2025-03-31-accounts

BOOKKEEPING =

Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Alford & District Men’s Shed

| report on the accounts of[the][club][for][the][year][ended][31%*][March][2025.]

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The club'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 club trustees consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (a) to (c) of the 2006 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 2006 Accounts Regulations. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the club 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 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. e to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations

3. e 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.

Nome

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Address:

Date: 9°" January 2026

Signature:

Bridgeton Bookkeeping 48 Main Street Alford AB33 8PX Call 01975 563 297 Email [e-mail] www.bridgetonbookkeeping.co.uk

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Alford & District Men's Shed

BOOKKEEPING BRIDGETON a=

Alford & District Men's Shed& District Men's ShedDistrict Men's ShedMen's Shed		BRIDGETON a= BOOKKEEPING
Income
Catering	£.	2;757.30
Room rent	£	5,305.00
Tool sales	£	2,513.93
Projects	£	5,275.94
Donations	£	3,562.00
Wood sales	£	175.00
Scrap sales	£	343.00
Fundraising	£	530.50
F.I.T.	£	1,377.99
Grants	£	17,968.24
Allotment rents	£	228.00
	£	40,036.90
Expenditure
Electric	£	1,695.94
Fuel oil	£	431.56
Catering	£	730.81
Materials	£	4,845.28
Allotment & Greenhouse	£	425.60
Cleaning	£	255.34
Repairs& maintenance	£	5,757.42
Insurance	£	1,890.98
Admin	£	744.61
Misc	£	1,983.02
Tools	£	5,429.94
	£	24,190.50
Profit/loss	£	15,846.40

Bridgeton Bookkeeping 48 Main Street Alford AB33 8PX Call 01975 563 297 | Email [e-mail] www. bridgetonbookkeeping.co.uk

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Alford & District Men's Shed

BRIDGETON = BOOKKEEPING

31 Mar 2025 Reconciliation Opening cash in hand f 318.45 Opening current account f£ 13,574.16 Cheque cashed from prev. year £ 408.29 Closing cash in hand £ 116.05 Closing current account £ 16,964.61 Closing reserve account £ 12,384.70 Unpaid bills @ y/e f£ 134.64 £ 14,027.25 £ 29,873.65 Surplus £ 15,846.40 £ 29,873.65 £ 29,873.65

Bridgeton Bookkeeping 48 Main Street Alford AB33 8PX Call 01975 563 297 | Email [e-mail] www.bridgetonbookkeeping.co.uk

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Alford and District Men’s Shed

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT 2024/25

The purpose of the organisation is to provide recreational facilities and advance the social needs, health and wellbeing of men of all ages and backgrounds living in Alford and surrounding areas.

by:

• a. Creating, developing and maintaining a facility, namely a Men’s Shed.

• b. Offering opportunities for men in the Alford area to meet and undertake creative, physical, purposeful and recreational activities of their choice.

• c. Reducing isolation of men in the area thus contributing to their physical and mental wellbeing.

• d. Developing the capacity of men in the Alford area to share their skills and knowledge with others in the community.

Alford and District Men’s Shed (ADMS) has gone through a significant phase of its development during the year which has led to greater impact and benefit for members and the local community.

Today ADMS is not just about a great facility, it now represents a thriving and engaging community. This community exists not only within its members but extends to the wider population in the Alford area. ADMS is now seen as an integral part of the Alford infrastructure, supporting both social and mental health of its members through its increasing range of activities but contributing significantly to the overall well-being of the wider Alford area.

ADMS now has around 100 members of which between 20 and 30 are regular attendees on both days.

The building and grounds are now well established and during this year ADMS has instead focussed on the needs of its members (current and future) and its role in the wider community in Alford. We have undertaken major internal reorganisation to increase available workspace enabling more members to be able to undertake projects (shed, community or their own) at the same time. We have created more areas where larger projects can be undertaken and the shed has already manufactured a shed to store play equipment for a local primary school in Craigievar and large planters for the Alford Community Planters Group. We are currently

beginning restoration of several public benches across the village and in the nearby Murray Park, the first of which has now been delivered.

During this year we engaged a solicitor and continued with our Community Asset Transfer request for three Council owned garages adjacent to our site; this will be valuable asset for undertaking larger scale projects in the future as well as having a wider community benefit. That site will form the basis of a secure storage area and it can also act as a store for other groups who currently lack space such as the Alford Footpaths and Planters Group. We have now all the legal paperwork completed for the handover which happened on the 5[th] September and now grant funding for its refurbishment will be sought.

Some reorganisation has also involved the woodworking room, updating of some large pieces equipment (wood lathe) and purchasing of new air extraction and purification systems. A recent donation of a forge has complimented the equipment we have in the metal working area in addition to the recent purchase of a new milling machine.

Money that has been donated and being used for the benefit of all who use the facilities include the following consisting of £500 from Aberdeen Students Charity show, £1000 from Technip, £500 from Monymusk charity shop, £5000 from National Lottery Foundation Scotland and £880 from Taqa.

The MGA car donated by a member has steadily been made ready for sale with new batteries fitted and roadworthy inspections completed. Pictures taken in preparation for sale on the MGA Owners Club supported by the historical document on the vehicle. It continues to be considered the sale will generate something in the order of £15,000.

Our café area is the hub of our shed. During the year we have updated our Pool table and Darts board, added cards and board games and created a casual seating area to help members to enjoy the wider facilities. We have seen a marked increase in the use of these areas with chatting still being the favourite pastime. We will continue our collaboration with the school where students will/have been using the cafe to gain experience of planning, preparation and serving meals to shed members as part of their course work.

We have started a programme of wider social events for members and partners. These have included themed meal evenings during the winter where attendees (up to 24 people) have enjoyed food from around the globe, as well as local specialities, all prepared by members. With support from SMSA we have continued the series of Mens health workshops at the facility.

In late November the Shed was again important in ensuing the highly successful Alford Christmas Festival ran smoothly. The event brings several 1000 visitors to the

village and working with Rotary the Shed helped to manage crowd safety and manage the needs of both people and through traffic during the finale Santa parade.

The ADMS building remains a focus for local community groups. Its 60 seater meeting room is ideal for medium to large groups and the space is currently used on a regular basis by the Community Council, Craft Groups, and the Bridge Club amongst others using the facilities on an occasional basis e.g. it has also been used as a neutral venue for public consultations for example the suggested routes for the Alford Footpath network.

With a growing membership and a wider range of activities, we have recognised that good communication is essential. This is not simply from trustees to members but from members and the community back to ADMS to ensure we meet changing needs and continue to successfully deliver on our wider mission. All our members now receive an email monthly newsletter detailing what has been happening and what is planned. This means that even if members can’t physically come to the shed, they can keep up to date with what is happening. The newsletter also has a diary for the month ahead and is a way of getting views from wider members on key issues. In addition, all members receive a copy of the minutes from the last monthly Trustee meeting ensuring transparency and openness regarding the responsibilities and decision making entrusted by the members to the trustees. We have initiated a major re design of the ADMS website to ensure that it is an effective tool for members, for wider SMSA business and to the wider public; however, the project has seen some delays in being released. This has been a major undertaking and we remain committed to the importance of a strong and effective web presence. We have an active social media presence and our number of followers is increasing. We have good levels of cross posting which help to widen our outreach and we are working to develop a programme of regular posts to increase this further. We are conscious that many interested people do not use the web or social media and through posters, leaflet drops and articles in the local free press we are working to increase awareness of ADMS.

As a result, we have seen a steady increase in applications for membership. This has been supported by more interest being received in a ladies shed. Based on this important feedback we are exploring how we can best meet the needs with potential increased opening times.

This year has seen a conscious move towards reinforcing our shed as community organisation both for its members and the wider community rather than simply an environmentally friendly community building. This year has been about the people, a value which is at the heart of the wider shed movement. We have successfully increased membership and extended the activities available to members which in turn has led to strong positive feedback about the new shed direction and increased interest.

There is now a photo list of Trustees posted on the wall with responsibilities of each identified. Trustees are always available for open one-to-one discussions if requested.

We now have project leaders for each activity who will engage with members to get involved as some people are reluctant to come forward or feel they lack expertise or skills. This is an excellent way to engage old and new members, build confidence and increase engagement between members.

Through these steps, members have become more engaged with the overall management of the shed and better understand the reasoning behind the decisions reached. They are better informed and feel part of a team rather than alone amongst others. By building confidence, members are becoming more willing to share concerns or ask questions about wider issues affecting their lives and realise that often they are not alone and there is someone else who had a similar experience and can offer some thoughts to help.

There have been steps taken to improve on the general running of the charity with a total of 19 new policies / procedures written and controlled on file plus an extensive review underway of the Constitution. The Trustees have also recently refreshed their signatures on the Code of Conduct following the review of that document.

ADMS is now not simply a place where men go to make or repair things; it is a living community, creating an environment where through companionship in undertaking physical activity together men are developing their own confidence and starting to address issues in their wider life that they have previously been unable to consider. Men generally internalise their worries and concerns; ADMS has created a place where for a few hours, amongst friendly faces and chat, men can take a break and are now feeling able to vocalise what is concerning them, whether its caring for a partner, their own health, loneliness or simply question “how is the weather”.

The Shed remains in a strong financial position and I will leave it to the Treasurer to go through the numbers. Donations continue from Community Groups and individuals for use of our facilities. This is a steady source of income coupled with our project deliverables.

One final highlight of the year was the visit from BBC Scotland who came to the facility to film and interview, with the subject matter being the grant funded heating and solar panel system installation. Additional clips were also taken of members working in the shed. The segment was later shown on the BBC the following week, all good publicity for the organisation.

Chair