## Ebchester Boat Club Registered Charity Number 1187183 ## **Trustees’ Annual Report January 2020 - October 2020** Page 1 of 7 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Report Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020 ## **The Genesis of Ebchester Boat Club** The first boat was kept at Ebchester, under some trees, in 1872. By 1876 others began to take up the sport and soon the Ebchester Amateur Rowing Club was formed under the presidency of Mr. Bullerwell, a school master from nearby Hamsterley Colliery. A boathouse was quickly built and the winner of the first proper handicap, in 1878, was Mr. William Hardy of Whickham. By 1899 a newer boathouse was opened by Mr. Joseph Brown, a village tradesman. The Great War interrupted activities, with no less than 59 members serving _‘King and Country’._ The 1916 and 1917 accounts show sizeable donations to the _‘Ebchester Knitting Party’_ who provided clothing for the armed forces. Following the war the club continued to thrive, with several regattas being held each summer, and in 1922 a new pleasure boat was brought into operation The Second World War drastically reduced the number of events at Ebchester Rowing Club. Many men of the East Lancashire Regiment were stationed in the Consett area and the Regiment hired Club boats when practising the erection of pontoons on the river at Ebchester. The first season after the 1939-45 war was probably the most hectic in the club’s history. Five regattas were held and many new younger members joined the club. At least four regattas were held in each of the following years. Entries for the 1957 regatta were, according to the local paper, the best ever - scullers from Durham, Chester-le-Street, Tynemouth and Hexham all took part. However, the all-wooden boathouse, having served the Club well for almost 60 years was in very poor condition. Members organised an appeal, contacting both local firms and individuals. Response was excellent and the ‘ _do-it-yourself_ ’ building soon got underway with members doing most of the work. The new boathouse was completed in time for the 1960 season during which a dressing room was included on the first floor. Regrettably, in the mid-sixties, changing social habits began to affect the interest in and activities of the Club. The decline continued into the 1970s and the Club was dissolved on 12 March 1974. In 1981 the 5[th] Tyne Sea Scouts began to use the boathouse and since then the river has been used regularly for canoeing and kayaking. 2011 saw the formation of the Ebchester Boathouse Development Partnership, which aims to build a new boathouse and bring rowing back to the River Derwent. Regrettably, the boathouse has not yet been re-built but rowing did return to the river in 2015 and gradually became more regular. Page 2 of 7 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Report Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020 ## **Ebchester Boat Club** At a meeting held on 7 March 2019 it was agreed to form the Ebchester Boat Club (EBC), a multi water-sport club based at Ebchester, with additional activities to be held on the Derwent Reservoir. The primary aim of the club would be the development and participation of water sports for the benefit of the community. The club would be affiliated to both British Canoeing and British Rowing. Ebchester Boat Club was registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 2 January 2020. The Club’s financial year runs from 1 November to 31 October. This first report is in respect of the period from 2 January 2020 to 31 October 2020. The object of the Trust as set out in its governing document is: To promote community participation in healthy recreation for the public benefit in Ebchester and the surrounding area by the provision of facilities for rowing, paddling and other water sports capable of promoting physical health and fitness (“facilities” means land, buildings, equipment and organising sporting activities). ## **Activities** ## _**Rowing**_ The rowing club is a small but lively society with a core of approximately 20 members, many of whom joined directly following the completion of their _Learn to Row_ (L2R) courses which ran over the summer and early autumn of 2019. The wide range in ages has not only enabled Juniors to row together in a quad but also with older members. Their presence has also meant some rather interesting social events - such as an ‘Escape Room’ evening - as well as more traditional dinners. Throughout 2019, prior to the current reporting period, the Rowing club met on Wednesday evenings at Ebchester, and Saturday mornings at the Derwent reservoir, where we have an agreement with the Derwent Reservoir Sailing Club. This meant we were able to offer a variety of rowing experiences to our members. Because of the safe surroundings of Ebchester we were able to row late into autumn with lights fitted Page 3 of 7 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Report Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020 to the boats, which proved to be a magical experience. Winter saw the start of training at the club with twice weekly sessions incorporating ergs and circuits and ended with a club Christmas meal at a local pub. 2020 opened with exciting plans to repeat the previous year’s successful regatta and extend the L2R courses. Obviously this all came to an abrupt halt when Covid-19 hit. Rather than see equipment lie dormant during lock-down, the rowing machines were distributed to those who could make use of them. Club ‘Zoom’ training was then able to take place. As the weeks progressed, Ebchester took part in the Chester-le-Street virtual regatta, entering as an Eight and several Singles. Members also were able to take part as individuals in other virtual challenges and regattas as the rowing world adjusted itself to the new normal. During the summer of 2020 some restrictions were lifted and limited rowing in singles could once more take place before a further lock-down in September. Although this severely impacted the activities of the club, we recognised the responsibility of our members to play their part in protecting the greater community and have strictly adhered to British Rowing guidelines throughout this period. Now our minds are set on the future and how we can once more bring rowing to the community. ## _**Paddling**_ Whilst Covid-19 put paid to most paddling sessions during the year, a handful of informal sessions were run towards the end of the year. This did, however give us the opportunity to take stock of equipment and boats, make repairs and get on top of all the jobs that were outstanding. With the exception of outside agencies, all paddling currently is under the umbrella of the Scout Association. We are still looking to give access to paddling to the wider community and to this end, four of the Scout leaders are training to have appropriate qualifications. Hopefully the future will see a larger, more active paddling community at Ebchester. Page 4 of 7 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Report Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020 ## **Public Benefit** In carrying out these activities, the Trustees have taken into account the Charity Commission’s Guidance on the public benefit requirement (PB1, PB2 & PB3) and have complied with their duty to have due regard to this guidance when exercising their powers and duties. ## **Achievements and Performance** The Club for much of the season has had to operate in conformity with the Government’s public health regulations and guidance arising from the Coronavirus pandemic. This has meant that activities and development have been severely restricted. We have continued to maintain contact with our members whenever possible and have arranged rowing courses to encourage more people to take up the sport. This is already proving successful for 2021 as limitations on travel have re-awakened people’s interest in outdoor activities. ## **Financial Review** The Club’s receipts amounted to £8,986: comprising reserves of £5,596 accumulated prior to registration, grants amounting to £1,450, membership fees and course fees. The total expenditure of the Club was £6,939, leaving a balance of £2,047 represented by cash in the bank. Of this sum, £1,000 represents the unspent amount of grants for governance and fundraising training and advice. The Club has not been able to utilise the grant during the accounting period because of the emergency restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is hoped that the remaining grant can be spent in accordance with the conditions of grant as soon as the restrictions are sufficiently relaxed. A further grant of £4,400 has been awarded but not yet received. The Club is grateful to Sport England, County Durham Community Foundation, Northern Rowing Council, Durham Sport and Banks Community Fund for the grants that enabled the Club to be set up and to purchase boats and equipment. A balance of £1,047 remains in general funds A copy of the annual accounts is attached to this report as Appendix A Page 5 of 7 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Report Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020 ## **Reserves policy** The Club has no employees and the costs of winding up the Trust would be nominal. The only need for reserves at present is to cover essential running costs and emergency expenditure for which the trustees consider it prudent to maintain a general reserve representing approximately eight months’ running costs (this year set at £1,000). ## **Structure, Government and Management** ## **Government** The Club’s governing document is its Constitution, based on the Charity Commission’s ‘foundation’ model CIO Constitution. The Club is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Its only members are the trustees. The governing document provides that apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. The Club has no employees. There are eight volunteers who have registered to help us. The Trustees would like to thank the volunteers for their valuable contribution to the work of the Club The Club has agreed policies relating to: Financial Controls Health & Safety Page 6 of 7 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Report Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020 ## **Structure and Management** ## _**Board of Trustees**_ ## _**Club Management**_ Rowing Paddling ## **Reference and Administrative** The name of the charity is Ebchester Boat Club. It uses no other name. The charity is registered in England and Wales (Charity number 1187183). The address of the principal office of the charity is 19 Springhouse Lane Ebchester DH8 0QF. The first trustees were: Iain Alexander Knox (Chairman) Cathy Graham Kate Hastie Jenny Scott-Bannatyne Lucy Kate Holmes Brenda Beveridge Geoff Marshall Approved by the Trustees on: 13 August 2021 Signed on behalf of the Trustees: Full Name: Iain Knox Position: Chairman Page 7 of 7 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Report Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020 ## Ebchester Boat Club Registered Charity Number 1187183 ## **Appendix A** ## **Accounts for the period 2 January 2020 - 31 October 2020** ## Income ## Expenditure |Brought forward
Grants
Memberships
Course Fees
Interest
_Income / Expenditure_|**_2020_**
5,596
1,450
1,340
240
0
**£8,986**
_£2,047_
Afliation
Equipment
Insurance
Professional Fees
Repairs
Training|**_2020_**
147
4,650
1,095
1,000
29
18| |---|---|---| |||**£6,939**| |||| ## Balances ## Assets |Current Account
Cash in Hand
**_Liabilities_**
Creditors
Debtors
Grant Pending
Net Worth|**_31/10/2020_**
2,047
**£2,047**
4,400
**£6,447**
**_31/10/2020_**
Fixed Assets
£0
Equipment
£28,000
**£28,000**
**_Reserves_**
General Fund
1,047
Restricted Reserves
1,000
**£2,047**| |---|---| ## Grant Income ## _**2020**_ |Durham Sports
Durham Sports
Northern Rowing
**_Magic Little Grants_**|450
250
250
500
**£1,450**| |---|---| NOTE: Prior to Registration as a CIO the Club had accrued reserves of £5,596 Page 1 of 1 Ebchester Boat Club Annual Account Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2020