KCBF Chair’s Report 2025
Period: 1[st] Jan 2025 – 31[st] December 2025
Contact Information :
Kinlochleven Community Benefit Fund SCIO
Scottish Charity No. SC049946
Address: 21 Lovat Road, Kinlochleven PH50 4RQ
Email address: info@kcbf.co.uk
Trustees:
Matthew Prosser, Secretary (Co-opted 10.03.26)
Debby Taylor (Co-opted 10.03.26)
Tara Livornese (Elected at AGM 28.08.25)
Colin Thomson, Treasurer (Elected at AGM 25.09.24)
Laura Henshall, Former Secretary (Elected at AGM 25.09.24, standing down at 2026 AGM)
Duncan Fairbrother, Chair (Elected at AGM 25.09.24, standing down at 2026 AGM)
Andy Cooper, KCC representative (Elected October 2024) - KCC currently in abeyance as of April 2026
Lisa MacCorquodale & Lucas Livornese, KHS representatives (Elected October 2024, stood down in July 2025)
Catriona Spence (Stood down April 2025)
Yvonne Rosie (Stood down March 2025)
Hamish MacPherson (Stood down March 2025)
Charity Objectives and Activities:
The KCBF is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
KBCF helps the residents of Kinlochleven by working with groups and organisations to achieve the following:
The advancement of education, the advancement of health, the advancement of citizenship or community development, the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science, the advancement of public participation in sport, the provision of recreational facilities, or the organisation of recreational activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities or activities are primarily intended, the advancement of environmental protection or improvement, the relief of those in need by reason of age, ill health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.
2025 Overview
Board and Management Updates
The AGM was held in August 2025. All trustees were in attendance. Tara Livornese was elected as a new trustee..
The two representatives from Kinlochleven High School Lucas Livornese and Lisa MacCorquodale stood down at the end of the 2024/25 academic year. KHS has been approached to offer the role to new pupils for 2025/6.
Yvonne Rosie, Hamish MacPherson and Catriona Spence stood down from their positions as trustees in March/April 2025 after several years in office.
Throughout 2025 the trustees worked closely with the Voluntary Action Lochaber team to update the organisation’s policies, guidance for applicants, improve the application form / make it available online and amend the scoring matrix used when considering applications.
The KCBF website (www.kcbf.co.uk) was launched in Autumn 2025 which hosts the application form, guidance for applicants and membership/trustee application forms, as well as publishes dates for upcoming applications and minutes of all meetings. Google Drive is now used for all the Fund’s files and for storing applications, to make operations more streamlined and secure. The fund also now has email addresses for chair, treasurer and secretary and two laptops were purchased for the office bearers.
2025 Funding Rounds
There were three funding rounds in 2025 (February, June and October). A total of 22 applications were received over the three rounds, of which 17 were approved, as detailed in the table below.
2025 Summary of Grants Awarded
| Round | Applicant | Description | Granted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2025 | Island Park | Primary Football | £442.39 |
| Feb 2025 | Liine Dancers | Insurance | £94.10 |
| Feb 2025 | Kinlochleven High School | Gardening Club | £464.49 |
| Feb 2025 | Leven Centre | Gym Equipment | £4,539.75 |
| Feb 2025 | Island Park | Gala | £4,645.23 |
| Feb 2025 | Ewen's Room | Wellbeing Sessions | £5,000.00 |
| Feb 2025 | Kinlochleven High School | School trips | £5,412.00 |
| Feb 2025 | Kinlochleven Primary School | School trips | £3,425.60 |
| Feb 2025 | Kinlochleven & District Motorcycle Club |
Trials Equipment | £5,789.06 |
| Feb 2025 | Christmas Lights | Christmas Tree | £20,237.00 |
| Feb Funding Round Total | £50,049.62 | ||
| June 2025 | South Lochaber Bowmen | Equipment | £710.83 |
| June 2025 | Island park | Fireworks | £3,104.79 |
| June 2025 | Kinlochlovin | Youth sessions | £2,752.00 |
| June 2025 | Line Dancers | Hall rental | £720.20 |
| Jun Funding Round Total | £7,287.82 | ||
| Oct 2025 | Colin Thomson | Pool table | £1,647.00 |
| Oct 2025 | Lucky2BeHere | Defib | £700.00 |
| Oct 2025 | Community Garden | Garden supplies | £554.30 |
| Oct 2025 | Nick Wright | Place Plan | £188.80 |
| Oct Funding Round Total | £3,090.10 | ||
| 2025 Total | £60,427.54 |
2025 Finance Overview
The total awarded in 2025 was £60,427.54, well in excess of the amount received in grants from Green Highland Energy which in 2025 totalled £48,437.82. At the end of 2025, there was, however, still a large amount of funds available as shown in the financial overview below.
The rows highlighted in yellow are the operating and capital costs for the fund. Costs for the website hosting, domain name and email hosting will be reimbursed in 2026 but total less than £300 for 3 years subscription. This is therefore significantly lower than the £2,000 budget agreed at the 2024 AGM for the fund’s operating costs.
Note that a £15,000 grant awarded to Point Five in 2024 has not yet been paid as this is conditional on the lease for the former Ice Factor building being signed, which is expected to happen within the next 12 months.
1st Jan-31st Dec 2025 Finance Overview
| 1-Jan-2025 | Opening balance | £108,097.71 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total In | £48,437.82 | ||||
| Total Out | £60,739.03 | ||||
| 31-Dec-2025 | Closing balance | £95,796.50 | |||
| Date | To/from | In | Out | Balance | |
| 1-Apr-2025 | Island Park | Primary Football | £442.39 | £107,655.32 | |
| 1-Apr-2025 | Liine Dancers | Insurance | £94.10 | £107,561.22 | |
| 1-Apr-2025 | Kinlochleven High School | Gardening Club | £464.49 | £107,096.73 | |
| 1-Apr-2025 | Leven Centre | Gym Equipment | £4,539.75 | £102,556.98 | |
| 1-Apr-2025 | Island Park | Gala | £4,645.23 | £97,911.75 |
|
| 1-Apr-2025 | Ewen's Room | Wellbeing Sessions | £5,000.00 | £92,911.75 |
|
| 1-Apr-2025 | Kinlochleven High School | School trips | £5,412.00 | £87,499.75 |
|
| 28-Apr-2025 | Kinlochleven Primary School | School trips | £3,425.60 | £84,074.15 |
|
| 28-Apr-2025 | Kinlochleven & District Motorcycle Club |
Trials Equipment | £5,789.06 | £78,285.09 |
|
| 28-Apr-2025 | Christmas Lights | Christmas Tree | £20,237.00 | £58,048.09 |
|
| 14-Jul-2025 | South Lochaber Bow | Equipment | £710.83 | £57,337.26 |
|
| 14-Jul-2025 | Colin Thomson |
Laptops | £161.49 | £57,175.77 |
|
| 26-Aug-2025 | Island park | Fireworks | £3,104.79 | £54,070.98 |
|
| 26-Aug-2025 | Kinlochlovin | Youth sessions | £2,752.00 | £51,318.98 |
|
| 26-Aug-2025 | Line Dancers | Hall rental | £720.20 | £50,598.78 |
|
| 26-Aug-2025 | Lochaber Hydro | Hydro scheme | £13,549.50 | £64,148.28 | |
| 22-Sep-2025 | VAL |
Audit | £150.00 | £63,998.28 |
|
| 19-Nov-2025 | Colin Thomson | Pool table | £1,647.00 | £62,351.28 |
|
| 19-Nov-2025 | Lucky2BeHere | Defib | £700.00 | £61,651.28 |
|
| 19-Nov-2025 | Community Garden - Penny | Garden supplies | £554.30 | £61,096.98 |
| 19-Nov-2025 | Nick Wright | Place plan | £188.80 | £60,908.18 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-Nov-2025 | Lochaber Hydro | Hydro scheme | £34,888.32 | £95,796.50 |
Objectives for 2026
The full report of 2026 funding and other activity will be given in the 2026 Trustees’ Report, but below is a summary of the 2026 objectives and progress to date (April 2026).
| Objective | Progress |
| Distribute funding in 3 funding rounds throughout the year | Funding rounds in February complete. Funding rounds for June and October scheduled. |
| System for supporting applicants with applications to reduce errors and requests for more information by trustees. |
Proposed and approved March 2026. To be implemented by end of 2026 |
| Grant agreements and monitoring process to be introduced | Drafted March 2026, to be implemented from June 2026 funding round |
| Appoint new trustees to bring the total back to 6 following resignations in April 2026 |
Two new trustees co-opted in March 2026 with interest from several others, some of whom attended the March meeting and we hope will join in future. |
Chair’s Declaration
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
Name: Duncan Fairbrother
Position: Chair
Date: 03/04/2026