Gerrans Parish Memorial Hall and Heritage Centre
Reflections on 2022 – a year of rapid recovery – and exciting plans for 2023
Having had to close the Hall and Heritage Centre for much of 2020 and 2021, it was heartening to see a rapid return of our regular users through 2022. Through the year, the Hall had 495 bookings, and the Committee Room 74. On a typical week, we have around 18 to 20 different groups using the facility.
If you want to book an event, you can do so using the online booking system. Just head to the online calendar/diary on our website, create a login username and password. See address below
https://www.gerranshall.com/event-calendar
The Heritage Centre followed a similar path of re-opening following COVID. Through the summer of 2021, we had reduced opening hours and we restricted the numbers of visitors in at any one time. Thankfully, 2022 was back to normal. We have increased our volunteer base, refreshed the exhibitions, and kept the shop well stocked for locals and visitors alike.
As we head into 2023, we are in a healthy financial position, thanks to our funding model and the careful management by the Committee over the years. In case you aren’t aware of our model, it is a shining example of community self-help. We own the building that the GP Surgery operates from. The rental income that passes from the NHS to the Surgery, and then to us, is reinvested back into the maintenance and improvement of our assets. It allows us to subsidise the hire fees for users.
The reserves we have built up has allowed us to develop a capital projects programme for the next 2 years. We have already started. For example, refurbishing the floor in the Main Hall and installing a cinema system in the Committee Room and restoring the telephone box by the Fisherman’s Shelter for use as a small exhibition space.
Other initiatives planned include:
- Externally: replacing the fencing and drainage; new ticketing and payment system for car parking; improving the lighting; and possibly, installing electric vehicle charging points
- Internally: refurbishing the toilets; creating new storage areas for users; an archiving and storage area for the Heritage Centre; replacing the curtains in the Hall; updating the lighting; and a complete redecoration.
The works will be done in phases and planned with our users, so we keep the facilities open to minimise disruption.
Over the last 18 months we have put a significant amount of effort into tightening up our governance arrangements too. The most important change has been to shift our legal structure to a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). CIOs are a relatively new, and very helpful legal structure for organisations like ours. It allows us to do everything that a limited company can do e.g. enter into contracts and employ people (should we wish), but because CIOs are not actual companies, we don’t have to register with Companies House, rather we are registered with and governed by the Charity Commission. This will save us lots of time, effort and cost in administration. It also reduces the personal liability for our Trustees.
In moving to the new legal structure, we also took the opportunity to review and refresh all the polices that govern how we operate to bring us in line with the latest Charity Commission best practice. These policies cover a range of topics including: conflicts of interest; financial procedures; managing our reserves; safeguarding; and data protection.
If you have any suggestions or feedback about your community asset, please reach out to any of the Committee of 4 Trustees and 8 Members
Trustees: Andy Mullins (Chair), Nev Meek (Vice Chair), Nigel Boon (Treasurer), Cynthia Calton (Secretary)
Members: Victoria Ling (Bookings Secretary), Julie Saunders, Richard Sharp, Pam Case, Gill Stratton, Anne Wesley, David Hall, Ros Brown