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REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 1036153
C/O SPOTTED DOG COTTAGE, WHORLTON, BARNARD CASTLE DL12 8xQ
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TRUSTEES:
JOHN DOUGLAS GILLON —- CHAIRMAN ANNE ELIZABETH WILKINSON — SECRETARY/TREASURER IAN DAVID WILKINSON
ANNUAL REPORT 2025
The aims of the Hwange Conservation Society continue to be to provide help and support to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe in whatever way possible. This includes provision of funds for projects which will have a long-term and practical effect on the operation of the Park and/or which will benefit the wildlife of the Park.
The charity continues to be run by the above-named trustees who are all volunteers and who take no payment for what they do. Each trustee pays their own costs in the way of phone, internet, stationery and postage and no claims for expenses are submitted. This allows the charity to use every single penny raised for its stated aims. We operate from our own homes and our only overheads are for our web site domain renewal (every two years) and a yearly charge for our web site editor licence and auditing costs. We continue to work with our colleagues in Zimbabwe, all of whom have charitable status, namely Friends of Hwange, the Bhejane Trust and Wildlife & Environment Zimbabwe. All support we offer, whether in the forms of goods or financial donations, is channelled through one of these organisations, many of whose people are personally known to us. No donation of any kind is ever given direct to any governmental organisation.
During 2025 the main thrust of our work was to continue to support the game water supply system within Hwange National Park. The Park has little in the way of year-round natural water so an artificial supply in the form of pumped waterholes is essential for the welfare of the wildlife by providing drinking water for them, particularly important during the dry season. To this end, during the year, we provided some £5170.00 to the Bhejane Trust and Friends of Hwange to purchase spare parts and fuel to continue the maintenance of waterholes in their respective areas. In addition to this, we also donated £1972.00 to the Bhejane Trust to provide funds for maintenance work at one particular waterhole of strategic importance (Mafa’s Pan). Still on the subject of game water supply, we have sponsored the wages of one game water scout for the Bhejane Trust to the tune of £4500.00 over the past 18 months and we hope to continue with this sponsorship for as long as possible. Sponsoring wages in this way allows the Bhejane Trust to have confidence in their ability to provide staff to carry out this essential work and also helps provide enough staff to do this.
Thanks to a generous donation from one of our supporters we were able to fund the purchase (via Friends of Hwange) of equipment for some of their scouts. This donation enabled them to purchase much-needed uniforms, first aid kits and food rations for these people. It also helped them to set up a vegetable garden at their base to provide fresh vegetables for the scouts. An additional purchase from this donation was for badly-needed replacement tractor tyres, tractors being one of the many essential vehicles needed to work within the Park. On top of this we have committed to sponsoring two extra anti-poaching staff for the Bhejane Trust. Poaching is one of the scourges of Hwange National Park so the decision to help in this way was both easy and important. We paid an initial £4353.00 for the initial wages and set-up costs (uniforms, tents, etc.) for two additional scouts who are now undergoing training. This will be a huge bonus for the Bhejane Trust and their work as it will enable their anti-poaching team to cover much more ground and be much more proactive in tracking down poachers.
It is worth noting that providing funds for employing personnel does not just help the Park itself — it also provides much-needed work (and thus income) for people in a country where there is no welfare benefit system — employment provides income not just for the person employed but also for their wider family.
We feel very much that the work we have funded during 2025 has been of immense benefit both to the Park and its wildlife but also to the people who work there, giving a positive impact all round.
All this funding would, of course, be impossible without the support of our members. We are lucky enough to have a small but loyal band of members and supporters for which we are extremely grateful. During 2025, our principal funds came from memberships and donations. We received two extremely generous donations from a supporter in the United States and were also lucky enough to receive two large donations from UK members. For many years now we have submitted an annual application to the T.D. Patron Trust in Edinburgh and they have supported our work for some time now. At the end of 2024, we were given a grant of £10,000.00 which was paid in early 2025 and in 2025 itself we again were given a grant of £15,000.00 which was paid in late 2025. We also continue to file an annual gift aid application with HMRC.
We start 2026 on a sound financial footing and are determined to use our funds to the further benefit of Hwange National Park and its wildlife. Signed: c (ht .§ WILULMAEL “ stab Olay. AE doruasey,.. + EMA EIB John Gillon Anne Wilkinson lan Wilkinson Chairman Secretary/Treasurer Trustee
14.3.26
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fangs consenatonsocity |
Receipts and payments accounts CC16a
A A For the period To
from 01/01/2025 31/12/2025
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Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Restricted Endowment funds funds funds Total funds Last year to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A‘ Receipts ons|soo PO 2000 a a Sub totalf mt | LIL A2 Asset and investment sales, etc.
A3 Payments weste|tee TT | =| Sponsorship meet re esPT Donationseea| pee| |ES | a| 9 0 eb 7 Sub total eee] (| bo Aé4 Asset and investment purchases, etc.
Net ofrecelpts/(payments)
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mae |Se
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Cash funds this year end
See [oe
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
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Unrestricted Restricted Endowment ; ail funds funds funds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ — — Total cash funds 26,180 be a | (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Unrestricted Restricted Endowment funds funds funds Details to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ an =— Fund to which . Current value Details asset belongs Cost (optional) (optional) —_ —= Fund to which Current value Details asset belongs Coat (optional) (optional) Fund to which Amount due When due Details liability relates (optional) (optional) - = Signed by one or two trustees on . . Date of behalf of all the trustees Signature . Print Name approval | fk OU YUL7, ah FORN D:; GiLLOM 23/B)ab
HWANGE Conservation Society
Accounting Statement
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|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Receipts|and|Payments|Basis|
|For|the|Year|to|31st December,|2025|
|Receipts|2025|
|Gifts,|donations|and other voluntary|receipts|41,201|
|Receipts|from|Trading|activities|-|
|Receipts|earned|from|assets|-|
|Total|Receipts|41,201|
|Payments|
|Payments|directly|for|charitable|purposes|
|Payments|for publicity and|fundraising,|
|management|and|administration|23,565|
|Total|payments|23,565|
|Net|Receipts|/|(Payments)|17,636|
|Cash|funds|Last Year End|8.545|
|Cash Funds|This|Year End|26,180|
|The|Charity|has|no|restricted|funds|
|The|Charity has|no endowment|funds|
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The Accounting Statement and the Statement of Assets and Liabilities has been prepared on the "Receipts and Payments" basis and comply with the requirements of S.42(3) of the Charities Act 1993
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
ahh €MTUUNSEA.
Approved by the Board of Trustees on - 13 / nf/26
HWANGE Conservation Society
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Statement of Assets and Liabilities
as at 31st December, 2025
Cash Funds
Cash in Hand =
Bank Current Account 26,180
Bank Reserve Account
Total Cash Funds 26,180
Assets Retained for Charity's Own Use
General Account
Bfwd Bought Depn Cfwd
Office Furniture and Equipment - -
Debtors
Liabilities
General Account 2,633
Signed on behalf of the Trustees
Approved by the Board of Trusteeson- 2 s / S / a4
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|| Vs | CHARITYFOR ENGLAND COMMISSION!AND WALES Independentreport on the examiner'saccounts.
Section A
Independent Examiner’s Report
Report to the trustees/ ; ; members of | Hwange Conservation Society
- On accounts for the year | 31 December 2025 ended
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Charity no | 1036153
(if any)
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- | report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended .
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Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act’).
- | report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, | have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
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independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- e accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or - e the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
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Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
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Relevant professional | ICPA
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qualification(s) or body (if any):
Address: | Church View, High Etherley
Bishop Auckland
County Durham DL14 OHS
Section B
:
Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.