2020-12-31-accounts

Chesil Sailability Annual Report & Examined Accounts 1[st] January 2020 to 31[st] December 2020

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Annual Report

1. Reference and Administrative Details

Charity name: Chesil Sailability

Charity Registration number: 1154416 (Registered 31[st] October 2013)

Principal office: Chesil Sailability, c/o 42 South Court Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2BZ.

Trustees:

During the year ended 31st December 2020

David Griffith (Chair from 7th Feb 2017, last annual re-election as Chair 28[th] July 2020)

Co-opted 7[th] Feb 2017, became Trustee 5th June 2017.re-elected as Trustee 28[th] July 2020

Hugh de Iongh (Chair until 7[th] Feb 2017)

Became Trustee 31st October 2013, re-elected 29[th] April 2015, re-elected 5th June 2017, re-elected 28[th] July 2020.

Kirsty Lydeard (Secretary)

Became Trustee 19th May 2014, re-elected 29th April 2015, re-elected 14[th] May 2018.

Mike Clarkson (Treasurer)

Became Trustee 19th May 2014, re-elected 29th April 2015, re-elected 5th June 2017, re-elected 9 April 2019.

Philip Hall

Became Trustee 31st October 2013, re-elected 29/04/2015, re-elected 18[th] October2016, re-elected 9 April 2019.

Shaun Kerigan Became Trustee 5th June 2017. Rob Lydeard Became Trustee 5th June 2017. Louis Gale Became Trustee 28[th] July 2020.

Bankers:

Lloyds Bank, Current & Deposit Account, 1-2 High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1UG

CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ

Independent Examiner: James Driver, Chartered Accountant, Stafford House, 10 Prince of Wales Road, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 1PW

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2. Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

Chesil Sailability is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), with a constitution as its governing document, dated 18[th] March 2014 (as at last amendment).

Appointment of Trustees

All the current Trustees have been elected by Chesil Sailability members through the Annual General Meeting. The Constitution also allows Trustees to be co-opted. All Trustees are unpaid.

Organisational structure

The organisational structure of the charity has remained unchanged in 2020.

Afliation

Chesil Sailability is affiliated to Royal Yachting Association Sailability and is accredited by Royal Yachting Association Sailability for disability sailing at our venue.

Risk Management

The Board of Trustees and the Committee of Chesil Sailability believe that sound risk management is integral to both good management and good governance practice, and a culture of risk management is embedded throughout the charity.

Risk management should form an integral part of the charity’s decision– making and be incorporated within strategic and operational planning. A Register of Risk Assessments is maintained, identifying the main areas of risk and the relevant specific Risk Assessment and review cycle.

3. Charity Objects

The charitable object of Chesil Sailability is: ‘To promote the equality, inclusion and relief and the rehabilitation and good health of disabled people and to improve their conditions of life through providing and assisting in the provision of activities, facilities, equipment and services to enable them to participate in healthy recreation and in particular but not exclusively in sailing and other water sports.’

Chesil Sailability implements its charitable object by providing sailing opportunities for people with disabilities (physical disabilities, learning difficulties or long-term health conditions). We provide opportunities for people to sail such for the experience and for fun, to learn to sail, and to sail competitively or to progress in any other aspect of sailing.

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We are based at the Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy, which hosted the 2012 Paralympics, so has excellent accessible sailing facilities. We have a range of accessible sailing boats, the main ones being five Hansa 303s, two Hawk 20s. We have also had access to a third Hawk 20 on a loan basis, and we purchased a fifth Hansa 303, particularly to enable solo sailing, towards the end of the season. We retired our Squib keelboat ’King Sole’ in early 2020.

Chesil Sailability is run entirely by volunteers, they are the backbone of what we do, and the time and skills that volunteers bring are invaluable. Volunteers run the sailing sessions, and also all the background administration, finances, funding, maintenance, etc.

The Trustees have had due regard to the guidance from the Charity Commission on Public Benefit, as our activity is in accordance with our charity’s purpose and is for the public benefit.

1. Summary of Main Achievements

Chesil Sailability’s Aims and Objectives are:

Aims:

• Provide opportunities for people with disabilities to sail for fun, to learn to sail, to progress to sailing competitively, or any other aspect of sailing, regardless of disability.

• Provide a sailing experience which is valued by people with disabilities and becomes an important part of what they do.

• Actively support progression and personal development for sailors and volunteers in whichever area they are interested in.

• Provide access to world class sailing facilities both for local people with disabilities, and at a national level

Objectives:

• Increase our sailor numbers, through more individual sailors and with groups

• Build the numbers of sailors who sail regularly with us

• Introduce new people to sailing, as well as those who have been sailing before

• Run sailing sessions which are fun for sailors, and include challenge where appropriate

• Value volunteers, and make sure volunteering with Chesil Sailability is a fun and rewarding experience

• Develop more involvement of sailors & volunteers in the development of Chesil Sailability as a whole

• Work with partners to deliver national level events

Sailing

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Members will be very well aware of the impact of Covid19 at home and around the world. As the case numbers began to build in the UK, the Chesil Sailability Trustees took the decision to suspend all Chesil Sailability activity from 17[th] March to 1st June 2020.

This was subsequently overtaken by the lockdown declared by the UK government on 23[rd] March 2020, which prevented almost all of the pre-season preparations, including vessel preparation and volunteer training. Chesil Sailability effectively went into hibernation, with only the bosun team and the staff at WPNSA checking on our vessels from time to time.

We trialled some on-line activities during lockdown and following feedback, we continued to run some Zoom meetings with a Sailability related video and a chat, and weekly digital jigsaws from photos of previous sailing sessions.

Once lock down started to be lifted in June, the Trustees began to work out how sailing sessions might be restarted. Working within guidance issued by the Government and the RYA, we developed a detailed plan for the safe resumption of some limited sailing sessions.

On the 18[th] of August, a trial session was held to work through the plan and test it in action. Based on the valuable lessons learnt at this session, the Trustees decided to resume sailing sessions.

We managed to run 5 sailing sessions in September and these provided 40 sailing opportunities for those of our Sailability sailors who felt able to sail. Carers or parents from the same social bubbles as sailors also had the chance to sail resulting in 20 sailing opportunities taken.

After reviewing the success of our sessions in September, the Trustees agreed to try and continue sailing in October. Sadly, the weather deteriorated and we only managed to hold one further session with 9 sailors and 5 carers on the water.

With a poor weather outlook, worsening again at the end of October, the Trustees decided to end the 2020 sailing season.

Although we only managed to sail at the end of the season, one of our sailors wrote:

‘ Being out on the water can be restful or invigorating, peaceful or exciting, and I never know how it will affect me, but always I know it will be a positive and enjoyable experience, and often a necessary one for my wellbeing. So thank you one and all for being so kind and generous, and for enjoying our experiences with us each week’.

Whilst the 2020 season was massively curtailed by the Covid19 pandemic, it was wonderful to see so many of our volunteers and sailors. This has given the Trustees the confidence to begin planning the 2021 season. Subject to the wider Covid restrictions we hope to commence vessel preparation and volunteer training in March and April 2021, with the sailing sessions resuming around the first week in May 2021.

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The reduction in sailing sessions and the reduced number of memberships this season have had an impact on Chesil Sailability finances and we made a loss over the full year. However, we have been fortunate to have received some very generous support which has meant that our deficit was less than it would otherwise have been:

• Adrian Halson completed a sponsored virtual cycle ride between his home in Bridport and Dover raising £950 for Chesil Sailability.

• The Dorset Health Trust have agreed to pay our 2021 rent at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

• WPNSA have loaned us a RIB for each of our sessions as one of our Safety Boats requires significant maintenance.

• Andrew Simpson Watersports Centre have allowed us to use their large classroom as reception and waiting area.

Taking into account the effect the pandemic has had on our ability to offer sailing sessions to members, we have offered to roll over any paid 2020 membership fees into 2021.

The Trustees are grateful to those members who have elected to donate their rolled over memberships to Chesil Sailability and pay another fee in 2021.

The Board of Trustees thank all of our volunteers, sailors and supporters for all their help and encouragement during this challenging year.

5. Finance

Sources of funds

As maintaining sailor fees at an affordable level is a priority for us, and so generates limited income, we have to be pro-active about securing funding. During the year, funding has come from a number of sources:

• Sailor & member fees and session fees. This represents a small proportion of our income as we maintain fees at an affordable level particularly this year with a limited number of sessions.

• Own fundraising. Members did some fund-raising activities, all of which are really valuable.

• Grants. We secured some grants towards our general running costs, although most of our grant income was for specific projects or equipment.

• Donations. Many individuals and local organisations have supported us with donations, particularly appreciated both as this helps our finances considerably, and because of the local support it demonstrates.

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Expenditure

The main fixed costs are maintenance, facility fees and insurance.

As the year drew to a close and a period of prolonged stormy weather battered our sailing base, we became aware that our secure storage container, within which we store a huge amount of valuable equipment, was no longer weather tight. After attempting some repairs, it was clear that the only solution was to replace the container. A nearly new 40-foot extra tall container was installed on site in December 2020 and now provides not only secure weatherproof storage but an improved working environment for the bosun team during inclement weather.

A summary of the Income and Expenditure costs, including a comparison with the financial year 2019 is given below.

Reserves Policy

Chesil Sailability’s Reserves Policy during the year was to have operational and asset replacement reserves as follows: Operational reserves, which

• a) Cover up to nine month’s running costs (within Charity Commission recommended range)

• b) Help with cash flow as some of the big expenses are at the early part of the year

• c) Help forward fund grants when grant payments are in arrears

Asset replacement reserves, which

• a) Enable us to cover replacement of any essential equipment quickly b) Build up funds to put towards long term replacement of equipment & facilities, (the purchase of the container above being an example)

In implementing this policy, Chesil Sailability held reserves of £22,000 during 2020

Carry forward to 2021

Of the £ 22,174 of Unrestricted Funds carried forward from the end of 2020 to the start of 2021 we will continue to hold reserves of £22,000 so as to maintain our financial resilience. These reserves comprise £13,000 for operating costs (approx. nine months) and £9,000 for replacement of key equipment and assets.

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Summary of Income & Expenditure

----- Start of picture text -----
Proporti
Income on 2020 2019 Change
% £ £ %
Membership & session fees 4 720 2,810 -74
10,43 14,84
Grants 64 1 0 -30
Donations 19 3,153 6,122 -49
Fundraising & charitable activities 6 1,012 354 186
Sales 7 1,082 1,274 -15
Other income (Gift Aid, event
fees etc.) 0 2 276 -99
16,39 25,67
Total income 100 9 6 -36
Proporti
Expenditure on 2020 2019 Change
% £ £ %
Insurance 18 3,151 3,260 -3
Facility fees 21 3,680 3,927 -6
Administration & governance 6 1,073 824 30
Repairs, fuel & renewals 19 3,312 5,972 -45
Training 0 0 1,115 -100
15,18
New boats & equipment 35 6,178 3 -59
Other expenditure 1 162 213 -24
17,55 30,49
Total expenditure 100 5 3 -42
Total funds held at end of 32,94 34,10 -3
----- End of picture text -----

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----- Start of picture text -----
year 6 2
Major items purchased in
2020 £
Replacement storage container 5,160
Total 5,160
----- End of picture text -----

_____David Griffith Chair of Board of Trustees

Accounts (Examined)

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