514r20 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteesl members of British Institute for Geological Conservation On accounts for tho year èndèd Charlty no (if any) 1016312 41412021 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my eXaMinat￿n of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended Responslbllltles and A% the charlty trustees of the Trust. you are responsible for the preparation basis of Teport of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Chaiities Act 2011 (Ihe Acr). I report in respec* of my examin8tK)n of the TTusYs accounts carried out undar sedion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying OLrt my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions gtven by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(bl of the Act. I have completed my exarnination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to bdieve that in. any material respect: a(￿Unting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection wilh the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable 8 proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: Name: IF fitonQ S Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any)". Address: Y20 IER October 2018 Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examinati￿ of charity accounts". diredions and guidance for examiners). Give here brfef details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018 2. ## **INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDING APRIL 4[TH] 2021** |**INCOME**|Current year|Previous year| |---|---|---| |Interest on Business Account|£29.12|£25.68| |Tipical Valleys Project||| |Merthyr Tydfil CB|£16,267.29|£32,810.68| |Merthyr’sRoots Project||| |Waterloo Foundation|£25,000.00|NIL| |Wales Council for Voluntary Action £39,999.20||NIL| |B. Evans|£30,000.00|NIL| |**TOTAL**|**£111,295.61**|**£32,836.36**| |**EXPENDITURE**||| |Development Officer Costs|NIL|£65,821.46| |Council meeting expenses|NIL|£538.60| |Geologists’ssoc.affiliationfee|£40.00|NIL| |Capel Horeb||| |Interpretation boards design|£1333.94|NIL| |Merthyr development costs||| |Translation costs|NIL|£1,800.00| |Web design|NIL|£594.00| |Evolution Garden Project||| |Purchase of plants|£6,891.70|NIL| |**TOTAL**|**£8,265.64**|**£68,754.06**| |**TRANSFER TO (FROM) RESERVES**|+£103,029.97| |---|---| |**RESERVES**|| |Business Manager Account|£103,788.61| |Community Account|£344.10| |**TOTAL**|**£104,132.71**| 3. ## **BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDING APRIL 4[TH] 2021** ## **ASSETS** |**ASSETS**|**ASSETS**|| |---|---|---| |Current year||Previous year| |A. Called up share capital not paid|NIL|NIL| |B. Fixed Assets||| |Land|£45,000.00|£45,000.00| |Library|£1,000.00|£1,000.00| |C. Current Assets||| |Stocks|NIL|NIL| |Debtors|NIL|NIL| |Investments|NIL|NIL| |Cash in Bank|£104,132.71|£1,102.74| |D. Prepayments and accrued income|NIL|NIL| |**TOTAL**|**£150,132.71**|**£47,102.74**| |**LIABILITIES**||| |A. Capital and Reserves|£150,132.71|£47,102.74| |B. Provisions for liabilities and charges|NIL|NIL| |C. Creditors|NIL|NIL| |D. Accruals and deferred income|NIL|NIL| |**TOTAL**|**£150,132.71**|**£47,102.74**| ## Notes - For the year ending 4 April 2021 the company was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. - The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. - The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts. - The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the micro-entity provisions and delivered in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime. 4. ## **NNULREPORT2020‒2021** The Covid -19 pandemic has considerably disrupted our work this year, in particular the outreach and public engagement activities. It has meant that we have had to delay project start-dates, and therefore the timing of expenditure. As a result, we received more income than we spent in this financial year. However, this income has been rolled over to the following year (2021‒2022) and is assigned to deliver project activity in the remainder of 2021 and in 2022. From a financial perspective, the pandemic has also put severe pressure on our ability to secure continuation money/grants. Fortunately, however, we were able to secure some smaller grants that have enabled us to bridge the gap and shortfall in funding. ## _Merthyr’s Roots_ This project at the Cyfarthfa Castle Greenhouse is an extension of our previous _Carboniferous Garden_ Project and aims to demonstrate the evolution of plants through deep time. The project was supposed to run from May 2020 to October 2021 but, due to Covid delays, it did not start until 1st October 2020. The project has been supported from two funding sources during this year. 1. A grant from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), representing the first, advance 80% of a £49,999 grant provided by the Welsh Government Landfill Disposal Tax Grant Scheme. The final 20% (£10K) will be claimable on completion of the project. 2. The Waterloo Foundation provided a Covid Resilience Emergency Grant intended to bridge the gap in funding between April and October 2020. It is to be used to sustain the Evolution Garden project, allowing it to diversify during the Covid period by helping the local community to grow vegetables and fruit using the greenhouse complex. This will provide food to local community members, disability groups and food banks. The grant has already been reported on and signed off by the Waterloo Foundation. This pilot project has two distinctive yet complementary elements: an Evolutionary Garden and an education/training service. Together, they will be used as tools to reintroduce schools, communities and stakeholders to their local heritage landscapes and help local people become better global citizens. The Evolution Garden will serve as a learning hub, an all-weather classroom and a community facility. It will allow us to investigate and interpret local heritage alongside global environmental issues: - The special linkage between the formation of coal, iron and other local minerals - How plants have moderated climate in the past, and continue to play a vital role in the regulation of climate, temperature and global CO2 levels. - The rise and co-evolution of plants and animals, particularly looking at pollinators and their current plight. - The impact of plants on the environment 5. - How vegetation has led to the formation of local natural resources - How nature has shaped the culture, landscape and heritage of Merthyr The project will also provide a new, much needed, community-based education service that looks at the environment and local heritage holistically, linking modern day Merthyr and its diverse and iconic heritage to its more ancient natural origins. Our aim is to reconnect people to the environment and enrich their lives by using the local postindustrial landscape and its incredible, yet neglected, natural and cultural assets for learning and discovery. Our work will re-instil a strong sense of place and pride in local residents, something that has been slowly eroded since industry has declined. Our activities will ground them in their community, making them feel safe in their landscape and appreciate and value their unique region once again. It will raise awareness of and encourage greater, sustainable use and healthy exploration of the wonderful local heritage assets (both natural and cultural) that abound in the Merthyr area. This industrial landscape offers exciting new learning and wellbeing opportunities and meshes with ambitious plans for regeneration set out recently by the Cyfarthfa Foundation. ## _Other work at Cyfarthfa Castle Greenhouses_ We have been training, mentoring and upskilling disability groups, Social Service clients and volunteers with the intention of building confidence and capacity to re-enter the workforce. The venue has also been used as an indoor classroom to provide training and inspirational learning activities to local schools, colleges and teachers. The Carboniferous Garden has been opened to the public, and acts as an enhancement to local visitor attractions, complimenting other local and developing heritage initiatives. ## _Other community activities_ The BIGC Project Officer has - Developed and trialled bespoke training sessions that reintroduce teachers to the wealth of natural assets and post-industrial landscapes that abound in Merthyr Tydfil. - Provided and attended community events encouraging community and citizen science style projects. - Spent considerable time scoping out and developing new collaborations with partner organisations (stakeholders, third sector, Local Authority and regional) to generate networks and build capacity for future projects. ## _Tipical Valleys Project_ BIGC received the last instalment in the grant from Merthyr Tydfil CB that supported this project. This project is now finished. 6. ## _Capel Horeb_ During this year, the design for the interpretation panels for Capel Horeb were finalised. The construction and installation of the panels will be done in the following year (2021) and is beingsupportedbyagrantfromtheGeologists’ssociation Curry Fund.