RSCDS Activities 2020-21 A Summary

C

A WINTER EVENING

Rowan

BO RSCDS Activities A Summary A WINTER EVENING Created By

A NIKISCHIN | CENTRAL GERMANY BRANCH

2020 - 2021

ABE

Happy to meet, so

Summary of the Trustees’ Report 2020-21

Events

Membership

This document includes a summary of the RSCDS Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements for the year ending 31st March 2021. It is not a legal document. The full report has been made available to delegates and can be found at www.rscds.org/about/governance/legal-administrative. This summary version provides the highlights of the year’s activities and the top-line data on the financial position of the RSCDS.

Description

2020-21

2019-20

2018-19

2017-18

2016-17

Branch members HQ members Total members

9,514

11,066

10,995

10,879

11,334

217

222

232

252

287

9,731

11,288

11,227

11,131

11,621

Description

2020-21

2019-20

2018-19

2017-18

2016-17

Spring Fling

Cancelled

150

145

70

92

Summer School Winter School Total attendees

730 daily (virtual) 798 (virtual) 1,528

626

652

661

633

124

149

132

167

900

946

863

892

Publications & recordings A project to produce a book of historical dances marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of Sir Walter Scott was undertaken (due to be published November 2021). Six of the dances were originally published in Edinburgh in 1820, and have a link with Scott’s then recently published novel, The Heart of Mid-Lothian. The book sets the dances into a historical context by exploring Scotland, its music and dance at the time of Sir Walter Scott. As part of the project there were plans to record an accompanying CD using arrangements and instrumentation appropriate for the early 19th century.

2

Teaching, examinations & assessments The Core Training for Instructors (CTI) course was further developed, including plans for recruiting and training teachers to train prospective Instructors. Since March 2021, 30+ experienced teachers have successfully completed that training.

Unit 1 Examinations, due to take place in February 2021 were postponed till June due to the Covid restrictions.

Eight candidates took part in the Unit 1 examinations, and all passed.

of volunteer Jill Pow before lockdown and plans to re-enlist this support in due course.

Two Branches indicated interest in gathering Oral Histories from their members and information packs have been sent to assist with their project.

Illustration featured in the 2021 Hill Manuscript reprint

Young Dancers

The Archive

With Primary schools operating either virtually, or within social distancing regulations, implementation of the Scottish Schools Working Group Business Plan has had to be put on hold. None of the funds raised have been spent. Dancing is restarting in some areas of Scotland and hopefully the Active Schools programme will be fully operational in spring 2022. An RSCDS Child Wellbeing and Protection Officer has been appointed to work initially with SSWG and Scottish Branches that run classes and events for young dancers.

Although the full Archive library was not accessible over the last 18 months, general enquiries continued to be received from members and were answered as far as possible since only a portion of the Archive content is fully digitised. Now that the physical resources have become available to the Archivist again, these enquiries will be followed up.

Marketing & comms A 6 month Interim Marketing Director was appointed in early 2021 to develop the Society’s new Marketing strategy.

Following a handover to our new Marketing Officer, Lyndsay Walker, the strategy is now being implemented with the first step focusing on ‘Return to Dancing’ in the UK. Step 2 will introduce a global element and more dynamic messaging around perceptions of SCD. Finally, Step 3 will focus on the Centenary, and beyond. The new member newsletter, Dance Scottish Together, was launched at the end of October.

Several members have shown interest in depositing items in the Archive with donations comprising mainly of recorded music and personal papers.

To assist with tackling the considerable backlog of work related to itemising and cataloguing resources, the Archivist had the assistance

A reprint of the Hill Manuscript has been completed and profits from the sale of this book will go towards the development of the RSCDS Archive.

Governance Virtual Board meetings have allowed the work of the Society to continue, despite the lack of dancing. The focus has been on forward planning in all areas, whilst taking the opportunity to review documentation and operational systems. In anticipation of an increased number of events and publications linked to the Centenary, and for good governance, a project form has been developed to assist in the management of budgets and office staff time.

Plans for 2021-22 The Board focus in the coming year will be: 1. To sustain and develop online communications with all members 2. To diversify and strengthen income streams and the Society’s finances 3. To support Branches and Affiliated Groups through the promotion of the fun, friendship, and health and wellbeing aspects of Scottish country dance 4. To continue planning for the RSCDS Centenary in 2023 5. To support dance teachers and musicians through greater access to music courses, and the use of live music

3

Financial report holding all meetings virtually there were no travel costs. Thus, the original projected General Fund deficit of £139,013 was reduced to £92,381. This loss is still a 12% reduction in the balance of the fund over the year and this can only continue for so long. We are planning to sell some of the investments held in the General Fund to support the ongoing spending and resulting deficit.

Bill Cant, Treasurer, speaking at the AGM in 2019

At this time last year, I sat in front of my PC at my kitchen table and told you that the Society was budgeting for a deficit for the year of £170,452. On the basis of that message, we launched an Appeal which some members and Branches supported very generously. I now have the task of explaining how the Society in fact made an operating surplus of £45,713 and increased the net worth by £232,221 to £2,049,133.

I hope that the attached statement (on page 6) which details movements in the charity’s funds over the year helps to explain the situation.

Charity regulation states that charities should account for their finances through a range of Designated, Unrestricted and Restricted funds.

In the case of the RSCDS almost all the transactions in the year, membership subscriptions, investment income, event income and expenditure and operating

4

expenses, flow through the General Fund. It is primarily this fund that we create a budget for.

As you can see the General Fund income for the year at £232,877 was close to the budget but this hid significant differences.

Subscription income held up reasonably well compared to the reduced budget but the lack of dancing, effective closure of the shop and lack of new products meant that income from the shop and educational activities was significantly down.

However, this was compensated for by the proceeds of the Appeal which raised £31,681 from members and Branches.

We saved significant amounts of expenditure compared to budget with limited spending on marketing, educational activities and no Scottish Schools activity.

We saved on staff costs with redundancies and the departure of our previous Marketing Officer.

However, equipment, software and support costs rose to support Dance Scottish at Home, but by

The other component of the budgeted deficit was the depreciation of the website in the Designated Assets Fund and as is shown in the schedule the actual depreciation charge was close to budget. This means that the website cost is almost completely written off with most of the Designated Assets Fund accounted for by 12 Coates Crescent, valued at £625,000.

All the other funds which are held by the Society either showed a surplus or came into existence.

The income in the Development Fund is the proceeds of two generous legacies in excess of £10,000 which we received while money was spent on fundraising for the Scottish Schools Initiative and the marketing project. We also transferred funds from the Development Fund to the General Fund to compensate for the £2 subscription reduction and to support the Scottish Schools Initiative.

Investment income for the Jean Milligan Memorial Fund held up reasonably well but, as we know only too well, there was no dancing so there were no awards made from the fund with the only

expenses being the investment management charge. This results in a surplus of £3,853. The same applies to the Aitkenhead Fund and to the restricted Porter Bequest but that means there is money available for future expenditure.

This takes us to the two new funds supporting the Scottish Schools Initiative. Our Chair, Lorna Ogilvie, worked with our consultants and wrote to many Scottish charitable funders asking for their support to encourage Scottish Country Dancing in Scottish primary schools. This raised a total of £21,500 which is recorded as income in this year.

One of the charities attached a specific time restriction on the award and it is shown as a restricted fund. With schools reopening and some sort of normality returning this money will be spent in the future and recorded as expenditure giving my successor a deficit to explain!

A new restricted fund is shown for the Government’s Job Retention Scheme. This shows the money that we claimed from the scheme as income and an equal amount which was paid to the staff effected as expenditure.

Finally, for the Haynes Fund, there was an initial notification that we would receive a legacy of £127,444 from the estate of Mrs Maureen Haynes, widow of Derek Haynes, dancer, teacher and deviser of some great dances.

The terms of the will stated “that any monies received shall be used to fund the Derek Haynes Award so as to allow it to continue for as long as possible after my death”. The Memorandum of Understanding which set up the Derek Haynes Award stated that “In memory of her husband

Derek, Maureen Haynes wishes to donate each year a sum equal to the fee for an RSCDS member for one week residency at the St Andrews RSCDS Summer School” Later it states “This award will enable a young dancer or musician to attend Summer School”.

reasonable level of income noted above, also recovered well from the initial Covid related losses.

As is shown in the statement (on page 6), the investments in the various funds rose by £186,508 over the year as stock markets advanced.

It is the notification of this significant legacy plus the money raised for the Scottish Schools initiative which has turned an anticipated deficit of £170,452 into a surplus of £45,713.

However, these funds are for specific purposes and can not be used for the day to day running of the charity through the General Fund.

Since the 31st March, the RSCDS has continued to operate as last year with Summer School cancelled for the second year but with plans for the Autumn Gathering and Winter School.

The budget for the General Fund anticipates a deficit of £121,207 with a reduction in membership and the absence of Summer School. The first quarter deficit was less than the budgeted deficit as a result of continuing donations being received, including regular monthly donations which we hope to build on. We received a useful grant which was awarded to compensate for the Covid impact on sales and staff costs were less than budget because of the marketing vacancy.

In addition, the charity’s investment portfolio, as well as providing a reduced but

However, following the first instalment of £12,000, the Society has actually recently

These terms mean that this is a Restricted Fund but it will allow the Society to fund many young dancers and musicians to attend Summer School in the future.

Again, this legacy is shown as income in this year but when we start to spend the proceeds it will be recorded as expenditure.

Maureen Haynes teaching at Summer School in 2011

5

received an additional payment of £179,251 as the balance of the Haynes legacy. This means that there is an additional sum of £63,807 which will be reported as income in 2021/22. Therefore, the total amount of the Haynes Legacy is £191,251.

This is obviously very good news but gives us the challenge of finding enough young people to support to attend Summer School. We will not require any of this money until July 2022 at the earliest. In September we have retained £20,000 in cash

the finances but it not take effect until 1st July 2022. A significant recovery in sales through the shop and realistic pricing of the premium events, Summer School and Winter School, that the Society runs will be required to ensure that we return to recording a surplus on the General Fund in the 2022/23 financial year and beyond the Centenary.

and transferred the balance, £171,251 to a separate account with Aberdeen Standard Capital to obtain further growth and to generate income.

As stated above the income related to the Scottish Schools Initiative and the Haynes Fund have restrictions attached which mean that they cannot be used to support the running of the charity. We are having to sell investments in the General Fund to cover expenditure.

The proposed increase to the subscription will help to repair

BILL CANT, TREASURER

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31st March Fund Balance £’s 01-Apr-20

Income

Expenditure

Surplus/Deficit

782,722

232,877

325,258

(92,381)

230,332

369,335

(139,013)

31,439

(31,439)

30,542

(30,542)

Transfers Investment gains

Fund Balance £’s 31-Mar-21

Unrestricted Funds General Fund Budget 2020/21 General Fund Designated Assets Fund

14,333

151,000

855,674

Unrestricted Designated Funds Designated Assets Fund

666,562

Development Fund

186,370

24,198

8,500

15,698

Jean Milligan Memorial Fund

172,345

5,014

1,161

3,853

34,145

210,343

2,268

60

14

46

449

2,763

Aitkenhead Fund Scottish Schools Initiative

11,500

11,500

636,020 (20,333)

181,735

6,000

17,500

Restricted Funds Porter Bequest

6,645

123

Scottish Schools Initiative

10,000

Job Retention Scheme

31,820

The Haynes Fund Totals

28

31,820

127,444

95

914

7,654

10,000

10,000

0

0

127,444

127,444

1,816,912

443,036

397,323

45,713

0

186,508

2,049,133

855,674

335,303

456,510

(121,207)

0

0

734,467

Budget 2021/22

6

General Fund

“

Whether or not you are able to donate, please continue to renew your membership if you can

”

Support your Society The COVID-19 crisis has had a significant financial impact on the RSCDS. The cancellation of Society events, particularly Summer School in St Andrews, created a large deficit in the budget and we invested in the delivery of free virtual events. This means we have less money available to support the development of Scottish country dancing and music in the future. With your help we want to rebuild the finances of the Society so that we are able to continue to: • Support the return to dancing where, and when, specific needs become evident • Provide training and support for teachers and musicians, alongside ongoing education projects • Regularly review upgrading our technology to allow enhanced digital communication in coming years • Support dancing in Branches, classes and groups through the vital contributions made by office staff, Working Groups, Committees and the Board

A donation of any amount will be greatly appreciated and will help the RSCDS recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Please give what you can.

We have all spent less over the last 18 months on dancing. Perhaps consider donating the price of a ticket to a dance, the fees for a day school, the cost of travelling to a summer school or the expense of an overnight stay at the AGM. Whatever the amount, your donation will make a massive difference.

How to donate Support the RSCDS by donating through www.justgiving.com/rscds and choose to donate a one-off amount or set up monthly payments (for alternative ways to give, contact the RSCDS Office by email or phone). * Remember, if you are a UK taxpayer you can Gift Aid your donation. This increases your gift by 25%, with no extra cost to you.

Our three Management Committees have remained busy - read about their most recent activities:

Membership Services

Education & Training

Youth Services

•

•

•

•

•

Publications and recordings - Walter Scott and the latest combined volume covering Books 39 to 44 are due to be published in November 2021.

Dance Scottish At Home The final issue of this online newsletter was published in September. Originally started as a short-term project to keep our members engaged during the Covid lockdown, the publication has run for 18 months and 40 issues. As part of this project, volunteer teachers from around the world were enlisted to deliver weekly online classes and there are now 70+ available for catch up on the website.

Video project - Edited videos from the Branch video project are being uploaded onto the RSCDS YouTube channel as they become available.

•

•

•

Unit exams - Units 2, 3 and 5 exams took place in August 2021 and all candidates passed. Additionally, Unit 1 exams were scheduled for 16th October 2021.

Core Training for Instructors - A presentation was given to the Teachers’ Association of Scotland. This was well received by the 40+ teachers attending.

RSCDS School events Planning is underway and it is anticipated that Winter School and a three week Summer School will both take place next year.

Teachers’ Conference - This was cancelled for 2021. The Teachers’ Associations have been asked to produce a short video which will be shared with as many teachers as possible in due course.

•

•

Spring Fling - Dancers from all over the world joined in for a virtual Spring Fling hosted by the organising committee from Aberdeen. Held on 24th April 2021, it included classes, a virtual chatroom, Devise a Dance workshop and evening Ceilidh. It was an excellent, popular, and engaging event!

Virtual Dance Display – A creative video collage project was developed to allow dancers to collaborate virtually. There was a great response, and the final piece was shared widely on social media.

Virtual Festival – The 2021 Virtual Festival was launched and we are hoping, once again, for positive and creative submissions from Branches and Affiliated Groups across the world.

And finally we have...

• • • • • •

Welcomed two new Branches to the Society - Breton and Herts & Borders Delivered very successful virtual Winter School, Spring Fling and Summer School events, allowing members worldwide to enjoy classes, dances and musical entertainment Produced, and updated, ‘Back to dancing’ Covid guidelines during lockdown Invited former Chairmen to assist with ceremonial duties, following the retirement of Jean Martin, Honorary President Invited selected Scottish celebrities to be RSCDS ambassadors and promote Scottish Country Dancing Been so grateful to Branches and groups everywhere who have kept spirits up by organising virtual classes, events and newsletters. Each has played a huge part in keeping the RSCDS ‘family’ in good heart in these very strange times

Thank you to all Committees, Staff, Branches and Members for your dedication and hard work THE ROYAL SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCE SOCIETY 12 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh, EH3 7AF | +44 (0)131 225 3854 | info@rscds.org | www.rscds.org

8

Registered as a Scottish Charity No. SC016085, Company No. SC480530