## Chairman’s Report ## Given at the Annual General Mee�ng 5pm 2[nd] October 2024 At the Church of St Michael The Arechangel, Mere ## INTRODUCTION There have been 8 Commi�ee mee�ngs since the last AGM, and I am going to start by giving a brief introduc�on to the Commi�ee members (trustees) and a quick summary of the work they have done for the Friends in the past year. Firstly, Elisabeth Barre� is our Secretary – she organises our mee�ngs, takes minutes and holds us accountable to our ac�on points. It is Elisabeth who fulfils our obliga�ons to report to the Charity Commission, and she has a niche exper�se as our VAT guru. Elisabeth is the longest serving member of the Commi�ee and her experience and long memory of the previous work of the Friends is of huge help. Alison Heard accountant and has been invaluable in managing the finances over the past year – par�cularly as it comes with the huge responsibility for the proper oversight of the Na�onal Lo�ery Heritage Fund Grant for the Tower Stories. In the past 12 months, thanks to the Lo�ery Grant, a lot more money has been channelled through our charity than former years and Alison who has worked closely with Elaine and the Commi�ee as we have spent the grant monies on the Tower Stories, and our other funds in furtherance of our objects. Simon Edkins was co-opted by the Commi�ee in October last year to be our Membership secretary. He has done a magnificent job of transforming our membership database into a digi�sed, GDPR-compliant, updated tool which means we can keep in touch with our membership via email and the website, and members can keep in touch with us at the click of a bu�on. He has also been instrumental in recrui�ng more members at various events during the past year. The other members of the Commi�ee are: Mary Wilson (co-opted last October), and Dr Bill Price, Maggie Durkee, David Be�, Fiona Jukes, and the Church Wardens Kit Stallard and Richard Wilson. They have all been involved variously in organising events, pouring drinks, producing cakes and plants, opening their gardens and suppor�ng the work of the Friends with their knowledge, enthusiasm, ideas and �me. Their names will crop up through this report when I talk about individual events, and the Tower Stories project. I, personally, am very grateful to them all for their indefa�gable support, and I am sure the rest of the members will echo with their thanks to them today. As a last word on the Commi�ee, Fiona Jukes and Mary Wilson are not standing for reelec�on this September owing to other commitments – I know the whole Commi�ee will wish me to thank them par�cularly for all their help and involvement with the Friends. ## **Membership** We have over the year completed our transi�on over to contac�ng our Members by email ; which has already started saving �me, paper and postage costs, which are now quite considerable. The privacy policy has been put in place and GDPR is complied with. There is a new logo to help the Friends establish a dis�nct iden�ty separate from the Church and the Tower Stories. Exci�ngly, this year we have developed a website for the Friends. Please take a look www.friendsofstmichaels.org) – this year we will start to really explore its poten�al to communicate our news and informa�on, reach members of the public and of course, keep in touch with our members. It is professionally put together, is easy to navigate. Addi�onally, new and renewing Members will be able to pay membership subscrip�ons via the website – and supporters can make dona�ons with an easy click or two! The paper applica�on forms have been updated and are of course available in the Church and at events. Huge thanks to Simon and to David and all those who have contributed so far to ge�ng this all up and running. It looks fabulous! Our current membership stands at 115. That includes 110 Life members, 12 Annual Members and 33 Honorary members. This la�er is a category that was created when The Friends amended the Cons�tu�on and is a way in which the Commi�ee in excep�onal circumstances can thank par�cular donors (who were otherwise not formal Members) for their contribu�ons in �me or money during the year, and deepen the engagement with people who have shown an interest in our charity. A�er careful delibera�on the Commi�ee have resolved to increase the membership fees to £10 for Annual membership and £75 for Life membership. Those new charges will be effec�ve from today. The fees had remained the same for some years, and we felt that the �me was right to make the changes. Sadly, David Longbourne, who for many years had so beau�fully inscribed the names in the Life Members Book, died early this year. We are very grateful to the person who has taken over this job and updates the list from �me to �me. ## **Fundraising ac�vi�es** The Friends hosted two concerts in the last year - the popular Carmen Co musical produc�on and last Sunday’s successful jazz concert – thank you to Maggie and Bill for organising these. We also ran tea rooms, plant stalls, served drinks and received dona�ons at various events including last year’s Literary Fes�val, and the NGS Open Garden event at The Chantry (this la�er weekend made £700 over two days). Our par�cipa�on in the Mere Open Garden weekend in June resulted in the dona�on of £1000 out of monies raised in conjunc�on with the Mere Gardening Club. In addi�on,by popular demand, dona�on buckets were passed around at the Proms Concert in July earlier this summer. Please note, that the money from those events which came in a�er 30[th] June 2024 will show in next year’s accounts. Maggie Durkee has been running the pre-loved book stall in the Friends Corner of the Church. That has brought in a steady trickle of funds amoun�ng to just over £321 and there have been two successful social events open to all. Look at the website for details of the next book club coffee morning! Thank you, Maggie for having the idea and for running this. ## **The Tower Stories** The Tower Stories is a project being run by the Friends of St Michaels’ and as you will remember, is approximately 95% funded by The Na�onal Lo�ery Heritage Fund, and 5% by the Friends from dona�ons. You have heard from Alison how the invoices and payments work. We were not given the money as a lump sum of £249,00 odd, but are paid back by the NHLF as the costs are incurred as per the agreed budgets. VAT is claimed back as well. The Grant enabled us to recruit an administrator, and in October last year we adver�sed na�onally, and a�er a full shortlist and interview process and with the oversight of the Na�onal Lo�ery appointed Elaine Stallard to the posi�on. Manager the restora�on of the Pinnacles and associated refurbishment work began. corroded ironwork was removed, the lightning rods were improved, New stone crosses were cut, the Pennants and the clock face were gilded, and the ini�als of the current Church wardens was inscribed on two of the pennants (as is the tradi�on). Internally, the staircase was made safer for visitors to the Tower, and new heat-retaining curtains will improve the warmth in the Church. Everything was accomplished and completed within budget and on �me. The scaffolding came down in May, and, subject to the usual sign-offs, this part of the project is achieved. The whole project was recorded by our photographer in residence Steve Hawkins and a �me-lapse camera, and the images will form part of the las�ng legacy of the Tower Stories and give a flavour of how many skills have been employed in the restora�on. Do have a look at The Tower Stories website (www.thetowerstories.co.uk ) which is now up and running where you can see some photographs of the restora�on work. As the year goes on, more will be added to the informa�on on the site and will provide a las�ng record of the Tower Stories and a resource for the future. A launch party and a public mee�ng were held to inform the people of Mere about what we were doing, and how things were progressing, and the First Tower Stories event took place in June when a free Proms Concert was held in the Churchyard. Starring the Shrewton Silver Band this was a chance for everyone to celebrate the restora�on and a�racted a large number of people from across Mere, young and old! Meanwhile, the rest of the Tower Stories project gathered pace. You will remember from previous talks that a significant part of the grant was for a community-led project to run ac�vi�es in Mere rela�ng to the heritage of the Tower of St Michael’s Church. Elaine Stallard has been leading this, with the support of a Steering Group of local people and repor�ng to the Commi�ee of the Friends. This steering group meets regularly to create ideas and forge links across the community to create a programme of events and ac�vi�es which will bring the Tower Stories to life. I would like to thank them all for their involvement. A group of local historians has collated research from original sources which will provide material which will provide the content for the stories and my thanks go to them for sharing their exper�se so generously. The following groups have been working with the Steering Group; Mere Primary School, Seeds4Success, Shreen Harmony, Mere Museum, Mere WI, Mere Quilters, Mere Art Group, Li�le Angels, The Pennybank writers and MADS. We have also had the support through the year of Mere Ma�ers, the Town Council, George Jeans, and Andrew Murrison MP. Next year will be a huge opportunity to promote and strengthen these new links across the community, and if you know of any groups or individuals who would like to be involved with either the Friends, or the Tower Stories please do encourage them to get in touch. In the Spring we adver�sed na�onally for a Composer in Residence and a Writer in Residence and were thrilled with the response and level of interest from some extremely high-quality candidates. The recruitment process was very thorough, and a�er short-list interviews the recruitment Commi�ee appointed author Jane Borrodale and composer Richard Nye to the Tower Stories project. Their job is essen�ally each to come up with a piece of work that brings to life the heritage of the Tower and Jane and Richard are very much free to choose how they respond to the building itself, the stories it holds and the people of Mere. The result will be tangible works that are licensed to the Friends for use in the future. I thank everyone who met with Richard and Jane to share their knowledge about life in Mere, past and present. Together with the history-based research, and the Tower building itself, there will a great deal of material for Jane and Richard to draw upon. As I men�oned, a programme of events is currently being prepared, and every household in Mere will have a leaflet through the le�erbox in November outlining the fun and the opportuni�es in the year to come. Details will also be on the websites. Please put the 20[th] /21[st] /22[nd] June 2025 in your diaries for a three-day event marking the end of the Tower Stories and performances forming the culmina�on of Jane and Richard’s work, a Medievalthemed fes�val, a pop concert and a Service of thanksgiving here in St Michael’s Church. which will last in the memory, and reconnect us all, par�cularly the youngest in the community with the heritage ( _their_ heritage) of the Tower of this remarkable Church. I hope to be able to stand here this �me next year, at the 2025 AGM, to report to you how transforma�ve the project has been for the people of Mere generally, and also the Friends of St Michael, and to outline what we intend to do with the legacy of The Tower Stories. Thank you very much. Felicity Wilson 2[nd] October 2024. Fthds ofst The *J(han el thur(h- Fknandal Ststements the e•rendkn June 302024 Treasure￿ A￿OUnt Ba ltsst Online AccoLmt £lJ,339 £19.26J.56 £10.4(6.92 Trtal Attrurt Balatte at 301(%12023 All Ar￿￿1 fJethts at 301ffi12024 All A¢CO￿t D*￿'1S ai 3011*12024 Total At¢r￿t Balar￿e at 30ir*12024 £43.010.28 É187.9BI.78 E2C(t,393.38 £30.598.68 E43.010.28 Membe￿h1 £306.(K) £f92.Z2 VAT Refund Fund f¢alsl Grants Nationbl Lotte Bank Interest E2.209.31 E4,5CQ.CiI £150.541.14 A9.C Furnl- Gr•nts r 8•nk Ststemenis of oV0712014 Tre•swery Acc￿4 88 Inst or11￿ A¢rrymt £19,764.23 E16.70 EIO.817.75 E30.598.68 E187.981.78 Toww 5torles- EX n5e5 £14.781.09 Frferth hm NLHF Grnnt Ir*thme Ilnked th NLTr* I￿1£*t10￿ 4 £1.649.13. s w•$ recefy*d M 11-J Frfends h•* •n outst•r#*r< Il*blllty Ih fftspett cl thè lThfr*strtttwe works that hm been C￿￿￿￿ete￿ A r•tert1￿ of E4.196.96 VAn rem•1￿ t*rtst*ndry. PWCR ArtNtert F¢os £19.934.( Athlnistr•tlor+ PlnMcles- Inlrastr 1,996.52 £163.681.71 £21X).393.38 A Heard ACMA. C Net Ca51FFI -E12 411.60 TTea5urers Accotsnt BB Inst onli￿ Atcount CCLA ACtL￿nt E19.764.23 £16.70 £10 817.75 £JO398.68 14, g¢JL Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of the Friends of St Michael the Archangel Church, Mere I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the **Friends of St Michael the Archangel Church, Mere** (registered charity number 281604) for the year ended June 30[th] , 2024. As the Charity’s Trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Trevor Lucas Summerleigh, Mill Lane, Mere WARMINSTER BA12 6DA September 7, 2024