Annual Report for the period ended 31[st] March 2024 Registered Charity No: 1198148
Reference and Administrative Information
| Charity Name: The Old Library Registered Charity Number: 1198148 Principal address: The Old Library Skircoat Green Road Halifax HX3 0LQ Trustees: |
Charity Name: The Old Library Registered Charity Number: 1198148 Principal address: The Old Library Skircoat Green Road Halifax HX3 0LQ Trustees: |
Charity Name: The Old Library Registered Charity Number: 1198148 Principal address: The Old Library Skircoat Green Road Halifax HX3 0LQ Trustees: |
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| Helen Rosemary Verity Chair Appointed: 06 September 2023 |
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| Heather Rigg Trustee Appointed: 9 January 2023 |
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| Pamela Casson Trustee Appointed: 06 September 2023 |
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| Susan Renate Russell Trustee Appointed: 06 September 2023 |
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| Colin Hugh Hutchinson Trustee Appointed: 06 September 2023 |
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| Joanne Smith Trustee Appointed: 06 September 2023 Resigned: 29 October 2024 |
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| Michael James Barnes Trustee Appointed: 06 September 2023 |
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| Rachel Whitbread Trustee Appointed: 06 September 2023 |
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| Carol Longbottom Trustee Appointed: 06 September 2023 Resigned: 24 September 2024 |
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| Susan Herbert Treasurer Appointed: 06 September 2023 |
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Objectives and Activities
The objects of the organisation as stated in its articles are:
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To advance the education of the public by the promotion of the use of a public lending library service for the benefit of the residents of Skircoat Ward.
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To promote or benefit the residents of Skircoat Ward, without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said residents and the local authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for the residents.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to retain an important local building by generating income from it. The income will be used to develop it into a welcoming space that will serve the community, support learning and encourage neighborhood cohesion.
Strategic Aims
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To retain a local library service.
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To create a sustainable, not for profit organisation.
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To provide a welcoming, well run community space for all generations.
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To encourage local support and engagement, building a local sense of community.
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To preserve and develop an historic and culturally valuable local building.
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To create volunteering opportunities and work experience.
The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance published by the Charity Commission on public benefit when agreeing the Old Library’s mission, aims and our service delivery principles. We have also borne this guidance in mind when setting our objectives to ensure that we correctly identify the intended beneficiaries of our work, make real difference and comply with our charitable objects at all time
Achievements and Performance
We’ve done it! A huge team effort, and our amazing, beautiful library is open!
It was our dream during Covid to keep our local library, all the hard work was worth it, made possible by the whole community, those generous enough to support financially, the amazing people who have shared their skills and expertise and the brilliant board of Trustees, who have been steering the ship all this time. We have so many people to thank for their help, support and expertise in ensuring we could open the doors once again.
A massive shout out and huge thanks to all the amazing volunteers, the cataloguers, the bakers, the gardening group, and many more, without whom we really couldn’t open or operate. You all make it possible to run our community library, a lovely warm welcoming space for our community for this and future generations.
Our volunteers have worked tirelessly to get all the book stock catalogued and on the shelves. The new counter, flooring, lighting, decorating are all complete, as are the policies and procedures and all the operational work behind the scenes to ensure we are compliant and able to operate. We have a computer and printer, and a brandnew website – again thanks to the generosity of amazing people.
As the chair of the board, I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my fellow board members, as without their support, belief, hard work, tenacity and expertise, our library re-opening wouldn’t have been possible. Two trustees are stepping down at this year’s AGM, Carol & Jo, thanks to both of you for your unwavering support - we did it!
We’ve been successful with all our grant applications thus far, which has allowed us to buy new books, and with the most recent ones, hopefully we’ll be replacing the front windows in the near future.
We’ve had our first monitoring community asset meeting with Calderdale and they are very pleased with both our progress and our operational procedures, we’re meeting our original business plan milestones, in fact we’ve exceeded some of them, which is fabulous in our first year of opening, only another 124 years to go…..
For many of us, this library has been a part of our lives since childhood, and I am so proud to be a tiny part of the team who have kept this important community space not only open, but thriving and expanding, long may it continue.
Thank you.
Helen Verity, Chair.
Financial Review
The financial statements below show receipts and payments in the year to 31[st] March 2024. In this period the library was not open to the public as the community asset transfer didn’t complete until 6[th] April 2023 and the remainder of the year was spent refurbishing the interior, carrying out essential building repairs and cataloguing the book stock.
The library opened to the public on Sunday 6[th] April 2024 and income from the café has been very encouraging. By the end of the half year to 30[th] September the café sales were approximately £6,000 and we expect that level of sales to continue.
There was a surplus of £13,694 brought forward from the previous year and a further £11,010 was raised to enable the planned work to be carried out and to pay overheads. Once the works were completed we ended the year with a surplus of £5,284. This is lower than the trustees would like in reserves going forward but we expect to end the 24/25 financial year with this increasing to around £8,000.
During the period under review a limited company was set up called The Old Library Café Ltd. The café is wholly owned by the charity and the directors are trustees. This was necessary to allow the charity to trade as a café without risking its charitable status. All profits from the café are paid up to the charity as a donation. There are no expenses charged to the limited company other than stock purchases, packaging and cleaning materials needed for the café to trade.
As Helen mentioned in her report we had a successful first review of the milestones set by Calderdale with financial targets broadly being met and in respect of expected café receipts exceeded.
Sue Herbert Treasurer
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year ended 31[st] Mar 2024
Receipts |
Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ - 1,847 4,011 1,915 1,562 1,655 20 |
Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ - 1,847 4,011 1,915 1,562 1,655 20 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ 2,000 - - - - - - |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ 2,000 - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 2,000 1,847 4,011 1,915 1,562 1,655 20 13,010 799 517 2,064 1,292 287 337 6,359 3,000 4,167 1,953 510 135 21,420 (8,410) 13,694 5,284 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grants |
- | 2,000 | 2,000 | 10,389 | ||
| Fundraising events | 1,847 | - | 1,847 | 1,752 | ||
| Donations | 4,011 | - | 4,011 | 1,661 | ||
| Members'subscriptions | 1,915 | - | 1,915 | 1,526 | ||
| GiftAid | 1,562 | - | 1,562 | 675 | ||
| Book sales | 1,655 | - | 1,655 | 725 | ||
| Room hire | 20 | - | 20 | - | ||
| Total receipts | 11,010 | 2,000 | 13,010 | 16,728 | ||
| Payments | 799 517 2,064 1,292 287 337 6,359 135 |
3,000 4,167 1,953 510 |
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| Library system | 799 | 799 | ||||
| Labels and library cards | 517 | 517 | ||||
| Heat &light | 2,064 | 2,064 | ||||
| Insurance | 1,292 | 1,292 | ||||
| Alarm system | 287 | 287 | ||||
| Wi-fi | 337 | 337 | ||||
| Redecoration and repairs | 6,359 | 6,359 | ||||
| Paving | 3,000 | 3,000 | ||||
| Counter | 4,167 | 4,167 | ||||
| Flooring | 1,953 | 1,953 | ||||
| Building survey & planning | 2,229 | |||||
| Furniture & equipment | 510 | 510 | 793 | |||
| Sundries | 135 | 135 | 12 | |||
| Total payments | 11,790 | 9,630 | 21,420 | 3,034 | ||
| Net receipts/(p’ments) Closing funds LY Closing funds TY |
(780) 6,064 5,284 |
(7,630) 7,630 0 |
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| **(780) ** | **(7,630) ** | (8,410) | **13,694 ** | |||
| 6,064 | 7,630 | 13,694 | 0 | |||
| 5,284 | 0 | 5,284 | 13,694 |
Structure, Governance and Management
The Old Library is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation incorporated on 7[th] March 2022 with charity number 1198148. In its structure it has both trustees and members with voting rights.
The governing document of the charity is its Constitution.
The appointment of charity trustees is laid down in the Constitution as follows:
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(1) At the first annual general meeting of the members of the CIO all the charity trustees shall retire from office;
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(2) At every [subsequent] annual general meeting of the members of the CIO, onethird of the charity trustees shall retire from office. If the number of charity trustees is not three or a multiple of three, then the number nearest to one-third shall retire from office, but if there is only one charity trustee, he or she shall retire;
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(3) The charity trustees to retire by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or reappointment. If any trustees were last appointed or reappointed on the same day those to retire shall (unless they otherwise agree among themselves) be determined by lot;
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(4) The vacancies so arising may be filled by the decision of the members at the annual general meeting; any vacancies not filled at the annual general meeting may be filled as provided in sub-clause (5) of this clause;
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(5) The members or the charity trustees may at any time decide to appoint a new charity trustee, whether in place of a charity trustee who has retired or been removed in accordance with clause [15] (Retirement and removal of charity trustees), or as an additional charity trustee, provided that the limit specified in clause [12(3)] on the number of charity trustees would not as a result be exceeded;
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
The charity does not hold any funds on behalf of others.
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
| Signatures Full names Position Date |
HR Verity | S Herbert |
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| Helen Rosemary Verity | Susan Herbert | |
| Chair | Treasurer | |
| 01/11/2024 | ||
| 01/11/2024 |