Arkenstall Village Centre (AVC)
Registered Charity No. 300394 Trustees’ Annual Report 1[st] May 2024 – 30[th] April 2025
Secretary: Sheila Waller c/o Arkenstall Village Centre 7 Station Road Haddenham CB6 3XD
Names of Trustees (at the end of the reporting period)
Stuart Browse Chair Sheila Waller Secretary Cllr Gareth Wilson Treasurer Robert Bush Deputy Chair Liz Dolman Suzy Barker Lyndsey Goddard Margaret Blake Erin Dolan
.
Sources of advice and support
ACRE Haddenham Parish Council
Governance
Conveyance and Declaration of Trust Dated 12 Jul 1971 as amended by Resolution dated 16 May 2017 as amended on 21 Feb 2023.
Formerly the Robert Arkenstall School, fundraising enabled the purchase of the former school in July 1971 as the new village hall. The Arkenstall Village Centre achieved Charity Status in 1971 and was opened in 1973 with the first meeting being that of the Women’s
AVC Annual Report 2024/5
Page 1
Institute. The AVC is managed by a Board of Trustees under a constitution, which was updated and voted in at an EGM in February 2023.
Appointment of Trustees
The Trust Deed governs the appointment of Trustees (8 elected and 3 representative plus no more than 6 co-opted) and the management of the Charity.
Five Trustees were elected and two nominated representatives welcomed at the Annual General Meeting held in May 2024. Two trustees were co-opted during the year.
Permanent Staff
Facilities Manager Mr Martin Paul has made a significant contribution to the successful running and management of the Centre throughout the year. The contribution in maintaining cleanliness and hygiene at the AVC made by Mrs Margaret Blake is also recognised.
Policies and Procedures
To guide the Management Committee in exercising its duty of care to members, employees and users of the hall, the following policy statements have been adopted and revised this period:
-
Health & Safety Policy
-
Safeguarding Policy
-
Data Protection & Data Privacy Policy
-
Financial Controls Policy
-
Equality and Diversity Policy
-
CCTV Policy
-
Fire Evacuation Procedures
-
Door Code Policy
Copies of these policies are available on the website.
Hiring Agreement
Use of the village hall is subject to a Hiring Agreement which must be signed by the hirer when booking. The hiring agreement sets out the conditions of hire and identifies the respective responsibilities of each party to the agreement.
Licences
AVC Annual Report 2024/5
Page 2
The hall has a Premises Licence and occasionally applies for an alcohol licence. The hall is licensed by the Performing Rights Society for live and recorded music.
Risk Management
Insurance
The village hall is insured with respect to property damage and rebuilding costs (buildings insurance) for £2,434,169. It is insured with the same company with respect to contents up to £77,680; public liability £10,000,000; employers’ liability £10,000,000; business interruption £39,600; personal accident £25,000 and management liability £500,000. The Management Committee recognises that it is under a legal obligation to protect the building, its users and employees through adequate and appropriate insurance.
Building Issues
-
A building condition survey is undertaken at 5-year intervals by a qualified surveyor.
-
Gas appliances and portable electrical appliances are tested by qualified personnel annually.
-
The mains electrical installation is checked by a qualified engineer every 5 years.
-
A Fire Safety Risk Assessment is updated annually by the Committee’s own Fire Safety Officer as required by law.
-
Fire fighting appliances are inspected annually under contract with the supplier.
-
The Facilities Manager carries out other regular maintenance checks, there is a reporting book available for all users to report faults in the Kitchen.
-
There is an Accidents reporting book available to comply with Health & Safety regulations to document any instances that occur during usage of the site location.
Objectives of the Charity
-
Provision of the AVC for the benefit of the inhabitants of Haddenham without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, nationality, race or political, religious or other opinions.
-
Use of the village facilities for meetings, lectures and classes or other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the social conditions of the life of the inhabitants.
-
The Charity also sub-lets space to the volunteer village library.
-
The Trustees consider these objectives to be consistent with Charity Commission guidance on providing for the public benefit and these objectives have been pursued in the activities of the Charity this year.
AVC Annual Report 2024/5
Page 3
Principal Activities in pursuit of Objectives
-
The hall is in use most days of the week for a variety of activities including over 60s lunch club, slimming world, dance classes, music nights, pilates, yoga, youth club and village meetings.
-
The hall and rooms are available for hire for private functions including children’s parties, wedding receptions, funeral teas, concerts, village social functions and occasional fund-raising events.
Funding Strategy
It is the strategy of the Trustees to manage the revenue budget on a self-financing basis. This has necessitated revisions to the hiring charges and terms and conditions annually as at 1 February. The hiring charges paid by users of the hall are set to achieve this, but to be financially viable the Trustees have agreed that maintaining and increasing the usage of the facilities is required to cover rising costs.
Volunteers’ Efforts
Management costs are kept to a minimum through employment of a part time Facilities Manager with booking duties and a cleaner. Volunteers help with regular maintenance, covering absences of the Facilities Manager and cleaning of the hall. On average 60 hours of volunteer time are given each week to cover routine tasks such as bookings management, cleaning, and maintenance. In addition, Trustees give 4 hours a month for meetings and 200 hours per annum in organising and running fund raising events.
Chairman’s Annual Report 2024/25
It has been an exciting year for the AVC as we have moved to a much more sustainable footing. The year has been marked by a noticeable increase in foot fall, some overdue upgrades to our facilities and significant planning for the future as we develop and fund plans to move the Centre towards a vision of Net Zero by 2030.
We have welcomed two new trustees Erin Dolan (Dolan’s Coaching) and Maragaret Blake. Both have been enthusiastic users and supporters of the facility and it is lovely to be able to give them a more formal role governing the success of our facility. We have also welcomed two volunteers in the form of former trustees, Jason Dowden and Paul Hiorns who have kindly agreed to deliver two projects to improve our net zero credentials this next year, including necessary roof repairs and the installation of PV cells and batteries to reduce our energy costs.
For the third consecutive year we have successfully met the financial targets we set ourselves at the beginning of the year. Liz Dolman was awarded the Chairperson award for the most significant contribution last year and has continued to run some truly amazing, well attended events with her typical energy and organisational skills.
AVC Annual Report 2024/5
Page 4
Whilst we set an infrastructure development plan alongside the budget in Feb 24, we managed to deliver 75% of the projects planned, largely through the efforts of volunteers, Martin Paul our Facilities Manager and the efforts of Trustees. The annual Haddenham Panto, organised by Lyndsey Goddard (again!) was a significant contributor to the financial wellbeing of the Centre, and a valuable community activity and event. The Greatest Panto was a well-attended and professional production.
The transition of regular users has ebbed and flowed as it does each year and whilst we have lost a number of regular hirers, we have gained new ones and find ourselves broadly in the same place as last year at about 31% utilisation. Notably we have hosted two signature events this year for members of our community. One of these was a very colourful and glamorous Sri Lankan wedding and the other was to bid farewell to a member of our community in a non-denominational funeral and wake. So a very varied year all round but the regular use of this facility has underpinned its importance to our community.
Reserves Policy
The Charity had £25,780.77 in the bank and COIF shares valued at £72,986.55 at the year end. This cash is available for unforeseen expenditure in relation to building maintenance or urgent furniture or equipment replacement.
The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance of the village hall and from time to time this involves major works far in excess of cash reserves held. On identifying such major works, fundraising is undertaken with the objective of meeting the costs in full (i.e. without needing a loan). Such funds would be restricted.
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
Signature(s) Full name(s) Stuart Browse Position Chairman Date 30 April 2025
AVC Annual Report 2024/5
Page 5
Independent examination of the accounts
Our income is below the income threshold above which an independent examination of the accounts is required by the Charity Commission. The draft end of year accounts is attached separately as a pdf.
AVC Annual Report 2024/5
Page 6
Arkenstall Village Centre
| Arkenstall Village Centre | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts & Payments for the | period 1st April | 2024 to 31st | March 2025 | ||||
| year to 31st | year to 31st | 12 month |
|||||
| Receipts | March 2025 | March 2024 | budget | variance | |||
| Room hire | - | 35,520.60 |
- | 27,273.72 |
30,000.00 | 5,520.60 | |
| Library Rent | - | 3,200.00 |
- | 3,200.00 |
3,200.00 | - | |
| Flat Rent | - | 12,000.00 |
- | 250.00 |
12,000.00 | - | |
| Flat rent deposit | - | - | 1,153.00 |
- | - | ||
| interest | - | 245.20 |
- | 120.07 |
200.00 | 45.20 | |
| Precept | - | - | 2,500.00 |
- | - | ||
| Donation | - | 1,118.00 |
- | 1,955.14 |
1,000.00 | 118.00 | |
| Gift Aid tax | - | - | 432.32 |
250.00 | - | 250.00 |
|
| Panto | - | 3,421.15 |
- | 3,966.53 |
2,500.00 | 921.15 | |
| Ceilidh | - | - | 106.40 |
- | - | ||
| Christmas fair | - | - | 330.00 |
- | - | ||
| cake decoration | - | - | 540.00 |
- | - | ||
| Garage sale | - | - | 613.00 |
- | - | ||
| Fund raising | - | 11,477.67 |
- | 7,378.45 |
8,000.00 | 3,477.67 | |
| CCLA sale of units | - | - | 1,956.13 |
- | - | ||
| CCLA deposit account | - | - | 400.00 |
- | - | ||
| surplus on sale of COIF units | - | - | 15,043.87 |
- | - | ||
| grant | - | - | - | - | |||
| Total Receipts | - | 66,982.62 |
- | 67,218.63 |
57,150.00 | 9,832.62 | |
| Payments | - - |
- - |
|||||
| Salaries | 18,130.57 | 16,843.18 | 16,000.00 | - | 2,130.57 |
||
| cost of fundraising | 2,507.58 | 696.00 | 1,000.00 | - | 1,507.58 |
||
| Telephone | 1,103.72 | 693.39 | 600.00 | - | 503.72 |
||
| IT | 554.06 | 490.99 | 600.00 | 45.94 | |||
| promotion | - | - | - | - | |||
| Cleaning materials | 1,472.13 | 1,608.60 | 1,500.00 | 27.87 | |||
| Rubbish collection | 654.33 | 1,239.91 | 1,100.00 | 445.67 | |||
| Building maintenance | 8,283.64 | 413.37 | 1,500.00 | - | 6,783.64 |
||
| Boiler maintenance | - | - | 400.00 | 400.00 | |||
| Equipment maintenance | 618.06 | 7,615.14 | 700.00 | 81.94 | |||
| Flat expenses | - | 12,566.68 | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | |||
| Estate agent fee | - | 690.00 | - | - | |||
| Gardening | - | 230.00 | - | - | |||
| Electricity | 9,638.73 | 6,448.57 | 6,000.00 | - | 3,638.73 |
||
| water | 1,193.80 | 1,001.04 | 1,000.00 | - | 193.80 |
||
| Heating Oil | 2,941.78 | 2,452.17 | 2,500.00 | - | 441.78 |
||
| gas | 205.99 | 313.90 | 400.00 | 194.01 | |||
| Insurance | 2,516.34 | 2,451.55 | 2,500.00 | - | 16.34 |
||
| Licence | 556.96 | 544.96 | 750.00 | 193.04 | |||
| Sundry | 300.00 | 537.15 | 1,000.00 | 700.00 | |||
| Fire Alarm | 457.80 | 346.70 | 500.00 | 42.20 | |||
| subscription | 72.00 | 80.00 | 60.00 | - | 12.00 |
||
| deposit refund | 1,485.00 | 2,187.25 | 2,000.00 | 515.00 | |||
| disabled toilet | - | - | - | ||||
| Total spend | 52,692.49 | 59,450.55 | 41,610.00 | - | 11,082.49 |
||
| Surplus/ (Deficit) | 14,290.13 | 7,768.08 | 15,540.00 | 1,249.87 |
Arkenstall Village Centre
Balance Sheet as at 31st March 2025
31st March 2025 31st March 2024
| Bank Balances at 31st March 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| COIF Shares at cost | 9,261.78 | 9,261.78 | |
| COIF Charity Funds | 387.11 | 141.91 | |
| Lloyds Account | 25,780.77 | 10,982.84 | |
| Flat rent deposit | 1,153.00 | ||
| Santander | 0 | 0 | |
| 35,429.66 | 21,539.53 | ||
| 35,429.66 | 21,539.53 | ||
| Bank balances at 1st April 2024 | |||
| COIF Shares at cost | 9,261.78 | 11,217.90 | |
| COIF Charity Funds | 141.91 | 421.84 | |
| Lloyds TSB Account | 10,982.84 | 4,087.83 | |
| Flat rent deposit | 1,153.00 | - | |
| 21,539.53 | 15,727.57 | ||
| Surplus/(Deficit) for period | 14,290.13 | 7,768.08 | |
| transfer of funds | - | 1,956.13 |
|
| transfer of funds | - | ||
| 35,829.66 | 21,539.53 | ||
| Represented by | |||
| Restricted reserves | |||
| Salaries reserve | 3,000.00 | 3,000.00 | |
| Repairs reserve | 2,000.00 | 2,000.00 | |
| Bookings reserve | 3,300.00 | 3,300.00 | |
| Flat rent deposit | 1,153.00 | 1,153.00 | |
| 9,453.00 | 9,453.00 | ||
| Unrestricted reserves | 26,376.66 | 12,086.53 | |
| 35,829.66 | 21,539.53 | ||
| Value of COIF shares at 31st | |||
| December 2024 |
72,986.55 | ||
| Increase from 31st March 2024 of |
Gareth Wilson
06-Apr-25