2024-04-30-accounts

Upham New Millennium Village Hall Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements Year Ending 30 April 2024

Summary

Once again, this financial year has been steady in terms of bookings. We have a number of regular hirers who are becoming very longstanding users and we are immensely grateful to them for continuing to use our facilities. We have also gained an extra one or two fairly regular users which is wonderful to see. Most weekends see at least one event and it is rare that the hall is empty.

The lights in the hall were the original ones installed when the hall was built in 2000 and it was getting hard to find replacement bulbs for some of them. The trustees thought this an ideal opportunity to look at options that would use less energy and reduce carbon emissions and applied to the Hampshire County Council Parish and Town Council Fund for a grant for LED lighting. We were successful with the grant application and new LED lights were installed throughout the hall in February 2024.

Continuing the theme of energy saving ideas, solar panels at the village hall were mooted by local people involved in looking at climate change in the local area. With the assistance of local resident, David Ashe, and Stuart Mills from Winchester Action on the Climate Crisis, with a support project funded by Winchester City Council via the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund, the trustees began the task of putting together a grant application for funding towards the installation of solar panels. The deadline for submission of the grant application is in May 2024 so success or not will be reported during the next financial year.

In October 2023, the trustees were approached by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, asking if they could have a textile recycling bank at our premises. The trustees agreed and the bank has been in situ in the car park and is working well.

Unfortunately, like many other people, the village hall had to deal with substantial increases in energy costs which meant that capital projects, such as the renewal of the kitchen and toilets, were put on hold. The Trustees have now secured a much better energy deal and the costs will be monitored. Hopefully, larger refurbishment projects will be back on the list soon.

The Trustees would like to thank all those who hired the hall during the year, whether regular users or those who used it for one off events.

The Trustees would like to thank the independent contractors who work so hard to keep the hall an attractive place for hirers; our booking agent, cleaners and caretaker.

The Trustees undertook their statutory duties and obtained all necessary licences including the premises licence issued by Winchester County Council and music licence issued by PPL PRS Ltd and also arranged suitable insurance.

Income from bookings was very steady this financial year but the increase in energy prices did impact slightly, resulting in a deficit of £2,694.

Report of the Trustees

1. Introduction

The legal requirement for the trustees’ annual report is found in section 162 of the Charities Act 2011. The Act provides that the charity trustees of a charity must prepare in respect of each financial year of the charity an annual report containing:

• (a) such a report by the trustees on the activities of the charity during that year, and

• (b) such other information relating to the charity or to its trustees or officers

as may be prescribed by regulations made by the Secretary of State.

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1. Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers

2. (a) The name of the Trust is Upham New Millennium Village Hall.

3. (b) The Trust is a registered charity, number 301976.

4. (c) The address of the Trust is: Mortimers Lane, Lower Upham, Southampton, SO32 1HF

5. (d) The following Trustees served, unless otherwise indicated, for the full year to 30 April 2024:

   • Keith Dalley

   • Helen Firth

   • Jane Gillen (resigned September 2023)

   • Roy Kimble

   • Claire Parry

   • Stacey Parry (elected in September 2023)

6. (e) The Trust has no employees but engages the services of a booking agent, cleaners and a caretaker on a self-employed basis.

7. (f) Other relevant organisations are:

   • Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA

   • Shawbrook Bank Limited, Lutea House, Warley Hill Business Park, The Drive, Great Warley, Brentwood, Essex, CM13 3BE

   • Independent Examiner: Jason Foxwell, Independent–Examiner.Net, 39 Enfield Road, Poole, BH15 3LJ

3. Structure, Governance and Management

• (a) The Trust’s governing document is a Scheme ordered by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales dated 9[th] March 2004. The Trust is an unincorporated association.

• (b) The management committee comprised five elected members and three other members, who attend in an advisory capacity. The elected members are from some of the organisations that regularly use the village hall. These organisations include Upham & District Gardening Club, Ringcraft, Sue Merrett School of Dance, the Village Preschool, Parish Council, Viking Re-enactment and Upham Players. The Trustees of the charity are made up of the majority of the management committee members.

The management committee may fill a casual vacancy in the office of an elected member at an ordinary meeting of the management committee and may co-opt up to two further members at a special meeting. All members serve until the next annual general meeting.

Under the Scheme:

• Elected members are appointed at the annual general meeting held in September by those inhabitants of the parish and surrounding neighbourhood over 18 years of age, who attend.

• Appointed members are nominated by their organisation within two months of the annual general meeting and their appointment will be effective from the latter of

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the date of their notification to the management committee and the annual general meeting.

• Co-opted members will serve from the date of their appointment at a special committee meeting.

• All management committee members will serve until the next annual general meeting and may serve further terms.

Within these prescriptions, the management committee seeks to secure the nomination and election of Trustees who will:

• provide the wide range of skills needed to manage the Hall;

• act diligently and conscientiously to fulfil the objects of the Trust; and

• make for a good balance of ages and gender.

The booking agent and caretaker also attended or provided reports for the meetings.

• (c) New Trustees are provided with the information they need to serve. Induction is provided by participation in the activities of the committee.

• (d) The management committee appoints a Chairman, a Treasurer and a Secretary. It meets at least eight times a year and actively undertakes the management and administration of the Hall. The management committee engages the services of a booking agent to secure, co-ordinate and organise all the bookings. It also engages a cleaning contractor and a caretaker on a paid basis and other building and maintenance services as needed. Trustees are not paid for their services.

• (e) The Trust has no connections with other charities. The relationship with related parties is set out above in the appointments procedure. The terms and conditions agreed with appointing organisations for their use of the Hall are identical to those agreed with similar local bodies who do not appoint. All these parties and the management committee have been scrupulous in ensuring that anyone with a close tie or interest absents him or herself from the consideration of the terms and conditions of any relevant contracts and the management committee has satisfied itself that those contracts offer excellent value for money.

4. Objects and Activities

• (a) The object of the Trust is the provision and maintenance of a village hall for use by the inhabitants of the parish of Upham and surrounding neighbourhoods without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, including use for:

• Meetings, lectures and classes, and

• Other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation

with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants.

• (b) The Trust seeks to fulfil its objectives:

• by maximising bookings from as wide a range of users as possible while prioritising local and regular hirers;

• by maintaining the attraction of the Hall in a competitive market;

• by preserving the security and cleanliness of the Hall;

• by the good upkeep of the Hall’s decoration, plant and fittings.

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5. 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.

6.

Licences

The Hall has a Premises Licence, which allows licensable activities such as the supply of alcohol, plays, performance of dance to take place in Upham New Millennium Village Hall and is licensed by PPL PRS Ltd (Phonographic Performance Ltd and Performing Rights Society) for live and recorded music.

7. Insurance

The Village Hall is insured with a comprehensive policy by Ansvar Insurance in respect of:

• buildings and accidental damage with a sum insured of £1,587,069

• contents (up to £27,475)

• public liability (£5,000,000)

• employers’ liability (£10,000,000)

• business interruption up to 24 months (£67,000)

• trustees’ indemnity (£250,000)

• property owners’ liability (£5,000,000)

• personal accident (up to £10,000)

• legal expenses (£250,000)

The management committee recognises that it is under a legal obligation to protect the building, its users and employees through adequate and appropriate insurance.

8. Building and External Works Issues

The management committee carries out regular maintenance checks on the condition of the building and surrounding hard and soft landscapes and arranges for works to be undertaken, following quotation, by using local labour, wherever reasonable. Regular annual checks, such as having fire-fighting appliances checked and the fire alarm tested were undertaken. In addition:

• New LED lights installed throughout the hall following a successful grant application to the Hampshire County Council Parish and Town Council Fund;

• As part of the Upham Parish Council Community Emergency Plan the village hall has been designated as an emergency rest centre and Upham Parish Council has made available an emergency generator to be installed on the village hall site. Work on the costing of this project has been ongoing throughout this financial year and it is hoped that the generator will be installed during the 2024/25 financial year.

9. Achievement and Performance

This financial year has seen a constant stream of hirers using the hall. It is very busy in term time during both the daytime and evenings due to the many regular hirers that use the hall for a variety of activities. Weekends have also generally been busy with many different one-off events taking place and it is pleasingly rare that the hall has any extended empty time.

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The increased energy costs unfortunately impacted on finances so this financial year has seen a deficit of £2,694. However, this deficit is less than originally expected.

10. Financial Review

• (a) Reserves

The Trust’s policy on reserves is:

• Endowment Fund: This expendable fund arose from the sale of land connected with the previous Hall. In 2003, it was agreed that the endowment fund would be designated The Saint New Millennium Endowment to commemorate Mrs Saint, the original benefactor of the village hall and other subsequent benefactors. £45,000 was endowed to this fund. Interest on the cash deposit it represents, is credited to the Unrestricted Fund. The management committee aims to sustain this fund to finance, in the longer term, the major renovation and construction work on the Hall.

• Restricted Fund: This represents the capital receipts raised to meet the construction costs of the new Hall. The management committee has agreed to depreciate these costs over the remaining estimated useful life of the Hall and to charge that depreciation against the Fund.

• Unrestricted Fund: This represents the balance on the current operating account of the Hall. The management committee aims year on year to achieve a modest surplus of income from hall hire and interest over operational and management costs. The aim of this policy is to sustain the short to medium term capacity to keep the Hall in good repair as the cost of so doing predictably accelerates.

• (b) Financial results

Year ending 30 April 2024 produced a deficit of £2,694.

• (c) Investment policy

The Trustees consider that they have a duty to minimise investment risk. Since we are exempt as a charity from corporation tax on our investment income there is an investment of £50,000 in a Shawbrook Bank one-year fixed rate saver and £28,150 in a Shawbrook 2-month notice account whilst the balance of our cash is retained in a current account and a savings account with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

11. Future Plans

The village hall is now 24 years old and fixtures and fittings are aging. The energy price increase put capital projects on hold for a while but it is hoped that once electricity costs have settled, refurbishment projects, such as new toilets and kitchen, can start to be considered once again.

A grant application for funding for the installation of solar panels is also being prepared with submission in May 2024 and a decision by the funding body expected in July 2024.

12. Public Benefit

The Village Hall is a community building for the pursuit of art, culture, recreation and sport, and a facility in which the community is able to hold events, celebrate personal milestones and allow clubs and societies to flourish, which benefit not only people in the village of Upham but also the wider community. Residents of Upham enjoy a discount on hire prices.

The village hall is designated as an emergency rest centre as part of the Upham Parish Council Community Emergency Plan.

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13. Trustees’ Responsibilities in relation to Financial Statements and Accounting Records

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Trust and enable them to ensure the financial statements comply with the Charities Act.

They have a general responsibility for taking such steps as are reasonably open to them to safeguard the assets of the Trust and to prevent fraud and other irregularities.

The Trust’s incoming and outgoing resources fall below the limit set in the Charities Act for requiring the financial statements to be audited, and the Trustees have decided not to have them audited. They are examined by an Independent Examiner whose report is included.

The Trustees have taken advantage of the exemption available to the charity in preparing accounts in the receipts and payments format.

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Upham New Millennium Village Hall

Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year ended 30 April 2024

RECEIPTS Hall Hire Bank Interest Reimbursements, Grants & Donations Total Receipts PAYMENTS Hall and Car Park Maintenance Operational Expenditure Governance Costs Total Payments Net Receipts/(Payments) for the year Opening cash at bank and in hand Closing cash at bank and in hand	Unrestricted Funds Endowment Funds Total 2024 Total 2023 £ £ £ £ 37,679 37,679 31,872 1,128 1,128 600 6,689 6,689 937 45,495 0 45,495 33,410 8,697 8,697 2,852 39,162 39,162 22,960 330 330 319 48,190 0 48,190 26,131 -£2,694 £0 -£2,694 £7,279 £62,394 £45,000 £107,394 £100,115 £59,700 £45,000 £104,700 £100,115

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Upham New Millennium Village Hall

Statement of Assets and Liabilities at 30 April 2023

	2024	2023
	£	£
ASSETS
Cash at bank and in hand	104,700	100,115
Fixed assets:
- Land (at cost)	40,000	40,000
- Buildings (insurance valuation)	1,587,069	1,540,844

LIABILITIES

None

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Trustee:

Date: 16 July 2024

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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF UPHAM NEW MILLENNIUM VILLAGE HALL

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Upham New Millennium Village Hall (the Charity) for the year ended 30 April 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the Charity 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 Charity’s 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:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

2. 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.

Mr J P Foxwell FCCA FCIE independent-examiner.net

39 Enfield Road, Poole, BH15 3LJ

Date: 23 July 2024