_**Kingsclere Community Library Association Charity number 1195292**_ _**35 George Street Kingsclere, Hants RG20 5NH**_ ## _**Report to Annual General Meeting for the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31st March 2024**_ Our charitable objectives are: 1. To advance education for the public benefit by running and maintaining a free public community library, to include loaning books and other items, providing access to a computer and the internet, offering educational events and other activities commensurate with a public library, and, 2. To promote for the benefit of the residents of Kingsclere and its environs the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the said inhabitants. During this past year the Kingsclere Community Library (KCL) has continued to meet our objectives, and offer a free public library to our community. Our services have included the loan of books, fiction and non‐fiction for education and enjoyment; loan of other items such as jigsaw puzzles; provision of an information hub with community, educational, charitable and government activities and opportunities; the provision of a computer with internet access available at no cost; a subscription to the consumer charity Which? for anyone to use at the library; a printer/photocopier for public use at a minimal cost; our Summer Reading Programme for children; and our Annual Book Sale, a fund raising event which also provides a social event for the community. ## Library Management We became a registered charity in July of 2021, and the management committee volunteers became trustees; Nicole Lee (chair), Janet Baker, Sarah Davis, Lucinda Thursfield and Kaye Broom (treasurer). The trustees set policy and agree procedures, and follow Charity Commission guidance and regulations. Last year at the AGM Kaye Broom stepped down as trustee/treasurer, and Sue Earl was elected trustee and took on the role. Trustees Lyn Pounds and Rosalind Rutherford, who had been co‐opted in March, were elected. The other trustees remained on the board: Nicole Lee, Sarah Davis, Janet Baker and Lucinda Thursfield. Jo Baker, who has been a member of the management committee from day 1, back in 2015, is standing down as a trustee this year. We are deeply grateful to her for her help and guidance for all this time, and she will be sorely missed. ## Volunteers and Library Use We currently have 45 active volunteers who open the library on three days a week according to a rota managed by one of the trustees, and some of whom provide other services such as computer maintenance or helping at events. There are 10 volunteer shifts to be filled each week, and new volunteers are always needed to keep the library fully staffed. We are open Tuesday and Thursdays 1pm‐5:30pm and Saturdays 10am‐1pm. The Library is always looking to increase its use by the community. We offer occasional events, fund raising events, including our annual Book Sale which is always very well attended, and host a Book Club. We were pleased to support for the second time a Duke of Edinburgh programme student who volunteered her hours at the library. ## Children's Summer Reading Programme The Summer Reading FUN programme was offered over the summer as usual, and offered a medal, certificate and Summer Reading FUN tee‐shirt to those who completed the challenge by reading six books over the summer. Our thanks to The Tower – the Village Magazine for their sponsorship, and to Swan Street Stores for donating prizes. ## Events and Publicity Events and publicity are both vital aspects of our association. Every possible avenue of publicity is used such as the Kingsclere village magazine The Tower, the local magazines of the surrounding villages that use the Kingsclere Library, the local newspapers, Facebook, and posters around the village and surrounding area. It is an ongoing task to make everyone aware that the library is there for them. In April, the Newbury Dramatic Society gave a dramatic presentation about Percy Shelley, which was very well received. We launched our new Graphic Novels Collection in September, with a core collection of this popular genre. We also added extensively to our Young Adult/Teen collection of books. Our Book Sale in October was another success, well supported by the village with volunteers and many book buyers. We raised a significant amount over the two day sale. We were very grateful for the support of the Kingsclere Community Association. ## Fund Raising Events bring in some of the money necessary to meet our aims and we also look for funds from grant giving trusts and other sources. The Headley Trust gave us significant funding for the ninth year in a row which was a huge support, and we were again supported by The Legge Family. We continue to be supported by donations from library users, and are grateful for the support from Nigel and the team at The Village Butcher, who contribute the ‘bone jar’ money to us. Donations of books to our annual Book Sale make our biggest fund raising event possible, and we are grateful to everyone who donates as well as those who buy books to support us. ## Thanks & Acknowledgements The community has come together to keep the library open and so many people have helped. The most important are all of our volunteers who literally keep the library doors open. We are extremely grateful to those supporting us in the past year: The George Street Readers Book Club The Newbury Dramatic Society The Headley Trust Swan Street Stores Spar Shop The Kingsclere Community Association The Tower Village Magazine The Legge Family The Village Butcher ## History The Kingsclere Community Library (KCL) came into being in April 2015 when the County Council Library service decided to stop staffing and funding the Hampshire County Council (HCC) Library branch in Kingsclere. Volunteers stepped forward to keep the library open in the community. The Hampshire County Library service continued to provide books, the computerized check out system and a staff member 2 hours per week to perform any jobs requiring a library technician, up until April 2021. All other tasks were undertaken by our volunteers. All expenses (with the exception of library stock and the computerized county circulation system) were raised by the volunteers ‐ this included rent to the Village Club, electricity, insurance (included in the Parish Council insurance up to 2021), cost of educational events open to everyone, repair and maintenance of furnishing and equipment (excepting the county circulation computer), volunteer training, telephone and stationery. In April 2021 the Hampshire County Council completely withdrew its support from the library, donating the books that were currently in the library to our newly independent community library. All responsibility was handed over to the volunteers. In July 2021 we became a registered charity, charity number 1195292. The original trustees were Nicole Lee, Sarah Davis, Janet Baker, Lucinda Thursfield and Kaye Broom. ## The Future Our primary concerns for the near future remain funding and staffing. Economic uncertainty continues to provide challenges to fundraising. The trustees work hard to make sure our budget is being met. Volunteers enable the library to remain open, and we have struggled in the past several years to recruit enough volunteers to staff the library. We know that many organisations are struggling to recruit volunteers. We have managed thus far but it is a continuing concern. We do not have funds to hire staff, and without enough volunteers we would be forced to close. ## Accounts Treasurer’s Report – Sue Earl The figure for rent includes back payments for 2022‐23 totalling £1045.92. Had these been paid in the year they were due, the net profit for 2022/23 would be reduced to £624.22 and the loss for 2023/24 would be reduced to £5651.28. The two large increases in expenditure over the previous year were rent and electricity. On a brighter note however, our rent for the year to June 2025 remains the same. There was also a large fall in grants obtained and we hope to reverse that position for the year 2024/25. We have already secured grants again from the Headley Trust and the Legge Family for the current year. Event income already exceeds that of 2023/24 and hopefully our book sale in September will again be a significant source of funds. ## **INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MARCH 2024** |**INCOME**
grant from The Headley Trust
grant from the Legge Family
grant from The Tower
grants ‐ other
miscellaneous donations
income from photocopier/fines
book sale
Newbury Dramatic Society production
author talk/s
Which? subscription refund
**TOTAL INCOME**|**to 31/3/2024**
£ 2,500.00
£ 1,000.00
£ 200.00
£ 250.00
£ 90.00
£ 2,031.99
£ 120.00
£ 35.72
**£ 6,227.71**
|**to 31/3/2023**
£ 2,500.00
£ 1,000.00
£ 6,110.26
£ 20.00
£ 110.00
£ 1,834.74
£ 140.00
**£ 11,715.00**| |---|---|---| |**EXPENDITURE**
rent Village Club
electricity
broadband/phone (BT)
R Webb software support
PAT
insurance
GDPR
new shelving fixings
purchase of books
Which? subscription
general running costs/stationery/library supplies
stationery
Valentine's day decorations
deposit to KCA for hire of room for quiz in May 2024
Summer reading challenge
book sale
Newbury Dramatic Society production
Author talks
Jubilee fun
**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**
**NET LOSS FOR YEAR 2023/24**
**NET GAIN FOR YEAR 2022/23**
**Unspent ring‐fenced funds**
Hampshire County Council (Cllr Thacker) for new books
The Tower village magazine for children's books|£ 6,832.72
£ 2,876.53
£ 530.67
£ 796.00
£ 102.00
£ 368.33
£ 40.00
£ 57.68
£ 598.74
£ 89.00
£ 166.42
£ 21.16
£ 25.00
£ 92.77
£ 274.29
£ 53.60
**£ 12,924.91**
**£ 6,697.20**

65.02
284.66
**349.68**|£ 4,566.00
£ 1,883.45
£ 395.79
£ 783.00
£ 338.08
£ 908.08
£ 343.76
£ 340.26
£ 45.75
£ 440.69
**£ 10,044.86**
**£ 1,670.14**| |---|---|---| |||| ## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2024** |balance brought forward
total income
less total expenditure
**BALANCE CARRIED FORWARD**
Represented by:
Barclays Bank current account
Co‐operative Bank current account
**TOTAL**
**Funds include:‐**
ring‐fenced funds
contingency/emergency fund
winding‐up fund
**TOTAL**
**Cash balances held:‐**
petty cash
fines and photocopies
donations jar
**TOTAL**|£ 14,840.42
£ 6,227.71
£ 21,068.13
£ 12,924.91
**£ 8,143.22**
£ 7,520.31
£ 622.91
**£ 8,143.22**
£ 349.68
£ 3,250.00
£ 2,250.00
**£ 5,849.68**
£ 87.42
£ 42.24
£ 44.53
**£ 174.19**| |---|---| **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.** **Nicole Lee, Chair 24[th] June 2024**