2024-05-31-accounts

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Friends of the Steam Coast Trail

Charity number 1158342

A Charitable incorporated Organisation

Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31 May 2024

Legal and Administration Information
Trustees
Aims and Objectives
Structure, Governance and Management
Statement of Financial Activities
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

1. Legal and Administration Information

Charity Name: Friends of the Steam Coast Trail

Charity Registration Number: 1158342

Registered Office: ℅ Singer Instruments, Roadwater, Watchet, TA23 0DX


Trustees
Dr	Harry Singer	Chairman
Mr	Graham Boswell	Treasurer
Mr	Stephen Crossman	Trustee
Mr	Ben Slade	Trustee
Mr	Bruce Lang	Trustee	Appointed 2021/22
Mr	Simon Strong	Trustee	Resigned 2021/22

Bank The Co-operative Bank PO Box 101 1 Balloon Street Manchester M60 4EP

Solicitor

Maitland Walker LLP 22 The Parks Minehead TA24 8BT

2. Aims and Objectives

Purposes and Aims

Our charity's purpose as set out in the constitution is:

"The promotion of participation in healthy recreation by the provision and maintenance or the assistance in the provision and maintenance of a multi use path (known as the Steam Coast Trail) between Williton and Minehead”

Achievements and Performance

In December 2016 Phase One of the project was opened to the public: a new 2.2 km path which links Dunster Beach to Blue Anchor Bay. This path has been hugely successful, seeing up to 9,000 visitors in one peak month and generating widespread public support via social media and press as well as anecdotally.

Following on from this success, Phase Two - a 1 km link between Old Cleeve and Washford opened in Autumn 2018 and has generated significant public support and praise.

COVID saw things grind to a standstill for all of 2020 and much of 2021.

The Steam Coast Trail’s position was strengthened as the Project Officer was recruited into Somerset West and Taunton Council’s Active Travel team in October 2020.

Further links between Dunster Beach and Minehead as well as Washford to Watchet and Watchet to Williton were being negotiated by the appointed Project Officer, supported by Somerset West and Taunton Council.

Momentum was short lived with reduced certainty and job security at SW&T Council with discussions about becoming a unitary authority.

In January 2023, Steam Coast Trail’s Project officer left and became the Active Travel Technical lead for Somerset County Council. A useful contact!

On April 1st 2023 new Somerset Council was formed.

Current Focus

The Steam Coast Trail is currently without a project officer, with a view to prioritising the adoption of assets by Somerset Council when the dust settles from the transition from District Councils to unitary Council. The Trustees are operating in a mostly reactive manner, focussing on essential asset maintenance.

How our activities deliver public benefit

The benefits of the Steam Coast Trail are numerous and far-reaching but can be broadly categorised as improving:

Health & Safety - The main road linking West Somerset (A39) is very fast, notoriously dangerous and has little provision for pedestrians, let alone cyclists. The Steam Coast Trail offers a safer, healthier and more scenic alternative of getting around.

Social Isolation - Rates of rural isolation are high in West Somerset; the Steam Coast Trail links isolated communities without people having to own a car or use expensive (and very limited) public transport

Economic benefits - West Somerset has some of the lowest social mobility in the UK and has been identified as one of the government’s Opportunity Areas. By enhancing the tourism offer of West Somerset the Steam Coast Trail not only brings more money to the area but improves access to education and employment.

3. Structure, Governance and Management

Governing document

The organisation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered by The Charity Commission on 26 August 2014. The constitution was originally drawn up on 14 February 2013 and was amended on 25 July 2014 then again in February 2019. In the event of the CIO being wound up, the members of the CIO have no liability to contribute to its assets and no personal responsibility for settling its debts and liabilities.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

Members of the CIO are also charity trustees and are elected to serve for a period of two years after which they must be re-elected at the next Annual General Meeting.

West Somerset Forum 21 (the environmental lobby group that originally instigated the idea of the Steam Coast Trail) may appoint two of the charity Trustees.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the CIO. Any expenses reclaimed from the CIO are set out in the accounts.

Organisational Structure

There has been no change in organisational structure this year.

There is a working group held quarterly chaired by the SCT Chairman. Attendance is a combination of the project partners, trustees and community members and businesses when appropriate. This year it has been predominantly trustees.

Day to day communications and archiving of documents are carried out using a combination of email and an online, shared (Google) Drive.

4. Statement of Financial Activities

The charity generated income in the year of £1,052, from donations (2023 - £21,008), and spent £6,206 on admin expenses and maintenance (2023 - £1,366). As a result, a deficit of £5,154 (2023 – surplus of £19,642) was generated. This leaves the charity with funds as at 31 May 2024 of £33,729 (2023 - £38,883), which will be used on future charity activities.

5. Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

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

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements, and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed/constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Approved by the trustees on 28 November 2024.

H Singer Chairman

Friends of the Steam Coast Trail	Friends of the Steam Coast Trail		1158342
Receipts andpayments accounts					CC16a
For the period from	Period start date 01/06/2023	To	31/05/2024 Period end date

Section A Receipts and payments	Section A Receipts and payments	Section A Receipts and payments
		Unrestricted funds		Restricted funds	Restricted	Endowment funds		Total funds	Last year
		to the nearest £	to the nearest	to the nearest £	to the nearest £	to the nearest £	to the nearest £	to the nearest £	to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Donations and legacies		1,052		-	-	-	-	1,052	21,008
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	(Gross income for AR)	1,052		-	-	-	-	1,052	21,008
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). - - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - *Total receipts* 1,052 - - 1,052 21,008 ~~——————~~
A3 Payments
Insurance		129		-	-	-	-	129	99
Maintenance		2,600		-	-	-	-	2,600	800
Advertisingand marketing		46		-	-	-	-	46	45
Accountancy		1,020		-	-	-	-	1,020	180
Construction		2,411		-	-	-	-	2,411	242
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
		-		-	-	-	-	-	-
**Sub total **		6,206		-	-	-	-	6,206	1,366
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - *Total payments* 6,206 - - 6,206 1,366 ~~——————~~
*Net of receipts/(payments)* - 5,154 - - - 5,154 19,642 A5 Transfers between funds - - - - A6 Cash funds last year end 38,883 - - 38,883 19,241 *Cash funds this year end* 33,729 - - 33,729 38,883 ~~===>>~~

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

13/12/2024

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Signature H Singer Accountancy fees Details Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Grant funding available for drawdown Details Bank Paypal	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 33,082 - 646 - - - 33,729 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 34,041 - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) Unrestricted 2,520 - - - - Print Name H Singer	Endowment funds to nearest £
		-
		-
		-
		-
		OK
		Endowment funds to nearest £
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		Current value (optional)
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		Current value (optional)
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		-
		When due (optional)






		Date of approval
H Singer	H Singer	28/11/2024

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)