**VOLK’S ELECTRIC RAILWAY ASSOCIATION**
Address: 8 Oak Hall Park Burgess Hill RH15 0BX
## **REGISTERED CHARITY No. 1186970**
## **TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR 6[th] APRIL 2023 – 5[th] APRIL 2024**
In the Spring of 2023, the winter trackwork was completed, cars were repainted and maintained and one vehicle had its wheelsets replaced. All of the above was done with the Association’s help.
During the 2023 operating season, much assistance was given to the railway management by providing relief drivers to enable the full service to operate, despite temporary shortages of paid staff. Limited track maintenance continued.
In June, the Association arranged for the recovery of ex-Southend/Volk’s Car 9 from a local garden centre back to more secure storage at the Volk’s Railway, to facilitate inspections, publicity and fund raising. In August, a major two-day event to commemorate the 140[th] Anniversary of the railway was organised in conjunction with the Council. Marketing of this event on local news channels, radio stations and social media undoubtedly contributed to record numbers of passengers being carried by the railway in 2023. Substantial donations were made to the Association, especially in conjunction with educational tours of the railway’s premises.
In February 2024, the Heritage Railway Association gave the Volk’s Railway its ‘Railway of the Year 2024’ award, again raising the public profile of both the railway and of the Association. At the March official reopening of the line, the Association arranged for the unveiling of a new permanent display of 5 plaques and certificates, awarded to the Volk’s Railway and the Association between 2013 and 2024.
During the winter of 2023/24, a considerable length of track was renewed by volunteers and staff and much scrap metal collected for recycling. Also, over the winter, talks were arranged on Brighton’s Locomotive Works, Local History, American Interurban Networks and Light Rail in Lancashire.
Ian Gledhill, our chairman for many years, retired from the Board in 2023 and from organising events in the spring of 2024.
Plans for future years include several educational initiatives, plans for vegetation control and raising funds for vehicle restoration.
Page **1** of **2**
Currently the Board comprises trustees David Cowstick (Treasurer), Tim Steven (Secretary), Mick Mills (Chairman), Phil Hamerton (Membership Secretary) and Barrie McFarlane (Archivist) along with non–trustee officer David Bailey (Editor). We do remain under resourced and are inviting more members to consider becoming trustees.
We have also continued to publish our regular journal Volk's News, containing up-to-date information about our activities, about the railway together with articles of relevant transport and historical interest.
Through the above, we consider that we have paid sufficient regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and thereby complied with Section 4 of the 2006 Act. At the year end, the Association held total cash assets of £33,908.67 of which Reserved Funds amounted to £26,074.92.
**Signed: (Secretary) (Chairman)**
**(On behalf of the Trustees) 20th May 2024**
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**----- Start of picture text -----**
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 06/04/2023 05/04/2024
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds Last year
funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Transfer from previous non-charitable
Association - - - -
Membership Fees 2,205 - - 2,205 1,988
Unrestricted Donations 871 - - 871 641
Restricted Donations - - - -
Miscellaneous income received 376 - - 376 412
Fund raising activities 686 7,542 - 8,228 6,296
Interest 213 - - 213 43
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total (Gross income for
AR) [ 4,351 ] 7,542 - 11,893 9,380
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
None - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 4,351 7,542 - 11,893 9,380
A3 Payments
Meeting expenses 193 - - 193 89
Volk's News magazine production &
distribution 896 - - 896 1,033
Insurance policy - - - -
Restoration 202 2,265 - 2,467 100
Hospitality 493 - - 493
Administrative Expenses 190 - - 190 95
Fund Rasing Stock 256 - - 256 118
Bank / Square / SumUp Charges 107 107 77
Website Costs 1,010 1,010 300
Special Event Expenses 210 210
Miscellanious 73 - - 73 8
- - - - -
Sub total [ 3,523 ] 2,372 - 5,895 1,820
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
Computer equipment 403 - - 403
Loud Speaker 64 - - 64
Sub total [ 467 ] - - 467
Total payments 3,990 2,372 - 6,362 1,820
Net of receipts/ payments 361 5170.00 - 5,531 7,560
A5 Transfers between funds 244 - 244 - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 7,229 21,149 - 28,378 20,820
Cash funds this year end 7,834 26,075 - 33,909 28,380
**----- End of picture text -----**
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
06/08/2024
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**
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)|Signature
None
**Details**
Heritage Artefacts
Miscellaneous
Office Equipment
Cash floats
Bank Account funds-Working capital
Bank Account funds for Car 9 project
Bank Account funds for VERA Projects
Bank Account funds for Council projects
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
None
**Details**
**Details**
None
**Details**
Southend Railway Car No. 9
Museum Models
2|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**7,834**
**10,490**
**12,151**
**3,434**
**7,834**
**26,075**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
Restricted Car 9
Fund
**-**
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)**
**1,000**
**5,000**
**17,000**
**250**
**650**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**When due**
**(optional)**
Date of
approval
06.08.24
06.08.24
06/08/2024|
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)