Chairman’s Annual Report - 2020
Presented to the Trustees and Members April 2021
1. Introduction
West Chiltington Village Hall was established to provide facilities for a wide range of activities for the residents of West Chiltington and the surrounding area. However, during 2020 the Hall has been closed for a large part of the year due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Closure was necessary to meet Government requirements and to prevent the spread of the virus. As a consequence the Hall, which is self-funding from the payments received from clubs, societies, companies and individuals who book space in the Hall, has suffered a significant reduction in its income.
The Hall opened for a short period in the Autumn to allow certain activities permitted by the Government to take place. This was restricted to badminton, therapeutic pilates, short mat bowls and table tennis. During the closure, the Hall has been regularly visited by the Trustees to ensure that no problems have arisen. In addition a number of works have taken place as, despite its closure, regular maintenance has still been required.
There is a new refurbished room for Village Hall administration, repairs and storage. This room situated to the right of the stage was formerly used by the Dramatic Society as a Wardrobe and Props room. A number of the cupboards in the Doctor’s room have been made available to the Dramatic Society for alternative props storage.
2.Trustees and Members
The Trustees, who are elected at the AGM, on 26[th] February 2020 were:-
C. Keith Rushton - Chairman
Alan Sugarman - Treasurer
Paul Copeland - Secretary Carole Newton - Bookings Secretary
Cllr John Blackall - Trustee
Terry Reeves - Trustee, Maintenance support Edwin Preece - Trustee
There were 11 representatives nominated to the Members’ Committee by regular noncommercial Hall users of whom 2 are also Trustees. Unfortunately, because of Covid 19 no Members meetings have been held in 2020. The general management of the Hall and the premises is vested in the Trustees and the Trustees did meet on 6 occasions during the year. These meetings, all socially distanced, were largely to discuss maintenance issues, financial
matters and actions to make the Hall safe for use in accordance with Covid 19 regulations and guidance.
3.Treasurer’s Report on 2020 Accounts
The Village Hall has been unable to operate for much of the year because of the covid-19 epidemic.
As a result our income, which is overwhelmingly derived from lettings, has been considerably reduced. Our outgoings, on the other hand, have only marginally decreased. A government grant of £10,000 has made up some of the shortfall and we have also benefitted from legacies from the estates of Carol Hudson and Richard Holliday amounting to £14,000. The funds from the latter estate are specifically intended to be spent on stage related refurbishment and technological improvements.
It is difficult to plan for the future while the epidemic continues to cause uncertainty. However the Trustees remain confident that sufficient funds are in hand to enable us to maintain the Hall in a fit state until rental income once again becomes available. Whether the level of usage of the Hall will return to that previously enjoyed remains to be seen.
4.Annual Maintenance and Technical Report
The Hall has been in ‘hibernation’ for much of the year and the Trustees have sought to maintain the fabric in readiness for re-opening.
The grounds have been cut on a regular basis, the area next to the Windmill Room has been reinstated to lawn and the paved areas have been de-weeded. An additional external water tap has been provided on a rear wall to the WR to assist grounds maintenance and for the use of the adjacent Croquet Club.
The WI have planted a memorial tree near to the car park and Mill Road to match those at the other end of the lawn provided by the Horticultural Society.
All external paintwork has been redecorated by contractors and volunteers.
‘Misted’ double glazed units have been replaced in the Foyer.
All areas have been periodically cleaned to maintain standards and observe the Covid guidance.
5.Booking Secretary’s Report
Since mid-March when the Hall first closed under the restrictions of the Government Guidelines we were only able to open in September and October for those of our regular groups who could operate under strict distancing rules and with greatly reduced numbers of members or clients attending. It is expected that those restrictions will remain in place for some time to come but we hope that we will shortly be able to reopen, initially only for those groups, but followed hopefully before the start of the Summer for all the regular clubs and groups who make use of the Hall.
We have recently received several enquiries from new groups wishing to book sessions at the Hall for a variety of activities and it is hoped that when we are able to restart we can offer an increased number of activities at the Hall.
6.Secretary’s Report
The Trustees are obliged under the terms of Charities Legislation to submit an annual return to the Charities Commission. This was done within the prescribed time frame and no comments have been received from the Commission.
The Village Hall is affiliated to Action in Rural Sussex (AIRS). This body, together with Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) has provided valuable guidance on the application of the legislation in respect of Covid 19 applicable to Village Halls.
7.Priorities and future activities.
The priority for 2021 will be to take all necessary measures to allow the Hall to re-open when permitted to do so by Covd19 regulations.
In addition it will be essential to carefully review the financial situation noting that income in 2021 is likely to be severely restricted for a second year.
The completion of any major works will depend on the financial situation and may be limited to those which are essential to allow the Hall to operate in a safe manner.
I take this opportunity to thank the Trustees and many other volunteers for their work during a difficult year.
Keith Rushton Chairman of the Trustees March 2021
Appendix West Chiltlngton Vlllage Hall Registered Charity NuMr 314072 ear to 31st t)ecembèr 2020 Audltod Recei Y08r2019 Incom• From Hall r 2020 29,715 Hire Income £7,446 50 Inttrest Incom• from Bank aeeounts Virgin Money HSBC Other In¢om¢ UK Power LegaC1D0nab"on5 Grant- Covid-19 432 16 £304 86 £10.09 40 1,490 £40.79 £14,(X)O (x) £10,(X)O 31.693 Total Receipts £ 31,802.24 Village Hall Costs 4.605 4.750 1.947 551 4.094 15,948 £3,324 40 £6,310 12 £2,074.23 £938 99 £3,562 50 £16,210.24 Maintenance l Note 2 see overteaf I Insuran Garden Maintenan Cleaning Ll¢•ns•s & Admln 562 Licenses IHDC & PRSI Tellprintinglstatsonery General Expenses Non Domesbcs Rates Web SitelAdvertisirrtJ £639.87 £29.54 £144.00 144 1.025 2,017 £880.35 £1.693.76 other paymènts Special projects INote 3 see ovean New Equipment l Note 1 see overfean Transfer to Reserves 24,150 254 5,432 29 836 4T,807 £4.059.47 £378.69 £304.86 £4.743.02 Total Paym•nts £22,647.02 -16. 108 Net of Relpts1PaYmets £9,155.22 Working Fun(l$ last Year end £9,800.25 Working Funds this year8nd l Note 4 se8 overfeaf I £18.955.47 Auditor nis Wright Honorary Tws(trer Alan Sugarman 21/.,1
Notes to Payments & Receipts for the year ended 31 st December 2020 for Wesl Chiltington Village Hall Note 1 NewlReplacemenl Equipment Microphones 195.63 External tap £31.21 Notice board £141.85 Sundries £10.00 £378.69 Note 2 - Mainlenance Electrical Disposibles Glazing Trade refuse Decorating Covid-19 extras Fire Extinguishers Heating Sundries £2,158.18 £652.87 £625.00 £374.60 £1,494.69 £396.68 £195.00 £228.00 £185.10 £6,310.12 Note 3 - Special projects Office refurbishment Outside renovation (turf etc.} Main floor renovation £1,257.47 £1.350.00 £1,452.00 £4,059.47 Note 4- Funds of the Chari held as at 31st December 2020 2019 HSBC Currenl account HSBC Savings account £5,437.60 £14,868.37 £20,305.97 £2.426 £1 $.858 £19.285 Less creditors Less relained booking deposits Less funds in hand carned fopNard -£5,000 -£400 -£1,350.50 -£4,085 total £9.800 Rebuildinglcontingency Reserve (Virgin Moneyl £63,260.14 £57,523.05 Note 5 Planned expendture Replacement furniture Stage area equipment General lights'ng £8,000 £14.000 £10.000 £32,000 Note 6 Assets retained for the Charity's own use includes land and buildings, furniture & frttings, electrical and kitchen equipment with an insured value of £1,081,893 Note 7 Truslees have not been paid expenses except for reimbursement in respecl of purchases made on behalf of the Charity.