Scottish CASTLES A S S O C l A T l O N eve￿90￿le who love5 Scot/C9￿d,S Cc95t/e5. SC029654 Annual Report and Accounts 2024 ## **Sco�sh Castles Associa�on** Charity Name: Scottish Castles Association Charity Registration Number: SC029654 Contact Address: **Patron President Trustees in 2024** ## **Sco�sh Castles Associa�on** ## **Independent Examiner** ## **Bankers** Royal Bank of Scotland Cartsdyke Avenue Cartsburn East Greenock PA15 1EF ## **Sco�sh Castles Associa�on** ## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 31 December 2024** ## **Structure, governance and management** ## **Governing document** The Association is administered in accordance with the terms of its Deed of Constitution. ## **Recruitment and appointment of Trustees** All the Association’s Trustees are appointed or re-appointed by the members at the Annual General Meeting, which is held in April each year. ## **Purposes** Our charitable purposes: - To encourage, by charitable means but not otherwise, the protection, preservation, restoration, research, study and appreciation of Scottish castles, tower houses and manor houses, together with their associated furnishings, settings, gardens and designed landscapes being of merit or historic interest and situated in Scotland - To co-operate with other bodies with similar aims - To do anything which may be considered to be incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the objects ## **Sco�sh Castles Associa�on** ## **Summary of the main ac�vi�es and achievements of the charity** founda�on for con�nuing to meet our charitable objec�ves in the years ahead, encouraging the protec�on, preserva�on, restora�on, research, study and apprecia�on of Sco�sh castles, tower houses and manor houses and their furnishings, se�ngs, gardens and designed landscapes. ## **Governance review** We conducted a review of our governance, which included reviewing and revising our Cons�tu�on to reflect best prac�ce in the charitable sector, in accordance with guidance from OSCR. The new Cons�tu�on was based on the model cons�tu�on produced by the Sco�sh Council for Voluntary Organisa�ons (SCVO), of which the SCA is a member. It was approved at our 2025 AGM. Our governance review set out clearly the roles and responsibili�es of our Trustees – every member of the Council is a Trustee of the SCA. We developed policies and guidelines including a Privacy Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Statement and Risk Assessments. ## **Reserves Policy** equa�ng to 18 months of unrestricted expenditure. We used a risk-based approach to calculate the op�mal free reserves that we required to address unexpected costs and opportuni�es. We considered reliability of income, costs of re-organisa�on ac�vi�es and specific liabili�es, taking into account risks we are aware of and con�ngencies, e.g. for our archive project (see below). We also have designated reserves, for funding the archive project, and restricted reserves that relate to income to be used for the specific purpose s�pulated by the donor. ## **New SCA website** We developed a new SCA website that will promote our charitable purposes, showcasing our ac�vi�es and enlis�ng support through membership, partnerships, volunteering and dona�ons. Website development was supported by a generous dona�on from two of our members. The site will be launched in summer 2025. ## **SCA Online Castles Archive** We began to create the Sco�sh Castles Associa�on Archive, which will be a leading repository and research tool for Sco�sh castles. Due for launch in late 2025, it will be available online to anyone in the world with internet access, free of charge. At its heart will be the Bogdan Brothers’ Sco�sh Castles Archive, our unique legacy of research material from archaeologist , our former Chair. Together with other collec�ons gi�ed or loaned to us, this cons�tutes an archive of na�onal and interna�onal importance. We are working in partnership with the S�rling University Archives and Special Collec�ons department to classify, digi�se and protect all the material, which includes previously unseen images and texts. We have begun work on a fundraising ini�a�ve to ensure we can sustain our digi�sa�on programme and con�nue to a�ract new archive material. ## **Our Journal** We welcomed our new Editor, who developed a revised format for the Journal to reflect all our charitable purposes. The first issue of the new edition will be published in late 2025. ## **Conference to encourage castle restora�on and use** We worked with Historic Environment Scotland and the Na�onal Trust for Scotland to convene a conference, _Sco�sh Castles – Use Them or Lose Them_ , which will take place in S�rling in late 2025. The conference will explore how current planning process can be applied to encourage more people to restore and re-use Sco�sh castles and other historic buildings. It will be open to everyone with an interest in castles - restorers, planners, historians, cra�speople, conserva�on professionals and castle enthusiasts. The conclusions from the day will be taken forward by a working group to help reach consensus on how planning process can be applied to provide a useful and sustainable future for Scotland’s built heritage. ## **Extending the reach of our castles visits and study tours** Our castles study tours con�nue to prove popular. Our Autumn 2024 Tour to the Black Isle and Nairnshire was well supported and our Spring 2025 Tour of Ayrshire was fully subscribed in the space of 48 hours. However, not everyone can a�end a tour, and this year we broadened our reach by launching the SCA pop-up – a day at one or two castles in response to invita�ons. Pop-ups are ideal for those who cannot commit to a whole weekend tour or an overnight stay. ## **Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf:** Date: 12 April 2025 IndepeDdent ExArniDer's Report trj the Trustees of The Seottish Casde9 A￿0cl*tion I report ￿ the acc(rtu)ts of th¢ dwity for th¢ ¢ndal 31 D￿￿]b¢[ 2024 whith Set out on pages 8and9. Respective Responsibilitks of Trnstee and Ewiner The Charity's *Th￿ees r¢sponsible for the prwation of th¢ ￿Unts in with th¢ Clwities and Tnkstee Investment (S¢otland) Ad 2ts)5 atMI the Charities AC￿Unts (Scodand) RegulatiQXL% 2(K)6. Th¢ ch￿Ity's trust¢es consithr thal the audit requiretnents of RegUl￿10n 10(1 Xd) of the Accounts Regul*ions does Apply. It is my [￿nSIbilIty th ex8mine the ￿[All*S sethion 44(IXc) of Act aud to state whether prticular matters have come to my attentior Ba8is of Jndepend¢nt EX￿1￿￿.# StAtsA¢nt My exami￿On is c8rrAed out in *¢ord8nc¢ Regulation I l of the Charities ALYounts {Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examinatson j￿Illd¢s a review of the a¢wUnti￿ ￿¥)rdS kept by the clwity ￿d a c0tnpan￿ll ot the accounts presenknl with those records. It also includes consideration of any Ullusual iterns or disclosures in the accoun￿ and seeks explanations from the truaces concerning ally matters. The wocedurns llndert8k￿ do not provide oll cvidenc¢ wvuld be requir¢d in an audiL and conseqU￿tIY I do express an audit opinion on the view given by the a¢￿unts. Indq)end¢nt ExamineW8 Opiniom In the LX)UTse of my examithn of the w)unts for the year ended 31 DeKember 2024, ￿ n]atter has me to my atteniion To kecp accounting I￿ordS in aCw[d￿ with Section 44(IXa) of the Charities and Trustee Inve&rttnt s (Scotland) Act 2(X)5 and Regulation 4 of the Chatiti¢s A¢￿Unts To pr¢patc accounts which accord with tr accounting and comply with Regulation 9 of the Cljarities Accfjunts (s￿tland) Re8ulatiOL8 2￿6 bav¢ not be£n or 2. To iti my Opinio￿ attention slK)uld drawn in order to enable a pmper uDd¢rstsrxling of the accounts to be reached. The Scottish Castles Assoeiation Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 December 2024 Notes 2024 Reeeipts Membership Subscriptions Memlxrsbip Subs¢riptiOL8- GiftAid Income from Events Donattons Donations- GiftAid Legacies Cotntn¢morativ¢ Mug Sales Interest Unusual and Mi&rlIaneous tncome 5,170 2,920 7.015 13,419 2,811 10,000 30 765 4.935 6.480 383 44.739 15.742 Payments Payments for charitable activiti￿. Direct Costs of Events 6251 168 4.546 801 86 1200 80 61 4.472 400 462 5,494 760 iJoo 586 Website Costs Secretarial and Admin Costs Libety Accounts The Journal Prizes and Gifts PayPal Charges Archive Costs DonatioLs 1200 1.334 i(x) SU￿lUs for the year Fund5 at l January 26.212 38,583 4,902 33.681 Funds at 31 Decemb¢r 2024 otes: l. Tn￿eeS Remuneration None of the TnL8tees received Tejnuneration during the year (2023 - £Nil) £Ffd (2023 . £Nil) paid in respect of expenses foT Council Meetings. 2. Breakdown of Events 2024 2023 Intome Costs Ineome Costs Spring Tour Picnic - 2024 Picnic - 2025 Autumn Tour Winter Dinaer 3.440 150 3,028 3.050 180 2,412 63 i()n 2.848 275 2.930 495 3250 3.019 6251 6480 5494 The Scottisb Castles Association Statsment of Balances 98 at 31 December 2024 20Z4 2023 Bank and Dewlts Balance at l Jan Surplus for the year 38.583 26212 33,681 4,902 Made up of: 90 707 31,141 5,345 1.300 Current Account D¢p)sit ALxount PayPal Acmunt 63,851 Archive Fu Website Fund Events Fund 10,508 22,5(4) 2264 29.523 38,583 Assets (Memo) Slock of Pl4 (81 @ £12) 972.IKJ 1.152.00 (45 @ £3.50) 157.50 17850 1 129.50 1330.50 LiAbilities , None For and on behdf of the Couneil