2025-03-31-accounts - The Bcn Society

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Registered Company No. 04306537 (England and Wales)

The BCN Society

(A Company Limited by Guarantee)

Registered charity number 1091760

ABBREVIATED ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] March 2025

Balance Sheet Notes to the Accounts Trustees Report Examiners Report Profit and Loss Account

The BCN Society

BALANCE SHEET

31[ST ] March 2025

FIXED ASSETS - Note 4 Costs bfwd Additions Less Depreciation Less Loss on Disposals Current Assets Debtors Cash at Bank & in hand CREDITORS - Amounts falling due within 12 months Trade Creditors NET CURRENT ASSETS/(LIABILITIES) CREDITORS - Amounts falling due after more than one Deposits for keys TOTAL NET ASSETS/(LIABILITIES) REPRESENTED BY Restricted fund Events Restricted fund Awards for all Restricted fund work party expenses Restricted fund CRT BCN 250 Accumulated surplus	2025 2024 £ £ 45185 48355 3500 0 (3170) (3170) 0 0 45515 45185 0 0 28547 20941 28547 20941 0 0 0 0 74062 66126 year 110 110 73952 66016 0 1823 0 3428 0 1019 2319 5819 71633 53927 73952 66016	2024

For the year ending 31[st] March 2025 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Director's responsibilities;

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476,
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

These financial statements were approved by the board on 16th May 2025

M. J. O’Keeffe

The BCN Society

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the period ended 31[st] March 2025

Principal accounting policies
a) Basis of Accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention in accordance with applicable accounting standards.

2. Share Capital

The company has no share capital being a company limited by guarantee. Each members liability is restricted to £1.

3. Accumulated Surplus

umulated Surplus
Surplus brought forward Surplus for the year Balance carried forward	2025 66016 7936
	73952

4. Fixed Assets

The society owns a work boat purchased with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund. The items also include tools for use by work parties and a marquee for use at events.

Depreciation is charged on the straight line basis at 10% and 20% per annum. No depreciation is charged on the work boat.

	Work Boat	Tools and	Marquee	Total
		Equipment
Brought Forward	24601	7959	12625	45185
Additions		3500	0	3500
Depreciation		(1592)	(1578)	(3170)
Written off				-
Carried Forward	24601	9867	11047	45515

The BCN Society

Report of the Trustees

The trustees are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 1985 present their report and financial statements for the period ended 31[st] March 2025

Review of activities

The Company, a registered charity was formed to promote the use and retention of the waterway known as the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN).

The society leases from Canal & Rivers Trust the Titford Pumphouse a Grade II listed former Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) Pumphouse which had been restored by the former British Waterways (now CRT) and is used by the society as a headquarters with meeting room, office and storage.

The society carries out work on the BCN and organizes a number of events to promote the use of the canal.

Chairman’s report

Chairmans Report 2025

As is usual I will take this opportunity go through some of the highlights and the key issues of the past year. But first I must start by mentioning an incident which occurred last weekend at the top of Ryders Green locks on the Explorer Cruise. One of our members George Johnson (who moors his boat Alouette on the arm here) fell overboard and was caught-up on the propellor. I won’t go into the details here, but onlookers were quick to assist and the emergency services fortunately arrived very speedily. From updates we have received, George’s situation has moved from life-threating to potentially life-changing injuries. Our thoughts are with everyone who was present at this truly dreadful accident, but first and foremost we are all thinking of George and his family at this time. Quite obviously, this all puts everything else that I have to say into perspective.

We have run various events over the course of the year, starting with the excellent rally at Longwood Boat Club a year ago. Thanks to Andy Tidy and colleagues there for making us feel so welcome. We also ran two Explorer Cruises and the 24 Hour Marathon Challenge. The Explorer Cruises play such an important part in showcasing the delights of the BCN to people who might not otherwise cruise off the beaten track in this area. The 2024 Marathon Challenge finished at Hawne Basin with over 20 boats taking part. Thanks to Jonathan Pegg for organising and for our friends at Coombeswood Canal Trust for hosting the post-cruise part so magnificently

In March we had the Big Clean Up based out at the Malthouse Stables in Tipton, working with the IWA Wergies and CRT. Back in April, we also held an excellent ‘Icicle Cruise’ to the top of Perry Barr locks where there are excellent moorings and facilities. There were a dozen boats attending and I think that the locals were amazed by the spectacle. The weather was glorious, and so the term ‘Icicle Cruise’ was definitely misplaced!

On boating, we’ve also had our historic boats Atlas & Malus out and about. As you know, we own these jointly with Coombeswood Canal Trust. In the last year, the boats have at a number of events including the Marathon Challenge, Bradley, Brownhills, Pelsall, the Black Country Boating Festival and we also took Atlas to the Stourbridge Rally. I would like to thank Francis Herne for overseeing all of this. We continue to review the future of the boats with CCT on an annual basis. Work parties remain arguably our most important activity. Unlike last year, we’ve had Phoenix available and have been able access the Smethwick coal chutes, several of the toll islands, as well as regular runs up the Titford Canal.

The social evenings are another important activity and these have proved very popular. Thanks to Andy Tidy for arranging all of this. I should also thank Phil Wild again, this time for his continuing work in managing and expanding the BCNS Archive. On social media, we continue to use our Facebook in an effective way, while the problems with the hosting of the website have also been resolved. We no longer use Twitter/X given the decline of that platform. On membership, the usual thanks to Marie for keeping everything on track, and for distributing Boundary Post. And to Bob Fox for editing Boundary Post and Angie Attwood and Jo Anson for assisting with the production.

In line with the policy agreed at the 2021 AGM we continue to monitor income and expenditure, but are not proposing another increase in subscription rates beyond the one that took effect from April 2025.

Last we received a surprising legacy from the will of Jean Draycott who died in 2023. Jean had been a member of the Society since the mid-1990s and apparently enjoyed boating on syndicate boats Spellbound and Scherzo. I understand that Jean lived in Castle Bromwich, where she became involved with Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens. Here she met her second husband Councillor Robin Draycott, who had been associated with the BCN Society in its early days. Of course, we have received legacies in the past, but this one is absolutely transformational in terms of our finances because it is for the sum of £240,641.91. For the moment we have paid this into a deposit account with a good interest rate, and we will consider further what we might do with this unexpected windfall. Well that ends my fifth report as Chair. As usual, I want to thank all of the members of the BCN Society who, in so many different ways, contribute to what we do in promoting the conservation and use of the unique and amazing network of canals in this area.

By Order of the Board

Secretary

Examiners report

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

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

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

Phil Clayton

The BCN Society

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

For the year ended 31[st] March 2025

Restricted Unrestricted Total 2025 Restricted Unrestricted Total 2024 Income £ £ Subscriptions 7675 7675 7544 7544 Other Income 0 0 Donations 13894 13894 0 8037 8037 Events 2057 2057 2436 2436 Grants 0 0 0 0 Pumphouse 305 305 750 750 Rents received 6212 6212 5876 5876 Other charitable income 6262 6262 9799 9799 28730 26898 Total Income 36405 34442 Expenditure Operating Expenses 6270 5741 12011 1000 43083 44083 Administration expenses Events 467 467 0 937 937 Rent & Rates 13143 13143 11372 11372 Depreciation 3170 3170 3170 3170 Other Expenses 0 0 0 0 0 0 16780 15479 28791 59562 (Loss) Surplus for the year 7614 (25120) Bank interest 322 308 Surplus for the year carried forward 7936 (24812)	Restricted Unrestricted Total 2025 Restricted Unrestricted Total 2024 Income £ £ Subscriptions 7675 7675 7544 7544 Other Income 0 0 Donations 13894 13894 0 8037 8037 Events 2057 2057 2436 2436 Grants 0 0 0 0 Pumphouse 305 305 750 750 Rents received 6212 6212 5876 5876 Other charitable income 6262 6262 9799 9799 28730 26898 Total Income 36405 34442 Expenditure Operating Expenses 6270 5741 12011 1000 43083 44083 Administration expenses Events 467 467 0 937 937 Rent & Rates 13143 13143 11372 11372 Depreciation 3170 3170 3170 3170 Other Expenses 0 0 0 0 0 0 16780 15479 28791 59562 (Loss) Surplus for the year 7614 (25120) Bank interest 322 308 Surplus for the year carried forward 7936 (24812)	Restricted Unrestricted Total 2025 Restricted Unrestricted Total 2024 Income £ £ Subscriptions 7675 7675 7544 7544 Other Income 0 0 Donations 13894 13894 0 8037 8037 Events 2057 2057 2436 2436 Grants 0 0 0 0 Pumphouse 305 305 750 750 Rents received 6212 6212 5876 5876 Other charitable income 6262 6262 9799 9799 28730 26898 Total Income 36405 34442 Expenditure Operating Expenses 6270 5741 12011 1000 43083 44083 Administration expenses Events 467 467 0 937 937 Rent & Rates 13143 13143 11372 11372 Depreciation 3170 3170 3170 3170 Other Expenses 0 0 0 0 0 0 16780 15479 28791 59562 (Loss) Surplus for the year 7614 (25120) Bank interest 322 308 Surplus for the year carried forward 7936 (24812)


		(25120) 308 (24812)