About Us

Clachan Village Hall (Kintyre) SCIOSC050324

Clachan by Tarbert, Argyll PA29 6XW

Summary

We are a Scottish Charity Incorporated Organisation SC050324 originally formed in the early 1950s and incorporated in 2021. The organisation has a robust track record of providing recreational and social events and activities to serve the local Clachan village and wider Kintyre community. Clachan has a population of around 140 residents and Kintyre around 10,000. The events and activities we run are much appreciated by the remote and rural community with limited access to amenities. The nearest general hospital is 120 miles away in Glasgow.

Our prime focus at present is get funding to replace the old village hall which had to be demolished in 2019 due to outliving its shelf life as a prefabricated building with corroding portal frames beyond substantive repair. The Hall has been the central venue for many of our activities. Thanks to a substantive grant from the Scottish Land Fund, we purchased the B listed iconic Kilcalmonell Free Church to serve as a replacement Hall/community Hub. We now seek substantive funding from the levelling Up Community Fund for renovation and extension of the building to meet the community needs. This will enable full resumption of historic and new activities for the community and save an historic iconic building from decline.

We are raising funds to provide some match funding for the project – we need to raise 20% (£132,000) of the project costs which are circa £600-800,000.

PLEASE SUPPORT US IN ANY WAY YOU CAN EITHER BY DONATION OF MONEY OR YOUR TIME AS A VOLUNTEER (See final paragraph in this article)

Clachan Village Hall

Our work

Charity Business Sector

The charity business currently operates in the art, entertainment, and recreation sector.

The organisation’s purposes as set out in our constitution are:

  1. The provision of, and the organisation of recreational and social activities, through the development and use of the Clachan Village Hall, grounds, and related buildings with the object of improving the general conditions of life, intellectual and education development, and physical and mental well-being of the members of the Clachan Village community and the public, and:
  2. To promote such similar charitable purposes, objects or institutions in such proportions and manner as the Trustees think fit.

The organisation achieves these charitable purposes by holding regular events to fulfil the purposes set out above.

Recreational and Social:

Historically with a functioning village hall:

  1. By holding events such as Harvest supper, Ceilidh, bonfire/Halloween party, Arts and craft exhibition, small holder’s event, Pantomime, Plant and Bake sale and more regular tabletop sales held in the hall.
  1. Rental of the hall by local user groups such as the Youth Club, Dunskeig singers, Women’s institute, Women’s Guild, the Old Pals group, and the Elderberries club.
  2. Private function hire for parties/celebrations, funeral wakes, and wedding receptions. Coffee mornings and other events for hall fundraising and hire by other charities and groups such as McMillan, Lifeboat etc.

Physical and mental well-being:

Hall rental by the bowls club, Tai Chai, and dancing group, and the local primary school for physical education. The replacement hall may also provide the option for a badminton club and possibly for private hire for physical training, weight loss groups etc.

Intellectual and educational development

Quiz nights, cookery classes, meetings, talks and presentations by user groups and other agencies for community benefit, for example the flood prevention forum, Community Council, volunteer community support groups Shopper’s Aid etc.

The charity derived income from these activities through hire charges for the hall and its amenities and through fund raising events. All funds raised were used to cover the running costs of the charity and the maintenance of the building to ensure a sustainable organisation.
Since closure of the old hall most of these events and facilities could no longer occur thus reducing Charity revenue streams.

Examples of current activities run by the Charity in absence of a functioning village hall:

In 2019 and 2022 we held an open garden weekend where several village gardens were opened to the public for an entrance fee with some providing light refreshments and teas and snacks. The 2 events raised around £3,000 including donations given, teas and refreshments and plant sales.

Gardens

In both 2022 and 2023 we held a Clachan Classic vehicle show in the old hall community grounds which has proved very successful attracting interest from across the UK and with the potential to grow the event with appropriate investment. The combined events raised just short of £4,000 net of expenses for the Charity.

Our charity has circa 60 community members, but the facilities are open to everyone and we attract visitors from across the UK and beyond due to thriving tourism. Our success is measured by the large numbers of people who attend our activities and events e.g. 2-300 people attend our classical car show. We have equal opportunity, protecting vulnerable people and health and safety policies and complaints procedures in place. We work collaboratively with other agencies and groups such as the women’s rural group, the local church, small holder’s group and many local user groups who have used the village hall facilities over the past 60 years.

Our people

Business Management Structure

The incorporated charity (SCIO) is managed by the SCIO Board of Trustees which currently has 9 members and 5 elected officers: the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Hall Project Co-ordinator. The officers are responsible for the routine administration of the charity in accordance with Board decisions taken on behalf of the SCIO members.

Our charity has a governing document the “Constitution” which determines how the charity is to be administered.

The current officers are:

  1. The Chair, a recently retired nursing practitioner, who is a long-standing community member with involvement and experience in community activities over many years.
  2. Vice Chair: a full-time primary school teacher with a long experience and involvement in community activities and welfare.
  3. The Secretary: A retired graduate Forestry Commission surveyor with extensive local charity experience including being Chair of the local Mairi Semple Fund for cancer relief and research and the local W.I.
  4. The Treasurer: A marine life charity, Ltd company graduate finance officer/accountant (Argyll).
  5. Hall Project lead and co-ordinator: a retired General Practitioner with management experience derived from associated roles as past Chair of national organisations: the Dispensing Doctors’ Association Ltd 1999-2006, BMA co-opted negotiator 1999-2006 and Co- founder and Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ Rural Forum 2010 to 2017.

All the officers and Board members give their time freely receiving no remuneration nor payment for expenses incurred in performing their duties such as for travel to meetings, or to the bank for making charity cash deposits, or for any other Charity business travel.

Our finances

We have a sound financial track record and have never been in overdraught with the bank. Historically with a functioning hall we have run enough fund raising and revenue providing events and activities to meet are annual running expenses and maintenance costs. Our present need is for capital grant funding which would other- wise be beyond our means. For the current project apart from the circa £180,000 raised in relation for the acquisition of the “new” building we have also secured over

£60,000 from local windfarm trusts for essential repairs to the building as identified in the structural survey we undertook. Those repairs are due to be completed within the next 2 – 3 months. Our architect is a local resident who has worked for us at reduced cost and he secured the planning permission for the renovation and extension to provide what we need: the large open community space that was the old church congregation space and the extension to provide: catering/kitchen facility, toilet facilities with disabled access, storage space and a small meeting room.

How we raise income:

With a functioning hall our regular income came from hiring out the facilities to the local user groups and for private hire such as:

The Youth club, Women’s institute, Old Pals Club, The Elderberries club, the pantomime/drama group, the bowls club, the Arts and Crafts group, the Primary school, the Dunskeig Singers, Tai-Chai group, Dance group, the Small Holders group, table top sales, the Community Council, other agencies such as the Flood

Protection group, and for annual events such as the Plant and Bake sale, Ceilidh, Bonfire night/Halloween event ,Harvest Super etc. These were all revenue producing. We also act as relay rest point for the annual Kintyre Way Run. This helps support another local organisation and provides revenue for our charity through the provision of refreshments and hall rental.

We also use and hire out the old hall grounds (circa 2 acres) for outside events and we have purchased, part grant funded a welfare unit which toilets and disabled facilities, small catering area which will be commissioned this year; thus we make full use of the old grounds to complement the new hall when up and running. WE also have two new marquees for hire and other equipment such as gas BBQ etc.

The new building once renovated will enable all the previous activities to be renewed plus opportunities for new facilities. Examples of such ideas are:

  1. The provision of a luncheon club for community residents to provide a nutritional meal and social gathering/networking to be held at regular intervals throughout the year.
  2. The re-introduction of physical education facility for the local primary school, in addition to the traditional/historic range of activities and functions detailed elsewhere such as the bowls club.
  3. Mother and toddler group sessions
  4. Providing educational workshops such as computer training, arts, and crafts, local history group etc
  5. A “cinema club”
  6. A café or coffee morning social drop in sessions
  7. To provide an area dedicated to local Heritage with artifacts and documents on display depicting the rich history of the locality going back to the stone age.
  8. Drama group
  9. The hall could provide an excellent venue for small concerts for musicians and choirs given the excellent acoustics of the building main space.

Charity revenue based on accounts year end 30.9.23

In the absence of a functioning village hall the Charity has had to diversify and make more use of the old hall community grounds until the new hall can be refurbished.

Some event previously held in our own hall have continued through renting neighbouring village halls. Despite being one of the larger villages on the Kintyre peninsula it is the only village no longer to have a functioning village hall. Events held in the last accounting year either directly by the Charity or by village volunteers are:

Harvest supper£264
Bonfire event£141.95
Christmas fair£456.95
Card sales£45
Ceilidh£173.14
Hall open day£136.20
Quiz£208.80
Plant and bake£1,166.21
Coronation event£190.64
Fun Day + Small holder stalls£135
Art show£300
Car boots x 6£665.84
Small Holders£300
Classic Vehicle show£2,323

Other current revenue streams; As previously alluded to, we have held joint events with other agencies such as the Church, and our total receipts for the year including donations and asset hire charges (excluding restricted grant funding awards) was

£9,676.

Expenses

The total expenses excluding project costs (i.e., charity running costs) was £8,385.

A more detailed account of the Charity activities and income and expenses for the year our provided in the Annual Report in conjunction with the audited accounts.

Historical revenue stream and expenses whilst we had a functioning village hall (2019):

Income source£Expenses
Regular user groupsBased
Bowls422Electricity
Tabletop sales341Council Rates/water rates (exempt)
Women’s Institute87Insurance610*
Youth Club399Grounds maintenance350
Dance club84Buildings and road maintenance525
Tai Chi322Entertainment licenses273
School (PE)154Fire service safety inspection54
Annual Events
McNairs supplies56
Craft Fair176Accountant fee50
Bonfire/Halloween56Argyll FM radio10
Ceilidh343

Games evening48

Quiz night62

Plant and Bake sale796

Small Holders event100

Harvest supper487

Pantomime850

Art show295

Flower festival60

Kintyre Run150

Open garden w/e1400

Miscellaneous


Donations712

Solar panel generation?300

Private functions/external hire198

Marquee hire100

General item hire (chairs, tables etc)50

Total£7,692
£3,250

Since the closure of the old hall insurance costs have dramatically escalated because the lack of a combined policy to cover buildings, events held and Trustee indemnity and public liability due to the lack of a functional hall and the primary building being listed as unoccupied under repair. More comprehensive and more competitive insurance should be available once we have a functional renovated hall. It is also recognised that energy/electricity costs will be significantly higher, being currently low due to very limited usage.

Notes: The revenue streams and expenses are based on our accounts while the old hall was in use (up to December 2019). We have not included restricted donations and grants and related expenses regarding the development fund, nor does it include designated major fund-raising events at alternative venues that the Charity has run in the past for the restricted fund. However, such fund-raising events could be organised as and when needed to meet any unanticipated expenditure. Our past track record demonstrates we have the capability do this if required.

The income streams listed will be used to fund the routine running costs of the replacement village hall. It is anticipated that running costs for a renovated new Hall will be higher than historic expenses for the old. However, hall hire charges can be increased to cover these increases as deemed appropriate.

Capital Requirement priorities 2024-2027

The capital requirement priorities for 2024-2027 are:

  1. Funding to cover the cost of renovation and extension of the new village hall.
  1. Funding for the professional fees incurred in the above

Budget requirements underpinning the Business Plan 2024-2027

Predicted costs (CRGPQS)Funding sources
Project

Building Contractor
500,000
Scottish Gov’ levelling up fund
Prof’ fees50,000Lottery Community Fund (80%)
Vat110,00Garfield Weston Foundation


Crowd Funding Others to total 20% (£132,000)
Total660,000

NB.These estimates are currently being updated by our Quantity Surveyors and will be posted once received.

Local community support

Over the years we built up savings from donations and specific fund-raising events to finance a replacement hall which first became evident in 2013. This totalled many thousands of pounds and covered the cost of the demolition of the old hall for example which was circa £15,000 which could not be grant funded. Most of the funding support has come from residents and visitors and “friends of Clachan”.

We held a comprehensive Community Consultation with survey in 2013 when the community supported a new build to replace the old hall but in when the Free Church came up for sale in 2020 another consultation was held supervised by grant funded Community Links Scotland. Circa 60% of a voting turnout of 70% of the residents over the age of 16 years voted in favour to apply for funding to buy the Free Church to serve as a replacement hall which proved successful as previously outlined.

Continued support by the residents, local windfarm trusts and other agencies serves as testimony for the need to get this project done to re-establish regular activities and community facilities and with new facilities for the Clachan and wider community. Clachan is one of the few examples of Scottish country estate villages that largely remains intact as it was in the18th to 19th centuries and the new hall, a renovated and extended B listed Kilcalmonell Free Church, can provide a treasured facility that should last for generations to come.

How you can help us

We are looking for financial support to raise enough match funding as we can to support substantive grant funding bids. Donations are invited from private individuals and businesses, anyone who has an interest in Clachan and the wider Kintyre community. Once the Hall is fully renovated the facilities will be available for hire by anyone or any organisation. Terms and conditions will apply at the time. You can help us by donating to the project via:

  • Cash donations
  • On-line bank transfer
  • Supporting our fund-raising events (see event calendar)
  • Using our Crowd Funding platform to be opened later this year – watch this space.

Contact our Treasurer via the email address shown in the “contact us” section.

You can also help by giving your time as a volunteer either to help run events, help maintain the charity grounds or by offering any skills you think you have that could benefit the cause. If you are a Clachan resident do make sure you are signed up as a charity member (there is no charge or personal liability) or if you would like to join the Board of Trustees, then contact our Secretary Pauline. (See “contact us” section)

Village Hall

Updated: April 2024

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