2023-04-05-accounts

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/directors/ British Institute for Geological Conservation Ltd members of On accounts for the year April 2023 ended Charity no.: 1016312 Company no.: 02775501 Set out on pages 3-6

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 3 / 04 / 2022.

Responsibilities and As the charity’s trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the basis of report company for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited for this year under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 2011 Act”). In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) which gives me cause to believe that:

• accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006; or • the accounts do not accord with such records; or • the accounts do not comply with relevant accounting requirements under section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or •the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102).

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IER

I have no GOn￿mS and have ￿me across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please delete the worfs in the brackets rfthey do not apply. Signed: r4J raiARy Date: Name: Relevant professional qualrfiGation{s) or body (rf any>: Address: i"Q71 s Foc Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matertal matters of conom (see CC32. Independent examination of charty account5.' directions and guidan￿ for examiners). Glve here brfef detslls of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER

INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDING April 4[th] 2023

INCOME Interest on Business Account Geologists’ssoc.(CapelHoreb) Evolution Garden Project Merthyr Tydfill CR (Levelling-Up Fund) Refund from Pest Control work Wales Council for Voluntary Action Misc. Fees for filming at Bendrick Rocks TOTAL EXPENDITURE Evolution Garden Project Employment Costs & Monitoring Independent Project Monitoring Development Officer Costs Educational equipment Education consultancy Gardening equipment Greenhouse Construction Ecological Survey Equipment PPE Pest Control Event Catering Postage Bendrick Rocks Aerial Survey Capel Horeb Interpretation boards design Bank Charges TOTAL TRANSFER TO (FROM) RESERVES RESERVES Business Manager Account Community Account TOTAL	Current year £492.62 NIL £124,268.32 £245.94 NIL £162.42 £250.00 £125,363.30 £4,000.00 £4,350.00 £70,000.00 £10,315.06 £15,000.00 £2,639.70 £25,459.77 £5,194.62 £1,975.73 £387.93 £125.26 £96.05 £700.00 NIL £65.97 £140,310.09 -£15,053.21 £137,233.57 £6,203.13 £143,436.70	Previous year £13.90 £3,071.62 £92,370.32 NIL £9,999.80 NIL £250.00 £105,705.64 £6,153.72 NIL £20,000.00 £320.02 NIL £22,749.70 NIL NIL NIL NIL NIL NIL NIL £2,110.00 £15.00 £51,348.44

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IER

BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDING April 4[th] 2023

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	£143,436.70	£158,489.91
D. Prepayments and accrued income	NIL	NIL
TOTAL	£189,436.70	£204,489.91
LIABILITIES
A. Capital and Reserves	£189,436.70	£204,489.91
B. Provisions for liabilities and charges	NIL	NIL
C. Creditors	NIL	NIL
D. Accruals and deferred income	NIL	NIL
TOTAL	£189,436.70	£204,489.91

Notes

• For the year ending 4 April 2023 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.

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IER

British Institute for Geological Conservation

Annual Report 2022‒2023

Thebulkofthisyear’sactivitieswere centred on the Merthyr’s Roots project, which following a visit from Mr Michael Gove (Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) has been supported by the Community Renewal Fund (CRF – “Levelling Up Fund”). The project is based at Cyfarthfa Castle greenhouses and country park, and aims to educate the local communities about their important natural heritage.

The project has benefited a range of stakeholders with varying abilities and needs, including 2532 children and young people, and 400 adults (mainly teachers, educators and group leaders). A Total of 117 workshop sessions were delivered, each tailored to a specific audience. The events considered the impact and significance of climate change and biodiversity loss; we have handled bugs, studied natural cycles, considered fossil fuels, made small worlds, looked locally and thought globally and discovered our own evidence for climate change. We have also considered mass extinctions, the plight of pollinators, and conjured with the complexities of co-evolution of plants and animals. We also had an extensive programme of walks and talks based on the rich natural and man-made environment of the area. These included climate change sessions, fungi forays, foraging and wild foods, geological talks, fossil hunts, ecological surveys of reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, wild birds, nocturnal wildlife, invasive species, co-evolution of plants and animals, the wood wide web and natures interconnectivity, moth trapping, bat surveys, seed and mast harvesting.

Mainstreaming and showcasing disability has been a significant component of this project. This has included:

• Employing three disabled Social Service Clients for 6 months to help deliver the project;

• Together with the People First (disability advocacy group), holding an 8-week programme of events including fossil hunting, terrarium building, walks and talks, biodiversity surveying, making pooters, Life that Glows, and foraging;

• Having Volunteering Greenhouse Social Service clients and NHS mental health groups to help with the running and maintenance of the project, including supporting events, pest control and pruning, planting and preparation for events, hospitality and public engagement.

The project has worked closely with schools and home school networks, LA Education Department staff, NHS practitioners, and the Police and Probation Services. We have also worked extensively with specialist interest groups including historical societies, horticultural and nature conservation groups.

We have also engaged with the Heads of the Valleys Future Valleys project and Tilbury Douglas at Prince Charles hospital, as well as the Cyfarthfa Foundation. We have collaborated with Cyfarthfa Museum Staff, TV & Welsh Language production companies. local business owners, land owners, the film and tourist sectors, local and regional stakeholders. These organisations have all become aware of the project and participated in or contributed to its activities.

We encouraged groups to use new places, to revisit historic places, to use and champion threatened spaces. We have encouraged the use of old maps and historic documents and used Welsh words nearly forgotten. We made familiar places foreign by adding darkness and encouraged participants to look at the world they thought they knew with fresh eyes. Saving spaces for future generations has become a key part of project delivery for future project.

Other BIGC projects during the year have included:

• Capel Horeb – maintenance work to clear a rock-fall that partly obscured the exposure, and the design of geodiversity interpretation boards funded by the Curry Fund(Geologists’ssociation);

• Bendrick Rock – design of geodiversity interpretation boards funded by Natural Resources Wales and dealing with media profile of site including request from Michael Portillo to film there for his Great British Railway Journeys series;

• Evolution Garden at Cyfarthfa Castle – further plant purchases and interpretation (this project has evolved into the Merthyr’s Roots project);

• Development of set of papers on geoconservation for the journal Geoheritage .