Charity Registration No. 1188637 Northumberland Archives Trust NORTHUMBERLAND ARCHIVES CHARITABLE TRUST ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
NORTHUMBERLAND ARCHIVES CHARITABLE TRUST LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Trustees: Stuart Bankier Morag Boyes William Browne-swinburne John Carr-Ellison (Term ends 31 December 2026) (Term ends 31 December 2027) (Term ends 31 December 2027) (Retired 31 Dember 2024) Lesley Lee (Appointed 17 April 2024, term ends 31 December 2027) (Retired 13 May 2025) (Term ends 31 December 2026) erm ends 31 December 2026) (Retired 31 December 20241 Flora Moxon Sue Shaw Prof. Annie Tindley John Webster Charity Numbèr.. 1188637 Prln¢ipal Address: clo Northumberland Archives QEII Country Park Ashington Northumberland NE63 9YF Indepéndènt Examlner: Andrew Ayre Bankers: Unity Trust Bank PO Box 7193 Planetary Road Willenhall WV19DG
NORTHUMBERLAND ARCHIVES CHARITABLE TRUST TRUSTEES, REPORT For the Year ended 31 March 2025 The Year Under Review This is our fifth annual report since the Trust was registered on 19 March 2020. 2024-25 has seen the Trust make progress in its core aims of raising funds to extend the work of Northumberland's Archive Service, and making the archives in its care more widely known and more accessible to more people. Although our annual turnover did not quite double in 2024-25, as it had in 2021-22 and 2022-23, it increased substantially to just over £80,000, in comparison with just under £50,000 in 2023-24. We have set ourselves a target of at least £100,000 in 2025-26. The funds raised have enabled the Archive Service to pursue various of their projects, detailed later in this report. In helping the Service to develop these projects, we continue to pursue our aim of widening access to the archives, particularly for hard-to-reach parts of the community. Some of the projects involve working closely with local schools and community groups, and may result in further materlal being added to the Service's online catalogue (CALM> or its digital LEARN platform (Learning and Educational Archive Resources from Northumberland), from where it is available to Our ObJectlve8 for 2024-25 and the Progress We Made The Trust has adopted the practice of setting out at the start of each year its objectives for the year ahead and then at the end of the year measuring progress made towards achieving them. In 2024-25, we aimed to., Continue fundraising for cataloguing and other ad hoc projects, exploiting various sources. to reach at least the interim target of £1 OOK needed to enable the Service to recruit an additional Archivist and Archives Assistant to clear the cataloguing backlog. We made progSS on this, with the cataloguing of two collections of estate papers completed during the year, but aohieving sufficient funding to engage a suitable archivist on a short tenn conlr8Ct has remained a challenge. However, a most generous offer by the Sir James Knott Trust to match other fundraising up to £30,000 can, we hope, he built upon to enable the recruitment of one additional archivist in 2025-26. A grant fmm th8 Foyle Foundation of £30, 000, limited to the purchase of equipment, was used to buy 8 sophisticsted book scanner for Woodhom, particularly needed for digitising estate papers. Continue to support the Service's relstionship with schools and others. Most of the projeGts involving the Trust have been concemed with education, mainly schools. Attract one or more volunteers to work for the Trust. Little progress with t17is so far.
Develop and increase the Trust's presen on social media. Again, little progress so far. Gradually increase the number of the Trust's supporters. We have one new patron, but the number of members at £10 peryear has fallen slightly. The membership Scheme is under review. Mount talks about the Trust to voluntary and other bodies. One talk was d81ivered (to BenviGk Civic Society) in January 2025. A number of others were booked for 2025 and 2026. The objectives set at the start of the year did not include a review of strategy, but this was begun and substantially completed in 2024125. More detail is given below. Our Projects and what they Delivered Several of the projects either in progress or in preparation referred to in our 2024 Report are still ongoing, but all have progressed. More new projects are In development. Pro'ects in Pro ress a) The PhotOGentr8 Collection - 'Ev8ryday Life in North Northumberland, This project began in 2021 and, subject to funding availability, could contlnue for several more years, the current funding being due to run out in 2025. The PhotoCentr8 Collection contains over one million photographic negatives documenting all aspects of life in North Northumberland and the Scottish Borders between 1951 and 2012. With funding generously provided by the Lough Fund through the Community Foundation North East, the Service has been able to employ a suitably qualified archival assistant to catalogue, preSee and digitise some of the contents of the Collection, so that they can be made available online and be used for exhibition and other outreach work. By May 2025, more than 18,000 entries had been added to the electronic catalogue (an increase of 4,000 since June 2023) and over 2000 images had been digitised. A regular blog and other social media output had built an online following for the project of over 2,500 people. Images from the collection have been exhibited In Berwick-upon-Tweed and have been used for a number of outreach events including exhibitions at Heritage Open Days and work with groups Including BorderLinks. Some can also be viewed on the project's dedicated website at htt s:Ilwww. hotocentreberwi¢k.co.uk The project also widened its remit beyond the Photocentre Collection and looked at other photographic collections within the Berwick Archives, particularly those relating to outlying communities including Scremerston.
b) Hospitals in the North Work on this project, funded by the Bright Trust, began in 2022 and involves volunteers at Woodhorn and Berwick. Together the volunleers are researching aspects of maternty care provision in the county prior to the establishment of the National Health Service. An article by Sue Wood, Head of Archives, and Lynne Riddell, project volunteer, publish6d in the September 2025 issue of Magna, the Magazine of the Friends of the National Archives, records that at the time of writing trained volunteers had recorded sixteen oral histories of former patients and staff. The project is ongoing and a County Hall exhibition is planned in March 2026. c) Seaton Sluice to the Future This new project is a re-run in Seaton Sluice of the successful "Blyth to the Future" and 'Ashington to the Future" projects run in 2022-23 and 2023-24, again funded by a generous grant from the Platten Family Fund through the Community Foundation North East. A grant was offered in January 2024 in the expectation that the project would run in the summer, but, by agreement with the funders,'it was deferred until September due to staffing constraints. d) A Major Cat8loguing Project This has again been the major focus of the Trust's fundraising efforts as in 2023-24. Northumberland Archives holds a nationally important collection of estate records, one of the most comprehensive of any English county. These are the records of landed families and estates, some dating back to the 12 century. They include environmental, economic, cultural and social records, extending to rich material on urban as well as rural life. Before central government took on such duties as welfare and education, estates carried out many of these functions, so their records cover a broad spectrum of society, Many of thege collections remain uncatalogued, their content largely unknown, and they cannot be made accessible to the public for security reasons. Cataloguing would unlock them for research, education, outreach and strengthening community ties, but it requires more staffing resource. However, as these are not public documents, the County Council is not under a legal duty to fund the work and there is no realistic prospect of it being able to do so in the current financial climate. In most cases, the Archive Service is in contact with the descendants of the various families whose papers have been selected. Where this is so, the Trustees have cont8Cted them and all have indicated their support. Some have made a financial contribution already, or indicated a willingness to do so. After the failure of 3 out of 4 applications to large national funders in 2023-24, we decided on change of tack, initially to apply to some of the larger local funders in the North East. A most generou8 offer by the Sir James Knott Trust to match other fundraising up to £30,000 can, we hope, be built upon to enable the reoruitment of one additional archivist in 2025-26. e) The Phipps Collection The Trustees successfully applied to the EDF Renewables Barmoor Community Wind Farm Fund through the Community Foundation North East to enable the cataloguing of this Collection, 4 utterly disorganised boxes of papers that arrived in the Berwick Record Office in the early 1970s, deposited by the British Records Association from an unknown source. Samuel Phipps was a late eighteenth century barrister and reputed owner of the Barmoor estate. The collection includes evidence of the agricultural and other improvements he made to the estate. The cataloguing is
complete, subject to some individual document listing that can be done by volunteers. It is therefore now accessible, as the Archives, online catalogue is available to anyone in the world with computer access, and The National Archives Discovery Catslogue indicates the availability of the collection in Berwick. f) Alkinson and Marshall Papers From 1805, Northumbrian sheep farmers Atkinson and Marshall leased land, eventually more than 100,000 acres, on the Highland estate of the Countess of Sutherland. The introduction of large-scale sheep farming pioneered new agricultural methods, but resulted in the mass eviction of tenant crofters, now known as the Highland Clearances. The collection shows the Clearances from a different Northumbrian perspective and sets them in the context of developments in international trade. A successful application for a grant to the Strathmartine Trust, Scottish academic fund, enabled the cataloguing of this collection, completed in 2024. ProfessorAnnie Tindley gave a lecture at St. Andrews University on the findings that had emerged. Protecting and Preserving the County's Archlves There have been concerns for some time about the current storage arrangements for the archives in Berwick. A solution for the storage problem and new accommodation for the Bejwick Record Office has been found in the redevelopment of the Bewick Barracks - Grade 1 listed complex built to designs by Nicholas Hawksmoor between 1718 and 1721. The existing Mob Store, already upgraded and fitted out for a transitional year or as the Maltings Cinema at Bewick Barracks, will provide safe and secure storage Spa for the archives, with a public search and reading room located adjacent to it within one of the Hawksmoor-designed barracks buildings. The redevelopment of the Barrack8 will be a complex and lengthy process but the substantial funding allocated means that real progress is being made. The Trustees stand ready to offer what help they can in bringing to fruition these important plans for the Berwick Archives. Our People Patrons and Su orters The support of local people concerned to preserve their county's heritage is a critical ingredient in the Trust's continued success. We have introduced two levels of membership for our supporters, patrons donating at least £100 pa to the Trust and members donating £10 pa. During 2024-25 the overall number of members fell slightly, but 2 new members joined, one member upgraded to become a patron and we recruited one other additional patron. As can be seen from the attached accounts, the expenses of running the Trusl are Small and the donations made by these committed supporters are sufficient to ensure that the money we receive in grants and the donations from casual donors visiting the Archives or via the Trust's website can be entirely spent on supporting the Archive Service. The Trustees are very grateful to all who support the Trust in this way. We are working to improve our communications and other interactions with our regular supporters, while being conscious that there is a balance to be struck to avoid information overload. We plan
to develop a more regular pattern of contact with supporters in future, including social media, and also to update our website regularly. In the last quarter of 2025, the Membership Secretary collaborated with the Archivists to implement a 'Sponsor a Box, scheme for 2026. with the aim of encouraging more support. Volunteers We value highly the efforts of those who volunteer to help the Archive Service. There has for many years been an established pattern of volunteers assisting in this way at BeNick Record Office. Volunteering has been less common at Woodhorn, but a small group of volunteers are helping there with Hospitals in the North. c) Trustees Those who currently serve a8 Trustees are listed at the beginning of this Report. They are all volunteers and come from a wide range of professional backgrounds, bringing a wealth o* relevant experience to the task. 2024-25 again brought changes to the membership of the Trustee body, when John Carr-Ellison and John Webster both retired at the end of their terms. John Carr-Ellison was one of the four founding trustees. He gave us the benefit of his considerable experience as a charity trustee and played a substantial part in recruiting our patrons. John Webster took the lead in setting up digital aids, including our website and our member management tool, and began active fundraising at an early stage. We thank them both for all they have done for the Trust and wish them well for the future. Our Funding and Financlal Contro18 The Trust's Accounts for the year under review are attached to this report, We are most grateful to all those funding organisations and individuals who have enabled our support for projects undertaken by the Archive Service to increase in 2024-25. The accounts, which have been independently examined, confirm that the Trust continues to be adequately funded to meet its liabilities. The Trust wishes to record its grateful thanks to Andrew Ayre, who has acted as our Independent Examiner during the current year. During the past year, Trustees reviewed the Trust's protocol for the authorisation of ex enditure and approved a reserves policy. Regarding the former, Trustees confirmed the following statement: All expgnditure must be authoris8d by two Trustees, at least one of vwhom must be either the Chainnan or the Treasurer. Similarly, all bank payments must be authorised by two Trustees at least one of whom must be either the Chairman or th9 Treasurer. At each Trustees, meeting the Treasurer must circulate a detailed statem8nt of income 8nd expenditure for the current year and details of cunEnt resen/es. At the end of each financi81 year, an Independent Examiner will be appointed, who will review th8 financial statements prepared by the Charity to ensure that they a 8 true reflection of the financial position of the Charity. Regarding reserves, the Trustees review them on an annual basis taking into consideration the inherent risk associated with running a small charity. The Trustees always take into consideration the wider economic environment and the potential impact that this can have on the results for the year. The balan of funds is reviewed taking into consideration operational and financial plans for
the year to ensure that the Trust has sufficient funding to meet its obFeCtives on an on-going bas18. We are satisfied that this rethains the case. Finally under this headingi, the Trust'8 arrangements to enable those who use th¢ Offices at Berwick and Woodhorn to make casual donations to the Trust in cash have again produced results. In 2024-25, cash donatlons totalled £1,700.40 (£1,545 in 2023-24). Our Governance The Trust contlnued its practice of reviewlng It8 sulte of governance pollcies systematlcally at Decembei meetlng. See above for changes to the Board of Tru6te88 In December 2024. Both continuing and newly appointed TrusteeG are @ncouraged to undertake relevant training (6.g. on fundralslng and safeguarding) whenever this Is ne.¢888ary andlor appropriate. Conclusion The Trust has enjoyed a ffifth 8u¢cessful year. Where things have not gone so well, we have learnt lessons. A8 we hope this report shows, it 18 making good progre88 delivering on Its .obj8Ctives, In the public interegt.. We ar8 ambitious to grow our support for the Northumberland Archlve Servlco and to prornote and increa88 tha accessiblllty of the County's Impressive archlval herftage, and In so dolng to bring Its widar herttage (economlc, political, industrlal, cultural, soclal and envlronmental> vlvldly to life. Ari underlying alm Is to regenerate prlda In local communlties and rMnerg188 the North E88t, Approved by the Trustees at thelr meetlng on 16 , January 2025 and 8igned on thelr behalf by: Sue Shaw (Chalr) Stuart Bankler (Treasurer) Date: 2azL
Indep¢ndont examinels report to the trustees of Northumberland Archlves Charltable Trust I report to the trustee5 on my examination of the accounts of Northumberland Arthives ChaTitable Trust (the Charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025. Responslbllltles and ba$15 Ot report As the charlty trustees of the Charity. you are responsible forthe preparat¥on of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 20111'the kv). I report In respect of my examinatlon of the Charivs accounts carried out under 5ertion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Direthon5 given by the (hrity Commlsslon under section 14515llbl of the Art. Independent eXannerfs statement I have completed my examlnation. I confinn that no material matters have come to my attention in connethon with the examlnatlon 84vin8 me cause to believe that in any material respect: l. accounting records were not kept in re5pert of the awity a5 required by Section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable reqU1meThts Conrning the fomi and content of accounts set out In the Charltfies {Accounts and Reports) Regulatloft$ 21X)8 other than anv requlrement that the accounts glve a true and fair view which is not a matter considered a5 part of an Independent examination. I have no conM$ and have come across no other matters In connect5on with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understsndin8 of the accounts to be reached. 518ned: Name: Address: I Il,/"
Northumbgrland ArGhlve8 Charltable Trust Accounts p8ilod 0110412024 to 3110312025 31 March 2025 31 March 2024 Incorne Patrons Community Foundallon Re PhOtOtre Cornmunrty Foundation re Phot8 Centre Community Foundation re Phipps NCC Repayment r8 Plallen Platten Strathmartine Tiust Sir Jatn8s Knott Trust Foyle Trust Donation re Yo$anqu81 Papers Donation re Gibson Papers Lord Crawe Charlly Josephine Butler Clayton of Cheste NCC New Burden5 Communlly Foundatlon Ro Ashinglon DonatiorTrs General Memberships Gift Aid claim from HMRC Gift Aid clained through Stewardship Total Incom? 1,405 10,000 3,420 6,670 4,777 11,124 S,ODO 6,WO 30,000 1,508 10,000 2,500 1,000 6.000 2,000 3,372 5.000 15,602 1,545 155 700 1.700 95 25 80,216 49,476 Le$• Expenillture W8b$ile chaFge$ Bank Charge8 Informsllon Comml$slon•r Artwork Insur8n Strategy Day fvlembennojo Plallen Project VONNE Memborship Woodhorn r8 Phipps Woodhorn ra Foyle Woodhorn re Sealon Sluice Woodhorn re Photo Cèntre Woodhorn re Photo Centr8 Woodhom re Sir James Knoll Truii Woodhorn ie Plallgn rep8yment Woodhorn re Slralhmartine Woodhom re New Burdens Woodhorn re Jos8phina BUtr Woodhorn re Cl8yton of Chesters Woodhom re 805anquet Woodhorn re Gib$on pape Woodhorn re Lord Crewe Char Communtty Foundallon re A8hlngton 12781 12051 1721 1401 1601 12481 12781 17591 1501 12551 1851 16,6701 130,eooi 13,4201 110,0001 18,0001 14,7771 15.0001 110.0001 15.0001 12,0001 13.3721 12,SODI 11,OCNJI 16.0001 15.602 178,6271 146.3991 Exc985 on Income over Expfrndltu 1,689 3,077 10
Balznce Sheet 31 March 2025 31 MarGh 2024 Balance per bank 32,199 21.428 Debtors HMR¢ re Glft cla 700 700 Less Creditors Krealive Teehng109y Commltted Exp8ndllure'. WoDdhorn r• Photo Cenlre Extra Woodhorn re 81rJames Knoll Trust Woodhorn r8 New Burd8n$ Woodhom re B06anquel papors Vvoodhom re tslbson papers Woodhorn ie Photo Centre 12081 11451 13.4201 18,0001 15,0001 12,5001 11,0001 15,0001 12.5001 11,0001 118,1281 19.8451 Net A$8•ts 4t 3110312025 Repro8&nt•d by.. Reserves brought loward frorn prlor year8 Curr•ni yoar surplvs 1¢ date rotsl Ra8•rves At 31103120ZS 12,483 9,406 li