Charitable incorporated organisation number 1203380 Trustees’ annual report and accounts 2[nd] June 2023 – 31[st] January 2024
Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Administrative information | 3 |
| The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum (“the Museum”) | 4 |
| The collection | 5 |
| Risk management | 5 |
| Review of the | 5 |
| year | |
| The future | 6 |
| Financial report | 6 |
| Approval | 6 |
| Appendix – independent examiner’s report | 7 |
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Administrative information
The Trust is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) number 1203380 registered by the Charity Commission for England & Wales on 2[nd] June 2023 with a ‘foundation model’ constitution, with the intention of taking responsibility for the assets and operations of the charitable unincorporated association (CUA) of the same name, registered as a charity in England & Wales, number 1040128. The CUA retained current responsibility throughout the reporting year, its operations and assets being vested in the CIO with effect from 1[st] February 2024. Its activities are described in a separate report.
Accredited Museum No 1433
Registered office: Wharf Station Tywyn Gwynedd LL36 9EY
Objects of the CIO:
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i. to advance and promote education for the public benefit in the history and heritage of narrow gauge railways (being railways having a gauge between the rails of less than 1432 millimetres) and their impact on society past and present;
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ii. the provision, maintenance and administration of a museum for the display of objects related to narrow gauge railways and the sharing of heritage about the people who worked on, used and enjoyed those railways through exhibitions, interactive displays, and projects;
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iii. the making of grants to promote the purposes of the CIO subject to such conditions as the charity trustees may lay down.
Personnel
| Personnel | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Charity Trustees |
Ian Evans Minutes secretary Malcolm Phillips Collections manager C Keith Theobald Chairman |
To serve for 5 years from registration date |
| John D Olsen PhD, MRSB, CIBiol WendyPink |
To serve for 3 years from registration date |
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| Diane K Drummond PhD FHEA Frank Nolan |
To serve for 2 years from registration date |
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| Officers | Charles Fleming Legal adviser Victoria Harrison MA BSc Museum mentor Andrew Nock Secretary Stephen Powell Treasurer |
All personnel served from the registration date to the end of the reporting year. They gave their services voluntarily and received no benefit from their activity.
The Trustees met 6 times during the reporting year, and at all times had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
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Bank: CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ
The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum (“the Museum”)
The Trust’s aim is to record and interpret the history of narrow-gauge railways in the British Isles and beyond. While a number of passenger-carrying railways have been preserved and still operate, primarily now to serve the tourist market, many other passenger-carrying lines, as well as numerous industrial and military ones, ceased to exist in the mid-20[th] century. The pioneering enthusiasts and collectors of those times laid the basis of the collection while it was still possible, so that today the story of these railways can be told, most of which never achieved the widespread following enjoyed by the main lines, but were in their own way important contributors to economic and social history.
The Trust’s main activity is managing the Museum to ensure its current operation and secure its long-term sustainability.
The Museum occupies a purpose-made building, opened in 2005 as part of the major redevelopment of the Talyllyn Railway’s Wharf station in Tywyn. Its location alongside a working narrow-gauge railway gives the Museum’s story a living context, and adds a significant attraction to the pleasure and interest of a journey on the Railway. Elsewhere on the Wharf site the Museum also has use of the historic Gunpowder Store and new building featuring the original Talyllyn Railway weighbridge.
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The Collection
The main collection consists of items relating to narrow gauge railways of the British Isles, and to the Talyllyn Railway in particular.
The Trustees continue to review selectively items offered for sale at auction, and make a reasonable bid for any item which they consider would enhance the collection. Items are also offered to the Museum from time to time, with any accession decision being taken by the Trustees. Accessions now tend to be small items, reflecting the reality of new material availability, and the pressures on the Museum’s space.
Some items in the collection – mainly wagons – are displayed outdoors on the Wharf site. Some large items – locomotives and a wagon – which cannot be accommodated at Tywyn for lack of space are on loan to appropriate institutions elsewhere in the UK.
Collections management activities during the reporting year are described in the CUA annual report.
Risk management
The Trustees maintain, apply and review policies relating to:
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Emergencies
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Safeguarding
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Health and safety
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Environment
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Data protection
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Managing conflicts of interest and conflicts of loyalty
The Trustees maintain a Designated Insurance Reserve fund as cover against loss or damage to items in the Collection.
The Trustees also earmark a proportion of the Trust’s cash balance (held in a high-interest account, £62,443.18 at the end of the reporting year (and vested in the CIO the following day) as a hedge against higher running costs. The Trust occupies its premises on very beneficial terms from its landlord the Talyllyn Railway, and could face substantially higher costs if changing circumstances caused the Railway to alter its terms.
Review of the year
The Trustees’ principal activity was preparation for vesting the CUA’s assets in the CIO. Inter alia this involved:
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Negotiation with the Trust’s landlord, the Talyllyn Railway Company, of a lease for occupation of the Museum’s premises to replace the existing lease between the Company and the CUA. Replacement on the same terms but with a later termination date (31[st] January 2123 instead of 31[st] January 2103) was agreed in January 2024, and the document signed and sealed in May 2024.
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Compiling an inventory of the Museum assets and drafting and approving a General Vesting Declaration to effect the transfer.
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Setting up new bank accounts.
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Advising relevant parties of the change.
Other activities during the year are recorded in the CUA annual report.
The future
Review of the Museum’s Accredited Museum status was delayed by administrative pressures within the Welsh Government caused by the Covid pandemic and the next review is planned for 2025. The Trustees continue to maintain and review their policies in order to maintain good governance and Museum management practice.
The new governing document adopted for CIO registration allows an increase in Museum trustees above the current number, and the Trustees are actively seeking to fill these positions, with an emphasis on attracting candidates offering Welsh language, fundraising, and social media skills.
The Talyllyn Railway Company has ambitious plans for developing facilities at Tywyn Wharf station, and the Trustees are working closely with Company and Preservation Society officers to help them realise their objectives while securing an environment that remains appropriate for the Museum.
Financial Report
The CIO had no funds during the reporting year and spent no money. The Museum’s financial affairs during the year are presented in the CUA annual report.
Approval
This report was approved by the Trustees at their meeting on 13[th] June 2024.
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Appendix
Independent examiner’s report
The CUA’s accounts for the reporting year 2023-24 were subject to independent examination, and the Examiner’s report is contained in the CUA report.
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