2025-03-31-accounts

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 2024 to 31st March 2025

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. The trustees set policy and agree procedures, and follow Charity Commission guidance and regulations. The Trustees over the past year were Nicole Lee, Sarah Davis, Lucinda Thursfield, Susan Earl, Lyn Pounds and Rosalind Rutherford.

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 another Duke of Edinburgh programme student who volunteered 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 small prize to those who completed the challenge by reading six books over the summer. Our grateful thanks go to Swan Street Stores for donating prizes again.

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.

We were pleased to host the Kingsclere C of E Primary School Caligraphy Club in January, and displayed their work for a month in the Children’s Library.

In May, the Newbury Dramatic Society gave a dramatic presentation about Thomas Hardy, which was very well received. We also offered a Quiz Night in May as a fund raiser, which was well attended and thoroughly enjoyed. We hosted an Open Day in July which gave us an opportunity to show more than 75 visitors what we have to offer, and brought in some new members. In February we hosted children’s author Amy Powers reading from her new book.

Our Book Sale plus Picture Sale in September was another success. It is always eagerly anticipated and well supported by the village with volunteers and many book buyers. We raised a significant amount over the two day sale. As always, 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 tenth 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 Alex 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.

Donations made through The Good Exchange were match-funded, and we are very grateful to The Greenham Trust for their strong support.

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:

Greenham Trust The Newbury Dramatic Society The George Street Readers Book Club Swan Street Stores Spar Shop The Headley Trust The Village Butcher The Kingsclere Community Association The Village Tower The Legge Family

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

There is a marked improvement in our accounts this year. We have a net gain of £4252.82 compared to a net loss in the previous year of £6697.20.

We have received grants totalling almost £9700. Income from our fundraising events was also good with increased income from the book sale and the Newbury Dramatic Society production and good income from the quiz. Whilst there is a huge amount of work involved in arranging these events they were well supported and enjoyed by many people.

The funds for the books which we have purchased have come from various grants and we have secured a further grant to purchase more books in the year 2025-2026.

We will continue to apply for grants and arrange fundraising activities in the year to come and hope that it is another good year.

KINGSCLERE COMMUNITY LIBRARY

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MARCH 2025

INCOME grant from The Headley Trust grant from the Legge Family/HIWCF grant from The Tower grants - Greenham Trust/The Good Exchange miscellaneous donations donation from Village Butcher donations - library open day donations for jigsaws at Greener Kingsclere donations in library income from fines income from photocopier book sale quiz Newbury Dramatic Society production sale of sensor lights Which? subscription refund	to 31/3/2025 £ 2,750.00 £ 700.00 £ 250.00 £ 5,996.67 £ 25.00 £ 40.60 £ 21.10 £ 82.96 £ 46.70 ) £ 17.50 ) £ 2,342.45 £ 780.00 £ 239.00 £ 30.00	to 31/3/2024 £ 2,500.00 £ 1,000.00 £ 200.00 £ 250.00 £ 90.00 £ 2,031.99 £ 120.00 £ 35.72

TOTAL INCOME EXPENDITURE rent Village Club electricity broadband/phone (BT) R Webb software support PAT insurance GDPR fine to Tadley library for missing book new shelving fixings sensor lights 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 open day book sale quiz Newbury Dramatic Society production KPS calligraphy display TOTAL EXPENDITURE NET GAIN FOR YEAR 2024/25 NET LOSS FOR YEAR 2023/24 We also received books total value £101.91 donated by Gigaclear Unspent ring-fenced funds Hampshire County Council (Cllr Thacker) for new books The Tower village magazine for children's books Our rent did not decrease in 2024/25; the 2023/24 figure includes a back payment for the previous year of slightly over £1000.	£ 13,321.98 £ 6,066.96 £ 559.15 £ 815.00 £ 407.19 £ 35.00 £ 20.00 £ 29.07 £ 105.52 £ 99.00 £ 194.29 £ 37.83 £ 275.08 £ 363.57 £ 55.00 £ 6.50 £ 9,069.16 £ 4,252.82 £ - £ 272.22 £ 272.22	£ 6,227.71 £ 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

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2025

balance brought forward total income transfer from petty cash to bank account 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	£ 8,143.22 £ 13,321.98 £ 82.98 £ 21,548.18 £ 9,069.16 £ 12,479.02 £ 12,479.02 £ 272.22 £ 3,250.00 £ 2,250.00 £ 5,772.22 £ - £ 10.00 £ 10.00 £ 20.00	£ 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 1[st] July, 2025