TRUSTEES’ REPORT 2024/25
Pentland Community Education Centre (SC049029)
INTRODUCTION chair. 2024/25 I was very proud to become chair following the Autumn 2023 AGM of a new-look management cornmittee of Pentland Comrnunity Centre. I was part of an influx to the committee that ensured the centre kept its charitable status and therefore affordable access rates for local groups. Since then, the board of trustees has defined our mission as providing an attractive, accessible building to facilitate a wide range of activity that will educate. entertain, inform and activate a broad range of people in our service area. I feel we made great strides to achieve these aims in 2024125, by introducing a successful series of tea dances to combat loneliness and isolation arnong older people, hosting our food and drink festival, Oktoberfest, staging Christmas celebrations and entertainment, and starting the organising of our first Battle of the Bands to showcase music and performance talent in our local schools.
Meanwhile, trustees committed to investing in improved facilities and equipment for the benefit and enjoyment of the hundreds of centre users of all ages and backgrounds who pass through our doors each week.
We are proud that our centre is one of the busiest in the city and offers a flexible range of spaces and facilities for a broad range of groups. We are grateful to the local community for supporting our centre by utilising the facility and strengthening local links.
As with any set of volunteers anywhere in the world, our board of trustees has achieved positive outcomes and successes while also being guided by our mistakes, learning from the experiences of staging events and implemented new ways of working and innovative aspects to the life of the centre that are now here to stay.
While we have established an excellent committee, there is still room to grow, and we would welcome expressions of interest from anyone keen to contribute to the life of the centre – from casual volunteering to becoming a formal member of the committee.
STATUS
The Pentland Community Education Centre (SC049029) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) registered with The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). More details are available via www.oscr.org.uk
FINANCES
Financial accounts for The Pentland Community Education Centre are uploaded to www.oscr.org.uk and available to download and view.
TRYST ART GROUP
Tryst Art has been a member group of the Pentland Centre since January 1999. Some of our members have been coming to the group since then but there have been a lot of changes through the years.
The group is a self help group for adults who like to meet up and paint but there is always time for a cuppa. We exhibit our paintings on the walls of the main hall and most are for sale.
We are looking for a few new members. You may recently have retired or are now free from the school run and would like to join this friendly group. Please let me know if you are interested – email diane@holburns.co.uk or leave your details at reception.
LINUS GROUP
For those who do not know us, we are a group of ladies who make quilts for sick, bereaved and traumatized children. It was named after the little boy in the Peanuts cartoon. This year we have donated over 600 quilts to Sick Kids, Cairn and Barnardo's. In September and April we held workshops in Oxgangs Library where you may see examples of our quilts. We had a visit from our MSP who presented us with a framed Motion from the Scottish Parliament thanking us for our work – we hope to hang this somewhere in the centre.
DIY CRAFTING
A vibrant, social crafting group who meet every Wednesday from 6.45-8.45pm in the Lounge. The group has worked through a number of crafting projects this year including needle-felting, making seasonal wreaths, learning to crochet, making festive bunting, creating Christmas Gnomes and tassel dolls and we are about to learn how to carry out wet felting. This is alongside our own crafting projects.
OXPEN
Pentland Community Centre has been home to the OxPen creative writing group for almost two decades.
Every year the writers aim to fulfil a writing-related project, and this year it has been the publication of a collection of short stories and poems. “Bananas on Toast: And Other Stories of Food, Family and Friendship”, was launched at the centre in November, in partnership with Book Week Scotland, and featuring contributions from OxPen and other local writers.
The OxPen group meets on Thursdays from 10am-12pm and welcomes writers of all ages and abilities.
U3A CHESS GROUP
We have 20 current members with 4 joining this year. Every member is allocated a number and at the start of a session we draw out the numbers for the first pairing of the day. We also have a group championship where points are awarded for wins, draws and even losses with trophies able to be won for the top 10.
To determine how good members are at chess we’ve devised a grading system which is updated annually where players can see how they’ve fared over the past year compared with the other members.
TRYST PATCHWORK
‘Tryst’ has had another successful year including a wide variety of activities, enabling members to share tips and tricks, take part in challenges and above all, enjoy the friendship of others with the same interests. Our Tuesday and Friday meetings are well attended and we have occasional well known tutors to lead us through a new project or technique.
Our annual challenge gives members certain criteria and the freedom to express their ideas within those criteria. A wonderful range of quilts was produced this year, showcased at our June Strawberry Tea when prizes were awarded. These quilts and many others were exhibited at a successful show in November.
Scottish Charity No. SC049029
The Pentland Community Education Centre
Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO)
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2025
The Pentland Communit Education Centre y
Contents of the Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Report of the Trustees | 1 – 2 |
| Report of the Independent Examiner | 3 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 4 |
| Statement of Balances | 5 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 6 |
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The Pentland Communit Education Centre y
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025
The Trustees are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2025.
Structure, governance and management
Governing document
The Charity is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) (SC049029). It was registered in its current legal form on 6 February 2019. The charity was previously an unincorporated association (SC000402) but changed its legal form to a SCIO. The assets of the unincorporated association were transferred to the SCIO on 18 July 2019.
Trustees (management committee members)
The Trustees who served during the year and to the date of this report were as follows:
Objectives and aims
The advancement of education, the advancement of health, the advancement of citizenship or community development of the arts, heritage, culture or science, the advancement of public participation in sports, the advancement of environment protection or improvement, the relief of those in need by reason of age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
Pentland community centre is a focus for many of the local community groups and organisations and has a wide programme of activities including youth clubs and adult education classes.
Achievements and performance
The centre has recovered well in the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic and the number of council run groups and private lets has expanded. Unfortunately, a few of the member groups with older members did not restart after the shutdown but the Centre Programme has expanded with the lifting of the restrictions in April 2022 after the Covid epidemic and is now fully functioning.
Volunteers and donated services
The charity relies on members volunteering their time to ensure the smooth running of the charity, without these volunteers we would struggle to offer these services.
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The Pentland Communit Education Centre y
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025
Financial review
Results for the year
The financial statements for the year are set out in pages 4 to 6. The Receipts and Payments Account on page 4 reflects a surplus of £16,910 (2024: £12,409). This, when added to the funds brought forward of £102,069 (2024: £89,660) gives general funds carried forward of £79,361 (2024: £69,115) and a designated funds carried forward of £39,618 (2024: £32,954). The total funds carried forward are £118,979 (2024: £102,069).
Reserves
It is the policy of the charity to maintain unrestricted funds at a level that equates to approximately 3 months of unrestricted expenditure. This target was achieved.
Approved by the Committee on 02[nd] December 2025and signed on their behalf by:
Chairperson
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The Pentland Communit Education Centre y
Report of the Independent Examiner to the Trustees for the year ended 31 March 2025
I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 March 2025 which are set out on pages 4 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 (as amended). 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 (as amended). 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 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
-
which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended), and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations (as amended)
have not been met, or
- to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Innes & Partners Limited Chartered Certified Accountants
Innes House
18 Shairps Business Park Houstoun Road Livingston EH54 5FD
Date: 02[nd] December 2025
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The Pentland Communit Education Centre y
Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31 March 2025
| Note Receipts Donations Hall lets and hire charges Adult and OAP's Group funds Memberships Youth clubs Grants Activity Week Events Total receipts Payments Group activities Maintenance and cleaning Administration expenses Insurance Other centre expenses Gifts Independent examination Total payments Surplus for the year Transfers Surplus for the year after transfers Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
General fund £ 15 21,443 4,261 - 730 522 - - 1,176 28,147 4,185 6,210 3,095 653 3,098 - 660 17,901 10,246 - 10,246 69,115 79,361 (Note 4) |
Designated fund £ - - - 2,463 - - 10,000 - - 12,463 5,799 - - - - - - 5,799 6,664 - 6,664 32,954 39,618 (Note 4) |
Total 2025 £ 15 21,443 4,261 2,463 730 522 10,000 - 1,176 40,610 9,984 6,210 3,095 653 3,098 - 660 23,700 16,910 - 16,910 102,069 118,979 |
Total 2024 £ - 20,023 5,096 1,082 830 320 - 125 - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27,476 | ||||
| 6,021 4,431 503 576 1,986 950 600 |
||||
| 15,067 | ||||
| 12,409 - |
||||
| 12,409 89,660 |
||||
| 102,069 | ||||
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The Pentland Communit Education Centre y
Statement of Balances as at 31 March 2025
| Notes Opening Surplus balance for year £ £ Bank and cash in hand 102,069 16,910 Total assets held 102,069 16,910 Reserves General fund 4 Designated funds 4 Statement of liabilities at 31 March 2025 Invoices due for payment 2025 |
Opening Surplus balance for year £ £ 102,069 16,910 2025 |
Closing balance £ 118,979 118,979 79,361 39,618 118,979 726 726 |
Opening Surplus balance for year £ £ 89,660 12,409 2024 |
Closing balance £ 102,069 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 102,069 16,910 |
89,660 12,409 |
102,069 | ||
| 69,115 32,954 |
||||
| 102,069 | ||||
| 660 | ||||
| 660 |
Approved by the Trustees on 02nd December 2025 and signed on their behalf by the undernoted:
Chairperson
The notes on page 6 form part of these financial statements.
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The Pentland Communit Education Centre y
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025
1. Accounting policies
Accounting convention
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, and in accordance with the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
Basis of financial statements
The financial statements have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
Receipts and Payments Account
For the purpose of the Receipts and Payments account as shown on page 4, funds are defined as follows:
Unrestricted funds comprise grants and other income received for the objects of the Charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.
Designated funds comprise income which has been ring fenced by the Trustees for specific purposes.
2. Transactions with Trustees and reimbursement of expenses
- There were no Trustees received payments or reimbursement of personal expenses during the year ending 31 March 2025 (2024: £950).
3. Related party transactions
There were no transactions with related parties during the year ending 31 March 2025 (2024: nil).
4. Unrestricted funds
| Unrestricted funds General fund Designated funds Centre upgrade and maintenance fund Centre group fund Lottery fund Total unrestricted funds |
Balance at 01.04.2024 £ 69,115 30,000 2,954 - |
Receipts £ 28,147 - 2,463 10,000 |
Balance at Payments Transfers 31.03.2025 £ £ £ (17,901) - 79,361 - - 30,000 (2,445) - 2,972 (3,354) - 6,646 (23,700) - 118,979 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102,069 | 40,610 | (23,700) |
Explanation of funds
The General fund encompasses all income and expenditure relating to the primary focus activities of the charity, other than those for which funding is restricted.
The Centre upgrade and maintenance fund encompasses money the management committee have ring fenced for an upgrades or major repairs.
The Centre groups fund encompasses all income and expenditure relating to activities of the groups that operate within the centre.
The Lottery fund encompasses a grant from The Lottery Community fund towards Creative Youth Clubs and was used only for the purpose of the Reel Creative Hub (Council Youth Group).
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