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2025-09-30-accounts

ABBOTTS ANN WAR MEMORIAL HALL

Financial Statement for the year ending 30 September 2025

FEBRUARY 24, 2026

ABBOTTS ANN WAR MEMORIAL HALL CHARITY 40, Duck Street, Abbotts Ann, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 7AZ

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30[th] September 2025

The trustees present their annual report and independently reviewed financial statements for the year ended 30[th] September 2025 and confirm they comply with the Charities Act 1993, as amended by the Charities Act 2006, the trust deed and the Charities SORP 2005.

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name Abbotts Ann War Memorial Hall Charity Registration Number 301719 Principal Office 40, Duck Street Abbotts Ann Andover Hampshire SP11 7AZ Board of Trustees Hall Operating Committee Keith Saunders Judith Cole Neil Palmer Richard Phillips Philippa Law Jenny Read Helen Clark Ida Cohen Sherrill Searle Bankers Accountant Lloyds Bank plc Croombs Chartered Accountants PO Box 1000 Ilex House Andover The Green BX1 1LT Upper Clatford, Hampshire SP11 7PS

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Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30[th] September 2025

The Trustees' Annual Report

This is our detailed annual report for our charity.

History of the Hall

On 18th November 1919, Abbotts Ann Parish Council held a special meeting to sign and seal the conveyance of deeds of land, which Major & Mrs Edward Rickards had given to the village for a recreation ground and hall. Major Rickards, of St John’s House, had served in the Great War and the family did a great deal to encourage the social life and welfare of villagers.

The original building, a wooden hut, was in use by April when Abbotts Ann WI met there to hear Mrs Townsend describe her tour of Belgium the previous June. She told how locals had responded to returning to normal life after the destruction of war. This was followed by solo musical performances and a short play.

The WI have been active users of the hall since its earliest days. In July 1920, they organised a fete to raise funds towards eliminating the War Memorial Hut’s debt.

Unfortunately, on Saturday 5th March 1921 the War Memorial Hut burned down. The village policeman who lived across the road at Chestnut Tree Cottage raised the alarm at 3am. Whilst neighbours set to work with buckets of water and pulling down the surrounding fences, by the time Andover fire brigade arrived the building was a smouldering ruin. Fortunately, the southwesterly wind took flames away from Spring Cottage, which would otherwise have been in danger. No one was hurt but the hall’s contents were destroyed including a piano and a skeleton belonging to Dr Freeman. Remarkably, other villagers did not learn of the fire until the morning, some when they heard the news in Andover. There is no evidence to support the story that disgruntled husbands who resented their wives spending so much time on WI activities started the fire.

It is unclear now how the new building was funded but the United Services Fund granted £14 10s in September that year to provide furniture for the village hall 16th September 1921. (The fund had been set up after the Great War to care for the interests of ex-Servicemen and institutions helping them.)

Messrs Grace and Son of Clatford designed and built the new hall. The Andover Advertiser described ‘a brick and tiled building with plenty of light and air space. Its total size is 60ft by 20ft the large hall that has a seating capacity of from 150 to 180, is 37ft by 20ft. The billiard room, to which access can be had by means of a door in the panelled partition, is 17ft by 20ft, and can be used as a retiring room. There are ladies’ and gentlemen’s cloak rooms, each 10ft by 8ft; a large store with copper and sink used for kitchen purposes, and a kitchen range. The hall is heated from a large brick fireplace, and a stove will adequately warm the billiard room. The lighting is by means of acetylene gas, the building is nicely set off with an entrance porch, and there are the usual emergency exits. It is a very practical form of war memorial and it is up to the inhabitants to make a fit and proper use of it.

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The new hall opened on 2nd January 1923. Following a two minutes silence the Rural Dean of Andover, the Revd T K Allen of Weyhill, dedicated the hall “to the glory of God and in memory of the men of Abbotts Ann who fell in the cause of righteousness and truth.” Major MillerMundy of Red Rice formally thanked the committee who had managed the project. He asked those present to remember that the hall was for the benefit of the entire village, whatever their views and urged users to settle amicably any differences they had before they entered the hall. The evening was rounded off by a concert of local talent and artistes from London arranged by Mr Grace the builder.

The Andover Advertiser on 27th February 1924 reported that the Hall Committee had met to identify measures to reduce the debt on the hall. The same article also told of a WI fancy dress dance, a whist drive (with dancing). Somehow, over time, the debt was paid off and the hall has been in constant use ever since.

Structure, Governance and Management

Governance

The charity was registered on 13[th] September 1962 with the formal name of “Abbotts Ann War Memorial Hall” but is also registered with a working name of “Abbotts Ann Village Hall”

The charity is registered with HMRC for Gift Aid.

The charity owns the village hall outright and is responsible for all maintenance, upkeep and running of the hall for the benefit of the local community.

The trustees of this charity are solely responsible for the policies of the charity including risk management policy.

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 trustees along with the hall committee chair meet together as a body normally monthly and are responsible for all decisions taken in relation to policies and the running of the hall, community facilities and the activities provided by the charity.

The hall committee chair is responsible for running the day-to-day operation of the hall and ensuring that the committee and users of the hall follow all policies implemented.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

The existing trustees are responsible for the recruitment of new trustees, but in so doing the trustees seek the views and recommendations from other community groups and regular hall hirers. The trustees are looking for respected members of the local community and believe this approach ensures that new trustees get the support they will need to successfully fulfil the role of trustee.

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Risk Management

The trustees have assessed the risks the charity faces and have drawn up an Annual Risk Assessment Policy which identifies the major risks by area of activity, the nature of those risks, the likelihood of the risks happening and the measures taken to manage them.

The trustee’s review all Policies regularly at their meetings and the trustees are satisfied that systems are in place to manage the risks that have been identified. In particular, insurance cover is in place and the finances of the hall are kept under review.

The following policies were either adopted, reviewed and/or updated during the financial year

  1. Fire Safety Policy Version 2 – No Changes Made

  2. Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy – No Changes Made

  3. A Review of our Insurance was reviewed and updated in December 2025

  4. Review of our charity governance – No Changes Made

  5. Reviewed our Financial Reporting to ensure it is still in line with best business practices and Charity Commission requirements. No Update required

  6. Review our Annual Risk Assessment Policy. No Update made

  7. Making sure all aspects of running the War Memorial Hall meet all current regulations and legal requirements

Activities and Achievements

The main objective is the provision and maintenance of a village hall for the purposes of physical and mental training and recreation and social, moral and intellectual development for the advantage or benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Abbotts Ann without distinction of sex or of political, religious or other opinions.

The main users of the hall during the financial year were

Five-Year Development Plan

In 2023 we developed a five (5) year development plan to upgrade the hall to modern standards.

Our Vision for the future is

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The Committee is now committed to establishing a proactive approach to the development of the Hall over the 5 years. An Audit of Works carried out in early 2024 by Trustees and Committee Members with extensive building experience has resulted in a list of short-term and longer-term requirements. The costs of this work will be self-funded and grant funded.

The key objectives for 2025 and into 2026 were/are:

  1. To ensure that the backlog of smaller, urgent maintenance and repair works to the fabric of the building and grounds is completed by September 2026.

  2. Replace all smoke detectors to meet current regulations ( Hall Funded and Completed )

  3. Continue to replace lighting with modern LED lights to further reduce our electricity bill. ( Hall Funded and Completed )

  4. Remove plants from the base of the building, which has caused brick damage and allowed water into the building. ( Hall Funded – Part Completed )

  5. Installation of hot water units at the main Toilets and the rear lobby toilet ( Completed and Hall Funded )

  6. Completely refurbished the rear lobby toilets ( Grant Funded and Completed )

  7. Replace the rotten windows with like for like new windows. I.e. they will look exactly the same. ( Grant Funded and Completed )

  8. Implement an upgraded Wi-Fi system which will provide full coverage ( Hall Funded )

  9. Implement cavity wall installation ( Part Grant Funded and Completed )

  10. New flooring for rear entrance and toilet ( Grant Funded and Completed )

  11. Simplify using the overhead projector and adding laptop stand with HDMI connection ( Hall Funded )

  12. Replace rear and car park fencing along with associated gates. ( 50% grant Funded and 50% Hall Funded and Parish Council Funded )

  13. Strip and repaint stage walls in Matt black paint ( Hall and Fete Committee Grant Funded and Completed )

  14. Replace all external doors in three stages;

  15. a. kitchen and store room doors - Completed ;

  16. b. Front main double doors with right door wider for wheelchair access;

  17. c. Fire exit double doors ( 50% grant Funded and 50% Hall Funded with a £2,000 contribution from the Abbotts Ann Nursery School )

  18. Remove existing hall curtain rails and fit electric blackout blinds ( Part Grant Funded and Completed )

  19. Replace stage curtains ( 50% grant Funded and 30% Hall Funded and 20% Abbotts Ann Players funded )

Most planned improvements are aimed at reducing our utility bills and generally make the building more energy efficient.

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Fundraising

This charity raises funds from the public, but does not work with professional fundraisers or commercial participators.

As part of our development plan, we applied for a £20,000 Rural Prosperity Grant, which formally was to close on 30th August 2024, but was extended to September 2024. We were granted £19,944.75 subject to the grant terms and conditions. This award is for a 75% contribution towards the cost of the items and/or capital works.

Trading

This charity does not have any trading subsidiaries.

Trustee payments

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity.

What the charity does

Who the charity helps

How the charity helps

Principal Funding Sources

The charities main income comes from two (2) primary sources namely

  1. Hiring out the hall and/or Jubilee meeting room on an hourly basis

  2. Annual 100 Club lottery.

Other income comes from private community donations and grants from various sources.

Investment policy and objectives

The charity has no long-term investments. Our cash reserves are held in our Lloyds Bank deposit account.

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Statement of Trustees' responsibilities

The accounts are fully SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice) compliant and include a Statement of Financial Activities. The Statement of Financial Activities is limited to unrestricted funds, as we have no restricted funds in the current financial year.

The charity is not large enough to require a Cash Flow Statement.

The charity trustees are responsible for preparing an annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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:

  1. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

  2. 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.

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:

Keith Saunders (Trustee & Treasurer)

24[th] February 2026

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Abbotts Ann War Memorlal Hall Statement of Flnanclal Actlvitles for the ear ended 30 Se tember 2025 Total Incomè 2024125 Total Unre¥trirt 2023124 Income Type OperatlnE Income from Rental Income from i(rf) aub Annual Lottery Cornmittee events Community Oonations Grants £16.328 £16.328 £2.230 £2.230 £140 £140 £4.035 £4.035 £20.787 £20.787 £15.719 £2.115 £0 £6.155 £0 TOTALS £43.520 £43,520 £23,989 Exp•nditur• Typ• Operating Expense IndudinB ICK) Club Prizes Capital Expendature £13,588 £13,588 £35,929 £35,929 £16,9C(I £10,724 TOTALS £49,517 £49,517 £27,624 N•t mov•m•nt in fvnd• 1£5.9971 1£5.9971 1£3.6351 Tot•1 funds broutht for￿rd £21.E4)4 £21.604 £25.239 Tot•1 fundi c4rri•d forw•rd £15.607 £15.607 £21,604 Balance Sheet as at 30 Se tember 2025 2024125 2023124 Curr•nt •u•ts Cash at bank N￿A$sEr5 £15.607 £15,607 £21.604 £21.604 Fund• of th• ¢h•rity Ur¢restricted funds TOTAL FUNDS £15.607 £15.607 £21.604 £21.604

NOTE 1

All income recognised once the charity has entitlement to the funds i.e. Hall booking has been used.

Unrestricted income comprise those funds, which the trustees are free to use for any purpose needed by the charity. Unrestricted funds include designated funds where the trustees, at their discretion, have set aside resources for a specific purpose. For example matching funds against matching grant applications.

The charity is not registered for VAT

The charity has one paid part time employee only for caretaker related work and his annual costs of £2,880 are included in the operating expense. The caretaker’s monthly income rose from £220 to £260 on 1[st] July 2024.

No trustee received remuneration or any type of travel or other expense.

The 100 Club prizes amounting to £765, which are included in the operating expense.

All expenditure except the 100 Club lottery prizes is spent on the upkeep and running of the hall.

Approved by the trustees and signed on its behalf by:

Keith Saunders (Trustee & Treasurer)

24[th] February 2026

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Abbotts Ann War Memorial Hall

Examiners Report for the year ended 30 September 2025

Prepared By Croombs Chartered Accountants Ilex House, The Green Upper Clatford, Hampshire SP11 7PS

Report to the trustees / members of

Abbotts Ann War Memorial Hall

On accounts for the year ended

Charity No.

30 September 2025 301719

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 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the 1993 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner's statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with 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 the 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:

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the 1993 Act; and

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 1993 Act have not been met; or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed

Date

Name

Address Company No.

Paul Croombs FCA

For and on behalf of Croombs C.A. Limited Ilex House, The Green, Upper Clatford, Hants, SP11 7PS 05682518

Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems. Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.

Abbotts Ann War Memorial Hall

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 30 September 2025

Income Type
Operating Income from Rental
Income from 100 Club Annual Lottery
Committee events
Community Donations
Grants
TOTALS
Expenditure Type
Operating Expense Including 100 Club Prizes
Capital Expendature
TOTALS
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestrict
ed Income
Total
Income
2024/25
£16,328
£16,328
£2,230
£2,230
£140
£140
£4,035
£4,035
£20,787
£20,787
£43,520
£43,520
£13,588
£13,588
£35,929
£35,929
£49,517
£49,517
(£5,997)
(£5,997)
£21,604
£21,604
£15,607
£15,607		 Total
Income
2023/24
£15,719
£2,115
£0
£6,155
£0
£23,989
£16,900
£10,724
£27,624
(£3,635)
£25,239
£21,604
Current assets
Cash at bank
NET ASSETS
Funds of the charity
Unrestricted funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 2024/25
£15,607
£15,607
£15,607
£15,607
Balance Sheet as at 30 September 2025		 2023/24
£21,604
£21,604
£21,604
£21,604