Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall
Annual Report - 2022/2023
Registered Charity Number 202781
Report and Accounts 30 June 2023
The report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 June 2023
Introduction
The duly elected Trustees of the hall also serve as the Village Hall Management Committee (VHMC) and are composed solely of volunteers who manage and look after the maintenance and running of the hall to enable the safe use for all hirers and to keep the hall available for the whole community.
The Board of Trustees present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 30 June 2023 and are satisfied with the performance of the charity during the year and the position at 30 June 2023. We also consider that the charity is in a strong position to continue its activities during the coming year, and that the charity's assets are adequate to fulfill its obligations.
Review of progress and achievements
I would like to start by thanking Jean Calway who has had to retire from the hall’s committee this year due to ill health after over ten years on the committee. She has also been very involved with the hall going back many more years dealing with events and has been our rock dealing with the catering of nearly every event that the hall has put on for as many years as I can remember. We will miss her valued opinions, knowledge and help over the years and I would like to pass on our very best wishes to her for the future.
The VHMC has prepared a comprehensive planned preventative maintenance schedule of works which has started in 2023. This is to protect the building structure and fabric of the hall and so includes all aspects such as, roof, windows, stone work, heating, lighting and electrical work and to ensure that we are compliant with all necessary obligations to enable a safe and healthy environment for the hall to be used. These works will be prioritised accordingly and actioned as soon as possible. We extended our annual two weeks maintenance closure time in August this year to six weeks to accommodate as much of the work as possible. We are at present awaiting planning consent for the majority of the work needed to be done and have planned to close the hall from 7[th] July 2024 for seven weeks in order to accommodate this work.
The roof has had a historic leak repaired which worsened last year with the bad weather and we had to install a temporary leak diverter inside the hall while we obtained quotes for the repairs and planning consent, as we are a grade two listed building. Scaffolding was already up outside the hall as we had a buddleia removed from the chimney stack together with the rebuilding of the whole chimney stack last year. We also had the boiler house roof replaced which was leaking. We had to close the hall for a few days during this work being carried out due to falling debris inside the hall and roof tiles falling near to the side entrance.
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The VHMC has now purchased a defibrillator which has been installed on the outside wall near to the side entrance and our premises will be added to the defibrillator list for Westbury-on-Trym found in the BS9 magazine.
The hall’s funds are in a financially good position going forward and we have also received a further legacy of £5,906 to add to the nearly £15 thousand pounds last year from Walter Finley who was our regular booking secretary of nearly 30 years standing.
I would like to thank the committee for their support during the year together with all the volunteers that have given up so much of their own time.
Detailed reports on various areas of running the Village Hall are in Appendices 1 and 2
Name, registered office and constitution of the charity
The full name of the charity is Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall.
The legal registration details are: Date of formation 16 February 1962 The Principal Office is Eastfield Road, Westbury-on-Trym, BS9 4AG Charity Registration Number 202781 The telephone number is 0117 962 3399
A summary of the objectives of the charity as set out in its governing document.
The objective of the Charity is to provide and maintain a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of Westbury-on-Trym and surrounds for recreational and leisure purposes.
Public benefit that is provided by the charity
The VHMC aims to provide first class Hall facilities at an affordable cost to the local community and the charity depends largely on the continuing help of local volunteers.
The Hall is available for hire by any individual or organization in accordance with the standard hiring agreement and scale of charges adopted for the year. It is intended that the scale of charges be sufficient together with the associated bar profit to generate enough income to meet all expenditure incurred in providing and improving the Hall and maintain a reserve of accumulated funds which will enable them to properly maintain and operate the Hall. This reserve will also provide resources to meet exceptional costs and/or running expenses should unforeseen circumstances arise to interrupt normal fund raising activities. The Trustees intend that the reserve will be at least £30,000 and will not in normal circumstances exceed £150,000. Improvements are also funded by events arranged by supporters of the Hall, and from income, donations, dividends and interest.
Structure, Governance and Management
Nature of the Governing Document and constitution of the charity
The Charity's governing document was signed and sealed on 8th October 1981. It covers the administration of the charity, outlines its charitable objectives, deals with the appointment, procedures and obligations of the committee of management and the conduct of meetings.
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Financial Review
Availability and adequacy of assets of each of the funds
The Board of Trustees is satisfied that the charity's assets in each fund are available and adequate to fulfill its obligations in respect of each fund.
Transactions and Financial position – See appendix 1 (Accounts Report - separate document)
The members of the Board of Trustees of the Charity during the year ended 30 June 2021 were:
Graham Plummer (chair) Christian Strat Henry Deval Hilary Long Jane Plummer Patrick Thorpe
The Trustees are all members of the charity.
Any new nominations for Trustees - Names to be given at the AGM meeting.
The members of the Board of Trustees of the Charity at the date the report and accounts were approved were:
Graham Plummer (chair) Christian Strat Henry Deval Hilary Long Jane Plummer Patrick Thorpe
Independent Examiner - to be appointed by the Trustees.
Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities
Charities registered in England and Wales that are not companies are allowed under section 42(3) of the Charities Act 1993 to prepare receipts and payments accounts provided the charity’s gross income is not over £250,000 for financial years ending on or after 1 April 2009. For financial years ending prior to 1 April 2009, this gross income threshold for receipts and payments accounting was lower at £100,000. Receipts and payments accounts are expected to show a ‘true and fair view’ of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs as is required with accounts prepared on the accruals basis.
All current accounting standards are fulfilled in the presentation of these accounts.
• receipts and payments accounts should be prepared in a consistent way from year to year; and
• if valuations are provided in the statement of assets and liabilities, they should be relevant, reliable and understandable.
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The Trustees are responsible for maintaining adequate accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with regulations made under the Charities Act. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Trustees are also responsible for the contents of the Trustees' report and the responsibility of the independent examiner in relation to the Trustees' report is limited to examining the report and ensuring that, on the face of the report, there are no inconsistencies with the figures disclosed in the financial statements.
This report was approved by the Board of Trustees on 11[th] October 2023.
G. F. Plummer
Chairman
Appendix 1 - Accounts Report - See separate document
Appendix 2 - Committee Reports
1 Booking Secretary: General/Regular – Henry Deval
The number of regular hirers now totals 19. Two long-standing bookings have been lost – Yoga and Pilates. Regular bookings include Badminton (4), Bridge, Brownies, Embroidery, Karate, SUSWOT, Tai Chi, WOTSOC and Zumba. We continue to receive many enquiries from different clubs and associations requesting regular weekly bookings, which we are unable to accommodate, as we are fully booked in the evenings.
Booking details – 2021/22 in brackets Parties 31 (35) Concerts 3 (2) Christening/Naming ceremony 1 (1) Wakes 0 (3) Misc 6 (5)
2 Booking Secretary: Weddings – Graham Plummer
I would like to report that all the weddings held here at the hall have been very successful and we continue to receive very good feedback and compliments to the Hall from our hirers and their guests. Weddings are not only very popular but together with their bar revenue provide the main source of income for the Hall.
The maximum number of wedding receptions agreed by the committee are about 12 per calendar year not financial year. This is to ensure that the hall is also made available to hire for other events including community ones and there were 10 wedding receptions held in the year 2023 and 13 in our financial year ending 30/06/23. I also try to keep to only two per month and two in consecutive weeks as they do require
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a lot of volunteer work which we are struggling for. We only have 8 confirmed bookings so far for 2024 which is partly due to the hall being closed for maintenance purposes in July and August. We do however already have one wedding booked in for 2025. The Hall continues to enjoy a good working relationship with local businesses who regularly provide catering, decorating and music services for the hirers. I am very grateful for the support of all of our bar volunteers, especially those who have covered wedding bars in the daytime in addition to their normal evening bar duties.
3 Bar Manager - Graham Plummer
Bar takings and profits remain a good source of income for the hall and without this income the hall would have made a loss this year. The actual total bar income for the year was £31,105 (including corkage of £2,474); this was £15,046 more than last year’s income of £16,059. Wedding bar income alone amounted to £20,484 compared to £10,638 last year. There were a total of 33 bars during the financial year, 13 of which were weddings.
I would like to say a big thank you to all our bar volunteers who give up their valuable time, mainly on a Saturday in the day or in the evening, in order to help behind the bar, and to say that without their help we would not be able to host as many bookings with bars, which creates a high level of income for the hall.
I am constantly trying to increase the number of bar volunteers as we currently only have about 10 regular volunteers, hopefully this can be improved on over the next year.
4 Gardening report - Mike Chant
2023 has been quite a good year for the Village Hall Gardens. Despite the unpredictable British weather we managed to maintain a variety of colours and forms, from the daffodils and tulips in early spring to the mixed bedding plants throughout summer, up to the present time.
The established shrubs and trees continue to fill the side border alongside the side lawn, although we are careful to maintain them to a manageable and practical size, using professional expertise on the larger specimens.
There is one new addition to the garden. You may have noticed that a small conifer tree in the border near to the side entrance gate had died. We had it cut down and the stump removed and recently an Acer Palmatum was planted in its place. This particular variety, called Taylor, changes colour as the seasons change so hopefully it will add some more interest to the garden.
The side lawn suffered very badly from the work that was carried out on the roof to investigate the leak above the main hall entrance doors. Scaffold boards, tubes and tiles were strewn all over the lawn and when they were eventually cleared away large areas of bare soil were exposed where the grass had died away. Those areas have recently been prepared and re-seeded and hopefully in a week or two new grass will start to appear.
I would like to finish by saying that the Hall gardens are looked after and maintained for the benefit of the community of Westbury-on-Trym.
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5 Buildings and Maintenance Manager – Patrick Thorpe
Electrical Works:
Over this year we have carried out selective electrical works in line with the requirements of the Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). These being the work to the garage that involved the provision of new lighting and power and the safety measure of replacing the existing 32amp fuse with a 20amp fuse, in line with the capacity of the supply cable. We have also changed socket outlets in the main hall to incorporate RCD detection so these sockets can be safely used to power equipment in the garden. Work in the kitchen to install additional socket outlets and the addition of new lighting to cover the waste bin area.
Emergency Lighting:
We had the whole system inspected and tested as a many of the lights had failed. The result of the inspection showed that many of the lights to be nearly 20 years old and that many had corroded batteries and fused LED indicators. The whole system, with exception of the kitchen and disabled toilet, has been replaced with new fittings. The emergency fittings in the main hall have had to be rewired to work should just the main hall lighting fail. The lighting is now fully compliant with all current standards and legislation.
Heating system:
The two systems, first floor rooms and the ground floor, have had the required Gas Safe inspections carried out. The boiler on the first floor is working correctly but due to its age there is now very limited spare parts available, therefore this may need to be replaced with new in the near future. The boiler on the ground floor is having to work harder than it should due the state of the pipework and heater cabinets in the committee room and main hall. The air filters in the heater cabinets have had to be removed due to them being clogged with many years of dirt and grime.
We have had an electrical inspection of the heater cabinets, as one in the main hall has a fault on the fan. The inspection found that all the heaters have had modification to the wiring over the years and none are now wired as the original intention. We therefore don’t know what is and isn’t working correctly, but all wiring was checked for damage and termination and found to be safe.
The pipework suppling the water to the heater underwent a pressure test to prove its soundness but unfortunately the test failed. For the test to have failed there must be a leak in the pipework, the location and severity of the leak is unknown due to the inaccessibility of the pipework which is below floor level. We are now working with a heating engineering company to review options for the heating.
Side Entrance:
We have installed a new floor and matwell and repaired the damaged skirting as well as repainted the walls.
Planning and Listed Building Consent Applications:
Much of the year has been spent putting together documentation and applying for Listed Building Consent for the following works:
Rebuilding of the gable wall of the kitchen due to structural problems. New escape doors in the main hall. Repointing and stone repairs to the low level stonework at the buttresses of the main hall. Replacement of openable metal windows.
Installation of a Defibrillator box
We have currently only been granted approval for the installation of the defibrillator box which has now been installed.
We are continuing to chase the planning department for approval to carry out the rebuild of the kitchen wall and will in the next few weeks submit new applications for other works.
Kitchen Wall Structural Issues:
We have over the past year been monitoring the state of the cracking appearing in the blockwork and window stonework. The situation as developed to a point where we have had to employ the services of a structural Engineer to advise on the issue. The Structural Engineer has produced a comprehensive report
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highlighting the issues and providing a structural solution to the problem. We are now awaiting Listed Building Consent to be able to carry out limited demolition of the wall to below window level and rebuilding to the new structural design. As part of the structural investigation, we referred to the original Architects drawing and noted that the design did not include the kitchen extract system, fans, ducting and extract hood. This equipment has added considerable load to the lintels over the window for which they are not designed and can find no evidence that a structural checking was carried out before the extract system was installed.
Health and Safety Documentation:
As with all establishments that engage with hirers and the public, we have up to update documentation to cover current legal requirements. As such we have issued a new Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Evacuation Plan for all hirers along with the updated General Risk Assessment.
We have also had a full review of Health and Safety at the Hall carried out by and independent Health and Safety Professional. As part of this review this we had the water services tested for the presence of Legionella. There is currently no sign of the bacteria, but this will need to be supported by further testing every year.
6 Events – Graham Plummer
A successful jazz evening event was held in December last year, with special thanks to Hilary and Bill Long for dealing with the catering at the last minute and the organising. The annual Village Show was also held in September this year and is covered below.
7 Village Show – Carole Thorpe
Oral report to be given by Carole, as Chairman of the Village Show.
We are very grateful for the continued generous support of the Village Show and would like to thank Carole and all the village show committee together with all the volunteers involved in making this such a great event, year after year.
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Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall
Audited Accounts
30 June 2023
Charity Number: 202781
Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall Contents
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Income and expenditure account | 1 |
| Balance sheet | 2 |
| Notes to the accounts | 3 - 5 |
Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 30 June 2023
| Income Cost of income Gross income Other business income Expenses Premises expenses Repairs and renewals of property and equipment Telephone, stationery and other office costs Accountancy, legal and other professional fees Depreciation and loss/(profit) on sale Other business expenses Surplus |
2023 £ 82,188 12,303 69,885 4,283 20,263 28,945 4,526 3,330 (827) 834 57,071 17,097 |
2022 £ 57,308 8,638 48,670 1,690 14,116 6,497 1,566 3,192 5,462 896 31,729 18,631 |
|---|---|---|
1
Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall Balance Sheet as at 30 June 2023
| Notes Fixed assets Equipment and machinery 3 Other fixed assets 4 Current assets Bar stock COIF balance Bank balances Cash in hand Other current assets and prepayments Current liabilities Other liabilities and accruals Net current assets Net assets Funds of the charity Balance at start of period Net surplus |
1,584 81,010 32,556 316 5,525 120,991 10,427 |
2023 £ 4,018 72,258 76,276 110,564 186,840 169,743 17,097 186,840 |
1,761 78,914 20,654 470 2,898 104,697 10,403 |
2022 £ 5,383 70,066 75,449 94,294 169,743 151,112 18,631 169,743 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Graham Plummer ( Chairman )
Dated: 13 October 2023
2
Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2023
1 Accounting basis
The trustees present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2023.
2 Income and expenditure account analysis
| Income Public hire of hall Bar income Corkage Village show Event income Miscellaneous Donations Cost of income Bar supplies Event expenses Other business income Interest receivable COIF dividends Premises expenses Rates and water Gas and electric Waste Cleaning Security Repairs and renewals of property and equipment Repairs and maintenance Telephone, stationery and other office costs Telephone and internet Printing, postage and stationery Equipment expensed Accountancy, legal and other professional fees Accountants fees Insurance |
2023 £ 42,106 28,660 3,386 1,400 730 - 5,906 82,188 11,333 970 12,303 2,190 2,093 4,283 1,218 9,457 2,370 5,565 1,653 20,263 28,945 410 121 3,995 4,526 600 2,730 3,330 |
2022 £ 25,059 12,869 2,450 700 1,060 441 14,729 57,308 7,781 857 8,638 147 1,543 1,690 598 5,704 1,397 5,512 905 14,116 6,497 485 174 907 1,566 600 2,592 3,192 |
|---|---|---|
3
Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2023
| Depreciation and loss/(profit) on sale Depreciation (Surplus)/deficit on COIF values Surplus/deficit on disposal of fixed assets Other business expenses Flower fund Licence fees Sundry expenses |
1,347 (2,192) 18 (827) 300 180 354 834 |
1,528 3,895 39 5,462 300 180 416 896 |
|---|---|---|
4
Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 30 June 2023
3 Equipment and machinery
| Cost At 1 July 2022 Disposals At 30 June 2023 Depreciation At 1 July 2022 Charge for the year On disposals At 30 June 2023 Net book value At 30 June 2023 At 30 June 2022 4 Other fixed assets Investments |
2023 £ 72,258 |
Equipment £ 72,581 (2,339) 70,242 67,198 1,347 (2,321) 66,224 4,018 5,383 2022 £ 70,066 |
|---|---|---|
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examlner's Report Report to Ihe trustees Ilis i egAq-QKJ_TL7YI LIlLLLi k4AL So T(J lo 23 On accounts for the year ended Charlty no (if any) 201ig I Set out on pages I retK)rt to the trustees on my examination of the acc(nts of the above charity (Ihe Trusfi for the year ended Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are respmsible for the preparation of the counts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {Ihe Act"). I report in respect of my examinatbon of the Trust's accounts carried out under seclK)n 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying OLrt my examination, I have followed 811 Ihe apICable Directions given by the Charity Commission under sectK)n 145(5){b) of the Act. Independent he charity's gross income exceeded £250,Cth and l am qualrfied to examinerfs statement undertake the examination by being a qualrfied member of linsert name of applicaNe listed tKly]]. Delete [ ] rf not aPpIa1)le. I have completed my examinatM)n. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below "I which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: the accounting records were r1 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 conceming the fomi and content of accounts set out in the Chartties (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair. vW which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have rm) concems have come across no other matters in connection wtth the examination lo which attention should be drawn in Ihis report in order to enable a prqH underslanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets if Ihey do not appty. Signed: Daté: Nama: Relevant professional qualrficationls} or body IER Oct 2018
(if any): Address: S i4ibA SL-, LfQ _TfL¥rfI Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs lo highlight material matter5 of concern (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accn." directions and guidance for examiners}. Give hore brief details of any Items that the examiner wishes to dlsclose. IER Oct 2018