2023-06-30-accounts - Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group

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FOLLIFOOT PARK DISABLED RIDERS GROUP

Trustees Annual Report Year end June 30[th] 2023

Registered Charity Name	Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group
Charity Registration Number	1042415
Principal office	Regional Agricultural Centre
	Great Yorkshire Showground
	Railway Road
	Harrogate
	HG2 8PW
Charity Trustees	Morag Bennett
	Fiona Barwick
	Lyn Cowburn
	Ann Gannon
	Sue Oxley
	Peter Whatley (deceased July 20th2023)
	Peter Nelson
	John Haigh
Investment Managers	Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management
	23 High Petergate
	York
	YO1 7HS
Bankers	CAF Bank Ltd
	25 Kings Hill Avenue
	Kings Hill
	West Malling
	Kent
	ME19 4JQ
Chair	Morag Bennett
Secretary	Fiona Barwick
Independent Examiner	Hallidays Group Ltd
	Riverside House
	Kings Reach Business Park
	Yew Street
	Stockport
	SK4 2HD

FOLLIFOOT PARK DISABLED RIDERS GROUP

Trustees Annual Report (continued)

Year end June 30[th] 2023

Governing Document & Constitution

Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group, which is also known as Follifoot Park DRG (“the Charity”) is an unincorporated charity governed by its constitution adopted on 13 July 1994 and as subsequently amended on 19 October 1994 and 20 January 2014. The Charity became registered with the Charity Commission on 28 November 1994 with number 1042415.

The constitution appoints an Executive Committee to hold the assets of the Charity and administer the Charity for the furtherance of its charitable objects. The Executive Committee are the charity trustees in accordance with Charity Law.

The Executive Committee meets 12 times a year.

Charity Trustees are nominated and elected by the membership in accordance with the constitution.

Recruitment and Appointment of the Executive Committee (Trustees)

Under the requirements of the Constitution, the members of the Executive Committee are elected to serve for a period of one year, excepting the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer who serve for three years, after which they must be re-elected at the next AGM.

The Executive Committee seeks to ensure that the needs of the group are reflected through the diversity of the trustee body. Traditional business skills, equestrian knowledge, safeguarding and volunteer experience are all well represented on the Executive Committee and the areas of responsibility are allocated accordingly to specific trustees. The Chair has overall responsibility for the provision of the charitable activities and ensures that key performance indicators are met. The Secretary has responsibility for the day-to-day operational management of the charity and office. The charity does not currently have a treasurer as a trustee.

To enhance the pool of trustees, the charity has created different layers of volunteers who have responsibility for specific tasks. I.e. bookkeeping, coordinating rides, fund raising and administration. By doing this the charity aims to build the volunteer’s skills and experience, giving them the potential to become trustees in the future.

There is a scheme of delegation in place which allows the charity to identify any areas of skill or knowledge which have been lost due to retirements and to fill these positions in a timely manner. Young people are encouraged to join as volunteers so that they build an understanding of the aims of the charity.

In October at the AGM John Haigh was elected as a trustee.

Objectives and Activities

The Charity’s objectives (‘the objects’) are to provide or assist in the provision of social welfare, facilities for riding or other recreational facilities for disabled people with the object of improving their conditions of life.

The Charity runs 13 riding sessions every week excluding school holidays. Carriage driving operates 4 days a week from April to November and the mechanical horse Storm is used for rides on two days a week. This allows 130 people to benefit from the activities offered. Sessions are between 30 minutes and 1 hour. Riders/drivers come primarily from the local area but may also live within a 30 mile radius. The use of the mechanical horse allows people to benefit from the movement of riding in a very predictable environment, this can be used for rehabilitation after illness and injury as well as for those who may then progress to riding a real horse. The carriage driving offers another activity for those who are unable to ride either Storm or a real horse.

The Charity is run by volunteers and they are essential in being able to provide the activities outlined. Currently there are 136 volunteers, ranging widely in age and skills, who offer an hour or two of their time each week.

Activities include an annual gymkhana open to all riders and an annual picnic for volunteers, riders, carers and families.

We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.

– Chair of Trustees Report Achievements for the year

This year has been much more stable in terms of the rides and the general operation of the Charity, planning events has been more predictable and the rides have been able to establish a routine. I think it’s safe to say this has been a welcome relief for us all!

TRUSTEES

We have a very effective team of 8 Trustees who look after the varied aspects of our charity and work hard to ensure it runs smoothly. We welcomed John Haigh to the Trustee Committee in October and he is bringing with him experience in charity work as well as business and a great deal of enthusiasm for the group.

We have a Scheme of Delegation in place which helps us ensure we manage all areas of the Charity including the riders and volunteers, the horses, safeguarding, health & safety, and finances to name but a few. My thanks to all of them for their continued commitment and they are a great pleasure to work with.

VOLUNTEERS

The beginning of the year saw a drop in the number of volunteers we had on our books. This appeared to be as a result of people’s normal lives resuming post Covid, returning to work, travel and other activities which put a squeeze on their time. However in the Spring of 2023 we have seen an increase again in applications which is heartening.

We have improved our application process, using email to send for references, as the postal strikes caused a backlog in applications and references were very slow to come through. We’re constantly looking at new ways to develop our recruitment process.

We currently have 13 ride coordinators and 13 ride leaders who have done a fantastic job of steering their rides through the last few years and have come out the other side. They are incredibly dedicated and what they do on the ride and behind the scenes is essential in us being able to offer riding to so many people, thank you to them all for another remarkable year.

At this point I would also like to thank every other volunteer involved, it’s a huge group of people who give up their own time to help others, and you are all to be congratulated. Nowadays it’s a very busy world we live in and we know from the feedback from our riders, just how much they appreciate what you do, so thank you.

RIDING AND CARRIAGE DRIVING

This year we have been running 13 pony rides a week during term time, sessions on Storm the mechanical horse two days a week and carriage driving 4 days a week during the summer months. This means we’re able to provide the enjoyment of riding and carriage driving to 130 people and we have a waiting list of 34 people.

Betty has been strutting her stuff along the roads this year and also around the Rugby Club grounds, which is a welcome addition for carriage drivers. A special thank you to both Les and Ann for taking such good care of Betty throughout the year, she always stands out from the crowd with her gleaming coat.

We are pleased to say that in the latter half of the year, referrals for children under 5 have returned to near 2019 levels. The Trustees decided to change the criteria from Under 5’s to Under 6’s to accommodate more children in that age group as there has been an increase in delays for some in starting school.

TRAINING

We provided three training sessions at the stables this year, educating volunteers in the specific procedures we use as well as general horse behaviour.

In addition Julie Pedley provided training on horse welfare and talked us through the care plans and paperwork which is an integral part of running the riding school. The welfare of horses is vitally important and we continue to work closely with FPRC to ensure the horse’s welfare is guaranteed during our rides.

There was a training session held for Ride Leaders (including potential ride leaders) and we would like to continue this annually.

One session took place for First Aid training with a new provider and another one is planned for later in the year.

PROJECTS

This year we took advantage of a grant from North Yorkshire County Council, Children and Family services. With the money, plus an addition matched from our reserves, we have developed a training video to be used by all our volunteers. This will greatly improve our induction for new volunteers and help existing volunteers with their ongoing training. It is increasingly difficult to find a time when many volunteers can attend the sessions, and although this is still a fundamental part of training, we feel the video will enhance what we currently provide. It will be accessed through our website.

ANNUAL PICNIC & GYMKHANA

The Gymkhana was very successful this year with 44 riders all having great fun and with plenty of competitive spirit! We were all delighted to run this event again after a two year break. We appreciate the help yet a gain from Virgin Media O2 who provide extra volunteers for this fun event.

The picnic was also a very enjoyable day with 130 people attending and making the most of the sunshine, the food and the horses. Our thanks again to James and Lucy Meysey-Thomson for hosting us in their beautiful grounds and to Michael Abrahams for his support as Patron.

FINANCIAL STABILITY

FPDRG continues to be financially stable and this is due to the generosity of our sponsors, local businesses and donations and legacies over the years. Our strong reserves have allowed us to keep the price of the rides at the same level as they were over 10 years ago. With the current cost of living crisis and interest rate rises, we are pleased to be able to continue providing our rides without passing on any increases to the riders and we feel this keeps it accessible to those who need it most.

Our investments continue to fluctuate given the volatility in the economy and we review these with our Investment Managers every year in person. They continue to provide a regular income of 6-7% and this helps us with cash flow throughout the year.

Donations have reduced in the last year however receipts from the rides have increased as the number of riders is back to pre- pandemic levels.

The system for invoicing riders now runs smoothly and we are constantly improving how we deal with bad debts so that both the monies owed and the time it takes to chase them are reduced.

SUMMARY

At the time of writing we have sadly lost two people who were key players in the Charity, Wendy Thorburn passed away in March this year and Peter Whatley in July. They had both given many years to the charity and they will be sadly missed and remembered by us all.

People are the most important asset of our group and fortunately over the last couple of years we’ve welcomed some new and very committed people, many with good experience with horses and who will be able to progress within the Charity, ensuring we continue to go from strength to strength in the future.

As always I’d like to thank Julie and Chris Pedley, their family and all the staff at Follifoot Park Riding Centre for providing us with a home and the horses, it’s a unique relationship and has worked so well for many years.

Finally I’m always in awe of the benefits of the whole group, people turn up in the rain to help, they may have had a bad day themselves, or have things they should be doing at home, but each ride has it’s own bond and I see it all the time, friendships are made, everyone chats, quite often chocolate is involved! The result is the riders feel well supported and they have fun, which is what we’re all about, it’s a very special place. Thank you to everyone.

Morag Bennett (Chair of Trustees)

Reserves Policy

The Executive Committee have considered the level of reserves that the Charity needs and are of the opinion that the Charity should have sufficient funds to settle the annual governance and support costs of its charitable activities. Accordingly they have determined that the level of an unrestricted reserve should be around £20,000 but should be frequently reviewed.

At 30[th] June 2023, the total amount of unrestricted reserves of the charity were £294,120. The free reserves of the Charity amounted to £10,165 (2022: £27,078) and the Executive Committee considers these funds to be below the policy and are examining ways of increasing the income of Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group so that the Charity has sufficient free reserves.

Financial Review and Investment Policy

The financial review of activities is set out in the attached financial statements. There are financial controls in place to review the finances monthly and to check expenditure.

The trustees have agreed the following investment terms, objectives and policies with the investment manager:-

The portfolio is managed under a full discretionary service;
The portfolio is managed on a low to medium risk basis with the aim of providing high income rather than focusing on capital growth;
The bulk of the portfolio will be invested in medium to high income equities and fixed interest bonds through investment trusts and unit trusts;

The investment strategy is reviewed with the investment manager on a regular basis.

Signatures

The trustees annual report was approved on 7[th] September 2023 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:-

MORAG BENNETT Trustee

FIONA BARWICK Trustee

………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………

	Charity Name Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group	Charity Name Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group	Charity Name Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group	No (if any) 1042415	CC16a
	For the period from	Period start date 01/07/2022	To	Period end date 30/06/2023

Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 4,826 11,732 18,085 47 23 1,000 - - 35,714 37,153 - 37,153 72,867 - 43,050 881 - - - - - - 43,931 43,029 392 43,421 87,352 - 14,486 - 29,735 15,249	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 4,826 11,732 18,085 47 23 1,000 - - 35,714 37,153 - 37,153 72,867 - 43,050 881 - - - - - - 43,931 43,029 392 43,421 87,352 - 14,486	Last year to the nearest £
Donations and legacies	4,826				24,657
Charitable activities	11,732				11,492
Investment income	18,085				20,840
Other trading	47				5
Bank interest received	23				2
Grant Received	1,000				-
	-				-
	-				-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	35,714				56,996

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
Receipts from sale of investments	37,153				51,742
	-				-
*Sub total*	37,153				51,742
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					108,738

Expenditure on raisingfunds	-				-
Expenditure on charitable activities	43,050				38,142
Investment management costs	881				917
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
	-				-
**Sub total **	43,931				39,059

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
Purchase of investments	43,029				51,242
Purchase of assets	392				1,364
**Sub total **	43,421				52,606
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
					91,665

	- 14,486	-	-	- 14,486	17,073
	-	-	-	-	-
	29,735	-	-	29,735	12,662
	15,249	-	-	15,249	29,735

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

26/10/2023

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds	Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Debtors Bank Account Canaccord Dealing Canaccord Income Details Details Carriages & Tack Office Equipment Horses Details Creditors Other creditors (NYCC) Signature	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 6,302 - 6,857 - 2,090 - 15,249 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 720 - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Canaccord Genuity 307,855 - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) 15,727 1,617 2,500 - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) 4,125 1,680 - - - Print Name MoragBennett Fiona Barwick	Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			OK
			Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			275,980
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			7,731
			146
			100
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			When due (optional)






			Date of approval
		MoragBennett
		Fiona Barwick

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

26/10/2023

Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group for the year ended 30 June 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011(‘the Act’).

We report in respect of our examination of the Trustee’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out our examination we have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

We have completed my examination. We confirm that no material matters have come to our attention in connection with the examination giving us cause to believe that in any material respect:

(1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or (2) the accounts do not accord with those records.

We have no concerns and have come 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.

Signed

Name: Anna Bennett Member of the ICAEW Address: Hallidays Riverside House Kings Reach Business Park Yew Street Stockport SK4 2HD

Date:03/11/2023