The village hall is a registered charity ( charity number 305160) and regulated by the Charity Commission. Income is from rental of the hall or of equipment such as tables or crockery plus donations and grants. The principal outgoings are insurance, energy costs and maintenance.
The hall generally covers its running costs from rental income, but it leaves little for more than minimum maintenance and it has hade to rely on fundraising and donations to bridge the gap between income and outgoings. In the last couple of years fortunes have changed with an uptick in rental income meaning that there is a greater surplus available for maintenance and improvement projects. A summary of the finances since 2011 can be viewed by clicking this link.
Improvement costs have been considerable over the years with the last major improvement being the replacement of all the wooden windows with uPVC double glazed units and the last major maintenance cost being a new oil tank. Both were made possible due to a generous subsidy from Ashburnham Thanksgiving Trust which donates £3 for every £1 raised by fundraising activities. The £3 + £1 creates a pool from which the village hall can draw 75% of the cost of maintenance and improvement work.
October 2024