2024-12-31-accounts

Registered Charity Number $C038234

The FOREST [Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation] Report and Financial Statements

;

For the year ended 30 September 2024

THE FOREST

Contents

Page

Legal and administrative information	1
Trustees report	2
Achievements report	3
Receipts and Payments Account	4
with Statement of Balances
Notes to the accounts	5
		,
Independentexaminer'sreport	6

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THE FOREST
Legal and administrative information
- a
Scottish SCIO
Charity number SC 038234
Contact
E-mail
Bankers Bank of Scotland
— a |
Appointment of trustees Trustees are appointed from the members, and hold
office subject to an annual vote of the members at the
Annual General Meeting.
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THE FOREST

Report of the Trustees for the year ended 30 September 2024

Introduction

The trustees present their annual report and accounts for the year ended 30 September 2024. The legal and administrative information given on page 1 forms part of this report.

Objectives and Activities of the Charity

The objects under the constitution adopted on 15th May 2007 are: To advance access to art and cultural activities amongst the general public of Edinburgh and the wider community. With effect from 28th March 2012, its constitution was changed from that of a trust to that of a SCIO, i.e a Scottish charitable incorporated organisation.

Achievements of the Charity

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The achievements of the charity are reported on page 3.

FINANCIAL REVIEW AND RESERVES POLICY

The SCIO began the year with general unrestricted reserves of £ 15,771 to which receipts of £ 161 were added, making £15,932 available for its purposes. After payments of £3,862, a balance of general funds of £12,070 was carried forward.

The trustees consider the current level of reserves to be satisfactory.

RISKS TO WHICH THE CHARITY IS EXPOSED

The Trustees consider that due to its small size and its simplicity there is no material risk to which it is exposed. The situation is reviewed at each meeting.

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES

The trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which are sufficient to show and explain the charity's transactions and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with regulations made under the Charities Act. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are also responsible for the contents of the trustees' report, and the responsibility of the independent examiner in relation to the trustees' report is limited to examining the report and ensuring that, on the face of the report, there are no inconsistencies with the figures disclosed in the financial statements.

This report together with the Achievements report for the year on page 3

was approved by a committee of trustees on 4th November 2024.

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THE FOREST: Director’s REPORT: 1°t October 2023 to 30 September 2024

$C038234

The year from October 2023 to 2024 saw the trustees questioning the Forest’s continued existence as time commitments and career changes for long standing trustees called into question the charity’s future. While The Forest continued activities over the year, there was a downturn in enthusiasm and turnout. As such, Forest trustees began to seek other comparable bodies, in line with its constitution, who might share our ethos and benefit from our resources upon winding down.

We did continue our partnership with Platform and Place and our regular artist residency programme until March 2024. However, the base for these residencies, Sett Studios in Leith, was put in jeopardy when Sett Studios was informed of a rent increase decided to close the venue. While our partnership with Platform and Place allowed Forest artists to host exhibitions at a popular public gallery space, the uncertainty of the space and the fact that no new team members were joining The Forest caused the programme to stop.

In addition, we continued our publishing enterprise releasing our “Origins” anthology to great acclaim with three events in Edinburgh and online. This anthology earned back the investment we made in it and offered many emerging writers a quality publication to add to their portfolio. We also supported the work of translating emerging Ukrainian writers, producing an anthology of newly translated Ukrainian poems. We have made plans for Forest Publications to continue into the future.

Forest also shared a public call-out for new members in November of 2023 across our social media accounts. This effort was made to encourage new members with fresh ideas for the Forest collective and we made a few new connections which we hope will lead on to new projects in the coming years.

Since August 2000, Forest has provided a free and open arts and events space. International and local artists of all stripes, skills and backgrounds were able to use our space and equipment without any charge. Since losing our physical space during the pandemic, The Forest has continued to provide a platform for emerging artists but is not able to return to the many activities and events it was dedicated to in the past. As such, trustees have decided to wind down the charity and to offer our reserves to a" viable and engaged platform for emerging artists. °

4th November 2024

			SC	038234
THE FOREST		.
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
For the yearended 30 September 2024
		2024		2023
RECEIVED FROM ACTIVITIES		£		£
OSCR SUMMARY
Donations		a4		376
Artistic activity : fund-raising		117		483
Total: charitable activities		161		859
Interest		-		:
Tatal receipts
PAYMENTS	£		£
relating directly to charitable activity		.
Expenditure on projects, art workshops		2,438		1,597
Expenditure on performance space hire		660		1,140
Publications, printing and stationery		464		60
Governance : independent examination		300		300
Total payments				3,097
Net receipts/ (payments)
Surplus/(deficit) for year		(3,701)		(2,238)
Unrestricted Funds
General Fund brought forward		15,771		18,009
Balance ofGeneral Fund carried forward		12,070		15.771
STATEMENT OF BALANCES		£		£
Represented by:
Bank deposit account, Bank of Scotland		12,070		18,009
Totalfunds		12,070		18,009

The Forest SCIO had no other material assets nor liabilities. : This report and these financial statements were agreed at a Trustees’ meeting

on 4th November 2024

and signed on their behalf by:

-4-

THE FOREST

‘ NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS For the year ended 30 September 2024

A. Basis on which accounts have been prepared The accounts have been prepared on the receipts and payments basis.

,

The charity is dependent on the continuing support of donations and grants from donors and sponsors subscribing to its cultural aims.

2. Taxation

As a registered charity, the society is exempt from income and corporation tax to the extent that its income and gains are applicable to charitable purposes only. Value Added Tax is not recoverable by the society and is therefore included in any relevant costs.

. If upon winding up or dissolution of the charity there remain any assets, after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, the assets represented by the accumulated fund shall be transferred to some other charitable body or bodies having objects similar to those of the charity.

3: Remuneration of Trustees The executive committee, who are trustees, receive neither remuneration nor round-sum general expense allowances.

1. Endowment Funds The charity had no endowment funds in the year ended 30 September 2024 nor in the year ended 30 September 2023.

5. Accumulated fund

There is no split into separately designated special purpose funds.

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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of THE FOREST

| report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 30th September 2024 which are set out on page 4.

Respective responsibilities of 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 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 | do not express an opinion on the view given in the accounts. ‘

Independent Examiner's Statement

In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention

1) 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 2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. - Date« Gi 4th November 2024