Tavistock Scrapstore
Registered Charity (CIO) Number: 1161592
Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31-03- 2025
Tavistock Scrapstore
1-3 Farrier’s Court
Paddons Row Tavistock PL19 0HF
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 e!=_— -- 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.
Achievements and Performance
Our first full year in our new location has been very successful with the additional hours resulting in a healthy increase in our turnover. We have been able to run a comprehesive schedule of workshops throughout the year, averaging 10 a month, all of which were offered free of charge. This aligns with our objective regarding advancing education of the public and inspiring individual and group creativity in the community.
We handed over the website and bookkeeping to professionals to provide assistance due to the extra maintenance needed because of our success. We refitted the sorting area for donations in order to make it easier to organise and assign to volunteers.
We joined our local Business Improvement District (Tavistock BID) and worked with the small independent buisinesses in Paddon's Row to support each other with offers of workshop space to creative Makers Gallery and the purchase of coffee and cake from Mime Cafe for volunteer meetings. We benefitted from a till that was donated by Tavi Tech and held meetings in Aroma Cafe. We've been a real influence in creating a courtyard community in Paddon's Row with an increase in footfall too.
Again, this year we participated in outside events like the Lion's Fun Day during Carnival Week and events in the library at Christmas. We also attended a parish event in the church near the Bedford Hotel.
We supported the Tavistock Lions Club for their Christmas Card appeal and we made a donation to Alan Lewis for Tavistock Specials football club supporting youngsters and adults with mental or physical impairments to play football.
Financially we agreed to consider increasing our reserve due to the increase in rent and overheads in our new location. We also committed to seeking trustees with the right skills to increase our security having lost our 4th trustee due to her positive career advancement.
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 the cost of £2. Some items are individually priced to ensure that supplies are used judiciously. The Scrapstore is open Tuesday through Saturdays 10am to 4pm.
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.
Membership
At the end of March 202 5 there were 363 fully paid up members of Scrapstore.
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 prepared by Bookeeper Michelle Deane and independently prepared by Wings Accountants, Ltd. and approved by the Trustees on 27 October 202 5 .
Tavistock Scrapstore Profit & loss account INCOME 2025 2024 Grants Membership Scrap bags Misc Sales Workshops Donations Other 1,000.00 2,820.00 2,025.00 1,924.00 106.00 25.975.88 10.945.21 73.00 29,868.88 15.000.21 EXPENDITURE Rent Room Hire Workshops Admin. Insurance Marketing Materials Christmas Housekeeping Light. heat &water Repairs Fees Broadband Equipment Printing, postage & Stationery Move Donations to other charities 15,000.00 7,268.00 1.016.50 85.00 loo.00 64.79 556.25 242.42 561.04 609.15 770.00 100.75 163.09 963.60 175.88 1.436.80 1.692.98 92.10 552.00 879.87 685.11 103.25 175.88 299.00 2.623.30 720.00 23.142.51 13,794.25 6,726.37 1.205.96 PROFITI{LOSS)
Reserves policy
The charity has established a reserves policy that ringfences 6 months of expenses in order to meet the new private rent amount which was increased in the new location. There are no funds in deficit and the Scrapstore has been running with at least six months operating costs in reserve since 2022.
Future Plans
With the workshop space complete, the Scrapstore is planning to offer at least 10 workshops a month. Feedback received from all of our workshops endorse the benefits of not only learning new skills but also seeing improvement in wellbeing and mental health for those attending.
Most of our workshops will continue to be offered free or charge or at a subsidized rate. This is possible in part because there is no longer a hire fee to hold to workshop in our new location.
One of our volunteers has undertaken to setup an online shop in order to sell more expensive items that are donated to the store. This is needed because in our new location, donations have increased significantly.
We are looking to acquire a telephone service in the shop now that we are in a selfcontained unit.
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.
The charity contracts for a bookeeper, website and IT assistant, and is appointing a voluntary secretary to assist with administrative work.
Charity Trustees are elected at the AGM as governed by that document.
Tavistock Scrapstore currently has no employees and has 363 members, 27 volunteers and 3 trustees. We have two additional trustee applicants who are standing at the AGM in November 2025.
Trustees:
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L. Hitchcock
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V. Alaoui
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P. Blackmore
Declaration
This report was approved by the trustees on 27 October 202 5 and signed on their behalf by Penny Blackmore.