BURTON MEMORIAL HALL
CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE AGM to year end 31st March 2025
The management committee has continued to meet monthly through the year on the evening of the third Tuesday each month except for December. In terms of activity in the hall it has been another busy year, with an increase in bookings by some groups and the formation of new groups, plus an increase in private party bookings, which all help to fill the calendar, and I am pleased to report the continuation of our usual hirers’ events and activities.
During the year we ran two Welcome to the Village Days (October 2024 and March 2025), a Fashion Show with Kitty Brown Boutique in June 2024, a Strawberry Saturday in July 2024, a Christmas Market in November 2024, five Christmas bingo nights in November and December 2024, and a Burns Night Supper and Ceilidh in January 2025. We also hosted two concerts by Burton Singers in June and December 2024, the annual Onion Show in September 2024, a Simon and Garfunkel Music Night in February 2025, and served as a polling station for the General Election in July 2024.
The mid-monthly Hall coffee mornings raised a further £1200 during the financial year 2024-2025, which helps to pay for the costs of repairs and updates needed around the Hall. My thanks go to Helen Dawson for joining me in keeping them going, and to Paula Firth, Jane Orr, Margaret Burton, and Jeannie Christian who have also baked cakes for us, and to Kath Hayhurst who provided plants for sale at several of them. We have also hosted the Kingsharp mobile sharpening service at alternate midmonthly coffee mornings as an extra service for the village, and had the presence of our local PCSO.
The monthly library book drop and coffee morning has continued on the first Monday of the month (except Bank Holidays when they are rescheduled), and my thanks go to Stephanie Micklethwaite, Sue Humphreys and their volunteers who run these and who donate the profits from the coffee mornings to hall funds.
Our 200 Club has continued to grow under the management of Katy Worsley, and has contributed a further welcome amount to hall funds. Again my thanks go to Katy, for all of her work on the 200 Club throughout the year, and to Stephanie Micklethwaite who does the monthly prize draws, and to Jane Orr for providing help and support as and when needed for the 200 Club.
In 2024 we received grants totalling £1820 from the Holehird and Moto Trusts, which have covered the cost of the continuing provision of a 3½ hour warm space session open to anyone each Wednesday afternoon in the reception room. Additionally private donations enabled us to continue providing a twocourse lunch each week for those attending. The sessions covered the provision of room hire, hot drinks, food, warmth and companionship for 927 attendees during the financial year, an increase of approx 50% over the attendance for 2023-2024, and I would like to thank all our funders and donors for funding the sessions which have been very much appreciated by those attending them.
Through the year we have received a great many used books to resell, and these, along with potted up plant cuttings from Sandra Reid, have also added funds into the hall kitty. Thanks to Sandra for the plants and to all who donated books.
I would also like to thank Barry Morgan, Alex Driver, James Burton and Chris Nolan, who have tackled a host of maintenance tasks around the hall which has saved us the cost of employing a tradesman to do
them, and Kevin Preston who has been cutting back the trees and bushes around the car park and rear exit path for us as well to keep the emergency exit routes clear and safe. We also engaged a contractor to repair some potholes in the car park in the autumn.
After a lengthy series of attempts to contact the contractor who fitted the flat roofing covering that subsequently leaked and led to the north end store room being out of action for over a year, and after the intervention of the membrane supplier, the contractor finally came and resolved the problem with the roof in August, we then had to wait for the roof timbers to dry out thoroughly before any further remedial work could be done to the store room ceiling.
Following on from the structural engineering survey on the main hall roof supports to check if they are strong enough to carry the weight of the proposed new integrated solar panel roof, our plan was put back due to a withdrawal from the market of the panels for some months by the manufacturer, and we are still awaiting their relaunch. We are also continuing to explore other options for replacing the main hall roof and installing solar panels along it.
As part of our routine management oversight of the hall the committee has been reviewing our hire documentation and policies and procedures once more and updated copies are on the website. The Hallmaster online booking system we now use to manage the hall bookings has worked well over the last year and we are continuing to use the system, which allows hirers to request, update or cancel bookings themselves, but for anyone without internet access bookings can still be made by phone or personal request as needed. We also had a Governance Check by the Village Halls Officer from Action with Communities in Cumbria, to ensure that all our procedures and policies are in place and are relevant and up to date.
I would like to thank my fellow committee members for all of their advice and support for me in my role as Chair throughout the last year, with particular thanks to Raegan Preston our outgoing Treasurer, who manages the accounts and keeps a close eye on what we spend; to Chris Nolan for his advice and assistance in dealing with remedial matters around the hall; to our hard-working cleaning staff Margaret and James Burton; and to all of the volunteers who come along and help at the events we hold or offer assistance in any other way in keeping the hall going. As they stand down from their trustee roles I would also like to thank Stephanie Micklethwaite, Raegan Preston, Jon Halligan and Jane Lloyd for all their support for, and input into the Hall’s activities through the year.
Thanks also go to Gill and Akis at The Village Store for all their support of our activities; to Burton News for allowing us magazine space in each issue; to Joan Barkley for covering our activities in her columns in the Westmorland Gazette and Lancaster Guardian; to Burton Morewood School for publicising our events via their parent mail system; and to those generous people who have given donations to hall funds throughout the year. I’d also like to thank Action with Communities in Cumbria and Cumbria CVS for all their advice and support about hall matters, via regular Zoom meetings or by email/phone, whenever it has been needed.
Report prepared by Anne Nichols, Chair 2024-2025
|
ae Burton Memorial Hall 505018 A COMMISSION Receipts and payments accounts CC16a : | For the period To from 01/04/2024 31/03/2025
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Sarnais finds funds Total funds Last year tothe nearest £ to the nearest£ to the nearest£ to the nearest£ to the nearest£ A1 Receipts 2oasi |[Ct | Fundraisingsso} [Cd S™~—SdCESCSCCC‘C‘é,C3‘Q‘d 22,509] Grants EE Other t—“‘zLSOCOC##Céd |Ra [Sar |[803] | ee | e eeh | 824 . : 628 A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). A3 Payments a | ee |Ge) EE | [2,861 Sectetaryshonorarum i ee | ~SSCas] |SSC | Secretarysexpenses SCTTSSCSCS~SYdCESSSSCi a TCCY | TTC did OO | es Sub[total] = eed [2a | 2ees eee |[2,024] [re | , A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) Sub total ——|_ Net of receipts/(payments) 12,530 SSeS eee 13,100 17,659 ASTransfersbetweenfundsA6 Cash funds last yearend |46,294,-|{||ss 3503)—“;‘“sisCEC(NR’NNNNNN49,797| 32,138 Cash funds this- year ena 58,824 4073! (= 62,897 49,797
----- Start of picture text -----
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
----- End of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Categories Details funds funds funds 7 to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Unrestricted Restricted Endowment funds funds funds Details to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest£ —_ — : Fund to which n Current value Details asset belongs Cost (optional) (optional) eae == Fund to which F Current value Details asset belongs Cost (optional) (optional) Fund to which Amount due When due Details liability relates (optional) (optional) = ——= = Signed by one or two trustees on HS, ss : Date of behalf of all the trustees ; LL/ % Cte:2 Ignature: AGa ANSE eePHOLNANIEALC ALOT : .- S/C/approval22055 ae a | en
----- Start of picture text -----
- | .
| CHARITY COMMISSION) Independent examiner's
| FOR ENGLAND AND WALES report on the accounts
Sica,
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/
members of Bor oN LM ONG LAG
On accounts for the year Charity no rs ?
ended | | ei ged (ifany | SOSO \S
| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended Z) /O3 / 7028
Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation
basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act
2011 (“the Act’).
| 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, |
have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have
examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ) 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
e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
| 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.
Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
Name: | NA@aReET CARE
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body |
(if any):
Address: | AL & Gs > RreV |
CAEN Few Late UV
IER 1 October 2018
----- End of picture text -----*