During the 2006-2007 financial year, Online Transport Archive continued to build on the progress of the past six years and is in a strong position to undertake some major projects in the near future.

Income was significantly higher than in the previous financial year, for three main reasons:

-  The receipt of a generous donation from the estate of a deceased enthusiast.

-  The establishment of Gift Aid which allowed tax to be claimed back on the above donation and a previous generous donation in October 2003

-  The receipt of initial royalty payments in respect of the Ian Allan publication Streets of Liverpool, which has been co-authored by two of the Archive’s directors, and with royalty payments being waived in favour of a donation to the Archive.

There was a slight reduction in resources expended, meaning that a healthy surplus was generated for the year.   The accumulated surplus will contribute to OTA’s immediate needs.

Since January 2004, the company has been registered as a charity.   Its stated object, as registered with the Charity Commissioners, is:

“... to advance the education of the public, particularly but not exclusively, in the history of railway, tramway, road, air and water transport through the collection of film, colour slides, photographic negatives and prints, videotape, electronic images in all formats and other artefacts.”

Its activities can be summarised as:

-  care and administration of transport-related film and photographic collections

-  conservation work relating to these collections

-  assistance to bona fide authors/researchers in the field

-  availability of the Archive to bona-fide publishers thereby ensuring that the collections are made available to the public at large

Corporate governance is provided through a board of directors most of whom have standing in the fields of transport heritage, photography and film making.   During the 2006-2007 financial year, a new board appointment of Honorary Treasurer was made.   This has allowed the finances of the Archive to be managed on a more active basis, as evidenced by the Gift Aid scheme described above and by the opening of lower cost/higher interest banking facilities to ensure the most favourable position for the Archive.

The directors each take an active role in furthering the company’s aims and they are assisted in this by a number of members and other supporters. The directors are appointed by the members of the company, all of whom are encouraged to bring skills in support of the Archive’s work.   

In 2006, the proprietor of Online Video (OV) decided to severely curtail the production of new tapes.  However, OTA is still entitled to on-going royalty payments in respect of some of OV’s back catalogue, but clearly the revenue stream from this source will slow down significantly.   Allied with the cessation of the agreement with Photobus in 2005-2006, this means that income from these two previously significant sources is now very small.   With no other obvious like-for-like replacement partners, OTA is therefore more reliant on contributions to books and magazines and its directors have been actively helping authors on a number of projects.   During 2006-2007, the Archive has provided material to a range of publishers including Ian Allan, Capital Transport, Lightmoor Press, Middleton Press and Trolleybooks.   Income from PhotoCD sales and prints from plate glass negatives has remained small but steady.   OTA directors continue to give illustrated public lectures, although these tend to spread the word about its activities, rather than acting as a major revenue source.

During 2006-2007, the Archive has received further important film and photographic donations and collections/material from among others: E C Bennett, M de Beer, J A Canfield, D Beath, J Joyce, T Marsh, P Matthews, C Orchard, W R Stillman and K Thorpe.  Problems still arise where people have not made appropriate provision in their wills.   OTA is currently involved in exchanges of correspondence to ensure that the futures of two particular collections are secured in an appropriate way.

Accommodation for the Archive is close to being finalised.   Much of the material was transferred to the designated premises by a number of working parties during 2006-2007, although its precise location within that remains fluid.   OTA’s directors now feel that the Archive is close to being able to function as fully as they would wish and has implemented plans to purchase scanning and other IT equipment.   2007-2008 will see OTA build on the strong foundation which exists at present.

Directors

The directors during the year were:

David John Bishop
David Michael Dyer  - appointed 2 January 2007
Frank Ernest Martin Jenkins
Charles Christopher Roberts
Michael John Russell
Michael Peter Waller
Peter Alexander Whitehead