Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 **----- Start of picture text -----**
19 [th] Century Working Watermill
www.acornbankwatermill.org.uk
Acorn Bank Watermill
Watermill Trust Email: ab.wt@outlook.com
Temple Sowerby
PENRITH
Cumbria, CA10 1SP
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**TRUSTEE’S REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 1st JANUARY 2022 TO 31[st] DECEMBER 2022** **AS PRESENTED BY THE CHAIRMAN TO ACORN BANK WATERMILL TRUST’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (“AGM”) ON WEDNESDAY, 29[th] MARCH 2023** Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, CA10 1XN Chair – Bob Price Secretary – David Robertson Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Page **1** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE & MANAGEMENT** Acorn Bank Watermill Trust (“ABWT”) was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 29[th] January 2021 (Registered Charity No: 1193320). Under our Constitution, at every AGM, one-third of the trustees must retire from office. Geoff Bailes, Martin Fagan, and Neil Hannah tendered their resignations, but sought re-election. At the AGM members voted: - To reappoint Geoff Bailes, Martin Fagan, and Neil Hannah. - To elect Roger Frank as a new Trustee. - To accept Jo Rees resignation and to thank her for her service. Bob Price, Geoff Bailes, and David Robertson were respectively reconfirmed as Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary. _**ABWT CHARITY TRUSTEES & OFFICERS (AS OF 29[th] MARCH 2023)**_ |||||| |---|---|---|---|---| ||**NAME**|**POSITION**(if applicable)|**START DATE**|**DATES ACTED**_(if different)_| |||||| |**1**|**BOB PRICE**|PRODUCTION
MANAGER||| ||||Re-elected as
Trustee 30/03/22|Reappointed as Chairman at ABWT’s AGM
on 29thMarch 2023.| ||CHAIR of TRUSTEES|||| |||||| |**2**|**DAVID ROBERTSON**|SECRETARY & QUENSH
MANAGER||| ||||29/01/21|Reappointed Secretary at ABWT’s AGM on
29thMarch 2023.| |||||| |**3**|**GEOFF BAILES**
TRUSTEE|TREASURER||| ||||29/01/21|29thJanuary 2021 to 8thMarch 2022.
Reappointed as Trustee and Treasurer at
ABWT’s AGM on 29thMarch 2023| |||||| |**4**|**MARTIN FAGAN**
TRUSTEE|SALES & MARKETING
MANAGER||| ||||29/01/21|29thJanuary 2021 to 8thMarch 2022.
Reappointed as Trustee at ABWT’s AGM on
29thMarch 2023.| |||||| |**5**||BUSINESS & FUNDRAISING
MANAGER||| ||**NEIL HANNAH**
TRUSTEE||
29/01/21|29thJanuary 2021 to 8thMarch 2022.
Reappointed as Trustee at ABWT’s AGM on
29thMarch 2023| |||||| |**6**|**CARL RICHARDSON**
TRUSTEE|CHIEF
ENGINEER||| ||||29/01/21|| |||||| |**7**|**PETER SIMPSON**
TRUSTEE|MAINTENANCE
MANAGER||| ||||29/01/21|| |||||| |**8**|**FRANK BRADLEY**
TRUSTEE|-||| ||||01/04/22|| |||||| |**9**|**BRIDGET DAVEY**
TRUSTEE|INTERIM CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE MANAGER||| ||||01/04/22|| |||||| |**10**|**JOANNA REES**|ENVIRONMENT &
ECOLOGY MANAGER||| ||||01/04/22|Resigned as Trustee on 25thMarch 2023| |||||| |**11**|**DAVID FREAK**|CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE MANAGER||| ||||29/01/21|Passed Away on 1stApril 2023| |||||| |**12**|**GLENIS PRICE**|VOLUNTEER
CO-ORDINATOR||| ||||29/01/21|| |||||| |**13**|**FRANCES**
**RICHARDSON**|WEBSITE MANAGER &
EDUCATION OFFICER|29/01/21|| |**14**|**MARTIN STORER**|IT MANAGER|29/01/21|| |**15**|**ROGER FRANK**
TRUSTEE|DEPUTY CHIEF
ENGINEER|29/03/23|Elected as Trustee at ABWT’s AGM on 29th
March 2023| Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Chair – Bob Price Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Secretary – David Robertson Penrith, CA10 1XN Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Page **2** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 ## **ABWT’s OBJECTS** Under its Constitution, ABWT’s Objects are: - _1) To preserve for the public benefit Acorn Bank Watermill, a Grade II* listed 19[th] Century watermill, located on the National Trust’s Acorn Bank Estate at Temple Sowerby, Penrith, Cumbria as a building of architectural and historical interest._ - _2) To advance the education of the public by establishing Acorn Bank Watermill as a heritage centre which:_ - _offers the public an opportunity to see a working water powered corn mill and associated machinery that mills wheat and produces merchantable flour thereby demonstrating the art of flour milling and the critically endangered craft of millwrighting using, as far as possible, traditional methods; and_ - _enhances public knowledge and understanding of the watermill’s role both in the context of the nation’s wider agricultural and industrial heritage and its role in local cultural and social history, including its relationship with gypsum mining in Cumbria._ ## **BEHAVIOURS & VALUES** In support of its charitable objects ABWT is committed to maintaining and operating the mill for future generations by: _Working collaboratively and openly with colleagues and our partner the National Trust._ _Engaging with the local community and relevant public bodies._ _Ensure visitors feel welcome by:_ - _Offering a warm and positive attitude._ - _Being polite, friendly, and showing an interest in their views._ - _Valuing and respecting people as individuals._ - _Sharing knowledge and experience in an engaging and enthuastic way._ ## **REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS** ## _**Chairman’s Overview**_ From a standing start in February 2020, what ABWT has achieved is remarkable and we should be proud and pleased with the progress made to date. We have recently signed an extension to our 5-year lease taking us to 28[th] February 2028 – recognition from NT of the excellent job we are doing. We have rescued the mill from further decay and over the last two years we have milled well over 6 tonnes of wheat into 4000 bags, almost all of which has sold. Visitors have come back in numbers; in numbers we hardly dared to hope for and have supported us with purchases and donations such that we are well ahead of our original business plan predictions. When we set out on this venture, some 2 years ago, we could not have dreamt that we would have achieved as much as we have. This is down to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of the membership. On behalf of the Trustees, I would like to thank everyone. It is also important to acknowledge the role played by the National Trust (“NT”). None of this would have been possible without its co-operation and ongoing support, particularly Dan Taylor, NT’s General Manager, and the team at Acorn Bank. Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, CA10 1XN Chair – Bob Price Secretary – David Robertson Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Page **3** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 With the membership and NT’s continuing support, we can look forward to the future with much anticipation and enthusiasm. ## _**Production (Bob Price, ABWT Production Manager)**_ During the 2022 season we milled more flour than in the previous year and sold almost all of it, in spite of the increase in the selling price from £3 to £3.50. This was done to partially offset the increase in grain cost from £550 to £850 per tonne. It would have been counterproductive to raise the selling price by the full 54%. We also milled some Blacksmith wheat, which sold extremely well – at busy times visitors were waiting for it to be bagged. We have acquired more Blacksmiths for this season to mill over the Coronation (6[th] & 7[th] May) and National Mills (13[th] & 14[th] May) weekends. The general quality of flour has been good, with only one reported customer complaint (the flour was felt to be too coarse). As a result of that complaint the role of the person bagging the flour has been revised to give them responsibility and authority to bring lapses in quality to the attention of the miller. While milling Alicia wheat early in the season there was a problem with excessive coarse bran in the meal, which required careful management. A change to Mulika largely cured the problem, but it still seemed likely that excessive wear of the stones was at least partially responsible. There were also increasingly common episodes where the grain in the eye of the stone was failing to feed into the milling surface (referred to as “choking”). We therefore decided to have the stones dressed and were fortunate to get the services of a very experienced mill owner. After the stones were dressed, we milled about a hundred kilograms of barley to clean the stones and bed them in. Thanks are due to the farmer who lent us the barley seed and took it back as feed for his calves. After that we processed a small amount of wheat, the flour from which was very satisfactory. I hope we can look forward to the mill choking less and working faster and more efficiently in the future. ## _**Marketing (Martin Fagan, ABWT Sales & Marketing Manager)**_ We have continued to have healthy external sales, particularly through the Nature’s Health Shop in Penrith, Stainton Village Shop and Kirkby Thore Post Office, and Low Howgill Butchers in Appleby. Up till now, I have been wary of actively chasing new retail opportunities, as we sell 90% of everything we can produce at Acorn Bank, either directly at the mill door or through NT Visitor Welcome. I will carefully assess our production rate (along with the Production Manager) to see if the re-dressing of the stones has materially increased our capacity. How I would actually like to increase capacity and increase the attractiveness of the mill experience would be to increase our opening times, initially by milling on Fridays especially through school holiday times. To do this however, I think we need to increase the pool of millers, to prevent over stretching the good will of our current volunteer pool. We have also introduced extra information boards covering the link between the mill and the gypsum mine, and the history of the second waterwheel. These have been made using a cost-effective plastic board and will be the standard for future display materials. Additionally, as a trial 100 copies of a recipe booklet were printed, which have completely sold out. I will be ordering more for this season. We are now getting good publicity via the Herald, with at least 3 half page pieces published this year. We are also ensuring that these also advertise the NT offer, as we must always be aware of the symbiotic relationship between us. For the first time last year, we participated in the Heritage Open Day Programme, in September, which generated a very large number of visitors, and overwhelmed our sketchily drawn up plan of tours! This year I propose that we continue with the HOD project, which is from 8 – 17[th] September, but with more knowledge and time to prepare, I believe it will be a less stressful exercise. This year, I believe, the focus of our offer should be on the Second Waterwheel Project and Conservation in Action activities. ## _**Engineering (Carl Richardson, ABWT Chief Engineer)**_ Covering the period from April 2022 up to March 2023. Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, CA10 1XN Chair – Bob Price Secretary – David Robertson Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Page **4** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 ## General Operations The mill generally ran well all through the 2022 season with no downtime during this period. ## Major Works A number of “major works” were carried out during 2023: ## _Stone Dressing_ John Bedington, a very experienced millwright, visited in early November 2022 to work with us dress the millstones. John was happy to pass on his experience to the ABWT team and the whole group got involved with the dressing work; this turned out to be a very dirty job! The dressing process has been documented and my feeling is that this is something ABWT could undertake by itself in the future, although we’d need to acquire or make some of the traditional tools that are required. Having completed the dressing work, we ran about 100 kg of barley through the mill to “clean it up”, followed by a small amount of wheat. The overall impression was that we’d be able to produce good quality flour at a much higher rate than before. We’ll soon see if that is the case as we start up operations for the 2023 season. A big thanks to all who helped clean up the mess afterwards! ## _Launder_ We have, for some time, been aware that leaks from the launder onto the cobbled path beside it create an additional hazard for visitors. Having had several attempts to stop the leaks in the launder during 2022, and with the volume of leakage increasing, it was decided to line the launder with a rubber membrane. This was done towards the end of the season. After some initial problems getting a good seal at the upstream end by the gate valve, the new liner seems to work very well and almost all the leakage has stopped. ## _Second Wheel Mock-up (also see under Future Projects below)_ With the anticipation of being able to apply for listed building consent, we decided it would be a good idea to build a mock-up of the outboard side of the second waterwheel (spokes and shrouds). This was done not only so that we could gain some experience in understanding the challenges of making the spokes and fitting the shrouds, but also so that visitors could begin to engage with the project as a whole. The mock-up definitely provided a talking point for visitors. ## _Viewing Platform_ We had been discussing the parlous state of the viewing platform with NT for some time with no obvious progress in sight. Thus, we decided (with some qualms) to offer to rebuild it on the basis that NT would pay for the materials and ABWT would supply the labour. This was agreed and to cut a long story (with several twists) short, after some weather-related delays before Christmas the work has progressed well to the extent that the new platform was ready for its official unveiling on Tuesday, 11[th] April. The Viewing Platform now forms part of ABWT’s lease. ## Mill Improvements A number of improvements were made to the operation of the mill: - Modification of the shoe to allow the mill to “auto-feed”. This means that the millers didn’t have to keep remembering to manually fill the shoe with grain, allowing them to concentrate on milling good flour and interacting with the visitors. It also means that there is less chance that the mill will run “dry”, with the possibility of damaging the stones. Having proved the auto-feed works well, we need to make a more permanent version. A further modification is now needed to fit a bell that rings when the grain in the hopper is running low; without this the auto feed can empty the hopper causing the mill to run dry. Registered in England as: Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Registered Charity No. 1193320 Penrith, CA10 1XN Chair – Bob Price Secretary – David Robertson Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Page **5** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 - The wheelhouse end of the main shaft was also modified to ensure that the trunnion did not come loose because its wedges were falling out. Prior to the modification, the wedges were coming loose after two or three days of operation. - Additional lighting was added in various areas to improve the visitor experience. - Additional lighting and power were provided to the wood store; this meant that we could move the new bench saw and chop saw from the upper mill room and workshop. Prior to this, using the bench saw in the upper mill room had created quite a mess, as had using the chop saw in the workshop. We can now keep the upper mill area much cleaner. - We investigated the vibration problem when running with the shelling stone. However, although some improvement was made, some vibrations remain needing further work. ## Other Works Many other larger and smaller works have been completed; some to mention are: - All the glazed windows in the mill building have all been stripped, cleaned, and repainted. The sash windows now work properly; this is probably the first time since the mill restoration! - A new “proper” stable door is being made to replace the rather unsightly door to the stable. - The area behind the wheelhouse (by the beck) has been cleared of weeds etc. with the idea that we can open this up to visitors later in 2023. - A gas cabinet has been installed so that we can safely store the propane as cylinder for the weed burner. Previously it had been stored in the stable which was considered a fire risk. ## Conclusion As ever, the primary objective of the engineering team is to keep the mill running; this will always be the focus of our work. Beyond that, numerous other larger or smaller works, some of which have been listed here, have been undertaken over the past year to improve the operation of the mill, making it safer and easier for the volunteers to accomplish all the tasks that are necessary to provide a good visitor experience, and to produce flour. I’d like to give my thanks to all those volunteers who have helped in keeping the mill running and carrying out improvements over the past year. I’d particularly like to mention our “new faces”: Ivan, Roger, and Ron, who have been much involved with some of the works described above. ## **Future Plans** ## _**Projects**_ ## Viewing Platform Project (VPP) See above under Engineering Report. ## Second Waterwheel Project (SWP) As indicated in the Chief Engineer’s report, another project that has suffered from false starts over a number of years, but which received the green light (and release of the required funding from NT) in May 2022. ABWT moved swiftly to prepare a Listed Building Consent pre-application request, which NT submitted to Eden District Council (“EDC”) at the end of June 2022. Historic England supported the application at the outset and at the end of October EDC invited NT to submit the full planning application. Listed Building Consent was granted on Friday 13[th] January 2023. Work on the necessary project management, including health & safety, paperwork is well advanced and once the Viewing Platform reconstruction is complete ABWT resources will be freed up to start work on this project. ABWT is also working closely with NT to ensure strong engagement with the local community. Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Chair – Bob Price Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Secretary – David Robertson Penrith, CA10 1XN Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Page **6** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 ## Acorn Bank Riverlands Partnership One happy by product of taking forward the second waterwheel project was the need to engage with other statutory bodies, including Cumbria Wildlife, Environment Agency, Eden Rivers Trust, and Natural England. NT took the opportunity to engage with these bodies on a number of issues relating to the river and its environs, including resolving the problems with the weir. This has resulted in a partnership to develop a holistic programme of water projects at Acorn Bank, the priority being finding a solution to the degrading weir structure, but also towards solutions that can support the ongoing legacy of the working mill, enable upstream migration, and generally improve that section of Crowdundle, Birk Sike and the land condition on the Acorn Bank estate as a whole. A Working Group (The Riverlands Project) has been established and met for the first time on 14[th] March. It has been agreed to tackle the project in 3 stages with priority being given to the Weir and functional part of the Crowdundle. Work on the rest of the Crowdundle and the interface with the pond and the eroding bank and the realignment of Birk Syke will follow. A Statement of Significance for the mill and its link to the weir has been commissioned and is due to report back in June. A design brief is also being prepared with aim of construction work taking place in the summer of 2024. ## Improved Access to the Watermill Access remains a thorny issue. To provide full access to all would require substantial building works at considerable expense – funds for which are simply not available. Listed Building Consent may also be required depending upon the nature of any proposal. Nevertheless, NT and ABWT are considering the feasibility of providing access for wheelchair users only via Mill Cottage either from the woodland path or from the estate’s main driveway. This will require the consent of the Mill Cottage tenant. ## _**Education & Heritage**_ 2022 saw the return of private tours and school trips after the hiatus caused by COVID. ABWT already has a couple of bookings for the new season and with the National Trust once again welcoming group visits and coach parties to Acorn Bank we hope that this number will increase as the season moves into the Summer. At weekends and Bank Holidays when the Mill is open and operating volunteers will continue to be on hand to provide information about the mill and where possible guide visitors round the mill complex. For the forthcoming season, ABWT will also welcome visitors to the Mill on Tuesdays, its maintenance day, subject to it being safe to do so. Industrial Heritage tours from the mill round the Acorn Bank Estate explaining the link between the watermill and the local gypsum mines, were introduced at the start of the season, and proved popular with visitors. They will continue throughout 2023. ## _**Food Hygiene**_ Over the last 2 years ABWT has developed a close working relationship with Eden District Council's Environmental Health Officer (“EHO”) leading to the gradual implementation of strict food hygiene rules. This hard work has paid off with the award in June 2022 of a Food Hygiene Rating of 5 (excellent) and a Category E Food Safety Inspection Rating, which means we only have to be inspected every 3 years. ABWT is also now registered with EDC as a food business establishment with a number of our volunteers registered individually to produce the food at home. As such ABWT is able to offer samples of baked goods using the Mill's flour (these are not sold, but visitors are asked to make a small donation), which are displayed and served in line with EHO’s advice and guidance. Every volunteer involved in food handling has Level 1 food hygiene certificates and many, including millers and baggers have Level 2 certification. At the start of last season, on the advice of Eden’s Trading Standards allergen warning notices are now displayed (our bags of flour already carry the appropriate warning) in the lower milling room and points of sale along with an allergen chart to complement the recipe cards and booklet. Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Chair – Bob Price Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Secretary – David Robertson Penrith, CA10 1XN Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Page **7** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 To sit alongside our "Flour Guide" and suite of Mill Risk Assessments, we have this year introduced a specific Food Hygiene Risk Assessment. The procedure for handling any issues that should arise with any of our food, particularly the grain and flour itself has also been improved. Thanks to all those involved for ensuring that our food hygiene rules are followed. ## _**Health & Safety**_ Staying on top of Health and Safety will continue to be a priority for the Trustees.The mill can be a dangerous working environment if not managed and monitored properly, so it is important that hazards, risks, and remedies are clearly identified, accessible and adhered to by Mill volunteers to ensure both their own safety and that of the Mill. The Mill has a full Safety Management System (“SMS”) in place. As our landlord NT must carry out an annual Workplace Inspection, the aim of which is to prevent work related accidents and ill health by identifying new hazards, providing evidence of legal compliance, checking that preventative and protective control measures are implemented and effective and generally ensuring that appropriate arrangements are in place for active monitoring of the safety management system. The 2023 inspection was carried out on 31[st] January and the issues identified taken forward jointly by ABWT and NT. This included revisiting the Condition Survey carried out in December 2020 which established the baseline for monitoring & assessing any deterioration in the mill buildings. It was not all negative, as the review also captured the improvements made by ABWT in terms of new doors, redecoration and repair of the internal walls, windows and doors, all to a higher standard than when it took over the mill. ABWT will work with NT to produce an updated Condition Survey for inclusion in our new lease. All members must ensure that they are familiar with the SMS and its contents. Copies of ABWT’s H&S documentation is on the notice board in the Upper Milling Room and posted on the shared drive. ## _**IT**_ Members had expressed concerns about the functionality and accessibility of the proposed new communications system, including the need for personal ABWT emails. MS recognised the issues but explained that the current One Drive system was not secure and as a result ABWT were not GDPR compliant. MS will issue revised guidance in a simpler and easy to understand format. He was also happy to help those who continued to have problems. All members would still require an ABWT email address to access the Shared Drive but there was no problem in them using personal emails for day-to-day communications. MS will also start to move ABWT’s documentation across to the Shared Drive but retain the old one until it is clear that all members have access. ## **ABWT’S FINANCES** ## _**Accounts**_ The Accounts for the year show a small surplus of £200, compared to our first year of operations when we generated a surplus of £6,864. There were a number of factors contributing to this result which include the charges for Electricity and Rentokil, which we did not bear last year but which will be ongoing costs for future years. We also spent over £2,000 more on maintenance, equipment, and consumables, all towards keeping the mill in good order and enhancing the visitor experience. Our sales showed a substantial increase on the previous year. Part of this was due to our increasing the price of a bag of flour which was to cover the increased cost of grain. We again benefitted from the Gift Aid scheme although slightly down on last year due to a reduction in donations. At the time of writing an application has been submitted for registering for VAT which, if successful, would enable us to reclaim the tax paid on much of our expenditure. This would not include grain as it is zero rated, similarly we would not be required to add VAT to our flour price for the same reason. Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, CA10 1XN Chair – Bob Price Secretary – David Robertson Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Page **8** of **10** Trustees Report v7 – 310323 Prepared by ABWT’s Secretary Confirmed by ABWT’s Trustees 150223 Authorised by ABWT’s Chairman 270223 Adopted by Members 290323 Ratified by Trustees 190423 Our Accounts will not show any expenditure on the Viewing Platform as that is being funded entirely by the National Trust. We only had to supply the labour to carry out the work. In line with most charitable organisations ABWT will retain enough cash in our bank accounts to sustain ABWT for six months in the event of a loss of income and/or to meet any unforeseen expenditure that may occur. ## Legacy Last year NT agreed to start releasing the funds from a £50k legacy left to it in the will of Nancy Armstrong in 2017. The monies to be used specifically “ _for the repair, improvement, maintenance and preservation_ ” of the Mill. The first of the projects to benefit from this legacy is the SWP referred to above. In recognition of the legacy Sarah Greenop, the executor of the will, and her mother (the sister-in-law of Nancy Thompson) were invited to visit the mill in June and gave their enthuastic support to ABWT’s plans for the mill and our proposals for investing the monies. In July a memorial plaque for Barbara Boazman and Nancy Armstrong was hung on the wall in the mill yard where it is seen by visitors as soon as they come in. Sarah returned to unveil it. ## Adoption of Accounts A copy of our accounts, as adopted by members at the AGM on 29[th] March 2023 are appended to this report. ## **TRUSTEE’S DECLARATION** Following the adoption of the Trustees Report and Annual Accounts by ABWT’s Membership at the AGM on 29[th] March 2023 the Trustees ratified the decision at their meeting on 19[th] April 2023 and asked the Secretary to submit the documents and update the details of the Trustees on the Charity Commission register. Signed on behalf of the Trustees: ## **ROBERT PRICE** Chairman of Trustees ACORN BANK WATERMILL TRUST 19[th] April 2023 Registered Office: Banker Lodge, Main Street, Kirkby Thore, Penrith, CA10 1XN Chair – Bob Price Secretary – David Robertson Treasurer – Geoff Bailes Registered in England as: Acorn Bank Watermill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 Page **9** of **10** TrusiÈÈs Report v7- 310323 Prepared by ABwf's Secretary Confirmed by ABWT'S TrusiÈe$ 150223 Authorised by ABwf's Chairtnan 270223 Adopted by Metnber$ 290323 Ratified by Trustee$ 190423 Ln w wwTrJ Registered in England as". Acorn Bank Watertnill Trust Registered Charity No. 1193320 RÉgisiÈred OfficÈ". BankÈr Lodge, Main Street, Kitkby Thore, Penrilh, CA10 1 XN Chair- Bob Price Secretary- David Robèrtson Treasurer- Geoff Bailes Page 100110