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Registered Charity No. 267430
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Annual Report, year ended 31 December 2021
Our Society had a successful year despite the continuing limitations posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our use of videoconferencing technology, with safeguarding measures where appropriate, had the benefit of enabling overseas members to take part in our online events. One such event was a Young Entomologists’ Meeting (replacing our annual in-person Young Entomologists’ Day) at which the renowned wildlife artist Carim Nahaboo gave a workshop presentation, as did Rodger Caseby of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. Among our enthusiastic young members on the day was a five year old Bug Club member from the United States who was able to show us some Brood X cicadas that were emerging in huge numbers in her garden. The next mass emergence of those 17-year cicadas will be in 2038, when our young Bug Clubber will be aged twenty two.
In March, we broke new ground by initiating our First Annual Young Verrall Lecture. This event benefited from our good relations with the Royal Entomological Society, who organise the long-running series of well attended Verrall Lectures for entomologists that date back to the Verrall Supper established in 1887. Our lecture was presented via Zoom technology by our President, Dr Erica McAlister Hon. FRES, and was a great success. Our annual joint event for young entomologists with the British Entomological and Natural History Society was also held virtually, during National Insect Week, with entomologists from both societies displaying and discussing moths captured in light traps.
In October, Professor Adam Hart presented a talk about the Big Wasp Survey, and the Society presented a poster on our work at the Royal Entomological Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting. We were able to hold one in-person event, in October, which was compliant with Covid-19 restrictions in England. That was at Dungeness, in Kent, where we searched for three uncommon species of Orthoptera; that field event will be repeated in 2022.
Our Conservation Committee , chaired by Dr David Lonsdale, continued to interact with external NGOs and kept our trustees informed of developments with the continuing quinquennial review of schedules 5 and 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Invertebrate Conservation News , which has for some time been made available in electronic form to members of the British Entomological and Natural History Society, was also made available in 2021 to members of Buglife – the Invertebrate Conservation Trust.
Our journals continued to be published during the year under review, and due to continuing demand the Coleopterist’s Handbook ; A Guide to Moth Traps and their Use ; and Breeding British Butterflies were all reprinted in 2021. New editions of these titles are also planned.
In addition to our periodic awards for the best articles in our house journals, Honorary Life Memberships were conferred on Wayne Jarvis and Sonia Copeland Bloom, both of whom have made substantial contributions to the Society and to entomology. We were also delighted to learn that Huntingdonshire County Council had decided to name a new park after the Late Henry Berman and his wife Joan. Henry was an erstwhile Youth Secretary of our Society, and ran an after-school entomological club at St Ivo school for several decades. He brought many of its young members to the Annual AES
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Exhibition each year for over 40 years, and his legacy remains in the form of several leading entomologists now working at our museums and universities.
Governance
As is evident from the foregoing summary, the Society encourages engagement in invertebrates and their conservation among young people. We produce entomological books and periodicals and organise educational and field events relevant to entomologists of all ages and levels of expertise. All our activities align closely with the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, in particular the advancement of education, science and environmental protection.
AES Membership is open to anyone paying the subscription or admitted as an Honorary Member. We are managed by a Council of not more than 18 members elected by the membership, who also elect the officers for the ensuing year at each AGM. Council members hold office for a period of three years before retiring and may be re-elected for further terms of office.
AES Council met 5 times during the year, via Zoom, as well as communicating via e-mail, and relevant subcommittee meetings took place. As an unincorporated association run by volunteers we are governed by a Constitution, which was updated at the AGM to enable our Hon. Treasurer to use online banking, subject to safeguards incorporated in our financial safeguarding policy. At our AGM Dr McAlister stepped down from the AES Presidency, having served three terms in succession, and we were delighted that not only did Ms Beulah Garner, a coleopterist at London’s Natural History Museum, agree to take her place, but that Erica decided to remain a trustee of the Society. Erica and Beulah are the first female Presidents of our Society. The annual Leonard Tesch Lecture which immediately followed the AGM was given by Steve Trim of the Veterinary Invertebrate Society, with whom we are affiliated.
Financial Summary
A substantial donation from an anonymous donor in support of the Bug Club, continues to provide useful support to our finances, as do donations from many other members. Receipts for the year were £41,554 (2020: £39,648) and expenses paid out were £48,654 (2020: £38,632). Both receipts and expenses were higher than the previous year but still significantly lower than before the Covid-19 pandemic which for a second year prevented the holding of our annual exhibition and other events. Despite the continuing impact of Covid-19 our income has held up well, with a slight rise in membership numbers. The main reasons for the increase in expenditure were due to additional costs to produce our periodicals, the re-printing of various publications and the production of the membership list a popular item circulated with our journals and to which adult members can opt in. We were able to continue to make cost savings by holding meetings on-line. We ended the year with a deficit of £6,335.
Reserves Policy
The Board of Trustees has determined that the AES will maintain a small investment portfolio as our unrestricted reserves to underwrite our future and provide a small ‘buffer’ against any fluctuations in income and expenditure. The market value of this portfolio on 31st December 2021 was £148,475 (2020: £140,787) which reflected the recovery of the Stock Market during 2021. The dividends on our investments were slightly down (1.5%) compared with the previous year. However, the dividends on our investments, and their capital value at year end, will of course vary with the market. We also had cash reserves of £17,335 (2020: £20,601).
Dafydd Lewis (Hon. Secretary) Peter Brown (Hon. Treasurer) 12 April 2022
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Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the Trustees of the Amateur Entomologists Society
on the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021 set out on pages 4-6
Responsibilities and basis of report
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Society for the year ended 31 December 2021.
As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
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 which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting 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.
M R Cooper ACA Welbeck 29 Welbeck Avenue Southampton SO17 1ST
Date: 20 April 2022
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CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAMD AND WALES Amateuw Entomologists knlety 267430 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a Forthe period frorn U1-Jan-21 31-Dec-21 Unrestricred fund5 toth&n•arosl Endowment fund5 Restricted funds Totsl funds Lasty8ai tOlheneareM£ tOlheneare*£ t0theneare£ totr£ neare51£ A1 Reeèl Membershipincome 27N8 899 27.908 2.912 21535 2,857 Donatsons PuNthtion5 21) 5,033 5,033 664 6,016 1,956 Sooety other Income AES EYhibition8 3,86T 527 44T 296 )67 5R7 447 296 3,946 820 AesIn ievenue Sub totallGross InconE for AR) 39.541 2,013 41.554 39,648 A2 A%s•t and invosthent sales. (see tsbl•l. 71$ Sub total 765 765 Totalrecepts 2,013 42,319 39,618 A3 Payments 26154 5,315 4,31 30,572 5.375 25,124 4219 Ernbe15hip seMce$ AES EYhibition8 368 B7 5,524 268 81 5,524 764 280 5,Jg0 Bug Cluj Awaios GllvemancE and suppo 764 280 613 613 475 Sub total 43,512 5,082 48,654 31632 A4 Asset and inve5tm•nt urcha5•5,15•• tabl• Sub total Totalpaymonts 43,572 5,082 48,654 38,632 Notof r8COiPts/(payments) AS Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds la5ty•ar •nd Cash lunds this yearend 3366 6,33 1,016 20,601 17.335 4,410 1,341 23,995 25,011 18.676 Unrestricted funds ton8llrest£ Endowment funds to neBl8•t£ Restricted funds to n8&r8st£ Categorles Dètalls B1 C88h funds Re0wingTrsl Totalcash funds 17,335 iajreemkinctsswth rec¢lPts and OK
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2021
1. Accounting Policies
We present our accounts in the Receipts & Payments format.
2. Funds
The General Fund is used for the day to day running of the society.
The Society has restricted funds which shall be used only in accordance with the conditions stipulated by the donors. Redwing Trust funding is used for outreach and other purposes that further our charitable aims. We also have received an annual donation for the Bug Club.
3. Investment values
| Investments | Cost | Current | |
|---|---|---|---|
| value | |||
| CoFunds | £68,000 | £96,144 | |
| Artemis | £4,000 | £6,091 | |
| IFSL CAF Growth | £20,000 | £30,258 | |
| M&G Charifund | £10,150 | £15,982 | |
| Totals | £102,150 | £148,475 |
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
Peter Brown (Hon. Treasurer) 12 April 2022
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Amateur Entomologists’ Society Charity Information 2021
President Dr Erica McAlister Secretary Dafydd Lewis Treasurer Peter Brown Registrar Dr Victoria Burton Conservation Secretary Dr David Lonsdale Habitat Conservation Officer Stephen Lings General Editor Jacqueline Ruffle Editor, AES Bulletin Colin Hart Editor, Entomologist’s Record Colin Plant Editor, ICN Dr David Lonsdale Newsletter Editor Dafydd Lewis Advertising Secretary Peter Hodge Exhibition Secretary Wayne Jarvis Webmaster Dr Kieren Pitts Other Council Members David Budworth Ralph Hobbs Dr Andy Chick Dr Malcolm Aldridge Elisa McGarry
The above are all Charitable Trustees of the Society, with the exception of Colin Plant
Custodial trustees: Paul Brock and Colin Hart
Charity Number 267430
Registered Address:
Fourpenny Cottage, Dungates Lane, Buckland, Betchworth, Surrey, RH3 7BD
Bankers: HSBC plc, City of London Branch, Victoria Street, EC4N 4TR
Accountants: Welbeck Accountancy Services, Southampton SO17 1ST
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