MONTAGU HENRY FOSTER AND MARY HENVILLE FOSTER CHARITY
Charity Number: 236729
Annual Report for financial year end 31[st] December 2025
1. Introduction (Structure and Management)
This charity, commonly known as ‘The Foster Charity’, was registered with the Charity Commission on 4[th] January 1964 and undertakes the care and management of 1 and 3 Gosport Road plus the Foster Reading Room. These three properties form a terrace with the Reading Room flanked by the houses. This building was constructed in 1903 by Montague Henry Foster.
The Trustees of the Foster Charity are the Vicar and Churchwardens of Crofton Parish.
The general day to day management of the houses and Reading Room is taken care of by volunteers.
2. Activities and Objectives
The two houses (1 and 3 Gosport Road) continued to be let at an affordable rate via Eckersley White Estate Agents in Lee-on-the-Solent (became Bernards from May 2025) for the whole of 2025. The Reading Room was available for use by local community groups (for a donation), and various groups used the facility throughout each week.
A summary of the activities for each of the properties is as follows:
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1 Gosport Road
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The tenants occupying the house remained the same throughout the year. The only major maintenance work carried out was the removal of an old large shed from the back garden.
Rental income £10,860.00
Maintenance and management outgoings £2530.92
- 3 Gosport Road
The tenants occupying the house remained the same throughout the year. During 2025 no major maintenance works were required. Rental income £10,200.00
Maintenance and management outgoings £1431.58
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Note that £1150 of Roofing work was undertaken in late December 2025 but not paid until 2026.
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Foster Reading Room
During the year 18 different groups used the room. These included 11 U3A
groups (plus the U3A Committee) and five art and craft groups attended by local retired residents, and one dance group for children and young people.
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Donation income £5455.00
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Electricity and Sundries outgoings £1443.36
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Maintenance of front gardens for all three properties The garden contract continued for the whole year with GH Garden Care. The garden has continued to look neat and tidy throughout the year, and we have found GH easy to work with. The cost of this work was £1680.00.
3. Achievements and Performance
The following charity organisations were supported during 2025 from the income gained from renting the two houses and use of the Foster Room:
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Crofton Welfare Trust Support for this local charity has continued with the money being used to fund school holiday food gift vouchers to the value of £1160.
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Crofton Family Worker Support for this Crofton Parish worker continued for only 3 months of 2025 as the person in post resigned, and the post then remained vacant for the rest of the year. The total expended in 2025 at £360 per month was £1080.00.
These two gifts fall within the requirements of the Foster Charity governing documents.
Crofton Men’s Shed (sited on Foster charity land to the east of No 3 Gosport Road).
During 2025 the Crofton Men’s Shed was largely fitted out and regular meetings and drop-in sessions were taking place in the building for the benefit of older men in the parish. From October 2025, the Shed was also used for ‘Man Cave’ – a safe space for men in their 50s or younger who might not otherwise have a community (between jobs, shift working or working-from-home, full-time carers or struggling with mental health).
Some outstanding work to satisfy the Planning and Building regulations departments of Fareham Borough Council remained at the end of 2025. These include planting of a screening hedge (planning) and compliant entrance steps at both entrances to the building (Building Regs).
The licence fee for placement of the building (£60) was paid.
4. Financial Review
The financial summary for 2025 is attached to this report.
5. Charity Location and Trustees
The property of the Foster Charity is located at:
Gosport Road Stubbington Hampshire PO14 2AS
The 2025 Trustees of the Foster Charity were:
Rev Richard England (Vicar of Crofton Parish) Dr Martin Yeandle (Churchwarden of Crofton Parish) Nichola Sampford (Churchwarden of Crofton Parish)
The Foster Charity Accounts 2025
£ 39,533.78
Current Account Opening Balance
Number 1 Gosport Road
Income
| Number | 1 Gosport Road Income |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | £ | 10,860.00 |
|||
| Total | £ | 10,860.00 |
|||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Eckersley White Management | £ | 1,159.92 |
|||
| Maintenance / Repair | £ | 1,371.00 |
|||
| Total | £ | 2,530.92 |
|||
| Number | 3 Gosport Road | ||||
| Income | |||||
| Rent | £ | 10,200.00 |
|||
| Total | £ | 10,200.00 |
|||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Eckersley White Management | £ | 1,101.60 |
|||
| Maintenance / Repair | £ | 329.98 |
|||
| Total | £ | 1,431.58 |
|||
| The Foster Room | |||||
| Income | |||||
| Donations | £ | 5,455.00 |
|||
| Total | £ | 5,455.00 |
|||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Electricity | £ | 790.91 |
|||
| Maintenance / Repair | £ | 652.45 |
|||
| Total | £ | 1,443.36 |
|||
| All Foster Property | |||||
| Expenditure | |||||
| Insurance | £ | 1,177.10 |
|||
| Gardening | £ | 1,680.00 |
|||
| Maintenance / Repair | £ | 1,540.00 |
|||
| Total | £ | 4,397.10 |
|||
| Other | |||||
| Income | |||||
| Crofton Men's Shed | £ | 60.00 |
|||
| Scottish & Suthern Electricity | £ | 40.00 |
|||
| £ | 100.00 |
||||
| Expenditure | |||||
| CFW 3 months @ £360 | £ | 1,080.00 |
|||
| CWT Gift vouchers for schools | £ | 1,160.00 |
|||
| Bank charges | £ | 25.50 |
|||
| Total | £ | 2,265.50 |
|||
| Total Income | £ | 26,615.00 |
|||
| Total Expenditure | £ | 12,068.46 |
|||
| Net Income | £ | 14,546.54 |
|||
| Current Account Closing Balance | £ | 54,080.32 |
|||
| Deposit | Account Opening Balance | £ | 15,361.54 |
||
| Interest | £ | 122.16 |
|||
| Deposit | Account Closing Balance | £ | 15,483.70 |
Total Cash £ 69,564.02
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| xed Assets | |
| Freehold Prooertv atvaluation | |
| FosterReading Room,GosportRoad,StubbingtonHampshire | f5O2,74O.00* |
| lGosportRoad,StubbingtonHampshire | f396,900.00"' |
| 3GosoortRoad.StubbingtonHampshire | f396.900.00' |
| rrentAssets | |
| BankAccountsasper schedule | 869,564.42 |
| talNetAssets | f1.356.104.02 |