Cuckmere Haven SOS
Charity's principal address: The Sanctuary, Winton Street, Alfriston, East Sussex, BN26 5UL
Charity Commission Registration Number 1161529
Trustees' Annual Report
For the year ended 31 December 2025
Names of the charity trustees who managed the charity:
Trustee name Office Professor Michael Davies Chair Daniel de Belder Rodney Castleden MA MSC (Oxon) Crispin Freeman FCA Dr Caroline Lucas Sir Alan Moses Charles Peck
Structure, governance and management
The charity’s governing document is its constitution adopted 5 May 2015, and it is constituted as a charitable incorporated organisation. New trustees may be appointed to serve for a term of two years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. Each of the trustees shall retire at the end of their term of appointment but shall be eligible for re-appointment.
The trustees review the skills and competencies required for the board of trustees, and where a requirement is identified they initiate a recruitment process. New trustees receive training from the existing trustees. There is no formal training programme.
The charity holds its bank account with Barclays Bank Plc, and has a donation facility with CAF Donate.
Regular trustee meetings are held, and the trustees met five times during the year.
Objects and activities
The charity’s objects are to promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of the Cuckmere Haven west beach and cliffs.
When planning and carrying out their activities, the charity trustees have complied with the duty in section 4 of the 2011 Charities Act, to have due regard to Public Benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
The charity’s appointed chartered town planning consultancy, Whaleback Ltd, continued to liaise with South Downs Park Planning Authority on their response to the pre-application statement for the scheme to protect the eastern end of the Cuckmere Haven west beach and cliffs, and to liaise with the statutory consultees.
The charity’s website continued to attract donations from the public.
Cuckmere Haven SOS Charity number 1161529 Trustees' Annual Report
For the year ended 31 December 2025 Continued
Achievements and performance
The website has been maintained which has details of the history of the Cuckmere Haven area, the erosion problems, and an outline of the proposals for the protection of the west beach and cliffs. It includes a donation facility through CAF Donate. Donations during the year, including gift aid, were £8,865 from the general public, and income received from events during the year was £1,960. The trustees are most grateful for these generous contributions.
The charity incurred professional fees of £1,536 on work on the design and reports required for the planning application and liaising with the planning authority and statutory consultees. Publicity expenses £402, website costs £242, and donation platform commission of £239. In accordance with section 189 of the Charities Act 2011 the charity purchased trustee indemnity insurance £271.
The surplus for the year was £8,135 which was added to the charity’s reserve.
No trustee received any remuneration or benefits.
Financial review
It is the reserve policy of the charity that funds will be built up to finance the protection scheme for the Cuckmere Haven west beach and cliffs. This is a large project and it is anticipated it will take time to achieve the necessary funding. At 31 December 2025 the charity held £61,227 in reserve for this purpose.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above and the receipts and payments account below.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature M C R Davies
Full name Professor Michael C R Davies Position Chair
Date 9 February 2026
Cuckmere Haven SOS
Charity number 1161529
Receipts & Payments Account
For Year to 31 December 2025
| Receipts and payments |
Unrestricted funds £ |
Designated funds £ |
Restricted funds Total funds £ £ |
|---|---|---|---|
Receipts Donations - non-gift aid Donations - gift-aided Gift aid tax recovery Event receipts Grants Other receipts Total Receipts Payments Conservation Fundraising Publicity Website Postage, stationery, computer Donation platform commission Insurance Bank charges Total Payments Net of receipts/(payments) Transfers between funds Cash funds last year end Cash funds this period end |
|||
| 1,916 | 0 | 0 1,916 |
|
| 3,499 | 0 | 0 3,499 |
|
| 3,450 | 0 | 0 3,450 |
|
| 1,960 | 0 | 0 1,960 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 | 0 0 |
|
| 10,825 | 0 | 0 10,825 |
|
| 1,536 | 0 | 0 1,536 |
|
| 0 402 242 |
0 | 0 0 |
|
| 0 | 0 402 |
||
| 0 | 0 242 |
||
| 0 | 0 | 0 0 |
|
| 239 271 0 |
0 | 0 239 |
|
| 0 | 0 271 |
||
| 0 | 0 0 |
||
| 2,690 8,135 0 53,092 |
0 0 0 0 |
0 2,690 |
|
| 0 8,135 0 0 0 53,092 |
|||
| 61,227 | 0 | 0 61,227 |
|
| Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |||
| Unrestricted funds Designated funds £ £ Cash funds Bank accounts 61,227 0 |
Signed on behalf of all the trustees on 9 February 2026
M C R Davies
Professor Michael C R Davies
Cuckmere Haven SOS
Charity number 1161529 For Year to 31 December 2025
1 Accounting policies
Charity information
Cuckmere Haven SOS is a charitable incorporated organisation set up to meet the charitable objectives detailed in the Trustees' Report.
1.1 Accounting convention
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
2. Amounts owing to and by the charity at 31 December 2025
At 31 December 2025 the charity had no amounts due to it, nor any unpaid supplier invoices nor expenses