Treasurer for Boat Trip Operation

The Basingstoke Canal Society (The Society) needs your financial skills and experience as a Treasurer.

The Society wants a Treasurer to look after the accounting for the 2 trading subsidiaries; John Pinkerton Canal Cruises Ltd (JPCC) and Surrey and Hampshire Canal Cruises Ltd (SHCC), taking over the role from the current Treasurer fully from 1st January 2027.

JPCC operates the passenger trips and charters for both our trip boats John Pinkerton II and Kitty II, with SHCC running the onboard galley for John Pinkerton II. The boats’ active seasons last from March to the end of October.

The role includes:

• Processing payments of invoices and expenses weekly for 2 bank accounts, one for each company.
• Recording of all transactions in Intuit Quickbooks, producing monthly reconciliations and management accounts, and reporting to the John Pinkerton Committee as required on finance matters.
• Quarterly VAT return for John Pinkerton Canal Cruises Ltd plus liaison with Auditors for the annual accounts, 31st December year end and the Treasurer for the main Society.

The current Treasurer, who is retiring from the role, normally spends on average 15 to 20 hours per month.

The Society are the guardians of the canal which runs through Surrey and Hampshire.  It works alongside the councils’ managing authority and its overarching aim is to ‘keep the canal alive’ by:

• Promoting the future of the canal
• Protecting our environment
• Providing community leisure activities
• Preserving our heritage.

The canal is a vital local amenity with virtually its whole length designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. It provides a great range of leisure activities, including boating, running, walking, cycling and angling.

What skills do I need?

The key requirements being to:

• Ensure Society finances are managed effectively and in accordance with regulatory and legal requirements.
• Maintain financial records and produce monthly management financial reports
• Lead the annual budget setting process
• Prepare annual accounts.

 It is not expected that you would need to spend more than the equivalent of three days a month to undertake this role, as we have someone to undertake bookkeeping and banking transactions in support of the Treasurer.