## Secretary’s report for 2024
## _To be read at AGM 8[th] May 2025._
In 2024 the society continued its work publishing monographs and funding research. We published Volume 177 (part 667) and Volume 178 (parts 668 and 669).
At our AGM was held in Glasgow, Scotland, in April 2024, and it was the first in the Society’s history to be held outside of England. Our Annual Addresses were delivered by Dr Christine Strullu-Derrien (Natural History Museum, London and Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle) and Dr Alan Owen (University of Glasgow), with short talks given by Cassius Morrison (Natural History Museum, London), and Robert Nicholls.
At the AGM one Richard Owen Award was made to Dr Jack Lovegrove (Natural History Museum, London), for project _The Early Evolution of Dinosaurs_ .
Our Edward Forbes Prize was awarded to Dr Natalia Jagielska (University of Edinburgh) for their paper: A skeleton from the Middle Jurassic of Scotland illuminates an earlier origin of large pterosaurs.
We held our first Marsh Palaeoart Award, which recognises talent in the depiction of fossil fauna and flora, in keeping with the foundational aims of the Society. It is given in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust. The Overall Winner was Bob Nicholls for his work, _The Primeval Clevedon Bay_ . Two artists were also Highly Commended: Júlia d’Oliveira for Turnersuchus: _The Crocodile in the Sea of Belemnites_ , and Matt Humpage for Asteroxylon mackiei _: an extinct plant from the Rhynie Chert_ .
Our prestigious Palaeontographical Society Medal was given to Dr Paul Taylor (Natural History Museum London), preeminent expert on fossil and modern bryozoans.
At Annual General Meeting, Nigel Ainsworth retired as Vice-President.
Dr Caroline Buttler was re-elected as President, Dr Elsa Panciroli was re-elected as Secretary, Miss Emma Bernard was re-elected as Vice President, Dr Neil Clark was elected as Vice-President, Dr Timothy McCormick was re-elected as Treasurer, Dr Ben Moon, Dr Susan Beardmore and Dr Lucy McCobb were re-elected as Editors, Dr Anthony Butcher was re-elected as Web Officer, Mr Cassius Morrison was elected as Communications Officer, and Dr Michela Johnson and Dr Jeffrey R. Thompson and Amber Wood-Bailey were re-elected as an Ordinary member.
In 2024 we sponsored the following events and activities:
-The Symposium on Toarcian Palaeobiology, held in Bath in June 2024.
- Fossil Boxes for Schools, a project by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Earth Heritage Trust.
-Sponsored the Palaeontological Association annual conference, and Progressive Palaeontology student conference.
Our membership fee structure was overhauled, and we now offer digital only memberships.
This concludes the secretary’s report.
Dr Elsa Panciroli
4th May 2025
## **Income and Expenditure Account for the Financial Year 2024 (ending 31/12/2024)**
|**Income (£)**
Members subscriptions1
Stocks and shares dividends
"Hands on Palaeo" royalty
CUP royalty
Informa UK royalty
Informa UK Editors Fund
Informa UK Bursary
Informa UK Typesetting contribution
Informa UK contribution to EA Gray Award
Misc EBSCO payments
**Expenditure (£)**
Annual Report printing & mailing2
Monograph typesetting
T&F Print Monographs
E Forbes Prize
R Owen Research Fund
Progressive Palaeontology sponsorship (2023)
NHM Dinosaur Conference sponsorship
Toarcian Symposium sponsorship
Here & Worcs Earth sponsorship
Pal Soc Medal
Printing for Marsh Prize Exhibition
SVPCA sponsorship
11th Intl. Symp. Cephalopods sponsorship
PalAss Annual Meeting field trip sponsorship
AGM / Annual Address
Council expenses3
Website expenses4
Balances carried forward at year start:
Current A/C
PayPal
Income (see above):
Balances carried forward at year end:
Current A/C
PayPal
Expenditure (see above):
Income over expenditure:|**2024**
**2023**
**2022**
£2,627.69
£2,336.52
£2,584.53
£6,487.66
£6,174.98
£19,360.32
-
£101.76
£189.95
-
£128.60
£51.60
£5,427.21
£4,960.21
£6,296.35
£1,500.00
£1,500.00
£1,500.00
-
-
£500.00
£10,000.00
£16,666.00
-
£500.00
-
-
£124.00|
|---|---|
||**£26,542.56**
**£31,868.07**
**£30,606.75**
**2024**
**2023**
**2022**
£904.52
-
£200.18
£21,450.00
£5,464.80
£17,640.00
£2,975.00
-
-
£250.00
£250.00
£250.00
£589.30
£910.00
£1,001.80
£500.00
-
-
£1,000.00
-
-
£300.00
-
-
£500.00
-
-
£31.20
-
-
£70.00
-
-
-
-
£500.00
-
-
£500.00
-
£1,000.00
-
£197.10
£829.80
£1,190.97
£4,364.32
£2,949.34
£1,006.26
£1,044.00
-
£3,312.00|
||**£34,175.44**
**£11,403.94**
**£25,601.21**
**2024**
**2023**
**2022**
£120,243.58
£101,187.47
£96,893.46
£16,362.99
£14,954.97
£14,243.44
£26,542.56
£31,868.07
£30,606.75|
||**£163,149.13**
**£148,010.51**
**£141,743.65**
**2024**
**2023**
**2022**
£110,957.51
£120,243.58
£101,187.47
£18,016.18
£16,362.99
£14,954.97
£34,175.44
£11,403.94
£25,601.21|
||**£163,149.13**
**£148,010.51**
**£141,743.65**
-£7,632.88
£20,464.13
£5,005.54|
## **Schedule of Investments and Income for 2024**
|**Wide Range**
8262.755 units M&G Charifund
57797.805 units M&G Managed Growth Fund
868 units Shires Income PLC 50p ordinary shares
5920 units Securities Trust of Scotland Ordinary Shares
**SR Units**
3126.21 COIF Charity, Invest Inc
**Total Investments**
**Income from Bulman Fund (extracted from above account)**
719.69 units M&G Charifund
639 units M&G Charifund|**Cost (£)**
**Market Value (£)**
**2024 Income (£)**
£62,645.78
£121,660.80
£3,429.04
£1,187.70
£84,592.87
£1,213.64
£910.51
£2,083.20
£27.78
£655.27
£13,675.00
£90.28|
|---|---|
||£65,399.26
£222,011.87
£4,760.74
£20,061.55
£63,441.12
£1,726.92
£85,460.81
£285,452.99
£6,487.66
£7,807.77
£10,598.97
£298.73
£748.91
£9,410.63
£265.24|
||£8,556.68
£20,009.60
£563.98|
I have examined the above account, have compared it with the vouchers, books and records presented to me, and find it to be correct.
A J M Barron, Examiner 1st May 2025
## **Notes:**
1. Subscriptions are accounted for in the year in which they are credited to the current account.
2. The cost of the 2023 Annual Report appears in the accounts for 2024.
3. Holding the 2024 AGM in Glasgow resulted in increased Council expenses.
4. Website expenses (migration & hosting) for 2023 appears in the accounts for 2024.
## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of the Palaeontographical Society**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Palaeontographical Society for the year ended 31[st] December 2024.
## **Responsibilities and basis 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 Act 2011 (‘the Act’). The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
I report 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 Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner’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 respect:
1. accounting 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 records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Name: A J Mark Barron
Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): Address: 20 Highbury Road, Keyworth, Notts NG12 5JB
Date: 1[st] May 2025