Secretary & Treasurer, Mrs Gill Broadbent

Trustees

Chair, Mr. Aaron Chetwynd

Mr. Geoff Tavernor

Mr. Anthony Young

Charity 1147905 Company 7909112

Annual Report

1 July 2014- 30 June 2015

1.AIMS: The aims of the charity are to 'To preserve for the nation Ingestre Orangery, and to carry on there activities which sustain the preservation of the Building and support and enhance the education, health and wellbeing of the local community.'

Preservation of the building and surrounding grounds

2.CC Len Bloomer awarded us a grant of £600 from the Staffordshire's Community Fund to buy kitchen equipment to enable us to provide refreshments at our events.

We were disappointed that our first application to theHeritage Lottery Fund (HLF) Phase 1 grantwas unsuccessful. The Architectural Heritage fund awarded us a £500 grant which was spread over two financial years, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Brownhill, Hayward, Brown architects updated our conservation statement in December 2014 which cost £1494. Sula Rayskawas appointed to develop and re-submit our application to the HLF in December 2014but as this was unsuccessful her work will continue into the next financial year when the remainder of this grant will be paid.

However, in January 2015 we held a very productive meeting with Sandwell senior Officers and Councillors to explain our plans for the future and to seek their support for them. The 30 year lease from Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council has been agreed and signed by the Trustees. This will hopefully lead to a successful Phase 1 bid following its submission in September 2015. Phase 1 provides funding to carry out various surveys, planning permission is sought and other work developed before we can apply for a Stage 2 grant for the whole project. So, we continue to work to obtain funding to restore the building and continue to protect it from further damage.

At the same time we are seeking smaller grants from other organisations to help with the restoration of the building as well as specific grants to improve the gardens and to prevent trees from damaging the Orangery or being a health and safety risk to visitors.

3. We continue to hold awareness and fund raising events in marquees at the Orangery, at Ingestre Hall and Ingestre with Tixall Village Hall. During the year we held 2 art exhibitions one by 3 local artists and the second by Great Haywood Art Group. A Christmas Carol event was held at the Orangery and Ingestre Hall and Dr Anne Andrews held a talk at Ingestre with Tixall Village Hall which focused on the history of Ingestre Hall, together with the Orangeryand gardens. Talks about the Orangery are also being given at WI and other associations meetings. The guided tours of Ingestre Hall, Ingestre Orangery and Ingestre Church are increasingly popular with National trust Groups.

4. We are very grateful to our volunteers for their hard work. They have spent over 1,500 hours since we began and have made incredible improvements to the Orangery's and the garden’s condition. The floors have been improved and the Long Walk, its surrounding garden and the route to the proposed car park have all been improved. The areas below the Orangery and the yews opposite it, have been cleared and form a potential woodland walk. Amazing plants, flowers, shrubs and trees have grown and been identified especially in the flower bed. The volunteers have worked tirelessly so that visitors can have access to the Orangery, learn about its history and see the potential for its future use and sustainability. With a shoe string budget, careful purchasing and man hours they have made enormous improvements to the gardens.

Education & Access to Ingestre Orangery's Heritage

5. The Orangery has been opened to over 1000 people including local history groups, NADFAS, National Trust North Staffs, Staffordshire Parks & Gardens Trust, Mayors of Sandwell & StaffordBC and social clubs. They enjoy combining it with a visit to IngestreChurch or Ingestre Hall as it adds a further dimension and interest to their visits to learn about its history, setting and potential future use by the community.

Fund Raising

6.Volunteers also helped to raise funds and the profile of the Orangery in the wider community by supporting events that have provided 9 opens days. Many individuals, groups and artists gave their support during the Art Exhibitions, Garden Talk and performance by Andante Choir. An army of volunteers who provided refreshments are very much appreciated. (see also 1)

Website developments

7. We have had 7853 hits on our website was set up so that a wider group of people can access the Orangery's heritage and follow the progress made towards restoring it to a sustainable use in the future. We have reviewed the structure of the website and changed it so that it is easier to use. Photographs are updated regularly. We will continue to monitor it and improve it as necessary thanks to the help of volunteers.

The future

8. We will continue to work collaboratively with Ingestre Hall, Ingestre Orangery, Ingestre Church and Stables to provide guided tours and other activities including bell ringing, which visitors find enjoyable. There are many more opportunities now for visitors to have access to our rich heritage. Our next is step to explore and define our roll to the wider community and organisations by discussing with them our aim to become a heritage hub for the area i.e. a place where people can find out about all the activities taking place in the locality and its rich heritage.

9. We will extend our collaboration todifferent groups over the next 2 years. In 2015 we will be hosting an event by the Association of Building Preservation Trusts and the World War 1 Exhibition created by Dr Anne Andrews, Ingestre Hall and AnsonPrimary School. In 2016 we are supporting the celebration of the birth Capability Brown 300 years ago by creating a new exhibition and guided tours of the first landscape he created in Staffordshire at Ingestre Hall.

10. We intend to develop activities for local people to become involved in:

Stories to tell and record based on their recollections, photographs etc.

These will be included when training guides for bespoke tours.-

b. The Family, and the roles of Villagers, Servants

c. Gardening, Flower Gardens, Gardeners, Gardening Diaries

d. Changes to the buildings and their history - Hall, Church, Orangery & Stables.

Additional activities will include:

e. Filming to document the progress of the project

f. Activities for schools

g. Industrial Archaeological explorations of the former heating system at the rear of the Orangery and Archaeological investigations of the remains of an original building destroyed in the late 1950’s

11. Finances: 2013/14balance c/f £3550.63 and 2014-15 income of £4852.54

Total Income £8,422 and Expenditure £3950 leaving a balance of £4452.54

Registered Office: Maple Cottage, 8 Home Farm Court, Ingestre, Stafford ST18 0PZ