Scolty Tower Trust - Minutes of AGM and Meeting held on 22 April 2025
Location: Strachan Village Hall
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1, Conflicts of Interest
is owner of the tower. No new potential conflicts of interest were identified.
2. Minutes of Previous Meeting
Minutes of the last meeting on 30 October 2023 were proposed by
nd seconded
3. Trust Organisation / Constitution / Trustees
The “Scolty Tower Management Committee” otherwise known as the Scolty Tower Trust, is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) with number SC052914. has previously
circulated a list of Trustee responsibilities. OSCR also requires a Code of Conduct for Trustees and ill issue one to all Trustees.
aintains a register of trustees with addresses and contact details. This register has to be available to the public if requested but addresses and contact details will be withheld. also holds the signed Trustee Registration forms for all Trustees.
who was involved with initial meetings, is currently not a Trustee and none of the Trustees currently has contact with him.
4. AGM items.
The report by the Chair on activities as required by the Constitution could not be made as the Chair has recently resigned. The main Trust activities in the last year have been sourcing historical records and making a visual inspection of the tower.
Future strategy for the coming year is to carry out repairs to the stair structure and develop the website.
A review of key risks and opportunities did not identify any immediate risks to the tower or the public users. The repairs to the tower stair were discussed but were not considered to be urgent.
5. Treasurer’s Report
The trust has £3,845 in its bank account with the Royal Bank of Scotland. The account is online and, a has resigned, currently ha as the sole signatory.
Income this year has been £59.40 made up of bank account interest payments.
The only expenditure this year has been reimbursement of payment f £665.92 for this year’s 3[rd] party liability insurance for the tower and surrounding area.
6. New Trustees / Members
was unanimously voted in as a Trustee and Chair of the Committee will arrange to make him a signatory to the trust bank account.
7. Funds and Fund Raising
Fund raising has previously been by local Treasure Hunts organised in Banchory and the cash box at the foot of the tower. will check the cash box.
a. apply for financial support from the Midhill windfarm fund run by the Community Council. | apply to Marr Area Committee for a budget grant.
An electronic donations system will be set up along with the website.
8. Structure Inspection and Maintenance
Repair work is required on loose stair brackets and welding to rectify top deck handrail corrosion
to discuss stair repairs, potential stonework repair, associated costs and motorised access to the tower with McCombie Builders at a site visit on 28" April.
An annual inspection and maintenance record is to be set up.
It is not known if any 3" party structural inspection/surveys are required by statutory bodies (e.g. Aberdeenshire Council, Historic Scotland).
It is not clear if any bodies should be notified of any changes or modifications to the tower or if any regulatory permissions are required. Previous communications with Kincardineshire Council and associated records have been lost after local government reorganisation.
9. Website for Tower / Publicity / Signage
A website with information and a donations system using a QR code for access will be set up. This should work as the tower area has good mobile reception.
A charity hosting site for the donations system with a monthly transfer of funds to the Tower account has been proposed. will be the custodian of this system.
Alba Strachan has agreed to develop the website and digitise available information and pictures at an estimated cost of £2,300 plus an initial fee of around £70 to register the Tower domain name for 10 years. These costs were approved emote a transfer information he has received from Garry.
The website should be launched with as much local publicity as possible (Deeside Piper, social media, etc)
An interactive Facebook page has been proposed, with links to the website. Some Trustees will have to act as administrators for approving posts.
An aluminium sign with the QR code will be put up at the tower. A second sign at the car park is to be investigated with FLS.
10. Budget
A budget will be required covering running costs with estimated Annual Maintenance costs, Insurance costs, IT costs, etc. when these have been clarified.
11. OSCR Report
| prepared the report section of the yearly OSCR return. Emma will submit this and approved accounts.
- Other Issues
a .: circulated a formal risk assessment for visitors to the tower and a policy and procedure for tower closure in case of bad weather/work on the structure/etc for comments. These will be loaded on to the website along with the HSE Policy.
A location for storage of tower records will be required (Banchory Heritage Society / Rotary / etc)
has contacted Banchory Paths who clarified that they have no responsibility for paths to the tower although they have previously worked on the paths and associated signs.
The Queen’s Jubilee sign will be installed in the tower during tower repair/maintenance works.
13. Next Meeting
Next meeting will be organised following on from the site visit with McCombie Builders.
Quarterly meetings were agreed. Dates to be set at each meeting.
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Scolty Trust
| report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 318t of March 2025 which are set out on pages 1.
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 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 | 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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e tokeep accounting records in accordance with Section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations
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e to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 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.
-ay “
Scotly Trust
Year ended 31 March 2025
Statementof receipts& payments.
| Receipts - Bankinterest | 59.41 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payments - Insurance | (665.92) | |||||||||
| Deficitfortheyear | (606.51) | |||||||||
| Bank summary | ||||||||||
| DATE | IN | OUT | ACCOUNT | TOTAL | NOTES | |||||
| 29/03/2024 | £4,451.70 | |||||||||
| 30/04/2024 | £5.84 | Interest | £4.457.54 | |||||||
| 31/05/2024 | £5.49 | Interest | £4,463.03 | |||||||
| 28/06/2024 | £4.96 | a | Interest | £4,467,99 | ||||||
| 31/07/2024 | £5.86 | Interest | , | £4,473,85 | — | 7 | ||||
| 30/08/2024 | £5.33 | Interest | £4,479.18 | |||||||
| 30/09/2024 | £5.52 | Interest | £4,484.70 | 7 | ||||||
| 31/10/2024 13/11/2024 |
£5.34 | £635.64 | Interest Insurance |
£4,490.04 £3,854.40 |
~ TransferredtoFf insurancepolicy holder |
|||||
| 29/11/2024 | £4.44 | interest | £3,858.84 | ee | ||||||
| TransferredYT | ||||||||||
| amendment | to amount required | |||||||||
| 16/12/2024 | £30.28 | Insurance | £3,828.56 | forinsurance policy | renewal | |||||
| 31/12/2024 | £4.55 | Interest | £3,833.11 | |||||||
| 31/01/2025 | £4.32 | Interest | £3,837.43 | ; | ||||||
| 28/02/2025 | £3.68 | Interest | — | £3,841.11 | OS | a | ||||
| 31/03/2025 | £4.08 | Interest | £3,845,19 | - | . | |||||
| 31/03/2025. | ~~ | £3,845.19 | Closingbank | balance |
Bank summary
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