Chair’s Report, 21[st] June 2025 Electric Eels Issue 1.0
The Electric Eels have had another fantastic year.
We continue to be the only club for people with Down’s Syndrome in the country which takes absolute beginners and teaches them to swim to a competitive level.
On the Synchro side, we are the only Synchro club for people with Down’s.
Club Aims
We have again continued to focus on the four key aims of the club:
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1) Competitive Swimming for Young People with Down’s Syndrome
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2) Synchronised Swimming for Young People with Down’s Syndrome
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3) Development of Our Volunteers
4) A Fun Club.
We provide a club for children with Down’s syndrome that balances competitive swimming with the opportunity for fun, social interaction, both taking place within a safe environment. The club also allows volunteers to contribute to a worthwhile cause, enabling their own personal development and enjoyment. It is this combination that makes Electric Eels so unique and satisfying for all involved. I sincerely hope that the trustees / committee will continue to ensure that all the aims of the club are met over the new year, each receiving equal attention.
Ref Chair Report Issue 1.0 21st June 2025
1
Fun
A combined prizegiving & Summer party was held on 7th June 2025. We will continue to provide swimmers and volunteers with fun events and also parents chances to network, make new friends and meet old mates, sharing experiences, ideas and a good time. We continue to receive excellent feedback from parents and swimmers about our fun events and so it is proposed that we increase the number of these by popular demand! It’s clear that in addition to swimming then the Eels love to dance. Therefore, in addition to the parties in December and June there are currently plans for a ‘Strictly Down’s Dancing’ event and also a ‘Halloween’ party; more on these to follow.
Finances
Subsidised by club funds, the club continues to provide excellent value for money when compared to the current cost of swimming lessons. Club charges will be reviewed by the Trustees at Trustee meetings.
We continue to receive donations and fundraising profits: thank you to everyone that has donated to the club (but as always, we need more).
Synchro Club
The Synchro club has five regular swimmers. We are very grateful to the regular volunteers from the Reading Royals Synchro club and also to the regular volunteers from the Electric Eels.
Thank Yous
The club would be nothing and not exist without the contributions from all of our volunteers. I would like to give my personal thanks to the ‘doers’ for their relentless devotion to the club. Additionally, to the Windsor Leisure Centre (Leisure Focus) for their support.
The Future
It is apparent every year that the club only continues because of the extraordinary devotion and the care, time and effort of a small handful of volunteers. At some point, key people will need to retire and that will leave the club in a precarious position. At all costs, we want to avoid the club folding. Over the course of this year, the trustees have therefore been thinking
Ref Chair Report Issue 1.0 21st June 2025
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carefully about succession and protecting the future of the club, to ensure that it continues to thrive and survive for the swimmers, their families and our volunteers. The trustees have considered various options for its constitution and management in the future. We have also met with representatives from the Windsor Leisure Centre and Swim England, both of which recognise the extraordinary importance of ensuring the club's future. The club is currently a non-incorporated charity where considerable responsibility is placed on the shoulders of the trustees. It also prevents the club from paying for certain services we may soon need.
As such, the club should move quickly to an incorporated charity structure to be able to secure the services required of paid providers, where necessary. This will professionalise and outsource some of the admin and financial tasks of running the club, to protect it for the future and crucially allow current trustees and volunteers to focus their time and skills on maintaining the culture, spirit and fun sides of the club and creating fundraising opportunities. That way, the swimming / synchro, volunteers and fun should have increased focus rather than the administrative pain that is routinely felt by a handful of volunteers.
Personally, I will not be standing for re-election, neither as Chairman or trustee. After 16 years as Chair, it’s time to throw the swimming towel in and say a very happy goodbye to the paperwork…
Happy swimming, volunteering and partying Dominic Trotman Chair Electric Eels
Ref Chair Report Issue 1.0 21st June 2025
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The Electric Eels Swimming & Synchro Club (Registered Charity No. 11365536) Cash Balances & Income and Expenditure Account 12 months to 31 March 2025
| Electric Eels bank balance Synchro bank balance Total in bank Movement in Year |
### £ 22,927.85 12,537.77 35,465.62 13,010.91 |
31 March 2024 £ 15,963.65 6,491.06 |
|---|---|---|
| 22,454.71 |
| Income Annual Subscriptons Termly Fees Fundraising Actvites Donatons Party Tickets (net of fnance charges) Christmas Rafe Gif Aid Repayment Total Income Expenditure Pool Hire Training & Courses Party Expenses Equipment Purchases Kit Purchases Trophies & Medals Legal Fees Swim England Registraton Fees IT & Website Costs Meetng Expenses & Gifs Travel and Sundries Insttute of Swimming DJ Hire Poolside Notceboard Synchro Irish Costs Total Expenditure Excess/(Defcit) of Income over Expenditure |
£ 1,830.00 4,000.00 299.13 22,724.02 1,793.84 557.67 1,338.36 32,543.02 3,426.08 821.00 6,212.61 2,067.25 1,357.70 611.36 337.02 1,813.80 300.80 118.26 1,252.57 311.68 200.00 23.43 678.55 19,532.11 13,010.91 Year to 31 March 2025 |
£ 1,840.00 5,390.00 0.00 7,727.87 640.00 325.00 467.89 Year to 31 March 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| 16,390.76 | ||
| 3,892.40 1,611.00 3,172.92 3,817.33 30.00 73.91 349.44 1,810.65 212.49 183.32 1,302.54 0.00 200.00 16.80 281.00 |
||
| 16,953.80 | ||
| (563.04) |
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ Charity Name Electric Eels members of On accounts for the year 31 March 2025 Charity no 1136536 ended (if any) Set out on pages 3 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)
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 trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the 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 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 ~~(other than that disclosed below *)~~ in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
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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.
~~*~~ ~~Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.~~
| Signed: | Date:26 November 2025 ~~a~~ |
Date:26 November 2025 ~~a~~ |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Name:Vanessa Cresswell ~~Pe~~ |
|||
| Relevant professional | ICAEW | ||
| qualification(s) or body | Chartered Accountant | ||
| (if any): | |||
| Address: | Suite 3 Dukes House | ||
| Windsor | |||
| SL4 1LD |
1
October 2018
IER
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight 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 .
2
October 2018
IER
The Electric Eels Swimming & Synchro Club (Registered Charity No. 11365536) Cash Balances & Income and Expenditure Account 12 months to 31 March 2025
| Electric Eels bank balance Synchro bank balance Total in bank Movement in Year |
31 March 2025 £ 22,927.85 12,537.77 35,465.62 13,010.91 |
31 March 2024 £ 15,963.65 6,491.06 |
|---|---|---|
| 22,454.71 |
| Income Annual Subscriptions Termly Fees Fundraising Activities Donations Party Tickets (net of finance charges) Christmas Raffle Gift Aid Repayment Total Income Expenditure Pool Hire Training & Courses Party Expenses Equipment Purchases Kit Purchases Trophies & Medals Legal Fees Swim England Registration Fees IT & Website Costs Meeting Expenses & Gifts Travel and Sundries Institute of Swimming DJ Hire Poolside Noticeboard Synchro Irish Costs Total Expenditure Excess/(Deficit) of Income over Expenditure |
Year to 31 March 2025 £ 1,830.00 4,000.00 299.13 22,724.02 1,793.84 557.67 1,338.36 32,543.02 3,426.08 821.00 6,212.61 2,067.25 1,357.70 611.36 337.02 1,813.80 300.80 118.26 1,252.57 311.68 200.00 23.43 678.55 19,532.11 13,010.91 |
Year to 31 March 2024 £ 1,840.00 5,390.00 0.00 7,727.87 640.00 325.00 467.89 |
|---|---|---|
| 16,390.76 | ||
| 3,892.40 1,611.00 3,172.92 3,817.33 30.00 73.91 349.44 1,810.65 212.49 183.32 1,302.54 0.00 200.00 16.80 281.00 |
||
| 16,953.80 | ||
| (563.04) |