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← Northumberland Rivers Trust

2025-03-31-accounts

3Registered company number: 07713172 (England and Wales)

Registered charity number: 1145188

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST

COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

TRUSTEES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Northumberland Rivers Trust Cragend Rothbury Northumberland NE65 7XN www.northumberlandriverstrust.co.uk

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Contents Page
Charity information 3
Trustee’s report 4
Examiner’s report 9
Statement of financial activities 10
Balance sheet 11
Notes to the financial statements 13
Detailed income and expenditure account 21

2

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

CHARITY INFORMATION

Company Registration Number

07713172

Charity Registration Number

1145188

Registered Office

Time Central, c/o Muckle LLP, 32 Gallowgate, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4BF

Trustees

S M Renwick (Chairman) A E Collingwood-Cameron G C Hodgson J W Jackson Ms J C Jonczyk R J Inverarity G R Clewes

Company Secretary

Peter Kerr - resigned 1 May 2024 Duncan Glen - appointed 2 May 2024 resigned 9 May 2025

Independent Examiner

Counting North, Salvus House, Aykley Heads, Durham City, Durham, DH1 5TS

Bankers

Natwest, 4 Bridge Street, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 1NG

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

TRUSTEES REPORT

Introduction

The Trustees (who are also directors of the Charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) submit their annual report and the financial statements of Northumberland Rivers Trust (the charitable company) for the year ended 31 March 2025. The Trustees confirm that the annual report and financial statements of the charitable company comply with current statutory requirements, the requirements of the charitable company's governing document and the provisions of the Charities SORP (FRS102).

Legal Status

Northumberland Rivers Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, company number 7713172, and is a registered charity, number 1145188. The charity was established under a Memorandum of Association, which established the objectives and powers of the company, and is governed under its Articles of Association. The members of the company are the current trustees and the liability of the members is limited. Every member of the charity promises, if the charity is dissolved while he or she is a member (or within twelve months after he or she ceases to be a member), to contribute such sum (not exceeding £1) as may be demanded of him or her towards the payment of the debts and liabilities of the charity incurred before he or she ceases to be a member, and of the costs, charges and expenses of winding up. For the purposes of company law, the trustees of the charity are directors of the company.

Method of Appointment of Trustees

The management of the charitable company is the responsibility of the Trustees who are appointed under the terms of the Memorandum and Articles of Association. At each annual general meeting one fifth of the directors retire and are eligible for re-election.

Organisational structure and decision making

The Trustees attend Board meetings throughout the period as required (roughly every 2 months), and these meetings form the basis of strategic decision making.

The Trustees are supported by the Secretary of the Trust who undertakes many of the day to day activities. In May 2024 Pete Kerr stepped down as the Secretary after 13 years of service and was replaced by Duncan Glen.

Risk Management

The Trustees have established systems to mitigate risk appropriate to the size of the charity with a focus on finance and Health and Safety. Processes and procedures are reviewed annually by the Trustees and annual refreshment of Health and Safety procedures takes place for all staff, Trustees and volunteers.

Wider network

Northumberland Rivers Trust is part of a growing movement: there are now over fifty rivers trusts in England and Wales, covering most of the river catchments. The rivers trusts are affiliated to an umbrella organisation, The Rivers Trust, which acts as a point of liaison between them, sharing information and best practice, and coordinating/administering the bids and delivery of specific government / trust funds.

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Objectives

The aims of the Trust are as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association, namely, to restore and safeguard Northumberland’s rivers and streams.

We are committed to:

Undertake environmental projects with communities and angling clubs to restore and improve habitats;

Share and promote awareness of environmental issue and best practice;

Work in partnership with communities, angling clubs, environmental organisations and others to deliver lasting improvements;

Help deliver a Catchment Based Approach to works.

Our area of working is all the rivers and streams that flow into the North Sea north of the Tyne and south of the Tweed as shown by the map below:

Activities

The Northumberland Rivers Trust attempted to move to a more traditional operating structure and to tentatively start to grow in this period through the appointment of our first full-time CEO. Peter Kerr decided to step down after founding the Northumberland Rivers Trust some 13 years ago, although he was still keen to help with project delivery and to assist the new CEO. Duncan Glen was appointed in May 2024.

A significant amount of Duncan’s time in the first half of the year was focused on delivering Governance and Procurement reviews and starting to implement the recommendations with Trustees.

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

During this period, the new CEO also spent significant time building relationships with key partners and communities and in talking to a wide range of funders.

The Riverhealth Heritage Lottery project continued in this period (led by Pete Kerr) and completed in November 2024. This major project helped build the practical skills of young people though the construction of fish passes, angling platforms and riverside paths to help them into full-time employment.

Invasive plant management work continued along the river Coquet as part of a project funded by Garfield Weston. Japanese Knotweed was treated at 12 sites and mapping work was undertaken by the Coquet River Action Group that the Northumberland Rivers Trust helped to establish last year. Community involvement in invasive plant management was also discussed with Alnwick Friends of the Earth and the Aln Angling Association.

The Northumberland Rivers Trust continued to support CRAG during this period and is delighted that the community group now enjoys extensive support from communities along the river and has become a significant and self-sufficient entity.

The governance and procurement reviews helped to secure more direct support in 2024/25 from the Environment Agency who were able to help fund three projects from their WEIF programme. Studies were carried out on the Blyth and Lyne in the anticipation that these would help with further support for practical actions in the coming years.

A major Nutrient Neutrality Project that had been discussed for some time with Northumberland County Council finally managed to start in this period, with significant funding agreed for this and future years. The Lindisfarne Coastal Catchments Initiative aims to help developers to work with landowners to make their developments nutrient neutral through the delivery of wetlands, sewage system upgrades and other works on coastal streams.

The work of the Northumberland Crayfish Partnership continued during this period under the chair of the Northumberland Rivers Trust. Unfortunately, investigations by the Environment Agency into crayfish mortalities on the Wansbeck were still inconclusive, and this limited practical work to move crayfish to ‘ark sites’ across the county. However, several hundred animals were successfully transferred before restrictions came into force.

The Northumberland Rivers Trust built a fish easement at Thrum Mill during this period to help salmon and sea trout get past one of the last major barriers without a pass on the river Coquet.

Unfortunately, the Thriving Catchments project with Northumbrian Water Limited came to an end during this period. This important initiative had aimed to deliver catchment wetlands and habitat works to remove nutrients rather than simply adding chemicals at upgraded sewage works. Although the concept would have delivered multiple benefits at significantly lower cost, there were found to be many uncertainties in delivery, and significant changes in the farming sector meant that measures would have been hard to agree and finance.

Overall, the appointment of a full time CEO meant that this year had a greater focus on strategic issues than had been possible in the past, and it is hoped that this investment will deliver dividends in the years to come.

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Public Benefit

The trustees have had due regard to the guidance published by the charity commission on public benefit.

The work of the Northumberland Rivers Trust benefits rivers, river wildlife and the people who enjoy rivers and who gain their livelihood from rivers.

Community engagement is a key element of all our projects as we recognise that people are only likely to care for their river if they enjoy and understand it. This is achieved by running events and holding informative public meetings.

Financial Review

In the period reported, income increased from £233,658 to £412,675. Much of the funding received is from tranches of local and national government grant monies for major projects, working with partners such as the Environment Agency and Rural Payments Agency. This year we have actively sought to broaden the funding base with some success in securing funding from National Lottery, Natural England, National Trust and Groundwork. We believe that this broader financing will become increasingly important in the coming years.

Due to the increased funding, there was also an increase in expenditure from £284,061 to £325,928 resulting in an overall increase in reserves from £63,883 to £150,630.

Reserves Policy and Going Concern

The trustees have reviewed the charity’s needs for reserves in line with guidance issued by the Charity Commission.

The Trustees keep their reserves policy and level of reserves held under review, monitoring the level of reserves held throughout the year as part of the normal monitoring and budgetary process. The main risks to both Income and expenditure are highlighted, and the level of committed expenditure taken into account. The majority of the charity’s income continues to be project specific, this limits our ability to create a reserve, however the Trust continues to look to bring in other non-specific income and will look at ways to use this to create a reserve to secure the Trusts future.

The Trustees

The trustees who served the charity during the year were as follows:

S M Renwick G R Clewes A E Collingwood-Cameron G C Hodgson J W Jackson Ms J C Jonczyk R J Inverarity

Plans for the future

Looking forward, we continue to look for opportunities to broaden the scope and strengthen the structure of the work that Northumberland Rivers Trust has delivered over the last 15 years. We are currently exploring potential partnerships with other likeminded organisations in the area.

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for preparing the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations and the provisions of the constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Small Company Provisions

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies’ regime.

The trustee’s annual report was approved and signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees by:

S M Renwick 7 July 2025 (Chairman)

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the financial statements of the Northumberland Rivers Trust (“the Company”) for the year ended 31 March 2025.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited for this year under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”). In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that:

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.

Gerald Henderson FCA FCCA Counting North Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors Salvus House Aykley Heads Durham City Durham 7 July 2025

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Notes
Income
Income from charitable
activities
4
Other
5
Total
Expenditure
Raising funds
6
Charitable activities
7
Total
Net income /
(expenditure) before
transfers
Transfers
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought
forward
15
Total funds carried
forward
15		 Unrestricted
Funds
2025
£
Restricted
Funds
2025
£
Total
Funds
2025
£
Total
Funds
2024
£
138,904
273,749
412,653
232,384
22
-
22
1,274
138,926
273,749
412,675
233,658
-
-
-
-
62,434
263,494
325,928
284,061
62,434
263,494
325,928
284,061
76,492
10,255
86,747
(50,403)
(1,189)
1,189
-
-
75,303
11,444
86,747
(50,403)
41,143
22,740
63,883
114,286
116,446
34,184
150,630
63,883

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

BALANCE SHEET

Notes
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
12
Current assets
Debtors
13
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors: amounts due
within one year
14
Net current assets
Total assets less current
liabilities
Creditors: amounts due
after more than one year
Total assets less
liabilities
Charity funds
Unrestricted funds
15
Restricted funds
15		 Unrestricted
Funds
2025
£
Restricted
Funds
2025
£
Total
2025
£
Total
2024
£
545
-
545
727
1,716
8,850
10,566
54,562
117,929
25,334
143,263
13,035
119,645
34,184
153,829
67,597
(3,744)
-
(3,744)
(4,441)
115,901
34,184
150,085
63,156
116,446
34,184
150,630
63,883
-
-
-
-
116,446
34,184
150,630
63,883
116,446
-
116,446
41,143
-
34,184
34,184
22,740
116,446
34,184
150,630
63,883

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The members have not required the charitable company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The trustees acknowledge their responsibility for

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small charitable companies.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 7 July 2025 and were signed on its behalf by:

S M Renwick (Chairman)

The notes on pages 13 to 21 form part of these financial statements.

12

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. General information

The charity is a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is Time Central, c/o Muckle LLP, 32 Gallowgate, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4BF

2. Statement of compliance

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.

Northumberland Rivers Trust meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

3. Accounting policies

Income

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of financial activities when the charitable company is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Gifts in kind donated for distribution are included at valuation and recognised as income when they are distributed to the projects. Gifts donated for resale are included as income when they are sold. Donated facilities are included at the value to the charitable company where this can be quantified, and a third party is bearing the cost. No amounts are included in the financial statements for services donated by volunteers.

Donated services or facilities, which comprise donated services, are included in income at a valuation which is an estimate of the financial cost borne by the donor where such a cost is quantifiable and measurable. No income is recognised where there is no financial cost borne by a third party.

Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Expenditure

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been included under expense categories that aggregate all costs for allocation to activities. Where costs cannot be directly attributable to particular activities, they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of the resources.

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Fundraising costs are those incurred in seeking voluntary contributions and do not include the costs of disseminating information in support of the charitable activities. Support costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charitable company. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the charitable company and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Fund accounting

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charitable company and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors which have been raised by the charitable company for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Investment income, gains and losses are allocated to the appropriate fund.

Tangible fixed assets

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives on the following bases:

Office equipment – 25% reducing balance

Taxation

As a registered charity, the company is exempt from income and corporation tax to the extent that’s its income and gains are applicable to charitable purposes only. Value Added Tax is only applied to projects which are operated on a commercial rather than charitable basis.

14

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

4. Charitable activities

Environmental projects
Total		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
Restricted
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2024
£
138,904
273,749
412,653
232,384
138,904
273,749
412,653
232,384

5. Other income

Donations
Other
Total
enditure on raising funds
Fundraising
Total		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
Restricted
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2024
£
-
-
-
1,274
22
-
22
-
22
-
22
1,274
Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
Restricted
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2024
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

6. Expenditure on raising funds

7. Expenditure on charitable activities

Environmental projects
Total		 Direct
expenses
2025
£
Support costs
2025
£
Total
2025
£
Total
2024
£
280,380
45,548
325,928
284,061
280,380
45,548
325,928
284,061

15

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

8. Direct costs

Project materials and third party services
Salaries and time costs
Consumable tools and equipment
Mileage and travel costs
Other project costs
port costs
Officer’s salaries
Pensions
Rent
Insurance
Printing, stationery, postage and telephone
Accountancy
Independent examiners fees
Legal fees
Bank charges
General expenses
Depreciation		 Total
2025
£
Total
2024
£
205,795
208,709
63,575
10,815
5,661
6,495
4,351
5,160
998
6,235
280,380
237,414
Total
2025
£
Total
2024
£
32,653
33,928
1,949
1,187
-
-
1,936
1,866
1,624
1,285
4,284
4,130
2,100
1,782
170
170
87
86
563
1,970
182
243
45,548
46,647

9. Support costs

16

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

10. Fees for examination of the financial statements

Examiners fees
Total		 Unrestricted
funds
2025
£
Restricted
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2025
£
Total
funds
2024
£
2,100
-
2,100
1,782
2,100
-
2,100
1,782

11. Staff costs

Officer’s salaries
Staff salaries
Pension costs
Total		 2024
£
2024
£
32,653
53,147
33,928
7,634
1,949
1,187
87,749
42,749

No employees received employee benefits for the reporting period of more than £60,000.

Average headcount in the year
Charitable activities
Total		 Total
2025
Total
2024
3
2
3
2

17

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

12. Tangible fixed assets

Office Equipment

Cost
As at 1 April 2024
Additions
As at 31 March 2025
Depreciation
As at 1 April 2024
Charge for the year
As at 31 March 2025
Net book value
As at 31 March 2025
As at 31 March 2024		 2,705
-
2,705
1,978
182
2,160
545
727

13. Debtors

Prepayments and accrued income 2025
£
2024
£
10,566
54,562
10,566
54,562

14. Creditors amounts falling due within one year

Accruals and deferred income
Other creditors		 2025
£
2024
£
2,069
19202
1,644
2,521
3,713
4,441

18

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

15. Analysis of funds
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
General funds
RESTRICTED FUNDS
Acklington
Aln Strimmers
Barratt – Delf Burn
Barratt – Easeme
Coke Maintenance
Coquet WQ
Crayfish
Garfield & Weston
INNS
Lindisfarne CCI
River Health
Thriving Catchments
Wansbeck PPN
WEIF
Wilder Drudridge
Total		 Brought
forward
Incoming
resources
Resources
expended
Transfers
in/out
Carried
Forward
£
£
£
£
£
41,143
138,926
(62,434)
(1,189)
116,446
607
-
-
-
607
-
3,287
(3,317)
30
-
11,159
-
(6,575)
-
4,584
4,068
-
(4,207)
139
-
-
3,225
(3,225)
-
-
428
-
(1,448)
1,020
-
2,210
5,200
(7,410)
-
-
367
30,000
(7,349)
- 23,018
3,901
2,100
(26)
-
5,975
-
65,000
(65,000)
-
-
-
105,002
(105,002)
-
-
-
27,465
(27,465)
-
-
-
2,000
(2,000)
-
-
-
22,450
(22,450)
-
-
-
8,020
(8,020)
-
-
22,740
273,749
(263,494)
1,189
34,184
63,883
412,675
(325,928)
-
150,630

19

NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

16. Company limited by guarantee

The Charity is a company limited by guarantee and does not have any share capital. The company is incorporated in England. If upon winding up or dissolution of the charity there remains any assets, after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, the assets represented by the accumulated fund shall be transferred to some other charitable body or bodies having similar objects to the charity.

17. Related party transactions

During the year the charity had transactions with Riverworks Ltd, a company controlled by Peter Kerr the previous Trust Secretary. The charity paid Riverworks Ltd £37,205 (2024 - £59,695) for services rendered.

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NORTHUMBERLAND RIVERS TRUST YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

DETAILED INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

Income
Charitable activities
Other income
Total income
Direct expenses
Project materials and third
party services
Time costs
Consumable tools and
equipment
Mileage and travel costs
Other project costs
Operating expenses
Directors’ costs
Pensions
Insurance
Printing, stationery,
postage and telephone
Accountancy
Independent examiners
fees
Bank charges
Legal fees
General expenses
Depreciation
Surplus/(deficit) for the
year
Funds brought forward
Funds carried forward		 2025
£
412,653
22		 2025
£
412,675

(280,380)


(45,548)		 2024
£
232,384
1,274		 2024
£
233,658

(237,414)


(46,647)
205,795
63,575
5,661
4,351
998		 208,709
10,815
6,495
5,160
6,235
32,653
1,949
1,936
1,624
4,284
2,100
87
170
563
182		 33,928
1,187
1,866
1,285
4,130
1,782
86
170
1,970
243
86,747
63,883		 (50,403)
114,286
150,630 63,883

21