Annual Report
SHERINGHAM AND DISTRICT PRESERVATION SOCIETY
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF TRUSTEES
The Executive Committee present their annual report and the financial statements of the Society for the year ended 31 December 2009.
Status
Sheringham and District Preservation Society is a registered charity (No. 280951) formed in August 1979 and is governed by a constitution revised at the 2004 AGM to bring it in line with current Charity Commission requirements. The accounts are compliant with current statutory requirements and in accordance with the constitution.
Principal activities
The main objectives of the Society, as defined by the constitution, are to preserve and improve features of historic interest, to promote high standards of planning and architecture and to stimulate interest in the area of benefit, which is the town of Sheringham and the parishes of Upper Sheringham and Beeston Regis. These aims are promoted by the executive committee, which meets at least monthly. All planning applications in the town of Sheringham are reviewed and comments referred to the district council where necessary. A newsletter is distributed to members regularly, a website is maintained and social events are organised. The Society is responsible for the upkeep of the newly renovated former fishing sheds on West Cliff, Sheringham, containing the Fishermen's Heritage Centre and the Peter Coke Shell Gallery. Both were opened for public viewing at Easter 2006 and remain open for as many hours as possible during the summer months each year. The Fishermen's Heritage Centre incorporates the historic Henry Ramey Upcher Lifeboat and its shed for which the Society has taken responsibility since 1983. An art exhibition has been organised annually from the earliest years of the Society's existence. As well as providing an opportunity for local artists to show and sell their work, the exhibition is now a well-anticipated annual fixture for residents and visitors.
Review of developments, activities and achievements during the year
The Annual Reports for the years 2006 to 8 described the process by which the Fishermen's Heritage Centre (FHC, also incorporating the Henry Ramey Upcher (HRU) lifeboat in its shed) and the Peter Coke Shell Gallery (PCSG) were opened to the public. With generous grant assistance from EEDA, the Norfolk Museums and Heritage Partnership and others, donations contributed by local people and those with family links to Sheringham and substantial expenditure from the Society's own reserves, the former Fishing Sheds were renovated and, with the assistance of Sheringham in Bloom, the garden area to the south side of the Shell Gallery was turned into an attractive seating area. Seats generously donated in memory of family members were dedicated at the beginning of the 2009 season. A substantial reorganisation of the Shell Gallery was carried out over the winter of 2008/9 to accommodate the extra pieces bequeathed to the Society in the will of Peter Coke.
Visitor numbers to the FHC in 2009 were somewhat lower than in the three previous years because a shortage of volunteers meant that opening hours had to be reduced. As a consequence, donations and sales were also reduced. The change of policy to allow free entry to the PCSG with voluntary contributions was a great success, with much increased visitor numbers, (donations exceeding what had been collected in the two previous years in ticket sales) and increased sales of shells to visitors. The small craft shop was rented out for the sale of locally made craft goods and other items of interest.
To mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Society, an exhibition was mounted to demonstrate all that the Society had achieved over the period of its existence. These achievements were summarised in a booklet available at the exhibition and at the FHC and PCSG and are also presented on the website.
The annual art exhibition organised by members of the Art Section attracted a large number of entries which were again of a very high standard. A total of 235 paintings by 39 artists were exhibited, of which 64 to a value of £2,858 were sold, slightly more than last year. Trustee Peter Strudwick generously donated a painting for the raffle. The profit from the exhibition was donated to the North Norfolk Railway Crossing Appeal.
In pursuit of its aim of conserving the viability of the retail core of Sheringham and the appearance of the residential area, the Society continued to oppose vigorously a planning application by a major supermarket chain for a large retail outlet on Cromer Road. The Society continued to monitor all planning applications in the area concerned. It also continued to support proposals for the future development of the North Norfolk District Council area contained in the Local Development Framework (LDF).
Three issues of the newsletter were issued during the year. The newsletter now contains articles of more general (especially historical) interest, not just Society news. The Society's website provided a useful source of information for members and non-members. Successful lunches were organised for members and the first of what it is hoped will be a regular monthly coffee morning was held to allow members to meet socially and hear a short talk. A tour of Sheringham Hall was organised for members.
The Society is represented at meetings of the North Norfolk Museums and Heritage Partnership and Maritime Heritage East (MHE). It supplies material for the MHE website which provides an information resource and promotes visitor attractions along the East Anglian coast. It is also a member of the Museums in Norfolk Group (MiNG), the Association of Independent Museums (AIM), the Association of Historic Towns and Villages (ASHTAV) and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). The Civic Trust to which the Society was affiliated folded during the year.
The Society continued to receive subscriptions from members and relies on these, on donations and the unpaid services of several individuals, most of whom are members. The Society is particularly grateful to Nancy Appleton for her dedication in keeping the FHC open daily (except for most Saturdays) during the whole of the summer period. At the end of the period there were 209 members of whom 21 were life members over 90 years of age. In addition, approximately 30 former members were in arrears with their membership at the end of the year, some of whom may rejoin.
The Executive Committee believe the Society's affairs to be satisfactory and its finances secure, but are very concerned that it does not have sufficient members actively engaged in the running of the Society's activities to carry them out adequately. All the officers have been in their posts for many years and if any one were to retire it could place an unsupportable burden on the rest of the Executive Committee and put the future of the Society in jeopardy. At the end of the season Nancy Appleton retired from organising the stewarding of the FHC leaving a large gap to be filled in 2010 and highlighting a severe shortage of stewards in the FHC. More stewards would also be welcome in the PCSG. Methods of increasing active involvement by the membership in the running of the Society, in order to guarantee its future viability, therefore continue to be a major concern.
R Grimes
Chairman
26th May 2010