## REVIEW OF THE YEAR Rottingdean Heritage CIO October 2024 **----- Start of picture text -----**
20th July - 26th August 2024
The Grange Gallery, Rottingdean
FREE ENTRY
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## **Highlights of 2024** - 4260 visitors to Prydie exhibition - 18 different exhibitions in the Gallery - 13 talks in Wednesday at One series on local history - 3 RH Guest lectures at the Whiteway Centre - Over 5000 items from the archive scanned for new website - 95 graves tended by 55 volunteers in Adopt a Grave scheme - Gertrude Jekyll Centenary weekend - 1700 visitors to the Windmill ## **CHAIR’S REPORT** ## Chris Davidson The formation of Rottingdean Heritage CIO in April seemed a good opportunity to review all our processes. As Members are usually more interested in what has happened in the current rather than the preceding year we have produced a Review of the Year rather than an illustrated Annual Report for this year's AGM. The year has undoubtedly been dominated by Prydie, the exhibition dedicated to Mabel Pryde Nicholson held in July and August. In many ways this was much more ambitious than our successful exhibition on William Nicholson two years ago. William was well known, but Mabel almost forgotten since her early death in 1918. Yet both painted some of their finest work whilst living at The Grange, and her painting of that name formed the centrepiece of the exhibition. In the end it was an amazing success with visitor numbers of over 4000 in the six week run. This was helped enormously by the publication of a book about Mabel by Lucy Davies, who worked closely with us throughout the whole planning process. As this exhibition involved so many more original artworks - 30 in all - we were also privileged to have David Bomford again as curator. But behind the scenes there were many more people involved including the Working Group, the Gallery team and the many stewards. The whole exhibition will be the subject of a more detailed report in due course. Quite apart from this, the Gallery flourishes under the leadership of the new Director Dimitrios Evangelou with varied exhibitions from many local artists. Exhibitions are not just at the Gallery either, as Jo Goddard has held several successful events at the Windmill which remains as popular as ever with visitors. The Grange Gardens have looked beautiful this year, thanks to Katherine and our volunteer team, and in July we celebrated the centenary of the Grange Garden designs by Gertrude Jekyll so beautifully illustrated in the Country Life article in 1927. It included a talk by Carolyn Ikin from Munstead House, the home of Gertrude Jekyll, and featured a range of festivities in the garden, ending with a concert by the Copper family. The talk on Jekyll in the Whiteway Centre was one of three talks that Rottingdean Heritage has supported.The others by Alice Strang and Rafaele Appleby during the Prydie exhibition, and Prof Michael Robertson on William Morris and Burne-Jones, have proved extremely popular, with capacity audiences. We hope to continue this close collaboration with the Whiteway Centre in the coming year. We continue to work closely with other groups in the village, and the Rottingdean Village Community now has the noticeboard in the RH Phone box along with a new logo and website. With over ten organisations now participating it does offer the potential to strengthen the links between the many active groups in the village. Our other important initiative this year has been the development of a digital Archive. Mike Laslett and his team of volunteers worked hard over the winter to select and classify over 5000 items which have now been scanned and will potentially create a much wider audience for the many documents and photos in the archive. The Archive team have also had outstanding success with their _Wednesdays at One_ talks in the spring and have attracted new recruits to the Adopt a Grave scheme in the Churchyard. Finally, may I thank all the members of the committee for their dedication and hard work this year, made all the more challenging by the demands of the transition to CIO and the complexities of the Prydie exhibition. I am particularly grateful to Jeremy Thomas, who only joined us last year but with Mike Bennett took on much of the responsibility on both these projects, and to Kim Turnbull James who spearheaded the exhibition. We are also grateful to Sue Swinnerton who has decided to step down as Treasurer after many years of hard work. However, all the committee members - now Trustees of the CIO - have been equally committed and brought a great sense of teamwork to our activities. ## **THE GRANGE GALLERY** ## Dimitrios Evangelou 2024 was my first year as Gallery Director so thanks must first go to Fiona Kirkcaldy the outgoing director who helped make the transition as smooth as possible, giving up a lot of her valuable time both in the weeks before and after my starting the role. Secondly, thanks too to Gail Souppouris (Steward Manager), Louise Arnold (Gallery Manager), Patsy Dixon (Social Media), and Phil Evans (Gallery Technician) for all their help in maintaining the smooth running of the gallery during exhibitions on a day to day basis. And last but not least, to the stewards who selflessly give of their time to enable these exhibitions to be put on, and are a valuable source of information to those not local to the area. You know the gallery would not be what it is without you. The Grange Gallery in 2024 is proving to be another busy, and by all accounts, a successful year. By the end of this year there will have been 18 different exhibitions, not including the annual Christmas Fair. We have had a wide range of artists and styles, from dazzling seascapes to figurative and abstract sculpture, and from amazing arboreal digital prints to organically textured textiles. The artists have ranged from as far afield as Hong Kong and Costa Rica but now call Brighton and its environs home. The gallery’s commitment to local artists and groups was further strengthened this year by exhibitions from art groups from Peacehaven, Rottingdean, the local chapter of the Society of Catholic Artists, and The Society of Sussex Painters. We welcome back too 5 of our local schools, as they put on a children’s exhibition in October. Also, this year we had the amazingly popular and critically received summer ‘blockbuster’ exhibition ‘Prydie: The Life and Art of Mabel Pryde Nicholson’. Suffice it to say it beat all expectations and was a landmark event for Rottingdean Heritage and The Grange Gallery. Next year all exhibition slots are already booked up and looks to be just as exciting and wide ranging as 2024 was – so make sure you keep an eye out for the various newsletters and social media updates in the upcoming months! As we move the Gallery forward I want to build on the amazing press coverage we’ve had and ensure more and more people know about us. A recent conversation with an established local artist, who had never visited or known about the gallery in The Grange, suggests there is a vast untapped audience out there waiting to be introduced to the very special place that is the Grange. I look forward to making good on that goal and to carrying on working with the great group of volunteers that we have and to continue to be a hub for the arts and local artists in the community. ## **MUSEUM & ARCHIVE** ## Mike Laslett For the third year we were able to run a free series of thirteen lunchtime talks entitled “Wednesdays at One.” The talks encompassed Angela Thirkell, The Daddy Longlegs, The Quaker Burial Ground and much more. Held in the Nicholson Gallery, even the forty new chairs proved insufficient for the numbers attending. Next year we will need to find some way control numbers, perhaps by an admission fee or donation. In conjunction with St Margaret’s PCC the Adopt a Grave scheme continued where those adopting a grave are given genealogical information about their grave from Rottingdean Heritage archives. Currently 95 graves are looked after by 55 volunteers. Socials were held to thank volunteers at Christmas and Midsummer. The digitisation of the archive is almost complete. Grateful thanks go to Karen North and Vicky Barnes for their unstinting support and for their help with this. We are still seeking better accommodation for those who work in and those wishing to visit the archives at the Grange. We will explore the possibilities of St Aubyn’s chapel once it becomes the property of Rottingdean Parish Council. We have continued to receive donations and to answer queries from a variety of sources during the year. This included a five minute impromptu interview about Tudor Close which I was able to give on BBC local radio. ## **WINDMILL** ## Colin Dellar It has been a busy summer at the Mill which has been open every Sunday afternoon from May until September and by the end of September we will have had almost 1700 visitors. We were pleased to welcome the Oxford International College from Ovingdean whose art students had an art exhibition on 22nd and 23rd June and because of this successful exhibition the College have said that they would like to rebook for next year. In July Jo Goddard had a very popular art exhibition entitled 'Roost at the Mill' which attracted 324 visitors, and additionally Jo also arranged for the Homeward Bound Shanty Singers to give some performances during the summer and these ticket only events were always well supported. The Mill is in good condition and no major works have taken place but the usual small maintenance jobs which are always required have been carried out. We have an enthusiastic group of volunteers who staff the Mill on open afternoons, but we are always keen to increase our numbers. _If you would like to be a steward on our Sunday openings, please contact either myself or any Rottingdean Heritage committee member._ ## **PLANNING & CONSERVATION:** ## Michael Bennett It has been a relatively quiet year in terms of the number of planning applications affecting the conservation area. Planning permission was granted for the extension of St Margaret’s Church, the refurbishment and extension of St Margaret’s Cottage and the redevelopment of 2-4 West Street. The latter will result in the reinstatement of the original building line so the new building will align with 1 West Street.The former White Horse pub has been refurbished and upgraded to a boutique hotel under the name of White Horses. Planning permission was refused for the erection of a 20m telecoms mast on the high ground at the top of Whiteway’s Lane. There is concern about the number of empty retail units in the village core. These include the old Mishon McKay and Sea of Spice units on Marine Drive, The Chapel on Park Road and, in the High Steet, The Queen Vic and the former Yorkshire Building, Society, Barclay’s Bank (Costa Coffee) and Lloyd’s Bank premises. These vacancies emphasise the importance of using our local services so that new traders, particularly retailers, will be encouraged to take up these vacant premises. On a more positive note, through the efforts of Mike Laslett, the owner of The Olde Cottage has agreed with Brighton Council a list of much needed repairs which the owner must carry out to this grade 2 listed building, reputed to date back to 1589. The Parish Council has paused its plans for the redevelopment of the Lower High Street but is moving forward with the transfer of St Aubyns Field. The residential element of the development has been completed, as has the refurbishment of the chapel and cricket pavilion. The final element to be completed is the completion of the grassing and landscaping of the field. ## **MEMBERSHIP** ## Gavin Turnbull We currently have 290 members, of which 66 are also Stewards in the Grange.The main thrust this year has been to transfer the members to the new CIO. To facilitate this, we need to update approvals as to how we contact them under GDPR and obtain new mandates for the Gift Aid. If you are a ## **GERTRUDE’S ART & CRAFT Kim Priggen** Gertrude’s has had another good year. One of the highlights has been the hosting of a craft fair as part of the Gertrude Jekyll Centenary Day celebrations which included a ‘working with pastels’ workshop. The local guest artists remain a popular feature and, like last year, these change every two weeks throughout the Summer. This creates a fresh look and brings in new audiences. One of the guest artists held an open drawing event in the Grange Garden that got them into a national paper! They have put a lot of work into developing their social media accounts this year which has helped Gertrude’s gain new visitors alongside their loyal following of repeat customers. The banner on the Grange wall promoting it has also improved visibility. ## **SOCIAL MEDIA Patsy Dixon** Over the year we have been building up our following on both social media platforms we use, Facebook and Instagram. The ‘Prydie’ exhibition has boosted this further with lots more engagement and positive comments. We encourage our exhibiting artists to post and repost and we do the same, so hopefully our visibility will increase further and make Rottingdean Heritage and The Grange Gallery known to a wider audience. member and have not yet responded, then please do as this is very important to keep us compliant with both of these. Going forward, we have recently updated the “joining leaflet “and carried out a maildrop throughout the Deans. This has resulted is a small flurry of applications to join, which is most satisfying. Should you have any questions about membership please contact me at the new email address: membership@rottingdeanheritage.org.uk ## **SECRETARY’S REPORT** ## Jeremy Thomas The most significant event of the year was the incorporation of Rottingdean Heritage CIO, which was granted charitable status as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, and preparations for the transfer of the Society’s business and assets to the CIO, all ably choreographed by Michael Bennett. The CIO structure is very much the modern format for charities, providing limited liability protection for trustees and members and enabling the charity to own assets in its own name, rather than these being held by individuals in trust for the charity. Otherwise, the new CIO will function in very much the same way as the old Society, and members have the same rights as previously. The change was approved at a Special General Meeting of the Society in April 2024, to take effect on 1 May 2024. The transfers of beneficial ownership occurred on that date, although the work to transfer legal title to the assets and the various contractual relationships is ongoing. ## **TREASURER’S REPORT** ## Jeremy Thomas Excluding transfers to and from investments, our cash outflow increased by a little over £4,000 from £14,000 in 2023 to £18,300 in the year to 30 April 2024. This can be attributed to solicitors’ fees of £10,300 incurred in ## **GRANGE GARDEN Katherine Holman** Another busy year in the Grange garden has seen the building of a rockery in the front garden, a grasses bed, and a hot bed in the top garden. All over the garden we have been adding more perennials, shrubs and roses inspired by the original designer Gertrude Jekyll. The large trees in the garden were pruned allowing more light to the beds below. In July we celebrated our 100 year anniversary with a special centenary weekend. There were many events over the weekend including a talk by the curator of Munstead Wood which was a sellout. A great success all round. The volunteers outing to Charleston took place on a glorious day with the most perfect weather. Harry the Charleston gardener gave a very interesting talk about the artistic influences on the garden. Katherine and the volunteers left full of inspiration to translate some of the ideas into the Grange planting schemes. **----- Start of picture text -----**
THE ROTTINGDEAN
VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY
Rowena Bennett
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connection with the formation of the CIO and the transfer of assets from the Society and also to a reduction in donations and legacies to just £200 (2023: £7,800). These factors were partially offset by an increase in the income from exhibitions and museum sales, net of payments to artists, by some £4,600 to £26,000, gift aid receipts of nearly £2,500 and an extra £1,800 from the Tea Gardens including Gertrude’s Arts and Crafts. Otherwise receipts and payments were broadly in line with the previous year. An increase in the value of our investments more than offset the cash outflow so that the total value of our investments and cash stood at £372,000 at 30 April 2024 (2023: £361,000). The policy of the charity has been to maintain a reserve of £100,000 as a designated fund to cover potential repairs to the windmill and a general reserve of at least £30,000, sufficient to cover 6 month’s expenditure excluding payments to artists. Funds in excess of this are available to cover annual cash deficits and to make other payments which are consistent with the charity’s objects. Having recently taken over as Treasurer of Rottingdean heritage CIO, I must thank Sue Swinnerton for handling the treasury function for the Society over these last few years. I am pleased to say Sue is still involved in the Gallery cash management. ## **STEWARD MANAGER** ## Gail Souppouris Our Grange Steward team currently numbers 67, which is a tribute, surely, to how much fun it is. In 2024, 10 people joined, and 7 resigned, and most stewards continue to give at least one or two sessions every month, so that we are staffed with two at all times. The Team is led each month by a Coordinator: experienced stewards who take responsibility for ensuring the rota is filled. They step in when there’s a gap and stand by for emergencies during ‘their’ month. Without them the system would fall apart! **----- Start of picture text -----**
Rowena Bennett
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The Rottingdean Volunteer Community website ( https:// rottingdeancommunity.org.uk) has been up and running since May 2024. It has been promoted in the RH phone kiosk in Vicarage Lane and also in the RVN. There are 20 Volunteer Communities now on the website together with a calendar showing activities during the rest of this year. Joanna Van Vurren who designed and set up the website for Rottingdean Heritage has reported " I have been receiving some feedback from some of the communities - they have been getting some new volunteers as a result of the website and social posts which is fab!" We hope it is a useful and encouraging addition to life in Rottingdean. ## **RH WEBSITE Joanna van Vurren** Unique users and returning users grew each month, with big numbers for the Mable Pryde Nicholson exhibition. The most popular pages and their click flow data clearly indicate a strong alignment with user intent, demonstrating that visitors were able to quickly and easily find the information they needed. This is very positive! www.rottingdeanheritage.org.uk ## **Highlights of the Year** David Bomford Curator of Prydie Grange Garden in full flower Rafaele Appleby and Alice Strang with the ‘lost’ painting of Kit as a Pirate Lucy Davies signing copies of her book Chris with Nicholson descendants, Sophie Bowness (2nd left) and Aaron Kasmin (3rd left) _Carolyn Ikin judging the best flower arrangement at the Gertrude Jekyll Centenary weekend_ ## Rottingdean Heritage CIO ## Charity No 1206340 ## TRUSTEES Chris Davidson (Chair) Michael Bennett (Vice chair) Kim Turnbull James (Secretary) Jeremy Thomas (Treasurer) Gavin Turnbull (membership secretary) Colin Dellar Sue Swinnerton Fiona Kirkcaldy ## ## |S+ction&Receipts andFayme|nts||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowrne*t|Total|Last| ||Fu*ds|Funds|Funds|Funds|Year| ||t|f,|c|€|t| |Receipts
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J4.t..JLrZ|||| |UniteciTrustSank|||||| |||Fundstowiich|||Curi"ent| |lnvestrrentAssets||assetbefongs|Cost||vdtuc| |AssetsRetainedfor Charity'sOwnUse|||||| |Stock forResaie||Unrestricted|Li|60|| |||Fu*dsto which|Ansunt||When| |Liabitities||liabiiily:"eiates|Due||D*e| |Deposrt tretd reFlat||Unresiricted||;tt(,|| |D*positneldreTeaGarden||U*iestricted||40il|| |I"-rciepencientExaminerg' Invoicedue||#nresrr!cted||Jlc|| ## Independent Examiner's Report on the Accounts Report to the trustees of The Rottingdean Preservation Society on accounts for the year ended 30 April 2024 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'the TrusV'I for the year ended 30 April 2024. Respertive responsibilities of trustees and examiner As the charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirement5 01 the Char￿tieS Act 20111.the ACY'I. The charitys trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year lunder Section 144121 of the 2011 Attl and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility.. To examine the accounts under section 14S of the 2011 Act; To follow the procedure5 laid down in the General Direction5 given by the Charity Commissioners under section 1451bl of the 2011 Att; To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent examinerfs report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions 8iven by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting retord5 kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanation5 from you a5 trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide a11 the evidence that would be required in an 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 examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention: l. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect. the requirements.. To keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act,. and To prepare attount5 which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirement5 ofthe 2011 Art: have not been met: or 2. To whith, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: 29 Ortober 2024 Name: Philip Woodgate, FCCA Professional Body: ACCA Address: Woodgate Accounting Services Ltd, Unit 43, Newhaven Enterprise Centre. Newhaven, East Su55ex, BN9 98A