## **Trustees’ Report 2022** ## **Governance, Management and Finance** The Board of Trustees held three meetings over the year to manage the running of the Society. Meetings are now held either by video conferencing or in person but with on-line facilities so that trustees unable to attend in person can still contribute to the discussion. All meetings were well attended, thanks to a committed and enthusiastic Board of Trustees. The November meeting focused on the roles and responsibilities of trustees and co-opted trustees, following the elections held at the AGM and the retirement of the Chairman after two very successful consecutive terms of office. This meeting also reviewed the number of sheep registrations over the year. The February meeting focused on the governance of the Society and on membership matters. The May meeting focused on the finances of the Society and confirming the details of the AGM – another Zoom event to enable as many as possible to participate. At these meetings, arrangements were made for the shows and sales (judges and inspectors and publicity), plans made for the Summer Symposium and Winter Gathering and ongoing projects reviewed. The Society remains in a stable condition financially with sufficient monies in hand to comply with the Reserve Funds Policy. Sales of the annual calendar, using members’ photographs of Hebridean sheep, and sales of other HSS merchandise have provided a useful source of income for the Society. Thanks are due to the Treasurer, for managing merchandise sales and for keeping the General Account in good order and to the Registration Secretary for managing the Registrations Account and consolidating all accounts for submission to the examiner and members. The Society is most grateful to Graham Robbins for independently examining our accounts. ## **Promotion and Education** During the previous two years when the Covid pandemic reduced our activities, expenditure on breed promotion at shows and sales was restricted. This year, the Trustees agreed to update and expand all the display equipment and promotional material. Now we were able, once again, we have been determined to take every opportunity to educate and inform both the farming community and the general public of the advantages and importance of Hebridean Sheep, especially in changing economic and climatic times. We have mounted large displays at more than ten events from the north of Scotland, through Wales and much of England. The Society has had a good media presence this year. The website remains up-to-date and eye-catching, the HSS _facebook_ page is well used and provides a quick way of getting information out to members and we also have an Instagram account, with more than 500 followers, allowing photographs and results of shows and sales to be published in almost real time, as well as much else of interest. The Hebridean Sheep Forum _facebook_ page is used by members to seek and give advice and generally promote what members are doing. Recent analysis of hits on various HSS _facebook_ posts shows the benefit of using social media to promote events and, of course, the breed. This year, some trustees and their sheep have also been showcased on television and radio: Helen Arthan on Farmers Country Showdown; Jack Cuthbert on radio at the Royal Highland Show and on TV in a Field to Fork programme for the Farm Advisory Service Scotland; David Braithwaite in an ITV News program, Border Life. We entered the RBST Scotland Food & Farming Sustainability Awards in the Native Breed Society of the Year category, held at the Royal Highland Show. Our proposal worked well but we were just pipped at the post by the Eriskay Pony Society. The Society’s second place was not the only award featuring Hebridean sheep. Trustee Jonathan James is to be congratulated for his own success winning the Sustainable Market Stall Holder of the Year award. His regular market stall features Slipperfield Croft Hebridean meat. Sustainable Chef of the Year was jointly won by a restaurant, L’Escargot Bleu, that features Hebridean hogget and mutton from trustee Jack Cuthbert’s Ardoch flock. On the whole, numbers of animals forward at shows have been very good. No doubt, members are making up for lost time over the past two years. There were over 80 entrants at Staffordshire County Show, well over 80 at the Great Yorkshire Show and over 120 at the National Show, held at the Border Union Show this year. These shows are a another important opportunity to promote the breed to the wider public. At the National Show this year, new classes were held for Young Handlers with three different age groups and a new trophy, the Jet Trophy, for the overall champion. We hope that this will help to encourage the next generation of Hebridean members. Through our members and trustees, the Society continues to demonstrate the full capability range of Hebridean sheep and their versatility is increasingly recognised and understood by all sectors of farming and countryside management. Most members value their pure bred pedigree Hebrideans for their wool and their meat; many are involved in important conservation grazing projects; some members are cross-breeding their ewes with a terminal sire to produce early, more commercial lamb for the market; others are producing the Hebridean Mule (a Blue Faced Leicester cross) to put to a terminal sire. The Hebridean mule gives a low cost entry point into the sheep industry while her hardiness, milkiness and smaller size give her an advantage over other half-breds. The Authentic Hebridean Hogget Scheme is now well established and the reputation of Hebridean meat as a gourmet product is gaining ground. The Wool project is ongoing with British Wool to promote Hebridean wool and to educate members in how to present it. It is noticeable that BW is now altering its marketing strategy to give more support to niche buyers and sellers. Let us hope that the looming energy crisis pushes the insulation qualities of wool to the forefront. ## **Monitoring the Breed** Membership numbers remain stable at around 400 with new members replacing the gaps left by others who lapse for one reason or another. New members are joining from Cornwall in the south to the Highlands of Scotland in the north. Geographical isolation will not be an issue for Hebridean Sheep. Members now have the option of submitting their flock returns on-line instead of on paper. The on-line version has proved very easy to use and, hopefully, will be still more widely used in 2022. The data drawn from the flock returns is valuable to the Society in monitoring the national flock. Registration numbers have been maintained at around 2000 for the past few years. The small but necessary rise in registration fees has not, thankfully, deterred our committed breeders from registering their sheep. Many thanks are due to the Registration Secretary, for ensuring that all the registration data is correct and for producing the Society’s flock book, _The Black Book_ . Members received a copy of the lambing record again this year. This spreadsheet aims to help members assess the performance of their flock. Data accrued from these records may also prove valuable in monitoring the national flock and contribute to the Hebridean Hardiness Evaluation Project (HEB-HEP). ## **Informing Breeders** To keep members informed and amused, the Membership Secretary has edited and produced another very interesting edition of the Society’s year book, the _The Black Sheep_ . We also continue to send the bi-annual newsletter, _The Blackboard_ , which keeps members updated. The two annual events for members have been arranged for this year. The Summer Symposium took place in August on the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, visiting three flocks, with a focus on conservation grazing. The Winter Gathering will be held at Slipperfield Croft in Peebleshire. This will be a more practical, hands-on event to include evaluating rams for breeding. The Society tries to move these events around the country so that as many members as possible have the opportunity to attend. The same rationale applies to the location of the National Show. The Society also tries to vary the focus of these events to meet the different interests of members. Trustees value well informed members as a valuable resource for explaining the merits of Hebridean sheep to the wider public. Trustees are confident that the Hebridean sheep breed will continue to grow and find new markets, particularly with increasing emphasis being placed on low input, regenerative agriculture. _An Old Breed for New Times._ _**Helen Arthan Chair**_ ## **Approved at AGM 16 October 2022** |**General Account 2021-22**
**Trading Account**
**Income**
Subscriptions
Books
Calendars
Other Merchandise
summer event
**Expenditure**
Postage
Stationery
Publications
Trustees Meetings
Meetings Travel
Honorarium -Secretary
Honorarium -Treasurer
Breed promotion
subscriptions
Adverts
Merchandise
Calendar Printing
Summer event costs
Winter Event costs
Website/ISP
Judges Expenses
Event insurance
Other travel
Presentations
Monthly Bank Charges
**Excess Income**
**Bank Reconciliation**
Opening Balance
chq never presented
corrected o/balance
Expenses
Receipts
**Closing Balance**
Bank at 31/03/22
unpresented
o/bal
trans in
trans out
less c/bal
**difference**|11099.50
326.86
218.50
1832.92
423.20
**13900.98**
**13900.98**
1477.26
582.18
1075.00
0.00
all by Zoom
46.80
1482.98
1482.98
1257.26
190.00
720.00
1047.85
182.40
663.26
0.00
535.01
69.60
168.24
274.20
248.50
106.50
**11610.02**
**-11610.02**
**2290.96**
336.12
0.00
336.12
-16610.02
-16273.90
6700.98
**-9572.92**
427.08
0.00
**427.08**
336.12
2800.00
3136.12
-5000.00
-1863.88
-427.08
**-2290.96**| |---|---| ||**Registration Account 2021-22**
**Trading Account**
**Expenses**
**itemised**
**sub-totals**
Postage
811.17
Stationery
397.37
Computer costs
30.00
Internet fees
394.99
Ketchum/Shearwell Eartags
0.00
Flockbook Printing
827.00
Rosettes
159.01
Registration Sec. Honorarium
3251.75
Grassroots Fees
853.20
Mileage
12.20
Bank Charges
111.00
Melton Sale Contribution
0.00
mobilephone (logging in to Bank
A/c
25.00
sundry
29.88
6902.57
-6902.57
**Receipts**
Registration, transfers etc
7472.00
Donations
70.00
sundry
5.00
7547.00
Gold account interest
3.77
7550.77
7550.77
**Excess Income**
**648.20**|**Registration Account 2021-22**
**Trading Account**
**Expenses**
**itemised**
**sub-totals**
Postage
811.17
Stationery
397.37
Computer costs
30.00
Internet fees
394.99
Ketchum/Shearwell Eartags
0.00
Flockbook Printing
827.00
Rosettes
159.01
Registration Sec. Honorarium
3251.75
Grassroots Fees
853.20
Mileage
12.20
Bank Charges
111.00
Melton Sale Contribution
0.00
mobilephone (logging in to Bank
A/c
25.00
sundry
29.88
6902.57
-6902.57
**Receipts**
Registration, transfers etc
7472.00
Donations
70.00
sundry
5.00
7547.00
Gold account interest
3.77
7550.77
7550.77
**Excess Income**
**648.20**|**Registration Account 2021-22**
**Trading Account**
**Expenses**
**itemised**
**sub-totals**
Postage
811.17
Stationery
397.37
Computer costs
30.00
Internet fees
394.99
Ketchum/Shearwell Eartags
0.00
Flockbook Printing
827.00
Rosettes
159.01
Registration Sec. Honorarium
3251.75
Grassroots Fees
853.20
Mileage
12.20
Bank Charges
111.00
Melton Sale Contribution
0.00
mobilephone (logging in to Bank
A/c
25.00
sundry
29.88
6902.57
-6902.57
**Receipts**
Registration, transfers etc
7472.00
Donations
70.00
sundry
5.00
7547.00
Gold account interest
3.77
7550.77
7550.77
**Excess Income**
**648.20**| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||C/Bal
Transferred from Gold Account
Transferred to Gold Account
less O/Bal (adjusted)
Interest
difference|326.94
-5100.00
-4773.06
5500.00
726.94
-82.51
**644.43**
3.77
**648.20**|| Rosettes and Melton fee really belong to General Account but have historically been paid by registration account as I do the ordering ## **Registration and Gold Accounts Consolidation** |Closing Bal - Reg Acc
326.94
Closing Bal - Gold Acc
21407.56
21734.50
Opening Bal Gold Acc
-18803.79
Opening Bal Reg Acc
-82.51
difference
net
paid to Gold acc from General
acc
**Difference**
**equals excess of expenditure**|Closing Bal - Reg Acc
326.94
Closing Bal - Gold Acc
21407.56
21734.50
Opening Bal Gold Acc
-18803.79
Opening Bal Reg Acc
-82.51
difference
net
paid to Gold acc from General
acc
**Difference**
**equals excess of expenditure**|21734.50
-18886.30
**2848.20**
-2200.00
**648.20**|21734.50
-18886.30
**2848.20**
-2200.00
**648.20**| |---|---|---|---| ||||| ||||| ## **All Accounts Consolidation** |Closing Bal - Reg Acc
Closing Bal Gold Acc
Closing Bal Gen Acc
Opening Bal Reg Acc
Opening Bal Gold Acc
Opening Bal Gen Acc
**Difference**
Excess Income Gen Acc
Excess Income Reg Acc
**Equals difference**|326.94
21407.56
427.08
**22161.58**
82.51
18803.79
336.12
**19222.42**
2290.96
648.20
**2939.16**|**22161.58**
**-19222.42**
**2939.16**| |---|---|---| 29 July 2022 M15 V C K Mason Hebride.Jn Sheep $￿sety Deaf MIS Mason V4idati•)n ol Helxide4n Sheep Society 2022 Accounts Th•nk VOL¢ tor forwardin8 the bank stalements, IradinR sheets, and supportin8 irKome and expenditLt doCuMentat￿n tor the year endinE 31 March 2022. l am happy to Yal•date your record keeptw. I have considered the folh)wi** ?￿nts. The Society uses three bank IGeneral èEcount CAF (￿127345. Registration •ccount CAF O(Xl?7346, Gold account C4F (WJ84221. All documcnts relating to tP*se ?ccouThts are pr¢5cnted. Trans•rtion5 between the accounts are clearty ducumented. Thc bdl4nces shown at rhp ck•4? ot the vr1￿1 on exiernal 5tdlc'ment5 reconci* to the balèrKes in your records. The only di¥rep4ncy bel￿ two transactions dated l April 2022 on the geTreTrl account taken into your figures for year ernling 31 March 202?. This is a fundomental validation of your figures, and implie5 thèt incom* has beèn occovnled lor on a cash receNed basis.. thai is. Ihece is ￿ •fKome shown in youi iiccount5 which has not been reccrv¢d frorn membeThhip, registrations. book sales, et¢. All rcceiOS and exponses. both in toial and by cate£ory, reconcile to your deldilcd listings. l expL'D5es Irc documentpd, wrth eXTemJl documenis where possible. In iiddrtion to the usual checks. I made fNe checks between your records arbd primary extemal d¢Xuments, chosen ai random but concentrating on hiÉher volue tranSoct￿n$. Three expenses were checked on the re81strat￿n account.. rel 31 V Mason cxpenses £629.67 Dec 2021. ref 33 Grassroots £378.00 Dec ?021. Jnd ret 43 Mar 2022 Johnsons Priniers £827.￿_ Two pxppnses wpre che(ked on Ihe gcneral accounl.. ref 211161 TrM)grnphics Printers £1.075.IXI Jun 2021. and ref 47 1361 R Peace expenses £141.43 Sep 2021. All exiernal document5 were present. As in preyious yebrs, they knk lile è very well-kept set of accounts. If I can help in future years, lei me knry•V. Thank you. Besl Regards