2025-03-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1/4/2024 To 31/3/2025

Charity name: Benson Hall Compton Bassett

Charity registration number: 305495

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The purpose of the Village Hall as set out in its governing document is to provide a premises to the village of Compton Bassett for physical, mental training, recreation, social, moral and intellectual development. Through the medium of reading, recreation rooms, lectures and entertainment or otherwise to the inhabitants and immediate vicinity without distinction of sex or of political, religious or other opinions.

Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	Currently the village hall provides a facility for ad-hoc social events in the village such as National Theatre, Royal Ballet, and Royal Opera streamed performances, and a series of local history talks/presentations plus bingo and music entertainments. These events in the main are organised by the trustees and volunteers to provide funding for the hall. The hall also has an active amateur dramatics group which presented two play presentations over two weekends in the current year. Revenue is also generated by general third-party hall hiring which includes a Little Fishes young children’s group linked to the Parish Church, and regular commercial hire. The Village Hall was gifted soon after its conception by Captain Benson a property known as 18 Compton Bassett with its rent a major asset and income to the hall. The Village Hall is also responsible for land and a children’s playground off the Briar Leaze housing development, this asset continues to be well used by the children of the village
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The trustees of the hall are in possession of a“Trustees Handbook” compiled by the incumbent Chair in 2021 which sets out their responsibilities to the Charity Commission. This handbook has been significantly updated and expanded by the Secretary and the Treasurer, and now also includes a maintenance programme for the hall and an annual timeline for actions and inspections associated with the hall premises, the playground, and no.18 Compton Bassett.

Additional information (optional)

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SORP reference Para 1.38 Policy on grant making

Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	The hall continues to be managed by a trustees committee. The trustees are helped by their partners and other volunteers at fund raising events. More help is always looked for and appreciated, but is often difficult with a small village population.
Other

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	The Village Hall continues to provide premises in the centre of the village for recreational, entertainment and third-party hire activities. The amateur dramatic society has held performances, and other artistic events have been staged. The hall remains popular for a play group and children’s birthday parties. A new digital cinema system has been installed, and plans are being prepared to offer further artistic performances to the community. Significant investment has been made in upgrading the seating, to make it more comfortable. The committee is responsible for the maintenance of the Children’s play area, which continues to be regularly used.

Additional information (optional)

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Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	No Objectives were set

	Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set Para 1.41 Investment performance against objectives Para 1.41 Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	The accounts for this financial year are considered stable. There was a loss of £1252 at year end, which was accepted by the Trustees because of the significant spend on the new chairs.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The reserves should cover 75% of normal non-capital expenditure, i.e. ~£12,000 for FY2024/25
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	The reserves held in COIF Deposit fund, and Charities investment fund were valued at £21575 at financial year end.
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	The charity remains a going concern, although encouraging more hirers to use the hall is problematic.

Additional information (optional)

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The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	The principal sources of funding for the hall are the ongoing tenancy income from the ownership of the property No 18 Compton Bassett, hire of the hall, and event fundraising organised by the committee.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	The governing document of the Compton Bassett Village Hall is Deed of Gift between The Bristol Brewery Georges and Company Ltd and the Trustees of the Village Hall dated 23rd July 1946.
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	The charity is constituted as an unincorporated charitable trust recognised by the Charity Commission.
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	The governance document states that between ten to twenty trustees are to be appointed to the Committee of Management of which two each are to be appointed by the following village organisations that existed in 1946: The Parish Council, the Rifle Club, Women’s Institute, British Legion and the Parochial Church Council. Of these organisations only two currently have representation in the village today. The Parochial Church Council decline to propose representation. The Parish Council continue to appoint trustees. The current committee has five elected trustees including one proposed by the Parish Council. The elected trustees resign and put themselves forward for re-election at the Annual General Meeting of which trustees are further elected for the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer positions. It is noted that the Committee does not routinely meet the minimum of ten trustees. It is also the practice to appoint trustees outside the annual general meeting when necessary.

Additional information (optional)

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Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and Para 1.51 training of trustees

The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	The Benson Hall Compton Bassett
Other name the charity uses	Compton Bassett Village Hall
Registered charity number	305495
Charity’s principal address	The Benson Hall, Compton Bassett Briar Leaze, Calne. SN11 8RQ

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	Paul Rossiter	Chair
	Laurie Waite	Secretary		Parish Council
	Dave Coward	Treasurer
	Peter Barnett			Parish Council
	Angela Barlow		resigned July 2024
	Clive Heginbotham

Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held 1. The Village Hall and surrounding land including the in this capacity established playground.

1. The property of 18 Compton Bassett.

2. The paddock field of approx. 1.5 acres.

Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects

Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of Name Address adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional info

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

----- Start of picture text -----
Signature(s)
Full name(s) Dr David Paul Coward
ee
Position (eg Treasurer
Secretary, Chair,
etc)
pt
Date
28/11/2025
a
----- End of picture text -----

Charity Name CHARITY COMMISSION

No (if any)

CC16a

Receipts and payments accounts

For the period Period start date Period end date To from

Section A Receipts and payments

	Unrestricted funds	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds		Endowment funds		Total funds	Last year
	to the nearest £		to the nearest £		to the nearest £		to the nearest £	to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Chads income	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	981
hall booking fees	6,164	6,164	-	-	-	-	6,164	8,168
other revenue	4,176	4,176	-	-	-	-	4,176	635
rental income	6,528	6,528	-	-	-	-	6,528	6,484
sales	13,847	13,847	-	-	-	-	13,847	5,293
interest	35	35	-	-	-	-	35	-
	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sub total(Gross income for AR)	30,750	30,750	-	-	-	-	30,750	21,561
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sub total	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
**Total receipts **	30,750	30,750	-	-	-	-	30,750	21,561
A3 Payments
Cost of Alcohol	2,399	2,399	-	-	-	-	2,399
Cost of Goods Sold	1,383	1,383	-	-	-	-	1,383
Direct Expenses	2,015	2,015	-	-	-	-	2,015
Advertising and Marketing	723	723	-	-	-	-	723	180
Audit and accountancy fees	307	307	-	-	-	-	307	74
CHADS expenditure	1,009	1,009	-	-	-	-	1,009	436
Charitable and Political Donations	- 182	- 182	-	-	-	-	- 182	-
Cleaning	1,109	1,109	-	-	-	-	1,109	1,234
Depreciation Expense	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	13,779
Equipment	9,200	9,200	-	-	-	-	9,200	2,105
General Expenses	1,659	1,659					1,659	1,158
Insurance	1,874	1,874					1,874	1,855
IT Software and consumables	546	546					546
Licences	375	375					375	529
Light Power, Heating	5,009	5,009	-	-	-	-	5,009	3,435
rates							-	524
Postage freight & courier	5	5					5
Repairs and Maintenance	2,279	2,279					2,279	1,637
Telephone and Internet	781	781					781	604
waste removal	626	626					626	321
water	885	885	-	-	-	-	885	269
**Sub total **	32,002	32,002	-	-	-	-	32,002	28,140
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
			-	-	-	-	-
Bar Stock	436	436	-	-	-	-	436
**Sub total **	436	436	-	-	-	-	436	-
**Total payments **	32,438	32,438	-	-	-	-	32,438	28,140
**Net of receipts/(payments) **	- 1,688	- 1,688	-	-	-	-	- 1,688	- 6,579
A5 Transfers between funds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

A6 Cash funds last year end

Cash funds this year end

6,538 13,117 - - 4,850 6,538

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at	the end of the period	the end of the period
		Unrestricted	Restricted	Endowment
Categories	Details	funds	funds	funds
		to nearest £	to nearest £	to nearest £
B1 Cash funds	Lloyds Bank Treasurer’s account	4,777	-	-
	Bar float	73	-	-
		-	-	-
	Total cash funds	4,851	-	-
	(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	Agreement Error	OK	OK
		Unrestricted	Restricted	Endowment
		funds	funds	funds
	Details	to nearest £	to nearest £	to nearest £
B2 Other monetary assets		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
B3 Investment assets	COIF Deposit & Investment funds		-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
			-	-
	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
B4 Assets retained for the	Benson Hall		-	-
charity’s own use	18, Compton Bassett		-	-
	Playground & playground equipment		-	-
	Paddock		-	-
	Ride on Mower & Mower shed		-	-
	Digital Cinema		-	-
	Strimmer		-	-
	Heating system		-	-
	Stage Lighting		-	-
	Chairs		-	-
		Fund to which	Amount due	When due
	Details	liability relates	(optional)	(optional)
B5 Liabilities			-
			-
			-
			-

-

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Date of Signature Print Name approval Dr D.P.Coward 18/11/2025 Mr. P Rossiter 27/11/2025

Benson Hall Accounts – 2024/25

Internal Examiners Notes

Record Keeping

First year on Xero and reporting is available online and hopefully this enables the committee to manage effectively. Standard reconciliation reports used as part of internal audit process. Trial balance and balance sheet all in balance.

Observation: CHADS shows as an income, but the costs are shown as administrative costs not as a cost of sale. Regardless of the reporting there is a loss, which if not expected, I would expect to be discussed at committee and an action plan or relevant corrections made

Bank & Cash Reconciliation

Main bank account reconciled and up to date. Stripe bank account has a balance of £8 at year end and no current reconciliation.

Observation: If Stripe account is redundant then any anomalies should be corrected

Observation: If petty cash or till floats are held they are not currently shown in figures, so possibly this is not a complete financial statement.

Fixed Assets

Assets registered and opening balance sheet and register agree but reconciliation report highlights discrepancy.

Observation: The purchase of the chairs whilst registered have not been coded to assets. The purchases require recoding to correct this.

Summary

The observations above are minor and easily rectified and if no action is required then at least discussed at committee and minuted to ensure full transparency.

Christine Roberts

Internal Examiner

28 July 2025

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