2025-07-31-accounts

Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths (FoCVTB) Trustees’ Annual Report (TAR)

Period start date: 1/08/24 Period end date: 31/7/25

Charity registration number: 1198658

	SORP* reference**	Objectives and Activities
Purposes of the charity as set out in the governing document	Para 1.17 to 1.22	For the public benefit to advance education in the historical use, architectural and constructional heritage of the Carlisle public Victorian & Turkish Baths (V&TB), being a listed building of particular historical and architectural interest, and in its preservation.
Main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, activities, projects or services.		The Carlisle Victorian & Turkish Baths are the last remaining Turkish Baths in the Northwest of England and one of only thirteen in the UK. The Baths were mothballed in November 2022, by the City Council, due to development of a new pools complex and uncertainty over longer term planning aligned with local government reorganisation. Were it not for our campaign it is highly likely that plans would have been made to dispose of the public Victorian & Turkish Baths for private development, and a key part of the nation’s living heritage would have been permanently lost. Through our campaigning and charity works we have achieved the following: 1.Education- our heritage tours and talks are a key tool for both informing and inspiring the public in regard to the history and purpose of the V&TB. Over 800 members of the public have now attended our various tours and talks. 2.Our early campaign- raised awareness of both the heritage and facilities on offer at the V&TB through social media, our Facebook reach even in that early period was in excess of 184,600 unique users. We now continue with regular media coverage and have been featured on regional ITV, BBC and That’s TV as well as a variety of radio programmes.

		3.Our ambition– is not just to save Carlisle’s V&TB, but to develop the entire complex, as a Centre for Health and Wellbeing. Celebrating both the heritage of Public Baths and Washhouses, whilst responding to the modern needs of residents in and around England’s most northerly city. 4.Viability study– alongside continued financial contributions raised by our team of volunteer ‘Friends’ through market stalls, merchandise sales, talks and tours, we successfully secured grant funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund [AHF] (£14,900) and Cumbria LEP (£2500) for a Viability Study in 2022. This study allowed us to test our vision for the Baths and shape a development option that takes advantage of two existing large-scale city centre regeneration projects. This would align the Baths within the planned transformation of Carlisle’s high street and town centre, helping both people and place thrive and prosper to make Carlisle an attractive place to live, work and visit. 5.Community Asset Transfer (CAT)– following local government reorganisation in 2023, we have been working with the new Cumberland Council towards a CAT of the V&TB buildings to our charity. In September 2024, we gained formal agreement with Cumberland Council for such a lease and secured further grant funding from AHF in 2024 (£8,028) to provide our legal advice and guidance through Wrigleys Solicitors, in developing the Heads of Terms (HoT) and Agreement for Lease (AfL) for the CAT. 6.Our next steps– will see us re engaging with key stakeholders in co-creation of our business plan. We also require conservation advice to secure restoration of the Grade II Listed Turkish Baths environment as well as building surveys and other professional input to enable us to develop our proposals to RIBA 3 over the next couple of years. Shared discussions with funding bodies including the National Heritage Lottery Fund and Architectural Heritage Fund, amongst others, is beginning to shape a way forward for this.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit		The Trustees of the Friends of Carlisle V&TB have carried out their roles and responsibilities in accordance with Charity Commission Guidelines and for the public benefit. The charity trustees manage the affairs of the CIO and exercise all the powers of the CIO. It is the duty of each trustee: 1. To exercise their powers and to perform their functions in capacity as a trustee of the CIO, in the way they decide in good faith would be most likely to further the purposes of the CIO; and 2. To exercise, in the performance of those functions, such care and skill as is reasonable, having regard in particular to: (i) Any special knowledge or experience that they have or hold and, (ii) If they, as charity trustees of the CIO in the course of a business or profession, have any special knowledge or experience that it is reasonable to expect of a person acting in the course of that kind of business or profession.

Policy on grant making	Para 1.25	All grants are discussed and approved by the trustees before submission to ensure they are in alignment with the aims and objectives of the charity. This is essential when a contribution from the charity is required to enable release of grant funds. Each grant has a team, which involves trustee and associate members. Progress is monitored at monthly ‘Sustainability Working Group’ meetings. It is our intention to appoint a trustee with finance experience to manage this core activity overall. Having successfully concluded our early viability work, our Sustainability Working Group is progressing further grant applications with the AHF and National Lottery Heritage Fund to progress the project to RIBA stage 3. We will also seek additional funding for our development plans from other bodies including the Cumbria LEP, Cumberland Council, and the Pilgrim Trust. We have prepared a list of large capital funders and smaller scale grants. We will commence applications to these funders/grant bodies in the next financial year as we reach greater clarity regarding the potential CAT.
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.26	The FoCVTB began as a campaign group in May 2021, in response to Carlisle City Council’s feasibility study looking at repurposing the V&TB. We formed specifically to save the Northwest’s last remaining Turkish Baths from closure. We were formally constituted as a CIO in April 2022. The heritage nature of the building and the continued involvement of the FoCVTB will continue to provide volunteers with opportunities to lead tours, talks and events, as well as facilitating specialist use of the building for arts and heritage activities. Volunteer on-boarding is managed by one of our team of ‘Friends’ and a bespoke package around background, roles and expectations is under development. Our activities are planned and coordinated through three key working groups addressing ‘Events’, ‘Marketing & Communications’ and ‘Sustainability’ with key decisions and strategic direction taken through our Trustee Board. This tremendous work is only achieved through the commitment and tenacity of our current band of circa 18 volunteers who lead and support these groups. Working groups meet at least monthly, all our meetings have an agenda and our minutes with actions and decisions are recorded and kept in a digital folder that is only accessible to committee members in accordance with GDPR.

	SORP reference	Achievements and Performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.27	Through our campaigning and charity works we have achieved the following. 1. Our heritage tours and talks are a key tool for educating and inspiring the public with the history and purpose of the Victorian & Turkish Baths (V&TB). Over 800 members of the public have attended our tours and talks. 2. Our initial campaign raised awareness of both the heritage and facilities on offer at the V&TB through social media. Facebook no longer records unique users, but we can report over 1.5 million views and 884 followers over the last reporting period, an increase of 154.8%. We have also had 12.9k content interactions, an increase of 170% over the same period. We also continue to have regular local media coverage and have appeared on regional ITV and BBC television and radio programmes. 3. Our ambition to save the V&TB and develop them as a centre for Health and Wellbeing which responds to the modern needs of residents in and around Carlisle is welcomed by the many local groups and individuals we regularly talk with through our various events and talks. 3. Through conducting our original viability study, it became clear that to ensure a future sustainable model for the V&TB the ‘Core Offer’ has to focus on a Spa and Turkish Baths experience. The initial business plan demonstrated that such an offer can be financially viable. To enable this, we are considering a two-phase approach; first delivery of the ‘Core Offer’ and a second phase centred around the delivery of community facilities, including a community laundry and hub, within the building. As part of this study, we held stakeholder events to engage the wider community and partners in these findings. 4. Working with the new Cumberland Council towards a Community Asset Transfer of the V&TB buildings to our charity will provide a positive future and direction for these heritage buildings, which otherwise were at risk of falling into further disrepair. Indeed, in support of our intentions, the council have conducted significant repairs to the roof to ensure the buildings remain wind and water tight, whilst our negotiations towards a lease continue. 5. The next stage will see us re-engage with key stakeholders in co-creation of our business plan. We also require conservation advice to secure restoration of the Grade II Listed Turkish Baths environment as well as building surveys and other professional input to enable us to develop our proposals to RIBA 3 over the next couple of years. Shared discussions with funding bodies including the National Heritage Lottery Fund and Architectural Heritage Fund, amongst others, is beginning to shape a way forward for this.

	SORP reference	Financial Review and Future Plans
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.34 to 1.42	Balance period start date: 1/8/24: £10,602.88 Balance period end date: 31/7/25: £20,838.31
Independent examiner		As our income for the reporting period was less than £25,000an independent examiners report is not required.
Policy for holding reserves stating why they are held		All funds held in single Lloyds Business account and balance used both for the running of the charity, whilst maximising the sum available to leverage external grants.
Amount of reserves held		£0
Reasons for holding zero reserves		We aim to always have a positive financial balance, consistent with the scale of funding required for our ambitions. Notably we aim to maintain an amount which will provide sufficient match funding to balance, as necessary expectations from certain funding bodies.
Details of fund materially in deficit		None
Explanation of any financial uncertainties		No current uncertainties.
Performance of fundraising activities	Para 1.43	We continue to successfully fundraise through a wide-range of events and activities. The proceeds of this work are used to invest in further fundraising and promotional activity, as well as for match funding to support our grant applications. One of our working groups “Events” is entirely focussed on co-ordinating our event profile and merchandise sales. This group and their associated activities are also vital in maintaining our visibility, particularly as, since the Bath closure in 2022 we have been unable to run tours of the building. We also continue to be successful in securing grant fundingfrom some

		national heritage funding bodies in order to undertake key legal and viability work. Our fundraising over this period has included: 1. Just giving, stripe payments and general donations totalling over £1,214. 2. Ticket sales for heritage tours of the site and surrounding area, talks to community groups and stalls at local events; including Winter Droving and Carlisle Farmers Market raised £1,080. 3. Merchandise sales of over £493. 4. Architectural Heritage Grant of £8,028 to support in our legal fees related to community asset transfer (Restricted Fund)
Future plans and the charity’s principal sources of funds.	Para 1.46 to 1.47	We continue to successfully fundraise through a wide-range of events and activities. Our ‘Events Working Group’ is entirely focussed on co-ordinating our event profile and merchandise sales. This group and their associated activities are also essential in maintaining our visibility, particularly as, since the Bath closure in 2022 we have been unable to run tours of the building. Such activity also results in ongoing donations which are collected at events or through our online Stripe and Just Giving accounts. As the project continues our financial needs have become greater and therefore our applications for specific grant funding from external bodies has also increased. Through our ‘Sustainability Working Group’ we have continued over this period to secure grant funding from some national heritage funding bodies and are developing plans for future applications.

	SORP reference	Structure, Governance and Management
Type of governing document	Para 1.50 to 1.51	Constitution of a Charitable Incorporated Organisation whose only voting members are its charity trustees (23/8/21).
How is the charity constituted?		Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) - Registered in England and Wales
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions.		In accordance with the Charity Constitution. The Founding trustees (4) were selected on the basis of professional experience, contribution to the establishment and running of the charity, being cognisant of gender, ethnicity and diversity considerations. Following changes to board personnel, new trustees have been appointed from within the Charities ‘Friends’. These have been proposed and ratified through the board. The Trustee Board currently consists of five full trustee members and one Associate Trustee. Following a recent skills audit, plans are now in place to strengthen our capacity and secure a wider set of skills and experience though national adverts and an interview process.
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.53	We are currently developing a revised set of policies to support our charity and are in the process of securing funding to better frame the induction and training processes for our Trustee Board.

	SORP reference	Sustainability
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with	Para 1.60	To prepare for development of a Community Asset Transfer we have developed a supportive ecosystem including membership of Historic Pools of Britain, Heritage Trust Network and the Meanwhile Foundation. We have appointed legal advisers and held introductory conversations with specialist charity accountants.

which the charity works		We have also engaged with regional representatives of the National Trust and Eden North, along with Save Grange Lido Ltd, Cumbria LEP and other similar national Baths / Spa projects, to ensure our plans complement existing regional cultural and creative initiatives. We also secured agreement from Faculty of Arts and Social Science at Lancaster University for an MSc internship to build the Baths’ historic narrative in 2024 and are linked to other developments at Cumbria University.
Relationship with any related parties		Regular briefings and updates to council officers, Local Enterprise Partnership, Cumbria University, National Trust, community groups and healthcare organisations have been critical to demonstrating the potential of the V&TB to amplify the regeneration impact of both the £20m Gateway project, and adjacent £77.4m University Citadels Project. We hosted tours with key stakeholders, to show our vision and gain support. These included the previous City & County Councillors and officers, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Cumbria University, National Trust and our Local MP to name but a few.
How the charity is responding to and managing risk	Para 1.61	A risk register is maintained and reviewed by our Sustainability Group and Trustees against “Likelihood” and “Impact. The severity of the risk is graded Low, Medium or High and mitigating actions are outlined within our plan. The current risks identified are: 1. Following closure, the Baths may be lost forever – identified as a Medium risk currently. 2. Accelerated deterioration due to poor mothballing procedure – identified as a Medium risk currently. 3. Deliberate damage through vandalism of an empty building – identified as High risk currently 4. Council fails to support our intentions or is a low priority for them – identified as a Medium risk currently. 5. Failure to secure additional funding – identified as a Medium risk currently. 6. The Health and Wellbeing Centre proves non-viable – identified as a High risk currently. 7. Unable to secure plans that meet local expectations and needs – identified as a Medium risk currently. 8. Loss of public / political interest / support – identified as a Medium risk currently. 9. Loss of Friends support / interest in the project – identified as a Medium risk currently. 10. Lack of resilience and capacity in Trustees and Leads – identified as a High risk currently.

• Statement of Recommended Practice (Charities 2025)

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths Registered charity number 1198658 Charity’s principal address Rackgate Hethersgill Carlisle CA6 6HX

Names of the Charity Trustees (who manage the charity)

Names of the Charity Trustees(who manage the charity)	Names of the Charity Trustees(who manage the charity)	Names of the Charity Trustees(who manage the charity)	Names of the Charity Trustees(who manage the charity)
Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted (if not for whole year)	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
Julie Minns	Chair	19/4/22 - present	Board of Trustees
Emeritus Professor Stephen Yeates	Secretary Acting Treasurer	19/4/22 - present 1/5/23-present	Board of Trustees
Alan Lindsay	Sustainability Co-lead	1/5/23 - present	Board of Trustees
Elsa Price	Sustainability Co-lead	1/5/23 - present	Board of Trustees
Marian Barradell	Grant co-ordination	13/5/24 - present	Board of Trustees

Corporate Trustees, Executives and Assets Held
Corporate trustees - Director	None
Trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity	None
Description of the assets held in this capacity	None
Name & objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held	None
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	None
Chief executive or senior staff members	None

Names and Addresses of Advisers	Names and Addresses of Advisers
Type of adviser	Name	Address
Business Development	Fourth Street	Fourth Street Place Consultants Ltd. Ground floor right, 5 Maidstone Buildings Mews, 72-76 Borough High Street, London SE1 1GN
Historic Pools Architects	Studio Octopii.	1c Burrows Mews
		London SE1 8LD
AHF appointed mentor & heritage building specialist	Marc Collett	Burns Collett The Town Hall, Hebden Bridge. HX7 7BY
Legal Advice CAT	Caroline Wilson Managing Associate	Wrigleys Solicitors LLP 3rd Floor, 3 Wellington Place, Leeds. LS1 4AP

Exemptions from disclosure ( Reasons) There are no non-disclosures of key personnel details

Declarations

	The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees	The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s)
Full name(s)	Kate Stacey	Alan M. Lindsay
Position	Co-Chair	Secretary & Acting Treasurer
Date	21stMarch 2026	21stMarch 2026

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