CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report R8POrt to the tru$toe•l members of Lower Hardres and NaCkIng Village Hail Commiitee On accounts for the y•ar •ndod 31. March. 2022 Charlty no (If any) 281 I report lo the tru8tees <)n my eXaMinatn of the accounts of the above charity Trusn for tr year ended 31° Marth, 2022 Respon8lblltlM and basis of rnport As chantys Irust888, you are re8kY)rnible for the fvyeparatm of the accounts in accordance the wuiremerts ol the Charities A(a 2011 fthe I report in resped of my examination of the Tru8t'8 accounts carried oul under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have folli)bNpd all the applicable Directs'ons given by the Chanty Commission under 8ectton 1495){b) of the Act. Ind•pendont I have comwed my examinats'on. I Carf that no material matteT5 have oxamlMrf8 statement come lo my attention in conn8ction with the examination %4thich gives me cause to believe that the accounts comply wlth the applicable requirements conceming the fonn and content of aCUnts set out in th8 Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2(X)8 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Irue and fairf ¥1 which Is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no COnmS and have come a(xoss no matters in connection wth examinab'on to thich attention shoukl be drawn in this report in order to enable a 0per wthrstanding of the accounts to be reached. Slgn•d: 1V May. 2022 Addr. North CW. Cantkny Ro. Lymiryje. Folke5tone. Kent TN29 9UQ
onB Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight material matters of cOnM {see CC32, Independent examinatK)n of d)anty accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclo8e.
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Lower Hardres and Nackington Vlllage Hall Committee st Accounts for year ended 31 Marth 2022 Trustees Annual Report The trustees herewith present their annual report for the year ended 31 March 2022. Registered Charlty Number 280691 Trustees/Committee Mombers All committee members are trustees. The committee members who held office durin8 the year are as follow5: Graham Brown Chairman Sean 8one-Knell Vice Chaiman Barbara Jane Grundy Secretary Brfan Moore Treasurer Mick Wadey Caretaker Adrian Beaumont CommEttee Member Hazel Darkin Committee Member {retired May 20211 Committee Member Bob Thomas Strurture govemance. and management The Association has been set up under a deed of trust dated 14 March 1980, amended by Order of the Charity Commissioners dated 8 February 1996. as a trust mana8ed by the Committee who have the authority to appoint the trustees. All committee members are qUired to retire each year and offer themsefves for relection if they so choose at the Annual General Meetin8 IAGMI. The re- election clause does not apply to the position of chairman. Elections are undertaken by a quorum of committee member5 in general meeting. A quorum comprises two-thirds of committee members. A maximum often committee members is pennltted at any one time. In order that the committee can fulfil its objectives it is empowered to Co-opt new members as needs be. Oblectives of the Charlty The Charitfs objectNes, as set out in the Governing Document, are to maintaln a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of the parish and the wider neighbourhood, without distinction of political, religlous, or other opinions. including use for meetings, lectures, cla$5es, and recreation. with the object of improvin8 the conditions of life for the said inhabitants. We exist to maintain and improve a modem purpos&built villa8e hall in the parish of Lower Hardres and Nackington. This is available for use by the local and wider community for social events, entertalnment. education, and exercise.
Financlal Review and Projecolons Our finances looked very healthy near the end of the 201912020 financial year and revenue was buoyant with an annual income of £26.270. At this time we were discussin8 plans to build a small storage extension and to upgrade the toilets. However. the Coronavirus outbreak. and subsequent Govemment restrittions, p)sed an immediate threat to our financial security. Consequently all thoughts of major expenditure were shefved. Indeed, during the 202012021 financial year we endured a rash of cancelled bookin8s and our total income dropped to £4,450. Fortunatety. we were able to contain our routine costs to £11,865, compared with £22,447 In the previous year. But it was unexpected Government largesse. in the form of small business grants totallin8 £20.193, that massively rescued our fortunes. Indeed, we ended the 202012021 financial year with total cash assets of £62,269, an Increase of £11,841 on the previous vearl Against this backdrop we began the 202112022 financial yearwlth considerabty 8ater optimlsm than the year before. Nevertheless, l)ookings were initially sluggish and dldn't Si8nificantly pick up until mld-summer. Even so, the Omicron threat later in the year introduced a small hiatus. with at least one cancellatlon as late as January 2022. Thus we have not benefited from a full yearfs activity, with Income from all hlres totalling only £15.338. We did recelve a welcome rebate of £2.234 from our water companies following our complalnt that we had been billed on the wron8 meter Sin September 2019. However, once a8aln, it was Government large55e whkh primarily helped us out wlth 8rants totallin8 £20,667. Only £2.667 of this (the so-called Omicron Grantl came unencumbered. however. The remaining grant awards came with strin85 attached. The Covid Safe-space Grant I£IO,IXQI was contingent on us creating a safe space for our artivities and V used this money to create a soft- surface outdoor faiT-weather space at the rear of the building. IThere was a £2.6C(J overspend on thls projert, ftnanced from our own funds). Additionalty we received an £8,(DJ"Covid Recoverf grant, in order to encourage people to return to their previous wciable ways after the pandemlc. We are using this money to help finance actNitles in the local community. A social sub-committee under our vlce- chairman has so far organised a hog roast and a carol tonce¢ and detailed plans for a Platinum Jubllee party are under way. £5,580 of the Covid Recovery grant remains, with £2,CKX) ear-marked for the Platlnum Jubilee event. We will also make a small sum availabfe to the Gardeners. Societyto undertake some colourful planting along our roadsKle verges. It is to be hoped that these activities wlll indeed help re-lnvigorate the local communlty and that there might be some reciprocation in due course. We may need new clubs or societies to repla those that have since lapsed, orwilling volunteers to help with p055ible future fund-raising events. and we would hope that many in the parish will see the hall as an attractive social venue. On the other side of the balance sheet our routine costs have risen to nearly £20,CMXJ, almost back to pre-pandemlc levels. Moreover. there are significant inflationary pressures looming, for example our electrlcity tariffs have recently doubled. Our challenge for the 202212023 financial year will be to sustain the hall as an attractive venue for hirers, whilst constrnining our routine costs as much as Is Possible. We ended the year with £29.880 in the United Trust Bank IUTBI paylng a dismal 0.8% interest per annum. The bulk of ourcurrent account funds1£32.639) are now in an internet bank account with Nat
West. Our old Uoyds cheque-book account is now largely dormant. although thi5 remalns as a repository for our Covid Recovery Grant and has a balance of E6.076. Thus we ended the year with total cash assets of £68,595, an increase of £6,326 on the previous year. Fundlng Strate8y Our underlying objectfve has been to maintain the hall as an attractive venue for hirers, and that still remain5. despite the changing etonomic circumstsnces. Our broad strategy had been to grow our fvnds by genefating a small operatlng surplu5 each year. In this way we anticipated being able to undertake major fUrb1shMents on an approximately ten-year cycle, whilst undertaking minor improvements to the hall on an odhLX basis. We envisaged a Reserves Strategy that would en5 that we always had sufficient funds to undertake major and minor refurbishments on a regular basis. We felt that we should maintsin a minimum reserve of atrK)ut £30.OCX), which would serve as a suitable foundation for regular saving in order to grow our fund5 for periodic judicious spendin8. And, whilst always remaining Strongly 501vent, we could make our hire harges competitive whilst acknowledging the need to increase them periodically in order to sustain an operatin8 surplus. We therefore saw ourselves as financially stoble and fully self-funded. It has not thus far been part of our strategy to seek grants or funding from third-party sources. However, The Covid Small Business Grants have rather shifted our perspective in thls regard, and it may be wise to continue to seek extemal fundlng when opportune to do so. mOver. wsth inflatlon surging towards IO% there Seems to be little wisdom In Just 51tting on our money. Addltlonally, buildin8 Costs are risSn& and there may be some imperative to spend now rather than later. However, we have competlng demands on our funds and, as a commlttee, we have not yet formally prioritlsed these. The much-desired stora8e extension could cost over £20,(Jxi and estlmates for a toilet refurbishment are around £18.CKXI. We note the need to maintain our trees on the site. especially where these a adlacent to nel8hbouring properties and the highway. Estimated arboriculture costs are around £5,CK(l. There has also been a proposal to improve the acoustics in the hall, at a cost of around £lO.CKh). The Committee is now in the p051tion of having to re-define it5 funding and spending strategy, as well as its reserves strategy. in the face of competing demands for project fundin& rapid cost inflation, miserable returns on savings. We anticipate refining ourthlnking on all these fronts during 202212023. We will also need to examine the availability of extemal grants. and perhaps also the necessity for local fund raising. There are many moving parts, but the CommFttee Intend to reconcile all these with due consideration and judgement during the next financial year. Insurance The Committee recognise that it us under a legal obligation to protett the building and its users through adequate and appropriate insurance. In April we obtained a Buildings Valuation Report from our insurers {Allied Westminster) which Is indexed-linked and valid for a further five years. We have thus insured the building for £651.(MX), as advised, for a mere £11 increase in premium.. We increased our Contents insurance from £7,5CKI to £15.CKKJ during 201912020 but may need to revisit this. Substantial public liability insurance is also in place, as is trustee indemnity insurance.
During 201912020 we took out cover of £50.(1 over 24 months for loss of income resulting from theft, or damage to the fabric of the hall. Our insurers did not offercover for the wholly unanticipated Coronavirus shutdown. To comply wwth the insurers requirements whilst the hall has been out of use during lockdown. we have ensured that our caretaker regularty inspects ihe pMIses. and our cleaner. likewise. makes regular weekw visits. Our continued compliance with the temis of our Insuran requires that Portable electrical applIan5 are tested by qualified personnel anftua1. The mains electrical installation is checked by a qualified engineer every five years. A Fire Safety Risk Assessment Is updated annually by the Committee. Fire-fightin8 appliance5 are insperted annually under contract with the supplier. Our Risk Assessments are reviewed independently and updated. We operate a Covid-secure environment. We notffy hirers of our Covid rlsk assessmen Records and documentation are retained by the Secretsry. Hlrlng Use of the hall is subject to a GDPR-compllant Hiring Agreement which must be signed by the hirer when bookin8. The hall has a Premises Licence, which dictstes the hours the hall can be used, and is licensed bythe Performing Rights Society for live and Orded muslc. We have a licence to sell alcohol within the hall which qUireS the hirers. ortheir nominees. to take forrnal responslbility foradherence to the temis of the licence. Any variation in conditions le.g. to sell alcohol in the 8roundsl qUireS the hirer to apply to Canterbury City Council for a Temporary Events Notice. We Increased our hire charges from September 2018. This was Intended to ensure that our income exceeded expenditure and that we could grow our funds for the future whi15t still remaining competitlve. To remain artive and profitable we hope to See a sustained recovery in bookings durin8 202212023. Whenever mandated by Government policy we have notified all potential hirers of our Covid safety practices and have supplled our Covid risk assessments as needs be. Hopefully. the necessity for this will fade as we"learn to live with Covid". Use of the Hall is promoted via a website Iwww.loWerhard$¥IIIaBehaIj.org) and via od hoc notices on parish notlceboards and in the parish magazine. Polkies and Procedures To guide the Management Commlttee in exercising its duty of Ca to members the following policy statements have been adopted Health and Safety Policy Covid Safety Policies and Risk Assessments GDPR policles and PrOdUreS Financial Policy Child Protection Policy Vulnerable Adults Policy
Lone Worker Pollcy Fire Safety Policy Risk Assessment and Safety ReVW Policy First Aid Policy Coples of these policies are rnaintained with the SecTetary. The GDPR policie5 appear on our website. Acknowledgements The committee would like to take this opportunity to thank all its members and volunteers for all their hard work durlng the year. Similarly, wish to thank our regular and occaslonal hirers for their continuing support. We hope that we can tUrn to nornial busine55 durfng 202V2023 once the spertre of Covid has fvlty receded. De¢larntlon The trustees declare that they have approved the report above. Slgned on behalf of the charitls trustees Sl8nature". 8nature: Full name: Full name: Position: Posrtion: 7vK4e Date: