BWCT Annual Report of the Trustees
for year ending 30 September 2006
This report was given in verbal form to the Annual General Meeting of the Trust held in The Queens Hall, Burley-in-Wharfedale at 7.30pm on Thursday 19th October 2006. Approximately 75 Members and interested persons were present. The key aspects of the meeting were recorded as part of the Minutes of the Neighbourhood Forum for village residents - of which the Trust AGM formed part. The Minutes were posted on the village website www.burley-in-wharfedale.org , on the village noticeboards and in the library.
Organisation of the Trust
The Trust has been managed by a committee of ten Trustees elected at the 2005 AGM. Of the ten, four Trustees (Mrs Tilford and Messrs Speed, Myatt and Harris) were appointed to be Management Trustees to handle day-to-day decisions, whilst major decisions were made by full committee meetings. One Trustee, Mrs Jones, resigned in August 2006 following her election as Chairman of the Parish Council, in case there was any perceived conflict of interest. The remaining nine Trustees were re-elected at the AGM to serve for the year to end September 2007.
Communication with Members
Communication with Members takes place in the following ways:
- Provision, maintenance and regular update of the website www.burley-in-wharfedale.org
- Participation (with the Parish Council) in three Neighbourhood Forum public meetings per year
- Participation (with the Parish Council) in the content of four newsletters per year and participation in their distribution free of charge to every house in the community
- Provision and maintenance of three village noticeboards, where relevant documents are posted (plus also in the library)
- Holding monthly Saturday coffee mornings were Trustees are always available (on a rota basis) to discuss any relevant issues
The Community/Public Benefit
- Scalebor Sports Pavilion: the Trust owns the Pavilion, a small area of surrounding land and the adjacent car-park. The Trust has a no-cost lease of the playing field area from the Scalebor grounds management company with the proviso that only junior players may use the fields due to proximity of housing. In turn, the Trust has let formal joint tenancies for the Pavilion etc. to Burley Trojans Juniors FC and Burley Sports Club Cricket Section for them to use the facilities for their junior players (boys and girls). Both Clubs have thriving junior sections using these facilities. Trust volunteers carried out a full external re-paint of the Pavilion during the year and undertook regular maintenance of the car-park and surrounding area. This included professional removal of an unsafe dead tree and replacement with a young tree (in consultation with Bradford MDC).
- Cornmill Pond: the mill pond is a well known and attractive feature of some historic interest in the village. The Trust owns the pond and a small area of hard-standing within the boundary wall of the pond. The aim is to maintain this area protected from residential development as a visual amenity to the village community. The Trust has let a tenancy to a neighbouring house-holder to undertake routine maintenance and keep fowl on the pond. All village residents are able safely to see the pond at all times from the waist-high boundary wall on Cornmill Lane (the deep water and silt makes unrestricted access to the water edge potentially unsafe if unsupervised). A supervised open day is organised once per year where residents may view the pond from the hard-standing within the wall.
- Christmas Lights: no street Christmas lights are provided by the local authority in our community. Trust volunteers erect and dismantle approximately 100 lighting features/strings etc. in the centre of the village for the benefit of all residents. Most of the lights were gifted to the Trust by the Community Council. Minor maintenance is carried out by Trust volunteers, but major work is contracted out. Costs of materials and professional maintenance are borne by the Trust. The Christmas Lights are one of the most popular aspects of the work of the Trust, with several hundred people attending the switch-on ceremony. The Trust works in co-operation with Burley Chamber of Trade who hold a Christmas Market on the switch-on day.
- The Pudding Tree Garden: a garden area adjoining the Mill Pond. Previously maintained by Burley Community Council, the Trust has taken over responsibility for this garden area. It is maintained by volunteers, but materials (plants, seating etc.) are paid for by the Trust. Public access for all is available 24 hours per day every day of the year.
- The Round House: a small listed building owned by Bradford MDC but previously maintained by Burley Community Council. The Trust has taken over responsibility for this building that is sited at a key point in the centre of the village adjacent to Grange Park. Free public access is available on at least 2 mornings per week (coffee service run by volunteers) and at certain other times (e.g. Christmas Lights switch-on day). The building equipped with heating, lighting, tables, chairs & water boiler, and is available for use by any local association, group or body as a meeting room (small fee charged) or for private functions (slightly enhanced fee charged).
- Coffee mornings: monthly Saturday coffee mornings are held where Trustees are on hand on a rota basis to meet residents to discuss any relevant issues and give support.
- Village website: the community website www.burley-in-wharfedale.org is maintained and hosted by volunteers on behalf of the Trust. It has been upgraded to comply with the latest visual accessibility recommendations for the visually-impaired. The site has news and diary sections that keep residents informed about village affairs and activities.
- The Duck Race: although primarily a fund-raising event, the racing of 2000 plastic ducks along a section of the River Wharfe at the east end of the village always attracts a crowd of several hundred residents of all ages and abilities. Trust volunteers organise both the race and marshalled pedestrian crossing of the A65 trunk road for safe access to the riverbank public footpath.
- Co-operation with local organisations: Trust volunteers work with other local bodies (e.g. Parish Council, Wildlife Group) to undertake village public areas maintenance and improvements.
Funds and fund-raising
The accounts for the year to 30th September 2006 had been reviewed and audited by an independent person - Mrs J Bateson - not being a village resident able to benefit from the Trust activities, or an honorary member.
The accounts were presented to the AGM in overhead slide form with explanations, and were approved by the Members present.
Income increased from £13753 to £21586 in the year, but £15387 was in the form of donated funds from the cessation of activities of Burley Community Council (following the formation of the new Burley Parish Council). Expenditure was little changed at £3909 compared to £3813 the previous year. Of this, only £38.75p was spent on administration and postage etc.
Total assets of £44204 are carried forward to the year from 1st October 2006. Of this, £8000 is the depreciated value of the Scalebor Sports Pavilion, £11010 is available to be used for any relevant charitable purpose, and the balance of £25194 allocated to specific activities - £5081 for the Jennings Bequest garden area, £8956 for Mill Pond maintenance etc., £5000 for Round House maintenance etc., £3000 for Pudding Tree Garden maintenance etc., £1155 for Scalebor Pavilion maintenance etc., and £2000 for costs associated with transfer of leases from BCC to the Trust.
Fund-raising takes the following forms (no paid-for fund raising is used):
- Annual subscriptions
- General donations sent with subscriptions
- 100 Club subscriptions
- Coffee morning funds raised
- Duck race ticket sales
- Christmas lights bucket-collections and collecting tins placed in shops
- Unsolicited donations/legacies
- Appeals via Trust newsletters etc. for donations for specific activities
- Requests for grants from local authorities
Future Plans
- It is necessary to formalise the transfer of the BMDC lease for the Round House to the Trust and to negotiate a new lease for the Pudding Tree Garden from the land-owner. Both of these are agreed in principle and are in the hands of our legal advisors.
- Both the Round House and Pudding Tree Gardens need remedial maintenance this year.
- The Scalebor Pavilion sewerage drainage system requires maintenance this year.
- The use of the Jennings Bequest fund for the intended purpose of enhancement of a specific public garden area in the village centre must be implemented.
- A redundant public toilet block building is being converted into a Christmas Lights store room and workshop. Various lighting features will need safety-related maintenance this year.
- The website will be enhanced to include more village-related photography
- One of the three village noticeboards has been refurbished this year, and the remaining two are planned to receive refurbishment in the next year.
Prepared for and on behalf of the Trustees
Michael Harris - Trustee and Hon Treasurer
Reviewed and approved by Bruce Speed
Chairman of Trustees