Chairman’s report to AGM of Oxhill Village Hall 16th May 2023
This has been an unprecedented year for the Village Hall, at this time last year we were trying to get back on an even keel after the Covid restrictions.
At that time everything was in the balance and we were unsure if our plans to renovate & extend the hall could be funded. However, shortly after last year’s AGM we had confirmation of National Lottery funding of £98,000 and this together with the £36,670 already pledged by ACRE meant we felt we could get the work underway. By then estimates for the work had risen astronomically, any quotes received were valid for only a month, builders were all booked for 12 months ahead and it was impossible to find anyone to take on the contract. Having failed to find a builder Richard & I became the main contractors and have dealt with the project, purchasing materials and engaging sub-contractors and programming the work as necessary.
The committee decided we would proceed with caution and begin by undertaking the work which didn’t impinge on the hall itself and the hall would therefore remain in use for as long as possible. It was in September that we finally cleared the hall and moved our day to day operation to the Old Chapel. The hall contents were stored in Phil Brennan and Newborough House barns, our thanks go to them and Jill & Colin Tucker for there support in letting us use their premises.
By this time the retaining wall at the back of the hall was complete and footings for the extension were dug and the drainage and over-site completed. At this point we were at a bit of an impasse but I leant on an old builder friend of mine Richard Fox and asked if he would work with us on an ad hoc basis. He agreed he would help us by working a few days here & there between jobs. As luck would have it the weather deteriorated in January & he was unable to continue with the work he had planned & he came on site with his men to work for about 3 weeks.
In that time, the old porch was demolished, the 2 chimneys taken out, the old store & main internal wall demolished. The foundations and buttress for the new French windows were built so these could be installed. We arranged for the new steel beams to be lifted into place by a specialist company as one of these alone weighed 3/4 of a ton - too much for our band of volunteers. When this work was completed we could see the size of the hall to be and many people started to appreciate Richard Colling’s vision of the new space.
We have been helped enormously by our volunteers, Stuart Whittaker, John Bicknell, Lee Robinson & Derek Harbour who have turned out in often very
cold uncomfortable conditions to work on site and help erect the Sips panels for the extension. I would also like to record our thanks to Brian Hobill & Thomas Fox who have provided lifting equipment often at short notice to facilitate the work.
Early on in the project we had managed to purchase some old bricks which match the existing brickwork so that these were ready to use on the new porch. At this time the brickwork is up to window height and the building is surrounded by scaffolding so that the roofers can work. Once the roof is complete and the scaffold has been removed the brick and stone work can be finished.
It’s an incredibly busy time requiring many hours of work behind the scenes and of course our work of fund raising continues. Tony Philpott made a target thermometer for us which shows our goal of £250,000 of which we have raised about £235,000 to date. Many villagers have “bought a brick” or indeed several bricks and we appreciate their support. We also thank Oxhill Parish Council for donating CIL money amounting to £3,899.
During the year I’ve continued to make grant applications when the opportunity arises, not all are successful but I did get a £25,000 grant from the Community Ownership Fund. This is a government scheme under the Secretary of State for levelling up and as such comes with the high level of paperwork you would expect. I had thought the National Lottery was onerous until I saw the 46 page document sent to me this week to obtain the grant so a few hoops to jump through yet before we can get the cash!
We have continued with our normal programme of events, several of which were reinstated after cancellations due to Covid. As you have seen from the Treasurer’s report we have raised a considerable amount on each occasion and my thanks to the committee and friends who work hard to make these events a success, preparing the hall, making & serving food and of course the big clear up afterwards.
Our thanks also to the numerous villagers who responded to our appeal for funds and made contributions. Many of these are gift aided which means we will be able to reclaim tax of 25% of the value of the donation. These donations together with our very successful Village Fete in September has brought in over £16,500 to date.
Our move to the Old Chapel hasn’t been without it’s challenges, our first event Curry Night turned into near farce with the repeated power failure due to a faulty cooker. We have however adapted and the traditional Seniors Lunch in December was voted a success with the added attraction of a local Jazz band called Jazz59 who fundraise for TalkDementia charity.
So everyone wants to know when the hall will be finished and the answer is I’m afraid I don’t know. We are working very hard to get it done as quickly as possible and shortly the windows and roof lights will be installed the porch roof completed and the floor levelled ready for the insulation & concreting. After that the electricians and plasterers can get to work. We then have the fitting out of cloakrooms, kitchen & bar.
Total funds available to complete the work are £122,000 and budgeted items to date are expected to be at least £112,000 so we had a contingency of about £10,000 but there are always unexpected expenses and the theft of 2 window frames last week, additional building control costs and other charges have eaten into the reserve. Added to that we have no budget for painting & decorating or landscaping so if you know anyone who can help, please let me know.
My thanks as always to the committee for their unstinting support during the year and the “Friends of OVH” who help out when needed.
That concludes my report for the year to March 2023 and I’d like to propose the adoption of this report.
OXHILL VILLAGE HALL INCOME EXPENDITURE A/C YEAR ENDING 31//03/23
| INCOME LETTINGS FUNCTIONS BEST OF BRITISH LESS COSTS PLANT SALE LESS COSTS PAELLA EVENING LESS COSTS VILLAGE FETE LESS COSTS PROGRESSIVE SUPPER LESS COSTS CURRY NIGHT LESS COSTS CHRISTMAS LUNCH LESS COSTS BEER & BUBBLES LESS COSTS BURNS NIGHT & RAFFLE LESS COSTS QUIZ NIGHT LESS COSTS GRANTS DONATIONS SUNDRY INCOME BAR STOCK ADJUSTMENT EXPENDITURE ELECTRICITY WATER & DRAINAGE INSURANCE BUSINESS RATES MOWING REPAIRS & CLEANING STATIONERY ETC. BANK CHARGES RUNNING EXPENSES BUILDING WORK TO DATE EXCESS OF INCOME OVER EXPENSES |
£811.54 -£126.00 £204.05 £1,090.16 -£372.27 £5,299.18 -£1,474.34 £671.94 -£292.22 £1,268.98 -£189.60 £440.00 -£357.39 £1,015.23 -£385.21 £300.00 £1,326.19 -£484.59 |
|
|---|---|---|
| £1,550.00 £685.54 £204.05 £717.89 £3,824.84 £379.72 £1,079.38 £82.61 £630.02 £300.00 £841.60 £121,994.86 £12,750.00 £104.32 £91.00 |
||
| TOTAL INCOME £145,235.83 £642.26 £678.09 £584.96 £106.24 £392.00 £641.65 £143.92 £114.25 £3,303.37 £95,500.78 |
£145,235.83 | |
| TOTAL EXPENSES £98,804.15 £46,431.68 |
OXHILL VILLAGE HALL BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31/03/23
| GENERAL FUNDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| OPENING BALANCE | £8,050.59 | |
| ADD EXCESS OF INCOME OVER EXPENSES | £46,431.68 | |
| LESS TRANSFERS TO BUILDING FUND | -£46,000.00 | |
| £8,482.27 | ||
| BUILDING MAINTENANCE RESERVE | ||
| OPENING BALANCE | £25,310.58 | |
| ADD TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND | £46,000.00 | |
| £71,310.58 | ||
| TOTAL VILLAGE HALL FUNDS | £79,792.85 | |
| REPRESENTED BY | ||
| HSBC BANK ACCOUNT | £78,680.63 | |
| PETTY CASH | £609.22 | |
| BAR STOCK AND FLOAT | £503.00 | |
| £79,792.85 |
AUDITORS CERTIFICATION
I have examined the above Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet and I certify them to be in accordance with the books, vouchers and information supplied.
JAMES SYNGE 14-May-23
OXHILL VILLAGE HALL INCOME EXPENDITURE A/C YEAR ENDING 31//03/23
| INCOME LETTINGS FUNCTIONS BEST OF BRITISH LESS COSTS PLANT SALE LESS COSTS PAELLA EVENING LESS COSTS VILLAGE FETE LESS COSTS PROGRESSIVE SUPPER LESS COSTS CURRY NIGHT LESS COSTS CHRISTMAS LUNCH LESS COSTS BEER & BUBBLES LESS COSTS BURNS NIGHT & RAFFLE LESS COSTS QUIZ NIGHT LESS COSTS GRANTS DONATIONS SUNDRY INCOME BAR STOCK ADJUSTMENT EXPENDITURE ELECTRICITY WATER & DRAINAGE INSURANCE BUSINESS RATES MOWING REPAIRS & CLEANING STATIONERY ETC. BANK CHARGES RUNNING EXPENSES BUILDING WORK TO DATE EXCESS OF INCOME OVER EXPENSES |
£811.54 -£126.00 £204.05 £1,090.16 -£372.27 £5,299.18 -£1,474.34 £671.94 -£292.22 £1,268.98 -£189.60 £440.00 -£357.39 £1,015.23 -£385.21 £300.00 £1,326.19 -£484.59 |
|
|---|---|---|
| £1,550.00 £685.54 £204.05 £717.89 £3,824.84 £379.72 £1,079.38 £82.61 £630.02 £300.00 £841.60 £121,994.86 £12,750.00 £104.32 £91.00 |
||
| TOTAL INCOME £145,235.83 £642.26 £678.09 £584.96 £106.24 £392.00 £641.65 £143.92 £114.25 £3,303.37 £95,500.78 |
£145,235.83 | |
| TOTAL EXPENSES £98,804.15 £46,431.68 |
OXHILL VILLAGE HALL BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31/03/23
| GENERAL FUNDS | ||
|---|---|---|
| OPENING BALANCE | £8,050.59 | |
| ADD EXCESS OF INCOME OVER EXPENSES | £46,431.68 | |
| LESS TRANSFERS TO BUILDING FUND | -£46,000.00 | |
| £8,482.27 | ||
| BUILDING MAINTENANCE RESERVE | ||
| OPENING BALANCE | £25,310.58 | |
| ADD TRANSFER FROM GENERAL FUND | £46,000.00 | |
| £71,310.58 | ||
| TOTAL VILLAGE HALL FUNDS | £79,792.85 | |
| REPRESENTED BY | ||
| HSBC BANK ACCOUNT | £78,680.63 | |
| PETTY CASH | £609.22 | |
| BAR STOCK AND FLOAT | £503.00 | |
| £79,792.85 |
AUDITORS CERTIFICATION
I have examined the above Income and Expenditure Account and Balance Sheet and I certify them to be in accordance with the books, vouchers and information supplied.
JAMES SYNGE 14-May-23