Seascale Community Library – Annual report for period 1/4/22 to 31/3/2023
The library continues to be a useful space for the community. We have many regular users who like to come in to borrow books and have a chat, some of whom we are getting to know quite well, and the regular coffee mornings with children’s crafts are also very popular with both volunteers and the rest of the community. We feel they are a good way of promoting the library and attracting new users.
We’re now a registered warm space in the winter and we are able to offer tea and coffee to all our visitors.
Recently we’ve had a decline in the number of volunteers, but with advertising we now have 17, and other new people coming forward fairly regularly. This will continue to need working on as people move on to other things. It means that we are secure in offering two mornings and an afternoon each week, plus a monthly Saturday, but that to increase this and offer more sessions isn’t really viable at the moment.
We continue to work with Whitehaven Library, who support us by supplying books for a housebound delivery service, book exchanges, and by converting some of our donated books into library books, ensuring that we always have a range of books on offer.
We received funding from Radioactive Waste Management to fund a feasibility study on what changes could be made to the library building, together with estimated costs. The plans include an extension to the footprint of the library and some updating of the existing facilities, with the aim of providing a small kitchen area, disabled toilet and meeting room. These plans are being reviewed by the trustees.
We have several groups using the library as a meeting place – the women’s wellness group, Richmond fellowship, and visits from PJ’s nursery and Seascale Cub Scouts among others.
A new heating system was installed, which is very effective, and we are working with the parish council to find the most efficient way of running this. Some maintenance work is required, and the parish council will support this once a decision is made on the proposed changes to the building.
Finally, the trustees would like to thank the Parish Council for continuing to meet the day-to-day running costs of the building.
## **Seascale Community Library**
## **Income and Expenditure for Period 1.4.22 to 31.3.23**
|**Income**
Grants
Donations
Hire of Premises
**Expenditure**
Non-Domestic Rates
Bank Charges
Miscellaneous Expenses
**Surplus Income over Expenditure**
**Reconciliation Statement 31.3.23**
Opening Balance
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Balance c/f**
**HELD**
Unity Bank
Cash
**Total**|**2023**
5370
906
930
**7206**
697
72
542
**1311**
**5895**
**2023**
896
7206
8102
1310
**6792**
6726
66
**6792**|**2022**
595
319
-
**914**
-
18
-
**18**
**896**
**2022**
-
914
914
18
**896**
862
34
**896**|
|---|---|---|
Independent examination of the accounts was completed by Laura Watson ACA on 14/12/2023.