Harrietsham Village Hall Trust Annual General Meeting – 7[th] April 2025
Chairman’s Report
I am pleased to report that 2024 was another successful year for Harrietsham’s Village Hall.
The level of bookings continued to be healthy and, as a result, our audited accounts are showing income levels not seen for many years.
Maintenance work to catch up with previous outstanding issues has been our main expenditure and will continue to be so over the next 12 months.
A programme of replacement fittings, and decoration to the internal fabric has already commenced. Once completed I do hope we have a hall that the entire village can be proud of.
It was, once again, a year of change in personnel. Firstly, I would like to thank Tamsin Williams for the excellent way in which she juggled the diary as our previous Booking Clerk. Secondly, I would formally like to welcome Ruby Ward who has made a wonderful start in her new task as Booking Secretary.
In addition to Bookings, we have also appointed Liz (Elizabeth) Millbrook to the position of Caretaker/Cleaner.
Just before I thank my fellow Trustees and other related staff, I must pay tribute to the late Fred Stanley.
Sadly, Fred died on Saturday March 23rd.
Apart from being a thoroughly decent and upright gentleman he was one of the hardest working people I have had the privilege of working with.
Fred always listened to neighbourly concerns and ideas about the Village Hall and immediately acted upon them back at the office. Never at any stage was he seen to get annoyed or flustered. He simply got on with it!!!
Fred will be sorely missed and I hope you will all join me in sending our sincerest condolences to his Family.
I would like to thank my existing Trustees Tim Griffiths and Janetta Sams for their amazing work over the past 12 months. A Trustee's work is rewarding (mentally!!) when tasks are completed and the wider public appreciate the efforts. We have seen this in abundance this year. Harrietsham Parish Council has continued to support the Village Hall and have again offered their valuable expertise in the running of the operation. Once again, I would like to personally thank Amanda Broadhurst and Mike Cuerden.
The Trust has also been joined by Steve Donley, who became a Trustee in the Autumn, he has undertaken the role of project managing all the major infrastructure defects. In the short time Steve been with us he has made an enormous difference to the fabric and furnishing of the building and we are extremely grateful for his efforts.
The Parish Council still plays a massive part in the running of the hall but there are always opportunities for residents and groups within Harrietsham to get involved. The work is voluntary but, as mentioned, so rewarding in many other ways. Please contact Amanda our Parish Clerk if you may be interested.
In the meantime, I would like to wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2025
Eddie Powell
Chairman Harrietsham Village Hall Trust
Harrietsham Village Hall Trust
Treasurer’s Report for the year January 2024 – December 2024
Yet again the finances of the village hall have continued to improve. 2024 saw income (disregarding deposits) rise by £11,500, although there were some exceptional features in this. The single most notable item being the feed-in tariff from the solar panels, which was £0 in 2023 and £3,242 in 2024 – presumably 2-years worth!
Having said that, though, hirings shows a marked increase. Adding one-off hires to regular hires shows that we saw an extra £8,500, so we can be sure that the hall is better used – certainly, it always seems to be busy.
Unfortunately, as the Council in its role as stand-in trustees got to grips with the work needed, so expenditure rose, showing an increase of some £14,200 (excluding deposit returns). Whilst a look down the list of expenditure items will show that almost every item of spend went up from one year to another, repairs and maintenance shows the biggest increase, (by around £7,400). This is a mixture of regular, often legally-required, work and remedial work from previous years – this includes some major work on the lighting and electrics of the two halls (£5,440) and various plumbing work.
After much consideration, the trustees concluded that due to the increase hall usage, it was felt that they needed to formalize the cleaning and maintenance of the building. To this end, a part-time cleaner was employed towards the end of the year. It is envisaged that the Council will have to help in the future costs.
The overall result of the year, therefore, is that the hall made an operating profit of £2,547 in the year, down from the £6,600 in 2023… but, unlike 2023, during which the Council paid for significant expenditure, 2024 saw no such “hidden subsidy”, so this is a true picture, and marks a major turn-around from 2023.
The Council, however, continues to provide a subsidy in the form of the two seconded staff, being the Clerk, who deals with all the administration and staffing matters, and the RFO who continues to do the accounts. In this context, it is worth noting that following the introduction of the Hallmaster booking system, the call upon the RFO’s time for invoicing has been significantly reduced.
Finally, the year saw the Trust end with £17,811 available.
Mike Cuerden
Acting Treasurer February 2025.
| Harrietsham Village Hall Trust Income & Expenditure Summary for 2024 2023 Income 26,128.00 Hall hire - regular 4,493.00 Hall hire - one off 6,200.00 Deposits HPC Ground Rent Brit Gas feed-in tariff 3,900.00 Miscellaneous 76.88 Bank interest 40,797.88 Expenditure 4,800.00 Deposit refunded 600.00 Fees refunded 9,766.21 Utilities 2,122.70 Insurance 923.38 Broadband/mobiles 432.61 Licences 3,808.00 Parish Council loan 8,879.48 Repairs & Maintenance HMRC Tax & NI Staff - cleaner 2,628.65 Staff - Booking Sec 140.00 Fund raising Transfers 34,101.03 |
2024 33,466.25 5,646.00 4,320.00 3,500.00 Repairs & Maint 3,241.87 QEC Electrical 5,439.28 E Vaughan Grounds 2,400.00 203.40 Hadene Heaters 1,886.40 50,377.52 Arkas Shutters 1,315.20 Guys Plumbing 1,247.00 4,320.00 Initial Bins 1,049.89 220.00 Terra Firma Doors 978.00 12,218.91 Source Fire Alarma 857.22 2,340.85 Power Hy Consumeable 520.19 1,012.34 Country S bins 408.66 480.00 Misc Exp 101.11 3,808.00 16,202.95 16,202.95 734.26 2,710.05 3,614.77 168.00 47,830.13 Operating Surplus:: 2,547.39 |
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|---|---|---|
| Bank Reconciliation January Current Account January Deposit Account plus income minus expenditure EOM December Current Account EOM December Deposit Account Difference |
3,995.93 11,268.10 15,264.03 50,377.52 47,830.13 17,811.42 2,839.92 14,971.50 17,811.42 0.00 |
Notes::
Unpaid invoices (debtors): Freedom Dance Collective 282.00 Under discussion - could be more Kent Adult Education - Art 30.00 Purple Yoga 100.00 Total expected rcoverable 412.00 total surplus:: 2,959.39 MBC Electoral Registration 255.00 Possibly not required; local govt re-organisation In 2024, Harrietsham Parish Council paid (exc VAT) Security 299.00 Personal attack alarms R&Maint 52.86 Cleaning products This amounts to a HPC subsidy of :: 351.86 plus VAT plus HPC staff time for administration.
Independent Examiners Report to the trustees of The Harrietsham Village Hall Trust This report is on the AOUThts for the year ended the 31, December 2024 Respective Responsibilities of the Trustees and Examiner The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year (under se¢tion43{2)) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) and that an independent examination 15 needed. It is my r¢sponsibility to.. Examine the accounts (under section 43 of the Act) To follow the procedures laid down in the General Direction given by the Charity Commission (under section 43(7)(b} of the Act), and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent Examiners Report My examination was carried out in accordance wtth the General Directions given by the Charity Cornmission. An examination includes a review of the 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 any such matters, The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair, view. and the report is limited top those matters in the slat¢ment below. Independent Examiner's Statement In the course of my examination. no matters have come lo my attention: . which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with requir¢ment5 of the 1993 Act have not been met or 2. to which in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Mr Michael Gear Little Hatch Ashford Road Harrietsham ME17 IAJ (signed) Qualification(s)- B Ex erience Date: 7-2-g