Following the Resolutions made at our 2024 AGM, we have worked towards becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. The new organisation is a registered charity and this change helps protect the Village Hall and its assets for the future. Community Action Norfolk have been an enormous help as we have moved towards this goal, guiding us every step of the way. Our new charity has been registered with the Charity Commission, and a law firm is now in the middle of the necessary work to transfer the assets of the existing charity to the new one at which time the current charity will be closed.
All costs incurred by the hall have continued to rise through the year and are under constant review aiming to reduce outgoing expenditure. Ongoing maintenance of the building due to its age continues to increase. Hiring rates for regular hirers increased in June 2025 for the first time since 2019.
There is a misconception with many that the play area owned and maintained by the Council, it is not – it is the Charity’s responsibility. The play area continues to require ongoing maintenance/repairs during the year. We carry out regular checks on the play area and have an Annual inspection by ROSPA. Regular inspections are undertaken by the Trustees throughout the year.
There are QR codes to try to raise funds for the play area and posters around the area to let the residents know we look after the area. We are obtaining quotes to replace a piece of equipment and to add more benches. Shockingly this is very expensive, and once further quotes are received, we will have to decide whether we can justify the costs or remove the equipment. This year we have repaired the Rota Webb, which cost over £600. The damaged Stilts were removed and the basketball post was painted both by a trustee which saved us money and a neighbour gave us permission to cut back branches that overhung the play area, at a cost to the charity of £288.
We desperately need more Trustees who can help share the workload. Currently we only have 6, which is not enough.
We currently have 15 regular bookings, mostly during weekday evenings, but include a few daytime ones. We have some other groups who regularly book through the year for larger weekend meetings.
Other event bookings continue to do well, with some months the hall booked every weekend.
Discussions have continued with Mundford Football Club to provide a new licence for their use of the Facilities. Providing improved understanding of responsibilities on both sides, we are close to reaching a final agreement which will then need to undergo legal review.
After Mundford Football Club was no longer able to continue with their plans for a pavilion, we have worked with them to plan an extension at the back of the Village Hall to provide facilities to use on match days, for meetings etc. It will be called The Marston Room and will also be available for village hirers to use when not in use by the Football club. Planning permission has been granted and work will commence during 2026.
The website continues to be an accessible source of information regarding booking and group details. We appreciate all the help and guidance given by Rosemary Godfrey to keep the website updated.
We continue to use Instagram and Facebook to advertise our facilities and activities.
We have continued to have books in the foyer as a source of fundraising asking for donations for them.
We also received donations from a walking group for their relatively regular use of the car park.
Other fundraising this year has been from attending Friends of Mundford School Mundford School Fete, Hall of Stalls £650 and Open Morning. The Open Gardens run by Worthwhile Accountancy donated £315 to us, 50% of the funds raised. We continue to have issues this year with our car park being used as a general car park. This is a particular concern for some of our hirers who have paid for the hall (which includes full use of the car park) who then find limited car parking available. We have put up notices and again used QR codes to encourage donations for the upkeep.
Extract from the Trustees’ Annual report for the year ending 31-Mar-26
Mundford Village Hall 