The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026.
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2026. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019).
The object of the charity is "The advancement of education for the benefit of the public in Colehill and surrounding area by the provision of a community library facility and associated activities".
Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit.
The Community Library is a benefit for “the public in general,” that is, for all members of the public.
The library service has operated for the full year during 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
It provides access to library premises for social, recreational and educational purposes, and also provides access to all books, newspapers and toys housed within the library, in addition to resources available from the entire Libraries South West catalogue.
As a Public benefit, we are required to support people who need to access the Universal benefits scheme, and to other government-provided services, but who do not otherwise have access to computers. The library’s ‘public network computer’ service was available to members of the public throughout the year, in addition to free technical guidance and advice from library volunteers to members of the public.
During the year, the volunteers maintained the premises to a good standard. Thanks to a generous grant from Omaze, we have been able to look into some green initiatives including the possibility of improving the glass windows/walls. This is a longer term initiative and a cost effective and affordable solution will need to be found. This year we have installed some water butts to collect rainwater to be recycled for gardening activities. We continue to seek alternative and new sources of funding.
Volunteers
The charity is very involved in the Colehill community. The library relies on more than sixty volunteers who assist in the running of the library, and who continue to provide additional vital services such as cleaning, gardening, fund raising and leading special interest groups who meet in the library. During the year we have been able to hold some fundraising activities in the library itself, benefitting volunteers and members of the public. For all these contributions from the volunteers, we are extremely grateful. It remains true that without this valuable and vital support, we would not be able to provide the existing excellent library service to our community.
Financial position
Income exceeded expenditure by £2,836 during the year.
Colehill Parish Council approved a grant of £12,415 for 2025/26. Grant income has been provided by Colehill Parish Council since the Community Library was launched. Colehill residents were asked at the inception of the Community Library whether an increase in the Parish Precept to pay for the Community Library service was acceptable. They agreed to the increase, and accordingly, provision was made in the Council budget for this grant to be made each year. For as long as this Colehill Parish Council grant income continues, we should be able to continue providing a basic library facility.
As a result of all of the above, the financial future of the library is in a good place in the short to medium term, at least.
We still however need to fundraise to pay for any additional projects, including any future major building maintenance work, and any additional social benefits for the local community. Fortunately, during 2025/26, our Fundraising Trustee and his assistants (all volunteers) continued to work tirelessly. We have been active in looking for other sources of income. We have had some well attended coffee mornings/book sales. A volunteer continues to knit finger puppets and sells them- donating the proceeds to the library. In 2025/26 we hope to increase our income by continuing to raise money from as many sources as we can, to make funds available for any other library building or repair projects. We held a stall at the Wimborne Minster Folk Festival, which raised library awareness as well as funds of around £150 .
The Trustees consider that the level of reserves needs to reflect arrears of maintenance projects as well as a margin for contingency aspects. To achieve this purpose, reserves should be maintained to cover an average year's expenditure or more, i.e. approximately £17,000.
The charitable company maintains free reserves at a sufficient level to deliver charitable objectives for the next twelve months. Free reserves are calculated by deducting fixed assets from the unrestricted (and undesignated) reserves held at the year-end. Total funds at year end were £80,311, of which £8,839 were the unspent portion of the July 2024 OMAZE grant (2025 free reserves were £66,444).
LIBRARY OPERATIONS
Dorset Council has been operating the full library service throughout 2025-26. Dorset Libraries has been providing books to Community Libraries as agreed and the computer library management system (LMS) has been available for them to access, despite some technical difficulties with the new Library Management System as described below,
We continue to have a strong and reliable Volunteer team. Our “Rhyme Time” toddler sessions are very popular as is the Summer Reading Challenge. In Summer 2025, the number of children who signed up for the challenge at our library (195) was the highest of all of the Dorset Community managed Libraries.
Dorset Council has contracted to continue to provide support services, including book stock, unless/until its Service Contract with Colehill Community Library is terminated. The Community Library has the right to cancel at 6 months' notice.
Dorset Council, in conjunction with Libraries West introduced a new Library Management system (SPARK) at the end of May 2024. Following a number of system improvements, this system is still proving a challenge, although, gradually, is more reliable as some of the problems are dealt with.
The 2025 Summer Reading Challenge. We had a successful Challenge, signing up 195 participants, with 169 completing the challenge. Our 100 Book Challenge is working well and continues to offer a challenge to those wishing to continue on from the Summer Reading Challenge throughout the rest of the year.
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing document, memorandum, and articles, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
The charity is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association which provides for the Members to elect the Directors. The Articles provide for a minimum of 3 Directors. As at end March 2026, Colehill Library has 6 Directors.
Organisational structure
The Directors set out the objectives and strategy of the charity. The Management Committee's remit is to organise and train volunteers, to implement agreed policies, to maintain the buildings and grounds and to raise funds. At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), under the Articles, one-third of the Board will retire annually in turn. This year Jennifer Holman and Barry Mortimer will retire but will stand for re-election at the AGM, (last year it was Andrew Foot and Mary Redman). Additionally, Paul Gunovsky has just announced his decision to retire as Chair of the library, at the up-coming AGM. A replacement Chair will be announced in due course.
Wider network
Anyone resident in Colehill can apply to become a Member of the Limited Company, subject to the approval of the Directors. A Member has a contingent liability to pay a sum of up to £10 in the event of the company being insolvent when wound-up. Members total 58 (2025:57)
Related parties
During 2025/26 there has been no related party representation on the Board of Trustees or Management Committee. The Parish Council has no representation in the management of the library although during 2025/26 Councillor Nigel Bridle has continued to attend meetings as an observer.
Risk management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The Management Committee maintain a Risk Register.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The trustees'report was approved by order of the board of on ........................................ and signed on its behalf by:
In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Companies Act 2006, we have prepared for your approval the financial statements of Colehill Community Library Limited for the year ended 31 March 2026, which comprise the statement of financial activities and the related notes from the charity’s accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us.
As a practising member firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which are detailed at https://www.icaew.com/regulation.
This report is made to the charity's trustees, as a body, in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter dated 16 July 2026. My work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the financial statements of Colehill Community Library Limited and state those matters that I have agreed to state to the charity's trustees, as a body, in this report in accordance with ICAEW Technical Release 07/16 AAF. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than Colehill Community Library Limited and the charity's trustees as a body, for my work or for this report.
It is your duty to ensure that Colehill Community Library Limited has kept adequate accounting records and to prepare statutory financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and surplus of Colehill Community Library Limited. You consider that Colehill Community Library Limited is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the year, and is not required to obtain an independent examiner's report.
We have not been instructed to carry out an audit or a review of the financial statements of Colehill Community Library Limited. For this reason, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the accounting records or information and explanations you have given to us and we do not, therefore, express any opinion on the statutory financial statements.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Colehill Community Library Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Waverley House, 115-119 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH8 8DY, United Kingdom.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Grants (including those received from government bodies) are recognised where there is entitlement, certainty of receipt and the amount can be measured with sufficient reliability. Grant income is deferred when the donor specifies use of the grant to be in the future, or where there are conditions for full entitlement and those conditions have not yet been satisfied.
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
Debtors and prepayments
Debtors and prepayments are recognised at the transaction price where an entity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds from a third party to the charity and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably.
Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their transaction price after allowing for any trade discounts due.
The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2026 nor for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Trustees' expenses
During the year ended 31 March 2026, no trustees were reimbursed expenses nor for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
Purposes of restricted funds
Noticeboard - To purchase and install a noticeboard that will be used to inform the local community about the library opening hours, fundraising and social events being organised by the library.
Purposes of designated funds
Omaze - To fund the Summer Reading Club and the library repair works
There were no related party transactions for the year ended 31 March 2026.