Audlem Public Hall
Registered Charity No. 519458
Trustees’ Annual Report
1[st] January 2023 – 31[st] December 2023
Treasurer to the Trustees:
Mr John Tilling 21, Broadways Audlem, Cheshire CW3 0EY
Tel: 01270-811990 E-mail: j.tilling@audlem.org
Names of Officers
Mr Stuart Furber Chairman Mr Adrian Farrow Vice-Chairman Ms Rachel Hodgkins Secretary
Names of Trustees
Mr John Tilling Treasurer Mr Tony Richardson Mr Richard Furber Mrs Adriana Roscoe Mrs Janet Morgan
Sources of advice and support
Bank: Santander Cheshire East Council Audlem Parish Council
Governance
Audlem Public Hall was established as a charity by a Trust Deed & Lease dated 14[th] June 1989.
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The hall was built in 1904 as a town hall and has been used for that purpose ever since. The original company went broke in 1939 and the Hall was then run by a committee of volunteers until it became a registered Charity in 1989.
The Charity is registered with the Charity Commission as number 519458. The Hall and the land on which it stands are held in Trust by the Official Custodian for Charities.
Appointment of Trustees
The Trust Deed governs the appointment of trustees and the management of the charity.
Twelve trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting held each year. Three of the Trustees are nominated by specific user groups.
The trustees and officers form the Management Committee of the Village Hall.
Policies and Procedures
To guide the Management Committee in exercising its duty of care to members, employees and users of the hall, the following policy statements have been adopted:
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Health & Safety Policy
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Child Protection Policy
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Vulnerable Adults Policy
Copies of these policies are included in the Trustees’ Welcome pack
Hiring Agreement
Use of the village hall is subject to a Hiring Agreement which must be signed by the hirer when booking. The hiring agreement sets out the conditions of hire and identifies the respective responsibilities of each party to the agreement.
Licences
The hall has a Premises Licence and an Alcohol Licence and is registered with the local authority for small society lotteries.
It balso holds a PPL/PRS licence.
Risk Management
Insurance
Audlem Public Hall is insured with respect to property damage (buildings insurance) through Bluefin Insurance Services (£1,985,500 cover). It is insured with the same company with respect to contents (up to £85,000) public liability (£5,000,000) employers’ liability (£10,000,000) and legal assistance.
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The Management Committee recognises that it is under a legal obligation to protect the building, its users and employees through adequate and appropriate insurance.
Building Issues
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A building condition survey is undertaken at 5-year intervals by a qualified surveyor.
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Portable electrical appliances are tested by qualified personnel annually.
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The mains electrical installation is checked by a qualified engineer every 5 years.
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A Fire Safety Risk Assessment is updated annually by the Committee’s own Fire Safety Officer as required by law.
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Fire fighting appliances are inspected annually under contract with the supplier.
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Volunteers from the Committee carry out other regular maintenance checks.
Objectives of the Charity
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Provision of a village hall for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parishes of Audlem, Buerton and Hankelow without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, nationality, race or political, religious or other opinions
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Use of the village hall for meetings, lectures and classes or other forms of recreation and leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the social conditions of the life of the inhabitants
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The Trustees consider these objectives to be consistent with Charity Commission guidance on providing for the public benefit and these objectives have been pursued in the activities of the charity this year.
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Principal Activities in pursuit of Objectives
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The hall is in use most days of the week for a variety of activities including Theatre Group, Table Tennis Club, Badminton Club, various Keep Fit groups, Senior Citizens Snooker, Bingo sessions, Football changing, Bridge Club and Dancing Classes.
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The Hall is the operational base for ADCA (Audlem and District Community Action) which provides services for the elderly and disadvantaged residents and their carers.
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The hall is available for hire for private functions including children’s parties, wedding receptions, funeral teas, village social functions and occasional fund raising events.
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There is a Community Gym in its own dedicated rooms within the Hall.
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The hall is used in a support role for the main village community events held annually such as the Music and Transport Festivals.
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The Hall is recognised as an emergency centre if required by the civil authorities.
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A traditional Pantomime is put on each year in the Hall which requires some twenty rehearsal sessions and a full week of performances.
Funding Strategy
It is the strategy of the Trustees to manage the revenue budget on a self financing basis. The contributions made by users of the hall are set to achieve this.
Volunteers’ Effort
Management costs are kept to a minimum through the use of volunteers for much of the regular management of the hall. Trustees give 30 hours a month for meetings and 200 hours per annum in organising and running fund raising events.
2023 Achievements
A newly formed committee took over the running of the Hall during 2023, and this has proven very successful.
Reserves Policy
The Trustees’ Reserves Policy is to keep £25,000 unspent and available for unforeseen expenditure in relation to building maintenance or urgent furniture or equipment replacement.
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Future Plans
The underlying funding in normal operation remains very healthy.
Work on transferring the business and assets of the charity to the CIO (registered number 1159429) is being handled by specialist solicitors has continued throughout 2023, but the necessity to carry out a formal transfer of the ownership of the Hall and land continues to be an expensive and time-consuming exercise. This will hopefully be completed during 2024.
Total funds
Total liquid funds held by the Charity at 31[st] December 2023 are Current Account £37,855.96 Deposit Account £52,160.77 Cash in hand £429.16 Total £90,445.89
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report
above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s)
Full name(s) John Tilling Position Treasurer Date June 2024
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Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Audlem Public Hall
Receipts and Payments Account
Year ended 31[st] December 2023
| Receipts | This year 2023 | Last year 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Hire of Hall | £59,786.91 | £46,620.50 |
| Fund raising | £3,670.00 | £3,560.00 |
| Grants | £33,000.00 | |
| Donations | £225.00 | £640.00 |
| Bank interest | £329.69 | £1.57 |
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | £64,011.60 | £87,152.07 |
| Payments | This year 2023 | Last year 2022 |
| Maintenance | £2,244.98 | £7490.66 |
| Running Costs | £21,206.84 | £13,068.44 |
| Utility Bills | £8,408.19 | £14,752.23 |
| Fund Raising | £1,170.00 | £1,190.00 |
| Insurance | £2,708.99 | £2,437.50 |
| Capital Spend | £2,708.81 | £1,203.60 |
| Furniture & Fittings | £4,282.33 | £0 |
| Spent on 2022 items | £4,822.95 | |
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | £47,553.09 | £40,142.43 |
| Current account | This year 2023 | Last year 2022 |
| Balance brought forward | £71,566.87 | £23,128.30 |
| Cash in hand brought forward | £589.43 | £2,019.93 |
| Balance in hand at year end | £37,855.96 | £71,566.87 |
| Cash in hand at year end | £429.16 | £589.43 |
| Deposit account | This year 2023 | Last year 2022 |
| Balance brought forward | £1,831.08 | £1,829.51 |
| Balance in hand at year end | £52,160.77 | £1,831.08 |
Prepared by John Tilling, Treasurer
Approved by Stuart Furber, Chairman
The attached Receipts and Payments Account (and Statement of Assets and Liabilities) have been examined by myself and are in accordance with the Management’s books and vouchers. The receipts and payments as shown are, to the best of my knowledge, authorised transactions.
Signed by Independent Reviewer ,
Kevin Mellor ACMA CGMA
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Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| Notes Rest'd Cash Funds Current account Deposit 1 Cash 0 Other monetary assets Debtors Stocks Total current assets Assets retained for the Charities own use Freehold building (at Trustees valuation) 2 Improvements to building 3 Fixtures fittings and equipment 4 Annexe 5 Total fixed assets Liabilities Trade creditors Total assets |
2023 Unrestricte d Rest'd 37,856 52,161 429 90,446 0 1,811 1,811 92,257 125,000 178,609 29,166 150,000 482,775 4,122 - 570,910 |
2022 Unrestricte d 71,567 1,831 589 |
|---|---|---|
| 73,987 1,830 |
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| 1,830 75,817 125,000 185,300 28,125 150,000 488,425 4,823 - 559,419 |
Notes
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There are no restricted funds currently held by the Charity
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The major asset of the Charity is the Hall which stands in the village of Audlem in Cheshire. It is 100 years old and requires continuous expenditure to maintain in good repair. No formal valuation has been carried out but the Committee of Management consider that its value is in the region of £125,000.
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Value of improvements to the building brought forward (£185,300) plus the value of capital improvements this year (£2,709) less 5%.
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Value of fixtures and fittings brought forward (£28,125) plus new items this year (£4282) less 10%.
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The new annexe was opened in November 2017. It was funded by a Big Lottery Fund grant. No formal valuation has been carried out but the Committee of Management consider that its value is in the region of £150,000
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