Hello, thank you to all our supporters, especially our paid-up members – and please remember to join us in the Band Room, Village Way, this Wednesday at 7pm – refreshments will be served.
We have guest speakers to explain some of what is happening about developments around the village, including planning, taxes, the roads, canal and walking routes.
We will also have about 15 minutes of “business” – formal Annual General Meeting – where members are invited to step up and join the working group, and also to vote in a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. We would be delighted if there are any new nominations to join the Society’s committee?
There will be a special proposal about forming a new charity – a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) – to take on the project of conserving the fabric of the 15th century Cottage Hospital building. This project can now formally start as we are in receipt of a grant that will cover costs (legal, surveys, administrative) through to the stage where we can apply for further grants to undertake building works. The Society will ask members to discuss this and approve the setting up of the CIO.
This new charitable body, Cranleigh Heritage Trust, is seeking volunteers with relevant skills and talents interested in helping this project succeed. We are looking for a Treasurer and administrator plus anyone who can provide legal support.
We hope you are all well and look forward to seeing you on Wednesday! The chairs will be well spaced out and we will have sanitiser at the door!
I listened at your AGM with interest. I am in favour of the Cottage Hospital restoration and becoming a museum and historical place of interest for the public to visit. I am aware of your recent grant and possible grant funding down the line for restoration work. However, I wonder how you will fund the ongoing running costs of the building without money in the bank or a guaranteed regular income that will cover running costs. I believe charities will be if not already subject to full business rates. We have seen many established charities disappear from the High street over the years. I believe because of becoming unviable due to rent and business rate costs and this before being subject to full business rates. I wouldn’t like to see the CS or a charity connected to the Cottage Hospital cease to operate. I believe usually facilities such as museums are run by local authorities or substantial organisations that have the funding to properly support the facility. If you’re confident you can fund the ongoing building running costs and rates etc please could you explain how you will do this and where the funding will come from. I look forward to your reply.
Cranleigh Society team members have been working on this project for only 1 year and have done quite a bit of research about viable futures.
We are very keen to enable overheads to be reliable covered, and further repairs to be enabled.
So very happy to have actual help and suggestions too.
If and when the doors are opened it will hopefully already have signed up clients and volunteers.
The topics will be around education and health and wellbeing.
So museum type displays and resources, including a reading room up the stairs – no lift.
And cosy meeting space with various lighting option downstairs with an opening on the front!
We would hope that for some parts of the week there will be cafe and comfort for nurses and care staff.
Lots of other ideas flowing.
Do join in!
Thank you Sue, I’m sure you are aware, if the building is used for training or the welfare of Disabled people you will be exempt from business rates.