## **TRUSTEE’S REPORT** The last year has continued to be as busy if not busier than the previous few years. A key milestone in our history was the celebration of our 50th Anniversary. Few organizations in Haverhill can claim such longevity, and it was an honour to be part of the commemorative event held at the Haverhill Arts Centre. The evening was a resounding success, with an impressive turnout that included not only our members but also esteemed dignitaries and local councillors. I sincerely hope that in fifty years’ time people will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary! And why not, the group continues to flourish. As part of our celebration, we were privileged to host the Association of Suffolk Museum’s AGM here in Haverhill. Representatives from various museums across the county attended and it was immensely gratifying to have the opportunity to showcase our museum, the smallest accredited museum in the county. We should be mindful that there are many other, possibly bigger museums than ours that are not accredited so we should be proud of that. As a group we are going from strength to strength. This is reflected in the number of members we had at the end of the last membership year. In total we had 93 members. This increase is also mirrored in the number of members and visitor numbers joining us for our monthly meetings which is great to see. We are also seeing more visitors coming through the door. We continue to refresh our exhibition space on a regular basis with themes ranging from ‘Artefacts collected throughout the last 50 years’, ‘A focus on Food and Drink’, ‘The MA Shield’ and Vintage Photography’. Despite ongoing increased cost i.e. printing/postal we remain committed to publishing the Haverhill Historian twice annually. Full of interesting articles we are grateful to all those who submit fascinating items for inclusion. Two significant restoration projects were undertaken during the past year when we had both the ‘MA Shield’ and ‘Haverhill Junction’ sign restored back to their former glory. Originally presented to the town in 1890 as part of Haverhill Massachusetts 250th anniversary, the shield had been on display but sustained damage following its relocation during the transformation of the Town Hall to Arts Centre. Now after many years the shield has now been sympathetically restored. The Arts Centre management were keen to reintroduce it to public view, and it was unveiled before a distinguished audience, including our members, local councillors, Arts Centre staff, and special guests which included three USAF servicemen from RAF Lakenheath, who originate from Massachusetts. Similarly, the Railway sign has also been sympathetically restored and is now on show in the museum. Interest in local history continues to grow, as can be seen by the increasing number of inquiries we receive - many via our website. It has been particularly rewarding to assist university students with research ranging from agricultural smocks and Gurteen & Sons to historic maps for landscape architecture studies. One art and graphics student, who requested photographs of Haverhill’s key buildings and monuments, ultimately had her work displayed in the Arts Centre. Other inquiries have focused on workhouses, among other topics. We have also had the pleasure of visiting Place Farm school where they enjoyed a workshop and activities arranged for them. We also visited Coupals School to talk about shopping in Haverhill during the Victorian times and Westfield School to present a workshop on the ‘Great Fire of London and Haverhill’. We have delivered numerous talks to local groups within the town and various historical societies. Our presence at significant community events, such as Armed Forces Day and the Haverhill Show, has also provided excellent opportunities to showcase our group’s work. The continued operation of the museum and the successful execution of events, exhibitions, and initiatives rely upon the support of numerous individuals. We are immensely grateful for the financial assistance provided by the Haverhill Town Council, which covers rental costs and contributes to the sustainability of our monthly meetings. The Trustees and Committee are truly thankful for this substantial funding and thank the Town Council for their continued support. It is truly appreciated. In addition, we acknowledge the unwavering support of the Gurteen family, who have played an integral role in our history over the past 50 years and continue to provide valuable storage space at Chauntry Mills. ## **BRIAN THOMPSON** ## **HAVERHILL & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY GROUP** **Financial Statements for the year from the 1st April 2024 to the 31st March 2025** ## **Receipts & Payments Account** |**Brought Forward**
**2023/24**
**History Centre**
Donations rec'd
Photo & copy sales
Grants:HTC
Grants:Other
H/W & S/W Equipment%
Maintenance/fixtures
Rent
Stationery (paper/ink/printing
etc.)
Subscriptions
Acquisitions
Archivist budget
Misc*|**Income**| |---|---| |**Members**||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |||£272.5|£1,072.|||| |Annual Subscriptions|£800.00|0|50|||£0.00| |Postage & stationery|||£0.00||£79.03|£79.03| |**Events/Meetings**||||||| |||£384.0|£460.0|||| |Entrance fee|£76.00|0|0|||£0.00| |||||||£489.0| |Room hire|||£0.00|£130.00|£359.00|0| |||||||£110.0| |Speakers|||£0.00||£110.00|0| |||£182.5|£217.5|||| |Raffle|£35.00|0|0||£32.21|£32.21| |Misc/Refreshments|||£0.00|£3.50|£53.45|£56.95| |||||||£144.3| |Exhibition expenses|||||£144.30|0| |**Publications**||||||| |||£496.7|£621.0|||| |Book sales (incl. CDs)|£124.26|5|1|||£0.00| |||||||£970.0| |Production of Historian/books|||£0.00|£95.00|£875.00|0| |Flyers|||£0.00||£20.00|£20.00| |**Transaction Charges:**||||||| |SumUp (Donations)|||£0.00||£0.10|£0.10| |SumUp (Publications)|||£0.00||£1.51|£1.51| |SumUp (Membership)|||£0.00||£0.75|£0.75| |**PROJECTS**||||||| |**50th Anniversary**||||||| |Banner|||£0.00|£37.10||£37.10| |||||||£161.9| |Posters|||£0.00|£161.92||2| |Room Hire|||£0.00|£41.00||£41.00| |Board Hire for display|||£0.00|£16.00||£16.00| |Board Hire (Poster Display)|||£0.00||£96.00|£96.00| |Refreshments
£0.00
**Memory Boxes Fund**
**(2024)**
Grants
£550.0
0
£550.0
0
Hardware
£0.00
£1,090.
26
£6,779
.50
**£7,869**
**.76**
Income
£7,869.
76
Income + Carried Fwd
£19,632
.66
Expenditure
£8,422.
09
**Balance**
Float/
Cash
**Total**|£325.00
£325.0
0
£0.00
517.14
£517.1
4
£988.74
£7,433.
35
**£8,422**
**.09**
**£11,21**
**0.57**
**Bank Account carried forward**
**to 2025/26**
£55.00
**£11,26**
**5.57**| |---|---|