THE PLUDDS & DISTRICT VILLAGE HALL Charity No. 270020
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31[st] August 2023
Registered Charity Name: The Pludds & District Village Hall Registered Charity Number: 270020 Address: Ashdene Road The Pludds Ruardean Gloucestershire GL17 9UQ The Trustees: M. Lewis (Chair) R. Pride (Treasurer) A. Williams (Secretary) S. Barber A. Lewis M. Mason Main Contact: Ann Williams Bankers: HSBC Ross-on-Wye Herefordshire Insurers: Ansvar Insurance
Structure, Governance and Management:
The Charity is not part of a wider group structure.
The Trustees manage and run a village hall situated in the village of The Pludds in The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and the Constitution for the management of the Hall was drawn up in October 2003. The Committee of Trustees is elected at each AGM and the period of office they serve commences at the end of the meeting at which they are appointed. All members retire at the end of the AGM next after their election.
The AGM is usually held in September, but this has been disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and other commitments. The AGM for 2022 was held on 13[th] October. Minutes and accounts are made available on the Village Hall notice board.
Committee meetings are usually held monthly, and minutes are taken and distributed to Committee Members. Events, policies, financial viability, hall bookings, property maintenance, regular users, cleaning and volunteers are kept under constant review at these meetings.
We have a Safeguarding Policy in place as well as a Privacy Policy.
In addition to 6 unpaid Trustees and one paid self-employed cleaner, there are approximately 30 volunteers who regularly give up time to help with events, run stalls, wash up, bake cakes, sweep the car park, etc. as well as many helpers who organise their own groups (e.g. Scouts, Cubs, dog clubs).
Public Benefit:
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Village Hall is the only public amenity on The Pludds, there being no shops, pub, church, post office, surgery, etc. and therefore it is well used by the residents and the wider community. In a rural environment we believe it is important to reach out to lonely and isolated people and continue to foster community spirit. During the year we have endeavoured to ensure that the Hall is accessible and inclusive for everyone.
Objectives and Activities:
The core aim of the charity is to provide a suitable place for groups in and around the area to meet. As the only public amenity the Trustees are mindful that the Hall is the centre of the community’s activities.
In order to ensure that the property is available for future generations to use and enjoy, the Trustees aim to ensure that it is maintained, repaired and improved where possible.
Achievements and Performance:
The Village Hall was purchased second-hand, moved and erected by the villagers in 1975 in order to provide an amenity for the various groups established at that time to meet. Many of the groups have changed over the years and current groups now include Scouts, Cubs, Dog Clubs, a Quilting Group, and a dancing group. In addition, the Village Hall is available for hire, and is regularly used for parties, training courses, meetings, exercise classes, model shows, etc.
The objective of being the centre of the community is fulfilled by the Trustees organising and running regular public events, e.g. Harvest Festival, Quiz Nights, Big Breakfast.
Considerable maintenance has been undertaken this year including a major toilet refurbishment, provision of an accessible toilet, a shower, widening of doors, repair of fire doors, repositioning of some fire doors, painting, new flooring in lobby, and new notice boards.
Property:
The property was a second-hand wooden building when it was erected in 1975 and has undergone several changes in that time, although there has been no major refurbishment carried out in recent years. In 2021, the Trustees made the decision that the main toilets should be brought up to modern standards and that it was important to include a fully functioning accessible toilet with baby changing facilities in order to meet our objective of being inclusive for disabled people and people with babies.
With a grant from Barnwood Trust (£420) we had a survey carried out by Accessible Gloucestershire which highlighted other areas of concern such as narrow doorways, inaccessible fire doors and lack of ramps. They also provided excellent information on building accessible toilets.
In May 2023 work commenced on our major project to move the ladies’ and gents’ toilets, provide a new accessible toilet with baby changing facilities and shower, widen an internal door, reposition
wider fire doors, provide ramps and smooth doorways for wheelchair access, and reposition the storeroom. Some work has still to be completed, but all toilets are now fully functioning.
Fundraising and Events:
The intention of the Trustees is that the hiring fees should cover the regular outgoings of cleaning, Local Authority rates, light, heat, insurance, and small repairs, and that the money raised from all the public events we hold should go towards work and repairs on the fabric of the building. However, we did not have sufficient funds for a complete toilet refurbishment, and during the year we were successful in obtaining grants from:
Barnwood Trust (Gloucester) of £20,000.00 The National Lottery Fund of £10,000.00 Gloucestershire County Council Councillors Scheme of £6,000.00 Ruardean Parish Council of £1,500.00 – towards widening of doors to allow for wheelchair access.
This year’s public events included Big Breakfasts (very popular with everyone during the winter months), Harvest Festival, a Coronation event, Craft Fayre and a Quiz night.
Trustees’ Responsibilities:
The trustees work well together with each also taking on responsibility for a defined area, i.e. Chair, Treasurer, Secretary/Bookings Secretary, Events Co-ordinator, Catering, and Media.
Financial Review:
The financial year of the Charity is 1[st] September to 31[st] August.
Income is received from hiring fees, events and donations. In previous years our annual income has not exceeded £10,000 (being £9,422.04 in 2022). However, with the inclusion of £31,500.00 received this year in grants, our income was £40,286.67. We had 3 quotations for the refurbishment work and chose a known local builder (PLW Construction Ltd.) whose quotation was for the work to be completed within £40,000.00. During this financial period, we have paid him £20,000.00. Our total expenditure in the period was £27,661.11.
No Trustee has received any remuneration.
We have no activities outside the U.K.
We have no trading subsidiaries.
Conclusion:
The Trustees would like to thank all the volunteers who worked so hard this year (and every year) without whom we would not survive. We are extremely lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world and our lovely Village Hall is well situated to take advantage of the surrounding countryside and its attractions.
We are pleased to see so many local people returning to the Hall after the lockdown, and to be welcoming many new people to share our improved facilities.
Plans for the Future:
The building work on the toilet project is almost complete, and we have now held a Grand Opening on 14[th] October inviting our sponsors, with live music, a hog roast and bar.
We have asked the builder to undertake a full survey of our roof with a view to seeking further funding if required.
We have purchased new heaters for the main hall and are waiting to get them installed. We have a wedding booked for 2024 and we have plans to enhance the outside area to develop this type of hiring.
We hope to encourage more campers to use the grounds and hall.
We hope to hold mother and baby events during August 2024, and have already made some contacts for this.
The Pludds & District Village Hall
Charity No. 270020
Accounts for the year ended 31[st] August 2023
| Income £ Events 3,233.31 Hiring Fees 4,799.36 Donatons 10.00 Grants Received 31,500.00 RPC WiFi 743.99 Total Income Expenditure Cleaner 1,626.00 Cleaning products 299.08 Local Authority Rates 98.28 Light & Heat 1,182.53 Insurance 1,510.41 Building Works & Repairs 21,554.16 WiFi 425.00 Statonery 84.97 Food & Entertaining Costs 808.87 Bank Charges 71.80 Total Expenditure Proft for the year |
40,286.66 27,661.10 £12,625.56 |
Breakdown of Events 2023 Income Harvest Festval Big Breakfast Nov Craf Fayre Big Breakfast Jan Big Breakfast Feb Big Breakfast Apr Quiz Coronaton Bar |
£ 572.25 280.50 748.35 316.00 409.34 392.50 70.00 277.75 166.62 |
|---|---|---|---|
| £3,233.31 | |||
Statement of Assets as at 31[st] August 2023
| Brought forward 31stAugust 2022 Cash Current Account Deposit Account Proft for year to 31stAugust 2023 In hand at 31stAugust 2023 |
£ £ 36.38 16,442.14 1,860.40 18,338.92 12,625.56 £30,964.48 |
|---|---|
| Cash Current Account Deposit Account |
310.15 18,602.68 12,051.65 £30,964.48 |
|---|---|
I report on the Accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31[st] August 2023 which are set out on page 5 of the Trustees’ Annual Report.
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations. The examination includes a review of the accounting records 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 seeks explanations from the Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Name: Jane Stewart
Relevant Professional Qualification: AAT Address: 56 Greenfield Road, Joys Green , Lydbrook GL179RE Date 23/11/2023