Helensburgh Festive Lighting Charitable Trust Scottlsh Charitable Incorporated Organisation Scottish Charity Number SC034029 Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 23 February 2025
APPENDIX 1 oscr._ Period start dale Month Year Period enrj date Monlh Year 24" ' F•b To 2024 23rd Feb 2025 offi of the Scottish Charity Regulator Reference and administration details Charlty nome othor namas charlty Is known Helen$buruh Fe$tlvè Llghtlng Charltable Trn¥t Roglstered charfty number Charlty's princlpal address SC034D29 "Barremman", Clyndor, Aryyll and Butg. Postcodg G84 OQX Narnes of tho charity tru8to88 on dats of approval of Trustees, Annual Report Tru$téfy name Offi¢e (If any) Dates acted11 Namo of p8r80n lor body) entitled to appolnt trusloa (if any) Convenor Structure, governance and management Type of govornlng documgllt Thg Trust Is a Scottl$h Charltable Incorporntod Organ18atlon ISCIOI and h govemod by a con$ttIon adopted on 11th June 2019. Trustee rocruitment and appolnlment All Trustees are re*lected by members at the Trust's AGM. In additlon, the Board may COaOPt any member to be a Trustee. Recruitment of additional Trustees is a standlng item at all Board meeting¥. Objectives and activities Charltable purposes Thè Trust's obleclive 15 the provlsion of festive Ilghtlng in Helensburyh, thg provlsion <rf recreational aetivitles and the oryanlsatlon of recreatlonal act5vltle5. With the objectlve of Improving the eondltions of Ilfe lorthe Community of Helensburgh and Lomond a8 a whole Ithe three electoral wards). The Trust's activities comprise the provision, storage, repair, maintenance and installation of Helensburgh's festive lighting displays the esLiblishrnent of storage and workshop facility. Health and Safety trainlngl fundraising a¢tlvitles and grant fundlng applications. Summary of the main aGtiviti08 in relation to these objects
APPENDIX 1 Achievements and performance Objectlvos and Govemance. The Trust's Strategic Plan statès. "the Trust aspires to repeat the Christmas Ihts spectacle on an annual basis and to secure sufficient fund5 to make this possible. The Trustees are delighted to be able to report that the volunteers. known IcKalty as the"Helensburgh Elves" once again achieved this very challenging objeclwe and surpassed all previous outcomes. 11 was an outstanding year on a number of fronts. Slgnificant activftle8. Thanks to the help of wand fellow registered kennel clubjudges we were able to hold our second annual local Dog Show In July and this was a resoun¢Jing success. both as a fundraising venture bul more importantly as a very popular social Occasion in the town. I repairs wgre ¢ornplet8d in the Spring and Summei and w were grat•ful lo N.J. Slee Welding and Fabi110n for Welding repairs lo features (including our very special which ensLtred they were part of the Christmas show. The team Completed the testing and repairs of all the features In time for an October installatron. Fundraising continued and thanks lo the generosity of one of the Trustees a new venture becam6 part of the Surnr actNlties with donated cacti and succulents being sold at the town markel. This raised £2140 plus Gift Aid and also helped to maintain a high Profi for the Trust and its community project. Installation on the light5 beg8n in October and by the beginning of Novemb8r the elves had installed the annual Christmas lights display throughout the town centre and once again 150 features, hyo over street features in Sinclair Street, sixteen illuminated living trees and fifteen halos on the seafront were ready for th8 SWrt¢h on, scheduled for Ihe 23rd November. Lu$s Estates on¢e again donated and delniered the Christmas tree for the square and. wtth the help of loo41 businesses. West Coast Cutters. M&T Builders Merchants and James Daly & Son Scaffolders a magnificent Ihity-live fool fir tree was installed. The elves moved in and decorated 'Doug1as" cornpleling all the w(Kk needed for the town lo be ready to welcome Santa. This year the Christmas Lights Switch On once again received fvnding from Argyll and Bule Council, Strategic Events and FestNal his bled the Tru the community entertainment on the stage, all organised by local volunteers, who make sure all our entertainers are welcomed and appreciated. We a very grateful tor the support gwen by Argyll and Bute Council and our band of happy entertainers. The Switch On event was a difficult day weather wise. our worst day since the inception of the switch on event. It wa5 brtterty cold, we even had snow first thing in the rnoming, b¢Jl we managed to fulfil most of our pknned programme. Santa arrived on time, splendid atop his heritage fire engine, kindly brought lo Helensburgh once again by the team from Scottish FiTe and Rescue Heritage Trust. Loud applause and cheers from the large crowd, all in their In big coats. was realty welrne and everyone was determined lo enjoy and sUPPOrt the event regardless of the cold. weff d•lighted that Bethesda and Baptist churches brav Ihe cold and •n¢ouraggd everyone to join in with their heaty carol singing and that our usual band of very enlhusiaslic teenagers. dresseé as characters from Christmas stories, took to the stage to welcome Santa and pie5ent their very own dance routine5. Santa was joined on stage by a very special HelensbLtrgh lady, who had just celebrated her 100th birthday and she was delighted lo press the maglc Chrlsimas Ilghts swiicn witii Santa which lit up the town once again fer the next four months. Thanks to Grey Matters for all their help In making Isa's birthday very special and for their donation of a special featu lo mark the occasion. The Ihts were spectacular, our repairs ov8r th8 $ummer nthS to a number of lights had ad¢Jed Irth) colour to the display and we received very positive feedback on the lights this year, with many commenting that thi5 was our best shDW and we had obviously bought a number of new featuresl Let's hear it for the T8pair team, well done all of you. The Christm2s lights were removed the week after Twelfth Night bul the sixteen trees In the town square remained lil until the end of March. an extremely popular attra¢lion for residents and visitors alike in the dark months of winter. The provision of Helensburgh's festive lighting display involves over eight thousand hours of voluntary labour from a team of seven Yoluntsers.
The volunteers work at least one day a week on thg Christmas lights project in the grotto, kindly donated by an extremely generous and supportive Ioc81 businessman wrthout whom this project would not be possible, and additsonally spend tsvo weeks on the installation and one week on the take down. Our team of volunteers works together to ensure a professional and competent approach lo what a very Complex project and compliance with all current Health and Safety wuirements is stsndard practice. We are very grateful for the help that we receive from local officer5 of Argyll and Bute Council, particularly with regards to the crib. This year we were especially grateful for the help with coldlfreezing weather preparation that was essential on switch on day. Without this assistance the event could not have gone ahead and we really did appreciate the fact that everyone pulled together to engu that all our objectives were achieved once again for Christmas 2024. We are extremety pleased to record that our Partnership Agreement with Argyll and Bule Council has ten exlremely suttessfvl and productive over many years. Investment in infrastructure both al the grotto and for the events is now paying dividends and we are able to stsge two professional events in the town and comply with the very high slanttards demanded nowadays from event organi5er5. In addition to aclualty completing all the work, the elves have to raise all the necessary funds for the project. This year we raised a significant sum, £25,000, a most impressive total given the current economic limes. We received number of very generous donations this year including Bethesda Church. the Lions Club, HEART, RAOB, D.C Fraser. the Ashton bar and once again our local Knit 8nd Natter group selected the Christmas Lights as their chosen charity. We also receive an impressive number of donations in kn'nd from local businesses, particularly the Clyde Café and Viton SeNices Ltd. which saves on revenue costs. We are greatly indebted lo the local Community for the support that we receive and the fun we have achieving the common goal of the town's Christmas Lights. In partF¢ular, we are grateful for the support we receive from the Beacon TrLSt who assist us with transport of infra5tru¢ture and we are pleased to b8 able to support them in retum. The'elves" receive many appreciative comments and feedback and the lights a Still worthy of the aOlade, 'Best in the West". Local traders tell us that the Christmas lights a a $ignificanl economic boost to town businesses. The work involved in the Christmas lights project is very demanding of the volunteers as expectations now run very high because of the outstanding standard of Helensburgh's festive display. Our enthusiasm does not diminish as the years pass because of the apPla.0n we Ne from the Ioc81 community and the tangiblè support wo receive from sponsors and the town as a whole. During the year the five TTUSte&s mel regularty to ensure the delivery of the lights. The governance of the organisalion is robust and th8 Trust ¢ontinue$ to meet all ils statutory obligations. Strnteglc plannlng We intend lo maintain our small efforts in support of climate change by further reducing our use of plastics and recycling whenever possible as we move to adopt the use of more multi use plastsc ties. an item that is unfortunately a mainstay of our repairs to Ihe features and our working pra¢li¢es. However, a trial on the mutti-use items has been successful and we will expand this in future yea. All our features are now LED after a number of years of investment and replacement of the orsginal stctk. Fundraising will always need to be the focus of attention for the Twstees in the years ahead as responsibilty for this rests solely with the TTUSt. Our application to Argyll and Bute Council's Strategic Events and Festival fund for £5000 has a9ain been Successfvl for Christmas 2025 and we are delighted that our contribution to the town over the winter months has been recognised and we are very gratefvl for the generous Support. New ideas will tre pursued and the Trust will widen the scope of its search for funds and trust that the track record of the organisation and the superb five month display of town lighting will attract funders 8S It represents an excellent investment when assessed against economiG impa¢t and 'bang for your buck. criteria. The Tnjst aws aims to hold a small fund for contingencies, such as weather damage. and repL9cement of damaged features bul avayS takes the view that fijnds donated to the Trust are for investment in the project, not for retention in the bank, hence the impressive spend this year on the lights and events, both of whith are signthcant ¢ontributions to the life of the Helensburgh community.
Financial review Brlef statement of thg eharlty's pollcy Th• Trust •irns to hold a rèservo sufficient to rnake payments whon on reserves they f411 due wlthtsut recourse to borrowlng. Tho Board reviews the approprlatg levèl of the Trust's uncommitted funds rogularly In the Ilght of tho Trust's ongolng and antlclpated future actlvlties. A flnancial $tatom•nt is di5cussgd at each meotlng of the Trusteos. None Details of any deficit Donated facllttles and 8eThlcK {11 any) Th• provlslon of a stte for th8 Trust's stornge contaln•rs and workshop faclllty {"the grotto"). APPENDIX I Declaration The tru8ts9s declarn that thoy have approved the truBteoB' report above. Signed on bohalf of thg ¢harlty'8 tYU8t808 Slgnaturelsl Full namel81 Posltlon {e.g. Chalrl Convenor Dato 18th June 2025
pPENx 2 Helensburgh Festlve Llghllng Charitable Trust Receipts and payments accounts SC034029 OSCR Fotth• p•rfod from kottth aHrrty Regulatoi 23rd 2024 Z4th February Section A Statement of receipts and payments Unr¢strf¢tfrd Restricted fun Expendab gndLn¥ment funds Permanent Totsl In5 tuwr•nt rI0 Totsl funds I46t rfod fund nMrMt£ A1 R¢¢el D(Tht1$ 15,416 15.41fj Legacies Gran15 R¢+ipls frorn fundr•ino activibe Gros$ trading r8cwpts Income fr Inv¢$imonts than land alld buildings Is froTr la 8 buildirvJ5 Gms5 receiptsfr¢yn other th8rit8ti18 ¥ii 4.$82 Al Sub tot81 Z4.997 24,997 A2 Roedpts from a•sgt& inv•Btm•nt •alg• Pr¢ceedsfrom 9Ale OffiX asg•t8 Proceodg frorn sakn of IDVeStrnenis A2Sub tot81 Totsl recelpts 24.997 24,997 P•ym•nts Expense$ fundr81n9 adivit Gross tr8dirvJ paymen15 Inveslrnenl ffl8llagament w$t8 Payments r4811ry dKedy lo artab 15.n2 1S,732 GrRnts and donatiDnts Governance msts. ALMl1111ndewnderi oxaminalrtMI Pryrniion of8nnual accoufils Legal Cxher A3 Sub totsl 15.732 15,732 A4 Payments r•latlntF to •wt fjn Invostment movgm8rt8 Purch3se$ offixl 8S8ets A4 Sub tot1 Tolalp•ym•nts 1S,732 15,732 AS Tr•nf•rn tollfroml fun¢Js SU110¢itj foryè•r
APPETr1%2 Holonsbur Section B StateinÈnt of balances h Festive Ll htin Charltable Trust SC034029 penxan•nt Tol C&r ds Del¥iis fvnds IDmlrnZt£ 81 C•Jh Ca•h kbIr•s1trvj Df y¥•1 10,288 ID.2t8 YW D¢i4115 IDntI B2 IrNe&imenis Det4I1s ourtd¥• t£ B4 Li•bilikn• tsiy D•ts514 BS Contkngwrt IityPtI Di•of apwo¥BI Prt•I HFLCTRFiptsWY*wSVow2025 I Slner0le4S D•C4mb4r2CQ7
APPENDIX 3 OSCR 0tt4sh thtity Regulator Independent examiner's report on the accounts Helensburgh Feslive Lighting Charitable Trust Report to the Chinty trust8e¥lmembers of Reglstered charlty SC034029 number On th• accounts of the charfty for the perlod Period start date Mgnih Period end date Month Day Y•ar Ye8r 23rd February FDbnwry 2Q25 Set out on page8 irtJde the paqe numivy ofaddibona! 5beetsl 2 p•ges Append6x 2 Respective The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accoun15 in accordance responslbilltles of with the lems of the Charities and Truslee Investment {Scoilandl 2005 Act and the trustee8 and gxamlner Charities Account5 (Scollandl Regulations 2006 las amendedl. The tharity Iru$tees consider that the audit reqLtirement of Regulation 10111 Idl of the Accounts Regulations does not apply. It is my SpOnsIbl11ty to examine the accounts as required under section 44111 {¢} of the Act and to stste whether particular matters have come lo my atlenlion. Bas of Independenl My examination is carried out in accordance wrth Regulation 11 of the 20C6 Accounts examln•rfs Statement Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accc>unting records kept by the charity and a CoariS0n of the awounly presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures In the accounts and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undert8ken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and, ¢on88quently, I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by 8¢counts. Independent exarnlnerf8 In the course of .Y oxaminalK)n, no matter has come lo my attention heTr statement which gives rne r8asonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements lo keep aceounling records in acccsrdance wrth sectN)n 4411) la) of the 2005 A¢t and Regulation 4 Df the 2006 Accounts Regulations. and to prepare accounts which accord wlh the accounting fecordg and comply with ReguL4tion 9 ofth8 2006 Accounts Regulatsons have not been met, or to Whh, in flly opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper ed. ato: Slgned": Name: Relevant professional quallflcatlonlsl or body Ilf any).. 07100120 Addre88: Tlease de lh¢ word$ in th• br8thet5 ifthey do not Oppty. Sf ts words do aptyy, set sxrt those rnattor5 whth h0 combto yourattothn on the foll(r*ing pa9• ~ OSCR wi11 aLW djal or typed ¥¥n•ture¥