Finance

Annual Report & Accounts - 2022

The Trust’s activity in 2022 was at a similar level to 2021. The Trustees met six times during the year. We engaged closely with the countryside ranger service and progressed a range of projects in accordance with our business plan. The charity now has 201 registered volunteer members.

We obtained further external funding and donations of £2,360 in the year, which was offset by £2,220 spending on path warden tools and on equipment for the volunteer base at Aberlady. We had surplus funds of £4,212 at the year-end, of which £1,485 was earmarked by the Trustees for future spending on path warden activities and a further £824 for spending on a botanic survey of North Berwick marsh.

See the full report here

Annual Report & Accounts - 2021

Meetings:

The Trust’s activity in 2021 was at a higher level than in the previous year. The Trustees met six times during the year and completed the first review of the business plan since inception in 2017. We engaged closely with the countryside ranger service resulting in a simpler, more project-focused plan in July 2021. The AGM was held after the year end in June 2022 and was attended by six Trustees and 16 other members. The charity now has 182 registered volunteer members.

Finance:

We obtained further external funding and private donations mainly for the new volunteer base at Aberlady Local Nature Reserve. We purchased additional path warden tools and completed a further year’s work on our project to eradicate invasive plants in the River Tyne catchment.

The charity had a surplus £4,072 at the year-end, of which £1,700 was expected to be spent on completing the Aberlady volunteer base and £1,485 is reserved by the Trustees for future spending on Path Warden activities.

See the full report here

Annual Report & Accounts - 2020

Meetings:

Because of Covid and the lockdown, the Trust’s activity in 2020 was much lower than in previous years. There was only one meeting, but we did finally hold the AGM early in 2021, and online which meant we could achieve a quorum! Dave Oldham, who has led ELCV since its inception in 2017, stepped own as Chairman & trustee- he will be greatly missed. Dick Gill is now the Chair as well as Treasurer. Two new Trustees were also elected. The charity now has 145 registered volunteers members.

Finance:

We obtained external funding for the new volunteer base at Aberlady Local Nature Reserve and for the purchase of additional tools for path warden work. The converted container providing the new Aberlady volunteer base was purchased and installed on site in September 2020.

The charity has a surplus £4,410 at the year-end, of which we accumulated £2,169 during our previous existence as a charity exclusively concerned with Path Warden activities. Accordingly, £2,169 is reserved by the Trustees to be spent on similar activities in the future.

See the full report here

Annual Report & Accounts - 2018

For 2018, as in previous years, volunteers contributed thousands of hours of countryside conservation and maintenance work through the established network of local groups that work in partnership with the East Lothian Council ranger service.

In addition during the year we secured funding for the following projects:

major improvements to the footpath alongside the A6137 running North-South between Haddington outskirts and Alderston Mains (outturn cost £8,987)
relocate a colony of Grayling butterflies from the soon-to-be-redeveloped former opencast mine at Blindwells near Tranent to a newly created and sustainable site at Levenhall Links (£1,000 costs)

Overall receipts in the year (mainly grant income) were £10,075 while expenses (the projects above) were £9,897 resulting in a small surplus for the year, £178. Our accumulated balance at 31 December 2018 was £2,482.

Full information is in our statutory annual accounts and report package here.