Toddington Village Hall Association
Toddington Village Hall is owned and managed by a charity: the Toddington Village Hall Association,
Registered Charity Number 1001875.
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Ownership & Management
Toddington Village Hall Association owns the Hall and the surrounding site.
The Association was created on 22 January 1991, by a Deed of Declaration of Trust.
The Deed:
- appoints Toddington Parish Council as the custodian trustee of the charity
- states the charity's objects of holding the Hall 'for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Parish of Toddington'
- lists the requirements for its administration
- places responsibility the operation and management of the Hall in the hands of the charity trustees
Download a .pdf file of the Deed.
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Trustees
The trustees include members elected at an AGM and representatives of local organisations.
The list of local organisations who have the right to appoint a representative is as follows:
- St. Elizabeth's Roman Catholic Church
- TADS Theatre Group
- The Parochial Church Council of St George of England
Church
- Toddington Badminton Club
- Toddington Baptist Church
- Toddington Bridge Club
- Toddington Christian Council
- Toddington Festival Society
- Toddington Forty One Club
- Toddington Girl Guides
- Toddington Handicapped Club
- Toddington Historical Society
- Toddington Housewives
- Toddington Junior Netball Club
- Toddington Ladies Circle
- Toddington Leisure Gardens Association
- Toddington Methodist Church
- Toddington Mother Baby and Toddler Group
- Toddington Mothers Union
- Toddington Netball Club
- Toddington Old Boys Association
- Toddington Old Farmers
- Toddington Old Peoples Welfare Association
- Toddington Old Scholars
- Toddington Over Sixties Club
- Toddington Parish Council
- Toddington Pigeon Club
- Toddington Poetry Society
- Toddington Pre-school Playgroup
- Toddington Rambling Club
- Toddington Recreation Association
- Toddington and District Riding Club
- Toddington Road Safety Training Committee
- Toddington Round Table
- Toddington Rovers Football Club
- Toddington Royal British Legion
- Toddington Scout Group
- Toddington Social and Services Club
- Toddington Table Tennis Club
- Toddington Tangent Club
- Toddington Tennis Club
- Toddington Town Band
- Toddington Wives Fellowship Group
- Toddington Womens Institute
- Toddington and District Young Farmers
- Toddington Youth Club
- Toddington Youth Football Club
In addition, the following organisations have subsequently been given the right to appoint a representative:
- Toddington Carpet Bowls Club
- Toddington Children's Book Group
(known as Toddington Family Reading Group)
- Toddington Karate Club
- Toddington University of the Third Age
- Wyvern Wheelers Square Dance Club
The charity trustees are responsible to parishioners and to the Charity Commission, and accountable in law to uphold the requirements in the Deed.
All trustees act voluntarily, without any payment.
Operational Policy of the Association
Toddington Village Hall Association has established an overall Operational Policy with detailed guidelines, summarised below.
Financial
The site was purchased by Toddington Parish Council from Bedfordshire County Council in 1987, with the aid of a loan from the Public Works Loans Board, repaid in 2000. To meet the cost of constructing the building and surfacing the car park, Toddington Parish Council took a 25 year loan from the Public Works Loans Board in March 1992 for the £100,000, secured against Parish Council revenues. The annual repayments of £11,704 are charged to Council Tax; the average cost to each Council Taxpayer is currently less than £4 per year. The loan is the responsibility of Toddington Parish Council, and not Toddington Village Hall Association, which cannot, under its Deed, contribute towards the repayment.
Planning
All of the planning and project management for the construction of the Hall was carried out voluntarily by members of the Association, providing a substantial cost saving. The prime mover was undoubtedly Doug Dix, who served as Hon Secretary for the first ten years of the Hall's operation. Initial costs of £15,000 for site landscaping, furnishing, internal fixtures and fittings came from funds raised through the efforts of members of Toddington Village Hall Association.
Obligations
Toddington Village Hall Association is responsible for the maintenance and operation of the site, the building and its contents. These are subject to regular statutory inspections for health & safety, disabled access provision and licensing requirements. Insurance cover currently includes buildings (£357,023), car park and landscaped areas (£51,500) and contents (£25,000).
The property is subject to two leases:
(i) 21 April 1997 to TADS Theatre Group for a period of 20 years from 1 June 1995, at an annual rental of £200 (subject to 5 year reviews). This lease relates to a scenery store on the north east side of the site.
(ii) 24 July 1995 to Toddington Parish Council in respect of that part of the Hall used as a Parish Office, initially at a peppercorn rent until 25 December 2000, and then extended by a supplementary lease at an annual rental of £840 until 31 March 2017.
There is no public right of way across the site, although the Association give free car parking and access to the adjacent lower and middle schools.
Reserves
Toddington Village Hall Association maintains a substantial reserve. However, the Deed of Declaration of Trust prevents the Association from giving money to others and restricts it to use its funds solely to meet its charitable objects. Also, the Association runs the Hall on a commercial basis, so that The Hall is self-financing, both from year to year and in terms of future significant expenditure. As many operational activities as possible are carried out by paid employees rather than through volunteers. Plans for the future of the Hall are monitored and reviewed on an annual basis and the Association has to make an annual declaration to the Charity Commission, stating its policy for reserves and the detailed reasons why they are held. Helped by a considerable voluntary commitment of time and effort, the Association has so far been able to cover all of its operating and administrative costs, currently running at around £10,000 per year. The Association has used the reserves for an ongoing programme of improvements to facilities; an average of nearly £5000 each year for furniture, equipment, construction and repairs. In 2002, it met an extra cost of £8000 to enable improved access for the disabled and to meet health & safety requirements. The Association sets funds aside each year for future expenditure, such as for the car park, which is used heavily by parents of childrern attending the adjacent schools. The car park will need to be resurfaced by 2007 at an estimated cost of £55,000, and there is a real concern that there may not be sufficient reserves to pay for this.
Hire & Use
Toddington Village Hall Association provides an attractive venue with good facilities at reasonable cost. It operates under the principle that its customers provide the best advertisements for its continued use. The Hall hosts some 60 or so events every month, with an average daily occupation of more than 5 hours throughout the year. Hire fees have only been increased three times, in 1998, 2003 and 2007. Parishioners receive preferential rates of hire because of their Council Tax contributions. The Association encourages community involvement by allowing occasional free use of the Hall and its facilities by local groups which provide benefits for the whole community (e.g. meetings for Home Watch representatives, events promoted by Toddington Millennium Committee, the A5120 Action Group). From time to time it also facilitates events which allow local organisations to promote themselves in the community.
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Toddington Village Hall
