HOOK SHED
ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
Introduction
The Trustees are pleased to present their report on the activities of the Hook Shed (the “Charity”) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Constitution
Hook Shed is a charity established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation under a Constitution dated 22 March 2021.
The Charity has registered with the Charity Commission under registration number 1195578 and is also registered with HMRC for Gift Aid donations from individuals who pay tax in the UK, allowing the Charity to increase the value of donations from UK taxpayers by 25%.
Objectives
The objectives of the Charity (its objects) are:
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i) To promote social inclusion for the public benefit of men and women living in and around Hook, Hampshire
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ii) to combat loneliness and social isolation arising as a result of their age, infirmity, disability, financial hardship or social circumstance.
To do this, we will provide workshop facilities and settings where they can meet to socialise and engage in projects and activities together, such activities being aimed at increasing their engagement, skills and condition of life. In addition, other related activities that benefit the wider community may be undertaken in public settings (for example, but not limited to, “Repair Cafes”).
Trustees
The Trustees who served at any time during the year and to the date of this report were:
Claire Lambert (Chair) Matthew Heywood (Treasurer) James Braid David Butler Stephen Dignum Nicholas Somerville Christopher Terrey
The appointment of the Chair is reviewed in accordance with the Constitution.
Applications for new Trustees are invited as and when required. Appointments are made having regard to the skills on the Trust body and its future needs.
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Governance
During the year, the Trustees maintained a sound governance framework for the Charity including;
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(i) Requiring dual Trustee approval for all items of expenditure.
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(ii) Maintaining active membership of the North East Hook Community Project Committee, a sub-committee of the Hook Parish Council, which is tasked with the provision of a pavilion and Shed building on Papermill Avenue in Hook.
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(iii) Further developing our links with advisers to the voluntary sector and grant providers.
Activities
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(i) The Trustees principal aim in the year continued to be engagement in the community through in-person meetings, newsletters, email, social media and further development of our website, informing them of the progress being made to establish a purpose built building that would serve as a base for the Shed activities and be a principal meeting place for the membership.
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(ii) Various projects have been undertaken in the community including the refurbishment of additional cemetery benches, replacing a planter for Hook In Bloom, assisting in the putting up of the Remembrance Day decorations and making bird and hedgehog boxes and insect hotels for the community.
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(iii) A sub-committee of the Trustees has been working with Hook Parish Council on the development of a Shed building in Papermill Avenue, Hook. The Trustees are pleased to announce that Hook Parish Council has agreed costs and appointed a contractor to commence the Shed build on the plot of land. Hook Parish Council will be providing a fully funded and serviced foundation and the basic structure of the Shed with the Trustees funding the kit out with the necessary equipment to deliver the space our members will need. Negotiations are ongoing as to the exact terms of a full repairing lease, expected to last twenty five years, at a peppercorn rent. During the year £7,140 of the £75,000 grant funding from Hook Parish Council was drawn down to pay professional costs on the Shed design and contract delivery.
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(iv) The Trustees successfully applied for a £5,000 grant from Comic Relief towards the Shed building project and half of these funds were received in the year. Since the year end certain contractual terms relating the Shed build were changed which delayed the timing of payments the Trustees would need to make on the build. This meant that no relevant expenditure would fall within the grant period so unfortunately the grant had to be returned to Comic Relief after the year end. Although this was disappointing, it reassures the Trustees that the Charity's objectives are recognized and supported by grant-giving organizations.
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(v) A working relationship was established with Hartley Arts Group (“HAG”) which enables our members to help HAG create scenery and props for their amateur productions using their workshop and storage facilities in Bunkers Hill Farm. Unfortunately the premises being used by HAG ceased to be available which sadly brought a hopefully temporary halt to this valuable relationship.
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Membership
During the year to 31 March 2025 the membership of the Charity has grown as follows.
| Ordinary members | |
|---|---|
| Membership at 1 April 2024 | 25 |
| New members joined in the year | 23 |
| Membership at 31 March 2025 | 48 |
Diversity statement
The Trustees recognise the value of diversity in all its forms in helping run the Charity, benefiting from a variety of different perspectives, experiences and skills in its Trustees.
At this stage in our Charity's development, we believe that knowledge of running a charity is an essential requirement of Trustees. Within the constraints of available candidates to become Trustees and having regard to the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, we seek ways of broadening the diversity of the Board, and especially as regards geography, age, gender and ethnicity.
In assessing applications for membership, we will ensure that there are no explicit or implicit limitations as to the diversity of individuals seeking to become members of the Charity except as regards age or gender where that is a key element of the drive to promote to members (eg under18’s, or to increase the participation rate of an underrepresented group such as women or disabled people).
Financial review of the year
This is the Charity’s third full year of activity and again the focus has remained primarily on the progression of the building project with Hook Parish Council (HPC). Planning permission was obtained for the Shed building and work began with the on the detailed design. A drawdown arrangement was agreed with HPC and £7,140 of the £75,000 HPC grant was used for these early stage costs. Other activity in the Shed continued as in previous years but this is limited while we have no permanent base. During the year we successfully applied for a £5,000 grant from Comic Relief and half of that was received by the year end. After the year end, following a change in our circumstances, we became ineligible to receive the Comic Relief grant and the £2,500 we had received was repaid.
Total income for this year was £11,432 (2024: £7,610). Expenditure totalling £8,964 (2024: £626) was paid during the year. The surplus of income over expenditure for the year was £2,468 (2024: £6,984) which increases our reserves.
Reserves
Our total reserves at 31 March 2025 are £11,461 (2024: £8,993). The Trustees consider the level of reserves to be adequate for the Charity to remain sustainable for the immediate future. As we have yet to secure a suitable building and offer members full Shed benefits our level of unfunded ongoing expenses are kept at a modest amount and we have no need to maintain significant reserves.
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How our activities deliver Public Benefit
All of our charitable activities focus on the promotion of social inclusion for the furtherance of community and personal development of residents and the community of Hook for the public benefit. The Trustees confirm that in exercising their powers and duties they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission.
Future developments
The Trustees intend to concentrate on the following activities;
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(i) raising awareness of the Charity to grow the active membership and donations
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(ii) working with Hook Parish Council to deliver a building which can become the permanent base for the Charity and its members’ activities
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(iii) further developing links with a number of grant sponsors
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(iv) building our relationships with the community to maintain a place for members to socialise and learn new skills whilst completing projects that benefit those living in and around Hook.
Contact us
The Trustees can be contacted through the Treasurer:
Matt Heywood
Glebe Cottage, Tunworth Road Mapledurwell Basingstoke RG25 2LU
or via https://www.hook-shed.org.uk/ where the email address for the administrator is given.
Approved by the Trustees on 2 September 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
Claire Lambert
Claire Lambert, Chair of the Trustees
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HOOK SHED
Income and expenditure account for the year ended 31 March 2025
| Year ended | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | ended 31 March 2025 | 31 March 2024 | ||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| funds | funds | |||
| Income | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| Grants | 192 | 9,640 | 9,832 | 5,100 |
| Community activities | 1,570 | - | 1,570 | 1,692 |
| Donations | - | - | - | 719 |
| Membership subs | 30 | - | 30 | 99 |
| 1,792 | 9,640 | 11,432 | 7,610 | |
| Expenditure | ||||
| Community activities | 1,600 | - | 1,600 | 57 |
| Building project fees | - | 7,140 | 7,140 | 192 |
| Subscriptions | - | - | - | 30 |
| Insurance | 133 | - | 133 | 133 |
| Member events | 6 | - | 6 | 75 |
| Room hire | 25 | - | 25 | 79 |
| Bank charges | 60 | - | 60 | 60 |
| 1,824 | 7,140 | 8,964 | 626 | |
| Excess income/(expenditure) | (32) | 2,500 |
2,468 | 6,984 |
| Reserves brought forward | 3,006 | 5,987 | 8,993 | 2,009 |
| Reserves carried forward | 2,974 | 8,487 | 11,461 | 8,993 |
| Represented by: | ||||
| Assets and liabilities statement at | 31 March 2025 | |||
| Bank and cash balances | 2,974 | 8,487 | 11,461 | 8,993 |
Approved by the Trustees on 2 September 2025 and signed on their behalf by
Claire Lambert Matt Heywood Chair Treasurer
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