## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From 1.1.2024 Period start date To**
## **31.12.2024 Period end date**
**Charity name: The Prehistoric Society**
## **Charity registration number: no. 1000567**
## **Objectives and Activities**
|**Objectives and Activities**|||
|---|---|---|
||SORP reference||
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|The Prehistoric Society is one of the period-
based learned societies. The objectives of the
charity are the advancement of education and
interest in prehistory and all its branches and
allied subjects, and the promotion of the
conservation of the prehistoric archaeological
heritage for the benefit of the public.
Prehistory describes the study of the deep
history of humanity through material, rather
than written, evidence. This distinctive
approach to the study of the past gained
traction among the northern antiquaries of
Europe in the middle of the nineteenth
century. Today researchers employ rigorous
field methods and cutting-edge scientific
techniques, often in conjunction with methods
from the arts and humanities, to answer a wide
range of questions about communities in
prehistory. These relate to their identities,
economies, beliefs and are often concerned
with matters such as long-term cultural
stability, social change and innovation.
Understanding chronology and the
environments of the past are central to the
work of prehistorians and it is common for
research to consider millennial timescales. The
theories and techniques of prehistory can be
applied to all people whose history depends on
the evidence of objects rather than texts and
oral traditions. Deep human history starts with
the first stone tools over 3 million years ago. Its
legacy continues today.|
|Summary of the main activities
in relation to those purposes
for the public benefit, in
particular, the activities,|Para 1.17 and 1.19|The principal activities of the charity are:
• the presentation of lectures held throughout
the country, addressed by eminent
prehistorians, and run either directly by the
Societyor in association with other|
|projects or services identified
in the accounts.||archaeological organisations. Non-members
may attend these lectures with no charge.
• the organisation of conferences and day
schools addressed by leading prehistorians.
The annual Europa conference is organised by
the Society to honour a prestigious European
prehistorian who is presented with the Europa
Prize, a significant financial award funded by
the Europa Fund, a restricted fund donated to
the Society by Professor Grahame Clark
• the organisation of one-day field trips and,
occasionally, longer study tours to prehistoric
sites. Through its contacts with other
archaeological institutions, the Society is able
to arrange for leading prehistorians familiar
with the sites being visited to be available to
explain each site to the tour members.
• the payment of small grants to individuals to
assist their research into prehistoric subjects
throughout the world. Grants cover fieldwork,
travel bursaries, radiocarbon dating and the
study of collections in museums.
• the annual publication of the_Proceedings of_
_the Prehistoric Society_, an internationally
prestigious journal that covers all aspects of
prehistory worldwide. Copyright in the
Proceedings rests with the Society. Back
numbers of previous Proceedings are sold each
year to academic institutions throughout the
world.
• the publication three times a year of the
Society’s newsletter,_PAST_, which includes
articles about recent prehistory projects and
research, and information about the Society.
• the publication of research monographs in a
_Research Papers_series.
• the publication of book reviews on-line
• presenting and debating prehistory through
social media
• disseminating our knowledge and expertise
through an online education blog
• making representations to appropriate
government organisations, through the wide-
ranging contacts of Council members with
other archaeological institutions, about the
conservation and protection of prehistoric
sites.|
|---|---|---|
|Statement confirming whether
the trustees have had regard
to the guidance issued by the
Charity Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|New trustees are provided with an induction
pack explaining the legal status of the
charitable company, the obligations of trustees
under company and charity law, the
composition of Council, and the activities of
the Society.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|The grants and their deadlines are advertised
on the Society website and the applications are
reviewed by the grants committee who make
the decisions.|
|Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|The Society is not a social investor.|
|Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|**Research**
The benefits of the research work of the
Prehistoric Society are delivered through our
annual conference, publications and the
support of research through grants.
Most members opt to receive a paper copy of
our annual academic journal_the Proceedings of_
_the Prehistoric Society_(PPS) as well as three
issues of our newsletter PAST. The newsletter
covers shorter reports and accounts of recent
and upcoming Society events and is available
on our website on open access. The journal
contains substantial articles and is also
available on-line through our publisher
Cambridge University Press, and more widely
to non-members through library purchases.
Volume 90 covered a broad geographical and
chronological spread. Publishing in the
Proceedings is open to all contributors subject
to our rigorous editorial and peer review
process. In addition, the research papers series
continues as a strong addition to the research
publication profile.
The annual Europa conference celebrating the
work of Prof Ian Ralston was held in person in
Edinburgh, June 15th2024 and was organised
by Dr Jess Bates. This event was for the first
time also available live online. Speakers from
Britain and Europe addressed the theme of
_Inhabiting temperate Europe in the 4th-1st_
_Millennia BC_. The mixture of presentations
covered a range of new approaches and data
bringing the dwellings and landscapes of
people of the past into focus. Speakers
included early career researchers and key
establishment figures, with a warm and
encouraging atmosphere to present cutting
edge research. This was followed by curators’
tours of the Prehistory sections of the National
Museum of Scotland on 16thJune led by Dr
Matt Knight and Dr Fraser Hunter.|
From its research funds the Society gave grants to 10 requests for research projects, conference support, and radiocarbon dates with the society able to support a mixture of established and early career researchers. The 2024 research grants awarded across all categories totalled £6,926 + 3radiocarbon dates with £6,326 directly for fieldwork and/or archival research on a range of prehistoric sites and collections in Europe and the UK. The grants awarded in previous years but affected by the pandemic were also finalised. In 2024, the undergraduate dissertation prize winner and runners up were all invited to receive their certificates in person at the Sara Champion lecture in October 2024. This year this prestigious lecture presented by an early career researcher was given by Dr Annemieke Milks, on _Into the woods: new methods for studying Palaeolithic organic technologies_ . This event is also when the recipients of the other awards recognising excellence come together to celebrate their achievements. The President’s award recognises those who have broadened the appeal of prehistory by engaging with new audiences and in 2024 the awards were presented to Dr Mark Knight and Dr Christopher Wakefield for their work on Must Farm social media and publication, and to Sally Pointer for her heritage education work on public presentations, social media, and youtube videos. The Peter Clark award recognises the role of fieldworkers and artefact researchers whose contribution to prehistoric archaeology is vital but often overlooked with the 2024 recipient being Dr Francis WenbanSmith for his work on Palaeolithic material across many excavations. **Skills and Expertise** The Society recognises the importance of training and passing on skills and knowledge about prehistory. We also support the teaching of prehistory as part of the school curriculum, facilitated by our website, to provide schools with the resources about prehistory. The range of prizes and awards celebrate different kinds of contributions to Prehistory and offer recognition at through different career stages from undergraduate dissertations, through early careers and to established figures. The appointment of new Council members is now overseen by a committee of Council that reviews skill sets and expertise, as well as equality, diversity and inclusion before
recommending names to Council for nomination. The review of all our policies undertaken in 2021 continues to serve us well. Our aim has been to bring our governance further into line with Charity Commission best practice. New policies have been written and approved by Council and remain under active review. **Dissemination** In addition to our publications and conferences we organised a day-school and held lecture meetings during 2024 either on-line or in a blended format. Many of the lectures were in partnership with local and national archaeological societies and formed a wide geographical spread. In 2024 we partnered meetings with the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society, Histon and Impington Archaeology and Fen Edge Archaeology Group, Cambridge Antiquarian Society, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Cornwall Archaeological Society, The Leicestershire Fieldworkers and the Norwich and Norfolk Archaeological Society. We continued our support for the Annual Pitt Rivers Lecture held in Bournemouth University. Five meetings were in person only, one online only, and three were hybrid. The meetings were all well attended and are an example of how the Society takes prehistory into the wider local and worldwide community. In 2024 the Global Pasts online lectures continued with a set of online meetings presented by Dr Shinya Shoda on _Tracing culinary traditions in prehistoric East and Central Asia_ and by Prof Philip Piper _Vietnam’s role in understanding change in Mainland Southeast Asia from 5,000-3,500 BP_ and human evolution research, respectively. These are also made available on the Society’s youtube channel. These online lectures allow us to reach new audiences and to extend our geographical coverage. They were established during the pandemic and successfully continued as the Covid online dividend. Our lively day school, organised by Dr Sophia Adams, on ‘Prehistory in the Present’ April 2024 took place in person in London and live online allowing us to reach those who could not travel. This was a thought-provoking set of papers highlighting the way Prehistory features in present day lives. In addition, the Society was able to support other conferences and events especially those
with a strong involvement by younger prehistorians in June 2024, Iron Age Lives conference, and July 2024, Unravelling the Palaeolithic conference. The Prehistoric Society Facebook group welcomes professional and amateur members and topics range from the latest research in prehistory, through to descriptions of museum and site visits, requests for information and favourite prehistoric finds. The group has a strong, and enforced, Code of Conduct which ensures a safe and inclusive environment in which to discuss all aspects of world prehistory. All channels host lively discussions of current issues affecting prehistory and archaeology more generally, and regularly provide a route to membership. We aim to grow this area of our offer as a ‘trusted source’. Our social media continued to provide an international meeting place for all prehistorians and an opportunity to share experiences. The community of prehistorians remains strong. We were sensitive to the hesitancy of some to return to in-person meetings and also recognised the accessibility and inclusion benefits of maintaining an online presence. We aim to maintain this mix in future, holding hybrid and online events wherever possible. We now have an established membership and social media presence and are building upon our expertise in running very successful conferences, meetings and day schools on-line and now also a YouTube channel. We look forward to running more hybrid events. **Raising Awareness and Advocacy** The Society continues to make representations regarding the threatened closure/restructuring of Museums to advocate for specific sites or landscapes and the research and teaching of Prehistory. Other
## **Achievements and Performance**
SORP reference
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to the
circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a whole.|Para 1.20|**Research**
The benefits of the research work of the
Prehistoric Society are delivered through our
annual conference, publications and the
support of research through grants.
Most members opt to receive a paper copy of
our annual academic journal_the Proceedings of_
_the Prehistoric Society_(PPS) as well as three
issues of our newsletter PAST. The newsletter
covers shorter reports and accounts of recent
and upcoming Society events and is available
on our website on open access. The journal
contains substantial articles and is also
available on-line through our publisher
Cambridge University Press, and more widely
to non-members through library purchases.
Volume 90 covered a broad geographical and
chronological spread. Publishing in the
Proceedings is open to all contributors subject
to our rigorous editorial and peer review
process. In addition, the research papers series
continues as a strong addition to the research
publication profile.
The annual Europa conference celebrating the
work of Prof Ian Ralston was held in person in
Edinburgh, June 15th2024 and was organised
by Dr Jess Bates. This event was for the first
time also available live online. Speakers from
Britain and Europe addressed the theme of
_Inhabiting temperate Europe in the 4th-1st_
_Millennia BC_. The mixture of presentations
covered a range of new approaches and data
bringing the dwellings and landscapes of
people of the past into focus. Speakers
included early career researchers and key
establishment figures, with a warm and
encouraging atmosphere to present cutting
edge research. This was followed by curators’
tours of the Prehistory sections of the National
Museum of Scotland on 16thJune led by Dr
Matt Knight and Dr Fraser Hunter.
From its research funds the Society gave grants
to 10 requests for research projects,
conference support, and radiocarbon dates
with the society able to support a mixture of
established and early career researchers. The
2024 research grants awarded across all
categories totalled £6,926 + 3radiocarbon
dates with £6,326 directly for fieldwork and/or
archival research on a range of prehistoric sites
and collections in Europe and the UK. The
grants awarded in previous years but affected
by the pandemic were also finalised.
In 2024, the undergraduate dissertation prize
winner and runners up were all invited to
receive their certificates inperson at the Sara|
|---|---|---|
Champion lecture in October 2024. This year this prestigious lecture presented by an early career researcher was given by Dr Annemieke Milks, on _Into the woods: new methods for studying Palaeolithic organic technologies_ . This event is also when the recipients of the other awards recognising excellence come together to celebrate their achievements. The President’s award recognises those who have broadened the appeal of prehistory by engaging with new audiences and in 2024 the awards were presented to Dr Mark Knight and Dr Christopher Wakefield for their work on Must Farm social media and publication, and to Sally Pointer for her heritage education work on public presentations, social media, and youtube videos. The Peter Clark award recognises the role of fieldworkers and artefact researchers whose contribution to prehistoric archaeology is vital but often overlooked with the 2024 recipient being Dr Francis WenbanSmith for his work on Palaeolithic material across many excavations. **Skills and Expertise** The Society recognises the importance of training and passing on skills and knowledge about prehistory. We also support the teaching of prehistory as part of the school curriculum, facilitated by our website, to provide schools with the resources about prehistory. The range of prizes and awards celebrate different kinds of contributions to Prehistory and offer recognition at through different career stages from undergraduate dissertations, through early careers and to established figures. The appointment of new Council members is now overseen by a committee of Council that reviews skill sets and expertise, as well as equality, diversity and inclusion before recommending names to Council for nomination. The review of all our policies undertaken in 2021 continues to serve us well. Our aim has been to bring our governance further into line with Charity Commission best practice. New policies have been written and approved by Council and remain under active review. **Dissemination** In addition to our publications and conferences we organised a day-school and held lecture meetings during 2024 either on-line or in a blended format. Many of the lectures were in partnership with local and national
archaeological societies and formed a wide geographical spread. In 2024 we partnered meetings with the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society, Histon and Impington Archaeology and Fen Edge Archaeology Group, Cambridge Antiquarian Society, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, Cornwall Archaeological Society, The Leicestershire Fieldworkers and the Norwich and Norfolk Archaeological Society. We continued our support for the Annual Pitt Rivers Lecture held in Bournemouth University. Five meetings were in person only, one online only, and three were hybrid. The meetings were all well attended and are an example of how the Society takes prehistory into the wider local and worldwide community. In 2024 the Global Pasts online lectures continued with a set of online meetings presented by Dr Shinya Shoda on _Tracing culinary traditions in prehistoric East and Central Asia_ and by Prof Philip Piper _Vietnam’s role in understanding change in Mainland Southeast Asia from 5,000-3,500 BP_ and human evolution research, respectively. These are also made available on the Society’s you-tube channel. These online lectures allow us to reach new audiences and to extend our geographical coverage. They were established during the pandemic and successfully continued as the Covid online dividend. Our lively day school, organised by Dr Sophia Adams, on ‘Prehistory in the Present’ April 2024 took place in person in London and live online allowing us to reach those who could not travel. This was a thought-provoking set of papers highlighting the way Prehistory features in present day lives. In addition, the Society was able to support other conferences and events especially those with a strong involvement by younger prehistorians in June 2024, Iron Age Lives conference, and July 2024, Unravelling the Palaeolithic conference. The Prehistoric Society Facebook group welcomes professional and amateur members and topics range from the latest research in prehistory, through to descriptions of museum and site visits, requests for information and favourite prehistoric finds. The group has a strong, and enforced, Code of Conduct which ensures a safe and inclusive environment in which to discuss all aspects of world prehistory. All channels host lively discussions of current issues affecting prehistory and archaeology
more generally, and regularly provide a route to membership. We aim to grow this area of our offer as a ‘trusted source’. Our social media continued to provide an international meeting place for all prehistorians and an opportunity to share experiences. The community of prehistorians remains strong. We were sensitive to the hesitancy of some to return to in-person meetings and also recognised the accessibility and inclusion benefits of maintaining an online presence. We aim to maintain this mix in future, holding hybrid and online events wherever possible. We now have an established membership and social media presence and are building upon our expertise in running very successful conferences, meetings and day schools on-line and now also a YouTube channel. We look forward to running more hybrid events. **Raising Awareness and Advocacy** The Society continues to make representations regarding the threatened closure/restructuring of Museums to advocate for specific sites or landscapes and the research and teaching of Prehistory.
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41||
|---|---|---|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives set|Para 1.41||
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41||
|Other|||
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end of
the period|Para 1.21|During the year ended 31 December 2024, the
Society recorded total receipts of £66,069 and
total payments of £90,624, resulting in a net
deficit of £24,555 for the period. This compares
to a small surplus of £3,715 in the previous
year. The reduction reflects increased
expenditure, particularly in relation to
publication costs for_Proceedings of The_
_Prehistoric Society_(£27,305), the_PAST_
newsletter (£15,932), and professional fees
(£6,204). This increase was primarily due to
multiple invoices falling within the same
financial year, including charges relating to the
previous year, as a result of the timing and
nature of external billing cycles for the
Society’s publications and services.
The Society’s cash reserves fell from £46,989 at
the start of the year to £22,434 at year end,
comprising £21,731 of unrestricted funds and
£703 of restricted funds. Despite this decline,
the Society retains a healthy investment
portfolio, with a total market value of
approximately £192,802 held across
unrestricted and restricted funds, which
continues to provide a stable income stream
through investment returns. Overall, the
Society remains in a sound financial position to
sustain its charitable objectives.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|The Society’s policy is to maintain adequate
reserves to ensure the continuity of its
activities, particularly in years when income
may fluctuate due to variable levels of
membership subscriptions, conference activity,
and publication costs. The reserves are
intended to provide a buffer against
unexpected shortfalls in income or increases in
expenditure, and to support the Society’s
ongoing commitments to publication, research,
and outreach.|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|At 31 December 2024, total cash reserves
amounted to £22,434, representing the funds
immediately available to support operations.
This figure excludes longer-term investment
holdings which provide an ongoing source of
income and capital appreciation. The trustees
consider this level of reserves to be adequate
but modest, and will continue to monitor it
annually to ensure it remains aligned with the
Society’s financial risks and obligations.|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|This section is not applicable, as the Society
holds positive reserves at the year end. The
trustees continue to maintain an appropriate|
|||level of working capital and have not identified
anyreason to operate without reserves.|
|---|---|---|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|There were no funds in deficit at the end of the
reporting period. Both unrestricted and
restricted funds carried positive balances
throughout theyear.|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the charity
continuing as a going concern|Para 1.23|The trustees have reviewed the Society’s
financial position and are satisfied that it
remains a going concern. Despite recording a
deficit in 2024, the Society’s substantial
investment assets and continuing membership
income provide a strong foundation for its
future operations. There are no material
uncertainties that cast significant doubt on the
Society’s ability to continue as a going concern
for the foreseeable future.|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|The charity’s principal sources
of funds (including any
fundraising)|Para 1.47|Membership subscriptions.|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any social
investment policy adopted|Para 1.46||
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46||
|Other|||
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|The Prehistoric Society was a company limited
by guarantee and a charity governed by its
Articles of Association, however on 1 July 2025,
the charity converted to a Charitable
Incorporated Organisation and approved a new
governing document – the charity is now
governed by a constitution.|
|How is the charity constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|The charity was company limited by guarantee
governed by its Memorandum and Articles of
Association dated 2 August 1990. The company
incorporated the assets and liabilities of The
Prehistoric Society on 5 February 1991. The
Prehistoric Society was registered as a charity
on 12 October 1990. Anyone throughout the
world can become a member of the Society.
Members are required to pay an annual
subscription to the Society.
On 1 July 2025 the charity converted to a
Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is
now operatingas such.|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of any
person or body entitled to
appoint one or more trustees|Para 1.25|Trustees (who are referred to as Council
members) are invited to join by the existing
trustees|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|Para 1.51|Trustees are provided with copies of the
Charity Commission guidance on trustee duties
and responsibilities.|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the charity
works|Para 1.51|The directors of the company are also charity
trustees for the purposes of charity law and
under the Articles of the company are known
as the Council. The Council comprises the
President, four Vice-Presidents, the Officers
(secretary, treasurer and meetings secretary)
and the Council Members.
The President retires from office at the fourth
Annual General Meeting after being appointed.
At each Annual General Meeting, the longest-
serving Vice-President retires from office and is
not eligible for re-appointment for four years,
the Officers of the company retire from office
but are eligible for re-appointment, and the
three longest-servingCouncil Members retire|
|||from office and are not eligible for re-
appointment for one year.
The objectives and activities of the Society
cover all prehistoric periods throughout the
world. The Council seeks to ensure that this
wide range of interests is reflected as much as
possible in the diversity of members of Council.
After due consideration Council nominate to
the members of the Society suitable persons to
be President (when applicable) and Vice-
President on the basis of their specialist
expertise and suitable experience. The Officers
usually continue in office from year to year.
When an Officer retires from office, the new
Officer is either co-opted from Council or,
where specialist professional knowledge is
required, all members of the Society are
notified of the vacancy in the Society’s
newsletter. The nominated President, Vice-
President and Officers are elected by the
members at the following Annual General
Meeting.
All members of the Society are invited to
nominate potential Council Members. A notice
requesting nominations is published in the
Society’s newsletter and on the Society’s
website. Each nomination is requested to
include a short statement about the suitable
expertise and experience of the proposed
candidate. Based on these criteria, Council
produces a shortlist of nominees to be put
forward for election by the members at the
following Annual General Meeting.|
|---|---|---|
|Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51||
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charityname|The Prehistoric Society|
|---|---|
|Other name the charityuses||
|Registered charitynumber|**no. 1000567**|
|Charity’s principal address||
**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled to**
**appoint trustee(if any)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Prof Linda Hurcombe|President|||
||Dr Rupert Housley|Vice-President|||
||Prof Rachel Pope|Vice-President|||
||Prof Robert Hosfield|Vice-President|||
|||Vice-President|position vacant in the
change to CIO after Prof
Eileen Wilkes resigned for
personal reasons||
||Dr Rachel Crellin|Secretary|demitted AGM 2024||
||Dr Meredith Laing|Secretary|Elected AGM 2024||
||Dr Lisa-Elen
Meyering|Treasurer|||
||Dr Meredith Laing||AGM 2024 moved from
ordinary Council member
to become secretary||
||Dr Felicity McDowall|Meetings secretary|||
||Dr Jennifer Wexler|Grants officer|||
||Dr Oliver Davies||||
||Dr Robert Wiseman||(resigned for personal
reasons Spring 2024)||
||Dr Jess Bates||||
||Dr Robert Hedge||Demitted AGM 2024||
||Dr Adelle Bricking||Elected AGM 2024||
||Dr George Prew||Elected AGM 2024||
||||||
||||||
||||||
Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved
**Director name**
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
**Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year**
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of Name Address adviser Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
|**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary, Chair,**
**etc)**
**Date**|M Laing|L Meyering|
|---|---|---|
||Meredith Laing|Lisa-Elen Meyering|
||
Secretary|Hon. Treasurer|
||29/10/2025||
||29/10/2025||
**The Prehistoric Society** Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees For the Year Ended 31 December 2024
## **Independent examiners report to the Trustees of The Prehistoric Society**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts for The Prehistoric Society (“the charity”) for the year ended 31 December 2024.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner’s statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or 2. the accounts do not comply with these records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Michelle Ferris BSc (Hons) FCA DChA**
Albert Goodman LLP Goodwood House Blackbrook Park Avenue Taunton Somerset TA1 2PX
Date: 29 October 2025
|||**The Prehistoric Society**|**The Prehistoric Society**|**The Prehistoric Society**|||**1000567**|**1000567**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Receipts and payments accounts**||||||||**CC16a**|
|||01/01/2024
31/12/2024
**To**
**For the period**
**from**
~~a~~|||||||||
||**Section A Receipts and payments**||||||||||
|||**Unrestricted**
**funds**||**Restricted**
**funds**||**Endowment**
**funds**||**Total funds**||**Last year**|
|||**to the nearest £**|**to the nearest £**|**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**||**to the nearest £**|
||**A1 Receipts**||||||||||
||Subscriptions|**40,461**||**-**||**-**||**40,461**||**39,163**|
||Donations|**5**||**-**||**-**||**5**||**-**|
||Investment income|**2,285**||**3,538**||**-**||**5,823**||**5,139**|
||Europa Lecture and Sponsorship|**-**||**5,166**||**-**||**5,166**||**8,449**|
||Education days|**1,668**||**-**||**-**||**1,668**||**2,591**|
||Royalties received|**1,469**||**-**||**-**||**1,469**||**5,371**|
||Grants received|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**2,000**|
||Commission received|**11,477**||**-**||**-**||**11,477**||**14,329**|
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_|_(Gross income for AR)_**57,365**||**8,704**||**-**||**66,069**||**77,042**|
|**A2 Asset and investment sales, (see**
**table).**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Total receipts_**
**57,365**
**8,704**
**-**
**66,069**
**77,042**
~~—====—=~~|||||||||||
||**A3 Payments**||||||||||
||Cost of voluntaryincome|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**262**|
||Grants|**7,769**||**-**||**-**||**7,769**||**7,511**|
||Supportingeducation|**2,917**||**-**||**-**||**2,917**||**2,965**|
||Lectures|**721**||**-**||**-**||**721**||**517**|
||Proceedings of The Prehistoric Society|**27,305**||**-**||**-**||**27,305**||**22,263**|
||PAST newsletter|**15,932**||**-**||**-**||**15,932**||**900**|
||Researchpapers|**1,500**||**-**||**-**||**1,500**||**6,334**|
||Europa Conference|**-**||**9,837**||**-**||**9,837**||**14,040**|
||Other conferences|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**380**|
||Bank charges|**771**||**-**||**-**||**771**||**687**|
||Depreciation|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||Insurance|**460**||**-**||**-**||**460**||**460**|
||Stationery|**316**||**-**||**-**||**316**||**394**|
||Administration wages|**14,359**||**-**||**-**||**14,359**||**13,941**|
||Website and software|**742**||**-**||**-**||**742**||**613**|
||Affiliations|**137**||**-**||**-**||**137**||**130**|
||Council meetings costs|**1,654**||**-**||**-**||**1,654**||**1,574**|
||Accountancy|**6,204**||**-**||**-**||**6,204**||**356**|
|||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_ **|**80,787**
**9,837**
**-**
**90,624**
**73,327**||
|---|---|---|
|**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Total payments_**
**80,787**
**9,837**
**-**
**90,624**
**73,327**
~~—————~~|||
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_ **
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**_Cash funds this year end_**|**(23,422)**
**- 1,133**
**-**
**- 24,555**
**3,715**
**(1,836)**
**1,836**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**46,989**
**- -**
**46,989**
**43,274**
**21,731**
**703**
**- 22,434**
**46,989**
~~=SS5=~~||
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
29/10/2025
1
|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**|**Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of
all the trustees
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B3 Investment assets**|
L Meyering
Signature
M Laing
Trade creditors
Accruals
Accruals
**Details**
Cash at bank
**Details**
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
Trade debtors
Accrued income
**Details**
**Details**
Investments in quoted shares
Investments in quoted shares
Investments in quoted shares
**Details**|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**21,731**
**703**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**21,731**
**703**
OK
OK
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**1,617**
**-**
**9,919**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**Europa**
**-**
**Coles**
**-**
**Unrestricted**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**
**Unrestricted**
**27,406**
**Europa**
**4,000**
**Unrestricted**
**2,000**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Meredith Laing
Lisa-Elen Meyering|**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||OK|
||||**Endowment**
**funds**
**to nearest £**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**106,749**|
||||**19,152**|
||||**66,901**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**Current value**
**(optional)**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**-**|
||||**When due**
**(optional)**|
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
|||||
||||Date of
approval|
||M Laing|Meredith Laing|29/10/2025|
||L Meyering|Lisa-Elen Meyering|29/10/2025|
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
29/10/2025
2