Current Trustees:
Nathan Turnbull - Chair
Christine Djezzar - Treasurer 
Trish Hubby - Secretary
Helen Stirland - Fundraising Officer
Jill Chiddey - Events Coordinator
Sally Shearman - Membership Secretary
William Hayes
Sarah Choppin - Appointed on 13/07/26
Tony Choppin- Appointed on 13/07/26

Address: Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BZ
Website: www.thefriendsofdoncastermuseums.co.uk
Email: chair@thefriendsofdoncastermuseums.co.uk

Charitable Incorporated Organisation Number: 1189117

Structure, Governance & Management

Type of governing document:  Constitution
How the charity is constituted:  Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
Trustee selection methods:  Election at Annual General Meeting

The trustees held 12 meetings and maintained contact throughout the year via email and WhatsApp.

The object of the CIO is:
Summary of the Objects of the Charity as set out in its Governing Document
To advance the education of the public by promoting, supporting, assisting and improving the Doncaster Museums, Art Gallery, Archives and Local Studies Library and local history and heritage organisations, through the activity of a group of friends which will:
(a) support preservation, presentation and development of the collections of said organisations in co-operation with their management, staff and trustees;
(b) promote awareness of and stimulate interest in the arts, history and heritage within Doncaster and the surrounding area.
(c) support research into the history of Doncaster and the surrounding area, the useful results of which will be published.

Statutory Declaration on Public Benefit

The trustees declare that they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties.
Achievements in Furtherance of Our Objectives

Civic Mayor’s Award

Recognition of the charity’s contribution to promoting, and enriching the cultural life and heritage of our community through the 'Civic Mayor Appreciation Award'

On Saturday, 7th March, Jill Chiddey, Liam Hayes and Nathan Turnbull as trustees had the honour of representing The Friends of the Doncaster Museums at an event hosted by Cllr Tim Needham, Civic Mayor of Doncaster, held at Doncaster's Mansion House and supported by The Friends of the Mansion House.

Our charity, in addition to other organisations, was presented with the 'Civic Mayor Appreciation Award', congratulations to our members and trustees on receiving this award, and thank you Cllr Tim Needham, Civic Mayor of Doncaster, for his appreciation of the efforts of all the organisations involved in promoting and protecting Doncaster's heritage.

This award recognises not only the work of our trustees but also the support we receive from you our members and donors, and I thank you all for enabling our charity to continue with its support of Doncaster's Museums, Art Gallery and the City of Doncaster Archives.

Fundraising

Our annual raffle had many excellent prizes thanks to Helen Stirland, our fundraising officer, and the trustees would like to thank her for the time and effort in securing these prizes. The trustees thank all the organisations that donated prizes, in addition to everyone that bought tickets. The raffle raised less than previous years and the trustees are working to understand why and to improve ticket sales for the 2026 raffle.

In conjunction with the Dunhuang to Doncaster exhibition, held at the art gallery from December 2025 to January 2026, The Friends held a blind auction for three works of art generously donated by artist Olivia Pang FRSA. The auction was very successful raising £481 and the trustees thank all those that took part.

To encourage additional donations, including from outside of Doncaster, fundraising pages have now been setup via online platforms JustGiving, PayPal and GoFundMe, making it easier for anyone to donate with help from links on the website. During 2025-2026 £240 was donated through these online platforms.

The charity received a number of private donations for which we are very grateful.

We thank our members for their continued support.

Acquisitions and Support for Doncaster’s Heritage Organisations

The Friends were pleased to support the City of Doncaster Archives in their acquisition of a rare Victorian manuscript. A volume of inquest witness statements it provides accounts, sometimes in gruesome detail, of deaths in the Doncaster area during the 19th century. This manuscript was found to be for sale in America and thankfully bought and returned to Doncaster. This manuscript is an important piece of social history and will be of interest to academics and the public.

Fundraising was undertaken to provide up to £1000.00 towards the conservation of a painting, from the 1830s, of William Sheardown Senior by William Beetham. The painting is currently in a poor condition and cannot be displayed. An update to this project will form part of our 2026-2027 annual report.

To assist the work of museum staff funds were provided funds to purchase weighing scales and other items. There are a number of additional funding commitments, totalling £1547.00, that have been made to support the heritage organisations and we are waiting for updates regarding these.

Support for Education

By providing funds to buy specialist materials The Friends are supporting informal art sessions held throughout the year at the Doncaster Gallery, Library and Museum (DGLAM).  These sessions are available to the public to participate in and develop their artistic skills in the surroundings of the art gallery.

Talks and Events

The Friends were able to deliver a wide variety of events to members, including talks, socials and day trips. These events are designed to stimulate interest in the arts, history and heritage within Doncaster and the surrounding area, bringing people together whilst encouraging interaction with the city’s heritage organisations.

We welcomed our members to six talks on a very wide variety of subjects from ‘Divorce in Victorian Doncaster’ by Nicola Fox to ‘Lasting Memories of Doncaster County Borough Police Officer’ by John Hope.

In April we were grateful to Jackie Gladden, from The Friends of Doncaster Mansion House, for presenting an insightful talk on Doncaster’s fine Mansion House.

To encourage a wider appreciation of heritage and culture The Friends organised two day trips, in May our members went to Lincoln and in September to the lovely town of Beverley.

Two social were held to provide an opportunity for our members to meet and to get to know the trustees, both the summer and Christmas events were well received. We hope to build on this year’s events with a full calendar for next year.

Membership

We are grateful to our members and their continued support, and pleased to report membership has not declined this year.

Work is ongoing to increase membership by raising the charity’s profile and grater public awareness.

Partnership Work

We continue to be members of the British Association of the Friends of Museums (BAFM).

Communication

Information is being provided to our members via our website and regular emails.

Our social media presence, via Facebook and Instagram pages, is still being developed but is starting to gain traction with increased interactions.

Financial Review

We are grateful for our members both for their subscriptions and generous donations.

Despite challenges the trustees are pleased to report that, accounting for designated funds, there has been an overall increase in funds since last year. Members will be given a copy of our annual accounts for full details of the charity’s finances. The reserve fund of £2500 has been maintained and The Friends have been able to continue to deliver a programme of events for our members.

The increase in funds will allow us to deliver additional support to Doncaster’s heritage organisations throughout the coming year and commit to additional marketing initiatives to increase public awareness of the charity and the work we undertake.

The trustees have successfully transferred the charities bank account to Lloyds Bank, giving us access to online banking which has significantly improved the day to day financial management of the charity.

The Charity has no debts.

Declaration

The Trustees declare that they have approved the above report and authorise that it be signed on their behalf.

Nathan Turnbull                    Date: 05/09/26
Chair, The Friends of the Doncaster Museums