2025-01-31-accounts

SWINDON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB MUSEUM

TRUSTEES REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31[st] JANUARY 2025

Structure, governance and management

Established as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on the 17[th ] of January 2023 by a constitution dated 7th July 2022. The Charity’s registered number is 1201620.

Trustees

The Museum is governed by the Trustees who oversee the management of the Charity and decide its strategic direction regarding its charitable objectives. The number of Trustees shall be not less than three or more than 12 appointed trustees.

Trustees are identified and appointed according to their skills and abilities in relation to the effective direction of the Museum’s activities.

Trustees as of 31[st] January 2025:

Paul Hedges – Secretary - Chairman

Richard Mattick – Curator

Steve Trowbridge MBE – Storage and Business advisor

Andrew Cossens – Head of Archive

Victor Morgan – Media and Content Creator

James Spencer – IT

Stephen Mytton - Design

Sharon Brinsdon - Communications

Risk management

The Trustees regularly review the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those related to its operation and finances and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to those risks.

Objectives and activities

The purpose of the museum is to celebrate the history and heritage of Swindon Town Football Club, by researching, collecting, displaying and preserving historical artefacts, memorabilia and all forms of media for the education and benefit of its communities.

Public benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the guidance provided by the Charity Commission regarding public benefit. All our activities are planned and executed in line

with our charitable objectives and access to and use of the Museum’s collections is free to all members of the public.

Achievements and performance

• Hall of Fame- we are taking up historic work done by the Club in enhancing the boards around the ground and adding additional players.

• Former Players- the database is being updated to include all players, those who have accepted membership, and those no longer with us.

• Legends Lounge- we have decorated the Legends lounge with commemorative shirts and players photos.

• John Trollope suite- we have added artefacts to create a special 1969 room.

We continue to increase our data base by recording details of artefacts and memorabilia obtained and donated and our campaign to collect copies of all past match programmes continues. As at the end of January 2025 around 7,000 programmes have been collected and listed covering most games home and away since the late 1940's, and in total more than 8,000 items have been listed. The archive records whether the items have been donated or loaned to the Museum and there has been a fantastic reaction from supporters, the club and past players to assist in this project.

A big thank you to one of our Trustees, Steve Trowbridge, MBE, for providing storage for all artefacts.

The museum has worked closely with STFC to create displays throughout the stadium and in particular has created a display of past player shirts and photos which are on display with the clubs Legends Lounge. In addition a mural of the time line of the history of the club since its inception in 1879 has been designed, printed and placed on display in the Legends Lounge.

Past record appearance player, John Trollope OBE, continues as honorary president of the Museum and accompanies many of the stadium tours.

Club historian and Museum curator, Dick Mattick continues to provide stadium tours which have now increased to two a month throughout the year.

Donations remain steady and along with the generosity of trustees and the Swindon Town Supporters Trust the finances remain stable.

We have promoted our work through several outlets including a dedicated web site, social media, local press and media and through club channels. We also offer and have given talks to several local organisations.

Projects started or completed during the year include:

• The celebration video of the 1969 League Cup victory was completed, and work has begun on a range of other videos celebrating key past achievements

• Work to update the Honours and Centurion boards has been completed, and these are being replicated for display in other areas of the stadium.

• Work continues to collect memorabilia relating to the club’s women’s team.

• A timeline mural showing the key dates of promotions, cup successes etc was created and installed in the Legends Lounge.

• Pictures of the 24 most famous past players were sourced, printed and displayed within the legends lounge.

• Signed players shirts from key games were framed and placed on display within

• the Legends Lounge

Projects under preparation and planned for the next financial year include:

• Hall of Service- a project has commenced to celebrate those who have given outstanding service to the Club

• To create a series of short videos celebrating some of the past major

• achievements, including winning the League Cup, Winning the Anglo Italian Cup and Promotion to the Premier league.

• Renovation of the grave of William Pitt who founded the club

• Discussion with the STFC Trust to take ownership of the Don Rogers Statue

• Efforts to gain Museum accreditation have begun

• Conversations have started with Swindon Arts Museum in regard to creating a

• three month display within the towns main museum

Financial review

In keeping with the small size of our organisation the accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payment basis

Income in the year was £3,891.28 and total expenditure was £2,029.63

At the end of the year, we had £7,363.29 in our general funds all of which are unrestricted as to their future use.

The current financial year has continued the general trajectory set in the previous year with an emphasis on expanding, improving and promoting our activities. We remain comfortably solvent.

The Trustees annual report was approved by the Trustees of the Charity on 20th November 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

Paul Hedges

Secretary

SWINDON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB MUSEUM

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

YEAR ENDED 31[st] JANUARY 2024

Income:

Donations: Trustee £310.00 First City Nursing £2,500.00 Tour Donations £442.47 Ad Hoc £638.81 Total Income £3,891.28

Costs: Website Creation & Maintenance £467.99 Other Costs £1,561.64 Total Costs £2,029.63 Balance Surplus £1,861.65

SWINDON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB MUSEUM

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

YEAR ENDED 31[st] JANUARY 2025

Metro Current Account £7,363.29

Other assets:

No account is taken of the stock of memorabilia or conservation materials held for sale or future use.

The artefacts in the museum have either been donated or purchased with the cost treated as an expense in the year of purchase.

These financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 20th November 2025 and signed on behalf of the trustees by:

Paul Hedges

Secretary

SWINDON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB MUSEUM

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31[st] JANUARY 2025

General information

The Charity is an Incorporated Charitable Organisation and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of its principal office is Swindon Town Football Club, County Road, Swindon, SN1 2ED.

Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

These financial statements have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments basis as permitted by S.133 of the Charities Act 2011.

Going concern

There are no material uncertainties about the Charity's ability to continue

Fund accounting

General unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees to further any of the Charity's purposes.

Income recognition

Income from grants and donations is recognised in the financial statements when they are received.

Income from donated goods is not recognised unless it can be measured reliably at its fair value.

Donated facilities and services are recognised in the financial statements when received to the extent that they can be accurately evaluated. No amounts are included for the contribution of the general volunteers.

Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised in the financial statements when it is paid. Expenditure includes irrecoverable VAT and is classified under the heading to which it relates.

All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities to which they contribute on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.

Trustee remuneration and expenses

No Trustee, nor any persons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the Charity during the year.

Related party transactions

During the year the Charity received donations of £300.00 from Trustee Mr Dick Mattick and £2,500 from Stephen Trowbridge MBE.