## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 Charity registration number: 1204371** ## **Contents:** ## **Page** - 1 Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document - Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes - 2 Main achievements during this period: - Library of things start-up - 4 - Volunteers - 5 - Staff - 6 - Membership - 7 - Inventory; Loans - 8 - Visitor numbers; Communications and engagement - 10 Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period: - 13 Structure, governance and management - Principal risks - 14 Reference and administrative details - Declaration ## **Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document** The charitable objects of Share Skipton, as set out in its constitution, are: - (1) To promote for the public benefit in Skipton and the surrounding area the protection and preservation of the environment by working for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, raw material use, and manufacturing waste through the provision and support of community resource sharing, re-use and repair initiatives; and (2) to advance the education of the public in sustainable living and a circular or - ‘regenerative’ economy in Skipton and the surrounding area through the provision of communications, events and information. ## **Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes** Share Skipton’s vision is to create a sharing, sustainable Skipton. Our mission is to: - establish and run a library of things, which lends items to our communities at an affordable cost. - establish and run initiatives to share, repair and create. - encourage and enable our communities to share resources, reduce waste, repair and reuse more, and promote a circular economy. Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 1 Our values are built around three themes: - environment – reducing waste and tackling climate change - equality and inclusion – enabling everyone to access the things they need - community – creating a stronger, kinder, more sustainable Skipton Share Skipton is committed to acting ethically wherever possible. In planning its activities, the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. ## **Main achievements during this period** ## _**Library of things start-up**_ Share Skipton’s key achievement during this period has been the establishment and running of a library of things. A library of things is a place where people can borrow a wide range of useful items for short periods of time. They give people access to the things they need whilst saving money, saving on storage, and reducing the use of resources, waste and C02 emissions that go with the production and consumption of new things. Through donating, sharing and volunteering, they can promote a greater sense of community, and they can help raise awareness of the costs of overconsumption and the benefits of a circular economy. So, libraries of things are good for individuals, good for communities and good for the planet. In early April 2024, we signed a lease with North Yorkshire Council on shop premises in Skipton town centre (which includes a storeroom, garage and parking), and, in return for a 3-year rent-free period, undertook an extensive programme of refurbishment. This included a complete rewire of the property, plus new heating, ceilings, windows, doors, flooring, and CCTV, and full re-decoration. This improved the energy efficiency of the building as well as brought the property up to the standard required to operate. The refurbishment was Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 2 completed on time and on budget by the end of June, and the shop was then fitted out ready for the library of things to open. The cost of the refurbishment programme was met by a Shared Prosperity Fund grant from North Yorkshire Council under the Community Climate Action programme. In early May 2024, we started accepting donations of things for the library from members of the public. There was a fantastic response, and by late July we had received over 100 useful items. On 1 June, we began recruiting volunteers to run the library of things and again had an excellent response. Volunteer roles available included librarian, technician, PAT tester, and communications support. Our volunteers came together for our first ever volunteer gathering on 20 July. Behind the scenes, our Development Officer and trustees were busy drawing up plans and establishing operating systems. We chose the specialist provider myTurn for our online lending platform, drew up policies and procedures, checked and tested all our items, and populated the online inventory. Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 3 Thanks to the hard work and commitment of our amazing volunteers, the Share Skipton library of things first opened for borrowing on 27 July 2024. During the first 6 weeks, we recruited 91 members, completed 43 loans, and received 230+ donated items into the library. _Our first ever customer with volunteer librarian, Tina, and Development Officer, Sam_ For the first few months we opened for 2 sessions a week, extending to 3 sessions a week from December 2024 (a total of 8 hours a week). ## _**Volunteers**_ Volunteers are the heart and soul of Share Skipton, and we simply couldn’t operate without them. As well as providing vital people power, they connect us with our communities and help spread the Share Skipton message. We are hugely grateful to all the volunteers who have given their time, expertise and enthusiasm to support the development of Share Skipton and the library of things. During 2024/25, volunteers were active in a range of roles, including website design and development, communications and social media support, and as librarians, technicians, PAT testers, and trustees. Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 4 All potential volunteers are interviewed and two references are taken up. On appointment, volunteers sign a Volunteer Agreement and then receive 1:1 induction and training. PAT Testers undertake an online course sponsored by ROSPA, followed by detailed induction and training. There must be a minimum of 2 volunteers on each shift in the library and we usually have 3 or 4. DIY Technicians and PAT Testers work flexibly throughout the week. Communications Support volunteers also work flexibly from home, meeting bi-monthly online. We have produced a Volunteer Handbook, which is shared with all our volunteers. We communicate regularly with, and seek feedback from, all our volunteers through our WhatsApp groups and in person. We also hold regular events to thank our volunteers and seek feedback. By the end of this period, we had 24 active volunteers. ## _**Staff**_ Setting up and running a library of things from scratch is a challenging and time-consuming task, so the trustees decided to seek funding to employ a part-time Development Officer, and were delighted and grateful to receive funding from Beyondly to support our start-up costs. This enabled the appointment of Sam Healey during 2024 for a period of 12 months, who played a vital role in helping the trustees get the library of things off the ground. In March 2025, we recruited a Volunteer Coordinator, Morgan Spicer, for 16 hours a week, with generous grant funding from the Two Ridings Community Foundation. This development recognised the importance of recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers to delivering our mission and vision. In March 2025, we were thrilled to hear that we had been successful in our bid for 3 years’ core funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, which enabled us to start recruitment for a part-time (21 hours a week) Project Coordinator. Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 5 ## _**Membership**_ We have 3 tiers of membership: standard (£10 a year), concession (£5 a year) and supporter (£15-50 a year). Concession members receive a 50% discount on the advertised borrowing fees. To encourage borrowing, all members receive borrowing credits on their account on joining. We opened our membership on 27 July 2024, the same day as we opened the library of things. By 31 March 2025, we had 259 active members (those who had paid to be borrowing members), and 102 prospective members (those who had registered as members but not yet paid). The breakdown of active members between the 3 membership categories was: - Standard membership – 80% - Concession membership – 10% - Supporter membership – 10% **----- Start of picture text -----**
Membership Growth 27.7.24 to 31.3.25
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Jul-24 Aug-24 Sep-24 Oct-24 Nov-24 Dec-24 Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25
New Active Prospective
Number of Members
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Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 6 ## _**Inventory**_ The people of Skipton and surrounding areas have responded very generously to our request for donations of items for the library of things. By the time we opened our doors in July 2024, we had over 100 items, and by the end of this period, we had uploaded 515 donated items to our inventory. Here are some of our amazing donors: In addition, we have purchased 4 new items using grant funding – a thermal imaging camera, a dehumidifier, a carpet cleaner, and a pizza oven. Some items were removed from the inventory during this period for a range of reasons, including being damaged/broken, faulty and irreparable, or surplus to requirements. All items removed were disposed of responsibly and recycled where possible. No items were lost or stolen. ## _**Loans**_ The number of loans completed each month has increased gradually, increasing from 39 in August 2024 to 51 in March 2025, as shown in the chart below. The total number of loans made during this period was 407. **----- Start of picture text -----**
Loans by Month
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Jul 2024 Aug 2024 Sep 2024 Oct 2024 Nov 2024 Dec 2024 Jan 2025 Feb 2025 Mar 2025
Number of Loans Rolling Average Loans Per Month
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Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 7 ## _**Visitor numbers**_ From our opening day on 27 July 2024 to 31 March 2025, we welcomed a total of 1,135 visitors to the library of things. Numbers fluctuated from session to session and week to week, but by the end of the period were gradually increasing. **----- Start of picture text -----**
Visitors by week with quarterly moving average
27.7.24-31.3.25
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
27.7.24 30.7.24 10.8.24 20.8.24 31.8.24 9.9.24 17.9.24 28.9.24 28.9.24 19.10.24 29.10.24 9.11.24 19.11.24 30.11.24 7.12.24 14.12.24 19.12.24 4.1.25 14.1.25 21.1.25 28.1.25 4.2.25 11.2.25 18.2.25 25.2.25 4.3.25 11.3.25 18.3.25 25.3.25
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## _**Communications and engagement**_ Throughout the period, we have developed our website, established a strong social media presence, built positive links with the local media, run information stalls, produced newsletters for our subscribers, delivered talks, and developed valuable relationships with a wide range of local, regional and national organisations. _Craven Herald, 12.9.24_ On 7 September, around 50 invited guests attended the Official Launch of the library of things, where Skipton Town Mayor, Cllr Claire Nash, cut the ribbon. Our main social media platform is Facebook. In the period 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025, we had 627,100 views on Facebook (data for whole period not available). Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 8 _Views on Facebook 1.10.24 to 31.3.25_ The chart below shows the other key activity metrics for our Facebook page over the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025: _Key Facebook metrics 1.4.24 to 31.3.25_ ## Over 2024/25, we have: - had 7 articles published in the local paper, the Craven Herald - sent out 8 email newsletters. At 31 March 2025, we had 259 email subscribers. - received 24,000 visitors to our website, a 5,000% increase on the previous year. Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 9 _Craven Herald 27.3.25_ ## **Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period** This period, our total income was £50,716 and expenditure £52,071. 7.7% of our income was generated through membership and borrowing fees, and 92.3% came from grants and donations. Key areas of expenditure: - 67.8% on premises. - 23.1% for staff costs. - 6.1% for on insurance, legal, administration and governance costs. - 3.0% on cost of sales **----- Start of picture text -----**
Source of Funds as % of Total Expenditure Type as % of Total
Income Expenditure
1.2
7.7 6.1 [3]
23.1
67.8
92.3
Premises Staff costs
Fees Grants Donations
Admin and governance Cost of sales
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Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 10 Premises expenses include £35,283 of refurbishment works to rented premises at 48 Newmarket Street. These improvements were funded by restricted grants and, as the property is leased rather than owned, no fixed asset has been recognised. At the end of the period, Share Skipton was in a stable financial position. The balance sheet showed total cash funds of £16,570, including £4,270 unrestricted funds, and funding had been secured to support core running costs for the next 3 years. ## _**Reserves policy**_ Reserves are that part of a charity’s unrestricted funds that is freely available to spend on any of the charity’s purposes. Share Skipton maintains free unrestricted reserves: - to provide a level of working capital that protects the continuity of our core work. - to provide a level of funding for unexpected opportunities. - to provide cover for risks such as unforeseen expenditure or unanticipated loss of income. The board of trustees will review the above criteria with reference to Share Skipton’s strategy and Annual Plan and determine the target level of free reserves to meet these. The Board of Trustees will at times designate funds from free reserves for significant project costs or replacement of major assets. At 31 March 2025, Share Skipton had £4,270 of unrestricted reserves. ## _**Principal Sources of Funds**_ The trustees recognise that, if we are to remain financially accessible to our whole community, the library of things cannot be funded by membership and borrowing fees alone. Therefore, grants, donations, and in-kind support are necessary in order for us to operate and grow. The table below shows restricted fund movements this period: |**Fund**|**£ Opening**
**Balance**|**£ Income**|**£**
**Expenditure**|**£ Closing**
**Balance**| |---|---|---|---|---| |Beyondly|17,739|-|17,032.19|707| |North Yorkshire Council
SPF Grant|-|34,224|34,218|6| |Skipton Town Council|-|1,999|347|1,652| |Two Ridings Community
Foundation|-|10,000|64|9,936| Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 11 _Craven Herald 30.1.25_ Share Skipton would like to acknowledge and thank the following for their generous funding and in-kind support over this period: - Beyondly – grant to support start-up and running costs for 12 months. - North Yorkshire Council UK Shared Prosperity Fund (Community Climate Action Programme) – grant for the refurbishment of our premises, and revenue funding for our start-up running costs. - Skipton Town Council – grant for library running costs and volunteer support. - Two Ridings Community Foundation – grant to recruit a Volunteer Coordinator for 12 months. - North Yorkshire Council – rent-free premises, in return for refurbishment, and 100% business rates relief. - Skipton Rotary – donation for general purposes - myTurn – free subscription to the myTurn lending platform - All our volunteers and trustees for generously donating their time and expertise - All our donors for generously donating items for the library of thing Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 12 In March 2025, we were excited to hear that we had been successful in our bid to the National Lottery Community Fund, who agreed to provide funding of £117,398 for our core costs for 3 years from April 2025. ## _**Going Concern**_ The trustees have not identified any material uncertainties which in their view cast a significant doubt over the going concern of the charity, and therefore continue to adopt the going concern basis of preparation for these financial statements. ## **Structure, governance and management** Share Skipton is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) whose only voting members are its charity trustees (‘Foundation’ model constitution), and is governed by a Constitution adopted 16 August 2023. Trustees are recruited openly from within our volunteers and local community. The first charity trustees were recruited for a range of terms from 2-4 years; subsequent trustees are appointed for a term of 3 years. Trustees may be reappointed for up to 3 consecutive terms. Share Skipton had 5 trustees throughout this period: Mary Dootson (Treasurer) Angela Monaghan (Chair) Joanna Powell (Vice Chair) Fiona Protheroe (Secretary) Lorna Winstanley During this period, Share Skipton had one part-time member of staff who was accountable to a named trustee. ## **Principal risks** The trustees have adopted a risk management policy and procedure. The key risks and mitigations for this period were set out in the business plan, as follows: ||**Risk**|**Mitigation**| |---|---|---| |1.|That we will not gain local
acceptance and support|a. Build awareness and recognition locally through
effective communications and engagement plan,
with diverse range of channels.
b. Provide opportunities for feedback.
c. Recruit expert social media support.| |2.|That we will fail to secure the
income (fees, grants and
donations) required to operate
successfully.|a. Research varied library of things pricing models and
seek to optimise membership and fee income,
whilst maintaining access for all.
b. Research grant giving bodies aligned to our mission
and draw up shortlist of priority targets.
c. Train trustees in fundraising.| Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 13 |||d. Build partnerships with supportive local businesses.
e. Develop positive relationships with funders and
communicate with them effectively.| |---|---|---| |3.|That we will not recruit and/or
retain sufficient volunteers to
operate successfully.|a. Build awareness and recognition locally through an
effective communications and engagement plan,
with diverse range of channels.
b. Create a culture that people want to be part of -
fun, lively, colourful, engaging, inclusive.
c. Create strong volunteer offer with effective
recruitment, induction, training, support,
communication and expenses.
d. Ensure key policies and procedures are in place,
including: volunteering; recruitment; equality,
diversity and inclusion; safeguarding; health and
safety| ## **Reference and Administrative details** Registered charity number: 1204371 Library of Things address: 48 Newmarket Street, Skipton BD23 2JB Correspondence address: 91 Raikes Road, Skipton BD23 1LS Bank: The Co-operative Bank, PO Box 101, 1 Balloon Street, Manchester M60 4EP Legal advisors: Keystone Law Insurance brokers: Keegan and Pennykid Website: www.shareskipton.org Email: hello@shareskipton.org Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25 14 CHARITY COMMISSIO FOR ENGLANO AND WALE Shar• Skwn 1204371 Recei tsand ments accounts 3110312025 CC16a Forthe period 0110412024 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted EfidoW￿nt funds Total funds Last yo¥r tOlh• nè•r••t£ J th• n•4rn1t£ iotr* M41•1t M*r•¥t¢ Al Ro¢91 ¢$ GranL3 4OJ23 46223 Sub totsl(Gn)ss Income forARJ A2 Asset and Fnv•stThnt ¥al•s, see tabl• . 4622J 50,710 Sub total 4493 46.223 50.716 A3Pa nt5 Charltable Costof sa Wagèy St&ff oxpen5 1.SlJ 11.054 924 924 ProThnS*$fr>pbns Lryal co*¥ 1.12$ fjfj? 3$ Sub total 51Mf A4 Aswt and Inv•$tnwnl Sub lotal 52.Q71 Nèt ofr8ceWtsI(payTnents) A5 Translers bthoen funds A6 Cash fvnds 185t ￿¥r gnd Cash funds thts end 084 186 17.925 301 CCXX Rl accoAs ISSI 1611112025 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds rN¥*r•*t£ Restricted funds toneafest£ Ertdowft*nt fund$ *Jlego,"i8S B1 Ca$h fund8 Peltycash 412 12*1 SYpeGBP 127 Total cash fvnds 4370 12.391 Unrestricted funds Restricted lund8 ) nB•rn*t£ EndowThnt funds to hv4t•*t£ Oètsils Fund towlAth D8ts518 h)Ml B3 Invtstmont ass•ts Fundtowhlthau•t Culr•ntv*lu• on B4 Assèts r•tsln•d for th• ¢harlty's use Fundtowhkh Wh•h du& DMI Dtstails B5 Uabllltlè$ Syred by ore or tr￿te￿o en bafAlo¢ althe tr￿￿te prfrt Nan Dat8 of Mary Dootson CCXX R2 ISSI 1611112025 ## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Share Skipton CIO Charities Commission Number 1204371** I report on the accounts of Share Skipton CIO for the year ended 31[st] March 2025, which comprise the Receipts and Payments Accounts, Trustees Report and related notes. ## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner** The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and these accounts are presented in Receipts and Payments format as per charities commission CC16A guidance. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: - examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. - follow the procedures laid down in the Charity Commission’s Independent Examination Directions; and - state whether any particular matters have come to my attention for disclosure. ## **Independent examiner’s report – basis.** My examination was carried out in accordance with the Charity Commission’s directions for an independent examination, which includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and therefore I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. ## **Independent examiner’s statement** In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention: 1. which give me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements: - a. to keep proper accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act 2011; and - b. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and - comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act 2011 have not been met; or 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. **Independent Examiner Name:** Emma Stewart **Relevant qualification:** AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) **Registration Number:** 20375790 **Address:** THEMS Freelance Consulting, 62 Nursery Avenue, Ormskirk, L392DZ **Date:** Nov 18 2025 **Signature:**