On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Aboyne Community Trust (ACT), I am pleased to present our financial report for the year to 31st December 2025.
ACT changed its name from Mid-Deeside Community Trust to Aboyne Community Trust in July 2025. ACT is a community-based charity which has been in existence now for over 20 years. We continue to deliver numerous projects that are of benefit to the local area. Our office is located in the Community Shed in Aboyne and we employ two part-time office staff and two part-time drivers.
There are currently nine Directors/Trustees including a representative from Mid Deeside Community Council. A representative of Aberdeenshire Council regularly attends our board meetings as an observer.
Our main activities are as follows:
Community Transport. We operate three buses, all of which have disabled access - a 17-seater purchased in February 2022, a 17-seater purchased in 2021 and an older 14-seater. It is our intention to seek funding to replace one of our larger buses with an electric bus during 2026.
We continue to fundraise to help keep our fleet of community buses up to a high standard of reliability given that we are often transporting vulnerable people. The Dial-a-Bus is an important service and lifeline to many elderly and vulnerable people, giving them access to shops and medical services, and remains one of our top priorities. We are currently engaging with neighbouring community trusts with a view to expanding this service. Our community buses are used by many local groups, clubs and schools enabling greater participation in the local area. We also operate an important hospital transport service. Funding for these services remains under considerable pressure.
Aboyne Green Spaces This project maintains the village centre floral plantings, seating and open spaces. The floral display in the summer of 2025 was very successful, prompting considerable praise from local residents and visitors. With grant funding and donations from local residents and businesses we have been able to acquire additional planters and hanging baskets.
Aboyne Community Food (formerly called Aboyne FareShare) This project continues to act as a hub providing food and other essentials to food larders in the local area, thereby supporting those most in need. We continue to receive supplies from FareShare Scotland and local shops and residents as well as monetary donations to enable us to purchase additional items.
Aboyne Paths and Tracks Group This group continued to carry out maintenance, repairs and improvements to a number of paths in and around Aboyne. In addition, it produced a new version of its highly successful “A Guide to Paths & Tracks Around Aboyne” which is widely available in local shops and is reproduced on two noticeboards in the village. It is also available on the ACT website.
Community Woodlands. During the year some 10,500 new trees were planted in the Bell Wood, many of them by volunteers on “community planting days.” A team of volunteers continued to carry out routine maintenance to paths and boardwalks. A ten year woodland management plan was submitted to Forestry & Land Scotland and we anticipate it being approved mid 2026.
Aboyne Bike Park. Although the bike park is well used, no further progress has been made with the proposed pump track and skills extension due largely to the continuing high cost of insurance. This is a problem affecting all bike parks and pump tracks. We hope that premiums will fall in the next year, otherwise the continued operation of the bike park may be in jeopardy.
Huntly Arms Regeneration Project Work began during the year with substantial repairs to parts of the roof. Since then structural work has been continuing inside although progress is slow. Unfortunately, there is little we can do other than maintain contact with the owner.
Aboyne Youth Hub Unfortunately, this project came to an end during the year. Despite the best efforts of the small team leading the project, there seemed little interest in or support for its activities. We hope the project may be revived in some shape or form in the near future.
Defibrillator maintenance We look after six defibrillators in the village. We rely totally on donations to continue this valuable work.
Aboyne Community Calendar This is our newest project. It is a virtual calendar of events in and around Aboyne hosted on the ACT website. Preparatory work commenced during 2025 and the calendar went live in the early part of 2026. Anyone organising an event which is likely to be of interest to the community may apply to have the event posted on the calendar. We anticipate this being a very useful tool for residents and visitors, showing what’s on, when and where.
The Board is very grateful to the many funding bodies who support our operations. Without this considerable financial help, we would not be able to continue our current operations. Funding will no doubt continue to be a challenge.
We are grateful also to the local residents and businesses who have supported us and, of course, to our staff who frequently go above and beyond what is expected of them.
Finally, I would like to thank our many volunteers who have given their time and support for our local community. All our projects rely on volunteers. None of our work would be possible without them.
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025.
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 trust's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)".
The charity is a public benefit company whose aims are to encourage, assist, participate in and manage projects designed to enhance the well-being of the community of Aboyne and the surrounding area. These projects may be of a social, educational, health, cultural or economic nature.
The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the OSCR general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity's aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting policy for the year.
The charity is assisted by volunteers and wishes to thank all those involved.
The achievements for the year are described in detail in the Report of the Chairman on page 1.
Fundraising is generally coordinated by each project leader and we do not use telephone, email, internet or house-to-house campaigns. In particular, donations for our hospital transport and community bus services are through voluntary donation tins and are not solicited. We adhere to our vulnerable personas policy.
Internal and external factors
We are committed to environmental sustainability and cutting our carbon emissions.
We act sustainably where possible to ensure recycling, use of online rather than paper files, online Teams meetings and reducing travel where possible.
The charitable company received income of £90,387 during the year (2024: £499,934). After expenses of £132,300 a deficit of £41,913 arose, which has been included in the charitable company's funds.
Income is matched to expenditure as afar as possible, which is in line with our revenue recognition policy. Depending on the conditions attached to the income receipt it may be possible to defer, or accrue, to match against expenditure. The decrease income this year is due to grants received in the 2024 financial year in relation to the Aboyne Paths Project.
Total funds available are £480,251, of which £97,719 are unrestricted.
Principal funding sources
The continued operation of the community transport service is dependent on the ongoing funding and support from Aberdeenshire Council and the Network Support Grant (Transport Scotland).
In the current climate, funding is key to the success of new initiatives and the Trustees are continually monitoring the sources of income and grants to ensure the completion of projects.
At the time of approving the financial statements the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operation existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the Trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
The unrestricted fund represents the free reserves available to the charitable company to fulfil its primary objectives. The level of reserves is reviewed on an annual basis. In the event that the charitable company would lose funding from Aberdeenshire Community Transport Initiative, it would look to continue the bus service in as far as possible for a period of twelve months. During this period the charitable company would seek to secure funding to continue to operate going forward. To this extent we have placed 12 months of reserves on deposit as follows: General £14,000, and Community Transport £38,000.
Any funds resulting in deficit will be covered using the available surplus from the unrestricted funds.
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
Plans for the future are referred to in the Report of the Chairman on page 1.
The charitable company, which is limited by guarantee and therefore governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association, is a registered charity. In the event of the charitable company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member.
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:
The directors of the charitable company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charitable law. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association the number of directors shall not be less than three and not more than twelve. The directors of the charitable company shall comprise:
i) ex officio a director nominated by Aberdeenshire Council from among the Councillors representing the Mid Deeside area,
ii) ex officio a director nominated by Mid Deeside Community Council,
iii) such other persons co-opted as directors by the Board in accordance with the Articles, and
iv) such other persons appointed as directors by the members in accordance with the Articles.
The charitable company's operations are overseen by a board of directors who meet regularly to define, authorise and seek to implement such projects. Mr Malcolm Laing is chairman of the Board of Trustees.
The running of the charitable company is managed by a small number of paid staff, with the co-ordination of the charity's day to day operations by Margaret Mulcahy.
The Board strives to ensure that directors are informed and educated on their role and responsibilities as a charity director and trustee.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report on the financial statements of the trust for the year ended 31 December 2025, which are set out on pages 7 to 20.
It is my responsibility to examine the financial statements as required under section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements, and seeking 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 financial statements.
In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention
1. 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 Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 4 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, and
to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006
have not been met, or
2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Aboyne Community Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in Scotland. The registered office is 14 Carden Place, Aberdeen, AB10 1UR.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the trust's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "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)". The trust is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The trust has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the trust. 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.
The Charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the trust 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.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the trust 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 is recognised when the charity is entitled to the funds, and any conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amounts can be measured reliably and it is not deferred.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, 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 classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
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 trust 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).
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration, benefits or expenses from the trust during the year (2024 - £nil).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Staff costs are allocated across funds, restricted and unrestricted based on hours worked in each activity.
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
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.
Ladywood
Long leasehold community woodland
Bellwood
Freehold community woodland
Aboyne Bike Park Association
Funds to provide a bike park (Phase 2) in Bellwood
Deeside Community Bus Transport
The operation of all community transport busses
Aboyne Paths Group
A project to fund paths in the local area
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.
Aboyne Health
Formerly Community Education. Projects promoting health such as community food initiatives, community education and defibrillators.
Aboyne Youth Project
A project to facilitate activities for younger people
Aboyne Wellbeing
Formerly Aboyne Centre Enhancement Scheme. Promotes projects such as Green Spaces with local businesses to encourage regeneration of the village and new initiatives in the community.
Community Woodlands
Operation of freehold and long leasehold community woodlands.
Transfer between funds
Transfer of £32,370 to Administration from various funds for management expenses
Transfer of £1,500 from Youth Project to Bike Park for Phase 2 extension.
Transfer of £1,000 from Administration to Green Spaces Project
Transfer of £1,000 from Administration to Health for Defibrillators
Transfer of £1,000 from Administration to Health for Community Calendar
Transfer of £1,600 from Youth Hub (remaining balance) to Youth Project
The Bellwood is subject to a right of pre-emption by Mr Michael Bruce and his successors as owners of the lands and barony of Glentanar. It applies if Aboyne Community Trust sells the whole, or any parts, of the Bellwood. The price with Mr Bruce and his successors are to pay, if they exercise the right of pre-emption, is the lessor of:
a) the price offered by a bona fide purchase for the value, and
b) £400 per hectare, plus the market value of all standing timber
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).