2022-12-31-accounts

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall Registered Charity number 304968

Woodfield Lane, Ashtead, Surrey, KT21 2BE

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Report of the Trustees

_____

Reference and administrative information

The Trustees

Mr Ray Cane	Representing	Ashtead U3A
Mrs Eileen Close	Representing	Woodfield Entertainers
Mrs Jean Law	Representing	Ashtead Choral Society
Mrs Rachel Pearson	Representing	Ashtead Players
Mr Alan Reilly	Representing	Mole Valley District Council
Mrs Gill Northcott	Representing	Ashtead Flower Arrangement Group
Mrs Rosemary Stark	Representing	Ashtead Women’s Institute
Mrs Diane Stirling	Representing	Ashtead Residents’Association
Mrs Pam Ventham-Smith	Representing	Friends of Ashtead Village Hall
Mrs Judi Whitmarsh	Representing	The Arts Society Ashtead
Mrs Jane Hiley	Elected
Mr Tony Williams	Elected
Mr Derek Harwood	Elected
Mrs Pat Reynolds	Co-opted
Mr Simon Ling	Co-opted

The Executive Committee (Officers)

Chairman	Mrs Jane Hiley
Secretary	Vacant
Treasurer	Mr Tony Williams
Maintenance Co-ordinator	Mr Derek Harwood

Staff

Caretaker	Mr J P Fensham / Mr Cliff Kemp
Booking Manager	Mrs Sue Hawksfield
Relief Caretaker	Mr Russell MacFarlane / Mr Mark Evans

Independent Financial Examiner

Mrs Elisabeth Storey FCA

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Structure, Governance and Management

The Hall is governed in accordance with The Charities Act 2011; a Trust Deed of 1926 (as amended by a Scheme of 1937; a Scheme of 1962; a Supplemental Order of 1974 and a Memorandum of Amendments of 2009). The Governing Document, first published in 2007, is not a legal document but it incorporates all the intentions of the above and functions as the governing document of the charity. During 2015 this Governing Document was reviewed, updated and approved by the Trustees. It was revisited in 2020 and approved again.

The Hall is managed by a Committee of Management consisting of up to 12 (Representative) Trustees nominated by user organisations, up to 4 (Elected) Trustees elected by Ashtead residents at the AGM and up to 4 (Co-opted) Trustees co-opted by the Committee. The names of the Trustees serving in the year are noted on page 2. The Committee of Management annually elects their officers - Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Maintenance Co-ordinator, and delegates to them day-to-day responsibility for running the Hall (Operations Committee). The names of the Officers serving in the year are noted on page 2. Permanent staff of the Hall are the Caretaker, Bookings Manager, and one or two Relief Caretakers. The Bar is managed independently by a Franchisee, currently Mr George Gregory.

Object of the Trust and Public Benefit

The original Trust Deed of 1926 states that the Hall shall be “used in perpetuity for the benefit of the inhabitants of the said Parish of Ashtead”. In practice this means that the Trustees “own” the Hall but only for maintaining it for the benefit of residents. It is a legal requirement under the Charities Act 2011 that this report demonstrates that there is a significant public benefit deriving from the Trustees’ activities. The benefit in this case is that the Hall is maintained, and the facilities are used by many different organisations, each of which satisfies its own public benefit requirements. The objects of these user organisations cover a variety of the charitable purposes described in the Charities Act including, but not limited to, the advancement of education and training, the advancement of health or of saving lives, sport & recreation and the advancement of the arts, culture, heritage, or science. This results in a public benefit to a wide cross-section of the local Community. The Charity Trustees have therefore complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit.

Trustees’ Remuneration

All Trustees give of their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits.

Financial Review

The Treasurer’s Report and the Accounts of the Trust are set out on pages 6 to 10.

Policy on Reserves

The Trustees have decided to maintain a general contingency reserve of approximately six months expenditure to cover the risk that the Hall must close for a period, for the present they have decided on £50,000. In addition, funds have been set aside to prepare for ongoing costs particularly in relation to “Wish List” planned maintenance items. Information on these is to be found in the accounts.

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Chairman’s Annual Report

We began 2022 with a list of maintenance items including continuing work on the caretaker’s flat and a deep clean in the kitchen. Planned maintenance is one of the major roles of the executive who meet weekly with the Bookings Manager and Caretaker. We are able to discuss all the regular jobs and avoid crisis management by planning ahead. Our summer break is the main time when maintenance is carried out and those things which can be deferred are put into that time to avoid disruption for our customers. Some things, of course, happen in an unplanned way – such as when items of equipment suddenly cease to function and then we work together to get things fixed as soon as practical. Derek Harwood seems to be unflappable as he takes on these tasks and makes contact with suitable tradespeople. Alongside JP and now Cliff he is now fully up to date with everything in the hall and the flat and we are all very grateful for this selfless hard work – Thank you Derek.

Another key item for discussion has been staffing issues – in particular the roles of caretaker and relief caretaker. JP Fensham sadly had to leave us due to family circumstances and this put us once again searching for a new resident caretaker, and our relief caretaker, having stepped up so marvellously during the year has found promotion to a new full-time position. However, I am relieved to say that now, at the end of 2022 we have managed to find people for both positions, and we are very pleased to welcome Cliff to live in the flat with his wife Hayley and serve the hall as resident caretaker. Then just recently Mark Evans has joined the team as relief caretaker, so we look forward to 2023 with a full team once again. Sue Hawksfield meanwhile has been our total stalwart managing the bookings and so much more as she is the face of the hall meeting and greeting customers and visitors. We are extremely grateful to all our staff for their loyal and consistent support through what has been a hard year for many. Thank you, Sue, JP, Russell, Cliff, and Mark.

During 2022 we were delighted to have the support of Rachael Hide who took over the website. A decision was made to build a completely new website from scratch using IONOS web builder software and we are delighted with the results. Anyone who is holding an event at the hall and who wishes us to publicise this can send in their poster and it will be put on the website. A list of regular users is already in place so that readers can contact them directly to ask about their events.

Fundraising is another task taken on by Trustees and we are particularly grateful for the work of Jean Law and Di Stirling among others who not only raised money but also built up such a happy atmosphere at their events. We continue to need these funds as we are always conscious of the rising costs of maintaining this facility.

A Highlight of the year was celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June, our former secretary Rosemary Stark, worked very hard with her team to plan and provide suitable activities for all. This gave a showcase for all our regular users who chose to take a table and publicise their events. Tea and cake and happy conversation made a very enjoyable afternoon. The Friends of the Village Hall held a celebratory Dinner and other groups held their own events. Overall, we felt we had celebrated in style and appreciated the work being done by so many volunteers into the bargain.

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

During the year we also were able to provide the community with a defibrillator which is now on the wall outside the bar entrance so that it is available to the public for use. This is thanks to funding from Cllr Chris Townsend and the efforts of Judi Whitmarsh and Simon Ling from the Trustees. It is a facility which we hope will not need to be used!

The Trustees themselves meet every month on a Thursday evening except during August when the hall is closed. I am very grateful for the wonderful commitment and support which we have received from all of them. They join in the trustee activities and many of them represent individual organisations which use the hall. This gives us a good perspective on the needs of hall users.

Our only concern is that as we do not currently have anyone in the role of Secretary, we have been sharing out the work and taking minutes of meeting etc. in rotation. Whilst this has worked well up to a point we are looking to the future, and feel it is now important to find a person willing to become a Trustee with a view to becoming a member of the executive group. This person will be able to offer time – Wednesday morning most weeks and Thursday evenings once a month – as well as their secretarial skills. We are also aware that some of us on the committee are coming to the time when we would like to pass the baton on to new people, so we are keen to welcome new members. You don’t need to know much about the hall – just be interested enough to find out. We have loads of fun and enjoy our time together as well as providing a wonderful facility for the community. The APMH is often called the heart of Ashtead Community and centre of the village.

Sadly, we have had at the moment to say goodbye to our long-standing Friday Coffee morning which has been supported for many years by loyal friends and colleagues. However, this gives the opportunity for a new group to emerge to take their place in the Ralli room on a Friday morning. We love to welcome new groups and new ideas as they are the lifeblood of a successful enterprise.

Thinking of new groups – we have been looking into the matter of renewable energy and considering ways of insulating the hall and reducing energy loss and so on. A Sub-committee has been formed including other people from outside the Trustees to meet and investigate the whole subject. Our roof, for example. would be very suitable for solar panels if the funding can be found to provide them.

So now we look forward to what 2023 has to offer with the delight of knowing that in 2024 we will be celebrating our 100[th] Anniversary! A subcommittee will be forming very soon to investigate that celebration and to make plans for a magnificent event.

Meanwhile the hall would not be viable without all the wonderful hall users and friends who support and encourage us. Thank you all so much for what you do and the way you make the hall your own.

By welcoming new users and including everyone we can make this special place even better for years to come.

Jane Hiley Chairman of Trustees 8 March 2023

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Financial Review

After a fairly slow start at the beginning of the year coming out of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions, bookings increased significantly and, by the end of the year, were nearly back to the pre-pandemic level. The total income for the year from lettings, deposits and storage (LDS) was just short of £74,000. Use of the bar was much slower picking up so income from that source remained low.

It was possible once again to run fund-raising events and there were four such events during the year, raising a net amount of around £3,300, which was an excellent result. In addition, the Friday coffee mornings raised around £1,100.

A number of grants were received – one each from the government and Mole Valley District Council in support payments in respect of the coronavirus pandemic, and one from Surrey County Council’s Members’ Community Allocation for the installation of a defibrillator outside the Hall. The trustees are grateful to Councillor Chris Townsend for his support of this project.

Several donations were received during the year. Money was given in memory of the late Blanche Douglass, who had been a long-standing supporter of the Hall and a former trustee. We were also grateful to receive a donation from the Gordon Chilton Charitable Trust. Attendees at the Jubilee Open Afternoon made a number of small donations. LeRoc, one of the longstanding hirers of the Hall, put on a dance that evening and donated the proceeds to the Hall. The Trustees are extremely grateful to Colin Shaul for that generous gesture.

On the expenditure side, costs continued at a more or less normal level. The biggest exceptional item was on upgrades to the Hall’s sound system, including new microphones. At the end of the year the loudspeakers in the main Hall were replaced. Payment for this work will fall into the 2023 financial year and we are grateful to the Friends of Ashtead Village Hall for agreeing to meet this cost. As noted in last year’s report, the Public Performance and Performing Rights licence fees for both 2021 and 2022 were payable during 2022. These fees are based on turnover in the preceding year and so the fee payable was significantly reduced as it was based on a period of low activity because of the pandemic restrictions.

As reported last year, some work remained to be done on the refurbishment of the caretaker’s flat in 2022, and that amounted to £22,350. This is included in the accounts under the heading of “Hall improvements”. Also included in that category is the cost of the purchase and installation of the defibrillator, which amounted to £1,842. This was entirely covered by the grant received from Surrey County Council.

In normal circumstances the Hall tries to budget so that income from day-to-day activities makes a small surplus over operating costs, which enables us to set aside funds towards occasional major items of expenditure. In the event, there was an operating loss (ie the difference between receipts from LDS and the bar and operating expenditure) of around £5,700 in 2022. This is not an immediate cause for concern as the Hall retains sufficient reserves to cover it, but it will be necessary to keep a close eye on forecast income and expenditure to ensure that this situation is not prolonged.

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

In terms of reserves, the trustees have agreed to set aside a small amount each year to ensure that, when further refurbishment of the caretaker’s flat is required, the funds will be available to undertake the work. £2,000 has been reserved for that purpose. We have also maintained the allocation for the eventual replacement of the north side of the roof of the main Hall at £10,000. We have also reserved £20,000 as a contribution towards the cost of energy projects being investigated by the sub-committee referred to in the Chairman’s report. This may include a replacement of the boiler (which is now some 20 years old), and/or the installation of solar panels and insulation.

Overall, therefore, the Hall remains in good shape financially. We do, though, recognise that we will need to build up funds to enable us to meet the capital costs of various energy projects to ensure that the Hall can continue to provide the best service to the people of Ashtead for a long time to come.

Tony Williams Hon Treasurer 8 March 2023

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year to 31 December 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

	Notes	2022	2021
		£	£
Income and receipts
Lettings, deposits and storage
		73,923	38,320
Bar
	1	910	770
Sub-total
		74,833	39,090
Fundraising and other income
Fund raising activities (gross)
	2	6,116	1,244
Interest on bank and deposit accounts
		704	9
Donations
	3	3,051	4,814
Grants
	4	6,509	29,652
Other Income		80	-
Sub-total		16,460	35,719
Total Income		91,293	74,809
Payments: Operating expenditure
Salaries and payroll costs
		34,073	35,454
Utilities
	5	13,626	15,332
Hall maintenance
	6	23,211	12,316
Local authority charges
		2,219	1,874
Administration
		998	262
Insurances
		4,061	3,245
Performing rights fees
		1,826	-
Sundries
		477	100
Total operating expenditure		80,491	68,583
Payments: Improvements and fundraising
Hall improvements		24,192	17,187
Fundraising costs
	2	1,635	30
Total improvements and fundraising expenditure
		25,827	17,217
Total payments		106,318	85,800
Net increase (decrease) in funds		(15,025)	(10,991)
Add: Bank balances at 1 January		98,184	109,175
Total Bank balances at 31 December		83,159	98,184

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Statement of Assets at 31 December 2022

Statement of Assets at 31 December 2022	Statement of Assets at 31 December 2022	Statement of Assets at 31 December 2022	Statement of Assets at 31 December 2022
	Notes	2022	2021
			£
Fixed assets
Permanent endowment:
Freehold property and buildings of the APMH	7	2,626,000	1,829,000
Current assets
COIF deposit account		70,794	76,089
Barclays account		12,365	22,095
Total bank balances	8, 9	83,159	98,184
Total net assets		2,709,159	1,927,184

The notes on pages 10 and 11 form part of these accounts.

For and on behalf of the Committee of Management

Anthony J Williams Hon. Treasurer

8 March 2023

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022

1. The figure for bar income represents payments received from the licensee. Total income from the bar, including both these payments and bar hire charges paid by hirers as part of their booking fees, came to approximately £1,800.

2. Fund raising activities

Event	£ Gross	£ Costs	£ Net	Costs/Gross %
Coffee Mornings	1,315	174	1,141	13
Gardeners Question Time (February)	1,087	72	1,015	7
Film Night (May)	1,127	573	554	51
Film Night (October)	1,245	583	662	47
Quiz (November)	1,342	233	1,109	17
Totals	6,116	1,634	4,482	27

3. The following donations were received:

• The Gordon Chilton Charitable Trust

• Donations in memory of Blanche Douglass

• LeRoc

• Small donations collected at the Jubilee Open Afternoon

• Grants were received from central government and Mole Valley District Council in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. These were made up as follows:

	£
Omicron Hospitalityand Leisure Grant	2,667
Mole ValleyDistrict Council Omicron Grant	2,000
Surrey County Council Members’ Community Allocation	1,842
Total	6,509

5. Utilities

	2022	2021
Utility	£	£
Gas	3,616	6,804
Electricity	6,434	4,488
Water	475	959
Telephone and communications	829	1,016
Waste	2,272	2,065
Totals	13,626	15,332

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

6. Hall maintenance

	2022	2021
Item	£	£
Planned maintenance	6,830	6,892
Unplanned maintenance	5,516	2,781
Consumables	2,336	1,540
Furniture and equipment	8,529	1,103
Totals	23,211	12,316

1. Freehold property. As recommended by the Charity Commissioners, the freehold property of the Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall, being an asset of the charity, is included in these accounts. The value shown is the cost of rebuilding, exclusive of VAT and fees, as estimated for insurance purposes by valuers J P N Lowe Insurance Surveys Ltd in March 2022. The next valuation for insurance purposes is due in or around March 2025.

2. As at 31 December 2022, these balances included the following reserves and funds:

	£
General contingency reserve	50,000
Caretaker’s flat refurbishment	2,000
Roof renewal fund	10,000
Hall Energy Projects	20,000
Total reserves and funds	82,000

The reserves and funds listed above are provisions towards significant areas of expenditure that are likely to arise in the future. They are, however, undesignated and funds may be allocated to meet the expenditure of the Hall as necessary.

1. As at 31 December 2022, the charity had no restricted funds.

Accounting policies

These accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis in accordance with the Charity Commission’s Guides CC15 (Charity Reporting) and CC16 (Receipts and Payments Accounts Pack).

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022

Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

	Section A Independent Examiner’s Report	Section A Independent Examiner’s Report	Section A Independent Examiner’s Report	Section A Independent Examiner’s Report	Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
	Report to the trustees/ members of	Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall
	On accounts for the year ended	31 December 2022	Charity no	304968
	Set out on pages	8 to 11
	Responsibilities and basis of report	I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2022. As the charity trustees of the Trust, 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 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 examiner's statement	I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention 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.
	Signed:	E A Storey	Date:	9 March 2023
	Name:	Mrs Elisabeth Storey
	Relevant professional qualification:	FCA
	Address:	29 Barrett Road, Fetcham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 9HL

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Annual Report and Accounts 2022