2025-03-31-accounts

Registered Charity Number: SC040624

Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH) SCIO

Report of the Trustees and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025

1. Trustees

Registered Charity Number: SC040624

2. Report of the Trustees for the Year ended 31 March 2024

Structure, governance and management

The charity was set up as a company limited by guarantee and registered charity on 6 January 2009, governed by articles and memorandum. In 3 November 2023 it converted to a SCIO, with a constitution approved by OSCR.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

There is no formal policy for recruiting and appointing new trustees. Anyone can put themselves forward and any nominees are voted on at board meetings. Current trustees will suggest individuals they feel can add to the skill set of the board and these suggestions are put to vote. The charity has also advertised for new trustees in its newsletter.

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Organisational Structure

The board of Trustees are responsible for the overall running of the charity and meet throughout the year. The day to day operation of the charity is largely delegated to the volunteer treasurer.

Achievements and Performance

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The mission and charitable purposes of ARCH are to advance education, community developments, heritage and culture by working with individuals, local groups and agencies in the Highlands of Scotland, and encouraging people to learn about, record and become involved in their heritage.

Achievements and Performance

This was another year of transition for ARCH, as Susan Kruse, former Learner and Engagement Manager and now ARCH Trustee continued to mentor Development officer Tessa Till in various traditional ARCH courses. Our courses, lectures, workshops and other activities attracted over 850 people, mainly now in person. Further information on these projects can be found on the ARCH website www.archhighland.org.uk.

Courses and Workshops

Trustee continued to run a Community Timeline course in Dornoch which attended as CPD. This was attended by 27 people, resulting in a well received display created by participants.

ran a Highland Heritage Lecture series , and two workshops on Internet Maps and HER workshops in Lairg during the year. Most of her time was spent on the Golspie Fishertown project . In addition to sessions collecting memories, researching the topic, and creating a display, the project included two well-attended workshops on Gaelic singing and basket making. The project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Heritage Fund, completed in Februrary 2025 with the launch of the display and booklet. The final part of the project, funded by SSE Gordonbush Renewable Benefit fund, to create a signboard, is due for completion in summer 2025.

A project to investigate Norwegians in Contin in WWII , funded by SSE Fairburn Renewable Fund, began in September, initially run by but then for the most of the sessions by As part of this, organised a highly successful hybrid meeting, allowing researchers in Norway and others interested to participate for two sessions. The project generated a great deal of interest, and the display has been touring. There is also an online version of the display on the ARCH website. In July Trustees welcomed a visiting family from Norway whose father had been stationed in Evanton during the war when serving in the Norwegian Brigade in Scotland.

organised the one day Highland Archaeology Festival (HAF) conference on behalf of Highland Council Historic Environment Team (HET). This marked the 9[th] year that ARCH organised HAF. From 2025 it will be organised by HET. At HAF, ARCH had a stall, with Tessa Till providing a poster talk on the Golspie Fishertown Project.

Community Engagement Activities

Open Days

To celebrate 15 years of ARCH, two open days were held in April and May 2024 at Dingwall and Inverness, where people were invited to come and see some of the many displays created over the

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years. The Dornoch, Golspie and Norwegian projects all had well attended open days for the public to see the results of the projects. In March ARCH combined with Dingwall Museum to hold an Open Evening focussing on Old Contin.

Talks

gave two talks for ARCH to Golspie Heritage Society on local heritage. gave talks for ARCH on ARCH oral history (to SWRI), Womens’ Suffrage (to Skye U3A), Feats of Clay project (to North Kessock and District Local History Society), and Norwegians in Contin (to the Contin SWRI).

Other Outreach

issued three newsletters and a monthly online newsflash in the months without a full newsletter. Our mailing list remains over 950. provided active posting on Facebook, which has 1.5K followers.

Highland Heritage Day 2025

ARCH was involved again in the group organising the Highland Heritage Day, with trustees

on the organising committee, and

helping with the finance monitoring and payments. This event goes from strength to strength, this year with around 160 people and a large number of stalls

Friends of ARCH

Our Friends scheme continues to provide much needed unrestricted donations. This year we had 22 people providing financial or other contributions, with £669 (before Gift Aid) donated in total, providing much needed unrestricted funds. Our Friends’ trip this year visited several sites in Cromarty, with special tours offered by

As ever are very grateful to our Friends for their

support.

Consultation Events

remained active in the Archaeology Strategy Learning subgroup. continues to be active on the committee of Scotland Community Heritage Alliance (SCHA), with the Highland Family History Day and compilation of a heritage directory an inspiration for SCHA activities. ARCH also organised two consultation meetings for heritage groups along the proposed route of the Spittal to Beauly pylons, providing direct information to SSEN on heritage concerns.

Future Planning

Several courses have been planned for 2024-2025, and others are in the pipeline. As always we welcome ideas for new projects and collaborations.

Financial Review

At 31 March 2025, the charity’s cash reserves were £7716.02 (2024 £16,846) of which £5372.68 (2024 £7,150) were unrestricted and £2343.34 (2024 £9,696) were restricted.

Total incoming resources of £13,679 (2024 £23,778) and total resources expended of £22,808 (2024 £26,731) resulted in deficit of £9,130). However, this was expected, covered by moneys in the account in 2024.

The charity altered its reporting framework in 2023-4 to be on cash receipts and payments basis, and will continue to report in this manner.

Reserves Policy

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The board members have examined the charities requirements for the reserves in the light of the main risks to the funding of the organisation. Realising that unrestricted reserves are needed to sustain the day to day operations of the charity, the board members consider that the ideal level of reserves should be the equivalent of three months’ operating costs calculated and reviewed annually. The Treasurer continues to try and ensure operating costs are as low as possible, and where possible covered by project funding. The board members consider that these reserves should be monitored and if needed built up to the desired level in stages consistent with the charity’s overall financial position and its need to maintain and develop charitable activities.

Approved by order of the board of trustees on 15 August 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

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Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH) SCIO

Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees of Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands

Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025

Scottish Charity Number SC040624

Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2025

	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total Funds	Total Funds to
Receipts	Funds	Funds	to 31/3/25	31/3/24
Donations	898	660	1,557	1,733
Other Income	-	3,540	3,540	65
Gift Aid	214	-	214	247
Course Fees	-	250	250	2,140
Grant Funding	-	8,115	8,115	19,593
Transfers		3	3
Total Receipts	1,112	12,564	13,679	23,778

	Total Funds	Total Funds
			Total Funds to
Grants Received	To	31/3/25	31/3/24
Historic Environment Scotland		-	2,568
National Lottery Heritage Fund		-	9,900
Glen Wyvis Distillery Goodwill Fund		-	1,000
Highland Council		-	525
Harper MacLeod LLP		-	500
SSE (NC)		5,615
SSE (GFPS)		2,500
Total Grants		8,115	19,593

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Payments Unrestricted Funds 2,910 Restricted Total Funds to 31/3125 Funds 8,145 Total Funds to 3113124 21.819 Staff Costs 11,055 vol￿tteerS & Travel Costs 91 396 486 343 Equlpment. Materlals. Caterlng & Venue Hlre 65 5A85 5.550 Ino Postage, Printing & Statit)nery 390 392 136 Conference Expenses Professional Fees 1.801 1.801 553 General Overheads & Other 29 3A92 3A21 587 Transfers Total payments 3,100 19.708 22.808 26.323 Statement of Balan￿S as of 31 March 2025 114124 to 114123 to 3113124 3113125 Bank and cash in I￿nd Opening bala￿e5 i 0,846 19799 Surplus /ldefknt) for year 19.1301 12.9531 Closing balances 7.716 16.846 Approved by the Trustees and signed on thelr behalf by:_ Chair: Date: 12/8/2025 Dare: 12_8_2025

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands (ARCH) SCIO report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are set out on pages 5 to 6.

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 I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by 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:

2. to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and

3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations have not been met, or

4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Date: 12/08/2025

Name:

Signature:

Address: Highland Third Sector Interface

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Thorfin House, Bridgend Business Park Dingwall IV15 9SL

Relevant Professional qualification/professional body if appropriate:

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