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2021-06-30-accounts

2020-2021

Friends of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives Registered charity no.276777 http://www.friendsofbmga.org.uk

CONTENTS

PAGE
Chairman’s Report
1
Treasurer’s Report
5
Membership Secretary’s Report
7
Events Group Report
8
Volunteering Report
10
Harbourside Working Exhibits Report 11
List of Committee members 2020/2021 13

Friends of BMGA, c/o Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Queen’s Road, Bristol BS8 1RL

http://www.friendsofbmga.org.uk

Chairman’s Report

The Coronavirus pandemic and the various lockdowns that we have been subject to throughout 2020/21 have, of course, impacted on the Friends but, as an organisation, we find ourselves still in a strong position. This is due to our loyal membership and to all our officers, committee & Events Group members and other volunteers – and supportive staff from the museums service – who have cheerfully worked with what is possible rather than what is ideal.

The museums, galleries and archives we support have been closed, or open with social distancing precautions, throughout the year. The Friends have been able to run very few fundraising events, and some that have been organised have had to be cancelled due to the everchanging lockdown situation. But the Events Group have been resolute and have raised £1,800 (including some refunds received this year for events cancelled in 2019/20) which in the circumstances is remarkable, and they can be rightly proud of what they have achieved. The plans are to gradually expand the programme as society-wide restrictions allow, assuming we are able to recruit a couple more members to help organise events.

Our financial health has been further strengthened by the receipt of a further £50,000 from the estate of the late Margaret Kerr.

The Treasurer’s report lists the ways in which some of our funds have been used this year to support the work of Bristol Museums Galleries & Archives: many of them have been highlighted in more detail in our award-winning newsletter and on our website.

Given the exceptional situation this year, both our financial contribution and our non-financial support have been particularly valued by the Service. For small amounts we are able to help with minimal bureaucracy. For larger amounts, our financial contribution can unlock national funds from the Science Museum, the V&A, or private trusts, often doubling or more the value of our contribution. The availability of our funds therefore makes a very real difference to the Service and to the individual members of staff we support.

In March Andy King, Curator of History, retired from the museum and accepted our invitation to become our fourth Patron, and in our June newsletter we published a summarised account of Andy’s exceptional contribution to the city and to industrial and maritime history across the country over almost 40 years. Only a few months later, in early July, sadly Andy died. Over the decades Andy was a very practical supporter of the Friends and will be widely missed.

We have sadly lost a number of other significant contributors to the Friends this year, including: John Hibberd, who served on the FoBAG committee for almost 20 years; Tony Merriman, a past treasurer of FoBAG; and John McOmie who had been chairman of Bristol Magpies on three occasions.

Newsletter and communications

With so few events able to be run this year, the newsletter has assumed even greater importance in keeping us connected with members. In the absence of events reports, the team at the museum stepped into the breach to provide us with some fascinating articles to entertain and inform us all. Editors Tim and Ann Wood as always do a wonderful job of putting together each fully-illustrated

edition of our newsletter and making it so enjoyable to read: many thanks to them both for their skill and hard work, especially in rising to the recent challenges, and to our many contributors of both articles and photographs.

Working with the museums service

Our relationship with the museum team continues to be key to what we do as Friends, and we are grateful to staff across the service for their continued enthusiastic support. I know that in return they appreciate not just our financial and practical contribution but also the genuine friendliness of our committees and volunteers when we work with them in organising and running events and other activities. I would particularly like to thank Ray Barnett, our main contact at the museum. In the face of an ever-growing workload, he comes to all our Executive Committee meetings to keep us up-to-date with developments across the service, to answer our questions and to resolve any issues. The Executive Committee have appreciated his helpfulness, encouragement, common sense, unflappability and untiring good humour even more this year.

Programme of Events

Although far fewer fundraising activities than normal have been able to take place, our Events Group, led by Mary Bailey, have had to work very hard on arranging, rearranging and cancelling in response to changing lock-down rules – almost as much work as running a full programme! Mary also added a new string to our bow; online talks by Zoom. I cannot thank them enough for all they do. The Events Group now need some new recruits if we are to aim to return to as full a programme as in previous years. If you think you might be interested please contact Mary Bailey or a member of the Events Group or Executive Committee to find out more.

The Executive Committee

I would like to thank all the officers and committee members for their commitment and hard work behind the scenes, and for the support they give me. Special appreciation is due to our officers: Katherine Martin our Secretary; Robert Walters our Treasurer; and Richard Avery our Membership Secretary. The committee have met monthly by Zoom throughout the year, and are looking forward to resuming regular meetings in person when that is practical. Thanks, too, to the volunteers who are not part of the committee but whose work is vital to our success, including Peter Newley who collates and submits our valuable gift aid claim.

This year we are losing two executive committee members: Muriel Harrison resigned in May and Shirley Hodgson will not be standing for re-election at the AGM. Our thanks go to both of them for their work and support over the years.

If you are interested in contributing to the work of the committee, or to any of our activities, please let me know.

The Future

At the moment the entire world finds itself unable to predict the future with certainty, but hopefully we will all get used to a “new normal” and continue to adapt to ensure our success. We are still in a very strong position financially and will strengthen that further in 2020/21 by gradually increasing our fundraising activities.

Sue Thurlow Chairman

Treasurer’s Report

2020-2021 2019-2020
INCOME £ £
Subscriptions 13,768 15,571
Donations 2,348 4,628
Legacies less legal fees 49,573 117,000
Gift Aid 4,302 3,416
Activities for Generating
Funds
1,800 9,937
Winter Lectures 0 1,004
Bank Interest 2,186 1,273
Funds from Friends of
Bristol Art Gallery
0 6,477
TOTAL INCOME 73,977 159,306
EXPENDITURE
Sponsorship of Winter
Lectures
300 747
Grants to BMGA – general
funds
20,228 3,745
Grants to BMGA for art 48,177 1,656
Summer Walks 0 300
Administration costs 8,116 9,049
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 76,821 15,497
Net decrease/increase in
funds
-2,844 143,809
Brought forward 299,733 155,924
TOTAL FUNDS 296,889 299,733
of which the Art Fund is 22,018 70,195

The grants made to Bristol Museums’ service in the year are listed on the next page.

Grants made in 2020-2021 General
Fund
Art Fund
£ £
Memoir of Bristol Blitz 225
Records of Air Raid Warnings 103
Document for transfer of
Elizabethan house on The Quay
263
Japanese glass bowl‘Stern Winter’ 1,078
Bristol cars buck (wooden master
pattern)
5,000
Mary Carpenter watercolours 5,125
Mary Beck journal (19thcentury
tourist to Bristol)
3,375
Transport of Gane furniture from
Canada
4,271
Andy Holden ceramic birds’eggs 5,000
The Dr D A Kendall Bristol Beetle
Collection
6,152
Docks Railway wooden single-line-
working staff
2,950
Three works of the Bristol School of
Artists
1,425
Lady Mayoress's ceremonial shovel,
Docks Railway
3,865
Ceramic Works by Renee So 3,500
Conserve carpets at Georgian
House
7,020
19 photographs from Bristol Photo
Festival
15,000
Commission of Aboriginal Art 1,893
Firebars for the_Mayflower_steam
tug
2,160
20,228 48,177
Grants approved for 2020-2021
Video art purchases 6,800 3,400

This year has seen most of our activities closed down because of Covid-19, except for one visit in the autumn and lectures taking place on Zoom. However the Zoom lectures did not produce as much for each lecture as the tea and cakes produced at lectures in M Shed.

There was a small recovery from the Bordeaux trip because of repayment by EasyJet. Many members generously donated the refunds due to them to the Friends, on which we could obtain gift aid. The Isle of Man trip is postponed to September of this year.

Paradoxically, because of the legacies received from the late Margaret Kerr and the late Jane Biddulph, we now have more funds than we have ever had. More of our time than we have ever spent before is taken up with nursing those in times of pathetic interest rates.

Our thanks are due to Richard Avery for managing our subscriptions and to Mary Bailey and her Events Group for what little programme we were able to mount.

Our thanks are also due to Geoff Clements for acting as our external examiner.

Robert Walters

Treasurer

Membership Secretary’s Report

Membership fell during the year and we now have 362 single members (394 last year) and 346 (368) joint members. The Covid-19 restrictions meant that the majority of our normal activities were put on hold and as a result we have had only 17 new memberships. The lack of activities is also in part responsible for the 71 resignations

in the year. 82% of the membership have completed gift aid declarations, enabling us to boost our income, and our thanks are due to Peter Newley for processing this year’s claim.

Richard Avery Membership Secretary

Events Group Report

This year has been eventful for all the wrong reasons. We had hoped to re-start the programme of events once the first lockdown finished last summer but it quickly became obvious that it would not be possible to return to our usual level of activity. So, from arranging around 50 events each year we ended up managing only one physical visit in October: the trip to Underfall Yard. Carol Ouvry was kept extremely busy re-arranging and then cancelling various behind-the-scenes visits; we continued to schedule visits in hope and to reassure our members that we were not ceasing all activity.

From January we decided to schedule monthly Zoom talks in order to provide a basic programme of events until we could once again meet up in person. These were of course available only to those members with access to the internet but it was the only way we could offer this activity. The talks have proved to be popular with a core of members and many have expressed their appreciation, despite the occasional technical hitch which occurred as we got to grips with Zoom and Eventbrite. We are grateful to the Bristol Art Gallery curators Kate Newnham, Jenny Gaschke and Julia Carver for providing us with three excellent art-focused topics as part of the programme and to Anne Lovejoy from Bristol Archives for her research into the Bristol Old Vic archive.

With the easing of restrictions the Events Group is once again meeting regularly to provide a programme for members. Sadly, we are much reduced in numbers with only myself, Gary Gostelow, Carol Lear and Carol Ouvry able to attend meetings. David Snelson is still recovering from illness and Pat Walker had to step down from the group because of personal circumstances. We are very grateful to Pat for all the excellent trips she organised – the last outing for our members before the pandemic struck in earnest was to Tortworth church, which was a memorable visit. David and Wendy Snelson have organised a wide variety of trips for us over many years which have been much enjoyed and we wish them well. Thanks are due to Gary, Carol Lear and, particularly, to Carol Ouvry for continuing the work of the group over the last year.

We have eagerly accepted Richard Avery’s offer to join the team, which will help us to schedule more events. However, without additional help we are unlikely to be able to arrange as many as 50 events in the coming year, so our programme will be curtailed somewhat. So please do get in touch with me if you think you would like to be part of the organising team: events@friendsofbmga.org.uk or 0117 942 1944/ 07779 244308

Finally, some sad news: Valerie Andrews, who was a very efficient and much-appreciated member of the Events Group for many years - publicising and organising book sales at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery and at L Shed during the annual Harbour Festival, helping to organise our Christmas fairs and arranging day trips - died on 9 December 2020. Her health had been failing for a while (she had to resign from the group because of it) and she spent her last years being cared for in St Monica’s. We remember her with affection and gratitude.

List of events

1 Behind the Scenes Visit

Underfall Yard

6 Talks

Being Human: Lynn Chadwick and the Geometry of Fear Bristol’s Homes for Heroes

Bristol Old Vic Archive Bristol School of Artists – strange tales Netsuke: miniature masterpieces from Japan Underfall Yard: its central role in the development of Bristol

Mary Bailey

Chairman, Events Group

Volunteering

There were no book sales, cake sales, nor events in which the sewing group and cookery group could participate during the year because of the pandemic.

In the autumn of 2020 we were asked by the staff at M Shed to move our store of second-hand books as the space in L Shed was required by the museum. As there was no other storage space immediately available, we therefore regretfully disposed of the books to a bookseller in October.

We are planning to hold small-scale book sales in the future, along with the sale of jigsaws, preserves and cakes, as these sales have proved popular in the past and provide additional useful funds.

Mary Bailey

Harbourside Working Exhibits Report

It has been a strange two years as we all know but we are, hopefully, at the turning point of this extraordinary period. Not being able to deliver our usual train, boat trips and crane experiences for the public gave us time to catch up on the large projects that needed to be finished.

Harbourside Railway

Henbury had not steamed for seven years while undergoing a heavy overhaul but the small team of dedicated volunteers managed to finish the rebuild and a steam certificate was given. We now need to run the engine and make sure all is well with the new bearings before the final coat of paint.

Boats

The Mayflower team also worked hard to reassemble the boat for a steam test and give her a new coat of paint. This was done with pride and she looked smart to give Andy King the chance to skipper the boat one more time. True to form it rained on the day, as always when Andy was on a boat.

Pyronaut also has had a new coat of paint and a partial scrape of its bottom to remove the zebra mussels blocking the water cooling intake valves. All attention is now on John King , as we have removed the wheelhouse cabin into the workshop. The varnished timber is being cleaned back to bare wood before repairs and varnishing takes place.

Cranes

Work has resumed on electric crane 29 to bring this back to working order and join the other three. All the cranes have just had a fresh coat of paint from top to bottom to help

fight against the elements; they look smart and now sit in their proper positions on the quayside.

The railway has a lot of track work to do over the coming months and hopefully all systems are go for the working exhibits in 2022.

We are grateful for the continued support of the Friends, which helps significantly, along with the volunteer team, to keep Andy’s legacy going strong. We miss him hugely.

Chris Ecclestone

Working Exhibits Manager

Friends of Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives Committees

2020-2021

Executive Committee

Officers:

Sue Thurlow – Chairman Katherine Martin – Secretary Robert Walters – Treasurer Richard Avery – Membership Secretary

Elected Members:

Mary Bailey Clive Burlton Gary Gostelow Muriel Harrison June Hibberd Shirley Hodgson Carol Lear Toby Pinn

Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives’ Representatives: Ray Barnett – Head of Collections and Archives Allie Dillon – City Archivist

Events Group

Mary Bailey – Chairman Gary Gostelow Carol Lear Carol Ouvry David Snelson Wendy Snelson

Registered Charity No 276777

The objects of the Association are as follows:

The education of the public by promoting, supporting, assisting and improving Bristol Museums, Galleries & Archives through the activity of a group of supporters.

In furtherance of these objects but not otherwise the Association shall have the following powers:

FRIENDS OF BRISTOL MUSEUMS, GALLERIES AND ARCHIVES STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2021

INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT 2020-21

2020-21 2019-20
INCOME £ £
Subscriptions 13,768 15,571
Donations and legacies 51,921 121,628
Gift Aid 4,302 3,416
Activities for generating funds 1,800 9,937
Winter Lectures 0 1,004
Bank Interest 2,186 1,273
Funds from Friends of Art Gallery 0 6,477
TOTAL INCOME 73,977 159,306
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Sponsorship of Winter Lectures 300 747
Grants to BMGA - from general funds (see over) 20,228 3,745
Grants to BMGA - from art funds (see over) 48,177 1,656
Summer Walks 0 300
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 68,705 6,448
ADMINISTRATION COSTS
Newsletter and AGM 4,804 4,524
Postage 2,256 2,603
Website 214 197
Bank charges 209 1,288
Christmas cards 83 65
Stationery 68 0
Sundry expenses 482 372
TOTAL ADMINISTRATION COSTS 8,116 9,049
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 76,821 15,497
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN FUNDS (2,844) 143,809
FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD 299,733 155,924
FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 296,889 299,733
of which the Art Fund is 22,018 70,195
BALANCE SHEET AT 30 JUNE 2021
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors (Gift Aid) 243 0
Current account 9,613 21,001
Deposit account 76,486 80,815
Hampshire Trust Bank (COIF) 55,029 45,129
Shawbrook Bank deposit 82,169 81,037
United Trust Bank 81,000 80,000
TOTAL 304,539 307,983
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Receipts in hand per future events 7,650 8,250
ASSETS LESS LIABILITIES 296,889 299,733

FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 296.889 299.733

GRANTS MADE IN THE YEAR General funds Art funds Total
£ £ £
Memoir of Bristol Blitz 225 225
Records of Air Raid Warnings 103 103
Document for transfer of Elizabethan house on The Quay 263 263
Japanese Glass Bowl 'Stern Winter' 1,078 1,078
Bristol Cars buck (wooden master pattern) 5,000 5,000
Mary Carpenter watercolours 5,125 5,125
Journal of Mary Beck, C19 tourist to Bristol 3,375 3,375
Transport of Gane furniture from Canada 4,271 4,271
Andy Holden ceramic bird eggs 5,000 5,000
The Dr D A Kendall Bristol Beetle Collection 6,152 6,152
Docks Railway wooden single-line-working staff 2,950 2,950
Three works of Bristol School artists 1,425 1,425
Lady Mayoress's ceremonial shovel Docks Railway 3,865 3,865
Ceramic works by Renee So 3,500 3,500
Conserve carpets Georgian House 7,020 7,020
19 photographs from Bristol Photo Festival 15,000 15,000
Commission of Aboriginal Art 1,893 1,893
Firebars for the_Mayflower_steam tug 2,160 2,160
20,228 48,177 68,405
Commitments
Video Art Purchases 6,800 3,400 10,200

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE FRIENDS OF BRISTOL’S MUSEUMS, GALLERIES AND ARCHIVES

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 30 June 2021 set out above.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and you consider that the audit requirements of section 144(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the general Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 130 of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of 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 seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning 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.

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirement to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act have not been met.

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

FRIENDS OF BRISTOL MUSEUMS, GALLERIES AND ARCHIVES STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR YEAR ENDED 30 JUNE 2021

INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT 2020-21

2020-21 2019-20
INCOME £ £
Subscriptions 13,768 15,571
Donations and legacies 51,921 121,628
Gift Aid 4,302 3,416
Activities for generating funds 1,800 9,937
Winter Lectures 0 1,004
Bank Interest 2,186 1,273
Funds from Friends of Art Gallery 0 6,477
TOTAL INCOME 73,977 159,306
RESOURCES EXPENDED
Sponsorship of Winter Lectures 300 747
Grants to BMGA - from general funds (see over) 20,228 3,745
Grants to BMGA - from art funds (see over) 48,177 1,656
Summer Walks 0 300
TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 68,705 6,448
ADMINISTRATION COSTS
Newsletter and AGM 4,804 4,524
Postage 2,256 2,603
Website 214 197
Bank charges 209 1,288
Christmas cards 83 65
Stationery 68 0
Sundry expenses 482 372
TOTAL ADMINISTRATION COSTS 8,116 9,049
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 76,821 15,497
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) IN FUNDS (2,844) 143,809
FUNDS BROUGHT FORWARD 299,733 155,924
FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 296,889 299,733
of which the Art Fund is 22,018 70,195
BALANCE SHEET AT 30 JUNE 2021
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors (Gift Aid) 243 0
Current account 9,613 21,001
Deposit account 76,486 80,815
Hampshire Trust Bank (COIF) 55,029 45,129
Shawbrook Bank deposit 82,169 81,037
United Trust Bank 81,000 80,000
TOTAL 304,539 307,983
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Receipts in hand per future events 7,650 8,250
ASSETS LESS LIABILITIES 296,889 299,733

FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 296.889 299.733

GRANTS MADE IN THE YEAR General funds Art funds Total
£ £ £
Memoir of Bristol Blitz 225 225
Records of Air Raid Warnings 103 103
Document for transfer of Elizabethan house on The Quay 263 263
Japanese Glass Bowl 'Stern Winter' 1,078 1,078
Bristol Cars buck (wooden master pattern) 5,000 5,000
Mary Carpenter watercolours 5,125 5,125
Journal of Mary Beck, C19 tourist to Bristol 3,375 3,375
Transport of Gane furniture from Canada 4,271 4,271
Andy Holden ceramic bird eggs 5,000 5,000
The Dr D A Kendall Bristol Beetle Collection 6,152 6,152
Docks Railway wooden single-line-working staff 2,950 2,950
Three works of Bristol School artists 1,425 1,425
Lady Mayoress's ceremonial shovel Docks Railway 3,865 3,865
Ceramic works by Renee So 3,500 3,500
Conserve carpets Georgian House 7,020 7,020
19 photographs from Bristol Photo Festival 15,000 15,000
Commission of Aboriginal Art 1,893 1,893
Firebars for the_Mayflower_steam tug 2,160 2,160
20,228 48,177 68,405
Commitments
Video Art Purchases 6,800 3,400 10,200

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE FRIENDS OF BRISTOL’S MUSEUMS, GALLERIES AND ARCHIVES

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 30 June 2021 set out above.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts and you consider that the audit requirements of section 144(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the general Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 130 of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of 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 seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning 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.

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirement to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act have not been met.

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.