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2025-03-31-accounts

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Chairman presents his statement for the year:

It has been another very successful year for the club and its members and with a steady stream of new members training and racing with us, both Track & Field and Road & XC. With this growth in recent years our membership is at record levels placing us as one of the biggest clubs in London. The new XC season has started well, both in the Chingford and Met Leagues and in ‘one off’ races. Throughout the year, many members have also competed in ultra marathons, marathons, half marathons and Fell races. Locally, again we had a significant club presence in both the Hackney Half and Big Half. The captains’ reports will cover racing in detail.

Thanks

On behalf of all club members, it’s a privilege for me to thank so many club members who have devoted so much of their time and energy over the past year to support the club and assist athletes in achieving new goals. Most, but not all, of these Volunteers and Coaches are listed below:

Board Members:

A huge thanks to all board members who have served throughout the year Simon, Cornelia, Alf, Bessie, Alan, Valerie, Jade, James Hirst and Nat, both in their appointed roles and also for their numerous other responsibilities and contributions to the club and to Lydia who has been appointed as Road & Cross Country Captain during the year. Also, many thanks to Matthew Dawson - Club Welfare Officer representative on the Board.

A special thanks goes to the Board members who have stood down during the year or are not standing for re-election at this AGM - thanks Nat, Valerie & Bessie

Club Coaches, Leaders and Volunteers:

Thanks to all our coaches, leaders and the growing number of volunteers who have joined teams and been appointed into new roles. Thanks to:

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Welfare Officers:

The many Volunteers, Parents and Carers who helped organise, marshal & assist at Track and Road & XC Races

Membership Admin Team: Mick Cairns, Aminah Francois & Simon Wharton

The Bar & Social Events Team: Paul Turley, Susan Leese, Sophie Critchlow & Marlis Hasse assisted by numerous Volunteer helpers and Thursday evening cooks.

Clubhouse facilities operated by ‘partner’ organisations / individuals.

Improvements and alterations carried out during 2022 & 2023, extended and expanded the use of the clubhouse as a fitness centre both for club members and also for a wider section of our local community. These activities includes:

Clubhouse fabric maintenance and improvement is an ongoing task. Details can be seen in the expenditure budget set out elsewhere in the AGM papers.

Mile End

Mile End Stadium is now managed by Be Well on behalf of Tower Hamlets. We are currently renegotiating the Service Level Agreement which sets out the terms of our agreement with Tower Hamlets. Generally Junior club members and club coaches running junior sessions have free access to the track at club training times along with Gym access including fitness machines and equipment which we are responsible for maintaining. In return we provide expertise and guidance in the operation and delivery of Athletics events, work with Be Well in the development of athletics facilities and events delivered at Mile End Stadium.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Club Website

The club website is managed by Lee Butler and with input from Club Captains, Adam Millbery with fixtures updates and a number of race report writers. We are currently updating the website and also seeking quotes / advice for a major refresh.

Vphthac

On behalf of the Board, I wish you all safe and well over the coming club year and extend huge thanks to all existing and many new club members for the value and enthusiasm you all bring to the club, for your achievements big and small that we all enjoy and celebrate. We are committed to our ethos of maintaining a strong, caring, inclusive and supportive club, and to build on our achievements and reputation as one of the leading athletics clubs in the London area and increasingly recognised regionally and nationally.

................................................ David Robinson Chairman Date:

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees present their annual report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. The annual report serves the purpose of both a Trustees’ report and a directors’ report under company law. The Trustees confirm that the Annual report and financial statements of the charitable company comply with the current statutory requirements of the charitable company’s governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Constitution

Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC is a company limited by guarantee which is also registered as a charity and is under the management of a Board of Trustees. Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC was registered as a charity with the UK Charity Commission on 23 April 2002.

Purposes

The purpose of the Charity, as per its Memorandum and Articles of Association, is the provision of facilities for public recreation or other leisure time occupation and in particular athletics in the interest of social welfare, with the object of improving the conditions of life of those who reside and work within East London. The main activities undertaken in relation to the purposes of the Charity, as per its governing document, have been described further in the Activities and Achievements section of this report.

Public Benefit

In setting objectives and planning for current and future activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to Public benefit, including the guidance ‘Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)’. All activities have been undertaken for the furtherance of Public Benefit.

Method of appointment or election of Trustees

The articles of the Charity state there should be a minimum of three trustees. At every annual general meeting one third of the trustees who are subject to retirement by rotation or, if their number is not three or a multiple of three, the number nearest to one third retire from office.

No person other than a trustee retiring by rotation shall be appointed or reappointed a trustee at any general meeting unless he is recommended by the trustees, or a notice proposed by a member eligible to vote at the meeting, and executed by the proposed person, has been given to the trustees within set time limits before the AGM as prescribed in the articles of the Charity.

Organisational structure and decision making

The business of the Charity is managed by the trustees who may exercise all powers of the Company.

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Women’s Road and XC Report (Lydia Briggs and Jade Dos Santos)

Last year's successes and growth have continued into 2025 with lots of club records being broken and history being made. We’ve had many new members getting stuck into racing and being part of the club, which has contributed to the growth of the women’s team. We hope to see this growth continue over the next year.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Met League 2024/25

For the first time in the Met League’s 58 years, and the club’s history, the women won the overall league. This is an incredible achievement for the club, helped by everyone’s enthusiasm and commitment to those five grey Saturdays in the winter months. Last season we had 83 women take part in at least one race, with 10 women racing every fixture.

For a rundown of some results:

And individually:

Not forgetting, when combined with the Men’s Met League performance, we won the Howard Williams Trophy for the first time ever.

Some highlights from the final Met League fixture of last season at Trent Park include Neil Cook waiting at the finish line with a bottle of bubbly, Senior Women securing 1st, 5th, 6th, and 7th, and three U17 girls competing in their final Met League fixture as juniors, who have now joined the Senior Women at Claybury 2025.

Met League 2025/26

We’re thrilled that the momentum from last year’s success has carried into the current season. Claybury saw a record turnout from our women, a great reminder that our club began as a team of just nine in 2016, and now we make up around 20% of the field. We also witnessed a strong performance from Ciara Boyd-Squires-Long, who not only won the first fixture of the 2025/26 season but also set a new course record. Well done, Ciara!

We also saw an impressive senior debut performance from Lyra MacDonald, who finished in 7th place as an U20 woman. It’s exciting to say that we have started the Met League 2025/26 season off on a strong foot, taking home the fixture win and hopefully many more to come. Well done and thank you to all who raced.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Chingford League

The Chingford League is another club favourite, offering an outing for both road shoes and spikes. As a club, we once again proved our strength, with a women’s win and the Vets team coming in second to Loughton, and the B team was the first B team out of 22 teams. Individually, we achieved a complete VPH podium takeover with Emily Seager coming 3rd, Lydia Briggs 2nd, and Cat O’Shea 1st in the league, filling up the ever-growing trophy cabinet in the clubhouse.

Assembly League

Thirty of our members turned out and showcased the club at last season’s Assembly League. A special mention to our amazing Assembly League organiser Rachel Lovell for her commitment and encouragement in leading our club, who ran in all six races and came first in her age category. Other fantastic seasons were had by Esme Ingram, who came 6th in the league overall, turning up to three of the races, along with Marie Chamillard, Josie von Zitzewitz, and Helen Burns, who also committed to multiple races in the league.

Road Relays

Despite difficulties in scheduling and it being marathon training season for many of our members, we submitted two teams to the 4-stage road relays last September: Molly Bryan, Lydia Briggs, Ellie Daglish, Jade Dos Santos, Lyra MacDonald, Monika Panagoutsou, and Jess McDonald. The A team came 13th, and had the B team been complete, we estimate a 33rd-place finish which is impressive in such a competitive event. We pass on a big appreciation to Lyra and Monika who raced this as one of their first senior events! We hope to showcase more strength in the relays next year.

North London XC Championships

The North London Cross Country Championships saw a small but mighty team travel up to Trent Park in October, hosted on a beautifully sunny Saturday with no mud in sight. VPHTHAC women took home the impressive trophy in 2024 but were not able to retain the title this time round, however we took home a close second place to London Heathside.

This event is unfortunately not as well attended as we would like it to be. It’s a highly organised grassroots event put together by loyal volunteers. It was a joyful day out with Russell Toone providing baked goods and solid support to the women’s team.

Whilst we did not take home the Senior Women’s team title, we did take home the Senior Women’s individual title, with Jade Dos Santos coming in 1st place, getting her name on the trophy alongside other club veterans Laura Kaye, Jo Singer, and Rachel Thomas. Well done to Sarah Laing, Jess Hannah, Mia Bennett, Esme Ingram, Mia Wenchy Lai, and Jade Dos Santos for second place on the day.

Isle of Wight Fell Running Championships

The Isle of Wight Fell Running Championships (not for the faint-hearted) saw some impressive results for VPHTHAC women. Jess Hannah, Cat O’Shea, and Hazel Norton-Hale together took home the Senior Women’s title, as well as individual rankings: 1st for Cat O’Shea, 2nd for Hazel Norton-Hale, and 4th for Jess Hannah.

The Championships are made up of two races on Saturday - a 3.8 km with 235 m ascent at 11 AM, followed by 12 km with 443 m ascent at 3 PM. This is topped off with a 21 km race made up of 487 m ascent on the Sunday. A growing number of women took part in this years’ event - well done to Minna Harrison, Erica Brown, and Yuan Ren who also battled the elevation.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Marathons

The endurance side has been busy, with some fantastic performances so far in 2025.

Ciara Boyd-Squires-Long broke Mandy Dohren’s long-standing club record from 2016 (2:52 from London) in Berlin, with a speedy 2:45:08 — well done, Ciara. Elizabeth Allen smashed her previous marathon PB by over 12 minutes to get 2:53 in Amsterdam.

Several of our women also battled the heat of this year’s London Marathon, with Kate MacArthur breaking 2:55, alongside other PBs from Cat O’Shea, Hannah Somani, Valerie Wong, and Marissa Sissou for their sub-3 times, and other great PBs from Juliette Wells Gray, Amelia Worley, Jessica McDonald, Emma Frisby, Miry Mayer, Emily Benton, and Emily Hobbs.

Great PBs this year also from:

Notable Records

This year saw other club records broken too.

Thank You

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the success of these women’s performances.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Outlook for 2025

Men’s Road and XC (James Hirst and Adam Millbery)

1. Introduction

It has been a great year for the club with our senior membership growing to over 750 members (up around 50 from last year) and strong attendance at our races, training sessions and events. We’ve also seen some changes in our team of captains with Lydia taking over from Lily as my counterpart on the women’s side and Nat stepping down from his role.

Our focus over the year has been aligned with those in previous years; Met League, SAL, Southern and National Road Relays as well as the many, many races and events throughout the year. Performance against those top-priority events has been largely very strong but I know we can do even better this year coming.

2. Summary of Club Performance

Met League

The only place to start here is the 24/25 Met League season which was historic for our club. For the first time in our 99 year history (and the 58 year history of the Met League), we won the Howard Williams trophy, demonstrating the strength and consistency of our male and female athletes.

Clearly our women’s team were a force to be reckoned with and for this season look like they are building on a historic win and going from strength to strength, but I’ll focus in this report on some of the highlights from our male athletes.

Team Results

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Notable Individual Performances

Participation levels.

We are competing in the top end and dominating many of the competitions, we also are far and away the biggest in terms of participation. Both of those facts we should be very proud of as a club.

Chingford League

Road Races

Southern 12 Stage Relays – a historic best finish for our men with a strong showing from our B team

National 12 Stage Road Relays: 10th Overall in UK, 9th in England

Seb Lewis, Richard Bartram, Alex Gladley, Harry Wells, Alex Lawrence, Dom Howarth, Adam Millbery, James Hotham, Tom Holliday, Arth Dickson-Bell, Dom Bolt, Luca Minale. Results: https://www.raceresults.co.uk/results/2025/nat1225.pdf

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

London Marathon

Club Championships

Well done to David Jones and Lydia Briggs for winning the Boswell League and well done to everyone who took part in our club championships this year. Full results can be found on the seniors’ records page of the website (https://vphthac.org.uk/seniors/seniors-records/)

The Mile End Miles / VPH Club Mile Champs

1st - Kyalo Burt Fulcher, 2nd - Dom Howarth, 3rd - Joe Walker

Mob Match

In a tight contest, we took another victory in the Mob Match against our rivals Eton Manor, despite fielding the smaller team.

3. Thanks

None of the above would be possible without the time and effort of our brilliant volunteers. I can’t name everyone but I’d like to call out a few individuals for their efforts over the year;

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

also to Adam for his brilliant work on the club fixtures.

I just ran through a lot of names there. It wasn’t exhaustive, and sorry if you didn’t get a mention, but if you have helped out in any way over the last 12 months, thanks.

4. A Look Ahead

2026

There is lots to get excited about over the next 12 months. The things I’m really excited about are:

i) Met League – I want to see us defend our trophies and dare I say, add more. From the Men’s side, a large portion of this will be about focusing on prioritisation. How we can effectively communicate and reiterate the Club’s priority fixtures, bringing new people into the discipline and looking for a larger more thorough uptake in participation at all levels throughout the club. Whether this is finding a clear tool on fixture prioritisation, continued advertisement of these fixture dates, race reports and recaps to champion people’s progress, or highlighting the progress the club has made in its journey over the past many years, rising from a participatory club in the league, to challenging for the title.

ii) SAL – having won promotion I’m excited to see how we fare against stiffer competition. Building upon the back of the work that Lily, Alan and Dave have done with the Thursday Middle Distance sessions, we hope to bring more people onto the track, de-stigmatise some of the preconceptions around the events and promote opportunities for individuals to pursue new challenges through the summer, matching the club’s XC camaraderie, for the other half of the year.

iii) Southern and National Road Relays - In a year of contrasting halves, the Men managed to finish 10th in the UK at the 12 Stage relays, but failed to field a team for even Southerns 6 Stage. This is largely down to race prioritisation, some bad luck with injuries, and organisation/logistics. With a tighter grip on this over the next season we would like to see progress on previous results, but also Champion the event throughout the club, at Mick’s sessions and Project V, where we can hopefully pick up more people in order to enter numerous teams on Relays day. There is no reason why this club does not have the capacity to field 3-4 at Southerns and qualify at least 2 for Nationals.

iv) Centenary – work is being done by Major, Russell and others on our centenary next year which is very exciting. I won’t list everything here but keep an eye out.

v) Social growth - Beyond the (centenary) celebration by core members and familiar faces, we hope to extend this to bring in newer and more fringe club members, to grow the core participants of the

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

club and create a more inclusive and participatory focused club, building on this increased social element, here, after major races or at Club Events(parties), we can hope to see increased uptake at races too. This can be supplemented by returning social events such as the Club Beer Mile too.

vi) TMEM - 2026 will also play host to the return of the Mile End Miles, which this year doubled as the Club Mile Champs, this event open to the public helped to promote the club within the local community and neighbouring running clubs, give back to the sport, give the younger athletes a platform and invite existing and new members to take on new challenges in the shape of an event/distance new to many.

vii) ELVIS League – we are investigating entering the ELVIS league in 2026 to provide more opportunities for our members to race over the spring and summer months.

Overall, there are some key themes we want to focus on, instead of just numerical results:

Participation

As mentioned, we want to look at different vehicles we can use to reinvigorate participation within the club, whether that be in expanding existing events, exploring social elements, expanding people’s sporting experiences and bringing in new people or assimilating some of the fringe members that we do not see as often.

Runner Development

By ensuring continued focus on major athletics events (Relays, National XC, Track) we want to ensure we present the right opportunities for the development of the juniors to aspire to and access as some move up into the seniors and keep progressing, and provide continued support for existing members to make leaps forward in fitness in their chosen events/surfaces, but also providing less intense environments that can help pipeline graduates of the club’s Couch to 5K/10K program, into club events and local races.

Culture

Ultimately a lot of this comes down to culture: What does Culture look like within VPH, how far does it extend and who does it include, or where does it not really reach? Culture is supporting folks on the club runs in the evening, volunteering at local events or in the clubhouse in the kitchen/behind the bar, culture is cheering people on at club races, championing the juniors, celebrating our results, allying the women’s side of the club, assisting newbies, culture is active participation and sometimes putting the club first, wanting to be involved and the turnout we see at Mick’s, Steve’s or Adam’s sessions to grind out a workout along peers weekly. Culture is giving back to not just the sport but the community

For 2026, we can think about how the club is at a very competitive standard, but do we get those people out to races. We have a big footprint but how do we capitalise and utilise this presence. We enjoy and take so much from the sport, but how much do we give back.

Victoria Park Harriers as a whole, vastly outperforms many London-based clubs in much of this (which can be a real challenge in such a transient place) and that can be very obvious on certain days out like MET XC, so we have everyone here to thank for that, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do more and that we don’t aim to do more.

The club has a really good thing going here and we want to make sure as many of our members feel that as possible, existing or new, all throughout the year.This year promises – I hope – more of the same but better. We want to see strengthening turnout at league fixtures, more trophies, more debuts more participation and ultimately see our members enjoying this fine sport.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Track and Field (Alan MacDonald)

2025 was a highly successful year for our club in Track and Field, maintaining the trend of strong improvement in both Participation and Performance.

Strong Growth in T&F Participation

According to PO10, 133 of our senior athletes (over 20) participated in a licensed Track & Field meeting in 2025, up a substantial 62% from 82 last year. Hosting The Mile End Miles (TMEM), provided a major boost, although even excluding athletes that only entered TMEM, participation rose by 18%, to 97 athletes. The event with the highest uplift was naturally the Mile itself, although the sprints, steeplechase and men’s 5000m also saw healthy increases.

Senior Members (over 20) Participating in Track & Field Meetings

----- Start of picture text -----
140
15
120
21
100
80 27
25
60
40
70
57
20
0
2024 2025
Men (ex TMEM) Women (ex TMEM) Men (TMEM only) Women (TMEM
----- End of picture text -----

The Mile End Miles

Building on the success of last year’s club track mile championships, we secured a licence for an open meeting and introduced The Mile End Miles. Special thanks go to Adam, Jade, Mick, Major, Gigi and to all the officials, pacemakers, volunteers and spectators that helped make the evening such a success. Kyalo Burt-Fulcher and Lyra MacDonald were crowned as our 2025 club mile champions. The event saw participation from 180 athletes (136 seniors and 44 juniors), including 87 club members (64 seniors and 23 juniors). Race footage is available on YouTube, and full results can be accessed on Opentrack.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

TMEM provided a first opportunity for many to put their track training sessions to the test. It was also a gateway for some to compete at other T&F events (SAL and open meetings), a trend we hope continues. We are considering ways to expand the event, while keeping it accessible to all members.

Improving Performance – Individually and as a Club

More Club Records Broken

Seven of our Men’s or Women’s records were broken (or equalled) this year, up from three last year.

Athlete Event Record . Prev Hldr Prev Perf Date
Yusuf Bizimana Mile 3:57.51 Yusuf Bizimana 3:59.85 2021
Luca Minale 3000m 8:10.71 MehretabSoloman 8:17.95 2011
Luca Minale 5000m 14:04.96 Yusuf Bizimana 14:12.70 2021
Lyra MacDonald 1500m 4:38.50 Lyra MacDonald 4:40.77 2023
Lyra MacDonald Mile 5:10.82 Lyra MacDonald 5:13.07 2024
Laureen Okoghenu HT4K 44.93 Laureen Okoghenu 37.26 2024
Zhane Pilgrim HJ 1.63 Irene Shokan 1.63 1997

(nb U20W Laureen and Lyra and U15G Zhane broke records for their age groups, as well as for All Women at the club. Luca’s performances set ‘official’ club records this year, as he returned to first claim membership )

More High UK Rankings Achieved

15 of our athletes were ranked in the top 100 Men or Women in the UK in 20 events, up from 13 athletes in 18 events in 2024.

Senior Men's Top 100 UK Rankings

Athlete Ag
e		 Ranking Event Performance
Cat
Yusuf Bizimana SM 16 Mile 3:57.51
Ezekiel Lowe U23 18 200 20.85
Kweku Abankwa SM 29 100 10.35
Darren Morson SM 47 LJ 7.04
Kweku Abankwa SM 48 200 21.11
Yusuf Bizimana SM 48 1500 3:40.75
Joshua Barrett-Mowatt SM 50 LJ 7.02
Ezekiel Lowe U23 62 100 10.52
Michael Shonibare SM 65 400 47.81
Luca Minale U23 71 5000 14:04.96
Luca Minale U23 91 3000 8:10.71
Sam Hitchings M35 97 HT7.26K 40.86

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Senior Women's Top 100 UK Rankings

Athlete Ag
e		 Ranking Ranking Event Performance
Cat
Nereci DaSilva U20 37 TJ 11.92
Laureen Okaghenu U20 59 HT4K 44.93
BetsyAgboola U17 69 400HW 64.52
Michelvi Wamba U23 84 200 24.33
Robyn Connolly SEN 91 HT4K 41.76
Rebecca Williams SEN 92 400 56.06
MiriamGlassner SEN 92 100HW 15.01
Michelvi Wamba U23 100 100 11.95

Nb these are senior rankings. Junior and Masters athletes listed also scored higher age group rankings

Increasing Participation and Success in Master’s athletics

Participation and rankings among our Masters athletes (over 35s in five-year age categories) continued to rise, with more members competing in the SAL, open meetings, and dedicated Masters events. This year, 49 members ranked in the UK’s top 100 across 99 Masters Age Group events—up from 24 athletes in 69 events last year. At TMEM alone, 22 members achieved top 100 UK Masters Mile rankings.

Masters Top 10 Rankings and Championship success

Athlete **Age ** Top 10 Rankings & Events **Masters Championships **
Paul Martelletti M45 1st 5000m, 2nd 3000m(7th AT)
Steve Garrett M35 1st 400H
Rebecca Williams W35 2nd 400m, 3rd 200m, 5th 100m British and VAC Indoor 2nd(200)
AndrewJones M60 2nd 300H, 3rd 400m
AndreDahlkamp M50 4th Pentathlon British 3rd(Pentathlon)
Kyalo Burt-Fulcher M35 5th Mile
David Jones M40 5th 3000SC
Cat O'Shea W35 5th Mile
Sam Lamb W50 5th 800m, 7th 1500m
Sam Hitchings M35 6th Hammer
David Shortridge M50/55 6th 400H British 2nd (200), British Indoor 2nd (200,
400) European 3rd (4x100), 4th (400H)
Aaron McGrady M35 8th 5000m
Esme Ingram W35 8th 400H
Alan MacDonald M55 9th 1500m British Indoor 2nd, European finalist(1500)
Hazel Norton-Hale W40 9th Mile

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

METT Group athletes enjoyed spectacular track seasons

Several athletes from the group achieved multiple PBs on the track (plus several more over longer distances, from 5k to marathon, on the road). They included:

Promotion as Champions in the Southern Athletics League (SAL)

We got off to a flying start in our crucial first match, where extra points were available against our twin club. From there, we maintained momentum, winning all four meetings and defeating every club in the division. We were crowned champions and earned promotion to Division One for the first time since joining the SAL in 2016.

How the SAL Was Won

Improved Participation and Performance were both crucial to our success. Over 100 members contributed this season: 75 athletes competed as scorers and 21 more exclusively as non-scorers, along with officials (who also scored points) and coaches. Factors underpinning our win included:

Consistent Contributions from some of our top athletes, enabled us to dominate several events. For instance, in the 100, 200 and 400m, our women’s team—comprising Michelvi Wamba, Rebecca Williams, Bolu Kearney (an U17W debutant) and Lyra MacDonald— achieved a perfect score of 96 out of 96 points in our first three matches. Hurdling (100/110H and 400H) emerged as another area of strength, led by Betsy Agboola (another U17W debutant) and Steve Garrett, with strong support from Jesse Katabazi, Sarah Laing and others.

Coordinated Collaboration: Six athletes from Coach Clarence Calendar’s group (Ezekiel, Farshad, William, Callum, Kai, and Michael S) rotated men’s sprinting duties in the first three matches, nearly matching the women’s flawless record. Despite being sidelined by injury, Captain Jade dos Santos helped coordinate 15 Senior and U20 Women, who distributed scoring across events from 800 to 5000m and steeplechase and consistently achieved high points totals.

Spirited Support: Each event permits two scoring athletes and B string participants can earn as many points as A string competitors. This season, we consistently filled both scoring positions in almost every event. Some of our highest-scoring athletes were those with less experience but happy to have a go at more technical (and less frequently contested) events, whether utilising skills developed as juniors or at Uni, like Esme Ingram, Sarah Laing, and Laura Hindley, or venturing into new disciplines, as exemplified by Aoife Murray (who wrote about this in her excellent September newsletter article) and James Hirst’s pole vault debut. Next season we plan to further expand coaching sessions for senior athletes, to boost participation and skills development.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Renewed Force in the Field: We more than doubled our previous field event points total this season, achieving our highest one-day tally in recent years to help secure victory at our final match. Our outstanding U20 women's trio, Laureen, Nereci, and Irati (coached by Kelvin Richards), received strong support from Akiko, Geneva, Laura and Aoife. In Men's Jumps, the returns of Darren Morson and Subomi Bello bolstered results and inspired junior athletes such as Edgar and Zooey. Sam Hitchings emerged as our highest overall points scorer, leading our men in all four throws. Meanwhile, superagent Omar Elhag helped recruit Robyn Connolly and coach Tim Campion to our cause, culminating in an unprecedented maximum points score in both Men's and Women’s Hammer at Eltham!

Top 20 SAL Points Scorers Over the Season

Athlete Main Events Matches Points
Samuel Hitchings Throws 4 41
BetsyAgboola 100H,400H 4 38
Michelvi Wamba 100,200 4 36
AoifeMurray 400H,SC,Throws 4 35
Jesse Katabazi 110H,400 3 32
Esme Ingram 400H,SC 3 30
Boluwatife Kearney 100,200 4 29
Laureen Okoghenu HT,SP 3 29
Sarah Laing 100H,PV 3 27
Steve Garrett 110H,400H 3 27
Darren Morson LJ,HJ 3 26
Lyra MacDonald 400,800/1500 3 26
Rebecca Williams 200,400 3 26
Irati Ajanekoko Gomendio HJ,Javelin 3 24
Oluwasubomi Bello HJ,TJ 3 24
Nereci Da Silva TJ,LJ 3 23
Laura Hindley LJ,Javelin, 2 23
Edgar Wetherall TJ,LJ 3 22
Akiko Findlay TJ,LJ 3 21
Ezekiel Lowe 100,200 2 21

Our aim next season will be to consolidate our position in Division One. We will need to step up again, with even more support and better coordination. Tougher competition will hopefully bring the best out of us!

Please mark your diaries with next season’s fixtures:

  1. Saturday 16[th ] May: Woodford

  2. Sunday 21[st ] June: Mile End

  3. Sunday 19[th ] July: Medway

  4. Saturday 8[th ] August: Bromley

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Looking to the Future

Investing to Support Athletics

Our club was founded to provide athletic facilities for East London residents, enhancing social welfare through public recreation. Track and Field Athletics, contrasted with recreational running, requires a greater level of financial resource and access to more specialised coaching, officials and facilities. With our local councils and schools cutting back their support, our club increasingly needs to bridge the gap.

Fostering Junior Talent and Strengthening our Club’s Future

We are very fortunate to benefit from a team of highly qualified and dedicated coaches. In recent times, their primary focus has been on revitalising our junior athletics programme, overcoming the significant challenges and disruptions brought about during the COVID period. By investing in our junior athletes, we foster talent and strengthen the club’s future competitiveness. A notable proportion of the points we accumulated in the Southern Athletics League (SAL) were earned by our Juniors and by Seniors who came through their ranks.

Competing at a Higher Level

Securing promotion to a higher tier of competition within the SAL (and potentially beyond), will allow us to create better development pathways for our athletes to grow within the club. We are also boosting spending to support more athletes taking part in regional and national championships.

More Volunteer Coaches and Officials Needed

With surging numbers of both Juniors and Seniors at the track, we need more volunteers to assist with coaching. Following the example of Anna Fiedlerova, Ed Lowe, Tom Fyffe and Sam Lamb, new Track & Field officials are also urgently required to help our club meet league requirements and ensure smooth competitions. Please reach out to Alf or me if you’re interested.

T&F Athletes of the Year

Betsy Agboola

Betsy enjoyed an outstanding first season over the hurdles. In the 300m hurdles, she was a finalist at English Schools Champs, 3[rd ] at the SEAA U17W Champs and Middlesex Champion. Her PB of 44.78 ranked her 13[th ] U17W in the UK. She was also Middlesex champion over the flat 300m indoor and outdoor (ranking 32[nd] ). Betsy stepped up (literally!) to run in both the senior women’s 400 and 100m hurdles, along with both relays, at all four of our SAL meetings, scoring 38 points (our 2[nd ] highest individual total). She was 1[st ] in three and 2[nd ] in one of her 400H races and her PB of 64.52 ranked her 69[th ] out of all women in the UK.

Ezekiel Lowe

Ezekiel’s 200m of PB of 20.85 ranked him 3[rd ] U23M in the UK (in his first year in the age group) and 18[th ] out of all men in the UK. He ran even faster wind assisted (20.81). Over 100m, Ezekiel matched his PB from 2023, running 10.52, ranking him 14[th ] U23M and 62[nd ] among all men in the UK. Again, he ran faster (10.46) wind assisted. He was a semi-finalist in the UK Champs 100m and also over 60m at the UK Indoor Champs, where he ran 6.84. Ezekiel scored 21 points for us in two matches at the SAL, finishing 1[st ] three times and 2[nd ] once over 100 and 200m and running in relays.

Other athletes shortlisted included: Rebecca Williams, Zhane Pilgrim, Laureen Okoghenu and Michelvi Wamba; Kweku Abankwa, Luca Minale, Sam Hitchings and Paul Martelletti.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

- Juniors (Cornelia Abe Minale)

Met League

Last season’s Metleague was our most successful since the Covid period.

Middlesex County XC Championships

The county Championships were the most successful ever for our team.

Following these fantastic performances 8 athletes were selected to represent the Middlesex County team in the British National Inter-county Champs (CAU) in Nottingham on March 5[th ] 2025.

English Schools XC Championships in Ardingly 22[nd] March 2025

6 athletes achieved qualification for the London Schools team for the ES champs in Ardingly

Youth Development League

Lower age group Division 1B U13/15: approx. 35 athletes competed in the YDL in this age group. With performance points we finished 3[rd ] in the league, sadly we had points deducted again though lack of qualified officials and finished 4[th ] overall. In Upper age group Division 2C U17/20, we finished 5[th ] with approximately 20-25 athletes competing

SAL

A significant number of junior athletes also competed in the SAL. Our biggest points scorers were Betsy Agboola, Jesse Katabazi, Bolu Kearney, Laureen Okoghenu, Lyra MacDonald, Irati Ajanlekoko Gomendio,and Nereci Da Silva.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Middlesex Track and Field Champs Lee Valley

Across the age groups we had

English Schools Track and Field Champs 2025 in Birmingham 11/12 July 2025

6 athletes qualified for English Schools Track and Field Championships

National Cross Country relays Mansfield Nov 1[st] 2025

We took 4 teams to Mansfield for the National relays:

The junior endurance squad currently has over 60 athletes from age 9 to 18. The sprint, hurdle and jump training groups have approx. 80 athletes. We are now able to fill all age groups from U11 to U20. To have Tom Fyffe as a second coach on board made a significant difference to the training group. We also appreciate the contribution from Alan MacDonald team managing the Southern and National relay teams as well as the team entries for County and National Cross Country Champs.

Coaching and Officials - Alf Vickers

For the first time since before Covid, we have seen a large increase in Junior members. Unfortunately we haven’t got the coaches to cope with it and now see ourselves turning some away. Unless we get some volunteers soon, that is going to become reality. The other problem is with large numbers and a shortage of coaches we will stop producing quality athletes.

Two and a half years ago, I started an Officials group. During that time we have seen a few increase their levels of qualification but unfortunately, like the coaches, we haven’t recruited anyone. At league meetings it’s required that we have at least one Timekeeper, one Track Judge, one level 2 Field Judge, one level 1 Field Judge and 3 volunteers. If not, we either lose or miss out on points. In the YDL, this can cost over 50 points a match, and in the YDL Lower, this meant we dropped from third to fourth in the final league table.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

FINANCE REVIEW

Going concern

After making appropriate enquires, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resource to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the Accounting Policies.

Overview

Cash flow remained strongly positive in the last financial year (2024/25), with higher subscription fees (reflecting an increase in membership), partially offset by increased spending on affiliations, race entries, travel expenses and track hire.

Investment in assets

The following investments were made in 2024/25:

Financial highlights

Income

Recurring income (£)


2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Donations 0
308
300
340
300
Subscriptions 37,308
43,443
47,207
45,056
50,675
Cottage Rent 19,260
19,260
20,248
17,655
20,865
HQ Hire 4,740
23,878
32,066
39,007
41,386
Coaching 0
6,025
7,200
9,560
10,000
Club kit 195
1,281
387
1,503
1,319
Bar sales 0
3,913
3,387
9,944
14,312
Other income 3,147
4,332
259
0
0
Bank interest 66
66
229
634
1,037
Total 64,716
102,506
111,283
123,699
139,894

Expenditure

Rates and utility costs were £26,877, a decrease from the previous year (£28,440 in 2023/24). We note that we have had ongoing queries about our electricity bills with EDF energy since March 2024.

Maintenance costs decreased to £11,973 (vs £14,348 in 2023/24) as we completed a number of major projects at the club house last year (creation of new treatment room, rental cottage repairs and refurbishment).

Affiliation, track and race entry fees increased sharply, by 24% to £21,981 (vs £17,791 in 23/24).

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Affiliation fees rose due to increased membership and higher EA fees. Track fees rose as we hosted more events and race entries rose, as we paid for more of our athletes to compete in a growing number of events.

Cash Flows

Closing 31/3/2025
Closing 31/3/2024
Movement		 Closing 31/3/2025
Closing 31/3/2024
Movement


2024-25
Current Account 150,711
125,411
25,300
Development Account 13,795
10,533
3,263
Deposit Account 68,418
67,381
1,037
Total Cash 232,924
203,325
29,599
Investments 20,883
19,749
1,134
Total Cash & Investments 253,807
223,074
30,733
Cash (excl. Dev Acct) 219,129
192,792
26,337

Reserves policy

While the Charity’s total funds are in excess of £1.2m, nearly £1m of this is ringfenced in designated funds in relation to the clubhouse property. The trustees consider that an appropriate level of reserves in respect of general funds (ie not including designated funds) is an amount to generate working capital to cover approximately six months of the charity’s annual costs, excluding expenditure chargeable against the designated reserves.

Based on the charity’s current level of activities, it is considered that a minimum appropriate level of general funds would be £75,000. A significant current surplus gives confidence that the charity is well placed to withstand a sustained unforeseen drop in rental income or to meet substantially increased expenditure going well beyond its budgeted plans, eg on the clubhouse building or on athletic facilities at the Mile End track.

Looking ahead

We anticipate that higher subscription income will be offset by increased expenditure.

Income

Expenditure

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

cottage refurbishment (boiler and bathroom) and further ahead, major works on the main hall and changing rooms, renewing floors, interior and exterior walls;

This report has been prepared taking advantage of the small companies’ exemption of the Companies Act 2006.

Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

................................................

David Robinson

Chairman Date:

Page 24

Company registration number: 04324630 Charity registration number: 1091712

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC (A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

UNAUDITED TRUSTEES' REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

CONTENTS

----- Start of picture text -----
Page
Reference and administrative details of the Charity, its Trustees and advisers 1
Chairman's statement 2 - 4
Trustees' report 5 - 24
Trustees' responsibilities statement 25
Independent examiner's report 26
Statement of financial activities 27
Balance sheet 28
Notes to the financial statements 29 - 44
DRAFT
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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Trustees David Robinson, Chair Simon Wharton (appointed 28 November 2024) Cornelia Abe-Minale Matthew Dawson Jade Dos Santos James Hirst Alan Macdonald Alf Vickers Valerie Wong Vendula Dohnalova (resigned 28 November 2024) Nathaniel Rowland (resigned 27 November 2025) Elizabeth Venables (resigned 27 November 2025) Lily Zechmann (resigned 28 November 2024) Lydia Briggs (appointed 30 April 2025) Simon Wharton (appointed 28 November 2024) Company registered number 04324630 Charity registered number 1091712 Registered office 24 Blackberry Court Woodmill Road London E5 9GE Independent Examiner MHA Chartered Accountants 910 The Crescent Colchester Business Park Colchester Essex CO4 9YQ Bankers HSBC Plc 20-21 Electric Parade George Lane London E18 2LX

Page 1

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The chairman presents his statement for the year.

Page 2

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Thanks to the Bar & Social Events Team: Susan, Sophie & Marlis.

Clubhouse

This year we have completed some improvement works at the clubhouse. We have refurbished and altered the layout of rooms within the first floor of the Annexe creating a large Pilates / Yoga studio and a treatment room. This has further increased activity and use of the clubhouse facilities by a wider section of our local fitness community. We have worked with Sam White (Victoria Park Pilates) and Joe Dale (Victoria Park Sports Medicine) in these new projects.

We still have a Taekwondo Group that use the hall on Saturday afternoons and another group on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.

Mile End

The track at Mile End is managed by GLL for Tower Hamlets. The dedicated track entrance has not re-opened since Covid and users access the track via the Leisure Centre. Junior club members and club coaches running junior sessions have free access to the track and now use a separate entrance. This is rather unsatisfactory and we hope to improve this arrangement with GLL. The Gym at the track is also closed and cannot be used at present. Whilst the management of this facility presents some difficulties, our coaches will continuing to hold junior training sessions through the winter months and will prepare for the 2022 track season.

The extent to which we manage to involve more helpers, members and parents to undertake officials training, volunteering and event organising will influence our ability to host and participate in track competition in 2022.

Club Website

Competitive quotes were obtained and the Board have engaged Dave Finch, club member and website designer to build a new ‘more user friendly’ website.

Huge thanks to Joe Feltham who has managed the website over recent years and who will assist along with a small steering group to work with Dave to bring this about.

VPH&THAC

On behalf of the Board, I wish you all safe and well over the coming club year and many thanks to all existing and our many new club members for what you all bring to the club, for your achievements big and small that we all enjoy and celebrate. We are committed to our ethos of maintaining a strong, caring and supportive club, ready to grasp every opportunity and work our way back to where we were before Covid and building on the reputation and achievements we’ve gained in recent years and on an exciting bunch of newer members.

We have also revived the heating system in the Hall with a new boiler and fan convector heaters plus radiators in the Weights room which also doubles up as a Podiatrist’s treatment room on Fridays. We are very fortunate to continue to have Fabien (Victoria Park Fitness) operating in the Hall. He is a great asset to the club and many of our members continue to benefit from his strength and conditioning training.

Page 3

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

................................................ David Robinson Chairman Date:

----- Start of picture text -----
DRAFT
----- End of picture text -----

Page 4

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees present their annual report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The Annual report serves the purposes of both a Trustees' report and a directors' report under company law. The Trustees confirm that the Annual report and financial statements of the charitable company comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charitable company's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102).

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Constitution:

Purposes:

The purpose of the Charity, as per its Memorandum and Articles of Association, is the provision of facilities for public recreation or other leisure time occupation and in particular athletics in the interest of social welfare, with the object of improving the conditions of life of those who reside and work within East London. The main activities undertaken in relation to the purposes of the Charity, as per its governing document, have been described further in the Activities and Achievements section of this report.

Public Benefit:

In setting objectives and planning for current and future activities, the Trustees have given due consideration to general guidance published by the Charity Commission relating to Public benefit, including the guidance 'Public benefit: running a charity (PB2)'. All activities have been undertaken for the furtherance of Public Benefit.

Method of appointment or election of Trustees:

The articles of the Charity state there should be a minimum of three trustees. At every annual general meeting one third of the trustees who are subject to retirement by rotation or, if their number is not three or a multiple of three, the number nearest to one third retire from office.

No person other than a trustee retiring by rotation shall be appointed or reappointed a trustee at any general meeting unless he is recommended by the trustees, or a notice proposed by a member eligible to vote at the meeting, and executed by the proposed person, has been given to the trustees within set time limits before the AGM as prescribed in the articles of the Charity.

Organisational structure and decision making:

The business of the Charity is managed by the trustees who may exercise all powers of the Company.

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Women’s Road and Cross Country Report – Lily Zechmann

Introduction

Serving as Women’s Road and Cross-Country Captain for the past 6 months, having taken over from Annie in June. So far, it’s been very busy with races happening left, right, and centre and marque leagues keeping me on my toes! I am thoroughly enjoying my role.

This year I was able to get involved with the SAL events which seemed to be back in full swing since Covid. It was certainly an enjoyable event which brought many athletes in the club together, and a big reminder of the great team vibe we have in the club – especially during the quiet summer seasons.

Training on the track and at Project V continues and we see the benefits this has had on members especially when put into practice at the races. At the races, we have demonstrated great team spirit by working together

Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC is a company limited by guarantee which is also registered as a charity and is under the management of a Board of Trustees. Victoria Park Harriers & Tower Hamlets AC was registered as a charity with the UK Charity Commission on 23 April 2002.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

and cheering each other on.

Every Thursday we welcome a handful of new joiners. It’s been lovely to see how quickly new members have integrated into the team and have enjoyed everything this great club has to offer.

Summer 2022

We returned to the Southern Athletics League this summer after the long Covid break. There was strong representation in our home match at Mile End (with the ladies taking 1 st place in 800m, and 5000m race). We also saw athletes heading up to the last event in Kings Lynn. Bravo to our ladies who pushed beyond their comfort zone to sign up to the events that they’ve never done before – Anna Fiedlerova and Hazel Norton-Hale in the 400m Hurdles, Ellie Daglish and Eilidh Wagstaff in the Steeple Chase, Anna also doing the long jump. Sadly, we did get relegated – mostly due to low turnout at other events

when the heatwave hit – we know that this is something where we can work on and will come back fighting next year – with the goal of filling all events next year. We are so proud of our ladies who stepped up to help us score, this is what team spirit is all about!

We also participated in a number of relay events over the summer. Our ladies team was in podium position at the Bridges Relay in August by the O2 Arena. The ladies A team coming home to 1st position and the B team placing 6th – Well done to all, to name a few Valerie Wong, Lydia Briggs, and Claire Hartley.

The Southern and National road relays in September saw another strong performance from our ladies team, finishing in podium position 3rd. Congratulations to Sophie Allen, Laura Thompson, Laura Kaye, and Hannah Somani.

Towards the end of Summer we hosted the Middlesex 10K in Victoria Park, with a handful of medals being won from our ladies. June Barrow-Green, Nicola Kerr, and Susan Leese all claiming silver. The Bronze went to Lily Zechmann, June Barrow-Green, and Nicola Kerr.

Autumn/Winter 2022

Stepping into the colder months, we were unexpectedly blessed with warmer weather in our Cross Country events.

Met League has kicked off to a great start, with around 28 ladies taking part in the first fixture at Claybury in October, and 23 female runners at Wormwood scrubs in November. Wormwood Scrubs never looked so pretty, though some of us miss the muddy and gloomy trademark of this course. We are now in a strong 2nd position – keep up the excellent work ladies!

The Chingford League also saw a strong start for our ladies, with three races completed and three more to go, we are leading in 1st position!

The results so far

As ever, a huge thank you to Joyce Berry for all her organisation efforts in making the Chingford League happen.

Road

Marathons and Half marathons were back into full spring in 2022. Our local event, the Hackney Half in May and The Big Half saw mass participation from VPHers, the roads were coloured in Jade and Blue.

Our ladies participated in marathons all around the country and in various parts of the world – running in Brighton, Manchester, London, and Berlin. Faye Jeacocke and Laura Thompson showcase great performance in London. Mandy Dohren and Hannah Somani running a sub-3 in Manchester. As always, the atmosphere of the London Marathon was unbeatable, and a reminder of how great this sport is – for the runners as well as those supporting and cheering on.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

A big thank you!

There are so many members of the club that we want to recognize, for their continued contribution and efforts in sustaining and maintaining the club: Chairman Dave, and everyone on the Board; Major Carr, Simeon Bennett, and Neil Cook all their work behind the scenes; Len Williams and Richard Norton-Hale for support of the handicaps and Club Championships; everyone at the Bar Staff, including Susan Leese, Sophie Critchlow, Helen Goddard and Marlis Haase. Our coaches, Coach Mick and Coach Steve for their continued efforts on the Track and Project V sessions. Our race managers, Andre Dahlkamp and Anna Fiedlerova, for organizing the handicap races. And lastly, the volunteers who have stepped up to help at the races!

Outlook for 2023

As 2022 comes to a close, we have plenty of things to celebrate – the membership continues to grow and we

– Gav Lau Gav Lau

Men’s Road and Cross Country Report – Gav Lau Gav Lau

Our club is on a journey…

The first important point I would like to open with, is for each of us to pause, and acknowledge the journey that the club has endured and persisted through in the last 5, 10, 20+ years. The cross section of the membership today includes many junior athletes, a relatively even split of male and female members, and broad participation across the full range of age categories. Stepping into our community with VPH&THAC today is the result of careful and significant investment of time and commitment to follow things through. Some individuals have come and gone. A special few continue to be active with the club today. As a club member myself, I expect to be able to have access to as many of the facilities and as large a variety of events as possible, be kept informed of current developments and be able to do so in a friendly and inclusive environment.

To this end there are three recent initiatives that come to mind that have been a priority for the board that should be ready to share with the membership in the new year: (1) the development of a new club website (merging a lot of the information flow about the club and live events that is currently fragmented across many sub-standard channels); (2) the next phase of advertising club roles and making it more accessible for any members to review the nature of each role, time commitment expected and clear method to register your interest; (3) integration of the recent board appointments to function as a new unit, now representing more recent joiners. To improve on the communication of the governance structure and policies. Also the perception of how the board interacts and connects with the membership.

Notable contributions

Every week, I am reminded about the pull of the club spirit and it is clear for us all to see that so many among us are willing to nurture the culture and values we as a community enjoy. Simply to ‘play’ and ‘run’, to make new friendships, to listen to each others’ experiences and backgrounds, to share other hobbies and interests outside of running. Each year, I reflect on some standout individuals that make material contributions:

A formal personal thank you to Captain Annie Trihan in her capacity as the Women’s road and XC Captain. A pleasure to get to know and work side by side with someone so passionate about our club spirit, fiercely loyal to all of us, has a competitive edge and simply the most infectious smile when you are knee deep in mud and can’t find a hot drink! Working with the board and our volunteers to deliver some routine sessions during covid as a sanctuary or pocket of normality for our local group was a huge challenge. It taught me a lot about putting faith in other people, recognising and accepting goodwill and positive gestures openly. And that a group committed to a cause coupled with patience and graft, would bring an outcome close to what was envisaged and scribbled on a piece of paper back at the start!

A whole hearted welcome to Lily Zechmann who has showed such credible commitment to get involved from the outset and is clearly getting into her stride as the busy winter season continues.

continue to encourage people to take part in weekly runs at the clubhouse as well as the races. The goal for next year is to continue increasing participation race events, including Athletics and get out of relegation, and to drive diversity and bring new people into the club!

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Please join me to recognise the efforts from our ever present roster of Coaches Tony Bunbury, Mick Cairns and Steve Hobbs. Often the first individuals that new and prospective club members get to meet. Getting familiar with training together in groups, building our confidence around strength and conditioning equipment, doing intervals on a purpose built track or committing to regular hard workouts. Props to Simeon Bennett, Joe Dale and Hugh Murdoch (to name a few) for stepping in to cover sessions on occasions on short notice. And the same sentiment extends to all our amazing track and field based coaches operating at Mile End.

The club handicap has continued to be such a popular cornerstone of our social group nights. The numbers participating have shot up and leveled around 70+ runners over the summer on the fast and flat 5 mile course. A thank you to the reliable cohort of: Major Carr, Ray Russo, Richard Hale, Len Williams. And to more recent club members contributing to the monthly preparations: Anna Fiedlerova, Andre Dahlkamp, Valerie Wong, Katrin Flikschuh.

A huge shout out to the entire women’s teams that deliver the loudest cheers of any team on every single race day. Regardless if the rain is sideways, or the hail is coming down the size of golf balls, the VPH women will be spread across the course, willing the front of the pack home until the last of our team are safely back across the finish line. One of the most important secrets to a strong and healthy runner, is to be fed and hydrated well! And the social hub that waits for us after every thursday evening social run at the clubhouse is of thanks to David Wilkey, Susan Leese, Sophie Critchlow, Paul Turley and all the diligent chefs and bar helpers. This is another hallmark of our club spirit. We are very well looked after, and often spoilt! Please do volunteer to clear up, wash up, take the bins out. Many hands make light work and it shouldn’t just be the few that stay late and clear up after us every week.

There are far more names I should mention and thank. I hope that you have received this message from me directly already when we have spent time together at the clubhouse, on race day or out on a field in the jade & blue!

Winter & Spring 2021/22

• The season kicked off with the Flowers mile on 2nd Sep. Nat Rowland came home in 1st place in 4:47 with Ethan Gray (U17B) crossing the line as 1st junior in 5:02.

• This also marked the start of the Boswall league, with the following club events included (alongside the other league and champs fixtures): Flowers mile, 10M road and 5M XC. The full list of winners and individual standings are presented separately during the AGM:

• Congratulations to the overall Boswall League men’s winner: Jamie Cornuaud (1st). Joe Dale (2nd), Andrew Barrington (3rd).

• The Hackney Half, on Sun 26 Sep, now seen as an adopted home fixture with so many fellow VPH’ers taking part. Some also racing in the club colours for the first time and experiencing the full scale of support and noise from those of us spectating and volunteering on the day. Fast forward to Sat 22 May and the same Hackney carnival pushed our runners to the finish line nestled in Hackney Marshes. The clear stars of the show

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

being the VPH volunteers stationed at the Cadogan Terrace water station!

• The preamble of the Big Half gave reason for all our club runners a cheer. Then the London marathon race day landed in our sights, in the unusual autumn setting on Sun 3 Oct. And the VPH cheer squad was out in force. Our club runners diligently training in the summer months had their time to shine and run the course in celebration to welcome back this iconic race.

• The Met league didn’t disappoint with Race 1 hosted at Claybury Park on Sat 16 Oct. Highgate unfortunately proved too strong for another year, taking the overall team championship, and our club is building a great reputation for bringing out a large team across the day of races. The strength and depth now developing across the competitive age categories is something to be very proud of. Individuals racing their hearts out all over again at Welwyn Garden City, Uxbridge and Wormwood Scrubs (with the final fixture at Trent Park unfortunately canceled on short notice due to bad weather):

• With races rolling through the weekends to the end of 2021, the next marque fixture in our calendar to take place was the 5k Mob Match with Eton Manor on Tue 11 Jan. Hosted by our friendly neighbour at Jubilee Park. An impressive 91 VPH runners on the night with Joe Dale breaking the tape in 16:12 and Laura Thompson 1st female in 19:24.

Summer 2022

• The club competed in Division 2 East of the Southern Athletics League during the summer months. The interest and participation of our classic road & XC membership has been very gradual across recent years and word of mouth is now certainly spreading that this is another fantastic way to compete for the club and be introduced to other members. Thank you to both Cornelia Abe-Minale and Tony MacDowall for organising and managing the teams throughout this season. Many participants also showed great camaraderie to compete in multiple events and braving the jumps and steeple chases to get points on the board. We were unfortunately relegated to Division 3, having finished in 14th place (out of 16), and that was only due to lack of numbers to score across the events. There is no qualifying time requirements with track & field events being open to all, and our senior and junior athletes racing together as a combined team. We look forward to seeing more returning and first-timers for 2023. Please get in touch with one of the track coaches or road captains to find out more about the events, changes to practice and how to register.

• The Assembly league was tentatively introduced with a condensed league covering only 3 fixtures. With the opener in Beckenham Park and two events hosted by our club in Victoria Park. Participation numbers were impressive and a real buzz to the summer series from our members as well as our familiar competitors.

• We are very lucky to have an area of beauty such as Epping Forest so close to our local area, and many club members flocked to the Forest Five series with smiles on faces and trail shoes in the kit bag! The Orion 15 event also took place on 26 Mar, with Pete Dyson (1st) and Fabien Lassonde (2nd) making it on the overall podium.

• As the end of the summer holidays nears, the summer BBQ on Sat 6 Aug was preceded by the infamous “chunder mile”. A compact group of three jolly and sheepish competitors brought their own nutrition and toed the line for 4 laps of joy around the cinder track. Props to Dom Howarth (4:36) retaining the title from 2021! Arif Erdogan 2nd and Oliver Jamieson (3rd).

• The annual Southern and National Road Relay events showcase the best athletics clubs across the grass roots level. VPH&THAC were able to field a women's team in the 4-stage race, and two men's teams in the 6- stage race for 2022.

• The men's A and B team competed at the Southern relays event at Crystal Palace, with other prominent clubs also racing at Aldershot on the same day. Our A team, coming 1st at the Crystal Palace event, running a total time of 1hr51m00s was made up of: Alex Lawrence (17:20.40), Adam Millbery (18:09.70), Jack Bibbings (18:35.75), James Hotham (18:49.15), Matt Stevens (19:11.20) and Greg Divall (18:54.6) to win our clubs' biggest relay title to date.

• A very strong roster of 74 mens teams competed in the National Road Relay, with Aldershot Farnham & District taking the win in 1hr43m37s. The mens team raced well to place 44th in a combined time of 1hr53m55s: Adam Millbery (18:17); Jack Bibbings (18:25); James Hotham (18:50); Greg Divall (19:24); Jamie Cornuaud (19:21) and Nick Sharp (19:38). Fantastic achievement for all involved and a big milestone for the club to be

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

competitive in such a high quality field!

Looking ahead to 2022/23

I expect VPH&THAC to push forward on two fronts in sporting context: (1) remain competitive at the top end of the racing calendar, with a strong squad being developed across all distances; (2) encouragement for any member to try out new training sessions, explore a new event on a different running surface / longer race distance / a different city or country.

Give any member the equal chance to represent the running club for the first time and share in the identity of wearing the jade & blue vest stood side by side with your team mates. For the above to succeed, we have the universal and tenacious club spirit that is constantly being reinforced after each club event. Promoting the team aspect and celebration of individual achievements alongside a strong shoulder to lean on at times of disappointment or temporary set backs through injury.

Minale

Final Words

As individuals, we all aspire to be respectful, kind and empathetic. These are the values I hope we can preserve within our growing community. Reflecting on the last 12 months, the clubhouse gates remain wide open as they always have been, and we are welcoming in a membership that continues to be diverse in background, experiences and opinions.

I believe we are at an important inflexion point where we should be patient and listen to each other, make compromises, be open to change and approach each conversation constructively and with an open mind. This becomes the next evolution of the club, and I am sure it will look different to today, also for the better in years to come.

Juniors Report – Cornelia Abe-Minale

Middlesex County T & F Championships

The number of junior athletes competing in the County Championships was significantly lower than in previous years. Nonetheless our athletes achieved 3 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals.

Middlesex County Cross Country Champs

5 of our junior athletes achieved top 10 positions. Lyra MacDonald winning the U15G and Luca Minale coming 2 nd in the U20M.

Track and Field Leagues

Our club competed with the younger age group U13/15 in the Youth Development League, Southern Division 2B. Our target for this league was to achieve a mid-league ranking. We successfully reached this target. The fact that many of our parents undergone Track and Field officials training and were able to help us reach the necessary officials quota made a positive difference.

The older age group U17/20 competed in the Upper age group league Division 2B. For this league we were competing as a composite team with London Heathside and Highgate Harriers.

As in the new season many of our strongest athletes moving up into the Upper League we have decided to compete 2023 as a single club in this league.

The U17/20 juniors also competed in the Southern Athletics League. All athletes done well in the SAL, however to improve our league position in the future the number of attending adult athletes will have to increase for all league matches.

Track and Field after Covid

The junior training is slowly recovering from the declining numbers after Covid. The sprinters training was massively impacted by the suspension of Head Coach Alf Vickers. Since Alf’s return to the track, training is now gaining momentum. The ongoing dispute over the gym use with Tower Hamlets Council has also been a large factor for the overall underperformance of the T& F team. All trainings groups still only using the stadium

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

grandstand for their Strength & Conditioning sessions. We are hoping to come to an understanding with the council before Christmas in order to start with much needed refurbishment of the gym asap.

English Schools Championships

2 of our athletes qualified for the ES Cross-country champs (Lyra MacDonald and Ruby James) and 2 athletes achieved ES track and Field qualification (Lyra MacDonald 1500m and Michelvi Wamba 200m)

Outstanding athletes of 2021/22

• Laureen Okagbenu U15G Hammer, Laureen has improved her performance over a very short time and is now 24 th in the UK ranking with 33.25m

• Lyra MacDonald U15G 800/1500m, Lyra has continued to produce top National performances during the T&F and Cross Country season

FINANCE REVIEW

Going concern

After making appropriate enquiries, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the Accounting Policies.

Overview

Cash flow was positive this year with higher subscriptions, stable revenue from HQ hire, partially offset by club activities and races, as well as the maintenance and renovation we were able to complete.

Investment in assets

The following investments have been made in the current year:

The following investment is planned for the current year:

Financial highlights

Income

A breakdown of the last 4 years recurring income streams is provided below.

Recurring income (£)

Page 11

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Membership subscriptions – 8% increase with subscriptions now slightly above pre-pandemic level.

Cottage rent – income from the cottage was as slightly higher at £20.9K

HQ Hire – the conversion of the first floor to a studio and treatment room has substantially increased the revenue from HQ hire.

Expenditure

Travel and subsistence costs were higher than previous years as events returned (£7,446 in 22/23 vs £3,218 in 21/22 although still lower than £10,717 in 19/20)

There were some coaching fees incurred for the Come and Try Athletics events that were able to take place. These are funded either by schools providing income or by specific grants (i.e. LBTH mainstream grant). Affiliation, track and race entry fees decreased from prior year (£15,580 in 22/23 vs £22,030 in 21/22).

Cash Flows

The table below gives the closing cash position at the last two financial year-ends and also at end September 2022. The club benefited from reduced outgoings in 20/21 and have used this money to renovate the committee room into a studio for hire. The club’s calculated minimum cash reserve is 6 months expenditure, approximately £25,000.

Reserves policy

The trustees consider that an appropriate level of reserves in respect of unrestricted funds is an amount to generate a working capital to cover approximately six months of the charity’s annual costs excluding expenditure chargeable against the restricted income and funds and designated reserves. Based on the charity’s level of activity it is considered that a minimum appropriate level of unrestricted funds would be £25,000.

Future plans

Page 12

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The following investments are in process or planned for the current year:

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC {A company limited by guarantee and registered charity) TRUSTEES. REPORT ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Page 20

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC {A company limited by guarantee and registered charity) TRUSTEES. REPORT ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Page 21

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC {A company limited by guarantee and registered charity) TRUSTEES. REPORT ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Page 22

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC {A company limited by guarantee and registered charity) TRUSTEES. REPORT ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 Page 23

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

................................................ David Robinson Chairman Date:

Page 24

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The Trustees (who are also the directors of the Charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' 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 . Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on its behalf by:

................................................ David Robinson Chair

Date:

Page 25

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Independent examiner's report to the Trustees of Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets AC ('the Charity')

I report to the charity Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the Trustees of the Charity (and its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act').

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

  4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

Signed: Dated: Cara Miller ACCA

MHA Chartered Accountants 910 The Crescent Colchester, United Kingdom

MHA is the trading name of MHA Audit Services LLP, a limited liability partnership in England and Wales (registered number OC455542).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the Charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Page 26

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

D
Note
Income from:
Donations
4
Charitable activities
5
Other trading activities
6
Bank interest receivable
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
7
Total expenditure
Net expenditure before net gains on
investments
Net gains on investments
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
Net movement in funds
Total funds carried forward		 RAF
Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
300
61,994
76,563
1,037
139,894
140,921
140,921
(1,027)
1,134
107
1,224,995
107
1,225,102		 T
Restricted
funds
2025
£
-
-
-
-
-
5,084
5,084
(5,084)
-
(5,084)
5,084
(5,084)
-		 Total
funds
2025
£
300
61,994
76,563
1,037
139,894
146,005
146,005
(6,111)
1,134
(4,977)
1,230,079
(4,977)
1,225,102		 Restated
Total funds
2024
£
340
56,119
66,606
634
123,699
142,573
142,573
(18,874)
713
(18,161)
1,248,240
(18,161)
1,230,079

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The Statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

The notes on pages 29 to 44 form part of these financial statements.

Page 27

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity) REGISTERED NUMBER: 04324630

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 2024
Note £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 10 973,158 1,008,632
Investments 11 20,883 19,749
994,041 1,028,381
Current assets
Debtors 12 4,848 4,604
Cash at bank and in hand 232,924 203,325
237,772 207,929
Current liabilities
Creditors: amounts due within one year 13 (6,711) (6,231)
Net current assets 231,061 201,698
Total net assets 1,225,102 1,230,079
Charity funds
Restricted funds 14 - 5,084
Unrestricted funds 14 1,225,102 1,224,995
Total funds 1,225,102 1,230,079
DRAFT
----- End of picture text -----

The Charity was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of Companies Act 2006.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and preparation of financial statements.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to entities subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:

................................................

David Robinson

Chair Date:

Page 28

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1. General information

Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets AC is a charitable company limited by guarantee and is registered with the Charity Commission (Charity Registered Number 1091712) and Registrar of Companies (Company Registration Number 04324630) in England and Wales.

In the event of the Charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the Charity. The address of the registered office is given in the Charity information on page 1 of these financial statements.

The nature of the Charity’s operations and principal activities are detailed in the Trustees' Annual Report.

2. Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Victoria Park Harriers and Tower Hamlets AC meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.

The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value.

The financial statements are presented in sterling which is the functional currency of the Charity and rounded to the nearest pound.

2.2 Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. The Trustees have considered relevant information, including the annual budget and forecast future cash flows in making their assessment. Based on these assessments and having regard to the resources available to the entity, the Trustees have concluded that there is no material uncertainty and that they can continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the annual report and accounts.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.3 Income

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

For donations to be recognised the Charity will have been notified of the amounts and the settlement date in writing. If there are conditions attached to the donation and this requires a level of performance before entitlement can be obtained then income is deferred until those conditions are fully met or the fulfilment of those conditions is within the control of the Charity and it is probable that they will be fulfilled.

Income from trading activities includes income earned from fundraising events and trading activities to raise funds for the Charity. Income is received in exchange for supplying goods and services in order to raise funds and is recognised when entitlement has occurred. The Charity receives grants in respect of furthering its charitable objectives. Income from grants are recognised at fair value when the Charity has entitlement after any performance conditions have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. If entitlement is not met then these amounts are deferred.

Investment income is earned through holding assets for investment purposes such as shares and property. Where it is not practicable to identify investment management costs incurred within a scheme with reasonable accuracy the investment income is reported net of these costs. It is included when the amount can be measured reliably.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.

Income tax recoverable in relation to investment income is recognised at the time the investment income is receivable.

2.4 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity.

Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the Charity's objectives, as well as any associated support costs.

Support costs are those that assist the work of the Charity but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs, governance costs and administrative costs. They are incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the Charity. Where support costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to expenditure on charitable activities on a basis consistent with use of the resources. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with the running of the Charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

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VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.4 Expenditure (continued)

All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.

2.5 Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.

2.6 Taxation

The Charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the Charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.

2.7 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets costing £500 or more are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.

Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition should be included in the measurement of cost.

Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives, using the straight-line method.

Depreciation is provided on the following bases:

2.8 Investments

Fixed asset investments are a form of financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction cost and subsequently measured at fair value at the Balance sheet date, unless the value cannot be measured reliably in which case it is measured at cost less impairment. Investment gains and losses, whether realised or unrealised, are combined and presented as ‘Gains/(Losses) on investments’ in the Statement of financial activities.

2.9 Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Page 31

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

2. Accounting policies (continued)

2.10 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

2.11 Liabilities and provisions

Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the Balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.

Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.

2.12 Financial instruments

The Charity only holds basic Financial Instruments. The financial assets and financial liabilities of the Charity are as follows:

Debtors - trade and other debtors (including accrued income) are basic financial instruments and are debt instruments measured at amortised cost as detailed in Note 12. Prepayments are not financial instruments.

Cash at bank – is classified as a basic financial instrument and is measured at face value.

Liabilities – trade creditors, accruals and other creditors will be classified as financial instruments, and are measured at amortised cost as detailed in Note 13. Deferred income is not deemed to be a financial liability, as in the cash settlement has already taken place and there is simply an obligation to deliver charitable services rather than cash or another financial instrument.

2.13 Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income, gains and losses are allocated to the appropriate fund.

Page 32

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

3. Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgment

Estimates and judgments are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions:

The Charity makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The resulting accounting estimates and assumptions will, by definition, seldom equal the related actual results. The estimates and assumptions that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year are discussed below.

----- Start of picture text -----
• Allocation of support costs
• Depreciation rates for tangible fixed assets
Income from donations
Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
Donations 300
Total 2024 340
DRAFT
----- End of picture text -----

4. Income from donations

Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
300
340		 Total
funds
2025
£
300
340		 Total
funds
2024
£
340

Page 33

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

5. Income from charitable activities

DRAFT
Unrestricted
funds
2025
Total
funds
2025
Restated
Total funds
2024
£
£
£
Coaching income
10,000
10,000
9,560
Membership subscriptions
50,675
50,675
45,056
Sale of club kit
1,319
1,319
1,503
Total 2025
61,994
61,994
56,119
Total 2024
56,119
56,119
Coaching income represents the provision of coaching to local schools, which is funded directly by
London Borough of Tower Hamlets and / or the schools involved in the programmes.
Income from other trading activities
Income from fundraising events		 DRAFT
Unrestricted
funds
2025
Total
funds
2025
Restated
Total funds
2024
£
£
£
Coaching income
10,000
10,000
9,560
Membership subscriptions
50,675
50,675
45,056
Sale of club kit
1,319
1,319
1,503
Total 2025
61,994
61,994
56,119
Total 2024
56,119
56,119
Coaching income represents the provision of coaching to local schools, which is funded directly by
London Borough of Tower Hamlets and / or the schools involved in the programmes.
Income from other trading activities
Income from fundraising events		 DRAFT
Unrestricted
funds
2025
Total
funds
2025
Restated
Total funds
2024
£
£
£
Coaching income
10,000
10,000
9,560
Membership subscriptions
50,675
50,675
45,056
Sale of club kit
1,319
1,319
1,503
Total 2025
61,994
61,994
56,119
Total 2024
56,119
56,119
Coaching income represents the provision of coaching to local schools, which is funded directly by
London Borough of Tower Hamlets and / or the schools involved in the programmes.
Income from other trading activities
Income from fundraising events		 Restated
Total funds
2024
£
9,560
45,056
1,503
56,119
Unrestricted
funds
2025
 Total
funds
2025
 Restated
Total funds
2024
Cottage rental income
Hall hire
Bar sales
Total 2025
Total 2024		 £
20,865
41,386
14,312
76,563
66,606		 £
20,865
41,386
14,312
76,563
66,606		 £
17,655
39,007
9,944
66,606

Coaching income represents the provision of coaching to local schools, which is funded directly by London Borough of Tower Hamlets and / or the schools involved in the programmes.

6. Income from other trading activities

Unrestricted
funds
2025
£		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£		 Total
funds
2025
£		 Restated
Total funds
2024
£
Cottage rental income 20,865 20,865 17,655
Hall hire 41,386 41,386 39,007
Bar sales 14,312 14,312 9,944
Total 2025 76,563 76,563 66,606
Total 2024 66,606 66,606

Page 34

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

7. Analysis of expenditure by activities

DRAFT
Providing facilities for public recreation
Providing facilities for public recreation		 Activities
undertaken
directly
2025
£
46,711
Restated
Activities
undertaken
directly
2024
£
45,545		 Support
costs
2025
£
99,294
Restated
Support
costs
2024
£
97,028		 Total
funds
2025
£
146,005
Restated
Total funds
2024
£
142,573

Page 35

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

7. Analysis of expenditure by activities (continued)

Analysis of direct costs

DRAFT
Coaching fees
Awards
Club Kit
Travel and subsistence
Affiliation, entry and track fees
Medical cover
Athletics equipment
Training
Analysis of support costs
Depreciation
Rates and utilities
Insurance
Repairs and Maintainence
Sundry expenses
Governance
Bar restock		 Total
funds
2025
£
5,820
661
2,008
13,981
21,981
240
765
1,255
46,711
Total
funds
2025
£
41,414
26,877
4,604
11,973
1,860
4,860
7,706
99,294		 Restated
Total funds
2024
£
5,040
1,487
4,948
14,947
17,791
-
199
1,133
45,545
Restated
Total funds
2024
£
40,820
31,019
4,364
14,348
925
800
4,752
97,028

All governance costs relate to independent examiners fees, further details of which can be found in Note 8.

Page 36

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

8. Independent examiner's remuneration

2025 2024
£ £
Fees payable to the Charity's independent examiner for the independent
examination of the Charity's annual accounts 4,860 4,380

9. Trustees' remuneration and expenses

During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2024 - £NIL) . The Charity has no employees (2024 - Nil) and the Trustees are considered to be the Key Management Personnel. During the year ended 31 March 2025, travel and subsistence expenses totalling £ 11,337 were reimbursed or paid directly to 6 Trustees (2024 - £16,134 to 8 Trustees).

Page 37

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

10. Tangible fixed assets

Freehold Athletics
property equipment Total
£ £ £
Cost or valuation
At 1 April 2024
1,750,450		 71,230 1,821,680
Additions
-		 5,940 5,940
DRAFT
At 31 March 2025
1,750,450
77,170
1,827,620
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024
741,818
71,230
813,048
Charge for the year
40,820
594
41,414
At 31 March 2025
782,638
71,824
854,462
Net book value
At 31 March 2025
967,812
5,346
973,158
At 31 March 2024
1,008,632
-
1,008,632
The land and buildings were purchased by a club trust in 1961, which preceded the incorporation of the
Charitable Company and was transferred to the Charity in 2003. The land and buildings were revalued by
the Trustees in 2008. This revaluation (original value - £nil) is matched by a designated fund which
reduces by the amount of depreciation each year.

Page 38

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

DRAFT
11.
Fixed asset investments
Cost or valuation
At 1 April 2024
Revaluations
At 31 March 2025
Net book value
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024
All fixed asset investments are held in the UK.
12.
Debtors
Due within one year
Prepayments and accrued income		 2025
£
4,848
4,848		 Listed
investments
£
19,749
1,134
20,883
20,883
19,749
2024
£
4,604
4,604

Page 39

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

13. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 2024
£ £
Other creditors 1,851 1,851
Accruals and deferred income 4,860 4,380
6,711 6,231
DRAFT
----- End of picture text -----

Page 40

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

14. Statement of funds

Statement of funds - current year

Unrestricted
funds
Designated
funds
Building
improvements
Revalued
property fund
Gym
refurbishment
General funds
General Funds -
all funds
Total
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Fitness for Sport
Project
Other minor
projects
Total of funds		 Balance at 1
April 2024
£
60,635
947,997
3,000
1,011,632
213,363
1,224,995
4,443
641
5,084
1,230,079		 DR
Income
£
-
-
-
-
139,894
139,894
-
-
-
139,894		 AFT
Expenditure
£
(12,820)
(28,000)
-
(40,820)
(100,101)
(140,921)
(4,443)
(641)
(5,084)
(146,005)		 Transfers
in/out
£
(4,003)
4,003
(3,000)
(3,000)
3,000
-
-
-
-
-		 Gains/
(Losses)
£
-
-
-
-
1,134
1,134
-
-
-
1,134		 Balance at
31 March
2025
£
43,812
924,000
-
967,812
257,290
1,225,102
-
-
-
1,225,102

Page 41

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

DR
14.
Statement of funds (continued)
Statement of funds - prior year
Balance at
1 April 2023
£
Income
£
Unrestricted
funds
Designated
funds
Building
improvements
73,455
-
Revalued
property fund
975,997
-
Gym
refurbishment
3,000
-
1,052,452
-
General funds
General Funds
190,704
123,879
Total
Unrestricted
funds
1,243,156
123,879
Restricted
funds
Fitness for Sport
Project
4,443
-
Other minor
projects
641
-
5,084
-
Total of funds
1,248,240
123,879		 AFT
Expenditure
£
-
-
-
-
(142,753)
(142,753)
-
-
-
(142,753)		 Transfers
in/out
£
(12,820)
(28,000)
-
(40,820)
40,820
-
-
-
-
-		 Gains/
(Losses)
£
-
-
-
-
713
713
-
-
-
713		 Balance at
31 March
2024
£
60,635
947,997
3,000
1,011,632
213,363
1,224,995
4,443
641
5,084
1,230,079

Page 42

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

14. Statement of funds (continued)

Designated funds

Building Improvements

Funds have been set aside to match the net book value of the building improvements with funds being transferred each year to general funds to match the depreciation charge less additions in the period.

Revalued Property Fund

Similarly a fund has been set aside to match the net book value of the revalued property with funds being transferred each year to general funds to match the depreciation charge.

Gym Refurbishment

A sum has been set aside by the Trustees to cover the refurbishment of Mile End Gym where costs are not covered by grants received.

Restricted Funds

Tower Hamlets Fitness for Sport Grant

The Tower Hamlets Council Fitness for Sport Grant was received by the Charity in 2016. This fund was used to fund wheelchair coaching and the provision of coaching in local schools. This has now been fully expended.

Other minor projects

This was funding received for the summer scheme and satellite clubs which has now been fully expended.

Page 43

VICTORIA PARK HARRIERS AND TOWER HAMLETS AC

(A company limited by guarantee and registered charity)

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

15. Analysis of net assets between funds

Analysis of net assets between funds - current year

DRAFT
Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
Tangible fixed assets
973,158
Fixed asset investments
20,883
Current assets
237,772
Creditors due within one year
(6,711)
Total
1,225,102
Analysis of net assets between funds - prior year
Unrestricted
funds
2024
Restricted
funds
2024
£
£
Tangible fixed assets
1,008,632
-
Fixed asset investments
19,749
-
Current assets
202,845
5,084
Creditors due within one year
(6,231)
-
Total
1,224,995
5,084		 Total
funds
2025
£
973,158
20,883
237,772
(6,711)
1,225,102
Total
funds
2024
£
1,008,632
19,749
207,929
(6,231)
1,230,079

16. Prior year adjustment

The Trustees have reviewed the classification of income and expenditure and have determined that the prior year statements were not reflective of their actual operations. As a result, prior year adjustments have been created to reclassify items to their appropiate income and expenditure codes to assist with comparative analysis.

17. Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the year ( 2024 - £NIL ).

Page 44