Reg. Charity number 1202543
Chair’s Annual Report to the AGM May 14th, 2025
Welcome to this AGM of St Mary’s Thursday Club CIO, thank you for coming and for your support for St Mary’s Thursday Club over the last year.
We are grateful to the St Mary’s Church Parish Rooms Committee for the use of the lovely facility here every Thursday.
In 2024 we finally completed the transition of the charity to CIO status (Charitable Incorporated Organisation. A CIO is an incorporated form of charity that is not a company, and only has to register with the Charity Commission. It can enter into contracts and its trustees will normally have limited or no liability for the debts of the CIO). We are indebted to Brian Auld who gave us pro-bono legal support to enable us to make the transition. As previously stated, there are no changes to the way the club operates, or in respect to members, volunteer helpers, or employees, but we now have a constitution fit for the circumstances of the club. Staff and helpers
On behalf of Trustees, I would like to thank our Coordinator, Lynn Johnson, and Deputy, Caroline Stringer, for providing our members with such a happy, sociable, safe, and stimulating day each Thursday, and for all the care they take of our members and volunteer helpers alike, so that everyone looks forward to Thursdays as the highlight of their week.
I would also like to pay tribute to the wonderful team of volunteer helpers who support Lynn and Caroline, making the experience of members as agreeable and comfortable as possible. There are currently 8 helpers, assisting on a rota. All are DBS checked and receive appropriate training including in safeguarding. In June we marked Volunteers Week with a visit to Chequer Tree Tea Rooms for a treat to thank everyone which was generously funded by the Bloxham Feoffees. .Membership
The club can take 11 members, but for several months in 2024 we were operating below capacity. After a period of low membership and variable attendance in the early part of the year we held an advertising campaign, and numbers have risen. We are currently operating at capacity, albeit there are days when members cannot attend due to appointments or sickness. In June we were sorry to hear of the death of long-standing member Muriel Emms whose bright wit and long memory of Bloxham characters, stories and knowledge will be sadly missed. Activities
As we will hear in Lynn’s Coordinator’s Report, Lynn, Caroline and helpers provide a variety of activities including heritage visits from Oxfordshire Museum, bingo, a weekly raffle, catching up on news stories and local topics of interest, and Geoff Smith (husband of Trustee Sue) has visited to play the keyboard to accompany songs, including on VE 80 Day which fell on a Thursday, and at Christmas for carols.
Funding
St Mary’s Thursday Club is responsible for raising its own funds to enable it to operate. We continue to be supported by a generous grant from Bloxham Parish Council and would like to record our gratitude for this support, which has accounted for our main income since the County Council withdrew support a few years ago.
Members pay a subscription of £15.00 per session, which helps offset our costs. We are once again grateful to the Bloxham Feoffees for their support of £300.00 for the 2024 Christmas lunch. During the year there have also been generous donations and fundraising initiatives from among the members, one of whom has been knitting hats and mittens for sale. In the Summer there was a coffee morning with Scones and cake which raised £160.00.
Our most significant expenditure is understandably on salaries, and secondly for the hire of the Parish Rooms. We are pleased to have been able to award salary uplifts once again from April 1[st] , recognising the invaluable contribution of our wonderful staff. Once again, this year we have not
incurred transport costs as the Community Transport provider has ceased to be able to support us, as reported last year. Our members arrange their transport independently and travel through a variety of means, including driving themselves, family lifts, taxis and Volunteer Transport.
In June 2024 Trustees agreed an uplift in weekly fees (subs) to £15.00. This, combined with an increase in take up of spaces at the club, has helped our income. Nevertheless we are projected to have a £4,000 deficit of expenditure over income this year. Trustees are currently increasing fundraising activity to ensure that the club continues to thrive without eating into reserves at an unsustainable rate.
Although we are not required to have our accounts audited, it is our intent in the interests of best practice to continue to have them inspected, and I would like to record our thanks to Andy Clark who once again is providing this service for us pro bono. Trustees
There are 7 Trustee positions, which are held by myself, Bee Myson (Chair), Jenny Smithson (Secretary), Nigel Johnson (Treasurer), Dale Gingrich (Ex-Officio, Incumbent, St Mary’s Church), Maz Chaudhry (Ex-Officio, Godswell Practice), Susan Smith (Ex-Officio, Bloxham Baptist Church), Joanna Barton (Ex-Officio, Bloxham Parish Council).
Trustees have been working hard to support the Governance of the club, and we are particularly grateful to Treasurer Nigel Johnson, who has agreed to stand again, for all his hard work keeping our accounts, dealing with all transactions, making funding applications and providing reports for the Trustee meetings, the County Council, as well as funders.
Thanks are due to Jenny Smithson for her great support and dedication in her administrative and secretarial duties for the Club.
Sue Smith, Maz Chaudhry and Joanna Barton have strengthened links with Bloxham Baptist Church, Godswell Practice and Bloxham Parish council respectively. Dale Gingrich is our link with St Mary’s Church Bloxham and The Parish Rooms Committee. It is invaluable to have all these perspectives represented within the committee.
The club is a member of OCVA (Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action) and NCVO, (National Council for Voluntary Organisations) which provides support, training and resources to enable Trustees to carry out their governance.
Trustees met 4 times since the last AGM on 16th May 2024, and additional sub- meetings were held for working on policies and the CIO process.
I would like to thank all Trustees for their commitment, care and time spent in supporting St Mary’s Thursday Club over the last year.
On behalf of the Trustees, I would like to extend huge thanks to our staff, volunteer helpers, funders and supporters for all they contribute to enable the club to flourish in support of our members. Bee Myson Chair of Trustees 14.5.24
ST. MARYS THURSDAY /' CLUB 202412025 Accovnts INCOME: Bloxham Parish Grants Fees OCVA Grants EXPENDITURL. 5.250.00 Salaries 4.105.00 Rent I.(MKI.00 Food 550.00 Insurance 300.IXI Miscellaneous 223.86 Christmas 150.00 HMRC Bonk Charge5 Troining 11.354.28 1.800.00 969.60 528.76 381.93 308.61 254.30 71.60 Fund Raising Christmas Meal Donolion Inlerest Donations 11.578.86 15.723.08 DEFICIT excess expendilure over income = .4.144.22 Account R•conclll¢Jllon: Bank RKon¢lllaNon: Balance Bld. Balances @ 31st March 2025: 25.401.1 I HSBC BMM Acct 20,891.89 HSBC Charity Accl 365. HSBC Acct LESS UIP payt5: BP LESS deficit.. -4.144.22 ADD UIP Creds: Bol CIFwd to 25126: 21.256.89 Bal CIFwd lo 25126: 21.256.89 statement of Independent Examlner year 1st Aprll 2024 to 31 st March 2025: I have exomined the receipls ond payments accounts and slalemenls of assels of st Mory's Thursdoy Club Bloxhom for Ihe year ended 31 st March 2025. This examination did not extend lo a comprehensive audit. Flnanclal I can confirm thot Ihey occord wilh the Accounling records of Ihe Club and l am not aware of ony motter to which attention should be drawn to obtain a proper understanding of the accounts. Signed.. Date: zi .4PuL 2DIS _ ALM4 Print Name: