## Cuckmere 5.s<s 

## Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd 

(Registered Charity 1120494) 

Trustees’ Report and unaudited Accounts 31 December 2024 



> | Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd | 2024 Report and unaudited Accounts Contents 

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## Page 

## 2 Contents 

## 3 Legal and Administrative Details 

## 4-7 Annual Review 

## 8g Independent Examiner’s Report 

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- 9 Income & Expenditure Account 

## 10 Balance Sheet 

## 11 Funds Flow Statement 

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## 12-14 Notes to the Accounts 

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## 15 Graphs — 5-year trends 

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16 Our Current Fleet 



Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd : Annual Report for year ended 31 December 2024 

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## Legal and Administrative Details 

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## Legal Status 

. 

- company/charity name - Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd 

- England & Wales Charity Commission register number 1120494 

- England & Wales Registrar of Companies register number 06032000 

- trading name ~ Cuckmere Buses 

- website address for charity — www.cuckmerebuses.org.uk 

' Objects 

The object of the Company is to provide a community bus and a community transport service, including private hire, for such of the inhabitants of East and West Sussex and the City of Brighton and Hove who are in need of such a service because of age, sickness or disability (mental or physical), or poverty, or because of a lack of availability of adequate and safe public passenger services, 

## Trustees/Directors 


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Philip Montague Ayers Beryl Anne Smith Nicholas Brian Price Paul Patrick Warren Susan Olave de Angeli {resigned 23 April 2024} Wayne John Evenden (from 23 April 2024) Stewart Colin Fuller (resigned 23 April 2024) 

Principal Address Insurance Broker The Old Rectory ArthurJ Gallacher Litlington 34 Tower View Polegate Kings Hill, West Malling East Sussex Kent BN26 5RB ME19 4UY 

Bankers Barclays Bank plc Co-operative Bank pic 

CCLA Fund Managers 


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independent Examiner Sarah Price — SLP Advisory Limited 

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## Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd Annual Review for year ended 31 December 2024 

. 

The Trustees, who are also Directors of the company for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December - ; 2024. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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) (effective 1 January 2019). 

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## Review of Activities 

Cuckmere Buses is the trading name for Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd (CCB), a charitable limited company based in Berwick, East Sussex. It has been running for 48 years supplementing existing bus services and providing bus links for village residents throughout the Cuckmere Valley area to their nearest towns for shopping, for appointments, or for social activities. 

OUR VISION is being the Community Bus service of choice in our area, and OUR MISSION is providing a safe, reliable, and courteous local bus, serving those rural and urban communities in our part of East Sussex not served by commercial companies. 

CCB is run entirely by volunteers; there are no employees. We have some 41 volunteer drivers, all with D1 classification on their licences, and a few additional volunteers who all help run the fleet of 16seater low-floor Mercedes mini-buses. The MIDAS (Minibus Awareness Scheme) system of training has been radicaily altered to the point where CCB no longer considers it appropriate for new driver recruits or for continuing education and reassessment. CCB has instead developed its own training and assessment scheme, at least equivalent to MIDAS standards, which has been accepted by East Sussex County Council and our insurers. The value of volunteers to the organisation cannot be overestimated, in terms of community support and company viability. in addition to over 20 weekly timetabled services, requiring nearly twice as many half-day shifts, the company operates summer leisure services and offers private hire facilities. We also provide special annual services for the Internationa! Tennis in Eastbourne, and the Charleston festivals. 

CCB remains a busy voluntary organisation and always needs new volunteers. Our ongoing recruitment programme has resulted in a reasonable net increase in drivers by the end of the year and we are still looking to increase numbers further in 2025. However, the Department for Transport’s review of the changing need for D1 licence requirements for minibuses is a positive move and may result in us being able to access a broader driver pool, given that the D1 licence is only available if you passed your test before 1997. Although this review seems to have stalled recently, we optimistically await the outcome of the consultation. 

: 2024 continued the growth in passenger numbers following the pandemic and by the year-end we had carried 87,915 (2023 75,222) passengers which, not only exceeded the 2019 figure of 81,632 but was also the highest numbers of journeys we have ever catered for. in addition, we ran some 159,042 (2023 137,573) miles and hope to see a continued recovery of passenger journeys during 2025. 

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Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd
Annual Review
for year ended 31 December 20241cont)
The charity did eventually take dellvery of its new bus (ordered in 2023), a little later than planned,
and this went into 5erviLe from March 2024. Given Supp￿ chain issues a further bu5 wa5 ordered at
the beginnlng of 2024, with expected delivery in 2025, but this arrived much 500nerthan anticipated
and was delivered in thé autumn and went irFtO service from November 2024 and coincided wlth the
disposal of our oldest bus, meaning, that the fleet now consi5t5 of eight minibuses at the year-end.
There are no further planned addition5 to the fleet for 2025, with any Ilkely additions to take place In
2026.
Roadworks and road closures continued to present major challenges durlng thé year, especially in
Hailsham town èentre, which often resulted in delays re-scheduled and re-routed seNlces and
regrettably. some cancellations. Hopefully these will ease during 2025.
The charity operate.s efficiently to a hlgh standard under the control of 'the Board of Trustees who met
formally on four occasions during the year. They reviewed operatlons of the company, its financial
P05itiDn, and the outlook for the fvture. In addition, two Stakeholder meetings consisting of
representatives of parish and town touncils and company officers wÈre held. plus the AGM in April.
The annual social gatheringof stakehDlders 3n(J drlvers was held in July and periodlc driverg meetlngs
were held during the year to review resource 8vailabllity, services operated arld passenger views.
Drivers provlde a vital first polnt of contact with passengers and their feedback is Invaluable.
The trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the charlty commission's public
benefit guidance when exercising any powers or duties to which the guidan￿ is relevant.
Flnanclal Performance
The financial sl3temerrts are included on page5 8 to 14. All income and eipenditurp_ are related to
unrestricted funds. there are no restrlcted nor endowment fund*
Cehtra5 2nd local government Continued financial support for bus operators generally durlng the year
bycontinuing to pay fuel rebate grants and concessionilry travelfares based on pre-covid levèls, along
with other support grants. These government SUPF)Ort initiatives, together with our volunteer
structure avoidifig staff costs and related overheads. plus maintenance costs reflecting a relatively
young fleet, all helped the charity maintain a viable operdting financial position.
With a gross income of £339,02712023 - £266,781) and expenditure of £329 667 (2023 - £257,256),
the year ended with a modest surplys of £9,360 (2023 - £9,525). Year-end net assets amounted to
£284,187 {2023- £274,827) including cash at bank of £114,30912023-£136,722).The charityoperate5
a policy of holding cash reserves to meet projected cash outlays tal<ing account of sourcing
requlrements for acquisitions under its bus replacement programme. Funds not required in the short
term are held in an appropriate deposlt account. At the Ènd of the year, the Trustees agreed an
unrestricted bus replacement reserve fund of £20,000 (2023 £55,000), to cover future bus
acquisitions.
A high-level five-year trend of finances, passengers and miles run i* shown 8raphlcally on page 15.
The Trustees have not Identified any major uninsured risks to which the charity is exposed.

Cuckmere Communlty Bus Ltd
Annual Review
for year ended 31 December 2024 {cont)
STRUCTU#E, GOVERNANCE AND MANAfjEMENT
Governlng document
The governing document of the charity is the Meniorandum and Articles of Association, which was
adopted In Novembe¥ 2006 on the formation of the Cuckmere Community Bus as a company which
was registered as a charity.
The current members of the Company are all Directors of the Company aiid Tr'ustees of the Charityi
who meet quarterly to fulfll both functions and who may stand for re-election at the next Annual
General Meeting.
Golng conre.rn
The Trustees continue to monitor the ongoinÈ impacts the Industry faces, including recovery of
passenger numbe￿ as well as other events, partlcularly levels of inflation and increased fuel and
vehicle running costs. They have determined that, whtlst significant, they do not create a material
uncertainty that casts major doubt upon the charit￿5 abllity to continue as a going concern.
Fonmard View
In addition to maintaining a strong Operational busihe5s base forthecharity, ourfocus overthe coming
year will again be threefold. F¥rst, to tontinue to build patronage nurnbers so we can provlde support
to the same or greater level of deserving passen8ers we helped pre-pandemic. Secondly, to continue
to develop our driver training, assessment and support programine and thirdly, to continue with the
recruitment programme to increase the overall number of volunteer drivers.
As a result of central government's posltive focus on the bus Industry. a number of initiatives within
East Sussex may provide the opportunity for CCBto increase current service levels leading to increased
net revenues. We look forniard to these possible developments during the coming year.
Changes In TrusteeslDlrectors
In April 2024 we welcomed onboard Wayne Evenden a$ Trustee/ Engineering Director. Wayne is also
a volunteer driver.
In April 2024 we sadly said farewell to Susan Olave de Angelli and Stewart Fuller, both
Trustee/Directors who resigned after many years, service and we thank them for all their hard worl<.
Acknowledgements
We are a SUC￿ssful business in meetlngour mission and as always, thanl(s go to oufvolunteer drivers,
our regular passengers, to everybody involved in the day to day rL6nning of the organisation, ?nd to
Berwick Service Station for keeping the buses well maintained. Particular thanks also go to the
individuals and local authorities who made donations to the charity during the year, A summary of
donation support is listed on page 13 of this report. Thank you all.

## | Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd Annual Review for year ended 31 December 2024 (cont) 

## STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES 

, 

The Trustees (who are also Directors of the company for the purposes of company law} are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdam Generally Accepted Accounting Practice}. 

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

- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

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- observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP; 

+make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business. ; 

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable ~ accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps forthe — - prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

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Approved by order of the board of trustees on Z April 2025 and signed onits behalf by: = 

## Beryl Smith - Chairman 

## 2. April 2025 

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Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd Independent Examiner’s Report 

| report to the Board of Trustees/Directors on my examination of the accounts of Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd for the year ended 31 December 2024. 

As the Trustees of the Charity, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). 

## Independent examiner's statement 

Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. | can confirm that | am qualified to undertake the examination because | am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies. 

| have completed my examination. | 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 Company as required by Section 386 of the 2006 Act; or 

2) the accounts do not accord with those records 

3) the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of Section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement 

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)). 

| 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. 

Sarah Price — SLP Advisory Limited Independent Examiner O2 April 2025 

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Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd
Income & Expenditure Aécount
for the year ended 31 December 2024
Note5
2024
2023
Income
Passenger Services
Grants & Donatlons
Private Hire & Speaal Events
Other Income
Total Income
248,919
31,802
22,760
35. Jf46
339,027
196,831
29,220
30,106
10,624
266,781
Expehditure
Charitable Artivitles
Servicin& Repairs & Cleanlng
Diesel (net of BSOG)
Licences & Insurance
Operations
(112,762)
(21.346)
(34,927)
(33.061}
(202,096)
176,814)
{29,423}
127,136)
138,238)
{171,611
Support Costs
Administration
Depreciation
(39,751>
(87,8201
{127.5711
(20,7081
164,9371
185,6451
I'otal Expenditure
{329.667)
257,256)
Surplus (Defidt) for tl* yepr
9,360
9,525
Opening reserves
274,827
265,3Q2
CloslnB reserves {per Balance Sheet)
284187
274J127

## Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd Balance Sheet at 31 December 2024 

||Notes||2024||2023||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||£||£||
|Tangible Fixed Assets|7||427,125||257,513||
|Current Assets|||||||
|Debtors|8|14,448||12,996|||
|Cash at Bank|9|114,309||136,722|||
|||128,757||149,718|||
|Prepayments and Accrued Income||12,493||12,851|||
|Total Current Assets||141,250||162,569||.|
|Creditors due within one year|||||||
|Amounts falling due within one year|10|(83,578)||(68,319)|||
|Accruals and deferred income||(49,389)||(26,274)|||
|Unamortised grants for purchase of assets|6|-||(4,842)|||
|Total Creditors due within one year||(132,967)||(99,435)|||
|Net Current Assets (liabilities)|||8,283||63,134||
|Total Assets less current liabilities|||435,408||320,647||
|Creditors due afterone year|10||(151,221)||(45,820)||
|Total net assets|||284,187||274,827||
|Funds ofthe Charity|||||||
|Unrestricted funds - general|||264,187||219,827||
|Unrestricted funds - asset replacement|||20,000||55,000||
|TotalUnrestrictedFunds|||284,187||274,827||



- a) the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 December 2024. 

- b) the members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. 

- c) the Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for: 

i) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with sections 368 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and 

ii) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies act 2006 relating to financial statements so far as applicable to the charitable company. 

- d) these financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime. 


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The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for<br>issue on 2 April 2025 and were signed on its behalf by: C ee<br>Neu<br>bentBerylASmithSE Paulnd Warrennd Warren Warren<br>Trustee/Director Trustee/Director<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


C ee Neu Paulnd Warrennd Warren Warren Trustee/Director 

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Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd : Funds Flow Statement | for year ended 31 December 2024 : 

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|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|:|Notes|2024|2023|
|||
|.Surplus|for the year|9,360|9,525|
|add|back|Depreciation|(net)|5|87,820|64,937|
|less Other Income|4|(35,546)|(10,624)|
|Cash from|Trading|61,634|63,838|
|Other Income|4|35,546|10,624|
|Capital|Grants|Received|;|-|“|
|Movement|in|fixed|assets|
|Acquisitions|7|(262,377)|-|
|Procéeds|of disposal|(NBV|before|surplus}|7|103|-|
|(262,274)|-|*|
|Movement|in Working Capital|
|Debtors|(1,452}|(3,790)|
|Prepayments|358|(5,430)|
|Creditors|35,250|10,289|
|34,156|1,069|
|Movement|in|Loans|
|New|debt|171,142|-|
|Interest|10,855|7,323|
|Payments|(73,472)|(57,360)|
|108,525|(50,037)|
|Movement|in Funds|in the Year|(22,413)|25,494|—|
|Cash|at Bank|
|Opening|436,722|111,228|
|Movement|in|Funds|(as|above)|(22,413}|25,494|
|Closing|(per Balance|Sheet)|114,309|136,722|

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Cuckmere Community Bus Ltd
Notes to the Accounts
for year ended 31 December 2024
Accounting Policies
1.1 statutory InfotmatioN- Cuckmere Communlty Bus LÉmited1s an incorporated charity and registered
in England & Wales. The charlty'5 registered number and reglsteied office addte$s can be found in the
Report of the Trustees.
l.Z Basls of Accounting-The financial statements of the charitable company, whld) is a publlc benefit enttty
under FRS 102, have bpen prepared in accordaiice wlth the Charities SORP IFRS 1021 'Accountlng and
Rèporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice appllcable to charitl.e5 preparlngthelr accounts
in accordance with thè Flnandal keporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021
{effectlve l January 2019),, Flnaftclal Report5ng Standard 102'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable In
the UK and Republic of Ireland, and the Companies Act 2006. The financial #atements have been prepared
under the hi5tori¢al cost conventlon. Income and expenditure are accounted for on an accru815 basis.
1.3 Intome-15 recognised in the account5 when the tharity beconles entitled to the resources and Is shown
tsxclusive of VAT. The significant value of voluntary help received is not included in the 8ccounts but Is
described in the trusteés, annual report. Debtors are measured at settlement amourrts less any trade
discounts.
1.4 Expendlture- liabilities are recogni5ed as expenditure as suon as there is a legal or constructive obllgation
committing Ihe chBrity to pay out resources, and the amount of the obllgation can be measured wlth
reRsDnable certainty. Credltors are measured at settlément amounts l'ess any trade discounts.
1.5 Tan%ible Flxed A55ets
are recorded at ¢ost and subsequenlty stated at cost les5 attumulated
depreclation and accurnulated impairment losses. Depreclatlon is Cal￿18ted to write off the cost of an asset,
less Its e#lm3ted residv81 value, over the prudent useFul economic Ilfe of that asset on a straight-line bas15.
Capltal grants supporting fixed asset acqui51tlons are released to revehue account on a straight-line basis
over the Ilfe of the related a55et Cla￿ and reduce the annual total depFeciatiiJn charge.
1.6 Hlre Purthase Agroements - assets are capltallsed as tangible fixed assets and deprèciated over theSr
useful Itve5. The capital element cf future fihance payments is induded within creditOf5; finance charges are
allocated to accountinE perlods over the length of the contr3cL
1.7 Fund Accountlng- unrestricted fund5 (including designated funds) may be used in a¢cordance with the
charrtable objectives of the charfty at the discretion of the trustees.
1.8 Taxatlon- The charlty Is exempt from corporation tax on its charltable actlvlties.
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Cuckmere Communlty Bus Ltd
Notes to the Accounts
for year ended 31 DecembÈr 20241cont)
2023
2 Passengtrs Service$
Concessioniry Fares
Ticket Fares
Support from:
Charleston Towner Support
E&st Dean & Frlston PC
ESCC/p&H
Hallsham Town Council
Polegate Town Councll
128,899
42,469
127,325
31,754
28,833
1,628
47,090
13,217
1,921
30,214
2,050
350
196,831
3 Gr•nts and Donations
Town and Parish Councils
Alfri$ton
Arlln8ton
Berwitk
Cuckmere Valley
Heathfleld & Waldron
Herstmonceux
Long Man
olegate
Se?ford
Westham
Willlngdon & Jevington
200
loo
lao
250
200
250
25U
500
2000
2QO
2L)O
1,271
250
250
2,5ao
150
800
5,621
5,133
S,LNJO
9,929
6,119
31802
850
4,700
3,705
5.OQD
12,198
3.617
29,220
ESCC
WealdÈn District C¢unfjil
Passen8er donatlons
Other donations
4 Other Income
Surplvs on dlsposal of fixed assets
Bank Interest
nsuranGe Claims
Timetable and other adverts
2024
29,150
1,569
2023
1,345
8027
452
10,fjZ4
1.100
55,546
5 Depreaatlon
Charge in yéar
less a(nortisatlon of grant in y2ar (note 61
2024
92,662
14,8421
87020
88,653
123,7161
64,937
6 Unamortlsed Grants
at start of year
rel¢as¢d during year Inote 51
at end of year
2024
(4,842)
4￿42
21n3
(28.558)
23,716
(4.842)
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Cuckmere Commuttity Bus Ltd
Notes to the Accounts
for year ended 31 December 2024 {cont)
2024
2023
7 Tan8ible Flxed assets
Cost
at stayt of year
ddltlons In the year
disp05als in the year
at end of year
690,636
262,3TI
{94,219
858,794
F90,636
690,636
Cumulatlve Depreclatlon
at start of year
charges in the year (note 5
disp05als in the year
at end of year
433,123
92,662
194,116
431fi69
344.470
88,653
433,123
Not Book Value
427.125
257,513
8 Dèbtors
Accounts receivable
VAT feclaim8ble
2024
11,469
2,979
2025
6,612
6,384
12.996
9 Cash at BaTrk
Bar￿a￿ current arcount
Co-operative rurrent a¢count
Charltles deposit aC￿uTht
Petty Cash
2024
105,091
8.303
915
2023
65,708
25,666
45.Y8
136,722
10 Credttors
Amounts fallinE due wffithin one yeat
Tralle yeditors
Hire purtha5É contrarts
2023
(29,603
153,975
(83,578
(17,468)
(50,851)
68319)
Amounts f?Ilin8due after one year
Hlre purchase Contracts (1-5 years)
{1512211
(45,820)
11 Audlt:
Expenditure Is after charges for Independent Review £gQO {2023- £9601
and other professional setvices £nil (2023- £8￿)
12 Transirtlons wlth Olrertors: There were no transactions between the company and its
TYu5teeslDirettor5
13 Related P*ty Dis¢loswg5:
There were no transattlons between the company an(4 related partles
14

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