| Date | Monday 11th May 2026 |
| Present | Committee: Stella, Damian, Toni, Steve, Jess, Alex, Becca, Nick Members of Public: 1 (Betty) |
| Apologies | Claire, Maggie, Bill |
| Next AGM | Date TBC |
| Item | Commentary |
| Minutes of the last AGM | Agreed |
| Treasurer’s report | Damian as Treasurer then gave a review of the finances over the past 12 months. Highlights included; bookings/booking funds were increased over the last 12 months compared to the previous year, as did social events and fundraising; we have raised over £50k this year in fundraising and grants. Insurance fees increased although we had a significant reduction in cleaning and garden maintenance due to personnel changes; invested in the new kitchen; water, gas and electric reduced by c£500 this year. Damian resolved the complications with our savings account and moved to an investment account and summarised this. Damian summarised finances are looking positive however we have no upcoming grant funding planned but have the Community Kitchen to subsidise, and plans for audio visual and sound deadening/stage curtains for 2026-2027. We hope the significant investment into the hall will increase the hire of the hall as it currently stands it only covers basic utilities costs, maintenance and we are relying on fundraising for the running of the hall. Damian laid out we should hope to increase hire of the hall from £6k to £9k a year to cover all the costs but currently the fundraising makes up the difference. He acknowledged the hard work of the committee in putting on these successful events. |
| Chair’s Report | Chairman’s Annual report 2025/26 Object Gittisham Parish Hall is a place of meeting and of instruction, recreation and entertainment, for the inhabitants of the parish of Gittisham and otherwise for the benefit of the inhabitants of the said parish. Performance Gittisham Village Hall has had another very active and community-focused year, marked by a blend of social events, infrastructure improvements, and strategic financial planning. Community Events & Engagement The hall hosted a variety of popular and lucrative events, including Burns Night, two quizzes, live music, a variety of talks, craft sales, two bingo events, a big breakfast, monthly coffee and cake afternoons and a Father’s Day BBQ. Additionally, the weekly Community Kitchen continued to offer free meals every Thursday bringing parishioners together to share food and socialise. Private bookings including: 12 Birthday parties, 7 family celebrations, 25 Yoga classes, 1 retreat, 2 Womens circle, 1 health intervention, 17 exercise classes, 14 Tai Chi, 40 Dance Club, 5 music rehearsals, 5 funeral wakes and 2 wedding receptions, 12 pop up cafes. These gatherings not only fostered community spirit and reduced isolation but also contributed to increased hall bookings and revenue. The committee continued its quarterly engagement with Devon Communities Together, a support organisation for village halls in East Devon, sharing experiences and learning. Infrastructure & Sustainability The hall’s facilities and sustainability were improved. Grants were successfully obtained from the local council and the national lottery that, along with our fundraising events, helped to finalise the kitchen upgrade, aligning with the hall’s commitment to energy efficiency and fire safety. The new kitchen is now built to a commercial standard with ventilation, electric shutter, stainless steel surfaces, new flooring and commercial freezer. The hall was repainted by volunteers using painted donated by a local firm. Poor plasterwork was removed and the brickwork pointed. The kitchen successfully obtained a 5 star hygiene rating from the Council health and safety inspector. Outdoor maintenance tasks, including external painting, benches, planting and chippings, all ensured the hall surrounds remain in good condition. Finally, a fire assessment was successfully completed and extinguishers serviced. Financial Management The hall’s financial position continued to be sustainable, thanks to grants and fundraising efforts, but the hall still faced rising operational costs. At the end of the financial year, the hall’s bank balance was again positive and the annual return was submitted on time. Reserves cover two years of operating costs. Hall funds were transferred to an HSBC charity account offering a higher rate of return. The overall balances of the current account and reserves are given in the financial report. The main risk to the charity is low revenue from commercial hiring and this is offset with strong marketing and holding of multiple fundraising events. Building insurance was upgraded during the year to reflect higher rebuilding costs. Hall bookings run more efficiently and transparently using the dedicated Hallmaster web-based system. Committee changes Changes have included two new members joining : Becca Avery and Steve Brinklow.. Nick Chapman and Stella Adamson continued as Chair and Vice Chair respectively and Damian Furniss as Treasurer. Summary Gittisham Village Hall has had an outstanding year in terms of improving the hall’s facilities, ensuring financial health, building sustainability and fostering a strong sense of community spirit, while maintaining an active and committed group of committee members. Gittisham Village Hall has continued to serve as a vital hub for community activities providing a wide range of events and hosting a large number of private bookings. |
| Comments received | Stella noted the hiring has already picked up and we have more birthday parties, weddings and private events. Stella noted we need to continue the advertising both through social media and traditional channels. We could explore getting some pictures done and creating a hall brochure to put out to the public. We could also benefit from longer term bookings to replace the yoga/fitness that sadly concluded this year. Stella also said we have had many positive comments from bookers on the quality of the kitchen and repeat bookings off the back of this. |
| Election of officers | ELECTION OF COMMITTEE OFFICERS We have 4 positions; Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer & Secretary. (Plus a bonus position of Bookings Secretary) Nick was unanimously voted in as Chair of the Committee. Stella was unanimously voted in as Vice Chair. Damian was unanimously voted in as Treasurer. I (Jess) stood down as Secretary due to personal/family commitments. Becca was unanimously voted in as Secretary. Thanks to Becca for volunteering. Bookings Secretary: Stella and Gary remain in their roles with Stella managing the booking system and Gary doing the meets and greets but this could be subject to change this year. Hallmaster is a great system and easy to use. |
| Hiring charges | Hire charges were frozen for this coming year |
| AOB | Betty raised the piano concert next week and discussed attendance, advertising, table layout and asking Michael to give an opening word on the evening. Food was discussed and we will be doing donations only and BYOB so we don’t need a licence. Nick then concluded the AGM and thanked everyone for their attendance. Betty said her thanks and left. |
Village Hall Minutes
Village Hall Committee April 2026
| Date | Monday 13th April 2026 | |
| Present | Stella, Maggie, Damian, Claire, Toni, Steve, Jess, Alex, Becca | |
| Apologies | Nick, Bill | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 11th May 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| Initial Discussion: Priorities & Previous Minutes | Stella circulated the Agenda for the meeting in the interest of a more efficient meeting to prioritise matters that need attention instead of our previous routine of following the minutes from the previous meeting.Nick has approached Mary Marker for Burns night 2027 but not yet heard back.Nick will be getting Jim a thank you gift aqs per previous minutes – Gary politely declined his thank you gift.Claire has requested a visit from EDDC for the Food Hygiene assessment but has not yet heard back.Stella shared a leaving checklist for Hirers’ and we discussed what could be added. Alex suggested adding to remind those to lock doors and windows. Steve raised that the last Wedding hire actually trespassed into a member of the communities’ garden to use a basketball – an apology will be given to this parishioner. Jess to check that the Hallmaster emails because Becca mentioned she didn’t see T&Cs when she booked – it should be a clickable link. | |
| All actions | New actions:Stella reminded everyone about the AGM, and to have a think on what involvement we want to have as members in the coming year. Alex has advertised this on the website. Old actions: Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon – no updates/urgency.Stella to continue chasing the Charities commission about the change to our Governance – in Springtime. | |
| Committee members and governance | Committee Members: Stella has circulated the new trustee welcome packs to Becca and Steve to sign. Policies: Stella has redrafted DCT policies – Stella to run through the Health and Safety Policy with the committee and to run through the financial policies with Damian after the AGM. | Stella |
| Finance | Damian: Damian shared the end of year finances, we ended in the black! Thanks to the incredible fundraising work of the Committee (many thanks to the amazing Claire). Damian has also wrapped up all the previous bank accounts from Janet and is in the full Primary User for all relevant accounts. Some Highlights: Kitchen works didn’t increase in value. (woo!)Fundraising events pushed us into the black. There was a £10 discrepancy on cash but Damian will resolve.Reminder that we have no donation income for the last 3 months of last year or this year. We had £1350 last year and need to consider how to make up the shortfall of income if we cannot cover the costs of CK.2024-2025 returns are on the charities commission site. Damian hopes to do it for 25-26 after the AGM as he is more familiar with the process now. Damian discussed the current financial status – he will be finding a high interest savings account to move some money into this year. | Damian |
| Grants | Alex: To meet with EDDC to report back on the grant application. Claire has applied for a Community Grant Fund for the new stage curtains – awaiting to hear. Damian shared an example of sound deadening he saw in a recent National Trust excursion and Stella reminded us all to keep eyes peeled for grants we can apply to for these kind of improvements. | Alex |
| Maintenance | Alex has organised and had feedback from the portable appliance testing – the ban marie and the extension lead failed but everything else passed. Maggie has instructed the local pest controller Graham to resolve the mice situation. He will come regularly until the issue is resolved. Painters (Jim and any other volunteers) are doing the lobby this weekend the 17th-18th April. Claire raised that the back roof windows need a clean and Alex suggested he and Toni can take the pressure washer to the roof and clean it. Claire said we need a barrier mat for the back door as hirers bring in mud and debris as it is straight from garden into the tiled floor at the moment. The committee agreed it was a requirement. Expected to cost between £100-£250 for a decent one. Claire has requested £100 for garden plants for a Clematis and a rose to plant up the shed to make it more sightly and to get more bulbs for the garden, the Committee all agreed the spring bulbs she planted were a wonderful addition to the garden and to continue the investment for the benefit of the hirers and parishioners (and Claire). | Maggie Claire/Damian |
| Bookings | Stella gave a report on bookings, we are getting a steady trickle of bookings and May is looking really busy which is what we need. Reminder for the committee – to please notify Stella of any works (grass being cut, rodent management etc) to avoid clashes with bookings. The Committee discussed paying deposits and we suggested and voted for a booking deadline of 48 hours to pay a deposit to confirm the booking. All Committee members present agreed. Jess raised Community Kitchen and the Committee discussed the loss of income but also the value of funding community kitchen in the form of grants off the back of it. It is a sensitive topic as we don’t want attendees to be concerned about the future of the event or ask them for donations and instead suggested we use one of the coffee and cakes to go towards the fees. We may earn enough through fundraising this year to cover it. | |
| Future events | Coffee&Cake 25th April – Alex/Becca/Gary have volunteered. Quiz 9th May – Hamish has agreed to run this with Nick. Light food, costs need to be sorted and a raffle. Ploughmans or bacon baps (we have a freezer full of bacon). Suggested £7 for a ticket to include a bacon bap (cheese for vegetarians). Start time of 7:30pm.16th May – TBC Betty has had an offer from a pianist in America to do a piano performance. Nick will be hosting with Betty. Suggested taking donations and if we take a significant amount to split it with the hall and a charity of the pianists’ choice. Doors 6pm for start time of 6:30pm. Future events:talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk 6th and 7th June – Flower festival.Father’s Day 21st June 2026 – Need to discuss because we need a team to cater/host. 11th July – Live Music, Exeter Street Band and BBQ. Need to get a bar licence for this.12th July – Vicar’s leaving party from 1pm onwards. Agreed as a committee that there should be no charge as a thank you for Julia’s generosity and commitment to the community during her service as Vicar.Flower and Produce Show 1st August 2026Gittisham Fete 5th Sept 2026Bill suggested a Gardeners Question Time. Halloween party for Kids – Jess Hosting. To be booked Sat 31st October after coffee and cake so 4:30-6pm.October 17th – Becca suggested a jumble sale.November – Xmas extravagada and Bingo 28th NovemberBurns night 2027 – Sat 23rd Jan 2027. Nick to book the caller for next year. Claire to book the bagpiper.Need to be mindful of planning future events to not clash with Parish Council events. | Toni to create posters for upcoming events. |
| AOB | Discussed the most recent Easter Bingo. The evening was advertised as starting at 7pm with eyes down at 7:30 and the hall was at capacity by 7:05pm. It was raised that a member of the Community took offence to the 3 flags flown on the front of the hall (Union Jack, St George’s Flag and the Devon Flag) and suggested we take them down. Due to the recent socio-economic climate with anti-immigration riots using the St George’s flag as a protest to immigration, we can see why it may be construed in this way. A discussion was had that it would be appropriate to fly the St George’s flag alongside the Union Jack and Devon Flag as a symbol of Community, Pride in our nation and the diversity we celebrate. The Committee also acknowledged we cannot please everyone and that we are a small Devonshire village with people of many Nationalities residing here locally. Gittisham is well known for its open and supportive community and events like The annual Fete and the weekly Community Kitchen welcome all to attend and we feel the flags reflect those values. The Committee took a vote on flying the flags outside – 2 abstained and 7 yes’. |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Hose reel – ours leaks significantly and we need a new one for the garden |
| Bin Store |
| Sound Deadening Clouds/equipment to make it less echo-ey – Alex |
| Stage Curtains and for the other end of the hall to sound deaden – Claire |
| Hooks on the doors in toilets specifically the disabled toilet – Toni to provide |
| Murals in the toilets – Maggie/Claire exploring |
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2026 to 31 March 2027 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2026 to 31 March 2027 | |||||||
| INCOME | 13th April 2026 | EXPENDITURE | 13th April 2026 | |||||
| 2025/26 | 3.6% of 2026/27 | 2026/27 | 2025/26 | 3.6% of 2026/27 | 2026/27 | |||
| Balance b/fwd | £6,174.15 | Insurance | £959.73 | £34.55 | £0.00 | |||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Hire of Hall | £6,079.06 | £218.85 | £664.80 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,054.65 | £37.97 | £0.00 | |
| Social Events | £7,705.24 | £277.39 | £1,000.00 | Maintenance/Equipment | £26,668.55 | £960.07 | £410.00 | |
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £2,562.96 | £92.27 | £200.35 | |
| Miscellaneous | £51,406.32 | £1,850.63 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £6,618.53 | £238.27 | £0.00 | ||
| £65,190.62 | £2,346.86 | £1,664.80 | £37,864.42 | £1,363.12 | £610.35 | |||
| Balance | £7,228.60 | |||||||
| Total | £7,838.95 | £7,838.95 | ||||||
| Reserves | ||||||||
| HSBC Instant Access Business Savings Account: £26,723.32 | ||||||||
| Cash Float: £259.16 |
Village Hall Committee March 2026
| Date | Monday 9th March 2026 | |
| Present | Stella, Maggie, Damian, Claire, Toni, Bill, Steve, Jess & AlexObservers: Becca | |
| Apologies | Nick | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 13th April 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:Stella opened with a warm welcome to Steve and Becca. Steve and Becca has joined the Committee.Agreed to run an agenda as opposed to minutes next time.Thanks to Kate Kimber for helping with the planting of the spring bulbs – Bill raised how beautiful the garden looks with the flowers starting to bloom. Thanks to Claire for coordinating. Claire & Maggie has honoured Doris by replanting some of her plants from her garden into the Hall garden. Acknowledged and showed thanks to the volunteers that contributed to the decoration of the hall (painting, carpentry etc). Stuart was thanked with a gift of wine. Agreed that Jim and Gary should be thanked with a similar gift. Nick to arrange.Claire Contacted EDDC to follow up about food hygiene inspection once the Kitchen is finished. Once the oven is professionally cleaned in April 2026. EDDC coming along after the breakfast. Old actions: Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon – no updates/urgency.Stella to continue chasing the Charities commission about the change to our Governance – in Springtime. | Nick – Need to check he has done thisClaire |
| Committee members and governance | Policies: Stella has redrafted DCT policies – Stella to run through the Health and Safety Policy with the committee and to run through the financial policies with Damian after the AGM. | Stella |
| Finance | Damian: Circulated this month’s report. Damian is confident we may finish 2025-2026 in the black as the final invoice from the Plumber we anticipated being c£2k came in at roughly £1,440. All kitchen related bills now payed. Just need to allocate the £1,000 grant we got for the kitchen accessories (trays, utensils etc). Discussed allocation of the funds and Damian to do a reconciliation of the monies so far as we only have until the end of March to spend the remainder. The talks we have hosted are raising around £30-£50 whereas coffee and Cake’s are raising closer to £200-300. Donations to Community Kitchen ended in January. There will be an £1,800 deficit without this income. We have a £400 grant towards to CK rent but this doesn’t cover the total deficit. Need to decide how to move forward with CK. Geraldine was given a small gift of thanks for turning the accounts around at year end so quickly. Damian pointed out our efforts in fundraising are what has kept the hall afloat this year and next year we need more efforts in bookings of the hall to push income without so much labour. Claire has begun fundraising/find sponsors for the Easter Bingo and successfully secured £500 towards the event. Our Main sponsor is Heltor Oils and supported by Shoobridges. | Damian |
| Grants | Alex: To meet with EDDC to report back on the grant application. Damian to please produce a receipt for £400 worth of CK rent to provide evidence to the Council. Committee discussed the spend of the grant and what items come under the limitations of the grant. Claire to manage the spend of the remainer of the grant. Claire has applied for a Community Grant Fund for the new stage curtains. The Committee discussed keeping our eyes peeled for further grant opportunities – we will be able to apply for a further lottery grant in September 2026 if we want to for a new projector/screen – Alex mentioned Awliscombe did similar. | Alex Damian |
| Maintenance | The Committee acknowledged the stellar work Jim has been doing as our new cleaner and going above and beyond – and shared our thanks for his hard work so far. Discussed the plaster work on the wall by the stage – the Committee voted and all agreed to repoint and tidy the new exposed brick wall. Hallway and back foyer now looks even more worn now the main hall is done. We have all the paint and kit and just need time/volunteers (Jim/Stuart/Nick?) Thanks to Carla for taking away the rubble from the front – the Committee are grateful for Carla always pitching in with tidying up – thank you Carla! | Alex will ask Rufus to complete the work on the wall. Nick |
| Bookings | We need to make sure that hirers clean up after themselves, perhaps we can make up a checklist that they run through but we could reserve the right to get a professional cleaner if a booking left the hall in a poor state.Stella to liaise with Gary. Still in Progress. We have a new regular booking for Tai Chi which is great as it is every week of the year. We have 2 weddings in 2026 and one in 2027 so far. We need to advertise the hall more for bookings and keep pushing for reviews. Stella and Gary have a good process with showing bookers around at the start of a booking to be on hand for any FAQs and ensuring the customers are comfortable. Media team keep promoting the hall socially – We need more pictures of the hall in use to use on the Instagram/facebook pages. We could reach out to local influencers to promote the hall. Claire mentioned a business forum in Honiton that we could explore for appealing to more corporate clients or small business clients for staff parties etc. Toni mentioned creating a suppliers list to provide prospective bookers inspiration of what the hall could be used for and a list of what we have available at the hall for hirers to use. Discussed having a “library” of “toys” (giant jenga, ping pong table, games, etc) for villagers/bookers to use as part of a benefit of booking and Becca suggested doing it as an additional cost for wedding bookings. We were delighted to welcome Cllr. Jeffries and his daughter to Community Kitchen this week and show him where the money he pledged to the hall was going. Agreed that CK and Coffee&Cake are integral to the value of the hall in the community. | Stella Alex/Toni/Jess Toni |
| Future events | Saturday 14th March – Village Halls Week/Mothers day breakfast. Jess to coordinate with Claire.Saturday 28th March – Coffee & Cake and Bingo. Commitments made by Toni, Alex, Claire, Jess for the 28th to be present/on the door. Alex and Becca to host Coffee and Cake. Jess to organise a kids easter egg raffle. Future events:talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk Coffee and Cake & Bingo on 28th March Potential Quiz – 9th May 2026. Stella putting dates forward to Hamish. 6th and 7th June – Flower festival.Father’s Day 21st June 2026 – Need to discuss because we need a team to cater/host. 11th July – Live Music, Exeter Street Band and BBQ. Need to get a bar licence for this.Flower and Produce Show 1st August 2026Gittisham Fete 5th Sept 2026Bill suggested a Gardeners Question Time. Halloween party for Kids – Jess Hosting. To be booked Sat 31st October 10-2?November – Becca suggested a jumble sale.November – Xmas extravagada and BingoBurns night 2027 – Sat 23rd Jan 2027. Nick to book the caller for next year. Claire to book the bagpiper.Need to be mindful of planning future events to not clash with Parish Council events. | Stella to confirm Quiz date with Hamish. Nick |
| AOB | None |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Hose reel – ours leaks significantly and we need a new one for the garden |
| Bin Store |
| Sound Deadening Clouds/equipment to make it less echo-ey – Alex |
| Stage Curtains and for the other end of the hall to sound deaden – Claire |
| Hooks on the doors in toilets specifically the disabled toilet – Toni to provide |
| Murals in the toilets – Maggie/Claire exploring |
FINANCE REPORT
| Kitchen works | |
| Grants awarded to cover the kitchen works were £20,980.00 | |
| An additional grant from DCC for £1,000 has now been received. | |
| The spend on the kitchen works is: | |
| £8,130.60 | Allsop/Pitts deposit |
| £8,130.60 | Allsop/Pitts second payment |
| £980.01 | Allsop/Pitts fridge/freezer payment |
| £648.23 | Drake’s Plumbing payment |
| £5,115.86 | Damien Richards building payment |
| £1,440.00 | Electrician payment |
| £202.03 | Jewsons |
| £395.18 | IKEA etc |
| £272.64 | Allsop/Pitts final payment |
| £230.47 | Allsop/Pitts miscellaneous |
| £105.84 | Miscellaneous |
| £25,651.46 | |
| Fundraising | |
| Fundraising during 2025-26 has made a profit of £4257.05. (N.B. Easter Bingo was at the end of 2024-25.) | |
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | |||||||
| INCOME | 9th March 2026 | EXPENDITURE | 9th March 2026 | |||||
| 2024/25 | 93.7% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 93.7% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | |||
| Balance b/fwd | £5,571.27 | Insurance | £723.73 | £678.14 | £959.73 | |||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Hire of Hall | £5,828.56 | £5,461.36 | £5,819.06 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,901.59 | £1,781.79 | £937.15 | |
| Social Events | £5,782.76 | £5,418.45 | £7,093.26 | Maintenance/Equipment | £45,022.20 | £42,185.80 | £26,605.73 | |
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £3,039.75 | £2,848.25 | £2,381.20 | ||
| Miscellaneous | £43,476.90 | £40,737.86 | £51,406.32 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £2,457.59 | £2,302.76 | £6,063.82 | |
| £55,088.22 | £51,617.66 | £64,318.64 | £53,144.86 | £49,796.73 | £36,947.63 | |||
| Balance | £32,942.28 | |||||||
| Total | £69,889.91 | £69,889.91 | ||||||
| Reserves | ||||||||
| Redwood Deposit A/C closed: £16,229.17 balance and £309.15 interest transferred 2/26 | ||||||||
| Redwood Deposit A/C transfer: £10,185.00 5/25 | ||||||||
| Total reserves transferred: £26,414.17 capital and £309.15 interest | ||||||||
| Therefore, current A/C balance £6,527.58 | ||||||||
| Cash Float £364.30 to be banked 31/3 |
Village Hall Committee February 2026
| Date | Monday 9th February 2026 | |
| Present | Maggie, Damian, Nick, Claire, Toni, Bill, Jess & Alex Observers: Becca, Millie, Steve | |
| Apologies | Stella | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 9th February 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:Acknowledged and showed thanks to the volunteers that contributed to the decoration of the hall (painting, carpentry etc). Stuart was thanked with a gift of wine. Agreed that Jim and Gary should be thanked with a similar gift. Nick to arrange.Claire Contacted EDDC to follow up about food hygiene inspection once the Kitchen is finished. Once the oven is professionally cleaned in April 2026.Stella to continue chasing the Charities commission about the change to our Governance – in Springtime. Stella absent so to be discussed next time. Old actions: Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon – no updates/urgency. | NickClaire |
| Committee members and governance | Devon Communities Together Meeting: Alex gathered information about their sound deadening and noted the fortune of our hall being tucked away as opposed to on a main road. Nick Received positive feedback from their chair regarding our coffee and cake afternoons. Yettington will host the next one in April.Discussed recruiting more Committee Members to help with fundraising events. Claire to put it in the Gazette and Alex to post on Facebook calling for new Committee Members. We have 3 new faces around the table this evening! Policies: Stella has redrafted DCT policies – Stella to run through the Health and Safety Policy with the committee and to run through the financial policies with Damian. | No Action Claire/Alex All |
| Finance | Damian: Circulated this month’s report.Damian gave a detailed recap of the YTD financials. Bookings on the up now we have reopened the kitchen and bookings. The redwood account has been closed down so banking is simplified. Damian has not yet banked the cash from the most recent events but due to soon which will help the bank balance. Expenditure – insurance has increase and extended cover of the buildings insurance off the back of advice from the estate to meet the same standard. Utilities spend is less due to the solar panels and improvements such as windows, doors and insulation in the hall. Expenditure on the kitchen is just over £26k. The annual returns were submitted with the Charity Commission just in time and Geraldine deserves thanks for her quick turn around of the accounts for 24-25. Huge thanks from the Committee to Damian, Alex and Geraldine for their work on the accounting with the deadline of the 31st Jan. This years’ Easter Bingo falls into this financial year and Damian shared his hopes that it will push us into the black and make us break even. Damian sorted the banking mandates and now Nick, Damian and Jess are mandates of the accounts. Claire has begun fundraising/find sponsors for the Easter Bingo and successfully secured £500 towards the event. Our Main sponsor is Heltor Oils and supported by Shoobridges. | Damian |
| Grants | Alex: To meet with EDDC to report back on the grant application. Claire has secured a £1,000 grant for £600 of equipment and £400 of Community Kitchen rent. We are very grateful to Cllr. Jeffries to his support in getting this grant. Stella to please produce a receipt for £400 worth of CK rent to provide evidence to the Council. Committee discussed the spend of the grant and what items come under the limitations of the grant. Claire to manage the spend of the remainer of the grant. | Alex Stella/Claire |
| Maintenance | Jim has begun cleaning the hall. The committee are satisfied so far. Claire raised the gutter at the back and was overspilling when it wasn’t raining heavily. The rear skylight was cleaned by Alex – thank you. We require smaller grills on the outdoor vents. Claire to purchase in Springtime Discussed the plaster work on the wall by the stage – the Committee voted and all agreed to repoint and tidy the new exposed brick wall. Thanks to Bill for doing the boxing in in the Kitchen. Damage to the wall in the kitchen from a private booking this weekend just gone. A new sign has been put up to not put heavy items on the shelves. Stella has notified the booker of the damage and T&Cs. Nick to inform Stella and to ask Allsop and Pitts to return to iron out a couple of snagging items. Hallway and back foyer now looks even more worn now the main hall is done. We have all the paint and kit and just need time/volunteers (Stuart/Nick?) | Claire Alex to arrange Rufus to do the works. Nick Nick |
| Bookings | Thanks were passed on via Maggie to Alex and to the Committee for the generosity and help in hosting Doris’ Wake today. We need to make sure that hirers clean up after themselves, perhaps we can make up a checklist that they run through but we could reserve the right to get a professional cleaner if a booking left the hall in a poor state.Stella to liaise with Gary. Still in Progress. Media team to check out the Wedding Extravaganza at Westpoint and look to promoting the hall for more weddings. | Alex/Toni/Jess |
| Future events | Kitchen launch party: Evening Drinks on Friday 20th February, to invite the village and all the contractors to celebrate our new kitchen. Went through the invite list and extended the invites to friends of the hall, sponsors, individuals/businesses that have gifted time/gifts/money to the hall. Divvied up the nibbles – Alex to do Cheese and Grapes on sticks, Claire to do Ritz with Smoked Salmon/Philly & Cucumber and Cocktail Sausages. Sure doing goats cheese and beetroot. Mozz, tomato, basil bellinis – Jess. Vegan food from Clare Chapman. Claire to get cordials and fancy non Alcoholic drinks. Millie will bring some food too. Bill making little spinach pies. Friday 6th March – Environment Talk (Vicky). Toni making a Poster. Saturday 14th March – Village Halls Week/Mothers day breakfast. Jess to coordinate. Thanks to Nicky Wakeley for the Orchid talk – turnout of about 15/16 people but received very good feedback all round. Toni suggested doing a follow up in a few months to see improvements in their Orchids. Future events:talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk / Environment talk (Vicky)Coffee and Cake in 28th Feb – for Devon Air Ambulance. Easter Bingo 28th March 2026 – Commitments made by Toni, Alex, Claire, Jess for the 28th to be present/on the door. Father’s Day 21st June 2026 11th July – Live Music, Exeter Street Band and BBQ. Flower and Produce Show 1st August 2026 Gittisham Fete 5th Sept 2026 Bill suggested a Gardeners Question Time. Halloween party for Kids – Jess Hosting. To be booked Sat 31st October 10-2? Burns night 2027 – Sat 23rd Jan 2027. Nick to book the caller for next year. Claire to book the bagpiper. | All Jess All |
| AOB | None |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| Extractor fans in kitchen |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Boxing in the boiler/electrics in the kitchen – Bill |
| Bin Store |
| Sound Deadening Clouds/equipment to make it less echo-ey. |
| Stage Curtains and for the other end of the hall to sound deaden |
| Taps in the mens toilets and hooks on the doors in toilets. |
| Murals in the toilets – Maggie/Claire exploring |
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | ||||||||
| INCOME | 9th February 2026 | EXPENDITURE | 9th February 2026 | ||||||
| 2024/25 | 86.0% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 86.0% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | ||||
| Balance b/fwd | £5,571.27 | Insurance | £723.73 | £622.41 | £959.73 | ||||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | ||||||
| Hire of Hall | £5,828.56 | £5,012.56 | £5,313.06 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,901.59 | £1,635.37 | £832.15 | ||
| Social Events | £5,782.76 | £4,973.17 | £7,063.26 | Maintenance/Equipment | £45,022.20 | £38,719.09 | £25,145.94 | ||
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £3,039.75 | £2,614.19 | £1,968.15 | |||
| Miscellaneous | £43,476.90 | £37,390.13 | £34,768.00 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £2,457.59 | £2,113.53 | £5,496.41 | ||
| £55,088.22 | £47,375.87 | £47,144.32 | £53,144.86 | £45,704.58 | £34,402.38 | ||||
| Balance | £18,313.21 | ||||||||
| Total | £52,715.59 | £52,715.59 | |||||||
| Reserves | |||||||||
| Redwood Deposit A/C TBC (transfer in progress) | £15,169.20 | £10,185.00 transferred | |||||||
| Amount to be confirmed, including annual interest payment and date | |||||||||
| Cash Float £364.30 (previously £990.30) |
Village Hall Committee January 2026
| Date | Monday 12th January 2026 | |
| Present | Stella, Damian, Nick, Claire, Toni, Bill, Jess & Alex | |
| Apologies | Maggie | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 9th February 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:Painting booked in 19th and 20th Feb for the main hall. Claire Contacted EDDC to follow up about food hygiene inspection once the Kitchen is finished.Stella to continue chasing the Charities commission about the change to our Governance – in Springtime Formal thank you to be sent to Carla for her amazing support and getting rid of the old kitchen waste for free. Claire sending a card and wine. Old actions: Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon. | N/A Claire Stella Alex/Damian |
| Committee members and governance | Devon Communities Together Meeting: Next meeting in Awliscombe on 20th January. Alex will be attending. Claire gave feedback of thanks to the Volunteers of DCT. Discussed recruiting more Committee Members to help with fundraising events. Claire to put it in the Gazette and Alex to post on Facebook calling for new Committee Members. Policies: Stella has redrafted DCT policies – Stella to run through the Health and Safety Policy with the committee and to run through the financial policies with Damian. | Alex Claire/Alex All |
| Finance | Damian: Circulated this month’s report.Damian raised that we need to predict our fundraising target ahead of the year end to aim for break even. Hoping for reduced energy payments to help as it has cost a lot less than last winter (£300 a month down to £100) but it is still close to the line. Damian raised that Community Kitchen is no longer funded by our anonymous benefactor and it only just covered the hall hire cost. The subject of Community Kitchen was discussed as we no longer have the grant or the benefactor. All agreed that it is integral for the hall. All agreed as a motion that we will not be charging Community Kitchen for hall hire and making a commitment as a Committee to raise more money to cover the cost of CK. The Annual Returns have been submitted with Geraldine Coates. Awaiting notification that Geraldine has actioned this. Income/Expenditure, started the year at £5,571.27. Set to complete at circa £5,634. We do need fundraising to keep on track for break even.It was discussed that Alex and Toni will be advertising the hall aggressively once the works are complete and it looks beautiful and finished. To conclude, huge thanks to Damian for his financial management and projections, ideas and concerns raised and for his regular and appreciated hard work as our trusted Treasurer. Redwood account is on its was to be shut down and moved to an online-friendly provider. The Committee took a vote on which provider to move to and unanimously decided to proceed with Virgin Money as our new bank for our savings.Insurance has been sorted out – thank you Damian. Full notes on Finance attached below. | Damian |
| Grants | Alex: To meet with EDDC to report back on the grant application | Alex |
| Maintenance | Fire Assessment: Completed in December and done. Jess as Secretary has the hard copies. Fire extinguishers have been serviced by Chubb Cleaning. Some complaints received about the level of cleanliness despite more time being requested from current cleaning arrangements. Agreed to explore other options. Jim? Claire raised the gutter at the back and was overspilling when it wasn’t raining heavily. The rear skylight needs to be cleaned. – Russell has a telescopic cleanerA couple of posts have rotted on the rear fence and need replacing. We require smaller grills on the outdoor vents. Claire to purchase. Discussed the plaster work on the wall by the stage – going to get 2 more quotes but keen to cover it for the March wedding booking. To be discussed in February. Need a hole boxing in in the ceiling of the kitchen. Jess to ask Mike to do it on an hourly rate. | Claire Claire |
| Bookings | The committee acknowledged with deep sadness the passing of local ex hall committee member Doris and the contribution she made to the running of the hall and local village life. All agreed should the family wish to use the hall for her wake we would be delighted to offer the hall FOC. We need to make sure that hirers clean up after themselves, perhaps we can make up a checklist that they run through but we could reserve the right to get a professional cleaner if a booking left the hall in a poor state.Stella to liaise with Gary Advertising for the Hall needs to restart to boost our bookings once the Hall is picture ready and get more details for wedding vendors (catering/florists/entertainment) to be able to put together. Discussed putting a launch article in the midweek herald. Jess/Toni/Alex to launch Instagram and create a longer term marketing strategy. We have sadly lost our regular booking of Marjorie Madge as she has now retired – and thank her for her years of custom. We do have a new regular booking that will replace the income we’ve lost. Stella requested that all bookings please come directly through her to keep things simple. | Stella Jess/Toni/Alex All |
| Future events | Burns night 24th Jan: Caller is booked for Burns night. Nick has been organising. Toni to make a poster. Nick to provide details of the event to Toni. Last year we charged £8 per head. |We agree to charge £10 this time. BYOB. Alex, Claire, Bill, Nick will be on hand to help.Coffee and Cake on the 31st Jan – Gary and AlexTalks in Feb– Orchids by Nicky Wakeley (6th Feb) and Environmental (Vicky) (27th Feb). Nick to coordinate. Toni to prepare postersKitchen launch party: Evening Drinks on Friday 20th February, to invite the village and all the contractors to celebrate our new kitchen. Toni to make a poster/invitation please. Easter Bingo 28th March 2026 – Commitments made by Toni, Alex, Claire, Jess, Nick to be present/on the door. Potential future events:SkittlesAutumn talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk / glass/– Maggie asking Nic. / Father’s Day 21st June 2026Flower and Produce Show 1st August 2026Gittisham Fete 5th Sept 2026Bill suggested a Gardeners Question Time. Toni/Alex to look at targeting local gardening groups for the feb talks. Maybe make personalised invitations. Also investigate Honiton U3A Last year we agreed the church could have 3 days free for the flower show and harvest festival – majority agreed to do the same again. Discussed getting a full bar licence instead of the short term ones we currently do to appeal to more potential customers. | NickToni Gary/AlexNick All Toni |
| AOB | None |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| Extractor fans in kitchen |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Boxing in the boiler/electrics in the kitchen – Bill |
| Bin Store |
| Sound Deadening Clouds/equipment to make it less echo-ey. |
| Stage Curtains and for the other end of the hall to sound deaden |
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | |||||||||||
| INCOME | 11th January 2026 | EXPENDITURE | 11th January 2026 | |||||||||
| 2024/25 | 80.5% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 80.5% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | |||||||
| Balance b/fwd | £5,571.27 | Insurance | £723.73 | £582.60 | £959.73 | |||||||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||||||
| Hire of Hall | £5,828.56 | £4,691.99 | £4,361.06 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,901.59 | £1,530.78 | £832.15 | |||||
| Social Events | £5,782.76 | £4,655.12 | £6,607.10 | Maintenance/Equipment | £45,022.20 | £40,745.09 | £23,855.90 | |||||
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £3,039.75 | £2,447.00 | £1,689.19 | ||||||
| Miscellaneous | £43,476.90 | £34,998.90 | £33,768.00 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £2,457.59 | £1,978.36 | £5,151.18 | |||||
| £55,088.22 | £44,346.02 | £44,736.16 | £53,144.86 | £47,283.83 | £32,488.15 | |||||||
| Balance | £17,819.28 | |||||||||||
| Total | £50,307.43 | £50,307.43 | ||||||||||
| Reserves | ||||||||||||
| Redwood Deposit A/C TBC (awaiting access) | £15,169.20 | £10,185.00 transferred | ||||||||||
| Amount to be confirmed, including annual interest payment and date | ||||||||||||
| Cash Float £90.30 (previously £990.30) | £4,257.05 |
Village Hall Committee November 2025
| Date | Monday 10th November 2025 | |
| Present | Stella, Claire, Damian, Maggie & Alex | |
| Apologies | Nick, Toni, Jess and Bill | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 8th December 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:Kitchen Refurb – Kitchen has been ordered, Stella made some small adjustments £16,261.20 is the total cost excluding building works.Deposit to be paid when invoice is received Stella is liaising with builders to get quotes for the building works and obtaining dates for kitchen delivery and how we minimise disruption to hirers.Thanks to Bill & Gary for their work in boxing in the Boiler and Consumer units.New Freezer has been purchased – delivery date tbc Thanks to Stuart for painting the kitchen ceiling more coats to take place soon, the committee discussed painting the main hall. Claire Contacted EDDC to follow up about food hygiene inspectionStella to continue chasing the Charities commission about the change to our Governance Old actions: Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon.Claire raised that we expect an inspection to be booked fairly soon regarding the Food H&S Standards. Likely to be in Q3/Q4 2025 – Ongoing | StellaDamianStella Claire AllClaire AlexDamianClaire |
| Committee members and governance | DCT Meeting: Next meeting in Awliscombe in January DCT VCSE Meeting: Claire was invited to give feedback to DCT about their help and support. Policies: Stella has redrafted DCT policies – Stella to run through the Health and Safety Policy with the committee and to run through the financial policies with Damian | Stella All |
| Finance | Damian: Circulated this month’s report.Highlights: Received monies from the Lottery Grant £20,000There has been a transfer of 10,185 from the Redwood account. There are still 15,169.20 in the Redwood.There is a good balance for the Kitchen works but any costs over £23,000 may push us into a loss for the financial year.Open Mic made a small profitInsurance is yet to be paid – Damian to contact Cleaning and Grass cutting is lower this year around which is good. It is difficult to bank the cash as there are limited HSBC banks open these days. Damian to order a bank card for paying- in purposes only.Income includes income from the sponsorship towards the Christmas Bonanza. Damain will catch up on his pending actions, and will bring a proposal on bank accounts to the next meeting.Damian to complete the Annual report for the charities commission. Claire asked if the Cleaning time could be expanded | Damian |
| Grants | Lottery Grant was successful, treasurer and committee to look into the terms and conditions. Quotations are being put together, Damian would like to be contacted if it’s over £20,000 Alex: To meet with EDDC to report back on the grant application | Damian Alex |
| Maintenance | Fire Assessment: from Chubb would be £500 so Claire found another company that would complete one at a lower price – £280 The whole committee agreed for it to go ahead and the inspection takes place in December. Fire extinguishers have been serviced by Chubb Claire raised the gutter at the back and was overspilling when it wasn’t raining heavily. The rear skylight needs to be cleaned. – Russell has a telescopic cleanerA couple of posts have rotted on the rear fence and need replacing. We require smaller grills on the outdoor vents. Claire to purchase. | All AlexClaire Claire |
| Bookings | We need to make sure that hirers clean up after themselves, perhaps we can make up a checklist that they run through but we could reserve the right to get a professional cleaner if a booking left the hall in a poor state.Stella to liaise with Gary Advertising for the Hall needs to restart to boost our bookings. Some of the hiring prices from Hall master had some anomalies so this has been rectified. The Halloween party had great feedback and it was great to have a children’s aimed event. We would like this to be a blueprint for next year. | Stella Alex/Toni Stella |
| Future events | 29th November Bingo booked – Xmas crafts in the morning, Xmas cake sale in the afternoon followed by bingo.Some fantastic sponsors arranged by Claire Assistance is needed to Decorate on Friday 28th. Alex to ask Gary about helping with Coffee and Cake?Alcohol free mauled wine Helpers in the Kitchen to be requestedClaire has asked for support or someone to take on Easter Bingo.It was agreed to sell raffle tickets beforehand as long as there is a nominated person to receive their price on the night. All confirmed. Monday 8th December – Committee Christmas Meal (instead of the December Meeting).Bike Talk – Hamish potentially to give one in the futureNew Years Eve – Community Kitchen plus music Potential future events:Skittles?Autumn talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk / glass/Orchid talk – Maggie asking Nic. / Environment talk (Vicky) Burns Night 24th January 2026Kitchen Warming EventEaster Bingo 28th March 2026Father’s Day 21st June 2026Flower and Produce Show 1st August 2026Gittisham Fete 5th Sept 2026 | All |
| AOB | None |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| Extractor fans in kitchen |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Boxing in the boiler/electrics in the kitchen – Bill |
| Bin Store |
Village Hall Committee October 2025
| Date | Monday 13th October 2025 | |
| Present | Nick,Toni, Damian,Bill, Maggie & Alex | |
| Apologies | Stella, Claire, Jess | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 10th November 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:Kitchen Refurb – In the process of receiving quotes from buildings and kitchen fitters. Future meeting to be proposed to discuss these works. Potentially, contact EDDC environmental health to let them know that this work is taking place. (Claire)Stella to communicate with the Charities Commission about the amendments needed to the governance document following their recent reply. Claire to follow up with Octavia about the toilet mural Old actions: Alex to explore options for changing electricity and gas suppliers to a cheaper evening / business tariff, also considering smart meters, contract break clauses and options to sell our energy back to the grid. Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon.Claire raised that we expect an inspection to be booked fairly soon regarding the Food H&S Standards. Likely to be in Q3/Q4 2025 – Ongoing | All to review the design/quoteClaireStellaClaire AlexDamianClaire |
| Committee members and governance | DCT Meeting: Successful East Devon Village Hall meeting on September 24th thanks to the helpers and bakers. Discussion from this has been hire fees like wedding packages, permanent bar licences & Martyns law. Next meeting in Awliscombe in January Policies: Stella has redrafted DCT policies and most of the policies that have been uploaded to the website | Stella |
| Finance | Damian: Circulated this month’s report.Highlights: Received monies from the Lottery Grant £20,000Transfer of 10,185 from the Redwood account. This to be transferred to a particular savings account tbc.Insurance is yet to be paidCleaning and Grass cutting is lower this year around which is good.Damian to separate out routine maintenance and capital expenditure.Damian would like to clarify what has been ringfenced for the kitchen in terms of fundraising events. It is difficult to bank the cash as there are limited HSBC banks open these days. Damian to order a bank card for paying purposes only.Income includes income from the sponsorship towards the Christmas Bonanza. Damain will catch up on his pending actions, and will bring a proposal on bank accounts to the next meeting. | Damian |
| Grants | Lottery Grant was successful, treasurer and committee to look into the terms and conditions. Quotations are being put together, Damian would like to be contacted if it’s over £20,000 Nick: We discussed and agree that the time was too short to prepare a good CAF grant application. Alex: To look into match funding opportunities for the kitchen. | Damian Nick Alex |
| Maintenance | Claire raised the suggestion of wired smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors. One to discuss at the next meeting. Claire spoke to the Fire Service and they no longer do visits to properties. Claire in discussions for advice. Alex to contact Chubb who service the fire extinguisher Discussion about the age of the hall and when to host the 100th birthday party, Nick to contact Richard Marker. Claire raised the gutter at the back and was overspilling when it wasn’t raining heavily. The rear skylight needs to be cleaned. A couple of posts have rotted on the rear fence and need replacing. 2 holes in the kitchen under the sink from previous pipes need filling. We require smaller grills on the outdoor vents, Claire happy to purchase new ones (about a tenner each) – Damian agreed. | Alex Nick Claire |
| Bookings | Bookings for October below. If people want to hire the hall for their events they can book via Hall Master | |
| Future events | Open Mic night – October Pizza van, bar, open mic (music, poetry, comedy) 18th October – TENs (Bar Licence) sorted.29th November Bingo booked – Xmas crafts in the morning, Xmas cake sale in the afternoon followed by bingo. Sponsors discussed – Alex negotiating with a local car dealership.Monday 8th December – Committee Christmas Meal (instead of the December Meeting).Damian to ask Hamish if/when he would like to do a talk about his recent incredible achievement on his bike!He is giving a talk for his sponsors on the 15th Potential future events:Skittles. Autumn talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk / glass/Orchid talk – Maggie asking Nic. / environmental talk (Vicky) New Years | All |
| AOB | None |
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | |||||||
| INCOME | 14th October 2025 | EXPENDITURE | 14th October 2025 | |||||
| 2024/25 | 53.4% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 53.4% of 2025/26 | 2025/26 | |||
| Balance b/fwd | £5,571.27 | Insurance | £723.73 | £386.47 | £0.00 | |||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Hire of Hall | £5,828.56 | £3,112.45 | £3,222.86 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,901.59 | £1,015.45 | £620.65 | |
| Social Events | £5,782.76 | £3,087.99 | £5,012.43 | Maintenance/Equipment | £45,022.20 | £24,041.85 | £791.24 | |
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £3,039.75 | £1,319.25 | £1,148.93 | ||
| Miscellaneous | £43,476.90 | £23,216.66 | £31,754.00 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £2,457.59 | £1,312.35 | £4,053.03 | |
| £55,088.22 | £29,417.11 | £39,989.29 | £53,144.86 | £28,075.38 | £6,613.85 | |||
| Balance | £38,946.71 | |||||||
| Total | £45,560.56 | £45,560.56 |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| Extractor fans in kitchen |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Boxing in the boiler/electrics in the kitchen – Bill |
| Bin Store |
Village Hall Committee September 2025
| Date | Tuesday 8th September 2025 | |
| Present | Stella, Jess, Claire, Alex, Damian, Maggie | |
| Apologies | Nick, Toni, Bill | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 13th October 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:Kitchen Refurb – Stella circulated the quote, requires the Committee to review and respond to the design/quote. Specifically the installation of Hood/Extractor Unit. It was agreed we need a couple of other quotes in for stainless steel kitchens – Alex agreed to look into other installation companies. Old actions: Alex to update on the Lottery Grant – anticipate to hear in 12 weeks time (Aug/Sept) – Not heard yet.Stella to share agreed resolution to amend the 1933 declaration of trust with the Charity Commission – Stella has now sent this off( as of 8th Sept) but not heard back.Stella to update the committee on plans to produce further policies that the Parish Hall is required to adopt and maintain – ongoing throughout 2025. Stella got templates from the DCC. Will circulate when they are ready to be approved by the Committee – Ongoing.Damian to contact hall insurer and investigate how the installation of batteries and solar panels affects our insurance premium – Damian doing this in Sept/Oct.Alex to explore options for changing electricity and gas suppliers to a cheaper evening / business tariff, also considering smart meters, contract break clauses and options to sell our energy back to the grid. Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon.Claire raised that we expect an inspection to be booked fairly soon regarding the Food H&S Standards. Likely to be in Q3/Q4 2025 – Ongoing | All to review the design/quote Damian to grant Alex permission to discuss the account with Eon. |
| Committee members and governance | Nick has asked that we all ensure we have signed up as trustees on the gov.uk/charities commission as per Alex’s email back in May. Most have done this, so thanks for everyone’s efficiency. A couple outstanding to be actioned. Stella has arranged a meeting on the Wednesday 24th September to host DCT at the Hall. Homemade baked goods was discussed, could request donations on the “Friends of the Hall” whatsapp. Claire is responsible for project management of the catering. Stella is getting the RSVP’s in. Hallmaster/Bookings Management: Stella has taken on full responsibility of the Bookings role. Thankyou to Stella for taking this on where Jess couldn’t commit. Gary is responsible for the physical Hall and Stella is responsible for the system/email account. Booking T&Cs: Stella has published the Terms and Conditions on the website and it is a compulsory tick box on the booking form for new bookings. Stella to circulate to the existing bookings and request agreement to the T&Cs. | Any outstanding to complete. Everyone present has done this. |
| Finance | Damian talked the Committee through the last 2 financials reports (Jul & August). Noted that we have made a couple of transfers this month to third parties that have used our Sum Up account to take card payments (Parish/Church). This hasn’t caused any disruption. Utilities spend is down due to the solar panels and change in electricity supplier. Damian is still awaiting to be made Primary Account holder from Janet to the Redwood account and the current account. Once Damian has access he will move the £10k from the current account into a more lucrative account to earn some interest. Janet will then close down the savings account. Decision to be made about how much money to put in easy access account and current account. Looking to potentially have 3 accounts going forward – A current account, a “Rainy Day” account (30 days to access potentially), and a long term savings account. All present agreed to have £3-£5k kept in the current account. Stella and Damian to review the Reserve Policy to determine how much to go into the “middle account” vs long term savings. | |
| Grants | Claire has been successful – well done Claire – for £500 worth of paint from Crown. Huge thanks to Stella and Claire for their efforts over the past weekend painting the toilets and making those spaces look refreshed and clean. Octavia Madden very kindly volunteered to mock up some designs for the toilet that are unique to Gittisham. Once designed they will be circulated to the wider community to vote which will go ahead. Alex raised that East Devon are reopening the Carbon Action fund in September 2025. It was the grant we successfully won in 2024 for the solar panels so it could be used to apply for the air to air heat pumps or new batteries (Claire’s suggestion). It was noted by Claire and Alex that we could invest in infrared heaters to run off the batteries from the Solar Panels to save on electric. – One to pick up again once the grant is open but Alex doesn’t have capacity for making the application this year. Claire to investigate instead. | |
| Maintenance | Thanks to Alex for installing the new hand dryer in the mens loos. Claire raised the suggestion of wired smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors. One to discuss at the next meeting. Claire spoke to the Fire Service and they no longer do visits to properties. Claire in discussions for advice. Thanks to Claire, Kate and Sue for your hard work in the garden, we have had lots of positive feedback from Customers on how fantastic the garden looks. Claire has bought 370 bulbs and Kate has planted 200 of them!Claire suggested for our 100th anniversary to get a pair of sweet Almond trees for the garden – ongoing decision to be made on the trees. Bill has volunteered to box in the boiler and electrics in the kitchen. Alex agreed to help also. To be done before the H&S Food inspection ideally. – One for next meeting as Bill is absent. Claire raised the guttering at the back was overspilling when it wasn’t raining heavily. The rear skylight needs a clean. A couple of posts have rotted on the rear fence and need replacing. While painting, Stella and Claire discovered one of the toilets in the ladies was broken, a chap who attended the Fete from Wolsey donated a new toilet and Sue is making him a cake in thanks. This new toilet needs fitting. Alex volunteered to fit it. 2 holes in the kitchen under the sink from previous pipes need filling. We require smaller grills on the outdoor vents, Claire happy to purchase new ones (about a tenner each) – Damian agreed. | |
| Bookings | Bookings for September below. Flower and Produce show for next year have booked – it was agreed that they will not be charged as they help with the Hall year round. | |
| Future events | September 10th community open evening with the folk dance club.24th – Devon Communities together. Claire sorting the catering.Coffee&Cake – 27th September is the next one – Claire is hosting but trying to get someone else to host as she is unavailable. (sept, oct). Claire is hosting October.27th September – Quiz. Nick hosting. It was agreed we don’t normally do a bar for the Quiz and we won’t need it this time either.Open Mic night – October Pizza van, bar, open mic (music, poetry, comedy) 18th October – Stella sorting the TENs (Bar Licence).29th November Bingo booked – Xmas crafts in the morning, Xmas cake sale in the afternoon followed by bingo. Sponsers discussed – Alex negotiating with a local car dealership.Monday 8th December – Committee Christmas Meal (instead of the December Meeting).Damian to ask Hamish if/when he would like to do a talk about his recent incredible achievement on his bike! Potential future events:Skittles. Autumn talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk / astronomy talk / Nic Wakely glass/Orchid talk – Maggie asking Nic.Spanish event – Stella is doing some research.Claire suggested a murder mystery evening. | |
| AOB | Website – Stella and Alex enhancing the website to link local businesses to assist bookers with local services. Claire has been given feedback anonymously from someone who attends a few village events and were unhappy with the cost of the beer for the quality. Another occasion where they handed over a tenner for the coffee and cake donation and did not get offered any change. Noted by the committee to take on board for future events. |
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | |||||||
| INCOME | 31st August 2025 | EXPENDITURE | 31st August 2025 | |||||
| 2024/25 | 41.9% of 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 41.9% of 2024/25 | 2025/26 | |||
| Balance b/fwd | £5,571.27 | Insurance | £723.73 | £303.24 | £0.00 | |||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Hire of Hall | £5,828.56 | £2,442.17 | £2,993.06 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,901.59 | £796.77 | £508.25 | |
| Social Events | £5,782.76 | £2,422.98 | £4,563.36 | Maintenance/Equipment | £45,022.20 | £18,864.30 | £771.45 | |
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £3,039.75 | £1,273.66 | £928.10 | ||
| Miscellaneous | £43,476.90 | £18,216.82 | £11,054.00 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £2,457.59 | £1,029.73 | £3,730.48 | |
| £55,088.22 | £23,081.96 | £18,610.42 | £53,144.86 | £22,267.70 | £5,938.28 | |||
| Balance | £18,243.41 | |||||||
| Total | £24,181.69 | £24,181.69 |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| Extractor fans in kitchen |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Boxing in the boiler/electrics in the kitchen – Bill |
| Bin Store |
Village Hall Committee August 2025
| Date | Wednesday 6th August 2025 | |
| Present | Stella, Toni, Jess, Claire, Bill, Alex | |
| Apologies | Nick, Maggie, Damian | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Monday 8th September 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:All committee meetings for 2025 are now on the Hallmaster calendar – thank you Stella.Kitchen Refurb – Stella circulated the quote, requires the Committee to review and respond to the design/quote. Specifically the installation of Hood/Extractor Unit. It was agreed we need a couple of other quotes in for stainless steel kitchens – Alex agreed to look into other installation companies. Claire raised that we expect an inspection to be booked fairly soon regarding the Food H&S Standards. Likely to be in Q3/Q4 2025. Old actions: Alex to update on the Lottery Grant – anticipate to hear in 12 weeks time (Aug/Sept) – Not heard yet. Stella to share agreed resolution to amend the 1933 declaration of trust with the Charity Commission. Stella to update the committee on plans to produce further policies that the Parish Hall is required to adopt and maintain – ongoing throughout 2025. Stella got templates from the DCC. Will circulate when they are ready to be approved by the Committee. Damian to contact hall insurer and investigate how the installation of batteries and solar panels affects our insurance premium. Damian to circulate a list of options for where to deposit the Redwood savings account money, for discussion and agreement at the July meeting. To be discussed today, see notes below. Alex to explore options for changing electricity and gas suppliers to a cheaper evening / business tariff, also considering smart meters, contract break clauses and options to sell our energy back to the grid. Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon. | All to review the design/quote |
| Committee members and governance | Nick has asked that we all ensure we have signed up as trustees on the gov.uk/charities commission as per Alex’s email back in May. Most have done this, so thanks for everyone’s efficiency. A couple outstanding to be actioned. Stella has arranged a meeting on the Wednesday 24th September to host DCT at the Hall. Homemade baked goods was discussed, could request donations on the “Friends of the Hall” whatsapp. One to firm up at the September meeting as to responsibilities. Hallmaster/Bookings Management: Stella, Jess and Gary discussed responsibilities for the Hall booking responsibilities. Jess and Stella to meet further to continue to hand over the Hallmaster system. Gary is responsible for the physical Hall and Stella is responsible for the system/email account. Booking T&Cs: Stella has drafted the new T&Cs for bookings and Claire has made amendments also. We went through the detail of the Terms and Conditions; covering Who can book the hall; Capacity; Deposits; Noise; Health & Hygiene; Drunk/Disorderly Behaviour; Cancellation. Stella is rewriting the Ts&Cs with the amendments and will circulate for approval before posting on the website and also circulating with our long term Customers to agree to. It was unanimously agreed to proceed with the new Ts&Cs. Stella has an accident book we can use at the Hall. | |
| Finance | Note carried over from July: Damian reviewing alternative energy providers with Alex and putting to the committee. Damian is still awaiting access to and to be made Primary Account holder from Janet to the Redwood account and the current account – Maggie is happy to ask Janet for an update on this. Once Damian has access he will move the £10k from the current account into a more lucrative account to earn some interest. No formal financial update at this meeting as Damian is away and prioritised work from the Care Quality Commission regarding our inspection – thank you Damian for your time spent on that. He did convey ahead of the meeting that there were no financials decisions to be made and that payments are up to date. Jess and Stella have also been checking the income via the banking app and cross referencing with outstanding invoices on Hallmaster. | Maggie/Damian |
| Grants | Claire has been successful(!) – well done Claire – for £500 worth of paint from Crown. Claire suggested we try and get a mural/artist. Jess is going to ask her Mum (an artist) to do it. We can do this as part of our painting “party” that was discussed last time. Alex raised that East Devon are reopening the Carbon Action fund in September 2025. It was the grant we successfully won in 2024 for the solar panels so it could be used to apply for the air to air heat pumps or new batteries (Claire’s suggestion). It was noted by Claire and Alex that we could invest in infrared heaters to run off the batteries from the Solar Panels to save on electric. – One to pick up again once the grant is open. | |
| Maintenance | Claire is going to order a new hand dryer for the mens toilet after the Committee members present voted that it was a good idea. Keeping the old hand dryer in the disabled toilet as it is quieter and more suitable for customers that have sensitive hearing/sensory issues with the newer more powerful dryer. Claire has implemented “Bins for Boys” for the mens toilets to raise awareness of Prostate Cancer. Claire raised the suggestion of wired smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors. One to discuss at the next meeting. Claire wants to get the Fire Service out to assess the building and how to make it safer – Claire will reluctantly contact the Fire Service to come out and meet her at the hall for a full assessment. Thanks to Claire for your hard work in the garden, we have had lots of positive feedback from Customers on how fantastic the garden looks. Claire is still hoping to get many spring bulbs to transform the garden for Spring 2026. We have 2 wedding requests already so they will be appreciated. Claire suggested for our 100th anniversary to get a pair of sweet Almond trees for the garden. Bill has volunteered to box in the boiler and electrics in the kitchen. Alex agreed to help also. To be done before the H&S Food inspection ideally. | |
| Bookings | Bookings for August below. | |
| Future events | Coffee&Cake – 27th September is the next one – Claire is hosting. (sept, oct).30th August – it was agreed the Hall committee will support the Fete as volunteers where possible.29th November Bingo booked – Xmas crafts in the morning, Xmas cake safe in the afternoon followed by bingo. Toni will make a poster to appeal to craft stallers.Molly’s pupil could do a talk in September about his upbringing and journey from moving to England from Crimea – 12th September – Stella checking its in the diary.October – Nic Wakely talk (orchids/glass)Autumnal Quiz – needs advertising (maybe a harvest quiz after the coffee and cake day). 27th Sept.Open Mic night – October Pizza van, bar, open mic (music, poetry, comedy) 18th October.Halloween/Christmas Party for Children?September 10th open night with the folk dance club – Date TBC. Potential future events:Skittles. Autumn talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk / astronomy talk / Nic Wakely glass talk?Spanish event – Stella is doing some research.Claire suggested a murder mystery evening. | |
| AOB | Thanks to Sue Fallows for doing our bins every week! It doesn’t go unnoticed – We as a Committee should Thank Sue formally. Stella has a few points for discussion:Hallmaster – Stella continuing with subscription so will set up the direct debit with them. Facebook Page – Alex giving Toni access to the facebook page to share and create events with the wonderful posters she makes for all our events.Reviews – Jess – a link to be added to the thank you email on Hallmaster with a link to the facebook page/google form requesting feedback. Website – there needs to be a couple of updates on the website, Alex will make the amends after a separate meeting with Stella. (wording tweaks, policy links, T&Cs updating).Parish Council want the smaller room to have a meeting once a month on a Thursday after community kitchen. It was discussed to charge the parishioner rate of £12 an hour for their booking. It was put to a vote and agreed. |
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | |||||||
| INCOME | 31st July 2025 | EXPENDITURE | 31st July 2025 | |||||
| 2024/25 | 33.4% of 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 33.4% of 2024/25 | 2025/26 | |||
| Balance b/fwd | £5,571.27 | Insurance | £723.73 | £241.73 | £0.00 | |||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Hire of Hall | £5,828.56 | £1,946.74 | £2,263.26 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,901.59 | £635.13 | £423.25 | |
| Social Events | £5,782.76 | £1,931.44 | £4,534.84 | Maintenance/Equipment | £45,022.20 | £15,037.41 | £553.39 | |
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £3,039.75 | £1,015.28 | £843.62 | ||
| Miscellaneous | £43,476.90 | £14,521.28 | £10,904.00 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £2,457.59 | £820.84 | £2,487.13 | |
| £55,088.22 | £18,399.47 | £17,702.10 | £53,144.86 | £17,750.38 | £4,307.39 | |||
| Balance | £18,965.98 | |||||||
| Total | £23,273.37 | £23,273.37 |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| Extractor fans in kitchen |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Boxing in the boiler/electrics in the kitchen – Bill |
| Bin Store |
Village Hall Committee July 2025
| Date | Monday 7th July 2025 | |
| Present | Nick, Toni, Jess, Claire, Bill, Maggie, Damian | |
| Apologies | Stella, Alex | |
| Next meet | Next meeting: Wednesday 6th August 7:30pm – Village Hall | |
| Item | Details | Actions |
| All actions | New actions:Alex to update on the Lottery Grant – anticipate to hear in 12 weeks time (Aug/Sept) Thanks from the Committee to Sara for all her hard work at the Fathers Day BBQ.Thank you to Stella for raising points (annexed below) for discussion in her absence. A number of topics were covered and we ran out of time to cover them all in detail – to be picked up at the next meeting. Old actions: Stella to share agreed resolution to amend the 1933 declaration of trust with the Charity Commission. Stella to update the committee on plans to produce further policies that the Parish Hall is required to adopt and maintain – ongoing throughout 2025. Damian to contact hall insurer and investigate how the installation of batteries and solar panels affects our insurance premium. He needs Alex to send him the final electricity certifications prior to approaching the insurer. Damian to circulate a list of options for where to deposit the Redwood savings account money, for discussion and agreement at the July meeting. To be discussed today, see notes below. Alex to explore options for changing electricity and gas suppliers to a cheaper evening / business tariff, also considering smart meters, contract break clauses and options to sell our energy back to the grid. Once alternatives are found, Damian/Alex to put it to a vote on the Whatsapp group within the next 2 weeks (by 21st July). Damian to give Alex permission to negotiate with Eon. | Nick to send thank you Alex to send Damian certificate of compliance for the insurance please.Damian/Alex |
| Committee members and governance | Thanks to Bill for painting around the boiler from all The Committee. Nick has asked that we all ensure we have signed up as trustees on the gov.uk/charities commission as per Alex’s email back in May. Most have done this, so thanks for everyone’s efficiency. Devon Communities Together have advised Stella that further documents will need to be agreed and uploaded to the Village Hall website, including a range policies such as: the financial reserves policy, health and safety etc. Stella volunteered to review, and coordinate our progressive production, agreement and publicising of these policies. Stella has arranged a meeting on the Wednesday 24th September to host DCT at the Hall. Discussion was had about catering and it seemed teas/coffees and homemade baked goods would suffice. Nick has asked for volunteers to provide some baked goods for the meeting. Estimated to have between 20-30 guests and Claire will put it on our “Friends of the Hall” Whatsapp group for donations of food/hosting help on the day. Hallmaster review: Gary made some notes on the Hallmaster system and notes in general. Claire read these out and the issues were discussed with the Committee. Jess to review Gary’s notes on Hallmaster to review and make tweaks on the system over the next couple of weeks. Jess to add T&Cs to the Hallmaster booking form. Jess and Gary to have a meeting to iron out the creases of Hallmaster. It was agreed these are teething issues and it was put to a vote to continue – it was unanimously agreed to continue. Developments to the system and the process to be reviewed at the next meeting. | Stella Claire Jess to collaborate with Gary on Hallmaster |
| Finance | Damian talked through this months’ finances. The Folk Club have paid their outstanding invoice and it has helped the health of the account. As per the above action, Damian is reviewing alternative energy providers with Alex and will put to the committee shortly. Damian is still awaiting access to and to be made Primary Account holder from Janet Twist to the Redwood account and the current account – Maggie is happy to ask Janet for an update on this. Once Damian has access he will move the £10k from the current account into a more lucrative account to earn some interest. Social events for 2025 have been lucrative. There was a resounding thanks to Mike Dentry from all the committee for paying for the band as a donation to the hall – it allowed us to make a significant profit of £535 on the night! Jess to send Damian written confirmation of the band payment. It was discussed about purchasing a licence for the premises and the cost vs benefit. Would be better to discuss with the whole committee present. It seemed positive but there were some concerns about the responsibility of being licensees so we need more information to make an informed decision. It was agreed to proceed with using Geraldine as our accountant. | Maggie/Damian Jess |
| Grants | Lottery grant has now been submitted – expect to hear back in 12 weeks or so. Thanks to Alex and Nick for submitting that. Claire has submitted a request for £500 worth of paint from Crown. Alex raised that East Devon are reopening the Carbon Action fund in September 2025. It was the grant we successfully won in 2024 for the solar panels so it could be used to apply for the air to air heat pumps or new batteries (Claire’s suggestion). It was noted by Claire and Alex that we could invest in infrared heaters to run off the batteries from the Solar Panels to save on electric. | |
| Maintenance | Claire has reported back that the customers have been “blown away” by the new hand dryer and it is a drastic improvement to the facilities. The wall needs patching behind the old hand dryer. Claire requested at the last meeting in June for guttering on the shed and a water butt, and an outside tap behind the ladies toilets. It was added to the maintenance annex below. Toni is kindly donating a water butt. – All of the above has been done, thank you to Claire! Toni will be requesting support from “Friends of the Hall” for a painting party in September to touch up the paint around the hall. It was agreed by all present that we would like Stuart to paint the kitchen ceiling. He will do this after summer when the weather changes, Nick to liaise with Stuart. Alex raised in June that we could opt for aesthetic sound deadening to both reduce sound reverberance and increase the light in the hall instead of having the hall ceiling painted. Claire has brought some information about getting registered with the Food Health & Safety and shared a document for us to fill in to get us signed up officially to cover us. Claire has organised someone to give us a quote for pest control to comply. Nick put it to the committee for opinions on becoming registered. It was agreed it is a good way forward – Claire has done lots of research on it and is ready to order some of the materials we need to pass the registration (chopping boards, probes, thermometers etc to a value of £100). Approval was given by the whole Committee and thanks to Claire for the time taken to investigate this. Claire raised the suggestion of wired smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors. One to discuss at the next meeting. Claire thanked the Committee for the vote of confidence on spending money on the planters and asked for more money for spring bulbs. All agreed it is a good investment. Maggie will talk to Paul about getting discounted bulbs. | Toni Nick |
| Bookings | Bookings for July below. | |
| Future events | Coffee&Cake – 26th June. Nick to run with his wife Clare. Not running in August but will run in September. Toni to make a poster with all 3 dates (July, sept, oct).30th August – it was agreed the Hall committee will support the Fete as volunteers where possible.Cabaret screening for cabaret cast and village hall committee members, all welcome, date tbc. 29th November Bingo booked – Xmas cake safe in the afternoon followed by bingo Molly’s pupil could do a talk in September about his upbringing and journey from moving to England from Crimea – Damian is checking his availability.October – Nic Wakely talk (orchids/glass) Nick to liaiseAutumnal Quiz – Nick to run, and needs advertising (maybe a harvest quiz after the coffee and cake day). 27th Sept.Open Mic night – October Pizza van, bar, open mic (music, poetry, comedy) 18th October.Halloween/Christmas Party for Children?September 10th open night with the folk dance club – Date TBC. Potential future events:Skittles. Autumn talks: Hardy wine talk / gardening talk / astronomy talk / Nic Wakely glass talk?Spanish event. | NickToni Damian Nick |
| AOB |
Notes from Stella:
Village Hall Committee Meeting – 7/7/25
Sorry that I cannot be with you tonight but I wanted to update everyone and suggest a couple of things:
- Meeting Dates – I think we need to set the dates in advance for the year, rather than changing them to suit holidays etc. We decided to use Monday as our meeting day, Alex has meetings at the observatory, the first Monday of every month, so I am proposing that we meet on the second Monday of every month on the following dates:
Wednesday 6th August (Earlier due to Fete)
Mondays
8th September
13th October
10th November
8th December
12th January
9th February
9th March
13th April
11th May – AGM
- Kitchen Refurb –
- Myself and Alex met with Paul Rigby regarding the kitchen refurb. This is the second meeting I have had with him. I have attached a copy of the first details he sent to me but these were just ideas.
I have now asked him to do 2 designs incorporating the details that we asked him to look at. He will send these designs to us in approximately 2 weeks. One of the designs includes putting new plasterboard walls on either side of the serving area with a smaller manual roller shutter and allowing us space for a tall fridge on the right hand side of the opening.
- We then need to meet then to discuss which option we would like him to cost properly. Please let me know if you would like to be involved in this process- it may need a special meeting to discuss the 2 options at the end of July. If not, it will have to be discussed at the August meeting.
- During the meeting a couple of issues were discussed that need to be addressed before the kitchen refurb sourced by ourselves. Do we have anyone in the village who is willing to complete the jobs for free or do we need to out source to tradesmen ( 3 quotes before deciding).
- Boxing in the boiler
- Boxing in the electrics
- Baton strips being placed o Kitchen walls ready for PVC cladding
- Requests made:
Small stainless steel basin (Hygene)
Locked drawer for sharp knives
Locked cupboard for V.H. consumables
Heated cupboard
- Policies Review
- I intend to start doing co-ordinating this in September, after the Summer holidays as we are all likely to be busy during this period.
- September 24th
- We are hosting the Devon Communities Together Meeting at 10.30am. Anyone is welcome to attend but I would also like to provide refreshments for this event, so would welcome help from anyone available to help.
| Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | Gittisham Parish Hall Accounts – 1st April 2025 to 31 March 2026 | |||||||
| INCOME | 2nd July 2025 | EXPENDITURE | 2nd July 2025 | |||||
| 2024/25 | 25.2% of 2024/25 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 25.2% of 2024/25 | 2025/26 | |||
| Balance b/fwd | £5,571.27 | Insurance | £723.73 | £182.38 | £0.00 | |||
| Non-domestic rates | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |||||
| Hire of Hall | £5,828.56 | £1,468.80 | £818.90 | Cleaning/grass cutting | £1,901.59 | £479.20 | £370.75 | |
| Social Events | £5,782.76 | £1,457.26 | £3,391.43 | Maintenance/Equipment | £45,022.20 | £11,345.59 | £534.37 | |
| Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | Water/Gas/Electric | £3,039.75 | £766.02 | £777.70 | ||
| Miscellaneous | £43,476.90 | £10,956.18 | £10,754.00 | Miscellaneous(inc. bank charges) | £2,457.59 | £619.31 | £2,027.42 | |
| £55,088.22 | £13,882.23 | £14,964.33 | £53,144.86 | £13,392.50 | £3,710.24 | |||
| Balance | £16,825.36 | |||||||
| Total | £20,535.60 | £20,535.60 |
MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE
| Long term maintenance list, for progression when funds allow. Rough hierarchy order. |
| Sewerage and drainage pipe replacement |
| Air to air heat pump |
| Re-fit audio visual capabilities |
| Rewiring of cabling, particularly in the loft |
| Extractor fans in kitchen |
| (Rising) damp in southern elevation |
| Internal repaint including / especially ceiling |
| Bin Store |