Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statement for the Year Ended 30 April 2022
A Charitable Incorporated Organisation Registered Charity Number 1187853
Marlow Museum Centre Project Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 30 April 2022
Contents
| Contents | Contents | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reference and Administration Details ..........................................................4 | |
| 1.1 | Charity Name & Registration ............................................................................ 4 | |
| 1.2 | Charity’s Address............................................................................................... 4 | |
| 1.3 | Names of the Trustees Who Manage the Charity............................................. 4 | |
| 1.4 | Names of Advisors ............................................................................................ 4 | |
| 1.5 | Bank................................................................................................................... 4 | |
| 1.6 | Independent Examiner ...................................................................................... 4 | |
| 2 | Structure, Governance & Management ........................................................5 | |
| 2.1 | Type of Governing Document ........................................................................... 5 | |
| 2.2 | Trustee Selection Methods ............................................................................... 5 | |
| 2.3 | Governance & Management ............................................................................. 5 | |
| 3 | Activities, Achievements & Performance ......................................................6 | |
| 3.1 | Objects of the CIO ............................................................................................. 6 | |
| 3.2 | Statutory Declaration ........................................................................................ 6 | |
| 3.3 | Executive Summary ........................................................................................... 6 | |
| 3.4 | Activities, Achievements & Performance ......................................................... 6 | |
| 3.5 | Looking Ahead ................................................................................................... 9 | |
| 4 | Financial Review ........................................................................................ 11 | |
| 4.1 | Details of Any Funds Materially in Deficit ....................................................... 11 | |
| 4.2 | Policy on Reserves ........................................................................................... 11 | |
| 4.3 | Principal Sources of Funding and Outgoings .................................................. 11 | |
| 4.4 | Remuneration of Trustees .............................................................................. 11 | |
| 4.5 | Financial Status ............................................................................................... 11 | |
| 4.6 | Statutory Statements on Liabilities ................................................................. 11 | |
| 5 | Statement of Financial Activity ................................................................... 13 | |
| 5.1 | Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts .......................................... 13 | |
| 5.2 | Receipts & Payments During the Financial Year Ended 30 April 2022............ 14 | |
| 5.4 | Notes to the Accounts ..................................................................................... 16 |
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1 Reference and Administration Details
1.1 Charity Name & Registration
The Charity’s name is Marlow Museum Centre Project, known informally as Marlow Museum. It is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration no: 1187853, registered with the Charity Commission on 10 February 2020. The charity is registered with HM Revenue & Customs.
1.2 Charity’s Address
Court Garden, Pound Lane, Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 2AE. e-mail: contact@marlowmuseum.org website: www.marlowmuseum.uk
1.3 Names of the Trustees Who Manage the Charity
| Name | Office | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael A. Hyde | Chair | 2020 | |
| Richard Krajewski | Treasurer | 2020 | |
| David Part | Vice Chair | 2020 | |
| Della Fitzgerald | Secretary | 2020 | |
| Philip Kersey | 2021 | ||
| Roger Wilson | 2021 | ||
| Alex Collingwood | 2021 |
1.4 Names of Advisors
Cllr David Johncock, Bucks Council
Cllr David Brown, Marlow Town Council
Brendan Carr, Museum Mentor for Accreditation
There are currently no members of staff.
1.5 Bank
Lloyds Bank, 45 High St, Maidenhead SL6 1JS
1.6 Independent Examiner
Roger C. Smith
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2 Structure, Governance & Management
2.1 Type of Governing Document
The governing document is a constitution, based on the Charity Commission’s model governing document for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with voting members other than its trustees.
2.2 Trustee Selection Methods
There must be at least three charity trustees. There is no maximum number of charity trustees that may be appointed to the CIO.
In accordance with the Constitution, Trustees are appointed or re-appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
In appointing Trustees, due consideration is given to ensuring that the Trustees have, between them, the skills and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively and in accordance with charity law.
All new trustees are given a copy of the Constitution, the most recent Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statement, and Minutes of recent Trustees’ meetings.
2.3 Governance & Management
The Trustees and the Advisors make up the Management Committee which is responsible for the management of the museum.
There are three sub committees, Planning & Finance; Managing Collections, and Volunteers & Visitors Engagement, which report to the Management Committee and make recommendations for the Committee’s approval.
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3 Activities, Achievements & Performance
3.1 Objects of the CIO
The Objects of Marlow Museum Centre Project are to advance the education of the public by the establishment and maintenance of a museum for the collection, preservation, conservation, explanation, interpretation and display of artefacts, specimens, historical and other records relating to the communities of Bisham, Great Marlow, Little Marlow, Marlow Bottom, Marlow Town and Medmenham.
3.2 Statutory Declaration
The Trustees confirm that they have paid due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
3.3 Executive Summary
Following a difficult year due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the various lockdown rules, in May 2021 the Marlow Museum returned to being operational, fulfilling our objectives, and being open to the public on three afternoons per week.
Unfortunately during the pandemic a number of our volunteer Stewards felt they needed to retire, but we are slowly recruiting new ones.
In addition we have re-established our out-reach programme visiting schools and receiving student visits, thus fulfilling part of our charitable objectives. All our efforts are undertaken by volunteers without whom we could not function.
3.4 Activities, Achievements & Performance
The purpose of the charity
Shortly after the start of the year on which we are reporting, on May 19[th] 2021 we were able to reopen the museum after the second pandemic-induced closure and re-start the public services expressed in our objects: education of the public through maintaining a museum that conserves and displays items relating to the long and interesting history of Marlow and the five surrounding communities.
Reopening the museum
With Covid still about, 2021-22 was not a normal year. Nevertheless the museum in Court Garden was open on three afternoons a week from May to October 2021 and March to June 2022 and, in the 2021-2 winter, on one afternoon a week from November to February.
Before opening we were careful to undertake a thorough clean of the museum and a risk assessment for the sake of both visitors and volunteers, to keep everyone safe. In spite of the continuance of Covid, we have been able to remain open at normal opening hours
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throughout the year, other than on the rare occasions when we had no stewards fit and able to be on duty at the museum, or the week when we were closed to prepare a new exhibition.
Exhibitions and displays
During May 2021 to May 2022 we maintained our long-running exhibition ‘The Story of Marlow’ which has proved very popular not only with local residents but to visitors from around the UK and beyond.
Additionally, from November 2021 to April 2022 Marlow Archaeology Group mounted an exhibition in the museum of ’20 years of Archaeology in the Marlow area’. This covered some major archaeological discoveries, including the Anglo-Saxon ‘Marlow Warlord’ and the monastery at Cookham ruled by Queen Cynethryth, the widow of the powerful King Offa of Mercia.
In early June 2022, the museum trustees arranged an exhibition in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee called ‘70 Years Ago: Marlow in the 1950s’. There was a grand opening for the public on Jubilee weekend, with free refreshments. The exhibition was opened by Miss Marlow 1953. As has become our custom, we have produced a 70-page illustrated booklet on the exhibition for visitors to purchase. We obtained funding for both from the SW Chilterns Community Board for which we were most grateful. The exhibition will continue through much of this year. Sales of our booklets now make a good contribution to our income.
Recently a well-loved local hardware store, Hunt’s, closed after many years; the Marlow Society purchased Hunt’s ancient delivery bicycle and have loaned it to the museum as an eye-catching feature to stand outside when the museum is open.
Reaching out to the Community
We began to restart our outreach, working from time to time with schools and community organisations to promote local history.
Working with a local pub-restaurant, the Duke of Clarence, the museum held a display there on life in medieval Marlow on November 28[th] 2021. On that day in 1499, the Duke of Clarence’s son Edward Plantagenet was executed for treason and his body taken to Bisham Abbey near Marlow for burial. Literature telling the story was also made available. This was an example of the museum linking with historic events or persons to enrich local knowledge and building contacts with local businesses.
The museum often acts as a focal point for the start or end of a number of local Town Walk groups. We also hold our own illustrated walk to the nearby WW1 Training Trenches several times during the year which acts as a modest fund raiser as well as promoting awareness of the museum.
With the permission of Bucks Council we hold an annual Street Collection in the town which helps us to engage with the public.
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Due to our location next to a large public park we often act as an unofficial information point for visitors, particularly because the town’s Library Information Centre is closed on Sundays.
The museum had a stall at the SW Chilterns Community Board ‘Event in the Park’ in April 2022. This helped to raise awareness of the museum and gave an opportunity to talk to many members of the community. Through the intervention of the SWCCB and the Clare Foundation, the museum has received a free, fully reconditioned laptop with Office 365 from the company CloudyIT.
As well as participating in SWCCB meetings, the museum belongs to many other local networks including Marlow Community Forum, Marlow Community Association, Visit Bucks, Chilterns Tourism, Dementia Action in Marlow and Marlow & District u3a Family History group. The museum is affiliated to the Association of Independent Museums and benefits from help from South East Museums Development. We have regular broadcasts on Wycombe Sound radio and hope to return to Marlow FM soon. We will be participating in the Bucks Culture Open Weekend in July.
Becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Marlow Museum Centre Project began operating as a CIO on 1[st] May 2021, with the new registered charity number 1187853. All assets from the previous charity of the same name, number 1129346, were transferred to the CIO. The last AGM of 1129346 was held on 21[st] June 2021 and that charity was closed down. The first AGM of the CIO 1187853 took place on 5[th] August 2021.
Museum Accreditation
In early 2021 we gained Working Towards Accreditation status with Arts Council England. For twelve weeks from mid-April to July 2021 we took on a paid intern, Kaitlin Hyde, to help us prepare for Accreditation. This arrangement was funded by a 100% grant from the University of Reading. Kaitlin continued through summer 2021 to work remotely as a volunteer on the Accreditation documentation. In September 2021 three new subcommittees of the Management Committee were set up, reflecting the three themes of the Accreditation Standard: Planning and Finance; Managing Collections; and Volunteers and Visitor Engagement. These sub-committees are progressing the work towards Accreditation, with advice from our Museum Mentor from Reading Museum, Brendan Carr.
The Contributions of Volunteers
At present everyone involved in running the museum is a volunteer. Volunteer Steward numbers have been lower this year and we continue to seek more. Our Rota and Volunteer Coordinator keeps in regular touch with Stewards, and they also receive the quarterly Newsletter sent by email to Members, Friends and Supporters. On 6[th] June 2021, in Volunteers Week, we held a Thank you Tea Party for our volunteers at the museum and on 10[th] November 2021 we held an early Volunteers’ Christmas Lunch at a local restaurant. We would like to have more regular social events for our volunteer team. Over the year we have recruited several new volunteers to take on roles such as Visitors, Donations and Sales Statistics; Stock Control and Sales; Reference Librarian; Collection documentation;
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Museum Handyman, alongside ongoing roles such as Website Manager. These all make a vital contribution to the smooth running of the museum.
Raising awareness of the Museum
For four weeks in June 2021, by arrangement with Sorbon Estates, we were able to occupy a pop-up shop in Liston Court, Marlow at no charge, in order to further raise awareness of the museum with residents and visitors to Marlow. This was deemed a success and further similar opportunities will be sought.
Fundraising, Sales and Donations
In October 2021 we raised £229.46 through our annual Street Collection. This was much less than previously, but that was partly expected because the pandemic has resulted in fewer people carrying cash and a general decrease in disposable income. The next Street Collection will be on June 25[th] 2022.
One of our valued volunteers and a past trustee, Jan Caddie, passed away in July 2021 and the family asked for donations to the museum in her memory. The donations received have passed £1000 and will make a considerable contribution to our income this year.
How the activities have delivered public benefit
Our visitors are our main beneficiaries, but we also use our website and social media to deliver information to a wider public and publicise opportunities at the museum and elsewhere. From May 2021 to April 2022, visitor numbers have gradually improved: we had 746 visitors this year, still less than half the number before the pandemic. At first there were almost no tourist visitors, mostly only regional residents. This is gradually returning to normal, where we have up to 50% tourist visitors. Since April numbers have continued to improve, especially with the start of the 1950s exhibition where we had over 80 visitors on one day. Our well-received activities in the community, including school visits mentioned above, have continued to deliver wider public benefit locally.
Our volunteers are also beneficiaries of our service. We are now having to look further afield for volunteers: fortunately some are willing to travel a certain distance to Marlow to support us and enjoy the social and mental health benefits of being a museum volunteer.
3.5 Looking Ahead
As a CIO we are improving the museum’s governance and steadily working to bring our procedures in line with Museum Accreditation standards. We are taking professional advice from our Museum Mentor, SE Museums Development and neighbouring museums. In the next year we hope to employ a professional Documentation Officer on a fixed contract to help us reach the required documentation standards. We have until February 2025 to achieve full Accreditation. We will then be able to benefit from a wider range of grant funding and will be able to borrow objects from and lend items to other museums.
We have recently negotiated a new 5-year lease of our museum building, the Peacock Room, from May 2022 with Bucks Council. However, we would hope to be in more spacious accommodation by the end of that period. We have now been in the building for
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thirteen years and it is no longer adequate for our purposes. We cannot display larger items that we have been offered. The external structure of the present building is also in need of renovation. We have had to rent a separate storage building which has doubled our rental costs. It would be more practical to have storage in or near the museum building. In the meantime, we will continue to display Marlow’s history and heritage as fully as possible within the constraints of the building.
Our ideal building would have a minimum of two exhibition rooms, a good amount of storage and an education/meeting room which could be shared by the community. We would strengthen our links with schools, old people’s homes, the Marlow Society, Marlow Archaeology Group and others, who could all benefit from access to such a building. We could then perhaps bring into safe keeping items such as the old fire engine, the town clock and the layout of the old station and railway, which are presently held elsewhere. Extending the current building would be possible, but would have implications for the car park and the entrance to Court Garden Leisure Centre.
A perfect location for a museum in Marlow would be adjacent to the café, toilets and play park in Higginson Park. This location is busy almost every day of the year. A museum there could also serve as a Visitor Centre for the many tourists who come to Marlow and want information and maps. We would like to work with the community, Bucks Council, local developers and architects, and funders such as the Heritage Lottery and Arts Council England to realise this dream.
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4 Financial Review
4.1 Details of Any Funds Materially in Deficit
The Charity has no funds which are materially in deficit.
4.2 Policy on Reserves
The Charity’s policy on reserves is to generate and maintain a balance which is sufficient:
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a) to preserve the financial viability of the Charity in the event that unforeseen and/or unavoidable circumstances precipitate a short-term fall in its income;
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b) to enable the Charity, in the interests of meeting its objectives, to undertake from time to time the setting up of new and innovative projects on a pilot basis to demonstrate the viability and potential benefits of such activities as a precursor to securing the external funding necessary to maintain such projects on an on-going basis.
For these purposes the Charity will endeavour to generate and maintain reserves which are at least 50% of its annual expenditure.
4.3 Principal Sources of Funding and Outgoings
Over half our income this year came from a combination of donations (including those in memoriam and from the Street Collection), membership subscriptions, sales (an increasing source of funds) and Gift Aid. We had less income from grants, partly because we lost our fundraiser and partly because in comparison the previous year’s income had been boosted by exceptional Covid-survival grants, without which we would have been in difficulties. Fundraising events like the Bridge Evening have not been able to take place for the last two years. We had a grant from the University of Reading to cover the costs of a paid intern for 12 weeks working on preparing the museum for Accreditation.
Many of our expenses increased last year, including the costs of rent, insurance, alarm, electricity and advertising. The cost of employing the intern was very slightly more than the grant we received. We ended the year with a £4750 operating deficit. A fundraising programme will be put in place to prevent this recurring.
4.4 Remuneration of Trustees
All Trustees act in a voluntary capacity and receive no remuneration or other material benefits from their services to the Charity.
Out-of-pocket expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by Trustees in promoting the purposes of the Charity are reimbursed at cost.
4.5 Financial Status
The charity’s current resources from unrestricted and restricted funds are sufficient to meet its outgoings for at least next year.
All the indications are that this will remain the case for the foreseeable future.
4.6 Statutory Statements on Liabilities
The Trustees declare that:
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The charity has given no guarantees where potential liability under the guarantee is outstanding at the date of this statement ( e.g.: any outstanding/ongoing contract or legal undertaking to buy or provide specific services);
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The charity has no debt outstanding at the date of this statement which is owed by the CIO and which is secured by an express charge on any assets of the CIO ( e.g.: a mortgage on property owned by the charity).
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf,
Michael A. Hyde (Chair)
Date: 28[th] June 2022
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5 Statement of Financial Activity
5.1 Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts
Report to the Trustees and Members of Marlow Museum Centre Project on the accounts for the year ended 30 April 2022 set out on the following pages
5.1.1 Responsibilities and Basis of the Report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘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.
5.1.2 Independent Examiner’s Statement
I have completed my examination.
I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
Roger Smith
Date: 28[th] June 2022
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5.2 Receipts & Payments During the Financial Year Ended 30 April 2022
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5.3 Approval of the Board of Trustees
The Trustees declare that they have approved the above Annual Report &
Statement of Financial Activity.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
Rick Krajewski, Treasurer
Date: 28 June 2022
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5.5 Notes to the Accounts
a) Accounting Policies
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 Section 133, using the Receipts and Payments basis available to small charities and the charity’s own Simple Accounts Spreadsheet.
b) Reimbursement of Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Out-of-pocket expenses necessarily, reasonably and incidentally incurred by Trustees in the course of their duties as Trustees are reimbursed in accordance with the prevailing Financial Policies & Procedures.
c) Salaries & Professional Fees
No trustee receives any payments for the services they provide to the charity. In the current financial year the charity employed no staff or external contractors.
d) Fixed Assets
The charity has not purchased or disposed of any fixed assets in the current financial year.
e) Creditors
Cheques issued prior to the end of the financial year but not appearing in the end of financial year bank statement are only reported as outstanding creditors if they remain unpresented at the time of producing the financial statements.
f) Rounding Discrepancies
All amounts are recorded to the penny, but in these accounts are shown as digitally rounded to the nearest pound. This can occasionally result in a total apparently not being the sum of its constituent amounts. All individual amounts, and their totals, are nevertheless correct.
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Part of The Story of Marlow exhibition
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Volunteers’ Week Tea Party Some of our booklets
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The Duke of Clarence Day
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The new laptop The Community Event in the park
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Pictures from the Opening day of our Jubilee Exhibition
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Court Garden, Pound Lane, Marlow, Bucks SL7 2AE
www.marlowmuseum.net
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