2023-12-31-accounts - Great Finborough Village Hall

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GREAT FINBOROUGH VILLAGE HALL charity no.246643

2023-24 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PETTIWARD HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Commitee

David Preece, Delia Prior and Sara Raynes were re-elected as Trustees at the AGM on 20 March 2023. Mary Preece is the Parish Council’s nominated trustee until March 2025. We were very pleased to welcome Mark Simonds as a new trustee; he has proved to be a very valuable member of the team but is now moving to the coast and will not be seeking re-election. Officer positions have remained unchanged with David Preece as Chairman and Treasurer and Mary Preece as Secretary and Bookings Secretary/Keyholder. Committee meetings were held in March, April, June, September, October, November and February.

Hall Improvements and Maintenance

The main project for 2023 was the re-roofing of the hall. We considered this necessary as we believe that the roof had not been replaced since the hall was built c.1907. If slates were dislodged in storms, water penetrated into the roof spaces as there was no membrane under the slates, only wooden boards. Early in 2023 the Secretary began applying for grants as, although we had sufficient funds due to generous coronavirus grants from the government to part-fund the project, we needed an additional input of funds to make it happen. We were successful in our bid to Mid Suffolk District Council capital grants fund for £16,000 and to the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund, administered by ACRE, for £8,000. We also launched the SOS or Sponsor our Slates fundraising campaign. We had a stall at the Coronation celebration on 7 May and received several cash donations and in total we received the fantastic sum of £2,656 in donations from individuals, businesses and community organisations, together with £203 from the Little Ernie Lottery. £146 in Gift Aid tax refunds yet to be claimed can also be added to the sum raised.

One of the conditions of the Jubilee Fund grant was that we hold an Open Day to publicise our project. We held a successful Open Morning on 14 October and invited village organisations to have a table to publicise their activities. We also had a display about the history of the hall. We were very pleased that our MP Jo Churchill was able to attend and the Secretary’s write up and photo (thanks Peter Turner) was printed in the EADT.

We are very grateful to our neighbours – Lee, Cathy and family and Marian and Geoff – at The Cottage and The Annexe for their patience and understanding during the re-roof.

Whilst the work on the roof was taking place, the roofer made us aware that there was a large crack in one of the chimney stacks on the west (Valley Lane) side of the building. This could not be seen from the road and the crack may have been there for many years. After learning that the stack could not be repaired and after taking further professional advice, we decided that the stack should be demolished for safety reasons. We decided that, to retain the aesthetics of the building, it should be re-built to the exact dimensions and appearance as the current chimney. Planning permission was required and this was granted at the end of December but with two conditions concerning the supply of the brick specifications and dimensions of the current chimney. After satisfying these conditions the go ahead was given in mid -February. We have now instructed a builder and await a date for the work to be commenced. Grants for this work from Suffolk County Councillor Penny Otton and Mid Suffolk District Councillor John Matthissen’s locality budgets and a generous donation should cover the cost.

Our new Trustee, Mark, and David carried out a Fire Risk Assessment in June and a number of improvements have been made as a result of their findings, including repairing the fire exit door from the kitchen (thanks to Graham Chaplin for his help with this) and additional signage. It is hoped to install at least one fire call point in the upstairs area and replace the meeting room chairs with ones that we know are flame-retardant when funds allow.

Land Registraton

As reported at the last AGM, we have applied for “adverse possession” of a small section of land in the outdoor play area used by the Pre-school. We are still waiting for the outcome – our solicitor has known applications to take two years to be processed.

Bookings

Our regular bookings continue to be the Pre-school, including Parent & Toddler Group, weekly Yoga & Meditation classes, Garden Club and Parish Council meetings. Boyton Services continue to use the hall for HGV driver training. A Latin fitness class was a short-lived addition to the weekly schedule last May. Party bookings were strong in the first half of 2023 but there have been none since the end of May. We think this may be due in part to our policy of not

allowing bouncy castles in the hall -which was re-affirmed by the committee last year - for fire safety reasons.

The hall’s tables and chairs were borrowed for the Coronation lunch, High Road Festival and Garden Club events with no charge. Hire Charges were reviewed at the end of 2023 and increased for the first time in ten years to reflect increased costs, particularly electricity and wages. However, it was decided not to increase hire charges for the Pre-school at this time. The Hiring Agreement and Conditions of Hire and Information for Hirers documents were also refreshed.

We are concerned that the hall is under-used and have asked if there are people in the village willing to organise social events to encourage a sense of community and to raise funds for good causes. There has been no response to date. We are also collaborating with Active Suffolk on providing a new activity at the hall and a survey will appear in the April newsletter.

“Litle Ernie” Lotery

There was a slight increase in ticket sales in 2023-24 and, as previously mentioned, the £203 raised was spent on the new roof.

Policies

Our policies were reviewed with minor amendments to the Health & Safety and Equal Opportunities policies. A new Social Media and Communication Policy is due to be adopted at the next committee meeting.

Finally, I would like to thank my fellow trustees for their support over the last year. Mary appealed in the March newsletter for one or two people to put themselves forward for co-option to the committee. Her third four-year term of office as the Parish Council’s nominated trustee ends at the 2025 AGM and she will not be seeking re-election. If we can get people on board now to learn the ropes, then hopefully the running of the hall can continue seamlessly when she leaves the committee next year. Since writing the newsletter article we have learnt that we will have a trustee vacancy this year, so ideally we need three people to join us now. Please support us if you can.

D Preece Chairman March 2024

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRusfE GREAT FIN80ROUGH VILLAGE HALL ED ER OF Z3 I report on the financial sLeThnts of Great Finbwh Village Hall (Chanty no. 246643) for the year ended 31 December 2023. Rosp8ctN• rnsponsibilit•e• of the trustees and the examlner The charity's trustees arn r98wsn8I1a for thè Preparati of th8 a(xx>unt8. Th• dritY,8 tnjstaes consider that an audit is not required for tPus year under s144(2) of the Chanties Act 2011 {the 2011 Act) and that an ItpendnI examinatlon is ne8dad. It is fny responsiknlty to: exarnine the accounts under s145 of the 2011 All: follow the procedures laKI down in the general DireLaions given ty the Chity Commission under s145{5)(b) of the 2011 Act,. and state whether parb'cular matters have come to my attention. Ba818 of Ind•p•nd•nt Examln•f• llat•m•nt My examin8b.on was carried out in accordance wilh the gernr81 Ilrections given by the Charity Commission. That examinatlon Indudes a review of accounting re¢ords kept by the tharily'8 tru8te88 afbd a compAri8on of the Accounts with those records. It also includes considerlng any unusual items or disclosures in the a¢count8 and 8eeking explanations from tre tru8te88 corKerning ary such matters. The wocedur88 undertaken do not provKle all the evidenrx that would t required in an audit. and consequently I do not express an audrt wnion on the accounts and the report is limited to th080 mattorg 8et out in the 8tslement bebw. Indopond•nt Examln•rf• •lat•m In GonnéGlion my èxamin8tion. no matt•r8 have to my attenlion: 1. whkh glve me reasonable cause to believe that In ar,y materlal rnspect the requirements . to keep Accounting records in accordance wlth s8ctK)n 130 of tho 2011 Acl; or to prepare accounts which accord wtth the accounting rad$ and comply ith tho requiramentg of the 2011 Act have not been rnet, or 2. to which, in my opinion, attertKVl 8houkl i* dra in order to enable a proper undefstanding of the accounts to be reached. Andrew Rotx'nson 30 Wllow Cl¢yJe G8t Finborough Stowmark8t SLrffolk IP14 38F Date 23 Marth 2024

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