## **JUBILEE INSTITUTE ROTHBURY**
**CHARITY No 227913**
## **ANNUAL REPORT 2024-25**
## **1. ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS**
**1.1 Address** Jubilee Institute Bridge Street Rothbury Morpeth Northumberland NE65 7SD
## **1.2 Trustees during 2024-25**
Paul Cramman Chair, Projects & Grants Fred Bogyor Vice-chair & secretary Ian Webber Minutes secretary & Security Shona Walker Treasurer Christine Abbs Invoicing treasurer Jaime Atkinson Storage mgt & Security Andy Baugh Website, social media & IT Steve Brown Facilities Management Graeme Leck Cinema & AV management Robert Mills Warm Hub Gerard Crean Co-Opted
## **1.3 Employees**
The charity has one paid employee, acting as part time caretaker and booking clerk.
## **1.4 Governing document**
The governing document under which the charity operates is a Scheme (Trust Deed) adopted on 15[th] October 2009 prepared with the guidance of the Charity Commission. Title to the land and property covered by the Scheme is vested in the Official Custodian for Charities. The Scheme specifies that the Trustees should be elected each year at the Annual General Meeting, and their number should be between 10 and 15. The Trustees subsequently elect the chair, secretary, and treasurer from among their number. On appointment Trustees are provided with copies of the Scheme and relevant Charity Commission guidance concerning their duties and responsibilities. Ten meetings of Trustees are normally held each year. All Trustee time is given voluntarily, and no Trustee receives any remuneration or other financial benefit.
**2**
## **2. PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND**
## **2.1 Object of the Charity**
This is stated in the Scheme as follows:
The object of the charity is the provision and maintenance of the Jubilee Institute, Rothbury, for use by the inhabitants of the area of benefit without distinction of political, religious, or other opinions, including use for:
- (a) meetings, lectures, and classes; and
- (b) other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation
with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants.
## **2.2 The Jubilee Insttute, its use and fnancial support**
The Jubilee Institute is a large building in the centre of Rothbury and has provided a social centre for the area for many years. The Angus Armstrong hall has a stage, film projection and surround sound system. The hall is used for a variety of social activities and events. There are five additional meeting rooms, two meetings on the first floors are on long term contracts with the Food Bank and Parish Council. Two of the remaining meeting rooms have large screen TV’s for presentations and conference calls and the third has a portable projector for presentations. The premises are licensed for public entertainment and the licence also currently covers the sale of alcohol.
This year room bookings have continued to grow with a variety of long-term contracts with regular users and short-term contracts with individuals or groups. Occasionally commercial organizations hire the facilities, but preference is always given to non-profit making organizations. We value all our customers and we are grateful for their support.
**3**
The main source of income comes from hiring rooms to individuals and organizations for a wide variety of purposes. All room hire is covered by contracts agreed between the Trustees and the user or user group.
The Patrons Scheme, through which local inhabitants make regular donations to the Institute, is a valuable contribution to finances. This, with associated Gift Aid receipts, is applied to long term and capital expenditure aiding the Trustees to make improvements to the premises that might otherwise not be possible. Our thanks go to the Patrons for their continued support.
The Trustees also run social events of various types to raise funds.
Grants for capital expenditure are obtained whenever possible.
To help keep on top of occasionally complex administration, the Trustees receive regular advice on charitable operation from CAN (Community Action Northumberland) for which we are most grateful.
## **3. MANAGEMENT REPORTS FOR 2024-25**
## **3.1 Actvites and Progress (Paul Cramman)**
This report covers the period April 2024-March 2025. The Financial Reporting Standard 102 requires that this report should show evidence of what the Rothbury Jubilee Institute is set up to do, how it does it, and what is achieved as a result of its work. Ultimately it is the users of the Hall, and the people of Coquetdale who must judge if we have met our purpose as set out in the Constitution (see Section 2.1 of this report: Object of the Charity).
The monthly management meetings have continued to be well supported by the eleven Trustees, where all management and financial matters are discussed.
This year has been a challenging one for our finances mainly due to significant problems with the lift and inevitable increases to our utility bills. This will be explained in more detail in the Treasurers report section. The Trustees have worked hard to keep costs down by performing maintenance tasks, painting and a room refurbishment. We have fully implemented our environmental and cost saving project to future proof the Jubilee institute.
As mentioned at last year’s AGM we purchased an on-line room booking system from Hallmaster and although we have had some operational teething problems the system is now up and running and has been well received. The booking system allows us to set heating thermostats to only come on when rooms are in use and provide a central point for customer contact details and other useful information. We are aware that not everyone wants to book online and bookings can still be taken by telephone by Fiona.
The Institute continues to be a popular venue with over 700 room bookings and approximately 5000 visitors this financial year. Bookings are 5% higher than the previous year.
**4**
The third element of Project Edison our environmental and financial savings project was completed on 5[th] August 2024 with the installation of 21 solar panels and a 13.2kwh Tesla battery. The SP’s and battery will provide significant savings on our grid consumption of electricity and also in the event of a power cut the batteries will keep the hall powered for several hours. The majority of the installation was financed by grants and the remainder from institute funds. The old solar panels were donated to the repair café electricians who have reused them on small projects.
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The Warm Hub continues to support the local community from the hall organising events and free advice.
One of our IT savvy Trustees has created a new website hosted by Northumberland Village Halls. This hosting service is free and allows us to promote the hall and its events with YouTube and Facebook links. Meeting rooms can also be booked from the website.
An independent fire and safety survey was undertaken at the beginning of the year. The report contained a list of actions that need to be addressed in the next financial year.
**Finally, I would thank to thank all the Trustees for their dedicated contributions to the running of the Jubilee Institute.**
## **3.2 Fund Raising and Other Events**
The Duck Race was again very successful even though weather conditions were against us with the river too dangerous for volunteers to herd the ducks. On a sunny day a large crowd still enjoyed the winning ducks being drawn by local children. The two new contactless payment machines machines were very popular prior to and on the day of the duck race, all the ducks were sold.
Over £2k was raised from two Vest Life concerts (three talented Trustees are in the band) and a big band concert. These events are popular and a Trustee events subcommittee has been set up to manage future events. Attendance to the cinema has fluctuated this year but it continues to provide valuable revenue.
Generous donations were received from Susan Barwood £678 from the sale of Christmas calendars and Mark Booth who gifted £250 and organised £250 worth of vouchers from AkzoNobel for Dulux paint. We are very grateful for these kind donations.
**5**
## **3.3 Maintenance and Improvements**
After recently being used as a store room for several years the dilapidated Blaeberry room was brought back into service by the Trustees who painted the room and laid carpet tiles. The room was subsequently rented for sole use by Rothbury Parish Council providing much needed income.
Painting of Simonside room is now complete and the hall skirting boards should be completed in the next few months.
The small store room inside the Howarth room was converted to a battery room by Trustees.
A drain pipe was unblocked and pointing performed on the bridge street entrance to hopefully resolve the damp issues.
During a scheduled service our oldest gas boiler was reported as unsafe and a new 25% more efficient boiler has been installed.
A new electric boiler was installed to provide hot water for the Cheviot room and gents toilets.
Pointing recommended from a surveyor’s report has been performed on various parts of the building. The builder did a great job by matching the colour of the new mortar to the existing mortar.
The lift has been repaired on several occasions at significant financial cost, it is currently out of service with no guarantee that a proposed repair will resolve current issue. The Trustees have decided to investigate the feasibility of procuring a new lift through grants and fund raising.
Generally, the Hall is in very good condition for its age, in no small way due to the continued hard work put in by our Trustees and caretaker, Fiona Foreman, to whom yet again we owe a large debt of thanks for the care and effort she puts into her responsibilities, both as caretaker and booking clerk.
**6**
## **3.4 Treasurer’s Report for the year ended 31 March 2025 (Shona Walker)**
(These are draft accounts for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. They final version will be agreed by the Trustees, audited by an Independent Examiner by 31/05/2025 and will be submitted to the Charity Commission.)
The Treasurer is Shona Walker and Trustees authorised to carry out online transactions are Shona Walker, Christine Abbs and Paul Cramman who are also cheque signatories on the Institute’s Lloyds bank accounts. Signatories on the CCLA Investment funds account are Shona Walker, Paul Cramman and Fred Bogyor.
## **3.4.1 Summary** ( _2023/2024 figures in italics_ )
The Institute continues to provide a well-used and vital community service, and the income generated by this provision covers the operational expenses of running the Hall. However, such a large and ageing building requires substantial capital and long term funding, and in the present economic climate, where there are fewer grants and funding opportunities for not-for-profit services, we must look ever closer at how this can be done.
Current reserves for 2024/225 decreased by £12.7k ( _2023/24 increase £1.4k),_ and were augmented by transfers from our investment funds. £6k was planned long term use of reserves to part fund our extensive solar installation and storage project, but the remainder was almost entirely due to building and equipment renewal and maintenance. In addition, there was a £3k in year shorfall in external funding for the project, which will be met in 2025/26.
As a result, the total reduction in reserves (net of investment account interest (£3k, _2023/24 £0.6k_ ) was £9.9k. Although this situation is manageable, and recurrent operational spend remains within budget, it flags up some concerns about long term and capital expenditure, and demands action (see Future Plans, below).
## **3.4.2 Income**
Operational income was slightly above expectation: Room hire income rose by 5% despite charges being held at 2023/4 levels. Proceeds from events also rose, with net profits up 25%. As for the previous year, the only major change on our direct income was in the level of grants and donations subsidising our capital projects, £19.5k _(£6.5k)_ , as we moved to Phase III of the Edison Energy Project (solar installation replacement and expansion with high capacity storage). This was partially funded by the National Lottery through CAN (£17k), and partly through a donation from Alncom (£2.5k). The remainder (£8k) was self fund. (Northumberland County Council, through our local councillor, Steven Bridget, will also contribute to the scheme in 2025/6).
Fundraising (mainly through the annual Duck Race and popular music events) and Cinema gave us profit of £4k. Funds were further boosted by Susan Barwood, who kindly donated all the profits from her calendar sales.
Our Patrons continued to support us through their generous donations, contributing £1808 to our funds earmarked for capital spending.
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## **3.4.3 Expenditure**
Revenue expenditure increased as expected in most areas, but increases in the costs of maintenance contracts and their renewal continue to be a concern. Energy contract prices rose during the year but we only see a part year impact in these accounts. The latter are under renewal and will require marked additional budget for 2024/25. However, our investment in heating controls is already giving us savings in gas usage, and we expect reasonable reductions in usage of electricity from our renewables.
The most significant item of expenditure other than the above was on the maintenance and repair of the platform lift. Unfortunately, in spite of the time and resource applied, the lift remained out of service at the end of the year and Trustees continue to look at available options.
## **3.4.4 Capital & Non-current Spend**
Expenditure on Edison, and grant funding has been mentioned above. We also replaced boilers and had plaster and stonework carried out
## **3.4.5 Future planning**
There are a number of competing priorities and an ever-growing list of replacements and improvements associated with the ageing of the large scale refurbishment that took place 3 decades ago. As well as items on the annual rolling programme, of immediate necessity:
- It will be necessary to replace our investment reserves, our plan is to do this over 3-5 years.
- Structural work with further repairs to pointing, plasterwork etc in the next year
- We must ensure a working lift- affordability may make this a medium term goal
- Operational costs will have increased markedly by the end of 2025/26; thus we have reluctantly raised room hire and cinema charges to more closely reflect usage costs.
- Trustees are already considering large-scale fundraisers and alternative sources of funding for items mentioned above, and for other projects, such as replacement of the Hall floor, which currently sit on the wish list but will eventually become a priority.
**8**
## **3.4.1 Income and Expenditure account for the year ended 31 March 2025**
**9**
**3.4.2 Independent Examiners Report for year ended 31 March 2025**
**10**
## **4. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES FOR 2024-2025**
Specific objectives are set every year to prioritise the maintenance and compliance activities for the Jubilee Institute. They require confirmation by the new management committee of Trustees for 2024-25 after election and are inevitably dependent upon available finance.
1. Review and implement actions listed in the independent fire and safety report.
2. Investigate grants and fund raising for lift replacement.
3. Complete painting of skirting and mid-level woodwork in the Armstrong Hall.
4. Create an operational and maintenance manual for the institute.
**Report signed on behalf of the trustees** .
Signature:
Name: Paul Cramman Position: Chair of Trustees Date: 15[th] May 2025
________________________________________________________________________________
**11**
## **The Jubilee Institute Rothbury Registered Charity: 227913 Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2025**
||**2024/25**||**_2023/24_**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Revenue Account**|**£**||**_£_**|
|**Income**||||
|Room Hire|20,522||_19,503_|
|Cinema & Fundraising|5,844||_4,637_|
|Insurance & Utilities|22||_679_|
|Admin & Misc|0||_74_|
|Savings A/c Interest|135||_129_|
|Gift Aid &GASSD|878||_988_|
|Patrons Donations|1,808||_1,806_|
|Grants|17,041||_7,659_|
|Gifts & Donations|3,464||340|
|**Income derived from Activities**|**49,715**||**_35,815_**|
|**Expenditure**||||
|Room Hire|0||0|
|Cinema & Fundraising|1,863||1,692|
|Insurance & Utilities|8,635||10,242|
|Admin & Misc|5,993||4,721|
|Gifts & Donations|0||203|
|Maintenance: major|42,741||10,744|
|Maintenance: minor|3,189||6,795|
|**Operating costs**|**62,422**||**_34,396_**|
|**Net Operating Surplus/(Deficit)**|**(12,706)**||**1,420**|
|**Transfers in**||||
|Patrons Funding for Major Works|6,420||3,042|
|Net Transfers from Fundraising|4,795||(3,600)|
|Tx fromCCLA Investment|3,000|||
|**Transfers out**||||
|Allocation to Patrons Account|(1,834)||(1,806)|
|Allocation of interest|(25)||(129)|
|**Gen A/c Surplus/(Deficit) foryear**|**(350)**||**_(1,003)_**|
|**Movement on other Accounts**||||
|**Tx fromCCLA Investment**|7,000|||
|Patrons A/c Income|1,834||1,806|
|Patrons A/c Expend|(9,867)||3,042|
|**Patrons A/c change**|**(1,033)**|||
|Fundraising A/c Income|13,700||11,229|
|FundraisingA/c Expend|15,023||7,500|
|**Fundraising A/c Change**|**(1,323)**|||
|**Net +/(-) in Reserves(excl Inv)**|**(7,545)**||**_(4,999)_**|
|**Investment Income**||||
|CCLA a/c Income|3,001||1,732|
|CCLA a/c Transfer|(10,000)|**_-_**||
|**CCLA a/c Change**|(6,999)||**_20_**|
|**Net +/(-) in Reserves(incl Inv)**|**(9,705)**||**_(4,979)_**|
|**Balance Sheet for theyear ended 31 March 2025**|**Balance Sheet for theyear ended 31 March 2025**|
|---|---|
|**Cash at Bank & Investment Account**||
|**Account**
**B/fwd 01/04/2024**
**Movement**
**C/fwd 31/03/2025**||
|£
£
**£**||
|General
**1,045**
Patrons
**7,550**
Fundraising
**7,793**
CCLA
**50,792**|(350)
**695.22**
(1,033)
**6,516.68**
(1,323)
**6,469.36**
(6,999)
**43,793.45**|
|**Total**
**67,180**
**(9,705)**
**57,474.71**||
Independent ExamlneVs Report
Jubllee Instltute Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
I have completed my examination. I conflrm that no materia matters have come to my
attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that. in any
material Tespect,
accountlro records were not kept in accordance with sectwjn 130 of the Charities Act
or
the accounts do rH)t accord wilh the a¢0)Untw records.
I have no concems and have come across no other matters In ¢xJnnection with the
examination lo which attention should be drawn in oriler to enable a proper understanding of
the accounts to be reached.
Examiner
Slgned:
L?Lfv
s&
Date: 21 N,
.1025
Name:
L A LhHE¢T
Jubllee Instltute Treasurer
Sign.
Name: