2024-03-31-accounts

Annual Impact Report & Ac counts 2023-2024

Contents

Contents
Introduction	3
A message from our Chair	3
A message from our Chief Executive	4
Our year in numbers	6
Our impact	8
Looking forward	10
Ocean goals	12
1 For a better protected ocean	12
2 For a cleaner ocean	14
3 For a healthier ocean	16
4 One ocean for everyone	18
Operational goals	20
An engaged community of support	20
Sustainable organisation	24
Powerful partnerships	26
Reflections	28
2023–2024Unexpected challenges, disappointing outcomes	28
2024–2025Fresh determination, ambitious plans	29
Financial review	30
Funds	32
Structure, governance and management	33
Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees
of Marine Conservation Society	35
Financial statements	38
Principal accounting policies	41
Notes to the financial statements	44
Acknowledgements of financial and other support	58
Reference and administrative information	60

A message from our Chair

Change is happening for our ocean. We’re strongly focused on clear ocean goals - a better protected, cleaner and healthier ocean, underpinned by an engaged community of support. The great news is that our collective actions are starting to achieve exciting breakthroughs. Yes, we face an ocean, nature and climate crisis and there are sticking points. Yet also, the route is clearer than ever.

Ocean recovery is happening. We can see it. We can measure it.

• Three years ago we reported devastating bottom trawling in 98% of UK offshore Marine Protected Areas. Today, thanks to our collective efforts, we have byelaws in place to provide meaningful protection for an area of seabed the size of Essex, so that nature can start to recover.

• We’re proud to report that Dogger Bank, the first MPA to be given better protection in 2022, has seen seabed fishing drop by 98%. And our research shows that nature is returning!

• We’ve tripled seagrass cover in Plymouth Sound by introducing sustainable alternatives to seabed anchors, with progress spreading to nearby bays.

• We’re returning long-lost native oyster beds to the Firth of Forth, expanding on our achievements in restoring nature’s water filters to the Dornoch Firth.

• Our work in the UK Overseas Territories has led to a 22% increase in seagrass cover, benefiting sea turtles, many other species, and our climate.

Our task now is to scale up and to make sure that the ocean is a mainstream issue, fully integrated into our economy, wellbeing and climate strategies. The key to delivering transformative change is working in partnership with like-minded people and organisations.

We partnered with Simmons & Simmons to host a ground-breaking event with finance industry

leaders to unlock funding for ambitious ocean recovery projects. To show how important ocean conservation is for the UK economy, we made representations with the finance sector to HM Treasury for the Spring Budget and to cross-party debates on the economic impact of a healthy ocean.

We’ve stepped up our campaigning for a cleaner ocean, including raising awareness of forever chemicals among politicians, and advocating for microfibre filters for washing machines into government plans. Such is the scale of sewage pollution that, funded by the Good Law Project, we went to the High Court to press for action on marine pollution from overflow sewers. As a direct result of our case, the Government introduced plans for tackling this source of sewage in our seas and estuaries.

Our Beachwatch programme, supported by Aldi, drives so much change, and went from strength to strength. We invested in a dedicated team to manage and deliver beach clean events for organisations, resulting in a 40% increase in delivery and generating vital funds.

We are particularly indebted to players of People's Postcode Lottery who have donated more than £6m during their long-running partnership with us, enabling sustained action that sees results. We also greatly value our unrestricted income from trusts and grants because this helps us employ our expert staff who work so tirelessly and effectively on behalf of our ocean.

None of this would be possible without you - our members, donors, volunteers, and supporters. We are truly grateful for your support.

I hope you enjoy reading about our thriving and uplifting programme of activities involving schools, Seasearch divers and so many other wonderful volunteers. We’re delighted to be welcoming new members, and that member feedback is so positive for our stunning new digital magazine, ‘Your Ocean’.

It has also been a great honour that His Majesty, The King, renewed his patronage of our charity and we are grateful for his continued support.

Thank you and here’s to what we can achieve in the year ahead. Together, let’s drive further progress and be catalysts for ocean, nature and climate recovery.

Amanda Nobbs

Chair of the Board of Trustees

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 3

2023-2024 A message from our Chief Executive Our collective impact

I cannot wait to see what we can achieve, together with you - our passionate, committed supporters.

After a year marked by significant progress in ocean recovery and notable challenges, the urgency for swift and decisive ocean action has never been greater. Climate, nature and the ocean depend on it – as do we.

For us this means two things: we need to stay dogged and persistent in our work towards longterm, positive change, such as in relation to the effective management of our marine spaces and tackling chemical pollution. We also need to be creative and innovative to maximise our opportunities to achieve, and accelerate, change.

Going forward we have refreshed our strategy and streamlined our goals to do this. I expect the next year to be transformational for the nature and impact of our work – from the ways we

communicate and engage with our supporters and work with our partners, to piloting new approaches to community and ocean conservation projects and strengthening engagement across all four nations.

In the exciting, visionary, experienced leadership team that we have built over the last two years, we have assembled just the right combination of skills, expertise, drive, grit, and determination to deliver that crucial combination of long-term thinking and innovation that we need so much. It is an honour and a privilege for me to be working with them and their dedicated, inspirational teams – I cannot wait to see what we can achieve, together with you - our passionate, committed supporters.

Sandy Luk

Chief Executive Officer

4 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Our year in numbers

Over the course of this year, together with our community of supporters, we’ve spent thousands of hours underwater, on the beach and connecting people of all ages with our ocean. But that’s not all! Here are some of the great numbers we’ve achieved in another busy year…

Our online audience grew to... social media 365,241 followers and...

visits to our website 616,731 to learn more about our projects

We made 31 alliances and partnerships and...

...engaged with 2,180 company volunteers to educate businesses on the importance of our ocean

16,276 volunteers supported our work by promoting our projects in their local communities, removing litter pollution, and submitting citizen science surveys

beach clean volunteers 13,248 cleared 17 tonnes of litter

14 Bold advocacy led to parliamentary mentions media outlets 3,500 mentioned our work

Our marine experts wrote and presented 11 scientific publications and...

...attended 23 conferences as a keynote speaker or panel expert, amplifying our work to diverse audiences

6 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

5,165 citizen science surveys were completed by our volunteers, providing evidence for decision makers and influencers to improve the health of our seas

284 new Seasearch volunteers were trained to survey underwater habitats, helping to expand our knowledge of marine ecosystems

123 We protected and restored hectares of seagrass

After we installed 17 Advanced Mooring Systems, seagrass density in Cawsand Bay, Plymouth increased by 212%

Seasearch divers spent 1,336 hours underwater surveying UK species and habitats, and submitted 1,331 records

153,300 young people (aged 25 and under) and...

3,411 community members developed their understanding of the ocean and how to protect it through our events and online resources

£4,647,446 was raised by our generous supporters and fundraisers

£1 For every spent on fundraising, we raised £5.34

81p of every £ was spent on charitable activities

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 7

Our impact

We work with communities across the four nations, and in the UK's Overseas Territories, to protect and conserve our ocean for the future. See where we've been working for a cleaner, better protected and healthier ocean – one we can all enjoy.

Our Scottish Education Roadshow reached 158 schools, inspiring students to take proactive actions for ocean conservation. 18 sessions were held in schools located within the top 30% most deprived areas in Scotland

In partnership with CHEM Trust, we held an event at the Conservative party conference where Ocean Ambassador Sarah Jackson spoke about the impacts of a polluted ocean on her health

We organised a panel at the Labour party conference where our plea to reduce chemical pollution was well supported

We launched Wales’s first One Ocean Forum – a diverse local community steering group – and fed into the Welsh Government’s Ocean Literacy Task and Finish Group, which is developing the UK’s first national Ocean Literacy Strategy

The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill was passed by the Senedd in December 2023, banning many ‘on the go’ single-use plastic items

Our persistent campaigning and advocacy for proper protection of our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) helped safeguard an area of seabed the size of Essex, with new byelaws introduced to protect over 4,000km[2] in 13 English MPAs from bottom trawl fishing.

Seagrass cover in Plymouth Sound has tripled in the four years since our work to introduce Advanced Mooring Systems and voluntary ‘no anchor zones’

8 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

A new partnership with the Scottish Islands Federation led to 112% more Beachwatch surveys from Scottish Islands, providing essential evidence for stronger policy levers to prevent different types of litter polluting beaches

UK Overseas Territories

In partnership with Heriot-Watt University and Glenmorangie, we reintroduced nearly 100,000 native oysters to the Dornoch Firth and over 3,000 to the Firth of Forth, engaging over 650 people in training, biosecurity, and deployment

We supported the development of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s Sea Lice Risk Assessment Framework – a major step in managing sea lice in salmon aquaculture

We worked in collaboration with the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (SIFT) to produce unique guidelines to help inform sustainable development in the emerging UK seaweed aquaculture sector

By creating a dedicated team, we’ve delivered 40% more Team Beach Cleans this year, with 88 cleans delivered on behalf of 66 organisations to a total of 2,180 participants

We saw a 3% increase in volunteers and an 11% rise in Great British Beach Clean events, with volunteers removing nearly 130,000 pieces of litter – totalling almost 7,500 kg – from 40 miles of beach

Our work in the UK Overseas Territories has led to a 22% increase in seagrass cover, benefitting marine turtles and other species, and our climate

Through the Great Blue Ocean coalition, we helped the Cayman Islands join the UK's Blue Belt Programme

In partnership with the Government of Montserrat and the University of Exeter, we launched a 5-year Marine Turtle Action Plan to safeguard turtle populations through conservation actions that respect local values

We supported advocacy for the expansion of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands' Marine Protected Area, which now protects an area twice the size of the UK

We delivered 43 Ocean-Friendly School assemblies across the UK, awarding ten schools and reaching 17,985 students, with many more awards in progress

Following our campaign against PFAS, the Government committed to restrict PFAS use in firefighting foams and publish an analysis of options for managing these substances

We partnered with Simmons & Simmons to host a ground-breaking event with finance industry leaders to unlock funding for ambitious ocean recovery projects

Funded by the Good Law Project, we went to the High Court to demand action on sewage overflows, with the Government introducing subsequent plans to tackle this pollution in seas and estuaries

We made representations with the finance sector to HM Treasury for the Spring Budget and to cross-party debates on the economic impact of a healthy ocean

Our campaigning resulted in microplastic fibre capture filters being included in UK Government’s Plan for Water, with our petition for mandatory filters receiving 44,000 signatures

The Wild Coast Sussex project engaged around 500 young people (aged 16-25) through over 30 free marine events, empowering them to connect with their local coast and inspiring ocean-friendly action

In October 2023 the UK Government finally introduced a ban on single-use plastic plates, trays, cutlery and other ‘on the go’ items in England, following years of Beachwatch data evidencing the issue

40,000 young people took part in our in-person and live online events, which brought together enthusiastic individuals aged 13-25 for learning, networking, inspiring workshops, and immersive experiences.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 9

Looking forward

Jennifer Mitchell Director of Engagement and Communications

Our amazing members, volunteers, donors and supporters are making a difference in so many ways, and we’re growing our community of support with even more personalised and engaging experiences.

We're working hand-in-hand with communities more than ever before: our volunteers are making a direct difference to our conservation outcomes; the Youth Ocean Network continues to nurture the next generation of leaders; and we’re creating new initiatives to help more people understand the impact of the ocean on us, and our impact on the ocean.

Gareth Cunningham Director of Conservation and Policy

With a new UK Government in place, we’ll be increasing our efforts to secure cross party support for the ocean in combatting climate change and underpinning a sustainable economy.

We’ll also be exploring the role of innovative conservation and financial solutions to secure sustainable investment in marine recovery that benefits communities, industries, and our amazing marine species and habitats.

10 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Kate Jacques Director of Fundraising and Development

We cannot wait to discuss new, innovative projects across water quality, climate resilience and ocean literacy with charitable foundations who have generously supported our work in recent years.

We’ve also invested in our corporate partnerships team to grow and maximise the incredible support we receive from corporate partners.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 11

1

Ocean goals

For a better protected ocean

We secure spaces where species and habitats can recover. We’ll ensure our ocean is better protected and its value for biodiversity and climate change mitigation is recognised. We’ll improve marine management and secure well-managed protected areas to recover, nurture and protect species and habitats. And we’ll track the progress of ocean recovery.

We’re campaigning for at least 30% of UK waters to be effectively managed by 2030 to protect wildlife and ecosystems.

Our achievements

1. Our persistent campaigning and advocacy for proper protection of our Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) helped safeguard an area of seabed the size of Essex, with new byelaws introduced to protect over 4,000km[2] in 13 English MPAs from bottom trawl fishing. Our research has proven the impact of these byelaws, reporting a 98% drop in seabed fishing in Dogger Bank MPA since the introduction of a similar byelaw in June 2022.

2. Seagrass cover in Plymouth Sound has increased by an impressive 212% over the past four years. This follows our successful work in introducing sustainable mooring systems (Advanced Mooring Systems) and voluntary No Anchor Zones in Cawsand Bay and Portland Harbour working in partnership with Natural England, Ocean Conservation Trust, Royal Yachting Association and Plymouth City Council/Tamar Estuaries Consultative Forum.

3. As part of the Great Blue Ocean coalition, we were instrumental in helping the Cayman Islands to become the third Caribbean UK Overseas Territory to join the UK Government’s flagship Blue Belt Programme. We supported the coalition’s advocacy of the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, which led to the expansion of their Marine Protected Area, with an area twice the size of the UK (450,000 km[2] ) now fully protected.

4. We’ve returned nearly 100,000 native oysters to the Dornoch Firth and over 3,000 to the Firth of Forth for the first time in almost 100 years, in partnership with Heriot-Watt University and Glenmorangie. As proud partners in the Dornoch Environment Enhancement Project (DEEP), and the Restoration Forth project, our team members engaged with more than 650 people through training, biosecurity, and deployment sessions.

5. We launched the Montserrat Marine Turtle Action Plan (2023-2028) working in partnership with the Government of Montserrat and the University of Exeter. This project safeguards the regionally significant turtle population through evidencebased conservation actions that respect local values and contribute to the island’s prosperity.

12 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Highlight

Working with Simmons & Simmons, we are building a body of work that showcases our expertise in blue finance and the sustainable blue economy.

This year, we launched a joint podcast series, ‘Seas of Opportunity - Unlocking the Sustainable Blue Economy.’ This is a first for the Marine Conservation Society: inviting people across different sectors to learn more about our projects and how the blue economy can benefit nature and wider society.

We started working with partners in the UK finance sector to unlock further funding for ambitious ocean conservation by improving communications between ocean conservationists and private finance institutions. For World Ocean Day 2023, we hosted an event in the City of London and plan to develop this work in 2024–2025.

To show how important ocean conservation is for the UK economy, we’ve been creating new ways to amplify the economic benefits. We’ve been working in partnership with the UK finance sector focusing on both private and public investment, resulting in representation to HM Treasury for the Spring Budget, and cross-party debates on the economic impact of a healthy ocean.

Robust funding programmes are vital if we are to properly protect and restore our seas. The work we’ve been doing with financial institutions and politicians to unlock the UK’s sustainable blue economy has the potential to be transformative for the health, cleanliness, and protection of our marine environment.

Fiona Thomas

Public Affairs Manager

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 13

2

Ocean goals

For a cleaner ocean

We campaign to stop pollution entering our ocean. Using science, we track the health of our seas, identify and prevent the main sources of pollution, and work with businesses and governments towards a cleaner ocean.

We’re calling for ocean pollution levels to show a clear downward trend by 2030.

Our achievements

1. Following years of our Great British Beach Clean results evidencing the issue of ‘on the go’ singleuse plastic, in October 2023 the UK Government finally introduced a ban on single-use items including plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks, and certain types of polystyrene cups and food containers in England. The Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Bill was passed by the Senedd in December 2023, bringing legislative parity across the nations. This demonstrates the influence our litter data can have on driving change, and the value and importance of the thousands of volunteers who collect it.

2. Following our campaigning for the restriction of harmful ‘forever chemicals’, the Government has taken steps to start addressing the potential threats from PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances). They have committed to restricting PFAS in firefighting foams and have published analysis of regulatory options for managing these chemicals.

3. We achieved an important milestone through our campaigning for the introduction of mandatory filters in washing machines by 2024, resulting in the recognition of microfibre pollution in the UK Government’s Plan for Water and setting out steps they will take to address it. This is the first time microplastic fibre capture filters have been included in Government plans and is testament to our advocacy efforts. Additionally, we presented a petition with 44,000 signatures urging the implementation of these essential filters.

4. Beachwatch volunteers in our year-round beach cleaning programme recorded less sewage-related debris on Scottish beaches in 2023, demonstrating the importance of our persistent work to reduce sewage pollution. A new partnership with the Scottish Islands Federation led to 112% more Beachwatch surveys from Scottish Islands in 2023. This provided essential evidence for stronger policy levers to prevent different types of litter polluting beaches.

We continued to raise awareness about persistent pollutants like PFAS with political parties. We organised a panel at the Labour Party Annual Conference where our plea to reduce chemical pollution was well supported, and held an event at the Conservative Party Conference where Ocean Ambassador, Sarah Jackson spoke about the impacts of a polluted ocean on her health, further highlighting the issue.

14 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Highlight

We took the UK Government to the High Court in July 2023 as co-claimants in a sewage pollution case funded by Good Law Project. One of our key arguments was that England’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan was not fit for purpose as it did not apply to coastal and estuarine waters. As a direct result of our legal challenge, Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) launched a public consultation. We called on our supporters to respond to the consultation with guidance on the process.

The outcome was that all coastal sites in England were included in the Sewage Overflow Discharge Reduction plan, with Marine Protected Areas and Shellfish Protected Areas prioritised for action. This was a significant breakthrough and demonstrates the powerful impact of our legal challenge and advocacy work.

Our work to show people that a cleaner, healthier ocean is possible has been hugely successful. From communicating the impact of data collected on our beach cleans to sharing consultations, we’re empowering people with the knowledge and data they need to fight against sewage pollution.

Emily Cooper

Science Communicator

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 15

3

Ocean goals

For a healthier ocean

We promote sustainable fishing and seafood to minimise harm. We’ll support businesses to catch, produce and source seafood sustainably and incorporate conservation into their work.

We’re calling for our fish stocks to be at sustainable levels by 2030.

Our achievements

1. We delivered two Good Fish Guide rating updates, reviewing more than 250 seafood sources and helping consumers and businesses make sustainable seafood choices using the latest guidance. We used this extensive evidence base to call for more robust management measures during consultations on the new Fisheries Management Plans, which are the most important changes to UK fisheries management since Brexit.

2. We launched our new Chefs’ Training Programme, the School of Fish, which aims to influence sustainable choices in the catering industry. More than 450 students and lecturers attended the event, which featured talks from Michelin starred chefs and Japanese sushi masters, and 5,400 more joined online. We reached new audiences in the catering sector and developed relationships with educators and catering businesses who are eager to support our work.

“We believe local and fresh is best and only use fish recommended as sustainable by the [Marine Conservation Society] – if it’s red on their list – you won’t find it on our menu,” Alexandra Hotel, Lyme Regis.

1. Our work with the International Institute for Environment and Development has helped frame seafood as vital for a future-proof UK food system and cemented our position as one of the leading operators in the field. Our co-authored paper highlighted the role of seafood as a protein source in transforming the sustainability of UK food systems, sparking valuable discussions with sector thought leaders at our workshop and follow-up sessions. This collaborative effort not only earned us support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation but also opened doors for dynamic partnerships with academics and nongovernmental organisations, driving progress in this critical field.

16 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Highlight

Seaweed aquaculture is an emerging sector within the UK and our unique guidelines, produced in collaboration with the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (SIFT), are helping inform sustainable development of this sector. Because so few other environmental organisations are engaging in this field, we are leading the way in advising on environmental considerations for aquaculture projects before they are developed. Our guidelines formed the basis of SIFT’s Scottish Parliamentary event and are informing the Scottish Seaweed Industry Association’s (SSIA) Code of Practice, including presenting at SSIA’s Conference in Oban, Scotland in November 2023.

We welcomed and engaged in the development of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s Sea Lice Risk Assessment Framework, which is a huge step forward in managing sea lice interactions in salmon aquaculture. It will help support effective marine spatial planning in salmon aquaculture, inform decisions on suitable siting for salmon farms and lead to other necessary management actions. We hope the framework will also be used to assess cumulative impacts of salmon farming – one of our key aquaculture asks.

Aquaculture is growing in importance as a source for seafood, and the Marine Conservation Society is uniquely placed to guide it towards more environmentally friendly growth.

Dawn Purchase

Aquaculture Programme Manager

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 17

4

Ocean goals

One ocean for everyone

We work hard to ensure everyone can enjoy the ocean and what it has to offer, while fulfilling their responsibility to protect it.

We’ll promote the value of the ocean for our health and wellbeing.

Our achievements

1. This year, our Scottish Education Roadshow engaged with 158 schools, inspiring students to take proactive actions for ocean conservation. We delivered a range of activities from classroom sessions and beach workshops to online engagements, including in remote, rural areas and areas of deprivation, with 18 sessions held in schools located within the top 30% most deprived areas in Scotland.

2. We made waves with 43 assemblies for our Ocean Friendly School Awards (OFSAs) across the UK. By hosting most of these events online, we broke down barriers and enabled schools to take part regardless of their location —coastal and inland alike—to join us and take part. We’re proud to report that ten schools have already completed their OFSA, with many more on track to finish in the current academic year. Our efforts reached an impressive 17,985 students, and over 1,300 are either wrapping up or are well on their way to completing their award.

3. Through the Wild Coast Sussex project, we empowered young people (aged 16-25) to connect with their local coast and sea. We delivered more than 30 free, inclusive, and fun marine-related events, involving around 500 young people, inspiring them to act in more ocean-friendly ways. We built long-lasting partnerships with other youth organisations and expanded our reach towards younger audiences, while continuously improving the accessibility and inclusivity of our engagement.

4. Our youth engagement work resulted in over 40,000 young people taking part in our in-person and live online events. Our Voice for the Ocean youth gatherings in Edinburgh, Bristol, and Bangor brought together more than 100 enthusiastic individuals aged 13-25 for networking, inspiring workshops, and immersive experiences with our work. The Youth Ocean Network (YON) has seen an increase in membership, all with a strong desire to support our mission in the future.

18 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Highlight:

Through the Hiraeth Yn Y Môr (HYYM) project, we launched Wales’s first One Ocean Forum – a diverse local community steering group that collaborated with us to co-create impactful project activities.

We deepened levels of trust across a range of sectors including businesses, schools, and public bodies in Towyn, Kinmel Bay, Rhyl and Prestatyn, and were invited to speak at Wales Environment Link’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Working Group about the project and our use of best EDI practices.

Through the project we are breaking barriers in relation to ocean understanding and have strengthened our position as the leading voice on Ocean Literacy (understanding the impact of the ocean on us and of our impact on the ocean) in Wales through our membership of the Welsh Government’s Ocean Literacy Task & Finish Group, which is developing the UK’s first national Ocean Literacy Strategy.

The One Ocean Forum meeting was so energising. We attend so many workshops all the time, it's easy to feel run down by them, but this was the most inspiring one I've been to in a long time and can't wait for our next meeting.

One Ocean Forum Member

(Local Authority)

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 19

Operational goals

An engaged community of support

We will build an engaged community of support, committed to protecting and restoring the health of our ocean. We will promote supporter involvement through giving, campaigning and volunteering and pursue wider, pro-ocean societal change.

Members and Donors

1. We welcomed 620 new members to our community - our greatest intake since 2020. Our members are not only generously supporting us through income; they’re an essential part of our campaigning and lobbying success, with many signing petitions, volunteering and supporting appeals. As we’ve been making improvements to the member experience, we’ve been pleased that 95% of supporters surveyed would recommend (or have recommended) Marine Conservation Society membership to a friend.

2. In 2023 we launched our new, immersive members magazine, “Your Ocean”, packed full of immersive videos, stunning photography and fascinating stories, bringing to life our projects and campaigns. With a successful launch, more than 40% of our members now receive the digital version.

3. Our shop sales have reached another milestone, exceeding £100,000. This is a fantastic achievement and another example of how dedicated our supporters are to helping our cause. These sales contribute vital funds so we can continue, and further our efforts to achieve healthier seas for all. Additionally, thanks to our supporters using PayPal Give, we benefitted from over £40,000 of PayPal donations at checkout.

20 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Volunteers

1. Our ‘Team Beach Clean’ events, that we offer to organisations of all sizes, continue to be in high demand. We increased Team Beach Cleans by 40% this year, following the introduction of a new, dedicated team within our Beachwatch programme. By creating a dedicated team, we’ve been able to deliver 88 Team Beach Cleans, on behalf of 66 organisations, engaging 2,180 participants. This has not only generated over £131,000 but also provides an opportunity for organisations to deepen their connection to the ocean and support our cause.

2. In our flagship Great British Beach Clean event, volunteers removed nearly 130,000 pieces of litter, totalling almost 7,500 kg, from 40 miles of beach. We saw a 3% increase in volunteer numbers and an 11% rise in events compared to 2022. Of those who took part in our online training, 90% registered as volunteers. This led to 47 new beach cleans involving 362 volunteers. Due to this success, we’re expanding with 12 introductory and four refresher sessions in 2024.

3. We ran 29 Seasearch training courses for 361 volunteers, generating £15,000 of income and helping divers and snorkellers to record underwater habitats. We also published the latest title in the popular and well-respected series of Seasearch field guides, providing a valuable learning resource to improve marine habitat and species monitoring. Sales of Seasearch merchandise generated over £31,000 to support the programme.

Highlight

We successfully launched the volunteer ‘Ocean Voice’ programme, empowering volunteers to promote marine conservation in their local communities. Supporters can volunteer as Media Spokespersons or Community Presenters, with plans to expand the programme in 2024. After taking part in simple, online, and nationally accessible training, volunteers are provided with resources to support them in their role. They can represent the charity in their local communities, highlighting issues, promoting our work, and explaining what people can do to help. Volunteers have already helped to deliver media interviews, increase engagement to more than 1,000 people in local communities and generate additional donations for the charity.

After a talk, when I read in my feedback forms that I’ve inspired people to become Marine Conservation Society members or sign up for beach cleans, I felt so proud.

Debbie Rowland

Community Presenter

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 21

Growing our audiences

1. In 2023 we reached more audiences than ever before, with a 44% increase in media mentions, an 8% increase in website visitors, and a 6% increase in our social media followers. Building our audience base has supported the success of our campaigns, from generating more than 44,000 signatures for our Stop Ocean Threads petition, to supporting our legal case through the Sewage Free Seas campaign and influencing policy change.

2. We have improved the digital experience for supporters, which has enhanced the recruitment and retention of members. Automated email journeys resulted in more timely and relevant communications, and development of our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system and data has provided actionable insights for further improvement. We revamped our membership journey to better align with supporters’ interests, leading to higher engagement with our content.

3. Our progress in digital development is advancing the quality of volunteers' experiences nationwide. Volunteer data is now recorded and managed consistently, enabling quality nationwide communications that welcome new volunteers and send monthly updates to the community. We can now track volunteer roles and their participation duration and frequency for some activities. This will help us develop user journeys that encourage retention and increase future participation.

22 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Highlight

We reached our target of securing a total of 20,000 wildlife sightings in our 20th year of the project. To reach the target we introduced a ‘Spotted’ feature in the membership magazine which regularly shares supporters’ sightings and encourages reports.

For Jellywatch weekend, Ocean Ambassador and photographer, Lizzie Daly, promoted our Wildlife Sightings project and encouraged the public to share their sightings. This was endorsed by Inka Cresswell and TV presenter Meg McCubbin and enabled us to collate user-generated content to share on our channels as well as boosting the total of jellyfish reports received. Our wildlife sightings report achieved wide media attention including a feature on BBC Breakfast.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 23

Operational goals

Sustainable organisation

We create a high performing culture with talented, knowledgeable people who plan effectively and ensure that the charity's values underpin everything that we do.

We’ll utilise our resources carefully through the management of risk, optimisation of data, efficient processes and ensuring our finances are secure. We’ll reduce our carbon footprint, demonstrating our ethical principles.

Achievements

1. Effective processes and systems are an essential component to how we work, every day. We have started implementing new tools for our payroll and HR information which will bring these systems to everyone in the organisation. They will add robustness to our data, provide analysis to inform our decision-making and create efficiencies in tasks for all our colleagues.

2. We’ve rebuilt our budgeting and forecasting system, improving our ability to be dynamic and react to changing circumstances – something that is much needed in the current climate. We now have greater visibility of any changes in our operating environment, providing us with more options and allowing us to respond flexibly. This means we can continually evolve to keep up with changes and ensure we use our resources effectively to maximise our impact.

3. We take our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) seriously. We’ve set organisational and operational key performance indicators (KPIs) that integrate EDI considerations into how we work every day. From appraisals to project plans, and from our EDI champion on the Board of Trustees to every member of our EDI working group, we share our experiences and learnings with each other and supportive charities in external groups (Wildlife & Countryside Link groups for England and Scotland) and participate in The Race Report. Our actions challenge ourselves and the wider societal structures, making the environmental and charity sectors more inclusive.

4. In response to organisational changes, we consolidated our office space in all three geographical areas as we have a reduced requirement for larger office spaces and the overheads that go with them. They now offer a venue for colleagues to come together and collaborate, while also providing a valuable logistics service for our equipment.

24 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Highlight

The Directorate has been responsive to an evolving organisation and supporting the organisation’s need for agility. As a result, we are introducing new systems and processes that will support our remote teams to work effectively, reduce our overhead costs, and support our work towards net zero.

To ensure the organisation can adapt and respond to an ever-changing external economic environment, I want to build on the work of the finance and resources team and turn the mass of data that we hold into meaningful management information. With that information being accurate, relevant, and timely.

Huw Davies

Director of Finance and Resources

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 25

Operational goals

Powerful partnerships

We build meaningful funding partnerships with people and organisations motivated by the urgent need for a healthier ocean. We will fundraise effectively, responsibly, and transparently, connecting our donors with the impact their support has on ocean recovery.

Our achievements

1. Support from our funders is paving the way for us to develop, explore and deliver innovation in marine conservation. Their much-needed investment is enabling us to think differently, explore new approaches and pilot work. We are particularly grateful for funding from the ORP Foundation, Levine Family Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and John Ellerman Foundation, which has supported innovative approaches to water quality, aquaculture and natural capital assessments.

2. Our corporate partners are supporting our work to restore the health of our seas. We’ve been working with Princess Yachts and Salcombe Gin to restore seagrass beds in Plymouth, fostering biodiversity and helping to lock in blue carbon. It’s wonderful to have dedicated supporters who are as passionate about our ocean as we are, with Princess Yachts now in its 10th year of support.

3. We were excited to welcome Aldi as the new sponsor of Beachwatch, our influential citizen science programme, engaging volunteers across the country. We look forward to developing this partnership and supporting Aldi colleagues across the UK to volunteer as the new year of beach cleans get underway.

It’s wonderful to see the passion of our corporate supporters for our seas, with many getting involved in our projects through volunteering. Collectively, 620 employees from PwC and Sky cleaned 17 beaches in 2023, with both companies promoting our beach cleans as an employee volunteer day activity and encouraging their staff to help us clean up our coasts. We’d like to thank all our beach clean partners including Aldi, Cully & Sully, Sky, and PwC for getting involved.

26 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Highlight

Support from charitable trusts, foundations and grant makers is vital for the Marine Conservation Society, funding around half of our entire work programme in 2023-2024. Half of this funding was unrestricted, giving us freedom to direct funds where we need them most.

We received £1,125,000 from players of People’s Postcode Lottery during the year, with funds awarded by Postcode Planet Trust. Over the past decade, an incredible £5.8m raised by players has supported our work and driven forward our impact. We also received unrestricted support from The Helvellyn Foundation, the John Swire 1989 Charitable Trust, and The Dulverton Trust, among many other trusts and foundations. We’re incredibly grateful for all the grants we receive – whether project or unrestricted - but unrestricted income helps to fund the full spectrum of our work. This includes ‘back office’ functions which are challenging to fund from other sources yet form the support structure from which our projects and impact grow.

Unrestricted funding allows charities to focus on achieving their vision rather than the specific requirements of a funder. It also offers continuity; by helping to fill gaps left by date-specific restricted funding and providing flexibility, which is essential for charities working in increasingly complex circumstances economically, socially and politically. From a funder perspective, unrestricted funding fosters more open and transparent relationships with partners, the opportunity to learn much more about the work of that organisation and offers a much more time-efficient approach.

Lauren Gupta

Trustee, The Helvellyn Foundation

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 27

2023-2024

Unexpected challenges, disappointing outcomes

The past year has been turbulent, politically and economically. The continued cost-of-living crisis impacted both on our ability to generate income and on how far we can make our income stretch. At the same time, political leaders prioritised the economy over environmental policy, resulting in further delays to much needed action for the ocean.

Cost-of-living impacts donations

The continued cost-of-living crisis and high inflation have of course had an impact on the charity, affecting our ability to fundraise and secure income. Our donations and membership rates have been affected as our supporters also navigate the current economic crisis and its impacts. The income generated no longer stretches as far as in the past; a donation of £20 in 2017 would need to have increased to more than £25 to enable us to carry out the same work.

Political changes stall progress

The political backdrop, and frequent changes in leaders and cabinets - across the UK nations - led to a degree of paralysis in political activity. With the spectre of a general election looming for most of the year, and political focus mostly on the economy, regulatory progress on environmental and marine conservation stalled or was delayed in relation to many key issues, like the development of a UK Chemical Strategy, the implementation of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs), and addressing sewage pollution.

Deposit Return Scheme disappointment

Though delighted that there has been a commitment across Britain to the introduction of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), we were disappointed that this was to be delayed to 2027, and glass bottles were not included in the scheme. Neither did the UK Government agree an exemption to the Internal Market Act (IMA) to allow Scotland’s proposed DRS scheme (including glass) to proceed. We will be calling on the new UK Government and the devolved governments to speed up this timetable and to ensure that all schemes cover glass bottles.

Protection delays in Scotland and Wales

The introduction of management measures in relation to bottom-towed gear in English offshore marine protected areas has been one of the outstanding areas of progress over the last few years. With 13 byelaws having entered into force, a further 28 still require new management measures, which we hope will be speedily delivered in 2024 in line with the previous government’s commitments. At the same time, Wales and Scotland also experienced delays in relation to managing marine protected areas, with a cabinet reshuffle resulting in Wales’s expected consultation being postponed and public backlash in Scotland about areas of enhanced protection meaning stakeholder work is now needed to remediate the approach.

28 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

2024-2025

Fresh determination, ambitious plans

Action against PFAS

The EU has committed to banning all PFAS from uses that aren’t considered essential for people’s health and safety, which is great news, but this faces strong opposition from the chemicals industry. We have been involved in Defra’s PFAS working group to produce a joint stakeholder paper from non-governmental organisations and industry to find areas of common agreement and areas of divergence in possible policy ideas. We are determined to push this forward and continue our calls for immediate action to be taken on PFAS.

New and inclusive One Ocean Roadshows

Building on the success of ocean learning projects we’ve run across Scotland, we now plan to deliver a new and inclusive One Ocean Roadshow in schools, youth groups, and communities across deprived areas of northern England. Our goal is for more young people to become voices for our ocean and lead community action. We hope to engage with, train and mobilise 13,500 young people and education leaders over three years to develop a deeper understanding of our ocean and positive actions they can take to care for it. We ultimately want to galvanise as many young people as possible, inspiring them to become passionate about our seas.

Digital developments

We have made developments to our digital capability throughout the organisation to streamline our workflow and ensure that we are as efficient and effective as we can be. Continuous improvements to our website, CRM and email communications have enhanced our supporters’ experience and enabled us to reach and engage with a wider audience in ways that suit them. We introduced a ‘self-service’ MySeasearch functionality for volunteers on the Seasearch website, which empowers users and improves efficiency, while the automatic booking of courses and dives reduces the manual handling of data and risk of errors.

Top team training

We are focusing on further skill development for our leaders and managers to support their remote teams and keep our planning and the way we work together fresh and forward looking. To support cross-team working on projects, there will be a large-scale rollout of project management training to equip both project leads and project team members with a common understanding of the principles. This will support organisational development and efficient resource planning. We are also continuing with a leadership training programme for our wider leadership team, and we are building an expectations framework based on key behaviours and drawing on our values to reflect the organisation’s ambitions and future needs.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 29

Financial review

With CPI inflation standing at 10.5% at 31 December 2022 and 10.1% at 31 March 2023 the continuing high inflation pressure was a key factor in setting the 23/24 budget which was set to deliver a balanced position on unrestricted funds and maintain the level of unrestricted reserves in line with the Board’s objectives of holding between 3 and 4 months unrestricted expenditure. The budget maintained the ambition to maximise impact with the resources available and utilise the restricted reserves to continue delivering project activity.

As the statement of financial activities shows, the objective of delivering a balanced position for unrestricted reserves has been achieved with net income of £17k on unrestricted funds during the 12 months ended 31 March 2024.

With net income on restricted funds for the year to March 2024 of £145k the 24/25 budget has been designed to utilise the restricted funds as efficiently and effectively as possible to deliver our ocean goals.

Total income for the year at £5.1m is 10% higher than the previous year, whilst unrestricted income of £3.7m is 6% higher than the previous year's total of £3.5m, with a 12% increase in donations and legacies being the main contributor to this unrestricted income growth. Restricted income at £1.4m is 22% higher than the previous year's total of £1.2m with the biggest increase coming from grant income.

Huw Davies

Director of Finance and Resources

Income

----- Start of picture text -----
Total
£5,130,045
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Expenditure

----- Start of picture text -----
Total
£4,967,281
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30 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

At £3.1m unrestricted donations and legacies contributed 85% of the total unrestricted income for the year.

42%	Donations from trusts and companies	£2,162,971
20%	Grants	£1,055,931
12%	Memberships	£597,436
11%	Royalties, sponsorship, sales and other income	£550,830
8%	Individual donations	£393,304
4%	Beach cleans and education	£223,873
3%	Legacies	£145,700

Our expenditure on charitable activities at £4.0m represents 81% of total expenditure

29%	Better protected	£1,440,026
19%	Healthier ocean	£925,625
18%	Cleaner ocean	£910,052
15%	For everyone	£731,391
13%	Fundraising	£637,712
5%	Memberships	£256,119
1%	Trading	£66,356

Supporting our income growth

• J In total, the cost of raising funds was £0.96m which is 19% of total income raised.

• J We spent less than £0.26m administering our membership scheme and producing our magazine.

• J Our fundraising income continues to grow year-onyear, apart from a dip during the pandemic, and we have plans in place to continue that growth. As with 2022-2023 we spent £0.6m administering our group of individual donors and fundraisers, companies and other supporters and a further £0.1m on the cost of raising our trading income.

• R Our ongoing successful partnership with People’s Postcode Lottery is vital in supporting our core conservation work.

• R Membership subscriptions contributed £0.6m.

• R Grants to fund specific conservation projects increased to £1.06m, an increase of 21% on the previous year.

Supporting our conservation work

• J £1.4m spent on working towards a better protected ocean.

• J £0.9m on projects to create a cleaner ocean.

• J £0.9m on our healthier ocean goal.

• J £0.7m on our ‘For everyone’ education and engagement work promoting access to enjoying the ocean for everyone.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 31

Funds

At the end of the year, we had unrestricted funds of £1.14m

It is our policy to hold between three and four months’ unrestricted operating costs in a designated contingency fund to be able to maintain our conservation programmes in the event of a shortfall in income, until further funding can be secured. We review the level of this fund regularly. Currently, this fund holds £1.14m, representing 3 months’ worth of anticipated unrestricted expenditure.

Approach to fundraising

Our approach to fundraising is to connect with our supporters and encourage motivated individuals and companies to raise voluntary funds to support our aims and activities. We ensure that our fundraising is not overly intrusive or persistent, and doesn’t put members of the public under undue pressure to donate. We recognise that everyone has the right to support their favourite causes and charities and that we have an obligation to protect those who may be in vulnerable circumstances. We do this in a way which seeks to protect each person and their dignity while also being respectful of any desire they express to support us.

• J We comply with UK data protection and are registered with the Fundraising Regulator.

• J We comply with the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice.

• J Complaints are monitored by the Executive Team and are reported to Trustees and we encourage any supporters with questions or enquiries about our fundraising to contact us at any time. There were no complaints received during the year.

Investments

Due to the ongoing economic and political uncertainty since 2022-2023 and the increasing concern regarding the costof-living crisis, the charity maintained its funds in cash and did not transfer funds into an investment portfolio, as had been planned in 2021-2022. The Trustees continued to review this position during 2023-2024. Consequently, cash levels remain high, £1.7m at year end.

Risk management

The Trustees recognise their legal responsibility to provide an annual Risk Management Statement to show that they have given due and proper consideration to the charity’s major risks and that they have satisfied themselves of the adequacy of the systems which are in place to manage those risks.

Detailed review authority is delegated to the Finance, Resources & Risk Committee, which meets on a quarterly basis.

The Trustees consider risk to be the opportunities/ uncertainties which may impact its ability to deliver its vision/mission/strategy, or which may jeopardise the organisation's compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. In applying a particular approach, the Board aims to assess and agree its own appetite to the risks identified, which enables the Executive Team to manage them accordingly.

In identifying and assessing risk the organisation looks at both internal and external factors which may impact its strategic objectives, as well as its financial position. In addition, there are key leading and lagging indicators, which may influence its ability to over or under achieve what it has set out to do.

Risk areas have been aligned to the organisation’s strategic objectives and have been categorised into the following:

• J Financial (e.g. loss of income, cashflow, reserves)

• J Operational (e.g. staff skills, welfare, resources, business continuity)

• J Reputational (e.g. communications, campaigning, partner agreements)

• J Strategic (e.g. economic climate, government policy)

The organisation is also mindful of other potential significant risks, which underpin and run across all of the above:

• J Legal (e.g. health & safety breach, legal/regulatory responsibilities, breach of trust)

• J Governance (e.g. organisational controls, trustee skills, conflicts of interest)

The Board recognises that risks ebb and flow, depending upon both external and internal factors. Therefore, the management of risk is a dynamic process, which requires regular review.

The organisation’s approach to risk is multi-faceted, depending on the type of risk and includes:

• J stopping the activity to avoid the risk completely

• J mitigating the risk through the use of the best possible control measures

• J transferring the financial consequences to insurers or other third parties

• J accepting the risk as unavoidable

32 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

The charity is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales on 23 October 1990, having previously been registered with Charity Commission for England and Wales as an unincorporated charity on 1 February 1984. It also registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator on 18 September 2006. It is governed by its Articles of Association, having been amended following approval by the members on 6 November 2018 and on 2 December 2021. In the event of the company being wound up each member is required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Subsidiary companies

Marine Conservation Society has two wholly owned subsidiary companies, Ocean Finance Alliance Limited, which is dormant, and M C S Sales Limited. The purpose of M C S Sales is to raise funds for the charity through fundraising activities such as sponsorship and an online shop. All the profits of M C S Sales are donated to the charity each year under the Gift Aid scheme.

For more detailed information about either of the subsidiary companies, the individual company accounts are filed annually with Companies House, or they can be requested from the Company Secretary at the charity’s registered office (details at the back of this report).

In this report, the accounts include the income, expenditure, assets and liabilities of the charity and both subsidiaries whenever the statements are referred to as ‘consolidated’ or ‘group’.

Public benefit

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 4, Charities Act 2011, to have due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission concerning public benefit. The objects of the charitable company are to conserve, protect and improve the marine environment for public benefit. We promote the protection of marine wildlife, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture and clean seas and beaches, through projects, scientific research, education and publication of scientific and educational works. Each of our programmes is aimed at improving the condition of the marine environment. A healthy marine environment will supply benefits to the public.

During the year the charity continued to promote interest and learning on the marine environment through its education outreach (both online and face to face) and inspired action at the local level through its volunteer and community engagement programme and online campaign opportunities. Our Good Fish Guide website

and app have reached many hundreds of thousands of customers interested in sustainability, our Stop Ocean Threads campaign gathered 44,000 signatures of support. Our volunteers spent over 23,000 hours cleaning and recording litter on beaches, completing 1,199 surveys and removing over 480,000 items of litter, enabling us to continue to collect vital data on the type of litter found on our beaches.

Pay and remuneration of key management and personnel

We operate a salaries and benefits policy that applies equally to all employees of the charity. Tests are conducted for bias, fairness and equality and a moderation process is undertaken to ensure a consistent approach to performance ratings. Each year, remuneration awards are recommended by the Finance, Resources and Risk Committee to the Board for approval.

Recruitment and appointment of Trustees

Whilst the day-to-day management of the charity is delegated to the Executive Team, the Trustees are responsible for setting the charity’s strategic policies and objectives and for ensuring they are fulfilled. Trustees are volunteers, give freely of their time and have no beneficial interest in the charity. As set out in our Articles of Association, Trustees step down by rotation every three years. They may offer themselves for re-election at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting, but the total duration of each Trustee’s tenure is limited in order to ensure there are opportunities for new Trustees to join the Board.

The Articles of Association state that, subject to the provisions of Companies Act 2006, every Trustee, secretary or other official of the charitable company shall be indemnified out of the assets of the charitable company against all losses or liabilities incurred by them in or about the execution and discharge of the duties of their office.

The Board of Trustees undertakes an annual review of its effectiveness. To ensure the Board is sufficiently skilled to carry out its responsibilities we carry out skills analysis of existing members before seeking new Trustees with the appropriate skills by open advertisement or approaching individuals to suggest they might apply. Business and conservation skills are well represented amongst the Trustees.

All Trustees in post at 1 April 2023 served throughout the year ended 31 March 2024, a recruitment process took place in the Summer of 2024 to find Trustees to replace those standing down at the 2024 AGM.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 33

Trustee induction and training

Prior to appointment, new Trustees receive an induction to introduce them to the work of the charity and attend a Board meeting as an observer. Each Trustee is given a Trustee Handbook, which provides current good practice guidance on how they can contribute most effectively to the charity. All Trustees are required to sign up to a Trustees’ Code of Conduct. New Trustees have induction meetings with each executive director and are invited to become a member of a committee of the Board.

Committees and subsidiary Boards

To assist the Board with detailed scrutiny of particular topics and to make recommendations on those topics to the Board, we operate a number of Trustee committees. The committee structure, terms of reference and membership were reviewed during the year and are now as follows:

• J Conservation Committee;

• J Stakeholder Experience Committee;

• J Fundraising and Partnerships Committee;

• J Governance Committee; and

• J Finance, Resources and Risk Committee;

Each subsidiary company has its own Board of Directors consisting of at least one of the charity’s Trustees and members of the Executive Team, which is responsible for the running of the company. The charity’s Treasurer is the Chair of each subsidiary Board.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The Trustees (who are also directors of Marine Conservation Society for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to

• J observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2019 (FRS 102);

• J make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• J state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;

• J prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose, with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the Trustees are aware there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware and the Trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditor is aware of that information.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

This Trustees’ Report and Strategic Impact Report have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

By order of the Board of Trustees.

Susan Ronaldson Amanda Nobbs Treasurer Chair 15 November 2024

• J select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

34 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Independent Auditor’s Report to the Trustees of Marine Conservation Society

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Marine Conservation Society (the ‘parent charitable company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprises The Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

• J give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the group and the parent charitable company as at 31 March 2024 and of the group’s incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

• J have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

• J have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulations 6 and 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group and parent charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

significant doubt on the group or the parent charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The Trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information; we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

• J the information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report which includes the Directors’ Report and the Annual Impact Report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

• J the Trustees’ Annual Report which includes the Directors’ Report and the Annual Impact Report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 35

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and parent charitable company and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report and the Annual Impact Report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) require us to report to you if, in our opinion:

• J adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent charitable company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

• J the parent charitable company’s financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

• J certain disclosures of Trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or

• J we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of Trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities set out on page 33, the Trustees (who are also the directors of the parent charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of the financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the group and the parent charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the parent charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

We have been appointed as auditors under the Companies Act 2006 and under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and report in accordance with regulations made under those Acts.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the group and parent financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud are detailed below.

Identifying and assessing risks related to irregularities:

• J We assessed the susceptibility of the group and parent charitable company’s financial statements to material misstatement and how fraud might occur, including through discussions with the Trustees, discussions within our audit team planning meeting, updating our record of internal controls and ensuring these controls operated as intended.

• J We evaluated possible incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements.

• J We identified laws and regulations that are of significance in the context of the group and parent charitable company by discussions with Trustees and updating our understanding of the sector in which the group and parent charitable company operate.

Laws and regulations of direct significance in the context of the group and parent charitable company include The Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and guidance issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Audit response to risks identified:

• J We considered the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items including a review of financial statement disclosures.

• J We reviewed the parent charitable company’s records of breaches of laws and regulations, minutes of meetings and correspondence with relevant authorities to identify potential material misstatements arising.

36 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

• J We discussed the parent charitable company’s policies and procedures for compliance with laws and regulations with members of management responsible for compliance.

During the planning meeting with the audit team, the engagement partner drew attention to the key areas which might involve non-compliance with laws and regulations or fraud.

• J We enquired of management whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations or knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud.

• J We addressed the risk of fraud through management override of controls by testing the appropriateness of journal entries and identifying any significant transactions that were unusual or outside the normal course of business.

• J We assessed whether judgements made in making accounting estimates gave rise to a possible indication of management bias.

• J At the completion stage of the audit, the engagement partner’s review included ensuring that the team had approached their work with appropriate professional scepticism and thus the capacity to identify noncompliance with laws and regulations and fraud.

auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the parent charitable company, the parent charitable company’s members and Trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Michael Strong Senior Statutory Auditor for and on behalf of Saffery LLP

St Catherine's Court, Berkeley Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1BQ

Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditors

18/11/2024

Saffery LLP is eligible to act as an auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006

There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed noncompliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org. uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the parent charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006, and to the parent charitable company’s Trustees, as a body, in accordance with Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the parent charitable company’s members and Trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 37

Financial statements

Marine Conservation Society

Consolidated statement of financial activities for the year ended 31 March 2024

(incorporating consolidated income and expenditure account)

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Income and expenditure Funds Funds Funds Funds
Note 2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Income from
Donations and legacies 1 3,135,111 232,531 3,367,642 3,072,333
Charitable activities 2 197,163 1,082,641 1,279,804 1,047,231
Other trading activities 3 196,337 - 196,337 81,135
Investments 4 14,033 - 14,033 4,605
Other 5 140,313 131,916 272,229 460,909
Total income 3,682,957 1,447,088 5,130,045 4,666,213
Expenditure on
Raising funds 6 960,187 - 960,187 967,392
Charitable activities:
Better protected 7 780,895 659,131 1,440,026 1,608,225
Cleaner ocean 7 753,398 156,654 910,052 1,105,030
Healthier ocean 7 692,248 233,377 925,625 984,229
For everyone 7 476,889 254,502 731,391 901,280
Total expenditure 3,663,617 1,303,664 4,967,281 5,566,156
Net income/(expenditure) and net movement
19,340 143,424 162,764 (899,943)
in funds for the year before transfers
Net gains on investment assets - - - -
Net income/(expenditure) 19,340 143,424 162,764 (899,943)
Transfers between funds 22 (1,973) 1,973 - -
Net income/(expenditure) and net movement
17,367 145,397 162,764 (899,943)
in funds for the year
Funds at the start of the year 22 1,124,404 454,255 1,578,659 2,478,602
Funds at the end of the year 22 1,141,771 599,652 1,741,423 1,578,659
----- End of picture text -----

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All incoming resources and resources expended derive from continuing activities.

38 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Statements of financial position at 31 March 2024

Marine Conservation Society

Marine Conservation Society Statements of financial position at 31 March 2024	Marine Conservation Society Statements of financial position at 31 March 2024
The group The charity Note Total funds 2024(£) Total funds 2023(£) Total funds 2024(£) Total funds 2023(£) ~~	~~
Fixed assets Tangible fixed assets 14 4,877 9,497 4,877 9,497 Investments 15 - - 200 200 4,877 9,497 5,077 9,697 e~~e~~
Current assets Stock 17 9,464 6,631 9,464 6,631 Debtors 18 633,022 828,271 906,918 788,055 Cash at bank and in hand 1,726,400 1,428,983 1,400,585 1,405,529 2,368,886 2,263,885 2,316,967 2,200,215 ee
Creditors falling due within one year 19 (626,611) (678,606) (574,792) (614,851) Net current assets 1,742,275 1,585,279 1,742,175 1,585,364 Total assets less current liabilities 1,747,152 1,594,776 1,747,252 1,595,061 A
Provisions for liabilities 21 (5,729) (16,117) (5,729) (16,117) Net assets 1,741,423 1,578,659 1,741,523 1,578,944 A
Funds Restricted funds 22 599,652 454,255 599,652 454,255 Unrestricted funds: Designated funds (contingency fund) 22 1,124,404 1,124,404 1,124,404 1,124,404 General funds 22 17,367 - 17,467 285 Total funds 1,741,423 1,578,659 1,741,523 1,578,944 ae
Company Number: 02550966

The Trustees have prepared accounts in accordance with section 398 of the Companies Act 2006 and section 44 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. These accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act relating to small companies and constitute the annual accounts required by the Companies Act 2006 and are for circulation to members of the company.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 15 November 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Susan Ronaldson Treasurer

Amanda Nobbs Chair

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 39

Marine Conservation Society

Consolidated statement of cash flows for the year ended 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
Total funds Total funds
Note 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Cash flows from operating activities
Net cash (used in) operations 297,417 (928,095)
Investing activities
Purchase of tangible fixed assets 14 - (1,555)
Net (decrease) / increase in cash and cash equivalents 297,417 (929,650)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 1,428,983 2,358,633
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 1,726,400 1,428,983
Reconciliation of net income to net cash flow from operating activities 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Net income per statement of financial activities 162,764 (899,943)
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 4,622 6,825
Decrease in stock (2,833) 850
(Increase) in debtors 195,249 56,172
Increase in creditors (51,998) (94,325)
Increase / (reduction) in provision for liabilities (10,388) 2,326
Net cash (used in) / provided by operations 297,417 (928,095)
Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
Cash at bank and cash in hand 1,726,400 1,428,983
Total cash and cash equivalents 1,726,400 1,428,983
Analysis of changes in net debt As at 1 April 2023 (£) Cash flows in year (£) As at 1 March 2024 (£)
Cash at bank and cash in hand 1,428,983 297,417 1,726,400
----- End of picture text -----

40 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Principal accounting policies

Basis of preparation

Marine Conservation Society meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard FRS 102, the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s). The Trustees are confident that the level of unrestricted reserves and income means that there are no material uncertainties about the charity’s ability to continue. The accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis

Basis of consolidation

These financial statements consolidate the results of the charitable company and its wholly owned subsidiaries on a line-by-line basis. The financial performance of the charity is shown in note 24. The turnover and expenditure of the subsidiaries are included within the Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities. The assets and liabilities of each subsidiary is included on a line-by-line basis in the Consolidated Balance Sheet in accordance with FRS 102. Further details of the subsidiaries are given in notes 15 and 16. Accounting policies detailed in this note apply throughout the group and any surplus or deficit arising on intercompany transactions are eliminated in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities.

Incoming resources

Income is recognised in the period in which the charitable company is entitled to receipt, receipt is probable, and the amount can be measured reliably. Income is deferred when the charity has to fulfil conditions before becoming entitled to use such income or where the donor has specified that the income is to be expended in a future period.

R Membership subscriptions

Annual memberships are recognised across the year of the membership. Life membership subscriptions are accounted for in the year in which they are received.

R Donations and grants

Donations from individuals and income from lotteries are recognised upon receipt. Income from donations and grants, including grants from the UK Government

and capital grants, is included in incoming resources when it is receivable, except as follows:

• J When donors specify that donations and grants given to the charity must be used in future accounting periods, the income is deferred until those periods.

• J When donors impose conditions which have to be qualified before the charity becomes entitled to use such income, the income is deferred and not included in incoming resources until the pre-conditions for use have been met.

When donors specify that donations and grants, including capital grants, are for particular restricted purposes, which do not amount to pre-conditions regarding entitlement, this income is included in incoming resources of restricted funds when receivable.

R Legacies

Legacies are included when the charity is advised by the personal representative of an estate that payment will be made or property transferred and the amount involved can be quantified with reasonable certainty.

R Donated facilities and professional services

Donated facilities and donated professional services are recognised in income at their fair value when their economic benefit is probable, it can be measured reliably, and the charity has control over the item. Fair value is determined on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity, for example the amount the charity would be willing to pay in the open market for such facilities and services. A corresponding amount is recognised in expenditure.

No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with the Charities SORP (FRS 102). Further detail is given in the Trustees’ Annual Report.

• R Commercial trading activities

• Income from commercial activities is included in the period in which the charity is entitled to receipt.

Resources expended

Expenditure is included when incurred on an accruals basis. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with use of resources.

R Costs of generating and servicing membership subscriptions

These represent costs incurred in encouraging individuals to subscribe to the charity and the servicing of those individuals including provision of the members’ magazine.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 41

R Costs of raising donations and legacies

Fundraising expenditure comprises costs incurred in encouraging people and organisations to contribute financially to the charity’s work through donations and grants. This includes a proportion of salaries and overhead costs of the staff who promote fundraising.

R Commercial trading costs

These represent costs incurred in raising funds through the online shop.

R Expenditure on charitable activities

These represent costs incurred in activities aimed at achieving the charity’s four strategic outcomes of a better protected ocean, a cleaner ocean, a healthier ocean and an ocean for everyone. The costs include the salary costs of those working directly on these activities, other direct costs such as equipment and travel costs and a share of support costs. Where an activity is aimed at achieving more than one outcome, the costs are allocated out between the relevant outcomes.

R Staff costs

The allocation of staff costs between individual unrestricted funds is based on the estimated split of staff time for each individual employee of the charity. The allocation of staff costs to restricted funds is based on the estimated split of staff time, up to the maximum amount that the funder will allow. Some funders do not cover all the staff costs of a project and so full staff costs cannot be allocated to those funds.

R Support costs (including governance)

Support costs are those costs that, whilst necessary to deliver an activity, do not themselves constitute the output of the charitable activity. These include office costs, the cost of administration and governance such as the audit fee and insurance. These are allocated to all activities (charitable and raising funds) on the basis of the number of full-time equivalent staff employed within each activity. The allocation of general support costs to restricted funds is based on the full-time equivalent staff working on each project, up to the maximum amount that the funder will allow. Some funders do not allow overhead costs and so full costs cannot be allocated to those funds.

Tangible fixed assets

All assets costing more than £1,000 are capitalised. Depreciation is provided at the following rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life:

Investments

In the charitable company’s individual financial statements, investments in the charitable company’s subsidiaries are included at cost less any provisions for impairment.

Stocks

Stocks are valued at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost includes all costs of purchase, costs of conversion and other costs incurred in bringing stock to its present location and condition. Cost is calculated using the first-in, first-out formula. Provision is made for damaged, obsolete, and slow-moving stock where appropriate.

Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments such as trade debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year, which are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in the income statement in other operating expenses. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the exchange rate at the date of the transaction. Any assets and liabilities in a foreign currency are translated into sterling at the exchange rate on the date of reporting.

Debtors and cash

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due. Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and demand deposits and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk to changes in value.

Creditors

Trade and other creditors are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

• R Fixtures and fittings: 15% to 20% on cost

• R Computers and equipment: 25% to 33.3% on cost

42 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Provisions

Provisions are recognised when the charity has a present obligation as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits to a third party will be required to settle the obligation and the amount can be measured reliably. By their nature, provisions are often based on estimates, but they are recognised only when they can be estimated reasonably reliably.

R Restricted funds

These are funds that can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements (note 22).

Foreign currencies

Operating leases

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

Pensions

Contributions in respect of the charity’s defined contribution pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities for the year in which they are payable to the scheme.

Tax

Where applicable, income is recognised net of any output Value Added Tax and the cost of irrecoverable input Value Added Tax is accounted for in the same period as the expenditure on which it was incurred.

In terms of corporation tax, the charity is usually an exempt charity within the meaning of schedule 3 of the Charities Act 2011 and is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes.

Any corporation tax payable by the charity or one of its subsidiaries would be recognised in the period in which the taxable profit is generated. However, usually no corporation tax is payable because trading income is received by the subsidiary trading companies (not the charity) and the subsidiary companies distribute all the taxable profits to the charity as a Gift Aid donation.

Funds accounting

Funds held by the charity are:

R Unrestricted general funds

These are funds that can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the Trustees.

R Designated funds

The consolidated financial statements are presented in pounds sterling (£), which is the charitable company’s functional and presentational currency.

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the exchange rate at the date of the transaction. Any assets and liabilities in a foreign currency are translated into sterling at the exchange rate on the date of reporting. Foreign exchange gains and losses incurred in respect of monetary assets are shown within expenditure. Foreign exchange gains and losses in respect of non-monetary assets are shown between net income/(expenditure) and net movement in funds before other recognised gains and transfers and net movement in funds.

Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

The preparation of the financial statements requires management to make some judgements, estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported for assets and liabilities as at the balance sheet date and the amounts reported for income and expenditure. However, the nature of estimation means that actual outcomes could differ from those estimates.

Significant judgement is applied when assessing whether grant funding received should be accounted for either as a donation grant or as a performance-related services grant. Whether a contract is accounted for either as a donation grant or as a performance-related grant has a material impact on the timing of when such income is recognised.

Grant income includes grants for single projects accounted for as performance-related grants using the percentage of completion method. Percentage of completion has been estimated based on the ratio of costs to date at the balance sheet date compared to total expected project costs (including future project costs). The use of the percentage of completion method is considered a critical judgement and the value for future project costs included in total project costs used in the calculation is considered a key estimation.

These are funds set aside by the Trustees out of unrestricted general funds for specific purposes or projects.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 43

Notes to the financial statements

----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
1 Income from donations and legacies funds funds funds funds
2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Membership subscriptions and adoptions 597,436 - 597,436 640,254
Legacies 145,700 - 145,700 49,708
Donations - trusts and companies 1,974,881 188,090 2,162,971 1,977,025
Donations - individuals 350,783 42,521 393,304 336,388
Other fundraising income 66,311 1,920 68,231 68,958
3,135,111 232,531 3,367,642 3,072,333
For the year ended 31 March 2023 2,792,026 280,307 - 3,072,333
----- End of picture text -----

Donations from trusts and companies include £64,850 (2023: £73,170) of donated services or goods. We are very grateful for all this support, enabling us to benefit from advice and services that the charity might otherwise not be able to afford.

2 Income from charitable activities Unrestricted funds 2024(£) Restricted funds 2024(£) Total funds 2024(£) Total funds 2023(£)	2 Income from charitable activities Unrestricted funds 2024(£) Restricted funds 2024(£) Total funds 2024(£) Total funds 2023(£)	Restricted funds 2024(£)	Total funds 2024(£)	Total funds 2023(£)
Grants	-	1,055,931	1,055,931	869,296
Beach cleans	144,001	-	144,001	122,250
Education and sales	53,162	26,710	79,872	55,685
197,163 1,082,641 1,279,804 1,047,231 For the year ended 31 March 2023 214,592 832,639 - 1,047,231

----- Start of picture text -----
Total funds Total funds
3 Income from other trading activities
2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Sales 100,087 1,135
Sponsorship 96,250 80,000
All income from other trading activities is unrestricted. 196,337 81,135
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Total funds Total funds
4 Income from investments
2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Bank interest received 14,033 4,605
All income from investments is unrestricted. 14,033 4,605
----- End of picture text -----

44 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

**5 **	Other Income		Unrestricted funds 2024(£)	Restricted funds 2024(£)	Total funds 2024(£)	Total funds 2023(£)
	Royalties and licences		140,313	131,916	272,229	460,909
			140,313	131,916	272,229	460,909
	For the year ended 31 March 2023		385,909	75,000	-	460,909
6	Expenditure on raising funds	Direct staff costs 2024(£)	Other direct costs 2024(£)	Support costs 2024(£)	Total 2024(£)	Total 2023(£)
	Costs of generating and servicing memberships Costs of raising other donations and legacies Commercial trading costs	112,349 450,157 62,139	103,974 55,833 -	39,796 131,722 4,217	256,119 637,712 66,356	252,770 624,884 89,738
		624,645	159,807	175,735	960,187	967,392
	For the year ended 31 March 2023	627,359	183,444	156,589		967,392
7	Expenditure on charitable activities	Direct staff costs 2024(£)	Other direct costs 2024(£)	Support costs 2024(£)	Total 2024(£)	Total 2023(£)
	Better protected Cleaner ocean Healthier ocean For everyone	803,016 612,857 609,305 449,777	408,897 125,728 136,433 149,584	228,113 171,467 179,887 132,030	1,440,026 910,052 925,625 731,391	1,608,225 1,105,030 984,229 901,280
		2,474,955	820,642	711,497	4,007,094	4,598,764
	For the year ended 31 March 2023	2,700,787	1,120,563	777,414	-	4,598,764

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 45

----- Start of picture text -----
Property Admin Admin Govern-
8 Support costs costs staff costs other costs ance costs Total Total
2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Costs of generating and servicing
3,558 24,269 6,421 5,548 39,796 35,446
membership subscriptions
Costs of raising other donations
11,776 80,332 21,252 18,362 131,722 117,295
and legacies
Commercial trading costs - - - 4,217 4,217 3,848
Better protected 20,393 139,117 36,803 31,800 228,113 253,664
Cleaner ocean 15,329 104,571 27,664 23,903 171,467 231,572
Healthier ocean 16,082 109,706 29,022 25,077 179,887 148,928
For everyone 11,803 80,520 21,302 18,405 132,030 143,250
78,941 538,515 142,464 127,312 887,232 934,003
Analysed between:
Raising funds 15,334 104,601 27,673 28,127 175,735 156,589
Charitable activities 63,607 433,914 114,791 99,185 711,497 777,414
78,941 538,515 142,464 127,312 887,232 934,003
----- End of picture text -----

Support costs are allocated to activities based on the FTE staff numbers working on those activities. Property costs include rent, rates, and utility costs for all our offices. Admin staff costs are the staff costs of the Finance, Human Resources, and IT teams. Other admin costs include postage, stationery, equipment, and depreciation of fixed assets (note 14). Governance costs include insurance, audit and legal fees, the cost of trustee meetings and the proportion of management and finance staff costs spent on the governance of the charity.

----- Start of picture text -----
Total Total
9 Net incoming resources for the year This is stated after charging:
2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Depreciation 4,622 6,825
Auditor’s remuneration:
audit fees 14,404 13,850
other services - -
Equipment rental 1,312 2,023
Trustees’ liability insurance 1,955 1,722
Property rental 81,450 86,736
Foreign exchange rate (gains) / loss 2,439 (8,170)
----- End of picture text -----

The property rental cost above relates to the lease of the head office at Ross-on-Wye as well as licences to occupy small offices in London and Edinburgh.

46 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

----- Start of picture text -----
Total Total
10 Staff costs and Trustees’ remuneration
2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Salaries and wages 3,085,884 3,184,690
Employer’s national insurance contributions 299,042 325,329
Pension costs 175,127 180,183
Redundancy payments 114,703 88,057
3,674,756 3,778,259
----- End of picture text -----

One employee received emoluments in the band £80,000 to £90,000 (2023 – one). This employee had benefits accruing under an auto-enrolment scheme and contributions paid during the year totalled £6,495 (2023 - £6,322). One employee received emoluments in the band £60,000 to £70,000 (2023 - none) This employee had benefits accruing under an auto-enrolment scheme and contributions paid during the year totalled £4,766.

During the year key management received a combined total remuneration including the cost of employer pension and national insurance of £415,592 (2023 - £362,407). Marine Conservation Society is commmitted to paying all employees at least the real Living Wage as set by the Living Wage Foundation

No trustees received any remuneration in the year (2023: nil) and one trustee claimed expenses during the year for travel and subsistence (2023: one), amounting to £85 (2023: £153).

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 2023 2024 2023
11 Staff numbers (average (average (full time (full time
headcount) headcount) equivalent) equivalent)
Conservation and engagement programmes 62 70 59 66
Fundraising and servicing membership subscriptions 19 21 16 18
Administration and support 20 19 17 17
101 110 92 101
----- End of picture text -----

12 Pension costs

The charity operates a defined contribution scheme for members of staff. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity, being invested with insurance companies. Pension costs charged in the Statement of Financial Activities represent the contributions payable by the charity in the year. There was nil (2023 - £21,264) accrued at the end of the year representing pension costs payable. Where restricted income funds staff costs, the relevant proportion of pension costs is allocated to those funds.

13 Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes. The group’s tax liability is minimised by ensuring that any non-charitable income is received by the subsidiary company M C S Sales Limited, and the subsidiary donates the taxable profits from that income to the charity under the Gift Aid Scheme. Further details on M C S Sales Limited are provided in notes 15 and 16.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 47

----- Start of picture text -----
Fixtures & Computers &
14 Tangible Fixed Assets (Group and charity)
fittings (£) equipment (£) Total (£)
Cost
At 1 April 2023 19,689 71,420 91,109
Additions at cost - - -
Disposals (9,337) (7,828) (17,165)
At 31 March 2024 10,352 63,592 73,944
Depreciation
At 1 April 2023 17,719 63,893 81,612
Charge for the year 408 4,214 4,622
Disposals (9,337) (7,830) (17,167)
At 31 March 2024 8,790 60,277 69,067
Net book value
At 31 March 2024 1,562 3,315 4,877
At 31 March 2023 1,970 7,527 9,497
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
15 Investments in subsidiaries (charity only) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
M C S Sales Limited (company number 1766795) 100 100
Ocean Finance Alliance Limited (company number 1777391) 100 100
200 200
----- End of picture text -----

Investments in subsidiaries held by the charity represent the whole of the issued share capital of each of the companies above. Both companies are registered in England and Wales, with the registered office of Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-On-Wye, Herefordshire, United Kingdom, HR9 7US. The companies were established to carry out trades which were not in themselves charitable (and which could not, therefore, be conducted by the charity) but where all the profits were gifted to the charity, providing an additional income source to fund marine conservation.

Marine Biological Consultants Limited was renamed to Ocean Finance Alliance Limited on 20th October 2023, is not trading and is dormant.

M C S Sales Limited conducts corporate fundraising including sponsorship to raise money for the Marine Conservation Society. A summary of the results of M C S Sales Limited is shown in note 16 and full accounts are filed with Companies House each year.

48 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

----- Start of picture text -----
Year ended Year ended
16 Performance of M C S Sales Limited
31 March 2024 (£) 31 March 2023 (£)
Statement of comprehensive income
Turnover 461,333 526,037
Cost of sales (79,135) (90,890)
Gross profit 382,198 435,147
Administrative costs (3,754) (15,848)
Operating profit 378,444 419,299
Tax on operating profit - -
Total comprehensive income for the year 378,444 419,299
Gift aid donation to parent charity relating to profits from previous year - 45,311
Gift aid donation to parent charity from profits in current year 378,444 419,299
The assets and liabilities of the company were
Current assets 446,690 236,171
Current liabilities (446,590) (236,071)
Total net assets 100 100
Share capital 100 100
----- End of picture text -----

The above subsidiary accounts are before consolidation adjustments. Because all the profits are donated to the charity within the Gift Aid Scheme, no tax is owing.

----- Start of picture text -----
The group The charity
17 Stocks 2024 (£) 2023 (£) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Stocks held for resale in online shop 9,464 6,631 9,464 6,631
9,464 6,631 6,464 6,631
----- End of picture text -----

The charity holds stocks of Seasearch books and equipment for sale. The clothes sold online are sold through our partner Teemill, who holds the stock.

----- Start of picture text -----
The group The charity
18 Debtors 2024 (£) 2023 (£) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Trade debtors 236,153 245,770 140,602 42,359
Amounts owed by subsidiary - - 378,238 172,499
Prepayments and accrued income 395,828 582,501 387,037 573,197
Other debtors 1,041 - 1,041 -
633,022 828,271 906,918 788,055
----- End of picture text -----

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 49

----- Start of picture text -----
The group The charity
19 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 2024 (£) 2023 (£) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
Trade creditors 78,637 77,965 78,170 77,965
Tax and social security 119,047 143,414 87,119 88,855
Accruals 136,537 191,696 133,364 188,196
Deferred income 292,388 231,660 276,137 229,160
Other creditors 2 33,871 2 30,675
626,611 678,606 574,792 614,851
Deferred income Income received that relates to a future period
Membership subscriptions 45,744 45,852 45,744 45,852
Corporate memberships and logo licensing 50,958 29,275 34,707 26,775
Grant income received for service delivery 146,576 145,632 146,576 145,632
Income received for events and training 49,110 10,901 49,110 10,901
292,388 231,660 276,137 229,160
----- End of picture text -----

All of the deferred income as at 31 March 2023 was released into the SOFA in the 2023-2024 financial year.

----- Start of picture text -----
20 Operating lease commitments
2024 2023
As at 31 March 2024 the charity had total commitments under non-cancellable operating
(£) (£)
leases as below:
Land and buildings
Leases expiring within one year 49,400 59,570
Leases expiring within two to five years 31,592 26,084
80,992 85,654
2024 2023
21 Provision for liabilities (Group and charity)
(£) (£)
At the beginning of the year 16,117 13,791
Addition / (reduction) for dilapidations (10,388) 2,326
At the end of the year 5,729 16,117
----- End of picture text -----

The provision relates to the lease of the office at Ross-on-Wye.

50 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

22 Statement of group funds	At 1 April 2023(£)	Income (£)	Expenditure (£)	Transfers (£)	At 31 March 2024(£)
Unrestricted funds General reserves Designated funds (contingency fund)	- 1,124,404	3,682,957 -	(3,663,617) -	(1,973) -	17,367 1,124,404
	1,124,404	3,682,957	(3,663,617)	(1,973)	1,141,771
Restricted funds General conservation SeaLIFE Blue Carbon Deposit Return Scheme Tyres and Road Run Off Fisheries programme Good Fish Guide transformation Other fisheries funds Aquaculture projects Ocean recovery programme ReMEDIES Other seagrass projects National Seasearch British Virgin Islands Turtle Conservation Anguilla Shark Conservation Other UK Overseas Territories Other ocean recovery funds Social science programme Agents of Change Marine CoLab Wild Coast Sussex Environmental Behaviours Engagement programme Sea Champions Bridlington Education general funds Scottish Education Roadshow Other engagement funds Wales programme Natur am Byth! Scotland programme Restoration Forth	- 1,012 - - 36,174 - 74,580 - 93,244 100 - - 12,927 59,407 8,662 13,116 - 22,130 36,796 51,945 - 19,162 25,000 - - -	56,562 45,000 30,021 25,000 157,085 15,000 129,528 20,767 64,683 86,580 30,820 126,731 52,376 91,605 - - 28,828 - - 187,103 19,396 115,000 - 67,680 - 97,323	(58,535) (44,848) - (4,733) (53,818) - (102,903) (17,912) (67,370) (47,110) (30,820) (126,731) (48,522) (93,326) (8,662) (13,116) (28,828) (8,122) (18,022) (214,195) (19,396) (107,374) (25,000) (67,680) 682 (97,323)	1,973 - - - - - - 2,647 (2,647) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	- 1,164 30,021 20,267 139,441 15,000 101,205 5,502 87,910 39,570 - - 16,781 57,686 - - - 14,008 18,774 24,853 - 26,788 - - 682 -
	454,255	1,447,088	(1,303,664)	1,973	599,652
Total funds	1,578,659	5,130,045	(4,967,281)	-	1,741,423

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 51

22 Continued Comparative statement of group funds for the year ended 31 March 2023	At 1 April 2022(£)	Income (£)	Expenditure (£)	Transfers (£)	At 31 March 2023(£)
Unrestricted funds General reserves Designated funds	429,964 1,208,886	3,478,267 -	(3,919,980) -	11,749 (84,482)	- 1,124,404
	1,638,850	3,478,267	(3,919,980)	(72,733)	1,124,404
Restricted funds General conservation SeaLIFE Blue Carbon Fisheries programme Good Fish Guide transformation Other fisheries funds Aquaculture projects Ocean recovery programme ReMEDIES Other seagrass projects Fish INTEL National Seasearch British Virgin Islands Turtle Conservation Anguilla Shark Conservation Other UK Overseas Territories Other ocean recovery funds Social science programme Agents of Change Marine CoLab Wildcoast Sussex Sussex Nearshore Trawling Byelaw Research Environmental Behaviours Engagement programme Inspiring Blue Recovery Sea Champions Bridlington Volunteer & community engagement Education general funds Scottish Education Roadshow Other engagement funds Wales programme Natur am Byth! Scotland programme Restoration Forth Restricted assets depreciation fund	1,998 - - 296,803 2 - - 64,365 - 100 - - 17,961 27,294 29,331 19,066 - 28,009 34,430 55,365 82,726 385 73,828 12,129 35,222 - - - 52,290 8,448	- 127,525 24,881 - 23,667 96,929 21,328 28,643 24,960 75,000 53,609 102,158 49,291 111,729 - 30,000 23,588 - - 124,200 - - 42,200 8,000 - 25,000 159,128 2,395 33,715 -	(1,998) (132,491) (23,869) (260,629) (23,669) (22,349) (41,000) (49,873) (27,426) (75,000) (53,609) (102,158) (50,379) (79,616) (20,669) (35,950) (23,588) (28,009) (12,300) (185,987) (45,930) - (62,528) (20,129) (18,825) - (159,795) (2,395) (86,005) -	- 4,966 - - - - 19,672 50,109 2,466 - - - (3,946) - - - - - - 6,422 - - (1,555) - 2,380 - 667 - - (8,448)	- - 1,012 36,174 - 74,580 - 93,244 - 100 - - 12,927 59,407 8,662 13,116 - - 22,130 - 36,796 385 51,945 - 18,777 25,000 - - - -
	839,752	1,187,946	(1,646,176)	72,733	454,255
Total funds	2,478,602	4,666,213	(5,566,156)	-	1,578,659

52 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Unrestricted funds

General funds

The general reserve represents the free funds of the charity that are not designated for particular purposes.

Designated funds

The designated reserves are those funds set aside by Trustees as a contingency in the event of future income shortfalls. The Trustees aim to maintain this fund at a level that will support between 3 and 4 months' unrestricted expenditure, based on future plans. At the year end approximately 3.1 months of unrestricted expenditure was held in the designated fund.

Restricted funds

All restricted funds are for specific conservation or educational projects in the UK and overseas. These funds are recorded and managed individually by project but, for ease, the smaller projects are broadly categorised in these accounts by type of activity.

General conservation

Funds within this programme supported our work across the UK to address critical threats to our marine environment and wildlife.

• J SeaLIFE – SeaLIFE was an EU Life funded programme to address the need for increased attention on blue carbon and the potential of the marine environment to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. It supported our Marine Protected Areas work across England, Scotland and Wales, including our Marine Unprotected Areas report and lobbying for improved management of marine protected areas. We also supported the Sussex Inshore Fisheries & Conservation Authority in their adaptive management consultation process, bringing together key stakeholders. In addition, SeaLIFE brought the youth voice into our organisation, enabling the launch of our Youth Ocean Network.

• J Blue Carbon – This funding enabled the initiation of our natural capital programme of work. It supported us to bring together a range of stakeholders from across the financial sector under the banner of generating sustainable marine finance to enable ocean recovery, facilitated by private and philanthropic investment.

• J Deposit Return Scheme – Funding here supported us to boost our policy activities and lobbying to secure political commitments towards adopting deposit return schemes within the UK.

• J Tyres & Road Runoff – This funding enabled us to investigate the impact of tyre particulates and road runoff on the marine environment and waterways connected to the UK’s road systems. Our evidence explored the chemicals and pollutants found within road runoff, which would not only persist but also cause harm.

Fisheries programme

Funds within this programme supported our work to create a healthier ocean by promoting the development of sustainable wildcapture and farmed seafood production.

• J Good Fish Guide – Having completed the digital transformation of the Good Fish Guide, we received funding to commence the important next step of critically assessing and updating our rating methodologies, both for wild and farmed fish, so that they remain current, proactive, and robust, and continue to challenge seafood production to be more environmentally sustainable.

• J Aquaculture projects – The one-year project ‘Shaping a Vision for Environmentally Friendly Seaweed’ commenced in June 2023 and included our report on ‘UK Shellfish and Seaweed Aquaculture Development – Opportunities, Barriers, and Solutions’, which has been published on our website and is informing innovation, guidelines, and next steps for shellfish and seaweed development in the UK.

• The Aquaculture fund also included funding to recruit an aquaculture policy officer. This ongoing 2.5-year project aims to advocate for the development and implementation of responsible and sustainable aquaculture policies in the UK.

Ocean recovery programme

Achieving a better protected ocean was the primary focus of funds within this programme, promoting the laws and policies designed to protect our seas. Included within this programme were the following funds:

• J ReMEDIES – This project, funded by LIFE and in partnership with Natural England and others, aimed to reduce and mitigate damage to seabed habitats at Natura 2000 sites (Special Areas of Conservation (SACs)) in southern England. The project focused

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 53

on seagrass recovery, including reducing pressure from boat moorings. It also included extensive engagement and education with communities and schools on the importance of protecting the seabed for biodiversity and to help tackle climate change.

• J Other seagrass projects – Working with Princess Yachts and The Ocean Conservation Trust, Advanced Mooring Systems (a type of low-impact mooring system) were installed into seagrass beds to enable re-growth of seagrass at the base of the mooring chains, making beds denser and blades longer. Additional funding from a members' appeal and corporate supporters Salcombe Gin, The Travel Chapter, Bower Collective, and Hamptons funded our seagrass work.

• J Seasearch – This is an ongoing scientific partnership programme with a number of agencies and organisations to involve volunteer recreational divers in the survey of marine species and habitats – a key part of our work to provide an evidence base. This programme included funding from NatureScot, Natural Resources Wales, The Crown Estate, and Natural England.

• J UK Overseas Territories – We delivered a range of diverse work under this programme in close collaboration with stakeholders in five Caribbean Territories, to improve management of marine protected areas and better protect iconic marine species including sharks and hawksbill turtles. Funding from a range of charitable trusts supported this programme over the 2023-2024 period enabling us to work with Caribbean communities, including fishers, their families, women, and youth, supporting empowerment to rightfully occupy their position as marine stewards.

• J Other Ocean recovery funds – These included funds from Seas at Risk and others for work to increase protection for marine protected areas.

Social science programme

• J Agents of Change – We secured funding for a staff post to work towards improving community understanding and support for local marine protected areas. An initiative from the Marine CoLABoration (CoLAB), the project aimed to address the fact that communities know little about their Marine Protected Areas and worked with all stakeholders to help recover their marine environment. Funding ended during the year to 31 March 2024.

• J Marine CoLAB – The Marine CoLAB provided time and resources for the marine conservation sector to build on what works, learn from other

sectors and parts of the world, and develop tools and approaches with the potential to increase the scale and pace of beneficial change. This funding supported work to scope the potential of collaborative work around Ocean Literacy through the 'We are Ocean' collective. Funding ended during the year to 31 March 2024.

• J Wild Coast Sussex – In partnership with Sussex Wildlife Trust and others, and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project (previously called Sussex by the Sea) aimed to positively influence human behaviours, particularly in the 16-25 year old age range, that are contributing to the decline of marine life off the Sussex coast. Funding ended during the year to 31 March 2024.

• J Environmental Behaviours – These funds allowed us to carry out social science-based research into the health and wellbeing benefits of the coast and to explore how best we inspire action from a wider range of people. In addition to these specific funds, the team contributed to qualitative research as part of other projects in the UK and the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean.

Engagement programme

These funds supported a range of projects focussing on our 'for everyone' goal.

• J Sea Champions Bridlington – Major donor funding enabled us to deliver an environmental project to serve the locality of Bridlington and surrounding areas. It included engaging volunteers in marine conservation activities such as beach cleans, citizen science, and education, along with wider engagement with communities, local authorities and businesses across the wider Yorkshire area.

• J Education – These funds supported our learning & education programme to increase the participation of young people in marine conservation and improve ocean literacy through education workshops, live online lessons and resources, other curriculum-linked resources, and the creation of Ocean-Friendly School Awards.

• J Scottish Education Roadshow – The Protecting Scotland’s Seas roadshow is a marine-themed education experience featuring a selection of options tailored for schools and youth groups to engage with the marine and outdoor environment. Funding received during the year helped us reach even more young people across Scotland.

• J Other engagement funds – These funds included other community engagement projects around the UK.

54 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Wales programme

In 2022-2023 we received funding from charitable trusts towards our work in Wales. Funds were carried forward to support the salary costs of delivering our Wales conservation work until 31 December 2023.

• J Natur am Byth! – We have been working in a partnership led by Natural Resources Wales with a network of environmental charities. We are now collaborating to deliver Stage 2, Wales' largest natural heritage and outreach programme to save species from extinction and reconnect people to nature.

• J Hiraeth Yn Y Môr – Funded by Welsh Government and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, this project pioneered ocean literacy engagement in Wales, through amplifying the Well-being of Future Generations Act. It set out to empower the coastal communities of North East Wales, improve the sustainable management of our North Wales marine protected area, Liverpool Bay Special Protection Area and the wider marine environment and provide evidence to inform practical conservation action for marine environments in Wales. The funds were included within the Education general funds line of Note 22.

Transfers between funds

• J Funds have been transferred from general funds into specific project funds where corporate supporters have paid us royalty payments that are unrestricted when received by M C S Sales but which they have asked to be directed to specific work such as seagrass restoration.

• J Unrestricted funds have been transferred from the general fund into the SeaLIFE funds to ensure matched funding requirements set by grant givers are met.

• J A transfer was made between Other seagrass projects and ReMEDIES to meet match funding requirements.

• J A transfer was made from general funds to the Natur Am Byth! fund to cover our agreed partner contribution during the development stage.

Scotland programme

In 2022-2023 we secured funding to facilitate the attendance of youth volunteers at the SeaScotland conference in Scotland, together with Scottish Environment LINK. A small proportion of this funding was carried forward to 2023-2024.

• J Restoration Forth – In partnership with WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and Heriot-Watt University, Restoration Forth is a project working with communities and organisations to restore seagrass meadows and European flat oysters in the Firth of Forth. By the end of 2023, the project restored one hectare of seagrass and deployed the first European flat oysters into the Firth of Forth in 100 years. The project also trained hundreds of local community members in restoration techniques and skills.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 55

----- Start of picture text -----
Restricted Designated General Total funds Total funds
23 Analysis of net assets between funds
funds (£) funds (£) funds (£) 2024 (£) 2023 (£)
2024
Tangible fixed assets - 4,877 - 4,877 9,497
Net current assets 599,652 1,119,527 17,367 1,736,546 1,569,162
599,652 1,124,404 17,367 1,741,423 1,578,659
2023
Tangible fixed assets - 9,497 - 9,497
Net current assets 454,255 1,114,907 - 1,569,162
454,255 1,124,404 - 1,578,659
----- End of picture text -----

24 Financial performance of the charity

The consolidated statement of financial activities includes the results of the sponsorship, other corporate fundraising and online retail sales conducted by M C S Sales Limited.

The consolidated statement of financial activities includes the results of the sponsorship, other corporate fundraising and online retail sales conducted by M C S Sales Limited.	The consolidated statement of financial activities includes the results of the sponsorship, other corporate fundraising and online retail sales conducted by M C S Sales Limited.	porate
The summary financial performance of the charity alone is: 2024(£) 2023(£)		2023(£)
Income	4,668,528	4,140,181
Gift Aid donation and other income from subsidiary company	394,976	481,610
5,063,504 4,621,791
Expenditure	(4,900,925)	(5,476,418)
Net (expenditure)/income 162,579 (854,627)
Total funds brought forward	1,578,944	2,433,571
Total funds carried forward 1,741,523 1,578,944 Represented by: Restricted funds 599,652 454,255 Unrestricted funds 1,141,871 1,124,689

25 Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions during the year.

56 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

26 Comparative consolidated statement of financial activities	Unrestriected	Restricted funds	Total funds
Income and expenditure	funds 2023(£)	2023(£)	2023(£)
Income from Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities Investments Other	2,792,026 214,592 81,135 4,605 385,909	280,307 832,639 - - 75,000	3,072,333 1,047,231 81,135 4,605 460,909
Total income	3,478,267	1,187,946	4,666,213
Expenditure on Raising funds Charitable activities: Better protected Cleaner ocean Healthier ocean For everyone	965,392 773,693 1,009,399 654,444 517,052	2,000 834,532 95,631 329,785 384,228	967,392 1,608,225 1,105,030 984,229 901,280
Total expenditure	3,919,980	1,646,176	5,566,156
Net income/(expenditure) and net movement in funds for the year before transfers Net gains on investment assets Net income/(expenditure) Transfers between funds Net income/(expenditure) and net movement in funds for the year Funds at the start of the year	(441,713) - (441,713) (72,733) 514,446 1,638,850	(458,230) - (458,230) 72,733 (385,497) 839,752	(899,943) - (899,943) - (899,943) 2,478,602
Funds at the end of the year	1,124,404	454,255	1,578,659

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 57

Acknowledgements of financial and other support

We would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who made our work this year possible.

Charitable trusts, foundations and grant funders giving £1,000 or more:

A And R Woolf Charitable Trust, The Alfred and Frances Rubens Charitable Trust, The Anson Charitable Trust, The Barker Charitable Trust Limited, The Chalk Cliff Trust Cobb Charity Constance Travis Charitable Trust, The Darwin Initiative, The David Brooke Charity, The David James Wilson Memorial Fund David Uri Memorial Trust Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs of Northern Ireland Depeche Mode x Hublot x Conservation Collective Memento Mori Tour charity partnership Dulverton Trust, The EU Interreg 2 Seas EU LIFE 2020 NG04GD EU LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Fishmongers' Company's Fisheries Charitable Trust Garfield Weston Foundation George A Moore Foundation, The Goldcrest Charitable Trust, The

Harbinson Charitable Trust Helvellyn Foundation, The Highlands & Islands Environment Foundation (HIEF) Hugh Fraser Foundation, The Hurtigruten Foundation Inch Cape Foundation J & J R Wilson Trust James Wood Bequest Fund John Cowan Foundation, The John Ellerman Foundation John Swire 1989 Charitable Trust Joseph Strong Frazer Trust, The Lady Hind Trust, The Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme, administered by WCVA Leslie Mary Carter Charitable Trust, The Levine Family Foundation Lighthouse Giving Lochlands Trust Lyndal Tree Foundation, The M J Camp Charitable Foundation Marjorie Coote Animal Charity Trust, The Marsland McAdoo Charitable Settlement Martin Charitable Trust, The Michael Marks Charitable Trust Moondance Foundation, The Movement for Good Nancie Massey Charitable Trust

National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Natur Am Byth Natural Resources Wales Nature Networks Fund (National Lottery Heritage Fund and Welsh Government) NatureScot

ORP Foundation, The Ocean Conservancy Orchard Family Charitable Trust, The PF Charitable Trust Peacock Charitable Trust Percy Hedley 1990 Charitable Trust, The Peter Storrs Trust Players of People's Postcode Lottery Princess Anne's Charities, The Pump House Trust Q Charitable Trust Rockcliffe Charitable Trust Royal Society for Protection of Birds Ruth Smart Foundation Sabina Sutherland Charitable Trust Sandra Charitable Trust Scottish Environment LINK Seas At Risk Simon Gibson Charitable Trust, The Treasure Charitable Trust Valentine Charitable Trust, The WWF-UK Wyndham Charitable Trust, The

Organisations and companies contributing £5,000 or more towards our income and charitable objectives through donations and corporate partnership agreements:

Accrol Papers Aldi Stores Beiersdorf UK Bourne Leisure Bunzl PLC Calendar Club UK Cargill Compass Group UK&I Crew Clothing Company Cully & Sully Dartmouth Brands Dorset Tea Dreamseeker Music

Eleos Compliance Enterprise Rent-A-Car UK FatFace Glenmorangie Green People Hamptons ISS World Maritime Strategies International Marks & Spencer Parlez-uk Pilot Pen Company Princess Yachts PwC UK

Richemont UK Roja Parfums Romo Salcombe Distilling Company Sky UK St Austell Brewery Teemill Travel Chapter, The Triton Showers UBS Business Solutions AG Wrendale Designs Zurich Insurance UK

58 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

Organisations and companies contributing £1,000 or more from company memberships:

Abel & Cole

Blue Skies Lifestyle Blueberry Financial British Design Shop Clarity Environmental Excel Networking Solutions Holidaycottages.co.uk i3Works IT Naturally Just Enough Brave Molesworth & Bird Optical Express Polyco Healthline Rapesco Office Products Recorra RX Architects Shibui Tea St Hilda Sea Adventures Talomon Capital

Individuals giving gifts of £5,000 or more:

Xavier Menguy Philip Trehern

Legacies and in memoriam donations:

Alan Jessup Alan Strutt Alice Farrands Andrew Craig Barbara Lynn Murray Barbara Mary Jones Betty Crampton Bruce Bassam Cecilia Ee-Pin Denney David Albon David McMonagle Donald Sinden Edward Wainwright Hans Oskar Hoff Harriet Langridge Jackie Merrifield Jamie Khandke Janet Jones Kalyan Rao Laura Corrigan Lee Hines Lesley Hines Mallory Mediodia Raphael Margot Gibbs Martin Johns Michael Hawdon Mike Haigh Mike Portelli Natalia Adamek Peter Waddington Peter Wyatt Livesley Philippe Guillo Richard Elton Dr Robin Crump Ron Mitson Rosanne Fotherby Sam Dawson Scott Seddon Shirley P King Stephen Emerson Stephen Kenneth Brindle Stephen Watson Suzanne Joy Armstrong Thomas Deighton Thomas E. Brown Thomas Malcolm Potts Tia Pandit Tim Macer Tom Evans

Patrons, supporters, members and groups:

Ocean Ambassadors

Prof Ben Garrod Cyrus Todiwala OBE DL Deborah Meaden Doug Allan Fernando Montaño Inka Cresswell Iolo Williams Lizzie Daly Miranda Krestovnikoff Sarah Jackson Simon Reeve Susie Rodgers MBE Tom ‘The Blowfish’ Hird Zoe Lyons

We would like to thank our members, local groups, and Sea Champion volunteers for their support of our conservation activities and fundraising efforts over the year. Thanks also to all the volunteers who supported our projects and/or gathered vital information through Beachwatch, the Great British Beach Clean, Seasearch, Jellyfish, Basking Shark and Turtle Watch.

Also, to the many individual and community participants, dive clubs, sports clubs, youth and member organisations and school and college students who raised money to support our work.

Pro bono support:

We would like to thank the following supporters for their pro bono support during the last year:

Apprenticeship College Ltd, The Deloitte LLP DeskLodge John Ellerman Foundation LSP Leadership Mayer Brown LLP National Museum of Scotland Ocean Outdoor Polyco Healthline Simmons & Simmons LLP

We would like to extend our thanks to our valued donors who wish to remain anonymous.

Marine Conservation Society - mcsuk.org • 59

Reference and administrative information

Charity name

Marine Conservation Society

Charity registration number 1004005 (England & Wales) SC037480 (Scotland)

Company registration number 02550966

Registered office and operational address

Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye HR9 7US

London operational address

Metal Box Factory, 30 Great Guildford Street, Bankside SE1 0HS

Scottish operational address

CBC House, 24 Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8EG

Principal professional advisors Auditors

Saffery LLP, St Catherine's Court, Berkeley Place, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1BQ

Bankers

Barclays Bank, Leicester LE87 2BB

President

HRH King Charles III

Trustees

The Trustees listed below were Trustees for the whole of the year ended 31 March 2024 and until the date of this report unless stated otherwise:

Amanda Nobbs Chair

Mark Haviland Vice Chair

Susan Ronaldson Treasurer

Simon Brockington from 30 August 2024

Polly Burns

Wadham Downing from 30 August 2024

Jonathan Hall

Martin Koehring from 30 August 2024

Joyce Lorigan Deborah Mahon Jessica Montgomery

Will Oulton

Seth Richardson Rebecca Rodney

Rajah Roy from 30 August 2024

Helena Thernstrom Stefano Tiratelli

Executive Team

The members of the Executive Team were in post for the whole of the year ended 31 March 2024 and until the date of this report unless stated otherwise:

Sandy Luk Chief Executive Officer

Gareth Cunningham Interim Director of Conservation & Policy from 31 July 2023 Director of Conservation & Policy from 31 October 2023

Huw Davies

Director of Finance & Resources from 31 October 2023 and Company Secretary from 30 November 2023

Kate Jacques Director of Fundraising & Development from 13 November 2023

Jennifer Mitchell Director of Communications & Engagement

Katherine Stephenson-Hall Director of Fundraising & Development until 10 October 2023

Jayne Tucker Interim Director of Finance & Resources until 30 November 2023 and Company Secretary until 30 November 2023

Chris Tuckett Director of Conservation & Policy until 19 July 2023

Lloyds Bank, 8 High Town, Hereford HR1 2AE

60 • Annual Impact Report & Accounts 2023-2024

mcsuk.org

Email: [e-mail] Marine Conservation Society, Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7US Telephone: [phone]

mcsuk mcsuk mcs_uk

Registered charity in England and Wales 1004005 and in Scotland SC037480. Registered company limited by guarantee in England and Wales 02550966. Registered office: Overross House, Ross Park, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7US. VAT number: 321491232.