2025-03-31-accounts - Golden Hill Sports Limited

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Golden Hill Sports: Trustees Annual Report for 2025.

Section A

1. Reference and administrative details of the charity

a) Name: Golden Hill Sports
b) Registration Number: 1118954; Golden Hill Sports Ltd is a registered company: 6046640
c) The Charity’s address is Wimbledon Road, Golden Hill, Henleaze, Bristol, BS6 7YA; the address for correspondence is that of the acting Chair, Mr Keith Milsom : 12 Stanshalls Lane, Felton, Bristol BS40 9UG
d) The seven (7) current permanent trustees during the period covered by this report were:
Mr. Keith Milsom; acting Chair & Secretary
Mr. Mark Steer; Treasurer
Mr. John Colley
Mr Jamie Woodworth
Mr Thomas Milsom
Mr Patrick Murphy Mrs Georgina Hodge
e) In order to establish itself, the Charity used a respected firm of solicitors that specialised in such matters: Osborne Clarke, 2 Temple Back East, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6EG.
Conveyancing was undertaken by the Robert Davies Partnership, Wentwood House, Langstone Business Village, Newport, South Wales, NP18 2HJ, who continue to act as our legal advisers.

2. Structure, governance and management

The Charity is constituted as a limited company which is run in accordance with a Memorandum and Articles of Association that were drawn up when the Charity was created on 9 January 2007. These provide detailed stipulations regarding the activities of trustees, their appointment and retirement and or re-election, the election of members and the conduct of meetings. These incorporated the Constitution of the YMCA Cricket Club (renamed Golden Hill Cricket Club in 2020) which was the existing body from which Golden Hill Sports (GHS) evolved. This constitution also has detailed provision for eligibility of membership, the procedures for holding meetings and their conduct, the provision of annual accounts, and for the election of officers.

In the first instance the Trustees were drawn from the persons who held office in YMCA CC. We read the literature sent from the Charity Commission and sought advice from colleagues and friends who were existing charity trustees. The trustees act as a steering committee in the management of the Charity’s affairs with Keith Milsom acting as the Chair.

GHS holds an Annual General Meeting at which the Chair and the Treasurer present detailed reports and which is fully minuted. EGMs are held as and when required. The management of the GHS is primarily conducted through a steering committee consisting of the trustees. A broader committee drawn from various officers is also convened when required. All officers and trustees are fully accountable to the members of GHS and are subject to approval and re-election (except the Club President which is an honorary role) at the AGM. New trustees can come forward for election at that meeting. If elected, they will be fully appraised by the Secretary concerning the roles and responsibilities of a trustee & given the relevant literature from the Charity Commission. Historically we did not see the need to look outside the club membership for trustees, but we have now widened our representation by recruiting additional trustees from the local community as they form a very important part of our support base.

Any major decisions that affect the Charity are taken to the AGM, debated there and voted on as necessary. Minor decisions, for example repairs to the building and other aspects of the day-to-day running of the Charity, are taken by committees or sub committees appointed specifically from these.

Golden Hill Social Club is a separate entity created in order to carry out the Charity’s trading activities which are to run a bar and organise social events for its members and the local community and hire out the facilities to local groups that run fitness, pilates, choir & painting classes plus a newly formed Golden Hill Women’s Institute as well as for birthday parties & other types of celebrations. It has no other function other than to generate revenue for GHS. It too is accountable to the trustees (one of whom will act as its Chair) and to the membership via the AGM when full accounts are presented. Under its Memorandum and Articles of Association, no profits can go to individuals.

Section B

1. Objectives and activities

1) The Charity’s principal objective is to promote community participation in healthy recreation in particular by organising or providing (or assisting in the organisation or provision of) facilities for playing sport.
2) It was created in order to purchase the Golden Hill sports ground from its previous owners, YMCA (Bristol) and thereby to secure the ground from the threat of sale or redevelopment and thus preserve it as a green field site in perpetuity.
3) The Charity has inherited from the YMCA an ethos that promotes tolerance, understanding and a concern for others.
4) In particular, the Charity prides itself on its active youth policy and its encouragement and promotion of healthy lifestyles that is in line with government objectives and those of its various sporting agencies. In some cases we provide what some local schools cannot: playing fields, training, coaching and a supportive environment with the chance to play sport competitively.

5) The Charity aims to establish and maintain good relations with other sporting teams, its neighbours, local schools and with other charitable organisations.

The Charity was created in order to provide a secure and non-profit-making legal entity that could be the purchasers of the Golden Hill sports ground. The Charity has no power to sell the land and can therefore only do so with the consent of the Charity Commission. The work of the Charity rests almost entirely on volunteers who give generously of their time and expertise. This equates to several hundred hours of unpaid time and many thousands of pounds of expert labour. In particular we would again single out for praise the efforts of the various senior & youth team managers & coaches (both cricket and football) who are responsible for running the various sides, including training sessions and competitive matches and the parents and other family members of the youth team players for their support. Their contribution is invaluable and ensures the long-term health & viability of the Charity. The only paid positions are the two sub-contracted roles of Social Club Manager (SCM) and Groundsman. The SCM acts as a focus for the various activities and as the first point of contact for enquiries and ensures the clubhouse is secure and well run. We look to the SCM to run matters effectively, efficiently and economically & seek to maintain an acceptable level of service for existing users. We continue to try to attract additional users to increase income especially during weekdays & weekends in the autumn & winter. The position of Groundsman with responsibility for preparing and maintaining the pitches and playing areas for sports usage was re-established in 2018.

2. Achievements and performance

Overview Since the purchase of the ground on 1 April 2008 our principal objective as stated above has been to maintain our commitment to youth and adult sport and to provide an environment where sporting activities can be enjoyed on a long term basis. Fortunately, the various sections of the club we were able to operate normally throughout most of the past year. This was particularly so during the spring & summer months when we were able to take advantage of spells when the weather was good enough to stage outdoor events. As a result of the consistent income this generated we have been able to revisit & revise potential projects that had been put on hold when overheads in general & energy bills in particular were increasing significantly.

Football Our youth football section, Golden Hill Sonics, play & practice on site during the winter months with either coaching or matches or both normally taking place on the ground on Saturdays and Sundays between September and April. We continue to try and work with Henleaze Junior School whose property is adjacent to ours so that the youth football teams can use their ground as and when needed.

The Sonics were able to complete the 2024/25 season at the end of a wet March despite the usual battle with the weather during the winter months. The 2025/26 season is now well under way & saw the introduction of girls football, initially just with taster sessions for Under 9s but these have now developed into regular coaching & practice sessions

on Sunday mornings. All the boys year groups from Under 6 to Under 16 regularly take part in practice sessions & organised games in line with the stated aim to give large numbers of youngsters the opportunity participate in the sport & have fun at the same time.

Cricket After what looked like being a wet start to the season the weather took a turn for the better & got hotter & drier with each passing month. This meant the vast majority of scheduled games went ahead but also resulted in a lack of essential rainfall causing the grass to eventually turn white & presenting a new maintenance & pitch preparation problems towards the end of the summer. Although not as successful as the previous season in terms of league & cup placings there were nonetheless some outstanding individual & team performances. The club again experienced very high levels of player availability for all our Saturday afternoon, women’s, boys & girls teams & there is a waiting list for youth players wishing to join. In total the club has 45 different teams & 450 playing members. On most Saturdays the club staged 4 home matches, 2 on our own ground & 2 on the former school sports ground a short distance away which is being leased by a local sports company with whom we have an ongoing agreement. Disability cricket in the form of practice & coaching sessions continued on Sunday mornings. During the week our own ground was in use virtually every evening with matches as well as practice & coaching for our men, women, girls, and boy cricketers.

We continue to liaise with residents over incidents of cricket balls being struck into their properties. Ball stop netting was installed along one section of the ground in 2022 & this year we engaged with residents along another stretch of the ground to discuss the possibility of installing a similar system to protect their properties. Throughout the 2025 season we gave advance notice to all those householders that might be affected of the date, time and type of all matches due to be played on the pitch nearest their homes and we intend do the same again in 2026.

Social Club The function room in the pavilion saw a continuation of user groups holding meetings & classes on a regular basis on most days of the week, the kitchen has provided teas/coffees & a small selection of food on Saturday & now Sunday mornings during the football season & the bar together with the outside picnic area again proved very popular during the hot summer months.

Social events such as the Community BBQ were held once again this year & these proved to be as popular & well supported as ever resulting in welcome income for the club in each case. The weather leading up to & during Party in the Park this year, our main fund raising event, was very uncertain & necessitated some last minute changes to the plans for the day. Fortunately, people still turned up in large enough numbers to allow us to make a profit in excess of £15k. We are very grateful to everyone in the local community & beyond that came along & supported us on the day & made it a success.

We also had a very active social committee who organised a series of smaller scale events throughout the year to which all club members were invited.

Developments

We continued to take a cautious approach to the planned projects but this year we spent funds on a new hot water/central heating boiler, replacements for all the old aluminium windows on the ground floor of the pavilion, installed a new front & back door, had cladding put up on the outside walls of the first floor & the walls below painted to give the building a much needed & long delayed fresh appearance. Other expenditure during the year mainly focused on ground equipment & materials in line with the programme of work to improve the quality of the cricket outfields & football pitches, as well as maintenance of the pavilion & the surrounds, a lot of which is essential but goes unnoticed.

Current position

In spite of increases in overheads, the Charity is financially solvent for the time being. We have a large membership and we continue to try to expand the amount of sport on offer and increase the standard of sporting provision as and when funds permit. Our activities are transparent and fully accountable to our members. The AGM was held in November 2025 when the opportunity to discuss relevant issues was provided. Three long serving trustees stood down at the AGM & did not seek re-election & so no other trustees were required to stand down in rotation. The four (4) currently serving permanent trustees are Mrs G.Hodge, Mr M.Steer, Mr T.Milsom & Mr K.Milsom. They were joined Mr R.Ahmed who took over from Mr J.Colley as Chair of the Cricket Club & Mr T.Aspinwall the appointed representative of the Football Club. We made it known to the membership that we would like to take time to discuss what skills & experience would be of benefit to & compliment those of the existing trustees before deciding on any additions to the group.

3. Financial review

Detailed information is presented in the accounts dated 31 March 2025 submitted separately. We would note here that sufficient reserves are held in order that we are able to pay bills and to enable the Charity to pursue its objectives. We do not hold funds on behalf of others. All monies from the activities of Golden Hill Social Club are passed over to the Charity to help pursue its objectives.

As at the 31st March 2025 total fixed assets stood at £192,141 compared to £197,561 the previous year. During the period no fixed assets were acquired or disposed of by the charity. Depreciation charged on the fixed assets is the only movement in the year. An abbreviated balance sheet is set out below.

----- Start of picture text -----
Balance Sheet Note 2024/25 2023/24 Change
Fixed Assets
- Land and Buildings 188,000 190,000 -2,000
- Fixtures and Fittings 4,141 7,561 -3,420
192,141 197,561 -5,420
Current Assets
- Debtors 10 0
- Cash at Bank 11 150,546 125,700 24,846
- Investments 0
150,546 125,700 24,846
Creditors falling due in one year 0
Total assets less current liabilities 342,687 323,261 19,426
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year 12 2,405 4,328 -1,923
Net Assets 340,282 318,933 21,349
Total Net Assets 340,282 318,933 21,349
----- End of picture text -----

In overall terms shareholder funds increased from £318,933 to £340,282 an increase of £21,349

It is important that the Charity balances the need to invest in its premises and facilities whilst still ensuring that it holds sufficient reserves. At the end of the financial year the Charity held current assets of £150,546 comprised solely of cash at bank.

A summary of the revenue account for the year is shown below:

----- Start of picture text -----
Income and Expenditure Note 2024/25 2023/24 Change
Income
Fundraising 1 33,629 18,375 15,255
Member Contributions 2 134,527 155,023 -20,496
GHSC 3 24,313 20,465 3,848
Other 4 49,987 41,161 8,826
242,457 235,024 7,433
Expenditure
Club House Costs 5 8,478 9,155 -677
Ground / Building Maintenance 6 48,336 36,623 11,714
Other Running Costs 7 152,943 162,470 -9,527
Equipment 8 5,930 5,930
Depreciation 9 5,420 10,744 -5,324
221,107 218,992 2,116
Surplus/Deficit for the year 21,349 16,032 5,317
----- End of picture text -----

The Charity raised £242,457 through voluntary income, fundraising events, grant income, member subscriptions, match fees and pitch hire. One-off large scale fundraising events (Party in the Park) returned in 2021 and occurred again during this financial year. A contribution of £24,313 was received in the year from Golden Hill Sports & Social Club.

Expenditure maintained roughly flat during the year, due to a decrease in expenditure on playing surfaces offsetting increases in Club House cost, primarily Utility bills. The charity continued to utilise the services of a sole trader professional groundsman. The groundsman is also a trustee of the charity. All decisions taken by the trustees regarding ground maintenance are taken at arm’s length. Regular items of expenditure were incurred to provide equipment, training, ground and pitch maintenance and governance costs.

Overall there was a statutory profit for the year of £21,349

4. Plans for future periods

A review of the objectives we have set ourselves is presented below.

a) To investigate the possibility of providing netting round the ground to improve safety. A section of ball stop netting was erected in 2022 to help protect several properties along one stretch of the ground following discussions with the residents concerned. The need for additional netting is kept under review & discussions with residents along another section of the ground took place early in 2025.
b) To upgrade the facilities in the pavilion . General maintenance has been carried out, new doors & windows have been installed on the ground floor, the outside walls have been covered in cladding on the first floor & the brick work below has been painted.
c) To increase the level of sponsorship – An additional shirt sponsor for cricket section was added for the 2023 season while the main sponsors of both the cricket & football sections are continuing their support into 2025.
d) To attain and retain ClubMark status for cricket and thus be in a position to bid for further loans to enhance provision. Achieved & maintained.
e) To extend the number of our youth teams (in both cricket and football) and expand the range of training and coaching activities. The number of players for boys & especially girls cricket continues to rise with a corresponding increase in the number of teams we run to the point where we now have waiting lists for several age groups. Girls football was introduced for the first time at the start of the current season. Recruitment & training of coaches for these teams has also been increased to match the level of demand.
f) To encourage a greater participation by women and minority ethnic groups in the Charity’s activities. – A second women’s cricket team was added in 2024 with a number of the players having come up through our girls cricket section. Girls football for Under 9s has just been introduced. We have a number of minority ethnic players in our youth and adult sides & disability cricket sessions were introduced for the first time in 2024.

g) To widen membership of the Social Club. – The active social committee formed a year ago organised a range of social activities throughout the year.

We will continue to work towards these objectives over the coming months. We have expanded our activities and continue to receive significant voluntary support from our members. Their commitment should enable the Club to continue to offer sporting opportunities for youngsters and adults alike within and without the local community.

Golden Hill Sports Ltd Charity No 1118954 Company No 6046640 Annual accounts for the period 01/04/2024 To 31/03/2025

Section A Statement of financial activities (including summary income and expenditure account)

Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F05	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F05	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F05	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F05	Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds Total funds Prior year funds £ £ £ £ £ F01 F02 F03 F04 F05
168,156	-	-	168,156	173,398
48,709	-	-	48,709	40,797
-	-	-	-	-
1,279	-	-	1,279	364
-	-	-	-	-
24,313	-	-	24,313	20,465
242,457	-	-	242,457	235,024

207,209	-	-	207,209	199,092
-	-	-	-	-

13,898	-	-	13,898	19,899
221,107	-	-	221,107	218,992

21,349	-	-	21,349	16,032
-	-	-	-	-
21,349	-	-	21,349	16,032
-	-	-	-	-
21,349	-	-	21,349	16,032
-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-

-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-
21,349	-	-	21,349	16,032

318,933	-	-	318,933	302,901
340,282	-	-	340,282	318,933

Page 1 of 1

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees	Charity Name Golden Hill Sports Ltd

On accounts for the year	31 March 2025 Charity no	1118954
ended	(if any)

Set out on pages	1 to 15
	I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
	charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/03/2025.
Responsibilities and	As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the
basis of report	accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011
	(“the Act”).
	I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out
	under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I
	have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission	have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
	under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.

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.

Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Signed: Date: 12/12/2025 Name: Nicola Cox Relevant professional ACA qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: The Lodge, West Harptree Road, East Harptree, Bristol BS40 6BQ

Oct 2018

IER

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

Oct 2018

IER