What We Do

The Wass Village Hall is run by a committee of volunteer trustees referred to as the Village Hall Committee (VHC) and operates as a registered charity under the name of Wass and Byland Village Institute. Our charity number is 113476.

All adult residents of Byland and Wass are automatically members of the Institute / Charity .They elect 1/3 of the trustees at the Annual General Meeting on a rolling 3 year cycle.

All members receive committee Agendas and invitations to quarterly meetings, where they may contribute to discussions before the trustees make decisions.

The VHC is responsible for managing the day-to-day operation, property and finances of the charity and the Village Hall’s assets (property and finance) for the use of the inhabitants of the Parish of Wass and Byland for recreation and social activity to enhance the social welfare of said inhabitants.

What Do We Do, Why & How?

The Committee is made up of a group of volunteers and includes the Officer positions of Chair – Secretary – Treasurer.

All committee members are trustees of the charity and accountable for compliance with the Charities Commission rules and regulations. The members represent the Wass community and have to stand for election every three  years.

The Committee meets four times a year with the following 2025 schedule

1. 27th February > Committee and AGM

2. 23rd April > Committee

3. 23rd  July > Committee

4. 23rd October > Committee

The aims of the Village Hall Committee are:

• To maintain the operational facilities of the hall to a safe standard

• To promote the hire of the village hall to raise essential funds

• To work with the community and others to promote the appropriate and sustainable development of the village hall

• To respond to local requests from the community for activities and events in the hall or within the parish boundary.

• To ensure all events held in the village hall are formally risk assessed and carried out adhering to health & safety regulations.

• To be transparent on all actions and communication with the community

General duties of the Village Hall Committee and trustees

• To comply with their obligations under the Charities Act 1993 (or any statutory re-enactment or modification of that Act) with regard to:

  • The keeping of accounting records for the Charity.

  • The preparation of annual statements of account for the Charity.

  • The annual auditing or independent examination of the statements of account of the Charity.

• To hold quarterly committee  meetings and an annual AGM,  all of which will be open to the public.

• To record the minutes of the Committee meetings and make them freely available.