THE ROYAL NAVY WINTER SPORTS ASSOCIATION
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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
THE ROYAL NAVY WINTER SPORTS
ASSOCIATION REPORT FOR THE YEAR
ENDED 31 May 2024
- https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/navyfit/sports/associations/winter sports.html
Registered Charity England and Wales Charity Number: 1205021
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CONTENTS OF THE ANNUAL REPORT
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Legal and Administrative Information | 3 |
| Structure, Governance and Management | 4-5 |
| Executive Chair Overview | 6 |
| RNWSA Board of Trustees Performance Summary | 7 |
| Objectives and Strategy | 8-9 |
| RNWSA Season Summary 2023/24 | 10-11 |
| Financial Policy | 12 |
| Statement of Trustee Responsibilities | 13 |
THE ROYAL NAVY WINTER SPORTS ASSOCIATION
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
The trustees present their report for the year ended 31 May 2024. The assets and liabilities of the unincorporated association are in the process of being transferred to the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (“the CIO”) but this transfer has not been completed during this reporting period. As a result, this first annual report of the RNWSA will not contain any financial accounts.
LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Charitable Company Name
The name of the CIO is “The Royal Navy Winter Sports Association,” often abbreviated to RNWSA (ROYAL NAVY WINTER SPORTS ASSOCIATION).
Trustees
Jon Pentreath John Read Karen Spencer-Smith Danny Cox Graeme Armour Lisa Thomsen Holly Henderson
Chair
Registered Office Registered Charity Number RN Winter Sports Association 1205021 - First registered on 03 October 2023 HMS Temeraire Portsmouth Hampshire PO1 2HB
Accountants
Gibson & Whitter Chartered Accountants, Parklands Business Park, Denmead, Hampshire PO7 6XP
Bankers
HSBC Bank 118 Commercial Road Portsmouth Hants PO1 1EP
Legal Advisers
Charles Russell LLP 5 Fleet Place London EC4M 7RD
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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Constitution
The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered in its current legal form on 3 October 2023. The Charity was previously an unincorporated association but changed its legal form to a CIO. The assets and liabilities of the unincorporated association are in the process of being transferred to the CIO and as a result this first annual report will not contain any financial accounts.
Organisational Structure
The governing body of the RNWSA is the Board of Trustees, which comprises of up to 8 members and meets two times a year to review charitable objectives, strategy, the risk registers, and performance. The Executive Chair attends all Board of Trustees meetings but is not a trustee.
The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland FRS 102 2nd edition (effective October 2019).
All appointments of trustees are based on the principle of competency and to benefit from a broad spread of expertise. All appointments and re-appointment of trustees are based on the articles of the Constitution.
On appointment, all new Trustees will be provided with a copy of the Constitution and any amendments made to it, a copy of the CIO’s latest trustees’ annual report and statement of accounts. They will be briefed on their duties and responsibilities as a Trustee and will be offered training courses if required to improve their ability to perform their duties. The Register of Trustees is maintained with the Statutory Records of the RNWSA by the Sports Development Officer (SDO).
The trustees shall manage the affairs of the CIO in accordance with the articles of the Constitution and have delegated the day-to-day running of the Royal Navy Winter Sports Association to the Executive Committee, who are tasked with achieving the objectives set within the RNWSA strategic plan. During the period covered by this report, and because the transfer of the finances (and risks and liabilities) into the CIO is taking slightly longer than originally envisaged, the trustees are yet to assume their full responsibilities. We very much hope (and aim) to execute the transfer in the next reporting period.
Facility Management
The Charity does not own any specific facilities, as the RNWSA utilises the facilities that are provided by the Ministry of Defence in pursuit of the combined objectives to promote physical
THE ROYAL NAVY WINTER SPORTS ASSOCIATION
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
efficiency by participating in sport. The current offices are situated within HMS TEMERAIRE, the centre for Royal Navy sport in Portsmouth.
Volunteers and Related Parties
The Trustees all give their services voluntarily and receive no remuneration for their activities, other than travel, training courses and incidental expenses. Any serving members of the Board undertake their RNWSA duties as volunteers in addition to their normal line duties and receive no remuneration for their services.
Management and Administration
Whilst the Trustees retain full responsibility for the CIO (noting the transfer of finances/risk into the CIO is yet to happen), the management and day-to-day running of the RNWSA delegated to the Executive Chair and an Executive Committee within the conditions set out in the constitution and association rules. The Executive Committee is tasked with achieving the objectives set by the trustees in their strategic plans.
The Executive Committee consists of the following appointments:
Executive Chair Sponsorship Director Vice Chair Ice Safety Director Vice Chair Snow Treasurer Vice Chair Royal Navy Snowsports Festival (RNSF) Sports Development Officer (SDO)
All RNSWA Executive Committee members are serving or reservist Royal Navy/Royal Marines personnel who undertake the roles on a voluntary basis on top of their military appointments, except for the SDO who is a Civil Servant.
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Executive Chair Overview
This report covers the period from 3 October 2023 to 31 May 2024.
It gives me great pleasure to offer you this overview in a period of sustained growth and development of our Association. We continue to adhere to government, Service and National Governing Body guidance, ensuring the winter sports disciplines (Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding, Telemark, Nordic Skiing, Bobsleigh, Skeleton (and Cresta), and Luge) are enabled and supported in a safe and compliant manner for the benefit of all.
Our aims and objectives, as agreed with the National Governing Bodies (NGB), continue to be the guiding principles in all that we do, and I am delighted to report that we continue to work towards our key performance indicators. Our commitment to grassroots and development opportunities continues and is aligned to the Royal Navy Sport strategy, and we are actively planning our objectives and proposition for the next 5 years.
The RNWSA continues to grow participation at every level to ensure that winter sports become the most widely participated sport in the Navy and is available to all. The provision of a safe and inclusive culture is pivotal to all that we do and through the guidance of our Trustees and Executive Committee, we will deliver innovative ideas to broaden access and outreach.
Sensible financial management and advice, and leadership oversight, by our Trustees has ensured our outputs and workforce remain on a sound footing, with greater autonomy being given to each discipline manager to optimise their use of allocated funds. We anticipate completing the transfer to the CIO and our Trustees in the next financial year. From here, we aim to build a financial reserve (potentially with investments), which will provide us with a sustainable programme of activity to ensure long term stability, ensuring we can continue to offer training, grass roots events and a sense of belonging for our people. The season summary highlights their incredible achievements.
Sport contributes to operational effectiveness and military ethos through personal and team development. It is closely linked to physical education and adventure training through its contributions to physical fitness, health and the 'will to win'. Its purpose is to strengthen identity, teamwork, self-reliance, a mental resolve to overcome difficulty through leadership and grit, and imbue a winning spirit.
The RNWSA continues to develop, learn from experience, and most importantly deliver our charitable objectives in the best interests of our association. This is achieved through the support of our permanent and voluntary staff, the Royal Navy and our Trustees and to all, I offer my sincere thanks.
Captain Tim Davey Royal Navy (Executive Chair)
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RNWSA Board of Trustees Performance Summary
This is the first annual report for the newly formed charity The Royal Navy Winter Sports Association. It covers the first 8 months of its charitable life, during which time the Board of Trustees has formed and met twice. It has also overseen the recruitment of a new Chair of the Executive Committee, has drafted an outline strategy for the charity, and has put in place critical policies that were lacking on formation, such as a safeguarding policy.
However, the financial transition is taking longer than anticipated, and as a result the charity is yet to receive an audited set of accounts from its predecessor Naval Sporting Association, meaning that the finances are yet to be transferred across to the charity, and currently continue to be run by the naval sporting association with full responsibility for them resting with the Executive Chair. During the reporting period the Board of Trustees have actively supported both the executive function and the ultimate output of the charity – Winter Sports. Assisting the tremendous efforts of the Executive Chair they have provided overview and expert commentary on work being undertaken to ensure the organisation is on the proper pathway to fulfil the Royal Navy Winter Sports aims and objectives as agreed with the Royal Navy and the national governing bodies, where they exist.
The Trustee Board has worked alongside the Executive Committee to ensure that the committee structure has been fashioned into a model that is appropriate to the RNWSA’s configuration and capability. A full audit of trustee skills has also taken place to ensure that the Board has a wide and fitting breadth of experience to bring to bear in support of the RNWSA’s activities and to identify where potential gaps in our collective knowledge exist to inform future succession planning. A trustee training programme has been undertaken to ensure that all trustees are able to perform their role satisfactorily.
In addition to their governance responsibilities individual trustees have taken great personal pleasure in attending an extensive range of Navy Winter Sports events.
Rear Admiral Jon Pentreath CB OBE - Board Chair
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OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGY
Strategic aims and objectives
From grassroots to Olympian, the RNWSA vision is to support RN Command objectives by enhancing operational resilience with a ‘Sport Matters’ culture, changing attitudes and encouraging greater participation by educating Service Personnel on the benefits of sport by breaking down barriers, enhancing opportunities and improving attractiveness and accessibility. Through snow and ice sports participation, tuition, and competition we will promote team spirit, courage, determination and personal development to the Whole Naval Force (whether Regular, Reserve, Civil Servant, Veteran, and including our families).
Strategy
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a. Establish and maintain robust governance reflecting charitable status.
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Build and maintain a transparent and accountable governance structure.
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Appoint a dedicated board of trustees with expertise in finance, winter sports and charity management.
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Regularly review and update the strategy to adapt to changing circumstances and goals.
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Develop and monitor measures of success to track progress in safety, finance and development implementing change where necessary.
b. Prioritise Safety
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Prioritise athlete and participant safety at all levels, from novice to elite.
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Continuously assess and maintain rigorous safety protocols and ensure all participants are properly trained and equipped.
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Collaborate with medical professionals and experts in winter sports safety to constantly update and improve safety standards.
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c. Broaden and increase funding resilience.
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Set financial reserves policy.
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Create an endowment fund and investment strategy.
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Diversify revenue sources.
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Explore grant opportunities from sports organisations and government bodies.
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Explore income generation opportunities through merchandising and paid training programmes/events.
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d. Broaden and Improve Stakeholder Engagement
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Maintain and expand relationships with commercial partners and senior advocates to increase sponsorship revenue.
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Establish long-term partnerships with sponsors who share the RNWSA’s values and goals.
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Regularly update sponsors on the impact of their support, emphasising the positive outcomes of athlete development and personal growth.
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Amplify the RN sports strategy through educating on the benefits of sport.
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Engage with the whole Royal Naval family and the wider public to build support and awareness.
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Develop a strong online presence through a user-friendly website and active social media channels.
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Share inspiring stories and updates about the RNWSA’s achievements, athletes and events.
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Explore opportunities for evaluation of all sporting events to gain feedback.
e. Enhance the Snowsports Festival as the flagship RNWSA event.
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Attract more participants through internal comms and outreach events.
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Improve the overall experience, including accommodation, amenities and event logistics.
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Showcase the achievements of RNWSA athletes to sponsors and senior advocates during the Festival.
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Host credible Naval Service competitions for snowsports athletes for adequate preparation for inter-service level competitions.
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Develop a model that supports accessible sporting opportunities that strengthen the resilience and resourcefulness of Royal Navy personnel and our commitment to developing their ‘lived experience’.
f. Prepare credible teams to compete at Inter-Services level.
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Support athlete competitive development through the provision of sufficiently challenging Naval Service competitions, including the development of relevant competition safety and judiciary officials.
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Provision and development of coaching personnel to support athlete development.
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Provision of sufficient quantities of equipment that meets the relevant Inter-Services regulatory requirements.
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Support competitive teams’ administration requirements including travel, accommodation, equipment management.
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RNWSA SEASON SUMMARY 2023/24
The RNWSA has delivered safe, inclusive, cost-effective opportunities through a raft of activity. With participation from grassroots to elite, we have strengthened the resilience and resourcefulness of members of the Whole Naval Force, contributing to a positive lived experience across the spectrum of ships, units and establishments. Factoring our year-round activities, 1,563 Service Personnel participated in a Winter Sport activity, an upward trend of 17% on 2022/23 numbers. Accounting for those deployed, that is approximately 1 in 12 across the Service. Winter Sports this year was the third most participated RN sport (1st Rugby 1,853; 2nd Football 1,586; and 4th Golf 631). Ice Sports saw a unique mix of Olympic and World Champion athletes competing against complete newcomers generated by our grassroots programme, and this year competing in St Moritz, the original home of ice sports.
Notable Achievements
In Bobsleigh, two Royal Marines represented Team GB in the World Championships, achieving 4th place (2-Man) and 6th place (4-Man). A junior sailor and Royal Marine were selected to represent GB Biathlon in Slovenia at National Championships in March 2024. Both achieved top 10 finishes. A junior sailor was selected for GB Telemark 2025.
Our representative snow teams performed superbly at their Inter Service competitions. Nordic contestants enjoyed a strong performance in the 10km Biathlon Mass Start races with the Men’s winner and Ladies’ runner up and both selected to represent GB. This season saw the first ever full representation for the Telemark discipline in both the men’s and women’s categories with many podium finishes across all disciplines, and our men being victorious in all race disciplines. In alpine skiing there were fantastic individual performances across the board and, despite half of the women’s team being in their first season, they finished as runners up overall. In snowboarding, our women were crowned as team champions for the first time in four years, winning all three of the individual disciplines for the first time.
On the ice, our Skeleton women’s team were crowned Inter Service champions alongside winning the individual gold medal, with our men finishing as runners up. In Luge, the women won individual and team silver medals. Despite missing our Bobsleigh elite athletes (competing on World Cup circuit) our men’s team claimed the silver medal overall. In St Moritz, on the Cresta Run, it was another highly successful season winning both the Men’s and Women’s individual competitions.
Royal Navy Snowsports Festival 2024
Linking directly to the primary objective of the RNWSA to provide all Service personnel with access to snow and ice sports, the Royal Navy Snowsports Festival (RNSF) exists to enable this for the main alpine snow sports of alpine skiing, snowboarding and telemark. The aim of RNSF24 was to continue to introduce beginners to these three sports in a safe and controlled manner and progress them to advanced level through alpine, telemark and snowboard competition.
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The secondary aims of the RNSF are: to develop Service personnel participating individually; facilitate the selection of RN Alpine Ski, Snowboard and Telemark Teams; to develop an enduring pool of snow sports instructors, coaches, officials and staff to facilitate, administer and deliver future Festivals; and to develop competition edge, both at Single Service and Inter Service level.
This year saw increasing numbers of participants with over 600 sailors and marines undertaking training and racing over the 2 weeks of the festival.
Development Activity
The Sports Development team has delivered a highly successful year-round agenda to further build participation rates. Regional events for Snow and Ice are proving popular and effective through use of Plymouth/Southampton ski slopes and the Bath University Push-Track for Skeleton and Bobsleigh. Luge continued to run their hugely successful summer camp using the purpose-built ramp. We took the decision not to run the 2024 indoor Snow Festival at Milton Keynes to assess impact versus affordability. Grassroots Biathlon activity at the Lord Roberts centre in Bisley, offers the opportunity to shoot the Anschutz .22 rifle and roller skate in the South instead of at Royal Marines Condor (Arbroath).
Safety
Winter Sports are not without risk. However, RNWSA safety management is working well. Against a backdrop of shifting policy and regulation, a pragmatic approach ensures we remain compliant with changes without imposing an undue management or oversight burden. A healthy and open reporting culture exists. The Royal Navy Safety Centre are comfortable with incident rates, noting relatively high numbers of NSOR (Naval Safety Occurrence Report) for Alpine and Snowboarding due to high participant and beginner numbers.
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REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Remuneration
The Trustees all gave their services voluntarily and received no remuneration for their activities, other than travel and incidental expenses. The serving members of the Board undertake their RNWSA duties as volunteers in addition to their normal line duties.
Investments and Reserves Policy
The Trustees’ intention is to begin to build up a reserve as soon as possible and a reserve policy will be formulated as an early priority.
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Statement of Trustees Responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements (from Mar 2026) in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Charitable law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the charitable company and of the outgoing resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees will:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently.
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state whether a Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applies and has been followed, subject to any material departures which are explained in the financial statements.
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
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comply with applicable accounting standards, including FRS 102, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
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Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue.
The trustees will be responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with Charity regulations. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report for the year ended 31 May 2024.