2025-09-30-accounts - Woodham Walter Village Hall

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Woodham Walter Village Hall TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 30TH 2025

(Charity number 1198220) www.woodhamwaltervillagehall.co.uk trustees@woodhamwaltervillagehall.co.uk

Our Objects

“THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE TO ESTABLISH AND RUN A VILLAGE HALL AND TO PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE PARISH OF WOODHAM WALTER (“AREA OF BENEFIT”) WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF SEX, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AGE, DISABILITY, NATIONALITY, RACE OR POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS OR OTHER OPINIONS THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR RECREATION OR OTHER LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE NEED OF SUCH FACILITIES BY REASON OF THEIR YOUTH, AGE, INFIRMITY OR DISABLEMENT, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES OR FOR THE PUBLIC AT LARGE IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE OF THE SAID INHABITANTS (THE “OBJECTS”).”

1. Introduction

2. Chairman's Report

3. Objectives and Activities

4. Achievements and Performance

5. Financial Review

6. Structure, Governance and Management

7. Plans for the Future

8. Public Benefit Statement

9. Policies

10. Acknowledgements

11. Appendix: Financial Statements and

Independent Examiner’s Report

1. Introduction

The Trustees of Woodham Walter Village Hall are pleased to present their annual report, together with the financial statements, for the year ended September 30th 2025. This report has been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the charity’s governing document.

Our hall continues to serve as the heart of the community - a space where people of all ages come together for social, cultural, educational, and recreational activities.

This year was a pivotal year for the Village Hall with a new management committee being elected in October 2024 with a refreshed vision and renewed enthusiasm dedicated to strengthening governance and modernising hall operations.

2. Chairman's Report

This has been a year of change and positive progress for Woodham Walter Village Hall. With a new trustee team in place, we have focused on strengthening the foundations of how the hall is run and improving the experience for everyone who uses it.

Having a refreshed nimble management team, supported by dependable volunteers has been crucial in streamlining processes, making quicker decisions, and implementing changes effectively. The past year have been marked by growth, community spirit, and resilience. Despite the typical challenges that come with any transition, our renewed vision for the village hall -‘making the hall accessible for all’ and ‘being the cornerstone of the community’-is now in full force.

As a new committee, we have faced unforeseen financial pressures, including a substantial Land Registry-related legal fee and a large electricity bill that had been estimated for several years, we discovered the actuals being far higher than anticipated.

One of our key achievements has been the introduction of our new website and online booking system. This has made it easier for residents, groups and event organisers to check availability, make bookings and stay up to date with what’s happening at the hall. Alongside the refreshed branding and improved visibility, the hall is now more accessible and welcoming than ever before.

We are also incredibly proud of the significant increase in fundraising this year. The generosity and enthusiasm shown by our community -through donations, attendance at events, and hands-on help … is not only appreciated, but essential. These funds directly support the ongoing care, improvement and sustainability of the hall, ensuring it remains at the heart of village life for years to come.

Like many village halls, we continue to run with a small team of trustees, and this has brought some challenges as we find our rhythm. I would like to express my personal thanks to my fellow trustees for their continued dedication, time and energy. We are committed to bringing new trustees into the team to support our work and as with many rural charities, sustaining volunteer capacity remains a challenge and an ongoing priority for the year ahead.

While we have much to celebrate, we also face challenges. The rising costs of maintenance and utilities are a concern, and we must continue to seek funding and support to keep the hall running smoothly. However, these challenges also present opportunities for innovation and community involvement. We are exploring new fundraising initiatives and partnerships to ensure the sustainability of our village hall. Replacing the inadequate electric heaters is vital to reducing ongoing costs. To address this, we have engaged a volunteer energy consultant to help us evaluatepossible solutions, including infrared heating& solar initiatives.

I would like to thank our dedicated trustees, volunteers, and all those who have supportedthis new era of our Woodham Walter Village Hall. Your contributions are invaluable, and together, we will continue to make our village hall a vibrant and essential part of our community.

Sincerely,

Dalen Smart Chairman, Woodham Walter Village Hall

3. Objectives and Activities

Our charity exists to:

“ Run a Village Hall and to promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Woodham Walter”

“Support social welfare, recreation, and leisure activities to enhance quality of life in Woodham Walter”

“Foster a sense of community and inclusiveness by providing an accessible and welcoming venue. ”

In the past year, we have achieved this through:

Hosting regular clubs and groups. Our regular hirers are clubs and classes such as Karate, Yoga, Amateur Dramatics and events such as the Women's Club quiz night.

Organising community events such as an Easter Trail, VE Day Celebrations, an evening with Owls and a band night plus the now annual Christmas Light Switch-On.

Providing affordable hire facilities for private events and celebrations. We have hosted numerous private parties, gatherings and wakes.

We've improved the facilities by way of replacing the old tables & chairs with new folding versions, made possible by a generous donation, this has made the hall and its facilities more inclusive and welcoming to our hirers, particularly for older residents.

We also provide the meeting space for the Parish Council's regular "Walter's Third Thursday Café" which is a community hub with free advice and information plus regular guests covering health & wellbeing, crime & fraud prevention, home safety and lots more.

4. Achievements & Performance

This year has been marked by a number of key achievements:

Website & Rebranding: Successfully delivered a new website along with a fresh new brand and logo and an interactive 360 degree immersive tour.

Online Booking System: Implemented an online booking system to enable live availability and real time booking. It also reduces admin overhead related to payments and invoicing.

Reduced overheads: We moved our cleaning services away from the incumbent supplier who managed both bookings and cleaning to a dedicated cleaning service based in the village – saving £1000 per year.

Hall improvements: Water saving features introduced in the toilets. General maintenance improvements through regular working parties.

An immersive 360 tour of the hall published on our brand new website

Our booking calendar, showing live availability of the hall to users

4. Achievements & Performance (cont)

Community events: We successfully hosted our first community focused event in December 2024 “Christmas Lights Switch-On” that brought together residents across all generations to share festivities and fun. This is now an eagerly anticipated annual event throughout the village.

We also hosted a VE Day 80[th] Anniversary Celebration as well as an ‘Evening with Owls’ & Band Night – all well received, well supported and successful in bringing the community together.

Christmas Event

Hosted in early December, now an annual village event - an opportunity for the whole community to get together at a time of celebration.

VE Day Cream Tea

Hosted in May to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, an opportunity for the whole community, across all generations to enjoy an afternoon of remembrance, community & fun.

5. Financial Review

Income this year was £21,219, compared to £8,990 in the previous year. The main sources of income were:

Hall hire: £6,262 Fundraising activities: £4,272 Grants £5,350 Donations: £5,205

The trustees are disappointed that there was a reduction in hall hire income, but this can be explained by two clients who no longer require the hall. We are though really pleased to see the general upward trend in bookings in more recent months, and our new on-line booking system seems to be bringing in a broader cross section of hirers including 3 new regulars and an uplift in adhoc bookings. This points to a more sustainable income in the future.

Expenditure amounted to £17,859, with the main costs being: Utilities and maintenance: £3,574 Insurance: £1,366 Cleaning costs: £2,199 Improvement projects (eg Tables/Chairs): £5,436

Legal & Professional Fees £1578

Financial Highlights:

Fundraising income soared 737% compared to the year prior, from £511 to £4272
Contractor costs were reduced by 32%, from £3238 to £2199

The charity generated a surplus of £3,360 during the year, bringing total unrestricted reserves at year-end to £13,273.

This level of reserves is in line with the Trustees’ policy to maintain sufficient funds to cover at least six months of operating costs, equating to approximately £4800.

5. Financial Review (cont)

Financial Challenges:

This year saw some financial challenges for the charity which had an obvious impact on the accounts, however the charity remains in a strong financial position bolstered by substantial reserves and strong fundraising income.

One such challenge was a substantial Land Registry-related legal fee which the previous committee had initiated but not budgeted for.

The second was an unforeseen electricity bill owing to years of under-estimated billing which had become due. The trustees managed to negotiate a discount to the electricity account of £1574, representing a large cash benefit to the charity versus the original monies owed.

----- Start of picture text -----
Surplus Surplus £3,360
Expenditure Expenditure £17,859
Income Income £21,219
£0 £5,000 £10,000 £15,000 £20,000
----- End of picture text -----

5. Financial Review (cont)

Fundraising Breakdown

Fundraising income soared 737% compared to the year prior year, from £511 to £4272

Easter was the most profitable event, raising £766
Christmas followed with £617
Owl Night and Music Night were close, earning £561 and
£555 respectively
VE Day brought in £239

6. Structure, Governance & Management

The charity is managed by a committee of Trustees, elected annually at the Annual General Meeting, in line with the charity’s Foundation Model constitution.

The Trustees during the year were:

Dalen Smart, Chairman Jacky Bannerman, Treasurer Richard Sandlan, Secretary

Day-to-day management of bookings and hall operations is overseen by the trustees who also act as the hall management committee.

The current committee acknowledge that they are running with the minimum number of Trustees which increases governance risk and intend to elect a new Trustee during the AGM subject to their agreement for election.

Although the charity's income is below the £25k statutory threshold, the trustees wished to continue with an independent examination as a matter of good practice and transparency.

Bankers: NatWest, 250 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 4AA

Examiner: Jan Stobart, FCCA, RCCE, Threshelfords Business Park, Inworth Road, Feering, Essex, C05 9SE

7. Plans for the Future

Looking ahead, the Trustees plan to:

Increase usage through private bookings to improve lettings income. With the improved website, branding and enquiry process now embedded, the Trustees will focus on promoting the hall to new users and groups in the coming year, as part of our plans to increase community use and income.

Continue hall improvements, with a focus on improving the warmth during winter months through the installation of improved heating.

Expand community programming to include a wider variety of events including ideas such as cinema nights.

Continue the strong fundraising initiatives to ensure longterm sustainability.

Develop stronger links with volunteers within the community, whilst we are well supported, we would also benefit from additional offers of help.

8. Public Benefit Statement

In planning our activities, the Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. The hall exists to serve the whole community without discrimination, and its facilities are open to all.

Details can be seen in our Equal Opportunities policy which can be found on our website.

The Trustees confirm that all activities during the year directly furthered the Objects of the CIO.

9. Policies

The charity operates the following policies:

Safeguarding Health & Safety Equal Opportunities Reserves Policy Complaints Procedure Conflict of Interest Food Hygiene Risk Management Trustee Conflicts of Interest Policy & Procedures

These are reviewed annually by the Trustees.

10. Acknowledgments

The Trustees wish to thank our volunteers, without whom we’d be unable to host some of our much needed community and fundraising events.

The Trustees would also like to extend their heartfelt thanks to our generous donors:

Walter Farthing Trust - £5,000 for new tables & chairs Bill Warner Legacy - £5,000 towards general running costs Woodham Walter Parish Council – 8 new chairs Bell Meadow Committee - £350 towards Christmas event

We are also pleased to receive monthly income through a workplace charitable giving scheme and would encourage anyone who has such a scheme to please consider the Woodham Walter Village Hall charity.

EasyFundraising has also brought in a small income – and we encourage supporters to sign up if you are able to.

Finally, the Trustees would like to acknowledge the amazing support and generosity of the community , who help organise, attend, and support our community events.

Appendix: Financial Statements WOODHAM WALTER VILLAGE HALL Registered Charity no. 1198220 Recelpts & Payments Account for the year ended 30th September 2025 2024125 2023124 RECEIPTS Lettings Fund raising Grants Donation5 Interest TOTAL RECEIPTS Unrestricted Restricted 6262 4272 Total 6262 4272 5350 5205 130 21219 8024 511 325 5350 loo 5105 130 15769 120 8980 5450 PAYMENTS Ch•rlt4ble Al¥It1*S Caretaking/Cleaning Contractor Cleaning Supplies Electricity a nd Water Malntenance Insurance Licenses and Permits Computer costs Internet and Telephone Training Printing Admlnlstratlon of the charlty Independent Examination Affiliation Fees Bank Charges Other Expendlture Fundra ising Costs New Equipment / improvements Lega l and Professiona I fees Bu ild ing Reportslsurveys TOTAL PAYMENTS 2199 74 2688 986 1366 311 448 89 65 49 2199 74 2688 986 1366 311 448 89 65 49 2760 478 1234 1660 1046 236 114 80 24 114 80 24 80 1433 436 1578 569 12509 350 5000 1783 5436 1578 569 17859 21 53SO 7515 NET SURPLUS I DEFICIT 3260 loo 3360 1465 Balan$ Brought Foard 9913 9913 8448 Balances Carrled FoThvard 13173 loo 13273 9913
Appendix: Financial Statements (Cont) WOODHAM WALTER VILLAGE HALL Reglstered Charlty no. 1198220 Statement of Assets & Uabllltles at 30th September 2025 2025 2024 MONETARY ASSETS Deposlts and Bank Balances Nat West Current Account Nat West Deposit Actount Sum Up Account Petty Cash 659 11281 1183 150 13273 9012 loo 9913 Debtors Credltors Lettings received in advance Unpaid invoice5 Independent Examination 120 391 120 114 NON MONETARY ASSETS Land and buildings Tables and chairs Kitchen Equipment Cleaning materials

11. Appendix: Independent Examiner’s Report

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of

Woodham Walter Village Hall (registered charity number 1198220)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Woodham Walter Village Hall (the charity) for the year ended 30[th] September 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees 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 charity’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 giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

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

Mrs Janet Stobart, FCCA

RCCE, Threshelfords Business Park, Inworth Road, Feering CO5 9SE 21[st] October 2025

Approval

Approved by the Trustees on 16[th] December 2025.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees:

____ Chairman ______ Treasurer

(Charity number 1198220) www.woodhamwaltervillagehall.co.uk