2024-03-31-accounts

Charity No: 269399

PELDON & WIGBOROUGHS COMMUNITY HALL

BOARD OF TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

For the year ended 31 MARCH 2024

Registered charity number: 269399

Board of Trustees’ report for the year ended 31 March 2024

The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Principal activity and governance structure

The principal activity of the Charity is to maintain and manage the Hall for the benefit of the residents of Peldon, Great & Little Wigborough and local community groups. The Trustees are also responsible as charity trustees for administering certain funds held in trust for the enhancement of the nave of St. Stephen’s Church, Great Wigborough to make it more suitable for use as a community venue (“Nave Project”).

The Board of Trustees has delegated certain powers to a Management Committee. The role of the Management Committee is to ensure that the Hall functions effectively and efficiently on a day-to-day basis. The Management Committee’s report on the year is on pages 4 – 5.

Financial review

The Treasurer’s report on pages 5 – 11 provides a commentary on the financial results for the year and position at the year end, including details of the Nave Project. The Treasurer and the Trustees would once again like to thank Steve Copeland for his invaluable support in acting as the Independent Examiner of the Charity’s accounts.

Trustees

The following Trustees served during the year:

Mrs Alison Biegel Mr Stewart Bilsland (Treasurer) Mrs Liz Davidson Mr Robert Davidson* (Chairman)

Mr Phil Gladwin Mr Bob Holmes Mrs Katrina Lewis Mr Jamie Longstaff Mr Will Newton* (Secretary)

*elected Trustees; otherwise appointed Trustees.

Changes to the Board of Trustees after the year end

Nil

Changes to the Charity’s governing documents

Nil

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Required disclosures

In the financial year:

1. none of the Trustees have been paid any remuneration or received any other benefits from an employment with the Charity;

2. none of the Trustees received reimbursement for expenses other than in relation to the reimbursement at cost of various supplies purchased for the normal operating requirements of the Hall; and

3. no related party transactions were entered into by the Charity.

On behalf of the Trustees.

Will Newton Secretary July 2024

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Report of the Management Committee for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

The year to 31 March 2024 has seen a further increase in the use of the Hall as it becomes better established and more well known, not just in Peldon and the Wigboroughs, but in the wider community to the south of Colchester. Its use by hirers and Hall Clubs increased by 24% compared with the previous year, a trend that accelerated in the second half of the financial year and has carried on into the Spring of 2024.

For the first time since the Hall opened in 2017, its day-to-day running costs are now being covered by income earned from hiring the Hall and running the various Hall clubs. This means that all the income we raise from the various fundraising events we stage can be used to invest in further improvements. The Hall has come of age, and is now a well-established success story!

As well as increased use of the Hall, our income also benefited from a 10% increase in our hire charges in May 2023, the first increase since the Hall opened in 2017, which was less than the rate of inflation over this period of 17.5%. Although we earned more income from one-off bookings than last year, it was the increased use by regular hirers that had the biggest impact. This included a new regular Sunday morning booking from the Church of the Citadel of Grace, which started in July, and the establishment of new Pilates classes and regular dog-training classes in the final quarter of the year. A new Hall club, pickle ball, started in the autumn.

The increase in this income was achieved despite the Hall having limited availability in January as we welcomed back the Peldon Players’ pantomime after a break of 4 years. The production of Babes in the Wood was a resounding success, playing to packed houses and achieving as high a standard of production and entertainment as ever. The Committee’s thanks to go Mel Newton and Alison Beigel for their decision to go for it, and also to the new director, Joe Kennils who pulled it all together so professionally in his first year in the role.

Other fundraising activities continued as in previous years, and included two quiz nights, thanks to our quizmasters Keith Banks and Lionel Bloomfield, and the monthly coffee mornings. The May coffee morning was moved to coincide with the King’s Coronation, while we ran very successful craft fayres as part of the coffee mornings in June and November. Our thanks go to Jane Anderson, excellently supported by Caroline Wilson, for organising these events.

The Summer Party, a staple of our fundraising activities when we were raising the money to rebuild the Hall, was moved from Brick House Farm to the Hall. It was a successful event, albeit on a smaller scale than in previous years. Once again, Crissy Lee called on her contacts to provide the musical entertainment, as she did at three other events during the year. While without exception all her events made for superb entertainment, at some of them, we struggled to attract an audience, although the Rock Night with Kenny Petrie in December was an outstanding success. Crissy has 3 events planned for 2024 but has decided to call a halt at the end of the year. We owe her an enormous debt of gratitude for having brought so much quality music to Peldon, which has helped us raise so much money for the Hall over the years.

The major improvement to the Hall this year was the work to reinforce the entrance to the over-flow car park in front of the hall, while still keeping it reasonably green, which was completed by the end of the 2023 summer. In hindsight, thanks to the very wet autumn, we should have done a larger area and this will be addressed in due course.

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Before then, we will complete another major improvement to the Hall, the installation of solar panels on the roof. This is an £18,500 investment but, as well as improving the environmental credentials of the Hall, it should pay back in about 6 years, due to the reduction in electricity costs and the opportunity to earn money in summer from feeding surplus power into the National Grid that we expect to achieve. We received a grant of £4,000 from Essex County Council’s Community Initiatives Fund towards this cost in December, and have very recently heard that we have been awarded a further grant from the Rural England Prosperity Fund, managed by Colchester City Council, for the balance of the cost for which a big thank you is required to Robert Davidson for his support in getting this money.

There are other investments we would like to make, including the purchase of a second storage container, which will greatly assist our caretaker, Tony Wilson, in his role. The greater popularity of the Hall has significantly increased his workload, but his commitment to making the Hall a successful operation is second to none. I would like to thank him for everything he does, and I’m pleased to say we’ve found ways to alleviate some of his work without compromising the security of our operation. The increased use of the Hall has also placed greater demands on Mel Newton’s time, in her capacity as Booking Manager. The fact that she is both willing and able to keep on top of this demanding job from wherever she is in the world is absolutely fantastic and we’d be stuck without her – thanks Mel!

As set out in our Treasurer, Stewart Bilsland’s, report, there was an inflow of funds from the Hall’s accounts during the year of just over £6,500, a reversal of the outflow of just over £3,000 the previous year. This figure is after accounting for the repair to the car park, the receipt of the grant towards the solar panels and the repayment of the ACRE loan taken out in 2017 to fund some of the equipment for the new hall. While this bottom line will fluctuate thanks to major one-off items such as these, the increased usage of the Hall and the return of the pantomime are the principal reasons behind the improved financial performance.

And finally, I would like to express my thanks to all the Management Committee for all they do to make the Hall the success it is, and to the rest of the Trustees for their support. The biggest challenge we face is the need for new blood to join the Committee. None of us are getting any younger and nothing lasts forever so if the next generation want a successful hall, a few of them will have to step up to take on the roles that the current incumbents have been performing for many years. Being part of this Committee is great fun and, provided this happens, there is no reason why the Hall cannot continue to go from strength to strength in the future.

Bob Holmes

PWCH Management Committee Chairman

July 2024

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Treasurer’s Report on the Accounts for the Year Ended 31 March 2024

Overview

The year ended 31 March 24 saw the sixth full year of operation of the new hall and the fifth in relation to the St. Stephens Trust.

The General Fund records receipts and payments from ongoing operating activities and new capital expenditure associated with the Hall. The Trustees have previously decided that there would also be an Equipment Replacement Fund to provide funds for the replacement of equipment in the Hall before the Hall itself needed to be rebuilt.

Again, this year there was a payment made out from the St Stephens Trust Fund to the PCC of Great and Little Wigboroughs. All monies associated with this Trust are identified in a separate column within the Accounts. There are separate bank accounts associated with the Trust which are totally independent from the Hall’s bank accounts.

There was a total net inflow of funds of £6,162 over the year, and consequently cash balances at the end of the year had risen to £114,602. This inflow was the result of two factors. Firstly, the net funds associated during the year in relation to the St Stephens Trust was an outflow of £392. Secondly, the costs of running the Hall, including capital expenditure and loan repayments, were lower than the receipts from its operating activities by £6,554.

It has been decided by the Trustees that currently, no further funds should be added to the Equipment Replacement Fund from the General Fund. This leaves the General Fund with a balance of £38,441 at the end of the financial year, while the Equipment Replacement Fund has increased by the interest earned to £20,906.

General Fund

The Hall normally earns income from 3 main sources – the hiring of its premises and equipment to third parties, the running of a number of regular activities such as Hall clubs, and from fundraising events and activities it organises. Total receipts (including sundry income) in the year amounted to £44,357 compared to £34,304 in the previous year. However, this is around £5,230 above the £39,124 received during 2019-20 before the Covid pandemic started. This increase in income this year, compared with last year, is a result of the Hall having significantly increased income from hiring out the Hall and more activity from Hall clubs. Further, hire charges were raised by 10% in May 2023, the first increase since the Hall opened in 2017, which also had a beneficial effect on the income from the Hall.

Receipts from third party hiring’s went up from £10,175 to £14,686. This includes income of £120 from the hire of tables/chairs etc.

The hall was hired for a total of 862 hours in the year (last year 671 hours), of which 514 hours (last year 358 hours) were hiring’s by regular users and 348 hours (last year 313 hours) were for one-off bookings. Among regular hirers, a new Group, the Church of the Citadel of Grace, was the biggest user with 99 hours – their weekly Sunday morning meetings started in July 2023.

Hall clubs’ use has also seen a significant increase in activity, including the effect of a new Hall club that started in November 2023 – Pickle Ball. The High Energy Dance club changed in September 2023 from a Hall club to a private hiring for Dance Fit. Receipts from the Hall Clubs in the year rose from £5,933 to £6,973 as these activities accounted for 519 hours’ use of the hall (compared with 441 hours last year) thanks in part to a new pickle ball club which started in November.

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The Peldon Players’ pantomime came back in January 2024 (gross £7,758) and there was a reduced scale Summer Concert at the Hall during July 2023 (gross £2,533). There was also the King’s Coronation Celebration on 6 May 2023 (gross £835). There were also 4 x Crissy Lee Music evenings in the Hall (gross £2,747), 12 x Coffee Mornings were held (including one as part of the Coronation celebrations (gross £3,018) and 2 x Quiz nights were held (gross £729). Also, a bar was run for a Third-party event held in the Hall (gross £114).

Therefore, gross receipts from these fund-raising activities were similar to last year’s activities at £17,733 compared with £17,595 the previous year.

General Fund expenditure can also be grouped in 3 areas – payments to keep the building running, payments incurred in staging fundraising activities, and administrative expenses.

Building expenses totalled £19,137, an increase of £2,917 from the £16,220 incurred in the previous year. Caretaking/Cleaning and Utilities etc costs were higher due to the Hall being in use more than the previous year. This resulted in an increase in these elements of £1,937 over the previous year. Repairs and Maintenance of the hall were higher by £981 during this year.

Expenditure associated with the Fundraising activities, detailed above, came to a total of £7,384 (2023 - £11,804) thus after these related costs are taken into account, the net contribution to the Hall’s funds from Fundraising activities increased from £5,791 last year to £10,349 this year. This is principally due to the net profit from the Pantomime of £5,384.

Administration expenditure and Sundry payments accounted for £3,846 which was £296 higher

than last year’s figure of £3,550.

£3,212 was also spent on scheduled repayments of the loan the Hall arranged with the Rural Communities Buildings Loan Fund in 2017 to fund the purchase of sound, lighting and stage curtaining equipment in the new hall. This is the same as last year.

Capital assets purchased during the year were split into two categories – firstly, Land and Buildings, of which there were the works carried out to reinforce the entrance to the grass overflow car park (£3,618), and the supply and installation of the sensor buttons to the men’s urinals (£440). Secondly, Equipment and Furnishings which principally comprised of batteryoperated brush cutter etc (£257), replacement tap and installation in kitchen (£200), ramp to storage container (£130), additional SumUp machine (£83) and further additional keys cut to provide all committee members with keys for the Hall (£62). A number of smaller items totalling around £69 made up the remainder of the £801 for this element.

The Hall has also received, in 2023/24, a Community Initiatives Fund Grant of £4,000 from the Essex Association of Local Councils towards the installation of Solar Panels on the roof of the Community Hall. Quotes have been received and negotiations taken place with the potential contractor. In the 2024-25 Financial Year we have recently heard that a further Grant has been forthcoming from Colchester City Council in relation to the Rural England Prosperity Fund. This is in the sum of £14,651 for which the trustees are very grateful. This now means that the Solar Panel Project for the Hall can proceed as soon as practicable.

Equipment Replacement Fund – Hall

This fund has been set aside to meet the costs of replacement of major equipment/assets in the Hall, and the funding of this expenditure has been separated from the main General Fund and is, therefore, ring fenced for this purpose. Examples of the expenditure to be paid by this fund is replacement kitchen cupboards, air conditioning, sound equipment etc.

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The interest paid through the Redwood Bank account has been split between the General Fund and the Equipment Replacement Fund. As a result, this has added £635 to the Fund thus giving a total for the Fund at the end of the year of £20,906.

As indicated earlier, the Trustees have agreed that no further money should be allocated to this Fund at the present time. Therefore, the total money in the Fund as at the 31[st] March 2024 is £20,906.

St Stephens Trust Fund

As indicated at previous AGM’s, half of the net proceeds of Wigboroughs Village Hall Management Committee’s sale of the old village hall site in Great Wigborough has been paid to the Charity during the 2019-20 financial year to be held by PWCH on trust, in a separate fund, to meet improvements to the Nave of the St Stephen’s Church in Great Wigborough to provide a community space. The total amount received was £142,009 and the majority of this has been distributed into two savings accounts with the small remainder in the Santander Current account. Interest totalling £1,708 has been earned during the 2023/24 year from these savings accounts. As indicated, all these accounts are totally independent of the Community Hall’s accounts.

There has been only one approved payment in relation to equipment/items associated with St Stephens Trust this financial year between 1 April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024. The sum paid out in relation to equipment/items is as follows: -

Project	No. of	Total Amount
	Payments	Paid
Approved Misc items	1	£2,100
Gross Total		£2,100

Therefore, the total expenditure paid out from the Trust in this financial year is £2,100. This payment was in accordance with the approval given by Trustees.

However, the PCC of Great & Little Wigborough have not been able to claim back any grants in relation to VAT payments associated with the above payment.

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Cash and bank balances as at 31 March 2024 totalled £59,347 in relation to the Community Hall’s Funds, an increase of £6,554 since the previous year end. In addition, there is £55,255 in bank balances in relation to St Stephens Trust as at 31[st] March 2024.

Amounts due to the Hall from its use in Feb/March 2023 are £1,253 (2022 – £518). Around £854 (2022 - £1,520) of the operating expenditure paid in the year was attributable to the 2024/25 financial year (pre-paid insurance, publicity and licence costs).

Capital assets reflect the amounts spent on building the new hall (but excluding abortive costs incurred earlier in the project) and equipment/assets purchased for it. Donated assets are shown separately based on their valuation. As was agreed 2 years ago, the capital assets, including donated assets, have been adjusted for depreciation. In depreciating the assets, we are writing the amounts we paid for them (or their donated value) down to zero in equal

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annual instalments over the estimated useful life of the asset (which varies according to the type of asset).

The Hall’s liabilities have reduced overall from £11,482 in 2022/23 to £7,471 in 2023/24. Accrued operating costs of £1,031 (2023 - £1,915) include amounts due for utilities costs, rates and also amounts due under the caretaking, cleaning and maintenance contract which are settled monthly in arrears. Further, £893 income has been received in the 2023/24 financial year for advanced bookings in 2024/25. The only capital liability is the Rural Communities Buildings Loan Fund loan which has reduced to £5,547 (2023 - £8,645) including accrued interest.

Stewart Bilsland

Treasurer

25[th] June 2024

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- Peldon and Wigboroughs Community Hall Annual Accounts

Receipts and Payments Accounts Receipts Operating activities Hire charges Hall clubs Fundraising events Donations & gift aid Interest received Sundry Income Capital funding Community Initiatives Fund Grant Reinbursement of VAT Refunds claimed by PCC Total receipts Payments Operating costs Rates, utilities and insurance Caretaker Cleaning & domestic sundries Repairs & maintenance Fundraising events Marketing & publicity Licenses & subscriptions Administration costs Sundry payments Asset purchases & debt repayments St Stephens Nave Trust Land & Buildings Equipment & furnishings Loan repayments & interest Net receipts/(payments) for the year Transfers between funds Cash funds at start of year Cash funds at end of year	St Stephens Equipment Total General Replacement Trust Fund Funds Fund Fund £ £ £ £ 14,686 0 0 14,686 6,973 0 0 6,973 17,733 0 0 17,733 0 0 0 0 865 635 1,708 3,208 100 0 0 100 4,000 0 0 4,000 0 0 0 0 44,357 635 1,708 46,700 5,456 0 0 5,456 4,267 0 0 4,267 4,297 0 0 4,297 5,117 0 0 5,117 7,384 0 0 7,384 2,092 0 0 2,092 741 0 0 741 762 0 0 762 251 0 0 251 0 0 2,100 2,100 4,058 0 0 4,058 801 0 0 801 3,212 0 0 3,212 38,438 0 2,100 40,538 5,919 635 -392 6,162 0 0 0 0 32,522 20,271 55,647 108,440 £38,441 £20,906 £55,255 £114,602 Year ended 31 March 2024 Community Hall		2022-23 Total Funds £ 10,175 5,933 17,595 0 1,526 0 0 0
	44,357 635		35,229
	5,456 0 4,267 0 4,297 0 5,117 0 7,384 0 2,092 0 741 0 762 0 251 0 0 0 4,058 0 801 0 3,212 0		4,673 3,476 3,935 4,136 11,804 1,982 597 900 71 10,452 1,978 982 3,212
	38,438 0		48,198
	5,919 635 0 0 32,522 20,271		-12,969 0 121,409
	£38,441 £20,906		£108,440

- Peldon and Wigboroughs Community Hall Annual Accounts

Statement of Assets & Liabilities Cash Funds Bank deposit accounts Bank current accounts Cash in hand Other Monetary Assets Debtors Accrued interest receivable Prepaid expenditure Capital Assets Land and buildings at depreciated cost Purchased equipment at depreciated cost Donated assets at depreciated valuation Liabilities Accrued operating costs Income received in advance Grant Rec'd in advance for expenditure next yr Accrued capital expenditure ACRE loan & accrued interest to 31 March Net Assets	General Equipment St Stephens Total Fund Replacement Trust Fund Funds Fund £ £ £ £ 36,025 20,906 55,205 112,136 1,434 0 50 1,484 982 0 0 982 38,441 20,906 55,255 114,602 1,253 0 0 1,253 4 0 77 81 854 0 0 854 2,111 0 77 2,188 487,642 0 0 487,642 25,099 0 0 25,099 9,578 0 0 9,578 522,319 0 0 522,319 1,031 0 0 1,031 893 0 0 893 4,000 0 0 4,000 0 0 0 0 5,547 0 0 5,547 11,471 0 0 11,471 £551,401 £20,906 £55,332 £627,638 As at 31 March 2024		2022-23 Total Funds £ 106,503 1,050 887
			108,440
			518 61 1,520
			2,099
			494,699 26,537 10,747
			531,983
			1,915 922 0 0 8,645
			11,482
			£631,040

Independent examiner's report on the accounts Report to the trusteesl members of Peldon & w￿borOUgh$ Community Hall On aGGounts for the year ended 3131 March 2024 Charity no (if any) 269399 Set out on pages 1 to 11 Respective The chanty's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. responslbllities of The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year truslees and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 {Ihe Charities Acl) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibilrty to.. examine Ihe accounts under seclion 145 of the Charities Acl, to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission lunder section 145(51{b) of the Charities Act. and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent My examination was carried oui in accordance with general Directions given examinorfs statement by the Chanty Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the thartty and a Gompanson of the accounts presented with those records. 11 also includes consideration of any unusual I items or disclosures in the accounts. and seeking explanations from the trustees Con￿rning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all 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 In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attenlion examinerfs statement 1. 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 Charities Act.. and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been fflet," or 2. to which. in my opinion, attention should be dravm in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Slgned: Date: 4° July 2024 Name: S J Copeland Relevant professional i F.C.C.A. qualification{s) or body (if any): Address: Elmdale. Peldon Road. Lrttle Wigborough. Essex C05 7RB IER March 2012

Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examinei needs lo highlight material problems. None Give here brief details of any items thal the examiner wishes to dlsclose. IER March 2012