Newhaven Heritage Centre Scottish Charity No. SC044837
Annual Accounts
2024 -2025
Chair 2024-25 Chair 2025-26 Interim Treasurer Dr J J Liston FLS Emma Kemp Gordon Young 151/3, Lower Granton Rd 15/3 Newhaven Main St, 79 Barons Hill Avenue Waterside, Edinburgh Linlithgow Edinburgh EH5 1EY EH6 4NA EH49 7JQ 0131 552 1251 0788 427 0884 0770 663 2300
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf
20 April 2026 …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Interim Treasurer…………………………………………date ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Chair(24/25) ..……………………………….….date ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Examiner……………………..……………………..date14 April 2026 27 April 2026
Newhaven Heritage Centre statement of balances as at 30 November 2025 cont’d
Approval of Accounts for the year ended 30th November 2025
l confirm the above Income and Expenditure Account represent all transactions made by the Newhaven Heritage Centre during the year ended November 30, 2025
Signed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date 27 April 2026
Gordon Young, Interim Treasurer
I have examined the books and accounts of the Newhaven Heritage Centre for the year ended November 30, 2025 and certify that the above Income and Expenditure Account are in accordance therewith.
Signed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date 14 April 2026
Accounts Examiner
-oOo-
We confirm that the Accounts on page 2 represent all transactions made by Newhaven Heritage Centre during the year ended 30 November 2025
Signed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date 27 April 2026
Dr J J Liston, Trustee and Chair (2024-2024)
Newhaven Heritage Centre Scottish Charity No. SC044837
Trustees’ Annual report for the year ended 30 November 2025
Address of Registered Office:
Dr J J Liston FLS, 151/3 Lower Granton Road, Waterside,Edinburgh EH5 1EY
The Bankers are the Clydesdale Bank plc trading as Virgin Money UK plc, 83 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3ES
The Accounts Examiner is Mr Alister Greig, 67 Easter Warriston, Edinburgh, EH7 4QY
-oOo-
Newhaven Heritage Centre
Scottish Charity No. SC044837
Trustees’ Annual report for the year ended 30 November 2025
The Trustees for the year to 30 November 2025 were
Chair Dr J J Liston FLS Honorary Preses Sophia Abrahamsen (died 20 April 2025) Clerk and Vice Chair Gordon Young Boxmaster (Treasurer) Dougie Ratcliffe (until 30 June 2025) Interim Treasurer Gordon Young (from 1st July 2025) Margaret Wallace Hugh Stevenson Emma Kemp Dr George Venters
The Trustees for the year 1st December 2025 to 30 November 2026 are
Chair Emma Kemp Vice Chair Jason Thomson Clerk Elaine Greig Treasurer Elaine Douse Dr George Venters Hugh Stevenson Dr Jeff J Liston FLS Sarah Gale Gordon Young Annie Taylor
-oOo-
Newhaven Heritage Centre
SCIO Charity Number SC044837
Trustees Annual Report
for the year ending 30th November 2025
Looking back over the charitable reporting year from December 2024 until November 2025, the most significant—and sombre—event was the sad and unexpected passing of our Honorary Preses, Sophia Abrahamsen on Easter Sunday, April 20 2025. Sophia’s knowledge of Old Newhaven, its history and family interconnections were without equal in my experience.
Of course, in terms of our activities our major efforts were devoted to attempting to secure 4 Pier Place, Newhaven as an outreach base for ourselves, as well as creating a site for our permanent displays to be used in outreach work for schools and other groups. We had secured the support and co-operation of the local residents, and supposedly had the backing of the councillors, so things looked positive. However, it once again seemed that the left hand of the Edinburgh Council was staggeringly unaware of the right hand’s endeavours and wishes, as the change of purpose request was blocked hard by council officers on the basis of an obsolete development plan that predated the arrival of both the cruise ships and the trams in the area of Newhaven. Furthermore, despite the properties being declared unfit for residential use, an attempt was made for one of houses to be sold on the open market without notification, despite our formally lodged Expression of Interest.
This constitutes the second time in my six years as Chair that the Edinburgh Council officers have sloppily mishandled an Expression of Interest lodged by ourselves, leading us to lose a base that was the focus of our activity and ambitions. There are only so many times that someone can–like the Grand Old Duke of York–lead a charity up to the top of the hill of effort, only to lead them down again, so I believe it is time for someone else to enjoy the fun, someone who has the energy necessary to push hard against immovable–and sometimes senseless–objects.
The pursuit of and subsequent loss of the two ground-floor accommodations in 4 Pier Place, which was built by the Free Fishermen’s Society of Newhaven in 1868 was keenly felt. The building had particular resonance for one of the houses was used in the nineteenth century as a home for a customs officer and his family. I have no need to point out the constant challenges to our incoming committee with Emma Kemp as its new Chair for she is fully aware of the situation.
But to brighter things… In terms of outreach, we issued four of our journals, The Bow-Tow, during 2024/25 with a distribution of just over 600 and a readership that is greater than that since it is circulated electronically and no doubt shared within families or circle of friends. We were also successful in having articles published in ‘The Leither’ community magazine.
We participated in a highly successful exhibition in Ocean Terminal organised by the council’s Edinburgh Local History Network on February 7th. Our stall was particularly busy with the usual stalwarts from our Saturdays at the police box plus the additional help of Emma, and Eilidh Greig stepping up to the fore. Emma, too, along with the invaluable help of Sarah Gale, our Social Media Officer, also organised the Doors Open Day in the Old Burial Gound. Sarah is an accredited guide and wrote the talk for this open day which was very well attended. A few of the local neighbours also helped out at this event.
Whilst not strictly speaking a Newhaven Heritage initiative, Emma followed up this with “Guising In The Graveyard” in the early evening of October 31 aimed at local families thereby fulfilling one of our stated objectives of our charity which is helping Newhaven build a Sense of Place. The Burial
Ground and Auchinleck Court provide safe spaces for family events, which Emma has been active in organising.
The charitable reporting year of 2025 was one that consisted of maintaining our regular calendar of events. In addition, we worked closely with Newhaven Coastal Rowers in advising and assisting them in their planning and preparation for a launch event of two new skiffs that will take place in May 2026.
We also continued to develop our next phases for both the Stravaig heritage trail as well as the Phoenix Project school engagement exercise.
Regrettably but understandably, in the summer of 2025, Dougie Ratcliffe was obliged to tender his resignation as treasurer due to ill health. We were pleased that Elaine Douse agreed to assume the responsibility of this crucial post but life is not that simple at the moment as Nationwide are in the process of taking over Virgin Money (formerly the Clydesdale Bank) where our account is held. This is a slow painstaking business not helped by the apparent convoluted dealings with Virgin Money. We looked at moving our account to another bank but it would seem that the big banks such as the Royal Bank and Santander are likely to charge a fee for managing the accounts belonging to small groups and charities like ourselves. This action is likely to be followed by other major banks. In the meantime, our financial situation is attended to by Dougie who continues to bank the proceeds from sales at the police box and Elaine Douse who, after some effort and persistence with Virgin Money, now receives the bank statements. For the purposes of our accounts this financial year, our Clerk, Gordon Young, agreed to oversee them until the AGM when an orderly handover would occur.
The above brings into focus an area of major concern for us. Those that help out at the police box every Saturday are having to acknowledge the passage of time. We wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for the constant income stream from our sales for which we have to thank Dougie in his capacity as Boxmaster. However, it needs to be pointed out that almost all the staff that presently staff the police box outreach post are octogenarians—and male since the demise of Sophia Abrahamsen.
More volunteers are also required to help with the garden areas of the village, especially the highly visible Old Burial Ground and the garden area opposite—what we call the Armada Garden since it is sited at the gable end of the “newer” buildings on which is embedded an ancient stone found locally bearing the date of the Spanish Armada. It is hoped that by beautifying these areas in particular as well as the planters on Main Street, which are made to look like fishboxes, it would encourage more of our residents to look after and tend the plant beds in Auchinleck Square, Andrew Wood Court and Willowbank Row. Emma is the lynchpin in all of this.
I am happy to say that Elaine Greig has accepted the role of Clerk and I wish her well in her endeavour. A committed “Bow-Tow” with a background firmly embedded in Newhaven’s heritage as well as having worked for Edinburgh Council’s Museum and Galleries Dept, she will be a huge asset for the charity.
In that context, it is worth reporting on a Village Meeting that we facilitated in Newhaven Church Hall on the evening of Monday 21st October. This was largely organised by Emma Kemp and, hearteningly, was well attended by villagers, many of whom had had no previous contact with Newhaven Heritage. In attendance was Cllr Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, Cllr Stuart Dobbin, CEC Housing Officer Kelly Boner, and Bill Roger, the Chair of Trinity Community Council. On the basis of this meeting and the fiery energy that she has shown, I have great confidence that Emma, now elected as a Community Council Member along with Newhaven Heritage member Jason Thomson (as well as Alister Greig, who happens to be the husband of Elaine Greig, our new
Clerk), will be excellent filling the role leading this charity going forwards, which we most surely shall.
The views of Newhaven Heritage will thus continue to be well represented within the Community Council in the coming times, given that Emma Kemp is now our newly elected Chair. This refreshing of the Board is particularly heartening as, given the nature of our organisation and its aims relating to preservation of memories, several key trustees and committee members have passed away since our first inception almost twenty years ago. This rightly gives us cause for optimism.
I would like to express my gratitude to the committee for its support of our aims in the past year, in particular the all-weather staff at the Box every Saturday. Their dedication is critical to our maintained presence and engagement with the vibrant and evolving local community, fulfilling a major function of the Newhaven Heritage charity’s work by engaging with passers-by. As this is my final annual report, I would also like to close it by expressing my deep personal gratitude to the Trustees for their support in my role as Chair.
Dr. J J Liston, FLS Chair 2024/25