## **Annual Return to the Chari�es Commission -** 

## **Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts** 

## **For the Year Ending 31 January 2024** 

## **Charitable Incorporated Organisa�on Name:** 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on (NatSCA) 

## **Registra�on Number:** 


1186918 

## **Address:** 

c/o Yve�e Harvey, NatSCA Secretary 

Royal Hor�cultural Society 

RHS Garden Wisley 

Woking, Surrey 

GU23 6QB 

## **Trustees in post for the period 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024:** 

Jack Ashby (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Eimear Ashe (appointed at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Clare Booth-Downs (appointed at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Clare Brown 

Belle Buchanan-Smith (ra�fied at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Tannis Davidson 

Pa� Wood Finkle 

Jan Freedman 

Jen Gallichan (re-appointed Co-Chair at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Amy Geraghty 

Isla Gladstone (re-appointed Co-Chair at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Yve�e Harvey (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Lucie Mascord (re�red at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Laura McCoy (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Emma Murphy (appointed at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Glenn Roadley (re-appointed at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Laura Soul (re�red at AGM 27 April 2023) 

David Gelsthorpe (re�red at AGM 27 April 2023) 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**1** 



## **Structure & Governance:** 

NatSCA  is  a  Charitable  Incorporated  Organisa�on  run  by  elected  volunteer  trustees  from  its membership.  NatSCA  is  managed  according  to  a  Cons�tu�on  of  a  Charitable  Incorporated Organisa�on  with  vo�ng  members  other  than  its  charity  trustees.  This  states  that  NatSCA  must  have a  minimum  of  nine  and  maximum  of  15  trustees.  Named  trustee  roles  to  ensure  key  func�ons operate  are  Chair  or  Co-Chair,  Secretary,  Membership  Secretary,  Treasurer,  Editor.  Ordinary  member trustees  support  NatSCA’s  delivery  of  training,  conference,  social  media  and  online  blog,  website, advocacy, conserva�on, awards, and bursaries. 

At  every  AGM  one-third  (or  number  nearest  to  one-third  if  not  a  mul�ple  of  three)  of  the  trustees re�re  by  rota�on  according  to  those  who  have  been  longest  in  office.  Vacancies  are  adver�sed  to  the membership  and  wider  NatSCA  community  through  our  website,  email  lists  and  social  media channels, and filled by decision of the members at the AGM. 

## **Annual Ac�vi�es and Objec�ves:** 

NatSCA  supports  natural  science  collec�ons  and  the  people  who  work  with  them,  to  improve  care, access, and enjoyment for all. We are UK-based but welcome interna�onal members and users. 

NatSCA’s objec�ves are to: 

(1)  to  advance  the  educa�on  of  the  public  in  the  care  and  use  of  natural  sciences  collec�ons  and specimens. 

(2)  to  promote  for  the  benefit  of  the  public  the  highest  standards  in  the  prepara�on,  care, conserva�on,  management,  interpreta�on  and  research  of  natural  sciences  collec�ons  and specimens. 

(3)  For  the  benefit  of  the  public  to  promote  the  science  of  natural  sciences  collec�ons  conserva�on and cura�on. 

These  are  achieved  through  a  combina�on  of;  training  workshops,  seminars  &  conferences; peer-reviewed  journal;  networking  opportuni�es;  website  &  sector  resources;  member  bursaries; member project grants; advocacy. 

## **NatSCA’s achievements and performance 1 February 2023 to 31 January 2024:** 

The  following  report  is  compiled  from  an  extract  of  the  Annual  General  Mee�ng  of  the  Natural Sciences  Collec�ons  Associa�on  (NatSCA)  held  on  18  April  2024  and  addi�onal  commentary,  where relevant.  At  the  AGM  the  trustee  annual  reports  detailing  what  has  been  achieved  by  NatSCA  for public  benefit  were  presented  to  our  members.  Minutes  and  annual  reports  from  NatSCA’s  AGMs  are also published in print and online in our Journal of Natural Science Collec�ons. 

The **Annual  Accounts** included  below  in  the  Treasurer’s  report  and  were  approved  for  signature  at the AGM. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**2** 



## **Secretary’s Report: Yve�e Harvey** 

Nine  Zoom  commi�ee  mee�ngs  and  one  hybrid  Away  Day  (October)  have  been  held  between February  2023  and  January  2024.  With  the  excep�on  of  January  2024,  all  mee�ngs  had  over  10 trustees  present  and  lasted  c.  1  hr  30  mins.  The  typed  minutes  were  prepared  and  distributed 

amongst the Trustees. 

||ii.2023|iii.2023|iv.2023|v.2023|vi.2023|vii.2023|ix.2023|xi.2023|i.2024|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Jack Ashby**||Y|Y|Y|Y||Y|Y|Y|
|**Eimear Ashe**||||Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|
|**Clare**<br>**Booth-Downs**||||Y|Y|Y||Y||
|**Clare Brown**|Y||Y|Y||Y|Y|||
|**Belle Buchanan-**<br>**Smith**|Y|Y||Y||Y|Y|Y||
|**Tannis Davidson**||Y|Y|Y|Y|Y||Y||
|**Pa� Wood**<br>**Finkle**|Y||Y||Y|Y|Y||Y|
|**Jan Freedman**|Y|Y|||Y||||Y|
|**Jennifer**<br>**Gallichan**|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|
|**David**<br>**Gelsthorpe **|Y||Y|||||||
|**Amy Geraghty**|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|
|**Isla Gladstone**|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|
|**Yve�e Harvey**|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|||Y|Y|
|**Lucie Mascord**|Y|||||||||
|**Laura McCoy**|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y|Y||
|**Emma Murphy**||||Y|Y|Y|Y||Y|
|**Glenn Roadley**|Y|Y|Y|||Y|Y|Y||
|**Laura Soul**|Y|Y|Y|||||||
|**Total No.**<br>**present**|**13**|**11**|**12**|**12**|**12**|**12**|**11**|**11**|**9**|



Minute taking was shared between Yve�e Harvey and Eimear Ashe, the former is very grateful to the la�er for stepping in and helping. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**3** 



**Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith** 

|**Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith**|**Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith**|**Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith**|**Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith**|**Treasurer’s Report: Belle Buchanan-Smith**|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Accounts Summary 01Feb2023 - 31Jan2024**|||||||||||
|**Income**||**2023-24**||**2022-23**||**Expenditure**||**2023-24**||**2022-23**|
|**Ins�tu�onal Subscrip�ons**||||||**Running costs**|||||
||Previous Years|£-||£-|||Commi�ee<br>Expenses|£ (1,957)||£ (333)|
||Current Year (bank)|£ 1,972||£ 1,880|||Website, Zoom etc|£ (467)||£ (815)|
||Future Years|£ 80||£ 40|||Postage|£ -||£ -|
||||**£ 2,052**|<br>£ 1,920|||Payment Fees|£ (128)||£ (141)|
|**Personal Subscrip�ons**|||||||Data Protec�on|£ (35)||£(35)|
||Previous Years|£ -||£ 20|||||**£(2,587) **|£(1,324)|
||Current Year|£ 4,135||£ 4,475||**Workshops **|||||
||Wrong amount|£-||£-|||Catering etc.|£ (286)||£ -|
||Future Years|£ 20||£ 150|||||**£(286)**|£ -|
||||**£ 4,155**|<br>£ 4,645||**Conference**|||||
|**Workshop Income**|||||||2023: So how do we<br>actually do all this?|£ (9,239)||£-|
||Mobilising<br>BiodiversityData|£ 409||£ -|||2022: SPNHC|£ -||£(53)|
||Natural Science<br>Legisla�on|£ 243||£ -|||||**£(9,239)**|£(53)|
||||**£ 652**|<br>£ -||**Publica�ons & Informa�on Provision**|||||
|**Conference Income**|||||||2021 Journal print &<br>postage|<br>£-||£ (2,174)|
||2023: So how do we<br>actuallydo all this?|£ 15,235||£ -|||2022 Journal print &<br> postage|<br>£(2,466)||£ -|
||||**£ 15,235**|<br>£ -|||||**£(2,466) **|£(2,174)|
|**Dona�ons**||||||**Charitable**|||||
||Dona�ons|£ 5||£ -|||Bill Pe�t Fund|£(2,100)||£(2,528)|
||||**£ 5**|<br>£ -|||Bursaries|£(616)||£(1,504)|
|**Other**|||||||Sector support|£-||£ -|
||Misc.|£-||£-|||||**£(2,716) **|£(4,032)|
||Publica�ons|£ 6||£ 12||**Other**|||||
||Bank interest|£ -||£ -|||Misc.|£ -|||
||||**£ 6**|<br>£ 12|||||£ -|<br>£ -|
|**TOTAL INCOME**|||**£ 22,105**|<br>£ 6,577||**TOTAL EXPENDITURE**|||**£(17,294) **|£(7,583)|
||||||||||**2023-24**|2022-23|
|**Cash Surplus/ (Defcit) for the Year**|||||||||**£ 4,811**|£(1,006)|



## **Commentary on the Financial Year:** 

2023/24  has  seen  a  small  decline  in  subscrip�on  income  overall,  which  has  been  offset  by  income from workshops. 

In  April  2023  the  first  full  conference  since  2019  took  place,  with  both  online  and  in  person  delegates. High  a�endance  has  led  to  a  healthy  surplus  for  the  year.  Bursaries  were  offered  for  the  conference, however uptake was lower than in previous financial year. 

No  new  Bill  Pe�t  Grants  have  been  commi�ed  to  this  year;  the  amount  paid  out  relates  to  a  grant approved in 2020. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**4** 



Running  costs  are  returning  to  pre-Covid  levels  with  the  largest  increase  in  commi�ee  expenses  as  a result of the full 2 day planning away day. 

|**Cash Flow Statement**|**Cash Flow Statement**|**Cash Flow Statement**|**Cash Flow Statement**|||**OUTSTANDING EXPENDITURE**|**OUTSTANDING EXPENDITURE**|**OUTSTANDING EXPENDITURE**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|01.02.2023|Current a/c|£ 47,785||||2023 Journal Es�mate|£ 2,500||
||Paypal a/c||||||||
||||**£ 47,785**|||||£2,500|
|31.01.2024|Current a/c|£ 52,596||||**EXPECTED INCOME**|||
||Paypal a/c||||||||
||||£ 52,596||||||
|Balance IncludingLiabili�es|||£ 50,096|||||£ -|
|Adjusted Surplus/(Defcit)|||£ 2,311|||Adjusted balance 31.01.2024||£ 50,096|



## **Reserve Policy:** 

NatSCA  has  been  cau�ous  in  use  of  reserves  over  the  past  2  years,  during  and  following  the  COVID-19 pandemic.  Prior  to  this  period  the  CIO  general  reserves  were  increasing  year  on  year,  largely  due  to consistent  membership  levels  and  good  turnout  at  the  annual  conference.  The  trustees  have reviewed  the  level  of  reserves  required,  based  on  spending  commitments  and  �mings,  and  consider that  reserves  in  the  region  of  £20,000  would  be  sufficient  to  ensure  a  secure  basis  for  the  con�nued opera�on of the charity and delivery of objec�ves. 

Current  reserve  levels  are  more  than  twice  this  level  and  the  trustees  are  working  on  plans  to  u�lise excess  funds  to  the  benefit  of  members  and  the  wider  Natural  Sciences  Collec�ons  community.  Ini�al plans over the next 3 years include: 

(a) Improvement of the online offering via the NatSCA website and resources. 

(b) Increasing training and workshops to pre-pandemic levels or above. 

(c) Offering  addi�onal  support  in  the  form  of  bursaries  and  subsidised  a�endance  fees  to  assist with the cost-of-living crisis, and low training budgets. 

The  trustees  will  review  reserve  levels  a  minimum  of  6  monthly,  to  monitor  available  budget  for opportuni�es  for  addi�onal  areas  of  work,  member  and  public  support,  and  advocacy  across  the sector. 

## **Annual Accounts** 

The following accounts were presented and approved for signature by the members at the AGM. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**5** 



||**Charity Name:**|**Charity Name:**|**Charity Name:**|**Charity Name:**|**Charity Name:**|**No:**|**No:**|**No:**||**CC16a**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on**<br>**(NatSCA)**|||||**1186918**|||||
||**Receipts andpayments accounts**||||||||||
||**For the period**<br>**from**||Period start<br>date||**To**||Period end<br>date||||
||||**01/02/2023**||||**31/01/2024**||||
||||||||||||
|**Sec�on A Receipts and payments**|||||||||||
||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**||**Endowment**<br>**funds**|||**Total funds**||**Last year**|
||**to the**<br> **nearest £**||**to the**<br> **nearest £**||**to the**<br> **nearest £**|||**to the**<br> **nearest £**||**to the**<br> **nearest £**|
|**A1 Receipts**|||||||||||
|Ins�tu�onal Subscrip�ons|**2,052**||**-**||**-**|||**2,052**||**1,920**|
|Personal Subscrip�ons|**4,155**||**-**||**-**|||**4,155**||**4,645**|
|Workshops|**652**||**-**||**-**|||**652**||**-**|
|Conferences|**15,235**||**-**||**-**|||**15,235**||**-**|
|Dona�ons|**5**||**-**||**-**|||**5**||**-**|
|Publica�ons|**6**||**-**||**-**|||**6**||**12**|
|Bank Interest|**-**||**-**||**-**|||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total(Gross income for AR)_**|<br>**22,105**||**-**||**-**|||**22,105**||**6,577**|
||||||||||||
|**A2 Asset and investment sales**|||||||||||
||**-**||**-**||**-**|||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**-**||**-**||**-**|||**-**||**-**|
||||||||||||
|**_Total receipts_**|**22,105**||**-**||**-**|||**22,105**||**6,577**|
||||||||||||
|**A3 Payments**|||||||||||
|Runningcosts|**2,587**||**-**||**-**|||**2,587**||**1,324**|
|Workshops|**286**||**-**||**-**|||**286**||**-**|
|Conference|**9,239**||**-**||**-**|||**9,239**||**53**|
|Publica�ons & Informa�on<br>Provision|**2,466**||**-**||**-**|||**2,466**||**2,174**|
|Charitable Ac�vi�es : Bill Pe�t<br>Grants|**2,100**||**-**||**-**|||**2,100**||**2,528**|
|Charitable Ac�vi�es : Bursaries|**616**||**-**||**-**|||**616**||**1,504**|
|**_Sub total_**|**17,294**||**-**||**-**|||**17,294**||**7,583**|
||||||||||||
|**A4 Asset and investmentpurchases**|||||||||||
||**-**||**-**||**-**|||**-**|||
|**_Sub total_**|**-**||**-**||**-**|||**-**|||
||||||||||||
|**_Totalpayments_**|**17,294**||**-**||**-**|||**17,294**||**7,583**|
||||||||||||
|**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**|**4,811**||**-**||**-**|||**4,811**||**- 1,006**|
|**A5 Transfers between funds**|**-**||**-**||**-**|||**-**||**-**|
|**A6 Cash funds lastyear end**|**47,785**||**-**||**-**|||**47,785**||**48,791**|
|**_Cashfunds thisyear end_**|**52,596**||**-**||**-**|||**52,596**||**47,785**|



Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**6** 



|**Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period**|**Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period**|**Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period**|**Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period**|**Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period**|**Sec�on B Statement of assets and liabili�es at the end of the period**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Categories**|**Details**|||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**|**Endowment**<br>**funds**|
|||||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|**to nearest £**|
|**B1 Cash funds**|Current Account|||**52,596**||**-**|**-**|
||PayPal|||**-**||**-**|**-**|
|||||**-**||**-**|**-**|
||**_Total cash funds_**|||**52,596**||**-**|**-**|
|(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))||||OK||OK|OK|
|||||**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**||**Restricted**<br>**funds**|**Endowment**<br>**funds**|
||**Details**|||**to nearest £**||**to nearest £**|**to nearest £**|
|**B2 Other monetary**<br>**assets**||||**-**||**-**|**-**|
|||||**-**||**-**|**-**|
|||||**-**||**-**|**-**|
||||||||**Current value**<br>**(op�onal)**|
||**Details**|||**Fund to which**<br>**asset belongs**||**Cost (op�onal)**||
|**B3 Investment assets**||||||**-**|**-**|
|||||||**-**|**-**|
|||||||**-**|**-**|
|||||||||
||**Details**|||**Fund to which**<br>**asset belongs **||**Cost (op�onal)**|**Current value**<br> **(op�onal)**|
|**B4 Assets retained for**<br>**the charity’s own use**||||||**-**|**-**|
|||||||**-**|**-**|
|||||||**-**|**-**|
|||||||**-**|**-**|
||**Details**||||||**When due**<br>**(op�onal)**|
|||||**Fund to which**<br>**liability relates**||**Amount due**<br>**(op�onal)**||
|**B5 Liabili�es**|Journal 2023|||Unrestricted||**2,500**||
|||||||||
|||||||||
|||||||||
|||||||||
|Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees||||||||
|Signature||||Print Name|||Date of<br>approval|
|||||Jennifer Gallichan<br>(Chair)|||18 April 2024|
|||||Annabelle Buchanan-Smith<br>(Treasurer)|||18 April 2024|



Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**7** 



## **Membership Secretary’s Report: Clare Brown** 

For 2023 the membership sta�s�cs are as follows: 

- 278 members (56 ins�tu�onal, 222 personal). 

- This is 18 fewer members than 2022-23 (19 fewer individuals and 1 more ins�tu�on). 

- Around 75% of our membership is UK based, we also have members in 17 other countries. 

- 103 members chose to receive a hardcopy of the journal. 

● In  addi�on  there  were  13  free/complimentary  mailings  of  the  journal  either  for legal/copyright  reasons  or  networking  (  Bri�sh  Library  LDO,  Bri�sh  Library  CRO,  GCG,  Smithsonian Ins�tute  Library  Gi�  and  Exchanges,  ACE,  SPNHC,  MA,  Zoological  Record,  plus  five  copies  to  Agency for the Legal Deposit Libraries). 

Membership  numbers  have  dropped  very  slightly  from  2022.  However,  this  was  not  by  a  great  deal and  so  the  decline  in  membership  numbers  seems  to  be  slowing  down.  Membership  rates  usually increase  with  our  offer  of  training  events  and  in-person  conferences  and  so  our  plans  for  these  in 2024-25  should  help  with  our  numbers.  Uptake  of  the  hardcopy  of  the  journal  is  down  again  this  year, with most people choosing to look at it online. 

I  would  like  to  thank  everyone  who  has  supported  me  with  the  membership  work  over  the  last  year, Belle Buchanan-Smith, Eimear Ashe, Glenn Roadley and Jus�ne Aw in par�cular. 

## **Editor’s Report: Jan Freedman** 

Volume  12  of  the _Journal  of  Natural  Science  Collec�ons_ has  been  published  both  in  print  and  online. Members  who  requested  their  hard  copy  will  have  received  it  in  the  post,  and  the  password  to  access the  online  ar�cles  has  been  sent  by  our  Membership  Secretary.  The  first  three  ar�cles  are  open access  as  they  focus  on  decolonising  work  in  the  sector,  and  we  want  these  to  be  accessible  to everyone. 

The  latest  Volume  includes  10  ar�cles  covering  decolonisa�on,  community  engagement,  collec�ons, and  conserva�on.  Ar�cles  wri�en  by  interna�onal  experts  from  around  the  world  have  made  my  final Volume an impressive one. 

Thank  you  to  the  amazing  Editorial  Board,  who  work  so  hard  behind  the  scenes  to  check  ar�cles  and find  reviewers:  Paolo  Viscardi,  Verity  Burke,  Emilie  Pearson,  and  Lisa  Winters.  They  are  pa�ent, fantas�c  and  dedicated,  and  without  them  this  Volume  would  not  be  what  it  is.  Thank  you  to  all  the anonymous  reviewers,  who  ensure  that  each  ar�cle  is  to  the  highest  of  standards.  All  the  reviewers and  the  Editorial  Board  work  in  their  own  �me  to  go  through  the  ar�cles  in  so  much  detail,  and  I  am very grateful for all of their �me they give to the Journal. 

Volume  12  will  be  my  last  Volume  as  Editor  for  NatSCA.  I  have  really  enjoyed  working  for  you  all  as the  Editor  for  the  Journal,  and  although  it  is  an  awful  lot  of  work,  I  will  genuinely  miss  it.  The  ar�cles, the authors, the editorial board, the commi�ee, the edi�ng, the forma�ng: everything, I will miss. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

**8** 



Having  worked  as  Editor  since  2008,  with  a  small  hiatus,  I  began  with _NatSCA  News_ ,  and  transformed this  into  the _Journal  of  Natural  Science  Collec�ons_ .  It  has  been  something  I  have  really  enjoyed working  on,  and  something  I'm  very  proud  of.  I  have  really  enjoyed  mee�ng  and  working  with  so many different people along the way. 

I  will  miss  being  a  part  of  the  NatSCA  commi�ee:  those  individuals  who  work  relentlessly  out  of  their working  hours  to  do  so  much,  from  the  blog  to  the  organising  of  the  conference  –  there  are  so  many tasks  that  they  all  work  on,  most  of  which  are  not  seen.  One  of  the  greatest  things  about  the commi�ee  is  their  suppor�ve,  enthusias�c  work  ethic.  I  am  proud  that  I  was  a  small  part  of  this  great commi�ee. 

And  a  final  thank  you  to _you_ ,  the  members.  The  workshops,  the  JISC  Mail,  the  conferences,  have  all been  full  of  new  ideas,  support,  collabora�ons,  and  fun,  because  of _you_ .  This  really  is  such  a passionate  group  to  be  a  part  of.  Some�mes  being  the  only  natural  history  curator  in  a  smaller regional  museum  can  feel  as  though  there  is  no  support,  but  being  a  part  of  NatSCA  shows  what  an amazing community there is. An amazing community that cares for amazing collec�ons. 

## **Co-Chairs’ Report: Jen Gallichan and Isla Gladstone** 

2023  marked  the  first  year  with  NatSCA  Co-chairs,  with  the  posi�on  being  divided  into  two  to  support capacity  and  shared  leadership.  It  has  been  a  posi�ve  year  of  transi�on  and  learning.  NatSCA  has worked  hard  to  con�nue  to  grow  and  adapt  our  ac�vity.  We  are  mindful  of  difficult  situa�ons colleagues are facing globally and locally, and con�nue to focus on community, support and advocacy. 

In  April  we  held  our  first  in-person  NatSCA-led  annual **conference** since  2019,  at  The  Po�eries Museum  &  Art  Gallery  in  Stoke-on-Trent,  Staffordshire.  This  was  hybrid  in  format  for  both  speakers and  a�endees,  thanks  to  the  hard  work  of  Glenn  Roadley  and  Jus�ne  Aw.  Titled _“So  how  do  we actually  do  all  this?  Hopeful  futures  and  turning  theory  into  prac�ce  for  big  issues  in  natural  history collec�ons_ ”,  conference  lead  Pa�  Wood  Finkle  reports  that  we  had  26  presenta�ons  and  introduced a  new  “keynote/grandees/discussion”  format  for  the  final  session  on  the  first  day,  which  was  well received.  A  conference  survey  compiled  and  circulated  to  the  NatSCA  commi�ee  by  Jack  Ashby showed  overwhelmingly  posi�ve  feedback.  A�endees  par�cularly  valued:  sessions  presen�ng prac�cal  approaches  as  well  as  sessions  on  decolonisa�on;  presenta�on  formats  including  both lightning  and  longer  talks;  friendliness  for  new  and  seasoned  a�endees;  the  range  of  speakers  and sizes  of  their  ins�tu�ons;  the  organisa�on  of  presenta�ons  was  well  thought  out;  opportunity  for hybrid.  The  biggest  complaints  were  the  audio  for  virtual  a�endees  on  day  1  and  the  lack  of  biscuits for the in-person a�endees. 

Planning  for  2024’s  conference  started  in  summer  2023.  Titled _“Trials  and  Triumphs:  sharing  prac�ce across  the  museum  sector_ ”  and  hosted  at  Oxford  Museum  of  Natural  History  and  online.  By  the  end of  the  2023  NatSCA  year  we  had  received  55  papers  for  26  speaker  slots,  as  well  as  organising  tours, caterers and AGM. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

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**Training** lead  Laura  McCoy  reports  that  NatSCA  delivered  two  training  events  this  year,  one  in  person and  one  online,  both  of  which  were  sold  out.  “ _An  Introduc�on  to  mobilising  your  collec�on’s biodiversity  data”_ was  held  in  July.  It  was  organised  in  partnership  with  the  Natural  History  Museum London’s  DiSSCo  UK  team  as  an  in-person  workshop  with  10  par�cipants.  A�endees  were  taken through  the  steps  required  to  digi�se  and  share  specimen  occurrence  data  (‘what,  where,  when, who’),  and  understand  some  of  the  community  standards  used  by  the  Global  Biodiversity  Informa�on Facility  (GBIF).  A  mixture  of  talks  and  exercises  were  provided  to  help  people  find  achievable solu�ons  and  aid  delegates  make  the  case  for  future  investment.  Supplementary  online  seminars were  also  offered  by  the  DiSSCo  team  to  deliver  more  in-depth  training  and  help  answer  any  specific ques�ons. _“An  introduc�on  to  natural  science  collec�ons  legisla�on”_ was  held  in  November  online. With  six  speakers  and  96  a�endees,  subjects  included:  CITES  rela�ng  to  plants  and  animals,  poisons in  herbaria,  loans  (including  shipping  and  packing),  the  Wildlife  and  Countryside  Act  1981,  Geological legisla�on considera�ons and the Human Tissue Act 2004 in rela�on to museum collec�ons. 

Monthly  lunch�me  chats  have  been  consistently  well  a�ended  and  of  the  ten  provided  in  2023  we have  had  around  200  a�endees  cumula�vely.  Challenges  sourcing  speakers  have  been  helped  in  2024 through  offering  places  to  conference  speakers  who  we  were  unfortunately  unable  to  accommodate due  to  very  high  levels  of  speaker  applica�ons.  Talks  are  recorded  and  the  link  sent  out  to  members. Please do contact training@natsca.org  if you would  like to offer a training topic or Lunch�me Chat. 

**Blog** Editor  Jen  Gallichan  reports  that  visits  and  views  of  NatSCA’s  blog  pages  are  maintaining  a  steady level.  We  are  consistently  a�rac�ng  between  1700  to  over  2000  views  a  month,  with  an  average  of  55 to  75  views  per  day.  We  have  been  successful  in  a�rac�ng  submissions  from  across  the  sector, including  from  those  in  receipt  of  NatSCA  bursaries  and  through  Jisc  mail  call  outs.  The  highest number  of  visitors  are  s�ll  coming  from  the  UK,  but  ar�cles  are  ge�ng  more  interna�onal  coverage than  ever  before.  We  con�nue  to  a�ract  visitors  from  the  USA,  Australia  and  parts  of  Europe  and have  had  considerable  increase  in  readers  from  Canada  and  India.  Over  40  blogs  were  posted  in  2023. Our  most  read  blogs  of  all  �me  focus  on  collec�ons  management  and  conserva�on  including  ‘how  to’ blogs  sharing  best  prac�ce,  as  well  as  decolonial  prac�ces.  Popular  blogs  this  year  include  the  NHM collec�ons move update and Jazmine Miles-Long’s blog on taxidermy and death. 

**Top Posts** Private Bone Collec�ons: The Good, The Bad and The Illegal Giant Sequoia at The Natural History Museum Freezing Specimens and how to Mi�gate Freezer Burn What is Taxidermy? An in�mate rela�onship between death and maker. How to do decolonial research in natural history museums Resurrec�on 101 Preparing collec�ons for a big move Telling The Truth About Who Really Collected The ‘Hero Collec�ons’ The Herbarium Handbook – Sharing best prac�ce from across the globe Deaccessioning  of  the  non-Manx  herbarium  in  the  Natural  History  Collec�on,  Manx Museum 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

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NatSCA **Website** lead  Glenn  Roadley  reports  that  a  forced  switch  in  analy�cs  pla�orm  mid  way through  2023  means  obtaining  a  complete  picture  of  website  traffic  for  the  year  is  tricky.  Website traffic  peaked  around  late  April,  coinciding  with  the  NatSCA  2023  conference,  with  some  higher  peaks also  appearing  later  in  the  year.  Overall  we  had  41,435  page  views  this  year,  down  12%  on  the  same period  last  year  but  a  smaller  decrease  than  the  one  that  brought  us  in  line  with  pre-2020  levels  last year. Monthly page view figures range from 2,600 to over 4,600. 

## **Users over �me** 

Feb – June 2023 (Pre-Google Analy�cs 4) 


July – Jan 2024 (Google Analy�cs 4) 


**Top Pages** (GA4 data) 

|**Rank**|**Page**|**Page**<br>**Views**|**Users**|**Avg.  Time  on**<br>**Page (seconds)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|1|Home|2,911|1,677|16|
|2|Jobs|1,798|6,33|35|
|3|Taxidermy|1,149|944|28|
|4|Journal|848|313|21|
|5|Nature Read in Black and White|809|574|16|
|6|Events and Workshops|798|451|20|
|7|Publica�ons|517|301|38|
|8|Care and Conserva�on|516|292|26|
|9|Resources|439|284|16|
|10|Membership|429|292|42|



Website  updates  have  included:  36  sector  job  vacancies,  commi�ee  member  profiles  and  a consolida�on of resources rela�ng to Collec�ons and the Law following 2023’s training event. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

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NatSCA’s  current  website  has  been  in  use  for  over  10  years.  It  lacks  many  quality-of-life  and accessibility  features  of  more  modern  websites,  par�cularly  the  ability  to  respond  to  a  user’s  screen size  –  changing  shape  to  ease  naviga�on  on  tablet  or  mobile.  Its  content  has  also  grown  substan�ally over  that  �me,  with  several  areas  now  requiring  consolida�on  and  upda�ng.  Furthermore,  the NatSCA  blog  website  is  a  different  site  en�rely,  detached  from  the  main  site.  As  such  development has  started  on  a  new  website,  which  aims  to  migrate  all  exis�ng  features  and  content  of  the  current site,  while  also  integra�ng  the  blog  posts  and  providing  a  more  modern  browsing  experience.  At  �me of  wri�ng,  the  design  of  the  website  is  complete  and  all  content  has  been  migrated  with  the excep�on  of  blog  posts  and  publica�ons,  which  we  aim  to  complete  in  the  next  few  weeks.  Once confirmed  that  the  basic  func�onality  of  the  website  is  in  place  and  working  as  expected,  a  review  of all  content  will  take  place,  with  the  membership  consulted  on  any  changes  they’d  like  to  see.  We  aim to launch the new website a�er the NatSCA 2024 conference. 

It  remains  a  difficult  �me  financially  for  many  individuals  and  organisa�ons.  NatSCA  has  significantly increased  our  bursary  offer  both  in  terms  of  number  of  bursaries  and  total  amount  offered,  to support  members  to  a�end  our  events.  We  are  also  able  to  write  le�ers  of  advocacy  for  specific **collec�ons  at  risk** ,  please  contact:  chair@natsca.org.  Through  pla�orms  such  as  our  conference,  we will  con�nue  to  pla�orm  best  prac�ce  that  helps  to  sustain  collec�ons,  and  offer  opportuni�es  for connec�ng with colleagues for mutual support. 

In  terms  of **na�onal  network  projects** ,  NatSCA  has  con�nued  to  par�cipate  in  pilot  work  to  scope  a na�onal  digital  research  infrastructure  for  natural  science  collec�ons  called  DiSSCo  UK  (Distributed System  of  Scien�fic  Collec�ons  UK).  We  are  excited  to  see  this  opportunity  develop,  and  will  con�nue to work to support par�cipa�on and benefit for small to large collec�ons across the UK. 

## **Elec�on of NatSCA trustees commi�ee:** 

Trustees  form  a  steering  commi�ee  with  obliga�ons  to  ensure  NatSCA  meets  our  mission,  ensure good governance and conform to Charity Commission regula�ons. 

Below  are  the  nominees  for  NatSCA  trustee  posi�ons  standing  for  elec�on  at  this  AGM.  The Membership  Secretary  has  confirmed  that  those  proposed,  those  proposing  and  those  seconding  are all current personal members of NatSCA. No term will exceed three years without re-elec�on. 

Below are the nominated candidates standing for **Ordinary  Member** posi�ons on the commi�ee: 

|**Nominee**|**Posi�on**|**Proposed**|**Seconded**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Tannis Davidson|Ordinary Member|Hannah Cornish|Jack Ashby|
|Natalie Jones|Ordinary Member|Arianna Bernucci|Emilia Kingham|
|Pa� Wood Finkle|Ordinary Member|Jen Gallichan|Jack Ashby|



There are three vacancies for Ordinary Members and three nominees. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

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Below is the nominated candidate for **Membership Secretary** : 

|**Nominee**|**Posi�on**|**Proposed**|**Seconded**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Clare Brown|Membership Secretary|Isla Gladstone|Jen Gallichan|



There is one vacancy for Membership Secretary and one nominee. 

Below are the nominated candidates for **Editor (Journal)** : 

|**Nominee**|**Posi�on**|**Proposed**|**Seconded**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Emilie Pearson|Editor|Abbie Herdman|Nadine Gabriel|
|Glenn Roadley|Editor|Olivia Beavers|Paolo Viscardi|



There is one vacancy for Editor, and there are two nominees for the role. 

**Proposal 1:** An elec�on will be held for the posi�on  of Editor. 

**Proposal  2:** If  Glenn  Roadley  is  elected  Editor  by  a  simple  majority  vote,  his  current  Ordinary  Member posi�on  will  become  available.  In  this  scenario,  we  propose  Emilie  Pearson  is  elected  as  an  Ordinary Member  to  support  the  Editor  role.  (For  the  informa�on  of  members:  If  Emile  Pearson  is  elected Editor Glenn Roadley will con�nue his current term as Ordinary Member to NatSCA’s AGM in 2025.) 

**Proposal  3:** We  propose  one  ‘en  bloc’  vote  for  all  remaining  nominees  (three  nominees  for  Ordinary Member, one nominee for Membership Secretary). 

## _**All  proposals  were  passed  with  the  required  50%  at  the  AGM;  Glenn  Roadley  was  duly  appointed  as Editor and Emilie Pearson as ordinary member, all other appointments as listed above were agreed.**_ 

## **Vote of thanks** 

NatSCA  would  like  to  thank  everyone  who  has  been  involved  in  delivering  our  ac�vi�es  in  2023  for sharing their �me, exper�se and content. 

We  would  like  to  thank  NatSCA’s  trustees  for  all  of  their  hard  work  leading  on  key  ac�vi�es  and contribu�ng to the overall running of NatSCA. 

New  trustees  welcomed  in  2023  were:  Eimear  Ashe,  Clare  Booth-Downs,  Belle  Buchanan-Smith (ra�fied as Treasurer in 2023; joined in 2022), Emma Murphy. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

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Commi�ee  capacity  con�nues  to  be  affected  by  wider  sector  pressures,  and  as  such  we  are  moving  to a  more  collabora�ve  approach  to  delivering  key  roles.  In  addi�on  to  the  area  leads  who  have provided  and  are  named  in  annual  reports,  we  would  like  to  express  huge  thanks  to  commi�ee members  suppor�ng  delivery  of  our  ac�vity.  Commi�ee  members  suppor�ng  Pa�  Wood  Finkle  with conference  include:  Jack  Ashby,  Clare  Brown,  Belle  Buchanan-Smith,  Jen  Gallichan,  Amy  Geraghty, Yve�e  Harvey,  Emma  Murphy,  Glenn  Roadley;  suppor�ng  Laura  McCoy  with  training:  Amy  Geraghty and  Emma  Murphy;  suppor�ng  Yve�e  Harvey  Secretary  and  Clare  Brown  Membership  Secretary: Eimear  Ashe;  suppor�ng  DiSSCo  UK  work:  Jack  Ashby,  Clare  Brown,  Isla  Gladstone,  Emma  Murphy, Glenn Roadley. Tannis Davidson has been working on re-releasing the Bill Pe�t award in 2024. 

We thank Jus�ne Aw for highly valued external technical support. 

Jen  Gallichan  and  the  trustees  would  like  to  pass  on  hear�elt  thanks  to  the  great  group  of  volunteers who  compile  our  monthly  Digital  Digests  including  Olivia  Beavers  and  Milo  Philipps,  with  par�cular thanks  to  Glenn  Roadley  who  has  now  had  to  step  down  due  to  other  commi�ee  du�es.  We  are  also pleased to welcome Ellie Clark who joined the team in January. 

Editor  Jan  Freedman  has  shared  thanks  to  the  Editorial  Board  for  their  valued  support:  Paolo  Viscardi, Verity Burke, Emilie Pearson, and Lisa Winters. 

NatSCA  would  like  to  extend  special  thanks  to  those  trustees  stepping  down  from  commi�ee  this year:  Jan  Freedman  for  all  of  his  work  as  NatSCA’s  Editor  over  many  years,  and  Amy  Geraghty  for  all  of her  support  for  conference  and  training.  Their  contribu�ons  have  been  highly  valued,  and  they  will  be missed. 

NatSCA’s  strength  is  in  being  community-led,  and  we  value  your  contribu�ons  towards  this  past  and future.  Please  do  get  in  touch  if  you  are  interested  in  volunteering  for  NatSCA  or  in  how  our commi�ee works: chair@natsca.org. 

Natural Sciences Collec�ons Associa�on. Registered Charity 1186918. Website: **www.natsca.org** 

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