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Charity Details

 

The Scottish Ornithologists' Club

SC009859Registered charity from 16 September 1965
2MB ZIP file, with green, blue and mono style logos
2MB ZIP file, with green, blue and mono style logos
Notes:
The SCIO was incorporated on the 30 March 2015 as a result of a Change to SCIO application by Scottish Ornithologists Club SC009859, which was an Unincorporated Association registered as a charity since 16 Sept 1965.
Charity Information:
The Name the Charity is Known By SOC
Address Waterston House
Aberlady
East Lothian
Postcode EH32 0PY
Regulatory Type Standard
Object:
3.1 The purpose of the Club is to advance the study and appreciation of birds in Scotland, and to do so by: 3.1.1 Promoting the study and documentation of Scotland’s birdlife. 3.1.2 Promoting interest in wild birds. 3.1.3 Promoting the conservation of birds and their habitats in Scotland. 3.1.4 Providing a focus for information relating to the study of birds in Scotland. 3.1.5 Encouraging the appreciation of the creative arts relating to Natural History.
Operations:
What the charity is set up to do and how it does this:
Promote study and documentation of Scotland's birdlife. Promote interest in wild birds. Promoting the conservation of birds and their habitats in Scotland. Providing a focus for information relating to the study of birds in Scotland. Encouraging the appreciation of the creative arts relating to natural history.
Charity Status: Active
Constitutional Form: SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Constitutional Form Date: 30 Mar 2015
Previous Constitutional Form: Unincorporated association
Previous Constitutional Form Date: 16 Sept 1965
Main Operating Location: East Lothian
Number of Staff: 10
Number of Volunteers: 1-50
Purposes: "the advancement of education", "the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science", "the advancement of environmental protection or improvement"
Beneficiaries: "No specific group, or for the benefit of the community"
Types Of Activity Undertaken: "It makes grants, donations, loans, gifts or pensions to individuals", "It makes grants, donations or gifts to organisations", "It carries out activities or services itself"
Annual Submissions:
Year End Income Expenditure Annual Return Received Accounts Received Latest Annual Reports and Accounts
31 Mar 2022 £274,655 £351,213 09 Dec 2022 Yes
31 Mar 2023 £317,328 £361,606 20 Nov 2023 Yes
31 Mar 2024 £460,738 £370,630 04 Dec 2024 Yes
31 Mar 2025 £656,265 £407,564 22 Dec 2025 Yes Visit Charity's Website
31 Mar 2026 No Annual Information due by 31 Dec 2026
If an annual return has been received on time (within nine months of the Year End Date), the 'Annual Return Received' box is green   . If an annual return is late, the box is red   .
Income and Expenditure:
Charity Trustees:
First Name Last Name
Rachael Wilbourn
Christine Wernham
John Drummond
William Cresswell
Paul Tarling
Neil Stratton
Andrew Turney
Ross McEwan
David Lindgren
George Ross
Ruth Briggs
Richard Somers-Cocks
Hannah Lemon
Zul Bhatia
Nina O'Hanlon
Helen Aiton
Brian Cox
Peter Gordon
Alan Knox
Richard Leslie
From 09 March 2026, OSCR is required by law to publish the names of a charity’s trustees as part of its Scottish Charity Register entry. We are also required to publish each charity’s annual report and accounts as received from this date, which may include the names of certain individuals. The only exceptions to publication are where a charity or one of its charity trustees applies for this information to be excluded, and OSCR is satisfied that publishing it would jeopardise the safety or security of a person or premises.

If the charity trustee information on a Register entry appears blank, this may mean that an exemption applies or that the charity has not yet provided the required details to OSCR. Supplying this information will become mandatory as part of future annual submissions.
Copyright

From 30 June 2025, OSCR began collecting charity trustee information through OSCR Online. Providing this information is a legal requirement for all charities. The names of trustees will be published on the Scottish Charity Register from early 2026 to promote transparency and strengthen public trust in the sector.

© Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator 2006. Crown Database Right 2006.

The Scottish Charity Register ("The Register") is subject to Crown database right.

The Scottish Charity Register is licenced under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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When you use this information under the OGL, you should include the following attribution: © Crown Copyright and database right 2020. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0.

Charity accounts and constitution – what information do we publish?

The Scottish Charity Register contains key information about a charity’s operations and finances. This includes:

  • the names of a charity’s trustees (exemptions apply)
  • its annual report and full accounts, if submitted after 9 March 2026
    (Accounts submitted prior to 9 March 2026 will be redacted, or may not be published, depending on the charity’s income level or legal form.)

These changes are designed to improve transparency across the charity sector in Scotland.

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Under section 23(1)(a) and (b) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, you have the right to request the following information directly from the charity:

  • a copy of the charity’s latest statement of accounts
  • a copy of the charity’s constitution
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