2021-03-31-accounts - The Redditch Local History Museum

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The Redditch Local History Museum CIO

Annual Report for the year ending 31[st] March 2021

Registered Charity Number: 1191166

The Formation of the Redditch Local History Museum

In 2019, the Redditch Local History Society management committee agreed that in order to manage its collection of artefacts in a more secure manner, and to allow public access to those artefacts, a separate organisation was required. This led to the formation of a separate group, The Redditch Local History Museum. This new group was registered with the Charity Commission as a CIO on the 7[th] September 2020.

The Redditch Local History Museum aims to establish a physical museum and has the following aims:

To present, publish and display historic artefacts and information in a manner that enables people of all ages and abilities to see, experience and learn about the history and heritage of Redditch and the surrounding area.
To promote increased community involvement and understanding of how Redditch has become the town it is today.
To ensure that as much of the history and heritage of the town survives and is protected for future generations to continue to understand, and benefit from, the town’s history and heritage.
To increase the town’s visitor offering so raising the town’s profile and contributing to the town’s economy.

It will also:

Collect and store artefacts of all types, both physical (e.g. objects, photographs, printed and written words, etc.) and non-physical (oral memories, films and audio recordings,) and store them in a safe and secure environment.
Translate and copy such artefacts into digital media to ensure their survival for future study and enjoyment.

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RLHM Annual Report for the year ending 31[st] March 2021

Provide resources that can be used by schools and other organisations in the education of people of all ages so that they can better understand the environment in which they live.
Help protect the historic environment of the town to ensure that the historic sites and assets are retained and protected for future generations to use, enjoy and learn from.

The original members of this new group all agreed to become trustees of the charity.

Funding the Redditch Local History Museum

The CIO has opened a business bank account with the National Westminster Bank plc.

Budgets for the costs involved in meeting the CIO’s objectives were agreed and funding was sought from the following sources:

Public Donations –

Appeals were made for donations from the public from those who supported the aims and objectives of the museum.

Crowd Funding –

A similar appeal for donations was made through an on-line crowdfunding site.

Commercial Donations –

Appeals were made to local commercial organisations for sponsorship of the museum.

Grants –

An application has been made to Redditch Borough Council for £3000 for start up costs for the museum. This grant is from the council’s VCS Programme Main Pot Grant (Round 1) for one year. Trustees were please to hear in late March that this had been granted with funding being provided in April 2021.
Trustees are planning to pursue a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund which will be targeted on the creation of an archiving facility.

Gift Aid –

Trustees were pleased to accept a payment of £3420 in gift aid from HMRC in March 2021. This was based on the donations received by early March 2021.

Expenditure

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RLHM Annual Report for the year ending 31[st] March 2021

In the financial year ending on the 31st March 2021 the only expenditure incurred by the CIO was £62 in respect of its membership of the Association of Independent Museums. This membership was considered beneficial for the support and advice available to the CIO in meeting its objectives.

Review of Activities and Achievements

During this first year of operation the trustees prepared a detailed prospectus of its proposed operation in support of the CIO aims and objectives.

It also launched a promotion and publicity campaign to both raise awareness of its plans and to gain public support. This campaign included articles in the local press, direct contact with other organisations and societies in the area and the use of social media. The CIO’s Facebook group was particularly successfully attracting over 1,500 members.

Trustees also undertook the preparation of a number of policies and procedures which established the way it would operate.

We also began a campaign for volunteers to help run the CIO on a day-to-day basis. In this respect articles in the local press and on social media have been particularly successful.

We have also mapped out our plans for the creation of an archiving facility and are approaching various professional organisations for their support in this area.

Discussions have also taken place by the trustees on the possible exhibit content of the museum. This is felt prudent taking into account the lead time of researching, drafting and preparing material for exhibition.

Premises

One of the key requirements for the CIO was to secure a premises from which to operate. The two key requirements for such premises were an area in which we could establish an archiving facility to secure the artefacts we inherited from the Local History Society and an area where exhibits based upon these artefacts could be displayed. The trustees were all conscious of the costs involved in securing such a premises and its location to maximize visitor accessibility.

The trustees are very pleased to report that such a premises has been identified. These premises at 5 Market Place in Redditch Town Centre are a very good fit to our requirements and negotiations are underway with the owners of the building on leasing the property.

It has been agreed that a three year minimum lease will be sought. This term was considered appropriate to ensure the security of tenure whilst the museum is being created whilst minimising the CIO’s financial exposure during this initial phase of operation.

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RLHM Annual Report for the year ending 31[st] March 2021

The Future

Securing the lease on the 5 Market Place property is seen as the key to the project progressing. With such an agreement we will be able to review and revise the budgets for the next financial year and identify the income required to meet those budgets.

It will also enable us to complete one of the key objectives in establishing a secure area to store the artefact collection. These are currently stored in unsatisfactory conditions and, whilst the archiving facilities we will be able to create in the first year will not meet professional standards, they will be an improvement on current storage conditions.

Having a known site for the museum will also focus our publicity and promotional activities by giving a visible sight to the public that the museum is being established. This will, it is believed, provoke further financial donations and encourage more volunteers to join the team.

Once the premises are secured one of the main tasks will then be the preparation and fitting out of the building to create a museum. Provisional plans have been made for this exercise such that we can progress as soon as the lease in confirmed.

We also have plans to continue fundraising. Our target is to obtain sufficient funds to cover the fixed overheads of running the museum over the three year period.

The trustees will also seek to create a management team for the museum to take over the operational management of the museum. When such a team is in place, and the museum is operational, the trustees will begin planning the long term strategy for the museum to establish its viability post the initial three year term. It is envisaged that such a strategy will involve a wider range of local organisations who also have an interest in supporting Redditch local history and heritage.

Derek Coombes (Chairman)

CIO Trustees

Derek Coombes – Chairman and Archivist Peter Harris – Fundraising and Promotion Graham Smith – Finance Manager

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THE REDDITCH LOCAL HISTORY MUSEUM

(Charity Commission CIO 1191166)

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT for the period 7[th] September 2020 to 31 March 2021

INCOME £ £ Donations: Personal Donations 14 078 Donation from local firm 3 000 Donations from 3 Worcestershire County Councillors (from their Divisional Fund allowance) 3 000 Gift Aid 3 420 TOTAL INCOME 23 498 23 498 EXPENDITURE Annual subscription to the Association of Independent Museums 62 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 62 62 PROFIT OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE 23 436

THE REDDITCH LOCAL HISTORY MUSEUM

(Charity Commission CIO 1191166)

BALANCE SHEET as at 31 March 2021

ACCUMULATED FUND £ Surplus of income over expenditure 23 436 TOTAL FUNDS 23 436

ASSETS

Current Assets

Cash at Bank £23 436 Current Liabilities NIL NET ASSETS £23 436

NOTE

The assets of the museum are a collection of artefacts, documents, inherited displays and digitised documents formally transferred to the museum from the Redditch Local History Society and held by private individuals. It is not possible to put a value on these.

Graham Smith Derek Coombes Finance Manager Chairman