Annual Reports
Chairman's Report 2008
Our third year has again seen continuous growth. All the more significant in that we have been ‘grant free’ and fully funded by our trading activity since April 2008.
In my inaugural Report I outlined my initial concept, “… sell second-hand books on the internet to help a few local organisations in the Scottish Borders fund-raise.” We have certainly achieved this while expanding our geographic area to many parts of Scotland: raising over £61,600 for our not-for-profit book suppliers to the end of October 2008.
Perhaps more importantly, we did this through the efforts of our team which has now grown to 17 staff with many work experience trainees, volunteers and home-based people all contributing too. Our team is comprised of disabled and non-disabled people virtually all returning to work often from long periods of unemployment. A ‘Total Team’ that is self-supporting without designated care or support workers.
Our commitment to all aspects of our triple bottom-line:
- social
- environmental
- economic
has seen not only our social contribution grow, but has allowed us to divert over 420 tonnes of books from landfill through re-use or recycling.
Our economic outputs go beyond employment and fund-raising. Wherever possible we use local suppliers of goods and services ranging from building materials and vehicle leasing to training and software development.
Our ‘economic development’ has seen us increase our self-generated income from 48% (2006) to 63% (2007) to this year with 100% self-sustainability in the second half of the year.
The rate of future growth will, to some degree, be determined by our ability to continue to demonstrate success in order to attract further investment particularly from Scottish Government sources.
I was very disappointed that having scored highly in all the relevant criteria in our application for Scottish Office’s Increase III funding, its panel elected not to make a criteria-based assessment, but rejected our application for, as yet, inadequately communicated reasons.
My continued thanks to all our supporters both local and national and – as always – to our team of staff, trainees and volunteers who made all of this happen.
Lawrie Hayworth
Chairman
ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2008 - 2009.pdf
SUMMARISED CIC 34 REPORT - YEAR END 31 OCT 2009.pdf
Copies of our previous years Annual Reports and Accounts are available directly from our company secretary.
