
| Interest Payments | £ 87 |
£ 87 |
£ 36 |
||||||
| VAT Reimbursement | £ 4,428 |
£ 4,428 |
£ 407 |
||||||
| ChurchCare Award | £ 1,800 |
£ 1,800 |
|||||||
| Restricted CMWF Award #6 | £ 25,000 |
£ 25,000 |
|||||||
| Restricted CMWF Award #5 | £ 0 |
£ 37,057 |
|||||||
| £ 0 |
|||||||||
| Sub total_(Gross income for AR) _ | £ 6,330 |
£ 25,000 |
£ 0 |
£ 31,330 |
£ 37,505 |
||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales | |||||||||
| £ 0 |
£ 0 |
£ 0 |
£ 0 |
||||||
| Sub total | £ 0 |
£ 0 |
£ 0 |
£ 0 |
£ 0 |
||||
| **Total receipts ** | £ 6,330 |
£ 25,000 |
£ 0 |
£ 31,330 |
£ 37,505 |
||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
| Costs of charitable activities | |||||||||
| Research | Education | Website | £ 422 |
£ 422 |
|||||
| Heritage Conservation | SMVI | £ 30,766 |
£ 30,766 |
||||||
| Administrative Fees | SMVI | £ 28,191 |
£ 28,191 |
||||||
| Bank Charges CAF | £ 135 |
£ 135 |
£ 106 |
||||||
| £ 407 |
|||||||||
| **Sub total ** | £ 557 |
£ 58,956 |
£ 0 |
£ 59,513 |
£ 13,640 |
||||
| A4 Asset and investmentpurchases,(see table) | |||||||||
| - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | ||||
| **Totalpayments ** | £ 557 |
£ 58,956 |
£ 0 |
£ 59,513 |
£ 13,640 |
||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | £ 5,773 |
£ (33,956) |
£ 0 |
£ (28,183) |
£ 23,865 |
||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | £ 0 |
£ 0 |
£ 0 |
£ 0 |
|||||
| A6 Cash funds lastyear end | £ 1,099 |
£ 58,590 |
£ 0 |
£ 59,689 |
£ 35,823 |
||||
| **Cash funds thisyear end ** | £ 6,872 |
£ 24,634 |
£ 0 |
£ 31,506 |
£ 59,688 |
||||
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of | the period | ||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds | Restricted funds | Endowment Funds | |||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds | Total Unrestricted Cash Funds Year End 2023 |
£ 6,872 |
|||||||
| Total Restricted Funds Held in Reserve Year End 2023: CMWF Awards |
£ 24,634 |
||||||||
| Total cash funds | £ 6,872 |
£ 24,634 |
|||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | OK |
| A4 Asset and investmentpurchases,(see table) | A4 Asset and investmentpurchases,(see table) | A4 Asset and investmentpurchases,(see table) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||
| Sub total | - 0 | - 0 | - | 0 | - | 0 | - 0 | |||||||||
| **Totalpayments ** | £ | 557 | £ | 58,956 | £ | 0 | £ | 59,513 |
£ | 13,640 | ||||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | £ | 5,773 | £ | (33,956) | £ | 0 | £ | (28,183) |
£ | 23,865 | ||||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | £ | 0 | £ | 0 | £ | 0 | £ | 0 | ||||||||
| A6 Cash funds lastyear end | £ | 1,099 | £ | 58,590 | £ | 0 | £ | 59,689 |
£ | 35,823 | ||||||
| **Cash funds thisyear end ** | £ | 6,872 | £ | 24,634 | £ | 0 | £ | 31,506 |
£ | 59,688 | ||||||
| Section B Statement of assets | and liabilities at the end of | the period | ||||||||||||||
| Unrestricted funds | Restricted funds | Endowment Funds | ||||||||||||||
| Categories | Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||||||||
| B1 Cash funds | Total Unrestricted Cash Funds | |||||||||||||||
| Year End 2023 | £ | 6,872 | ||||||||||||||
| Total Restricted Funds | Held in Reserve | |||||||||||||||
| Year End | 2023: CMWF Awards | £ | 24,634 |
|||||||||||||
| Total cash funds | £ | 6,872 | £ | 24,634 |
||||||||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | OK |
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| Details | Unrestricted funds | Restricted funds | Endowment funds | ||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | ||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost(optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost(optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- | - | |||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due(optional) | ||||
| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Name | Date of approval | ||||
| Laura Matthias | Laura K. Matthias | 25 Oct 2024 | |||||
| Lord Montagu | Ralph Douglas-Scott Montagu | 25 Oct 2024 | |||||
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25 Oct 2024