2025-12-31-accounts

FRIENDS OF COOKHAM ABBEY

Trustees Annual Return for the year ending 31 December 2025

1 Registered charity no. 1204300

FRIENDS OF COOKHAM ABBEY

1 Introduction

The Trustees’ Annual Return for the year ending 31 December 2025 comprises the Annual Report which describes the management, activities and achievements of the charity, and the charity’s Accounts for the period. These were approved by Trustees and members at the 3[rd] Annual General Meeting, held on 11 June 2026, and will now be submitted to the Charity Commission.

2 Objectives and Activities

The purposes of Friends of Cookham Abbey (FCA) are set out in its Governing Document, approved by the Charity Commission on 10 August 2023. FCA is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered in England and Wales, charity number 1204300.

The objects of FCA are, for the benefit of the public, to advance research, education and public interest in the archaeology and history of Cookham and neighbouring areas in the Thames Valley, including but not limited to, the investigation and preservation of historic land, buildings and artefacts. The charity's main activities to achieve these objects are:

• to provide financial and practical support for the excavation of an Early Medieval (Anglo-Saxon) abbey in the Paddock, adjacent to Holy Trinity Church Cookham. The annual excavation and a Field School for undergraduates are undertaken by the University of Reading. FCA provides financial support for post-excavation recording, analysis and conservation of finds and remains from the excavation;

• to develop and undertake a programme of public engagement , to get people involved in the archaeological investigations through education and outreach. The results of the excavation project will be of interest to many people: residents of, and visitors to, Cookham and neighbouring towns and villages, historians, archaeologists, and students of all ages. There is a larger audience of people who cannot or do not visit Cookham, and FCA aims to reach them online.

FCA achieves its objectives by the important contribution of work and time by volunteers, and by purchasing services from companies and individuals, and by raising funds to finance its activities. FCA does not at present employ staff. FCA does not own property: the Paddock, the abbey remains and finds belong to the Parochial Church Council of Holy Trinity Church.

3 Achievements and Performance

Friends of Cookham Abbey (FCA) achieves its objectives by the important contribution of work and time by volunteers, and by purchasing services from companies and individuals, and by raising funds to finance its activities.

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FRIENDS OF COOKHAM ABBEY Registered charity no. 1204300

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3.1 Membership

At the end of the reporting period, FCA had 120 members.

4 Support for post-excavation work

The archaeology does not finish at the end of the dig. Post-excavation conservation and study enables researchers to understand and put together the pieces of the jigsaw. Over time, these pieces will enable us to see a finely-grained picture of the early medieval monastic settlement at Cookham.

In 2025, FCA funded an initial osteoarchaeological investigation of 23 skeletons from the 2022 and 2023 dig seasons, undertaken by Dr Ceri Falys at the University of Reading. The investigation looked at biological sex, age-at-death, and pathology (evidence of illness, disease or deformity). The results gave important information about these people’s lives and their health. There were men, women and children, so these were the lay people who supported the daily life of the monastic settlement. The high level of people with rare pathologies suggested that the burials were from a larger area than just the Cookham community. The settlement had a role as a place of healing and hospice care, one of the earliest known in England.

A subsequent initial analysis will be funded from a successful crowdfunding campaign ‘Voices from the Past’ in late 2025, which raised £12,000. The lab results are expected in Spring 2026, and will be followed by stable isotope analysis to look at geographical mobility and diet. The results will be complemented by a separately-funded research project looking at ancient DNA. The results from this programme of scientific analysis will throw light on the origins, daily lives and health of these early people of Cookham.

It is clear that the Cookham Abbey excavation is becoming recognised as one of the most important archaeological research projects in the Middle Saxon period in England for several decades. The success of the crowdfunding campaign has shown the huge interest of people of the Cookham and the Thames valley for their medieval predecessors. FCA is grateful to the many supporters whose generous donations have made this lab work possible.

5 Community Engagement programme

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FCA wants to embed the results of the research project in local communities. We want to engage and empower public audiences to celebrate and utilise local heritage to build thriving communities. We are developing a programme of talks, events and displays for local interest groups and schools. The Anglo-Saxons are part of the Key Stage 2 curriculum, and we can help by supplying teaching material. We want to extend the range of this work to nearby communities, particularly those with spiritual beliefs other than Christianity, and we believe that the concept of a ‘Sacred Landscape’ will have meaning for different faiths and communities.

During the dig season, over 2,200 people visited the site. The first week of the dig overlapped with the school term. Our Community Engagement Manager and team of 10 volunteers led seven site tours for schools during the week, with 175 children attending, plus teachers and some parent helpers. Some were from a SEND Trust. Children could handle the archaeological finds, find out about the Anglo-Saxons, and talk to the archaeologists about their work. The visits were a great success. A typical feedback form said "I loved the bone flute and seeing the workers. I'd like reconstructions of what it would have been, and more skeletons".

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FRIENDS OF COOKHAM ABBEY

FCA’s Community Engagement Team continued its programme of workshop visits and presentations outside the dig season. Workshops were run at seven local primary schools for almost 300 children. We have built links with Slough Refugee Support, with a visit to Montem Mound, an Anglo-Saxon burial mound in Slough, and a visit to the dig. Presentations about the excavation were made to five groups including a local church, Women’s Institute and U3A, reaching about 150 people. We had a stand in Holy Trinity Church as part of the Heritage Open Days weekend in September. An evening session was put on with Cookham businesses, to raise awareness of the dig and to promote possible business opportunities. 70 guests attended, including the MP for Maidenhead Josh Reynolds, and our trustee Councillor Mandy Brar in her role as Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.

The community engagement programme was led with enthusiasm and dynamism by our Community Engagement Manager Sarah Parfitt. The trustees are very grateful to Sarah for her work in engaging new audiences, partners and volunteers. Several members of the team were undergraduates at the University of Reading. We thank them and wish them well in their future careers.

Winter 2025 saw the conclusion of the Artist in Residence project, run by Phyllida Shelley. She has been closely involved in FCA’s work over several years, including serving as a trustee. In 2025 Phyllida ran creative workshops at the dig for 46 participants. A two-day Symposium ‘Digging the Bigger Picture’ featured guest speakers on art and archaeology, attracting 56 participants, and was live-streamed to another 22. Phyllida put on exhibitions of her work inspired by the dig, in Woolwich, and at the University of Reading. Phyllida and five other professional artists put on an exhibition ‘River and Earth – Contemporary Art Meets Ancient Ground’ in Holy Trinity Church in September. The exhibitions were visited by at least 500 people. She ran classes in drawing skeletal remains for archaeology and art undergraduates at UoR. Phyllida kindly designed a picture inspired by finds from the dig, and we have given copies to supporters who made significant donations to the ‘Voices from the Past’ crowdfunding campaign. Phyllida’s involvement during the dig and off-season gave visitors and participants a different perspective on the archaeology and Cookham’s past. The 18-month project was funded by a grant of £29,535 from Arts Council England, and FCA records its thanks to ACE.

6 Plans for the Future

6.1 Cookham Abbey Connects

During 2025 FCA trustees spent much time and thought on the planning of the next phase of its business plan, and the preparation of a grant application to The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The application was made in partnership with the University of Reading, and in November the Heritage Fund confirmed a grant of £249,755 over three years. The grant 6

Registered charity no. 1204300

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will fund our programme ‘Cookham Abbey Connects’. The University will employ a Research and Interpretation Officer, who will analyse and interpret the results of the archaeology dig and provide material to inform and engage different groups – the research community, the interested public, and new audiences not familiar with archaeology or this period of English history. There will be an online curated exhibition. FCA’s share of the grant (£63,148) will pay for the Community Engagement Manager Lorna Hunter, the cost of the ‘travelling roadshow’ visiting schools and other groups, and setting up a Community Steering Group to give us feedback on our activities and shape the programme of future events. The grant will give FCA a more stable financial basis for its community engagement work over the next three years, enabling a step change in our plans and work for the public benefit. Thank you, National Lottery players!

6.2 Artist in Residence Phase 2

Building on the success of the Artist in Residence project, we are planning for a second phase. This will involve multiple artists with different conceptual frameworks and using different artistic media. A generous donation from a supporter has enabled us to appoint an AiR, Emma Przygrodzka, for the 2026 dig season, and we are preparing a further grant application for the next two years on- and off-season. The project will have two aims – enabling the artists to develop their creative practice, and giving a different way for people to engage with the archaeology.

7 Structure, governance and management

FCA is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered with the Charity Commission (1204300). During the reporting period, the people who served as trustees were:

Mandy Brar Mike Bryan Mike Copland Shez Courtenay-Smith David Gilbert Mark Howard David Mudd Jill Oseman Paul Seddon Gabor Thomas

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Trustees normally meet every 2-3 months. They review and set the charity’s strategy, agree policies and procedures for the charity’s business and financial management, and agree items of expenditure over £2,500. The trustees as a board are responsible for ensuring that the charity meets its objectives, that its finances are properly managed, for reviewing risks and uncertainties, and for regularly reviewing its status as a going concern.

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Trustees are not aware of any serious incident to be reported to the Charity Commission during the reporting period or subsequently. No external impacts have affected FCA positively or negatively during the reporting period.

Day-to-day business and authorisation of expenditure on items less than £2,500 is delegated to the Officers (Gabor Thomas – Chair, Paul Seddon – Treasurer, David Mudd – Secretary)

Management of FCA’s responsibilities for the Cookham Abbey Connects project has been delegated to a sub-group (the Officers, David Gilbert, Jill Oseman). From 2026, these trustees will also act as a sub-group of the full trustees to manage non-CAC work, and to prepare proposals for FCA’s strategic and business planning.

Some trustees lead on specific work areas: Jill Oseman – membership secretary, website and communications with members; David Gilbert – digital and marketing strategy; Paul Seddon and David Mudd – fundraising and community engagement; David Mudd and Paul Seddon – AiR project.

The charity does not currently employ staff. It does not own land or property, and does not have a trading subsidiary. It is registered with HMRC for Gift Aid.

FCA has contracted Tomato Communications (Maria Evans) to help our fundraising work. Our website is hosted and designed by Richard Pow, a Cookham-based web designer. These two partners have greatly helped our progress in the reporting period, and we intend to continue these partnerships in the future.

Holy Trinity Church is a key partner in our work. We are very grateful for the interest, support and friendship of the Minister and Church Team.

8 Financial review

The charity’s principal source of income is from fundraising. We are pleased to record these significant grants and donations received in the reporting period:

• The National Lottery Heritage Fund - £63,148 over three years

• King Charles III Charitable Trust - £3,000 over three years

• Louis Baylis Charitable Trust - £1,500

• King’s Hall Trust - £1,000

• 62 supporters who donated over £12,000 to our ‘Voices from the Past’ campaign.

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FRIENDS OF COOKHAM ABBEY

During the year, FCA registered with HMRC for Gift Aid and received £6,387 in respect of Gift Aid donations in 2023-24.

Expenditure on fundraising in the reporting period was £6,600, mainly for the preparation of the bid to The National Lottery Heritage Fund which resulted in a grant of nearly £250,000 to FCA and the University of Reading. The cost of the ‘Voices from the Past’ campaign was £691. Trustees consider that this level of fundraising expenditure was reasonable for the income and benefits gained.

Core costs of the charity: in addition to expenditure on its main objectives, FCA incurred costs of £99 for public liability insurance, £350 venue hire, £455 design and printing costs for dig publicity, £608 website & email maintenance and refresh. Two Trustees were reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of FCA.

9 Risks and uncertainties

These are regularly reviewed by trustees. The main categories of risk are:

 Financial:

Trustees have set a rule that no expenditure can be authorised which would take FCA’s assets below £1,000. Trustees review at every meeting FCA’s expected income and expenditure for the next six months. Our income and expenditure are uneven – the timing of expenditure and income received do not always match, and for a short period during the year, FCA accepted short-term loans, repaid within a few weeks. Our future fundraising programme aims to reduce our dependence on oneyear grant income, and to increase the proportion of income from longerterm partnerships with grant-makers.

All bank payments made by FCA have to be authorised by two named trustees.

 Community engagement activities:

At their June 2025 meeting trustees approved a Risk Assessment plan covering FCA’s site tours and on- and off-site community engagement activities. It sets out the responsibilities of activity supervisors in the event of illness or accident, and the identification of hazards on-site. Volunteers working with children and vulnerable people are to be DBS checked.

10 Administrative details

Registered address: 17 Chauntry Rd, Maidenhead, Berks SL6 1TR

Bank: CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ

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11 Exemptions from disclosure; funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of others

Not applicable.

12 Annual Accounts

The Treasurer pointed out at the AGM two issues concerning the 2025 accounts:

• The 2024 Accounts covered a period of 17 months from the registration of FCA as a charity, whereas the 2025 accounts are for a 12-month period. The two are thus not strictly comparable.

• FCA’s income and expenditure are not evenly matched. 90% of the substantial grant from Arts Council England (£26,582) was received in 2024, whereas most of the expenditure on this project was in 2025. Expenditure on the AiR project was concluded in 2025, but the 10% balance of the ACE grant (£2,953) was not received until early 2026. Whilst the charity balance shows a negative position at the end of 2025, income of £20,184 was received from the Heritage Fund in January 2026. Our income and expenditure are ‘lumpy’, like many charities of a similar size. Trustees make every effort to minimize the impact of this, and are working towards raising a working balance of at least £10,000 through the year.

The Annual Accounts are set out below, with the statement of the Honorary Independent Examiner Ms L J Hobson.

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14 Declaration

The Trustees declare that

• in managing the charity, the Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit;

• There have been no serious incidents/problems which have caused/could cause significant harm or loss to the charity or the people it helps

The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees Report and Accounts above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees

Gabor Thomas Chair

17 June 2026

13 Registered charity no. 1204300