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2025-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 01/01/2025 Period start date To 31/12/2025 Period end date

Charity name: Blandford Forum Museum, Heritage & Arts Trust

Charity registration number: 1190608

Objectives and Activities

SORP
reference
Summary of the
purposes of the
charity as set out
in its governing
document		 Para
1.17		 The aims of Blandford Museum are to record, conserve and
display all aspects of the prehistory and history of Blandford
and the surrounding region, and to bring the records and
displays to the attention of the public. Recording is
accomplished by maintaining archives and library facilities
and making these available to the public; display of
Blandford history is managed by means of exhibitions
mounted in the museum and through outreach and
educational projects within the community. The museum
holds a small art collection and art exhibitions of locally
relevant art is a part of our purpose and an increasing part of
our vision.
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		 Activities relating to Specific Grants:
DORSET COUNCIL GRANT (2025-2027) – Organisation
Grant - Project Fund R6:£30,000 over three years. Can be used
in any way that promotes the museum’s activities.
DORSET COUNCIL GRANT (2025)Blandford Heritage in 3D –
to start a 3D photographic and video group. This group works in
partnership with the Blandford Forum Town Council and the
Blandford Fashion Museum (Cavalcade of Costume).£10,000
Blandford Forum Town Council Grant (renewed yearly) –
Service Level Agreement for 2025:£2,500
National Heritage Lottery Fund (Finishing) – Reaching Out
With Sound:This grant allowed us to introduce programming for
the visually impaired and blind visitors to the museum through the
use of a new technology called NaviLens. The museum is the first
to use this technology in the Heritage sector. It further allowed us
to create 11 videos and establish a YouTube channel for the
museum. These videos show museum exhibitions and tell the story
behind them. They are available for anyone, but with subtitles they
are especially useful in care homes. £25,020

1

General Activities
Activities designed to maintain both museum objects collection,
archive collection, and photos and video collections. Community
activities include: lectures, family events, fundraising events,
research, education work with primary age children, education
work with high school, college and university students, local
sustainability events, lectures and activities, garden activities,
archaeological talks and events. For a list of all events held in
2024:
https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/events-
archive
Statement
confirming
whether the
trustees have
had regard to the
guidance issued
by the Charity
Commission on
public benefit		 Para
1.18		 The charity's purposes are to record, conserve and display all
aspects of the prehistory and history of Blandford and the
surrounding region, and to bring the records and displays to the
attention of the public. During the year, our museum maintained a
growing collection, created exhibitions and work in ways to engage
with the public about the history and prehistory of the local area.
The trustees confirm they have had due regard to the Charity
Commission's public benefit guidance when exercising their duties.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

SORP
reference
Policy on grant
making		 Para
1.38		 Grant funding is secured by the Director for museum building
improvements (such as new LED lighting and new Solar Panels)
and for specific projects (3D photography Group, NaviLens codes
for vision impaired visitors, museum garden activities, research,
and so on). Funding is sourced for projects that produce
programming that will increase visitor numbers and/or provides
access to groups who have not typically used museums.
We also look for funding that will facilitate community interaction
and involvement with the museum on research projects, garden
activities, archaeology projects and more.
Policy on social
investment
including program
related
investment		 Para
1.38		 NA
Contribution
made by
volunteers		 Para
1.38		 Blandford Town Museum is completely volunteer run. For 2025,
roughly 70 volunteers provided over 7000 hours of volunteer work.
Other

2

Achievements and Performance

SORP
reference
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 main purpose of the museum is to preserve the objects in its
collection, maintain and increase the collection (archives, photos,
objects) and make the materials available to the public through
activities, exhibitions and events. We also consider local
environmental issues as part of our remit. We maintain a garden
as well. All activities are designed to engage with the public and
raise funds for the museum’s work.
For a complete list of museum activities and events for 2024:
https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/events-
archive
All activities and events are aimed at several things:
•
Engaging with visitors and the community about the
heritage of the Blandford Area
•
Maintaining the Collections
•
Bringing in Volunteers
•
Maintaining the Museum as a community resource
•
Carry out local research
Short list of some activities through 2025:
January: Behind-the-scenes 20 volunteers worked throughout the
month to clean and refresh the museum premises and exhibitions.
TheArchaeology Group, Museum Research Groups, Garden
Group, Blandford in Stiches (the Textile Group), and the
Civic and Sustainability Groupcontinued to meet and hold
talks. TheArchaeology Groupheld a lecture. A Quiz Night, a
major fundraiser, was held 30thJan.Collections Teamand
volunteers interested in conservation met with MDSW
Conservation Consultant, Helena Janesche for a day of training.
February: The Museum reopened for the 2025 season.
Meetings were held by the various groups under the museum
umbrella: Archaeology/Garden/Sustainability. Archaeology
held a lecture. Both the Archaeology Group and the Museumheld
talks. Blandford in Stiches held a start up meeting. Research
groups met.
March:Museum and Archaeology talks were held in addition to
Coffee/Plant Sale Mornings. Two launches were held for the
opening of the NaviLens technology for the blind and visually
impaired (19thand 26th).” Ask an Archaeologist” was held (a
session with specialists to identify artefacts belonging to visitors)
April:Two Town Walks were held. Archaeology held a talk and a
Quiz night. The Museum Last Friday talk was held as well as a
Coffee/Plant Sales morning. The Museum held special children’s
Easter activities.
May:The Museum participated in the North Dorset Photo
Competition and Exhibition. Both Archaeology and the Museum
held talks. 3 Guided Town Walks were held as was the
Coffee/Plant Sales morning. The Museum AGM was held at the
end of May and a wine tasting evening followed.
June:3 Guided Town Walks were held as was the Coffee/Plant
Sales morning. We participated in partnership with BET in the

3

annual Blandford Hidden Gardens event. A Last Friday in the Garden social event was held at the end of the month. July: The Civic and Sustainability Group held the Green Fair at the Arches in collaboration with BET. We held a combined Family Archaeology and History Day with the Portable Antiquities Team. The Museum participated in The Council for British Archaeology event for a 3-day period. Activities such as Artefact ID, Mosiacs, Dorset Button Making, and small digs were all held during this time. Coffee morning/Plant Sale was held. 2 Town Walks were held. Last Friday social event in the Garden and a special event called From Me to Brew was held to raise money for cancer research. August: 200 Years of Railways in Blandford was held. Coffee Morning was held, Civic Group held 3 walks, and the Last Friday in the Garden social event was held. September: Dino Day was held (Iguanodon Restaurant) on a Saturday. 4 Town Walks were held. A Coffee/Plant Sales morning were held. Archaeology Group held a talk. The Garden Group held a talk. The Dorset Blind Association held its first Blandford Blind Book Club Meeting at the museum. A Last Friday Social evening was held as well as a special afternoon event to talk to the local community about the potential for Museum Expansion. October : Museum and Archaeology Group talks were held. The DBA held a Blind Book Group meeting. The was a Plant Sale event by the Garden Group. November: We participated in the Blandford Literary Festival over 2 days with three speakers. This was very well attended. “Ask and Archaeologist” was held. Museum and Archaeology Group talks were held. Blandford in Stitches – a new museum special interest group launched their new project.: A Fire Dress to commemorate the Blandford Fire of 1731. December : We participated in the Blandford Yuletide Festival: Museum open, festive refreshments A Christmas Craft Day was held and both the Garden and Archaeology Groups held Christmas events. The DBA held a Blind Book Club meeting. During all these months, projects on the River Stour/Medieval Tapestry. East Street Research group, Medieval Research group. and other projects have continued behind the scenes. We held two training sessions with staff in the museums. Meetings were also held with North Dorset Museum Association, Museum Development South West, and Dorset Museums Association. Trustee and other meetings were carried out inperson and by ZOOM when needed.

The

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements
against
objectives set		 Para
1.41		 Blandford Forum Museum, Heritage and Arts Trust have been working
toward 5 strategic Aims, which are outlined in our accreditation
Documents and Forward Plan.
Strategic Aim #1: Financial Stability:Ensure we are a financially
viable organisation, making effective use of our resources and income. In
2025, the Trust continued to work against a budget approved by the
Trustees, which was based on the previous year (2024). The Treasurer
presents the accounts against that budget at each Trustee meeting so
that they can monitor expenditure. We have aFinancial Policyin place
which dictates where our accounts are held, what is kept in reserve, and
who has access to the funds and for what purposes.
Strategic Aim #2: Increase space:Create the space and facilities to
deliver the museum’s vision and mission. In 2025, we continued to look

4

for spaces to purchase, rent or develop as the need for more storage and exhibition room is severe. By the end of 2025, the museum had received permission to use a gravel area next to the museum, with the aim of developing a plan to build a permanent structure on the site. We are currently engaged in that process. Also at the end of 2025, we received permission to temporarily use another building in Bere’s Yard to allow us to audit our collections, do some conservation work, and repack items in store. We have established a fundraising team and are working on a fundraising strategy for 2026-2027. We have been able to form a large Collections Team to carry out this work. Strategic Aim #3: Growing our Audiences: Grow the museum’s audience from within and outside the town. As our volunteer base has increased, our ability to carry out more events and bring more visitors to the museum has increased. We were able to hold “pop-up” museum days with the new volunteer staff, which has increased our yearly numbers.

In 2024 we were only able to open 4 days a week, compared to precovid, when we were open 6 days a week. Even considering that, we are exceeding those pre-pandemic numbers considerably. The chart below shows event attendance, museum visitors, and the total for each 6[th] month period. The yearly totals are also shown for comparison. This link takes you to our complete museum calendar of events: https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/events-archive

Strategic Aim #4: Growing our Volunteer Base Develop a multigenerational volunteer base to deliver all aspects of the museum’s operation. The museum is completely volunteer run. In 2024, our staff numbers were around 50. In 2025, this increased to about 70, closer to 80 if we count temporary volunteers. Volunteer staff numbers fluctuate due to illness and family issues, so these numbers are an average.

Our volunteers come to us through two main paths: word of mouth from other volunteers and visitors who decide they would like to join. Our new volunteers continue to be highly skilled and this has been a huge advantage to us in our operation in 2025 with improved website and social media and with increased events. (Our numbers for 2025 have increased dramatically as a consequence.). Our website has exceptionally good Accessibility: https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk

We now operate with the help of 18-20 Volunteer Teams that manage to operation of the Museum. These teams report to the Director on a regular basis and help with identifying heeds and projects that will

5

require external funding. The Director attends strategy session on
Volunteer recruitment and we are registered with Volunteer Dorset.
Strategic Aim #5: Improve exhibition and storage spacesTo
improve our exhibition and storage spaces and cases so that that the
collection is displayed in a manner that maximizes security and
environment (temperature and humidity).We have maintained weekly
records for the museum environment and out controls are very good for
the collection and exhibitions. In 2024, two volunteers came forward to
work on Pest Control.
We now have 3 volunteer staff who are working on improving museum
security. We are addressing an issue of long-standing, that is to increase
the security of the museum by replacing the external doors. This will be
costly, but will put us in a better position to receive loans from other
museums because we will have the requisite security.
The Collections Team mentioned under Strategic Aim #2 moved the
items in storage into the new building and will start addressing the audit
and conservation work in 2026.
This team is also interested in developing new exhibitions in 2026.
Performance
of fundraising
activities
against
objectives set		 Para
1.41		 In 2025 we set a budget of £4000 to be raised from events and talks and
we succeeded in raising £4232
Investment
performance
against
objectives		 Para
1.41
Other

Financial Review

Review of the
charity’s
financial
position at the
end of the
period		 Para
1.21		 The total of funds held at the end of 2025 was £119,373 of which
£16,506 were restricted funds - £16,049 held for Museum Groups
and £457 remaining from the 3D Project.
Statement
explaining the
policy for
holding
reserves
stating why
they are held		 Para
1.22

6

Amount of
reserves held		 Para
1.22		 £77,341 is held in a designated fund for future museum
development and £25,525 is held in general reserves.
Reasons for
holding zero
reserves		 Para
1.22
Details of fund
materially in
deficit		 Para
1.24
Explanation of
any
uncertainties
about the
charity
continuing as a
going concern		 Para
1.23

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 receive 2 main organisational grants:
Dorset Council - £10K per year.
Blandford Forum Town Council - £2.5K per year
Other funding comes in through:
Memberships
Donations
Shop Sales
Fundraising Events
Bequests
Investment
policy and
objectives
including any
social
investment
policy adopted		 Para
1.46
A description
of the principal
risks facing the
charity		 Para
1.46		 The Museum Risks are as follows:
•
Financial insolvency. We keep a check on finances at each
Trustee meeting
•
Disaster: Fire, Flood. We maintain insurance and have a
plan of evacuation for objects. We also hold a policy with
Harwells for specialist disaster recovery support for fire and
flood damage to collections.
•
Loss of Volunteers
•
Loss of Trustees
•
Loss of skilled Museum Volunteer Staff
•
Injury to staff: £10 million ELI
•
Injury to visitors: £10 million PLI
Other

7

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of
charity’s trusts:
Type of
governing
document
(trust deed,
royal charter)		 Para
1.25		 Constitution
How is the
charity
constituted?
(e.g
unincorporated
association,
CIO)		 Para
1.25		 CIO
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		 We have no formal policy on Trustee induction. Training opportunities are
taken advantage of whenever possible when these are offered through
relevant museum associations and bodies, such as the Association of
Independent Museums, Museum Development South West, and Dorset
Museums Association.
Trustees review their responsibilities through online support on the
website of the Association of Independent Museums, found at
https://aim-museums.co.uk/being-an-effective-trustee
In 2025 some Trustees received Training in Spectrum rules
through The Collections Trust and Museum Development South
West.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and
procedures
adopted for
the induction
and training
of trustees		 Par
a
1.51		 Blandford Museum makes use of the workshops/training/best
practice/policy advice of appropriate museum bodies, such as AIM, Arts
Council, and Dorset Museum Advisory Panel.
We also consult regularly with the Museums Advisor for BCP & Dorset
Councils.
The charity’s
organisationa
l structure
and any
wider network
with which
the charity
works		 Par
a
1.51		 The Board of Trustees(or governing body) is comprisedof 11 Trustees
that provide governance by oversight, agreement on policies, and setting
overall budgets. TheMuseum Directoris responsible for daily operations,
strategic planning, staff management, and budget handling. This structure
ensures accountability and effective management by assigning ultimate
responsibility to the board and delegating day-to-day tasks to the director.
18-20 Teams work on aspects of museum management at the direction of
the Director.
[Organizational Chart is shown below]

8

2025 Organisational Structure:

We partner with other charities in Blandford Forum on projects and events
only. There are no shared funds or responsibilities.
Relationship Par These include:
with any
related		 a
1.51		 Blandford Environmental Trust
The Blandford Fashion Museum (Cavalcade of Costume)
parties Blandford Forum Town Council
Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name Blandford Forum Museum,Heritage and Arts Trust
Other name the charity uses Blandford Town Museum
Registered charity number 1190608
Charity’s principal address Blandford Forum Museum, Heritage and Arts Trust
The Market Place
Bere’s Yard
Blandford Forum
Dorset
DT11 7HQ

9

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20		 Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole
**year **		 Name of person (or body) entitled
to appoint trustee (ifany)
JoyReynolds Co-Chair
Melanie Wyles Co-Chair
Shaun Christopher Co-Chair
Heather Packwood Treasurer
Teresa Cooper
Linda Johnson
Sheila Nicola
Brown		 Group Rep
CindyWood
Cinnamon Trundle
Julie Dunk 30/05/25 to date
Gina Hartwell Minutes Secretary 03/07/25 to date
CallyTurnbull Upto 22/01/26
Mark Aldis Upto 16/10/25
Wilmar Voitus van
Hamme		 Up to 16/10/25
Rex Badgely Upto 16/10/25
Anne Quinney Upto 14/08/25

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

10

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of
adviser
Name		 Type of
adviser
Name		 Address
Museums
Advisor for
BCP &
Dorset
Councils		 Vicky Dewit Dorset History Centre
07876 790641
vicky.dewit@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk
www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Dr Sylvia Hixson Andrews

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

11

Declarations Signed on behalf of charity's trustees Signature(s) . A. Full name{s) Posftlon (eg Secretsry, Chair. etc) CV4&10 TÉEASkn AE Dale /Users/heatherpackwood/DesktoplBlandford MuseumlAccounts12025 AccountsThAR-DOC 17012026.docx

The Blandford Forum Museum, Heritage and Arts Trust

1190608

CC16a

Receipts and payments accounts

For the period 01/01/2025 31/12/2025 To from

Section A Receipts and payments

A1 Receipts Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest £		 Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest £		 Restricted funds
to the nearest £		 Restricted funds
to the nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to the nearest £		 Endowment
funds
to the nearest £		 Total funds
to the nearest £		 Total funds
to the nearest £		 Last year
to the nearest £

Grants: Blandford Town Council SLA		 2,500 - - 2,500 2,500
Grants: Dorset CountyCouncil Organisational 10,000 - - 10,000 10,000
Grants: Dorset Council 3D Project 794 606 - 1,400 1,400
Grants: NHLF ReachingOut With Sound 7,175 5,335 - 12,510 12,510
Grants: Dave Wilson Trust - 500 - 500 -
Grants: Blandford Environmental Trust - 100 - 100 -
MembershipSubscriptions 2,791 - - 2,791 2,588
Donations / Bequests 3,309 - - 3,309 10,405
Events / Talks 4,232 - - 4,232 3,188
Hidden Gardens 217 - - 217 265
SundryIncome 215 - - 215 -
Curatorial 100 - - 100 -
Education 106 - - 106 40
Museum Publications 287 - - 287 796
ShopSales 3,695 - - 3,695 3,353
Interest 2,866 - - 2,866 2,770
Gift Aid 1,967 - - 1,967 475
Railway 301 - - 301 292
ArchaeologyGroup - 490 - 490 574
Victorian Garden Group - 1,664 - 1,664 1,394
Civic Group - 242 - 242 658
SustainabilityForum - - - - 50
Blandford in Stitches Group 35 - - 35 -
Museum Extension - 500 - 500 2,000
Museum Development - - - - -
Sub total(Gross income for AR) 40,591 9,437 - 50,028 55,257
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see
table).
-
Sub total - -
Total receipts
A3 Payments
55,257

Grants: Freelance OpportunityMyCareer		 - 1,750
Grants: Dorset Council 3D Project - 2,194
Grants: NHLF ReachingOut With Sound - 19,685
Grants: Dave Wilson Trust - -
Utilities,Council Tax & Insurance 8,832 9,764
Buildings & Repairs 1,983 11,290
Office Expenses 3,626 2,152
Honorarium 1,500 1,261
External Subscriptions 153 156
Events/Talks 1,575 974
SundryExpenditure - 162
Training 730 109
Publicity/ Advertising 399 1,486
Rent 1,500 1,500
Curatorial 521 1,030
Education - -
Museum Publications 260 1,126
ShopSupplies 2,501 2,801
Financial Costs - Square & Auditors 636 613
Railway 78 178
ArchaeologyGroup 239 742
Victorian Garden Group 180 981
Civic Group - -
SustainabilityForum - 376
Blandford in Stitches Group 24 -
Museum Extension 3,061 499

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

26/03/2026

1

Sth tolai 37.391 lsee lable) Fa¥chase 30.351 X247 $0.830 14•tolrnceW&YpayJnents) 10240 276 92.902 501 10.742 5.5n 276 15,729 Ae CaBh funds laBt year ond 108,631 119J73 114.2D3 102.60 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestrlcled fund• RÈstrirted lunds Endowment fund to nw•Bt £ Cat•gorf•• D•t•lls 81 Cash ftwKI• 1711 Ud 74 13• C￿h Tot•l¢•$h fixls 102.8 1Q506 funds fvnd• 82 Cth•r monelary as••ts Detai15 B3 kni•stm•nt aH•ts B4 A$strts r•taln•d forth• charlty's 1.517 B5 Liaknlitios SkJn8d by one tru&t8•s on bèhav ofau the bustèèi D*è ofapprov81 3/4/24 (￿x R2 8¢xwnts ISSI 2610312026

Notes to the Accounts

1 The Group Balances at 31/12/25 were:

Lloyds Lloyds Petty Cash /
Group a/c Treasurers a/c Cash in Hand Total
Victorian Garden £ 3,246.93
 £ 183.32
 £ 91.04
 £ 3,521.29
Archaeology Group £ 3,218.05
 £ -
 £ 364.75
 £ 3,582.80
Civic Group £ 8,945.05
 £ -
 £ -
 £ 8,945.05
Totals £ 15,410.03
 £ 183.32
 £ 455.79
 £ 16,049.14

Dorset Council 3D Project £ 794.18 NHLF Reaching Out With Sound £ 7,174.93 Totals £ 7,969.11

Dorset Council 3D Project £ 457 NHLF Reaching Out With Sound £ -

CCXX R3 accounts (SS)

26/03/2026

3

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees
On accounts for the year
ended
Set out on pages		 THE BLANDFORD FORUM MUSEUM, HERITAGE AND ARTS TRUST THE BLANDFORD FORUM MUSEUM, HERITAGE AND ARTS TRUST THE BLANDFORD FORUM MUSEUM, HERITAGE AND ARTS TRUST
31stDecember 2025 Charity no
(if any)		 1190608
1 & 2
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/12/2025 .

Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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.

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.

Signed: K Dalton

Date: 25[th] March 2026

Name: Karen Dalton for Artema Accountants

Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: Brooke House, Oakley Hill Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1RJ

1

Oct 2018

IER

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

2

Oct 2018

IER