Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Hurstpierpoint Village Centre Trustees held on Thursday 24 July 2025 at 8.50pm, at Hurstpierpoint Village Centre (Charity No 305265).

Also present: Sarah Groom, Clerk to the Trustees

1. Apologies for Absence: The Trustees received and accepted apologies for absence from Helena Browne, Susan Dyke, David Evans and Malcolm Llewellyn.

• Previous Minutes:  The Trustees agreed the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2025.

• Annual Report: The Chair introduced the Annual Report for the previous year which the Trustees agreed to adopt for submission to the Charity Commission.  The report included an update on the use of the building, a description of the maintenance items undertaken and a summary of the year end accounts.

• Annual Accounts: The Trustees considered and agreed the accounts for the year ending 31 March 2025 for submission to the Charity Commission and noted the date of the independent examination was 18 July 2025.

• Annual Independent Examination:  The Trustees noted the good report from Mulberry & Co produced following the independent examination on 18 July 2025.  There were no recommendations for action.

• Appointment of Independent Examiner 2025/2026: The Trustees considered the appointment of an independent examiner for 2025/2026 and noted they had previously agreed to ask Mulberry & Co to act as the independent examiner to inspect the accounts for three years up to 2025/2026.

• 2025/2026 Budget Monitoring:  Trustees noted the budget monitoring report for the first quarter of 2025/26 including the bank reconciliations, balance sheet and detailed income and expenditure. 

• Club Suite Decorating:  Trustees approved a quote from JDP Decorating to decorate the Club Suite and Club Suite Foyer at a cost of £2,109.48, subject to finding a time that does not inconvenience hirers.  It was agreed to fund the cost from the General Reserve.

• Solar PV and Battery Storage Programme:  The Trustees noted the outcome of the surveys to ascertain whether the Village Centre roof could support solar equipment.  Although it was disappointing news, Trustees would revisit the initiative in three to five year’s time as the technology may evolve.  The outcome of the survey will be included in a future Hurst Life article as it is a question often raised by the public.

1. Training Opportunities:  Members noted the Mulberry LAS training for ‘Parish Councils that also act as Trustees’.  Once the dates of future training sessions are published, they will be circulated to the Trustees.

1. Date of Next Meetings: The date of the next meetings were agreed as 27 November 2025 and 26 February 2026, to follow the conclusion of the Parish Council meetings.

The meeting closed at 9.14pm.                                                                                                           Chairman