Friends of the West Bay Discovery Centre (CIO) Annual Report for the year ending
31[st] March 2026
The formal objects of the CIO are :
To advance the education of the public in matters relating to the history and natural environment of West Bay and the surrounding area by supporting the operation of the West Bay Discovery Centre through volunteering and the support of activities to enhance the visitor experience.
Registered Charity No. 1209623 Registered Address : 24 Brit View Road
Bridport DT6 4HY
1. Introduction
This is the second annual report of the Friends of the West Bay Discovery Centre (CIO), a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Charity was registered on 16[th ] August 2024, and this report covers the period to the standard year-end, which is 31[st] March 2026.
The Charity was set-up as part of the transfer of the Discovery Centre from the Bridport Area Development Trust to the Bridport Town Council to provide a voice for the Centre’s volunteers and to fund those things such as seasonal exhibitions and children’s activities that are a valuable part of the Centre but may be beyond the capacity of the Council to finance. As a registered charity we can also bid for certain types of grant funding. Beyond this we also play an active role in networking and influencing, for example at meetings of the Dorset Coast Forum and as part of the stakeholder group for the Jurassic Coast Management Plan.
The report is compiled both to comply with statutory reporting requirements for smaller charities and to inform the West Bay Discovery Centre volunteers, who play a central role in the charity's operations and the benefits it delivers. All of our volunteers are automatically members of the West Bay Discovery Centre Friends Group.
This report, as it covers the period to March 2026, will not reflect fully activities since that time.
2. How the Friends of the Discovery is organised and managed.
The Friends are set up a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Foundation Model). This means that we are managed by a board of trustees, who are the sole decision-making body, though every opportunity is taken to encourage input from our volunteers.
There are currently 8 trustees of the charity, who are listed below, all of whom are all longserving volunteers at the Discovery Centre :
Pauline Bale Penny Deacon Sarah Fletcher Alastair Gibson Nicola Kelly Sue Pollock John West Sarah West
In accordance with the constitution, new trustees must be appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the existing trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
3. Activities, achievements and public benefit delivered during the period
The Centre’s volunteers numbered 46 as of 31[st] March 2025. They contributed around 2,500 hours over the last year to supporting the Bridport Town Council in operating the Centre. This contribution equates to a monetary value of around £35,000. Their role is to provide a welcome to visitors (around 28,000 in the year in question) and to perform general stewarding duties, including operating the shop and providing information to visitors. Additionally, they help out with children’s activities and lead guided walks around West Bay. A major part of the role of the Friends Group is preparing and delivering the Centre’s seasonal exhibitions. As part of this and as a stand-alone activity, they also conduct research into West Bay, present and past, including the life of those who lived or worked here.
The Friends Group raise funds to support exhibitions and children’s activities through the summer weekly guided walks, sale of second-hand books, general fundraising activities and grants (see finance section of the report).
The first exhibition delivered by the Friends Group during this reporting period was Pier Terrace through Time. This captivating exhibition charted the role of West Bay’s most iconic building, Pier Terrace on the 140[th] anniversary of its construction. The exhibition showed the building's role in the development of West Bay as a “resort” and focused on some of the people who lived or worked in the building over time. The input from the local community and Pier Terrace residents past and present was central to the success of the exhibition. One of the most popular elements was a dolls house skilfully converted and adapted by one of our volunteers to replicate Pier Terrace with the interior reflecting two separate time periods. The exhibition costs were funded largely by a grant from Dorset Council’s Culture and Community Fund with additional funds from the Friends Group. The exhibition ran from June 2025 until March 2026. .
The supporting programme of events includes talks, walks, and children's activities. The children’s activities include sessions led by popular local artists, Darrell Wakelam, who inspired 77 children to create bathing beauty models and Jo Burlington, who engaged 72 children in the creation of houses “made from cliffs, fossils and fish”.
The programme of weekly guided walks, led by members of the Friends Group, offers visitors and local people alike insights into subjects that include West Bay’s history and wildlife. The £5 fee for a walk of around 90 minutes offers excellent value. Members of the Friends Group also offer talks and walks to community organisations such as the WI, and income from these helps support the activities mentioned above.
4. Financial Review
Income for the period up to 31st March 2026 has included a grant of £1,500 from local fundraising organisation West Bay Days, in recognition of our volunteers’ time contribution to supporting their events. A further £1,500 was donated by the Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club. We also received a grant £600 from Dorset Council’s Community and Culture Fund towards the Pier Terrace Through Time exhibition; this being the second of two equal instalments. The Curry Fund supported the reprinting of the Centre’s Geology leaflet with a grant of £289. The
other main sources of income to date have been guided walks and the sale of second-hand books. As planned, income received has been used mainly to support the cost of exhibitions, and the grant will cover printing costs and fund the children’s workshops provided by Darrell Wakelam and Jo Burlington.
As at the end of March 2026, the balance of funds held in the current and savings accounts was £5,172, which provided a healthy balance to cover the cost of exhibitions and other activities in 2026-27 and enable the Friends to establish a healthy balance.
The Charity has not yet formally adopted a reserves policy, but the draft policy proposes that reserves should be in the range of £2,500-£5,000. This figure does not include any restricted or designated funds.
The Charity’s accounts fall below the threshold requiring an independent examination or audit, but one has been conducted to provide assurance to our trustees and volunteers that our funds have been properly managed.
John West Chair of Friends of West Bay Discovery Centre 31.8.2026
The Friends of West Bay Discovery Centre R•¢oipts and Payments for tho year endlng 318t March 2026 2024-2025 Part Year Rocelpts Grants Sponsorshlp £889 £1.500 £2,389 £600 Donats'ons Talks Guided Walks Second hand books Sales Gift Aid Interest Tot•1 R•celpt• £1,598 £1,598 £140 £140 £805 £805 £179 £179 £1,275 £140 £150 £57 £889 £4,689 £5,578 £2,222 Paym•nts Exhibitions Artists Pnnling Insurance Zettle charge8 on walks £719 £470 £215 £934 £470 £60 £130 £24 £1 £1 Other exFense$ Contribution lo BridFQrt Town Council Total Paym•nts £118 £118 £500 £800 £984 £2,473 £300 £1,489 £154 Net of Receipts £3,705 £3.105 £2,067 Cash Funds last year end £600 £1.467 £2,067 Cash Funds this year £0 £5.172 £5,172 £2,067 nt of A88 and Llabll gs for the ear •ndin 31st March 202 Rostrlctod Unrostrlcted Total £0 £5.172 £5,172 Cash Funds Signed By Treasurer Swnatu Print Name Date of Approval Indepen¢Jenl Examiner Signature Print Name Date of Approval r->. 0310612026