Penkridge Peace Memorial Hall Registered Charity No. 522711 Trustees’ Annual Report 1st January 2021 – 31st December 2021
Secretary to the Trustees: Ms Samantha Blower 11 Peregrine Way Heath Hays Cannock WS11 7JX Mobile 07984165380 email sammmi2206@gmail.com
For Bookings contact Mrs Lynn Lawrence on 07412089546
Names of Trustees
Mr Derek Green Chairman Ms Samantha Blower Secretary Mrs Lynn Lawrence Treasurer & booking secretary Mr Robert Andrews Vice Chair Mr Matthew Hughes Health & safety Mrs Sheila Blower Miss Nicola Nash Mr Victor Kelly Parish Council Mrs Vivian Smith Parish Council Mrs Dorothy Briggs Mrs Isabella Ford
Policies and Procedures
To guide the Management Committee in exercising its duty of care to members, and users of the hall, the Health & Safety Policy has been adopted:
A Copy of the policy is included in the Trustees’ Welcome pack
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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. At present this includes additional guidance on complying with Covid protection
Risk Management
Insurance
The village hall is insured with respect to property damage (buildings insurance) by Allied Westminster. It is insured with the same company with respect to contents , public liability , employers’ liability and legal assistance.
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
Gas appliances and portable electrical appliances are tested by qualified personnel annually.
The mains electrical installation is checked by a qualified engineer every 5 years. (next inspection due in 2023)
A Fire Safety Risk Assessment is updated annually by the Committee’s Safety Officer as required by law.
Fire fighting appliances are inspected annually under contract with the supplier. Volunteers from the Committee carry out other regular maintenance checks.
Objectives of the Charity
provision of a village hall for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Penkridge and it's surrounding area without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, nationality, race, political, religious or other affiliations. 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
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
Unfortunately due to the Covid 19 Pandemic the hall has been closed for part of the year and so our normal activities have been curtailed ,
However we were able to allow use of the hall for keep fit and some other activities allowed under the Governments Covid rules.
Towards the end of the year the hall was available for hire for private functions including children’s parties, wedding receptions, funeral teas, village social functions ,entertainment and fund raising events but take up of these events has been slow due to the effects of the Omicron variant.
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 regular maintenance of the hall and its regular management.
2021 Achievements
The Trustees work hard to make the hall attractive to potential users and measure their success by the range of users and the hall occupancy.
However in another year of the Covid 19 pandemic we have been closed to the public for the part of the year and with limited use for the remainder due to public reluctance to gather in large numbers.
Looking to the future of the hall we have installed an overhead video projector and screen to enhance the halls facilities .
We have also replaced the broken and uneven slabs forming the path to the disabled access with a new smooth concrete path making the access much safer and more attractive. We secured grants from the Parish council and the Co-op to help fund these works for which we are most grateful.
We were also able to secure government Covid grants to support us through the closure of the hall which has helped to ensure that we stay financially viable.
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Reserves Policy
The charity had £54,818.06 in the bank as unrestricted reserves at the year end. This cash is available for unforeseen expenditure in relation to building maintenance or urgent furniture or equipment replacement.
A detailed set of independently checked accounts are attached to this report. The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance of the village hall and from time to time this involves major works far in excess of cash reserves held. On identifying such major works, fundraising is undertaken with the object of meeting the costs in full (i.e. without needing a loan). Such funds would be restricted. There are no restricted funds in hand.
Future Plans
We are planning to replace and upgrade the emergency lighting in the hall to improve public safety, We also want to replace the remaining old tables and chairs. We will also install a fixed automatic water boiler for use for hot beverages to replace the current system of “Burco” type boilers that have to be manually filled and moved.
Finally
I would like to thank all of the committee for their valued support during this very strange year. There has been a period of great change with the members of the committee and I thank those who have left us and welcome the new members who have become involved and energetic in a very short period.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees Signature(s)
Full name(s) Derek Green Position Chair
Date 22[nd] March 2022
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