## **Epsom & Ewell Harriers** ## Registered Charity Number 1187959 Trustees of the CIO are: David Clarke (Chairman) Iwona Moore (Treasurer) Dan Johnson (shadow Treasurer) David Howell Neil Henderson (acting Secretary) Chris Ryans Diana Norman (Coaching Secretary) Andrew Vaughan Vanda Caulfield (Facilities Secretary) David Blunt (Membership Secretary) David Howell ## _**Trustees Report for the year to November 2023**_ ## _**Overview**_ This time in 2022 we remembered the first summer of proper competition after 2 years of inactivity and disruption due to Covid. The upward curve has continued into 2023 with the pandemic gladly a distant memory and athletics back in full swing. Once again schools and other local groups made full use of the track during the summer but only made possible by our team of volunteers on hand to open the facilities and provide equipment. ## _**Management of the Charity**_ At the last AGM we had indications from the Club Secretary and Treasurer that they would like to step down from office. Shortly afterwards we had two volunteers from amongst the Trustees to take over the positions. Neil Henderson has been acting as Club Secretary for the past 12 months. And Dan Johnson has shadowed our treasurer and is now ready to take over from Iwona Moore. We are very grateful for the 5 or 6 years that Iwona has spent in that position. We should formalise the new positions of Neil and Dan at the AGM. David Howell will remain a Trustee and there will be one vacancy amongst the Trustees to be filled at the AGM. More generally the Trustees have managed the club well. They have delivered the objectives and managed finances more than efficiently. ## _**Income & expenditure**_ Note that the accounting period runs to end of March, so we are already 7 months into the next accounting year by the time of the AGM. But generally, the accounts show a continued healthy increase in activity, both training and competitions, compared to the previous year. The balance sheet has been helped by windfall donations from a benefactor for a second year; and these donations have continued into the current financial year. Also, in the previous accounts we held a provision for rent to EEBC during Covid when the facilities were unavailable. This debt has now been written off. Our two major promotions, the Night of Miles on the track and the Nonsuch relays were again successful in this accounting year (i.e. the 2022 events) and allowed us to build even bigger and better (especially with the relays) in 2023. ## _**Facilities**_ It is worth re-iterating that we have a very different relationship with the track and local Council compared to most other athletics clubs. Typically, the track is owned by the council and managed by their subcontractor. Between them they supply all the facilities and equipment plus the staff to manage events. In our case we have a unique partnership arrangement with Epsom & Ewell Borough Council (EEBC). We have lease agreements to use the clubhouse and weights room and to have exclusive use of the track three nights every week. We pay a significant rent for these privileges, but it does give us greater flexibility than most clubs in the control of the facility. This is an excellent arrangement, but it also has some consequences. EEBC is responsible for the basic infrastructure such as the track, hammer cage etc. But we are responsible for all other ‘movable’ equipment such as the high jump bed, hurdles, throwing equipment and so on. Our bank balance may look healthy at the present time, but some major pieces of equipment are coming towards the end of their life and will need replacing soon. The other consequence of this arrangement is that we are responsible for maintenance of our equipment and for getting equipment ready for events. We are investing in our facilities now and planning for the future. This acts for the benefit of not only the club, and competitions, but also but casual users, other clubs who train on the facility Wednesday evenings and weekends and many local schools and groups. We help to facilitate use of the track by local schools and others. For example, schools hold academic assessments in PE, sports days and training, the local scout troupe had an athletics evening on the track last summer. To manage all of this we rely very heavily on members and parents who give freely of their time. ## _**Athletics Activities, Achievements and Public Benefit**_ Our technical officials and volunteers have again more than pulled their weight in facilitating local competitions and events. In the 2023 summer season we hosted the usual fixtures for Lily B, Ebbisham, Vets and Rosenhiem Leagues. At ‘away’ fixtures our officials always filled the tasks allocated and frequently went above and beyond to help other clubs who did not have the full complement. Without them many events could not have taken place. In June 2023 our Nonsuch Relays was bigger and better than ever. We used chip timing for the first time, and this allowed a record 140 teams to take part. Some were established clubs but others, teams of more casual runners from the local community. Similarly, our Night of Miles in August allowed over 100 athletes and recreational runners from the community to experience this iconic 4-lap race that is all too rarely available these days. In October, with our friends from 26.2RRC we co-hosted Match 1 of the cross-country league season. And indeed, a group of our officials made up at least half of the finish team at Match 2 in Oxted. In October we also hosted the local Downs league cross country fixture for younger athletes. This includes the very popular races for 8–10-year-olds which are not available elsewhere. As for our athletes, the 2021/22 cross country season saw our men narrowly miss promotion to Div 1 and the women avoid relegation from Div 1. But 2023/24 has started with a bang. The men have won the first two Div 2 fixtures handsomely and the Women are much more comfortably placed in Div 1 of the Womens league. What is really heartening is to see the large numbers of U20 athletes, both male and female, who have stepped up to the Senior races for the first time. In the women’s team at Match 1 all 5 scorers, and Match 2, 4 of 5 scorers were U20. Through the summer our athletes had mixed fortunes. Our seniors experienced competition in Div 1 of Southern Athletics league for the first time in many years and enjoyed a much better format and standard of competition than previous years. Sadly, we were eventually relegated by a single point, and we would say due to a bizarre league scoring system in which we had more league points than 3 clubs above us who stayed in Div 1. In the Young Athletes competitions, it was a year of change for the girls Lily B league. Last years winners SLH slipped to 5[th] place but Croydon and Kingston had a strong second half of the season to tie for first place and leave us 1 point behind in 3[rd] . But our boys, who only recently were in Ebbisham Div 2, this year ran away with the Division 1 title. As we know the secret of league matches is filling every event. The turnout for the boys league was the best for many years, but we had more gaps than usual in our girls team. Mid-week the Vets league had only 3 fixtures after the first match was cancelled due to torrential rain. But as usual Epsom won both Men’s and Women’s sections comfortably. The Rosenheim league was extremely disappointing in 2022 with very little support for either athletes or officials from clubs other than ours. But 2023 saw a significant improvement. Our men finished 4[th] of 8 teams in the final. ## _**Volunteers**_ We rely heavily on Volunteers. Our coaches, several of whom are at the track 3 nights a week and then supporting their athletes at competitions at the weekend, are all volunteers. Similarly our technical officials, who again might be at 3 or 4 meetings a week during the track and field season and one or two every weekend in winter; and our Committee of Trustees who manage the affairs of the club are also volunteers. Our team managers organise our teams and try their best to get all the right people to the events are also doing this on an entirely voluntary basis. And we have many parents or relatives who also play their part, including those who help Vanda in the summer to make the facilities available for schools and others. We treasure these volunteers, and this Charity could not continue without them. Indeed, we need more. We have started a new initiative to invite all members to sign up for a Volunteer Team. We will monitor this and hopefully it will be running well by Spring 2024. And, if members, friends or relatives can help at any level at any time we ask them to please come forward. ## _**Future Plans**_ We are in a good place to do more of the same, but better. We have the facilities; we have the resources, and we have a good management structure that puts the Charity on a sound footing. But we do rely on a strong team of volunteers to make this happen and to take some of the burden off the hard core of people who have been devoting time to the club for many years. We can find tasks for all skills, but we especially need those who are prepared to develop as coaches. They can then pass on to members of the community and our athletes the skills that will allow them to maximise their potential from this sporting activity and exercise. We must increase our base of volunteers to achieve further improvements in performance and delivery. David Clarke CBE Chairman November 2023 EPSOM AND EVKLL IIAMERS INCOME AND EXPENDITUAE ACCOUIITFOR THEVEAR ENDED31 MAIKH 1023 gjbscrfp £14.6￿29 £4S.741.(0 £2,749. f81UA3 11ffi117ttonfee5 Trxk Nre.EWtIJCwt E472. £37,827Jl f53.63 Refiethments 75 Ath*tit5 on £714.Tr1 £4601 £J56.10 £833.52 £aLX) ÉL2S8.20 Éii,y2 £L2m. £7( 53￿5￿Tr￿￿S p•rtkh*erest É459.91 E813.76 £4￿￿¥j 14254 arcubitr4Snl h*• T￿nI￿a¥JI5es w*dsle £41758 £s.(w.DJ £151&91 Efj84.(6 £13Z7.28 £LIOL73 Refrthrn•M r￿n￿feel £l,(W9 £5.LDJ.to £40,817.71 8ALANCE ￿EErA5 AT31 hlARCH 11)Z3 pu￿*$ lE55S￿e5 E494Qfn 243.61 E21XG.61 £4*),837.71 Ell,￿.0? £&139.92 T#Prnlsh)n dueto FEBC E386.98 dltlDllslTryear £21277.2S E137.32 £127.L5137 108fj6 £5ml.Q) flW1&17 M¢mTieasiirer I ￿hrmth￿tthOa[cOUfttst￿￿*vE￿dP￿31 rec￿d$*￿d IndepeThlent examlner's report to the trustees of Ep50m & Ewell Harrfews I report to the Iru5tees on my examination of the accounts of the Epsom & Ewell Harriers Ithe Trust) for the year ended 31 March 2023. Responsibilities and basls of report As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Art 20111.the Act'l. I rep)rt in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Dlrectlons given by the Charfty Commlssion under settion 145151(bl of the Act. Independent examlner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respert: attounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those ￿CordS. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters In connectlon with the examinatlon to which attention should be drdwn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to Signed: Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies Irf any}.. Add￿5$. CE Othc), EP&onA fi Iiac¢ ￿kn￿J-￿ Joa Date: