SIGHTHILL COMMUNITY EDUCATION CENTRE
Annual Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2025
Sighthill Community Education Centre Annual Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2025
Management Committee Members’ Report
Management Committee and Administration Details
The Sighthill Community Education Centre was constituted as an unincorporated association and recognised as a charity in Scotland (No. SC004763) in 1980. It is governed by its constitution.
The charity is made up of its members who elect the Management Committee at the Annual General Meeting. The Management Committee is comprised of the following members and representatives: up to 20 members representing member groups, 2 youth members elected at an assembly of youth members, a senior community education worker, the Council’s Director of Education, a member of the Council.
The current members of the Management Committee are Pat Lee (Chair), John Aitken (vice-Chair), Christine Ritchie (Treasurer), George Graham, Janice Graham, Joan Templeton, Carol Clelland, Sophia Cooke (Secretary), Demi Wheeler, Linda Newlands, Karen Baigrie.
The principal address of the charity is Gate 55, 55 Sighthill Road, Edinburgh, EH11 4PB.
The Objects of the Charity
The objects of the charity are:
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(a) to advance education and to provide, or assist in the provision of, facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupations, where such provision or assistance in provision:
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is in the interests of social welfare; and
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is made with the object of improving the conditions of life of the members of the community in the area of benefit;
and for those purposes to associate with the City of Edinburgh Council, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in the area of benefit;
- (b) to co-operate with the Council and its successors in office in establishing, maintaining and managing any community centre situated in the area of benefit which is provided or grant aided by the Council in so far as it is established, maintained and managed for the attainment of the object (a).
Annual Report of the Management Committee
The programmes of activity are almost fully back up and running after our closure during Covid. As well as the activities run by the Sighthill Library on site, and the classes that are part of the Adult Education programme run by CEC, we host and/or organise things like zumba and judo classes, carpet bowls, and a new community food growing group which is using raised beds built by local young people to grow carrots and onions, with lots more planned for the rest of this year. The WHY Project continues to do fantastic work with children and young people in our area, such as cookery sessions in the kitchen, sports and dance in the sports hall, and pool in the Youth Zone. We also now have Triage based here – a service that works with the whole family of school non-attenders to provide support. MILAN also provides services here.
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Sighthill Community Education Centre Annual Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2025
Management Committee Members’ Report (continued)
For older people in our area, the carpet bowls group is important to help combat social isolation and to stay active, including for people with limited mobility.
For young people, we have been supporting a new programme developed with CEC Wider Achievement here which sees local young people who are school non-attenders being introduced to skills like carpentry and horticulture. They have built several high-quality raised beds and planters around the site here and have planted strawberries and garlic along with a range of bedding plants which attract pollinators. The programme means the young people get a qualification – the SVQ in Rural Skills – and many of them have now returned to education as a result. The programme has been rated ‘Excellent’ by the SQA.
The WHY Project has been doing great work here this year with children and young people age P6+. One recent project has seen two young people develop their own dance academy, called ABDA, at Gate 55, with the support of a WHY Project Youth Worker. The WHY Project supports children to grow in confidence and to improve their skills as well as their wellbeing.
The new community food growing group is making use of the new raised beds, and, along with the young people, is growing vegetables here. The food growing group has plans to expand what they grow here over the summer and to make the fresh produce – which is bring grown without pesticides, and using no-dig methods of gardening – available for free here. The produce is for all residents of our local area (Sighthill, The Calders, Broomhouse, Parkhead, Murrayburn, Dumbryden, and wider Wester Hailes).
The trustees have been acquiring donations of brand new school uniforms and children’s shoes from Tesco, which are made available for people to pick up for free from within the centre.
We have invested in new equipment that can be used by the carpet bowling group and by other groups, and a new hot water urn, as well as supporting the set-up of the community food growing group.
Maintenance:
The trustees have organised volunteer painting days. The community food growing group has carried out some weeding activity. The trustees have had the carpets cleaned.
Financial review
At the year end cash funds stood at £29,278, all of which was unrestricted. A deficit of £1,406 was recorded. The committee’s policy is to maintain sufficient reserves to run the organisation and provide for future years. The committee considers that this amount of reserves satisfies this.
Approved by the Management Committee and signed on its behalf:
Signed ……Patricia Lee……………………………………. Date …01.06.26…………………….
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Sighthill Community Education Centre Annual Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2025
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Management Committee of the Sighthill Community Education Centre
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2025 which are set out on pages 5 – 6.
Respective responsibilities of management committee and examiner
The charity’s Management Committee 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 Management Committee 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 seeks 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 view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s qualified statement
In the course of my examination, matters have come to my attention which give me reasonable cause to believe that proper accounting records have not been kept. In particular:
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The charity did not maintain a cashbook during the financial year.
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Expenditure totalling approximately £3,454.49 was unsupported by receipts or equivalent documentary evidence, of which £2,398.43 was in cash.
The trustees have made a management representation that supporting receipts for £2,346 of this expenditure was originally provided but has subsequently been lost. I have been unable to verify this expenditure through documentary evidence.
The matters noted above are not isolated to the 2024-25 financial year. Concerns regarding the adequacy of financial record-keeping have been raised with the trustees in previous years. Despite this, sufficient improvements have not been implemented in the year the financial year under examination.
Subject to the matters noted above, nothing has come to my attention:
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
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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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Sighthill Community Education Centre Annual Report and Accounts for the Year Ended 31st March 2025
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Management Committee of the Sighthill Community Education Centre (continued)
- to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed …………………………………………. Date ……………………….
Anna Chworow AAT Professional Diploma
Craigart Kettle Road Ladybank KY15 7PA
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Sighthill Community Education Centre Receipts and Payments Account for the Year Ended 31[st] March 2025
| Receipts Activity fees Donation Grants Grant received in error Surplus/(deficit) for year Total receipts Cash funds brought forward Payments Payments for charitable activities: Activities running costs Maintenance Subscriptions and insurance Office and website Repaying grant received in error Sundry expenses Total payments for charitable activities Purchase of fixed assets: Equipment Cash funds carried forward Governance costs: Accounts and independent examination Total payments Transfers between funds |
Restricted funds £ - 1,768 - (1,625) 1,625 1,768 1,000 1,768 - - - - - 2,768 - 625 3,393 - |
funds Unrestricted £ 6,048 200 - - 219 29,059 6,248 968 3,500 425 306 780 50 6,029 29,278 - - 6,029 - |
2024/25 Total £ 6,048 200 1,768 - (1,406) 8,016 1,968 5,268 425 306 780 50 8,797 30,684 - 625 9,422 - 29,278 |
Total 2023/24 £ 4,314 - 710 - (604) 31,288 5,024 2,038 - 425 - - 1,885 4,348 30,684 - 1,280 5,628 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Sighthill Community Education Centre Receipts and Payments Account for the Year Ended 31[st] March 2025
Bank and cash on hand
| Bank and cash on hand | ||
|---|---|---|
| Opening balances Surplus / (deficit) for year Closing balances |
2024/25 £ 30,684 (1,406) 29,278 |
2023/24 £ 31,288 (604) |
| 30,684 |
Assets
| Assets | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 2023/24 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Equipment | 200 | 300 |
| Liabilities | ||
| 2024/25 | 2023/24 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Creditors & accrued charges | - | 780 |
Funds movement
| CEC: Easter grant CEC: Yardew project Total |
Balance at 01/04/2024 1,625 - 1,625 |
- 1,768 Received |
(1,625) (1,768) Paid (3,393) |
- Transfers - |
Balance at 31/03/2025 - - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,768 | - | - |
CEC: Easter grant
Community grant fund to purchase equipment for the centre as well as to help with the running costs for the groups.
CEC: Yardew project
Grant to provide training in rural skills to young people. The grant was spent on construction materials.
Trustee expenses
The members of the Management Committee did not receive any remuneration in either year. Two Trustees received £1,744 in reimbusements for purchases made on behalf of the charity, £161 of which was not accompanied by receipts (2024: £695).
Approved by the Management Committee and signed on its behalf
Signed ……Patricia Lee……………………………………. Date ………25.06.26……………….
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