Eynsham Museum and Heritage Centre Trustees Report to the Charities Commission for 16 May 2024 to 15 May 2025
charity’s objectives. The trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission.
Eynsham’s Lost Railway was such a success that we decided to extend it to July 2024, after which we curated a temporary exhibition on Rural Eynsham . The working model railway of Eynsham Station and its environs was retained, partly because the coming of the railway undoubtedly contributed to the gradual decline in the rural character of the village but also because of the popularity of the model with residents who remembered the railway with affection, with model and railway enthusiasts from far and wide, and with young people.
The exhibition looked at farming methods in the medieval era, the open fields of ridge and furrow, the impact of enclosure, rural life in the 19[th] and early 20[th] centuries, the coming of light industry, improved transport facilities, and new housing estates.
A new notice board was gifted to us by the parish council and a new sign crafted by a local woodworker, Mark Watson.
A video was compiled by Father Martin Flatman (Trustee) on the survival of agricultural buildings in Eynsham and played on a loop on a monitor given to us by Bob McIntire a local resident. Agricultural and rural life items relevant to Eynsham were donated and loaned to the museum and posters devised by Sara Rees. We are grateful for the support of many people in the village for the museum project.
Additional details of objectives and activities.
Fundraising included a weekend book and cake sale which raised £800, sales of books, cards, and jewellery every day we are open and donations to the museum from visitors. Hiring the ground floor space for other community uses helped with our running costs including utilities and insurance.
Eynsham and our first ‘Friends’ social.
Website – https://eynshammuseum.org.uk - and social media accounts were added to regularly.
A Doris Field Trust grant enabled us purchase a new display cabinet.
A new, professionally printed photographic exhibition of Eynsham Past and Present was installed in the lower room.
Outreach included :
Talks to the Eynsham History Group, Witney Probus, Marcham Society, East Hanney History Group.
Interviews with Witney Community Radio and Radio Cherwell.
Articles in the Eynsham News and the Eynsham Record. Launch of a regular newsletter to all who were happy to receive by email.
March 2025
Donations included:
A Middle Bronze Age Spearhead, Roman brooches and a seal box, tiles from Eynsham Abbey, clay pipes, Eynsham bottles and stoneware jars, a 1920s shop sign and a Soviet map of Eynsham.
Plans for 2025/6:
Plan and set up our permanent upstairs exhibition. Apply for more grants for display cabinets.
Apply for loans of Eynsham material from other museums.
Encourage younger people to become involved in the administration and organisation of the museum.
Summary of main Achievements of the charity for the period.
Our exhibitions continued to attract interest not just from the local community but from many parts of the Home Counties and even further afield. Comments in the visitor’s book and to stewards were 100% positive and congratulatory.
We have successfully managed the building leased from the parish council, remaining financially viable.
exhibition, looking at the development of the village from prehistory to the 21[st] century.
RECONCILIATION 16 May 2024 to 15 May 2025
EYNSHAM MUSEUM & HERITAGE CENTRE
Registered Charity Number 1197006
FINAL at 15/05/2025
| Income | Expenditure | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| FRIENDS DONATIONS | 1115.00 | RENT, HIRE & RATES | 49.00 |
| OTHER DONATIONS | 959.59 | INSURANCE | 693.52 |
| SALES | 882.14 | UTILITIES | 1008.16 |
| HIRER FEES | 2231.00 | OFFICE & OTHER EXPENSES | 418.16 |
| GRANTS & SPONSORS | 1400.00 | MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT | 518.41 |
| FUND RAISING | 871.70 | MAINTENANCE OF BUILDING | 139.33 |
| GIFT AID | 159.12 | CLEANING | 0.00 |
| TALKS, EVENTS, EXHIBITIONS | 0.00 | BOOK SALES EXPENSES | 250.50 |
| OTHER | 20.00 | FOR EXHIBITIONS | 4094.57 |
| Total Income | 7638.55 | PRINTING & PUBLICATIONS | 0.00 |
| Total Expenditure | 7171.65 | ||
| Balance for year | Accounts | ||
| Income | 7638.55 | Current account | 12411.21 |
| Expenditure | 7171.65 | Less cheques, DDs uncleared | |
| Plus standing orders, automatic payments due | 0.00 | ||
| Balance | 466.90 | Adjusted Current Account | 12411.21 |
| Petty cash box | 75.45 | ||
| Floats at Museum | 50.00 | ||
| Ongoing Overall Balance | |||
| Balance B/F from 15/05/24 | 12069.76 | Total in Accounts | 12536.66 |
| Balance of income/expenditure for year | 466.90 | Less FUNDS & RESERVES | 11271.00 |
| New Balance | 12536.66 | Surplus/Deficit | 1265.66 |
| Signed by Chair of Trustees:- | 15 May 2025 Name:- STEPHEN F PARRINDER |
| CONTRIBUTION TO FUNDS | This year | Spent from fund |
Total in FUNDS & RESERVES at end of year | (Previous year) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Museum fitting out. £500 Grant EPC added (£1179 spending so far deducted- deposit) |
500.00 | 1179.00 | 9321.00 | 10000.00 |
| Major Repairs & Decorating | 800.00 | 1600.00 | 800.00 | |
| RESERVES | ||||
| General Reserve | 350.00 | 350.00 | 0.00 | |
| TOTAL | 1650.00 | 1179.00 | 11271.00 | 10800.00 |
Note on the Accounts Balance- The accounts currently show a Balance of £12536 available for spending on our charitable purposes. We are a new museum and are preparing bids for funding to enable us to fit out the Museum with displays, cabinets, lighting etc for permanent collections and changing exhibitions. We will need to contribute a percentage of the costs ourselves. We reserved £10,000 of our funds for this. Part of this expenditure is already committed for the next financial year. We have placed an order and paid a deposit, this year, of £1179 for "Exhibition Plinths" plinths and display cabinets. The balance for the cabinets will be £4716 with a contingency for extras of £500 due in August 2025. We have accepted a quotation of £2812 for fitting new museum lighting. In addition we estimate the printing of interpretation and display boards and a timeline will cost around £600.
| Spending on fitting out the Museum | Paid- accounts 2024/25 | Committed in next financial year 2025/26 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deposit to "Exhibition Plinths" PAID | 1179 | |||
| Balance due for Plinths and cabinets | 4716 | |||
| Contingency | 500 | |||
| Lighting | 2812 | |||
| Estimated display/timeline printing | 600 | |||
| Sub totals | 1179 | 8628 | 9807 |
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustsesl momborn of Eynsham Museum and Hentage Centre On accounts for the year endod Period 16 May 2024 to 15 May 2025 Charlty no (If any) 1197006 Sot out on pages Income for the year £7.638.55 Expendrture for the year £7,171.65 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity {Ihe Tru8f) for year erKled 1510512025. R•sponslbllltl•• •nd A8 the charity trustees of the TnJ8t, you are responsible for the preparatlon basls of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe A(*) I report in respect of my examination of the Tru8t'8 accounts carried out under Section 145 ofthe 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have foll0vd the applicable Directlons given by the Charrty Commi88ion under section 145{5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confimi that no materlal mattern have come to my attention (other than that di8c108ed below ') in connection with examination whiGh gNe8 me Gau8e to believe that in, any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in acctydance with section 130 of the Acl or the accounts do not accord wth the accountlng records Indopendent examln•rf8 Statsment I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the s in the brackets rfthey do not appty. SIgn. Date: 2310112026 Namo: Jennifer larke Rolovant profe88lonal quallflcatlon(s) or body Ilf any): ACA (ICAEW) Addr•M: 22 Falstaff Close Eynsham OX29 4QA IER October 2018