## **GRASSINGTON DEVONSHIRE INSTITUTE** **(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation – Registered Charity no. 1185815)** ## **Annual report 2024** Dear members, As you will see reading this report that GDI and the Town Hall buildings have moved on tremendously in the last few years and are now in a great place to face the future. However, before I tell you all the news of the year, I feel I need to take time at the start to raise the issue raised so many times before. A registered charity runs under conditions set by the Charities Commission and all our trustees are volunteers. No charity can be successful unless there is a continuous rotation of trustees to ensure continuity and promote progress. Whilst at present we have eight trustees this is just not enough; we need people to step up and help or the work we are doing will be lost. We need people to commit to 2 -3 years and for most it would be about 8 hours a month. If you are a hands -on person you could do much more, but I want to give people a realistic picture of what you are signing up for. There are so many things you could get involved in and I am happy to discuss this with anyone. We also now need a new treasurer and of course they do need some relevant experience. We would not throw you in the deep end as our present treasurer, Andy Thornton, is happy to work alongside someone to start with to give them time and confidence to take on the role. We cannot exist without one so please consider if this could be you for the next 2 -3 years or longer! PLEASE consider these requests as it really is help us or lose us. This annual report is always time to offer thanks to all those who have made the Charity successful. My fellow trustees who are all vital in our smooth running from IT to posters, maintenance to paperwork, events and safety. Just to remind everyone who the trustees are: Rob Arnott – Vice Chair, runs all the Operas and Ballets and is a key member of our maintenance team. Ian Austin – Key member of the maintenance team and staff line manager Will Binns – Events, Bar manager Pam Meldrum – Posters Hovis Scholey – IT, What’s on and Website Laura Ward – Events, Courses, Advertising, IT Skye Wilkinson – Events, Stage advice/lighting sound. Our treasurer, Andy Thornton, continues to be meticulous which has been incredibly hard in a year where banks and utilities have been challenging and with the number of grants we are handling. Our booking secretary, Cathy Doyle, does an amazing job at juggling all the groups, their individual needs and the spaces we have available. Membership secretary, Kathy Merson, who works so hard to keep track of all our members and of course our caretakers Derrick Lee and Dave Dunn. It is hard to describe the work that the caretakers do – whether it is the smile as you arrive or a new bulb in a light their roles are vast, and we could not exist without them. There are then so many hidden volunteer helpers all of whom we treasure but, this year I would like to name two who have been there so many times from running the kitchen to needlework and elf school - Judith Brewer and Janet Tordoff – thank you. Lister who has turned up with his ’toys’ just when he as needed or people with key skills in the village ready to help with their expertise – I should mention here Neil Harrison with his help on the undercroft project and John Jameson with improvements to the stage and its facilities. Please excuse me if I have not mentioned your name- the list could go on for pages and I am already told I say too much! Most importantly to thank all our members who are the heart of the charity– your ideas and constant encouragement keeps us going. Fund raising, especially for the undercroft project, has seen the community step up to help with various events from Bingo to auctions, coffee mornings, competitions and just those who tell me they drop their change in our carpark bin– It is all vital to keep moving on the facilities. Special thanks must go to Rita for a great bingo evening which many are asking us to repeat. Our membership fluctuates around the 300 mark and during 2025 we will try to encourage more to join us and thereby see what the Town Hall can offer them. If you are able to, I would ask you to move to paying by standing order as this really reduces the time it takes to do the paperwork. If you need any support in doing this, please contact our membership secretary. We have not increased membership since the system began and we are grateful for all who faithfully support us whilst everything else around us is going. Those £2 month payments add up and have allowed us to put £10k into projects. Some have said they would like to increase their donation, and you can do this by just amending the amount you pay to whatever you wish. It is not just about money as we take very importantly the suggestions of our members and you act as evidence to grant bodies of the support we enjoy. This month we mark the end of the first year of the lease with the GPC. We are settling into a new way of working together and their support and commitment has been much appreciated. £20k was reserved for the Town Hall with the same agreed for the next financial year and a much-needed donation to the new boiler fund. Until now the monies have been quickly swallowed up in major repair works but with the addition of grants and GDI funds it has been possible to do things only dreamed of before. Together we are making the buildings a community asset which will support the activities we all value and hopefully many new ones. My special thanks must go to Louise Close for facilitating the practicalities involved. We continue to host some 25 groups with a huge range of additional events taking place. We are always looking at ways to improve the facilities and with the support of the Table Tennis group and a grant we have managed to upgrade with two new tables this year. These can be hired by anyone by contacting the Caretaker. We were delighted to invite the Year 6 pupils at schools in the Dale to come to a free Shakespeare afternoon where they were able to meet ‘William and Anne’, taste Elizabethan gingerbread and they took great delight in developing some Shakespearean insults! All year 10/11 pupils at UWS were able to come and see the David Tennant Macbeth which is their examination text this year. The week was supported by Players, The Stripey Badger and Ron Norman and was enjoyed by over 400 in the various events. Events like this are something that many of us would like to build on in the future. This month also sees a new user in the changing rooms who I know will be welcomed by many. Helen is a fully qualified Podiatrist and will be setting up on Saturday and later Wednesday mornings to provide this service in the village. To book please contact her directly. We hope to build on services like this in the future and invite people to enquire about possible spaces available. The building has hosted a number of village events and those from other organisations including overnight runners, Hand bell ringers, social events and School nativities and courses in willow, pyrography and first aid. New things planned such as dart and snooker competitions and we were delighted to host the local Fire Brigade training session. Our accounts are somewhat skewed by the income from grants, but I am delighted to say that our running costs not only broke even this year but made a profit which is enabling upgrades to parts of the building. As you can see in the annual accounts there has been a healthy increase in rental income partially helped by a small increase in 2024. There is no increase in 2025 but a small one planned for 2026. Sadly, the number of weddings has made it financially impractical to maintain the expensive licence, but we will continue to host receptions which is the main income. Investment income dipped as we, like many other charities, were hit by banks removing interest account from charities. After much hard work we now have a saving account with Virgin, and it is making good interest on the grants we hold at present. I applaud the hard work of trustees and volunteers alike who have run a huge number of events this year doubling the income from this source. This is not a secure income for the future but is giving us a breathing space to get necessary things completed and do some key improvements. As soon as we can get the units in the under croft rented out, we will gain more financial security for the future and thus protect our existing groups. Whilst I have endeavoured to keep you up to date with developments during the year it is good to take the time to celebrate all that has happened. In the last week individuals and companies have been working in most areas of the building to get things done and my thanks goes to all the users who have had to be so flexible around the disruption. So, in 2024: - The long-needed heating system is now running and thanks to support from the Devolution Deal Net Zero Fund we were able to not just fit new boilers but to rezone the building to make us more efficient. There are still teething issues where old meets new, but we are getting there. - The second area of roofing over the stage and repairs to Octagon roof were carried out with support from the Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust and areas of the metal roof and guttering are in process of being repaired. - We have completed renovation of the changing rooms to repaint and remove old, stained carpet replacing it with a new washable flooring. - A new storage cupboard has been fitted in the Foyer to enable us to store bar stock and other items safely on the level. - The removal of the rotten back porch joining the kitchen to snooker room and renovation of the walkway. Change to opening in snooker room to give better flow from kitchen and to fire escape. - With support from a NYC Net Zero Fund Decarbonising Community Buildings grant we have replaced toilet taps and obsolete water heaters which will be more efficient and stop taps being left on and water wastage. - With support of a work party, we have painted of the entrance, stairs, corridor and foyer. - We have repaired and painted the rails at Moor Lane Door - Many have commented on the upgrade of the front yard of the building to relay all Yorkshire slabs and new tarmac to make safe. The Devonshire gates are newly sandblasted and the gateway post repaired. The repair of the wall and replacement of the gates will hopefully happen once the weather improves. It is proving a great area for other activities and displays. - In discussion with key users, we are carrying out a programme of repairs to stage curtains, painting, the addition of stage mics and a camera to enable the changing rooms to know what is happening on stage. This includes a full clean, audit and organisation of the Projection room. Once this is completed, we can look further ahead to the dreams of back projection and better stage lighting! It must be remembered that all these upgrades are in addition to the constant maintenance and repairs which happen daily. We are so grateful to have skilled volunteers and caretakers which help to keep the costs down and effective contractors who step in when needed. My sincere thanks to Rob Arnott, Ian Austin and Des Lee for their involvement in this. We always need other ‘handy’ men and women so do get in touch if you can help. The Under Croft project now has planning permission and the essential structural issues are in discussion to ensure that the final plan is the best that it can be. Once we are ready to go further, I will write to members with more details. What I can say with delight is that we started in November with the aim or raising £150k for the project and as of this week we have £121k. This is an amazing achievement, and I thank all those involved. Please help us to reach our target by getting involved in our fund raisers coming up or by making a donation. **The Auction** we need lots of anything from items to promises- we have things like artwork from local artists, a meet and greet the alpacas, drumming lesson, cream teas delivered to your door and so much more. Can you offer an item or promise of a service? Just get in touch. **Grassington’s got talent** This is not a competition but a fun evening at the Town Hall to enjoy a multitude of local people doing their thing. It can be music, magic or comical – something never seen before? Can you stand on your head and recite poetry or speed paint a picture? You do not need to be a professional but willing to contribute something to our village night. About 4 minutes per act and we can provide mics etc. Open to all ages and groups. Bar will be on. We have been blessed in the last 2 years with so many kind gifts and grants without which I am not sure where we would be now. Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust Yorkshire Dales Sustainability Fund NYC Net Zero Fund – Decarbonising Community Buildings Law Family Charitable Foundation National Lottery -Awards for all So, as you can see it has been a busy year with lots of exciting things coming up. Please remember you can have a tour of the building by just getting in contact to organise a time. Kind regards, Hazel Drew - Chair of Trustees. **----- Start of picture text -----**
Grassington Devonshire Institute Treasurer's Report
Print Date: Sunday, 20 April 2025
Opening Balances 01 January 2024
Santander £ 89,694.13
Barclays Community Account £ 7,813.50
Virgin Money £ -
Cash £ 493.15
Total Funds 01 January 2024 £ 98,000.78
Income Account Group Credit
Donations £ 38,073.88
GDI Events £ 25,693.36
Gift Aid £ 4,408.99
Grants £ 129,184.00
Investment Income £ 549.19
Membership Subscriptions £ 7,418.00
Miscellaneous £ 1,330.00
Room Hire £ 36,946.50
Grand Total £ 243,603.92
Expenditure Account Group Debit
Council Tax & Waste £ 2,651.36
Electricity £ 3,278.24
Employment £ 22,177.19
Gas £ 10,421.46
GDI Events £ 8,958.10
Insurance £ 799.47
Licences £ 438.75
Lucky Dip Payout £ 650.00
Maintenance & Repairs £ 3,475.08
Miscellaneous £ 492.75
Office Expenses £ 608.60
Professional Fees £ 1,564.20
Projects £ 87,591.31
Sundries & Consumables £ 1,198.50
Telephone & Internet £ 599.25
Water £ 1,668.81
Website £ 154.16
Grand Total £ 146,727.23
Surplus/Loss to date 31 December 2024 £ 96,876.69
Funds at 31 December 2024 £ 194,877.47
Bank Balances as of 31 December 2024
Santander £ 79,134.77
Barclays £ 14,883.50
Virgin Money £ 100,549.19
Cash £ 286.01
MemCash £ 24.00
£ 194,877.47
Allocated Funds
Liabilities Room Hire Deposits & Bonds £ 1,340.00
Reserves DR Reserve £ 30,000.00
Ringfenced Funds Projects £ 114,389.73
Total Restricted Funds £ 145,729.73
Available Unrestricted Funds £ 49,147.74
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Grassington Devonshire Institute
Registered Charity No. : 1185815
Revenue Account for the Year Ended 31st December 2024
Y/E 31/12/2023 Expenditure Y/E 31/12/2024 Y/E 31/12/2023 Income Y/E 31/12/2024
Account Group Debit Account Group Credit
£ 1,025.49 Council Tax & Waste £ 2,651.36 £ 13,649.31 Donations £ 38,073.88
£ 4,195.28 Electricity £ 3,278.24 £ 12,652.78 GDI Events £ 25,693.36
£ 21,425.87 Employment £ 22,177.19 £ 1,214.86 Gift Aid £ 4,408.99
£ 14,072.98 Gas £ 10,421.46 £ 9,450.00 Grants £ 129,184.00
£ 5,430.45 GDI Events £ 8,958.10 £ 1,444.41 Investment Income £ 549.19
£ 716.51 Insurance £ 799.47 £ 7,146.00 Membership Subscriptions £ 7,418.00
£ 836.00 Licences £ 438.75 £ 150.98 Miscellaneous £ 1,330.00
£ 600.00 Lucky Dip Payout £ 650.00 £ 30,992.50 Room Hire £ 36,946.50
£ 5,871.30 Maintenance & Repairs £ 3,475.08
£ 769.92 Miscellaneous £ 492.75
£ 194.54 Office Expenses £ 608.60
£ 8,447.40 Professional Fees £ 1,564.20
£ 5,047.57 Projects £ 87,591.31
£ 1,251.15 Sundries & Consumables £ 1,198.50
£ 512.62 Telephone & Internet £ 599.25
£ 1,258.56 Water £ 1,668.81
£ 540.72 Website £ 154.16
£ 70.00 Advertising
£ 994.45 Bar Stock
£ 100.00 Donations
£ 190.80 Fire Safety
£ 259.29 Bar Equipment
£ 73,810.90 Total £ 146,727.23 £ 76,700.84 Total £ 243,603.92
£ 2,889.94 Surplus (- Deficit) £ 96,876.69
£ 76,700.84 Balance Check £ 243,603.92
Balance Sheet as at 31st December
Y/E 31/12/2023 Reserves Y/E 31/12/2024 Y/E 31/12/2023 Assets Y/E 31/12/2024
£ 95,110.84 Funds at 1st January £ 98,000.78 £ 89,694.13 Santander Current Account £ 79,134.77
£ 2,889.94 Surplus (- Deficit) £ 96,876.69 £ 7,813.50 Barclays Current Account £ 14,883.50
£ - Virgin Money £ 100,549.19
£ 493.15 Cash £ 286.01
MemCash £ 24.00
£ 98,000.78 Total Reserves £ 194,877.47 £ 98,000.78 £ 194,877.47
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**Grassington Devonshire Institute Treasurer Independent Examiner Andrew Thornton** Andrew Walker BSc FCCA Town Head Barn Arthur E Walker Grassington 6 Water Street BD23 5BL Skipton BD23 1PB Signature: Dated: 11th March 2025 Grassln on Devonshlre Instltute Re Istered Cha No 11858 ts and Pa mtnts for the Èaf èndÈd 31 December 2024 Re¢elpts 243.fg 76,701 Dirert Charitable expenditure Other expendlture 145.135 1,592 146.727 68,234 5.577 73,811 Net receiptsllpaymentsl for the year Add Cash funds at beglnnlng of year Cash funds at the end of year 96,877 98,LK 194,877 2,890 95,110 98,CQO Ll*blllt •s at 31 Dec•m1￿r 20 Santander current account Mernbershlp and Lucky Dlp account (Bardays) Vlrgin Monev Cash Mem Cash 79,135 14,883 100,549 286 24 194.877 1,740 196,617 -1340 195.277 89,694 7,814 492 98.000 693 98,693 -550 98,143 Debtor.. Hall Hire Creditors 11th M8rch 2025 Approved on ..............-..... H Drew. Chairperson For and on behakF of tht Trustee5 A Thornton Treasurer Grassln on Devonshire Institute. R 14umber. 1185815 Notes to the accounts lor the ear ended 31 December 202 111 Anal is ot Recei 2024 Donations Grants Rent ol Hall Local Or8anlsatlons Weddings Membershlp and Lucky Dlp acc￿nt Fundralsers Indudln8 refreshments Investment income Other retelpts Gift Ald 38,074 129.184 13,649 9.450 34,872 2.075 7,418 25,693 549 1,330 29.510 1,450 7,146 12.686 1.444 151 1.215 243.604 76,701 121 Ana 15 of Dirert Charitable nditure Repalrs and malnienance andH Ele¢tricitv Gas Water Caretakln8 staff ¢osts Trade waste Llcences, fees and Insurance Event fees Rates 3,154 3,278 10,422 1,669 22,050 462 2,982 8,958 4,195 14,073 1,259 21,426 435 io,coo 7,454 Prolerts Lucky Dlp Payments 87,S91 650 145,135 68,234 nd Statlonery Telephone & WIFI Purchase and replacement of equlpmènt Advertisin81photocopyin8 Miscellaneous expenses Donat￿N 727 513 97 135 33 191 1.321 1.592 5.577 Grns De¥onshlM Insiiiui•. R Not•5 toth•ac￿￿￿ts for the ar erbded JI Ownership of the Gra%fjnt￿n Dtr¥onsPAre Insfftute ltheTowTr H￿1}Is￿5¢ed In Grwnston Parish Council. The Parish Co￿01 allows theTru#eesto operatethe lyjilding and to tske reswnsilmlity forthe maintenance of the irthrior and turthe upketp. ￿Newa1 and mprovernent Of all fbdlitiÈs therein. UJ)dÈrthÈ cuNent ierff&of the a6reement*lth the Parfsh Counell all furnlture and equlkXlWt purthased * tho trustees for use In the bu1￿1n8 becomes tho wopvtyofth• Parlsh Cwnd. ThetnJstees the￿ tth* r¢0 rw monÈtary assets. Oo*)atlons 38.073.88 4.4108.99 129.184.ts) 549.19 7AI8. 1.330.Tr) 36.946.50 25.693.36 GIft￿d fjrants In¥estment Income •mb•rshlp Substhptbths Mlscdlaneous Room Hlr• GDI E¥•ftts PerAetounts 243.603.92 Councll Tax & W•ste É U51.36 £ 3278.24 É 22,177.19 £ 10.421A6 £ 8.958.10 799A7 4x75 650.C £ 3A75.08 492.75 Employrnent GDI E%*fi Insur•n(e Lk¢nc2s Lucky Dlp Paytyjt Malntenance & Rew5 M15cell•neo Oth¢¢ E¥p•n5•5 Professknal Fees Projects Sundrfes & Consumable5 Telephone & Intemet Water weblte £ 1564.20 £ 87591.31 £ 1.198.$0 599.25 É L668.81 154.16 146.727.23 Per Accounts Lhrect £h•ritable expeNliture Other Expenditure 145.135 1,592 146.727 CRASStYGTON DEVOYSHtRE INSTITUTE INDEPENDEYT EXAMINER'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR EINDED 31 DECEMBER 2024 Inde ndent Examlner'g R ort to the Trnstees ofGrassln on Devonshire Jnstltute I r¢port to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the al)ove Charity ('*he Trust") for the year ended 31 D¢cemb¢r 2024. lll¢l As the Charity's Tn￿tees. you arc rwonsible for the preparation of the ￿COunts in accordance with the requircrnenls of ihe Charities Act 2011 {*he Act-}. I report in re?•peL￿ of my examination ofthe TTusI's account¥ carried out und¢r srytlon 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable dIre￿lonS given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5Xb) of the Act. t tement I have completed my examination. J confinn thai no material matters have come lo my attention tn connection with Ihc cxamin4tion which gives mc cause to believe that in any material resp¢ct: - Accounting records wcrc not kept in accordance with section 130 of th¢ Act, or. - The a¢counts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and hai'e come across no other matters in conn¢ction with the examination to which attention should be dra￿ in order to enable a propcr understanding of the accounts to be reached. I L ML*cL 201< Andrew Walk Sc FCCA Arthur E Walker & Co 6 Water Street Skipton BD23 IPB