TRUSTEES REPORTS AND ACCOUNTS
For the year ended 31[st] March 2025
BORDERS STREET PASTORS
Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 March 2025
Borders Street Pastors is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation Scottish Charity Number SC046473
Contact name and address
Duncan Cameron, 18 Larkspur Court, Galashiels TD1 2LZ
Trustees
The trustees who held office during the period from the start of the year reported on to the date of approval of this report were:
Arthur Hembling Chair Duncan Cameron Secretary Angela Thorpe Treasurer Keith Scott Maria Sprott Fiona Corbett
All of the trustees held office for the whole of that period.
A number of trustees attended online training for Safeguarding in December 2024.
Governance
Borders Street Pastors is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) that was incorporated on 13 April 2016. Our constitution specifies that trustees are elected or re-elected at the Annual General Meeting each year, and may also be coopted.
Charitable purposes
Our charitable purposes as set out in our constitution are:
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To advance the Christian Faith in accordance with the Licence Agreement executed with Ascension Trust (Scotland) and the Core Values and Mission Statement appearing in the Schedule hereto in the Scottish Borders and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the Trustees may from time to time to think fit, particularly but not exclusively by means of caring, listening and helping people on the streets and at various venues day and night.
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To advance health, including the prevention and relief of sickness and human suffering, through the provision of goods or services of any kind including through the provision of counselling and support in the Scottish Borders and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the Trustees may from time to time to think fit, particularly but not exclusively by means of caring, listening and helping people, including those suffering from amongst other reasons excessive alcohol or substance use or misuse, on the streets and at various venues, day and night.
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To relieve those in need by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage by the provision of goods or services of any kind including through the provision of counselling and support in the Scottish Borders and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the Trustees may from time to time to think fit, particularly but not exclusively by means of caring, listening and helping people on the streets and at various venues, day and night.
Activities
Borders Street Pastors was launched at Scottish Borders Council HQ in March 2016. After recruiting and training we had our Commissioning Service and first patrol in Galashiels in June 2016
In January 2017, we launched a monthly patrol in Hawick, with a Commissioning Service in Trinity Church, Hawick. The patrol is based at ‘The Well’ in Bourtree Place which is owned by Hawick Baptist Church.
Since Covid, the nature and timings of our work has changed considerably. The night time economy continues to be quieter than pre Covid, and we have found that the need for Street Pastors is developing more into the day time and evenings. In Galashiels, the Saturday night time patrols continue, although with some resources being used elsewhere in the Borders and a number of Street Pastors being ill, the patrols are now normally twice a month. There is no doubt that these patrols are quieter, but the need is still there, with many useful conversations and Street Pastors being an extra pair of eyes on the streets. With the closure of Trinity Church in Galashiels, which has been used as a Street Pastor base since 2016, Borders Street Pastors have been offered the use of Hope Central as a new base for patrols.
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Borders Street Pastors is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation Scottish Charity Number SC046473
In Hawick , the monthly lunchtime patrols have continued, and we are grateful for the use of Hawick South Church as a base. We continue to have contact with Hawick High School, and early in 2025 there was a meeting with the Head Teacher, Street Pastors, Scripture Union and Hawick Churches to discuss the way forward.
The Hawick Saturday night time patrol continues once a month, supporting folks who are out in the town centre. Whilst there are fewer young people in the Howegate area, there are still considerable numbers of people around, and we hope that with the contacts that we are making during the day, more people will be aware of Street Pastors if they are out at night. With the sale of the Baptist Church in Hawick, which is moving to larger premises, it is likely that we may have to look for a new base if The Well (owned by the Baptist Church) is also sold.
We are currently trialling an exciting new development in Burnfoot housing estate in Hawick. Burnfoot is an area of social deprivation with many issues, especially with younger people. Once a month we have an evening patrol, from around 6pm – 7.30pm, making contact with people, especially around the area where the shops are located. The two Churches in Burnfoot, Elim and Burnfoot Parish Church, are both very supportive of the trial. Burnfoot Parish Church is currently being used as a base for the team.
In Peebles, seven new Street Pastors were commissioned by Chris Jewell (CEO Ascension Trust Scotland) in a Service held at Peebles Evangelical Church on 15 June 2024. Patrols in Peebles are in the evening, from around 6.30pm – 11pm, with the team based at Peebles Evangelical Church and are normally twice a month, either on a Friday or Saturday.
As well as the normal patrols, Borders Street Pastors were in attendance in Melrose and Earlston during the Rugby 7s. A team attended Hawick Common Riding festivities, and extra patrols were organised in Peebles and Galashiels for their Festivals. On 12 July, Ascension Trust Scotland (ATS) conducted a Quality Assurance visit to Borders Street Pastors (BSP). These are normally done every three years, but were delayed with Covid. ATS met representatives of BSP management committee in Peebles, and they also came out on an evening patrol in the town. The resulting report painted a positive picture of our activities, with a few pointers for the future.
Training continues to be an important part of BSP activities. It was recognised that the coordinator was needing help to organise training, and Graeme and Lesley Cowe agreed to assist with this task. Topics this year have included Safeguarding, Development training, Police, Youth Culture, Knowing Your Community & Listening Skills. Jacqueline Wilson, one of our Peebles Street Pastors, has tutored the team at a number of these sessions.
Five Street Pastors from the Borders attended the Scottish conference in Stirling in September.
Our small team of Prayer Pastors continues to minister to the teams and their work is highly valued by all. This is sometimes done remotely using a mobile phone and the speaker, but is still very effective.
BSP have continued to be invited to speak at various groups and Churches, and our thanks go out to the team members who have assisted with this great way of sharing what our work involves.
PVGs: Fiona Corbett continues to organise these for us. With the system having moved on line we are very grateful to Fiona for doing this task.
Our coordinator continues to be involved with on line meetings with setting up Street Pastors in Dumfries and Galloway. In total, Borders Street Pastors have conducted some 77 patrols over the past year.
Plans for the future
We will continue to develop contacts with Hawick High School and also to developing the day patrols in Hawick. In addition, our trial patrols in Burnfoot will be evaluated with the possibility of these becoming permanent if resources allow. Recruitment and training continue to be a priority, and we are keen to develop strategies to enhance both.
The enthusiasm of the team amazes us all! We believe that God continues to want His love taken out onto the streets of our towns through the Street Pastor movement and we give thanks for His love and support!
Ascension Trust
The Street Pastors concept, name and logo are owned by The Ascension Trust (registered in England & Wales as charity number 1127204 and company limited by guarantee number 06751712). We use them under licence. We pay our licence fees to their Scottish charity, The Ascension Trust (Scotland) (registered in Scotland as charity number SC041912 and company limited by guarantee SC371392), and these fees include access to insurance cover and other support. We also buy some goods and services from The Ascension Trust (Scotland), and from The Ascension Trust’s trading subsidiary, Ascension Commercial Ltd (registered in England & Wales as company number 07586400). These payments are disclosed in Note 3 on page 7.
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Borders Street Pastors is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation Scottish Charity Number SC046473
Financial review
Borders Street Pastors had income this year totalling £2007 (2023/24: £1709) and expenditure totalling £1758 (2023 / 24: £1568)
Income normally comes from a variety of sources, including collecting cans at various premises and donations from various organisations and individuals.
We are extremely grateful to the individuals who have made generous donations.
Borders Street Pastors has reserves of £11365 at 31 March 2025 (2024: £11116). Although this amount appears large in relation to current expenditure levels, Borders Street Pastors is a developing charity that has not yet reached a steady level of activity that would enable it to set a policy on the level of reserves to be held. The trustees do not feel that income levels are secure. As training starts to move on line, there are may be charges for Street Pastors for some of this, which is going to result in a substantial increase in training costs. As we continue to recruit in Peebles and Hawick, and potentially other areas of the Borders, there are substantial costs for uniforms and training. There could therefore be issues in the longer term. The current level of reserves ensures Border Street Pastors can carry out its commitments, and provides a cushion for the next few years. The Co-ordinator continues to be an unpaid volunteer.
Borders Street Pastors is supported by many churches in the Borders and should the need arise, financial support could be sought from them, although it is fair to say that many Churches are struggling financially at this time.
Borders Street Pastors continues to have been in receipt of practical help from Churches with the use of premises. We acknowledge the continued willingness and assistance Borders Churches give, both past and for the future. This includes: Hawick Baptist Church for the use of ‘The Well’ for the Hawick Patrol, Hawick South Church for the use of their premises for the day patrols and Burnfoot Parish Church for the use of their premises for the trial patrols in Burnfoot. In Galashiels we are grateful to Galashiels Parish Church for the use of their premises for the patrols and also for training and Hope Church for the use of their premises for patrols. We are also grateful to Melrose Parish Church for a base during the Melrose 7s, Earlston Parish Church for the use of the Church for the Earlston 7s and Selkirk Parish Church for the use of their premises for training and the AGM. Peebles Evangelical Church allows us to use their premises for patrols and the Commissioning Service and St. Andrews Leckie in Peebles allows us the use of premises for training.
Risk management
Borders Street Pastors has public liability insurance organised by Ascension Trust (Scotland). Street Pastors undergo safety training as part of the Roles and Responsibilities course. PVG checks are done via Ascension Trust (Scotland) for each Street Pastor. Each patrol has a minimum of three people and there should be at least one male and one female within that patrol. However, during daytime patrols, two members are allowed.
When there is an exceptional event, e.g. Common Ridings and Christmas, consideration is given to the number of Street Pastors on the patrol and, if possible, to increase the numbers.
Each patrol has a mobile phone and can contact emergency services, the coordinator and Ascension Trust (Scotland). The trustees have appointed a number of Team Leaders. Each patrol is led by one of the Team Leaders. The Team Leader will organise the patrol according to the abilities of the team members, e.g., if there should be more breaks etc. If a member of a patrol becomes unwell, the patrol will cease (as has happened on occasion). Team Leaders have a note of emergency contact numbers for team members, and this is currently being reviewed.
A report from every patrol is submitted to the coordinator. This enables any potential issues to be highlighted and addressed.
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Borders Street Pastors SC0464473 Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
Receipts and Payment Account
| Note Receipts Donations Individual donation via CAF Donations for Peebles Street Pastors Borderlands Men’s Christian Conference Elim Church M Milne (Quizzes) Trinity Harvest Offering Peebles Community Council – for uniforms Other donations from organisations and individuals Fundraising: collecting cans Total receipts Payments Charitable activities 3 Total payments Surplus/(Deficit) for year |
2024-25 Unrestricted Funds 2024-25 Restricted Funds 2024-25 Total £ £ £ 134 134 253 253 260 260 312 312 281 281 50 50 370 370 347 347 |
2023-24 Total £ 500 250 263 355 341 |
|---|---|---|
| 1823 184 2007 1324 434 1758 |
1709 1568 |
|
| 1324 434 1758 499 (250) 249 |
1568 141 |
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Borders Street Pastors SC0464473 Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
Statement of Balances
| Statement of Balances | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 2024-25 | 2024-25 | 2023-24 | ||
| Bank and cash balances | Note | Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total | Total |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Balance at start of year | 10866 | 250 | 11116 | 10975 | |
| Surplus/(Deficit) for year | 499 | (250) | 248 | 141 | |
| Balance at end of year | 6 | 11365 | 0 | 11365 | 11116 |
| Assets | Note | Cost | Value | Value | |
| 31/03/25 | 31/03/24 | ||||
| Fixed assets | £ | £ | £ | ||
| IT equipment | 2 | 350 | 0 | 0 | |
| Liabilities | Note | 31/03/25 | 31/03/24 | ||
| Total | Total | ||||
| £ | £ | ||||
| Ascension Trust licence fees | 4 | 93 | 93 | 33 |
Approved by the trustees on 14[th] August 2025 and signed on their behalf
Duncan Cameron
Secretary Borders Street Pastors
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Borders Street Pastors SC046473 Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
Notes to the accounts
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Funds. Unrestricted funds are funds that may be used at the discretion of the trustees for any of
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the charitable purposes of Borders Street Pastors. Restricted funds are funds that are subject to restrictions on their use imposed by donors.
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Fixed assets and equipment. Borders Street Pastors owns donated IT equipment that is classified as fixed assets and valued using annual depreciation on a straight line basis so as to reduce the value to zero over four years. It also owns other equipment for use in its work. However none of that equipment is of sufficient size and value to be classified as fixed assets.
3. Payments for charitable activities
| Note Ascension Trust 4 Licence fees Uniforms and other equipment Books/postage Total payments to Ascension Trust Other payments First aid equipment and supplies Other equipment and supplies Food and drink Postage, stationery, etc. Publicity Travel expenses Training Total other payments Total payments for charitable activities |
2024-25 Unrestricted Funds 2024-25 Restricted Funds 2024-25 Total £ £ £ 800 800 106 434 540 6 6 |
2023-24 Total £ 800 0 0 |
|---|---|---|
| 912 434 1346 16 16 145 145 130 130 71 71 16 16 34 34 412 412 |
800 13 283 8 76 10 95 283 768 |
|
| 1324 434 1758 |
1568 |
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Borders Street Pastors SC046473
Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025
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Ascension Trust. Payments in Note 3 under the heading Ascension Trust comprise payments to The Ascension Trust, The Ascension Trust (Scotland) and Ascension
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Commercial Ltd described in the Trustees' Report on page 3. Payments due but not yet made at the end of the year are shown as liabilities on page 6.
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5 Trustees and connected parties. During the year, trustees were reimbursed out-ofpocket expenses totalling £765.
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6 Bank and cash balances. All funds are held in bank account. There is no cash in hand.
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Borders Street Pastors SC046473 Rewrt and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 I report on the accounts of Borde Street Pa5tor51"the charfty") for the year ended 31 March 2025 whkh ère set on pages 5 to 8. The charity's tmstees are responsibse forthe preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Chartties and Trustee Investment (Scotlandl Act 21x15 Ilhe 2LKIS Act") and the Charrties Accounts (Scotlandl Regulation 26 las amendedl I'the 2(M16 Regulations'l. The charlty's trustees ¢on51der that the audlt requlremerrt ol Regulation 1011}Idl of the 2(K)6 does not appty. It Ls my responsibilty to examine the accounts under Sertion 44lllQ of the 2W5 Art and to state whether partlcular matters have cometo my attention. Basls ol Ind•pnkn wmlnees stement My examtnation is carried out in accordance wlth fteguiatlon 11 of the 216 Regulatlons. An examination Includes a review of the accounting records kept the charlty and a comparlson of the accounts presented wrth those records. It a150 Includes conslderation of any unusual items or dixlosures In the accounts, and seeks explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not pmide all the evKlence that would be required In an audbt, and consequently I do not express an audit oplnlon on the v*w g14en by the account& Melrose, 07jU 2025 In the course <rf my examlnatlon no matter come to rny attention I which 8ives me reasonable cause to believe that In any material respert the reoulrement5 lal to keep accountlng records In accordance wtth Sectlon 44llllal of the 2(M)5 Act and Regulation 4 of the 216 RÈ8ylat#)ns. and Ibl to prepare accounts which accord with the accountlng records and complywith Regulatlon 9 of the 2LI)6 Regulations have not been met, or 2 to whbch. In my oplnlon. attentlon sIM)uld be drawn In order to enable a proper understandln8 of the accounts to be reached. Alexander G Br(V fCC&" IRRVlllonsl