ARBORFIELD VILLAGE HALL Registered Charity No: 300112
Report of the Trustees
Financial Statements for the year ended 30[th] September 2025
ARBORFIELD VILLAGE HALL
Registered Charity No: 300112
INDEX
Report of the trustees Pages 3 to 8 Statement of Financial Activities Pages 9 to 10 Statement of Assets and Liabilities Page 11 Notes to the Financial Statements Pages 12 to 14 Independent Examiners Report Page 15
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Arborfield Village Hall
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2025
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2025 and confirm they comply with the Charities Act 1993, as amended by the Charities Act 2006, the trust indenture, the Resolution of 16 March 2011 and the Charities SORP 2005.
Reference and Administrative Information
Charity Name: Arborfield Village Hall Charity Registration: 300112 Principal Office : Arborfield Village Hall Eversley Road Arborfield Cross Berks RG2 9PQ
Board of Trustees
Managing Trustees:
Paul Stevens Chairperson and Trustee Lorna Parker Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Trustee James Daniell Treasurer and Trustee Margaret Edwards Trustee Graham Jones Trustee David Bolam Trustee
Bankers
Santander
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Arborfield Village Hall
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2025
1. Structure, governance and management
Governing document
Arborfield Village Hall is constituted as a charitable trust registered with the Charity Commission 5 June 1962 under charity number 300112. It is governed by a Conveyance and Declaration of Trust dated 5 September 1931 relating to the purchase of the site for the Village Hall, as amended by resolution dated 22 November 2012
Organisational structure
The charity trustees are responsible for the general control and management of the charity. The trustees give their time freely and receive no remuneration or other financial benefits. The management committee includes a village representative a Parish Council representative who give added input to help decisions which are made by the trustees. All regular users are copied in on meeting minutes and invited to attend meetings.
The trustees meet as a body bimonthly and are responsible for all decisions taken in relation to running Arborfield Village Hall.
A minimum of three trustees to form a quorum.
Individual trustees are given responsibility for finance, maintenance and bookings.
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
The existing trustees are responsible for the recruitment of new trustees; elections take place at the charity’s AGM.
Training of trustees
Following appointment, new trustees are introduced to their new role and given access to the trust document library and introduced to the policies and procedures adopted by the charity.
2. Objectives
Promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Arborfield and Newland without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, nationality, race or political, religious or other opinions the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the conditions of life of the said inhabitants.
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Arborfield Village Hall
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2025
3 Activities and achievements
Chairperson’s Annual Report. It has been a busy year at the hall, particularly as regards capital projects and improvements. Following on from the 21st Century Halls event organised by Connecting Communities in Berkshire (CCB) we did an Energy Audit (provided for us at no charge) which led in turn to several upgrades to our facilities.
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Loft insulation increased to over 350 mm
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Back doors replaced
• LED lights fitted to replace fluorescent tubes
- New fridge purchased
• Hive thermostat controls fitted for better management of the heating.
The Fire Safety Review completed in 2024 also led to a few improvements, including:
• Fire doors fitted with fire retardant panels
• Fire retardant separation between boiler room and ladies toilets.
• Lithium battery extinguisher installed in battery room
• The fire shutter to the kitchen had a new battery fitted. Then there were a few improvements we undertook as part of our bid for Platinum Jubilee Grants. These included
• Refurbished toilets
• New push button openers for main entrance and disabled toilet.
• Solar panels installed on roof with battery backup in store room to provide up to 9Kw electricity.
Finally, we replaced the projector and screen with 4K resolution projector and 16:9 ratio wide screen. This was not ultimately deemed eligible for grant support but the Trustees decided it was worth doing anyway as the old projector and screen were very low resolution.
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Arborfield Village Hall
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2025
How our activities deliver public benefit
On the social side, several events organised by our Secretary and Deputy Chair, Lorna Parker, have been greatly enjoyed by the Social Club, for which we are all very grateful. These included Skittles, a Quiz, a Music Night and of course the boat trip, which is now becoming a bit of a fixture in the calendar.
As ever the hall was decorated for Christmas by the Brownies and I would like to thank Val and Trev, not only for making the hall look so jolly in the festive season, but for all their hard work throughout the year. I look forward to seeing what they come up with this year.
Another constant throughout the year has been the flowers in the tubs at the front of the hall, for which we owe sincere thanks to Margaret Edwards, aided by her husband David.
Then there are the regular changes to the history displays, for which we must thank Di Thorne and Barry Salter.
I note that the Parish Council have provided the History Society with a large plan chest for storing the display boards, ensuring they remain in good condition for future generations to enjoy.
Our Public Consultation is still underway, with a survey currently running to find out what people think about the use of the rooms at the rear of the hall. The Doctors have finally made up their minds and have moved out, leaving the Surgery and Waiting Room available for letting. The Trustees are investigating whether we can rent them out as they are or need to look at creating a different space with a broader appeal
Our core activities continue to be the regular hirers, and it is good to see so many of the groups continue to thrive and grow. I believe we continue to provide excellent value for money, but with the loss of two of our leaseholds we need to find alternative or additional revenue streams.
Banking with Santander has finally become a bit more manageable, with access by ‘phone for two Trustees and a debit card we can use for online and over the counter purchases.
The Village Hall’s 94th Anniversary event was well attended this year and was kindly opened by our local M.P. Clive Jones. We were awarded a Plaque by Kate Meades from CCB for our efforts in gaining Platinum Jubilee Grant Funding and I look forward to our 95th Anniversary on Saturday, 10th October 2026.
We also recently changed our heating controls to a Hive Smart System. The new schedule is in place and hopefully users will find it gives us better management of our heating.
Finally, sincere thanks to all the members of the Management Committee, the Trustees, our regular hirers and our visitors for continuing to support the work of the Hall.
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Arborfield Village Hall
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2025
Community activities
The hall and meeting room are available for use by local groups. A wide variety of activities take place including Yoga, Pole Fitness, Pilates, Dance School, Morris Dancing, Singing, U3A, Board Games, Tai Chi, Al Anon, children’s parties and community social evenings.
When facilities are not required for community use they are available for hire on commercial terms. This year our facilities have been used on over 800 occasions with many groups and individual benefiting from the improved facilities we now offer the local community.
5 Financial review
Reserves policy
The trustees have reviewed the reserves of the charity. The policy, reviewed this year, is to hold enough funds to meet our annual running costs including light and heating, insurances, cleaning, accounts booking fees.
Principal funding sources
The charity’s main source of income during this financial year has been through hiring the hall to regular users alongside casual one-off users. In addition the trustees seek grant funding for capital projects connected to the village hall or special projects, such as the grants received from the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner to establish a games group at the village hall"
Plans for future periods
The next major capital improvement project to be undertaken will be the refurbishment of the old doctors consulting and waiting rooms. We are currently engaged in a community consultation on the form this might take.
Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities
The charity trustees are responsible for preparing an annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are required to:
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Arborfield Village Hall
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2025
Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees for the purposes of charity law who served during the year and up to the date of this report are set out on page 1.
Approved by the trustees and signed on its behalf by:
Paul Stevens (Chairperson)
Date 17 July 2026
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Arborfield Village Hall Statement of Financial Activities For the Year Ended 30[th] September 2025
| Income Note Hall hire receipts 2 Rent 3 Grants & Donations 4 Deposit account interest received Application of Resources Electricity/Gas Insurance Repairs and maintenance 5 Business rates Water rates Licences Cleaning Accounting/Booking Cleaning materials Hall improvements and upgrade 6 Other 7 Games club hall hire 2 Games club grant carried forward 7 (Deficit) Surplus for the Year Transferred to Accumulated Fund Page 10/11 |
2025 £ 19,512 6,450 12,805 563 39,330 5,250 1,149 2,606 379 182 346 3,651 3,450 810 60,923 1,629 315 1,136 81,826 (42,496) |
2024 £ 18,162 6,450 0 381 24,993 5,970 1,125 10,227 321 40 188 3,747 2,750 621 0 719 0 0 25,798 (715) |
|---|---|---|
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Arborfield Village Hall
Statement of Financial Activities For the Year Ended 30[th] September 2025
Split Grants and normal activities page 9
| & Activities Capital Expenditure 2025 2025 £ £ Income Note Hall hire receipts 2 0 19,512 Rent 3 0 6,450 Grants 4 12,805 0 Deposit account interest received 0 563 12,805 26,525 Application of Resources Electricity/Gas 0 5,250 Insurance 0 1,149 Repairs and maintenance 5 0 2,606 Business rates 0 379 Water rates 0 182 Licences 0 346 Cleaning 0 3,651 Accounting/Booking 0 3,450 Cleaning materials 0 810 Hall improvements and upgrade 460,923 0 Other 6549 1,080 Games club hall hire 2315 0 Games club grant carried forward 8 1,136 0 62,923 18,903 (Deficit) Surplus for the Year Transferred to Accumulated Fund Page 11 (50,118) 7,622 |
Page 9 Totals £ 39,330 81,826 (42,496) |
|---|---|
Deficit in the year related to Hall improvements and upgrades expensed in line with Charity Commission accounts layouts.
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Arborfield Village Hall
Statement of Assets and Liabilities At 30[th] September 2025
Current Assets Note Current account 7 Deposit account Less refundable deposits and grant 8 Fixed Assets Village Hall and Land Represented by: Accumulated funds brought forward Excess of (payments) over receipts Page 10 Accumulated funds carried forward Reserve valuation |
2025 2024 £ £ 13,000 45,577 31,494 39,931 44,49485,508 (2,853) (1,371) 41,641 84,137 500,000 500,000 541,641 584,137 84,137 85,852 (42,496) (715) 41,64184,137 500,000 500,000 541,641 584,137 |
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We, the undersigned officers of the Arborfield Village Hall Committee, hereby approve the financial statements for the year ended 30[th] September 2025.
Paul Stevens.......................................................................................................................
Chairperson and Trustee
Lorna Parker........................................................................................................................ Vice Chairperson, Secretary and Trustee James Daniell......................................................................................................................
Treasurer and Trustee
Margaret Edwards................................................................................................................
Trustee
Graham Jones.....................................................................................................................
and Trustee
David Bolam……………………………………………………………………………………….. Trustee
Date 17 July 2026..
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Arborfield Village Hall Year Ended 30 September 2025
Notes
( forming part of the financial statements )
1. Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The financial statements have been prepared on a cash received and spent basis.
2. Hall Hire Receipts
Hourly hall hire rates has remained the same for Occasional user and regular user. (£10 for charitable rate, £14 for regular hire, £18.00 for occasional users)
Breakdown of receipts for hiring out the Village Hall:
Yoga Parties/One-Off Events Kung-Fu Pilates Support Group Keep Moving Borderline Morris Dancing Wokingham Showtime U3A Brownies Tai Chi Wokingham Borough Council Sing for Yourself Dance School Pole Fitness Donations Wellbeing Cheerleader Games Club |
20252024 £ £ 1,428 1,316 2,603 2,623 0 56 1,715 2,368 765 780 420 235 480 460 378 462 665 230 682 588 0 336 714 714 1,715 2,478 5,302 3,992 819 1,524 363 0 1,148 0 315 0 |
|---|---|
| 19,51218,162 |
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Arborfield Village Hall Year Ended 30 September 2025 Notes
( forming part of the financial statements )
3. Rent
Rental income is derived from a roll-over lease agreements with Swallowfield Medical Practice. Swallowfield Medical Practice has left the Hall on 31 October.
4. Grants received
The Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Mathew Barber, awarded a grant of £2,000 to the hall to start a new group with the aim of helping to reduce anti-social behaviour in the wider area. (spent £549 on Games equipment so far and used £315 for hire of the hall).
Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Grant of £10,805 based on refurbishing the toilets, installing a new push button entry system and installing Solar PV on our roof and storage battery. Other costs included upgraded audio visual system and loft insulation. Total costs £60,923 less grant £10,805 net cost of see £50,118 see Page 10.
5. Repair and maintenance
The cost for this year was normal maintenance of the hall (Garden maintenance, plumbing, Gas Safe testing and Fire inspections)
6. Other
| Other | ||
|---|---|---|
Garden plants Web hosting Subscriptions Games for game club Other |
20252024 £ £ 120120 241205 0 105 5490 719 289 1,629 719 |
|
7. Current Account
The bank balance is equal to the cash book balance. There are no reconciling items.
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Arborfield Village Hall Year Ended 30 September 2025 Notes
( forming part of the financial statements )
8. Refundable deposits and grant received
Damage and key deposits
It is the policy of the village hall to take deposits from hirers to secure advance bookings for one off events, typically children’s parties and concerts. A key deposit of £30 plus a damage cover of £25 is also required from regular users. Deposits are refundable to users upon satisfactory use of the hall or if the event does not go ahead. For regular users who cancel their bookings, their deposit is refunded upon return of the key(s).
Regular user deposits held as at 30[th] September 2025 are £1,038 damage deposits and £679 as key deposits.
Grant Received
The Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Mathew Barber, awarded a grant of £2,000 to the hall to start a new group with the aim of helping to reduce anti-social behaviour in the wider area. (spent £549 on Games equipment so far and used £315 for hire of the hall, balance £1,136)
Damage and Key deposits Balance of Game club grant |
20252024 £ £ 1,7171,371 1,136 0 |
|---|---|
2,853 1,371
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Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Arborfield Village Hall (The Trust)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Arborfield Village Hall for the year ended 30 September 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust 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 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.
Independent examiner’s statement
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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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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.
Signed:
Name: Colin Watts Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): ACA
Address Carters Hill, Newlands, Reading
Date: 17 July 2026
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