## **Milton Mountaineers** ## **Annual report 2024** Hello members of Milton Mountaineers We’ve had another busy year. In April David Grimshaw organised another week of walking on the Isle of Man. 8 members ferried ”across” as Manx inhabitants call the journey to the island. David, who lives there, led the walks with the help of Ray Beattie and Debbie Broom, who are also island residents. Members of the Manx walking group also acted as additional sighted guides. See report previously circulated. In June I took a group of 16 of us to Ireland, where we stayed in a hotel in Kenmare County Kerry. The week’s holiday of walking was run by Holiday Fellowship. See report previously circulated. 12 of us, plus Debbie Broom as our Ramble Worldwide leader, avoided the colder and wetter month of October in the UK by having a walking holiday on the Greek island of Crete. Please find report previously circulated and two group photos provided by Debbie; one at Roca and the other at Laki. Each year the trustees have to report Milton Mountaineers’ financial position to the Chairty Commission. Because we’ve organised three holidays this year the income and expenditure exceeded £25000, the amount above which charities are required to submit externally examined accounts. At the end of the charity’s year November 1[st] 2023 / October 31[st] 2024 the current bank account balance was £360.69. We’ve opened a deposit account this year to earn a higher interest rate. And the amount in this account was £1901.41. In addition Milton Mountaineers has shares with Holiday Fellowship as an affiliated group which enables us to book holidays at a discounted rate. The investment stood at £3026.02. Therefore the charity’s total assets were £5288.12 May I remind you that Milton Mountaineers is also 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. Ramblers has an “Open the way” strategy to widen participation for a diverse range of people including visually impaired ones. Earlier this year I was interviewed by the editor of their “Walk” magazine and I took the opportunity to promote Milton Mountaineers (My Walk Of Life” article previously circulated). Remember that if you book your own holidays with Ramble Worldwide (formerly Ramblers Worldwide 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. Please note the Milton Mountaineers’ trustees have decided that in future no refunds will be given for holiday places booked and then cancelled by members. Although cancellations are usually for valid reasons, dealing with refunds causes a lot of extra administration work, and it is felt that not providing refunds means that members will be more likely to honour their booking unless they can’t take part because of illness etcetera, in which case they should be able to claim money from their travel insurance company. Page **1** of **2** The trustees have also discussed succession arrangements for the organisation of Milton Mountaineers. Whilst I am still happy to co-ordinate the work of the charity adn to organise some of the holidays, I recognise that a time will come when I may not wish to continue or my not be able to do so. My fellow trustee David Grimshaw has been a great help over recent years but the same may apply to him at some stage. He and I have therefore agreed that our younger fellow trustee, Phillip Cowen, will take on some of the work and organisation from now on whilst being assisted by me and David for the time being. As a consequence Phillip is organising the “traditional” annual trip next year which you will already know is taking place in Brecon/Wales from May the 16[th] /19th Also already planned by David Grimshaw for next year is a week of walking on the Isle of Wight from March the 1[st] till the 8[th] for which 20 members have booked. David has also arranged a week of walking based at the HF house in Church Stretton in Shropshire from October the24th till the 31[st.] David and I looked into the possibility of having a one or two week walking holiday in Austria booked with Ramble Worldwide and led by our member Debbie Broom who is one of their qualified leaders. However, it was too complicated to fit it in with their programme for next year so we may consider it for 2026. It would be helpful to know how many people might be interested in going for either one or two weeks either on this suggested holiday or any other holidays abroad in the future. We realise that members may not wish or be able to commit time and money to such holidays. Happy 2025. David Carrington-Porter Trustee and organiser 01564 779233 07484 602132 Dcp107@btinternet.com Page **2** of **2** | CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Recei ts and ments accounts CC16a For the perTrod Irom To 3011112022 3117￿023 Section A Receipts and payments UnrestrScied funds Restrlcted lund8 Endowment lund• Total ftynds Last year to Ih? nearvl io Ihe ngawi £ totho ne•re¥t £ to th¢ nwrnst A1 Recei Re￿ip1S IDr trips Wiln¢(8W81 from NUI occouni Intere81 Income Ineii Other ITrGome 42 111 42,111 39.321 6.U57 206 fuss Income or ARI ¥•el on see ¢able nv•• m•nt •• ta Total recelpts A3Pa ments Payments fof LfiP8 & e¥pense$ Othe, I nse 46.580 310 48 580 310 40.502 292 Sub total A4 Asset and Investment Sub total Total payments 40.794 Net of re¢eipts/(paymentsJ AS Transfer¥ between fund5 A6 Ca$h funds last year end Cash fvnds this year end 4.594 CCXX R1 accoun15 ISSI 0410812025 Section B Ststement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds to n￿rest £ 2.262 EndowinÈnt funds to nearest £ CatÈgorfe8 Detalls Cash a Bank 81 Cash funds Total cash funds 2.262 Unrtstricted funtjs neami E 3.026 Endowment funds Dt.tails HF swres B2 Other mon•tary 388¢18 Fynd to whiGh Curronl volue ion•1 Oetails B3 Inve8tm•nt a880t8 fund 10 whlch Curr•t)t valu• lon•1 Delalls B4 A$8ets retained for th• ¢harlty'8 own use Fvntl to¥thi¢h Whon du• l)etail$ 85 Liabilitie8 Date of royal Print Name Signed by one or rwo trusiee5 on bèhalf ol all the trustees s￿￿31ure PwcL4P J. CowJ- 041081202S GCXX R2 8ccounts ISSI CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner s Report Rèport to the truste￿1 mombers of Milton Mountaineer5 On accounts for th• y•ar •ndod 2024 Ch•rfty no (If any) 283576 Set out on pages I report to the truste8s my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe TNst") for the year ended Responslbllltl•8 and As the charity trustees of the Trust. you are resp￿SIble for the preparation ba818 of r•port of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charitles Act 20111lhe Acr). I report in respecl of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried oul under section 145 of Ihe 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{S)Ib) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confim thal no materi81 matters have come to my attention (other than that disdosed below ") in connection with the examinabon which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respe¢t'. accounting re¢4yds were not k8Pt in acccKdance wth section 130 of the Acl or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examlnerfs Statement I have no concems and have come across no olher matters in connection with Ihe examination lo vthich attention should be dravm in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Ple8se dèleté the words In th8 br8ck8ts rfthey do not apply. Slgned: Data: J/zozC Nam•: AL &5 i A&f .￿&1[￿LI9￿6 R•lovant profosslonal quallflcatlon(s) or body (11 any): ACA AEb/ Address: IS HJ&trlF-. &L) 120AD SAfvfjn rDfrr rfjL64,VS AL