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2025-07-31-accounts

Slow Food Scotland

Good, Clean and Fair

SLOW FOOD SCOTLAND (SC045764) TRUSTEES REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDING 31/07/25

ABSTRACT

Summary of Slow Food Scotland Trustee Report and Financial statement for 2024/25

The membership has dropped slightly, and the local groups and the virtual group have continued to run activities across the Slow Food project areas.

The accounts show the spending constraints and self-funding events have continued to stabilise the financial position.

OSCR Submission for Year ending 31[st] July 2025

Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Good, Clean and Fair

Slow Food Scotland

At our AGM on 20th May 2025, Donald Reid resigned as Chair. Following this change, we elected existing Trustees into new roles, and elected 2 new Trustees to the board. The board now stands as follows:

Recent Board Members

Formal business address

Bank details

Solicitor

The Slow Food Scotland independent examiner for the year ending 31[st] July 2025

Registered charity

Charity Name

Trustees’ Annual Report

Structure, Governance and Management

Constitution

The Charity is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (a SCIO). It was registered in its current legal form on 31[st] July 2015. Slow Food Scotland (SFS) was created when Slow Food in the UK (SFUK) devolved most of its activities to the individual UK countries. Slow Food in the UK continues as a

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Slow Food Scotland

Good, Clean and Fair

coordination point and a reporting channel for the Global Slow Food movement. It also provides services, primarily administration of the membership, for each of the countries.

It has a single tier structure and as such the trustees are members of the charity.

Appointment of trustees

The trustees have either been elected at a general meeting or co-opted by the board. The board meets quarterly.

Election as a trustee is open to any member of Slow Food resident in Scotland or assigned to one of the local Scottish Slow Food groups. Trustees are elected at an AGM meeting held during the last calendar quarter of the year. There is a maximum of 12 trustees of whom no more than 8 can be elected from the membership and no more than 4 additional can be co-opted from within or outside the membership. There are currently 6 elected trustees.

Objectives and Activities

Charitable purposes

SFS promotes the Slow Food agenda at a country level and also coordinates the activities of the SFS local convivia, which are independent. The formal designated charitable purposes are as follows:

Activities

The charity engages with organizations, government bodies and local Slow Food convivia to promote the Slow Food principles aligned to the charitable objectives as follows:

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Slow Food Scotland

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Achievements and Performance

During the year the overall Scottish membership has dropped slightly to 164, from 166 the previous year. The Network Group continues to meet, providing a link for strong communication between the Slow Food Scotland board and the local and virtual groups, the Ark of Taste, and the Scottish Cooks’ Alliance.

The number of local convivia remains at 4, including the Virtual group which will be hosting another online event later in 2026.

Aberdeen has seen an increase in their number of members, and successfully relaunched the World Buttery Championship in 2024. Edinburgh has hosted events which have included themes such as Ark of Taste potatoes, and heritage grains and sourdough. Glasgow continues their work producing a local sustainable food guide as well as hosting Slow Food events throughout the year. Slow Food Glasgow members have also attended international events including Slow Food Terra Madre and the Slow Beans Network event, both hosted in Italy.

Slow Food Berwick, technically part of Slow Food England, remains a guest convivium and we continue to involve Berwick in our activities and remain in contact with their committee.

Below are some of the activities aligned to the charitable objectives:

● The advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Slow Food Scotland

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year, presented by our Ark of Taste project leader, Wendy Barrie.

● The advancement of environmental protection or improvement

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Slow Food Scotland

Good, Clean and Fair

Slow Food Financial Statement Accounts for the year ending 31[st] July 2025

Slow Food in the UK context

The Slow Food UK countries are under constant pressure from Slow Food International to rationalise into a single UK organisation (which would be dominated by England with by far the largest membership) or possibly membership being run directly from Italy. All the countries including England are resisting this vigorously. The Slow Food International argument is that the administration of 4 countries plus the UK is a larger overhead than a single entity. Slow Food International is also coming under financial pressure and is asking for greater contributions from the countries, which would have to come from a combination of increased membership and unrestricted donations. To achieve this and maintain the current individual country status, it was agreed that Slow Food in the UK would grow membership by 10% per annum over the next 3 years and provide additional funds to SFI each year of €5000 over the next three years. Slow Food Scotland has to take its share of these targets.

Slow Food Scotland Accounts for the Year ending 31st July 2025

There was little activity during the year, with the AGM in Errichel being the only expenditure. Although it was self-funding and met the quorum requirements, it did not meet the agreed minimum expenditure with Errichel and SFS had to meet to cover the shortfall. The SFS Financial position shows that there is a deficit of £309 for the year, with reserves of £3,313 of which £1770 is reserved for committed project use. The committed reserves have subsequently been reduced by £500 for agreed Orkney Boreray support which will appear in the 2025-26 year’s accounts.

As previously, events such as the AGM have been to a large extent self-funded. Travel costs have been eliminated, with volunteers bearing any costs themselves and expenditure limited to non-discretionary items.

A membership revenue distribution over the next three years is not expected. Events will continue to be very carefully controlled and where possible, will remain self-funding and monitoring of expenses will remain. SFS (and SF in the UK) will also continue seeking donation and fund-raising opportunities.

SFS met its financial obligations during the year and the board expects to meet its financial obligations in the year 2025-26.

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Slow Food Scotland Good, Clean and Fair

Receipts and Payments Accounts

Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by: 06/04/2026

Walter Mowat, Treasurer on

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Slow Food Scotland Good, Clean and Fair

Going Concern

The company has previously depended primarily on funding from members’ subscriptions and supporters’ donations, both of which have continued to decline. The central costs of administering these and other central costs will likely mean that again there will be no revenue from this source for the next few years. The Trustees believe they have taken appropriate measures in relation to cost control and to increase income from fund raising and increasing membership. On the basis of projections for the year ended 31 July 2026, the Trustees consider that Slow Food Scotland will be able to meet its liabilities as and when they fall due.

Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)

Full name(s) Amy Rankine Jill Blair ~~PS~~ Position (e.g. Chairperson Secretary Chair) ~~i~~ Date 08.04.2026 08.04.2026 ~~ee ee~~

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ

Slow Food Scotland Good, Clean and Fair

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES SLOW FOOD SCOTLAND

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Registered in Scotland as a SCIO, No. SC045764. Address, 19 Mansionhouse Road, Edinburgh EH9 1TZ