2023-11-30-accounts - Buckingham Canal Society

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator. This document is also available as Markdown.

Trustees’ report and accounts for the year ending 30[th] November 2023

==> picture [97 x 98] intentionally omitted <==

Over 500m of connected waterway fully restored in 2023

Section one linked to main Grand Union
Piling continues along section

one

A5 underpass is viable.
Trees and

biodiversity continue to thrive.

==> picture [263 x 145] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [263 x 105] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [193 x 129] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [192 x 129] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [193 x 130] intentionally omitted <==

Buckingham Canal Society - Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation No. 1156662. 10[th] Annual General Meeting of the CIO. 32[nd] Annual Society Meeting

Agenda

Saturday 2[nd] March 2024 at Buckingham Community Centre from 7pm

1) Introductions
2) Apologies
3) Minutes
4) Matters Arising
5) Trustee’s Report
6) Treasurer’s Report Year ending 30.11.2023 7) Adoption of Accounts
8) Election of Trustees
9) Resolutions
10) Members’ questions.
11) Any Other Business
12) Closing Remarks

All photographic copyright is acknowledged.

==> picture [367 x 276] intentionally omitted <==

Above – farm crossing “narrows” 500m along section one now “full”; Front cover – Left – Section one now open! ; top right – “DIANA” approaching the bridge; right middle – Mike Freeman (one of the original trustees of BCS) cuts the cake; right bottom, David Suchet “opens” section one with Tim Coglan after naming “DIANA” in memory of his wife

Introduction

Cosgrove Section One - Open! Done! Finished! Complete!

We thank all the many current and past volunteers over the years as we celebrate opening 500m (plus) of canal at Cosgrove linked under Bridge One to the main Grand Union Canal. Our gratitude must also go to the nay sayers for motivating us to this collective success.

As we write this just before Christmas, there is still some work to complete before we can moor boats here, but it will enable BCS to have an income stream which won’t be grant nor donation based. Restoration has to be sustainable at financial, environmental, hydrological and several other “dimensions”. Having this income stream will be vital for BCS to stand up as a viable restoration business.

We also start 2024 with a number of changes in personnel as four of our trustees have stepped down during 2023.

 Rob Morris, our chairman, stood down following health issues along with work pressures. We are grateful to his commitment over the years he has been involved.
 Amanda Robinson has also stood down for separate health issues.
 Paul Sayer has moved to be closer with his son and their young family near Cambridge and has stood down. Paul has been amazing to work with in his knowledge gained over years and years of “pouring concrete” across the world.
 Colin Levett has decided to stand down as Trustee and Grants Officer. His tenacity will be missed although he remains as an active volunteer.

Four newish faces join us as trustees being:

 Steve Morley
 Mandy Morley
 Ruth Millard
 Paul Rodgers

More information about these folk further in this annual report alongside their nominations for relection following co-option in January.

This annual report

This document has been produced, printed, and published by the Trustees of the Buckingham Canal Society which is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered number 1156662.

The Society’s registered address is 2 Staters Pound, Pennyland, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK15 8AX

Agenda item 3

Minutes of the 31[st] Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 18th March 2023

1 Introductions

Terry Cavender welcomed those present.

Trustees Present: Terry Cavender (Exec Officer), Colin Levett (Grants Officer), Richard Dwight (Treasurer), Athina Beckett, Paul Sayer. Gerry Millard, Edima Inwang (co-opted).

2 Apologies Lord Boswell, Lord and Lady Scott, Ray & Margaret Titmus, Ian Orton, Martin Tett, Sharron Comerford, Margaret Gately, Mayor of Buckingham, Ros &Jeremy Woodford, Geoff & Marian Wheeler. Don & Jill Alison, Howard Mordue, Rob Morris, Amanda Robinson.
NB . As 31 people were present the meeting was deemed to be quorate.
3 Minutes
4 Matters Arising
The minutes of the AGM held on Friday 25[th] March 2022 were accepted as a correct record. (Proposed Gerry Millard, seconded Mandy Morley).
None.
5 Opening Comments Terry explained our chairman was unable to be present, due to work commitments.
6 Trustee Report
This was presented by Terry as CEO, who walked through the report, adding comments on what other canal organisations were doing and what we might learn from them, explaining that BCS future plans are restricted by funding and land ownership issues, which we are ever hopeful of overcoming. Cosgrove lease was expected to be signed in next few weeks. Terry explained why we have acquired our boats and how they would be used as work tools and provide an income stream for third party works. Shivanshi was introduced as our new support worker. There were no questions from the floor.
7 Treasurer’s Report The Treasurer gave a brief report on the year’s finances, explaining some of for year ending 30[th] the larger figures. There was one question from the floor on income from November 2022 goods and services. Terry explained that it was a payment from CRT to provide assistance for works they were carrying out nearby on the Grand Union, an example of co-operative working.
8 Adoption of Accounts The accounts were presented, agreed and unanimously accepted. Proposed Alan Mynard, seconded Dianne Witts.
9 Election of Trustees Terry Cavender for re-election, proposed Colin Levett, seconded Paul Sayer.
Edima Inwang for election (previously co-opted), proposed Colin Levett, seconded Paul Sayer.
18 members voted for, none against.
10 Resolutions There were no resolutions.
11 Members Questions There was a question on whether the river could be used for navigation. There was a short discussion on how this had been the case in the past but was no longer suitable.
12 A.O.B. None
13 Closing Remarks Terry thanked everyone for coming and their continued support and closed the formal part of the meeting, inviting all attendees to remain for the buffet and the talk on the historical impact of the Buckingham Canal.

Meeting closed at 8:15pm

Agenda Item 5 - Buckingham Canal Society Trustees Report

Overview

2023 was another great year. Restoration work has been progress as well as maintenance at our other locations.

Site by site - Cosgrove

At Cosgrove, the stop planks under Bridge One have been removed and allowed the rewatered and restored Section One to become connected to the mainline of the Grand Union
Bridge One continues to be in use for the farm traffic and astound people at the achievement.
Bugingham Palace, a bug hotel for our creepy crawly residents is increasing its population with each season.
Hedge laying along the bridge ramps and the community orchard on the land adjacent to the bridge ramp continue to mature.
When you visit Bridge One (and please do visit), you will see that the wooden stop planks are now stored at the side of the towpath. These await their final storage being build net to the bridge
There is some minor dredging work to be completed along with bank profiling to bring this section to be suitable for mooring and fully remediate the leaks. Following reviews with CRT engineering staff, there are 3 places that we are preparing to add sheet piles.
At the farm crossing we have formed a “narrows” with stop planks which enabled the connection at Bridge One in September. The last of the piling work here on the towpath side is in progress should be completed in first quarter of 2024.

==> picture [234 x 176] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [237 x 177] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [255 x 144] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [216 x 144] intentionally omitted <==

Top left: Volunteers from Arriva. Top right: Wildlife in the rewatered section at Cosgrove. Middle left: Wildlife in the rewatered section at Cosgrove. Middle right: work at the landing stage,

Additionally, we have continued rewatering the bed in section two at Cosgrove and beyond the oil pipeline into section three taking us towards the bund created at bridge two. We have also commenced work to harvest the ground water from the field drain which will be lifted into the canal using a solar pump.
All the sections in water to varying depths continue to thrive in terms of vegetation and wildlife. Discussions continue to form a winding hole at section two near the wooded area combined with recreation of a slipway at this location when funds re available. Meanwhile, the water level is being maintained whenever water is available, and restoration works allow.
At Bridge 2, the equipment and materials are relocated from bridge one compound to bridge two. We continue to enjoy the formal access licence from the gate near the bus stop to enable us to work at Bridge Two thanks to Frontier Developments. We still await the final signatures on the CRT lease which is at version 6 following input from Richard Smith of Sandstone Law for whom we are extremely grateful for his pro-bono assistance. The flood sluice has been reinstated and is pending a CCTV survey of the culvert which is discharges through.
Discussion with CRT and the Inland Drainage Board along with landowners are still ongoing for exactly where and how we route the descent channel to the A5.
Design work has continued to progress with National Highways (NH) for the canal passing under the A5 bridge structure. NH have confirmed structural teams and geotechnical team approved the concept design work and we now await the criteria for next round of funding. It’s a government process so the timeline is beyond our control but still getting positive updates from the NH team.
At the risk of repeating previous overviews, it has again been another wonderful year for the Society. All the “in water” parts continue to flourish as a mature canal section with a rich range of aquatic related biodiversity now fully established. Indeed, our work at the Cosgrove bridge continues to be used by farm traffic throughout all the seasons. Many conversations continue with various councils and landowners to enable our restorations plans to proceed.

 Site by site - Little Hill Farm

A mile of the canal has previously been cleared and the bridge restored. No work has been undertaken this past year at Little Hill Farm although we hope to return there soon to clear vegetation and discussions are ongoing to facilitate this.

==> picture [423 x 245] intentionally omitted <==

Above: the farm bridge restored by BCS at Little Hill Farm

Site by site - Hyde Lane Nature Reserve

The solar panel, pump, and control system continue to successfully bring water into the old canal section, maintaining levels according to the depth of water in the reservoir and amount of sunlight available. The rewatering process is being intentionally carried out at a slow pace as we make efforts to repair any damage caused by tree roots and animal burrows to the clay, with the ultimate goal of maintaining the water level once rewatered. The slow rewatering process also allows wildlife to gradually adapt to the changes. Over the year, several trees have fallen, and our volunteers have worked to clear them to keep the right of way open whenever possible. While most of the channel is ready for rewatering, leak remediation will still be required as the clay fully rehydrates to prevent any wash through. At Hyde Lane the lock gates have been painted, foliage cleared from both inside and outside lock chamber, canal towpath strimmed, and canal bank cleared.

==> picture [251 x 335] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [248 x 336] intentionally omitted <==

Clearing the lock at Hyde Lane

The BCS Fleet!

The BCS "fleet" currently comprises of four vessels.

Diana the dredger has joined us and is in active operational service
Louise, the crane boat, was acquired by the BCS in Christmas 2020, thanks to Rob Locatelli of Canal and River Services. This 55ft long wide beam 100-year-old iron and concrete beet barge from the fens was converted by the National Trust in the 1980s and fitted with a HIAB crane, powerpack with pallet grab, grab bucket and a hook option.
Rob also facilitated the acquisition of another dredger, PERSEVERANCE II, which is moored at in stages to Cosgrove. Previously used for dredging on the Basingstoke Canal, PERCY is a 50ft long

wide beam steel boat fitted with an excavator mounted with a grab bucket and on boat mud hopper. It also has a large rake that can be put on the end of the arm.

Since October 2021, we have had use of SHOVELER, a long-term loan bantam class pusher tug from CRT, to aid the Cosgrove operations. The vessel, which has a twin-cylinder lister engine, is named after a duck.

==> picture [524 x 239] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [231 x 174] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [261 x 174] intentionally omitted <==

Above Left: CRT Tug SHOVELER moored at Cosgrove with “Harvey” the Hopper waiting to start unloading more dredgings (TC). Above Right: Tug SHOVELER bringing PERSERVERANCE II north to Cosgrove where she will help us with dredging works whilst being restored and painted. Bottom left LOUISE (TC) and bottom Right: DIANA at the opening of Section One at Cosgrove

Our thanks to the CRT East Midlands Operations Team who have kindly arranged for the licence fees on both workboats to be discounted by 100% in recognition of the work we are able to do in assisting the Ops team and other voluntary groups in the Southern Area of the East Midlands Region. Additional thanks for the ongoing loan of Shoveler the tug to help us with dredging and other movements of vessels.

Site by site - Bourton Meadow

Work parties have continued at our sites at Bourton Meadow and Hyde Lane Nature Reserve on alternative Thursdays and on the second Sunday of each month throughout the year.

At Bourton Meadow the tow path has strimmed as well as hedges maintained and adjacent areas of the public space. Massive amounts of weed and reeds removed from the canal by both our own volunteers and helped by outside company visits and we already have more outside companies booked for 2024. Wildflowers have been planted on canal offside and about seventy saplings planted in hedge next to tow path and seating area cleared of stinging nettles.

==> picture [242 x 326] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [242 x 327] intentionally omitted <==

Above Bourton Meadow volunteers clearing the waterway to keep it an open space

We also have a camera at Bourton Meadow which is linked to Youtube. Take a look and see at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfbomsVilyQ or search Youtube for Buckingham canal cameras

Thanks to our people .

As always, a massive thank you to all our partners, volunteers, members, supporters, neighbours, and many others. We would like to highlight a few examples of some of the less visible works that we have been involved in:

Keith Rawlings – ongoing as our structural engineer. Keith is a seconded volunteer via the IWA and BCS fund the professional indemnity insurance for this secondment.
Colin Levett - has done an amazing job in managing the various grants. You will see in the accounts the income generated from grants. We believe that this averages out to about 5 hours of effort for every £1,000 of grant income, which is a significant amount of time and money. Colin has now stood down as grants officer but continues to support the grants team in what we hope will be a successful year of applications.
Ian Matson - is our newsletter editor who continues to do an excellent job despite working remotely. Ian helps us with producing the excellent Navigator and various other posters.
Alan Mynard, Gerry Millard and Matt Lane for their hours of patient work behind the scenes repairing and restoring engines and boats and all things mechanical

Partnerships

Our many great partnerships continue to firmly position the society for the short and medium term. Our financial health allows us to remain viable, but we are always looking for new ideas and folk to join the team. Thanks to our members, donors, grantors, and other benefactors for allowing us to keep our financial head above water. Thousands of hours of hard work have once again been given to the society by current and past trustees, volunteers, members, partners, and supporters. The current trustees thank you all for your time, energy, and funding to keep us on track towards the restoration.

BCS continues to enjoy support from MKDons, a significant adjacent landowner, and we are

==> picture [236 x 178] intentionally omitted <==

formalizing the access track to the canal at Cosgrove following the granting of planning permission. This will ensure BCS has unrestricted access to the bridge and the canal channel, making materials and equipment access much easier. We are grateful to the commercial team at MKDons for supporting us through the planning discussions for this.

We are also fully engaged with the new owners of the land adjacent to the canal from bridge two to the A5, Frontier Developments. They have been kind enough to facilitate the land access license, allowing

us to get vehicles, equipment , and machinery to Bridge two and the channel.

We have continued to enjoy an outstanding partnership with CRT, who have helped us with various training aspects, technical guidance, providing materials including clay and stone, and of course, the loan of the tug Shoveler. BCS has, in return, assisted with signage and a number of maintenance tasks around Cosgrove, as well as the ongoing dredging. The trustees collectively express their thanks to Linny Beaumont and her regional team for their support and tolerance as we strive to achieve the restoration.

Membership

Membership numbers have remained steady, although we have sadly lost a few older members. However, we have been able to attract some new members during the year through the aid of our online payment system. This is now provided via Sum-Up through the BCS online shop and can be used by people wishing to join for the first time or by existing members to renew their membership. For more information, please visit: https://www.shop.buckinghamcanal.org.uk

The marketing team have revamped our information and membership leaflets. Increasing our membership numbers remains a continuing priority, and we extend our thanks to Jean and Chris for their work supporting the membership administration.

Community Engagement – Goodbye Shivanshi

Shivanshi has left BCS employment to take full time employment after finishing her master’s course. The funding for this role has now concluded its 5 years and we are in process of re-applying to the Lottery for a further 5-year funding stream to be able to appoint a successor

During her time with us, Shivanshi has driven several initiatives, and this have helped us advance in a number of new ways all resulting in Community Engagement. We wish her good luck and are pleased that she has agreed to remain with us as a member and volunteer.

==> picture [204 x 102] intentionally omitted <==

Five-year grant 2019-2024

==> picture [223 x 169] intentionally omitted <==

Strategic Plan

We are fortunate to have the help from Geoff Lambert who has helped BCS develop a Strategic Plan. This sets out the eleven themes we are pursuing in re-creating the waterway to Buckingham. The plan is a living document and sets out the progress we expect to make in a rolling 2-3-year window with a focus on the progress we want to make in the next 12 months. This is designed to ensure we have a clearer understanding of the range of tasks we need to undertake and who we need to partner with in achieving our goals; the order in which events need to take place and ensure that we obtain the necessary authorities to proceed; protect the environment and biodiversity of the route; maximise landowner and Community involvement, and plan for appropriate income streams in the future.

If you would like a copy of the Strategic Plan or feel able to help in its maintenance as an important part of the restoration, please contact any of the trustees preferably by email to

Trustees@buckinghamcanal.org.uk

Publicity & Fundraising Stall

Since Covid the stall has resumed its role of publicising the work of the society, recruiting new volunteers and raising funds for the BCS. Over the last few years, the stall has raised over £11,00 to support the work of the society.

Last year the stall visited several smaller local festivals and also travelled further afield to visit the Braunston Historic Boats festivals at Braunston, the Linford Canal festival as well as our own festival at Cosgrove.

One of the main attractions on the stall are the had made rag rugs made by Athina Beckett and sold on the stall for £25 and she is always looking for more old tee shirts that can be recycled and made into rag rugs again raising more funds for the BCS

Hours and Work Parties

With COVID restrictions lifted, people were able to meet outdoors again. Unfortunately, some offices had become accustomed to working from home and allowed most of their key staff to continue working remotely. This had a negative impact on the turnout of volunteers for work parties as staff numbers dwindled. Despite this, over 5,000 hours of volunteer work were recorded at Bourton Meadows in 2022. This time on site was made possible through the participation of companies, groups, and Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) visits, working alongside our own volunteers. Without their assistance, much of the work achieved during last year may not have been possible. In addition, the trustees and management team contributed over 4,000 hours of voluntary work outside of the project site. This is a remarkable achievement, given the disruptions caused by COVID, and amounts to over 9,000 hours of voluntary effort, equivalent to over 1,200 person days and a match funding value of over £100,000 in lottery terms.

We currently aim for over 150 planned workdays each year subject to weather etc. The work parties involve a range of tasks, and everyone is welcome to join any of them. The work parties are on Tuesdays Thursdays and on the second Sunday of each month. On alternate Thursdays and on the second Sunday Athina Beckett runs work parties at Bourton Meadow and Hyde Lanne focusing on conservation and the environment at these two sites. At Cosgrove, the teamwork Tuesday and Thursday with focus on dredging, bricklaying, construction work and equipment maintenance..

==> picture [246 x 137] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [201 x 133] intentionally omitted <==

Above left - hedge planting at the bridge steps and right Hyde Lane after a bit of a tidy up!

BCS Talks

In 2023 the BCS Athina Beckett gave talks to various groups which include FOLIC, Winslow Library, Potterspury History Group, Stony Stratford History group and Maids Moreton U3A .again raising more funds for the BCS

BCS Festival and Craft Fair

The 28th annual Cosgrove Canal Festival & Craft Fair was successful albeit a very wet Saturday afternoon. Once again, the hard work and rapid organization of the team ensured the festival was successful.

The excitement started building from Thursday onwards as colourful boats and traders arrived to set up their stalls. Visitors kept coming with estimates indicating that the festival again attracted over a thousand people. It was rewarding to see so many people enjoying themselves over the two-day festival. There were plenty of canal-themed activities, wonderful entertainment, delicious food and drink, making it a worthwhile event for everyone.

The Buckingham Canal Society's information tent was in prime position on the towpath, providing a platform to chat with festivalgoers, promote the canal, raise awareness, and recruit new volunteers (it's not too late to express an interest!).Visitors were also encouraged to take a stroll to view the bridge and the progress of all their other projects along the arm and surrounding area.

FESTIVAL HELP NEEDED

The 2023 festival was successful thanks to a small group of trustees and volunteers. In order to avoid the 2024 being the last festival, we need more help. It doesn’t have to be all weekend! A few hours on Friday helping setup, or Sunday taking down would be welcomed as well as help on the Saturday and Sunday at the event itself. Help would also be welcomed in the planning of events.

Please contact any of the trustees or events team to find our more or offer you time

SAVE THE DATE: weekend of 20[th] July 2024

Social Media

We have increased our social media presence with almost 3,000 people following the society on Facebook. One recent post was seen by nearly 20,000 people. Even if we do not use social media in our personal lives, we all know people who are avid users, and it is a necessary outlet for information these days. Our reach has considerably increased, which is critical for sharing information about our activities and plans. Apart from Instagram and Twitter (now X), we have added LinkedIn to our list of social media accounts, hoping to attract more corporate volunteers and donors. Do you know anyone who can help keep our pages up to date? Please chat with a trustee!

To find us:

Search Facebook for "Buckingham Canal Society": or go direct to

https://www.facebook.com/BuckinghamCanalSociety/ for X (Twitter): @BCSocietyUK on Instagram: BuckinghamCanalSociety LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bcsocietyuk Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuckinghamCanalSociety

We've been actively maintaining our website too, with Alan as our dedicated Webmaster. He's been doing a great job of keeping the website content up to date, reflecting the progress we've made so far and our future plans. Many thanks to Alan for his many hours of back-room projects as well as help with engines, painting and much, much more.

Fancy a Natter? - Projects and Operational

The Projects group meets monthly to cover all operational aspects of BCS, including maintenance, events, and work party planning. We alternate between face-to-face meetings and conference calls each month, currently on the 3rd Monday, to work through multiple tasks related to each project and section of the canal. This ensures we are prepared when opportunities arise that will further the canal restoration work, while also ensuring focus around governance and strategy for trustee meetings. If you would like to be involved, please contact any of the trustees at Trustees@buckinghamcanal.org.uk.

Keith Rawlings, a structural engineer, is another much-valued member of our team. He kindly gives us his time "pro bono" in designing the structural elements, such as Bridge One at Cosgrove and the towpath wall.

We are always looking for further help, both on the ground and in "back office" roles. Please think of everyone you know and how they could help us as we continue the drive for restoration. That help might be on a work party, fundraising, becoming a member, lobbying local councillors, or joining in the management of the society to help guide us to the next stages. We all believe in the aim of restoration, and many discussions at preliminary stages are driving this to become very real.

BCS Grants and fundraising

Our grant income has been challenging this year mostly through grant bodies targeting different criteria such as cost of living and hardship.

However, we have been fortunate to receive two, including the following. We are especially grateful to Colin for his previous work as grants officer. Ruth Millard is now taking this role on going forward with support from all the trustees as well as Colin and Claire

Big Lottery £5,000 Community Engagement Lead funding Heart of Bucks £5,000 Tools and equipment

We have also been very fortunate to receive a significant donation of £50,000 from Tim Coglan at Braunstone Marina. This has funded the piling work that has enabled section 1 to reopen as well as the purchase and restoration for DIANA our dredger named in memory of Tim’s wife.

Please note that some of these figures are different to the grant funding amounts shown in the accounts. This is because not all awarded amounts have been processed &/or expended in our 2022/23 financial year.

GDPR

New data protection legislation came into force in May 2018. The law applies to all public bodies, businesses, and other organizations that process personal data, including the BCS.

Our GDPR principles are as follows:

We will process all personal data fairly and lawfully.
We will only process personal data for specified and lawful purposes.
We will endeavour to hold relevant and accurate personal data, and where practical, we will keep it up to date.
We will not keep personal data for longer than is necessary.
We will keep all personal data secure.
We will endeavour to ensure that personal data is not transferred to countries outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) without adequate protection.

BCS will comply with the GDPR as a controller and processor of data. We will implement relevant policies and practices to protect any data handled by the BCS, including data for our employees, customers, suppliers, partners, and stakeholders.

For further details, please visit our website.

Heritage and Archaeology

There has been no significant progress with regards to further progressing the archaeological work that is required including several geophysical surveys in the past 12 months. If you or anyone you know would like to help develop this activity, please chat to any of the trustees.

Working closely with the local council's Heritage Department we have managed to start protecting several structures, including Thornton Bridge on a local level. We intend to progress these to potential restoration as soon as possible. Hopefully, we will be able to add them to a national list as well.

==> picture [347 x 261] intentionally omitted <==

Thornton Bridge

==> picture [375 x 211] intentionally omitted <==

Uncovering the landing stage remains at Cosgrove

Agenda item 6 and 7 –Treasurer’s Report and Accounts

Explanatory Notes

The report format follows the new look we adopted at the 2022 AGM. The figures are sorted first by income or expenditure type, the “what”, then by the “where”.

Income by General Ledger type shows how the income was generated. Expenditure by General Ledger type shows what the money was spent on. Income by Cost Centre shows where it came from.

Expenditure by Cost Centre shows where the funding came from.

The use of Designated and Unrestricted funds is controlled by the trustees.

The use of Restricted funds is dictated by the donor, for a specific project or use, and must be kept separate.

The General Picture

Income exceeded expenditure by £25,206. This leaves us with sufficient funds to cover our core costs, those expenses we cannot avoid, such as insurance and equipment maintenance, currently standing at around £25k p.a.

On the income side, the two big variables from year to year are grants and donations. With the current economic situation, it appears that many grants are now being focused more on improving the circumstances of individuals rather than project works. This makes searching-out new funding opportunities more complex and time consuming, reading all the small print. Any help in this area will be greatly appreciated.

Richard Dwight Treasurer and Trustee

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 NOVEMBER 2023

Income by General Ledger type Advertising Bank Interest Donations:General (includes expenses donated back) Donations (Payroll & Local Giving) Fundraising (excluding Raffles) Fundraising (Lottery) Grant Income HMRC Gift Aid Refund Insurance Claim Membership Subscriptions Sale of Goods & Services Sales Stand (BCS) & Online Shop Sales Stand (Third Party/Concessions)	2023 2022 £ £ 88 44 209 18 58,158 25,699 572 280 83 424 297 352 10,000 10,100 5,415 2,974 5,170 0 1,268 2,508 3,236 2,035 1,083 1,294 1,525 975 87,104 46,703

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 NOVEMBER 2023 (continued)

Income by Cost Centre Designated Income Funds:IWA Christopher Power Award 2 Designated Income Funds:Co-op LCF 2023 Designated Income Funds:Cosgrove Piling Designated Income Funds: Contingencies Restricted Income Funds:Big Lottery Fund:Reaching Communities Restricted Income Funds:Cosgrove Marina Restricted Income Funds:Member Restoration Works Restricted Income Funds:Tim Coghlan "Diana" Fund (Dredger) Restricted Income Funds:Tim Coghlan Bridge fund Restricted Income Funds:BC Community Bd Wildlife Cameras Restricted Income Funds:Bucks Heritage Trail Restricted Income Funds:HoB - Tools & Equipment Unrestricted Funds:Events & Functions Unrestricted Funds:General income (includes expenses donated back) Unrestricted Funds:HQ:Membership (includes life memberships) Expenditure by General Ledger type Advertising Computer, phone & internet charges Event costs Fuel, oil & sundries General office expenditure Grant-funded wages Hire of premises Insurance Licences & permits Materials Plant & Equipment purchases Plant & vehicle maintenance Plant hire Professional Fees Refreshments & Hospitality Road tax Stationery, printing & postage Stock for Online Shop Subscriptions Training & Development Travel Expense:Mileage Claims (Mostly donated back)	2023 2022 £ £ 0 1,000 1,164 0 18,000 0 2,000 750 5,000 5,000 0 250 180 165 10,000 10,000 10,000 0 0 2,950 3,236 0 5,000 0 3,448 3,263 27,808 20,817 1,268 2,508
	87,104 46,703
	594 827 980 1,996 115 20 2,808 2,021 0 73 3,815 4,565 667 781 6,837 5,346 150 512 22,328 1,006 2,663 14,867 9,264 5,759 801 222 1,775 0 267 218 320 290 1,878 1,745 0 36 167 89 470 1,200 5,999 7,745 61,898 49,318

Income by Cost Centre
Designated Income Funds:IWA Christopher Power Award 2
Designated Income Funds:Co-op LCF 2023
Designated Income Funds:Cosgrove Piling
Designated Income Funds: Contingencies
Restricted Income Funds:Big Lottery Fund:Reaching Communities
Restricted Income Funds:Cosgrove Marina
Restricted Income Funds:Member Restoration Works
Restricted Income Funds:Tim Coghlan "Diana" Fund (Dredger)
Restricted Income Funds:Tim Coghlan Bridge fund
Restricted Income Funds:BC Community Bd Wildlife Cameras
Restricted Income Funds:Bucks Heritage Trail
Restricted Income Funds:HoB - Tools & Equipment
Unrestricted Funds:Events & Functions
Unrestricted Funds:General income (includes expenses donated back)
Unrestricted Funds:HQ:Membership (includes life memberships)
Expenditure by General Ledger type
Advertising
Computer, phone & internet charges
Event costs
Fuel, oil & sundries
General office expenditure
Grant-funded wages
Hire of premises
Insurance
Licences & permits
Materials
Plant & Equipment purchases
Plant & vehicle maintenance
Plant hire
Professional Fees
Refreshments & Hospitality
Road tax
Stationery, printing & postage
Stock for Online Shop
Subscriptions
Training & Development
Travel Expense:Mileage Claims (Mostly donated back)

2023
2022
£
£
0
1,000
1,164
0
18,000
0
2,000
750
5,000
5,000
0
250
180
165
10,000
10,000
10,000
0
0
2,950
3,236
0
5,000
0
3,448
3,263
27,808
20,817
1,268
2,508

87,104
46,703

594
827
980
1,996
115
20
2,808
2,021
0
73
3,815
4,565
667
781
6,837
5,346
150
512
22,328
1,006
2,663
14,867
9,264
5,759
801
222
1,775
0
267
218
320
290
1,878
1,745
0
36
167
89
470
1,200
5,999
7,745
61,898
49,318

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 NOVEMBER 2023 (continued)

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 NOVEMBER 2023 (continued)
Expenditure by Cost Centre Designated Income Funds:Co-op LCF 2023 Designated Income Funds:Cosgrove Piling Designated Income Funds:IWA Christopher Power Award 1 Designated Income Funds:IWA Christopher Power Award 2 Designated Income Funds:Van Purchase Fund Restricted Income Funds:BC Community Board: Weed & Seed Restricted Income Funds:Big Lottery Fund:Reaching Communities Restricted Income Funds:Buckinham Town Council - Interpretation Board Restricted Income Funds:Heart of Bucks Covid Grant J026 Restricted Income Funds:Bucks Heritage Trail Restricted Income Funds:National Lottery:Cosgrove Lock Island Garden Restricted Income Funds:BC Community Bd Wildlife Cameras Restricted Income Funds:RadcliffeTrust (Craft Training) J019 Restricted Income Funds:Tesco Bags of Help 3/Hyde Lane Footbridge Restricted Income Funds:Tim Coghlan "Diana" Fund (Dredger) Restricted Income Funds:Tim Coghlan Bridge fund Unrestricted Funds:Events & Functions Unrestricted Funds:Navigator magazine Unrestricted Funds:General Restoration works Unrestricted Funds:Plant & Equipment Unrestricted Funds:Vehicles Balance of Income over Expenditure Reconciliation Bank and cash balances at 01/12/2022 Income in excess of expenditure for the year Bank and cash balances at 30/11/2023 Designated/Restricted Funds Remaining Unrestricted Funds Remaining Total funds remaining	2023 2022 £ £ 352 0 12,806 0 0 400 0 395 2,735 1,975 147 0 4,573 5,076 1,150 0 354 0 2,086 0 5,354 66 0 2,950 470 1,200 626 235 5,901 13,225 60 0 717 576 349 791 19,316 18,888 3,281 2,843 1,621 682
	61,898 49,318

	25,206 -2,615
	31,029 33,644 25,206 -2,615
	56,235 31,029
	24,681 6,715 31,554 24,314 56,235 31,029

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLANY) AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report R•port to tho trustM•l meMrn of Buckingham Canal )ety On accounts for th• y••r •nd•d 30 November 2023 Charlty no (If anyl 1156662 Set out on pag•• Page81&2 I report to the trustee8 on ffly examination of the account8 of the above charrty fth¢ Trusfi for the year ended 3011112022. R••ponslbllltlo• and ba•1• ol r•port As the chafitys trustee8, you ore ro$pon8ible ftsrthe preparation of the accounts in accordan Wbth the rwjuirements of ChaTit¢6s Ad 2011 (Ihe AL¥). I report in resFct of my examination ofrthe Trust's 8ccounls Carried out ut>Jef 8ecbon 145 of the 2011 A¢t and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Dir&aions given by th8 Ch8rity Commlsslon under 145151{b) of the Ad. Indopondont I have ccthpbt•d my examination. I confirn) that no malgrial matters ha gxamln•r'8 Statsmont Gom• to my attention in wnneGtson with Ihe examinatSon whlch give8 me cau8e lo believe ihal in, any matenal respect.. the axounts.ryd rocords were not kept in acCOrdar th ¥ectk)n 130 of th¢ Ch8rrtie8 Act., or the accounts dMI not accord wth th• a¢¢ounllng ro¢ord8,' or the accounts not comply vAth the appIlble requirement• conceming the fomi 8nd ¢ortsnt of ¥ccount8 set out in the Charities {Account8 and Reptytsl Regulations 2008 other than any r8quiremenl Ihal the a¢rrtS give a 'true and lair vigw which is not a matt8r considered as part of gn ind¥pondenl examination. I have no concerns and have come aws8 no other mattern in connection wrth the examinaiion to ¥thich attention should k dravm in this report in older to enabb a proper undwstanding ofthe aCcntS to be reached. Slgn•d: REDACTED Dat•: S)24 N•m•: Relevant prof•slonal quallficatlonl•l or body lif any): r { R¢fiR60 Addr•M: MK IER Oct 2018 20

We are grateful for the continued support of our patron Lord Boswell of Aynho as well as Lord and Lady Scott of Foscote

Discussions with relevant organisations are ongoing to establish further partnerships both formal and informal. We have existing partnerships with the following:

Inland Waterways Association (IWA)
Buckinghamshire Council (BC)
Buckingham Town Council
Canal & River Trust (CRT)
Environment Agency (EA) • West Northamptonshire Council
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT)

We are grateful for the ongoing support of:

Inland Waterways Association (IWA) Milton Keynes Branch
Inland Waterways Association (IWA) Northampton Branch
Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) and their regional volunteers

We have been recognised by the following:

Cosgrove Parish Council
Maids Moreton Parish Council
Thornborough Parish Council
Milton Keynes Council
Foscote Parish Meeting
Old Stratford Parish Council
Thornton Parish Meeting
Deanshanger Parish Council

We thank our corporate members for their continued support as well as WRG, IWA and Canal & River Trust for their ongoing support, help, and partnership.

==> picture [291 x 156] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [291 x 42] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [182 x 59] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [145 x 56] intentionally omitted <==

Donations in kind

We are pleased to record the following donations in kind, from organisations that have provided us with valuable services during the year rather than direct financial contributions:

Organisation Buckinghamshire Council Salesforce.com Canal & River Trust Cosgrove Marina MKSET Microsoft via TT Exchange	Service value Raster and vector map data for canal route £20,000 Project Management software £14,400 Training, materials, and equipment £15,000 Portacabins and materials storage facility plus mooring and Wi-Fi £5,500 Storage adjacent to bridge one and at canal side field at Cosgrove £4,000 Microsoft software £44,000 Total £107,900	value

The trustees are pleased to confirm that the accounts have been reviewed and approved by an independent examiner and no issues of concern found. The examiner’s statement above page is from the form which will be submitted to the Charity’s Commission after the AGM. John’s signature has been redacted for the purpose of this report.

Agenda item 8 – election of trustees

In accordance with our constitution, one third of the trustees must stand down each year and may stand for re-election. During 2023, Paul (Sayer), Colin, Rob and Amanda have stood down. Four new trustees were co-opted, and they stand for election at this AGM

.
Nominee	Proposer	Seconder	Comment
Paul Rodgers	Terry Cavender Edima Inwang		Election as trustee
Mandy Morley	Terry Cavender Edima Inwang		Election as trustee
Ruth Millard	Terry Cavender Edima Inwang		Election as trustee
Steve Morley	Terry Cavender Edima Inwang		Election as trustee
Full list of other trustees for completeness are:
Trustee		Role		(re)elected
Richard Dwight		Treasurer		March 2018
Terence (Terry) Cavender		Executive Officer		March 2018
Athina Beckett		Trustee talks volunteer contact	and	March 2022
		work party leader and loads of other
		stuff
Gerry Millard		Trustee and construction manager		March 2019
Edima (Edi) Inwang		Trustee and Digital Marketing Lead		September 2022

==> picture [239 x 180] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [239 x 181] intentionally omitted <==

Above left Parapet wall work on Bridge One. Above right Athina at the history festival in 2019 which we hope we will soon be able to attend again.

==> picture [224 x 154] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [274 x 155] intentionally omitted <==

Above: left Hallam Land Management staff are one of the corporate groups to have helped seen at Bourton Meadow (AB).

Right: scraping the bed at section three near Bridge Two

==> picture [225 x 151] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [255 x 144] intentionally omitted <==

Above: left Kingfisher mosaic at Bridge One (AB). Right: BCS volunteers assisting CRT contractors to replace pumps at Cosgrove Lock 21

Version: BCS Annual Report 2021 V 0.3.Docx printed 23/02/2024 07:09:00

==> picture [124 x 124] intentionally omitted <==

Do you dig canals? .... We do!

Thank you for joining us for our Annual Meeting. Do you feel you could help us further? Below are just some of the things we do that you can get involved in. Please come and have a chat with any of the members of the committee. If you already are part of it, then thank you and please show this to someone new so they can get involved as well.

Publicity	Planning	Projects	Event organiser
Fundraising	Become a trustee	Conservation	Restoration
Brickwork	Maintenance	Digging	Hedge Laying
Grant writing	Budgeting	Recruiting	Heritage
Lengths-person	Journalist	Editor	Project Manager
	And many others!

Please use this document, which incorporates a variety of information about some of our activities, to promote the work of the Buckingham Canal Society to a friend / neighbour / colleague / relative or other interested people.

==> picture [207 x 155] intentionally omitted <==

==> picture [275 x 155] intentionally omitted <==

Above left rewatering section 2 towards the oil pipeline crossing Above right rebuild flood sluice near bridge two