Withersfield Village Hall Registerea. Charity No.304957 Trustees, Annual Report I st May 2023 _ 30th April 2024 Trustees as at 30th April 2024 Tom Mytton-mills - Chairman & TreasLirei Sheila Horton - Secrelarv Nick H.arewood - Trustee Keith Pinder- Trust Gill Jarvis - Trustee James Sleightholm - Trustee Sue Baxter- Trust Sally Day- Hall Warden Email contact: withersfieldvilla ehallf mail.com Bookings telephone number: 07917 167891 Website: htt withersfieldvilla ehall.onesuffolk.net Governance Withersfield Village Hall was established as a charity by a Trust Deed dated 24th March 1965 and as such is registered with the Charity Commission under number 304957. The building was originally the Withersfield Church of England School, built in or around 1863. The school closed around 19&) and the building was conveyed lo Ihe Parish Council as custodiari truslee. to t)e heid upon trust for the purpose of a Village Hall for Ihe inhabitants of Withersfield and neignDourhood. Withersfield Village Hall Management {WVHMClare the administering twstees responsible for managing and mainlaining the building in good repair. Appointment of TrusTees The Trust Deed governs the appointment of trustees and the management of the charity. The VHMC can consist of five elecled members of the Commillee and represenlative members from local organisations. Up until recently we had two representalives from the Parish Council and one from the Parochial Church Council. All Elected Members of the VHMC retire at each Annual General Meeting which must be held in the month of April each year or as soon as practicable thereafier. Up to twelve further Representative Members of the Committee (two from each of the organisations mentioned below) shall be appointed by each appointing organisations ond their names shall be nolified by each oppointing organisation lo the Secretary of the Committee. They shall. except In +he case of such members appointed to fill casual vacancies. be appointed before the Annual General Meeting in any year for a lerm of office commencina at Ihe end of the Annual General Mtseting next after their appointment and expiring at the end of the Annual General Meeting in the following year. The Committee of the Woman's institUTe= The Committee of the British Legion, The Trustees of the Methodist Chapel. The Parocnial Church Council 5 ne Parish Council The Commiftee of the Youth Organisation I. the organisations shown with an osterix above no longer operate in the village. and only the PCC & PC have appointed representatives. For this reason we will be contacting the Charity Commission after the AGM in July 2024 to request a change to our governing document. which will allow us to appoint more elected membersl. There is no limit to the number of years in succession a trustee may seNe. provided that he or she be du￿ re-elected each year or are nominaled as representative members from the affifiated organisations. The VHMC has the power to co-opt up to five trustees to hold office until the end of the Annual General Meeting following their co-oplion. Pollcies and Procedvres l o guide the VHMC in exercising its duty of care to members. employees and users of the hall the following policy statements have been reviewed and adopted during 2023124: riealfh & Safety Policy Child, Youna Person and Vulnerable Adult Saieguording Policy Reserves Policy Comp￿InIs Yoiicy Fundraisina Policv Conflict of Interests Policy Antibribery Policy Copies of these can be found on the Village Hall website. Hiring Agreement Use of the Village Hall is subject to a Hiring Agreement which must be signed by the hirer when bookina. The hirina aoreemenl sels out the conditions of hire and identifies the respective responsibililies of each party lo the agr*ment. Licences The Village Hall has a Premises Licence (not including aLcohol}. It is not registered wilh the local aulhority for small society lotleries. The hall is licenced by Ihe Performing Rights Society for live and recorded music. Risk Management Inturance I ne Village Hall is insured with respect to properry damage Ibuildings insurance) by Allied Westminster Ilnsurance Services) Ltd1£722.059 coverl. This includes cover for the new store extension lan additional £34,Cm cover). It is insured with the same companv with respect to conlents (up lo £8,483j, Public Liability {£lO.CtK).(JX)l. Employers Liability (£1 0.0￿.￿)01 Legal Assistance. I ne Management Commitlee recognises that it is under a legal obligation to prolect Ihe buildina, its users, and employees through adequate and appropriate insurance. Building Issues A valuation and building condition survey is undertaken at 5 yearly intervals by a qualified surveyor al the request of our insurer. The mosl recent was undertaken on the 1st February 2023. Portable electrical appliances are tested by quolified personnel every 2 years. The last test was undertaken on 28th June 2023. However. it is now recommended that PAT inspections take place annual￿ so the next Test will be due in June 2024. The mains electrical installation is checked by a qualiTied engineer eve 5years. Although not dLie, becaiise Oi Ihe building work, a full review was undertaken in April 2024, wilh ,"emedial work undertaken in July 2024. The next review will be due in April 2029. Monthly checKS are made of all the emergency exit lighting. Firefighting appliances are inspected annual￿ under conlract with Chubb Fire & Security Ltd. The fire alarm system is tested monthly by a member of Ihe committee and inspected twice yearty by Swift Fire & Safety Ltd. Objectives of the Charity The objectives of the charity are: A Village Hall tor the use of inhabitants of the Parish of Withersfield in the County of Suffolk without disfinction of political, religious or orr.ier opinions including use for meetings. lectures. classes and for other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupalion, with the object of improving the conditions of life to the said inhabitants. The Iruslees consider these objectives to be consistent wilh Charity Commission guidance on providing for the publi￿ benefit as shown in the list of activilies pursued below. Principle Activities In Pursult of 0bjech.ves The Hall is in use most days of the week for a variety of activities including Bowls clubs, Bridge clubs. Yoaa. Pilales. Dance. Drama and Early Years clubs- My Li Itle Village and Mamas Playdate. The Hall 15 available for private functions including children's parties, wedding receptions. funeral teas. village social functions and occasional fund-raising fayres. Funding sfraTegy It is the strategy of the trustees to manage Ihe revenue budget on a self-financing basis. I he contributions ma(ie by the users of the hali are Set to achieve Ihis. Volunteers, Effort Managemenl costs are kept to a minimum through the use of volunteers for regular maintenance of Ihe hall. In a normal year. on average l O hours of volunteer time is given each week lo cover routine tasks such as fire alarm and emergency light5 testing, administralion and accoijnting. ond maintenance. In addition, Trustees give between two to three hours every quarter for meelings and discussions. 2023-2024 Achlevemenls This is the second full year after Covid, and we are pleased that the 4a11 continues to be well supported by local groups and for parlies, meetings, social events and even wakes. This year our lettings income has increased by £1,797 on the previous year. I he Committee would like to thank our Village Hall Warden, Sally Day, for all her work and support. for her ideas and comments on on-going improvements to the hall. Due to the increased number of lets the Committee agreed to employ an additional person to help with openina and closina. This is a paid post and has taken some of the pressure off of Salty and Trustees who previously covered opening and closing. Tnp key achievemenT thi5 year has been Ih.e building of a large storeroom which provides much needed space for the sloring of hall tables & chairs as well as staging. Thereby releasing more floor Space in the main hall to increase capacity. We were able to undertake Ihis work due to a £.9.451 grant from ACRL, our own funds provided the remainder of the monies n*ded. ensuring that we are using Village Hall funds for the benefit of the community. rather than remaining in our savings account. We have of course been o'iligent in retaining adequate funds in our account to cover any emergency expenditure. The completion of the storeroom in February 2024 has meant that we could finally open the committee room once more for hire- this tacility rias been misseci resulting in some loss of income. In FebnJary 2024 we were also delighted to hear that we were successful in securing a £20,000 arant from Ihe INotional Lottery Community FLind. Although Ihe application initially requested funds for repair of the existing flat roof- due to that roof developing leaks in January, remedial work had to take place quickly. The Lottery were therefore contacted as they are not able lo fund work thal has already started. We were defighted thai they agreed to stil,, fund our application, but with a revisea focus on: on-going repairs TO the existing flat roof, the inslallation of grass concrete blocks on the areen to improve F)arking. the creation of an improved disabled entrance and the possible installation of a ceiling iantem - which will provide more nalural lioht in Ihe hail. During the year there have been two Management Commiltee led fundraising evenTS. the ever popular Quiz Night. which made £281 la drop on Ihe previous yearl and a Table Top sale. which made £152. Because of fhe time overseeing the build of the new store room. capacity was limited to running other activities directly.. however, Ihe Committee continue to review whal events the village community value, and plan according￿. i ne hall has olso hosted key village events for the Church. namely the annual Village Fete- and a Christmas bazar. We also hosted a village 'streel party, to celebrate the Kings Coronation. A small community granl l£1,9501 was received for this from the Nalional Lottery with the aim of producing a visual and oral history of our village, digitising publications already produced and recording Stories Irom older residents who have many memories ot work and life in trie village over the past decades. Committee chonges and challenges The VHM,C continue to share responsibility for lead roles and welcomed two new Trustees, Gillion Jarvis, a representative from the Parish Council and James Sleigtholm as a C(Tropted Tru5iee. During the year we were very sory to say gooabye lo Stephanie Watson, who has been a member of the Commitlee for mariy yeciis. ufioei iokit"19 1 rie role Oi Ireosurer and Secretary. Stella Eve also resigned. although we are grateful that stella continues to undertake H&S checks. Nick Harewood continues to lead on Buildings & M(Jintenance, Heolth & Safety has been taken on by Gill Jarvis and Sheila Horton has taken on the role of Seci etary as well os Fundraising & Events. Tom Myton-mills remains as Cb,airman and has taken on the role of Treasurer until a replacement is found. Going in to the new year we are pleased however to welcome Sue Baxter to tne uommillee as a new I ruslee. All policies required are in place, published on the website and review¥d annuallylbi-annually as necessary. htt withersf ieldvilla ehall.onesuffolk.net The inslallation of Wi-ri nas r)een o succe55. ono oue to tne offer through Airband this has been a free service, with a lurther ' Iree, ¥'ear t)eing ottered. Reserves Policy The charit/ held tl 7 LQA- -ted reserves at year end (April 24). This is available for unforeseen expenditure in relation to builaing mainTenance or furniture ano, equipment replacemenl. It is Ihe truslees Policy lo maintain i eserves of &nonths rui ifTing costs. this equates over the year to around £5,500 revenue expenditure. Ir ie as vi Isesiil The trustees are responsible, on behalf of the Parish Council, for the maintenance of the Village Hall and from Time to lime this will involve major works which exceea to cash held in reserve. On identifying such major worKS lundruisirig is underlaken with the object of meeting costs in full {ie without the need to take out a loaii l. T4e level of reserves held is high. and therefore it was prudent to use Ihese funds for much needed improvement ￿ork. For the year ended Apnl 2024. £17.253 remain5 as restricted funds. this balance includes (eceipls from voriOUS gi'ants feceiveo: £20.ffl0 Lottery gronl for roof repairs some funds have been spent on continued repair to 4he roof, prior to the grasscrete blocks, disabled entrance ano, roof lontem. being installed; a small amount rerrioining from a £ i O,OW gront ior kitchen refurbishmenl - remaining funds go to kitchen equipmi ent pb'rchase and i eplacement: the grant of £1,950 received to commeniorale the King> Coronation - these funds have been used to create history boarcis for trie ifiiifiri, Léièt)raiifig it5 fiistory, along with collating and digitising existing booklet5 written on th,e village and which include an oral history. wnere local residents have sharea their memories of the past. With the unrestricted flinds standiny at £47,423 in May 2023. it was agreed that this money snouia oe Spent ori irfiproverrients to tne hall. We were aware that the amount of storage space available in the 4all 'was '4ery low and far under the level suggested by ACRE (Action with Communities) who recommend thafr the space for storage in a village hall should be between a quatt￿￿ of the size ofthe main hall. There should[also] be storage relating to each meetingplace. Having undertaken a review of options available, it was agreed to proceed with Ihe store room extension at an agr*d cost of £42,CK)O. Architect plans were drawn up, approved by the PC, and tenders sent oul to local builder). Building costi had escaialed over the past years and as such Ihe Committee agreed to Dut a limit on the amount we would pay towards the build. whilst retaining a contingency to cover any emergency repairs - sucn as repair TO the exisTing flat roof wnich was reaching the end of its life. We were deliahled to receive the £9,451 grant from ACRE without which we could not have proceeded. To ensure we retained suff icienl funds we were also exlremely gralelul to receive a loan of £1 O.O(X) which was to be kepl as o contingency. We are pleased to soy that this loan h.as now been repaid and we didn't need to access. Work started on the store extension in September 2023. In undertaking tnis work a leak was discovered from the existing flat roof. This had been anticipated given the age of the roof, because of this a new fiberglass roof was laid in January 2024. we are very pleased that these costs were mel within the £42,CtJO budget agreed for the storeroom. In addition to this. brickwork surrounding the roof and chimneys was also found to be unsafe. and as such has been re-pointed and made secure. Future Plans As we move into tinancial year 202415 we continue our improvement programme. This has been greally helped by the securing in February 2024 of the £20.(])O gronl from the National Lottery Community Fund. Following agreement from the National Lollery. this money will now go towards, Tne creation of an improved disabled entrance. installation of grass concrete blocks on the green to improve parking and the installation of a new ceiling lantern - which will proiiide more nai iiral iighi ifi the hali. Once this work has been underiaken the next Pioject will be to restore and re-seal Ihe hali floor. Appreciation There have been significant changes lo the Committee this year. Due to Ihe work beifig un(ierfiaken ori Ihe sloreroom, i om fvlytton-mills agreed to stay on as Chair, even though he has now left the village. which has provided stability. The Trustees give Iheir time and effort free of charge or benefit and in turn are graleful to all who support the hall in terms of hir(ng. providing support and attending event5 and for the donations received. We look forward to an exciling year as the improvements to the hall continue to increase its appeal to hirers both in the village and beyond. Conlact The Trustees endeavour to provide a village hall that the local community not only enjoy but which they also have pride in. We are open to any ideas for furiner improvements and activities which will encourage residents to use this resource. Tne Trustees are always pleased to receive comments and fee(J"back. Declaration The Trustees declare that Ihey have approved the Trustees report above and the accounts following this declaraTlOn. Signed on behalf of the Charity Trustees Tom Mytton-mills. Chairman & Treasurer Sheila Horton Secretary Dale 11 (yLkn'24 Date CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND ANO WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees Infithersfield Village Hall On accounts for the year ended 30 April 2024 Charity no (if any) 304957 Set out on pages 10t011 I report to the twstees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Yhe Trust? for the year ended 3010412024. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible forthe preparation of the accounts ip. 2.--r.d24ce with the requirements of Ctr.a.- 'ies Acl 2011 he Act). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out Ljndgr ooction 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity C.oTnmission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent I have completed my examinalion. I confinn that no matenal matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in Gonnection wrth the examination (other than that di2plo¢pd below") which give5 me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Gharrties Act" or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records" or the accounls did not comply with the applicable requireTnent5 cnnrorp.ifjg the fonn and content of acGounts set OJI t in Ihe Charilies (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 otherthan any requirement Ihat the accounts give a 'true and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an indepeiidenL exarriÈiEalion. I have no concems and have come aL•ross no other malter5 in corinection with thts eyaminalion to Yilich attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: 1110912024 Name: Robert Coote Address: clo Bidwell House, Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 9LD Il'itbersfield Village Hall Management Com nj ittee Financial statements for the year ending 30 April 2024 Notes Th¢ financ￿ statcments of the Il'ithersfiekl I'illagJe HaIl ManagcErLnt Committcc h￿"C bccn preparcd on a reccipts and pa%"nKnts basis. The moi"ements in restriclcd funds during the ! ear 11"rA￿.. Bal B/fii-d Receipts Pa%:m¢nts Transftsrs Bal C/fii d Ac£ess & Siorage EKtension Fund K itchcn Refit Fund Coi'id Restart Coronation & Lcgac!. Roof Replxement Fund l.Oi6 9.4) I (10:i07) (74) 303 51 1,699 1.9iO (2il) {4.8001 20.OIM) 17,253 Specific Donations and Grants LY¢ rc¢¢ii"¢d in ! car ii'ith restrÉctions applia. Recei UnrcstricTe Restricted d Fwids Funds Total 2024 Tothl 2023 Hirc Incom¥- Villagc Hall Hirc Hirc of Marquee Hirc of Equipmcnt 12,643 150 10.996 lio 12,793 10.996 Flindraisin Quii. Ni, joht Racc Niglrt Tabletop Salc Dan¢¥ Night Jau Night Coronation Ei"cni 281 152 144 7) 1.460 Granls Pliltiniun Julx"IEY Fimd- Acoss & S￿￿￿e 9.4) I 20.0 9,451 2O,0(MI NaLi(Inal l.oltLn' ConUni￿lI￿ Fl￿a- Ro01-R￿lI￿all￿t Nalional LollLn' Communili. Fund - C07DnéJlion 29,451 Withersfield Village Hall Managem ent Com m ittee Financi21 statements for the year ending 30 April 2024 Notes ments anal sis Unrcstriclc d Funds Rcslnctrd Funds Total ?024 Total f F QUIL Nighi Race Night Table Top Sale Ja77. Night D￿]ce N:joJ]t Coronation 89 89 113 10 21 89 89 312 b. Pr mi Rates Waier 82 282 2.131 l.Cii4 282 2,131 1,6_44 55 Cleaning Contract Cleaning Materials SecuritN' Safets. Inspections Hirc of Facilitics Repairs & Mauiteiiance Piwchas¢ ofEquipmeni 1.612 71 863 863 662 (78) 4.800 24) i.OiO 4.722 287 10,083 6.714 -713 11.392 i.033 V￿ag￿ Hall Siorag¢ Extension Fund 10.507 RO,)07 3i.09i 45,602 Administration Costs PTinting. poslagkn and stationc Adi crtising TelcphoRIC Insurance Licence and Subscriptions Legal & Prof¢ssional Sun(thi 14 2) 39 17 3il 919 197 331 919 247 37 71 1.644 930 i17 600 io 71 No p￿rncnts iicrc n￿le to Trustees for carTh"ing oui the7r dutics. Withersfield Vill&qge H211 IWa-. ageme4t Commlttee Financial statements for the year ending 30 Aprll 2024 Retripts and Pain￿llts .4crount U[￿￿11[]eted unds Ro*trict Fund Total 2024 Total Receipts l)onaliolls IlirL' Iii(x)InL (D(IIL .?