01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC009859
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Operations cover all or most of Scotland
- Volunteers
- 1-50 volunteers
- Staff
- 10
- Postcode
- EH32 0PY
OSCR note: 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.
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
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.
Charitable 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
Activities
- 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
Constitutional objectives
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.
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Total income | Donations | Charitable activities income | Trading income | Investment income | Other income | Total expenditure | Raising funds | Charitable activities spending | Other spending | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2025 | £656,265 | £531,287 | £109,622 | £135 | £15,221 | £0 | £407,564 | £27,066 | £380,498 | £0 | 10 | 22 December 2025 |
| 31 March 2024 | £460,738 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £370,630 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 10 | 4 December 2024 |
| 31 March 2023 | £317,328 | £189,129 | £115,257 | £255 | £12,687 | £0 | £361,606 | £23,811 | £289,550 | £48,245 | 10 | 20 November 2023 |
| 31 March 2022 | £274,655 | £179,468 | £83,355 | £80 | £11,652 | £100 | £351,213 | £30,500 | £320,713 | £0 | 10 | 9 December 2022 |
| 31 March 2021 | £206,625 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £215,433 | £0 | £0 | £0 | 10 | 10 December 2021 |
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
- Waterston House, Aberlady, East Lothian
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.the-soc.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.