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2025-12-31-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT 2025

(YEAR ENDING 31ST DECEMBER 2025)

AND THE SPRING 2026 NEWSLETTER

OFFICERS OF THE THOROTON SOCIETY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 2025

PRESIDENT

John Beckett BA PhD Hon D Lit FRHistS FSA

VICE PRESIDENTS

Barbara Cast BA, Sir Neil Cossons OBE FSA FMA, Keith Goodman BA FCA, Adrian Henstock BA DAA FRHistS, Alan Langton BEM BA

CHAIR OF COUNCIL

Richard A Gaunt BA MA PhD FRHistS FSA

COUNCIL

David Needham BSc MA MIFireE Mark Dorrington MA DAA RMARA Trevor Foulds BA PhD FRHistS Judith Mills BA MA PhD David Knight BA DPhil FSA MCIfA Pete Smith FSA Penelope Messenger BSc Med Ruth Strong Hayley Cotterill BA MA David Barton BSc (Econ) PGCE Andrea Moneta MArch PhD PGCAP FHEA Margaret Trueman BSc

HONORARYSECRETARY

Barbara Cast BA *

HONORARY ADMINISTRATION SECRETARY

Rosemary Muge BA MA PhD

HONORARY TREASURER

David Hoskins IEng MICE

HONORARY TRANSACTIONS EDITORS

History and General Editor – Richard Jones BA DPhil FSA * Archaeology – Christopher King BA MA PhD*

HONORARY RECORD SERIES EDITOR

Adrian Henstock BA DAA FR HistS

HONORARY NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Paul Baker BSc MA FRGS Chartered Geographer

NEWSLETTER PUBLISHING TEAM

Paul Baker, Cherry Knight, Judith Mills

HONORARY DISTRIBUTION AND SALES SECRETARY

Robert James BA BPhil DipCG *

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HONORARY MEMBERSHIP SCRETARY

Hannah Nicholson BA MA PhD *

(from April 2025 Paul Baker BSc MA FRGS)

TRUSTEES FOR THE CHARITY

Richard A Gaunt, Barbara Cast, David Hoskins

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATION COMMITTEE

Richard Jones BA DPhil FSA

Richard A Gaunt MA PhD FRHistS (Chair of Council of the Society) *

Adrian Henstock BA DAA FRHistS (Hon Editor Record Series)

Rob James BA BPhil DipCG (Hon Distribution and Sales Secretary) Paul Baker BSc MA FRGS C Geographer (Hon Newsletter Editor)

David Crook OBE BA MA PhD FRHistS FSA Mark Dorrington MA DAA RMARA Lee Elliot BA PgDip (Archaeol Sci) Trevour Foulds BA PhD FRHistS Hayley Cotterill BA MA Gavin Kinsley BA

*Ex-officio members of the committee

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

OBJECT OF THE SOCIETY

The full name of the Society is the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire, and it is governed by a constitution known as the The Rules of the Thoroton Society of Nottinghamshire . These Rules are registered with the Charity Commissioners under number 237755.

ADDRESS FOR ENQUIRIES

Rosemary Muge, Honorary Administrative Secretary, 37 Sidney Road, Beeston NG91AN, rosemarymuge@gmail.com.

TRUSTEES

The members of the Council are considered to be the Trustees of the Society. Details of Membership of the Council and the named trustees are shown on pages 2-3.

MAIN ADVISORS

Bankers: HSBC Bank plc, 26 Clumber Street, Nottingham NG1 3GA

FUNDS

The General Fund is used is used for the general furtherance of the aims of the charity. In order to achieve the aims of the Record Section, the Society has the power to print original historical materials, records and manuscripts. The residue from the Maurice Barley, Nora Williams, Myles Thoroton Hildyard and Neville

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Hoskins funds is incorporated into the General Fund. The Coddington Fund supported by the William Senior Record Series volume, the Centenary Fund, the Heritage Gateway and the Davis Bequest enabled the accessibility to the Nottinghamshire Bibliography. Now that all the above funds are expended, all necessary expenditure is met from the General Fund.

REPORTS OF COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2025

Introduction from the Chair of Council

The lifeblood of any society is its membership and it is a particular pleasure to open this Annual Report with sincere thanks to you all for your continuing support and encouragement of our efforts in promoting the study and publication of history and archaeology in Nottinghamshire. Particular thanks, as always, go to the officers who freely give of their time and expertise, and to the members of Council who keep the Society in good order.

The Annual Report is a good opportunity to take stock of our activities over the last year. The financial statement shows some improvement in the Society’s overall financial position. We have benefited from the excellent stewardship of our Hon. Treasurer, David Hoskins, who has brought our income from Gift Aid up to date, with commendable results. As I noted in the last newsletter, the Society’s membership can materially assist us by registering for Gift Aid, if they have not already done so. We have also benefited from receiving grant assistance to cover the expenses involved with hosting the commemorative event marking the 40[th] anniversary of the 1984 Miners’ Strike in 2024, and a welcome donation from the Saturday Morning Local History Seminar, after it discontinued its activities at the University of Nottingham last year. This means that we are running our day-to-day expenses from the General Fund with a small overall balance. Although we are not proposing an increase to subscriptions this year, ongoing challenges (notably the cost of postage and packing) mean that we are likely to need to revisit this in the near future. We are also keeping under review the larger areas of expenditure, including the hard-copy quarterly newsletter, the costs of printing and distributing Transactions, and the cost of room hire for our Saturday afternoon lectures. Council would not wish to sacrifice any of the Society’s traditional activities, which are greatly appreciated by members, but we may have to think about delivering some of them differently in future, in order to maintain financial stability and ensure our overall resilience.

Beyond gifting, donations and legacies, the simplest way to guarantee the future of the Society is to increase its membership. I remain very grateful to Paul Baker for his efforts as Hon. Membership Secretary, but all of us as members can help in this crucial aspect of our work by actively promoting the Society to nonmembers and injecting some new lifeblood into its activities. This is important not only in its own right, as a process of self-renewal, but in order to generate the talent from whom future officers and members of Council can be recruited as current, long-serving, members, decide to move on. I hope that members of the Society will assist us with practical ideas and assistance in our ongoing efforts to recruit and retain more members.

Other areas of activity show healthy signs of revival. We have entered into a new publishing partnership agreement for the Record Series with Boydell & Brewer, which promises to increase its reach and visibility, and have a new publication from Trevor Foulds imminent this year, with several other projects in a state of advanced preparation. This is a fitting reward for those loyal subscribers to the Series who have continued to support us whilst patiently awaiting its results.

The AGM this year will be asked to support two related changes to the Society’s Constitution. The first allows for an increase in the number of named trustees from three to five. Whilst all members of Council act as trustees for the Society, the Charity Commission only requires some of these to be named as Trustees

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for the Charity and it recommends a minimum of five. Traditionally, these trustees have been the Chair, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer. The amendment formalises previous practice and allows for the addition of two further, responsible members of Council to act in this capacity. The second change allows for the number of Vice Presidents to be increased from the current maximum of five to no more than ten. The office of Vice President is an important, honorific role, which it is good to bestow on those who have given sterling service to the Society. However, it would be useful to have more latitude to offer the position to individuals who are able to promote our aims and objectives as a charitable organisation. Though we do not currently envisage having ten Vice Presidents at any one time, having the flexibility to exceed our current maximum would be very helpful.

I look forward to seeing many of you over the course of this year, whether at the AGM or other Society events.

Dr Richard Gaunt, Chair of Council

PROCEEDINGS OF COUNCIL

The Society’s Council has responsibility for overseeing the Society’s business, finance and development. The Council’s Officers, and those representing the Society on various organisations, report to the Council at meetings. The Standing Committee, established by Council and consisting of officers, meets on a regular basis and reports to Council at each meeting of the Council. It has responsibility for the day to day business of the Society, the planning of its programme and detailed consideration of any initiatives. Members of Council and its officers are elected at the Annual General Meeting for a period of three years; it is anticipated that all members of Council will be involved in the business of the Society and, to this end, many of them take on specific roles and attend all meetings of Council. Council generally meets three times a year and has done so in 2025, on 14[th] February, 9[th] May and 10[th] October, at the University of Nottingham. The Standing Committee generally meets online, and has done so five times in 2025, on 8[th] January, 19[th] March, 25[th] June, 1[st] October and 26[th] November.

Rosemary Muge, Honorary Secretary

MEMBERSHIP REPORT FOR 2025

Membership for 2025 has kept pace with 2024 and although we have had resignations, we have been able to pick up a good number of new members. The Membership leaflet in Libraries and some Book shops has helped in attracting new members. New Members have also been introduced by present members, and this has helped keep our membership numbers to be a few more than last year’s membership. We however do need to attract new Members, although it has been good that we have recruited more this year than the previous year. We have, however, had some leave the Society for several reasons. If members could advertise the Thoroton Society and put them in touch with me that would be a bonus for our Membership Drive in 2026/2027.

The total membership figures are:

e total membership figures are:
2025 2024
Individual Members 226 211
Life Members 4 8
Student Members 3 10

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Honorary Members 10 11
Record Series only 1 2
Total Individual Members 244 242
Institutional Members 13 10
Institutional Members (with Record Series) 16 16
Institutional Members: (Record Series only) 1 2
Overseas 22 54
Total Institutional Members 52 54
TOTAL MEMBERSHIP 276 281

FINANCIAL REPORT FOR YEAR ENDING 31st DECEMBER 2025

To follow

LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS 2025

Lectures

We began 2025 with the Maurice Barley Lecture, and Jason Mordan of Nottinghamshire County Council giving us an insight into his work overseeing the conservation of the many timber-framed buildings still surviving in Nottinghamshire. February then brought us Steph Mastoris using the Norah Witham Lecture to showcase the work of the early estate surveyors in the County in his inimitable style. The Rosalys Coope Lecture in March brought the season to a close with Martin Stott illustrating the work being carried out to conserve and enhance the Georgian garden at Bromley House.

Our Spring Meeting & AGM was held at the end of April, in the Thomas Cranmer Centre at Aslockton. The usual formalities of the meeting were followed by afternoon tea and an update from Pete Smith on progress with the restoration of the Newstead Abbey painting. The day concluded with members visiting the attached church of St Thomas’s, with its connections to the early days of the Thoroton Society.

A full programme of visits took place in 2025 and are reported elsewhere by their organiser, Ruth Strong.

The new season started in October with the Myles Thoroton Hildyard Lecture dedicated to the celebration of 10 years of the Geoffery Bond and Thoroton research awards. Three recent recipients of the awards each gave a short outline of their research achievements. In November we ‘celebrated’ the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 with William Ruff highlighting Fr Henry Garnet and his part in the conspiracy, with its inevitable tragic ending.

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Our Annual Lunch was held at the West Retford Hotel where, as always, we enjoyed good company and an excellent meal followed by Pete Smith reprising his Newstead painting presentation. The 2025 season concluded with the Neville Hoskins Centenary Lecture and Richard Gaunt telling us all about the 4th Duke of Newcastle and his connections with the Welsh estate of Hafod. The presentation marked the centenary of the birth of Past President Neville Hoskins and also the 25th anniversary of Richard’s first presentation to the Society.

David Hoskins, Vice-Chair & Hon. Events Secretary

Excursions

The Excursion season began a little earlier than usual in 2025 with a visit on 1[st] May to Gainsborough Old Hall and the adjacent All Saints Church. Originally, we were to visit the Mayflower Room in the nearby United Reform Church only to be cancelled by a very apologetic church member as it being used as a polling station for the County Council Elections. The Mayflower Pilgrims were thought to have used Gainsborough Old Hall for worship so there was a ready-made link.

In June, there was a repeat visit to Bletchley Park by popular request, followed in July by a day spent in Lincoln, first at the Castle then a tour of the Cathedral. In August we visited the house of the 19[th] century poet, John Clare who enjoyed overwhelming success during his lifetime but is less well known now. In the afternoon, members were free to wander round Stamford.

The final excursion of the year was a weekend in Cambridge, with an afternoon trip to Ely see Oliver Cromwell’s house and Ely Cathedral with its wonderful mediaeval carpentry in the lantern. Members travelled by train to Cambridge and Ely which was problem-free. As was the return on the Sunday with weary travellers grateful that no intrusive bus replacement services were involved.

A fianl excursion was planned for later in September to visit the National Trust Back-To-Back houses in Birmingham. However, too few members signed up to make a group so it was cancelled. All the excursions were by coach (except for the Cambridge weekend) but members who would have found coach travel from Nottingham impractical were able to join the group at the venue. Full reports and descriptions of these excursions can be found in the 2025 newsletters

I am always open to suggestions from members for places to visit, new destinations or old favourites. It is noticeable that the weather has usually been kind so far, so perhaps the sun does shine on the righteous.

Ruth Strong, Excursions Organiser

GEOFFREY BOND AND THOROTON SOCIETY RESEARCH AWARDS

The Society is most grateful for Mr Geoffrey Bond’s continuing support in generously assisting the funding of this award which is matched with an equal amount from the Society’s own funds.

In 2025 we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the awards with an article on their history in the summer Newsletter. Then on 11 October 2025, in place of the usual Saturday afternoon lecture, three successful award winners gave short presentations on their funded research:

There is a requirement for those receiving grants to provide articles on the outcomes of their research for the Newsletter, and subject to the editorial processes these may develop into papers for the Transactions. In

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2025 two articles were published in Transactions based on award funded research but in the current year unfortunately no grants were made.

Applications or enquiries from any individuals or organisations undertaking research on the history, archaeology or antiquities of Nottinghamshire should be sent by 1 September to markdorrington52@gmail.com. The terms and conditions of the award can be found on the Society’s website where there is also a list of previous award winners and projects.

Mark Dorrington, Research Awards Administrator

PUBLICATIONS

Transactions Report follow

Record Series

We have begun discussions with publishers Boydell & Brewer about publishing future editions of the Record Series with them. Many societies already use Boydell & Brewer to publish their Record Series including Lincoln Record Society. Subscribers to our Record Series will be pleased to know that work is underway on a number of publications. The next volume will be an edition of the Household Accounts of the 2nd Duke of Newcastle by Trevor Foulds, with publication anticipated in late spring/early summer of this year. Adrian Henstock is continuing his work on an edition of the Stapleford Constable Accounts, with publication due in 2027. Steph Mastoris has also begun work on a volume with the provisional title of 'Nottinghamshire Surveyed'. Long-time members of the Society will recognise Steph as the editor of the Welbeck Atlas (Record Series Volume 47, 2017.

Newsletter

As in previous years there have been three Newsletters printed during the year, and a fourth Newsletter was part of the 2024 Annual Report. There have also been changes, as during 2025, Judith Mills and Cherry Knight have become much more of integral part of the Editorial team. Cherry has continued to expertly proofread all the inputs we get for the publications. Judith Mills, with her expertise in setting up the final Newsletter and the Annual Report has enabled us to become an Editorial Team, to provide members with a good read. As we go into 2026, they will continue their very important roles as part of the Editorial Team as we continue to provide the Members with an informative Newsletter.

The Newsletter is of course a vital source of information, featuring reports and reviews of events. We will continue to build on the 2025 Newsletters to provide Nottinghamshire Historical and Archaeology contributions. We are indebted to all who provide the information and keeping us informed about the History and the Archaeology of the county. I am especially keen to have more Archaeology informative articles in 2026, as well as the Historical which have been more forthcoming. It is also important for the Newsletter to supply all members with information about future events and excursions. This has been a feature of the Newsletter over many years.

Paul Baker, Hon. Newsletter Editor

THE THOROTON SOCIETY WEBSITE AND NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BIBLIOGRAPHY ONLINE

Problems with the webserver have unfortunately resulted in the corruption of most of last year’s website activity logs and consequently no summary is possible.

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In addition to regularly updating the News, Events and Publications sections I also added PDFs of the Thoroton Society Newsletter from Issue 101 (Autumn 2020) to Issue 108 (Summer 2022).

The Nottinghamshire Bibliography Online continues to increase in size and now holds around 12,740 entries (Michael Brook’s original bibliography published in 2002 has around 8,700).

Andy Nicholson, Website Manager

THE NOTTINGHAM HERITAGE GATEWAY

The Nottingham Heritage Gateway provides a guide to the heritage resources of the county and a history of Nottinghamshire featuring the latest research. The information is arranged through a series of research pathways, organised by the following groups- places, people, themes and events. The pathway provides a brief overview of the subject area and a list of key resources for future research arranged by type of resources for future research, arranged by the type of source material.

The Gateway is always looking for relevant new content. Anyone with an interest in submitting an entry should contact me, as the Gateway coordinator. deniseboobbyer@gmail.com .

Denise Amos, Nottinghamshire Heritage Gateway Project

ARCHAEOLOGY IN NOTTINGHAM, 2025

Archaeological activity within Nottingham during 2025 has been extensive, with a particularly high level of engagement associated with major redevelopment schemes and ongoing research projects.

Broadmarsh

A substantial proportion of time during the year has been devoted to the Broad Marsh area, encompassing the former Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, the NCP car park, and the former People’s College site on Maid Marian Way. Further demolition of the shopping centre is due to take place throughout most of 2026, with demolition of the former College possibly commencing in 2026. This area is of exceptional archaeological sensitivity and complexity, with archaeological remains including a medieval friary, medieval and postmedieval industry, caves of national significance (designated as a Scheduled Monument) as well as many undesignated caves, four burial grounds (one medieval, one of 17[th] century date, and two dating to the 19[th] century, with at least three of these burial grounds known to have human remains in situ) and Second World War air raid shelters.

Significant effort has therefore been focused on ensuring the investigation, and preservation of archaeological remains. A multi-phased programme of archaeological investigation (including evaluation, excavation and monitoring) will take place during groundworks associated with the demolition of the College, NCP Car Park and remaining parts of the shopping centre which are scheduled for demolition. The exhumation, and reburial of human remains will be undertaken appropriately and with due care. The respectful and ethical treatment of human remains is a paramount consideration and is a priority during this project. As City Archaeologist, I have set out clear requirements for the archaeological works, which will form the basis of specifications to be produced by the archaeological contractor when they are appointed in the near future.

I have led and coordinated work with Homes England, their heritage consultants (The Environment Partnership), their engineers (Campbell Reith), Historic England, and the British Geological Survey to

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ensure that robust monitoring arrangements are in place to protect the Broadmarsh caves during demolition works. This work, which will be undertaken by the British Geological Survey, will include the installation of vibration monitoring equipment, and hydrological monitoring equipment, with measures in place to halt demolition works should agreed thresholds be exceeded. It is imperative that there is absolutely no harm to the caves.

Other Excavations and Evaluations

Caves Research

Considerable progress has been made on my Nottingham caves research project. Identifying sites where caves exist is a priority, as only by understanding their distribution can they be preserved during development. My work continues to identify cave locations, with the number of known caves now recorded in the city’s Historic Environment Record having risen to 963 as of 5 January 2026. This work has generated considerable international media attention and is cementing Nottingham’s reputation as the European City of Caves.

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Alongside the identification and of caves, the City Council published, in 2025, a guidance document for cave owners. This document was produced by Locus Consulting and supports those who own caves or are seeking to develop sites with caves, to make informed, responsible decisions that help conserve and celebrate these heritage assets. The document is available at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/caves.

Scott C. Lomax City Archaeologist, Nottingham City Council

HIGHLIGHTS OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGY 2025

Brief details of the most significant archaeological investigations conducted in Nottinghamshire during 2025 are provided in this summary, which complements Scott Lomax’s report on archaeological activity in Nottingham City. It has been compiled in consultation with Emily Gillott, Honorary Editor (Archaeology) of the Society’s Transactions . Additional information on the projects listed below is provided in the summary of recent archaeological projects that is contained in Volume 129 of the Society’s Transactions.

Clipstone

Mercian Archaeological Services CIC continued its annual training field school at King's Clipstone in an area forming part of one of the village plots on the 1630s William Senior map of the settlement. Excavation was confined to the ploughsoil, finds from which were plotted three-dimensionally and by context. These included a range of late sixteenth to early eighteenth century pottery plus a small quantity of Anglo-Saxon pottery and a rim from a mid-third to fourth century greyware jar. A small collection of worked flint and quartzite artefacts provides valuable evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age activity.

Stragglethorpe Road, Cotgrave

An evaluation excavation conducted by Cotswold Archaeology identified ditches containing late prehistoric pottery, together with a scatter of Romano-British features and a cobbled surface within an area demarcated by a substantial boundary ditch. Excavations also revealed traces of medieval or post-medieval furrows truncating these features, along with post-medieval field boundary ditches and a pond.

Shire Lane, Fernwood, Newark

Archaeological evaluation trenches were excavated by Pre-Construct Archaeology on behalf of Persimmon Homes in advance of a mixed-use development. Thirty five trial trenches were excavated, targeting anomalies detected during a geophysical survey and expanding on an evaluation undertaken in 2015 by Wessex Archaeology. Iron Age settlement was represented by a series of well-preserved linear and penannular ditches, pits and other features, many correlating with geophysical anomalies, from which was recovered a range of Middle Iron Age pottery.

St. Wilfrid Church, Kirkby In Ashfield

Matt Hurford Historic Buildings and Archaeological Services was commissioned by St Wilfrid’s Parochial Church Council to monitor repairs to the church’s external drainage system. Excavation adjacent to the east gable of the south aisle revealed levelling deposits truncated by two graves: a late Georgian stone- and bricklined cist burial with stone capping and a truncated Victorian coffin-shaped brick-lined grave. Remains also survived of stone foundations, suggesting that the church had originally extended farther to the east. A fragment of a sandstone grave slab preserving part of an incised cross was recovered from the levelling deposits, and on typological grounds was interpreted as possibly of twelfth century origin.

Ferry House Orchard, Littleborough

Three trenches were excavated by Retford Archaeological Metal Detecting Group, with the aim of building upon results obtained during test-pitting and other exploratory work conducted in 2017 as part of the Segelocum Project. These revealed in one trench the cross section of a possible Roman Road, beneath which were recovered numerous Roman finds, including pottery, building material, coins, bones and metalwork.

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The other trenches revealed structural remains interpreted as the western and eastern walls of a possible medieval building. These were constructed of local mudstone and edged a floor surfaced with flat mudstone slabs. Large stone roof tiles were also found, together with medieval brick, lead cames and pieces of coloured window glass.

32 Stodman Street, Newark On Trent

Excavations by Contour Archaeology Ltd recorded a probable Late Saxon building, the foundations of two walls that may mark the course of the town walls and evidence for eighteenth century lime production.

Newark Castle

An evaluation trench excavated by Pre-Construct Archaeology on behalf of Newark and Sherwood District Council prior to redevelopment of the northern part of the castle grounds immediately north-east of the Norman gatehouse revealed a complex stratigraphic sequence that cannot be described in detail here. Key discoveries include a feature interpreted as possibly the interior edge of the northern defensive ditch or moat of the medieval castle. In addition, it has been suggested that structural remains interpreted as evidence of a large masonry construction might have formed part of a defensive structure associated with the Castle’s gatehouse, such as a pier supporting the outer half of the drawbridge. This masonry structure had been truncated by and incorporated into a retaining wall, constructed when the site was terraced in the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century. It was thought this might have been associated with the creation of a coal wharf flanking the river Trent, which flows to the immediate west of the Castle. At an unknown date in the nineteenth century, a linear building was erected against the northwest elevation of the retaining wall, forming a range. Part of this range was identified as a stable block, possibly to house horses used for transporting coal from the river to the town. Probably between 1887 and 1889, the range and other extant stone structures to the southeast of this, were demolished. This was undertaken as part of a scheme of landscaping works aimed at converting the Castle grounds into a public leisure park in commemoration of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1887. The resulting late nineteenth century demolition rubble and associated made ground deposits, along with a modern tarmac path and aggregate bedding, completed the depositional sequence that was recorded in the evaluation trench.

Longhedge Solar Farm, Thoroton

Evaluation excavations by Cotswold Archaeology confirmed broadly the results of an earlier geophysical survey of this site. These identified a former river channel that may have formed an element of a Middle to Late Iron Age agricultural landscape that was remodelled and expanded during the Romano-British period by the construction of enclosures and trackways. Evidence for food preparation, grain processing and butchery obtained during excavation suggests a small farmstead during the Roman period, but no associated domestic structural remains were identified.

David Knight

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE BUILDING PRESERVATION TRUST

The Nottinghamshire Building Preservation Trust (NBPT) is an organisation dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing buildings of historical, architectural and constructional heritage in Nottinghamshire. We achieve this by promoting the use of appropriate design and materials in the execution of conservation and repair and by the acquisition, conservation and restoration for their subsequent sustainable use, for the benefit of present and future citizens of Nottinghamshire and beyond.

The Trust has been involved in repairing dovecotes for over 35 years and recently has been selling tea towels featuring Nottinghamshire dovecotes. Some of these may still, by the time this is read, be available for sale in Southwell Minster shop. At Thoroton, the scheme of refurbishment included rethatching and repointing the dovecote; an interpretation board has been erected outside and public access can be arranged through NBPT. The Trust is about to launch its Heritage Building Survey the scope of which is to revisit a 1968

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survey in which over 4000 records with photographs were produced. Many Nottinghamshire villages were included. It is hoped to roll the survey out across the whole county. Villagers in Flintham, Upton, Warsop and Church Warsop have already undertaken surveys, adding several more historic buildings to records.

Also underway are preparations to digitise the Trust’s photograph and drawings collections, which are held in the NBPT office in Southwell. When this has been done the full collection should be available to the public, possibly as part of Historic England’s Historic Environmental Records Scheme, maintained by Nottinghamshire County Council. Another welcome development is that Andy Nicholson is assisting with the updating of the NBPT website and social media. As well as general improvements there will be development of links through the website to other sites and lists of relevance and interest. Information on past NBPT projects can be seen on the website www.nbpt.co.uk.

Work continues on the Walks of Life Museum in Tuxford, where it in hoped in May to have a day of craft demonstrations involving workshops and talks. The Walks of Life Museum is run by group of trustees and has received several grants from Bassetlaw District Council which is enabling the restoration work to continue. Progress is being made on the timber framed house, on the windows on the front and the gables. Jason Mordan, Senior Conservation Officer for NCC is overseeing work. Anyone wishing to join the volunteers working on this project should contact the NBPT secretary, Alan Wahlers, on 07966 303505. The project at Warsop Parish Centre also continues.

In West Bridgford, the Abbey Circus Air Raid Shelter which has been supported by the Trust, is now completely restored. This Second World War air raid shelter is now open for school visits and project work. With regard to the Manor House at Bingham, designs that were submitted some time ago are still being considered by the building owner. The next stage would be to prepare and submit an application to Rushcliffe District Council, if the owner decides to so instruct. NBPT is hoping for some progress and is seeking further engagement.

2026 is the next year for the biennial Harry Johnson Award Scheme. Entries will be invited in spring 2026 for two categories: Best New building in a Rural Setting; and Best Renovation of an Existing Building in a Rural Setting. Sadly, Chair David Atkins after many years of service to NBPT, announced before the 2025 AGM in October that this is the last year for which he can serve as Chair. As well as a new Chair the Trust is also seeking individuals with an interest in historic buildings who may be prepared to join as trustees to strengthen the existing team. Alan Wahlers remains the ever active secretary.

Rosemary Muge, Thoroton Society representative on NBPT

NOTTINGHAM CIVIC SOCIETY

Planning Casework: Once again, schemes catering for Nottingham’s student population, have dominated development proposals during 2025. There have been two major schemes which have had very different outcomes in the last year.

Where Glasshouse Street joins Huntingdon Street behind the Victoria Centre, the Civic Society was pleased to learn that planning permission had finally been refused in September for two tall residential towers catering for more than 1,200 students. At 30 storeys, the larger tower would have been the tallest building in Nottingham, higher even than the Victoria Centre.

We had raised objections to the scheme which would have interrupted some important long-distance views to and from the city centre, but also the tallest building would have loomed over the Grade II listed Rose of England pub on Mansfield Road and the Arboretum Conservation Area more generally.

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We had also objected to the density of the scheme, which would have seen building on almost the whole site, leaving insufficient space around the foot of both tower blocks to support the intensity of use. The development would have done nothing to improve the existing hostile environment for pedestrians in Glasshouse Street where pavements are narrow next to the busy roads. We are pleased that the Society’s concerns have been included in the council’s “Reasons for Refusal”.

By contrast, the other large student scheme where the Civic Society has expressed its views, is the proposed conversion of the former Police and Fire Stations at Shakespeare Street, South Sherwood Street and the Guildhall Yard which received Planning Committee support before Christmas.

We support wholeheartedly, the retention and refurbishment of the Grade II listed Former Police and Fire Stations and the Victorian, Grade II listed, original fire station, known as Fire Station House. We considered that the proposed demolition of the rear wing of the Victorian Guildhall would be acceptable as part of the overall redevelopment scheme. The redbrick extension is utilitarian in design and its removal would enable the tower foundations to be moved away from the Grade II listed Guildhall Caves complex under the site.

We recognise that the site for a tall building has been broadly fixed by an approval for a hotel granted in 2020. However, the Civic Society considers that the most controversial element of this scheme is the closeness of the tower to the back of Fire Station House. This small building will be dwarfed by the new tower. However, this potentially negative impact can, arguably, be balanced by the undoubted overall benefits to the other listed buildings in the application.

Overall, the Society thinks that the refurbishment scheme is impressive and we recognise that the tower is the necessary ‘enabling development’ to secure the restoration of the listed buildings.

The Society has continued to take a keen interest in the future of Broad Marsh and its future redevelopment, taking part in the recent consultation exercise run by Homes England who now own the remaining development sites around the Green Heart open space. We also expressed our considerable reservations about a private developer’s proposals for replacing Hanson House – (the former Chinese Supermarket opposite the new Library) with a building twice as tall, completely overshadowing the Green Heart open space.

Nottingham’s Local List: In addition to the Civic Society’s interactions with the council over planning casework, we have continued to be involved with the City Council’s Nottingham Local List database. We have been supporting the Conservation Officer by helping to supply local history background information where buildings are being considered for addition. These have varied in scale this year. For example, 34A Church Street, is a Georgian house and one of the oldest surviving buildings in the New Lenton Conservation Area dating from 1830s-40s. The house originally occupied spacious grounds which were subsequently built upon as New Lenton became built up with the construction of Lenton Boulevard in 1901.

St Margaret’s Church in Aspley is also now on the Local List database. Constructed in 1934-6, the church was paid for by the Player family. It is the work of Heazell and Sons, a long-established Nottingham firm of architects who worked on some prominent buildings in the city centre. Their inter-war ecclesiastical work reflects the expansion of the city and the need to provide places of worship for an increasing population. Constructed in what has been described by Clare Hartwell in Pevsner as ‘the typically reduced Gothic of the period’. St Margaret’s does have a landmark tower.

A group of former school buildings on Hungerhill Road is also to be added to the Local List. It comprises No.31A the former Schoolmaster’s House, No.31 (Infants) and No.33 (Juniors) formerly Sycamore Road when the schools were constructed. No.33, a Board School for Infants was built early in 1890s and was probably designed by Abraham Harrison Goodall who is believed to have built the Sycamore Road School

14

(Juniors) nearby, after 1915. Both schools and the Schoolmaster’s House form a coherent architectural group. Built in red brick, they share hipped and gabled red tiled roofs with distinctive pedimented gables and terracotta detailing. Decorative railings link the buildings together on this sloping site.

It is hoped that giving these buildings Local List status, it will ensure their local interest and distinctiveness is acknowledged in the planning process should changes to them be proposed in the future.

Walks: The Society’s 2025 walks programme was very successful thanks to the enthusiastic effort of the walks' leaders and the support of members - with over 51 people attending the last walk in the programme (Clifton Village), it is clear that the walks are still very popular.

Twenty walks were held, covering 14 subjects: The Park Estate (2 different walks); Old Basford; Theatres of Nottingham; Victorian Walk; Arboretum; Church Cemetery; Georgian Nottingham; Wollaton Park; Civil War; Clifton Village; Lace Market; Mapperley Park; and The Nottingham Canal. These were led by Kevin Powell, Graham Clarke, Kurt Hatton and Graham Woodward. The most popular walks include the Civil War Tour (54 people); Clifton Village (51); Park Estates (45); Georgian Walk (40); and the Arboretum. In total, 580 people attended the walks despite some extremely hot weather earlier in the year.

The walks programme encouraged a lot of people to join the society to gain free access to the walks. The benefit of this change is that the Society now has an increased level of regular income. Membership now stands at over 400, the highest figure for a long time.

Plans for 2026 are to include other new walks; Wilford and Strelley villages for example. The new programme should be available by the end of April 2026.

Website/Social Media : The Society website was revamped at the end of 2024 and has been a great success throughout 2025 and has raised the Society’s profile. The provision of online membership applications has made joining much easier and has probably contributed to the increase in membership numbers. New books have been added to the site alongside several older publications. A catalogue of early newsletters containing a wealth of information about the city is available online and has been well used.

The website is open to the public without any sign-in requirements as this ensures that everyone can benefit from the material it contains. Membership-only newsletters are not added to the site until they are at least one-year old to protect membership benefits.

Recently, social media links have been added (Facebook & Instagram) to the website which opens a new channel of communication, especially for a younger, more IT focussed audience. The website has also made publication of the Society’s events much easier and cheaper.

Links to other Groups : The Society has continued to maintain links with many other organisations in the city. Regular attendance at the Open Spaces Forum ensures that the Society is seen as not just supporting buildings but is also passionate about open spaces.

The Society made a large financial grant to the Windmill Trust at Sneinton to help develop their services and has also been actively involved with improvements to St Mary’s Church in the Lace Market and the restoration of the Pugin decoration within St Barnabas Cathedral on Derby Road.

The Society has participated in the Marsh Forum talks programme held by the Local Studies Library and is a major contributor to the newly reformed Nottingham Historic Buildings Trust. The Trust’s aims are to arrest the decline of Nottingham’s numerous derelict listed buildings and bring them back into use. The Society fully supports this new venture as it provides pro-active involvement in the retention of the city’s historic buildings and skyline, something Nottingham has always been famous for. The Society took a very

15

active part in the events at the Peoples Hall on Heathcote Street in October as part of their Heritage Open Day programme, raising people’s awareness of the Trust – it was attended by over 400 people.

Hilary Brindley, Vice President

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE LOCAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

Committee membership

We are pleased to report that Tom Andrews has joined the Committee.

Forums

During 2025, Nottinghamshire Local History Association (NLHA) held two Nottinghamshire Local History Forums at Ravenshead Village Hall. Both were well attended.

The Spring 2025 Local History Forum took place on March 29[th] and featured Tom Andrews speaking on ‘Captain Athelstan Pipkiss: the greatest policeman?’; Trevor Lee on ‘Sam Torr and the Old Malt Cross’; Adrian Gray on ‘Scandal and Adultery: marital disasters of the Sherwood nobility’; Bob Massey on ‘Herbert George Ponting filming the world’.

The Autumn 2025 Forum was held on Saturday October 25th and featured David Speed on ‘Betrayal in Bulwell’; Richard Pincott on ’25 years of time travel with the Field Detectives’; Andy McKinnon on ‘New Ollerton; the development of a colliery village’; Meghan King on ‘The Portable Antiquities Scheme in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire’.

The 2026 Forums will be held on Saturday 28th March and Saturday 24th October.

Media

The NLHA website continues in operation. The Association has two Facebook pages: ‘Nottinghamshire Local History Association’ and ‘Nottinghamshire History’. The former has over 4000 followers and the latter almost 3000. The numbers for both are increasing steadily. Both have links encouraging people to sign up for the free e-mailed NLHA Newsletter; this newsletter is sent out every other month to over 500 addresses.

Two issues of The Nottinghamshire Historian have been published in 2025.

David Barton

THE NARROW MARSH FORUM

The Thoroton Society, Nottingham Civic Society, the Nottingham Women’s History Group and Nottinghamshire Local History Association are sponsoring Nottingham Central Library’s Narrow Marsh Forum’s series of free Nottingham history talks, held on four Saturdays a year.

The topics for the talks are determined by a steering group of representatives from the four sponsoring organisations and Local Studies Library staff.

It has been agreed that there be no charge for attendance, and that, while to date seven of the eight booked speakers are not charging, when there is a fee for the speaker, that cost (which we would expect to be around £60) would simply be shared between the four organisations.

The talks held in 2025/6 have been:

16

All were well attended, with most at full capacity of c100.

The draft programme for 2026/7:

David Barton.

VICTORIA COUNTY HISTORY IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

With the very valuable help of Sheila Leeds and Margaret Watt, I am working on what should be the final checks to the text of the long-delayed VCH Nottinghamshire Volume III, which I hope to deliver to the VCH London office in the first half of this year. It has also been possible over the last twelve months to do some work on a projected Volume IV, dealing with the northern half of Rushcliffe hundred.

Philip Riden

MINUTES OF THE 128[TH] ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE THOROTON SOCIETY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

held at the Thomas Cranmer Centre, Aslockton, 2pm on Saturday 26[th] April 2025

  2. Opening of proceedings by Richard Gaunt the Chair of Council.

  3. Welcome by the President, John Beckett. The President’s address on Rev John Standish, an incumbent of the parish and a founder member of the Thoroton Society, was reported in the Summer 2025 newsletter.

  4. Apologies for absence were received from John Hamilton, Trevor Foulds, David Knight, Judith Mills, Theresa Farren and Andy Nicholson.

  7. The Minutes of the 127[th] AGM held in April 2024 were accepted as a true record.

  8. There were no matters arising from the 2024 Minutes.

  9. The Annual Report including the Financial Report was presented to the meeting, as printed in the Annual Report and Newsletter. The Treasurer, David Hoskins, distributed printed copies of the report to the meeting. This showed that the accounts had now been approved by our Independent Examiner, as compliant with the Charity Commission requirements, with one minor change where an income had been allocated to the wrong account heading. The Chair invited questions or observations from those in attendance. Keith Goodman, Vice-President, raised his concerns about the Society’s financial situation, and specifically the use of funds reserved for expenditure on Record Series publications to meet the day-to-day expenditure of the Society. He also raised the cost of Transactions as an area of concern. In response, David Hoskins drew attention to the fact that less copies of Transactions were now being printed, to save costs. Richard Gaunt noted that the new printer, Henry Ling, and the editors, were now working within agreed parameters as to the number of copies published, the length of volumes and the amount of colour printing. The Chair noted that both subscription income and grant income had come in during the new accounting year and this, together

17

with cost-saving measures, was helping to address the deficit which Keith had noted. We had also taken his guidance to make a temporary loan from the Record Series to cover other expenditure which we hoped would be addressed within the near future. The Chair noted that two areas of large expenditure had been made within the last few years, the long-delayed completion of the digitisation of Transaction s (where the labour was provided free of charge) and the re-cataloguing of the Thoroton Archive by Inspire (completed to competitive archival rates). Chair thanked Keith for his continued vigilance in this area and welcomed further comments from him and other members on these important issues.

There was some related discussion about membership and recruitment activity. Cherry Knight enquired about the progress of targeting Schools. Paul Baker reported that very few membership applications had resulted from this campaign. Chair noted that it was important to recruit much more widely than Schools and Universities, including for example U3A groups, whose members might be interested to know more about the Society and its membership offer. Hannah Nicholson had pioneered a special rate for students, and Andrea Moneta reported from the audience that he would be promoting membership with his new intake of undergraduates at Nottingham Trent University. The Chair welcomed any suggestions from members for further promotion of the Society (noting Hannah Nicholson’s new role as Media Relations and Publicity Officer) and requested they let the incoming membership Secretary, Paul Baker, know of anything of this nature. Kevin Powell enquired what would be happening with those members who had not paid the correct subscription rate and Treasurer reported that he would be seeking Council’s approval to give them one more opportunity to pay the appropriate rate before removing their membership. Having raised these issues, the meeting was in approval of the accounts.

The Annual Report and Financial Report was accepted by the meeting, proposed by Cherry Knight, seconded by Bernard Priest and passed unanimously.

The proposal from Council that Andy Hodges should be appointed as an Independent Examiner, was accepted by the meeting, proposed by Bernard Priest, seconded by Kevin Powell and passed unanimously.

7.

The Treasurer, David Hoskins, reported that there were 240 members on the roll in January 2025, so membership is dropping. There have been seven resignations and three deaths. It was not proposed to raise the subscription again, it having just been raised for 2025/26, but this will place limitations on what we can support.

The proposal to maintain the subscription rates at the same level for the year 2026/27 was proposed by Kevin Powell, seconded by Bernard Priest, and passed unanimously.

8.

Chair’s remarks. Richard Gaunt thanked the Council and Standing Committee members for their work, and requested that anyone present who was able to volunteer to be an assistant in any function should please come forward as new volunteers are always welcome. Richard especially thanked David Hoskins for taking on the post of Treasurer at a difficult time, and Hayley Cotterill for succeeding Adrian Henstock as the Editor of the Thoroton Record Series. There are several volumes nearing completion, from Trevor Foulds, Graham Crisp and Steph Mastoris. Trevor’s volume will be a combined digital and print publication. Chris King, the resigning Archaeological Editor of Transactions, has recruited Emily Gillott to replace him. Emily is one of the planning archaeologists for Nottinghamshire County Council; she is a graduate of the University of Nottingham and has taken part in several community archaeological projects. Emily sends her apologies for not being able to be present today but will be coming to the next meeting of Council on 9[th] May. A new role has been created of Honorary Publicity and Media Relations Secretary, and Hannah Nicholson has agreed

18

to take this on. The Chair then made presentations to three members leaving posts, Chris King, Barbara Cast and Penny Messenger, which was reported in the account of the day in the Summer 2025 newsletter.

  1. Vice-chair’s remarks. David Hoskins thanked Richard for his exemplary leadership as Chair of Council and thanked all those responsible for ensuring that this Spring Meeting was running smoothly.

  2. Election of Officers and members of Council, as listed below.

President John Beckett
Vice-presidents Barbara Cast,
Sir Neil Cossons,
Keith Goodman,
Adrian Henstock
Alan Langton
Hon Secretary and Admin Secretary Rosemary Muge
Hon Treasurer David Hoskins
Hon_Transactions_Editors:
History and General Editor Richard Jones
Archaeology Editor Emily Gillott
Record Series Editor Hayley Cotterill
Hon Newsletter Editor
and Membership Secretary Paul Baker
Hon Events Secretary David Hoskins
Hon Distribution and Sales Secretary Robert James
Hon Publicity and Media
Relations Secretary Hannah Nicholson

As members of Council for three years:

Trevor Foulds, Judith Mills, Margaret Trueman

The above were proposed by Cherry Knight and seconded by Alan Langton and elected unanimously.

  1. The Chair reminded people that the Chair and Vice-chair are elected by Council at the first meeting of the year after the AGM, when the Society’s representatives on and reporters from other societies are appointed as well. The Chair then closed the formal part of the meeting, which had been attended by 51 Members.

19

129[TH] ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

25[TH] APRIL 2026

AGENDA

To be held at Stoke Bardolph Village Hall, Stoke Lane, Stoke Bardolph, NG14 5HS, at 2pm.

  1. Opening of proceedings by the Chair, Richard Gaunt

  2. Welcome by the President, John Beckett

  3. Apologies for absence

  4. Acceptance of the Minutes of the 128[th] AGM held in 2025

  5. Matters arising from the 2025 minutes, if not on this agenda

  6. To receive the Annual Report for the year ended December 2025 including the Financial Report and a Proposal from Council for the appointment of an Independent Examiner.

  8. To set subscription rates for the year 2027

  9. To consider a proposal to amend the constitution to allow for the appointment of more than five Vice-Presidents and more than three Trustees. (See below)

  10. Chair’s remarks

  11. Vice-Chair’s remarks

  12. To elect Officers of the Society and members of Council (see below)

  13. Other business

For agenda item 8

Council proposes the following:

That under number 18 of the constitution, which says “There shall be no more than five VicePresidents at any one time”, these words shall be replaced with, “There shall be no more than ten Vice-Presidents at any one time.”

Also:

That under number 38 of the constitution which says “The Society’s property shall be vested in Trustees who shall be not less than two nor more than three in number, upon trust to deal with and dispose of the same at the direction of Council”, these words shall be replaced with “The society’s property shall be vested in Trustees registered with the Charity Commission who shall not normally be less than five nor more than six in number, upon trust to deal with and dispose of the same at the direction of Council.”

For agenda item 11

President

Vice-Presidents

John Beckett

Barbara Cast

20

Honorary Secretary Honorary Treasurer and Events Secretary Honorary Transactions Editors: Archaeology Editor Honorary Record Series Editor Honorary Membership Secretary and Hon Newsletter Editor Honorary Sales and Distribution Secretary Honorary Publicity and Media Relations Secretary

Sir Neil Cossons Keith Goodman Adrian Henstock Alan Langton Rosemary Muge David Hoskins Richard Jones Emily Gillott Hayley Cotterill

Paul Baker Robert James

Hannah Nicholson

21

THE THOROTON SOCIETY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Charity number 237755

Receipts and Payments Account for the period 1 January to 31 December 2025

Receipts
Subscriptions 2025
Next year's subs in advance
Sales - Record Series
Sales - Bookstall
Sales -Transactions
Sales - other
Excursions
Geoffrey Bond Research Award
Spring Meeting and AGM
Annual Lunch
(Interest NS&I)
Not allocated
Maturity Refund United Trust
Interest United Trust
Gift-Aid
PLS fees
(Donations - Retirements)
Publication grants
Miscellaneous incl. donations
VCH Grant held on a/c
Totals
Chair of Council RA Gaunt
Dated
Treasurer DA Hoskins
Dated		 General
Fund
Records
Section
Total
2024
Payments
7,555.00
1,360.00
8,915.00
7,416.00
Print & Post - Transactions
1,841.00
932.00
2,773.00
1,352.00
Print & Post - N/letter (inc Ann Rep)
102.00
102.00
96.00
Printing - other and stationery
61.50
61.50
36.70
Printing - Record Series
791.00
791.00
102.00
Record Series expenses
74.00
74.00
113.00
Cost of Lectures
3,390.80
3,390.80
4,324.00
Cost of Thoroton Excursions
2,000.00
2,000.00
1,033.43
Bookings for next year
714.00
714.00
525.00
Cost of Spring Meeting and AGM
1,116.00
1,116.00
1,290.00
(Special Event: Remembering Miners)
-
0.00
Cost of Annual Lunch
-
Geoffrey Bond Research Award
-
10,525.26
10,525.26
Postage &c
551.26
551.26
1,048.86
Not allocated
4,965.83
4,965.83
(Retirement gifts)
89.94
89.94
90.52
Not allocated
-
-
385.00
Website, NHG, Online Bibliography
-
-
0.00
Authors' Book Royalties (bookstall)
2,325.49
-
2,325.49
637.00
Not allocated
-
-
VCH Payments
24,924.56
13,470.52
38,395.08
18,449.51
Inspection of 2024 accounts
BALH including Insurance
Honoraria
R Gaunt
Membership fees other bodies
16.04.2026
Equipment hire
Bank charges
D Hoskins
Miscellaneous
17.04.2026
Refunds of subscriptions
Totals
A Hodges
17.04.2026		 General Fund
Records
Section
Total
2024
5,542.19
5,542.19
7,013.12
4,728.12
4,728.12
3,519.82
2.98
2.98
105.00
-
-
-
303.00
-
-
1,818.00
1,155.85
1,155.85
1,406.14
3,434.00
3,434.00
4,137.15
-
-
590.71
590.71
372.72
-
-
930.99
1,008.00
1,008.00
1,269.00
-
-
1,600.00
227.91
227.91
109.80
-
0.00
-
-
385.00
-
-
0.00
304.47
304.47
207.44
17.50
17.50
-
432.00
432.00
600.00
90.00
90.00
90.00
250.00
250.00
250.00
-
-
-
-
81.46
81.46
124.80
52.00
52.00
60.00
58.00
58.00
17,975.19
-
17,975.19
24,301.98
Independent Examiner A Hodges
Dated

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS / TRUSTEES OF THE THOROTON SOCIETY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

I report on the financial statements of the above charity for the year ended 31 December 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act").

It is my responsibility to

Basis of this report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

Signed: A. Hodges Dated: 17.4.26

A. Hodges FICB PM.Dip A R & H Accountancy Services Ltd. 1 Buckland Drive Woodborough Nottingham NG14 6EU