BENNACHIE CENTRE TRUST
COMMITTEE REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED
31 MARCH 2025
SC025431

BEMMACHIE CENTRE TRUST
TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2026
The Tnsstees p￿ent thw'r and Ihe financi?1 stalpments forth& year ended 31 2025.
ontsct addr888
BennAchie Wisitor C8ntr8, Ptt¢aplè, Aberdeonshtre, AB515HY.
Rornjitmgnt and appolntmert of trustees
Trustees are appolrKe(I by the ￿slIng (￿￿M￿lee of truste8S.
Govemlng document
The governing docwnent was a Trusl Deed and charilabte st8iu8 W88 attaln8d 1 Oclober 19￿. The Trust *Jopted * SCll>ba88d
ConstrlLtty)n when ttw bgxme a SCIO (Scollish Charitsbl8 IncOrp￿ated OrqanlsallcA)) in 2016.
Charltable purposes
The purpose of Ihe Trust is io advancB the educaiion of the publk by the provislon. ￿nStruCtion aThJ Subwa￿￿1 managenth of
¢entre fcf the development of environmental ethjcafjon. conservation and we5ervalion of the flora, fauna. geok)oy and hi￿Ory of the
area around 8enfiadbie.
Summary of the main a¢tivities In relatlon to tho8¢ objects
The Trusl hdd 4 formal bu￿rneSS meellngs during the year., most have tse￿ a blend of In-pwn ¥EkJ online attendan<t, facilrlaled by
the Srnart t¥)ard 8Wronlc system al Ihe Cenire. Several a¢JditK)n81 meetings wer8 hekl. for speufic issues Indudiro.. installing a new
card paymant machine, devel¢)pmenl of additiond edu￿b"on81 display board Ixynlent, ￿annIng upgrades to Centre equipmenVdlsF4ayx,
and UF¥Jabng spreadsh*ts used ￿ a(xryJnts.
Actlvttlos and a¢hlevemerrts
The Centre op￿d for lh& 2024 Sea￿ cffi Frklay 29 March. Protle￿ occurred wilh the gxisliro card payment m¥hine for the shop.
leavirq Ihe CentrE Una￿e to take card pa￿mfjnts. Fdlowlng unsu¢￿$￿1uJ effDrts kn resdv& the Situation, a replacement card paym￿(
mach'ne was pur¢has&J from another rA)mparw. The new system Is cheaper io op8rat8 and has work&J ￿11 over the year.
A 2Q25 calendarwas produced to celebrats 30 annivèrsary ofthe Trust and Centrg. in c￿l&l￿)ration Y￿1h local Schools and artists.
featuring al￿1* interpretirvJ Bennachi8 in 8 range of rneAia. The Galendar5 were sold iwTr the shry), other local oullots. and ￿1n¢
through the new card payment 5ySt8rn, sWMsful￿ ralgng funds lor the TrusL A 2026 calendar is now bw'ng develo￿.
The Lord Lleutenant of Aberde￿thre vi5rted in May, aThJ Trustees shtr•ed hlm around the Centre and ex
He was enthusiasli and complimèntwl the Trust on the Centre facilrfes and educational ¥alu&.
and delighted lo repr8s8nt tha Twst at the Royal Garden Party. HOWNJ In Juty.
lainthl the Trusfs activibes.
Te subsequenty in¥ited,
A prror3mme of publlc evenis wovluing opportuniti&8 to (JIscAmr aThY appredate the n8lur*l and culiur81 hwrtage of Benn￿hle, I￿luded
a Creative writing workshop. a Noadle-felting workshop, a rond life art dass. an Art and Craft Faif1455 visltortsl. a 'Door6 Op¢n
weekend'1247 visitors), and the Garfo¢h Ranger held 3 pU￿1C events120 adults. 22 thildrenl. The Centre host&J NEOS (Noth East
Open Sludros) again. featuthg 4 lo¢al artists and their Bennachie-in$pitvJ al￿rk over a trthek in September. attracting 1600 visitors.

BENNACHIE CENTRE TRUST
TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
ActlvltI￿ and achlevèments {¢ontinuedl
Social media provided effeetiv& ¢ommunication, wth 4.5 k fojlowers on the Bennachie Vlsttor Centre Facebook pa9e. Events were also
publicised through the Bennachie Community Council newsletter and Spotlight magazine. The Cenlre provided a venue for a range of
educational courses, and supported events run by other bodies, incAuding hill navigation (Hillgoersl. wildlife identification skills courses. a
hill race and the Bennachie Ultramarathon In October.
Educational display ￿8rd$ on ojnifer identification, hill safety and wldlife Identifi￿￿On have teen p￿￿￿d and fvrlher boards are
being developed. A'Birds of Benftachie, leaflet is currently being developed with 8 local artist. Work continues on upgrading electronics
in the Centre, including linking internal screens to wildlife cameras lexisling and newl and r8-eStablishing the live-feed hill view camera,
in conjunction a specralisl local firm.
Exhibitions al the Centre included the Homecoming Art Project. butterfies and moths. and arthrk from the calendar. Other displays
included.. Pictish symbols, the Bennachie ￿r Crash, conifer identifi¢3tion, autumn leaves, and the Scottish Ould￿r A￿sS Ccx1e
ISOACI. with inlwactive displays on 'discoveT the season,, animal babies, nature alphabet and 'how many?, Exhibition space was
provided for local schools and organisations, wlh displays by Huntly Swift Group, Premnay Prirnary School, Westhill Academy and
Inverurie Academy. The Garioch Ranger led 8 group events176 adults, 112 ¢hilLlrelll and provided environmental education for 30
schools1104 adults, 843 children) through acbvilies promoting discovery and appreaation of the natural and cuttural history of
Bennachie, improving the local environment and biodiversity. promoting benefits of accessing outdoors, ￿sponSible access and
engagement of marginalised people.
Aberdeen Mounlaln R&vJJe equipment is now stored * the Centre, slnce Benn3chie is a frequent location for emergency call-outs, and
discussions on provision of safety training are undenvay. The Trust continues to liaise and work wth the Bailies of Bennachie in support
of shared objectives. providing facilities for public events and noti¢eboard space in the Genlre, and receivtng assistance from Ballies
work parties when requested for outdoor works. The Community Pay Back Team painted wooden ould(KJr features and dearÈd weeds
from the courtyard. Trustees also weeded the courtyard Ihrough 2024 and before Ihe 2025 opening.
The Centre maintained ts *stsr rat'ng with the Wisil Scotland Quality Assurance Stheme in 2024, bLrt the scheme ended in March 2025.
Work continued to improve the visitors, experience, featurfng the BCT brand and raising the Trusfs profile. Visitor numbers lo the
Centre remained around 30,000 for the Season. similar lo last year. Visitr)r comments continued to indicate high saltsfaction levels, and
the communty room had 42 bookings. As part ofthe strategy to increase visitor numbers and communty room use during quiettimès, a
group visit package featuring 8 talkjevent and refreshments, has been produced and is advertised by poster and on swal media.
The Trust increaseil the annual contribution to Aberdeenshire Council, for service5 induding rent, electr+cty, waste, watsr servicing and
contribution towards staffing. The Trust also substanfjally contributed towards upgrading and maintenance costs for the Centre,
induding the hot water system, plurnbing and alarm systems, and funded new taps in the public toilets and ¢ourtyaYd wall repairs. With
stones gathered by a Corporate vdunteer group. Work is ongoing to improve intemal Ilghting, and to uwlate orientstion panel and
Interactive displays.
Publi¢ toilet access continued lo be provided when Cet7tre w8s dosed overvAnter. For• & Land Scotland discontinued their
longstsnding provtsion of bird food for the wildlffe vie￿n9 area, and the Trust is exploring ways to eover the additional cx)$1s. including
targeted donations. Efforts lo increase income from shop sales with an expanded rangè of goods oJntinued'. new items indude a range
of Field Studies Council laminated identificab.on sheets, Bvc-branded g1fva￿, artwoik by local artists and a'Bennachie Brew. rev4ards
scheme to encourage coffee sales. A nèw shelving unlt was purchased. providing better display space. and a new display freezer.
Additional ways of improving the retail space are under consideration.
Fundraising by Ihe'heart appeal, continued, selling iterns with 117e heart logo, to cover mwntertance of the Public Awss
Defibrillator IPADI at thè Centre. A substsnlial anonymous don8tion has funded items lo improve the wldlrfe viewng experienee,
including live feed cameras, interactives, new feeders, a water feature, storage contsiners and new educational display boards. The
Bennachie Ultramarathon event org8nisers also donated a significant sum, and other large donation5 were receiveil from Hillgoers,
NEOS arbsts. Craft Fair sta15holder5 and hill race organiseis. The Tnjst Is very gratefijl lo all donors for thoir generous gifts. Thè Trust
Is also participating in sthemes providing money for recyding comp(rter ink cartridges, and for old equipmentlforeign curreno elc. At
her ￿ti￿rnent presentslion, the Trust thanked Loma for 30 years of excellent deaning se￿iCe atthe Centre.
The Centre opened for the 2025 season on Saturday 29 March.

BENNACHIE CENTRE TRUST
TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR E14DED 31 MARCH 2025
Flnanclal rnvl•w
AS a result ol swplus of yèor of£S.33912024- £2,427) and allo•Ang tsthe movement In resole stoGk, the committee hehj
unrestr￿ed funds of £105.73712024- £100.0521 al the year-ènd.
C¢￿￿￿1ttee remuneraiion and ¢o$ts
There £nll of o)sts relatiThJ to ts Centre12024- £nill re1Mbu￿ed to the Trustses during the year.
Thi5 report was approved by the Trustees on i I
and slgned on hs bew by

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE OF
BENNACHIE CENTRE TRUST
I report on accounts of the ¢n8rity for Ihe ￿ ended 31 March 2025 %4thich ate set out on pag8s 6 and 7.
Respectfvè r•spoMibilitie$ of commllt•e and •xamln•r
The charws CL￿M￿tee i¥ responsi￿e fcf th8 Prepa￿tr"On of Ihe a¢L(xJnts kn acLordarr* W￿¢h the temits of the Chariltes and Trustee
Investment Iscouandl 2005 and the Chaiilies Acrnullts Iscollandl Regulations 2006. The charity ￿Mittee considws that thé audit
requirements of RwUlatiC￿ 10111 (d) of the A￿UnIS Rewlation5 does not apply. It Is my responsikn'lty to examine tho ￿¢￿nts as
requirèd under section 4411) Icl of the Ac4 10 Stale whether parbcular matt815 have [￿le to my attenllon.
Bas18 of Ind•pgndent •xamlnefs $tat•fflent
My 8xamination is carried out in ￿e￿O¥nee with Regulation 11 of lh8 Charttle8 Account8 IS¢DI￿nd) Regulakns 20rh. An exambnatknn
indudes a reviv44 of the accounting record8 kept ty the charity and a ￿MpariSOn of the acxounts presented wth those records. It also
IrKJudes consideration of any LFnusual items or dlsclosure5 in ihe accounts, 3Thl sesks wlanalions frorn the ￿mMItIe£ c¥)nGeming any
such m8ltef5. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evldence that w)uld be requireil in an audit, aThJ consequently I do not
express an audtt opinlon on th8 VI￿ gfv•n by the accounts.
Ind•p•nd•n¢ ox4rTwnerfs statement
In the c(￿r$e of my examination, Th) matter has o)me to my aft￿ti
1. vthich 0fv88 mtt reasonabl8 causg io belleve that In any rnaterial res￿ the ￿ql￿reMents'.
to keep •xounbng records in accordgnce with S8don 44{11181 of Ihe 2005 AGt a￿1 Regulatic￿ 4 ofthe 20C6 A￿o￿ntS
ts) acfAiunts vthlch vAlh the 8cI)yJnbng ￿rA]rdS and exmnrty Regula11on 9 of the 2006 fvutyjnts Regulab￿S
have not been mel. or
Jn. alienttr)n should in order lo enat48 a prcw understaThJing of tho a¢￿Un￿ ￿ be le￿h￿J.
CA
Partr￿r
James Wilne
5 High sI￿t
Inverurie
AB51 3QA

BENNACHIE CENTRE TRUST
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025
2025
Totsl
2024
Total
Ine¢ming resources
Donations
Heart donation
Bank interest r￿1Ved
Room hire
Gallery sales
Other income
Card rebates
Ticket sales
Non food sales
FL*)d & drink sale$
7.422
3.065
1,243
1.174
290
263
292
2,711
827
1,295
127
283
8,416
19.778
535
5,868
18.964
Total Incoming resourcgs
42.212
31,699
Resources èxpend•d
Goods for rwle
Insur311¢e
Independent examiners fee
Repairs and maintenance
Gallery costs
Telephone costs
Service charges including rent
Equipment for BennaGhie Centre
Bird food
offi￿ consumables
Heart fund
Ticket payment
Bank charges
Credit card machine ¢harges
Website costs
Book Trust
Volunteer grfts
Visit S¢oUand membership
16.461
347
330
5.186
766
275
9,500
767
238
1.291
1.086
14.S49
295
300
1.622
559
8.500
545
239
17
392
20
851
120
90
127
58
174
Total resour¢•s ¢xpended
136,8731
129.2721
Surplus for th• y￿r
5.339
2,427
All funds ar• unrnstri¢t•d

BENNACHIE CENTRE TRUST
STATEMENT OF BALANCES AS AT 31 MARCH 2025
2026
2024
Stock
Stock of gc<#Js for resale
5298
4.952
Openlng bank and ¢ash balanceB
Bank accounts
Deposit acc￿niS
Cash balance
2,814
91.838
450
561
91.862
450
95,100
92,673
Sur￿8 forth• ￿ar
5,339
2,427
Total
100,439
95,100
Clo6lng bank and c4*h b•l•n¢e•
Bank aixxjunts
Deposit accounts
Cash b8Lgn
2,442
97,547
450
2.814
91,836
450
IIKI,439
95,100
Clo¥lng reser
105,737
11X),052
All funds •r• un￿trIct•￿
The financial State￿nts wwe approved by the Trustees on I I
and si
ned on its behalf b