Registered Charity No. 267430
Annual Report, year ended 31 December 2024
The Society continued to meet its charitable aims during the year under review. Particular thanks are due to our Hon. Treasurer for successfully managing our finances despite financial challenges.
Membership
Our total membership at the year-end was 904; whilst membership numbers fluctuate from year to year, this represents a concerning fall of 86 members since the same time in the previous year. One-fifth of all members had learnt about the Society following a web search, and a significant minority heard about us through word of mouth. A small but significant proportion, 5.7%, joined after attending our annual exhibition. Specific entomological interests of members as recorded in our database remained the same as in past years, with a little over one fifth reporting their interest as ‘general entomology’ or ‘Lepidoptera’, respectively. The next largest minority were interested in Coleoptera or in conservation, followed by Diptera, topics on which we have published significant publications.
Invertebrate Conservation
Our well-known and longstanding efforts to engage with invertebrate conservation, not only through activities and publications within our own Society but through active involvement in the formation and maintenance of other conservation initiatives over the years (such as Butterfly Conservation, Buglife – the Invertebrate Conservation Trust, and Invertebrate Link – the Joint Committee for Conservation of British Insects) suffered a severe setback in the year under review. Our Conservation Secretary, Dr David Lonsdale, passed away unexpectedly in April, followed later the same month by Steven Lings, our Habitat Conservation Officer. Both were accomplished and highly respected individuals, in entomology and other fields, and both had been very active in supporting our activities. We reluctantly took the decision to bring the publication of Invertebrate Conservation News to a close - a periodical that David Lonsdale had edited for some 53 years.
Annual Events
The Young Verrall Lecture took place in March, at the Staffordshire Invertebrate Fair; a recording is available on our YouTube channel. This event is organised jointly by our Registrar, Dr Victoria Burton, and the Royal Entomological Society. This year’s speaker was Professor Rebecca Kilner FRS, of Cambridge University. The lecture was tailored to young people and was based on the main Verrall Lecture, which was given by Prof. Kilner the same month.
The 2024 Young Entomologists’ Day was highly enjoyable and was held at the Natural History Museum, London, in April, hosted by our President, Dr Beulah Garner, and run in partnership with Youngwilders and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. In addition to the talks, traditionally given by our younger members, a variety of interesting new activities were included in the day, thanks to Sophia Reinisch, a recent recruit to our Trustees.
Our Annual General Meeting ( AGM ) was held online early in June. Later that month, during Insect Week, our annual joint meeting with the British Entomological and Natural History Society (BENHS) took place at their room near Reading; this is usually the smallest of our events, but is particularly valued by some young members as an opportunity to network with experienced entomologists, and to examine that society’s collections. There is much overlap in the membership of our two societies.
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In August this year some of our trustees attended (and camped at) Carfest , a huge outreach opportunity for us to promote our charitable aims of spreading the word to the general public about insects and their value. Our other outreach event in 2024 was at the BENHS exhibition, in November, which is an opportunity to network and discuss ideas for future endeavours.
Our Annual Exhibition was once more held on two floors of the Kempton Park Racecourse, in Sunbury, Middlesex, and was highly successful. We particularly value the mix of societies, gifted illustrators, traders and entomologists who attend ‘The AES’ year after year; it is an event that differentiates our Society from all others, and it was very pleasing to see it bounce back to strength after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and train strikes.
Periodicals and publications
Our main periodicals, the AES Bulletin , Entomologist’s Record and the Bug Club Magazine , appeared throughout the year. Colin Hart handed over the editorial reins of the Bulletin to Dr Mike Noble, and a supplement to the Entomologist’s Record , on the Lepidoptera of the Burren Peninsula, was published with support from the Irish government.
The Society has always published books that are of particular value to the general entomologist, of all ages and levels of expertise, and this year we were pleased to publish the excellent Riverflies Handbook , written by Craig Macadam, a leading conservationist and expert in aquatic entomology. A further Handbook, being a revised edition of the first handbook produced by the Society, during the war years in 1942, is also in progress.
Affiliations
We work in partnership with several organisations. One of these is the British Arachnological Society (BAS), which contributes articles to our Bug Club Magazine for young entomologists. These articles are also made available through a dedicated website, appropriately called Cobweb Corner, managed by the BAS.
We were pleased to be able to assist the Veterinary Invertebrate Society and the Cambridge University Veterinary Zoological Society this year by sponsoring an undergraduate training meeting at the university. In addition, we made a modest contribution to a website featuring moth dissection , an activity required for accurate identification of difficult species, and we became a supporter of the Biological Recording Company ’s excellent entoLive series of webinars, which also provided a valued opportunity to promote the Society.
We were pleased to attend the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Entomological Society ’s Insect Show on 9th November; this was a valuable opportunity to meet volunteers from another society and to promote the AES.
Governance
AES Council meets 5 times during the year, online or in person. Our activities as a society align closely with the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, and our focus is always on our charitable aims. We spent time at our meetings this year in planning for our 90[th] anniversary, in 2025.
AES Membership is a gateway to entomology and natural history, open to anyone paying the annual subscription or admitted as an Honorary Member. We are managed by a Council of not more than 18 members elected by the membership, on a three-year cycle, who also elect the Officers for the ensuing year at each AGM. In 2024, Professor Ed Turner, of the Department of Zoology at Cambridge, was welcomed as our President, taking over from Dr Beulah Garner.
Financial Summary
The AES Finance Committee met on-line twice during the year and discussed Annual Exhibition income and expenditure, the cost of producing journals, potential solutions for addressing the operational deficit, our Examiner of Accounts’ recommendations and the setting of an annual budget; we reported back to AES Council on these items. A cash handling procedure was approved and it was agreed that risk management would be a standard agenda item for future AES Finance Committee meetings. It was also agreed that an annual budget would be drawn up for future years to help financial planning and control of expenditure.
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AES Council received and reviewed monthly reports throughout the year itemising our income and expenditure, so that the finances of the Society were regularly and closely monitored.
Substantial donations were received from the British Entomological and Natural History Society and an anonymous donor in support of the Bug Club, and from Magdalen College Trust and Kenneth Campbell for general use. Such donations continue to provide useful support of our finances, as do donations from many other members.
Receipts for the year were £61,222 (2023: £50,217) which were higher than the previous year. However, subscriptions were virtually the same as the previous year. Investment income was £5,645 (2023: £5,403) a slight increase of £242. Donations were up by £5,500 which is encouraging. Publication income increased by £900 due to the sale of the new Riverflies book and the Burren Supplement. The Annual Exhibition returned a surplus of £2,543. To maintain the cash flow and ensure our creditors were paid a Trustee loaned the Society £4,545 which was outstanding at the end of the year.
Expenditure was £63,862 (2023: £64,139) which was slightly lower than the previous year. The cost of journal production and postage was reduced by £4,500 due to changes initiated by Andrew Smith Print. The exhibition cost £800 less as only half of the upper floor was hired. The cost of printing was £2,300 more due to the production of the Riverflies book, the Burren Supplement and re-printing Breeding British Butterflies. A loan from a Trustee in 2023 of £1,500 was repaid. A related party honorarium of £4,680 was paid for administrative work. We donated £1,650 to support other entomological organisations. We were also able to make cost savings by continuing to hold most meetings online.
Despite our tight financial controls, the savings mentioned above and the increase in donations, we ended the year with a small deficit of £2,640 which reduced our cash reserves (General and Restricted) to £2,719 (2023: £5,359). During the year we were notified that the Society will receive two legacies which will help with future cash flow.
Reserves Policy
The Board of Trustees has determined that the AES will have a target for a general cash reserve of £2,000 to:
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cover the risk of an unforeseen or unexpected need for funds
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fund short-term deficits in the cash budget
The general cash reserve at the end of the year was £2,138 which was slightly above the target.
The Society has an investment portfolio with a market value on 31st December 2024 of £140,578 (2023: £138,295). This portfolio generates an income which is included in the Receipts.
The Board of Trustees has determined that up to 10% of the investment portfolio (approximately £14,000) can be used if necessary to:
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cover a shortfall in the cash reserve
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fund a planned commitment that cannot be met by future income alone.
It is accepted that if some of the capital is used the portfolio income will be reduced.
The dividends on our investments, and their capital value at year end, will of course vary with the market.
Dafydd Lewis (Hon. Secretary) Peter Brown (Hon. Treasurer) 09 May 2025
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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 2024 set out on pages 5 - 7
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 2024.
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 (other than that disclosed below) 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 or
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the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content
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of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
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.
Disclosure
In connection with my examination, I draw attention to the fact that one trustee received an honorarium totalling £4,680 during the year for administrative tasks undertaken on behalf of the charity. This payment was made without the appropriate authority in the charity’s governing document, which does not permit payments to trustees for services rendered.
This has been drawn to the attention of trustees who are reviewing the governing document.
This matter does not affect the accuracy of the financial statements; however, it warrants disclosure due to its relevance to compliance with the charity’s governing document.
A Idris FICB Bookkeeping, Accounting and Consultancy Services (T/A BAnC Services) Workspace House, Maxwell Road Peterborough. PE2 7JE Date: 13 May 2025
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Amateur Entomologists Society |
Amateur Entomologists Society |
Amateur Entomologists Society |
Amateur Entomologists Society |
No (if any) | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
267430 |
||||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | ||||||
| For the period from |
01-Jan-24 | To | 31-Dec-24 | |||
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Restricted funds |
Total funds | Last year | ||
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||
| A1 Receipts | ||||||
| Membership income | ||||||
| Subscriptions | 26,165 | - | - | 26,165 | 26,241 | |
| Donations | 4,551 | - | 3,170 | 7,721 | 2,264 | |
| Publications | ||||||
| Proceeds of Sale | 4,001 | - | - | 4,001 | 3,137 | |
| Publishers LicensingSociety | 223 | - | - | 223 | 434 | |
| Other Income | ||||||
| AES Exhibitions | 11,844 | - | - | 11,844 | 11,025 | |
| Investment Income | 5,645 | - | - | 5,645 | 5,403 | |
| Advertisingrevenue | 795 | - | - | 795 | - | |
| Goods sold | 283 | 283 | 213 | |||
| Miscellaneous - Loan | 4,545 | 4,545 | 1,500 | |||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
58,052 |
- | 3,170 | 61,222 | 50,217 | |
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - | |
| **Total receipts ** | 58,052 | - | 3,170 | 61,222 | 50,217 | |
| A3 Payments | ||||||
| Cost of Journals | 31,123 | - | 2,000 | 33,123 | 37,664 | |
| Publications Costs | 5,417 | - | - | 5,417 | 2,828 | |
| Membershipservices | - | - | - | - | - | |
| AES Exhibitions | 9,259 | - | - | 9,259 | 10,040 | |
| Charitable events | 422 | - | 422 | 192 | ||
| Purchase of Goods for sale | 100 | - | - | 100 | 75 | |
| Registrars Fee & expenses | 5,895 | - | - | 5,895 | 6,319 | |
| BugClub Activities | - | - | 653 | 653 | 1,635 | |
| Awards | 1,010 | - | 1,010 | 370 | ||
| Governance and support | 4,151 | - | - | 4,151 | 3,534 | |
| Miscellaneous | 3,832 | - | - | 3,832 | 1,482 | |
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| **Sub total ** | 61,209 | - | 2,653 | 63,862 | 64,139 | |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | - | |||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | - | - | - | |
| **Totalpayments ** | 61,209 | - | 2,653 | 63,862 | 64,139 | |
| Net of receipts/(payments) | - 3,157 | - | 517 | - 2,640 | - 13,922 | |
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | - | - | - | |
| A6 Cash funds lastyear end | 5,295 | 64 | 5,359 | 19,281 | ||
| Cash funds thisyear end | 2,138 | - | 581 | 2,719 | 5,359 | |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Restricted funds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||
| B1 Cash funds | General Fund | 2,138 | - | - |
| Bug Club | - | - | 581 | |
| - | - | - | ||
| Total cash funds | 2,138 | - | 581 | |
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK OK |
OK |
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----- Start of picture text -----
Unrestricted Endowment Restricted
funds funds funds
Details to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
B2 Other monetary assets
Fund to which Current value
Details asset belongs Cost (optional) (optional)
B3 Investment assets Aegon Cofunds General 85,433
Artemis General 6,575
IFSL CAF General 33,448
M&G General 15,122
- -
- -
- -
- 140,578
B4 Assets retained for the Fund to which Current value
charity’s own use Details asset belongs - Cost (optional) - (optional)
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
B5 Liabilities Fund to which Amount due When due
Details liability relates (optional) (optional)
Trustee loan 4545 4,545
-
-
4545 4,545
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
Date of
Signature Print Name
approval
Peter Brown 09/05/2025
Dafydd Lewis 09/05/2025
----- End of picture text -----
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024
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. We have received an annual donation for the Bug Club.
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Amateur Entomologists’ Society Charity Information as of 31 December 2024
Charitable Trustees
President Prof. Edgar Turner Vice-president Dr Beulah Garner Secretary Dafydd Lewis Treasurer Peter Brown Registrar Dr Victoria Burton Editor, AES Bulletin Dr Mike Noble Newsletter Editor Dafydd Lewis Advertising Secretary Peter Hodge
Other Council Members
Dr Andy Chick, Joseph Gillson, Ralph Hobbs, Dr Erica McAlister, Sophia Reinisch, Rev. Philip Reynolds, Jacqueline Ruffle, Nicholas Wadham
Volunteers
Malcolm Aldridge Emma Partridge Andrew Beech Rob Partridge Dr Clive Betts Dr Kieren Pitts Rob Edmunds Colin Plant Elisa McGarry Douglas Ruffle Dr John Muggleton Dr Peter Sutton Mrs Christine Muggleton
Custodial trustees: Paul Brock and Colin Hart
Charity Number 267430
Registered Address:
Fourpenny Cottage, Dungates Lane, Buckland, Betchworth, Surrey, RH3 7BD
Bankers:
NatWest plc, Oxted (A) Branch, 12 Station Road East, Limpsfield, Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0PR HSBC plc, City of London Branch, Victoria Street, EC4N 4TR
Examiner of Accounts: Aishat Idris, BAnC Services, London
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