Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Annual Report for the period from 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025** ## **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
Council to develop the library as a community hub

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

Running events and activities such as Basic IT skills,
social
groups
and
clubs,
developing/
displaying
Stratton History Archive material, organising regular
events

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

Raising funds to support activities.| |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 2024-25 v2.docx Page 1 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 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| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||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|The Friends continue to support Stratton St Margaret Parish
Council in developing Beechcroft Library into a thriving
multi-functional community library.
We were excited to welcome a new stakeholder in March
2024 with the opening of the Brewbook Community Cafe in
the library.
Co-locating with another community service is
already showing benefits in terms of enhanced community
engagement, increased footfall and a reduction in operational
costs for the Parish. Co-location will potentially improve long
term sustainability for the library and community hub and we
feel the future of the library is secure.
The Friends reviewed their key objectives at the beginning
of the year to ensure they were still appropriate.
It was
agreed to retain them but with an increased focus on
supporting education, training and skills.
All the Friends’ activities in support of Beechcroft Library are
aligned to our four key objectives, namely:
1.
Improving health and well-being,
2.
Encouraging community engagement,
3.
Supporting education, training and skills
4.
Reducing the cost impact of running the library.
Our achievements this year are discussed under the
relevant objective below.|| |---|---|---|---|---| FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 2 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Achievements and Performance (continued)** ||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|**Objective 1 - Improving health and well-being**
The regular groups and activities supported by the Friends are
all well attended and help to mitigate the loneliness and
isolation experienced by some of our residents. These regular
groups include:

Fun Art Group

Friendship Group

Getting On-line workshops

Book Club

Local and Family History Research

Chess Club

Lego Club
These regular groups are supplemented by activities organised
by library staff, volunteers and the Parish team, resulting in a
very busy, welcoming and engaging feel to the library.
We
work closely with the library staff to put on various free activities
for children during half terms and longer holidays.
We continue to run the Home Delivery Book Service for local
residents who are housebound and unable to visit the library.
Members of the Friends liaise closely with the Swindon Live
Well Hub, especially the Social Prescribers and Community
Navigators.
They direct their clients to the various services
provided by the library such as Stratton Advice Point, Getting
Online workshops, Friendship Group and Art Group.
Members of the Friends also work closely with the local Primary
Care networks in particular to help with potential digital
exclusion as the NHS becomes oriented towards digitisation of
their services.
We also work closely with Stratton Advice Point which has
successfully claimed over £300,000 in welfare benefits for
service users during 2024-25.
**Objective 2 - Encouraging community engagement**
We have built a strong collaborative working relationship with
the new community cafe Brewbook which opened March 2024,
with joint involvement in several events and with the exchange
of
ideas
and
initiatives.
The
co-location
is
proving
very
beneficial in enhancing community engagement for the library.
The library has organised or taken part in various one-off| FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 3 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 ||||community events during the year such as coffee mornings,
raffles, book sales etc. These included:

4th May - Book stall at the Craft Fair organised by
Brewbook, who kindly donated £80 to supplement the
£47.50 raised on the book stall for the Library.

28th
June
-
Book
stall,
History
display
and
Library
information stall at Stratton Festival, which raised £64.50
for Prospect Hospice

10th August - Book stall and tombola at the Brewbook
Summer Craft market which raised £55.50 for the Library
plus £50 generously donated by Brewbook

14th September - Book stall, History display and Library
information stall at Stratton Community Fete, which raised
£24.50 for the Library

27th September - Coffee morning in conjunction with
Brewbook Cafe which raised £1,012.10 for Macmillan
Cancer Support

5th October - Book stall at the Autumn Craft Fair organised
by Brew Book which raised £21.50 for the Library

9th October - members of the Friends gave a well received
talk about our work at Community Libraries Network Annual
Awards event.

30th November and 12th December - Book stall, raffle and
tombola at the Brewbook Christmas fair followed by the
raffle draw at Parish Christmas Carol event.
We raised
£525.51for Prospect Hospice.
Kingsdown
School’s
Art
Department
generously
provided
another eight pieces of art to the Library in May 2024. Each
piece is the final outcome of a Year 10 or Year 11 student’s
GCSE Art work.
Pictures are on display in the Library, Brew
Book cafe and Grange Community Centre.
Public transport links within the parish are poor, so we maintain
a small book-exchange library at Grange Community Centre in
Lower Stratton.
We are very fortunate that the Stratton St Margaret History
Society is based in the library and the team work hard to
maintain the history archive from multiple sources.
They
curate the various history displays both in the library and at
various events throughout the Parish. The displays engender a
lot of local interest and their Facebook Group now has over
1300 followers.
They have started producing a series of leaflets on walks|| |---|---|---|---|---| FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 4 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 ||||around Stratton and various local history topics, and these will
be available from the library.
Several of our Trustees are active members of various local
organisations including:

The Swindon Trustee Network,

Get Connected Swindon,

Stratton St Margaret History Society,

Local Primary Care Networks

Live Well Swindon

Wiltshire Building Records

Swindon and District Local History Society

Wiltshire On-line Parish Clerks

National Literacy Trust

Community Managed Libraries Network

Women’s Institute
**Objective 3 - Supporting education, skills and training**
The Friends have increased their focus on this objective this
year in view of the findings identified in the 2019 Indices of
Deprivation.
The
deprivation
is
most severe
within
the
Educational, Skills and Training domain where some areas of
Stratton are ranked within the worst 3% in England.
The Friends and library staff have joined the National Literacy
Trust, in order to work together with Swindon Stories to support
Children’s literacy. The Friends piloted a writing competition for
primary school children during the summer holidays and
involved local children’s author Steven Antony to judge the
competition.
The Friends have formed a literacy sub-group together with
staff and the volunteers who run Story Time, in order to develop
a programme of literacy initiatives for children.
The Friends organise information displays with relevant reading
material to support national awareness days and campaigns,
including:

World Earth Day

Day 80th Anniversary

Child Mental Health week

Women’s History Month

Summer Reading Challenge

British Science Week
Digital exclusion is a problem in the local area and the Libraryis|| |---|---|---|---|---| FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 5 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 ||||a registered Digital Inclusion hub, and the Friends are members
of Libraries Connected Digital Inclusion Network.
The Friends run weekly Getting Online workshops to help users
with a range of queries including:

Improving confidence with digital devices

Setting up and using the NHS and other apps

Accessing council services which are only accessible
online, eg Blue Badges, Housing benefit, etc

Online safety and security

Searching and applying for jobs online
Our monthly LEGO Club encourages young children to think
creatively.
LEGO is
not only
fun but
also
a
powerful
educational tool that supports learning in STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) fields.
Chess is also recognised as a valuable STEM learning activity
for children and is also a great way of developing and
maintaining mental sharpness in adults.
Our popular weekly chess club has coached many children and
adults over the last year. We are very fortunate to have Peter
Richmond as our chief chess coach, a former 9 times Wiltshire
Champion who has coached 11 national champions.
**Objective 4 - Reducing the cost impact on the Parish of**
**running the library**
The Friends have organised or taken part in various money
making activities during the year such as coffee mornings,
regular book sales, raffles, tombolas, can recycling, etc., and
have raised £693 in sales and donations to support activities in
Beechcroft library.
We also donated £288 of supplies to the Community Pantry,
which is co-located in the Library.
Although this is only a small amount in relation to the overall
cost of running the library, we hope that it provides some of the
nice-to-have elements for the public, such as craft materials,
prizes, children’s activity resources, badges, books, etc.
**Future Plans**
Looking to the future, we are hoping to support further initiatives
within education, skills and training domain, and to work with
the National Literacy Trust.
We are also excited to be working with Stratton St Margaret
Parish and with Brewbook Cafe to develop Beechcroft Library|| |---|---|---|---|---| FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 6 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 into an even more successful and vibrant community hub. FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 7 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||
SORP
Ref|| |---|---|---| |Performance of
fundraising activities
against objectives set|Para
1.41|Formal fundraising objectives were not defined other than
ensuring that the objectives described in the previous section
were supported financially where necessary.| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para
1.41|Not applicable| FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 8 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 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|Our income for 2024-25 was**£1,223.88**:
We have spent **£1,450** on purchases for the library, including
£288 for restocking the Community Pantry in the Library.
Our net worth as at 31 March 2025 was **£2,158.22,** which is a
reduction of £226.12 on the previous year.
Please see the Annual Financial Report for full details.| |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 and run-off insurance in the event that the charity
closes down.| |Amount of reserves held|Para
1.22|Sufficient to cover Public Liability Insurance Premium which
was £214 in 2024-25, and the estimated premium of roughly
£800 for run-off insurance for 7 years in the event the charity
closes down.| |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 £500 in grants this year from Stratton St
Margaret Parish Council
We have received £539 in donations and £154 from sales of
books| |---|---|---| |A description of the
principal risks facing the
charity|Para
1.46|There are few risks facing the Friends charity and they are all
categorised as low, the highest risks are:

Activities where safeguarding risks may arise

Heavy use of available space in the library due to the
popularity of the library may restrict space available for
events and activities| FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 9 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 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|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 is 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. We are not affiliated to any wider 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 2024-25 v2.docx Page 10 of 12 12 May 2024 Friends of Beechcroft Library Annual Report 2024-2025 Charity registration number: 1188953 ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Charity name|Charity name|Friends of Beechcroft Library|Friends of Beechcroft Library|Friends of Beechcroft Library| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Other name the charity uses|||||| |Registered charity number|||**1188953**||| |Charity’s principal address|||188 Beechcroft Road, Swindon, SN2 7QQ||| |1
2
3
4
5
6
7
9
10|||||| ||**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**||**Dates acted if**
**not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (if any)**| ||LesleyHemingway|Chair|||| ||Richard Hemingway|Treasurer|||| ||Indra Robson||||| ||Lynette Dodson||||| ||GregBrowne|Secretary|||| ||Clive Carter||||| ||Linda O’Kane|DeputyChair|||| ||Nigel Chalk|DeputyTreasurer|||| ||Anne Chalk||||| |Corporate trustees–names of the directors at the date the report was approved|Corporate trustees–names of the directors at the date the report was approved|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
held in this capacity|Not applicable|| |Name and objects of the
charity on whose behalf the
assets are held and how this
falls within the custodian
charity’s objects|Not applicable|| |Details of arrangements for
safe custody and
segregation of such assets
from the charity’s own assets|Not applicable|| ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details Not applicable FOBL Annual Report 2024-25 v2.docx Page 11 of 12 12 May 2024 Frfends of Beechcroft LlbraryAnnual Report 202¥2025 Charlty registration number: 1188953 Declarations Tho trustw• d•clar• that thoy havo approvod tho trust•o•' r•port above. Signgd on behalf of tho charity'8 tru8tO0•: Slgnature(8) Full namel8) TeAL' L C-SLCY P081tlon(8) (eg Secretary, Chair) Date(8} 20. S_ Zc2 202S- 12 May 2024 FOBL*mnual Repr*1 2024-25 y2.d￿[ Pa8e 12 of 12 CHARITY COMAIISSION FOR ENfjLAND AND WAIES #rD•*MftUbr Ro¢olpt• and payments accounts CC16a from To 01.04,¥J24 3f.03120?5 Section A Receipts and payments 8.$1 Uffli•slTrcl•d Ertdowment Luty•Dr 154 Sub t0t4llGffj￿ w￿￿￿￿￿OrAR) Strb tot• 1351 t•bl• 441 112 Cmh •Trd 142 Section B Statement ol assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unr••trfG*•d fund• Er￿￿1 Bl C•ihlund¥ Ttsthie•ghfthnd 2.151 ¢und• OÈtaas CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 15109r2025 PhrrtNvTh• CCXX R2 acryjunts {SSI 1S09r2025