2025-03-31-accounts - Friends of Lochore Meadows (SCIO)

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Charity Number: SC052542

Friends of Lochore Meadows

Report of the Trustees and Independently Examined Financial Statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2025

Friends of Lochore Meadows Report of the Trustees Year ended 31[st] March 2025

During the year, a group of eleven committee members actively participated in the running of Friends of Lochore Meadows, including three office bearers.

Financial Review

The bank balance as at 31[st] March 2025 was £10,510.73.

Funding Sources

Friends of Lochore Meadows operates solely on grants and donations. During the year, grants were received from Fife Council (£19,067) and SLCF (£50,000). Donations came from Dunfermline Bothwell (£556).

Reference and Administration Information

Name of Group Friends of Lochore Meadows Charity Registration Number SC052542 Principal Address 82 Bath Street Kelty Fife KY4 0AG

Trustees

The Trustees of the charity are:

Independent Examiner :

Structure, Governance and Management

Friends of Lochore Meadows is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO), incorporated on 16[th] May 2023 (Charity Number SC052542).

All Trustees are unpaid volunteers.

Members

Although the Trustees are the only members of the charity, others are invited to meetings to provide a wider, or specialist, perspective and to help build partnerships in the community and beyond.

Regular attendees at meetings during the year were

Office Bearers

The Office Bearers for 2024-25 were:

FCMA

Sub-Group

During the year, the charity established a Heritage sub-group to lead on projects within the park that specifically relate to historic assets.

Members of other local, relevant groups that surround the park were invited to join the Heritage sub-group. The members who accepted are from the Benarty Heritage Preservation Group ( ) and the Save the Cage group ). Other members of the sub-group were the Chair ), Minute Secretary ( ) and all Trustees.

Objective

Friends of Lochore Meadows has been established to advance citizenship and/or community development (including the promotion of civic responsibility, volunteering, and the voluntary sector) by supporting the development of Lochore Meadows Country Park, referred hereafter as LMCP, for the benefit of the community.

Purposes

In furtherance of the Objective, the group’s purposes are to:

advance environmental protection and/or improvement within LMCP through supporting the maintenance, conservation and/or improvement of the facility.
advance heritage, particularly among users of LMCP, including increasing public knowledge of the history of LMCP; supporting the preservation and improvement for the benefit of the general public, the historical, architectural or constructional heritage that may exist within LMCP in buildings (including any structure or erection and any part of a building as so defined) of particular beauty or historical, architectural or constructional interest.
Support the provision of recreational facilities and activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for all members of the public who wish to use LMCP.
Do all such other lawful things as appear to the Committee of Trustees to be necessary or desirable in pursuance of these objects.

Achievements during 2024-25

Shared Prosperity Projects

The majority of the projects undertaken during the year were funded from the Shared Prosperity budget. These included:

Improvements to the Fairy Wood
➢ Installation of educational finger boards
➢ Installation of educational finger mazes
➢ Installation of a new boardwalk
Repair and Resurfacing of paths within the park
Upgrade and expansion of the tree nursery
Planting thousands of daffodil, crocus and other bulbs within the park
New fencing installed outside the Willie Clarke Centre

Landscaping at the entrance to the Willie Clarke Centre, including new steps leading to the door, made from re-claimed stonework, with one of the steps inscribed with the date of the opening of the
Moving the miners’ memorial stone to the newly landscaped area so that it is better seen by visitors.

Planters

The charity also provided and stocked planters outside the Willie Clarke Centre to improve biodiversity in the park and to improve the aesthetics at the entrance to, as well as the loch-side, of the building. The planters were funded from a donation from Dunfermline Bothwell and from Heartlands of Fife.

Trees

A successful bid was made to “I Dig Trees” for a donation of 900 trees and supporting canes etc, through The Conservation Volunteers organisation.

Café Furniture

New seating was purchased for the café area in the Willie Clarke Centre, which was funded from the Local Community Planning budget.

Warm Welcome Project

As reported in last year’s Annual Report and accounts, the charity introduced a Warm Welcome project during the winter months. This was part of a Fife-wide initiative to help people manage their increasing domestic fuel bills, funded by a grant from Fife Council.

This funding was not fully spent, so permission was granted to carry the remaining funds forward to 202425 to be used for a similar purpose.

This project was so successful last year, that the group that started to meet, has continued to meet during 2024-25 to take part in outdoor activity sessions, mainly walking.

Friends of Lochore Meadows Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees for the year ended 31[st] March 2025

I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2025 which are set out on pages 6 to 9.

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)(a) to (c) of the 2006 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 2006 Accounts Regulations. 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:
➢ to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1)(a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations; or
➢ to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations

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.

Friends of Lochore Meadows

Statement of Financial Activities for the year 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025

	2024-25
Restricted £ £ 0 19,067.00 50,000.00 556.00 69,623.00 50,000.00 910.00 18,705.00 8.00 69,623.00 0 0 0	Unrestricted £ 0 0 0 0 1,048.79 1,048.79

50,000.00 910.00 18,705.00 8.00		69,623.00 69,623.00

			0 1,048.79 1,048.79

Friends of Lochore Meadows

Statement of Financial Position for the year 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025

		2024-25	2024-25			2023-24	Note
		Restricted	Unrestricted		Total
	£	£		£	£	£
Current Assets
Cash at Bank		9,461.94	1,048.79		10,510.73	7,094.03	9
Current Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts Falling
Due Within One Year	8,415.70					4,999.00	10
Creditors: Amounts Falling
Due More Than One Year	1,046.24					1,046.24	11
Total Current Liabilities		9,461.94		0	9,461.94	6,045.24
Net Assets Less Current
Liabilities		0	1,048.79		1,048.79	1,048.79
The Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted Funds					1,048.79	1,048.79

Notes to the Accounts

1. Statement of Accounting Policies

a) Basis of Accounting

The accounts follow the accruals concept of accounting.

b) Fixed Assets and Depreciation

The charity holds no fixed assets, therefore depreciation does not arise. Any equipment purchased by the charity is charged to the income and expenditure account in the year of acquisition.

c) Stocks

The charity holds no stocks.

d) Income

Income is accounted for on a receivable basis.

e) Pensions and Other Staff Related Costs

The charity is run entirely by volunteers, therefore no pension or other staff related costs are incurred.

f) Leases

The charity does not hold operating or financial leases, therefore no leasing, capital or depreciation charges apply. With the permission of Fife Council, the charity meets in the Willie Clarke Centre, situated in the Lochore Meadows Country Park, therefore no property needs to be leased.

2. Funds

Restricted funds come from grants and donations that have been received for a specific purpose and can only be used for that purpose. Unrestricted funding is from grants and donations received that can be used at the Trustees’ discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.

3. Fife Council Grants

Three grants, totalling £19,067 were received from Fife Council during the year from their Shared Prosperity Fund. These grants were used to fund various projects within the park, including improvements to the Fairy Wood; repair and resurfacing of pathways; upgrades to the tree nursery, new fencing; landscaping and the planting of thousands of bulbs within the park.

4. SLCF Grant

The grant of £50,000 from SLCF was used as a contribution to the cost of the new, inclusive play park. Although the play park was opened at Easter 2024, negotiations on the transfer of funds had not been completed – and were not concluded until August 2024 - therefore the amount could not be included in last year’s accounts. References to the play park were, however, included in last year’s accounts.

5. Dunfermline Bothwell Grant

A grant of £556 was received from Dunfermline Bothwell during the year. This was used to fund new planters outside the Willie Clarke Centre.

6. New Play Park

The grant received for the new play park was paid over to Fife Council in October 2024 as a contribution to the cost of the equipment.

7. Warm Welcome Project

£910 was spent on the on-going Warm Welcome project, where a group meets every week to take part in outdoor activities, mainly walking.

8. Shared Prosperity Projects

£18,705 was spent during the year on the projects given at note 3.

9. Cash at Bank

At the end of the year, the charity held £10,510.73 in the bank. The majority of this balance was Restricted Funds (£9,461.94), with Unrestricted Funds being £1,048.79.

10. Creditors Less Than One Year

Creditors less than 1 year old (£8,415.70) relates to money owing to Lochore Meadows Country Park in respect of Shared Prosperity projects.

11. Creditors More Than One Year

Creditors greater than 1 year old (£1,046.24) relates to a donation received, following fundraising by a local schoolboy, to contribute to the repair and refurbishment of the Pit Pug. The Pug is currently being restored off-site by a local company (Smeatons) and the funds are expected to be paid over during the 2025-26 financial year.