2025-12-31-accounts - Guilsborough Playing Field Association

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Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 01 01 2025 To 31 12 2025

Reference and administration details

Charity name Guilsborough Playing Field Association

Other names charity is known by

Registered charity number (if any) 275828

Charity's principal address West Haddon Road, Guilsborough, Northants

Postcode NN6 8QE

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	None

	Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
	Name		Dates acted if not for whole year
	Hugh Lowther
	Sarah Edwards
	James Berry

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of advisor Name Address
None
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Charter defined in the Conveyance documents when land purchased in Type of governing document 1978. (eg. trust deed, constitution)

Association How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company)

Appointed by existing trustees in conjunction with Chairman, ViceTrustee selection methods Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer of the General Committee. (eg. appointed by, elected by)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

January 2026

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees.
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works.
Relationship with any related parties.
Trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.

1. Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees.

Existing trustees are briefed on:

Trustees’ role & responsibilities (Nolan principles)
The 12 main roles of trustees & how can this be achieved
Detailed documentation is given to the trustees based on a “Good Governance” training course that the GPFA Secretary attended in London in 2008.
A requirement to sign a declaration relating to their responsibilities.

2. The Charity’s organisational structure

A Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer are nominated and elected at the AGM. These four are the nucleus of the GPFA General Committee. Representatives from each club or organisation using the Field nominate members for the committee. General committee members are nominated and appointed at the AGM.

3. Trustees’ consideration of major risks.

Reports of ordinary meetings are sent to the Trustees. A Health & Safety Report is given for the AGM and reviewed with the Trustees.

Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

To make available, maintain and develop a Playing Field for outdoor team sports and recreational purposes (private for games), for the benefit of the inhabitants of Guilsborough and surrounding villages in the County of Northampton, in such a manner as the General Committee from time to time shall think fit.

The demand for local cricket and football is growing, evidenced below, it is also good to see many juniors from Guilsborough and surrounding villages, training and using the field for games.

Haddon CC .

Summary of the main activities in relation to these objects

A) Haddon Cricket Club (formed from West & East Haddon, and Guilsborough CCs), who play from 3 grounds (East & West Haddon and Guilsborough). The facilities, specifically the Guilsborough cricket Square, are essential for Haddon CC junior and ladies’ sections to play regular cricket. They support children and ladies in Guilsborough, West Haddon and the surrounding area to participate in competitive and social sport that otherwise would not be possible. The facility also allows the Haddon 3[rd] team men's teams to play regular Saturday fixtures in the Northamptonshire cricket league, where diverse ethnicities and genders participate together, adding to the social cohesion and fabric of West Northamptonshire. The facilities enable the junior section to run

January 2026

15-18 matches p.a., providing the opportunity for over 300 players participation.

The ground, other than fixtures, provides the facility to run 3-4 junior training sessions per week throughout the summer plus countless informal practices. There are approximately 45 junior Haddon CC members across the ages of 9 to 15, all of whom benefited from the facility for training and/or games.

B) The square enables the Ladies team to participate in the Northamptonshire lady’s mid-week league, hosting up to 6 home games p.a. creating 132 participation opportunities, with regular practice sessions between April and July.
C) The field is also regularly used by many juniors to informally practice cricket skills, using, the free to use, practice cricket nets.
D) Guilsborough Parish Council's Neighborhood Plan, submitted to West Northants Council, details how the Parish could grow and where, and amenities needed; it records support by parishioners for the Playing Field.

E)

2.2 West Haddon Junior Football Club. The new season got underway in September at Guilsborough Playing Field. This season four junior teams with players from Guisborough and surrounding villages will play at Guilsborough for West Haddon Junior Football, two Under 11s boys play on a Saturday morning, as do an under 14s girls team, and the Under 15s Sunday afternoon.

As girls’ football has taken off, it is planned that Guilsborough would be where the play, recruiting Academy girls to play after school. In the last 12 months, a grant of £3,840 from the Football Foundation has been spent improving the 2 pitches, involving, aeration, vertidraining, overseeding and fertilising, which has already improved the playing surfaces.

2.3 Other Users

Guilsborough Primary School used the Field for their Sports Day.
▪ Guilsborough joggers, walkers and keep-fit enthusiasts, used the Field and the sports fitness equipment.
Guilsborough fathers, sons and daughters , and local young teenage cricketers used the cricket nets,
St. Michael’s Cricket Club played 10 home games at the Field and contributed £1400. .
Northants Sports used the Field on 5 occasions for school sports events.
Spencer Boys Football Club used the pitches on 10 occasions as their pitches had been flooded.
Northampton All Stars This football club in the Nene League now play their home matches on our largest pitch.
Other Cricket Use; The cricket pitch was hired on an occasional basis to company and club sides from Brixworth, Rugby, Long Buckby, in total there were 14 external hire events for cricket in 2025.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

January 2026

Key activities of the General Committee are:

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

Policy on grant making
Policy programme related investment
Contribution made by Volunteers
Maintaining the Field, ground, buildings and equipment used at the Field.
Ensuring the Health & Safety of all who use the Field and its facilities.
Fundraising. to meet the annual operating expenditure of around £12000.
Coordinating the Field use by the clubs and organisations.

All the administration & fundraising is performed by volunteers, led mainly from those on the General Committee.

Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year			-GUILSBOROUGH PLAYING FIELD ASSOCIATION REPORT ON ACTIVITIES FOR 2025	-GUILSBOROUGH PLAYING FIELD ASSOCIATION REPORT ON ACTIVITIES FOR 2025


				Meetings Organised .
		1.Summary The long-term need and demand for the Field have yet again been established by the arrangements with Haddon Cricket Club and West Haddon Junior Football Club who are the primary Field users. The relationship with both clubs provides sporting activities for juniors, boys girls, and adults, men & ladies, from Guilsborough and surrounding villages. In addition, the Field, provides frequent informal use by juniors and adults for sporting practices and recreational uses. The Football Foundation grant has enabled the football pitches improvement programme to continue in 2025, that finishes in 2029. The GPFA contribution is required in the last 3 years. However, regular sources of funds are needed for fixed costs, and consequentlythe GPFA is to call a village meetingin early Trustees: Hugh Lowther 1. AGM James Berry Sarah Edwards General Committee 6 General Committee Meetings 1 AGM TOTAL 7 Freddie de Lisle Chairman Jim Houghton Vice-Chairman Graham Byars Secretary Milly Plant Treasurer Members Marc Garrett West Haddon Junior Football Club Katie Fulcher Publicity Officer Gary Wakelin Health &Safety Officer David O’Neil Guilsborough Parish Council Representative Simon Moorhead General Committee Member .

January 2026

Achievements and erformance p

2025 to assess if the parishioners saw the need for the Playing Field (they did) and how additional funds and volunteers could be sought. Approaches to the Parish Council for donations to fixed costs over many years has not been successful, however, the Parish Council now say that it might contribute to the fixed costs once a business plan had been completed that showed how the GPFA could be self-sufficient in funds after 5-10 years.

The GPFA is an organisation that depends very heavily on the willingness of members to give up their time to commit to its’ activities The General Committee welcome more onto its General Committee to organise events, fundraise, maintain and develop the facilities.

2. Health & Safety, & Security

No accidents occurred or were reported in 2025.
Gary Wakelin monitored Health & Safety at the Field.
The rodent/pest control regime by George Lawton continued.
A concerned parishioner contacted FixMystreet about the state of the footway from the Academy to the Playing Field; no response was received. .
Vandals scorched one of the practice net run-ups by lighting a BBQ on the artificial section.
Vandals created divots on one of the wickets that needed repairing.

▪

1. Activities at the Playing Field in 2025

F) The demand for local cricket and football is growing, evidenced below, but it is also good to see many juniors from Guilsborough and surrounding villages, training and using the field for practices.

a. Haddon CC .

A) Haddon Cricket Club (formed from West & East Haddon, and Guilsborough CCs), who play from 3 grounds (East & West Haddon and Guilsborough). The facilities, specifically the Guilsborough cricket Square, are essential for Haddon CC junior and ladies’ sections to play regular cricket. They support children and ladies in Guilsborough/West Haddon to participate in competitive and social sport that otherwise would not be possible. The facility also allows the 3rd and 4th men's teams to play regular Saturday fixtures in the Northamptonshire cricket league, where diverse ethnicities and genders participate together, adding to the social cohesion and fabric of West Northamptonshire. The facilities enable the junior section to run 15-18 matches p.a., providing the opportunity for over 300 players participation. G) There are over 50 junior Haddon CC members under 16,: H) 12 - U11s I) 14 -U13 J) 28 U15s & U14s. K) The ground, other than fixtures, provides the facility to run 48 junior training sessions throughout the summer plus countless informal practices. L) The square enables the 12-member Ladies to participate in the Northamptonshire ladies mid-week league, hosting 6 home games p.a. creating 96 participation opportunities, with regular practice sessions between April and July. M) The Field is regularly used by many juniors to informally practice cricket skills, using the practice cricket nets.

January 2026

Achievements and erformance p
N) The area population is growing, that will require more use of existing grounds for Cricket and Football.
O) Guilsborough Parish Council's Neighborhood Plan, submitted to West Northants Council, details how the Parish could grow and where, and amenities needed; it records support by parishioners for the Playing Field...

2.2 West Haddon Football Club. The new season got underway in September at Guilsborough Playing Field. This season three junior teams with players from Guisborough and surrounding villages will play at Guilsborough for West Haddon Junior Football, Under 11s boys play on a Saturday morning, as do an under 13s girls’ team, and the Under 16s Sunday afternoon.

As girls’ football has taken off, it is planned that Guilsborough would be where they play, recruiting Academy girls to play after school. In the last 12 months, a grant of £6,000 from the Football Foundation has been spent improving the 2 pitches, involving, aeration, vertidraining, overseeding and fertilising, which has already improved the playing surfaces. 2.3 Other Users
Guilsborough Primary School used the Field for their Sports Day.
▪ Guilsborough joggers, walkers and keep-fit enthusiasts, used the Field and the sports fitness equipment.
▪ Guilsborough fathers, sons and daughters , and local young teenage cricketers used the cricket nets,
St. Michael’s Cricket Club played 10 home games at the Field and contributed £1400. .
▪ Northants Sports used the Field on 5 occasions for school sports events. ▪ Spencer Boys Football Club used the pitches on 10 occasions as their pitches had been flooded.
4. Maintenance & Development of the Buildings, Ground & equipment ▪ R&G Grounds from Creaton maintained the playing surfaces and surroundings. The mowing, vertidraining, fertilising, perimeter maintenance and killing weeds on the field & gravelled areas cost ~£4,000.
▪ Thompson Groundcare completed the end-of-season, winter and spring maintenance, costing ~£2300. West Haddon Mowers serviced the specialised Allett mower, cost £622.
▪ Jim Pye supervised the wicket preparation, with Alfie Herschell (14) for his Duke of Edinburgh social work scheme, as well as Harry Lowry. Archie Houghton prepared many wickets on his own and he and Jim had been thanked and remunerated.
▪ Other maintenance jobs were completed in 2025, including, service contracts for fire/security alarms, CCTV, electrical and mechanical services. These are all recorded in the minutes of the General Committee minutes.
▪ In 2025, Helping Hands from Market Harborough cleaned the pavilion (~£300), and Cathedral Hygiene removed sanitary waste (~£470) that the GPFA is required by law to arrange.
The Football Foundation grant for pitch improvements at Guilsborough and awarded to West Haddon Junior Football grants over 6 years, continued in 2025, with ~£10,000 spent to date of the Football Foundation grant. , that provides £23,044, with the GPFA contributing a further £11,520 over 6 years, with the GPFA contributing none over the first 2 years, so total expenditure is £34,560. The GPFA contributes £1920 in years

January 2026

Achievements and erformance p

3&4, £3840 in years 5&6. The funding in years 1 to 4 does not appear in the GPFA accounts; payments and grants appear in the WHJFC accounts.
▪ The end of season cricket maintenance was completed by Haddon CC. ▪ 5. Fund Raising. ▪ Caroline Houghton organised a very successful and enjoyable Safari Supper that raised £1963.
▪ Hollowell Bottle Stall raised £1250, thanks to all the volunteers who manned the stall. A further £500 was received from Hollowell Steam Rally. Thank you Hugh Lowther and the volunteers.
▪ Localgiving donations from parishioners raised £1077, following the 2023 appeal. ▪ There were three Pop Up Pubs in the Village Hall which raised £1837 run by Caroline & Jim Houghton.
▪ A Millionaire’s Evening held at Vaness and James Berry’s house raised £2294. ▪ A November Bridge Day in November raised £1805 – thanks to Julia and Lucy! ▪ Local Giving contributed £720. ▪ Guilsborough Parish Council donated £3800 towards tree felling and pruning. Many thanks to them!
6. Funding the GPFA ▪ £13,978 is in the GPFA’s accounts at the end of 2025. (Note-includes late payments)., down from £18,501 at the beginning of 2025.
▪ £2,000 was received from the Sudborough Foundation thanks to Hugh Lowther. ▪ ~£12,000 p.a. was again needed for fixed costs, e.g. Field mowing & strimming/cricket square treatments & wicket preparation, Field treatments (vertidraining, slitting, weedkilling), tree inspections & maintenance, insurance, utilities, security, cleaning, equipment.
▪ The clubs and other Field users contribute ~45% of the Fixed costs. The contributions are in-line with charges made by other clubs and Northants Council for the use of their facilities.
7. Marketing & Publicity (Increased activity at the Field) ▪ Regular articles in the Village Link, that promote the GPFA as an umbrella organisation for all the clubs/organisation that use the Field, was organised by Katie Fulcher. She was thanked.

8. Succession Graham Byars retired as secretary after 38 years. A dinner in his honour was held in January which was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

9. Insurance

Mike Edwards organised insurance costing £1536.

10. Trustees

The GPFA General Committee thank the Trustees for their continuing support.

Written by : Freddie de Lisle

January 2026

Financial review

To maintain a fund to provide for the forthcoming year’s expenditure.

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves

Details of any funds materially in deficit

None

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising).

About £12,000 p.a. is currently needed to fund the fixed and variable costs activities of maintaining the facility. £4,500 p.a. approximately comes from clubs and organisations who use the Field.

Funds need to be raised from other donations and fundraising events (see above) .

How expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity.
Investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.

Other optional information

Discussions with a local nursery are in progress about their use of the Field and pavilion from September 2025. The GPFA agree the outline plans and they have been submitted to the local planners. Moreover, we are in the process of agreeing a licence to occupy one third of the mower shed for use by FMS to park their vans prior to sale. FMS already have paid £100 per month from September to October 2025.

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg secretary, chair, etc)

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January 2026

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Report to the trusteesl GUILSBOROUGH PL4YING FIELD ASSOCIATION On accounts for the year ended 315t December 2025 Charity no {rfany) 257828 Set out on pages 3&4 I reFQrt to tnjstees on my examination of accounts of the above chanty (tr Trusf) the endgj 3111212025. Responsibilities and As charity trustee5 of the Trust. you are reSponsie for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance wth ts requirements of the Charrties Act 2011 {"the Acr) I reF()rt in respect of my examination of the Trust's acct)unts CarrK out uTrder secljon 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying wt my examination. I have followe(J the app1¢able Directions gNen by the Chaiity Commission undeJ section 14515}{b} of the Act. I have comwed my examinats"on. I c¢yrfim that no material matters have come to my attent in connection with the examination which gives me cause to telieve that in, any material respect.. accounb'rwj records were not kept in acG¢xdance with sectM)n 130 of the Act or the acccuts do not accord with the accounting records I have no ¢(wemS and have come acro55 no 0r mattss in connection wrth the examinth'on to whh attention should be drawn in ordèr to enabk a proper understandir¥J of accounts to te reached. Independent examinerfs statement Signed: Date: Name: Andre4V Pearse Relevant professional qualifi&rtion(s) or body lif any): Address: Faulkner Banks. Cold Ashby Road, GuilsLv)rough, Northampton NN6 8QN Section B Disclosure Onty compkte rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of Concern (see CC32, Indewdent examination of charity accounts.. directs'ons and gu*Je for examinws). IER October 2018

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclose. None IER October 2018

GUIiSBOROUGH PLAYING FIELD ASSOCIATION Statement of Accounts 202S These occounts ore presented on o "receipts ondpuyments"bt7SiS. me notes INCOME ickflt Football Total.sports income 1.716 &627 3252 6,715 Grants Net dnnations Net fundraising Miscellaneous Total other income 6.811 li,( 737 ,701 Total income ¥416 EXPENSES Services Grourid Maintenance Pavilion Maintenance Sport¢; Malntenance Equipment replacement 1176 1346 10.622 L037 &319 2115 10,4 Total Expenses Net &J¥plusldeflclt 178 Note& 1. 2025 DationS include£3.880from Guilsborouth Parish Counul Isupportingthe Fjeld's tree Tepairsl. £2.OOOfromSudbor0uF0ndatlc,arnI corthibutionsfrom SLtpporteTS. 2. 2025Fundraising shows netincome from events.. Popup pubs1£2,9401. Hollowell stdll arKJ rallyl£2.7661.Millionwes'eoening1£22931. BridgeD {£1.8051. Safari Supper l£1,2911. 3.2025 Miscellaneousincomeincludes£525from the sale of theBOLA machine. 4. 2025GTound maintenance includesTreè wotks1£6.720landEeneral mowinÉ1£3,2051. 5.2025 Sports rna1ntenare includesspecial55tvMcket piepaiation. linemarki¢)gand repairs tor the 5POrtsfield areas. 6. 2024Purchase ofthe P0rOll IER October 2018

Assets and Uabili Cash & ReseNes Openlngbalances ajrrent account Business Ireservesl accourbt Total openlng cash and re5eryes lo. Closing Balances (rIen1 Account Business Ireservesl account Total closing cash and reser¥e5 io, 14415 Net increase Ireductlonl in cash and resw 178 Other Assets Include: Land 7.5 acre playing field at NN6 8QE. *sted with the Official Custodian. Located at the Playing Field: a PaviSion and a Mowing Shed. The Pavilion includÉs variou5 fitthngs and fwtures relating to sports changing rooms. kitchen, social meeting room and record storage. Boundary fenting. The Mowing Shed holds various equipment relatingto ground care, including a Poweroll machine and line marking machinery. Spare netting and ground repair materials. Football goal posts and sports related equipment Supplies of ground care and sports field consumable5. such as line pairt. Free stsnding fitness equipment, located on the field. Bulldlngs Equipment Other Ilabllltles Indude: Routine services payable within accounting years when due. Ground care costs. linked to the Football Foundation grant. £1.920 due each year 2026, 2027 aiid 2028. Acc¢nts swJned by the GPFA TeeS and C¢xnmitt 14th May 2026 IER Ociober 2018

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclose. None IER October 2018