## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025** Charity name **: Riding Mill Village Halls** Charity registration number: **501316** ## Address **: Riding Mill Parish Hall, Millfield Road, Riding Mill NE44 6DJ** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|The provision and maintenance of two
village halls for the use of the
inhabitants of the Parish of
Broomhaugh and Riding Mill and
visitors to the village (without distinction
of political, religious, or other opinions)
for meetings, talks, concerts and
classes and for other forms of
recreation and leisure-time occupation,
with the object of improving their quality
of life.| |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|Our village halls are used both daily in
the week and regularly at weekends.
The activities span all age groups and
include Cubs & Scouts, Karate, Youth
Theatre, Yoga and Pilates, Badminton,
Choral, Art, Bridge, Carpet Bowls, and
Seated Exercise. Regular social events
include WI, Pot Luck Lunch and Film
night.
Valuable opportunities to meet are
provided by the twice weekly morning
Café in the Foyer and the weekly
afternoon Drop-In event. The daily
Market Table at the Parish Hall
provides a service to the wider
community. The halls have also been
used for private events and celebrations
throughout the year. Drama Club
productions are a twice-yearly popular
event attracting the wider community.| |Statement confirming if the
trustees have had regard to
the guidance issued by the
Charity Commission on
public benefit|Para 1.18|Trustees have been mindful of their
duty to have due regard to the Charity
Commission’s public benefit guidance
when exercising any powers or duties| to which the guidance is relevant ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|Not applicable| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|Not applicable| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|The charity is managed by Trustees
who are all volunteers however the
halls could not operate without our
generous volunteers who are involved
both regularly and for one-off events eg
jumble sales, craft fairs and plant sales.
Our ‘Garden Invaders’ maintain the
considerable grounds at the Parish Hall
and our Market Table team puts out
eggs, locally made preserves, and other
items such as plants for sale daily with
money going into an honesty box and a
share of the profits going into hall funds.
A team of volunteers run Café in the
Foyer at the Parish Hall on a Monday
and Friday morning. Drop In on a
Tuesday afternoon provides a
welcoming place for games, chat, and
refreshments.| |Other||The charity lets out a 2-bedroomed flat
on the first floor of the Parish Hall the
rent from which contributes significantly
towards hall cleaning costs. Managing
the tenancy has been a considerable
drain on Trustee time and, latterly,
charity finances.| ## **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|Transfer of assets to the charitable
incorporated organisation (CIO) of the
same name has finally completed and
the bank accounts in the name of this
unincorporated charity will be closed on
31 Dec 2025.
We continue to progress our aim of
ensuring legal compliance by updating
old policies and procedures and
identifying gaps.
The Parish Hall is a designated Warm
Hub and both halls are community
resilience hubs.
We continued to look at ways to reduce
our energy costs and, with the help of
Northumberland Community Energy Ltd
(NCEL), are investigating the options
for providing solar power in both halls.
This will be a lengthy process but
partnering with NCEL means that the
risk to the charity is minimised.
We are extremely grateful to everyone
who contributes their time to help the
halls to thrive and we will continue to
actively seek to increase our trustee
and volunteer teams.| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |
Achievements against
objectives|
Para 1.41|
Intentionally blank| |---|---|---| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives|Para 1.41|Intentionally blank| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|Intentionally blank| ## **Financial Review** |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|The charity aims to fund its running
costs from its income. Hall hire and rent
from the flat plus periodic fund-raising
events and the market table income,
continues to make it achievable.
The charity took the difficult decision to
terminate the tenancy for the flat
following a long period of failure by the
tenant to comply with all the terms of
the lease. This required due legal
process at significant cost for legal
advice and court fees.| |---|---|---| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|General reserves are held in a separate
interest-bearing account in the bank.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|_£75K_| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|N/A| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|N/A| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|N/A| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |
The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|
Para 1.47|
The principal source of funds is the
revenue from hall charges. They were
reviewed and increased in Sept 2024,
after discussions with the User Groups,
and no further increase was made in
this financial year.
The other significant source of income
is the rent from the flat which had not
been increased since 2020. It was
increased by £100 p/m from April 2024
and again in April 2025 to bring it closer
to market rent.
We have not applied for grants this year
but we have benefited from a
Community Action Northumberland
(CAN) grant towards heating costs**.**| |---|---|---| |Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|Not applicable| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|There were significant Board changes
in 2024/25 with 2 resignations including
the loss of the Chair who made a
valuable contribution to governance.
There was a 2-month period when the
remaining three Trustees were thinly
spread. We were very fortunate that a
volunteer agreed to become a Trustee
in July.
The recruitment of more Trustees, and
also volunteers, is vital to the continuing
running of the halls and a recruitment
campaign was launched in June.
The existing heating system in the
Parish Hall was not capable of providing
adequate heating during cold periods so
advice was obtained about the best way
to improve it. Work has been
commissioned to start in Sept 2025.
We are still at an early stage of
knowledge capture and sharing which is
essential to provide a good foundation
for the future
As we lease the Parish Hall on a full
maintain and repair lease, and it
approaches its centenary, we anticipate
facing significant refurbishment costs at
some point.|| |---|---|---|---| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |**Description of charity’s**
**trusts:**||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|Charity Commission Scheme| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|Unincorporated Association| |Trustee selection methods
including 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|We constantly seek additional Trustees
with skills and experience
complementary to the team.| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|| |---|---|---| |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|| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Riding Mill Village Hall| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|Riding Mill Village Hall Trust| |Registered charity number|501316| |Charity’s principal address|Riding Mill Parish Hall
Millfield Road
Riding Mill
NE44 6DJ| |email|RMvillagehalls@gmail.com| |website|www.ridingmillvillagehalls.org| ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
2
3
4
5
6|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if part of the year**|**Name of person/body)**
**entitled to appoint**
**trustee(if any)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Adrian Banger|Chair & Treasurer|Resigned date 24 May 2025|| ||Judith Wilthew|Secretary||| ||Kathleen Fadden|||| ||Chris Higgins|||| ||Pam Waldron||Resigned 19 March 2025 and
co-opted from 22 August
2025 for 1year|| ||June Newton|Treasurer|Appointed 14 July 2025|| |||||| Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity: **None** ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** |Description of the assets held in this capacity|N/A| |---|---| |Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets
are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s
objects|N/A| |Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of
such assets from the charity’s own assets|N/A| ## **Additional information (optional)** **Names and addresses of advisers (optional information) N/A** **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (optional information) N/A** ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details - **N/A** ## **Other optional information** ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** **Signature(s) Full name(s)** JUDITH A. WILTHEW **Position (eg** SECRETARY **Secretary, Chair) Date** 04/05/2026 RIDING MILL VIUAGE IIALLS TRUST TNCOEIE & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT YEAR ENDING 31 AUGUST 2025 2024/25 2023124 INCOME Hire Of Halls Af f iliatitsn Fees Grants & Donations Riding Mill Parish Councll Frosty & other donatlons Speclal Events Jurnble Sal e Wine Tasting Table Top Café, Pot Luek Lunch Market Table Flat Rental Bank Tnterest Sundrles 28.883.05 455.00 29,275 390 150.00 610.00 760.00 3,400 1,150.00 510.00 1, 003 1,660.00 4,379.36 6,290.86 6,065.01 695.35 437 5,839 8,238 6, 325 130 250 £ 49 188.63 £ 55 287 EXPF.NDITURE HALLS Cleaninq vtilltLgS Repairs InBuraneè Landscape & Maintenance ITrprovementa 124.63 13. 648.28 5.096.99 3,200.55 7,414 12.e19 4. 186 2,704 2,703.46 2 915.08 1,057 7,000 35, 688. 99 GENEBAL Booking Servlcès Legal Charges Market Table Flat Repairs xaminers Charges Licence5 Web31te Sundries 3,000.00 1,341.00 3,209.00 715.00 400.00 430.63 142.06 460.81 3, 000 3.340 5,342 9 69B.50 £ 45 38? 49 £ 49 9S9 SURPLUS FOR THE YEAR 3,801.14 5.328 SVRPLUS BROUGHT FORWARD 89 B61.00 SURPLUS AT 31 AUGUST 2025 £ 93 662.14 (CHARZTT NO. 501316) YEAR EIIDED 31 AUIXIST 2025 I report on the accounts of Riding 14111 Vlllagè Halls Trust 31" August 2025. f or the year ended As the Hanagement Board you are responslble for the preparatlon of the account8.' you consider that the audlt requlrernent of 8144121 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) does not apply. It is my re8pon3ibility to state. on the basis of procedures specified in the General Dire¢t&on$ givèn by the Charlty Commissioner$ undèr s145151 Ibl of tho Act, whether partlcular matter3 have come to my attentlon. My examlnation was carried out in accordance w&th thè General Dlrectlons given by the Charity Commlssioners. examination Includes revlew of the accounting records kept by the charlty and a Comparlson of the accounts presented wlth those recgrd3. It also includ•s consideratlon of any unusual tems or dis¢losur•s In th• aecount8. and tho seeking of explanation8 from you as the Managtrmont Board concerning any 3uch rnatter¥. The proeedutes undertaken do not provide all thè evldence that would be required in an audlt and, consequentlyi I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. In ¢onnectlon with rny examination, no matter has c¢)me to Thy attentlon: whlch gives me reasonabl• ¢ause to belleve that, In any materlal respect the requlrements: to keep a¢count&ng rècords In accordance with $130 of the Act.. and to prepare account¥ which accord with the accountlng records and to omply wlth thè accountlng requirernents of the Act have not been met.. or to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn In order to enable a propèr understanding of the accounts to be reached. apart f rom the Infornatlon Included in Note l. David L Kilner Chartered Accountant 7 Eldon Square Newcastle upon Tyne NEI 7JG 19 March 2026