## **TRUSTEES REPORT 2021-22**
## **Formal Report to the Charities Commission**
Welcome to the eighth Trustees report under our constitution as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. This report to the Charities Commission was prepared by Mark Bouch, as Chair, on behalf of the Club’s Trustees for the period 1[st] April 2021 to 31[st] March 2022.
This report will be circulated to members with 2021/22 accounts for approval at the Club’s AGM in [November 2022].
## **CIO Trustee Committee**
Devizes Canoe Club is a “Charitable Incorporated Organisation”. Our Charity number is 1156402. We were registered with the Charities Commission on 27th March 2014. Legal decisions are taken by the CIO trustees, who in 2021/22 were Andy Allen, Ann Slator, Mark Bouch, Paul Papworth-Smith, Sue Colby, Juliet Fooks and Chris Jones. In December the Club appointed Lindyanne Ehrnrooth as Club Secretary. Her duties include providing secretariat support to the Trustees’ Committee.
The CIO Trustees have a legal responsibility to the Charities Commission for effective governance and management of the CIO’s assets in line with our CIO constitution. CIO Trustees are responsible for setting policy and approving budgets as part of their governance responsibilities. Club property, including the club’s built estate, is held by the CIO on behalf of the Club itself and not by any individual. Trustees meet quarterly and when required.
Trustees are appointed by a decision of members at the Club AGM. At the pending AGM, two trustees must retire, and we have an opportunity to appoint up to three trustees. Any club member is welcome to nominate themselves, at least one week before the AGM, as a CIO Trustee.
At this AGM, Paul Papworth-Smith and Juliet Fooks will retire on rotation. Both intend to stand for re-election. Members will be invited to re-appoint Mark Bouch, Ann Slator, Juliet Fooks, Paul Papworth-Smith, Sue Colby, Andy Allen, and Chris Jones and to appoint, for the first time, Lindyanne Ehrnrooth as CIO Trustees.
## **Club Management Committee**
The CIO Trustees delegate power to a management committee which meets monthly, to coordinate the operational management of the Club. The Management Committee are responsible for ensuring club operations comply with policy and best practice.
The CIO Trustees appoint the key management committee roles: Club Chair, Deputy Chair, Treasurer and Secretary and invite the management committee to fill other key roles necessary for effective management.
The Chair and Deputy Chair divide their roles with Chair’s focus being club strategy, development and governance and the Deputy Chair’s focus being club operations.
The proposed 2020/21 management committee are Mark Bouch (Chair), Paul Papworth Smith (Treasurer), Lindyanne Ehrnrooth (Secretary), Sue Colby (Deputy Chair), Emma O’Hare (Welfare and Safeguarding Officer), [James Papworth-Smith (H&S), Stuart Colby (Facilities), James Mahoney (Coaching Group Lead), Anna Overton (Junior Programme Coordinator), Nigel Chivers (Senior Programme Coordinator and Captain of Boats) and Victoria Cains (PR & Media Officer). We currently
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have a gap for a Volunteer Coordinator and intend to fill this important role during the year. In the meantime, duties are shared between other committee members.
The committee has invited other members to fill important volunteer roles, including leading paddling groups, managing boat storage, delivering the coaching programme, and providing bankside support during organised sessions. These appointments do not need to attend committee meetings but are welcome to do so.
All key volunteer appointments are recorded on our website within the members’ section.
Our AGM provides the formal opportunity to approve members of the management committee for 2022/23. Committee membership is open to all Club members, though we will only appoint committee members to fill specific roles required to ensure the efficient management of the club.
Members wishing to put their names forward to serve on the management committee or challenge the nominations proposed should submit their names in writing to the Club Secretary at least one week before the AGM.
The Club management committee intends to meet monthly. Minutes are taken, will be published on the club website and available on request to those without website access.
## **Club Purpose**
The Club’s purpose is **“The promotion of community participation in healthy recreation in particular by the provision of facilities for the sport of canoeing and kayaking”.** We have regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. We provide identifiable benefits in advancing health and sport, to the public. Our membership criteria and what we offer are inclusive and open to all members of the public without restriction. We make it clear that if anyone finds it difficult to pay our membership and coaching fees we can help, and we regularly do.
Our priorities for 2021/22 were established in the 2020-2024 strategy work and the club’s development plan for 2022.
With COVID having restricted our programme in 2020, 2021/22 was the year of recovery and our focus was:
- Restoring a full development programme
- Restarting introduction to paddlesport and school programmes
- Increasing participation to at or above pre-pandemic levels
- Retaining and recovering pre-pandemic membership levels
- Rebuilding the club’s community spirit and ethos.
After a consultation process with committee members, including parents, members and coaches, our annual club development plan was renewed in Q1 2021, identifying detailed annual objectives to deliver the club’s six ambitions identified in the 2020 – 2024 Club Strategy.
The main effort (our top priority) for 2021-2022 was the restoration of club operations and activity levels from April 2021.
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## **Club Accreditation**
The club remains accredited through Sport England’s Clubmark scheme for community clubs. However, whilst the standards are relevant since August 2019 Sport England is no longer providing general support for Clubmark accreditation.
In Q1 2022, in the period covered by this report, the Club achieved accreditation under British Canoeing’s Quality Club programme, demonstrating that we met the highest possible standards of governance and safeguarding. Whilst completing our Quality Club action plan over the next 12 months we will also evaluate whether the club should begin a programme of activity to achieve Champion Club status for talent development and set a timetable for this.
The Quality Club programme prompted a thorough review of our framework of policies and plans. Every club policy has been reviewed for coherence and compliance with NGB guidelines. New policies were developed in specific areas including Financial Governance, Volunteer Recruitment and Induction. A timetable for policy review has been identified.
All policies are available in the members' section of our website. As part of our overall move to digitise administration, paper copies are no longer maintained. Any club policy is available from the Chair or Club Secretary at any time upon request.
## **Activity Report**
This report includes a summary report on our activities and achievements in 2021-22 in pursuit of our paddlesport objectives. By publishing this report on the Charities Commission website we display the benefit to club members and society. More information will be given at the AGM.
This period started after the national lockdowns and restrictions on organised activity were lifted. We restarted organised sessions in July 2021, ran a full junior programme from July and switched to a winter programme in October 2021.
This year we re-started monthly time trials, held local sprint and marathon events at Chippenham and sent big teams to the national marathon championships, Nottingham sprints and the Reading and Pangbourne Hasler races. Despite the impact of the pandemic on training, our results have been outstanding. They demonstrate hard work and commitment during the year by our paddlers, coaching team and parents. Our top junior paddler, Mollie Ball, gained a place at the Olympic Hopefuls regatta which is an amazing achievement for a young woman who started paddling in Devizes.
By September the 2021/22 marathon season started, and the club committed to increasing participation at local SW Region marathon events to ensure qualification for the Club Finals. No Club Finals took place in 2021 and the paddling calendar runs from September to August, crossing over the reporting year covered by this report. At the end of the period (March 2022), we were in fourth position in the SW region, which would subsequently earn DCC a well-deserved qualification place in 3[rd] = position in the SW Region. Results from the 2022 National Championships and Club Finals will be featured in the 2022/23 Trustees report.
Our membership number recovered fully in 2021 with 162 members on the books by year-end. This was a new membership record, though this number masks an influx of new members and quite a significant number (around 15%) who did not renew post-pandemic. We followed up on these ‘regretted losses’ but no single factor was evident in their decision not to re-join. In most cases the
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reasons related to other activities/interests and work becoming available once more, and an inability to commit time to the club.
Post-pandemic we experienced a high level of demand for introductory courses (a primary means of attracting new members) and support to schools. Thirty-one seniors and around 30 juniors completed our introductory programmes in 2021, reflecting high levels of demand for outdoor activity. We were able to absorb most senior and junior adventure group paddlers and some racing paddlers as members but had to institute a junior waiting list in 2021/22 because the demand to join exceeded our ability to integrate new paddlers into the junior racing group.
When potential members are on a waiting list, there is a high chance that they will switch interest to another sport or activity and will be lost to paddlesport. This is a long-term systemic challenge which requires additional coaches, additional equipment, and facilities, all of which will need to be developed to keep pace with our forecast growth.
In 2021/21 our support to external organisations included:
- Support to Dauntsey’s School. We ran ten sessions on canoe and kayak for 12 students choosing paddlesport as a games option and delivered a paddlesport module for 120 students on their middle school adventure programme (known as Moonrakers).
- Support to local Primary Schools. We ran introductory sessions for Five Lanes and Thomas a Becket schools.
- Support to Devizes young people through the Lions Club sports coaching sessions. This delivers two free fun sessions for local children.
These commitments are only possible with the enthusiastic support of our coaching team. In 2021/22 they have, once again, risen to the challenge and delivered high-quality experiences to external organisations. This raises a significant amount of income from the club, and coaches generally receive payment of expenses for their commitment in line with club policy for payments to volunteers.
All support to external organisations is charged unless specifically approved as a ‘charitable purpose’ to ensure we meet our costs and make a reasonable surplus for the club. This helps to keep membership fee increases to a minimum.
With the club now fully back in use, membership and participation at pre-pandemic levels, our hardworking volunteer team delivering the programme, and the club well-represented at regional and national competitive events, we can say with confidence that the club has ‘bounced back’
## **Financials**
Our financial accounting period runs from 1[st] April to 31[st] March 2022, so the accounts presented at this AGM relate to a period ending seven months ago. This report will provide a narrative to support the club’s financial statement and a forward-looking view of the club’s financial health. An informal update covering the more recent period will be reported at the AGM. At the end of the last accounting period:
- The club held an operating surplus of £31,427, of which £19,218 are unrestricted reserves. This represents an increase of £614 on 2020/21. Our annual operating surplus of just over £113 indicates we were running on a fine margin in 2021/22 with increased costs of the activity programme and maintenance levels post pandemic.
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- Income does not include REME club membership or storage fees which remain outstanding for the period in question. The REME CC must therefore be regarded as a debtor, though we have control over their assets in storage, which is sufficient to cover their debt.
- Most income lines are in a healthy state and show significant increases from 2020/21:
- We made an income of £6,762 from coaching and equipment hire.
- We raised £2,029 from the sale of club kit and merchandise.
- We raised £3,660 from boat storage at full capacity throughout the year.
- Expenditure has increased in a number of areas with significant increases above 2020/21 on:
- Coaching and expenses increasing to an all-time high of £8,057 as we resourced the activity programme by paying expenses to coaches for programme delivery. Note that this sum is mostly, but not entirely, offset by coaching and hire income. From 2022 onwards we need to ensure this remains in balance.
- Expenditure on the built estate was £6,873 in 2021/22 and included the necessary maintenance to bring the club back into use.
- Utilities costs show an increase over 2020/21 which reflects increased use and will increase further in 2022/23 due to wholesale electricity and gas prices.
- The club maintains around 2 years’ operating costs in general reserve. Our restricted reserves included, at the end of the 2021/22 year, a £3,209 junior fund for the exclusive use of junior projects and bursaries, and a facilities (property) reserve of £9,000.
Our expenses in 2021/22 include the payment of entry fees for all crew boat entries to incentivise crew boat entries in competitions. We instituted a ‘towing fee’ to encourage larger teams to travel to events. By doing so, and reducing the cost of competition, we hope to ease the burden of families and increase participation. The affordability of this policy will be kept under review by the Treasurer.
Funds reserved for junior development, bursaries, and subsidising competition entries for club junior crews have been committed in the year to purchase junior development K1s and meet expenses for junior events.
During 2021/22 we secured a £10,000 Return to Play grant from Sport England. This enabled us to make a further purchase of development K1 and a K2 targeted at smaller paddlers (predominantly juniors and women). Delivery of these additional hulls was completed in 2022.
Club trustees met in mid-2021 to agree on nearly £12,000 of investment in our club facilities. The bulk of this money was and is being spent on enhancements to security and safety, including CCTV security cameras and improved main gate access. The club now has 24/7 camera surveillance and digital recording via a wireless link. A benefit of this programme is that we have Wi-Fi available at the club for the first time. We agreed to supply a digital key fob to every member for access and have work in progress to modify gate access and enhance storage to provide limited additional capacity.
We installed a semi-automatic emergency defibrillator (AED) on-site, and the Trustees allocated a budget for club boat maintenance and repair. The spend of this budget has been delegated to speed up the process of getting work done.
Some planned works, including building rendering, have been deliberately put on hold during the year pending further information about local developments directly affecting the club’s site. These developments are summarised in a paragraph about the club’s future.
We are pleased to report that the club is in robust financial shape at the end of this challenging year and able to invest in the future.
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A summary of the accounts is sent with this report to the Members before the AGM and full accounts are submitted to the Charity Commission and are available for public scrutiny.
## **Achievements**
National Sprint Regatta April 2022. We entered a relatively small team, with one exception all were junior paddlers, and saw many of our team reach A and B finals. We recorded some great race wins. Highlights included Mollie Ball winning the U16 girls K1 500 and 1000, and coming 2nd in the 200, and Arthur Hunter-Hopkins with a partner from another club, winning the U14 boys K2 500 & 1000.
Many DCC paddlers competed in the Waterside Series marathon races. In total 31 club paddlers competed in the Waterside Series with notable podium places in races by Dylan Martin, Will Scaplehorn, Jamie Lovell, Zoe Palmer and Edie Noble. The series results saw DCC crews winning JWK2 (Will Scaplehorn/Jamie Lovell), MMK2 and 2[nd] VMK2 (Kevin Crabb/Neil Edgar), 2[nd] place JMK2 (Dylan Martin/Fowey CC partner), 2nd SWK2 (Vanessa Colyer/Amy Colyer), 2[nd] SMK1 (Matt Hamblen) and 4[th] VMK1 (Charlie Mayo). This was our best series result ever!
Twenty-four DCC paddlers represented the club in the Devizes to Teddington (a shortened DW race) race over Easter and achieved amazing results, with an overall win for William Scaplehorn/Jamie Lovell in Junior Men K2 and Zoe Palmer/Edie Noble in Junior Women K2. With other great individual results, DCC finished with the Junior Doubles Trophy, the Combined Class Trophy (Fastest Senior K2, Junior K2 and Senior K1) and the Senior Singles Team Trophy. Yet again, this was our best team performance ever.
Our first full Hasler Race at Chippenham CSC was a success despite a challenging portage and weather. To our team’s credit, we won the team competition against some significant opposition, including our local rivals Bradford on Avon and the two big regional clubs Exeter and Gloucester.
Individual paddlers achieved phenomenal results this season with promotions across the board. For the first time, at the end of 2021, we have several juniors promoted to a level where they have a realistic chance of promotion in 2022 to the top divisions in marathon and sprint, but also a strong group of younger paddlers transitioning from Lightning and mini sprint to full racing divisions.
## **Strategic Development**
At our last AGM we made a statement to members about plans, then recently in the public domain, to develop the Assizes Court as a future home for the Wiltshire Museum and Wadworth & Co’s plans to move the brewing operations to a new site in Devizes.
We do not expect (or want) short-term access to adjacent unoccupied buildings owned by Wadworth & Co and the Devizes Assizes Court Trust (DACT). We intend to find long-term solutions to accommodate our growth with development funding and security of tenure.
The Club Trustees’ position remains that we have no concerns about the long-term viability of the club or the site we occupy. We have a 125-year lease and 25-year leases on the section of Lower Wharf roadway within club boundaries and the launch area. This, with a legally sound right of access over the Lower Wharf roadway, gives us a strong hand in any negotiations.
Since April 2021 we have been actively engaging with the consultation process being undertaken by both parties and with Wiltshire Council, our property owner. We successfully influenced the Wharf Development Brief Update to include the club’s ambitions and the need to seize opportunities to enhance and extend the club’s facilities as these projects progress. The consultation process
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continues, though it remains too early to know whether we will be able to secure any of the development opportunities identified. It will be vital to build the club’s public profile over the next year to give key stakeholders a much better understanding of our priorities and development needs.
We have an active working group now looking at the feasibility of three options identified in the 2022 Wharf Development Brief Update. We intend to publish a feasibility paper when the development brief itself is subject to a formal consultation process in the next few months, and we will continue to have conversations with important stakeholders that are directly involved and privy to confidential information. These include Wiltshire Council, Devizes Town Council Planning Committee, Wadworth & Co and the DACT.
Mark Bouch Chair, on behalf of the Trustees
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**Charity Name No (if any) Devizes Canoe Club 1156402**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Devizes Canoe Club 1156402
Receipts and payments accounts
For the period Period start date Period end date
To
from 4/1/2021 3/31/2022
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Grants and donations 11,422 - - 11,422
Members subscriptions 11,899 - - 11,899
Fundraising events 10,709 - - 10,709
Boat storage and fobs 3,776 - - 3,776
Memberships in advance 2,205 - - 2,205
Camp income 350 - - 350
Equipment sale 950 - - 950
- - - -
41,311 - - 41,311
Sub total (Gross income for AR)
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - -
Total receipts 41,311 - - 41,311
A3 Payments
Cost of Fundraising events 10,760 - - 10,760
Lighting and Heating 1,577 - - 1,577
Insurance and subscriptions 1,443 - - 1,443
Grant related expenditure 927 - - 927
Camp expenses 221 - - 221
Premises expenditure 6,873 - - 6,873
Welfare and training - - - -
Sundry 768 - - 768
Website 361 - - 361
Sub total [ 22,930 ] - - 22,930
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
Equipment 15,562 - - 15,562
- - - -
Sub total [ 15,562 ] - - 15,562
Total payments 38,492 - - 38,492
Net of receipts/(payments) 2,819 - - 2,819
A5 Transfers between funds 1,919 # - 1,919 - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 21,719 12,209 - 33,928
Cash funds this year end 26,457 10,290 - 36,747
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
||||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**|**Details**||**funds**||**funds**|
|**B1 Cash funds**|Bank
Cash|**_Total cash funds_**|**to nearest £**
**24,915**
**1,542**
**-**
**26,457**|
|**to nearest £**
**10,290**
**-**
**-**
**10,290**|
||(agree|balances with receipts and payments
account(s))|OK|OK||
||||**Unrestricted**||**Restricted**|
||||**funds**||**funds**|
|**B2 Other monetary assets**|**Details**||**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|
|**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|
|**B3 Investment assets**|**Details**||**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**|**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**||
|**B4 Assets retained for the**|**Details**
Equipment||Unrestricted
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**|**Cost (optional)**
**-**0||
|**charity’s own use**|Stock||Unrestricted|
|**500**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|
||||**Fund to which**||**Amount due**|
|**B5 Liabilities**|**Details**||**liability relates**|
|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**(optional)**|
|Signed by one or two trustees on
||Signature|Print|Name||
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
Signature
P A Papworth-Smith
**----- Start of picture text -----**
CC16a
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **Last year**
## **to the nearest £**
**13,671 9,778 3,692 2,205 - 2,336 - 950 - 27,960**
**27,960**
**3,594 1,341 2,008 - - 910 - 1,681 - 9,534**
**6,282 6,282 15,816 12,144 - 22,734 34,878**
## **Endowment funds**
**to nearest £ - - - -**
OK
**Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - -**
**Current value (optional) - - - - -**
**Current value (optional) - 500 - - - - - - - When due (optional)**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Date of
approval
1/27/2023
**----- End of picture text -----**
(HARirY
MISSIO
Independent examiner's report on the
accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the trusteesl
members of
Devizes Canoe Club
On accounts for the year
ended
3110312022
Charity no
(if any)
1156402
Set out on pages
Respectlve The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts.
responsibilities of The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year
trustees and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Acl 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an
independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to..
examine the accounts under section 145 ofthe Charities Act,
to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the
Charity Commission (under section 14515)Ib) of the Charities Acl, and
lo state whether particular matters have come lo my attention.
Basi5 of independent My examination was carried oul in accordance with general Directions given
exarniner's statement by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review ofthe
accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts
presenled wilh those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual
items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the
trustees conceming any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not
provide all the evidence thal would be required in an audil, and
consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true
and fair, view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the
statement below.
Independent In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention
examinerfs statement 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in. any material respect,
the requirements:
to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the
Charities Act,. and
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and
comply with the accounting requirements of Ihe Charities Act
have not been met., or
2. to which, in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a
proper understanding ofthe accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Date:
2710112023
Name:
S Holland
Relevant professlonal
qualificationlsl or body
F.C.A.
Address:
29 Devizes Road
Swindon
SN14BG