Milton Mountaineers
Annual report 2023
Hello members of Milton Mountaineers
We’ve enjoyed another action packed year.
In April a group of over 20 members met at the Kington Hotel in the town of that name in Herefordshire on the English/Welsh border for three days of walking some days in sunshine and at other times in rather wet conditions. See report previously circulated.
In late May/early June I organised a group of 9 of us to spend a week at the Holiday Fellowship Holnicote House about four and a half miles
From Minehead on the Somerset/Devon border with walks on Exmmor and the Quantock Hills. We had a great week of walks with fine weather.
In late October a group of 23 members took part in a week of walking based at the Holiday Fellowship house near Glencoe in the Highlands of Scotland. Find report attached with thanks to David Grimshaw and Phillip Cowen for proofreading and inserting photographs. Phillip says he can send better quality photos to anybody wanting them. His email address is: Phillip@in2planning.co.uk
For 2024 David Grimshaw has arranged another week of walking on the Isle of Man. He has recently qualified as a Hill Skills leader.
I have planned holidays in the Republic of Ireland led by Holiday Fellowship and on Crete booked with Ramble Worldwide being led by one of our members Debbie Broom who has qualified as a Hills and Moorland leader.
Sadly I have to report the deaths of a couple of members during the year.
During one of the evenings on the Glencoe trip, Jimmy Milhench mentioned that Duncan Simpson who was a founder member of Milton Mountaineers died last August. Jim McCafferty, who Jimmy knows and who I think has walked with Milton Mountaineers in the past writes:
……………
Duncan passed away some time in August - I have not been able to ascertain the date, but his funeral took place on the 29th in Aberdeen, and was very well attended. Sadly his wife Jean also passed away about four weeks before his death - they met each other when they were pupils at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh.
I didn't know Duncan particularly well, but we did meet when I worked with Guide Dogs in Forfar, and kept in touch by telephone for a while.
He was previously known to me through his involvement with the Scout Association in the north-east of Scotland and, particularly, when he ran the recording service for the then Grampian Society ffor the Blind in Aberdeen.
Duncan was passionate about the use of audio, and his attention to detail when recording very interesting and informative programmes was second to none.
For me it was a pleasure to talk with him: he always took a keen interest in younger generations of vision Impaired people, especially those who were pupils of the Royal Blind School.
………………..
In an email from Anne Weyers, she told me the same news and added that Duncan had arranged for a Piper to pipe the Milton Mountaineers on to the summit of Ben Nevis, on the inaugural climb. (1969).
Anne has also told me of the death of Clive Smith last June. I remember Clive and his wife Mary as long time members.
Each year I have to report Milton Mountaineers’ financial position to the Chairty Commission. At the start of the charity’s financial year November the 1[st] 2022 the bank balance was £1268.39.
Income during the year till the end of October 2023 amounted to £46382.03 consisting mainly of members’ payments for holidays. As part of the income the value of the Ramblers Holidays Walking Partnership loyalty points was £130. £195 was received as donations for talks I’ve given about Milton Mountaineers.
Expenditure during the year was £40913.91 as payments for holidays.
Income over expenditure was £5588.12.
Taking into account the balance at the end of the previous financial period of £1268.39 the bank statement balance dated November the 2[nd] 2023 was £6856.51.
In addition Milton Mountaineers has shares with Holiday Fellowship worth £3000 at an interest rate of 2.5% which gives the charity benefits of being an affiliated group.
The trustees are looking into other investment opportunities and are also discussing the future organisation of Milton Mountaineers.
May I remind you that Milton Mountaineers is an affiliated group member of the Ramblers Association, which means that we have public liability insurance through the organisation and our members are entitled to take part in local Ramblers groups.
Remember also that if you book your own holidays with Ramble Worldwide (formerly Ramblers Walking Holidays), which is separate from the Ramblers Association, you can nominate Milton Mountaineers to receive loyalty points and therefore a donation from their Walking Partnership Scheme.
Happy 2024.
David Carrington-Porter
Trustee and organiser
01564 779233 07484 602132
Dcp107@btinternet.com
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGiAND AND WALES Recei ts and ments accounts CC16a For the perio from 3011112022 To 3111012023 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted lund Restricted funds to lh• £ to th• thvar•Bt£ Endowment lunds Totsi fund$ Last year to th• npar•Bt£ to th• Tl£ 10 thè nvaml £ A1 R•e•l Rteeipis lor trip8 VlIfvJTawBI from NS&I a¢rnt 39,J21 .857 31.321 ross incomè or AR) 8•• ta A3Pa Paymènm foi & •xpthiw¥ 011 Expense$ 40.$02 292 Sub tot•1 A4 Asset and Inv95tm•ni Sub totsl 40.794 40.7 Net of recelpts/(payments) AS Transfers between fund A6 C•¥h funds last year end Cash funds this y8ar end 5.588 CCXX F11 orKount¥1881 1811112024
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds R¢5trictgd funds Endowment funds Bl Caoh funds 8,857 Total cash lunds Un¢t¢d nd• lo n•artsi £ 3.011 Re8irfeted fund• Endowment funds 82 Oth•r mon•tsry a88•ts Details Detall• Fund to *thlch 83 InvMtm•nt as•ot• •¥t l•ptt•tt•ll Currnni valu• 84 A8aets r•t•inod lor th• charity'8 own u8• Qetails Fund to whlch C¥rr•nt valu• Details Fund to whkh Amount d B5 Llablllti Wh•n du• SvJned by one or trustse$ on behalf of all the truii8e$ ?natUre Pnnt Name Date of roval 17hi 12 CCXX R2 accounts Issi 1811112024
OS Itcf 2 C cc.o CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Mf LfoH M9L4NfAfMEEfL On accounts for tho year ended ?i/io/z023 Charlly no (rf any) 283C76 Set out on pag•s I rewrt to the tnjstees my examnaty'on of thè a¢¢ounts of the abov8 charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 3 1 10 10 23 Responslbllltles and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the prep8ration basls of reF>Ort of the accounts in acccfdance wth the requi ments of the Charilies Act 2011 ('Ih8 Act">. I report in respect of my ex8minattc¥7 of the Trust's accounts carrled out under section 145 of the 2011 AGt and in carrylng OLrt my examlnatlon, I have fcAkiwed the appIable Direclions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the A¢t. I have ¢1peted my examlnatjon. I corrf1 that no rnalerial matters have Come io my allenlion in connection with the examinatson which gives me cause to believe that in, any mat8rial re5pecl.' accounting records w8ré not k8pt in accordance with 88Ctlon 130 of the Act c the accounts do not accord with the acccuntlng records Independent •xamIne6 statement I have concems army have come across no other rnatters in connection wtlh the examinati lo which attention should be drawn in order to 8nabla proper understandin9 of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the br8ckets rf they do noi appty, Slgnad: Oato: Name: rtLEsfAf£ KOlrLAKC cHAoffflED ACCollfvfANf (rcAEb/) Relevanl professlonal quallflcalion{sl or body {If any): Address: OAD 4NNLrDGE L(t O¥P Section 8 Disclosure Only ¢Qplete if the exaTninei needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounls.. directions and guidance for examiners}. IER October 2018
Glve here brief dètalls of any items that the examiner wlshes to dlsclose. /A IER October 2018