Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society
Accounts
for the year ended 31 December 2020
Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society
Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2020
| Income Members subscriptions Sales, downloads and tokens Donations FFHS royalty income Miscellaneous Cost of sales Opening stock Bookstall purchases and expenses Closing stock Gross profit Expenses Journal printing and expenses Projects Printing and stationery Advertising and publicity Postage and telephone Website Fairs and conferences Halls, speakers and branch costs C.R.O. and other donations Wisbech Museum costs Accountancy General expenses and travel Subscriptions, donations and expenses Expensed equipment Depreciation Profits on disposal of tangibles |
2020 £ 181 832 _ 1,013 (974) _ 9,668 - 251 - 596 11,771 125 1,290 20,833 - 780 1,290 974 2,381 1,295 - _ |
£ 10,200 15,955 90 8,769 64 _ 35,078 39 _ 35,039 (51,254) _ (16,215) |
2019 £ 964 - _ 964 (181) _ 8,048 - 1,597 - 1,225 8,520 255 2,204 41,216 10,452 792 2,033 949 - 432 - _ |
£ 9,408 9,774 46 7,731 635 _ 27,594 783 _ 26,811 (77,723) _ (50,912) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Page 1
Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society Statement of Comprehensive Income for the year ended 31 December 2020 (Continued)
| Other income and expenses Interest receivable Investment income Excess of expenditure over income |
2,436 _ |
2,436 _ (13,779) _ |
1,594 _ |
1,594 _ (49,318) _ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Page 2
Cambridgeshire Family History Society
Statement of financial position as at 31 December 2020
| Notes Fixed assets Tangible assets Current assets Stocks Cash at bank and in hand Current liabilities Accruals Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Capital account Brought forward at 1 January 2020 Excess of expenditure over income for the year |
2020 £ 974 108,496 _ 109,470 _ - _ |
£ - 109,470 _ 109,470 _ 123,249 (13,779) _ 109,470 _ |
2019 £ 181 122,385 _ 122,566 _ 612 _ |
£ 1,295 121,954 _ 123,249 _ 172,567 (49,318) _ 123,249 _ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
We approve these accounts and confirm that I have made available all relevant records and information for their preparation.
……………………………………
…………………………………… Date:
Page 3
Cambridgeshire Family History Society
Accountants' Report on the Unaudited Accounts to Cambridgeshire Family History Society
As described on page 3 you have approved the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020 set out on pages 1 to 3. In accordance with your instructions, we have compiled these unaudited accounts from the accounting records and information and explanations supplied to us.
Clenshaw Minns
Chartered Accountants Norfolk House 24 Market Place Swaffham Norfolk PE37 7QH
Page 4
Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Family History Society
Chairman’s Report 2019
(a) A Virtual AGM, 9 May 2020
Our Annual General Meeting this year will be virtual, as it is not possible to meet in person. We have publicised this change in our journal and on our website, and confirmed that this meets the requirements of the Charity Commission. Minutes will be written and shared in the normal way. Because the meeting is virtual, my chair’s report will include some items that would have been elsewhere on the agenda. The papers will be available to all members on our website by 25 April, and comments should be made in writing to our Secretary, Muriel Halliday, secretary@cfhs.org.uk as soon as possible and before 9 May. The AGM would usually include voting to approve various points, including approval of trhe last AGM and EGM minutes, nominations, annual subscription, constitution changes, acceptance of accounts, plus any motions submitted to our Secretary. As this will be a virtual meeting, we will not be making or recommending any significant change of direction, and it will be assumed that the voting is approved unless we have any written comments that suggest otherwise.
(b) An enlarged Society
When I heard that Huntingdonshire Family History Society (HFHS) was considering closing because it was unable to recruit new committee members, my first reaction was what will happen to all those family historians who live in Huntingdonshire or have family from the historic county. After the decision had been confirmed, we began working with the outgoing HFHS committee to create what, from 1 January 2020, has become the Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire Family History Society (CHFHS). We now cover the historic counties of Cambridgeshire, the Isle of Ely, and Huntingdonshire. The change of name has been well received, and fits well with many of our close partners, including the Archives and Library services. The aim of both Societies was to achieve an orderly transition.
The majority of Huntingdon members have now joined CHFHS; the programme of meetings in Huntingdon is continuing; and work is in progress to integrate the significant range of HFHS work into the larger Society. One of the benefits for you all will be access to a wider range of information, resources, data sets, meetings and contacts. The President of HFHS, Nicholas, Lord Hemingford, has recognized the significance of the enlarged Society, and has become our Patron.
(c) A new County Archives Centre
The new County Archives Centre, adjacent to Ely railway station, opened in December, and the formal ceremony was held in February. The Archives service now has a building well suited to the range of Archives present and future requirements. We are planning group visits for our members when circumstances allow. The Huntingdon Archives Office continues to provide a full range of services. The Society has close links with both centres, which are so vital for family historians.
(d) The Ely Assizes cataloguing project
We have been working closely with the University Library to provide a detailed catalogue of these important records. After the launch meeting in November, Society members have been starting as volunteers alongside UL staff, and have been given the opportunity to improve their 16[th] and 17[th] century paleography skills. More than 3000 cases have been catalogued, with 10,000 names listed to date; the cataloguing is continuing through home working during the UL closure period.
(e) Wisbech digitisation
The scanning of the 32 parish registers held in the Wisbech and Fenland Museum was completed in December, 65,000 pages; and work continues to match the scans to existing transcripts or to create new ones. More than 195,000 names are now matched to scans and transcripts, and we are grateful to both the Norfolk and Fenland Family History Societies for their work to progress the project.
(f) Exhibitions
The Society had a stand at Family Tree Live in April; the Genealogy Show in June; and Roots Tech in November. Each of these provides an opportunity to market our range of work and resources; to network and share ideas and good practice with others, and to recruit new members.
(g) Honorary Life Memberships
The Society awards Honorary Life Membership to members who have made a significant and wide ranging contribution over many years to Society work. There are currently less than 20 HLM’s, so this is not something that is given without careful thought. I am delighted to announce that the committee has approved the award of Honorary Life Membership to Richard Cook; Caroline Kesseler; Mike Stephenson; Clive Thompson; Gill Thompson; and Honor Wayne. We cannot present these at our AGM, so each will receive a certificate soon afterwards.
(h) Constitution
The Constitution has been revised to reflect the inclusion of Huntingdonshire in our area of work. There are no other changes. A copy of the new Constitution is included with the virtual meeting papers. As soon as we hear from HFHS that their final processes have been completed with the Charity Commission, we will send the updated constitution to the Commission.
(i) Subscriptions
There are no proposed changes to our subscription rates for the forthcoming year. Each of the categories remains unchanged – home, overseas; printed journal, e- journal; annual, life. As this is a virtual meeting, it is particularly important that your own membership details are accurate. Please update as necessary, and particularly check that your e-mail address is correct. E-mail communication is by far the easiest way to contact members quickly, and if you have an e-mail address that is not on your membership record, please add it, by logging in to the members’ section of our website. The website address is unchanged after our enlargement, www.cfhs.org.uk, and the format of e-mail addresses of the committee are also unchanged.
(j) Emergency General Meeting
We held an EGM on 9 November 2019 in Cambridge for the sole purpose of agreeing to move our AGM from March to May. This gives more time for the preparation and auditing of our accounts. The meeting approved this change, and the minutes of the EGM together with the minutes of the 2019 AGM are with the papers for our virtual AGM. The financial year remains unchanged, January to December.
(k) Accounts and independent examiner for 2020
As in previous years, our Treasurer has prepared accounts for 2019. They are included with the meeting papers, and have been audited by Peter Rasberry from Clenshaw Minns. We are proposing that Peter Rasberry continues as our independent examiner for 2020.
(l) Committee nominations
Our President, Elizabeth Stazicker, and our new Patron, Nicholas, Lord Hemingford, have both confirmed their willingness to continue. Committee members need to be proposed, seconded, and then agreed. The nominations are one of the AGM papers, and each post has an important role in the Society work. We are always looking for volunteers to help with all aspects of the Society’s work, and roles can be fitted around the time that people are able to give, and the skills and experience they have. This is one way in which you can make a difference to our Society. We are currently wanted someone to take arranging the speakers’ programme at Huntingdon from September onwards. This should take no more than one hour a week, and there are plenty of potential speakers on our lists. Please contact me without obligation to discuss.
(m) Future projects
Our most recent committee meeting discussed a range of future projects. We have prioritized these, and will be starting work or discussing further with others as necessary. Details will be shared as soon as practicable. The start of one of these projects has been brought forward to allow working from home – work with schoolchildren to give them access and understanding of family and local history resources, and to learn more about their community. We hope that this will foster a lifelong interest in family history for some of those involved.
(n) Acknowledgements
My work as your Chairman cannot take place without the wide number of volunteers who give their time and expertise to the Society in a range of roles. The Society could not function without them, and the bi-monthly committee meetings as well as my report demonstrate just how much we owe to their dedication. Thank you.
David Copsey, Chairman, chairman@cfhs.org.uk April 2020