Becoming a charity

One fundraising suggestion made at the AGM was to take advantage of Gift Aid, which would incease the value of donations by 20 percent. This tax break is only available to charities so Claire B (Treasurer) agreed to look into the matter to see whether it would be the right thing to do.

Claire reported back: "Having spoken to HMRC the early verbal indications are that our activities do fall within the charitable purposes qualifier, but they said the best way to confirm this was to apply."

"The main disadvantage is extra administrative work – Gift Aid donations have to be recorded in a particular way, and if not done correctly will not attract tax relief. This burden will fall largely on the Treasurer (hurrah)."

At a meeting this afternoon, it was unanimously agreed that Friends of Northleach Swimming Pool would register with HMRC for charity tax relief purposes. We also voted in a new constitution - one that will satisfy the requirements for small charities.

The constitution sets out the rules by which Friends of Northleach Swimming Pool will operate. Please take a look if you're interested.