## **Northill Annual Trustees Report Presented at our AGM** We have come through a difficult and upsetting year. The death of our Treasurer, Damian Wilcox earlier this year, was felt by us all, and he is missed. Dawn decided to step down form the Committee last year, meaning we have lost the voice of both Damian and Dawn from the Committee. Dawn has been very ill recently, and we offer her our best wishes for a full recovery. Pam has also struggled with ill health, and we hope she is on the road to recovery now. Our main event of the year has unfortunately been Covid. We have had to close the Hall for most of the year, only really opening up for business in the last few months. We have had to make decisions on how to open the Hall - the use of sanitizer, a cleaning regime including gloves and aprons, ventilation, number allowed in the Hall, entrance and exits. A weird world, that Mike, Lesley, the Committee and our users have adapted to positively. It is normal to see the windows and doors in the Hall wide open, to see an alternative door used for exit, for the hand sanitizer to be on the small table by the door. The unexpected bonus from the pandemic has been the funding that Sue has applied for and received. We have received 5 grants worth £28400 over the last year. This has been vital to help us keep the Hall infrastructure safe and viable, meaning we could open the Hall back up very quickly when we were allowed to do so. It also meant we could partially pay our staff, the key element that keeps the Hall open to our users, and as safe as possible. We are very grateful to Sue for finding and successfully applying for these funds. Our meetings moved to Teams. Something we now consider normal! Face-to-Face, like tonight, now seems strange! Who would have thought! However this meeting format has allowed us to continue to look after the Hall and plan for the future, so thanks to all for making that work. Maybe we were perhaps a little too optimistic with our tentative plan for our “covid is over” party in May this year? We have continued to consider the need to refurbish our kitchen. It has been confirmed we will benefit from a Section 106 sum – paid by developers to support the local infrastructure, although this payment is not likely to be released to us for some months, as 50% of the houses must be occupied before the funding is released. We can however plan the kitchen refurbishment in the mean time. The main expense this year in terms of one off items has been the replacement of the hand drier in the ladies toilet. We also have a lovely new Notice Board, thanks to Richard Tyler. For future, we are looking at replacement chairs, fascias and guttering outside the Hall, a working group for the kitchen re-design, new storage and a new website. 1 of 6 As far as bookings are concerned the Hall has been closed for significant portions of the year. We were closed from 22[nd] March to 29[th] June 2020, and then again from Christmas to 12[th] April 2021. When we were open, we welcomed users from Masquerades, the Community Choir, Boot Camp, Imagination in Art, Yoga and Circuit Training. Most of those Groups are regular users of the Hall, week in week out. We have also hosted the council elections. Overall, we are busy, although a few more weekend bookings would be welcome. We have received positive comments about the state of the hall. I would like to thank Mike for the excellent job that he does. Whenever I come in, the hall is always clean and tidy and I know that he is very helpful to our various users, and he also acts as day to day maintenance man for the hall. We are very grateful for all that Mike does. Thanks also go to Lesley, as bookings Sec. but who also does a lot of other small jobs in the hall for example regularly washing tea towels and I know she will help out Mike with the cleaning etc if needed and other small jobs if required around the hall. They really are a great double act. Our thanks do go to them both. I would also like to record our continued thanks to the generosity of the Wingfields in supporting our Broadband – which I know many users find completely invaluable. We have funded some of this activity from the Grant money over a few months during Covid, but their help for the rest of the year is much appreciated. I would as ever like to thank my fellow officers. On 16[th] February 2021, Sue Tyler stepped down as Chair after many years of service. I was very pleased that she accepted the post of Treasurer at the same time! I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sue for all her hard work as Chair of this Committee. She has taken the Hall through some very turbulent times – the roof and Covid being just 2, and we are a stronger and better funded Committee because of her leadership. In her new role as Treasurer, Sue has finally moved us fully to electronic payments, after many hours on the phone. Sue has also undertaken much work investigating chairs. In addition, she has been a whirlwind of activity since her retirement identifying a supplier for a new website, looking into potential storage solutions, buying hand driers and starting a procedure review. I am very grateful to Sue for her continued commitment, perseverance and dogged determination to get things done! Thanks also to Jo for taking on the role of our Secretary, she can only improve on the previous incumbent! And also thanks to Val for being Vice Chair - being there with an imaginative suggestion and practical help continues to be appreciated. Thanks also to Barry who continues to act as our unpaid maintenance consultant. I would like to thank the entire Committee for its hard work, flexibility and support throughout a difficult year. We are Teams experts now! I would like to finish by thanking everyone for all that you do in helping to maintain and run Northill Village Hall for our community, we have a lot to look forward to, and I am confident the Hall will go from strength to strength with this team running it. 2 of 6 Thank you. 3of6 Treasures Report Year Ending 30 April 2021 4of6 O(•tr 8888 88¥ C￿00¥ OOL 5of6 6of6