**VOLK’S ELECTRIC RAILWAY ASSOCIATION REGISTERED CHARITY No. 1186970** ## **TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 16[th] DECEMBER 2019 – 5[th] APRIL 2021** The granting of Charitable status to the Volk’s Electric Railway Association (VERA) on 16[th] December 2019. Potentially becoming a charity was mentioned in the original Constitution of 16[th] September 1995, the date VERA was formed. The new constitution of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) was adopted by the online and postal voting of members of the pre-existing non-charitable Association, after the cancellation of a planned Special General Meeting in early 2020. We now seek to marginally amend the new constitution in the light of our first 18 months experience. Membership is open to all those who have an interest in the works of Magnus Volk and in particular, the Volk’s Electric Railway, which runs along the seafront in Brighton from the Aquarium to Black Rock, a distance of one mile. The railway is of significant importance as it is the oldest operating electric railway in the world, having started service in 1883. Trustees oversee the day-to-day running of VERA and liaise closely with Brighton & Hove City Council, the owner and operator of the railway, in all matters affecting the well-being of the railway and its infrastructure. Regular meetings are held with the Council’s Railway Management team to determine ways in which VERA can be of benefit, by providing volunteers and activities for our members and the wider public. The trustees confirm that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission. Our aims and objectives, as set out in our Governing Document, are to advance the education of the public through the conservation of Volk’s Electric Railway and to acquire, preserve and restore items in connection with the works of Magnus Volk and his railway. In pursuing those aims, we are grateful to the many hours that our member volunteers have contributed, both in practical terms at the railway and in the various administrative tasks that form an essential part of our operation. 2020 was to be a special year, being the 25[th] anniversary of the formation of VERA and plans had been made to celebrate with special events at the railway. The onset of the COVID-19 virus abruptly stopped those plans and we found ourselves unable to continue operating in our normal face-to-face style for the whole of that year. However, we very quickly adapted to using the latest online technology to hold regular weekly meetings for members and our Winter programme of illustrated talks was able to continue, for the wider benefit of interested persons. In addition, we were able to maintain the publication of our quarterly journal, Volk’s News. Since becoming a charity, we have strengthened and documented our Membership, Volunteering and Financial Management procedures in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines. The Association also became registered with HMRC for Gift Aid recovery for donations and negotiated their acceptance that membership fees are also eligible. During 2020, trustee Adrian Richards resigned and Les Kenward was appointed. Initial trustees who remained in place for the period were Peter Williams, Sarah Luxford, Tim Steven, David Cowstick, Ian Gledhill and Barrie McFarlane. At the start of the financial period, the CIO inherited £16,652.29 from the pre-existing Association. Cash at the bank on 5[th] April 2021 was £18,629.63, of which £4,814.28 is restricted. The value of assets held by VERA was £47,000, these all being tangible historical artefacts at their market values. Our financial reserves, allocated for restoration and improvement projects, have not significantly been applied during the period due to restrictions from the virus pandemic. Should the easing of COVID-19 restrictions go ahead according to the Government timetable, we hope next year to resume activity at the railway and be in a position to organise events that can further our aims. **Signed:** **Signed: (Secretary) (Chairman)** **(On behalf of the Trustees)** **Charity Name No (if any) Volk's Electric Railway Association 1186970 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a** **For the period** Period start date Period end date **To from** 16/12/2019 05/04/2021 ## **Section A Receipts and payments** |**A1 Receipts**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**2,368**
**2,700**
**1,387**
**-**
**107**
**83**
**19**
**-**
**-**
**6,664**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**6,664**
**30**
**1,606**
**266**
**-**
**300**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,202**
**214**
**-**
**214**
**2,416**
**4,248**
**-**
**-**
**4,248**|**Restricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**14,284**
**-**
**-**
**197**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**14,481**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**14,481**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**100**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**100**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**100**
**14,381**
**-**
**-**
**14,381**|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**16,652**
**2,700**
**1,387**
**197**
**107**
**83**
**19**
**-**
**-**
**21,145**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**21,145**
**30**
**1,606**
**266**
**100**
**300**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,302**
**214**
**-**
**214**
**2,516**
**18,629**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**16,652**
**2,700**
**1,387**
**197**
**107**
**83**
**19**
**-**
**-**
**21,145**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**21,145**
**30**
**1,606**
**266**
**100**
**300**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**2,302**
**214**
**-**
**214**
**2,516**
**18,629**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Transfer from previous non-charitable
Association|**2,368**|||||**-**| |MembershipFees|**2,700**|||||**-**| |Unrestricted Donations|**1,387**|||||**-**| |Restricted Donations|**-**|||||**-**| |Miscellaneous income received|**107**|||||**-**| |Fund raisingactivities|**83**|||||**-**| |Interest|**19**|||||**-**| ||**-**|||||**-**| ||**-**|||||**-**| |**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for_
_AR)_|**6,664**|||||| |||||||| |**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**||||||| |None|**-**|||||| ||**-**|||||**-**| |**_Sub total_**|**-**|||||**-**| |**_Total receipts_**
**A3 Payments**||||||| |||||||**-**| |||||||| |
Meetingexpenses|**30**|||||**-**| |Volk's News magazine production &
distribution|**1,606**|||||**-**| |Insurancepolicy|**266**|||||**-**| |Restoration|**-**|||||**-**| |Administrative Expenses|**300**|||||**-**| ||**-**|||||**-**| ||**-**|||||**-**| ||**-**|||||**-**| ||**-**|||||**-**| |**_Sub total_ **|**2,202**|||||**-**| |||||||| |**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**||||||| |
Computer equipment|**214**|||||| ||**-**|||||| |**_Sub total_ **|**214**|||||**-**| |**_Total payments_**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**||||||| |||||||**-**| |||||||| ||**4,248**|**14,381**|**-**|**18,629**||**-**| ||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**| ||**-**|**-**|**-**|**-**||**-**| ||**4,248**|**14,381**|**-**|**18,629**||**-**| CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 19/08/2021 1 ## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|Signature
None
**Details**
**Details**
Southend Railway Car No. 9
Museum Models
Heritage Artefacts
Miscellaneous
Office Equipment
Bank Account funds for other restoration
Cash floats
Bank Account funds for Council projects
Bank Account funds-Working capital
**Details**
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
None
**Details**
None|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**291**
**-**
**4,814**
**9,567**
**3,957**
**-**
**4,248**
**14,381**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
Unrestricted Funds
**-**
Unrestricted Funds
**-**
Unrestricted Funds
**-**
Unrestricted Funds
**-**
Unrestricted Funds
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
DC COWSTICK
TC STEVEN|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| |---|---|---|---| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||OK| ||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**25,000**| ||||**4,700**| ||||**16,500**| ||||**200**| ||||**400**| ||||| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**When due**
**(optional)**| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||Date of
approval| |||DC COWSTICK|18/08/2021| |||TC STEVEN|18/08/2021| CCXX R2 accounts (SS) 19/08/2021 2