The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust
Registered charity number: 1189645
Receipts and payments account
for the year ended 31st March 2024
Wenn Townsend
Chartered Accountants
Oxford
The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust
Charity Number 1189645
| Trustees: | Lt Col Derek Plews VR (Chairman) |
|---|---|
| Lt Col Simon Edward Wilkinson TD | |
| Major General Gregory Stephen Smith CB | |
| Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher Bt KCVO (retired | |
| 01.03.2024) | |
| Mr John Stewart Ray (retired 21.10.2023) | |
| Mr John Sheldon | |
| Mr Stephen Barker (resigned 09.07.2024) | |
| Capt Courtenay Coade | |
| Mr Simon Williams | |
| Mr Stephen Berridge | |
| Major Michael Hrycak | |
| Mr Alastair Murray | |
| Countess Elizabeth Howe (appointed 30.04.2024) | |
| 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: | Benjamin Hayes FCA |
| Partner | |
| Wenn Townsend Chartered Accountants | |
| 30 St Giles’ | |
| Oxford OX1 3LE |
The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust
Trustees Report for the year ended 31st March 2024
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 nine 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
The Trust’s public outreach activities were more limited over the course of the reporting year. We attended the Bucks County Show, where we set up a stand and engaged with many members of the public on the role and aims of the organisation. As part of this activity, we also provided a number of items from our silverware collection as table dressing for the Show Committee lunch. This provided an opportunity to meet and engage with a number of key leaders from across the county.
We have continued to grow our collection, procuring medals and other items over the course of the year. These included an important group of accessions presented by the family of a former member of the Royal Bucks Hussars, who had served in Egypt and Palestine. In addition, we agreed a grant to the Old Gaol Museum in Buckingham to re-establish a display of Trust artefacts there.
The Chair conducted an inspection of collection items stored at the Bucks Council premises at RAF Halton.
The Trust continues to seek to identify other suitable locations in which to display elements of our collection. Work on a new publication, entitled “The Military History of Buckinghamshire in 100 Days”, was suspended during the year, but it remains our intent to have this published as a fund-raiser.
Over the course of the year, we were sorry to say goodbye to some long-standing Trustees. We are actively seeking replacements. In connection with this, we were delighted to welcome the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, who agreed to take up the position reserved for the holder of that office.
We continue to be indebted to the South East Reserve Forces and Cadets Association for allowing us to store part of our collection at the Army Reserve Centre, Viney House, Aylesbury. We hope to sign an updated agreement with the Association to ensure on-going access to this important storage facility in the future.
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The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust
Trustees Report for the year ended 31st March 2024
Financial Review
Total income for the year was £8,049 (2023: £5,652), expenditure was £2,976 (2023: £7,352), giving net income for the year of £5,073 (2023: net loss of £1,700). Income for the year included £5,829 transferred from the Friends of the Ox and Bucks Light Infantry. Of these funds, £4,042 is restricted to the maintenance of regimental memorials.
The Trustees consider the current level of free reserves of £20,974 (2023: £20,025) 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:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102);
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
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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 18th December 2024 and signed by
……………………………… Lt Col Derek Plews VR
Trustee
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The 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 2024 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:
- 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.
Benjamin Hayes FCA
Partner Wenn Townsend, Chartered Accountants Oxford
18th December 2024
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The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust
Income and expenditure account for the year ended 31st March 2024
| Income | 2024 | 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| Grants | - | - | - | 1,600 |
| Donations | 2,255 | 4,042 | 6,297 | 2,651 |
| Dividends | 1,138 | - | 1,138 | 1,167 |
| CAF Bank interest | 463 | 82 | 545 | 79 |
| Sale of Booklets | 69 | - | 69 | 125 |
| Sale of Our County at War videos | - | - | - | 30 |
| ───── | ───── | ───── | ───── | |
| 3,925 | 4,124 | 8,049 | 5,652 | |
| ───── | ───── | ───── | ───── | |
| Less Expenditure | ||||
| Acquisition costs | 654 | - | 654 | 1,153 |
| Website costs | 920 | - | 920 | 892 |
| Accountant’s fees | 282 | - | 282 | 258 |
| Painting restoration | - | - | - | 2,480 |
| Bank charges and general expenses | 65 | - | 65 | 458 |
| ZOOM Subscription | 156 | - | 156 | 144 |
| Uniforms of The Bucks Yeomanry booklets | - | - | - | 456 |
| Warfest | 298 | - | 298 | 1,262 |
| Pull up promotional banners | 601 | - | 601 | 249 |
| ───── | ───── | ───── | ───── | |
| 2,976 | - | 2,976 | 7,352 | |
| ───── | ───── | ───── | ───── | |
| Net income/(expenditure) | 949 | 4,124 | 5,073 | (1,700) |
| Balance of income brought forward | 35,006 | - | 35,006 | 36,706 |
| ───── | ───── | ───── | ───── | |
| Balance of income carried forward | £ 35,955 | £ 4,124 | £ 40,079 | £ 35,006 |
| ═════ | ═════ | ═════ | ═════ | |
| Represented by: | ||||
| 1,323.707 M & G Securities Limited | ||||
| Charifund Inc Market value: £19,274 (2023: | £19,633) 14,981 | - |
14,981 | 14,981 |
| Cash at bank | 20,974 |
4,124 |
25,098 | 20,025 |
| ───── | ───── | ───── | ───── | |
| £ 35,955 | £ 4,124 | £ 40,079 | £ 35,006 | |
| ═════ | ═════ | ═════ | ═════ |
Lt Col Derek Plews VR ) ) ) Trustees ) Mr John Sheldon )
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