More information to appear on the Scottish Charity Register from 9 March 2026, including charity trustee names and accounts documents. Click here for more details.

Charity Details

 

The Botanical Society Of Scotland SCIO

SC016283Registered charity from 19 February 1918
2MB ZIP file, with green, blue and mono style logos
2MB ZIP file, with green, blue and mono style logos
Information about this charity:
Charity Information Operations Annual Submissions Income and Expenditure Charity Trustees
Notes:
This SCIO was incorporated on 15th April 2014 as a result of a Change to SCIO application by SC016283 The Botanical Society of Scotland, which was an unincorporated association registered as a charity since 19 February 1918.
Charity Information:
Address c/o Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
20a Inverleith Row
Edinburgh
Postcode EH3 5LR
Website botsoc.scot/
Regulatory Type Standard
Object:
To advance the study of plants, algae, cryptogams, fungi and associated organisms, to spread botanical knowledge and understanding of the part played by these organisms in Scotland's environment, culture, history and heritage. To encourage the academic study of botany at School and University level by providing a forum for professional amateur botanists and students to study and discuss all aspects of botany and by offering grants and awards for excellence in project work so far as and by any means that our resources permit. To promote public interest in Scotland's botany, native plants and vegetation and their habitats by involving and engaging with the public in constructive projects that promote the knowledge, appreciation, observation, recording and conservation of all wild plants. To provide information, education and advice, with the aim of promoting awareness of the unique character of Scotland's flora, encouraging awareness of environmental, climate change and management impacts on native plants, vegetation and habitats and an interest in the development of informed strategies for their conservation and the mitigation and reduction of adverse impacts
Operations:
What the charity is set up to do and how it does this:
The Society ran a pgm. of public lectures (13), field meetings (13), a joint mtng. with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland and initiated a monthly ‘plant pub’ event to enable anyone interested in plants to meet socially. Our weekly plant blog grows in popularity. The Soc. produced 2 editions of a redesigned BSS News, and its scientific journal, Plant Ecology and Diversity (now online) published a special edition on the urban flora of Scotland. Membership increased, esp. among students and a new membership database was introduced. Funding assistance towards field work was made available for undergraduate students studying plant sciences (3 awards - £1328 total) and a competition run to identify the best undergraduate plant science dissertation (£200). Project reports were published in BSS News and promoted there and via social media. BSS continued to support the Alliance for Scotland's Rainforest and contributed to the new (Scottish) Mountain Plants Alliance.
Charity Status: Active
Constitutional Form: SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Constitutional Form Date: 15 Apr 2014
Previous Constitutional Form: Unincorporated association
Previous Constitutional Form Date: 19 Feb 1918
Main Operating Location: City of Edinburgh
Number of Staff: 0
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 carries out activities or services itself"
Annual Submissions:
Year End Income Expenditure Annual Return Received Accounts Received Latest Annual Reports and Accounts
30 Apr 2021 £16,933 £2,085 23 Dec 2021 Yes
30 Apr 2022 £14,771 £11,877 20 Dec 2022 Yes
30 Apr 2023 £19,680 £15,598 09 Jan 2024 Yes
30 Apr 2024 £30,980 £29,752 05 Nov 2024 Yes
30 Apr 2025 £16,037 £13,591 03 Nov 2025 Yes Visit Charity's Website
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
David Franklin Chamberlain
Fiona Maguire
Richard Leon Jr Wilson
Jonathan Silvertown
Yuk Sim Tang
Brian Richard Ballinger
Laszlo Nagy
Rachel Catherine Thomas
Maria Kazimiera Chamberlain
Hamlyn Gordon Jones
John Grace
Christopher Edward Jeffree
Richard Ian Milne
Tobias Cullen
Elizabeth Mavis Kungu
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.

Open Government Licence logo

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.

Please note that we accept no responsibility for the functionality, accuracy, or content of external websites. If you experience a technical issue with an external link, you should contact the charity directly.

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
Back to Previous Page

 

Scroll to top