Trustees’ Annual Report: 2023-24 Bucklebury Community Bus Registered Charity Number 1174111
The Trustees of The Bucklebury Bus Charity present their annual report and audited accounts for the year ended 31 July 2024 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011, the trust deed and the Charities SORP (FRS 102).
Overview
The Bucklebury Community Bus (The Bus) provides transport for secondary school pupils from the village of Upper Bucklebury in Berkshire to the Kennet Secondary school in Thatcham, some 3 miles away. The bus also receives a payment to transport a small number of pupils from Thatcham who attend the Upper Bucklebury Primary school.
Our existing Bus Driver resigned from the post in May 2024. After a short recruitment process we were able to hire 2 new Bus Drivers that share the role. They are based in Upper Bucklebury so very local. We thank our outgoing Bus Driver for all her years of service and welcome our new drivers into the fold.
In the rare occasion that our Bus Drivers are unavailable we rely on a pool of Volunteer drivers to cover a shift. This pool is shrinking as volunteer drivers become unavailable so we continue to look for new volunteers from the school and local community to bolster our Volunteer Driver list.
We have been extending the sources of our funding and this year held a successful race-night fundraiser. We were also the recipient of a grant from the Greenham Trust.
Finances
Our finances show an income of £14,417.50 and expenditure of £14,800.99 for the year 2023-24. We therefore recorded a small loss of £383.49 but continue to manage our expenses against our income to hold a financial reserve. As we continue to re-organise and update our funding sources we anticipate a small surplus for the next financial year.
As of 31[st] July 2023 we held £5,816.67 in financial reserve.
A local garage carries out the required 10 week checks and annual MoT. They kindly cover the cost of the MoT annually.
School Bus Fee collection is managed by the Trustees, with parents reserving and paying for their child’s place(s) via direct bank transfer to the Charity’s Lloyds bank account.
Bucklebury Parish Council kindly provide an annual £500 donation in support of the eventual replacement of the bus.
The Charity is registered for VAT and we claim VAT rebates using the HMRC electronic systems.
Appointments
There have been no changes to the Trustee appointments over this period.
Governance
The Trustees generally meet on a Bi-monthly schedule or more frequently if needed. Each meeting is minuted with the actions from the previous meeting being reviewed at each meeting. New matters arising are recorded and assigned owners at each meeting. All Trustees give of their time freely and no remuneration or expenses were paid in the year.
Risk Management
The Trustees have reviewed all data storage and policies to ensure compliance with GDPR regulations.
Parents and pupils are reminded frequently about safety whilst using the bus, for example the mandatory use of seat-belts.
We renew our ICO membership / data protection fee on an annual basis.
Future Plans
Replacement Bus : Whilst the bus only does very low mileage (circa 8000 miles / year) we are mindful of the future need to replace the bus with a newer model in the coming years. With that in mind – we are setting aside circa £4,500 in a Lloyds savings account.
Ongoing Bus Maintenance: As the bus ages, and potentially due to the short nature of the journeys, the bus requires bodywork components to be replaced. With this is
mind we raise money through fundraising activities and funding applications to the Good Exchange to raise sufficient funds to complete these required works
Trustees
The following are Trustees of the Bucklebury Community Bus
| Title | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Mrs Fay Morris | Chair | Actve |
| Mrs Sarah McGill | Secretary | Actve |
| Mr David Parsons | Treasurer | Actve |
| Mr Paul Dick | Trustee | Actve |
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Annual Accounts
Bucklebury Community Bus - Income and Expenditure 1 August 2023 - 31 July 2024
Opening Balances
Closing Balances
| Savings Account | £5,025.78 |
|---|---|
| Trustee Current Account | £1,174.38 |
| Total | £6,200.16 |
| Savings Account | £4,041.31 |
|---|---|
| Trustee Current | |
| Account | £1,775.36 |
| Total | £5,816.67 |
Income
Expenditure
| Row Labels | Amount |
|---|---|
| Donations | £560.00 |
| Racenight Income | £1,440.92 |
| School Bus Fee | £8,797.50 |
| VAT & Gift Aid | £603.55 |
| Grants | £3,000.00 |
| Saving Acct Interest | £15.53 |
| Total | £14,417.50 |
| Net Loss | -£383.49 |
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Bus Maintenance | £1,052.61 |
| Driver Pay | £6,528.69 |
| Fuel | £1,664.97 |
| HMRC Gift Aid | |
| true-up | £4,000.00 |
| ICO & Regulatory | £163.00 |
| Racenight Expense | £325.00 |
| Tax & Insurance | £901.72 |
| Vehicle-MoT | £165.00 |
| Total | £14,800.99 |
Having examined the financial records of the Bucklebury Community Bus scheme for the stated period I certify that the receipts and payments account accurately reflect the transactions of the scheme and the Balance Sheet correctly reflects the financial position of the scheme at 31[st] July 2024
Verified and signed: ___ Date: ___ Z|os}2s