Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society Charity Number 278815 Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025
Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society Charity Number 278815
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2025
Chairman's Report 2025/26
1 Overview
2026 is the 50th anniversary of the Society. The first meeting took place in November 1976, and the first journal was published in February 1977. Throughout the past 50 years, the Society has evolved and continues to be a significant influence on the family history community. We regularly monitor changing national and sector developments in the light of our overall aims, as set out in our constitution, linked from the front page of our website. Again, I must thank you all, and particularly our project volunteers and our committee members, all of whom have a key role in ensuring that the Society continues to be seen as a leading organisation in family history. The Society does not employ any staff, so the huge amount of time, energy, expertise and hard work that our volunteers all give deserves public recognition. This year, the time gap between the speaker’s talk and the AGM itself has been increased to ensure technical continuity and access both in the room and remotely. I have used the same headings for my report as in previous years although the order has been changed.
2 Meetings and Surgeries
The monthly afternoon face to face meetings in March library and the online meetings on Wednesday evenings continue to provide opportunities to learn from speakers and to meet other members. The online talks are recorded with the agreement of the speaker and then added to the members’ section of the website for those unable to attend, and for future reference, although sometimes for a limited period only. Attendance averages around 30 people each month, but publicity of the July talk in the Lost Cousins Newsletter resulted in an attendance of more than 120. The online research surgeries focussing on a specific local Poor Law Union are well attended and the range of questions asked, and the ensuing discussion encourage sharing of local knowledge, information and stories. Monthly surgeries at Cottenham, Ely, March, St Ives and St Neots provide the chance to bring questions and to find answers to family research. Between all these meetings, members and non-members can ask our team of researchers for help. Many of these questions involve significant time and research skills to try to track down the information asked for. The Cambridge surgery has not had good attendance for some time, so from January 2026 it has been replaced by the opportunity to make an appointment.
All these events can lead to new members joining the Society, and to donations to further Society work.
3 Exhibitions and shows
The Society attends family history exhibitions and events in local communities. During the past year, we have had a stand at many venues including Denny Abbey, Houghton and Wyton, Huntingdon, Ipswich, Meldreth and St. Neots. All these events need a considerable amount of work to prepare, provide a staff rota, answer questions and liaise with others attending, but they are all well appreciated by members of the public, many of whom may not be aware of the Society.
I am writing this before the second regional Really Useful Show at St, Ives on April 18th organised by the East Anglian Group of the Family History Federation. Members of our committee notably our Publicity Officer and Secretary have led the enormous volume of work that goes into holding a successful fair with exhibitors and people attending from across the region and further afield. The last fair, the first after Covid, was a great success and I feel sure this will be too. More than 80 tables have been booked. Our Treasurer ensures that all the finances of this event are managed.
4 Partnership work
In July 2025, the long-awaited publication of all the parish register images for Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire held in the two archives offices at Ely and Huntingdon alongside Society transcripts of these registers went live on the Ancestry website. We receive regular payments from Ancestry as does the Archives service and are looking at the impact this has on our membership. Seeing the original image allows researchers to decide for themselves the significance and content of the original entry as well as publicising both the Archives and Society. We are currently looking at adding new content to the Find My Past website, from whom we also receive regular payments for the content we have previously provided.
The images from the three Spinning House volumes at the University Library are now freely available worldwide on the Cambridge Digital Library website, paid for by the Society. Our volunteers are currently working on creating a catalogue entry index to more than 1800 entries, first brought to our attention by a Society talk from one of our members in 2024, and the Projects Officer took part in a radio interview publicising what the Society is doing. Members attended a guided tour of the Curious Cures exhibition in the Library led by the exhibition curator. This provided a great insight into the medical issues for our ancestors in the medieval period. Free membership of the University Library continues to be available for Society members.
The Archives service are continuing work to provide a catalogue of the Duke of Manchester papers in their collection, an article in our journal shows the progress and the impact of this work. The Society pays for an additional member of staff for one day each week so this major gap in the Archives catalogue can be addressed. We monitor ebay and bid for important documents to be added to the Archives collection. Recent successful bids have added a handwritten census, land ownership and boundaries document for Elm parish, and early deeds for the Falcon Inn in Cambridge. The cataloguing of the large volume of Evans and Co solicitors’ records is continuing; a spreadsheet of records indexed to date covering a large number of names has been added to the Society website; on completion, the full listing will be included in the County Archives catalogue.
The Library Service decided not to renew its subscription to Find My Past for financial reasons, and just to continue with Ancestry. This has an impact on our surgeries most of which are based in libraries, so the Society will now pay for this. As I write, this, the BACS transfer has just been made, so the availability should resume very soon. All libraries in the County continue to be Family Search Affiliate Libraries, allowing much fuller access to Family Search content than can be accessed from home.
5 Website
Regular meetings continue between committee members and Beachshore who host the Society website. Contiguous parish maps and lists have been enhanced, including those over the county border. Additional content includes new parish registers transcriptions, historical directories, church images, document and artefact retention guidance, and a clarification of the expenses claims procedure. The website remains a key part of Society business – future events, bookings, past recorded talks, policies, sales, journals and newsletters, membership management, committee and AGM papers. The website includes several million names in searchable databases. It is hoped that the online templates for Wismus to progress and the import function for Name and Place will soon be ready.
6 Membership
During the year, Chris Norton took over from Sue Asbee as Membership Secretary, in addition to his shop responsibilities. The statistics of new members joining show that membership remains healthy. Some new members are taking advantage of the offer of free mentoring by a member of the committee. Facebook and other social media platforms encourage people to join the Society and are a valuable source for reaching large numbers and highlighting new developments. There are still a few members whose standing order payments are for outdated amounts. After several reminders, their membership is changed to e-journal or reading just the newsletters on our website where we do not have an e-mail address. We are not proposing any change to membership rates.
7 Projects
Several attempts have been made to arrange a meeting with Fenland District Council to discuss photographing the burial records for seven cemeteries and creating searchable transcripts for both the Council and our members. This would be a significant project for encouraging people to visit the area, to increase heritage awareness, and the Society would make a significant donation to the Council. The Society would undertake all the work. Despite contacting several people, lack of response means that it has not been possible to arrange this meeting.
Photographing further records at the Huntingdon Record Office allows more work to be undertaken, records transcribed and added to our website. Many of these records are not part of the Ancestry content.
8 Accounts and Independent Examiner for 2026
Our Treasurer has prepared the 2025 accounts, and these are independently examined by Peter Rasberry from Clenshaw Minns. We are proposing that Peter continues as our independent examiner for 2026.
9 Honorary Life Memberships
We have about 20 HLM’s in recognition of the significant and long last lasting work that they have done for the Society. We are proposing that Joan Bennett is made an Honorary Life Member, she spent more than seven years in the important post of membership secretary.
10 Committee nominations
Each of our committee members has a key role in Society work and has confirmed their willingness to be nominated and seconded. The split between nominated and co-opted members fits the structure of our constitution, but all committee members have full voting rights. There are no changes to our constitution.
11 Five-year plan
We are still considering offering the Duke of Edinburgh awards as a family history experience and opportunity to foster an interest by young people. The five-year plan is on the website and the committee will be thinking about future work and projects at forthcoming committee meetings. We welcome suggestions and ideas to inform our decisions.
David Copsey
Chairman, March 2026
Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society Charity Number 278815
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 December 2025
Independent examiner's report
To: Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society
This report on the financial statements of the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society for the year end 31 December 2025, which are set out in the Annual Report is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Respective responsibilities of the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society and the examiner
As members of the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. You consider that an audit is not required (under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements following the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act), and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of examiner's statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes considerations of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking explanations from you as members of the Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society 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.
Independent examiner's unqualified statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention 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 2011 Act; and
-
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act.
have not been met; or
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
___ Peter Rasberry, FCCA, FMAAT
Clenshaw Minns, 24 Market Place, Swaffham, Norfolk, PE37 7QH
Dated ___
Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society Charity Number 278815
Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 December 2025
| Income statement Income Membership sales Sales, downloads and tokens Donations FFHS royalty income Miscellaneous income Cost of sales Opening stock Bookstall purchases and expenses Closing stock Gross profit Expenses Journal printing and expenses Printing and stationery Postage and telephone Website Fairs and conferences Hall, speakers and branch costs C.R.O. and other donations Accountancy Paypal and gocardless commission General expenses and travel Subscriptions, donations and expenses OTHER INCOME Interest received Investment gains/(loss) Net (loss)/profit |
2025 £ 10,974.00 7,974.95 178.50 13,594.47 - 32,721.92 744.70 - (635.80) 108.90 32,613.02 6,216.49 204.28 100.15 4,383.74 20.00 1,413.01 6,504.87 846.00 492.30 1,485.98 1,526.22 23,193.04 4,725.94 4,725.94 14,145.92 |
2024 £ 11,707.00 8,247.24 189.50 16,329.57 12.24 |
|---|---|---|
| 36,485.55 | ||
| 819.50 - (744.70) |
||
| 74.80 | ||
| 36,410.75 6,178.13 801.12 110.71 6,529.56 35.00 2,080.58 22,696.00 810.00 464.05 1,336.45 899.52 |
||
| 41,941.12 | ||
| 5,391.04 | ||
| 5,391.04 | ||
| (139.33) |
Cambridgeshire & Huntingdonshire Family History Society Charity Number 278815
Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 December 2025
Statement of financial position
| Statement of financial position | ||
|---|---|---|
| Current assets Stocks Cash at bank and in hand Current liabilities Trade creditors Net current assets Capital and reserves Brought forward at 1 January 2025 (Loss)/Profit for the year |
2025 £ 635.80 136,526.62 137,162.42 1,160.00 136,002.42 121,856.50 14,145.92 136,002.42 |
2024 £ 744.70 121,111.80 |
| 121,856.50 - |
||
| 121,856.50 | ||
| 121,995.83 (139.33) |
||
| 121,856.50 |
These financial statements were approved by the board of members and authorised for issue on__, and are signed on behalf of the board by:
Mr D Copsey Chairman Charity Number 278815