Highland Pride
Trustees Report and Receipts and Payments Account
For the year ended
31 October 2025
Registered Charity Number SC050189
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Highland Pride Year-end 31 October 2025 SC050189
Trustees’ Annual Report
For the year ending 31 October 2025
The Trustees present their report and independently examined financial statement for the year ended 31 October 2025.
References and administrative details of the Charity and its Trustees
Address
28 Queensgate Inverness IV1 1DJ
Charity Number . SC050189
Trustees
Highland Pride Trustees 01/11/2024 – 31/10/2025
| Name | Position | Elected | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Allison | Chair | 11/10/2023 | |
| Neil Sykes | Treasurer | 11/10/2023 | |
| Roz White | Secretary | 12/05/2021 | |
| Rosemary Roscrow | Trustee | 28/05/2020 | |
| Tim Schroder | Trustee | 28/05/2020 | |
| Danelle Wood | Trustee | 01/09/2022 | |
| Gavin Hosie | Trustee | 13/03/2024 | |
| Nadia Fyvie-Feldmann | Trustee | 21/01/2025 | |
| Beth Mackenzie | Trustee | 07/06/2025 | |
| Vicky Walker | Trustee | 28/11/2025 | |
| Caitlin Forbes | Trustee | 13/03/2024 | 23/11/2024 |
| Sand Owsnett | Chair | 28/05/2020 | 23/11/2024 |
Trustee annual report Cont.
Independent Examiner
Ann Traill ACIE
Bunnahabhain Nethy Bridge PH25 3DW
Structure and Governance
Highland Pride is a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
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Highland Pride Year-end 31 October 2025 SC050189
Risk Management
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
Purpose (also known as objectives)
Aim to facilitate the preservation, protection, promotion and advancement of the mental health, physical health, and social welfare of the LGBT+ community in the Highlands by:
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Facilitating social events to help address social and geographical isolation faced by the LGBT+ community.
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Providing signposting for advice and support for the LGBT+ community available locally and nationally (e.g., information on health and other services) and provide a link with agencies working on LGBT+ issues and initiatives.
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Promoting fair and equal treatment for the LGBT+ community by challenging the stigma, discrimination, and anti-LGBT+ attitudes and behaviours experienced at both a community and a personal level, either indirectly or directly.
This year we decided to have a revamp of our strategy and make the workstreams simpler to understand. Here is a visual representation of it.
Achievements and Performance – A report from Simon Allison, Chair.
It is not possible to be Chair, without having a board of Trustees to chair. I would like to open my report with heartfelt thanks for the hard work, patience, guidance, and generosity of the board; Rosemary Roscrow, Roz White, Tim Schroder, Gavin Hosie, Danielle Wood, Neil Sykes, and our more recent joiners; Nadia Fyvie-Feldman, and Beth Mackenzie. You give your time, your experience, and commitment in support of our charitable purpose – and you make a difference for the LGBTQ+ community in the Highlands.
Our occasional volunteers, organised by Roz, never fail to amaze giving up their time meaningfully when needed – my thanks go to them also.
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Highland Pride Year-end 31 October 2025 SC050189
Trustee annual report Cont.
Reflections as Chair
I began my tenure as Chair following Sand Owsnett’s resignation, they provided me with an excellent handover. I am delighted that Rosemary, after standing down from her role as Treasurer has remained as committed and involved as she has, not only supporting Neil as our new Treasurer, but acting as a connection to our history as a charity and someone to remind us of our responsibilities both to OSCR and to our community.
A review of 2025
2025 has really stood out for me as a far more difficult year for the LGBTQ+ charity sector. With coordinated legislative attacks on the Trans community, and the UK government failing the LGBTQ+ community as a whole – real people are being impacted, particularly in the more rural areas we represent. It is getting tougher to fundraise – this is partly political and partly financial (being connected to everyone feeling the cost-of-living crunch) even businesses have less money to share given increased levies.
The struggles are real; Pride in Moray did not receive funding for their Pride event and had to scale back (which they did commendably well), we got half what we asked for from Awards for All (£5K in total), and sadly for financial reasons Grampian and Manchester Pride are no more. This backdrop highlights the good sense in our strategy and the choices we made in 2025, which include…
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LGBTQ+ history month (online)
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IDAHOBIT participation (coordinated by Stirling Pride)
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Our decision to stay at Eden Court and stage the Pride Parade and Party on the same day
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Steampunk Shenanigans & Voice of Pride literary event at Eastgate Shopping Centre
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Bid for, design, and deliver the PEEP project with LEAP Sports Scotland
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Attending Fresher’s fairs in Inverness, Skye and ….
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New collaborations with NHS Highland e.g. LGBTQ+ health screening groups
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A new educational connection via Danielle Wood with Rosemary Roscrow sharing lived experience for the betterment of training nurses
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Trans Day of Remembrance Vigil at Eden Court
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And our upcoming planned events “Winter Pride Ceilidh” with LEAP and “Carols with Pride” with Inverness Cathedral
Reasons to celebrate 2025
If the above achievements weren’t enough, we met 3 new Trustees: Beth Mckenzie, Nadia Fyvie Feldman, and Vicky Walker – who joins us today.
We had 4 returning local business sponsors (LifeScan, Xoko, TMM, and Parklands care homes) and 3 new local businesses too (Mary MacFarlane Financial Planning, Macleod Roofing Ltd and M&H Carriers) 3 of those sponsors have committed to sponsorship again in 2026.
We delivered a great Pride Parade and party - both without incident, and with considerable praise.
We have had some difficult conversations as a board, and we have used our Purpose, Vision and Mission to navigate those. We have achieved most of what we set out to do, and we have a plan for the rest.
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Highland Pride Year-end 31 October 2025 SC050189
Trustee annual report Cont.
Looking ahead to 2026
We are going to build on our success. We will start with what works for us, and continue our partnerships with Highland News Media, Inverness BID, and Eden Court. 2026 is the year to focus on allyship and making it easier for allies to step forward and participate in the work we do. I do not have a fully formed plan for how we will do this – but I am certain Highland Pride SCIO is well placed to take the first steps.
We must fundraise. We will stay connected to local business and additionally maintain and encourage new connections like Inverness cathedral.
Financial Review
All donations, sponsorships, grant funds, and expenditure are now solely done from the Highland Pride SCIO bank account. The year had an opening balance of £7591.88 and closed at £3919.78
Restricted Funds
We continue to hold a reserved fund of £300.63 donated by a sponsor for use by the Inverness Kiki Family. At the start of 2024/25 the fund balance was £300.63 and it is also how it finished. One other restricted fund was moved to unrestricted with permission from the donor - Dounreay.
Reserves Policy
To ensure the group’s survival they aim to hold reserves amounting to a minimum of three months’ running costs. Once the bank balance from the Highland LGBT Forum is transferred, this will be met.
This Trustees annual report was approved on behalf of the board by:
Print name – Neil Sykes
Signed -
Date – 27[th] July 2026
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Highland Pride Year-end 31 October 2025 SC050189
Statement of Financial Activity for the year ended 31 October 2025
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund | Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total |
| Receipts | ||||
| Grants – Clan Alchemy | £1500 | |||
| Grants – Arnold Clark (Kiki Family) | £170 | |||
| Grants – Awards for all | £5000 | £5000 | £6500 | |
| Grants – Nuclear Restoration 2024 | £1000 | |||
| Donations & Fund raising | £467 | £467 | £3411 | |
| Sponsorship | £4250 | £4250 | £3500 | |
| Other | £1195 | £1195 | £318 | |
| Totals | £10912 | £0 | £10912 | £16249 |
| Payments | ||||
| Pride Event | £12462 | £12462 | £7532 | |
| Kiki Family | £540 | |||
| Storage Unit Rent | £840 | £840 | £975 | |
| Governance & Accounting | £613 | £613 | £165 | |
| IT Maintenance & Equipment | £216 | £216 | £350 | |
| Marketing and advertising | £454 | £454 | ||
| Totals | £14585 | £0 | £14585 | £9562 |
| Agreed fund transfer | ||||
| Surplus/Deficit | -£3673 | £0 | -£3673 |
£6687 |
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Highland Pride Year-end 31 October 2025 SC050189
Statement of balances as at 31 October 2025
| Statement of balances as at 31 | October 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |
| Opening balance | £7292 | £301 | £7593 | £960 |
| Surplus/Deficit for the year | -£3673 | £0 | -£3673 | £6687 |
| Closing Balance | £3619 | £301 | £3920 | £7593 |
| Assets | ||||
| None | ||||
| Liabilities | ||||
| Independent Examination | £175.00 |
These accounts were approved by the trustees on 27[th] July 2026
and signed on their behalf by – Neil Sykes, Treasurer
Signed -
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Highland Pride Year-end 31 October 2025 SC050189
Independent Examiners Report
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] October 2025 set out on pages 6 & 7
Respective responsibilities of trustee 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. The charity trustees considered that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (a) to (c) of the Accounting 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. 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 any 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 section44(1) of the 2005 Act and regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and
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To prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounting Regulations have not been met.
Signed Date 27[th] July 2026
Ann Traill LCIE
ACIE Licentiate (receipt and Payment) member
Voluntary Action in Badenoch and Strathspey
The Town House The Square Grantown-on-Spey PH26 3HF
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