on ' LONG MELFORD VILLAGE MEMORIAL HALL Chemist's Lane, off Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk COIO 9JQ CHARITY NUMBER: 304917 TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 Objectives and Activities The purposes of the charity as laid out in its governing document are., "A Village Hall for the use of the inhabitants of Long Melford and the neighbourhood (hereinafter called the area of benefit ) without distinction of sex or of political, religious or other opinions, and in particular for use for meetings, lectures and classes, and for other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said Inhabitants. The main activities undertaken by the charity for the benefit of the public are: regular lettings for meetings, lectures and classes, including exercise classes, mother and baby classes, and lectures on the arts and history; one-off lettings to residents of the area of benefit for private parties and events., provision of short-term car parking to residents and visitors to Long Melford; regular film screenings under the Melford Movies brand. and publication of Melford Matters, a magazine for residents and businesses In the area of benefit. The hall also has regular and ad hoc commercial lettings, including an Antiques Fair and a Book Fair. In deciding whether and which organisations and activities may be undertaken at the Hall, the Trustees have regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. We strive to ensure an appropriate balance between the public use of the premises in accordance with our purposes, and commercial and private lettings which help us to raise funds to cover the upkeep of the premises. Pagye l ot 4
VlLLIfjEIII(WL LONG MELFORD VILLAGE MEMORIAL HALL Chemist's Lane, off Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk COIO 9JQ CHARITY NUMBER: 304917 Structure, Governance and Management The charity's property comprises the village hall and associated land off Hall Street in Long Melford. The legal title to the property is held on trust for the charity by the late Sir Richard Hyde Parker and Long Melford Parish Council (LMPC). (The trustees are in the process of transferring the title to Sir William Hyde Parker and LMPC.) The governing document of the charity is the conveyance of the premises to those holding trustees in 1961, as amended in April 2013. The charity is an unincorporated charity administered by a Management Committee comprising: representatives of the following Long Melford organisations: the Parish Council, the Parochial Church Council, the Royal British Legion, the Women's Institute and the Youth Organisations., and five members elected by the residents of Long Melford at the Annual General Meeting of the charity., and up to three co-opted members. During the year, the following individuals served on the Management Committee.. Trustee name Offlce (If any) Dates acted If not for whole ear Appolntlng bodylElectedlCo- ted Elected Phil Buck Chair Alison Ewbank Resigned 25.10.2023 Parochial Church Council Elizabeth Haywood Alicja Holland Lady Hyde Parker John Nunn Lettings Coordinator Elected Co-opted Women's Institute Royal British Legion Elected Adrian Oakley-Dow Stuart Palmer Hon. Secretary Treasurer Elected Lisa Tipper Jeremy Willetts Parish Council 10 Elected During the year the trustees resolved to make a minor amendment to the Constitution reducing the quorum for trustee meetings from six to four. This was approved by the Charity Commission and subsequently endorsed by the Annual General Meeting on 17th July 2024. Page ? 01.4
ou VILLAIE IEIWLVJU LONG MELFORD VILLAGE MEMORIAL HALL Chemist's Lane, off Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk COIO 9JQ CHARITY NUMBER:304917 Achievements and Performance The Village Hall has been used extensively during the year, with a strong calendar of regular classes with a wide variety of activities. In addition, many private parties have been held at the hall, helping to cover the costs of upkeep and maintenance. The regular commercial lettings for an Antiques Fair and Book Fair both provide an income to cover the costs of maintaining the hall and serve the residents of the area of benefit. The Committee has progressed its plans for installing solar panels and batteries to capture and store electricity thereby offsetting our increasing electricity costs. Three quotations have been obtained. Our hope was that the installation could proceed without a formal planning application as it appeared to fall within the 'Permitted Development Rights, for solar panels. However, further investigation suggested that this might not apply as the property is within a Conservation Area. As a precautionary step the Committee obtained pre-application advice from the planning authority, Babergh District Council. Following a change to the legislation regarding Permitted Development Rights, the Committee now believes that a full planning application is not required and an application for a Certificate of Lawful Development is therefore being prepared. The Committee hopes that the installation can be completed in the next financial year. The Village Hall Car Park has been made available for public use, without charge but with donations invited. The income has helped to defray the costs of maintaining the car park and the Hall. Melford Movies screenings have been well attended with an average audience of 48 and a net profit of £1,333. A local community group is chosen each movie night and the proceeds of the raffle go to that nominated group. In total £660 was raised for local good causes in this way. The charity continues to provide accounting and other support to Melford Matters, a magazine distributed every two months to over 2,000 properties in the area of benefit. The magazine has been well received and advertising income has covered the production costs. Editorial decisions and any opinions expressed are independent of the Committee. Financial Review Comparing the year to 31 st March 2024 with that of the previous year, total profit fell 630/0 to £6,320 (2022-23.. £16,865). The overall bookings income was steady at £24,714 (2022-23.. £25,209), but the premises expenses increased to £19,147 (2022-23: £13,550) primarily due to one-off equipment renewals and higher gas and electricity costs. The previous year's downturn in car park donations was reversed with a welcome £3,061 (2022- 23: £2,277) deposited. This goes towards the upkeep and maintenance of a very important car park for the village. The Committee introduced a card payment method which contributed £93 to the car park donations. Paoe 3 of4
ffjuo VILLISE VIIWL LONG MELFORD VILLAGE MEMORIAL HALL Chemist's Lane, off Hall Street, Long Melford, Suffolk COIO 9JQ CHARITY NUMBER: 304917 Melford Matters advertising income was lower at £5,974 {£8,902) due to some income being received before the start of the financial year. The editorial team (which includes four Trustees) monitor income and expenditure carefully to ensure that over the year the income covers the printing costs. At the end of the financial year current assets stood at £65,171 {2022-23: £58,851). During the year the Committee reviewed our cash position and, in accordance with our Constitution, agreed to transfer £10,000 into the restricted Capital Reserve fund, bringing the total for that fund to £40,000. Unrestricted funds therefore stand at £25,171 . The Committee reviewed its Reserves Policy and agreed to increase the target for unrestricted funds to £12,000. Unrestricted Funds Capital Reserve Fund (Restricted) £30,000 Total Funds Balance as at 1.4.2023 £28,851 £58,851 Excess income over expenditure £6,320 £6,320 Transfer to Capital Reserve (£10,000) £10,000 Balance as at 31.3.2024 £25,171 £40,000 £65,171 With interest rates now attracting higher rates for savers, the trustees will look into options of moving some of the cash balance into an interest-paying savings account. The Committee also confirmed that for our purposes the accounts should continue to use the Receipts and Payments basis. Given the current cash balance, and bearing in mind the demand for lettings, costs of repairs and maintenance and charges for utilities, the Committee has a reasonable expectation that the charity can continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future. Signed: CJhLLir PaLye 4 of 4
Income & Expenditure Summary Report by Cost Centre
| Prior Year (Full Year) | Current Year | YoY | YoY | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| as at 31/03/2023 | as at 31/03/2024 | % | |||
| Regular* | |||||
| Income | £20,472 | £20,073 | 2% q | ||
| Expenditure | £11,004 | £15,613 | 42% p | ||
| Babergh Rates | 112 | 30 | 73% | q | |
| Electricity | 1,453 | 3,240 | 123% | p | |
| Gas | 673 | 769 | 14% | p | |
| Water | 443 | 526 | 19% | p | |
| Telephone/Internet | 395 | 365 | 8% | q | |
| Caretaker / Cleaning | 3,120 | 3,392 | 9% | p | |
| Grass Cutting | 525 | 473 | 10% | q | |
| Babergh Bins | 357 | 402 | 100% | p | |
| Licences | 0 | 285 | - | p | |
| Insurance | 537 | 591 | 10% | p | |
| Anglian Fire services | 276 | 0 | 100% | q | |
| Sundry | 1,592 | 894 | 44% | q | |
| Website | 229 | 218 | 5% | q | |
| Repairs & renewals | 1,206 | 2,081 | 73% | p | |
| Equipment | 85 | 2,263 | 2561% | p | |
| Bad Debt | 0 | 0 | 0% | p | |
| Profit / (Loss) | £9,468 | £4,460 | 53% q | ||
| Lettings* | |||||
| Income | £4,737 | £4,641 | 2% q | ||
| Expenditure | £2,546 | £3,534 | 39% p | ||
| Babergh Rates | 26 | 7 | 74% | q | |
| Electricity | 336 | 733 | 118% | p | |
| Gas | 156 | 174 | 12% | p | |
| Water | 103 | 119 | 16% | p | |
| Telephone/Internet | 91 | 83 | 10% | q | |
| Caretaker / Cleaning | 722 | 768 | 6% | p | |
| Grass Cutting | 122 | 107 | 12% | q | |
| Babergh Bins | 83 | 91 | 100% | p | |
| Licences | 0 | 65 | - | p | |
| Insurance | 124 | 134 | 8% | p | |
| Anglian Fire services | 64 | 0 | 100% | q | |
| Sundry | 368 | 202 | 45% | q | |
| Website | 53 | 49 | 7% | q | |
| Repairs & renewals | 279 | 471 | 69% | p | |
| Equipment | 20 | 512 | 2502% | p | |
| Profit / (Loss) | £2,191 | £1,107 | 49% q | ||
| Melford Movies | |||||
| Income | £2,341 | £1,959 | 16% q | ||
| Box Office | 1,836 | 1,685 | 8% | q | |
| Catering | 505 | 274 | 46% | q | |
| Expenditure | £709 | £626 | 12% q | ||
| Profit / (Loss) | £1,632 | £1,333 | 18% q | ||
| Car Park Revenue | |||||
| Income | £2,277 | £3,061 | 34% p | ||
| Profit / (Loss) | £2,277 | £3,061 | 34% p | ||
| Melford Matters | |||||
| Income | £8,902 | £5,974 | 33% q | ||
| Expenditure | £7,605 | £9,680 | 27% p | ||
| Profit / (Loss) | £1,297 | (£3,706) | 386% q | ||
| Donations | |||||
| Income | £0 | £65 | 100% p | ||
| Profit / (Loss) | £0 | £65 | 100% p | ||
| Grants | |||||
| Income | £0 | £0 | - | = | |
| Profit / (Loss) | £0 | £0 | - | = | |
| Total Income | £38,729 | £35,773 | 8% q | ||
| Total Expenditure | £21,864 | £29,454 | 35% p | ||
| Profit or (Loss) | £16,865 | £6,320 | 63% q |
*note: lettings and regulars expenditures are apportioned costs of those not relating to Melford Matters or Melford Movies
Statement of Financial Position
| Current Assets Barclays Bank Account Cash float (M Movies) Total Assets Current Liabilities Equity Retained Earnings (balance b/f) Current Year Profit / (Loss) Immaterial PY adjustment Total Liabilities & Equity |
£58,646 £205 £58,851 £0 £41,986 £16,865 - £58,851 |
£64,966 £205 |
|---|---|---|
| £65,171 | ||
| £0 £58,851 £6,320 - |
||
| £65,171 |
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name members of Long Melford Village Memorial Hall
On accounts for the year 31[st] March 2024 Charity no 304917 ended (if any) Set out on pages
(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended DD / MM / YYYY .
- Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report 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’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 16[th] July 2024 Name: Richard Carter ~~ee~~ Relevant professional ACMA CGMA (lapsed) qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: On file.
1
October 2018
IER
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
Accounts are clear and well-produced. No materials issues identified to bring to the trustees’ attention.
2
October 2018
IER