## **Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association** (Registered charity, number 1173704) **Financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026**
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|2 - 4|nnual report||
|5|Independent e|report|
|6|Receipts & payments account||
|7|Statement of assets & liabilities||
|8|Notes to the accounts||
# **Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association annual report for the year ended 31 March 2026**
**Full name** Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association
**Other names by which the charity is known** ECP&DA
**Organisation type** Charitable incorporated organisation
**Registered charity number** 1173704
**Principal address** 130 Derby Road, Langley Mill, NG16 4AA
## **Trustees**
Doug Swain, Chair Geraldine Martin, Treasurer Glyn Stenson Paul King Susan Swain
Dorothy Stenson Stacey Reynolds, from 23/06/26 Judy Berry, until 14/08/25 Shirley Cornwell, until 14/10/25
## **Independent examiner**
Eva Stevens, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GL
## **Governance and management**
The charity is operated under the rules of its CIO-Association constitution adopted July 2017 and most recently amended 12/06/25.
We have regularly advertised in our magazine Outlook and monthly Newsletter for officers/trustees. This has met with no success therefore we are intending to advertise to a wider external audience.
Our constitution requires a minimum of four and a maximum of 12 trustees. We currently operate with six trustees, two of whom are standing down and seeking re-election at the 2026 AGM.
We are always on the lookout for suitable candidates to become trustees or officers. The charity core administration functions are Membership, Accounts, IT.
## **Operating the Charity**
Our charity is operated 100% by volunteers covering our Work Parties and Lock Cottage Open Days and events.
Meeting. The Lock Cottages opened 18 times for open days and 4 times for educational visits. Nottingham Toll Office opened 2 times for Open Days.
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## **Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association**
## **Objectives and activities**
The objectives of the CIO are:
- The restoration, reconstruction, preservation and maintenance of the Erewash Canal and associated waterways. Its buildings, towing path, structures and craft and the conservation of its natural character as a navigable inland waterway system for the benefit of the public.
- To provide educational and training facilities to members and the public in all aspects of canals, through the heritage of the built and natural environment, and emphasise the importance of safety requirements in a waterway environment.
## **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit**
Weekly work parties based at Langley Mill working with Canal & River Trust (CRT) to maintain the Erewash Canal. Tasks include; litter picking, repair works on locks, fences, towpaths agreed with CRT. Lock Cottages; monthly open days, openings for special groups walkers, boaters. We also open for pre-arranged educational school groups, Brownies, special activity days - washdays, Easter and Santa visits. Raising awareness of the need to preserve and maintain the Erewash Canal and its buildings for future generations to enjoy by opening the Nottingham Toll office once a month. Maintain and explain the history of the canal and its buildings, promote the health benefits of being near water taking into account the environmental considerations.
Helping to maintain a safe environment for walking, boating, fishing along the Erewash canal corridor. Providing a step-back-in-time experience for visitors to the Lock Cottages linked with educational school visits. The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the general guidance on public benefit.
## **Public benefit statement**
The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, 'Charities and Public Benefit'.
## **Summary of the main achievements during the period**
Improved Governance of the Association by updating policies, documenting trustee roles and responsibilities, providing a new online membership joining option, an improved newsletter to members, a permanent contact telephone number and role related email addresses through the website.
Work Party supporting and carrying out repairs and lock maintenance working with CRT.
Looking after the Environment put pressure on CRT working with our local MP and the BBC to get sunken boats removed from the Erewash Canal.
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## **Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association**
## Connecting with Members and the Community
Our events programme included Sandiacre Open Days throughout the year. Heritage Open Days at Langley Mill, Sandiacre and Mills Boatyard supporting the National Heritage Open Day activities. Attendance at other local events to promote the association - Heanor History Society and Shardlow Heritage Transport.
Volunteer hours for the period Langley Mill volunteers 2833 hours, Trustees 2500 hours, Lock Cottage volunteers 834 hours. Total volunteer hours 6167.
## **Financial review**
Disappointing to yet again make an overall loss, the large donation was a lifesaver. In mitigation we have lost several mooring boats/members during the last year which has impacted our income. The moorings and membership are two of our main income streams, which both need to improve. We have found some new mooring members but with shorter boats than those that have left and this impacts our revenue from moorings. We aspire to get more new members and moorers but so far this has proved difficult.
Sandiacre Lock Cottages continue to pay their way by provision of open days and educational visits throughout the year.
Managing and owning property, once thought to be the way forward, is a drain on finances through operating costs; insurance, maintenance, rates and electricity.
trustees is monitored throughout the year and is at least equivalent to three/six months operating costs.
## **Financial risks**
None immediately, due to donations we continue to survive.
Signed _____________________________________________ Date __________19/07/2026 Doug Swain, Trustee
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## **Independent e report to the trustees of Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association for the year ended 31 March 2026**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2026.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts
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.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records.
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.
20/07/2026 Signed _________________________ Date ______________________ Eva Stevens BSc, CPFA Employee of Community Accounting Plus
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## **Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 March 2026**
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## **Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 March 2026**
These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by:
Signed ___________________________________ Date ___________19/07/2026 Geraldine Martin, Trustee
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## **Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2026**
## **1. Receipts & payments accounts**
Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand.
## **2. Funds analysis**
The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows: Langley Mill fund is for the purchase of tools/training for Langley Mill. Sandiacre fund is for the purchase of a timeline for Sandiacre Cottages. CRT fund is to further canal work including the purchase of life jackets and helmsman training etc.
## **3. Premises & staff**
We rent Langley Mill basin from the Canal and River Trust for £1,600 per quarter and sublet the moorings. We have the pump house from Severn Trent on a 99-year lease which started in June 1987. We lease the Workshop and tollhouse from the Canal and River Trust paid as part of our quarterly lease.
## **4. remuneration**
Trustees received no expenses, remuneration or benefits in this period.
## **5. Related party transactions**
- There were no related party transactions in this period.
## **6. Glossary of terms**
**Creditors:** These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period.
**Prepayments:** These are services that the charity has paid for in advance, but not used during the accounting period.
**Restricted funds:** These are funds given to the charity, subject to specific restrictions set by the donor, but still within the general objects of the charity.
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## **Annual accounts 31 March 2026 report to the management committee**
Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association c/o 5 Buckingham Road Sandiacre NG10 5PP
Please reply to Grace
20/07/2026
Dear Board Members,
We are pleased to supply final copies of your accounts for the period ending as above. Please either print a copy, sign and date in black ink, and return to us by post or, email a signed pdf back to your Accountant. You should already have received our invoice for the work. Once we have confirmed receipt of your payment, we will then sign and return the final accounts to you.
On completion of the work we have no specific recommendations to make regarding the financial management of your organisation.
If you need further advice or explanations, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Finally, we would be most grateful if you could complete the enclosed monitoring and feedback form and return it to us, or complete the form electronically by clicking here
Yours faithfully,
Eva Stevens BSc CPFA
**Community Accounting Plus** Units 1 and 2 North West 41 Talbot Street Nottingham NG1 5GL
Tel: 0115 947 0839 Fax: 0115 958 8779 General email: caplus@capIus.org.uk Payroll email: payroll@capIus.org.uk **www.caplus.org.uk**
Community Accounting Plus is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation No 1080565 CA Plus gratefully acknowledges financial assistance from Nottinghamshire County Council
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# **Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association Charitable Incorporated Organisation Number 1173704 Minutes of the Annual General Meeting Held on 21[st] May 2026**
**Present:** 22 attending including 6 Trustees
**Apologies for absence:** 5
## **Address from the President Mike Harrison:**
Welcome all to this meeting.
I first became interested in canals when my cousin and his wife bought a historic narrow boat and invited me to go with them to the IWA National Rally at Leicester in 1967. By the time we arrived at Leicester I knew that I wanted a narrow boat myself and wanted to explore the British inland waterways.
I bought my first narrow boat in early 1970 and attended the first Erewash Rally at Gallows Inn but did not get involved with the ECPDA until the Cotmanhay rally in 1971. It was there that I first met Michael and Carole Golds with their then new boat Electra. I also first met Val Roberts, who was rally entries secretary.
After this rally, I started coming to these meetings and attending ECPDA work parties. Val and I later became an item, and we went on to do over 40,000 miles of boating together.
The first ECPDA chairman was Roy Torrington, who was later made the first president. The second president was Jim Stevenson, who was another founder member. Both were true gentlemen and I was greatly honoured to be asked to follow in their footsteps.
I am well aware that there have been some problems and differences of opinion in the Association in the last few months, but I sincerely hope that these can be resolved.
## **Approval of the minutes from the previous AGM held on 12[th] June 2025:**
The minutes were approved by Glyn Stenson
Seconded by Doug Swain
## **Chairmans report:**
## **How we have connected with members and the community:**
## **Membership**
With some members not renewing their memberships and, sadly with some passing on, it has become even more important to increase the number of Association members. Overall, our membership numbers have reduced by a total of 23 members.
Club 70 we have spare numbers if anyone wants any additional numbers.
**Members’ meetings** have been poorly attended throughout the year, even a Zoom meeting only attracted seven members. Two Social evenings were poorly attended even though those that did attend said they were enjoyable events. The Pie & Pea event had to be cancelled due to lack of support from members.
Reluctantly, the trustees have made the decision that until we can fill a trustee **Social Secretary vacancy** , there will be no more members’ meetings. The small number of trustees find it demoralising after preparing for a meeting to see so few attendees. We simply do not have the capacity to keep doing everything.
**Sandiacre Lock Cottages** continues to welcome a steady stream of regular visitors, while also attracting many new faces from both the local area and further afield. Our programme of themed events — _Protect and Care for Your Erewash Canal_ , _Remembrance Day_ , _Easter Celebration_ , and _Life on Working Boats_ — has proved especially popular. These activities have helped increase visitor numbers across all age groups, with a noticeable rise in families and children. The visiting Shire horses, in particular, have been a real highlight and warmly received by everyone. Partnership working has been central to the cottages’ progress. We have strengthened our links with the local community by contributing to Christmas tree festivals, hosting visits from local schools, and welcoming a wide range of community and voluntary groups. These relationships have helped position the cottages as a valued and active part of local life.
Over the past year, we have also welcomed several new volunteers to the cottage team. Their enthusiasm and fresh perspectives have been invaluable. However, as we continue to grow, we remain keen to attract more volunteers — especially those who can bring new ideas, skills, and energy to support the Association’s work.
## **Our Events program included:**
- Attending Heanor History Society
- Heritage Open Days at Langley Mill and Sandiacre/ Mills boatyard
- Attending Shardlow Heritage Transport Festival
- Sandiacre Lock cottage Open days and Educational School visits
- Nottingham Toll Office Open days
The Heritage Open Day events promoted by the National Trust
and organised by Stacey Reynolds went very well and she did a superb job of getting the National Trust to make a case study of our events. Well done, Stacey. For anyone interested it is still on our website under News & Events. Heritage Open Days.
## **The trustees have improved Governance by taking the following actions**
- Most policies have been reviewed/rewritten and updated as necessary.
- Roles and responsibilities have been documented for all trustee roles.
- We have introduced a new more informative monthly newsletter.
- A new online membership system has been introduced allowing people to join online, a paper option is still available for those wary of using the Internet.
- We now have a permanent landline telephone number not connected to an individual trustee
- All trustees have an ECPDA email address – both of these actions make it much simpler for the business to carry on when trustees change.
- We have introduced a set of core values – _Community, Environment, Positivity._
Despite the positive actions I have just outlined it is disappointing that our advertising for trustee roles and posting of requests for help has generated no new support from members putting themselves forward to become trustees/ officers or volunteers to help share the workload.
## **Sunken boats - looking after the environment**
The trustees discussed the five sunken boats along the canal and tasked our Vicechair Glyn, who with the help of our local MP Adam Thompson for Erewash, and the BBC put pressure on CRT to get sunken boats removed from the Erewash canal.
Five boats were removed within months with help from Sheet Stores.
## **Work Party**
The work party at Langley Mill have been busy all year, despite CRT stopping offside veg work, just as we were starting, due to an incident outside our region.
Some of the tasks completed include:
- Swing bridge posts and handrail replacement and painting.
- Tollhouse maintenance - cleaning and repainting floors, walls and ceilings and doors inside and out. Replaced the noticeboard on the tollhouse.
- Pentland was used to collect a number of full yellow litter bags from along the towpath between Shipley and Ilkeston.
- Refurbished the Pumping Station, cleaned and painted inside the pump house.
- Removed the ventilation box from the pumphouse roof, cleaned it, coated it with several coats of teak oil and refitted it.
- Litter pick along the length of the Erewash canal on two Fridays with help from paddle boarders and canoeists.
- Two fallen trees affecting navigation were removed from the canal between Shipley and Stensons Locks using Pentland.
- Improvements around the Langley Mill Basin include:
- Cleared grass from the coping stone edging on the basin point, lock side and swing bridge.
- Serviced the lock gear.
- Cleaned and repainted the balance beams, posts and handrails on Langley bridge lock and the information plaques on the lock side; the white
lettering was expertly done by a mooring member, Jenn Thornell.
- We are currently working to fit 12 anti-vandal locks supplied by CRT along the Canal to try and prevent pointless water wastage. Modifications are required so it is not a straightforward bolt-on job.
With the grass cut around the Langley Bridge lock area and its recent painting by our regular volunteers it looks 200% better – a good job, long overdue, well done to everyone involved.
## **Moorings**
Several of our long-term moored boats have left for various reasons during the year, but fortunately we have acquired three new mooring members. The moorings are still not full so if anyone knows someone looking for a non-residential mooring tell them to get in touch. Details are on the website.
## **Fund Raising and Donations**
Donations from members and the public were received throughout the year which included talks given by Sandiacre Lock Cottages’ volunteers. The Lock Cottages Christmas events provided opportunities to raise funds as did the attendance at the Shardlow and Heritage Open days at Langley Mill, Sandiacre and Mills Boatyard. An additional final donation of £15k was made to the ECP&DA from a gentleman’s will from whom we had already received a 40K donation last year.
## **Summary of future plans**
In the March newsletter I mentioned that the trustees had been working on a five-year plan that we would share with you when certain actions had been completed.
_The goal of the plan is to provide a project that encourages existing members to re-engage and also attract new members to strengthen the future of the Association._
In the last newsletter we shared a choice of logos for the members to vote on, and we have a clear winner, number three. We are currently developing a new marketing website and Facebook and Instagram sites using the Erewash Canal Association name. The existing ECP&DA name and logo will remain as it is our core CIO registration with the Charity Commission. The ECPDA name and logo will continue to be used on the existing website and for business communications, letterheads and trustee email addresses.
Glyn and I recently met with CRT to discuss the feasibility of using some of the Langley Bridge lock side car park for a Visitor Centre.
CRT were positive towards our Visitor Centre proposal, but they do seem to be reticent about being helpful. By choice we would rather own land for a Visitor Centre rather than lease it. However, CRT currently do not want to sell us any land by the lock which is part of our current lease.
There are still many things, including other options, the trustees need to discuss before we can give you any more information. However, I mention this now because without sufficient support from the membership, the trustees are wasting their time.
There will be a Visitor Centre Survey in the next newsletter where you can share your thoughts and indicate the type of support you are prepared to offer, or not, so please take a minute or two to respond to the survey to enable the trustees to gauge interest in this project.
## **Summary**
Although currently in a good position financially, the Association trustees are under no illusion regarding the future of the Erewash Canal. Our Association reputation has been built on the past endeavours of our members. **It is now more**
## **than ever, reliant upon its members and volunteers to pull together to ensure the future of our canal.**
The trustees/officers and regular volunteers, both at Langley Mill and Sandiacre, have had a very busy year. Together they have clocked up a minimum of 6167 hours of work during the year. These figures don’t include meetings or travelling time and work that has not been recorded.
I want to say thank you to all the Trustees, work party members, Sandiacre Lock Cottage volunteers, and all those members and friends who support the Association in their various ways. **Thank you all for your hard work.**