Warwickshire Search and Rescue Trustees Report and Accounts For the year ended 31st March 2023
Independent Examiners Report Warwickshire Search and Rescue Charity No. 1167079 For the year ended 31 March 2023 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts set on pages 1 and 2, of the above charity, for the year ended 31 st March 2023 Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirement of the Charities Act 2011 ("The Act") I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent Examiner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection to the examination which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or the accounts did not accord with the accounting recors" or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of the accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of the independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Gavin Merrett AAT
Warwickshire Search and Rescue Trustees Annual Report for the Year ended 31 st March 2023 Charity No 1167079 Charity Address Unit 70 5th Street Stoneleigh Park Kenilworth CV8 2LG Bankers The Co-operative Bank PO box 101 1 Balloon street Manchester M60 4EP Independent Examiner Gavin Merrett 35 Risborough Close Coventry CV5 9HT Current Trustees lan Malins - Chair Adrian Smith - Vice Chair Paul Middleton - Treasurer Stevan Brown - Secretary Phil Hewish Structure, Governance and Management Constitution Warksar (the charity) is an unincorporated association. It is governed by its constitution, which was adopted on 18 May 2013 and last amended on 8 February 2016. Warksar is a registered charity, with charity number 1167079 Trustees The trustees of Warksar are pleased to present their report together with their financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023. Warksar's trustees comprise the Chair, the Vice Chair, the Secretary, the Treasurer and a trustee without portfolio. Any member is eligible to become a trustee, Trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting , held every year in or around June. Under the constitution there must be a minimum of three trustees, although there is no maximum number. Management The trustees are responsible for the strategic direction and governan of Warksar, whilst the day to day running of the charity's operational activity is delegated to the management group. Members of this group may be invited to attend trustee meetings to discuss progress and development Objectives and Activities Charitable purpose Warksar's charitable purposes are twofold; to protect and preserve good health and safety of human life in an emergency by the provision of trained volunteers to assist organisations involved in the search and rescue of missing persons; and, to advance the education of the public in all matters relating to Lowland search and rescue. Activities Warksar works directly for the police, providing valuable search management services and physical resources to search on land and inland waterways. The charity provides a team of qualified volunteers available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to support in the search for vulnerable missing persons in Warwickshire, Coventry and south west Birmingham. Warksar also assists other lowland rescue search teams in the surrounding counties, and are available to assist the emergency services, local councils, and other agencies in the event of a major incident. Volunteers regularly interact with the public during local events, visits to local schools and societies and fundraising activities and use this time to provide information about Warksar and search and rescue in general, and to answer any questions about search and rescue that the general public have. The trustees have had due regard to the guidance published by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Achievements and Performance This has been a very busy year for the charity. We have moved from its home of 6 years to a new home, within the Stoneleigh Park complex. This has been done by its volunteers using the skills and knowledge they have. We were also nominated for and received the King's Award for Voluntary service, the highest award a charity can attain. This has been achieved by the high standards set by the volunteers. Warksar's volunteers continue to maintain their high standard through thousands of hours of searching, training and fundraising. They have participated in searches not only in Warwickshire, but assisting in searches in all of the surrounding counties. In addition to our kayak, foot and bank search teams, Warksar have added a team using drones to assist in the searches, and have a team able to use powered watercraft to further enhance the search capability of Warksar and also to assist in other major incidents such as flood relief. Financial Review During the year our main source of income continues to be grant income and fundraising efforts. This supplements the donations received from attending events. Grants in the year were £26,017 and fundraising raised £20,282. Other forms of income from donations, subscriptions, gift aid received and subscriptions amounted to £67,751 Reserves Policy Due to the uncertainties surrounding the levels of Warksar's future donations income, and the highly cyclical nature of Warksar's other income streams, the trustees, policy is to maintain unrestricted reserves sufficient to cover the basic running costs of Warksar, along with any other foreseeable expenses, for approximately 12 months. In this way, trustees can be comfortable that the Charity can meet its commitments and cover any unexpected expenditure. With the new premises and vehicles and our new activities, this cost has risen to around £26,000 at March 2024. During the year we completed the purchase of a new control vehicle (ICU) which was funded from specific grants received and some excess general funds. Available, unrestricted reserves at the end of the year (excluding any amounts already owed to suppliers) were £19,124 which is above the target range at the year end. Plans for Future Periods The Trustees and Management Team intend to continue to develop the team, both in terms of qualified Search Technicians, but also in terms of the Water team, by increasing our capability of our swift water response technicians and continuing to invest in our drone search team and Search Dog teams . This has been made achievable with the receipt of specific grants.The Charity will also continue to work with local communities to raise awareness of, and the profile of, the team. Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf: lan Malins Chair Paul Middleton Treasurer
Warwickshire Search and Rescue Income and Expenditure Account For the year ended 12 Months to 3110312023 12 Months to 3110312022 Income Grants (Non Specific) Grants (Specific) Donations Fundraising Equipment Deposits Equipment sales Gift Aid VAT Refund Course Fees Received Landlord Donation Subscriptions 2,017 24,000 7,443 20,282 14,547 40,429 2,691 17,498 6,395 4,267 7,497 1,308 1,680 2,979 1,505 2,040 Income 67,751 88,825 Expenditure Grants (Specific) Building Costs Equipment Purchases Equipment ReplacelRepair Vehicle Costs Insurance Medical Telecoms/lnternet Subscriptions (inc D4H) Courses Legal and Professional Stationery Bank Charges Miscellaneous 100,712 5,520 1,087 436 3,098 5,870 1,717 1,186 675 1,132 35 72 18,225 3,661 854 2,111 5,643 1,037 1,039 765 1,705 35 44 508 181 Expenditure 122,046 35,300 SurpluslDeficit Transferred to Funds 54,294 53,525 Transferred to/From General Funds Transferred Tolfrom Restricted 22,417 76,712 54,294 31,321 22,204 53,525 Funds Statement for the year ended 31st March 2023 Transfer Between In Year Funds 22,417 -54012 76,712 54012 54,294 Brought Forwards Carried Forwards General Funds Restricted Funds 50,719 32,054 82,772 19,124 9,354 28,478
Warwickshire Search and Rescue Balance Sheet For the year ended 12 Months to 31103/2023 12 Months to 31103/2022 Cash at Bank 28,478 82,772 General Funds Restricted Funds 19,124 9,354 28,478 50,719 32,054 82,772