The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2026.
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 governing document, the Companies Act 2006 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).
Chairman's report
As Chair, it’s my great pleasure to welcome you all to this year’s Annual Report. It has been another great year filled with achievements, community spirit and exciting plans for the future – and I’m delighted to share all the details with you.
The objectives of the trust are to regenerate Amble by taking a lead in most aspects of economic, social and community regeneration in partnership with other agencies and to provide the conditions and infrastructure for the restoration of community self confidence, self esteem and economic prosperity.
Public benefit
The Trust continues to provide a range of services for public benefit in the form of affordable housing, employment counselling, media and IT projects as well as operating sports and leisure facilities. In addition through the operation of the Lobster Hatchery and rearing of juvenile lobsters we are ensuring a sustainable fishery that benefits the wider community in the longer term.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
A Very Special Achievement
The biggest highlight of the year by far has been our honour of receiving The King’s Award for Voluntary Organisations. This is a truly prestigious award – equivalent to an MBE – given directly by His Majesty the King to recognise the incredible work carried out by organisations run by or supporting volunteers.
To celebrate this achievement, and more importantly to say a huge thank you to all volunteers across our town, we held a special celebration event. The Lord Lieutenant joined us to present our trustees with a beautiful, engraved crystal in recognition of our work. We invited representatives from local voluntary groups, giving us the perfect chance to acknowledge the invaluable difference they make to life in Amble. And of course, no celebration would be complete without cake! Huge thanks to Colyn at The Farm Bakery, whose amazing baking and decorating skills made the day even more special.
Regeneration & Physical Development:
Growing Spaces & Growing Talent. Down at the Welfare, the fruit trees we planted are thriving and looking better than ever. We owe a massive thank you to John, one of our dedicated volunteers, who works tirelessly to look after the orchard and keep it in such good condition.
Our local football teams continue to flourish too – every week over 200 young people take part in training and matches, all organised by volunteers who give up so much of their free time. Seeing so many children and young people active, happy and engaged is a wonderful testament to the hard work of those volunteers, who make every session fun, inclusive and great for health and wellbeing.
Shaping Our Future: The Neighbourhood Plan
Work on the Amble Neighbourhood Plan is now entering its final stages! We’re just putting the last bits of paperwork in place before we hold our final community consultation, after which the plan will be sent to Northumberland County Council. They will check that everything aligns with the wider Northumberland Local Plan before it is submitted to government. With possible changes to planning rules on the horizon, our steering group is working hard to get everything submitted as quickly as possible to secure our town’s vision.
Standing Up for Coastal Communities
We continue to play an active role in Coastal Community workshops, where one key request has been for a dedicated Coastal Minister. Several members of our group travelled to Parliament to speak directly about the challenges facing people living along our coast – from housing shortages and limited job opportunities to transport issues and gaps in funding. We were really encouraged that our concerns were listened to seriously, and we’ve been invited back for further discussions soon.
Trust Properties
We’re pleased to share that, despite a few recent changes to tenancies, all of our office, retail and residential spaces are fully occupied – supporting local businesses and providing homes and workspaces right across our community.
The Welfare park:
Creating a Sporting Village
As many of you will have read in The Ambler, we have submitted a Community Asset Transfer request to Northumberland County Council for the existing sports hall at the James Calvert Spence College site. Under current plans, this hall would be demolished once the new school site opens in September – but we want to save it! Retaining this building would give us fantastic new space for sport, cultural events and media activities. Sitting right next to the Welfare, and close to the planned new 3G pitch at the school, this development could bring everything together to create a fantastic ‘Sporting Village’ for everyone to enjoy.
A decision was originally expected at the end of January but has been delayed. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and hope to hear positive news very soon.
We also have news regarding access arrangements: the developers for JCSC confirmed they would not need to use the Welfare grounds to reach the site, as an alternative route has now been agreed.
You may remember last year we reported that the Council wanted to use a path across the Welfare as their ‘Park and Stride’ route from the old school car park to the new development. We’ve now reached verbal agreement that extra lighting is needed to make this path safe for everyone. However, the legal paperwork defining health and safety responsibilities between NCC and the school is still being worked on. We first raised this back in 2022, so time is moving on – it’s vital this is finalised before September, otherwise we won’t be able to allow access through our land.
The Ambler
Our community newspaper remains the heartbeat of local news and information. The Ambler keeps us all updated on events, highlights important issues, and gives a voice to topics that matter most to residents. It would not exist without our amazing team of volunteers, who work alongside our editor to write, design and deliver every issue straight to your door every two months. Thank you all so much for your time, creativity and commitment.
Financial support:
During the financial year 2025–2026, most of our income has come from our own activities, alongside additional funds earned through project management work.
Rental income from our offices, shops and housing is our main source of funding – and this allows us to invest over £90,000 back into the community every year through projects, services and resources.
We’ve also received vital support from grants and donations, the Amble & Warkworth Rotary Club, and generous personal donations made directly to The Ambler.
To every single funder and donor – thank you. Your support makes everything we do possible.
Risk management
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.
Exciting Opportunities
If our application to retain the sports hall is successful, we’ll immediately get to work on drawing up development plans, putting legal agreements in place and applying for funding to make the most of this new space. Plans include a climbing wall and dance studio – which, alongside our existing facilities and the new 3G pitch, will create a fantastic resource for people of all ages and interests.
Alongside our neighbours in Warkworth, Hauxley and Acklington, we’ve also submitted an initial bid for the prestigious Town of Culture award, run by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The first stage asked us to tell the story of our four parishes – where we’ve come from, where we are now, and where we hope to go. Fitting thousands of years of history into just 400 words was no easy task! But we were able to share our incredible heritage, from Bronze Age settlements and mining railways to our fishing industry, creative communities and growing tourism sector. Of course, we also had to include the amazing story of the RMS Mauretania, built right here in our region.
We know there will be many applications, but we’re giving it our best shot! Successful bids will be longlisted, with selected groups receiving £60,000 to develop their full proposals. Eventually, one winning town will receive £3 million, with two runners-up getting £250,000 each – all to deliver special events and activities in 2028. As they say, you’ve got to be in it to win it!
We’re also looking forward to working closely with Northumberland County Council leaders and officers, alongside Amble Town Council, to develop a new Economic Development Plan for our town. This is still in the early stages, but we’ll keep everyone updated through The Ambler as plans progress – we’re excited to explore new funding opportunities and growth ideas for Amble.
We’ll continue to support the Neighbourhood Plan steering group as they complete their work, ready for consultation and submission.
It’s wonderful to see more and more community groups and support organisations using our conference room to run workshops and share information – we’re always happy to provide space and support for groups bringing people together.
Our core aim remains the same: to help Amble reach its full potential. We’ll keep seeking new opportunities, building partnerships and working hard to make our town an even better place to live, work and visit.
A Heartfelt Thank You
Finally, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who makes our work possible. To our staff, trustees, management committee and volunteers – your hard work and dedication are the foundation of everything we achieve. Thank you also to our funders, partners, supporters and every member of the community. Amble truly is a special place, built on care, support and amazing community spirit.
The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
Amble Development Trust is a company limited by guarantee, set up on 15 November 1994 and its governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission. Every member of the charity undertakes to contribute such an amount as may be required (not exceeding £1) to the charity's assets if it should be wound up while he or she is a member, or within one year after he or she ceased to be a 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:
Recruitment and appointment of new trustees
The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association, the trustees serve for a three year period by rotation and may be re-elected for a further three year period at each annual general meeting.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
Organisational structure
The charity is managed by the Management Committee. The number of trustees is restricted to a maximum of fifteen, with the make-up of the representatives required to fulfil the criteria set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association, to ensure adequate representation of all areas of the community.
The Trust’s structure and team remain consistent, with familiar faces working hard to deliver our services and projects:
• Anna Williams continues to lead the production of The Ambler, ensuring every edition is packed with the stories you want to read.
• Julie Lilburn handles all our administration and is always on hand to help with CV writing, job applications and general enquiries via email.
• Sandy Higson – also known locally as ‘The Mad Jam Woman’ – shares her incredible preserve-making skills, producing our popular Pride of Northumbria range. She’s also won even more awards this year for her famous marmalades – well done Sandy!
• Julia Aston and Matthew Connolly oversee our day-to-day operations, as well as strategic planning, budgets, asset management and representing the Trust on committees and groups across the region.
Our trading arm, ADT Northumberland Ltd, employs the team working at Harbour Village.
We’re also proud to remain members of Locality, the national network supporting community organisations.
Induction and training of new trustees
Most trustees are already familiar with the practical work of the charity. Additionally, new trustees are invited and encouraged to attend a series of short meetings with some of the existing trustees to familiarise themselves with the charity and the context within which it operates. These cover:
- The obligations of board members.
- The main documents which set out the operational framework for the charity.
- Resourcing and the current financial position as set out in the latest published accounts.
- Future plans and objectives.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Amble Development Trust (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2026.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report 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.
Amble Development Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is included on the company information page.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) 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)" (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 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.
Preparation of consolidated financial statements
The financial statements contain information about Amble Development Trust as an individual company and do not contain consolidated financial information as the parent of a group. The charity is exempt under Section 399(2A) of the Companies Act 2006 from the requirements to prepare consolidated financial statements.
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.
All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
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 the 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.
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.
Investments are stated at cost in the accounts.
Property, plant and equipment are reviewed for impairment if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. If there is an indication of possible impairment, the recoverable amount of any affected asset is estimated and compared against its carrying amount. Where the estimated recoverable amount is lower, an impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit and loss.
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.
As a charity, the company is exempt from tax on income and gains to the extent that these are applied to charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the charity.
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.
The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate.
Debtors
Trade debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid after taking account of any trade discounts due.
Creditors and provisions
Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settlethe obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The charity paid £4,000 (2025: £3,700) to Nickalls Accountants Limited & Peek Practice for bookkeeping and other accounting services during the year. DGS Nickall is a director and member of these companies.
No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any other contracts or transactions entered into by the charity during the year (2025: £Nil).
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Amounts paid to key management personnel in the year totalled £25,124 (2025: £24,350).
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Land known as Amble Welfare was legally transferred to the trust during the 2005/6 year from the local authority. This land is a recreation ground for the enjoyment of the people of Amble. This asset has not been valued in the accounts, given the difficulties in establishing a market value, as is permitted by the SORP. In addition, the Town Square was also transferred to the Trust in 2000. Again, due to the difficulty in establishing a market value, no value has been given to this asset in the accounts.
Freehold land and buildings are stated at cost less impairment. No depreciation has been charges on the freehold buildings as the trustees consider that the residual value of the buildings is not less than their carrying amount and therefore any depreciation charge would be immaterial. The trustees review this assessment annually and consider the assets for impairment where indicators exist.
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.
Playzone project
This represents capital funding received towards the Amble Playzone at Amble Welfare.
Small grant fund
This represents funds received to be awarded to 10 local organisations.
Transfers between funds
As all capital funds for the Playzone Project have been fully expended and the associated restrictions have been fulfilled, the remaining fund balance, equal to the net book value of the related capital assets, was transferred to unrestricted funds.
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.
At the year end there was a balance of £3,609 owed to ADT Northumberland Limited (2025: £3,481), the subsidiary of the charity.
The Trust is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity.