Sarisbury Green Parish Rooms
sgpr.org.uk
The Louisa Seymour Charity No. 205807
217 Barnes Lane, Sarisbury Green, Hampshire SO31 7BH
Annual Report for January to December 2024
This charity is responsible for the running of the Sarisbury Green Parish Rooms. Details can be found on our website SGPR.org.uk. The building comprises of two halls, a committee room and a large kitchen. The address for correspondence is 217 Barnes Lane, Sarisbury Green, Hampshire SO31 7BH. It is constituted by a Trust Deed dated 5th March 1892, updated on 28th November 1986.
The charitable purpose is the provision and maintenance of the Parish Rooms for the use of the inhabitants of the parish of St Paul’s, Sarisbury Green (the area of benefit) without distinction of political opinions, including the use for meetings, education, lectures, classes and for other forms of leisure activities, with the object of improving the lives and conditions of the said inhabitants.
The public benefit is that the rooms are available to the public at very competitive rates. The Parish Rooms are maintained to a high standard using income received by lets, and they continue to be improved and maintained by regulation and changing needs.
The Charity is administered by Trustees, five of whom are elected annually. Other committee members are appointed from local organisations (Hampshire County Council) and up to two are co-opted. The committee is made up as follows:
Chairman Paul Bowler Secretary Michelle Day Treasurer Amanda Williams Trustee members Tony Linford, Mary Farmer, Sarah-Jane Tarr, Steve Launey, Joanne Burton, Jessica Axtell Invited Committee members Bob Edney
Day to day management is overseen by the trustees and carried out in the main by the secretary. All roles are voluntary which contributes to halls very competitive rates. The committee meets generally four times a year. The Charity has no employees. Contract services are used on a regular basis for hall cleaning, window cleaning hygiene services and general maintenance.
Secretary’s Report
Our main hirers continue to be the Dance School and college whose hours have overall remained the same as last year. We have still not engaged a Preschool since the former closed in 2022. Early in the year a Meditation Group started regular Friday sessions which continued through the year. In the Summer which is a quiet month as the Dance School/College is on holiday, we booked a week with two local Artists who were taking part in the ‘Open Studio’ event. This event proved very successful and resulted in a 2 week booking for 2025. The other regular hirer is a Big Band group who hire one evening a week. Weekend party bookings are not as busy previous years.
The new refundable deposit for party bookings to cover extra cleaning/energy costs has been very helpful. We have also introduced an online bookings calendar and door cameras to help monitor bookings and maintain security of the building and the people who use it.
Maintenance
There was an underground water leak which needed to be rectified quickly. Luckily there was little impact on the building and were able to keep open.
Electric hand dryers were installed to take over from using paper towels which are expensive and not environmentally friendly.
The wooden floor in the main hall was professionally cleaned and lacquered plus anti-slip additive applied. The regular service of all electrical and fire equipment was carried out.
All work was completed to a high standard to ensure the building is safe and fit for purpose.
Treasurers Report
Income received 2024 £36,056 2023 £36,476 Expenditure 2024 £24,200 2023 £34,600 Total Monetary Assets year end 2024 £50,872 2023 £39,727
Income has remained the same as last year however expenditure was low as we did not commit funds to a major project.
The Accounts for 2024 were presented and discussed with the Trustees at the committee meeting on 22/4/25. Copies of the accounts 2024 have been approved by the Chairman, Secretary and Trustees. An audited breakdown of our accounts by Jenny Hammer is attached to this report. Full audited accounts are available on request.
Chairman’s Report
After working hard to make the building more energy efficient we have managed to reduce energy costs substantially by 45%.
We are committed to maintaining and improving the building for our users in the local community. The plan for 2024 was to refurbish the Ladies toilet. Disappointingly we did not secure a builder for the project until the following year 2025.
We have been able to continue to support the local community with donations to a Volunteer Gardening group of £200 and Sarisbury Junior School of £500 to support struggling families at Christmas.
The Sarisbury Parish Rooms continue to be a thriving and popular local asset used and enjoyed by the community. Our Trustees meet regularly and are aware of their responsibilities in ensuring continuing professional management.
Michelle Day Secretary Amanda Williams Treasurer Paul Bowler Chairman