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Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team
Legal and Administrative Information
for the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Charity Number: 1105836
Trustees
Ms H Morning MrJ Rudman Mr S Rowley secretary
Vacant c/o H Morning
Treasurer
Mr S Rowley
Charity's Principal Address
91 Burnthill Lane
Rugeley
Staffs WS15 2HW Bankers
National Westminster Bank Pic.
1 Upper Market Square
Hanley
Stoke on Trent
ST11QA
Accountants
Chase Accounting
4 Station Court, Girton Road Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 OEJ
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Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team
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Legal and Administrative Information
for the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Charity Number: 1105836
www.ssart.org
The trustees present their report together with the financial statements for the charity for the year
ending 31 March 2024.
STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Legal and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial
statements comply with current statutory requirements and the Statement of Recommended
Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities.
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OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
The principal activity of the charity again during the year under review was to provide professional and immediate response to search and rescue calls from Staffordshire Civil Contingencies Unit to assist the police, fire, and ambulance services in order to save lives and render assistance as required in Staffordshire and adjacent counties.
CHARITABLE STATUS
The company was registered as a charity by the Charity Commissioners for all purposes on 13 September 2004 (certificate number 1105836).
TRUSTEES
The trustees were originally elected from the founding members of the charity. New trustees can be appointed by the existing board at any time. The composition of the Board has been reviewed and will now comprise the Honorary Officers as elected by the members plus any additional persons from time to time invited.
FINANCIAL REVIEW, ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
This year, once again, the team has maintained its membership and continued to develop its skills and experience in search and rescue. We have continued to train new members to become qualified Search Technicians. All our search technicians are now licenced and on the national register with lowland rescue. We have also continued to include further training to nationally recognized qualifications in Search Planning, Search Management, Team Leader, and First Aid.
Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team
Legal and Administrative Information
tor the Year Ended 31 March 2024
Charity Number: 1105836
We have again been used primarilv by Staffordshire and West Midlands Police Authorities over the
past 12 months, with calls to assist in vulnerable missing person searcnes.
MOD Stafford has once more continued to provide valuable assistance, as a training facility and by
providing garaging facilities for the team vehicles.
The Team’s relationship with Staffordshire Police, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Services and West
Midlands Police remains strong.
The Team has remained very constant during the period.
The total income from public collections has again been the team’s main source of funding alongside grant donations.
The team’s total expenditure was less the years income level.
Operational
SSART has been involved in 41 searches and assists during 2023/24 SSART has always provided a presence at the request of the Police and we have again seen over the past year that even small numbers of trained searchers in attendance can makea real difference.
The Team’s operational capability and performance consistently attracts praise from both the emergency services and other SAR Teams by offering an ongoing level of professionalism and dedicated service.
Personnel
Members remain the teams most important asset, we train every week and this high training to operational attendance ratio helps to keep members skills high, even when callout numbers fall from time to time.
The Trustees and Executive Committee would once again like to thank everyone who has put time into the Team over the last year, whether it be operationally, helping to run the committee, coordinating PR/fundraising events, looking after equipment, or helping with administrative functions. They would also like to pass on our sincere thanks to the members of the public and emergency services for all their support during 2023/24.
Management
The Team has slightly increased its membership at 75 members with 65 members in an operational capacity.
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As previously, for a voluntary group which meets for a few hours a week this presents a challenge in terms of management. Governance, administration, training programmes, funding and record >eping are ail continuing to increase in their complexity as ever.
| SSART’s Executive Committee, Search Managers and Party Leaders have continued to have a good | handle on governance; team welfare and training and development. Health and safety is managed as one of the first items on the Exec meeting agenda, a range of insurances are in place to protect | assets and members and personnel welfare is regarded very highly. Prior to joining the team now all new perspective student members are required to successfully complete a DBS check and undergo the team’s eLearning safeguarding training programme.
Capability
SSART has invested over recent years in assets and training to bring the range of capabilities up to an excellent level for the benefit of all emergency services. A number of members again continue to | specialise in the use of dogs, cycles, powered watercraft, and kayaks for search and rescue. The team | continues to operate and improve on its technology, we have just recently purchased an underwater sonar system.
SSART has continued its involvement with assisting to develop capabilities at a national level. Team members have again been involved with developing kayaking, radio communications, dog search, rope work, and water search capabilities.
RESERVES POLICY
The team has maintained its stance on our reserve policy.
Post covid the trustees feel that a good number of reserves is vital to protecting our charity.
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The charity currently has £25,000 in reserves enough to cover 12 months running costs and any major unexpected repairs.
Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees.
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Simon Rowley
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Treasurer
Date 14.01.25
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STAFFORD:
RC D 1105836
31 March 2024
Independent examiners report
In accordance with instructions given to us, we have prepared, without carrying out an audit, the attached Income & Expenditure Account and a Balance Sheet from your accounting records and from information and explanations received by us.
CHASE ACCOUNTING
16 December 2024
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STAFFORDSHIRE SEARCH AND RESCUE
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1105836
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i ae Pa NY
Nati Gee Tigh iw! 1%
SPIE REM at HRN he
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The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
The MBE for volunteer groups 31 March 2024
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CHASE ACCOUNTING
CANNOCK
STAFFORDSHIRE
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Chae Accomm nd
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STAFFORDSHIRE SEARCH AND RESCUE
Financial Accounts
for the Period Ended 31 March 2024
Contents
1 Independent Examiners’ Report
2 Income and Expenditure Account
- 3 Balance Sheet
IER
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees/ members of STAFFORDSHIRE SEARCH AND RESCUE
On accounts for the year ended 31/03/24 Charity no (if any) 1105836
Set out on pages (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
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The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts.
The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144
Respective responsibilities of Of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
Trustees and examiner It is my responsibility to:
1.examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
2.to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission
(under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and
3.to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission.
Basis of independent An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the
examiner's ssaement accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures
in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees conceming any such matters.
The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently
no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to
Those matters set out in the statement below.
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention
1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
a. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
independent _b. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements
Examiner's statement of the Charities Act have not been met; or
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper
Understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed: Date: 16/12/24
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Name: Rebecca Scott-Clegg
Qualification(s)Relevant professional or body PETE
4 Station Court Girton Road Address: Cannock Staffs WS11 OEJ
SectionB
Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material problems.
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STAFFORDSHIRE SEARCH AND RESCUE INCOMEEXPENDITUREAND ACCOUNT YEAR ENDED 31 March 2024
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2024 2023
£ £
INCOME:
Subs 0.00 0.00
Paypal Income 0.00 4.66
Payments for Training 0.00 900.00
Fund Raising 4990.29 7030.22
Donations from companies / groups 17351.21 3885.07
Donations from individuats/ 1669.98 12963.44
Supermarket Collections 1172.92 3225.24
Collection Tins 1092.27 727.31
ST Course 750.00 818.00
Text giving 0.00 0.00
Equipment sales 405.00 0.00
Bank Interest 333.86 109.74
Miscellaneous 240.00 1452.98
GRANTS - 7550.00 3800.00
Regalia and associated goods 0.00 421.52
Fuel 0.00 0.00
Clothing 614.70 0.00
Stickers/Signs etc 35.00 0.00
Reimbursements 1757.99 0.00
TOTAL INCOME FOR THE YEAR 37,963.22 35,338.18
EXPENDITURE:
Telephone / postage 2628.17 559.68
Administration / ALSAR Fee 0.00 0.00
Travel / Food 378.92 0.00
Printing / ID Cards 0.00 0.00
Stationary / Computer cons 1187.55 183.74
Cost of Events / Publicity /F/R items 1380.90 618.78
Medical Equipment 0.00 0.00
Licence & Subscriptions 3204.99 642.50
Cost of Training 1438.53 2825.00
PL Insurance 3965.00 3711.72
Vehicle Insurance 2211.00 0.00
SMS Text Service 883.38 688.36
Equipment Servicing 2921.22 507.27
Support Items (Dogs) 2058.66 1956.13
Team Equipment Purchase 2947.11 1526.84
Vehicle Purchase 0.00 0.00
Vehicle spares 100.00 1177.35
Vehicle Servicing 784.25 737.39
Fuel 1146.84 2399.12
MOT TAX insurance 1253.30 220.00
Accountants Fees 0.00 0.00
Bank/Paypal Charges 0.00 0.00
Clothing / Badges 5461.68 1570.44
Signs & Stickers 0.00 0.00
Miscellaneous 209.57 763.66
TOTAL EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR 34,161.07 20,087.98
Surplus/(Deficit) For the Year 3,802.15 15,250.20
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STAFFORDSHIRE SEARCH AND RESCUE BALANCE SHEET AT
24 March 2024
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2024 zuzs
CurrentCurrent AssetsArcount || 24 &72.02£ £ || 17.875,£ 87 £
Reserve Account 25,000.00 25,000.00
Total Current Assets 46,678.02 42,875.87
Net Assets | 46,678.02 | _ 42,875.87
Financed Bv:
Opening Equity 42,875.87 27,625.67
Surplus/(Deficit) for year 3,802.15 15,250.20
46,678.02 42,875.87
42,875.87
46,578.02.
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