Rewilding is as much about communication as it is about ecology. As both international and national organisations call for a reframing of conversations around Nature recovery and climatic change, there is an increasing need to refocus efforts in how we engage with people – all people – as a way to move them towards positive action. Within Scotland, interest in rewilding as a strategy to aid Nature recovery is growing at pace, leading to more rewilded land, but with this comes an increased need to effectively engage with a broad range of people to drive support for rewilding.
As our societies become more digitally literate, the need for innovation and creativity in how we communicate the challenges of a nature depleted nation is key, as is the need to demonstrate the solutions that we may employ to address these challenges. Young and not so young people are demanding better, more engaging and more impactful narratives, businesses need to know where and what the most impactful nature-based investments are and communities seek to understand how they too can commit more land and more water to Nature. All of this needs engagement and effective communication.
SCOTLAND: The Big Picture continues to drive support for more rewilding, creating pathways for change and to be the voice for rewilding in Scotland. At the heart of our organisation lies effective communication and advocacy and our new feature length documentary, “Why Not Scotland” has demonstrated what effective engagement can be. This inspiring, informative and uplifting film has had a fantastic response in theatres and halls across the length and breadth of Scotland and was created to spearhead the launch of the Rewilding Nation campaign, led by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, calling for the Scottish Government to commit 30% of Scotland’s land and water to rewilding. In addition to our media successes, SBP’s growing and diverse portfolio of rewilding training courses and learning days has seen substantial growth in participant numbers, as demand for learning about the benefits of nature restoration and ecosystem recovery grows.
SBP continues to be optimally positioned to enable more rewilding on land and on water. The last year has again seen considerable growth in the SBP team itself, as well as our demonstrable impact on the ground. Our Northwoods Rewilding Network, Scotland’s first rewilding network, which is focused on small-medium sized landholdings, continues to increase in number and in influence, now at over 65 partners. Northwoods plays a crucial and central role not just in committing more land and water to Nature, but also in underlining the importance of making rewilding accessible to all. Indeed, partnerships continue to be front and centre in SBP’s drive to enable rewilding as a key nature recovery strategy and the past year has seen a number of pivotal collaborations with nature recovery at their core. Demonstrating and growing impactful outcomes continues to be a central focus across the organisation.
I remain hugely proud of our committed team and their focus, drive and energy in driving forward the strategy of the organisation and maintaining momentum in an increasingly busy sector. I am very grateful to our partners, supporters and funders who enable us to keep doing what we need to do and supporting us in our journey to drive nature recovery for nature, climate and people.
Karen Blackport
Chairperson
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)".
The company's objects are:
to advocate for ecosystem restoration, or rewilding, in order to re-establish biological diversity and abundance across Scotland; and in furtherance of this, to pursue the return of missing or threatened native species to their former ranges.
to promote the restoration of ecosystem health, function and completeness and the social, economic and heath benefits derived therefrom.
to collaborate with diverse stakeholders to deliver practical ecosystem restoration actions that benefit nature, climate and people.
Our vision
Our vision is of a vast network of rewilded land and water across Scotland where wildlife flourishes and people thrive.
Our mission
We work to make rewilding happen across Scotland, as a solution to the growing climate and biodiversity crises, by influencing opinion and delivering practical change.
Over the course of 2023, SCOTLAND: The Big Picture continued its work to:
Drive support for rewilding
Across all our activities – from our writing, visual media and presentations, to our rewilding experiences, engagement events and practical projects – we continued to showcase positive stories to demonstrate how rewilding works and the benefits it can deliver for Scotland. We also continued to play a leading role in the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of like-minded organisations which advocates for rewilding at a policy level.
Highlights include:
• Acting as a leading partner in the Scottish Rewilding Alliance 'Rewilding Nation' campaign, and
production of the Why Not Scotland? documentary as part of the campaign.
• Inspiring a number of significant river restoration initiatives via our Riverwoods documentary and
creating Riverwoods short films.
• Running our first Rewilding Comms Training course, to fantastic feedback, with the aim of inspiring and
equipping the next generation of rewilding communicators.
• Delivery of 6 webinars and podcasts, and publication of 8 extended 'rewilding stories'.
• Over 8,500 new social media followers and 57,000 SBP website visitors.
• A reach of nearly 1.5 million on Facebook and Instagram.
Achievements and performance continued
Commit more land and water to rewilding
Through our growing range of land partnerships, we increased the area of land and water committed to rewilding. By connecting people to the relevant expertise and resources, we supported and enabled changes in land use and management. Through our communications and advocacy, we inspired others to apply rewilding principles and restore nature in their own space.
Highlights include:
• By the end of 2023, 64 land partners in the Northwoods Rewilding Network contributing nearly 15,000
acres to nature recovery.
• Over the course of 2023, within the Northwoods Network:
- 60,748 native trees
- 879 hectares set aside for natural woodland regeneration.
- 165 new ponds and other wetland features created.
• Out with our projects and partnerships, advising 12 major landholdings on rewilding plans.
• Laying the foundations for a new landscape-scale nature restoration partnership to be launched in
2024.
Return missing species
We worked with our land partners and like-minded organisations to expand the range of existing species and return missing native species to our ecosystems. We continued working to bridge divided opinions and create conditions that will allow threatened and lost species to thrive alongside people in Scotland.
Highlights include:
• Appointment of a Wildlife Comeback Lead to drive our work in this area,
• Delivery of a successful Parliamentary reception at Holyrood to inform policymakers about the benefits
and challenges of living alongside lynx.
• Completion of a year-long social media and comms campaign focused on addressing knowledge gaps
and influencing perspectives on lynx.
• 73 more native cattle introduced into the Northwoods Rewilding Network.
• Wildcats reported at 3 Northwoods sites.
Develop rewilding business
We worked with our land partners to identify and develop new nature-based business models, and shared stories of those who have already found ways to make rewilding financially sustainable, helping to establish rewilding as a legitimate and economically viable land use in Scotland.
Highlights include:
• Over £1 million spent with local suppliers and services across our Northwoods network.
• 28 nature-based enterprises across the Northwoods network employing 73 full-time equivalent roles.
• Over 254,000 visitors to Northwoods sites and nature-based businesses.
• Preparations for the relaunch of our business partnership offering in early 2024 to attract more private
investments into rewilding.
2023 saw an overall excess of expenditure over income of £8,125, broken down into a deficit in unrestricted funds and a surplus in restricted. We generated unrestricted income of £240,433 and spent £401,400 investing in further growth and consolidation of the core team and activities. The £160,967 in-year deficit was covered by drawing on the previous year’s surplus income. Restricted income of £528,476 was secured to enable delivery of a growing number of funded projects, with £375,634 expended against these during the year, and the surplus retained for completion of these projects.
The Finance Team during the year consisted of Head of Finance and Assistant, plus the Head of Projects overseeing restricted project income and expenditure
The errors in the charity’s past VAT reporting have resulted in a potential liability to HMRC of £24,381, which has been included in the balance sheet and SoFA. We can expect there to be interest and possibly fines in addition to this. At the time of signing, the charity continues to work with specialist VAT advisors to finalise the disclosure and mitigate the risk of future errors.
Reserves
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to six month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised.
This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year. As at 31.12.23 we held £316,746 in Restricted Funds and £194,657 in Unrestricted, of which £10,638 was designated against future spending on the Northwoods Rewilding Network.
The unrestricted free reserve of £184,019 represents 5.5 months of unrestricted expenditure against the agreed 2024 budget, which is within our target level.
Fundraising
SBP employs staff to raise income through engagement with corporate and individual donors, and applications to charitable trusts. Our strong media presence, bi-annual conference and word of mouth generate leads, often with potential donors approaching us. Individuals are engaged through the Big Picture Community. Targeted crowdfunding through The Big Give campaign has proved successful. We sometimes work in collaboration with other like-minded charities who co-fund media projects. The charity also takes media commissions to produce visual content where this is in line with our own objectives, and generates charitable trading income from Conference tickets, Rewilding Experiences and Training, film screenings and image licensing.
We take this opportunity to acknowledge the generosity of the following charitable trusts and businesses:
Abernyte Brewery
Aviva
Breathe
Cairngorm Capital Foundation
Callie Bothy
Craignish Trust
Drinks Bakery
Eco Ness
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
European Nature Trust
Fishmongers' Company's Fisheries Charitable Trust
Great North Lodges
GSS Developments
Happy Porch
Helvellyn Foundation
Horizons
Hostwoody
Hugh Fraser Foundation
Landscaping your Life
Matthew Good Foundation
McCoy
McGowan Environmental Engineering Ltd
National Lottery Heritage Fund
Nature Picture Library
Ptarmigan Trust
Rewilding Europe
Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund
Scottish Wildlife Trust: Lothian Group
Shetland Nature
Slogarie Estate
SmellyTrees Ltd
Soho Green
Tay Charitable Trust
Trees for Life
The charity has received no complaints in the year about its fundraising activity. The charity does not engage in direct mail campaigns and carefully monitors the content and tone of communications with existing individual supporters. We adhere to the Code of Fundraising Practice and its associated Rulebooks which outline the standards expected of all charitable fundraising organisations across the UK. The Trustees consider that the approach employed is unlikely to subject members of the public to undue pressure.
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Arrangements for setting the pay and remuneration of key management personnel
The Board of Trustees, Executive Director and Management Team comprise the key management personnel of the charity, in charge of directing and controlling on a strategic level and operating the charity on a day to day basis. Trustees and staff are fully aware that SBP is a charity, and this is the background to setting all staff salaries. SBP aspires to reward its staff with competitive salaries and a suite of benefits which recognise the expertise and commitment across the team, reflecting our ethos as a progressive charity, while at the same time ensuring financial sustainability and charitable impact for investment. In setting new salaries and reviewing existing ones we take into account:
The level of strategic responsibility
The number of staff reporting to the role
The level of budget management responsibility
The level of skill/experience necessary for the role
The salaries of others in the organisation doing similar work
The external market for the role – retention of good staff
Affordability within the agreed budget
Salaries of the Management Team are decided by the ED within agreed pay bands and budget, and the ED’s salary is decided by the Board of Trustees
We move into 2024 with a strong team, an updated strategy, and a growing portfolio of projects underway to make rewilding happen across Scotland.
March 2024 will see the screening tour of Why Not Scotland?, our feature-length documentary filmed on behalf of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance to form part of their Rewilding Nation campaign.
The Northwoods Rewilding Network will continue to recruit new partners and support existing partners to commit their land to rewilding, reaffirming its growing reputation as an exemplar of rewilding at this scale.
We will continue to contribute to the Lynx to Scotland partnership project as it moved into its consultation phase, which will inform the next steps on our journey to reintroduce this enigmatic cat to Scotland.
With restrictions around bird flu reducing, we will resume our efforts to return cranes to Scotland, and continue work on the restoration of other missing or recovering species, including beavers and aspen.
September will see us deliver The Big Picture Conference 2024. Based in Perth, Scotland’s rewilding event will feature an inspirational line-up of speakers covering topics around the theme of ‘Why Not Scotland?’.
We will continue delivering our well-received Rewilding Journeys to introduce more people to the need and potential for rewilding in Scotland, and offer more training and learning experiences to share the skills needed to support rewilding.
Plans for future periods continued
Our work around missing species continues to develop with projects and/or campaigns planned around aspen, beavers and wild boar. We also hope for a lifting of restrictions around bird flu so we can resume our efforts to return cranes to the Cairngorms National Park.
The Lynx to Scotland partnership continues to gather momentum and we look forward to working with a wide range of stakeholders to enable the reintroduction of this enigmatic cat in what would be the first ever return of an apex predator to the UK.
Our range of Rewilding Experiences now includes more formal training courses with the initial focus on equipping trainees to be powerful and effective rewilding communicators, recognising that the challenges associated with rewilding are less ecological and rest more with people’s perceptions and cultural belief systems.
We will also continue to play a leading role in the Scottish Rewilding Alliance, a coalition of like-minded organisations, helping to push forward the Rewilding Nation campaign and other advocacy activities.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. It is run in accordance with its Memorandum and Articles of Association. Scotland: The Big Picture obtained charitable status on 3 September 2020.
The organisation is run by a Board of Trustees. Decisions are made by the Board at quarterly meetings.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Management personnel to whom the charity Trustees delegated day-to-day management of the charity during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Mr P Cairns
Mrs E Brown
Mrs E Razi
Mrs H Gray
Ms B Stimpson
Mr J Nairne
Recruitment and appointment of board of directors
Prospective directors are required to submit an application and be interviewed before being co-opted if a meeting of the Board agrees. They then need to stand for election at the next AGM.
Induction and training of directors
All new board members are provided with relevant information to help them familiarise themselves with the work of the organisation as well as an opportunity to discuss this with the Executive Director.
Ongoing training is provided to directors as required.
Schedule of known related parties
Alan Hepburn | Freelance project management function, Trustee of the charity
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Mark Hamblin Photography | Business owned by Mark Hamblin, Creative Content Manager of the charity | ||||||
Hamblin & Lee | Business owned by Mark Hamblin | ||||||
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Business owned by Peter Cairns and his wife Amanda Flanagan | ||||||
White Tip Media | Business Owned by Mat Larkin, Head of Filmmaking of the charity | ||||||
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The trustees, who are also the directors of Scotland:The Big Picture for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that MacKenzie Kerr Limited be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Scotland:The Big Picture (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in note 24 to the financial statements, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
the information given in the trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, which includes the directors' report prepared for the purposes of company law, is consistent with the financial statements; and
the directors' report included within the trustees' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the trustees' report.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
adequate and proper accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the trustees' report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
As explained more fully in the statement of trustees' responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
We have been appointed as auditor under Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and report in accordance with the Acts and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Identifying and assessing risks related to irregularities:
We assessed the susceptibility of the company's financial statements to material misstatement and how fraud might occur, including through discussions with the directors, discussions within our audit team planning meeting, updating our record of internal controls and ensuring these controls operated as intended. We evaluated possible incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements. We identified laws and regulations that are of significance in the context of the company by discussions with directors and updating our understanding of the sector in which the company operates.
Laws and regulations of direct significance in the context of the company include The Companies Act 2006, and UK Tax legislation.
Audit response to risks identified:
We considered the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures on the related financial statement items including a review of financial statement disclosures. We reviewed the company's records of breaches of laws and regulations, minutes of meetings and correspondence with relevant authorities to identify potential material misstatements arising. We discussed the company's policies and procedures for compliance with laws and regulations with members of management responsible for compliance.
During the planning meeting with the audit team, the Responsible Individual (RI) drew attention to the key areas which might involve non-compliance with laws and regulations or fraud. We enquired of management whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations or knowledge of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud. We addressed the risk of fraud through management override of controls by testing the appropriateness of journal entries and identifying any significant transactions that were unusual or outside the normal course of business. We assessed whether judgements made in making accounting estimates gave rise to a possible indication of management bias. At the completion stage of the audit, the RI's review included ensuring that the team had approached their work with appropriate professional scepticism and thus the capacity to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations and fraud.
There are inherent limitations in the audit procedures described above and the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulations is from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, the less likely we would become aware of it. Also, the risk of not detecting a material misstatement due to fraud is higher than the risk of not detecting one resulting from error, as fraud may involve deliberate concealment by, for example, forgery or intentional misrepresentations, or through collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members and trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company, the charitable company’s members as a body,and the charitable company’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Scotland:The Big Picture is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is Ballintean, Glenfeshie, Kingussie, Inverness-shire, PH21 1NX.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Articles of Association, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received. Where these conditions are not met, income is deferred.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. Grants are deferred where the performance conditions have not yet been met, although amounts have been received and are carried forward until these conditions are achieved.
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to that category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.
Grants offered subject to conditions which have not been met at the year end date are noted as a commitment but not accrued as expenditure.
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Stocks are stated at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell. Cost comprises direct materials and, where applicable, direct labour costs and those overheads that have been incurred in bringing the stocks to their present location and condition. Items held for distribution at no or nominal consideration are measured the lower of replacement cost and cost.
Net realisable value is the estimated selling price less all estimated costs of completion and costs to be incurred in marketing, selling and distribution.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
Conservation promotion and education
Conservation promotion and education
Rewilding experiences income
Sales and commissions
Talks, events and conferences
Grants received
Event sponsorship
Merchandise sales
Corporate sponsorship
Raffles
Other income
Fundraising
Fundraising costs
Freelance support
Conservation promotion and education
Conservation promotion and education
Sales and commission costs
Conference costs
Subcontractor costs
Rewilding experiences expenses
Books and merchandise
Irrecoverable VAT
Other direct charitable costs
Conservation promotion and education
Conservation promotion and education
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel is as follows.
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £6,913 (2022 - £5,303).
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Northwoods Rewilding Fund
Fund established to make grants to Northwoods Rewilding Network partners towards the cost of “Rewilding Actions” on their land.
Riverwoods
Funding the production of a high quality feature length documentary focused on the decline in numbers of Atlantic Salmon and actions needed to restore the health of Scottish rivers.
NextGen Rewilding Training
Grant from the Craignish Trust to facilitate participation of young people in our Rewilding Communications Training.
Cairngorms Cranes (Development Phase)
Funding the planning for the return of the Eurasian Crane to the Cairngorms.
Lynx to Scotland
Funding our role in the wider LtS partnership project (with Trees for Life and Lifescape) to deliver a social media campaign and a range of comms resources and events to fill knowledge gaps and inform perceptions about the reality of living alongside lynx.
Painting Scotland Yellow
Funding a project to raise awareness of aspen and boost aspen production, resulting in more people recognising aspen as a key component of healthy woodland ecosystems in Scotland, and more aspen in the landscape.
WnS (Why not Scotland) Production
Funding the production of a feature-length documentary that will be central to the Scottish Rewilding Alliance Rewilding Nation campaign, seeking to showcase the potential for rewilding in Scotland based on successful nature recovery in other counties and stories of hope already underway here.
Riverwoods 2022
Fund facilitating the distribution of the above film.
Riverwoods 2023
Building on the interest generated by the Riverwoods film, funding the production of a series of Riverwoods short films aimed at landowners and managers to provide a practical view of how to drive change on their land.
Rewilding Reachout
Funding the recruitment and training of young people to promote and engage others in Rewilding.
Northwoods Rewilding Network Development
Funding the establishment and growth of a varied community of medium-sized land partners across Scotland aspiring to rewild their land.
Northwoods Rewilding Network Phase 2
Funding the growth and expansion of the Northwoods network.
Loch Aber Mor
Fund to facilitate the establishment of a landscape-scale nature restoration partnership in
the Lochaber region, with initial partners eager to work together and enable local communities to thrive in an ecologically diverse and climate resilient landscape.
Make Rewilding Your Business (FIRNS)
FIRNS (Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland) funding from National Lottery to support activities aimed at helping us find businesses to invest in nature recovery and connect them with rewilding projects via our NRN, in a way that enables wider community benefits.
WnS (Why not Scotland) Distribution
Funding the distribution and promotion of the film.
Wildlife Comeback
General fund to promote and facilitate return of missing species to Scotland beyond the reach of the specific lynx and cranes projects.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
During the year Mark Hamblin Photography, a business owned and operated by employee Mark Hamblin provided goods and services to the charitable company of £720 (2022 - £1,260). These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date, there were no amounts owed to Mark Hamblin Photography (2022 - £nil).
During the year Ballinlaggan Farm, a business owned and operated by employee Mark Hamblin provided goods and services to the charitable company of £144 (2022 - nil) and received a grant of £20,000 (2022 - £1,880) from the charitable company. These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date, there were no amounts owed to Ballinlaggan Farm (2022 - £nil).
During the year Caledonian Bird Surveyors, a business owned and operated by employee Aidan Mccormick provided goods and services to the charitable company of £10,992 (2022 - nil). These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date, there were no amounts owed to Caledonian Bird Surveyors (2022 - £nil).
During the year Adoxa Ecology, a business owned and operated by trustee Gus Routledge provided goods and services to the charitable company of £200 (2022 - £1,426). These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date, there were no amounts owed to Adoxa Ecology (2022 - £nil).
During the year Keerok Ltd, whom employee Peter Cairns is a director of, provided goods and services to the charitable company of £40,653 (2022 - £16,353). At the balance sheet date there were no amounts due to Keerok Ltd (2022 - £3,960).
During the year the charitable company received payment of £10,000 (2022 - £nil) for services provided to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, of which Chairperson Karen Blackport is the vice-chair. At the balance sheet date there were no amounts due from The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (2022 - £nil).
During the year Alan Hepburn, a trustee, provided goods and services to the charity of £nil (2022 - £650). These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date, there were no amounts owed to the trustee (2022 - nil). No expenses were due to the trustee during the year (2022 - £438 ).
During the year James Shooter Photography, a business owned and operated by employee James Shooter, provided goods and services to the charitable company of £nil (2022 - £2,063). These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date there were no amounts owed to James Shooter Photography (2022 - nil).
During the year Peter Cairns Photography, a business owned and operated by employee Peter Cairns provided goods and services to the charitable company of £nil (2022 - £2,21. These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date, there were no amounts owed to Peter Cairns Photography (2022 - nil).
During the year White Tip Media, a business owned and operated by employee Matthew Larkin provided good and services to the charitable company of £nil (2022 - £4,437). These transactions were carried out at an open market value. At the balance sheet date, there were no amounts owed to White Tip Media (2022 – nil).
In common with many businesses of our size and nature we use our auditor to assist with the preparation of the financial statements.