THE CITY OF SHEFFIELD ROWING CLUB
TRUSTEE REPORT FOR THE PERIOD 01 JANUARY – 30 DECEMBER 2020
Introduction
The Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) that is the City of Sheffield Rowing Club (CSRC) came into formal existence on 18 March 2019, with registration number 1182522.
The address of the principle office of the Charity is 36, Stumperlowe Crescent Road, Sheffield, S10 3PQ.
The five Trustees who brought the CIO into existence, following a decision made at the CSRC AGM in September 2018, were: Liz Brown (chair); John Elliott (secretary); Richard Foster; Chris Whitehead; and Graham Woods. These individuals were re-elected to office at the Charity AGM on 10 September 2020.
The Trustees are jointly equally responsible for all of the Charity’s activities; various Trustees nevertheless take a lead in given areas to spread the workload and utilise individual expertise. The lead Trustee is indicated where appropriate throughout this report.
In accordance with the Constitution, two Trustees will stand down at the AGM on 18 March 2021, and elections to replace these Trustees will be held.
Governing document
The Governing Document for the Charity is the Constitution, which came into force on 18 March 2019. It is supported by the Club’s Rules and Scheme of Delegation, which have been re-written to be consistent with the Constitution.
Charitable Object
The Charitable object of the City of Sheffield Rowing Club is to promote community participation in healthy recreation for the public benefit in and around the city of Sheffield through the provision of facilities for rowing and sculling.
Charitable activity in 2020
Rowing activities were severely constrained during 2020 because of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Although the year began normally, by March the Club had been forced to close its doors as the country entered lock-down to prevent the spread of infection. British Rowing advice was that Clubs should close and, in any event, Yorkshire Water shut their reservoir. As the country emerged from lockdown the Club established a “Return to Rowing” group to ensure that rowing could resume safely, governed by social distancing measures and protocols for disinfecting equipment and
surfaces. The Club was, however, unfortunately forced to close its doors again later in 2020, as rising infections caused a second lockdown.
In order to maintain a sense of community amongst Club members, and support them in their endeavours to exercise in order to promote mental and physical well-being, various Zoom groups and social media activities arose related to circuit training, ergometer training, and more lighthearted social interaction.
Public benefit
The Trustees affirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the 2006 Act to have had due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission. They have all been made aware of the guidance. Furthermore, the Trustees believe that the decisions they have made consequent on the establishment of the Charity will be beneficial to those members of the public who are, or who will become, members of the rowing club; do not involve personal gain for the Trustees; and do not involve decisions where there is a need to decide whether the benefits of a decision outweigh any associated harms.
Trustee remuneration, expenses, and related party transactions
No Trustee received remuneration for acting as a Trustee during 2020, nor did any Trustee receive expenses for travelling, or to cover other personal costs. Liz Brown was reimbursed £37.40 by the Club for the purchase of supplies used to support the return to rowing following the end of lockdown. There were no related party transactions that require disclosure in the annual accounts.
Financial review
(Lead Trustee: Graham Woods)
The accounts for the extended financial year March 2018 -December 2019 were examined by an independent accountant and subsequently approved. The trustees have appointed Peter Winter of Winter & Co. Chartered Certified Accountants to examine the accounts for 2020 and at the time of writing his report is in preparation.
Because of the lockdown imposed by the government, the Club offered subscription payment holidays to members. The offer was partially taken up, resulting in a shortfall in subscriptions of £300.
The negotiation with our corporate members over fees for the academic year 2020/21 was not completed, as the prospects for rowing over this period remain unclear, and the size of any rebate cannot be determined. Fees for rowing undertaken by Sheffield University at the end of 2020 are therefore outstanding at the time of writing.
An order has been placed for two replacement trailers due for delivery this summer. The insurance payment was £7715 and the cost of the new trailers is £9654, meaning the club will need to contribute £1939 which equates to the deposit already paid from the trustee account.
Notwithstanding the problems of last year the club's finances are in a good position. Balances in the three bank accounts on 31 December 2020 were as follows:
Trustee account £14234 General account £21980 Social account £955 Cash in hand £39
Total £37208
The policy on reserves essentially relates to the accumulation of capital by the Trustees to fund the planned building works, and, subsequently, pay for repairs and maintenance. If and when the building work is complete, the current policy is that we shall, if circumstances permit (i) adjust downwards the annual contributions made by the three Clubs to the reserves, (ii) establish a sinking fund to ensure that the estate can be maintained through time and (iii), at a minimum ensure we retain enough money to allow the Charity to clear any debts and be run down if circumstances demand it.
Trustee activities 2020
Welfare (Lead Trustee: Richard Foster)
Richard Foster brings to the role of lead Trustee on welfare issues his experience as Child Protection Governor at a Sheffield primary school. As well as his work there supporting front-line pastoral staff dealing with children in challenging circumstances, he has held similar roles in charities working with vulnerable adults.
On a day-to-day basis welfare matters are in the hands of the Club Welfare Officer, Olwyn Paxman, supported by the Committee. A number of welfare issues arose during the year which, in the opinion of the lead Trustee, were handled with a high degree of professionalism. In addition it was gratifying to see the extent to which club members took care of one another during the difficult days of the pandemic. Last, the Trustees were pleased to see the progress being made in respect of our junior rowing offer.
Rules (Lead Trustee: Richard Foster)
The Rules, supported by a Scheme of Delegation, have been agreed between the Committee and the Trustees. These documents lay out the precise terms of the delegation of responsibilities for running the Club, as allowed by the Constitution (section 18).
Revisions to the Rules require approval by a general meeting of the Club. Revisions to the Scheme of Delegation may be agreed between the Trustees and Committee.
The Rules and Scheme of Delegation will be supported by other documents, including a Welfare Policy, Health and Safety Policy, Junior Rowing Protocols, and a Grievance Procedure. The Trustees will work with the Committee to ensure that an agreed set of documents will be available as soon as is practicable during 2021.
Health and Safety (Lead Trustee: Chris Whitehead)
During the year Liz Brown conducted a safety audit and updated the club’s Health and Safety Plan and Risk Register. The committee have followed the guidance of British Rowing in restricting the activities of the club in connection with the pandemic. So far as the trustees are aware, there have been no instances of a Covid infection as a consequence of club activities.
Though the level of rowing activity has been restricted during the year, it is precisely in circumstances like these that are a departure from the norm that accidents happen. It is therefore a credit to all members of the club (including the two universities as corporate members) that no serious incidents have occurred.
Building works (Lead Trustee: Chris Whitehead)
On behalf of the Trustees Simon Coyne investigated the feasibility of securing a mains power supply to the boathouses, and established that a 240V supply to the dam wall would cost £11k. We need Yorkshire Water to grant us a wayleave, at nominal cost, to allow us to connect the supply to the buildings. Simon will now work up, with contractors, a scheme to deliver a domestic scale supply from the feeder cabinet to the boathouses. Our hope is that the total scheme cost will be in the order of £20k, offering the prospect of a boathouse environment that is safer and more welcoming.
The other elements of the development scheme (retaining wall rebuild, replacement of the old boathouse, refurbishment of the ‘new’ boathouse) all await external funding. We are looking at how we might split the retaining wall work into two phases so that we can afford a first phase, including the trailer hardstanding, in 2022. Unbundling of the project into smaller phases inevitably involves additional design and construction overhead costs, however.
Fundraising (Lead Trustee: Chris Whitehead)
- (a) Capital funding for building works
The middle of a pandemic is not an ideal time to try to raise capital funding: some funding bodies are only meeting sporadically, whilst others are concentrating on those sports clubs for which Covid constitutes an existential threat.
Since last March we have applied to 14 potential sources of capital funding in connection with the new boathouse programme for funds totalling £558k. We have had formal rejections from eight of those funders. The six outstanding applications total £228k; however, without an anchor funder such as the National Lottery or Sport England securing any of this will be challenging, and for that reason we will be paying close attention when Sport England reveal their new funding strategy on 26[th] February 2021. Additionally, we will need a high-quality sport development plan before we can apply to Sport England’s Community Asset Fund.
A full list of the funders to whom we have applied for capital funding is available from Chris Whitehead. We welcome ideas on where we might apply next; one possibility is the Henley Stewards Charitable Trust. We have followed up on all suggestions received thus far.
During the year we have secured letters of support for the new boathouse project from British Rowing, Yorkshire Sport, Forge Valley School, SHU, and the University of Sheffield, and are awaiting one from Bradfield Parish Council.
- We have also set up a crowdfunding site on Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/csrc new-boathouse which has so far attracted £300. A big thank you to everyone from the club who has contributed to this.
(b) Equipment funding
We have made two applications for funding for equipment: for £12k for a new stable quad from the Clothworkers Foundation, and for £10k for four new training boats from the Aviva Community Fund. Both of these await a decision.
Junior rowing (Lead Trustee: John Elliott)
Junior rowing was suspended throughout almost all of 2020 because of the pandemic. The Committee dedicated one of its meetings for a thorough discussion of the protocols that should govern Junior Rowing, based on examples from a number of other clubs, including York and Henley. These protocols will be codified for use in 2021. A key aim will be to increase the number of junior rowing coaches so that a minimum of two can be present for each session; the Trustees and Committee are encouraged by the expressed willingness of the student members to contribute to this effort, once rowing can return to normal.
Sarah Baker volunteered to run a schools “indoor and outdoor” rowing challenge based on similar initiatives in Fulham and Leeds, and organised in conjunction with Move More Sheffield, Yorkshire Sport, and the University of Sheffield. Because of coronavirus restrictions the programme has been delayed. We are, nonetheless, maintaining contact with Move More and still hope to deliver a scaled-down pilot project in 2021.
Increasing the diversity of the membership
The desirability of increasing the diversity of the club’s membership was raised at the previous AGM in September 2020. The Trustees and Committee have each discussed the issue but, during the pandemic, opportunities for action have been limited. The Committee has now proposed three simple yet practical actions during 2021 to move the agenda forwards: first, to undertake a club survey to help us understand how our current membership identifies itself in terms of diversity; second, to enable a continuing discussion amongst the membership over what success in increasing diversity at CSRC would mean; and, third, to include appropriate targeting in our recruitment.
We shall no longer use the acronym BAME as a shorthand when discussing diversity issues, partly because it is not inclusive of all ethnic or racial groups, and partly because we want to be open to diversity in all of its forms.
ENDS
ANNEX
| CSRC non-student membership numbers: | Feb 2021 | (March 2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Senior active | ||
| Men | 29 | (40) |
| Women | 36 | (48) |
| Junior active | ||
| Male | 0 | (1) |
| Female | 0 | (2) |
| Associate (non-rowing) | 4 | (5) |
| Non-resident | 2 | (3) |
| Student numbers 2020 | ||
| Sheffield University | 83 | (90) |
| SHU | 39 | (47) |
Club financial year The CSRC financial year runs from January to January. The Club will, in normal years, convene an SGM in the Autumn of each year in time to set the membership fee for the next calendar year, and an AGM in the Spring of each year to receive the Examined Accounts and Annual Report, and elect Trustees as appropriate.
Annual Trustee report circulated to the Club prior to the AGM on 18 March 2021.
Signed (electronically):
Elizabeth Brown (Chair)
John Elliott (Secretary)
Richard Foster
Christopher Whitehead
Graham Woods
Charity Name N City of Sheffield Rowing Club CIO 11
Recei ts and a ments accou p p y
For the period Period start date To from 01.01.20
| Section A Receipts and payments | Section A Receipts and payments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 3,760 1,930 283 14,724 868 1,758 742 767 - 473 525 - - - 25,830 - - 25,830 1,802 1,646 2,991 1,737 2,724 77 651 567 100 1,422 689 367 965 - 630 350 - 16,718 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
| Trustees: Membership | 3,760 | ||
| Trustees: Rack Fees | 1,930 | ||
| Trustees: New Boat House & Grants | 283 | ||
| CSRC: Membership | 14,724 | ||
| CSRC: Misc | 868 | ||
| CSRC: Race fees | 1,758 | ||
| CSRC: Towingfees | 742 | ||
| CSRC: Trainingcamp | 767 | ||
| CSRC: Learn 2 Row | - | ||
| Social Calendar sales | 473 | ||
| Social: Events | 525 | ||
| Funds transferred from Pre-CharityClub | - | ||
| Funds donated byDFRC | - | ||
| - | |||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 25,830 | ||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||
| - | |||
| Sub total | - | ||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||
Trustees: Propertyinsurance |
1,802 | - | - |
| trustees: New boathouse | 1,646 | - | - |
| Trustees: Facilities | 2,991 | - | - |
| CSRC: Boat insurance | 1,737 | - | - |
| CSRC: Maintenance | 2,724 | - | - |
| CSRC: New equipment | 77 | ||
| CSRC: British RowingFees | 651 | - | - |
| CSRC: Circuits | 567 | - | - |
| CSRC: Admin | 100 | - | - |
| CSRC: Race EntryFees | 1,422 | ||
| CSRC: Traileringfees | 689 | ||
| CSRC: Misc | 367 | ||
| CSRC: Trainingcamp | 965 | ||
| CSRC: Legal fees | - | ||
| Social Events | 630 | ||
| Trustees Misc | 350 | ||
| DFRC Service charge | - | - | - |
| **Sub total ** | 16,718 | - | - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
06/10/2021
1
| A4 Asset and investment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| purchases, (see table) | ||||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | - | |||
| Total payments | 16,718 | - | - | |||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | 9,112 | - | - | |||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | - | |||
| A6 Cash funds last year end | 28,096 | - | - | |||
| Cash funds this year end | 37,208 | - | - |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
06/10/2021
2
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the perio
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B1 Cash funds |
Co op Account 6588 1374 General Co op Account 6588 1361 Trustees Cash in hand Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Fixtures and Fittings Co op Account 6588 1387 Social Signature |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ 21,980 14,234 955 39 37,208 OK Fund to which asset belongs 39,307 Fund to which liability relates 0 0 Print N |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth | ||
| Graham |
CCXX R3 accounts (SS)
06/10/2021
3
o (if any) 182522
unts CC16a
Period end date 31.12.20
Total funds
Last year
to the nearest £ to the nearest £
| 3,760 | - | |
|---|---|---|
| 1,930 | 190 | |
| 283 | ||
| 14,724 | 17,976 | |
| 868 | 1,030 | |
| 1,758 | 4,645 | |
| 742 | 1,293 | |
| 767 | 885 | |
| - | 940 | |
| 473 | 41 | |
| 525 | 576 | |
| - | 16,476 | |
| - | 9,756 | |
| - | - | |
| 25,830 | 53,808 |
| - | - | |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | |
| 25,830 | 53,808 |
| 1,802 | 1,662 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1,646 | 3,616 | |
| 2,991 | 6,165 | |
| 1,737 | 1,377 | |
| 2,724 | 1,009 | |
| 77 | 1,088 | |
| 651 | 648 | |
| 567 | 614 | |
| 100 | 164 | |
| 1,422 | 3,579 | |
| 689 | 3,029 | |
| 367 | 50 | |
| 965 | 198 | |
| - | 1,040 | |
| 630 | 673 | |
| 350 | - | |
| - | 800 | |
| 16,718 | 25,712 |
CCXX R4 accounts (SS)
06/10/2021
4
| - | ||
|---|---|---|
| - | - | |
| 16,718 | 25,712 | |
| 9,112 | 28,096 | |
| - | - | |
| 28,096 | - | |
| 37,208 | 28,096 |
CCXX R5 accounts (SS)
06/10/2021
5
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Restricted funds Endowment
funds
to nearest £ to nearest £
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- -
- -
- -
- -
OK OK
Current value
Cost (optional)
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- -
- -
Amount due When due
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Name Date of approval
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CCXX R6 accounts (SS)
06/10/2021
6
CHARITY (OMMISSION FOR ENGLANO AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteesl members of The City of Sheffield Rowing Club (CIO) On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2020 Charity no (if any} 1182522 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity lllhe Trust") for the year ended Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {'the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's ac¢ounts Garried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5)(b) of the Act. Independent l am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of examiner's statement the Association of Chartered Certrfied Accountants. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have ome to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause lo 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 wtth the accounting records: or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the fomi and content of accounts Set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Yrue and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no GOnrn$ and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: 28 February 2021 Name: Peterwinter MA FCCA Relevant professional qualification or body Chartered Certified AGGountant Address: 103 Wilkinson Street. Sheffield SIO 2GJ IER Oct 2018