annual report Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum 


2024-2025 



## chairperson’s foreword 

2024 was a year of refurbishments, arts and children’s activities for Penmaenmawr Museum. We were successful in securing a Social Prosperity Fund grant to upgrade our coffee shop kitchen and the wooden windows at the front of the building. When we moved to the current museum premises seven years ago, the condition of the windows was flagged as an issue in the building survey. Unfortunately, at the time, we were unable to change them within our budget, and it has been a long-term ambition to find the funds to do this work. Preserving the history of the building was important to us and the windows are a special decorative feature with iconic corner detailing on each of the panes. We were pleased to be able to work with a local company, Bodnant Joinery, who perfectly replicated the original windows in hardwood. The result is a beautiful new frontage on the building that better retains heat inside the coffee shop and futureproofs the museum for the next generation. 

Once again, we’ve outdone ourselves over the last twelve months and delivered the largest activity programme for children and families that we have embarked on to date. Our theme for the year was ‘sun, moon and stars’ and thanks to SPF and Carneddau funding, we were able to outreach our programme to Rowen, Llanrwst, Llanfairfechan and Dwygyfylchi, as well as making use of the ever-improving outdoor space at Eden Hall Garden. 

Our winter family activities took place in half-term week, when we participated in the annual Museum Festival and ran a week-long potion trail hunt at the museum. Each participant got a goodie bag when they completed the trail. It was so popular, we ran out of goodie bags and had to buy more sweets and fill more bags towards the end of the week! 

We made a big change to our winter lecture series for 2024-2025, starting the talks half an hour earlier. The attendance figures for the talks has increased substantially, and it’s likely due to a combination of the new start-time, a fantastic programme of speakers, and the hard work of the co-ordinator booking and managing the programme, as well as the amazing input from all of our volunteers who help out with the talks. 

Our volunteer network has continued to grow. Our volunteers are the backbone in enabling us to provide increasingly numbers of services to the community, including talks, activities, our warm hub facility, exhibitions and managing our shop, Cynefin. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our volunteers for their tremendous work and also to thank our members for their continuing support. 

Shirley Cox - Chairperson 



## contents 

|s e c t i o n|1|annual report||
|---|---|---|---|
|||our history||
|||our mission||
|||what we want to achieve||
|||how we are managed||
|||standards||
|||partnerships||
|s e c t i o n|2|annual review highlights||
|s e c t i o n|3|annual accounts||
|||independent examiner’s report||
|||balance sheet||
|||our funding||






## annual report 

Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum’s Trustees are pleased to present our annual report and audited financial accounts for the year ended 31[st] March 2024.  This annual report focuses on activity from April 2024 to March 2025. 

## board of trustees 

## administrative details 

Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum charity number (until Aug 2024):  1148984 charity number (after Aug 2024: 1209431 registered office 

Penmaenmawr Museum The Old Post Office Hen Ffordd Conwy Penmaenmawr  LL34 6UU 

Telephone: 01492 621462 www.penmaenmawrmuseum.co.uk 

Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum is an independent accredited museum. This main body of this report was compiled in March 2025, and the trustees governing the organisation are: 

Dennis Roberts President Shirley Cox Chairperson Christopher Knowles Treasurer Sionyn Foulkes Jones Philippa Humphrey Michael Moore John Good Selwyn Hughes Isobel Kenyon Susan Ellis Mike Badger 

## auditors 

Mags Bookkeeping Birch House Business Centre Hen Lon Parcwr 

Ruthin LL15 1NA 

## staff 

Up to March 2025, the organisation employs three part-time members of staff. The two coffee shop roles are funded by the museum’s core income. 



## our history 

Penmaenmawr Historical Society was established in 1973. Over twenty years, the society collected a sizeable number of photographs, objects and stories related to Penmaenmawr and the surrounding area.  This collection inspired the opening of Penmaenmawr Museum in 2002. 

The original museum was based in New York Cottages. It was established as project between Conwy Council and Penmaenmawr Town Council, supported by members of the historical society. 

The society took responsibility for the management of the museum in 2006.  It didn’t take long for the museum to outgrow the small quarryman’s cottage, and by 2015 the trustees decided to look for new premises in the centre of town.  A feasibility study identified the former post office building as being the most suitable option, and after a period of negotiation with Conwy Council, the ‘Old Post Office’ became the new home for Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum in 2017. 

A grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund helped to pay for the building’s renovation, new exhibition displays and the installation of a coffee shop. Since then, further capital grant opportunities and the museum’s income from donations, sales and subscriptions have enabled the installation of a first floor gallery space and quiet room. 

The organisation has retained its independent museum status, managed and run by a dedicated team of trustees, staff and volunteers. Together we are all part of protecting and promoting Penmaenmawr’s story. 






## our mission & objectives 

Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum exists to promote, preserve and celebrate the heritage of Penmaenmawr and its surrounding areas. Working with our local and wider diverse communities, the museum will foster the conditions for wellbeing, education and social engagement through our collections, exhibitions and outreach programmes. The museum will be at the heart of cultural life in Penmaenmawr, inspiring people to discover, learn and engage with our community heritage and understand its place in the history of Wales and the wider world. 

- To advance the education of the public of Penmaenmawr and its visitors in the cultural and natural history of the area. 

- To establish and maintain a museum in Penmaenmawr for the educational, social, wellbeing and economic benefit of the community. 

- To preserve, promote and make accessible a collection of cultural objects and archival material relating to Penmaenmawr. 




## what we want to achieve 

Develop Penmaenmawr Museum as a key heritage attraction for Conwy and North Wales 

- Build the profile of Penmaenmawr Museum on a local, regional and national level by building strategic partnerships and improving our marketing and communications strategy. 

- Build a resilient organisation with the capacity to fulfil its objectives through training, volunteer recruitment, partnership working and effective financial management. 

## Achieve excellence in collections management and care 

- Develop our collections and encourage their use for enjoyment, research and learning. 

- Improve the conservation and care of our collections, including the environmental conditions and security of their current storage arrangements. 

Provide an excellent visitor experience and learning for a diverse and growing audience 

- Explore new methods of interpretation, using different media to appeal to different styles of learning and enjoyment. 

- Improve our learning and enjoyment offer for children and young people. 



## how we are managed 

Managing a historical society and an accredited museum that meets national standards requires a diverse range of skills and knowledge, comprising: 

- Academic approaches to local history research / knowledge 

- Governance and organisational management 

- Strategic and policy management 

- Archive and collections care knowledge and skills 

- Financial and funding management 

- Customer service and sales co-ordination 

- People management and support 

PRESIDENT Dennis Roberts role: historian / HR 

CHAIRPERSON Shirley Cox role: strategic management / collections 

SECRETARY Susan Ellis role: collections 

TRUSTEE Sionyn Foulkes Jones role: H&S / facilities / IT 

TRUSTEE Selwyn Hughes role: interpretation 

TRUSTEE TREASURER Isobel Kenyon Christopher Knowles role: retail & marketing role: treasurer / membership TRUSTEE TRUSTEE Michael Moore John Good role: H&S / facilities role: human resources TRUSTEE TRUSTEE Philippa Humphrey Mike Badger role: first aid / hygiene role: arts development 

Management Committee structure March 2025 



## standards 

Penmaenmawr Museum has achieved full accreditation status since 2014. Trustees, staff and volunteers who join the museum team receive training on the national standards we maintain as part of their induction process. 

Full accreditation status means that the way Penmaenmawr Museum manages the organisation, the way we care for our collections and how we engage with the public and volunteers have met the quality standards required by MALD (the Welsh Government’s Museums, Archives and Libraries Division) and Arts Council England. The museum is tested every five years. 

Our collection management has to meet the nine primary procedures set out by Spectrum, the UK collection management standard that is used around the world. 




## our partnerships 

Penmaenmawr Museum has strong partnerships with local organisations and the statutory sector. We are also part of a nationwide network of museums, heritage professionals, learning institutions and arts organisations. 

The museum is part of the Creu Conwy Culture Strategy partnership. This is a ‘hub and spoke’ approach to conserving and promoting heritage across Conwy county. Led by Conwy Culture Centre, we work closely with a network of museums and the Creu Conwy team to share expertise and resources. 

Since 2016, we have been part of the Carneddau Landscape Partnership. The project is led by Snowdonia National Park and involves twenty-three partners across Conwy and Gwynedd, focusing on the conservation of the Carneddau landscape as an important heritage asset. As a key partner, we have entered a Service Level Agreement with the partnership to deliver activities and learning programmes in Penmaenmawr. We have also been actively involved in their ‘Landscape of Neolithic Axes’ and oral history programmes. 




MAWR
SEU

## A p r 2 4 – M a r 2 5 review highlights 

## 1. Summer programme 

Penmaenmawr Museum delivered 36 family activities during the summer of 2024. All activities were focused on the theme ‘sun, moon and stars’, and they included a pop-up planetarium, science sessions and crafts. 1156 participants attended the programme, and our volunteers gave 432 hours of their time to make it a success. 





## 2. Lecture series 

We had another interesting variety of lecture topics this year, covering topics such as architecture, sheepfolds and witchcraft. There was a marked increase in attendance for this year’s lectures, and the one on witchcraft was extremely popular, to the extent that some people could not enter the lecture hall because the venue was full. This was a learning curve for the museum and for talks of this nature in future, we will introduce a ticket system. 

Part of the success of this year’s programme could be attributed to changing the lecture start time to 7pm (from 7.30pm). We think this time has made the lectures more accessible for people venturing out on the dark winter nights, as they are able to get home at a reasonable time when the lecture ends. The bookmarks advertising the lectures continue to be a successful way of informing people about the annual talks programme, and we plan to continue this approach into 2025-2026. 

We’d like to thank all the speakers who agreed to provide lectures for our programme this year, and also our volunteers who help during the talks by selling raffle tickets, setting up equipment and serving refreshments. 


## 3. New governance structure 

After consultation with our members, in 2024 Penmaenmawr Museum finalised the process of changing our governance structure to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The Charity Commission issued our new charity number and we formally adopted our new constitution and structure in August 2024. We would like to thank our members for the support they have given us throughout this process. This governance structure change is important – it safeguards the future of the museum and our collections for future generations. 



## 4. Branding 

To complement Penmaenmawr Museum’s new governance structure, we decided to refresh our branding and logo in a way that would bring together the museum and shop more cohesively. The new logo incorporates a stylised ‘A’ (for Amgueddfa), ‘P’ (for Penmaenmawr), and ‘M’ (for museum), in a shape that reflects the Carneddau mountain range above the museum building. The logo colours also reflect Penmaenmawr’s landscape and the location of the museum – the purple of the heather of the mountains, the green of the natural landscape, the blue of the sea, and the black-grey of the rock. 



## 5. Warm Hub 

With the aid of grant funding from the Social Prosperity Fund, we were able to offer a warm hub facility again this year, from January to March 2025. Visitors to the warm hub could access free hot drinks, games and a warm place to sit and socialise. If funding becomes available again, we would like to continue to provide this valuable service next January. 




## 6. Cynefin – museum gift shop 

This is the fourth year of Cynefin’s presence on the high street in Penmaenmawr. The shop has continued to grow its customer base, attract more dedicated volunteers and generate a small profit that supports the running of the museum. Space in our current retail premises is very limited and we are actively looking for new, larger shop premises in 2026. It wouldn’t be possible to open the shop, manage the stock and provide a valued service to customers without all the wonderful shop volunteers. We would like to thank them for their continuing commitment and the excellent service they provide. 

## 7. Irish Mail Crash exhibition 

Over the last twelve months, one of the museum’s trustees, Chris Knowles, with the help of Sionyn, has been working hard on preparing a demonstration exhibition about the Irish Mail crash of 1950. 

The exhibition includes a working model showing how the crash happened, video and audio, and even smells that are activated by events on the model railway. Preparing the exhibition has been an epic undertaking and we look forward to it opening in April 2025. 




.¥1.

## annual accounts 

## 1. Restricted and unrestricted funds 

Restricted funds are funds that the museum has been awarded, usually from a trust or large funder, after making an application for specific purposes or items. Restricted funds HAVE to be spent on the items or projects that we have requested the money for. Unrestricted funds refers to money that the museum has raised through donations, memberships and sales, that can be spent on utilities, exhibitions or services that help us fulfil our objectives. 

At the close of our accounting period to March 31[st] 2025, Penmaenmawr Historical Society had £2,250 in restricted funds. This funding is restricted to use on items that we had approved quotations for, including a temporary exhibition on the Irish Mail crash and marketing activities. 

Unrestricted funds at the close of our accounting period to March 31[st] 2025, stood at £30,000. Due to the cost-of-living crisis and rising utility bills, the only spend planned from the unrestricted reserves is for core costs of running the museum and ensuring the archive is maintained to meet accreditation standards. 

## 2. Expenditure 

The main expenditure 2024-2025 has been on maintenance of the displays, upgrading the building including a new kitchen and new windows, engagement activities, staffing and rising utility bills. The current financial year shows a deficit due to grant funds allocated for projects having to be spent before being claimed back in June 2024. 



Profft •nd Lo8• a8 •t 31st March X125
2025
TTrdhr¥ Mu5eurn Sh
TradI￿- Coffee S￿P
£ll,n3.LYI
É10.480.
£1.730.th)
El.296.C#)
£531.C#)
E4,SCL).L
£143.036.Cil
£437.Crti
Memberthlp
sales
5pwfic Grant
Gr￿1 IrKome
Studo Ir￿rne
Talbs efflry lee
Raffte
£7S9.LYI
£475.LI)
£289.
E860.On
(brry Tlckets
TOTAL WCOME
£193 01600
Cost d sal
£14 68600
M•t
£178 33000
£129_Tr3
tOAE Museum consufflablo5
tOAE ConiractssuN*es
tOAE Museum ewwe
£918.
,548.
£795.
COAE Museum resources
COAE Insurarfes ano s
cole 8ulhJln8 maInt￿¥
came0J￿ SLAIActivlt*5
1rbtwwetat￿Th
El.WC#)
£iAO.C#)
É1.28&CiI
£1.￿9.00
£1.273.(WJ
£552.00
£4.C68.00
£42.415_(Xl
E14.633.C#)
E16.663.C#)
t2.397.Cil
£2.080.00
£176.1)0
£4.246.
È831.
£39.678.
£10.310_¢JO
£3.890.00
£557 00
£153 17000
'bus FED
Athty•s SPF
SPF m•lrtefi*i
SPF E¢wpmerti marer*ls
SPF Marketl
Inswanr*
Trainhig SPF
aff Trad￿&
Stsn Costs
& r•
bad dob•
TOTAL ExPE￿lTURE
Pmfit & Loss
£25. 160 00
W• confm thal th• Inrxrff* ar#J Ewdllm 8Th1 th• 8aL4fK• Sttwl a8 at 31 2025 hav• b•￿ Ix•pw•d

P•nma•nmawr Mug•um
Charity numb•r 1148984
Balanc• Sh•ot
413191 March 2026
2025
£1284.C#)
t47.311.￿)
£10.917.171
Re5eThe
Debtor
Totsl Cufr•nt Ag$0ts
£S9,612.110
Not wesented
Total Curr•nt LlabS1tt1•8
N•t A88•ts
£59 512.lJO
Rewesented by."
BalaTrx al 01A)412024
Loss
£34.352.CLI
£25.160.00
Bal•nc•
12.
We ¢￿￿mi that the I￿ome and EypeThJiture Account and the Balarte Sh￿1 as at 31
2025 have been preparEd from the accounb'ng reo)rds ol the A¥¥ooakn WKI are
a￿ord￿ with those recc¥ds.
Ath*led by Mag811 Lo￿1 P8s¢al PhllLovellAsxtiales Ltd f/A Mogs Bothkkeepi
SwJnalure.'

CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
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examiner's stalemeni I have c(xntsted my examination. I confinn that rn material matters have
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of the Chanties Act. or
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the accwnts did rK)t clynp￿ with the applicable requirements
conceming the foffti an¢J conlent of accounls set out in the c1wit￿S
(Accounls and Repottsl ReguLitions 2008 other than any requremw)I
that Ihe acc(MJnts give a Irue and fairf view which a matter
cons￿le￿ as part of an ￿dependent examinat￿.
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the examinat￿￿ to which attent￿n shouhj be drawn m this report in
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. Please delete the words in t1￿ b￿￿ets rflhey ¢Yo not apply.
Date:
12lli112025
si￿.
Name:
Magali Lov*Pa5cal
Relevant professional
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Oct 2018

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IER
Oct 2018

## our funding 

Penmaenmawr Museum is a registered charity.  We raise money through membership subscriptions, donations, the sale of products online and in the museum’s gift shop, coffee shop sales and by applying for grants from external funders. 

We apply for grants for specific projects. If we are successful in our application, the funding is usually paid in arrears after we have produced evidence of spend. Grant funding has to be used for exactly what we have asked for in our application. All grant applications have to be thoroughly costed in advance of applying, with three quotations for each item or service over £1000. 

From 2024-2025, Penmaenmawr Museum was committed to spending external funding grant monies that we were awarded from the following organisations: 

- Welsh Government – Social Prosperity Fund 

- Welsh Museums Federation 

- Carneddau Landscape Partnership Scheme (NLHF) 




We would like to thank all the members of Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum for their continuing support 




**Independent examiner's report on the accounts** 


## **Section A                        Independent Examiner’s Report** 

|**Report to the trustees**<br>**On accounts for the year**<br>**ended**<br>**Set out on pages**|Charity Name<br>Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum|Charity Name<br>Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum|Charity Name<br>Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum|
|---|---|---|---|
|||||
||31/03/2025|**Charity no**<br>**(if any)**|1148984|
|||||
||(remember  to include the page numbers of additional sheets)|||



I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended **31/03/2025** . 

**Responsibilities and** As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the **basis of report** accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). 

I report in respect of my examination of  the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

**Independent examiner's statement** I have completed my examination.  I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or 

- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or 

- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

- _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._ 

**Date:** 12/01/2025 

**Signed: Name:** Magali Lovell-Pascal **Relevant professional** Institute Of bookkeepers **qualification(s) or body (if any):** 

1 

**Oct 2018** 

**IER** 



**Address:** Birch House Business Centre 

Hen Lon Parcwr Ruthin LL15 1NA 

## **Section B                           Disclosure** 

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). 

**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** . 

2 

**Oct 2018** 

**IER** 



**Independent examiner's report on the accounts** 


## **Section A                        Independent Examiner’s Report** 

|**Report to the trustees**<br>**On accounts for the year**<br>**ended**<br>**Set out on pages**|Charity Name<br>Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum|Charity Name<br>Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum|Charity Name<br>Penmaenmawr Historical Society and Museum|
|---|---|---|---|
|||||
||31/03/2025|**Charity no**<br>**(if any)**|1148984|
|||||
||(remember  to include the page numbers of additional sheets)|||



I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended **31/03/2025** . 

**Responsibilities and** As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the **basis of report** accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). 

I report in respect of my examination of  the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

**Independent examiner's statement** I have completed my examination.  I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or 

- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or 

- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

- _Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply._ 

**Date:** 12/01/2025 

**Signed: Name:** Magali Lovell-Pascal **Relevant professional** Institute Of bookkeepers **qualification(s) or body (if any):** 

1 

**Oct 2018** 

**IER** 



**Address:** Birch House Business Centre 

Hen Lon Parcwr Ruthin LL15 1NA 

## **Section B                           Disclosure** 

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). 

**Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose** . 

2 

**Oct 2018** 

**IER**