**Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2024 Registered Charity No: 246278**
|**Contents**||
|---|---|
||Page|
|Reference and Administrative Information|3|
|Report of the Management Committee|4|
|Independent External Examiner’s Report|11|
|Balance Sheet|12|
|Receipts and Payments|13|
|Notes forming part of the Financial Statements|14|
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 2
## **Stisted Village Hall**
## **Reference and Administrative Information**
**Charity Name:** Stisted Village Hall **Charity Registered Number:** 246278 **Registered Address:** Rectory Road, Stisted, Essex CM77 8AL **Correspondence Address:** Rectory Road, Stisted, Essex CM77 8AL **Freehold Property:** Vested in The Official Custodian for Charities
## **Names of the Charity Trustees who manage the Charity:**
|Trustee Name
Office
(if any)
Dates elected
(if not for whole
year)
Term of Office
expires at end of
AGM foryear:
Mr R Barnes
2026
Mr D I Cruickshank
2027
Mr M Hughes
Chairman
2025
Mr R Hughes
2025
Mrs R Jubb
2028
Mrs H Routledge
2028
**Independent Examiner**
Christine White
**of Accounts:**
Hunters, 37 The Street, Stisted, Essex CM77 8AW
**Bankers:**
Barclays Bank plc, Witham Branch
59 Newland Street, Witham CM8 2AJ
**Solicitors:**
Holmes & Hills LLP
Bocking End, Braintree, Essex CM7 9AJ|Trustee Name|Office
(if any)|Dates elected
(if not for whole
year)|Term of Office
expires at end of
AGM foryear:|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Mr R Barnes|||2026|
||Mr D I Cruickshank|||2027|
||Mr M Hughes|Chairman||2025|
||Mr R Hughes|||2025|
||Mrs R Jubb|||2028|
||Mrs H Routledge|||2028|
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 3
## **Report of the Management Committee for the year ended 31[st] December 2024**
The Management Committee presents its report and financial statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2024.
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## _**Governing Document**_
At its Annual General Meeting on the 26[th] March 2014, the meeting approved the changes to the administrative procedures and powers relating to Stisted Village Hall charity as set out in the Resolution of the Trustees passed on the 20[th] day of February 2013. The modified Conveyance sets out its objectives and powers under which Stisted Village Hall is governed.
## _**Recruitment and Appointment of Management Committee**_
Members of the Management Committee are the charity trustees within the meaning of Section 177 of the Charities Act 2011. The Management Committee shall consist of not more than 6 elected members and may include not more than 3 co-opted members.
Elected members must be elected at an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting convened as described in paragraph 12.7 of the modified Conveyance. Candidates for election must be declared at least 14 days before the election and shall be proposed by at least two persons qualified as parishioners to vote at the elections.
Co-opted members may be appointed at a duly constituted meeting of the Management Committee.
## _Term of Office_
Members retire from office at the end of the fourth annual general meeting next after the date on which such member came into office but may be re-elected or re-appointed.
## _**Trustee Induction and Training**_
Trustees are already familiar with the practical work of the charity as they reside within the local area. New members, on their first appointment, are given:
- A copy of the Conveyance, a copy of the 20[th] February 2013 Resolution and any amendments made to either
- Charity Commission - CC3a of The Essential Trustee
- A copy of the Charity’s latest Annual Report and statement of accounts
## _**Organisational Structure**_
Through the Conveyance and Trust Deed documents, the Management Committee is empowered to decide on alterations or enlargements to the premises and may permit the erection of additional buildings subject to relevant planning permissions.
The Management Committee has day to day responsibility for the provision of the services at the premises and all monies received in this connection are dispersed for the direct benefit of the premises, i.e. repairs, renewals, insurances, etc.
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 4
## _**Affiliated Parties**_
To assist the Management Committee in its work, Stisted Village Hall is affiliated to Rural Community Council for Essex which advises village halls on aspects of its management, i.e. Licensing, Hiring Agreements and is a prime provider of relevant training.
## **Aims and Objectives**
The Deed provides that the Trustees _“shall hold the said property hereinbefore conveyed Upon Trust to permit the same to be used in perpetuity as a non-sectarian and non-political place of recreation and social intercourse and for any religious and or charitable purpose or purposes calculated to promote the moral intellectual spiritual or physical improvement or welfare or the recreation advantage or benefit of the inhabitants of Stisted aforesaid and of the surrounding district under the name of Stisted Village Hall either gratuitously or in consideration of any money payment or on such terms as the Trustees may think fit.”_
## **Achievements and Performance**
## _**1. Change in Officers**_
The following officers appointed in 2017 continue in post:
Mrs T Warner Bookings Officer Mrs D Rand Treasurer (appointed May 2024) Mr T Noonan and Mrs A Noonan Allotments Letting Officer Mrs U Hollands. Secretary
## _**2. Volunteers**_
The Stisted Village Hall Management Committee would like to thank all the volunteers who help in the running and maintenance of the Hall. We would particularly like to thank all those involved with the Friday evening Social Bar and the Stisted Players who staged a pantomime at the Hall this year. Without their support and goodwill much of the facilities the Village Hall, Allotments and Community Orchard provide to the local community would not be possible. Both, the Social Bar and the pantomine have proved very popular with the residents of Stisted.
Finally, the Management Committee would like to thank Mr and Mrs Bones for the donation of a sack of daffodil bulbs once again in 2024. These have been planted in front of the Hall on either side of the road.
## _**3. Hall bookings and Allotments lettings**_
The Village Hall continues to hire the Hall on a regular basis for various activities across the age groups, for pilates, chair pilates, baby sensory, Basking Babies, Little Story Shapers, dog training and Women’s Institute. Additionally, the Hall was hired for 22 parties and events in 2024.
Although Aimie’s Dance Class, our main hirer for nearly 10 years, left the Hall in March 2024, the loss of income from that has been more than been replaced by the Friday Evening Social Bar, which opened in May 2024
Stisted Village Facebook page is still the most popular way to contact us for hall bookings.
Only one plot in the allotments remains unoccupied. The rest have been rented for most of the year.
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 5
## _**4. Community Orchard**_
Following some publicity, folks from the community and the allotments visited the Orchard to pick fruit. Some trees were very productive and some had next to nothing, which was due to a combination of climate changes, pruning pattern and fruit variety. We did not have an apple pressing day this year.
Work on the identification of the apples in the Orchard continues. There has still been some muntjac activity, but the fencing to the rear has certainly helped. It remains to be seen whether trees that have been attacked by muntjac will be affected in the long term.
The hedging has been kept in good order through the work of volunteers, in particular Richard Hughes and Mark Hughes, and this is greatly appreciated. In the future It might be a good idea to have particular activities such as pruning, hedging, grass cutting, mulching and picking included on the SVH calendar in order to try and get more volunteers involved.
Sadly, the bees that were in the Orchard left last winter, but Ian Barnard and Howard Hollands hope to start a new colony this Spring
Howard Hollands is our rep on the Essex Orchards Group and the Community Orchard is registered with Orchards East. The most recent meeting indicated a real concern for the future of community orchards. We are fortunate having ours under the auspices of the Village Hall Trust as this provides some protection. Many old orchards are disappearing under the bulldozers due to a lack of organised protection.
We need to do more to celebrate what we have and I would also like to research old orchards in our Parish as part of the Archive work.
## _**5. Stisted Historic Archive**_
**Archive Team Members:** Sue Buffey, Derek Pryke, Lynn McCullagh, Howard Hollands, Helen Hughes, Jane Barnard, Helen Remfry
## **Activity:**
- Digital Cataloguing of the Montefiore Library by Jane Barnard
• Loan from Montefiore collection of artefacts, pictures and books with a view to restoration and display. This will require a funding bid and liaison with both Montefiore Trustees and the shop management
- We were able to open up the Archive space for the pantomime this year which worked well.
## **Exhibitions in the Fairhead Room:**
**Trades and Businesses Show by Sue Buffey:** This exhibition has in part, transferred to Braintree Museum for the current Toys and Games Exhibition which also includes Doreen Digby’s Stisted Maze Game.
As a result of the successful exhibition of the ceramic work of the late Colin Saunders in the Fairhead Room and the follow up show at Braintree Museum, Colin’s work will now be featured at the 303 Gallery in Lowestoft in late 2025.
## **Acquisitions:**
Numerous small donations or loans of documents and photographs have been received over the year, including the Petanque archive from Trevor Blows and the loan of the Montefiore Collection (this is for restoration and eventual exhibition)
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 6
## **Issues:**
The Parish Council has a new website which is unable to accommodate the large Archive image collection. The Archive Team therefore need to find an alternative solution.
The Parish Magazine has now become bi-monthly, but will now be delivered to all Stisted residents. The Archive will continue to submit material where appropriate. We also need to consider new ways of dissemination and publication of Archive material in addition to Village Facebook and Village Whats App.
With an increase in artefact/document donations, storage becomes ever more creative! We also need to consolidate the work of the oral history programme initiated by Helen Remfry and consider ways forward to manage this, and the huge amount of material involved.
Thanks to the Village Hall Trustees, Management and volunteers, and particularly Tim Noonan and Debs Rand for assistance with the accounts.
## _**6. Stisted Village Hall Social Committee**_
From the beginning of May 2024, by popular demand, when the Village pub, the Onley, closed last year, we opened a Social Bar and arrange food trucks on Friday evenings. It is run by volunteers. It has proved to be very successful. From 1 May to 31 December 2024 the social bar has taken £18136. The Friday Evening Social Bar meets the Aims and Objectives outlined in the original Deed _(See page 5 para 2)._
We have also had a pantomime performance at the Hall this year, staged by the Stisted Players, a village based amateur drama group, which raised approximately £2000 in ticket and bar sales.
The management Committee plan to continue organising more events in 2025.
## _**7. Project Planning**_
In 2024, project planning was discussed as part of the SVHMC meetings and the following work has been completed:
1. Sound attenuators installed
2. Stage lighting installed
3. Fridge/freezer replaced in the kitchen
4. Solar panels installed
5. Roller shutters installed for the bar
6. CCTV installed as per bar licence requirements
7. External electric sockets installed for the food trucks
8. Gate post of main gate to car park repaired
9. Wooden bollard by the allotment entrance replaced
## **Financial Review**
Our Financial Statements confirm that a net surplus of £10,603 (2023 deficit £1,091) was returned on our activities.
## _**Principal Funding Sources**_
Our main source of income is from the hire of the premises. which enables the Management Committee to plan effectively for necessary repairs and renewals to the premises, including compliance with Health & Safety regulations. The Management Committee continues to seek appropriate grants to augment funding for specific projects. In 2024, Stisted Village Hall Trust applied for, and successfully received
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 7
grants worth £31061.00 for the Village Hall including donation of £170.00. Details of all grants and expenditure are set out in the table below.
|**restricted**|£14,600|£1,000|£2,064|£8,284|£1,500|£500|£109|||**£28,057**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**designated**||£118||||||||**£118**|
|**Unrestricted**|£2,850||||£990|||£684|£1,584|**£6,108**|
|**Notes**|Total Cost £17,450.
Balance from unrestricted funds||Balance to be spent by 31.6.25,
on planters, plants and
landscaping|Toilets will be done at the same
time as the ladies’toilets|||||||
|**Total Grant c/f**|0|0|£1,436|£1,507|||£61|||**£3,004**|
|**Total cost**|£17,450|£1,118|£2,064|£8,284|£2,490|£500|£109|£684|£1,584|**£34,283**|
|**Total Grant**|£14,600|£1,000|£3,500|£9,791|£1,500|£500|£170|||**£31,061**|
|**Purpose**|Solar Panels for Village Hall to
reduce carbon emissions and
move towards net zero|Funds for Pantomime|Outdoor spaces and
Landscaping including
gates and post for
orchard and allotments,
planters for front of Village Hall
and landscaping to rear|Fit Sound attenuators
to ceiling of Hall and £500 to
disabled toilets|Purchase and installation of two
roller shutters for the bar|Materials for Exhibitions|General exhibition expenses|Fridge For bar|CCTV for Village Hall||
|**Awarding Body**|Braintree District Council|Essex CC administered
by EALC|Braintree District
Council|National Lottery|Hawthorne Charitable
Trust|Hawthorne Charitable
Trust|Other donations|from Unrestricted Funds|from Unrestricted Funds||
|**Grant**|UK Shared Prosperity Fund
Community infrastructure|Essex CC Microgrants|Community Gardens,
Orchards and Open Spaces
Funding|The National Lottery
Community Fund||||Asset Purchased|Asset Purchased|**Total grants, donations and**
**assets purchased**|
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 8
## _**Investment Policy**_
Despite the current financial market, it is still our desire to secure the best interest rates available. Any excess funds above those needed for day-to-day expenditure are held in a savings account.
## _**Village Events Account**_
The Management Committee continues to administer the funds associated with village events and is therefore deemed to be restricted.
## _**Reserves Policy**_
Unless specifically instructed otherwise, all surplus funds and bank interest earned are deemed as unrestricted funds, available for the continued improvement of premises facilities. However, it is agreed that our reserves are equal to or greater to the value of Designated and Restricted Funds.
We have allocated £15,000.00, an increase of £3000.00 from previous years, as a designated fund, which is available to the Trustees should income from hirings be insufficient to meet our overheads.
The Allotments are self-supporting and do not use funds from our main income of hall hire. In 2018 we created funds so the Allotments Funds (and future trading) is a restricted fund.
## **Plans for Future Periods**
Viability on need and affordability – with or without external funding – will dictate whether projects can be implemented. The following are still under consideration:
- Internal redecoration of lobby
- • Refurbishment of toilets • Upgrade of heating facility • Review security alarm and fire alarm • Purchase and Install big screen TV
- Purchase and install dishwasher in the bar
- Reconfigure access to the Fairhead Room
## **Responsibilities of the Management Committee**
The Management Committee is required to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including income and expenditure, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the management committee should follow best practice and:
- Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
- Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the company will continue on that basis.
The Management Committee is responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to ensure that the financial statements apply to the relevant reporting standards. The Management Committee is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
## **Members of the Management Committee**
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 9
Members of the Management Committee who are Trustees for the purpose of charity law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 3.
## **Independent Examiner of Accounts**
Mrs C White of Hunters, 37 The Street, Stisted, Essex CM77 8AW
## **Declaration**
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
## **Mr Mark Hughes Chairman**
Date: 28 May 2025
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 10
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 11
## **STISTED VILLAGE HALL BALANCE SHEET as at 31.12.2024**
|**Fixed Asset- Village Hall Building at cost**
**Fixtures & Fittings**
**Total Fixed Assets**
**Current Assets**
Barclays Current Account
Barclays Premium Account
Cash In Hand
Bar Stock
Sundry Debtors
**TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS**
**Current Liabilities**
Creditors
Barclay card
**TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES**
**NET CURRENT ASSETS**
**TOTAL ASSETS**|**2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
323173
323173
-
210|
|---|---|
||**323173**
**323383**|
||37840
40701
48500
22899
271
881
422
-
215
388|
||**87248**
**64869**|
||11278
285
572
-|
||**11850**
**285**|
||**75398**
**64584**|
||**398571**
**387967**|
page12
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 12
## **STISTED VILLAGE HALL**
## **Receipts & Payments for the year ended 31.12.2024**
|**RECEIPTS**
Allotment Rents
Hall Lettings
Grants and Donations Received
Stisted Parish Council
Bank Interest
Village hall Events( Inc Bar takings)
Panto Sales
**Total Revenue Receipts**
**PAYMENTS**
Allotment Expenses
Cleaners & Cleaning Supplies
Hall Maintenance
Hall Insurance
electric, Refuse & Water
Other
Village Hall events Inc. bar costs
Panto Expenses
Officer Expenses
**TOTAL DAY TO DAY PAYMENTS**
**Asset & Project Costs**
Projects - & Assets See Notes)
**Total PAYMENTS**
**Net Surplus/ Deficit**
**TOTAL FUNDS B/F 1.1.2024**
**Transfers to designated funds**
**Total Funds @31.12.2024 ( note 1)**
**NOTE 1**
**FUND BALANCES @ 31.12.2024**
**General Fund**
**Panto Fund**
**Reserve For overheads if no rental income**
**Trustee Funds For Property Alteration**
**Allotments**
Brought Forward
Add Income
Less Expenses
**Allotment C/f**
**Community Grant**
Less gates Etc purchased
**Total Community c/f**
**STISTED ARCHIVE**
Balance brought forward
Add Grants
Less Expenses
**STISTED ARCHIVE c/f**
**Village Hall Events B/f**
**National Lottery Community Fund**
Grant Received
Less expenditure on Attenuators
**Balance National Lottery for Toilet Upgrade**
**LAND & CAPITAL**
TOTAL FUNDS@ 31.12.2024|**Unrestricted**
**Designated**
**£**
**£**
13096
200
601
18136
705|**Restricted**
**Endowment**
**Total 2024**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
£
£
1376
1376
1283
13096
17362
31061
31061
1583
200
300
601
216
18136
8886
705|
|---|---|---|
||**32033**
**705**|**32437**
**65175**
**29630**|
||5108
2939
1099
882
730
8427
118
600|313
313
165
5108
4637
2939
13228
1099
1126
191
1073
3162
730
2309
8427
3884
118
600
600|
||**19785**
**118**|**504**
**0**
**20407**
**29111**|
||6108|28057
34165
1610|
||**25893**
**118**|**28561**
**0**
**54572**
**30721**|
||6140
587
35786
19020
-10980
10980|3876
0
10603
-1091
10085
323077
387968
389059
|
||**30946**
**30587**|**13961**
**323077**
**398571**
**387968**|
||**30946**
**587**
**15000**
**15000**|4133
1376
-504
**5005**
3500
-2064
**1436**
328
670
-609
**389**
**5624**
9791
-8284
**1507**
323077
**13961**
**323077**
**398571**
page 13|
||**30946**
**30587**||
||||
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 13
## **NOTES TO THE 2024 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
## **General Notes**
The accounts conform to the latest requirements of the Charity Commission as they comply with the Charities Act 2011. The Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet will provide a standard view for the general public and the Charity Commission.
## **Balance Sheet Items**
## **a) Fixed Assets: Freehold Land and Buildings**
The figure for Freehold Land and Buildings - £323,173 – remains at the same historic valuation in the absence of any independent, professional assessment, and any further expenditure of a capital nature for this financial year.
Freehold Land and Buildings remain categorised, in line with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, as a Permanent Endowment under the Restricted Funds category because of its capital nature and implicit restrictions in its charitable use.
## **b) Fixed Assets**
The Village Hall accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis, so fixed assets are written off to expenditure in the year. Below is a list of purchases this year.
|**Date**|**Supplier**|**Details**|**Cost**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Sept 2024|D J Installations|CCTV|£1584|
|Oct 2024|Solar Power Direct|Solar Panels|£17450|
|Oct 2024|The WolleyShepard|Acoustic Clouds|£8284|
|June 2024|Nesbits|Fridge for Kitchen|£684|
|Dec 2024|CML Building|Gates & planters for
Allotments|£2064|
|May2024|Lockdown Shutters|Shutters For Bar|£2490|
|||||
|**Total Assets 2024**|||**£32556**|
## **c) Sundry Debtors and Creditors**
In presenting the Financial Statements as Receipts and Payments, it is confirmed that outstanding creditors is £11,278 and outstanding debtor amount is £215 for 2024. The balance outstanding on the Barclay card is £572. These are all included in the balance sheet.
## **d) Established Funds of the Charity**
Restricted funds of £13,961 set aside by the Trustees of Stisted Village Hall includes £5,005 for Allotments, and the historic surplus of £5,624 for Village Hall events to be used for improvements to the premises. It also includes £1,507 unspent National Lottery grant, £1,436 Community Gardens grant and £389 Stisted Historic Archive fund.
Designated reserves of £30,587 includes £587 for the Stisted Players group, £15,000.00 Reserve to cover loss of rental income and £15,000 for alterations and improvements.
Unrestricted funds of £30,946 are available for the running of the Village Hall.
Stisted Village Hall Annual Report 2024
Page 14