## **Ouessant Sheep Society**
DEFRA recognised breed society **Registered Charity, No: 1195176**
**Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 31 August 2025**
## **Trustees**
Sandra Bell (Chair) Anne Cruikshank Suzy Edward Anna Kelly John Kelly Mel Loder
Michelle Mcillmurray
Stephanie Nice
Julie Penman Paul Rose
_Ouessant Sheep Society: Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements_
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## **Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 31 August 2025**
## **Contents**
||**Contents**|**Contents**|
|---|---|---|
|**1**|**Reference and Administration Details............................................................... 3**||
||1.1|Charity Name & Registration ...................................................................... 3|
||1.2|Charity’s Address ....................................................................................... 3|
||1.3|Names of the Trustees Who Manage the Charity ......................................... 3|
||1.4|Names of Advisors & Senior Members of Staff ............................................. 4|
||1.5|Bank ......................................................................................................... 4|
|**2**|**Structure, Governance & Management ............................................................ 4**||
||2.1|Type of Governing Document ..................................................................... 4|
||2.2|Charitable Objects ..................................................................................... 4|
||2.3|Trustee Selection Methods ......................................................................... 4|
|**3**|**Activities ............................................................................................................. 4**||
||3.1|Statutory Declaration ................................................................................. 4|
|**4**|**Achievements & Performance ........................................................................... 5**||
||4.1|Outputs and Outcomes for the Charity’s Beneficiaries.................................. 5|
||4.2|How the Public Have Benefitted.................................................................. 6|
||4.3|Trustee Development................................................................................. 6|
||4.4|Plans for the Future ................................................................................... 6|
|**5**|**Financial Review ................................................................................................. 6**||
||5.1|Details of Any Funds Materially in Deficit .................................................... 7|
||5.2|Policy on Reserves ..................................................................................... 7|
||5.3|Principal Sources of Funding and Outgoings ................................................ 7|
||5.4|Remuneration of Trustees .......................................................................... 7|
||5.5|Risk Management ...................................................................................... 7|
||5.6|Financial Status.......................................................................................... 7|
||5.7|Statutory Statements on Liabilities.............................................................. 8|
|**6**|**Statement of Financial Activity .......................................................................... 9**||
||6.1|Report on the Accounts.............................................................................. 9|
||6.2|Receipts & Payments Accounts for the Financial Year Ended 31-Aug-2025 .. 10|
||6.3|Notes to the Accounts .............................................................................. 14|
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# **Trustees Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity for the Year Ended 31 August 2025**
## **1 Reference and Administration Details**
## **1.1 Charity Name & Registration**
## **Ouessant Sheep Society**
The Society is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registration no: 1195176, registered with the Charity Commission on 14 July 2021.
The charity is registered with HM Revenue & Customs
## **1.2 Charity’s Address**
Germoe Veor, Germoe, Penzance, TR20 9QX e-mail: info@ouessantsheep.org.uk
website: www.ouessantsheep.org.uk
## **1.3 Names of the Trustees Who Manage the Charity**
||**_Role_**|**_Appointed_**|**_Resigned_**|
|---|---|---|---|
|Natasha Arthur||30 Oct 22|10 Nov 24|
|Sandra Bell|(Chair)|14 Jul 21|29 Oct 23|
|||29 Oct 23||
|Anne Cruikshank|(Secretary)|12 Mar 25||
|Suzy Edward||12 Mar 25||
|Anna Kelly (Membership Secretary)||29 Mar 23|29 Oct 23|
|||29 Oct 23||
|John Kelly|(Treasurer)|06 Feb 23|29 Oct 23|
|||29 Oct 23||
|Jacquie L’Etang||29 Oct 23|10 Nov 24|
|Mel Loder||12 Mar 25||
|Michelle Mcillmurray||14 Jul 21|10 Nov 24|
|||10 Nov 24||
|Keith Mower||29 Oct 23|17 Jan 25|
|Stephanie Nice||12 Mar 25||
|Julie Penman||12 Mar 25||
|Paul Rose|(Registrar)|29 Oct 23||
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## **1.4 Names of Advisors & Senior Members of Staff**
None
## **1.5 Bank**
Lloyds Bank, 41-43 South Street, Worthing BN11 3AU
## **2 Structure, Governance & Management**
## **2.1 Type of Governing Document**
Constitution – based on the Charity Commission’s Association model governing document for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with voting members other than its charity trustees
## **2.2 Charitable Objects**
As defined in the Ouessant Sheep Society’s Constitution (Governing Document):
The following objects are for the public benefit:
(1) The promotion of agriculture through the conservation and preservation of the Ouessant sheep as a distinctive and viable breed for the benefit of future generations.
(2) To provide a registration and breeding programme for Ouessant sheep and to encourage and promote the conservation of the Ouessant breed.
(3) To advance the education of the public into the attributes and husbandry of Ouessant sheep, improving awareness of the breed and the welfare of its animals.
## **2.3 Trustee Selection Methods**
There must be at least 5 charity trustees. The maximum number of trustees is 10.
In accordance with the Constitution, the existing committee became the first Board of Trustees on the registration of the charity as a CIO. All trustees stood down at the first AGM, on 17 October 2021, to allow election/re-election. Currently one third of Trustees stand for re-election each year in a ballot of all members of the CIO. The charity trustees to stand down by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or re-appointment.
A new Registrar, an ex officio Trustee, has been appointed. Grassroots continue handling the administration of the flock book.
In appointing Trustees, due consideration is given to ensuring, as far as possible, that the Trustees have, between them, the skills and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively and in accordance with charity law.
## **3 Activities**
## **3.1 Statutory Declaration**
The Trustees of the Ouessant Sheep Society CIO confirm that they have paid due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
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## **4 Achievements & Performance**
## **4.1 Outputs and Outcomes for the Charity’s Beneficiaries**
The Society has been in existence since 2005 and, as at 31[st] August 2025, has 195 members, 153 whom are full voting members of the CIO. There are 40 Associate Members and 2 Honorary Members.
63% of the membership own between one and ten registered Ouessant sheep.
The national flock book has been maintained throughout the year; as of the 1st September 2025, the flock book contains a total of 4589 records
This is made up of 2223 animals flagged as 'alive'.
- 1830 Registered Females
- 301 Registered Males
- 151 Registered Castrates
- 63 Notified Females
- 192 Notified males
- 505 Notified castrates
Of the registered / notified animals 34 are Annex Register Females
- 10 Annex Stage A
- 19 Annex Stage B
- 5 Annex Stage C
Total animals recorded for 2024 currently stands at 434, and year to date for 2025 stands at 214.
The Regional Representatives have become for more pro-active this year. Many of them organising local events, such as Loom Weaving Workshops or get-togethers enabling members in their areas to meet up. Out of the 15 regions there are now 12 dedicated Regional Representatives.
Far more Information Sheets have been produced and posted on social media for easy access to members and non-members alike. In addition, the Society is producing Welfare Guides and Heritage Breeds in Modern Society.
The 2025 showing season saw eight exhibitors using the newly developed promotional packs and, for the second year, one show allowed a dedicated show class for Ouessant. Dedicated classes are something that the Society would like to promote throughout the country and next year plan to put more effort into achieving this goal. The Society has been invited to exhibit at South of England Show in June 2026 – which is the main county agricultural show for East and West Sussex. Attending these shows bring Ouessant sheep and the Society to the attention of 10,000s people who other wise would not be aware of the breed.
The Society continues to work with European Ouessant Breeders, and attended the meeting in Brussels in October 2024. The next meeting will be in Brittany, France later in the year.
Whilst, in January 2024, Grassroots took responsibility for the Flock Book, it was decided that a dedicated Registrar was needed to communicate directly with members and to oversee the flock book. In addition, the Registrar will be responsible for the Inspection Scheme which is now being established.
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The Height Measuring Scheme got off to a slow start in 2024 and there is still limited response. However more effort will go into gathering this important information in the coming year.
In January 2025 the OSS became Associate members of the National Sheep Association.
In July a small gift was sent to all members to celebrate the Society’s 20[th] anniversary.
The Annex and Reinstatement Annex were reviewed and discussed at the AGM in 2024. It was felt that the Annex should remain but re-named Ewe Up-Grading Annex to avoid confusion. The Reinstatement Annex was felt to be no longer necessary due to the stringent record keeping of the flock book.
## **4.2 How the Public Have Benefitted.**
As in previous years, the Society continues to bring the breed to public attention through social media and exhibiting at shows. Due to the outbreak of Blue Tongue some shows were cancelled or animals were not allowed on site. The promotion pack, used at shows, is creating a great deal of interest, with 10,000s of the public meeting Ouessant sheep for, perhaps, the first time. It is hoped to increase the contents of these packs to further engage the public.
The Society now has a presence across all social media platforms. The open group on social media is receiving far more posts than previously and much more interest is been shown in the breed with the aid of lively guides and information.
## **4.3 Trustee Development**
In its fourth full year as a registered charity, the OSS Board has seen more changes in its trustee membership and has placed emphasis on support for, and education and development of, trustees particularly in the area of data protection. Resources – principally those provided by the Charity Commission and Small Charity
Support – have been provided to all trustees who are encouraged to participate in development opportunities.
## **4.4 Plans for the Future**
The Trustees are keen to build on the firm base of the charity’s previous years as a CIO and to maintain the momentum of increased membership and greater interest in the breed. Further online information, support and educational resources will be published including, if possible Zoom talks and lecturers on fleece processing and crafts.
More information sheets are planned. Members will be encouraged to exhibit at agricultural shows and it is hoped to increase the contents of the promotional packs to further engage the public.
The Remote Inspection and a voluntary Ram Approval schemes have proved more complex to establish than first thought. However, the schemes are moving slowly forward.
The Trustees are exploring the possibility of collaborating with an emerging Ouessant society in the USA (AOA). This is at a very early stage as yet and a lot of work will need to be done before anything could be decided.
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## **5 Financial Review**
## **5.1 Details of Any Funds Materially in Deficit**
The Charity has no funds which are materially in deficit.
## **5.2 Policy on Reserves**
The charity’s Reserves Policy is designed to provide a level of working capital that protects the continuity of the Society’s core work and provides cover for risks such as unforeseen expenditure or unanticipated loss of income. The Society’s core work is assessed as the provision of the online flock book, member services and other resources via the Society website. These services, plus the essentially administration required to support them currently cost around £3,000 per year. As income is mainly derived from subscription and registration fees, the Society is less susceptible to variation in income than charities which depend on fundraising. Unforeseen expenditure is unlikely to exceed £1,000, except in the event of a regional or national outbreak of a notifiable disease when the Society may be called upon to help protect and support the breed. The Trustees therefore judge that the Society must retain minimum reserves of £6,000.
## **5.3 Principal Sources of Funding and Outgoings**
The principal sources of funding are members’ subscriptions, upon which Gift Aid is claimed where applicable, and fees for services provided, principally registration fees. Major outgoings are the delivery of charitable activities, in the form of education and information via the charity’s website and events and the provision of the national flock book, breeding and inspection programmes, and the administration and support of the charity. Administrative costs are kept to a minimum and remain significantly less than the expenditure on charitable activities.
## **5.4 Remuneration of Trustees**
All Trustees act in a voluntary capacity and receive no remuneration or other material benefits from their services to the Charity.
Out-of-pocket expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by Trustees in promoting the purposes of the Charity are reimbursed at cost.
## **5.5 Risk Management**
The Trustees have considered the major risks to which the charity is exposed. They review those risks regularly and take action to manage them where appropriate. Major risks include a loss of confidence in the charity, resulting in a reduction of donation and fee income, accidental or malicious compromise of IT systems, including the membership database and online flock book, and an epidemic of serious ovine disease. All the charity’s actions are designed to increase trust and confidence in the charity and its management, which will be reinforced by the charity’s recent registration with the Charity Commission and zootechnical accreditation. The Trustees place the highest importance in online security and Data Protection and have invested in the latest versions of software, and use only reputable commercial providers, to maintain the integrity of systems and reduce the risk of compromise.
## **5.6 Financial Status**
Though modest, the Ouessant Sheep Society’s current income from unrestricted donations (subscriptions) and fees for services provided are more than sufficient to meet its outgoings for at least next year.
All the indications are that this will remain the case for the foreseeable future.
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## **5.7 Statutory Statements on Liabilities**
The Trustees declare that:
- ✓ The charity has given no guarantees where potential liability under the guarantee is outstanding at the date of this statement.
- ✓ The charity has no debt outstanding at the date of this statement which is owed by the CIO and which is secured by an express charge on any assets of the CIO
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf,
Sandra Bell (Chair) 27[th] October 2025
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## **6 Statement of Financial Activity**
## **6.1 Report on the Accounts**
## 6.1.1 **Responsibilities and Basis of the Report**
The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
The trustees note that, as the charity’s income is less than £25,000, an independent examination of the accounts is not mandated.
The trustees confirm that
1. accounting records were kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act
2. the accounts presented below accord with those records.
The trustees have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the accounts to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## 6.1.2 **Treasurer’s Report**
Comments on Budget Report:
1. 2024/25 Budget was developed on assumptions based on historical actuals
2. Increase in Subscription income is aligned to increases in charges to members for 2025 and the move away from Grassroots managing the memberships.
3. Registration income is down due to less lambs being registered than in the previous year
4. Gift Aid application submission to HMRC, await final access codes from HMRC to submit, estimated value to society is approx. £1000.00 to end of April 2025. This has been more difficult and taken far more time that estimated but should be easier once this initial submission is complete.
5. Professional Membership fee for National Sheep Association.
6. Increases in IT and Internet Expenses due to the increased use of IT and Web based systems within the Society.
7. Other expenses include the costs of the anniversary gifts sent out to all members.
8. Meeting expenses are for attendance to the International Society meeting which was held in Brussels.
As always, the society finances remain in a healthy, stable condition with very little movement in the various accounts over the period.
The proposed budget for 2025/26 is included as a part of this report with relevant notes on proposed changes.
The proposed Fees and Charges for 2025/26 are included as a part of this report with relevant notes on proposed changes.
Memberships are showing a gradual upwards trend, and the plan is for this to continue into the next financial period with board focus on marketing the society through attendance at various shows and events throughout the country. The expense associated to this has been built in to the proposed budget figures.
Report Prepared by: John Kelly Treasurer 2[nd] October 2025
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## **6.2 Receipts & Payments Accounts for the Financial Year Ended 31-Aug-25**
## **Receipts & Payments**
**Ouessant Sheep Society No (if any) Receipts and payments accounts CC16a**
Period start Period **For the** date end date **period To from** 01/09/2024 31/08/2025
## **Section A Receipts and payments**
|**Unrestricte**
**d funds**|**Restricted**
**funds**|**Endowmen**
**t funds**|**Total**
**funds**|**Last year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**to the**
**nearest**
**£**|**to the**
**nearest £**|**to the**
**nearest £**|**to the**
**nearest**
**£**|**to the**
**nearest £**|
## **A1 Receipts**
|Subscriptions|**4,511**|
|**-**|
|**-**|
|**4,511**|
|**3,288**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Registrations|**1,587**||**-**||**-**||**1,587**||**1,723**|
|Gift Aid on Subscriptions|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|Interest (Bank Accounts)|**87**||**-**||**-**||**87**||**130**|
|Other Income|**296**||**-**||**-**||**296**||**543**|
||||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**_(Gross income_
_for AR)_|**6,481**||**-**||**-**||**6,481**||**5,684**|
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**----- Start of picture text -----**
A2 Asset and investment
sales, (see table).
- - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 6,481 - - 6,481 5,684
**----- End of picture text -----**
## **A3 Payments**
|Professional Membership/Fees|**263**|
|**-**|
|**-**|
|**263**|
|**-**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Advertising & Marketing|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**413**|
|Bank fees & Charges|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**159**|
|IT & Internet Expenses|**3,062**||**-**||**-**||**3,062**||**1,965**|
|Administration Expenses|**629**||**-**||**-**||**629**||**1,194**|
|Other Expenses|**687**||**-**||**-**||**687**||**2,054**|
|Refunds|**107**||**-**||**-**||**107**||**-**|
|European Meeting|**1,160**||**-**||**-**||**1,160**||**-**|
||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**|
|**_Sub total_**|**5,908**||**-**||**-**||**5,908**||**5,785**|
**----- Start of picture text -----**
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total
- - - - -
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Ouessant Sheep Society: Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements_
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|**_Total payments_**|**5,908**||**-**||**-**||**5,908**||**5,785**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||||||||
|**_Net of_**|||||||||||
|**_receipts/(payments)_**|**573**||**-**||**-**||**573**||**101**||
|**A5 Transfers between**|||||||||||
|**funds**|**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||**-**||
|**A6 Cash funds last year**|||||||||||
|**end**|**13,488**||**-**||**-**||**13,488**||**13,589**||
|**_Cash funds this year_**|||||||||||
|**_end_**|**14,061**||**-**||**-**||**14,061**||**13,488**||
## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Categories Details funds funds funds
to nearest to to
nearest nearest
£ £
£
B1 Cash funds Current Account
2,865 - -
Deposit Account
9,260 - -
PayPal Account
1,936 - -
Total cash funds
14,061 - -
(agree balances with receipts
and payments account(s)) OK OK OK
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
funds funds funds
to nearest to to
£ nearest nearest £
Details £
B2 Other monetary
assets - - -
- - -
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Ouessant Sheep Society: Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements_
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**----- Start of picture text -----**
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
Fund to
Current
which Cost
value
asset (optional)
Details (optional)
belongs
B3 Investment assets
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Fund to
Current
which Cost
value
asset (optional)
Details (optional)
belongs
B4 Assets retained for Registrations Laptop
Computer - -
the charity’s own use
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
**----- End of picture text -----**
_Ouessant Sheep Society: Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements_
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## **B5 Liabilities**
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
## **Details**
Signature
**----- Start of picture text -----**
-
Fund to Amount
which due
liability (optional)
relates
**----- End of picture text -----**
**----- Start of picture text -----**
-
-
-
-
-
Print Name
**----- End of picture text -----**
**When due (optional)**
Date of
approval
|John Kelly||17/09/2025|
|---|---|---|
|Sandra Bell||17/09/2025|
## **6.2.2 Approval of the Board of Trustees**
The Trustees declare that they have approved the above Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
Sandra Bell (Chair) 27[th] October 2025
## **6.3 Notes to the Accounts**
- a) Accounting Policies The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 Section 133, using the Receipts and Payments basis available to small charities and the Zoho Books accounting software.
- b) Reimbursement of Out-of-Pocket Expenses Out-of-pocket expenses incurred necessarily, reasonably and incidentally in the course the charity’s activities are reimbursed at cost.
- c) Salaries & Professional Fees
No trustee receives any payments for the services they provide to the charity. In the current financial year the charity employed no staff or external contractors;
_Ouessant Sheep Society: Trustees’ Annual Report & Financial Statements_
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- d) Fixed Assets
The charity has not purchased and has not disposed of any fixed assets in the current financial year;
- e) Creditors & Debtors Cheques for goods or services purchased, or invoices for goods or services delivered, which are issued prior to the end of the financial year but not appearing in the end of financial year bank statement are reported as outstanding creditors or debtors respectively.
- f) Rounding Discrepancies
All amounts are recorded to the penny, but in these accounts are shown as digitally rounded to the nearest pound. This can occasionally result in a total apparently not being the sum of its constituent amounts. All individual amounts, and their totals, are nevertheless correct.
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