Who are Belper North Mill Trust?
The Trust is a registered charity and is run by Trustees with the support of an experienced and committed volunteer base and two part time staff.
We aim to celebrate, interpret and educate about the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site (DVMWHS), with a particular reference on Belper.
The charity operates both a museum and visitor centre at Belper North Mill. Pre COVID we would have around 4,000 visitors a year in the museum and on our walks and talks. A further 2,000 visit the visitor centre.
How we are currently funded?
Our current underlying budget position, assuming a full recovery of visitor numbers post COVID is:
| Income | £’000 |
| Amber Valley Borough Council Grant | 48 |
| Belper Town Council Grant | 11 |
| Museum takings | 28 |
| Other income | 3 |
| 90 | |
| Expenditure | £’000 |
| Lease costs (for museum) | 60 |
| Staff Costs (two part time staff) | 30 |
| Other running costs | 20 |
| 110 | |
| Budgeted loss | 20 |
There are around 50 Volunteers (including Trustees), who each year volunteer approx. 5,600 hours to support the offer. This has a notional value of £120,000, using Heritage Lottery Fund methodology.
Withdrawal of Amber Valley Borough Council (AVBC) grant
The Trust was informed in August 2021, that the previous month, the Leader of AVBC had made an Executive Decision to end the (£47,600) annual grant from the Council to the Trust (to operate the museum & visitor centre), from April 2022.
This will end the Council’s 24 year plus association with the Trust in supporting the operation of the museum and visitor centre.
What is our financial position going forward?
As we currently stand, we would have budgeted annual losses of £70,000, which is clearly not sustainable.
We are in discussion with the Landlord and other funders on options for post April 2022.
If the Trust cannot secure a viable future business plan, then we will have to close the museum when our lease ends in April 2022.
The Trust has approx. £400,000 in reserves. The majority of this (£340,768) is from a bequest received from Canon Ross (a former Trustee) in 2016. There are no restrictions placed against it. The balance of reserves are from COVID support grants.
Why don’t we just use our £400,000 reserves to continue to operate the museum?
We can – if Trustees decided that this was the best use of the reserves, however this has never been the preferred trajectory for reasons explained in the following question.
So what is the Trustees plan for the £400,000 reserves & the museum?
The reserves policy is published in the Charity’s financial statements – the policy is:
An earmarked reserve has been created with the Canon Ross bequest of £340,768 and it is the intention of the Trustees that this original sum is not used to fund day to day costs, but towards securing the Trust’s future operations, described as its ‘Development Program’. This is predominately linked to securing long term accommodation for the Trust.
The balancing unrestricted general funds of circa £60,000 provide a contingency to cover unforeseen costs and losses in the short term.
The “long term accommodation” preference would be a financially viable quality heritage offer at the Belper Mills site, integral with the overall redevelopment. The recent Derbyshire County Council report “Options for a Visitor Centre at Belper” identified various options for how such a centre could operate. The Trust is in support of development at the Belper Mills site as identified in the report.
Additionally, the current owners in their opening paragraph of the Belper Mills site paragraph stated “First Investment Real Estate Management (‘FIREM’) has a Vision to provide new homes, leisure and business uses to the Mills to complement the North Mill Museum and existing business to create a visitor destination that celebrates the importance of Belper Mills as part of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Sites”. We share their vision of a visitor destination worthy of representing the World Heritage Site.
The Trust would look to use the majority of its earmarked reserve as match funding towards external funding linked to creating a heritage based visitor centre to interpret, develop and preserve the heritage of the DVMWHS with a particular emphasis on the Belper Mills site
Funding leverage. Most external funding grants require some contribution as match funding – some require a 10% match funding, so potentially a £300,000 contribution from the Trust could lever in a further £2,700,000 of external funding towards the heritage deficit of the site. Other stakeholders would consider match funding also, adding to the grants available for the site.
Conversely, for every £1 that is used from our reserves to fund current operations, there is potentially £9 lost from futures grants for the site.
Hence the need to protect the Trusts reserves, to help realise the long term aim for the DVMWHS and Belper Mills site.
How can you help?
Come and visit us this year – check our website for opening times.
If you would like to offer some advice or assistance to the Trustees on our future plans, please contact treasurer@belpernorthmill.org.uk
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, see our website for details: Volunteering – Strutts North Mill Museum Belper (belpernorthmill.org.uk)
or call 01773 880474.
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee, see our website for details: Vacancies – Strutts North Mill Museum Belper (belpernorthmill.org.uk) or email companysecretary@belpernrthmill.org.uk
If you wish to make a donation to the charity, please see our website for details: Fundraising – Strutts North Mill Museum Belper belpernorthmill.org.uk)
We do intend to provide more information about our future in the next few months.