| THE PUDDENECKS HELP FOR OLDER PEOPLE |
Charity Number 1039897
TRUSTEES REPORT FOR 2025
In accordance with our Constitution and best practice, the Trustees Report for 2025 is set out below.
It was another busy year for the club with sixteen ’Guest’ events many being themed evenings and three fund-raising events, and an AGM. Although the number of members helping at these events has again been disappointing the growing band of Puddenecks volunteers has enabled the Club to be active in providing ‘Help for Older People’ throughout the year.
Income for 2025 amounted to £43,448 (gross) while expenditure totalled £37,463, a surplus for the year of £5,985. Income benefited from Golf Day, a fund-raising dinner, Race Night, raffles, subscriptions, Gift Aid and a ‘200’ Club. In addition, the Club is indebted to Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club (TMCC) for all their support and to four ‘gentlemen’ who again donated £1,300 from their annual Charity Golf day to help fund our ‘Guests’ Christmas party. The Club received a £5,000 donation from The Hadley Trust, a national grant making charity whose objectives are primarily, but not exclusively, assisting the disadvantaged. The Club hope this initial donation will lead to a closer relationship being established with this Trust. We also received £2,000 from Waitrose through their ’support appeals’ campaign and again we are working hard to also continue this relationship. Other donations came from the estate of Norah Johnson (£2,000), who was one of our regular ‘Guests’, in memory of ‘all the good times attending Puddeneck’s events’ while Ye Olde Monken Holt pub, Hadley Green has again been a great supporter with their Christmas raffle raising over £920 for the club.
The 2024 audited accounts were circulated in March 2025 together with the Trustee, Chairman’s and Treasurer’s reports, and the AGM in April 2025 approved these three documents. A new Trustee committee was selected; in accordance with the Constitution any member is entitled to stand for office. However, with no new members prepared to stand for the Executive roles the AGM reappointed the exiting members for the roles of President, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Social Welfare (jointly run). The AGM also re-elected the three current committee members. In addition, two new members volunteered to join although one person subsequently resigned within two months. In July Bernard Woolf stood down as a trustee but has, with Vic Valoti, continued to fulfil the Social Welfare role with great success. In August we secured a new member so that as at the 31st December 2025 the committee stood at 10. The Trustees are conscious though that with the Executive part having an average age of almost 78, new active trustee members need to be sought.
The committee met six times during the year and had a 77% attendance record which was despite two newer members being in full time work and finding attending late afternoon meetings difficult (point taken). Full notes of the meetings, covering all aspects of the Club’s activities were recorded and distributed to committee members with action points clearly labelled. In addition, a summary of these meetings was recorded in the newsletter (four editions and two newssheet) which were distributed to members and volunteers. The newsletter contains important information about the Club, photos of our activities and relevant dates, so everyone was fully aware of Club activities. Steph Harrison (a helper) very kindly continued to update the Club’s WEB page. Members are also kept up to date with a year’s calendar (available and updated regularly) which shows the important events of the year. Work is still outstanding on getting all committee members onto a ‘puddenecksclub.com’ email address system and this has proved more difficult than envisaged to set up; there is a general ‘Puddenecks’ email address for public contact. The electronic payment card reader works well so the Club continues to try and keep up with new technology.
To conform with statutory rules which seem to grow regularly, all Club policies were reviewed in February 2025 and changes recommended were presented to members at the 2025 AGM and have been added to the Club ‘Rules and Operating Instructions Booklet’ which is available to members. In accordance with Charity Commission advice, risk management, continues to be taken very seriously and all necessary forms were completed ahead of all the events organised. All risk procedures are clearly laid out in the Rules booklet and are managed accordingly by the committee and ‘risk management’ is a standing item on the Committee agenda.
At the 2025 AGM there were a number of questions about defining our ‘classes of membership’, expanding the ‘Due Care of our Guests’ and what ‘insurance cover’ is in place. As a result in August, the Trustees sent out a note to members and volunteers setting out the answers and recommendations. First, defined ‘Volunteers, Members and Trustees’ status. Second, adding to lanyards (worn when on a Puddeneck duty last year recommendation) we emphasized care is needed especially when getting into cars when collecting and returning ‘Guests’ home. Also, guidance was given of how to react if ‘Guests’ feel unwell or behave in an unusual manner. Our President had long discussions with our insurers to make sure the Club had full and adequate insurance (Public liability and Trustee) in place for all eventualities when running events and improving the cover where necessary. He also confirmed members and volunteers are covered under their own car insurance when transporting ‘Guests’ and we took additional insurance to ensure all drivers are covered from the moment they meet a ‘Guest’ from their home to returning them home. The Trustees now feel comfortable that the club has resolved insurance issues which were causing concern to some members (ill-founded in many cases).
With no social supper meetings, the Club has not met socially now for almost two years which is a great disappointment to the Trustees but efforts to organise such an event falls on deaf ears with most members most of whom do not even bother to reply to invitations. In November, for a fund-raising dinner, the Club secured Bill Hamilton, a former BBC foreign correspondent to talk about his life as a very successful overseas correspondent. This proved a fascinating talk, given by a quality speaker and was very much enjoyed by all 73 members and friends attending and the evening raised over £900, part of which came from the speaker donating back his fee.
At the start of 2025, the Club had 40 paid up and 4 Honorary members. During the year we gained 4 new members but sadly lost a long-standing active supporter/Honorary member, Don Robbins (25 years membership and was aged 105 when he sadly passed away) so we ended the year with 44 paid up members and 3 Honorary members. In January 2026 there were two resignations, one being a member aged 93 and who had completed 31 years and felt ‘he had done his time’ while in February we gained one new member but that is for next year’s report.
The average membership age at the 1st January 2026 was 71.6 years, ranging from 33 to 94 years and the average length of membership was around 11.3 years with our longest serving member having completed over 45 years and shortest just 1 year. Excluding our three Honorary members, the average age declined to 70.3 years, and average membership length was reduced to 9.4 years. We had 8 female members, representing 17% of our membership. The current Trustees (10 members) average age is 72 years with three in their eighties, and it is the lack of the next generation stepping forward to lead the club which concerns the committee and has dominated current committee meeting thoughts.
The Trustees were very disappointed with the poor response to an appeal in the summer to gain new members from The TOFFS/RABBITS golf club members, but we will continue trying. This year we will be liaising with local organisations within Barnet to advertise the Club and its activities.
In June the Club took 50 ‘Guests’ to Whitewebbs Museum of Transport to participate in their ‘D’ day celebrations with 24 of the ‘Guests’ arriving in a London transport bus lent to us by the museum, others arriving by laid-on transport or under their own steam. Although the weather was not kind it was a super nostalgic event with lots of singing, flag waving, super BBQ food and very enjoyable entertainment. Our ‘Guests’ departed by the same transport method as they arrived.
June also saw the Club take 20 ‘Guests’ to a very enjoyable morning concert at Belmont School where in conjunction with Grimsdell School they watched the Year 3 choir sing, and they were brilliant under the expert guidance of their music teacher. After the concert the ‘Guests’ were entertained with sandwiches, cakes and a hot drink. In December The Puddenecks reciprocated and invited Year 2 choir of Grimsdell School to Old Fold Manor for what is becoming an established Christmas carol singalong event with a Christmassy quiz. 45 children came (sitting on the floor) with their lunch boxes and again, it was magical show and accompanied with a few individual performances. The event was rounded off by sandwiches (from the club) and delicious scones and cakes made by the school catering team. Not to be missed.
In July the committee, in conjunction with members of Totteridge Millhillians Cricket Club (TMCC) organised two BBQ’s on consecutive days ( weather was good) at the Cricket Club while in December (rain but not too cold) we had two Christmas lunches, one starting at midday and the other at 5.00pm All four events were great successes and we thank TMCC and their members for all their support given in lending their pavilion, providing the catering facilities, volunteers to cook the meals. Also, to members and friends who helped serve the meals, provide the entertainment and ensure the safe running of these events. In addition, thanks go everybody who helped with the transportation and to the drivers themselves who took 50 ‘Guests’ to any of the 4 events, not an easy task to organise, and the Club received many thank you notes from ‘Guests’.
The Club ran eight evening themed ‘Guest’ events in the year each for between 65/70 ‘Guests’, and as ever our thanks go to Old Fold Manor and St John Ambulance for making them run so smoothly. The Tuesday Exercise class at Wesley Hall went from strength to strength but the Thursday, Movement to Music class, had to finally close when Jack Williams became seriously ill and the instructor had to put family commitments first. The Club has looked at alternatives but have yet to reach a conclusion on the viability of an additional class. While the Friday monthly coffee morning at Wesley Hall never restarted in 2025 (lack of volunteer help), we are re-examining the possibility of reintroducing this event as our newest member has expertise in this field and access to helpers. We will await to see in 2026. The welfare team has reintroduced delivering fish and chips periodically to those ‘Guests’ who sadly cannot get out of their homes. This has been particularly well received, as it not only gives many a nourishing meal but brings them into contact, all be it briefly, with the outside world. The Club continued to send out birthday and Christmas cards to all ‘Guests’.
The Trustees are grateful to all members, volunteers and friends who help, organise, and attended these events to make them successful for our ‘Guests’ and of course to our two Welfare co-ordinators.
Thankfully the incident record stayed in the cupboard all year. The Club is grateful to St John Ambulance, (Barnet Division) who attend all our ‘Guest’ events and deal with any medical concerns that occurred. The committee still has no-one directly responsible for the Almoner’s role, but it was recorded that four members had been in hospital during the year, but hopefully all are in the recovery mode although timescales seem to get longer as the membership ages.
Alex Doran, the overall Golf Club manager has continued the excellent relationship The Puddenecks has always had with the Golf Club, and this has filtered down to Lindsey Paul, the Clubhouse catering Manager and of course the ever-helpful Brendan Roche and his team behind the bar.
Our three major fund-raising events were again successes, the Golf Day, raising over £12,000, Race night £2,100 while the supper/speaker evening contributed over £900. All events were thoroughly enjoyed, and the Chairman’s report will enlighten readers to the individuals who made these sums possible.
The Club regalia and clothing stock continues to be in the hands of Mark and Cassie Buttle and if any member requires logo tee shirts or sweaters, then contact Mark or Cassie who will be delighted to assist their purchase.
The Club’s accounts have again been efficiently managed by the Treasurer, and the 2025 accounts have received a clean bill of health by the auditors, Brennan Pearson & Co. I have already talked above about income accrued and expenditure incurred. The ‘200 Club’ continues to attract new members and at the year-end over 100 tickets had been allocated. With the Treasurer having a major health issue in the year the committee decided to add a second person to operate the online banking facilities to ensure continuity. A simple exercise, no, and some 6 months later this exercise is only just concluding as banks do not move fast and issue vastly complicated forms to complete!!!! Administration and one-off expenses remain low at about 1.5% of total income and of this percentage, Public Liability and Trustee Insurance was 1.3%.
The Club’s reserves at the 2025 year-end amounted to £32,155 (£24,381 in 2023). This level of reserves exceeds the Club reserves policy of around six months expenditure together with an additional £2,000 as a contingency fund for unforeseen liabilities. However, The Hadley Trust donation was only received in September 2025 and had conditions attached on how the monies can be spent so a substantial proportion remained at the end of 2025, but this will be expended as 2026 progresses. In addition, the Club receives generous, but unpredictable donations which coupled with over 60% of our net income coming from just three events which are attendance/weather dependent, a definitive reserves policy seems harsh. By having more flexibility, the Club has been able to continue all its good works throughout 2025 with no cash flow worries, unlike many other Charities. Also, it means the Club can continue its commitments of help without financial concerns although fully aware that the current economic climate is impacting on our income (negatively) and expenses (increasing). The Trustees do continue to monitor the reserves level at committee regularly and will take any appropriate action as thought necessary.
The committee has worked well under an inspired Chairman, who has himself suffered health issues towards the end of the year, to ensure the Club’s objective of helping ‘Older People’ in Barnet has been maintained. He has been helped by a very active President and a hardworking enthusiastic, but aging, committee which has ensured both incomes flowed, and events happened.
2026 will be another challenging year for The Puddenecks but with 45 members and well over 50 volunteers the Club can look forward with confidence. As always, thanks go to all members (particularly the active brigade), volunteers, who we could not survive without, and to all friends who support events and give us money. The major challenge for the current year is to further strengthen the club with newer, younger members and hopefully this will then filter into new committee members appearing, which is the lifeline to the Club’s survival. If we can achieve this aim, and with our ongoing commitments we can ensure the continued success of the Club, as we approach our Seventieth anniversary in two years’ time. If these potential members do not materialise soon then then the Trustees will become increasingly concerned for the ongoing viability of the Club.
Signed on behalf of the Trustee
Roger Moore
Roger Moore MBE. Hon Secretary Date March 2026