Ingatestone Museum Trust
Registered Charity 1193922
Patron: Lord Petre
Annual Report 2025
----- Start of picture text -----
Gatekeeper’s Cottage
Ingatestone
A Community Museum
----- End of picture text -----
This document and cover photograph are the copyright of the Ingatestone Museum Trust and must not be reproduced without specific permission from the Trust’s Secretary who can be contacted by email at:
imt.secretary1@gmail.com
1. Annual Report 2025
This Annual Report sets out the activities of the Ingatestone Museum Trust (the Trust) for the year ending 31[st] December 2025.
2. Trustees
-
As at 31[st] December 2025 there were five appointed Trustees as follows:-
-
Graham Orchard . Chairman.
-
Elaine Jeater . Secretary.
-
Liz Fajimolu . Treasurer.
-
Jon Cloke . Trustee.
-
Caroline Russell . Trustee. Representing Ingatestone and Fryerning Parish Council.
Graham Orchard, Elaine Jeater and Jon Cloke, were re-appointed for a 3-year period at the Trust’s AGM on 25[th] March 2024. Caroline Russell, representing Ingatestone and Fryerning Parish Council’s permanent Trustee appointment, is appointed for a period as determined by Ingatestone and Fryerning Parish Council.
3. Achievements
In 2025, the Trust made substantial progress toward its Mission to manage and develop a Museum for Ingatestone and Fryerning and to maintain and preserve the historic Gatekeeper’s Cottage. The following summary in 3.1 to 3.5 below highlights the activities that made this possible.
3.1. Cottage refurbishment
Internal refurbishments reached a major milestone in mid-October, enabling the Museum to be formally opened on 24[th] October (see section 3.5). While most remaining tasks were completed by year-end, the restoration of the Room 1 fireplace and the installation of highsecurity door locks are planned for completion in 2026.
The Trust also secured additional grant funding, which facilitated improvements to the exterior pf the Cottage. These works included repointing deteriorated brickwork, improving drainage and protection for the car park wall and installing more secure fencing.
The Trust remains deeply grateful to Michael Senatore, a Chartered Architectural Technologist and member of the Great Eastern Railway Society. Michael has continued to support the Trust by providing all architectural drawings for the refurbishment project on a pro bono basis.
3.2. Financial management
The Trust’s Income and Expenditure Accounts for the period are detailed in Appendix 1.
The Trust’s ability to meet its Mission was bolstered by several key grants:
Railway Heritage Trust: Provided a further generous grant for the external repointing works mentioned in section 3.1.
The Alan and Faye Cherry Fund , administered by the Essex Community Foundation, awarded two separate grants to fund the installation of fire and intruder alarms, both of which are essential for the Museum's security and safe operation.
Essex County Council’s Arts and Cultural Fund: Provided funding for equipment and internal fittings.
Page 2 of 4
Ingatestone and Fryerning Parish Council: Continued their valued support by providing grants to cover core revenue expenses for 2025 and into 2026.
As part of our commitment to cost efficiency, the Trust transitioned from a paid email service to a suite of free Gmail accounts. This move has resulted in significant annual savings while providing dedicated email addresses for the Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer.
3.3. Publicity
The Trust maintains an active online presence, with regular updates posted to our official website, ingatestonemuseum.org.uk .
Our promotional efforts this year included a variety of printed materials, ranging from volunteer appeals to advertisements for the Museum’s grand opening. Additionally, a new tri-fold brochure was developed for wider distribution. This was awaiting final approval at year-end.
The Trust’s presence at the Ingatestone Town Show, proved to be a positive activity.
3.4. Museum exhibits
The Trust made significant progress in collating artifacts, exhibits and historical records for both public display and research. These efforts enabled the Museum to be opened with an attractive exhibition of local history. Looking forward, the Trust remains committed to sourcing new and undiscovered examples of our local heritage to further enrich the visitor experience.
3.5. Museum opening
The definitive highlight of 2025 was the official opening of the Museum on 24[th] October, a landmark achievement for the Trust. The ceremony was performed by our Patron, Lord Petre, KCVO and attended by many of our sponsors and key supporters. We are particularly grateful to the Fryerning Foundation for sponsoring the inauguration; their generosity ensured that all funds donated for the Museum’s development could remain dedicated exclusively to the project itself. Also to Greater Anglia for their assistance in making part of Ingatestone station available to us for the event.
4. Chairman’s statement
I am delighted that we successfully opened the Museum in 2025. Whilst we faced various challenges along the way, the unwavering dedication and enthusiasm of my fellow Trustees ensured we met our deadline. As we move into 2026, our primary focus will shift from the physical refurbishment of the Cottage toward enhancing the visitor experience and developing the Museum’s offerings.
The Museum is already proving to be a valuable asset to Ingatestone, offering the public a unique opportunity to explore its local history and step inside an historic railway building that was previously inaccessible to them.
Our progress is the result of collective support from many individuals and organisations. My sincere thanks go to everyone involved, with particular gratitude to my fellow Trustees; to Michael Senatore, for his invaluable architectural work; and to David Bateman, whohas been a driving force behind the completion of the refurbishment.
Graham Orchard
Chairman, Ingatestone Museum Trust
21[st] January 2026
Page 3 of 4
Appendix 1 Accounts for 2025 Ing3te5tone Museum Trust In¢47rn• E¥p•ndnu ub 454 265. 4.7F1 k INorest 217.$6 34267.$8 o. 28ffj87. 16b.25 2Z3. GIAnlreN 34,552 48.4075g 15rn43 210 51112llW25 3IMirthw 61926 JIM3fJ25 2.17651 9671 14192 gG7AI 117AF B£kn@31 1124 131 ? . Page4of4