Tavistock Scrapstore
Registered Charity (CIO) Number: 1161592
Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31-03-2023
Tavistock Scrapstore
Printworks
Pym Street Tavistock PL19 0AW
Objectives and activities
Objectives
To advance arts and crafts in particular but not exclusively by: a) facilitating the use and provision of recycled, scrap or surplus materials as a creative resource to adults and children with the aim of improving their social welfare and conditions of life; and mental health and wellbeing; and by b) inspiring individual and group creativity for the public benefit and for the benefit of the environment.
To protect and preserve the environment for the public benefit in particular but not exclusively by: a) promoting recycling, use of recycled products and the use of surplus or scrap; and by b) advancing the education of the public about waste recycling and use of surplus or scrap.
Activities
Members of the public must become members to use the Scrapstore for purchases. Workshop charges, membership fees, scrap purchases, and donations provide the majority of the income used to cover the operating costs of the Scrapstore.
Membership is open to all, based on a tiered pricing that reflects the relevant use by different types of members. Members visiting the Scrapstore can fill a scrap bag for a set price. Some items are individually priced to ensure that supplies are used judiciously. The Scrapstore is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturdays 11am to 2pm and weekly workshops are held on Tuesdays in the Printworks.
The Scrapstore works with other local community organisations, in particular schools and the Tavistock Library, to provide workshops regarding the use of scrap materials in art.
Achievements and Performance
We have continued to provide a social meeting place each week affording a friendly and safe environment for individuals who are seeking well-being activities during the day. The activities are open to all, including individuals with disabilities or experiencing financial hardship.
Our afternoon group has enjoyed various workshops, learning new skills, as well as meeting up for a chat and a hot drink. All our workshops have been run free of charge, including tuition, materials and beverages.
Membership
At the end of March 2023 there were 89 fully paid up members of Scrapstore with a further 34 due for renewal.
Financial Review
At the end of the financial year the accounts looked healthy and the accounts and profit and loss sheet for Tavistock Scrapstore were internally prepared by Treasurer Deborah Honey, independently prepared by Wings Accountants, Ltd. and approved by the Trustees on October 27[th] , 2023.
Reserves policy
The charity currently has not yet established a reserves policy. There are no funds in deficit and the Scrapstore has been running with at least six months operating costs in reserve since 2022.
Plans for future years
We have reached a point where we have outgrown our retail premises. At present, we have to hire a room for all of our workshops. We have no space to store or sort our donations, which come in on a daily basis. Our plan is to find suitable premises in order to accommodate all our needs in one place. This would prove to be more cost effective or convenient. We intend to expand our workshop program to include more socially driven events. Due to our present number of volunteers, it has not been possible to attend as many outside events as we would like. A priority next year is to run a volunteer recruitment campaign to address this.
Structure, governance and management
The governing document is the Tavistock Scrapstore Constitution adopted on 7th May 2015 which became recognised by the Charity Commission when the Charitable Incorporated Organisation was registered on 11[th] May 2015.
Charity Trustees are elected at the AGM as governed by that document.
In planning the charity’s activities for the year ended 31 March 2020 the Trustees kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. All Trustees were briefed on the role of Trustees, given copies of the governing documents of the Scrapstore and referred to the detail on the Charity Commission website related to becoming a trustee.
Tavistock Scrapstore currently has no employees and has 89 members, 9 volunteers and 6 trustees.
Trustees:
M. Langton
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L. Hitchcock
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V. Alaoui
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P. Blackmore
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D. Honey
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C. Mann
Declaration
This report was approved by the trustees on November 22, 2023 and signed on their behalf by Penny Blackmore.
WE