## Shenfield Parish Hall
Annual Report and Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2024
Charity Number 301394
## **Shenfield Parish Hall**
## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2024**
The Trustees present their Report together with the Financial Statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2024.
## **Objects of the charity**
The Shenfield Parish Hall’s governing document is an indenture dated 6th January 1923 and the Hall was registered as Charity number 301394 on 14th October 1963.
The Charity owns and runs Shenfield Parish Hall for the benefit of the local community. The Hall is situated at 60 Hutton Road, Shenfield, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 8LB.
Contact should be through the Supervisor, Mrs Angie Donovan (01277 415964), or the Bookings Manager, Mrs Julia Coles (07826 554494).
## **Organisation**
The Trustees during the year were:
Rev Canon D Barlow (from 21 January 2024)
Mr John Bridger (Vice-Chairman)
Mr Shaun De Boo (Treasurer)
Miss Gillian Oldham
Mrs Jane Oliver Mrs Mary Roder
Mrs Christine Williams
Mr William Hindley
The Trustees together with the Supervisor, Mrs. Angie Donovan, and Bookings Manager, Mrs. Julia Coles, function as a Management Committee. The Chairman is the Rector of St Mary the Virgin Church, Shenfield, who is ex officio a member of the management committee. Two further trustees are members of and appointed by St. Mary’s Parochial Church Council (the PCC). In addition to these three, not more than six further persons resident in Shenfield, Hutton and surrounding area may be appointed.
## **Changes to the Committee**
Following the retirement of the Chairman in 2022, the Vice-Chairman acted as Chairman until Canon Barlow was appointed in January 2024.
## **Shenfield Parish Hall**
## **Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2024 (continued)**
## **Review of activities and public benefit**
The Committee continues to run Shenfield Parish Hall for the benefit of the local community and emphasises the importance of community service and seeks to provide quality facilities to suit the widest possible range of interests. It is one of the best used community halls in the Borough of Brentwood. Over thirty community groups have regular bookings and there are many annual and “one-off” events as well. The Hall was renovated in 2000 using funds from the lottery and a larger sum generously subscribed locally; this demonstrated very clearly the value of the Hall as perceived by the residents of Shenfield and the surrounding area and enabled the committee to pursue their aims for the local community.
After the successful renewal of the Hall and its equipment in 2000 at a cost of some £320,000, the committee reviewed the actions necessary to sustain the long-term viability of the Hall. This is
considered to be particularly important as any future public appeal for funds could be very uncertain and the availability of grants is now minimal; a condition of the 2000 £142,900 lottery grant was that the Hall should become self-sustaining. A maintenance fund was established and the target is to add to this fund an appropriation of at least £5,000 each year and to build the fund up to an appropriate level over the years. In 2024 costs of £14,221 were charged to the fund (2023: £5,245). Routine repairs and maintenance continue to be undertaken and charged to the General Fund in the year they are incurred.
The committee has reviewed the level of free reserves (the general fund) and believes that a sum of approximately £5,000 is appropriate to provide for working capital and minor contingencies. The free reserves at 31st December 2024 were £10,241 (2023 £10,241).
## **Risk management**
The major risks to which the charity is exposed, as identified by the trustees, have been reviewed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks.
## **Outlook**
Based on the current levels of use of the Hall, we consider that the Charity has sufficient financial resources to maintain and operate the Hall for the foreseeable future.
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
## D Barlow
Rev Canon D Barlow
17 February 2025
## **Shenfield Parish Hall**
## **Statement of Financial Activities - Unrestricted Funds for the year ended 31 December 2024**
|**General Fund**
**Incoming Resources - Charitable Activities**
Hall rents
Grant
Total incoming resources
**Resources expended - Charitable Activities**
Heating, lighting and water
Cleaning and rubbish removal
Council Tax
Insurance
Repairs and maintenance
Telephone and Internet
Salary
Bookings
Professional fees
Rent refunded
Music Licence
Gardening
General expenses
Total resources expended
**Net incoming resources**
Transfer to maintenance fund
Balance at 1 January
Balance at 31 December
**Maintenance Fund - Unrestricted Fund**
**Incoming resources - Charitable Activities**
Interest received
**Resources expended - Charitable Activities**
Maintenance expenditure
**Net outgoing resources**
Transfer from General Fund
Balance at 1 January
Balance at 31 December
Page 1|2024
2023
£
£
75931
69203
0
0
75931
69203
9082
9691
15376
15919
130
123
4043
1971
11794
743
806
499
8510
7806
8584
7806
0
1639
684
125
830
746
570
0
58
67
60467
47135
15464
22068
(15464)
(22068)
10241
10241
10241
10241
£
£
9159
7223
14221
5245
(5062)
1978
15464
22068
209203
185157
219605
209203|
|---|---|
## **Shenfield Parish Hall**
## **Balance Sheet at 31 December 2024**
|**Assets:**
**Current Assets**
Debtors and prepayments
Cash at Bank
Barclays - Current Account
Barclays - Deposit Account
COIF - Charities Account
Total Assets
**Liabilities:**
Creditors: amounts falling due in less than one year
Accrued expenses
Hall rents in advance
Total Liabilities
**Total Net Assets**
**The Funds of the Charity - Unrestricted**
General Fund
Maintenance Fund
**Total Charity Funds**|2024
2023
£
£
0
2075
4166
6486
54988
50948
170692
162373
229846
221882
0
1008
0
1430
0
2438
229846
219444
10241
10241
219605
209203
229846
219444|
|---|---|
## S V De Boo
17/02/2025
Shaun De Boo Treasurer
Page 2
## **Shenfield Parish Hall**
## **Notes forming part of the Financial Statements**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2024**
1. The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention except that the cost of the freehold land and buildings of the Hall are excluded as explained below. In other respects the financial statements are prepared in accordance with The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2000 and the Statement of Recommended Practice “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” issued in October 2000 and with applicable accounting standards.
2. These statements are prepared on a receipts and payments basis in accordance with the Charity Commission reporting and accounting guidelines. However, in prior years rent received in advance and some payments in advance were accounted for on an accruals basis. At 31 December 2024 no items have been accrued or treated as prepayments. The net impact of the write off of the items accrued at 31 December 2023 has been to increase the net incoming resources in 2024 by £363.
3. The Charity owns the freehold land and buildings and its equipment. The land was donated and the main Hall built by public subscription and opened in 1922 as a memorial after the First World War. In 1965 the Gwendoline Lewis Room was added following a bequest. The original costs of the Hall and some amendments thereto are not available. The Trustees consider that the cost of carrying out a professional valuation to include these assets in the accounts cannot be justified, particularly as a valuation of the land would be dependent on its use under the planning regulations.
4. The Hall was renewed in 2000 at a cost over the years 1997 to 2000 of £321,744; during this period donations from fundraising amounted to £173,115 and a further £142,900 was received from the National Lottery Charities Board. These costs have all been written off in the respective years of expenditure, as have all the past costs.
5. Of the cash at bank at 31 December 2024, £54,988 (2023: £50,948) was on deposit with Barclays Bank. The remainder of the cash on deposit was with the Charities Official Investment Fund.
6. Details of certain items of expenditure
- a) £123 was paid to Trustees in reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the Charity during the year (2023: £561).
- b) No fees were paid to the Independent Examiner (2023 £Nil)
7. Paid employees. The Hall employs one part-time person as Hall Supervisor, part of its Charitable activities. The salary cost was £8,510 (2023: £7,806). There was no liability for employers national insurance and no pension costs were incurred (2023: £Nil).
8. Interest received has been credited directly to the Maintenance Fund as it arises on this Fund.
Page 3
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT**
I report on the accounts of the Shenfield Parish Hall for the year ended 31st December 2024, which are set out on pages 1 to 3.
## **Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner.**
The charity’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:
Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
To follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner’s report.**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent examiner’s statement.**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- (1) Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements
- of the 2011 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.
A Ward 20 February 2025
A Ward Chartered Accountant Shenfield
Essex