Registered Charity No. 314072 # **WEST CHILTINGTON VILLAGE HALL TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT** # **For the period from 1 JANUARY to 31 DECEMBER 2025** We are a registered charity and have operated the West Chiltington Village Hall for the benefit of local organisations and individuals since 1935. ## **Chair: Edwin Preece 01798 900169** **Charity’s principal address:** Village Hall, Mill Road, West Chiltington, Pulborough, West Sussex. RH20 2PZ. www.westchiltvillagehall.org West Chiltington Village Hall – reg. charity no. 314072 ## **Chair’s Annual Report** It has been a busy and productive year at the Hall. We have installed a new thermostat to control the heating in the main hall. This can be done remotely from the Village Hall phone and gives us the opportunity to monitor the use of the heating which has resulted in a saving on our gas bills. I would like to stress that users can still alter the thermostat when they are in the Hall as long as it is reduced to the normal setting at the end of the booking. The purchase of our blue tooth speaker with two handheld microphones and one head mike has proved popular with hirers. A huge benefit for the Hall is that it has eased the use of the Hall sound system and protected it from mis-use so that those clubs and societies who do use it can, hopefully, find it in a good operational state. We have replaced the broken lapel microphone with a head mike that many clubs and societies have found useful for their visiting speakers. We continued to explore the idea of not having keys – although the systems presented to us still seem to require a final locking by the last user and other complications that seem to solve one problem but create another. For the moment we are still exploring this possibility. During the year we upgraded our web-site and Sondra has been instrumental in getting this established with the help of the Reps. We generate a large percentage of our bookings through the website and Sondra will address this in her report. This year, finances permitting we would like to improve the look of the Windmill Room so that it is more welcoming to users – this will include repainting the interior walls, buying a wall mounted smart television so that hirer’s can show powerpoint presentations without the need for a screen and users can also access the internet. We will also buy some prints of Sussex scenes and hand them around the walls and are looking into fitting a rail that will help those Yoga and Fitness groups who use the room. When resources permit we would also like to modernise the kitchen so that it is easier for hirers to use when they are preparing food and refreshments. We’re currently seeking quotes and designs for this and will report back to the Reps. We would also like to refresh and replant the flower beds at the front and the side of the Hall and will seek quotes from local gardeners for this. These are not the only improvements that we hope to make during the year as unforeseen issues always arise but they will give users an idea of the direction that the Trustees are moving in. I hope these improvements are an indication that the Village Hall is continuing to develop and offer modern facilities whilst at the same time retaining the charm and unique atmosphere that so many of the people who come to the Hall comment favourably on. Finally it would be very remiss of me to finish without noting with great sadness that Alan Sugarman our long serving Treasurer for the Hall, passed away in October last year. Alan was a calm, thoughtful, reassuring presence who was extremely popular with all those who came within his compass, and as well as being a Trustee he was also a fervent supporter and often a member of various local clubs and societies who I know like the Trustees lament his passing and will be much missed. **Edwin Preece, Chair** 15 April, 2026 West Chiltington Village Hall – reg. charity no. 314072 ## **Trustees’ Annual Report** ## **Trustees who served during the period** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Trustee name Office (if any) Period served as Trustee
Edwin Preece Chair Whole year
Antony Bignell Secretary Whole year
Sondra Fulbrook Bookings Secretary Whole year
Robert Gustar Whole year
Alan Sugarman Deceased October 2025
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## **Structure, governance and management** - **Type of governing document:** Trust Deed dated 26 November 1935, Order of the Charity Commissioners dated 2 June 2005, and resolution dated 16 June 2006 as amended on 16 April 2024 as amended on 18 November 2025. - **Trustee selection methods:** The Rep’s Committee shall elect the Trustees at the Annual General Meeting. ## **Objectives, activities and achievements** Our objects are the maintenance and operation of the facilities at West Chiltington Village Hall to enable local organisations to meet and carry out their activities and for local residents to hire out for private events. ## _**Maintenance report**_ Throughout the year we have continuing to upgrade the maintenance of the Hall. We have employed a new cleaning firm and have seen a welcome improvement in cleanliness throughout the building. We have repainted the front of the Hall which has made it look much cleaner and also ensured that the guttering around the site is free of leaves and secure. On the subject of guttering we have been advised that during bouts of extremely heavy rain from which the country has been suffering, our guttering is struggling to cope as it is designed more for domestic use and should be replaced by a 'Deepline' size and an extra downpipe to spread the load. To supply and fit this would cost £2,000 but we could do it in two halves if necessary. We have continued to ensure we are compliant with current health and safety legislation with regard to the testing of fire alarms, emergency lighting and water and later this month we will be having our five yearly electrical examination which has meant closing the Hall for two days but only two groups have been affected and I thank them both for being so accommodating. West Chiltington Village Hall – reg. charity no. 314072 I am pleased to report that the replacement of the worn and decayed fire doors leading out of the kitchen area and the door leading out of the table store has been completed and at a much lower cost than was estimated due to them being fire exit doors rather than fire prevention doors. We would also like to refresh and replant the flower beds at the front and the side of the Hall and will seek quotes from local gardeners for this. Any suggestions are most welcome. That concludes the maintenance report for this year. ## _**Treasurer’s report**_ The main shorter term financial risks to the Charity are a reduction in future hire income or an increase in costs whether operational or from any uninsured building related items. Funds are held to cover operational costs in the event of a loss of income, or to meet any additional expenditure which may occur whether recurring in nature or any reasonably foreseeable one-off costs. Our cash funds as at 31 December 2025 totalled £12,291 (2024: £10,686) and are held to meet short-term commitments. Other bank funds totalled £81,824 are held in separate short notice accounts for contingency purposes or for significant expenditure on the existing building. The Trustees are very aware that the Village Hall is an elderly building and will need substantial work in the next ten to twenty years. Planning for how this is funded and managed will be a focus for present and future Trustees. Hall hire is the principal source of income, and the hire income receipts during the year ended 31 December 2025 totalled £33,148 representing an increase of 11.5% compared to the prior year (see also the Booking Secretary’s report). This increase was achieved without any change to the booking rates. Our payments during 2025 excluding special projects and new equipment totalled £23,766 (2024: £25,778) which represented a reduction of 7.8% principally due to lower maintenance repairs. The notional operating surplus in 2025 (excluding interest received and special project payments) was £9,382 (2024: £4,000). Special project payments during 2025 totalled £7,933 and arose from fire safety expenditure, the new Bluetooth sound and headphone systems and the new web-site. Special project and new equipment expenditure in the prior year totalled £13,486 including the new projector and screen. The net cash surplus for the year ended 31 December 2025 was therefore £3,640 including £2,191 interest earned on bank deposits. In the prior year there was a net cash deficit of £(9,017). The improvement in 2025 was a function of higher receipts and lower costs as detailed above. The recently increased Hall hire rates – the first increase for two years - should ensure a cash surplus sufficient to undertake the proposed Special Projects for 2026 including improvements to the Windmill Room, new guttering, flower beds, an electrical survey and further fire system improvements. West Chiltington Village Hall – reg. charity no. 314072 ## _**Bookings Secretary’s report**_ Our Hall bookings have increased again this year. We have welcomed two additional regular users, and the cricket club is also using the Hall for pre-season training for the first time, which may lead to further out-of-season bookings. We continue to receive more bookings for children’s parties, with many coming through recommendations or from guests attending other events. By the end of 2025, our total number of invoiced bookings reached 908. Forward bookings for 2026 are already showing an upward trend. As at 25 March 2026, we are holding approximately 860 bookings, and this number is expected to grow throughout the year. The new online booking system appears to be having a positive impact. Our updated website is more informative and easier to navigate. With the Hallmaster booking system fully integrated, users can now check Hall availability and make bookings online without the need for paperwork. Although the system allows for booking amendments and cancellations, these actions are still managed by the booking secretary for the time being. We will now send receipts once payments have been received and already issue reminders for overdue invoices. Through Hallmaster, users can view their bookings and invoices directly. Making full use of this system continues to save significant time in managing the Hall’s bookings and invoicing processes. The main hall is well used, but we have much fewer bookings for the Windmill room. We would like to utilise this room more and currently looking to enhance the appearance of the room to encourage more bookings. A large TV screen which could be used for presentations, films, and much more. It gives us great delight to be able to say many times our Hall is very busy compared to other halls. Overall, the Hall is well used and continues to be a large part the of community and we hope this will continue to grow. ## **Declaration** The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ Annual Report above. Signed on behalf of the Charity’s trustees on 15 April 2026 by: ## **Edwin Preece Chair** ## **Antony Bignell Secretary** West Chiltington Village Hall – reg. charity no. 314072 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLANO AND WALES WEST CHILTVIGTON VILUGE HPLL No. 3140T2 RECEPTS AND PAYMENTS P£COUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENOED 31 DECEMBER 2025 Section A Receipts and payments Tolal 2025 Total 2024 A1 Recelpts 33,148 2.191 29,737 41 Sub total A2 A55et In¥oslm•ntsAbs Total rewpts 34338 A3 Payments h31 crAsts Car park 124 818 2,￿1 2,321 ¢￿￿e$￿j 2 115T Svb total 24778 A4As5et and inve51ment rchases SFrtial proFtt8lM)b 31 11740 Sub total 7,938 31,69B Net of receI￿51{paympntsI A5a Tr4nsfers between reseryes A5b Dep( A6 Cash lund5 last yearend Cash funds thi5 year end 12,1351 10,686 12,291 Section B Statement of assets as at 31 December 2025 Total B1 Cash B￿￿ 12,291 T 81,B24 94.11S TnA¥tass 15AsYil West Chiltington Villa9e Hall reg. charity no. 314072 ## **WEST CHILTINGTON VILLAGE HALL** ## **NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Actual 2025 Prior year 2024
Note 1 - Maintenance costs £ £
Disposables 349 483
Doors 205 144
Electrical 201 2,207
Fire safety 98 446
Flooring - 700
Furniture 165 627
Heating system 1,362 403
Kitchen appliances 270 210
Legionella survey - 336
Outside maintenance - 390
Plumbing 1,035 1,950
Sundry 332 532
Business waste 619 376
4,636 8,804
Note 2 - Licences and admin £ £
Advertising 180 180
General 112 293
IT 560 823
Licences 543 482
Printing and stationery 60 169
Rates 569 210
Website 298 -
2,321 2,157
Note 3 - Special projects £ £
Fire alarm system 6,731 1,722
Bluetooth sound system 238 -
Headphone system 289 -
Website 675 -
Projector and screen - 10,444
CCTV - 574
7,933 12,740
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## **Note 4 - Basis of preparation** The accounts have been prepared on a cash basis as permitted for smaller unincorporated charities by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. ## **Note 5 - Assets retained for Charity’s own use** Assets retained for Charity’s own use also includes land and buildings, furniture and fittings, electrical and kitchen equipment with an insured value of £1.67m. ## **Note 6 – Trustee payments** No trustees have been paid for any services or expenses except for reimbursement in respect of purchases made on behalf of the Charity. West Chiltington Village Hall – reg. charity no. 314072 (HARNY COMMIsS￿N FOREI￿LAt￿D￿ND 4WE5 Independent examlner's report on the accounts Report to the Trn8tee8 of y￿STcHILT1NGT0N VILLAGE HALL On accounts for the year et)ded 31 DECEMBER 2025 Set out on pages Attached I report to the trustee$ on my examination of the ac¢ounl$ of the above c￿rity Iyhe Trust'l for the yearended 31 December 2025. Responsibilities and A¥ the ¢hanty's trustees. you are responsibk for the p￿parall¢n of the 8¢¢ounts In basis of ￿POrt 8¢¢0rd8n¢e with the requirenEnts of the Charities Act 2011 I'the A¢l"l. I report in respect of my examination of the Tru81's a¢counl$ cathed out under section 145 of the 2011 Aet and in carryirvJ out my examination. I have followed all the applicab￿ Dire¢iions given by the Charity Commission u￿$r section 14515llbl of the Act. Independent I have COMp￿ted my examination. l Gonfitrn that no material rnatters have come to my exarniner'$ statsment attention in connectKJn wilh the examination which gnfes me cause to belEve that In, any material fespeGt-. the accounting records were not kept in accordance vAlh section 130 of the charit￿S Acl-, or the ac¢ounls did not axord wlh the a¢counling re¢ords." or the a¢¢ounls not comply with the appli¢able requirerrEnl$ conceming the fom) and content of accounts sel out in the Charities IAccounts and Reports) Regulations 2fM18 other than any requirement that the a¢¢ounls give a 'trtse f¥ir' view which 1$ not maller considered as part of an Independeni examinaiion. I h8ve rn ¢on¢ern$ and have come acro$$ no other m8tterB in Connection wilh the txaminalv)n to which attention should be drawn in Ihits rèport In orderto enable 8 proper understanding ofthe Accounts to be rea¢hed. Swjned Denis ￿*Vj￿ on 15 April 2026 Address Braeside, Church Slr*l, West Chittityton, Pulborouyh. RH20 2JW. West Chiltington Villa9e Hall reg. charity no. 314072