Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Annual Report for the period From 1[st] April 2021 To 31[st] March 2022** ## **Organisation name: Friends of Beechcroft Library** ## **Charity registration number: 1188953** ## **Objectives and Activities** This annual report has been created following guidance contained in the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) issued by the Charity Commission. ||SORP Ref.|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|Purposes as defined in the Constitution agreed in April
2020:
The advancement of education for the public benefit in
particular by the provision of library facilities and
services for learning, for information, advice and other
related library provision for the benefit of the residents
and the wider community in Stratton St Margaret and
the surrounding areas.| |Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17
and 1.19|The main activities undertaken to achieve the aims are:

Working with the Library Staff and Stratton Parish
to develop the library as a community hub

Meeting with Library staff and Parish to agree
objectives, approach and activities

Promoting the Library via social media, posters,
displays, developing a community network

Raising funds to support activities, purchasing craft
materials,
reference
books,
notice
boards,
Refreshments

Running events and activities such as Basic IT
skills, social groups and clubs, childrens’ story
time,
developing/
displaying
Stratton
History
Archive material, organising regular events| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|_Para 1.18_|The Trustees assess each of their activities with regard
to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on
public benefit| FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 1 of 10 9 May 2022 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||
SORP Ref.|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|The Friends do not currently give grants to
individuals or other organisations| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|The Friends do not currently undertake any social
investments| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|There
are
no
employees,
all
the
Trustees
are
volunteers.
Library Volunteers are engaged by the Parish rather
than the Friends but are supported and encouraged by
the Friends.
Their contribution is vital in enabling the Library and the
Friends
to
undertake
the
numerous
activities
and
groups which take place (when not under COVID
restrictions)| FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 2 of 10 9 May 2022 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP Ref.|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|Unfortunately the Library was closed to groups and
activities due to the coronavirus pandemic from the start
of our reporting year until September 2021.
Groups and activities restarted in September 2021 but
unfortunately had to be temporarily suspended again
due to Omicron in December 2021 and January 2022.
In February 2022 we restarted all our groups and
activities. Confidence among our service users started
to improve and by the end of March 2022 attendance
was increasing towards pre-pandemic levels.
We held two successful Coffee mornings in September
and March which raised £550 and £300 for Macmillan
Cancer Support and the British Liver Trust respectively.
We have been working with the Parish Council to
develop
a
Home
Delivery
Book
Service
for
local
residents who are housebound and have difficulty
accessing the library.
This will run as a pilot scheme
initially
for 3 months to assess
demand and the
resources required to roll the service out more widely
Our thanks go to all the staff, the volunteers and
Stratton
St
Margaret
Parish
Council
who
have
supported the Library over the last year in very difficult
circumstances.| FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 3 of 10 9 May 2022 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||
SORP Ref.|| |---|---|---| |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|We aim to provide opportunities to improve health and
well-being, to develop community engagement, and to
improve skills and training.
**Objective 1 - To improve health and well being**

The Friends encourage and support volunteers of
all ages and abilities alongside the library staff

We work closely with Stratton Advice Point to
provide a local Welfare benefits service

We have been developing a pilot home delivery
service for local housebound residents.

We run groups such as Friendship, art, Lego,
chess, scrabble, etc to provide users with the
opportunities to socialise and reduce isolation
**Objective 2 - To encourage community engagement**
**and cohesion**

The Friends maintain a Facebook business page
to improve our visibility, engage with residents
and widen the reach of the library.

We support Wiltshire Building Records Archivist to
develop an archive of local historical material.

We
are
developing
links
with
other
local
organisations such as churches and schools.

We are active members of the Swindon Trustee
Network, the Swindon Connecting People Network
and The Swindon Seniors Forum.

We have recruited additional Trustees this year
with links to other local organisations in order to
strengthen our community links.
**Objective 3 - To improve economic growth,**
**employment, training and skills**

We are members of the On-line Centres Network
which aims to improve digital inclusion.

We are members of the Good Thing Foundation’s
Digital Inclusion Network

We run weekly Digital Drop-in sessions

We have purchased additional learning resources
such as children’s reference books to tie in with
the national curriculum

We
have
purchased
self-help
and
well-being
books for adults.
**Objective 4 - To reduce the cost impact on the**
**Parish of running the community library**
As a registered charity we are in a strong position to
apply for grants to support the work of the library.| |Performance of fundraising|Para 1.41|Our fundraising exceeded our objectives this year| |9 May 2022
FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx
Page 4 of 10||| Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 |activities against objectives
set||due to the generous grant from Stratton St Margaret
Parish Council. We applied for £500 and were
awarded £1000.
We also received £361 in donations during the year.| |---|---|---| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|Not applicable| FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 5 of 10 9 May 2022 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Financial Review** |**Financial Review**||| |---|---|---| ||SORP Ref.|| |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|During the year to 31st March 2022, we have received
grant of £1000 from Stratton St Margaret Parish
Council and donations totalling £361.
We have spent £1086.22 on purchases for the library,
including new books and equipment.
Our net worth as at 31 March 2022 was £1756.59,
(£1753.85 in the Co-op Bank and £2.92 in cash).| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|Our Reserves Policy states that we will only hold
reserve
funds
if
we
have
formal
financial
commitments..
As we now have Public Liability Insurance premiums
going forward we will ensure that we have sufficient
funds to cover the premium.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|Sufficient to cover Public Liability Insurance Premium
(currently £165)| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|Not applicable| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|Not applicable| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|We are dependent on the continued existence of
Beechcroft Library.
There is little chance that the
Library would close in the near future as it is a popular
resource for the parish.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|We have received £1000 in grants this year from
Stratton St Margaret Parish Council
We have received £361 in donations| |---|---|---| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|
There was a possibility that the library would
relocate away from Beechcroft Rd resulting in a
fall in visitors, which in turn could lead to questions
about its viability. The Parish Council have now
decided that the Library will remain in its current
location, due largely to the feedback from users.

We experienced a decline in library use due to the
impact of the pandemic. However, since February
we have seen an increase in attendance as
service users recover their confidence

Over-reliance
on
a
few
individuals.
Additional
trustees have been recruited to mitigate this risk.| FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 6 of 10 9 May 2022 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ||SORP Ref.|| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document|Para 1.25|Constitution| |How is the charity
constituted?|Para 1.25|Charitable
Incorporated
Organisation
following
the
Foundation model| |Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|The existing Trustees can select new Trustees as
required following the procedure described in the next
section.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |
Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|
Para 1.51|
Recruitment of Trustees for the Friends should be in
line with the guidance given below:

There
is
a
written
job
description
/
person
specification for the post

If a trustee wishes to volunteer for the Library they
should
complete
a
Parish
Council
volunteer
application
form
and
the
Parish
Recruitment
policies be followed

A suitable induction programme is provided

The applicant has been given a copy of the
Safeguarding Policy and knows how to report
concerns.| |---|---|---| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a written
constitution.
Not affiliated to any wider network although we attend
meetings of the Swindon Trustee Network| |Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51|We work closely with Stratton St Margaret Parish
Council who run Beechcroft Library| FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 7 of 10 9 May 2022 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Friends of Beechcroft Library| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|| |Registered charity number|**1188953**| |Charity’s principal address|188 Beechcroft Road, Swindon, SN2 7QQ| |1
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3
4
5
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10|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not**
**for whole year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled to**
**appoint trustee (ifany)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||LesleyHemingway|Chair||| ||Richard Hemingway|Treasurer||| ||Indra Robson|Secretary||| ||Lynette Dodson|||| ||GregBrowne|||| ||Clive Carter|||| ||Linda O’Kane||From Oct 2021|| ||Katie Gould||Until Jan 2022|| ||Nigel Chalk||From Feb 2022|| ||Anne Chalk||From Feb 2022|| – Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved **Director name** N/A Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity **Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year** N/A ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** Description of the assets Not applicable held in this capacity Name and objects of the Not applicable charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for Not applicable safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 8 of 10 9 May 2022 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2021-2022 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details Not applicable FOBL Annual Report 2021-22 v1.docx Page 9 of 10 9 May 2022 Declaratlons Slgnod on behaw of the charws trustsos: SIgna￿￿{S> FUH nan￿$> INORA Ré'£scW Posltlon(s) l•g SoryetAry. Chair) CH4IA sgCRF I Dat•(s) Ib 9 Mty 1022 ioof io i CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES F￿ndS of Beechcroft Lib 1188953 Recei tsand ments accounts CC16a F•rthe period lrnm To 01rt1412Q1 31KJ3f2022 Section A Receipts and payments UnTrstrTretèd lunds Restricted fvnds Endowment fvnds 10 th• r••i•st¢ Totsl funds Last J*•r lh• fi••1•￿¢ A1 R•¢•i sd J61 Gr￿tr Sub toral (Gmss Incon7e for AR Inv•* Sub tota Tol•l rnc&fpts A3 P•ym•nt• Inde denl 8xarrlnats.on Sub tot•1 A4 ￿￿•¢ and Inw•tn*nt Assets retained lor chgn Sub total zzzz 403 Net ofrncwptsl(paym￿tsj AS Trdnsf•rs b•tw••n luntt• A6 Cash fun4Js last y*ar •nd Cash lunds this ￿1r ond 27 27 CCXXR1 le￿￿1ft$ ISS) Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestncted fvnd$ Restricted lund$ ts) M•rèst£ Endowment fvnds r••i•si £ yv1￿4 trj r*¥Mi£ 81 Cash funds Cgsh Total cash funds Unrnslricted funds 10 Marnst I endowmerrt funds to nfr*r•Jii fund* W4 r••wesi ¢ Details Det.7115 B3 Investmenl aM•t• ¢urMnt val Detalls C￿1 B4 A•s•ts r•laln•d fort charlty'• own u•e Afflwni¢* V•*•n •J• 86 Llabllltl &'grwl or IK) t￿￿te81 on I￿1 ol all the t[￿tee5 ShJnatu Pmt NBm• Date ol rova Rthard Hem L)E 2? CCXX R2 accourts ISSI