The Friends of Walpole Old Chapel Charity Registration number 1198030
Annual Report for the Year 2023-2024
We are pleased to report we have had a successful year, our second as a Charity.
We have continued to lead and secure progress on the major project for repairs and conservation to The Chapel. We have also been exploring a new partnership with another organisation as the time moves towards the Historic Chapels Trust’s intention to devolve ownership of the chapels in its care to other bodies.
We had a good turnout of people at the Chapel on Monday 8 May to be part of the post- Coronation volunteering day. Our aim was to tackle the brambles and other invasive plants in the Chapel yard, in order to help preserve the rare, herb-rich grassland. Further work was undertaken in the autumn by a professional firm who have removed many of the elm suckers that had sprouted around tombstones.
Our small but dedicated group of volunteers continues to beaver away on our research project about the history of the Chapel and its community, in partnership with Halesworth & District Museum. On the website you can find a brief history of the Chapel with a timeline, the graveyard survey, baptism registers and accompanying notes, the story of John Baldry Saunders, a conscientious objector, and a transcript of our original title deed, along with the story of Alma Dale, the celebrated Quaker preacher from Canada who died in Walpole. We are finding out about her final years through our oral history project, which has also gathered stories from seven people with close connections to the Chapel.
Our relationship with the History Department of the University of East Anglia has proved very fruitful, as we have hosted another four student placements.
We have initiated a project to acquire legally secure parking for Chapel visitors, realising how important it is to the success of the Chapel’s activities.
We have opened the Chapel to the public on Saturday and Bank Holiday afternoons from Easter till the end of September.
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We have hosted a programme of concerts and other events over the summer months, a third of which have been designated as ‘educational’. These numbered 15 in total; highlights being Blake Morrison and the Hosepipe Band where we provided wine and soft drinks in the interval which increased out funds, and the Gainsborough Quartet.
During the Aldeburgh Festival, The King’s Singers had three sell-out performances and raised our profile amongst that clientele.
We have expanded the content of our website and our social media coverage with many thanks to Mark Wenham.
We have produced an informative quarterly newsletter, which is distributed to approximately 600 in two versions – general public and specifically one for the Friends
We have Increased our membership to 67 and will continue to promote this form of support for the Chapel as well as, hopefully, providing more volunteers for our Open Saturdays and other events.
The Trustees have a business plan, which contains 30+ annual targets and milestones, linked to 8 broader objectives. These help to direct the charity’s activities and priorities. Our achievements against these targets and milestones are reviewed by Trustees at mid-year and year’s end. The results for the year to March 2024 have been as follows:
At the year-end review in April 2024, we had met 24 of the 32 targets and milestones for the year (75% - up from 61% the previous year)
Trustees have a policy that £4,000 should be held as a designated reserve, this being sufficient to cover 12 months’ worth of fixed costs.
Lyn Banks Lin le Versha Miriam Stead Paul Simmons Simon Weeks
May 2024
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Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024
| Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 | Walpole Old Chapel Annual Return April 2023 - March 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSETS | Start of year April 23 |
End of year March 24 |
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| Cheque a/c | 12,812.81 | 8,810.64 | ||||||
| Deposit a/c (general) | 13,964.41 | 22,177.04 | ||||||
| Deposit a/c (legacies) | 4,617.91 | 4,673.12 | ||||||
| Total assets | £ **31,395.13 ** |
£ 35,660.80 |
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| **April 2023 ** | £ 31,395.13 |
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| INCOME | ||||||||
| General | ||||||||
| Weddings | 900.00 | |||||||
| Open days & donations | 3,406.79 | |||||||
| Concerts, etc. | 3,536.05 | |||||||
| Sales | 638.34 | |||||||
| Consultation events | 100.00 | Meeting with Historic Sufolk | ||||||
| Interest from deposit a/cs | 267.84 | |||||||
| 8,849.02 | ||||||||
| Membership/Friends | 1,301.00 | |||||||
| Unwrapped | ||||||||
| Plaster Squares | 195.00 | |||||||
| Ride & Stride | 557.50 | |||||||
| 752.50 | ||||||||
| **OVERALL INCOME ** | £ 10,902.52 |
£ 42,297.65 |
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| EXPENDITURE | ||||||||
| General | ||||||||
| Printing & advertising | 282.20 | |||||||
| Water/electricity | 410.79 | |||||||
| Websites | 475.20 | |||||||
| Concerts | 2,404.87 | Artists’ fees | ||||||
| Weddings | 140.00 | Fees to minister and authorised person | ||||||
| Merchandise for sales | 358.75 | |||||||
| Maintenance | 796.00 | Tree surgeon work, regular cleaning, PAT | ||||||
| Consultation events | 150.00 | Meeting with Historic Sufolk | ||||||
| Equipment | 379.90 | New external signs, picture of chapel, signs for use on the roadside, fre safety equipment, post box for gate |
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| Consumables | 68.01 | Refreshments, biros, toilet rolls & paper towels | ||||||
| Subscriptions | 128.68 | GoodBox rental, Assn of Sufolk Museums | ||||||
| 5,594.40 | ||||||||
| Membership/Friends | 490.68 | Advertising for members | ||||||
| Unwrapped- Discovery Project | 551.77 | Digitisation of baptism records, book, copyright agreement | ||||||
| **OVERALL EXPENDITURE ** | £ **6,636.85 ** |
**March 2024 ** | £ 35,660.80 |
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| OVERALL SURPLUS | £ 4,265.67 |
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| Surplus - General | 3,254.62 | This includes Concerts: + 1131.18, Sales + 279.59 | ||||||
| - Friends | 810.32 | |||||||
| - Unwrapped | 200.73 | |||||||
| SUPPORTING INFORMATION | ||||||||
| Allocation of Assets | Equipment and physical assets | |||||||
| Working reserve | 4,000.00 | New external signs and fre safety equipment and signs. | ||||||
| General | 17,729.33 | Post box for gate | ||||||
| Friends | 1,235.32 | Various pictures/ artwork of the chapel | ||||||
| Unwrapped - non-specifc | 11,247.92 | A-board, Key safe, Hasp & lock | ||||||
| Unwrapped - Discovery Project | 1,448.23 | First Aid Kit, Visitors book | ||||||
| £ 35,660.80 |
Hand held vacuum cleaner | |||||||
| Wine glasses, cofee mugs, boiler, kettle & some crockery items | ||||||||
| External advertising boards | ||||||||
| Approx £250 worth of post cards | ||||||||
| Unwrapped Project | ||||||||
| Funds held by FWOC |
Funds held by HCT |
Total funds | ||||||
| Start of year April 23 | £ 12,495.42 | £ **40,998.80 ** |
£ 53,494.22 |
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| Income | Plaster Squares |
195.00 | Donations | 9,668.36 | ||||
| Ride & Stride | 557.50 | Historic England Grant | 21,650.00 | |||||
| £ 752.50 |
£ 31,318.36 |
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| Expenditure | Discovery Proj. - digitisation of baptism records |
504.00 | Investigatory work required by Historic England - surveys, trial repairs and making good, etc. |
54,462.47 | ||||
| Discovery Proj. |
47.77 | General repairs | 571.20 | |||||
| £ 551.77 |
£ 55,033.67 |
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| End of year March 24 | £ 12,696.15 | £ **17,283.49 ** |
£ 29,979.64 |
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