01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC009796
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Wider, but within one local authority area
- Volunteers
- 1-50 volunteers
- Staff
- 15
- Postcode
- KW8 6JA
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
Timespan is a museum and cultural institution located in Helmsdale. We adopt a holistic approach, using arts, heritage, digital technologies, education, wellbeing, and community building as a catalyst for political, social, cultural, environmental and communal change. Our initiatives are rooted in our local context and resonate globally, addressing urgent contemporary issues from an intersectional perspective. We actively engage with our local and global communities to effect meaningful dialogue and transformation. In a region marked by historical injustices, defined as rural and remote, and affected by a lack of cultural services, Timespan serves as a vital cultural hub, engaging over 20,000 people annually and reaching an online audience of 110,000 across various platforms.
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of education
- the advancement of citizenship or community development
- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
- the provision of recreational facilities, or the organisation of recreational activities, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities or activities are primarily intended
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
To provide a resource for the presentation and promotion of heritage and arts, for the benefit of the public and particularly the inhabitants of the parish of Helmsdale and the region of Sutherland, and to maintain a collection based on the built, natural and cultural heritage of the area. present a programme of contemporary arts. run activities for the education and enjoyment of arts and heritage
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Income | Expenditure | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2025 | £468,464 | £449,935 | 15 | 13 July 2026 |
| 31 December 2024 | £351,503 | £330,869 | 15 | 15 August 2025 |
| 31 December 2023 | £289,057 | £299,794 | 15 | 24 June 2024 |
| 31 December 2022 | £280,789 | £311,520 | 15 | 2 July 2023 |
| 31 December 2021 | £295,221 | £274,244 | 15 | 1 July 2022 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- Timespan, Dunrobin Street, Helmsdale, Sutherland
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.timespan.org.uk
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. 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. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.