Traditional Cosmology Society Trustees Report and Accounts Year ended 31 October 2025 Scottish Charity Number SC004052
Traditional Cosmology Society Scottish Charity Number: SC004052
Address:
54/6 Marchmont Road Edinburgh EH9 1HS
Trustees:
Prof. Louise Milne (President) Dr Seán Martin (Treasurer) Dr Pasquale Cicchetti (Membership Secretary)
Bankers:
Bank of Scotland Virgin Money PayPal
Independent Examiner:
Mr M S Martin The Number Crunchers (Edinburgh) Ltd 5e St Bernard’s Row Edinburgh EH4 1HW
Trustees Report year ended 31 October 2025
Form and Purpose of the Charity
The Charity was formed as an unincorporated association on 14 January 1984. The Society is recognized as a Scottish Charity by OSCR.
Membership is open to all on payment of a subscription. The membership elects a committee of trustees at the AGM, one third of whom retire each year. The committee consists of a president, secretary and treasurer, and one other member. Details are given on page 1 of this report. The committee runs the charity.
Activities and Accounts
The Society holds meetings and produces publications in support of its aims and encourages interdisciplinary exchange.
During the 2024–5 year, the Society held the following talk, in conjunction with the Temporality Research Cluster at the University of Edinburgh, on 29th January 2025:
“Teresa de Ávila – Influence and Instrument”, a hybrid performance by sound-artist and philosopher Eduardo Abrantes and dancing theologian Laura Hellsten. The event addressed the legacy of the 16th century mystic and engaged in dialogue with PhD candidates from the University, as well as members of the Society and the public.
During the year the charity held a surplus of receipts over payments of £194.01 on unrestricted funds, leaving Unrestricted Reserves of £1,849.73 at 31 October 2025.
In addition, the Society has a separate Deirdre Green Restricted Fund, which exists to provide some assistance for students or others who would otherwise find it difficult or impossible to attend the Society’s conferences. During the year the charity held a surplus of receipts over payments of £12.68 on the restricted fund, being interest received, leaving Restricted Reserves of £970.12 at 31 October 2025.
Statement on risk
The Trustees have considered the major risks to which the charity could be exposed and are taking steps to mitigate the consequences.
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
Charity law requires the Trustees to prepare accounts for each financial year which give a true statement of the surplus or deficit of the charity for the year, and of the balances at the year end. In preparing the accounts the Trustees are required to:
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Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently
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Make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
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Prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the charity will continue in operation.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud or other irregularities.
Independent Examiner
Mr M. S. Martin, of The Number Crunchers (Edinburgh) Ltd, has been appointed Independent Examiner by the Trustees. A resolution to re-appoint him will be put to the Annual General Meeting.
By Order of the Trustees
Signature: President, Dr Louise Milne Traditional Cosmology Society
Date: 1 June 2026
Receipts and Payments Account for the Year Ended 31 October 2025
| 2024 Total £ |
2025 Unrestricted £ |
2025 Restricted £ |
2025 Total £ |
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| RECEIPTS | ||||
| Subscriptions | 550.87 | 615.00 | 0.00 | 615.00 |
| Sale of publications | 135.36 | 0.00 | 135.36 | |
| Publishers Licensing Royalties | 90.87 | 52.26 | 0.00 | 52.26 |
| Conference Fees & receipts | 5,254.19 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Donations | 85.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Other receipts | 10.81 | 0.00 | 10.81 | |
| Interest | 10.77 | 0.00 | 12.68 | 12.68 |
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | 5,991.70 | 813.43 | 12.68 | 826.11 |
| PAYMENTS | ||||
| Website | 100.80 | 100.80 | 0.00 | 100.80 |
| Speakers’expenses for meetings | 493.94 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Postage, Stationery and photocopying | 56.51 | 18.12 | 0.00 | 18.12 |
| Subscriptions | 87.34 | 75.00 | 0.00 | 75.00 |
| Independent Examiner’s Fees | 400.00 | 400.00 | 0.00 | 400.00 |
| Conference expenses | 2,878.58 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bank charges | 189.19 | 25.50 | 0.00 | 25.50 |
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | 4,206.36 | 619.42 | 0.00 | 619.42 |
| Surplus of receipts over payments for year |
1,785.34 | 194.01 | 12.68 | 206.69 |
| Funds at 31 October 2024 | 827.82 | 1,655.72 | 957.44 | 2,613.16 |
| Funds at 31 October 2025 | 2,613.16 | 1,849.73 | 970.12 | 2,819.85 |
There were no known liabilities at 31 October 2025 apart from the accrued Independent Examiner ’ s fee of £400.00 which will be paid from the Unrestricted Funds.
The accounts were approved by the Trustees at their AGM on 1[st] June 2026 and signed on their behalf by the President, Dr Louise Milne.
Signature: Date: 1 June 2026
President, Dr Louise Milne Traditional Cosmology Society
Notes to the Accounts
Year ended 31 October 2025
1) Basis of preparation of accounts
The accounts have been prepared on the receipts and payments basis and in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice No. 2; Accounting for Charities (2019 Version) and the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (2019 revision). Subscriptions are recorded gross, with payment-processing fees shown separately under Bank charges. The Society’s funds are held across three accounts: Bank of Scotland and PayPal (unrestricted) and Virgin Money (the restricted Deirdre Green Fund).
2) Restricted Fund
A restricted fund, the Deirdre Green Fund, exists to provide some assistance for students and others who would otherwise find it difficult or impossible to attend the Society’s conferences. No transactions occurred during the year on this fund apart from the accruing of £12.68 interest. The balance is held in a separate bank account.
3) Payments to Trustees
The Trustees received no payment for their work as Trustees.
4) Period of Accounts
The accounts cover the year ended 31 October 2025. The previous year’s figures cover the year ended 31 October 2024.
Independent Examiner ’ s Report to the Committee of the Traditional Cosmology Society
on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 October 2025 set out on the preceding pages.
Respective Responsibilities of the Trustees and Examiner
The Charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. The charity trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1)(d) of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner ’ s Statement
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.
Independent Examiner ’ s Statement
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1)(a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
The Number Crunchers (Edinburgh) Ltd
5e St. Bernard’s Row
Edinburgh EH4 1HW
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Signature: ____ Date: ___
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Michael Shaun Martin BA FMAAT ATT CTA