Annual Report
SHERINGHAM & 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 2007.
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 and opened for public viewing at Easter 2006. The Fishermen's Heritage Centre incorporates the historic Ramey Upcher Lifeboat and its shed for which the Society has taken responsibility since 1983. An art exhibition is organised annually.
Review of developments, activities and achievements during the year
The Annual Report for 2006 described the first successful season during 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.
Before opening at Easter 2007 for the second season, a number of improvements were carried out to the FHC. The arrangement maintained during the previous year, by which visitors to the "middle shed" of the FHC were required to enter it via the emergency exit adjacent to the toilets and then exit from there to the HRU shed, was found to be unsatisfactory for several reasons. A doorway was therefore constructed between the "middle shed" and the HRU shed, allowing the former emergency exit to be kept permanently closed, the new doorway becoming the emergency exit from the "middle shed". A letter flap was inserted in the former doorway, allowing mail to be delivered to the Society on site.
A model of the Augusta lifeboat and display case were commissioned from Matthew Warnes and delivered before the 2007 opening. Information boards displaying photographs of fishing families of Sheringham collected by former president of the Society and local historian May Ayers were also commissioned. At the end of the year the Society was saddened by the death of May Ayers, who had been in poor health for several months.
New information boards were provided for the HRU shed, matching those previously erected in the "middle shed". These boards are weather-proof; consequently they do not need to be removed for safe storage during the winter. At the same time, items not relating to the Upcher lifeboats and their crews were removed from display and to allow for a more logical layout of the HRU shed, the sales counter was moved to the north-eastern corner. Later in the year, repairs were carried out to the large entrance doors and to the two side windows of the HRU shed. All of this activity resulted in substantial expenditure (£9,010 in total) from the FHC Fund but left the building in better shape than for many years with information more accessible to visitors. Visitor numbers increased to 13,143 compared to 11,410 in 2006. Total receipts (donations and sales) were the highest ever.
The number of visitors to the PCSG, for which an entry charge is made and is open for fewer hours than the FHC, was considerably reduced compared to 2006 (from 1100 to 613). Receipts from entry charges and sales were not sufficient to cover costs, causing the Society to consider how best to increase takings in 2008. The small craft shop was rented out for the sale of locally made craft goods and other items of interest to visitors.
The Society is very grateful to all volunteers who acted as stewards in the FHC and PCSG and in particular to Nancy Appleton, chief steward of the FHC, whose dedication was recognised during the year when she received a Sheringham Civic Award. The Society is represented at meetings of Maritime Heritage East and has provided material for the website which is being developed to promote visitor attractions along the East Anglian coast. It is also a member of, and shares information with, other organisations representing local museums.
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 239 paintings by 39 artists were exhibited, of which 52 to a value of £2,453 were sold. The Society is grateful to Sheila Dunsire who generously donated a painting for the raffle and officially opened the exhibition.
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 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 produced during the year and the Society's website provided a useful source of information for members and non-members. Successful lunches were organised for members.
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. At the end of the period there were 282 members, showing a small increase over the previous year. Of these 20 were life members over 90 years of age.
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 they were to retire it would be difficult to find replacements. There is also a severe shortage of stewards in the FHC and PCSG. The Executive Committee is therefore having to consider urgently how to ensure that the Society has a viable future.
R Grimes
Chairman
25th April 2008
Full copies of the Annual Report can be obtained by sending a cheque for £1.50 made out to Sheringham Preservation Society (to cover costs of copying and postage) to Dr J Gardiner, Treasurer, 12 The Boulevard, Sheringham, Norfolk, NR26 8LJ.