To receive a presentation from Bisley Village Hall’s Management Committee.
Minutes:
Graham Bailey and Sue Smith gave presentation on behalf of the Bisley Village Hall Management Committee. The presentation included an overview of the history of Bisley Village Hall, the governance and funding arrangements and a summary of the challenges faced by the management committee.
The Committee was informed that although the charitable trust which managed Bisley Village Hall had been set up in 1961 the main body of the hall’s premises had been built in 1874.
It was reported that the Village Hall currently received no subsidies. In 2016/17, the majority of its funding had been sourced from a combination of users’ fees (25,950), fundraising events (£7,856), donations (£4,632) and one off grants (£29,981). The Management Board tried to maintain a contingency fund of £20,000 to pay for unexpected expenditure and in 2016/17 this had helped to pay for repairs to the hall’s flat roofs.
The Management Board had developed a Five Year Improvement Plan which it was hoped would make the Hall a more attractive, comfortable place in the future. The works included improving the insulation, replacing windows, installing a new heating system and improving the lighting. Work would also take place to explore the feasibility of restoring heritage features in the main hall.
Arising from members’ questions and comments the following points were noted:
· Bisley Village Hall was not a listed building
· All major hirers were represented on the Management Board and the Board worked hard to ensure that communication between Board members and the wider community was open and awareness of the availability of the hall was publicised as widely as possible.
· It was noted that County Councillors had access to a Member Fund which could be used to support local initiatives in their constituencies and it was suggested that the Management Committee consider the possibility of applying for funding from this source.
The Committee thanked Graham Bailey and Sue Smith for their presentation.