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2024-09-30-accounts

Trustees report for the first period of the CIO November 2023 / March 2025

Welcome to the first report of The Old School Polperro CIO Trustees.

Background

In August 2023 the former Village Hall committee operations were registered to a new form of Charity known as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation called The Old Polperro School CIO (Charity Number 1204338).

By being a CIO we are answerable only to the Charities Commission and work to their Association model constitution. The custodians of the hall on behalf of the parish are Polperro Community Council and the CIO who lease the hall from PCC are responsible for the day to day management of the building and have the power to do anything which is calculated to further its objectives.

Our Mission statement

Our mission as Trustees has maintained the same objectives as the original charity:

To manage the village hall for the use of the inhabitants of the Parish of Lansallos in the County of Cornwall together with an area of five miles outside of that boundary without distinction of political, religious or other opinions including for the use of meetings, lectures and classes and for other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation with the objective of improving the conditions of life for all its inhabitants.

November 2023 to date

Over the last 16 months since the current group of Trustees were elected in November 2023, many issues and challenges have come to light which have undoubtedly slowed the progress of our strategies to develop the Polperro Village Hall into the thriving community hub it was meant to be.

Polperro Village Hall is a vital resource at the heart of its community and it aspires to serve well with activities, entertainment and social gatherings that directly contribute to the health and wellbeing of the parish and local community.

In a time of worries about mental health and social isolation without places like our village hall people would have to travel further to enjoy the events put on in the locality. An important part of the village’s history would be lost.

Our village hall should be a centrepiece for our residents – a thriving community hub. The Village Hall Management Committee (Trustees) has therefore set out their strategy to maintain all our values for it in this report.

Our strategic plan is to sustain and improve our village hall for generations to come. The Village Hall will be used to advance education and provide facilities in the interest of social welfare, recreation and leisure activities with the specific objective of enhancing the lives of all concerned.

Aims and Objectives

Polperro Village Hall Management Committee (Trustees) aims to provide and maintain the Village Hall for the use and enjoyment of those within the parish and local community to include opportunities for learning, recreation and leisure, with an overall view to support and improve the health and well-being of all participants.

Polperro Village Hall Management Committee (Trustees) aims to:

Community Involvement: Fulfilling Potential

Polperro Village Hall needs to be successful in running a wide variety of activities and events -recreational. Social. Entertainment and to aid 'mental development'.

A variety of community groups operate currently in the Village Hall

The Management Committee (Trustees) are committed to providing the kinds of events and activities that support individual and community growth, with ongoing evaluation of many other potential activities ongoing - including:

Car Park

The Polperro Village Hall Car Park is a major source of income and we have been working extremely hard to create a fair and efficient system for those individuals paying an annual fee - currently £624 rising to £640 April 2025

We inherited a system that was extremely random in its approach. There was a real problem with ‘occasional' parking by holiday makers and non paying locals.

Lines have been re-painted and a number system introduced to allocate to permit holders. Within the lease it is highlighted that 'residents' are to benefit from the Village Hall Car Park and it is planned that from 2025 we will review businesses that currently have spaces as we have a waiting list of residents

There are spaces allocated for user groups on a first come first served basis.

The Management Committee have also introduced a 'Flash Park' system with signage around the area.

Those continual illegal parkers will be photographed and issued with a £100 fine by 'Flash Park'. This is all a work in progress to ensure that the area is correctly used.

N.B There seems to be a myth that the Car Park is solely for the use of Trustees as some sort of perk. There are 26 spaces Currently 3 Trustees have spaces which they have had for a number of years as residents and their fees are fully paid up

Challenges

As mentioned earlier our mission as a Management Committee (Trustees) is to develop Polperro Village Hall into the thriving community hub it was historically and is meant to be.

The Challenges we have met have surfaced over the past 16 months and have most definitely held us back in that regard.

The financial records handed over had very little detail.

No clear invoicing procedures.

Strengthening admin and governance has taken up a great deal of time.

When the caretaker left and the PCC decided not to replace the role, the Trustees were keen to explore the idea of converting the house into affordable housing specifically for residents ‘born and bred’ in Polperro. The PCC rejected this idea and have applied for change of use from a residence to part of the hall. This was disappointing as the PCC have previously shown commitment to helping with the housing problem in their neighbourhood development plan.

Another challenge in not replacing a caretaker live in or otherwise is that the duties that she covered have fallen onto the Trustees. She was responsible for

The House and the Hall area of the Village Hall are in need of updating and basic repairs are needed throughout, particularly the toilet and accessible facilities which do not meet current standards. A kitchen with cooking facilities would also make the hall more attractive to potential hirers wishing to hold events.

A recent fire survey has highlighted the need for improvements to safety.

With the support of the PCC it is agreed that the retractable dividing wall should be reinstated to provide 2 spaces and allow more flexibility in hiring out different spaces.

All of these issues are on our development plan.

It is perhaps even more disappointing considering that over £40,000 has been spent over the past two years to create a Cinema Complex - when there are so many basic repairs / updates needed to the fabric of the building. The Cinema system is now a valuable asset but should never have been a priority - and indeed plans were drawn up for a tiered permanent seating system that would have destroyed the ethos of this building ever being a 'Village Hall' of the future.

Engagement

Members of the CIO

Membership of the CIO is open to anyone interested in furthering its purposes. A member may be an individual or corporate body representing an organisation which is not incorporated.

Some members have already been involved in getting activities up and running but the trustees are now looking for more members to step forward to initiate activities on behalf of the CIO such as running a film club, classes, workshops, book clubs or practical help with general maintenance. We plan to make the garden into a memorial garden with seating.

Polperro Village Hall Management Committee (Trustees) plans to engage actively with the local community throughout the Parish. Information sharing is key to this and publicity surrounding events and activities will be widely disseminated with the help of colleagues using social media platforms such as Facebook and X etc....A comprehensive data base of email contacts and regular updates on social media.

A complimentary strategy of using local press, with contacts at The Cornish Times identified along with Village Newsletters and Noticeboard used as platforms to promote.

Consultation is also key to our engagement activity; an online 'Survey Monkey' of the parish regarding residents use of and participation in Village Hall activities was undertaken recently with a pattern of supportive ideas secured from over 100 surveys completed.

Environment

In a community like Polperro community based activities can be a lifeline for so many people. Our aim is to create activities and events in the Village Hall to provide real opportunities for social engagement, skill and personal development along with great entertainment.

Public transport links include limited train and bus services, while both provide links to Plymouth and the train requires a bus transfer to Looe 5 miles away.

We want the Village Hall to become a thriving community hub and have an increasing positive impact on mental, physical health and well-being. Polperro has a strong community and the Village Hall should be a vital resource at the centre of it.

Market

Polperro Village Hall should be a traditional venue for events and activities for members of the local community.

When we consider charges for hire of hall etc. we will consider those made by other similar venues in order to remain competitive.

The focus of the Polperro Village Hall Management Committee (Trustees) is to maintain customer satisfaction and support whilst exploring new markets and revenue streams to support the Village Hall into the future.

Sustainability

Our ambitions for the future are not only to maintain the existing infrastructure but also to improve it and continue to engage, inform and consult with the local community. Our recent Survey Monkey initiative has demonstrated that the community are supportive of our initiatives with many 'out of the box' ideas creating noise including creating a 'Children’s Ambassador'. The purpose would be to help us engage with children and young families to help ensure the continued viability of activities and events at the Village Hall.

There is other work planned for the future to help make it a more appealing for a greater number and range of residents in the local area and beyond.

Management Committee (Trustees)

The success of Polperro village hall and its position in our local community is the responsibility of the management committee (Trustees) and a key group of members. Most of the villagers who responded to the survey monkey initiative are supportive of our ideas to take our village hall forward for future generations.

Summary

In summary, The Trustees of the village Hall are a voluntary group of community minded individuals committed to manage Polperro village Hall.

The role of Trustee this past year has been very time consuming but we hope going forward with your support that together we can move the village hall towards being as desirable as all the other successful venues in Polperro.

Pol erro Villa e Hall CIO Trustees

THE OLD POLPERRO SCHOOL

CHARITY NUMBER 1204338

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE PERIOD 14 AUGUST 2023 TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2024

Income Received
Hire of hall
Parking
Arts Foundaton
Bank Interest
Key fob receipts
Event income
Payments
Nominal rent
Water
Insurance
Light and Heat
Telephone and broadband
Cleaning and materials
Licences
Security
Parking control
Repairs and renewals
Gymnasium repairs
Event expenses
Sundry expenses
Excess receipts (payments)
Cash balances at 15 November 2023
Bank
Cash
Excess receipts (payments)
Total Funds
Represented by
Cash balances at 30 September 2024
Bank current account		 £
1,361.25
11,499.00
4,040.00
191.41
170.00
220.98
10.00
298.94
611.99
2,107.58
1,218.98
1,276.60
316.57
3,051.82
248.40
885.98
820.00
170.77
1,234.45
9,643.59
705.75
15420.41		 £
17,482.64
12,252.08
5,230.56
10,349.34
5,230.56
15,579.90

15,420.41

Cash 159.49 15,579.90

POLPERRO CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

NOTES TO RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 JANUARY 2025

1) Donatons

Donations received during the year ended 31 January 2025 were made up as follows:-

Received
Welcome to Looe
Larkin AV
Harbour Trust ( re Filming)
Helen Craig
L Welch ( T. Shirts)
The Plantaton
Paid
Polperro Methodist Church
Net receipt		 250.00
100.00
500.00
250.00
324.67
185.00
1,609.67
140.00
1,469.67

2) Capital items

Expenditure on capital items were as follows:-

Gas BBQ
Christmas Star
Gazebo		 299.00
154.99
713.99
1,167.98

THE OLD POLPERRO SCHOOL CHARITY NUMBER 1204338

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE PERIOD 15 NOVEMBER 2023 TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2024

Notes
Income Received
Hire of hall
Parking
Arts Foundaton
Bank Interest
Caretaker's heatng contributon
Key fob receipts
Event income
Payments
Nominal rent
Water
Insurance
Light and Heat
Telephone and broadband
Cleaning and materials
Licences
Security
Parking control
Repairs and renewals
Gymnasium maintenance
Event expenses
Sundry expenses
Excess receipts (payments)
Cash balances at 15 November 2023
Bank
Cash
Excess receipts (payments)
Cash balances at 31 January 2025
Bank
Cash		 2025
£
736.25
10,141.00
4,040.00
170.00		 2025
£

45.00

1,358.00


15,087.25





222.01

216.00





12,212.70
45.11
2,874.55

3,759.30
2,874.55
6,633.85
10.00
298.94
611.99
2,107.58
995.98
1,060.60
316.57
3,051.82
248.40
1,505.06
820.00
1,185.76
3,759.30
15,420.41
159.51

15,579.92

580
1,403.00 152 732
0.99
200.92
170.77
483.12 3.58 376.26