Hougham & Marston Village Hall and Playing Field Committee

Secretary’s Annual Report Year for the period April 2016– March 2017

Committee:

Representative MembersElected Members

Marston Parochial Church CouncilJohn Crozier Caroline Brown

Hougham Parochial Church CouncilJudith Potter Ann Drury

Marston Parish Council)Robert Morley Susie Mathieson

Hougham Parish CouncilPam Pageϯ Valerie Pearson

Marston Thorold’s Charity SchoolFaith Ballaam

Pre-School Play GroupKathryn Davies* Co-opted Members

Women’s InstituteSybil Howard Joshua Richardson

Local History GroupSteve Cattell Mike Allen±

Badminton ClubSimon Brown

(* Non-resident member Ϯ resigned December 2016 ± elected June 2016)

Ex-Officio: Hon. General Secretary/TreasurerLucille Chesterton

Elected Officers:

ChairmanCaroline BrownVice-ChairmanJohn Crozier

Booking SecretarySteve Cattell Grounds CommitteeSimon Brown Karl Ballaam

Trustees

All resident members of the committee as trustees of a registered charity are aware of their responsibilities. They have met nine times during the year (average attendance 65%) and diligently discharged their duties.

Bankers, Insurers, Licences

Accounts continue as before with accounts held only at Lloyds Bank at Grantham; accountancy examination undertaken as before by Duncan & Toplis. Insurance with Zurich is contracted through the Community Council of Lincolnshire. Community Premises Entertainment Licensing continues with SKDC as does Small Lottery license, Performing Rights through PRS and affiliation with the Community Council and the Parish Magazine.

Policy Documents

Various policies covering hire, health and safety, lone-workers and vulnerable users are reviewed and updated where necessary.

FINANCIAL

The approved accounts are reported to the Charity Commission by the Treasurer fulfilling the legal requirements of registered charities together with any changes to trustees. Everyday accounting is carried out using Excel spreadsheets and reconciled monthly. A budget is set at the beginning of the financial year and reported regularly at meetings.

Income: derived from hire fees of regular users, casual parties, quizzes and similar events totalling £6,746 “Feedin Tariff” from British Gas £1,673. Fund raising is an essential part of keeping the hall solvent and the main fund raising this year was the Christmas Fair and Hamper Draw raising a total profit of £2,154. The 100 Club which raised £710 and a small donation to the refurbishment fund (restricted). When the Cricket Club ceased to operate the committee handed over their balance of £1,516; although this is not a “restricted fund” and is available for use, it is primarily reserved for the re-emergence of the club should a need arise.

Expenditure: Major expenses are insurance, maintenance and grounds upkeep, electricity and oil, however we have benefited from the fall in oil prices during the earlier part of the year..

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS

Building Maintenance: contracts are in place for the annual checks on fire alarms, extinguishers, PAT testing, door security, heating servicing. There is an annual “walk about” check by the trustees and most minor repairs undertaken by them or with contractors if necessary.

Ground Maintenance: holes in the car park have been filled in by volunteers; mowing of the grass of the playing field has been under the guidance of Karl Ballaam and a small group of volunteers. A monthly rota for checking and reporting on the condition of the play area is carried out by trustees.

Cleaning: Once again this task is carried out by volunteers organised by Caroline, resulting an enormous saving in expenditure.

Key Holders: Key holders records visited annually.

ORGANISATIONS AND USERS
Regular Users: day time use by the Pre-School Playgroup and Book club continue with evenings used by the Women’s Institute, Local History, Marston Parish Council, Bingo, Karate, Yoga, Badminton and table tennis

Casual Users: Fund raising events in support of charities. Children’s parties continue to be popular, however teenage parties booked by non-residents have been refused following an incident when damage was done. Although payment for damages was made it was felt that there sufficient supervision could not be guaranteed. Steve Cattell in charge of bookings, has a dedicated mobile number for this task and keeps an up-to-date calendar on line which is made available to the Chair and Treasurer

GENERAL

It is with regret that the Medical Centre at Long Bennington withdrew its weekly surgery service in this village hall in September. This surgery had been held in Marston for a good many years, prior to operating from the village hall it was held in a cottage on the High Street. When an arsonist attack destroyed the hall in 1994 Dr. Pullinger continued with his surgery in the Thorold Arms until the opening of this hall in 1996. The loss of income, less than £200 per annum, will not make a vast difference, the loss of this service is great blow to many.

Log Book this contains all necessary certificates, licenses, insurance, policies etc. it is not kept in the village hall for security reasons but rather with the Secretary along with the minute book and accountancy records.

Caretaking responsibilities there is no caretaker appointed so all regular users are expected to tidy away and ensure that the hall is left in readiness for the next hirer. We have been extremely grateful that Caroline has carried out the responsibilities of setting the heating, checking the oil supply, changing the timings for the outside lights etc. etc. This is an area for which volunteers will be necessary when Caroline steps down this year.

IN CONCLUSION

The hall survives through the dedication of the Management Committee who give freely and willingly of their time to ensure that the facilities are maintained for future use. It is much appreciated that there are residents of our two villages who generously contribute in many ways, with help with fund raising by donating prizes, manning stalls washing up etc. We are grateful for the flowers borders in front of the hall which are managed by a volunteer, and of course the volunteer grounds men who maintain the playing field and surrounding areas. Without this community support the expense of running the property would be extremely onerous. That said numbers are dwindling; we are in great need of “new blood” and appeal to anyone with a little time to spare to join us in ensuring that this facility does not follow the path of the pub and the village shop.

Lucille Chesterton

Hon. General Secretary/Treasurer

April 2017

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