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2024-12-31-accounts

Garscube Harriers SCIO

Scottish Charity number – SC049335

Annual Report and Financial Statements

For the 12 months ended 31 December 2024

Prepared by Athole Smith on behalf of the Trustees

File name: GH Report 31122024 FINAL

1. INTRODUCTION

Trustees’ Annual Report for the 12 months to 31 December 2024

Garscube Harriers is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) regulated by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). The application to become a SCIO was granted on 28 May 2019.

The trustees have pleasure in presenting their report together with the financial statements for the 12 months from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2024. The previous report covered the 12 month period from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2023.

This version of the report is the final version. It has been reviewed by the Independent Scrutineer.

Charity Name

Charitable Purpose

The advancement of public participation in sport

Charitable Objective

To promote and advance public participation in athletics as a sport

Charity Number

SC049335

Address

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Trustees
FULL NAME OFFICE HELD DATE APPOINTED
President 19th April 2023
N/A 1 [st] July 2019
N/A 1 [st] July 2019
N/A 1 [st] July 2019
Treasurer 1 [st] July 2019
Membership Secretary 1 [st] July 2019
General Committee 1 [st] July 2019
Member
N/A 19th April 2023
N/A 17th April 2024
N/A 17th April 2024
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Barbara Watt resigned as a Trustee on 12 June 2022

Morag Casey resigned as a Trustee on 8 February 2023.

2. Structure, Governance and Management

Constitution

Garscube Harriers is incorporated as a SCIO. It was registered in its current legal form on 28 May 2019. The club was previously an unincorporated association but changed its legal form to a SCIO. Club assets were transferred from the unincorporated association into the SCIO in the second half of 2019. The charity has income below £250,000 pa and, as such, is eligible to prepare its accounts on a receipts and

payments basis. The governing body does not require the charity to prepare fully accrued accounts and neither does it require an audit.

Appointment of Trustees

Trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting which is normally held each April. The existing Trustees named above were elected at the 2024 AGM on 17 April. There must be a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 Trustees. Any club member is eligible to become a Trustee.

Objectives and Activities

The club’s charitable purpose is the advancement of public participation in sport and its charitable objective is to promote and advance public participation in athletics as a sport.

Activities

Garscube Harriers is a Scottish Athletics accredited club, founded in 1898, which operates in the north west of Glasgow and is based at the Garscube estate. It offers coached sessions to its junior and senior members.

It aims to inspire its members to engage in healthy competition, and to provide an environment which promotes both individual achievement and team success.

Values

The club has a proud history and it seeks to celebrate the past and to recognise the achievements of current and former members. The club has identified what it means to be part of the club and what the club represents to its members, to the sport of athletics and to the community. The club seeks to promote, develop and reinforce its values through its actions and initiatives. Members are asked to live the values, to respect the ethos of the club and to help the club to grow and thrive. The club values are:

HARD WORK (Champions go the extra mile)

TEAMWORK (An athlete who makes the club great is more valuable than a great athlete)

RESPECT (Respect yourself, respect each other, respect the sport)

SUPPORT (People make Garscube)

INCLUSION (Garscube for all)

COACHING STRUCTURE

Current members range from complete beginners to national champions. Many of our athletes enjoy competition and race in cross country as well as on the track, road, trails, and hills; but others train for the sheer fun of it, as a social activity with friends, or to stay healthy (mentally and physically). All are welcome.

Seniors

is the Head Coach. He provided support and guidance to our coaching team who offer sessions every Tuesday and Thursday. Seniors are split into packs according to suitability. Tuesday sessions are for interval training, usually at the track. Thursday sessions are pack runs from Garscube Estate, usually incorporating tempo or fartlek training.

Team managers

) organise race entries for interclub

events on behalf of the athletes.

Juniors

The junior section at Garscube Harriers caters for athletes from age 9 upwards. Athletes are organised into packs based on their age, maturity, and stage of athletic development. The section is led jointly by and .

Working together, they set the strategy for the whole section. They are assisted by a team of coaches and parent helpers, including , who serves as Race Secretary, and , who organises parent helpers and liaises with the club’s welfare officer. We currently have approximately 120-130 junior athletes.

leads the Junior Development section. He works with a team of coaches who look after approximately 100 athletes. Here the emphasis is on games and fundamental athletic skills (“run, jump, and throw”). This section also includes some older athletes who focus on non-competitive social running while also developing all-round athletic ability. Most of these athletes train once a week on a Tuesday night, though some enjoy a second social run, or a more structured endurance-based session, on a Thursday night. These athletes are sub-divided into packs of roughly 12-16 athletes, each with a designated coach. These packs include Ken McMahon’s PB Endurance, a group for teenagers which emphasises general fitness and wellbeing and Transition group (T pack), which is for competitive athletes we are preparing for the Endurance group.

leads the Junior Endurance group, a large pack of more than 40 athletes from ages 11-18+. He takes sessions every week on Tuesday and Thursday nights with assistance from a team of coaches and helpers. This group operates for the most part as a single pack, with setting sessions, and tailoring training to fit with the seasonal competition calendar. Most members of this pack compete on a regular basis, but this is not a requirement. In all our packs, we stress enjoyment as well as the fun and exhilaration of racing. This pack often incorporates U20 and U23 athletes—many of them university students—who have progressed through our

junior pack system. It offers an ideal training environment for them because it allows them to continue working with a trusted and familiar coach alongside athletes they already know.

Welfare

The aim of our approach to welfare is to ensure that our athletes participate in club activities in a fun and safe environment. To achieve this the club requires qualified coaches. All coaches must have attended the relevant coaching course, possess up to date Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) accreditation, and complete their online welfare and first aid courses in accordance with the Scottish Athletics compliance framework. Junior helpers are also required to have a PVG. Isobel Martin is the club welfare officer. She works closely with the coaches to ensure coaching licences are up to date and that the other components have been completed prior to licences being renewed/granted. She also ensures that the club follows Scottish Athletics safeguarding policies and procedures, keeps a record of the volunteers’ PVGs, and is the coordinator between the club and Scottish athletics. Andy Downey supports her acting as the main point of contact for the club’s junior section.

3. 2024 Highlights and Achievements (1 March 2024 to 28 Feb 2025)

The club has achieved its aim of promoting and advancing public participation in athletics as a sport and has successfully engaged new and existing members.

Key highlights to report are:

Athletic Performance The club has had a number of outstanding performances over the last year at all levels including new club records being set by ,

The club was proud to see Finlay recognized for the outstanding individual performance at the Glasgow annual awards at the City Chambers.

Finlay earned his first senior Scotland vest this year while and both represented Scotland at U23 level.

Off-track club of the year. The club was named the Scottish Athletics off track club of the year at the SAL 4J annual awards in October. This is an outstanding achievement and testament to the efforts of all involved with the club.

Stuart Irvine was announced as the recipient of an Eric Liddell Recognition Award from SAL. This is an honour bestowed on outstanding individuals who contribute to athletics in Scotland. Stuart’s record at Garscube extends to an amazing 37 years of volunteering including treasurer and secretary. Stuart also received an award for his volunteering at the Glasgow annual awards at the City Chambers.

Lindsays Cup. On 28 May the club was presented with the Lindsays Cup which is awarded to the club with the highest representation at the three Scottish Athletics

national cross country events. This is a fantastic achievement which reflects the full range of participation in the club across the senior and junior sections.

Coaching: As at 31/12/24 we had:

6 level 1 coaches

10 level 2 coaches

3 level 3 coaches

Club sessions cannot take place without the appropriate number of coaches at the right levels. The club is extremely grateful for the dedication of its junior and senior coaches.

Training: Turnout at training has been excellent across the club and credit is due to the coaches for creating such a positive environment. Attendance numbers show that the sessions have been attractive to members. It is clear that athletes who train with the club regularly see the results in their strong performances in races. The club now offers training at both Garscube and at the St Peter the Apostle High School outdoor track.

Volunteering : The club could not function without the sterling efforts of its volunteers who so generously give their time to support the club. Our volunteers include coaches, parent helpers, general committee members, and trustees as well as numerous other individuals whose contributions often go unseen.

Charity: Over the year, we raised funds for our nominated club charities - Athletics Trust Scotland and Glasgow North West Foodbank.

Social: In 2024, we held the West Highland Way relay, the training weekend in Newtonmore, a Christmas party and Santa race, and a number of social events after key races.

The club organised a bus to the “Brampton to Carlisle” 10-mile race which was very well attended and received excellent feedback. In addition, the junior section traveled to Liverpool for the British Cross Challenge. Traveling together this way encourages members to race and creates a strong team spirit whilst reducing the number of cars driving to the event.

Club merchandise: Garscube Harriers kit range is available from Migo Sports. Migo Sports is an independent Glasgow sports retailer with a passion for running and they now supply over a dozen athletics clubs. Our new range includes Fastrax vests and Joma training gear featuring our 125th anniversary logo.

Garscube Improvers Group (GIG): This group was successfully led by Amy Cromarty in Q1 2025. The club offered an 8-week course to encourage people to improve their running and training. Feedback has been excellent.

Social media: The hard-working social media team has done a fantastic job in keeping our membership up to date with race results and other activities in a timely and entertaining way.

Club History: The club is hugely appreciative of the magnificent work done by in collating an historical record of club performances and the club history in the form of an honours document which will soon be made available on the Club website.

JUNIORS AND U20s

The juniors continue to be a huge credit to the club with some very impressive performances, including some from athletes in the process of transitioning to our senior ranks. Some highlights from the past year:

Scottish 5k Road Champs at Silverknowes – 1[st] U17 time 14.56, Finlay Ross Davie 2[nd] overall and 1[st] U20 and a new club record of 14.25 another fine performance as was in a time of 15.36.

James Alexander gained Scottish selection for the U18 mountain world cup in Spain, a fantastic achievement and experience for James, great recognition to the club also.

Finlay Ross Davie competed in the IFAM continental tour meeting in Brussels over 5000m. Finlay had a superb run taking 26secs off his PB finishing in 14.06, another club record.

British Miler club meeting at Crownpoint 3000m, ran 8.10, a new PB and club record. In the Scottish U17 championship 3000m took the gold medal in 8.24, inside the U18 European standard. This moved into 1[st] U17 in the Scottish rankings as well as placing him 4th in the all-time Scottish U17 ranking list. In the same meeting we had great performances from Crawford Smith running 8.44 and 8.57.

Scottish Schools took the gold medal in the 3000m.

The Scottish trail Championships , in the U20, Gold U17, Joe Butler Gold U15.

Club track 5000m champs . New club record for took the senior race in 15.45.

finishing in 17.18,

Scottish age group track champs at Grangemouth . In the U15 1500m Connor Campbell took the bronze medal, fantastic performance.

Scottish Senior track championships . took the silver medal in ladies 5000m in doing so smashed the club record finishing in a time of 16.46, an outstanding performance from . The following day in the men’s 5000m champs took the bronze medal in a very exciting and close race. Well done to for coming away with medals and

representing the club at this top level.

H ome nations 5k road race in Cardiff gained his first senior Scottish vest even though he is still an U20. He performed strongly, finishing in

14.04 taking 21sec off the club record. This effort ranked during 2024. 1st in the UK U20 Monument Mile, Stirling We had individual winners during the night with both gaining the famous yellow cap. Shettleston open graded meeting. We had a good ra￿ from￿ in the 5000m finishing in a PB of 15.25. stirling 10k road race. Another fantastic performance from￿ setting a new PB and club record in 35.06. Fast and Flat, road race, Linlithgow. We had a few noteworthy performances, especially from 14.34 which is a new Scottish U17 record. In the same race, ran 15.03 taking 49s off his PB. XC relays Western Dlstrlcts relay champs - Kllmarnock. We came away with the silver team medal in the boy s race as well as fastest time of the day Western Districts XC champs at Erskine. Our U15 boys took the silver team medal and our U17 girls took the bronze team medal. This race is also the trial or the west of Scotland team and we had ￿e1ve athletes gaining selection for the west of Scotland Team. Dumbarton XC champs. The club had a fantastic day as we just about won every age group. Took gold team medals in U13, U15, U17 boy's and U17 girls, team. We just about took a clean sweep with individual performances too from U11 to U17 boys and girfs. Rlbble Valley 10k Flnlay Ross Davle had a tremendous perfomance finishing in 29.36, a PB. In doing so he set a new club record and became the first Garscube member to go under 30mins. At the indoor GAA miler meeting in January record for the 3000m in a time of 8.31. set a new club Interdistrict XC champs. We had ￿e1ve athletes competing for the West of Scotland team. Afew individuals coming away with team medals.

Scottish team selection for

Scottish team selection for in the U23s for the British cross challenge in Leeds. This was first Scottish vest, a fine achievement for her, and a great achievement for the club to have two U23 women representing Scotland.

at the Scottish Schools indoor

Another club record, this time

track champs. 1500m in time of 3.59.

Scottish selection for

once again gaining his 2[nd] senior Scottish

vest for the Armagh 5k road race. He had a terrific performance, finishing in a time of 13.56 setting a new PB and club record. Great to see a Garscube athlete break 14mins.

Scottish XC champs at Falkirk. Another super day for the Garscube team with good numbers throughout the age groups and topped off with taking the silver medal in the U17 boys as well as finishing 4[th] in the senior men’s race. Outstanding performances from them both.

SENIOR FEMALES

It’s been a successful year for the Women’s Team. We continue to have a strong squad across all age categories and terrain; achieving a number of Regional, District, National and British individual and team medals. It has been really encouraging to see our student members competing as seniors and helping the team to win more accolades. As they train mostly with the Junior Endurance pack, the individual merits of these student members are recognised in the Junior section.

Road

National 4 Stage Road Relays – Livingston, March

Second Masters Team .

National 10 Mile Championships – Tom Scott 10 Mile Road Race, March

first W50 65:44.

West District and Dunbartonshire 10 Mile Championships – DAAA 10 Mile Road Race, March

National and Club Marathon Championships- London Marathon, April 2.'57:19 Club Champ and first w50 3:19'.30. National sk Championships- Sri Chinmoy Silverknowles 5k, May first W50 19.'08 PB. Dunbartonshire and Club 10k Championships - Dumbarton 10k, May Club Half Marathon Championships- Great Scottish Run, October Armagh 3k- February 2025 A lot of the team achieved their own personal goals and there were Personal Bests in all distances but the stand-out was Monica Blair at the London Marathon. This was her debut in the distance and it also made 2024's top 20 fastest marathons in Scotland. Track Dunbartonshire sk Track Championships, April Club sk Track Championships, June Club 1 Mile Track Championship, August

England Masters Athletics, September Cross Count West District Cross Country Relay, October National Cross Country Relay. October National Short Course, November Dunbartonshire Cross Country Championships, November West District Cross Country Championships, December Brltlsh & Irlsh Masters Cross Country Intematlonal, November Brltlsh Athletlcs Cross Challenge (Scottlsh Inter Dlstrlct Cross Country Champlonshlps), January 2025

National Masters Cross Country Championships, February 2025

National Cross Country Championships, February 2025

Ultra Running

SENIOR MALES

2024/25 was a great year for the Men’s Team, who achieved fantastic results both individually and as a team.

Road

National Half Marathon Championships - Inverness,

National 10 Mile Championships – Tom Scott 10 Mile Road Race, March,

Dunbartonshire 10 Mile Championships – DAAA 10 Mile Road Race, March

London Marathon,

National 5k Championships - Edinburgh, May,

National 10k Championships – Stirling, September

Dunbartonshire and Club 10k Championships - Dumbarton 10k, May

Club Half Marathon Championships – Great Scottish Run, October

World Masters Championship - Gothenburg,

Track

Dunbartonshire 5000m Track Championships, April

National 10,000m Track Championship

.

Club 5000m Track Championships, June

Club 1 Mile Track Championship, August

National Indoor Track Championship, January.

Cross Country

National Cross Country Relay, October

National Short Course, November

Dunbartonshire Cross Country Championships, November

West District Cross Country Championships, December

Masters XC Champs

B&I Masters XC International

National Cross Country Championships - Falkirk,

Other notable performances

4. Membership Summary

5. Future plans

6. Financial Review

Summary of state of affairs: As at 31 December 2024, the club's finances were healthy. Our assets are worth approx. £251 k and we have no material debts. At the start of 2023 we had approx. £244k so our assets have increased in value by around £7k. This increase can be explained as- Rise in value of investments held with Quilter of £11.5k. (Note that investments can rise and fall and so future values are unpredictable.) Our funds are invested for the long term (20 years+) and so the club does not need to take any action as a result of falls or increases in value from year to year. The club is in the fortunate position of being able to invest for the long term and so can ride out the peaks and troughs of the Stockmarket. Historically, money invested in stocks and shares generally produces higher retums than money in a bank savings account over the long temi. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, and the club intends to continue to invest in stocks and shares as well as holding money in National Savings and at the bank. Our expenses were £24k which were mostly covered by subscriptions of £19.5k. We used £4.5k of club reserves to cover the gap. So our assets grew by £11.5k but we spent £4.5k of our reserves on club activities which means we have £7k more than at the start of the year. Statement of receipts and payments for the 12 months ended 31 Dec 2024 Summary Income statement to 31 Dec 2024 2024 2023 Revenue 19,523 19,021 less Expendlture -24,046 -25,888 Change in value of investments 11,574 13,788 Surplus I deficit 7,051

How do we generate our income?

In 2024, income was from member subscriptions and donations. This was £19.5k.

Subscriptions are not sufficient to cover costs incurred by the club. We agreed that we would use club reserves to cover any costs not covered by subscriptions. In 2024 £4.5k of club money was required to cover our costs.

What do we spend our money on?

Our biggest outlays are normally for facilities:

Use of Garscube Estate costs £4.5k each year. This covers the meeting place, parking and bathroom/shower facilities.

Track hire costs £5k each year. We are charged £3 per member per session. We do not ask members to contribute to track fees when they attend track sessions.

Other notable expenses in 2024 (with 2023 in brackets) were:

Statement of balances as at 31 December 2024
Balance sheet at 31 Dec 2024 2024 2023
Assets
Cash and bank
Investment with Quilter 209,856 203,282
NSI investment account 16,175 16,175
Bank of Scotland current account 5,750 0
RBS current account 19,672 24,946
Total assets 251,454 244,403
less Liabilities 0 0
equals Net assets 251,454 244,403
Represented by Club funds
Balance from 1 Jan 2024 244,403 237,484
Surplus for the year 7,051 6,920
Balance at end of year - 31 Dec 2024 251,456 244,403

Club Investments

The club is in the fortunate position of holding significant investments and cash of around £251k.

  1. Investment with Quilter (a Wealth Management company formerly called Old Mutual Wealth) of £209k. In 2015 we sold property which had been bequeathed to the club and invested the £200k sale proceeds with Quilter in a portfolio of stocks and shares. Club funds are invested in well diversified, multi asset funds which means we have spread our funds across different investment types. This approach offers us long term growth opportunities within our risk appetite. While this provides us with some protection against market ups and downs of any particular asset class and is consistent with taking a long term view, it still means we are exposed in situations where all asset classes suffer falls. As we do not need to access our funds in the near term, we can afford to take a long term view and so we plan to continue to remain invested in funds which invest in the stock market. The club has an Independent Financial Adviser - from the firm WJM - who is authorised to invest the portfolio on behalf of the club.

  2. Investment with NSI of £16k. This money is not impacted by Stockmarket volatility and carries no capital risk (as National Savings are backed by the state).

  3. Bank account with RBS . This fluctuates over the year depending on timings of money in (eg subscriptions) and money out (eg race entry fees, fees to Glasgow University etc). We had around £20k in the account at the end of 2024.

  4. Bank account with Bank of Scotland in 2024 we opened an online account with Bank Of Scotland. This allows us to make payments direct to other bank accounts rather than writing cheques. We intend closing the RBS account and using the Bank of Scotland account as our sole bank account.

Change to the Investment Policy

The trustees invest club funds in line with our risk appetite and also our sustainability appetite. The aim being to ensure investments we make are aligned to our views on how much risk we are willing to take and our views on sustainability (often termed Environmental, Social and Governance).

In 2023, to reflect our sustainability objectives, our IFA recommended that we switched our investments to a fund called ‘Quilter WealthSelect Responsible Active 5 portfolio’. We did not alter our risk profile, but moved to a fund which actively manages the portfolio’s Environmental, Social and Governance risks.

In January 2024 the IFA recommended that we switch our fund to ‘Quilter WealthSelect Responsible Active 6 portfolio’. The purpose of this switch was to ensure our investment portfolio remained aligned to our risk profile and our capacity for loss. The Trustees agreed with this recommendation and our IFA switched the funds accordingly.

No changes to our investments are expected in 2025.

7. Subscriptions

The trustees recommend that subscriptions do not change in 2025.

8. Notes to the accounts

9. 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 to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) if the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 4 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 have not been met, or

  2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Name:

Date: 27 June 2025

Relevant professional body: Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland

Address:

Presented on behalf of the Board of Trustees

Treasurer

Date: 30 June 2025

10. Timescales for submission to OSCR

The report and accounts must be submitted to OSCR within 9 months of the club year end. i.e. by 30 September 2025.