2021-03-31-accounts

The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

Registered charity number: 1189645

formerly

Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust Registered charity number: 293593

Receipts and payments account for the year ended 31st March 2021

Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants Oxford

The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

Charity Number 1189645

formerly Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust Charity Number 293593

Trustees during the year: Lt Col Simon Edward Wilkinson TD (Chairman) Sir Nicholas Cosmo Bonsor Bt Major General Gregory Stephen Smith CB Lt Col John Williams MBE TD (died 22.05.2020) Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher Bt KCVO Lt Col Ingram Bernard Hay Murray Mr Christopher Prideaux DL (resigned 02.06.2020) Mr John Stewart Ray Mr John Sheldon Mr Stephen Barker Capt Courtenay Coade (appointed 26.05.2020) Lt Col Derek Plews (appointed 26.05.2020) Mr Simon Williams (appointed 26.05.2020) Secretary: Prof Ian Beckett Tides Trewelloe Road Praa Sands Penzance Cornwall TR20 9SU Principal Office: Old Gaol Museum Market Hill Buckingham MK18 1JX Bankers: CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ Independent examiner: D J Pluck FCA Partner Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants 30 St Giles’ Oxford OX1 3LE

The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

formerly Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

Trustees Report for the year ended 31st March 2021

History, Objectives and Activities of the Trust

The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust was established in 1985 to collect, document, preserve and exhibit material relating to auxiliary military forces raised in the historic County of Buckinghamshire.

Representative parts of the Trust’s collection have been on public exhibition at the Old Gaol Museum, Buckingham since 1993, and at Claydon House, by agreement with the National Trust, since 1995.

Those parts of the collection not on public exhibition are held at Buckinghamshire County Museum and Buckinghamshire County Record Office, that latter site being available to the public. In addition, some items are on display at T A Centres in the County.

The Trust is an accredited Museum.

Management Governance Arrangements

Per the requirement of the Trust deed, the number of Trustees shall not be less than three in number and not exceed fifteen in number. There are currently eleven Trustees. New Trustees are nominated by existing Trustees. The Trustees will make all decisions regarding the Trust and its actions.

Achievements and Performances of the Trust

Our investment over recent years into our online profile has paid dividends through the torrid covid year.

Through our website and use of social media we have accelerated our move into ‘webinars’ in the form of online live lectures. Our first such was with a speaker live from Alberta, Canada on the history of Bletchley Park. It was viewed live on some 590 devices, but with an estimated live audience over 750 people and, as such, we consider it a great success.

We have moved into online giving and now have an active online donations facility and with further webinars coming on we expect this to generate valuable income.

In addition, since the year-end we have delivered a talk to a Masonic Lodge who have made a substantial donation to the Trust and we are hopeful that other masonic lodges will want to hear more of our story and to support us financially.

Sadly, another local military museum in financial stress due to covid has had to dispose of medals and we have acquired some, but were outbid on others. It is always a last resort for a museum to have to sell medals.

We have, with the huge commitment of our Hon Secretary, successfully completed our change from unincorporated to incorporated charitable status. As a result, the former Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust (No: 293593) has been dissolved and its assets transferred to the new charity, The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust (No: 1189645).

As is usual, we have received a number of gifts of Militaria and we have also acquired various historically important items at Auction.

Unfortunately, the Old Gaol Museum in Buckingham suffered from severe damp during lockdown, which has damaged some of our uniforms on display. This has necessitated urgent

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expensive restoration, whilst we had some grant support and a donation for this, we have had to pay the balance but new sensors/alarms are now installed to prevent this happening again.

Finally, as BMMT has exceptionally low fixed costs and overheads, we have survived the pandemic very well all things considered. Indeed, in many respects we have flourished through our shift to the internet.

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The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

formerly Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

Trustees Report for the year ended 31st March 2021

Financial Review

Total income for the year was £2,712 (2020: £3,490), expenditure was £6,692 (2020: £5,936), giving a net loss for the year of £3,980 (2020: net loss of £2,446).

The Trustees consider the current level of free reserves of £24,8816 (2020: £27,994) to be adequate.

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and duties.

Trustees' responsibilities statement

The Trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England & Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102);

• make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Agreed by the Trustees on 23rd November 2021 and signed by

………………………………

Lt Col S Wilkinson TD DL

Trustee

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The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

formerly Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31st March 2021 which are set out on page 4.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees 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 charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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.

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:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

2. 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.

D J Pluck FCA

Partner Wenn Townsend, Chartered Accountants Oxford

23[rd] November 2021

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The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

formerly Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust

Income and expenditure account for the year ended 31st March 2021

Income					2021	2020
	Unrestricted	Restricted			Total	Total
Grants	-			-	-	400
Donations	1,846			-	1,846	85
Dividends	854			-	854	1,105
CAF Bank interest	12			-	12	46
Sales of “Strike Home”	-			-	-	55
Viney Memorial Lecture	-			-	-	1,799
	─────			─────	─────	─────
	2,712			-	2,712	3,490
	─────			─────	─────	─────
Less Expenditure
Acquisition costs	1,444			-	1,444	169
Website improvements/costs	1,527			867	2,394	1,299
Accountant’s fees	222			-	222	216
Legal fees	2,103			-	2,103	1,479
Bank charges and general expenses	71			-	71	60
ZOOM Subscription	278			-	278	-
Digitalisation of Archives on MODES	-			-	-	1,128
Virgin Money giving fee	180			-	180	-
Print “Strike Home”	-			-	-	460
Humidity cassettes	-			-	-	103
Viney Memorial Lecture	-			-	-	1,022
	─────			─────	─────	─────
	5,825			867	6,692	5,936
	─────			─────	─────	─────
Net income/(expenditure)	(3,113)			(867)	(3,980)	(2,446)
Balance of income brought forward	42,975			867	43,842	46,288
	─────			─────	─────	─────
Balance of income carried forward	£ 39,862		£	-	£ 39,862	£ 43,842
	═════			═════	═════	═════
Represented by:
1,323.707 M & G Securities Limited
Charifund Inc Market value: £19,490	(2020: £15,825)	14,981 -			14,981	14,981
Cash at bank	24,881			-	24,881	28,861
	─────			─────	─────	─────
	£ 39,862		£	-	£ 39,862	£ 43,842
	═════			═════	═════	═════

Lt Col S Wilkinson TD DL ) ) ) Trustees

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Mrlohn Ray