Annual Reports

Annual Report & Accounts - 2025

Activity
ELCV now has 228 registered volunteer members. Our activity in 2025 was much the same as in 2024, although we were disappointed when a major grant application fell short. The Trustees met six times during the year and we worked closely with the countryside ranger service, whose help we gratefully acknowledge. The AGM was held on 25 October 2025, where two new trustees joined, and a third was co-opted in January 2026. Our new trustees are already playing an active part in driving the charity forward.

Over the year, volunteers gave around 8,000 hours to countryside maintenance and conservation, through our 8 local groups and the monthly checks by individual path wardens. You can see the full range of activities on this website here.

Highlights of the year

- - Volunteers collected Typha seedheads at Aberlady and North Berwick Law marsh, raising £499. The company Ponda uses them for eco-friendly padding jackets.
  - The Friends of Musselburgh Links were wound up and donated their remaining £552 to ELCV, to be used in the Musselburgh area. Before that arrived we had already spent £1,064 on tools for Musselburgh volunteers.
  - The botanical survey of North Berwick Marsh was completed (£650), and the final payment of £1,958 was made for the Pencraig path work.
  - ELCV persuaded the North Berwick Trust to pay £8,000 for the path survey on North Berwick Law, which found considerable damage from public use. We remain committed to helping the large cost of the repairs to happen.
  - The planned ramp at Whitesands Bay was not approved by NatureScot, so we reluctantly withdrew the application.
  - The Aberlady hub was formally handed over to East Lothian Council in July.
  - The Giant Hogweed Eradication programme completed year 7 on the River Tyne and year 5 on the River Esk. See the results on this website here.

Still in progress: replacing the information boards at Pencraig Hill, John Muir Country Park and Pencaitland Railway Walk; a funding application for path surfacing and fencing north of Tyninghame; our work on responsible dog behaviour near coastal breeding birds; and having a say in how any future tourist tax revenue in East Lothian is spent.

Finance

- - Money in: £1,051. Money out: £3,690, almost all of it spent on the projects above. We spent £2,639 more than we received, drawing on money set aside in earlier years.
  - Beyond our books: the £8,000 North Berwick Law path survey was paid for directly by the North Berwick Trust, arranged through ELCV, so it isn't in these figures.
  - Funds at year-end: £3,605, of which £552 is restricted to projects in the Musselburgh area and £3,053 is unrestricted.

See the full report here and the accounts here

Annual Report & Accounts - 2024

Activity
The charity has over 250 registered volunteer members. The Trust’s activity in 2024 increased compared to 2023, mainly due to the Pencraig Path project. The Trustees met six times during the year. We engaged closely with the countryside ranger service. The AGM was held in September 2024. Over the year volunteers contributed 8,000 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. An indication of the diverse range of these activities can be found on our website here
Finance
Total income for the year was just under £1,300, and total outgoings was just over £4,300. At year end we had unrestricted surplus funds of £4,286. This was an increase of £600 compared to the previous year, because of money raised by typha collection, and donations from BAS DE WOLF and individuals grateful for a day out with an ELC ranger. Restricted funds at year-end totalled £1,958, destined for the Pencraig path project noted above.

See the full report here and the accounts here

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.