## **The Mint House Trustees’ report** 

## **for the year 6 April 2024 – 5 April 2025** 

Report written by Gemma Lloyd with contribution from all Trustees of the Mint House. 

## **Objectives and activities** 

The objectives of The Friends of the Mint House (UK registered charity number 1197900), herein referred to as ‘the Charity’, as per our Constitution are as follows: _The preservation and conservation of The Mint House grade II* listed Tudor building in Pevensey for the benefit of the public._ 

**Public benefit** - The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning its activities. In particular, the Trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set. 

## **The story to date** 

The charity is slowly developing as the building is increasingly being recognised as historically important within Sussex and indeed the UK. 

It is a Tudor building dating from approx. 1525 and is believed to have been an inn. 

The main purpose of the charity is to rescue the building which is in a bad state of repair.  We have been fundraising to pay for a condition report, this is being carried out by experts in the field and once completed we will have a better understanding as to what the costs will be, an optimistic sum is around 3 million. 

Once we have the funds, the building will be all but closed to the public as it is restored by master craftspeople with traditional materials supported by apprentices to learn traditional crafts which are on the endangered list.  Once fully restored, the building will once again serve the local and wider community as a creative space for all. 

The condition report will trigger more focus from grant giving bodies like Historic England and the National Heritage Lottery fund, who although fully supportive of the charity have 

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conditions that need to be matched before they will consider larger grants, namely the condition report. 

It is to be understood that the charity is very much in its infancy and has had several changes since its birth which has meant a new team coming in and also the reliance on trustees who all have full time jobs and of course do not receive any numeration for the support they give the charity.  It is a certain type of person that is prepared to give so much of their time without being paid and it’s increasingly harder to find those people. 

## **Current activities** 

The Mint House is becoming the Home of Sussex Folklore.  This means that it will become a resource for research through the collection of books we house, as well as relevant collections that we have been offered as well as the direction we take in terms of the events we offer to the public. 

The building is being run as it was originally intended as a space for everyone.  We are not a museum, we are not a gallery but instead a creative space for everyone. 

Markets - we run 4 markets a year where artists sell their wares, tattoo artists ink up and entertainment is provided by musicians, DJs and folk dancers.  These are increasingly attracting a wide audience with people coming as far as Oxford and Ireland. 

Exhibitions - we run around 4 a year, these are curated by ourselves, or artists from the community.  We are also seeking to collaborate with other local organisations, charities and schools…. 

Gigs - led by musicians, poets, entertainers and all.  We charge a ticket fee or ask for a donation. 

**Why?** Chicken and egg, we need to attract attention, to alert people to the building that creates an atmosphere that in turns makes us unique which will demonstrate that we need financial support.  We are very inclusive and attracting people that wouldn’t normally feel comfortable in a heritage building. 

**But** - without the building we cannot continue to run the events that we are becoming renowned for.  So the building always has to take priority. 

## **Financial review** 

Finance is not the all, but makes the cogs rotate.  As at 5 April 2025 the Charity £6,718 cash funds, £771 of which was restricted. Consequently, the Charity held very little reserves as at 5 April 2025 and the trustees are constantly monitoring the cash available. The trustees do not yet have a formal reserves policy in place but will finalise the policy during the coming year. 

**Grants** - Currently our income mainly comes from grants. Again, this is increasingly hard to win as competition is steep and there are fewer opportunities as many bodies have closed 

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their books.   There are very few grants now available for capital so we have to bounce from project to project and eek out when we can, and of course the providers need reports so everything is accounted for  so we rely on the markets and ghost hunts for any chance of obtaining unrestricted funds in order to pay the bills and fees. 

Grants we won between April 24 - April 25 were: 

Aug 24 -Chalk Cliff Trust - £5,000 Oct 24 -John Jackson Grant -£2,500 Jan 25 - Sussex Gardens History Society -£1,000 Feb 25 - Pilgrims Trust - £1,039 Feb 25 - Aurelius Charitable Trust - £2,000 

**Public donations** - We are extremely grateful for the smaller donations that are given when we have an open house. 

**Rental** - we charge a nominal table rent when we run a market to artists that come and sell their wares as well as to tattoo artists that come and ink when we have a market. The markets happen 4 times a year.  And we also have professional ghost hunters that pay us for the use of the space. 

## **Future finance** . 

**A shop** - We plan to open a shop in 2026 as we believe this will increase our revenue, this has been approved by Historic England. 

**Business sponsorship** - We are also planning to seek support financial support from local businesses. 

**Membership** - many people are obsessed by the building and the events and activities we are running and so we are confident that people will pay a membership fee to get previews and a newsletter. 

**A fundraiser** - we have been fortunate to receive a grant late 2025 which has enabled us to employ a part-time fundraiser. 

**Fundraising events** - evenings aimed at those that have the means to financially support us. 

## **Constraints working within a Tudor building that needs restoration.** 

The building is currently Grade II* listed and could go up to Grade I, this of course means that we cannot alter the building or repair the building without consent.  This goes for absolutely everything, we cannot just open a shop - we have to seek permission first. We cannot bang a nail in a wall and have to consider clever ways to hang exhibitions etc. 

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The building is freezing but currently we cannot light a fire in the fireplaces, there is no central heating and so we have to rely on small heaters within a very damp building.  This is of course an electrical expense and as a small charity is something we have to be very mindful of. 

Upstairs is no longer safe enough to support more than a few people at a time.  We cannot allow the general public upstairs anymore and so that limits our capacity to rent out space to people. 

Accounts April 24- April 25 - are available on request. 

## **Structure, governance and management** 

The Friends of the Mint House is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), governed by a constitution, registered in England and Wales on 14 February 2022.  The Constitution / governing document is available on request. 

The Charity is managed by the Trustees with support from a small team of freelance managers. 

## **Our Team and their day-to-day activity** . 

**Jo Seaman** is an eminent archaeologist and the driving force behind the charity.  Jo’s title is Events Manager but in reality, like the main character in the film local hero, Jo is doing everything.  He is planning events to try and raise our profile and increase revenue.  He is applying for grants, opening the house when he can to the public, liaising with the local council, ensuring the bills are paid from our meagre unrestricted funds, attempting damage limitation within the building by attempting to dry it out, altering drainpipes, preventing rodent damage and often staying up half the night when we have ghost hunters in.  And whenever something shifts in the building Jo has to survey and record it because it’s such an historic building.  Over the winter holidays, Jo was coming in to check for frozen pipes. 

It cannot be overstated enough how grateful the charity is for Jo and we hope that we can honour his dedication with the numeration he really deserves. 

**Amber Edgley** is our marketing and communications manager.  Amber is currently in 1 and half days a week and is responsible for our social media which has a huge reach and is carefully and beautifully curated. Amber is also responsible for organising the markets, sourcing the artists and co-curating all events with Jo. 

**Elena Escalante** has just been contracted by the Mint House to support us in fundraising, they are in one day a week.  5 million plus is the target. 

Our team are engaged on a freelance basis. 

**Future Team** We would love to be in a position to employ a larger team to support the project.  This would consist of a project assistant and a bookkeeper to begin with. 

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## **Trustees** 

The following individuals served as Trustees during the year covered by the report. 

|Chair|Molly Devine|appointed 6 June 2024,|
|---|---|---|
|||mat leave from August 2025|
|Ac�ng Chair|Gemma Lloyd|appointed 2 December 2024|
||Samuel Kirkham Round||
||Howie Whale|appointed 2 December 2024|
||Sam Mor�mer|appointed June 2025|
||Mike Fairbrass|appointed June 2025|
||Colin Torode|appointed June 2025|
||Robyn Barry|appointed December 2024,|
|||resigned April 2025|
||Rowan Corkill|appointed 21 July 2024,|
|||resigned April 2025|
|Former Chair|Harriet Tait|resigned August 2024|
||Daryl Holter|to June 2024|



The trustees are seeking new trustees, including someone to act as treasurer and others to specialise in finance and fundraising, and someone to take the minutes. 

## **Volunteers** 

We have a group of volunteers that support the market events we run. 

## **Safeguarding** 

The Mint House has a safeguarding report which is updated annually and is available on request. All trustees have current DBS checks. 

We have continuous experts visiting the house to advise us on what can and cannot be done currently, particularly because it’s a listed building. 

Fire regulations - We have recently been inspected by the local fire officers and updated our alarms. 

Licensed tattoo parlour - we carry a licence to allow people to be inked up within the designated room, which is compliant with the current regulations. 

## **The environment and our impact** 

Everything is run with the environment in mind.  We have a low carbon footprint, and the future restoration of the building is being designed around this.   We are being greatly affected by the road outside which is damaging ours and all surrounding buildings.  We are in discussion with the local MP, town council and will be requesting access only to the Highways in the future. 

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## **Reference and administrative details** 

**Name of Charity** : Friends of the Mint House **UK Registered Charity Number:** 1197900 **Address:** The Mint House, High Street, Pevensey, East Sussex, BN24 5LF. **Website:** www.minthousepevensey.co.uk https://www.instagram.com/the_mint_house_pevensey/ 

Any correspondence please contact Gemma.Lloyd@minthousepevensey.co.uk 

The trustees’ annual report has been approved by the trustees on 9 February 2026 and signed on their behalf by 

Gemma Lloyd 

Gemma Lloyd, Acting Chair 

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**Independent examiner's report** 

## **To the trustees of** 

## **Friends of the Mint House (‘The Mint House’) Charitable Incorporated Organisation** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Friends of the Mint House (‘The Mint House’) Charitable Incorporated Organisation (‘the CIO’) for the year ended 5 April 2025. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of the report** 

As the charity trustees of The Mint House CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act'). 

I report in respect of my examination of the CIO's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

## **Independent examiner's statement** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination that give me cause to believe that in any material respect: 

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 

2. the accounts do not accord with those records. 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

## **Caroline Sharp** 

Date: **10 February 2026** 

FCA, DChA LONDON SE7 8PF 

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**Friends of the Mint House accounts for the year  6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025** 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
Unrestricted  Restricted  Unrestricted  Restricted  TOTAL<br>Receipts and payments funds funds TOTAL 2025 funds funds 2024<br>Receipts £ £ £ £ £ £<br>Grants - 34,540 34,540 208 43,175 43,383<br>Trusts and Foundations 9,500 3,539 13,039 5,000 - 5,000<br>Donations 8,182 - 8,182 6,417 500 6,917<br>Gift Aid 473 - 473 2,388 - 2,388<br>Residencies 1,028 - 1,028 - - -<br>Events income 5,787 - 5,787 1,403 - 1,403<br>Market and shop 1,855 - 1,855 - - -<br>Hires 615 - 615 - - -<br>Memberships - - - 419 - 419<br>Gross income 27,440 38,079 65,519 15,835 43,675 59,510<br>Loans received from trustees - - - 4,583 - 4,583<br>Total receipts 27,440 38,079 65,519 20,418 43,675 64,093<br>Payments<br>Project manager 3,702 39,737 43,439 13,184 3,604 16,788<br>Project assistant 1,285 13,300 14,585 - - -<br>Other consultants and professional fees 610 4,289 4,899 4,612 3,868 8,480<br>Repairs and other premises 744 3,036 3,780 474 - 474<br>Survey 3,660 - 3,660 - - -<br>Research 274 180 454 - - -<br>Events costs 639 8,368 9,007 - - -<br>Exhibition costs 12 2,509 2,521 - - -<br>Shop costs 869 - 869 - - -<br>Printing and advertising 144 1,359 1,503 591 500 1,091<br>Utilities 3,427 - 3,427 537 - 537<br>Internet and website 946 - 946 925 - 925<br>Misc expenditure 305 13 318 302 220 522<br>Insurance 395 - 395 377 - 377<br>Total charitable expenditure 17,012 72,791 89,803 21,001 8,192 29,193<br>Loan repayments - - - 4,583 4,583<br>Total payments 17,012 72,791 89,803 25,584 8,192 33,776<br>Net receipts/(payments) 10,428 (             34,712 ) (         24,284 ) (               5,166 ) 35,483 30,317<br>Cash funds at the start of the year (                 4,481 ) 35,483 31,002 685 - 685<br>Cash funds this year end 5,947 771 6,718 (               4,481 ) 35,483 31,002<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


|**Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the**<br>**Cash funds**|**period**<br>Unrestricted<br>Restricted<br>TOTAL<br>Unrestricted<br>Restricted<br>TOTAL<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>5,947<br>771<br>**6,718**<br>4,481 )<br>(<br>35,483<br>**31,002**|
|---|---|



**CIO Notes required under the Charitable Incorporated Organisations (General) Regulations 2012:** 

1. No guarantees were given by the CIO where potential liability under the guarantee is outstanding at the date of the statement. 

2. There were no debts outstanding at the date of the statement which are owed by the CIO and secured by an express charge on any assets of the CIO. 

Signed on behalf of all the trustees 

Gemma Lloyd 9 February 2026 Gemma Lloyd (Acting chair) Date 

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