NORTHIAM VILLAGE HALL TRUST

Frewen Close, Main Street, Northiam, East Sussex, TN316RA Registered Charity Number 269218

​

Report of the Trustees for the financial year ended 31 December 2023

The land on which Northiam village hall now stands was purchased by the community in 1971

from two local landowners/farmers. A Trust was established at that time to hold the land, to

build the hall, and then to manage the site on behalf of the village. Construction of buildings

started in 1975, funded by the sale of the land on which the six Frewen Close bungalows now

stand. By 2000, the original building had been extended to provide additional meeting rooms

and storage space, and the whole facility is now believed to be one of the largest village halls

in East Sussex.

The buildings and surrounding land are now held in trust by the Charity Commission’s Official

Custodian, on behalf of the local community. A management committee (Northiam Village

Hall Trust) has responsibility for the day-to-day running of the hall, governed by the Trust

Deed established in 1971. This set the original goal of providing a village hall for use by the

community, with the ongoing objective of improving the conditions of life for Northiam

residents. The Trust is a registered charity, regulated by the Charities Commission, and

answerable to the local community each year at an Annual General Meeting. Trustees are

appointed each year at the AGM, either elected by the community or nominated by local

groups that use the hall. At the 2024 AGM the following 12 Trustees were appointed:

Keith Whiting (Chair); Christine Palmer (Secretary); Sylvia Wickens (Bookings Secretary);

Bernie Bone (Treasurer); Margaret Davies; John Fenton; Sarah Giles; John Palmer; Richard and

Sandra Robinson; Pete Sargent, and Sue Schlesinger.

The Trust generates its income from rentals paid by hall users, supplemented by donations

and fund-raising activities. Day-to-day running costs absorb most of the income but, where

there is a surplus, this is used to make improvements to the hall. Where appropriate, grants

from other bodies are accessed by the Trust, but all monies raised, whatever the source, are

used in maintaining or improving the village hall and its facilities.

For the financial year ended 31 Dec 2023 our income from hiring the halls was £16,695, up

from £15,312 in 2022, although still short of our pre-pandemic income in 2019 of £19,914.

Other regular income of £2,629 and fund-raising income of £4,325 gave us total “trading”

income of £23,649, (£22,230 in 2022). Day to day running costs of £13,174 were an increase

over 2022 (£11,844), mostly reflecting higher energy, cleaning and maintenance costs. Our

overall “trading surplus” for 2023 was £10,475, very similar to the £10,386 in 2022.

Improvements to the hall and the facilities it provides are funded through a combination of

our trading surplus, along with the cash resources built up over previous years. To enhance

these funds, where appropriate, we seek grant assistance from third parties.

 

​

Bernard Bone,

Hon Treasurer Northiam Village Hall Trust

​

Keith Whiting

Chair, Northiam Village Hall Trust

January 2023