AGM – Chariman’s report for Trustees for year to 31 December 2025
Committee changes
In November Peter Forster-Dean has volunteered to join the committee. I welcome this wholeheartedly. PFD has been a Trustee for the Society since 2021 and was on the GMS committee in its early years in the 1980s-90s. I welcome the experience and insight that he brings to the committee and we will put this to good experience.
In September, Stephanie Clenton very kindly stepped forward and offered to attend meetings and prepare draft minutes. We are most grateful to Stephanie for doing this and for her care and attention to the minutes – it is most welcome and helps all members to concentrate on matters for discussion. Stephanie also makes very welcome and perceptive comments, but she prefers not to be a permanent, full member of the committee.
Other members of the committee are our President V N-W and Peter Ratcliffe, who have struggeled against various adversities to contribute to meetings, Mark Chaloner is responsible for arranging preparing the lecture programme. I pay tribute to Mark for the varied, interesting, stimulating, well attended and profitable lecture series. Kath Chaloner is our hon Treasurer and has complete mastery of her brief, and negotiated several difficulties I have pushed in her direction, including selling tickets for all our autumn special events for tickets at £10.00 leaving her totally unable to distinguish which payments were for which event. The arrival of payment by card presents similar issues for Kath. Kath is assisted with banking matters by the GMS secretary Andrea Hopkinson. I am extremely grateful to Kath and Andrea for their teamwork, and their work on behalf of the soc. Malc Chaloner is a great and willing helper and facilitator for Kath and the GMS.
In 2025 we have welcomed Jessie Petheram to all formal committee meetings. Jessie was promoted to Senior Curator at the GM in 2025. I hold JP in the highest regard and am confident that in Jessie the mus is fortunate to have a young curator of great promise who possesses a deep and growing understanding of the objects under her oversight. We really value the time and care she gives to our meetings. I place on record my sincere gratitude to all committee members.
2025 marked several innovations for GM. The outstanding event was the exhibition ‘Gladiators of Britain’. The exh was organised by British Museum and toured to three venues. This is the first time that Chester had received loans from a major nation institution, and was a great success being exceptionally well received by visitors and generating interest from a young age groups. We hope that further loans and exhibitions from the London and other major galleries will be scheduled and we are ready to assist with these.
The Trustees supervised sending of the GMS accounts to the auditor and accountant for auditing. Trustees approved the grant made to the Grosvenor Museum for educational purposes.
The Trustees oversaw and approved the day to day activities of the GMS and satisfied themselves that commercial and social activities were well run and all funds raised passed to the Society for its charitable function.
Membership of the GMS increased to 84 individual members in 2025.
The Trustees advise that they accept this report and thank the committee for its work on behalf of the Society.
GROSVENOR MUSEUM SOCIETY RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025
Growenor Mvseum Soclety RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025 2025 2024 Income Outings & Events Subscriptions Interest Visitors Donations Legocy Mrs W Hazelhursl HMRC Gifl Ad 2,539 l.W5 559 765 684 1175 1,130 165.913 243 3425 171,397 Expenses Outings & Lectures Printing & Administration Website Accountants charges Grant- Gladiolor Experience Card chorges Sundries 1,921 237 807 300 3,120 49 186 6.620 1032 170 282 500 70 2054 EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS 164,777 1371 Grants given Increose in funds during the year Funds Brought fotward Funds Carried lopward 164,777 45,071 209.848 1,371 43,7(K) 45.071 RepTesenled By: Lloyds Current Account Lloyds Instant Access Account Lloyds Fixed Term Deposit Account5 Cash Float 3.052 175,389 31.307 1.787 12.522 30,662 100 45,071 209,848 I certify Ihat the above figure5 prepared from book5, voucher5, explonation5 and information given represent o fair and Inje view of the affai of the Society Atkln50n Accounts Hon. Audilor Date 1810312026
GROSVENOR MUSEUM SOCIETY RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025
Growenor Mvseum Soclety RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2025 2025 2024 Income Outings & Events Subscriptions Interest Visitors Donations Legocy Mrs W Hazelhursl HMRC Gifl Ad 2,539 l.W5 559 765 684 1175 1,130 165.913 243 3425 171,397 Expenses Outings & Lectures Printing & Administration Website Accountants charges Grant- Gladiolor Experience Card chorges Sundries 1,921 237 807 300 3,120 49 186 6.620 1032 170 282 500 70 2054 EXCESS OF RECEIPTS OVER PAYMENTS 164,777 1371 Grants given Increose in funds during the year Funds Brought fotward Funds Carried lopward 164,777 45,071 209.848 1,371 43,7(K) 45.071 RepTesenled By: Lloyds Current Account Lloyds Instant Access Account Lloyds Fixed Term Deposit Account5 Cash Float 3.052 175,389 31.307 1.787 12.522 30,662 100 45,071 209,848 I certify Ihat the above figure5 prepared from book5, voucher5, explonation5 and information given represent o fair and Inje view of the affai of the Society Atkln50n Accounts Hon. Audilor Date 1810312026