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2024-09-30-accounts

Lowes Barn Community Project CIO

Trustees Report and Financial Review for the year ended 30[th] September 2024

Charity Number 1192101

Company Number CEO23176

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Contents

  1. Legal and Administrative Information

  2. Trustees Report

  3. Structure and Governance

  4. Financial Review

1. Legal and Administrative Information

The organisation is a Community Incorporated Organisation (CIO) which was registered with the Charities Commission on 2[nd] November 2020.

Registered Charity Number: 1192101

Companies House Number: CEO23176 Address: Merryoaks Community Hall Park House Road

Durham

DH1 3QF

2. Trustees Report

2.1 Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives of Lowes Barn Community Project CIO (LBCP) are set out in the constitution as follows:

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In order to meet these objectives, the organisation has been committed to providing a community centre which opened in May 2023 and following a competition, local schoolchildren and the community chose the name and logo which is Merryoaks Community Hall, the People’s Place.

We aim to improve the sense of community and emotional/mental health and wellbeing. Also to reduce social isolation and promote improved physical health and constructive activities for all local residents and those in nearby neighbourhoods.

In the next period we are planning to further meet these objectives by extending the access to our facilities through employing a member of staff.

We also plan to provide a garden that can be visited and maintained by local residents.

2.2 Achievements

This year saw the continued popularity of Merryoaks Community Hall and growth in the number of users and groups frequenting the centre.

LBCP successfully applied for grants as follows:

In the previous period, we were donated a defibrillator following which we raised funds to purchase and install a cabinet on the outside of the building in order to make the life saving unit available to all members of the public at all times.

A successful sponsored walk was held which raised £850 with a further £1,000 being added by a long term supporter of LBCP.

Our volunteers continue to provide fantastic support to the Trustees across a range of activities including keeping the building open and accessible to the public. At the end of the year we had a pool of 45 active volunteers helping with the operation of Merryoaks Community Hall.

We have started a gardening group which has cleared some of the overgrown areas around the garden and has been meeting ad-hoc to cut back weeds, plant bulbs make up planters and plant trees. This group has included students from Durham University and

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children from pre-school upwards. In the next period we will make this a regular activity and are confident that we will secure funding for the garden activities.

We have held first aid training for the volunteers and have organised a dementia awareness course for early in the next period.

LBCP continues to use Facebook, Instagram and local WhatsApp groups to advertise activities in Merryoaks Community Hall as well as our website:

www.merryoakscommunityhall.com

At the end of the previous financial year there were 420 people on the mailing list, of which 261 were members of LBCP CIO. In order to better understand and manage our supporters, we have split the mailing list into members who have voting rights at our meetings and subscribers who are kept informed of developments and activities. There are 233 members and 252 subscribers.

We have over 1300 followers on Facebook, 183 followers on Instagram and over 14,500 views of our website during the year.

4,000 people have found Merryoaks Community Hall on Google and it has a 4.9 star rating and 1,069 requests for directions.

2.3 Public Benefit

Merryoaks Community Hall has a central Hub with a community library and tea and coffee making facilities which are available to all whenever the building is open, making it an ideal venue which the local community use as a drop in space.

New this year is that we have added a jigsaw library and often have a jigsaw on the go in the Hub which visitors can help to complete.

There are 2 rooms available to hire; a Main Hall and a Multipurpose Room with a Kitchen that is also available to hire. We have rented out the office space which has been used for consultations, office work and music practice but that room will now be used by the Centre Manager.

Over the course of the year several groups have used these facilities to benefit the community with a range of activities including;

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The City of Durham Parish Council continue to hold their monthly meetings in Merryoaks Community Hall making them more accessible to residents.

As well as events and classes provided by external groups, LBCP has provided activities and facilities to benefit the community including;

Merryoaks Community Hall is located adjacent to Lowes Barn Recreation Ground which is owned and maintained by Durham County Council and includes a children’s play area as well as a multi-use games area (MUGA) and adult exercise facilities. The Community Hall has toilet and baby changing facilities as well as providing a warm, dry space for users of the recreation ground to shelter during periods of inclement weather.

It has been estimated that between 330 and 380 people use the building each week and the age range has been from 3 weeks old to over 90 years old.

We have also installed a defibrillator on the outside of Merryoaks Community Hall so that it is available for use by the public at all times.

3. Structure and Governance

3.1 Trustees: Appointments and Training

This year there were 8 Trustees:

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At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year ending 30th September 2023, which was held on 22nd November 2023, Susan Walker who had been appointed by the other trustees in June 2023, retired and was reappointed by the members.

Suzanne Whelan stood for and was duly elected as a trustee.

In accordance with the constitution, one third of the Trustees need to retire at the AGM but can stand for reappointment. This year Jennifer Thompson, Glen Walker and Clare Tellez retired. Jennifer and Glen were reappointed by the members.

Unfortunately, Jennifer stood down from the role of chair leaving the trustees without an elected chair. Glen Walker agreed to be acting chair for the purposes of chairing the trustees meetings etc.

Trustees, on joining, are given a copy of the LBCP constitution, the latest annual report and the Charity Commission publication “The essential trustee: what you need to know, what you need to do”

Trustees are required to sign a Declaration of Eligibility form and abide by the Trustees Code of Conduct.

A register of Trustees interests is maintained to protect against conflicts of interests.

3.2 Organisational Structure

Trustees meetings were scheduled monthly having been reduced from fortnightly which was deemed appropriate in the project phase of establishing Merryoaks Community Hall.

The Trustees have organised themselves into 7 workstreams:

Each workstream has a Trustee as lead and may include other Trustees and volunteers as appropriate.

A Finance Committee has been established comprising the Treasurer, the Chair and a volunteer with experience in accounting practices. Terms of reference for the Finance Committee were drawn up and agreed by the trustees.

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3.3 Policies and Procedures

When Merryoaks Community Hall was opened in May 2023, new policies and procedures were put in place, many with a review period of 2 years. In order to prevent all of these procedures needing review at the same time, some procedures are selected for review and update before each trustees committee meeting. It is anticipated that this will continue.

New policies were implemented this year including:

With the expected recruitment of a Centre Manager, further policies are being prepared including:

4. Future Plans

In the coming period, the trustees expect that the use of Merryoaks Community Hall will continue to grow and the award of a National Lottery grant for the hiring of a Centre Manager will enable the Hall to become even more accessible to the community.

It is expected that the remaining areas outstanding from the building project will be concluded allowing the trustees to focus on new initiatives around Merryoaks Community Hall.

Although an application to the National Lottery for a grant for the garden area was unsuccessful, the trustees are looking for alternative funding for the design and construction of the garden area and a volunteer group has been established that is already working towards that goal.

Community events are expected to be held at Christmas, Easter and in the Summer with quarterly craft sales as well as the regular coffee mornings, “tea, cake and chat” meetings and the book club.

The trustees have agreed that donations will be used for presenting children’s activities especially during the school holidays.

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5. Financial Review

The Lowes Barn Community Project was financially active in the period 1st Oct 2023 - 31st Sept 2024.

During this financial year the primary bank account used was the Lloyds Bank current account in the name of Lowes Barn Community Project CIO.

A savings account also with the Lloyds Bank was used to hold money that had been ring fenced for paying expected bills related to and rectifying faults from the building project.

In March 2024, the trustees agreed to further use the savings account to hold excess money from the current account in order to build a reserve and gain interest on those monies. At the end of the financial year, the balance in the savings account was £61,793.

The trustees have agreed a policy to hold an average of 2 months expenditure in the current account (£8,000) with any excess being transferred to the savings account. At the end of the financial year, the balance in the current account was £7,807.

It has also been agreed to hold reserves of 6 months to 2 years of budgeted expenditure.

A current account that was associated with the Lowes Barn Community Project before becoming a registered charity was closed and the balance of £10 was transferred into the Lloyds current account.

A finance committee has been established to assist the board of trustees to oversee the financial management of the Lowes Barn Community Project, ensuring its sustainability, transparency, and accountability.

The Finance Committee advises on budgeting, financial planning, and the allocation of resources to support the LBCP's activities and maintenance.

An accounting package (Xero™) has been purchased and was used to produce the accounts for this period.

The principal income source is from room bookings and new reports have been developed and presented at each of the trustees meetings to show forecast income from bookings as well as other income, expenditure balance and liabilities. These reports have been improved and with the information provided by the Xero™ accounting package are being used to present the trustees with bank account balances and variance to budget.

Grants totalling £13,560 were received this year. £11,299 as detailed in section 2.2 Achievements (page 3) and £3,260 from a grant applied for successfully in the previous year. For the detail see the table in Notes to the Accounts, 3 Grants (page 14)

The trustees are pleased to report that the financial position of LBCP CIO is robust and the strong start to the history of Merryoaks Community Hall which opened in May 2023 continues.

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6. Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable laws and regulations.

The law applicable to charities requires the trustees to prepare the 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:

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 16th April 2025 and signed by its order.

Approved by the trustees and signed on its behalf by:

Glen Walker

Date: 22nd July 2025

Chair

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7. Independent Examiners Report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Lowes Barn Community Project CIO.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the charities act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect:

I have come across no 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.

Paul Rowe Date: 22[nd] July 2025 Independent Examiner

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8. Accounts

Lowes Barn Community Project CIO Registered Charity Number: 1192101

8.1 Income and Expenditure Statement

8.1 Income and Expenditure Statement
Account 2024 2023
Income
701-Room Hire 43,611 11,452
710-Room Booking Deposit Scheme 25 200
720 - Fundraising/donations unrestricted(e.g. buckets) 4,367
721-Fundraising/donations restricted (e.g. defib) 902
722-Table top sales 765
723-Events (e.g. picnic in the park, sponsored walk) 1,370 2,971
724 - Ancillarysales 913
730-Renewable Energy Income (RHI, SEG) 483
740-Grants (restricted) 14,229 629,803
741-Grants (unrestricted) 2,627
742 - Notional income for donated fixed assets 7,000
750-Bank Interest 408 21
Total Income 76,700 644,447
Expenditure
130 - Volunteer Training 74 68
151-National Lottery Recruitment Costs 328
152-National Lottery HR Costs / inc Payroll 152
154-National Lottery HR Marketing and Advertising 98
201 - Repairs and Renewals 658 2,448
202-Building Operations (including small equipment) 178 42
203-National Lottery Office Equipment 20
210-Cleaning Services internal and windows 3,081 772
211 - Grass cuttingandgrounds 513
220-Electricity 6,116 197
221-Water 915
222-BT 727 296
230 - Waste Services annual sanitary+ regular waste 589
240-Building Consumables 674
250-Amortization 9,792 9,792
251-Depreciation 1,884 981
260 - BuildingMaintenance Contracts 3,513
301-Licences 141
302-IT Licences e.g . website Hallmaster 317 239
320-Marketing /Promotion Costs 274 79
321 - Office Consumables 68
330-Insurance 1,510 1,153
331 - Consultancy and professional fees (e.g. Accounting
Company)		 1,979 2,693
399 - Allowance for doubtful debts 200
401-Event Hire Costs 150 275
402-Charitable Donations 75
403-Event Consumables 46
501 - Grants Expenditure(restricted) 6,070
502-Donations Expenditure (restricted) 660
511-Building project D3 Costs 7,449
Total Expenditure 48,249 19,035

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28,451 625,412

Net Income

Lowes Barn Community Project CIO

Registered Charity Number: 1192101

8.2 Balance Sheet

8.2 Balance Sheet 8.2 Balance Sheet
Account
30 Sept
2024
30 Sept
2023
Fixed Assets
Tangible Assets
940-Fixed Assets Building (written down cost)
702,797
712,589
950-Fixed Assets Equipment (written down cost)
10,678
5,562

Total Tangible Assets
713,475
**718,151 **
Total Fixed Assets
713,475
718,151
Current Assets
Cash at bank and in hand
Current Account
7,807
13,154
SavingsAccount
61,793
27,385
Cash in hand
541
Total Cash at bank and in hand
70,142
40,539
901-Accounts Receivable
1,748
1,697
910-Sundry debtors provision fordoubtfuldebts
(200)
Total Current Assets
71,689
42,236
Creditors: amounts falling due within oneyear
820 - Sundrycreditorsprovision
25,138
28,830
830-Income in advance
873
854
Total Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
26,011
29,684
Net Current Assets(Liabilities)
45,679
12,552
Total Assets less Current Liabilities
759,154
730,703
Net Assets
759,154
730,703
Capital and Reserves
961-Reserve for building renewal
5,000
980- Total Funds- Equity
625,412
Equity brought forward
730,703
105,291
Current Year Earnings
23,451

Total Capital and Reserves
759,154
730,703

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Lowes Barn Community Project CIO

Registered Charity Number: 1192101

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024

1. Accounting policies

1.1. Basis of accounts preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008), the Charities Act 2011 and the requirements of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities. The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

The accounts are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity and monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

At the time of approving the accounts, the trustees have reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts.

1.2. Recognition of Income and Expenditure

Rents and hire charges are accounted for on an accruals basis.

Grants receivable including those for the purchase of fixed assets are recognised in the year in which they are received.

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis.

1.3. Taxation

The Charity is exempt from taxation on it’s charitable activities.

1.4. Accumulated Funds

Restricted funds are those which are subject to specific conditions as to how they may be used by donors as to how they may be used or the trustees have decided to use for a specific purpose (e.g. children’s during the school holidays).

Reserves are amounts set aside by the trustees for future repair or renewal of fixed assets.

1.5. Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulative depreciation and any accumulative impairment losses. Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets

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at rates calculated to write off the cost, less estimated residual value, of each asset evenly over its expected useful life, as follows:

Leasehold land and buildings over the lease term of 30 years Plant and equipment 15% reducing balance

2. Trustees Reimbursement

None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year for their duties as a trustee. However, certain trustees incurred expenditure on behalf of the Charity and were reimbursed as shown in the table, below.

Trustee 2024 2023
G Walker 821 6,479
S Walker 1,629
J Thompson 445
C Murray Kemp 82
W Greeves 695 18
S McGoay 46
M Ruerup
S Whelan
Total 3,717 6,497

3. Grant Income

The following grants were received in the year under review:

Unrestricted Grants 2024 2023
Durham Area Action Partnership-Start up revenue 2,627
Total 2,627
Restricted Grants 2024 2023
Durham Area Action Partnership - Garden 3,260
Durham Area Action Partnership - Fun and Food 990
Durham Area Action Partnership - Fun and Food 1,310
City of Durham Parish Council - Blinds 2,000
National Lottery - Centre Manager 6,000
NXCA - Winter Festival 119
NXCA-Burns Night Supper 550
Total 14,229 629,803

4. Employees

There were no employees during FY2023/2024

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5. Fixed Assets

6. Debtors

Plant and Land and Total
Equipment Buildings
Cost
Balance brought forward 6,543 722,381 728,924
Additions in the year 7,000 7,000
Adjustments
Balance carried forward 13,543 722,381 735924
Depreciation
Balance brought forward 981 9,792 10,773
Charge for the year 1,884 9,792 11,676
Balance carried forward 2,865 19,584 22449
Net book value
At 30 September 2023 5,562 712,589 718,151
At 30 September 2024 10,678 702,797 713475
2024 2023
Hire fees outstanding 1,748 1,697
Provision for doubtful debt 200
Total 1,548 1,697

7. Creditors due within one year

2024 2023
Building
Retention 15,202 17,365
Other creditors 10,808 12,319
Total 26,011 29,684

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8. Restricted funds

Name of project Balance at Received Total Spent Balance at Comment
30th during Funds during 30th
September year year September
2023 2024
Fun & Food October 23 990 990 990
Fun & Food December 23 1,310 1,310 1,310
Garden grant 3,260 3,260 2,954 306
Burns Night Supper 550 550 550
Purchase of Blinds 2,673 2,673 0 2,673
National Lottery- Hall Manager 6,000 6,000 578 5,422
Winter Festival 23 119 119 119
City Of Durham PC replacement trees 477 -477 Vired to Purchase of Blinds
Balance paid from general
Car Park grant 254 254 266 reserves
Defibrillator installation 319 221 540 540
Children's activities 0 485 485 0 485
Total 1,050 15,132 16181.51 7,308 8,886

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