OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator. This document is also available as Markdown.

← Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group

2024-06-30-accounts

FOLLIFOOT PARK DISABLED RIDERS GROUP

Trustees Annual Report

Year end June 30[th] 2024

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 Nelson John Haigh Jane Chennells (appointed 8[th] November 2023) Peter Whatley (deceased July 20[th] 2023) Investment Managers Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management 88 Wood Street London EC2V 7QR 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] 2024

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, finance, 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.

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 May to November and the mechanical horse Storm is used for rides on two days a week. This allows over 120 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 147 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.

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 2024, the total amount of unrestricted reserves of the charity were £311,187. The free reserves of the Charity amounted to £9,286 (2023 £10,165) 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 investment strategy is reviewed with the investment manager on a regular basis.

– Chair of Trustees Report Achievements for the year

This year has been an enjoyable year with consistency for the rides and few external distractions.

TRUSTEES

We have an effective team of 8 Trustees who look after all aspects of our charity and work hard to ensure it runs smoothly. Sadly, at the beginning of the summer we lost Peter Whatley who had been a volunteer for over 30 years and a trustee for many of those. Peter had a wealth of experience and knowledge and always ensured we honoured the values of the charity in any decisions that we made. We will endeavour to continue this and he is missed by us all.

Jane Chennells was elected as a new trustee at the AGM in November and we’re delighted that she’s joined us. Having worked for many years in a local private school, she brings with her a solid understanding of financial administration, safeguarding and exceptional organisational skills which are hugely beneficial to the charity and very much appreciated by us all.

We have a Scheme of Delegation in place which helps us ensure we manage all areas of the Charity and my thanks go to all trustees for their continued commitment and they are a great pleasure to work with.

VOLUNTEERS

Volunteer numbers have steadily increased over this year, hovering near to 150.

We have welcomed 2 new coordinators and 3 new ride leaders and we’d like to thank them for stepping into their new roles. Succession planning is key to ensuring we continue to be able to provide the rides and we’re always keen if volunteers are willing to take on extra responsibilities.

Recruitment is ongoing throughout the year and although social media is a useful tool, word of mouth and the trusted old fashioned paper notices continue to have good results from supermarkets, libraries and even the local chippy!

Thank you to all the coordinators and leaders for their time behind the scenes and on the rides, safety is so important along with the welfare of the horses and looking after the volunteers and they do an amazing job. I’d also like to thank every volunteer involved, none of what we do would happen without you giving up your free time and turning up come rain or shine.

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. We have 120 people currently riding with us, some weekly and others on a rota basis and we have a waiting list of over 50. During the year our volunteers have provided over 1600 individual rides and carriage drives, with a bumper month in June when the number totalled 215.

Betty, our carriage pony has been out and about again this summer, she can be seen standing patiently in the yard 4 mornings a week and seems to enjoy her outing to the picnic too. The picnic carriage has also had a new set of wheels this year and special thanks to both Les and Ann for taking such good care of Betty and the carriage throughout the year.

In the autumn we reorganised our rides to become more age appropriate, with those riders not in education moving to daytime slots where possible, allowing more school age children to attend the evening and weekend rides. The Under 6’s are also doing really well in accommodating our youngest riders, we know from parents how much this means to them, not only for the physical benefits to their child but also meeting other parents in a similar situation at a time when they most need it.

TRAINING

We held three annual safety training sessions at the stables, spread through the year, educating volunteers in the specific procedures we use as well as general horse behaviour and tacking up.

We continued our annual Ride Leader and Coordinator training which is provided by FPRC, this gives us invaluable background and information regarding horse welfare, riding techniques, care plans and any changes we need to be aware of in equine activities and is a chance to share ideas and ask questions which affect our group. 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.

A session for First Aid training took place which those who attended found very useful. We will continue to provide more later in the year.

Our training videos are now complete and on the website. New volunteers are able to view these before joining a ride and existing volunteers are asked to watch them as a refresher if they are unable to attend a training session in person because they are working or have other commitments.

We also introduced a Social Media policy in May, this is something we will continue to review as the digital world is moving at a fast pace and we need to be mindful of all that entails. We have also started the process of upgrading our website and this work will continue over the next few months.

AWARDS

We were delighted to win an award for ’ Volunteer of the Year 2024 ’ in March, given by Disability Sport Yorkshire. This was a group award as we don’t believe any one volunteer can be singled out as it’s our team effort that makes the charity so special, so congratulations to all 147 volunteers who share in this recognition.

EVENTS

The Gymkhana was very successful with 50 riders all having great fun and with plenty of competitive spirit! We appreciate the help from Virgin Media O2 and also from our regular volunteers who do such a brilliant job in organising, tacking up and getting riders around the course.

The picnic was also a very enjoyable with over 135 people attending The catering team provided a lovely spread and many people enjoyed the pony and carriage rides around the grounds. A group of volunteers from Wolsley Plumbing helped us which was most welcome. Our thanks again to James and Lucy Meysey-Thomson for hosting us in their beautiful home.

We have a small pony camp planned for the coming year which will be an addition to our usual annual events. Initially this will be a trial to see how it goes and we are looking forward offering something new to our younger riders.

FINANCIALS

FPDRG continues to be financially stable due to the generosity of local businesses, other charities, donations and legacies. Our investments continue to fluctuate given the markets at this time and we keep them under constant review. Our Investment Managers are now based in London, having closed the York office, but are still committed to meeting with us in person annually and the investments continue to provide a regular income of around 6% which is one of our main streams of income.

We have been able to maintain the cost of our rides over the last 7 years, due in part to the cost of the horse hire remaining the same. However our ride costs have now increased and we will be looking to increase the cost of the rides in the autumn in order to maintain our stability for the long term and help with cash flow.

Donations have increased on last year and we’ve been fortunate to have been a chosen charity by Harrogate Symphony Orchestra which has added extra funds as well as the opportunity for some volunteers to attend their concerts whilst selling raffle tickets!

Debtors have reduced significantly due to improvements in our processes and again, we keep this under regular review.

SUMMARY

People are the most important asset of our group and this year we have welcomed some new and very committed people, many with good experience with horses and several with knowledge of working with people who have a disability. This is very beneficial to the whole group as there is always something for us to learn from each other.

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 continues to work very well after so many years. Finally, thank you again to all the volunteers, in whatever role they play to make this Charity what it is and here’s to the year ahead.

Morag Bennett (Chair of Trustees)

Signatures

The trustees annual report was approved on 24[th] September 2024 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:-

MORAG BENNETT FIONA BARWICK Trustee Trustee > f7 | Ki oraDol ………………………………………………………… rues …………………………………………………… 7

Section A Receipts and payments
No (if any)
Follifoot Park Disabled Riders Group
Receipts and payments accounts
Period start date
Period end date
To
For the period
from
CC16a
01/07/2023
30/06/2024
~~<<~~
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
Total funds
Last year
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
Donations and legacies
16,828
-
-
16,828
4,826
Charitable activities
11,612
-
-
11,612
11,732
Investment income
18,131
-
-
18,131
18,085
Other trading
-
-
-
-
47
Bank interest received
26
-
-
26
23
Grant received
-
-
-
-
1,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Sub total(Gross income for
AR)46,597
-
-
46,597
35,713
~~—=_====~~
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
Receipts from sale of
investments
146,519
-
-
146,519
37,153
-
-
-
-
-
Sub total 146,519
-
-
146,519
37,153
Total receipts
193,116
-
-
193,116
72,866
A3 Payments
Expenditure on raisingfunds
-
-
-
-
-
Expenditure on charitable activities
36,342
-
-
36,342
43,050
Investment management costs
880
-
-
880
881
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Sub total 37,222
-
-
37,222
43,931
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
Puchase of investments
149,049
-
-
149,049
43,029
Purchase of assets
4,567
-
-
4,567
392
Sub total 153,616
-
-
153,616
43,421
~~——————~~
~~==a= ==~~
~~=~~
~~——~~
Total payments
190,838
-
-
190,838
87,352
Net of receipts/(payments)
2,278
-
- 2,278
- 14,486
A5 Transfers between funds
-
- -
-
-
A6 Cash funds last year end
15,249
- -
15,249
29,735
Cash funds this year end
17,527
-
- 17,527
15,249
~~=====~~

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

28/10/2024

1

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 Accounts
Canaccord Dealing
Canaccord Income
Details
Details
Carriages & Tack
Office Equipment
Horses
Other Equipment
Other Creditors
Details
Creditors
Other Creditors
Signature		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
to nearest £
to nearest £
14,404
-
1,447
-
1,676
-
17,527
-
OK
OK
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
to nearest £
to nearest £
391
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fund to which
asset belongs
Cost (optional)
Canaccord Genuity
292,323
-
-
-
-
Fund to which
asset belongs
Cost (optional)
17,796
1,949
2,500
459
-
-
-
-
-
Fund to which
liability relates
Amount due
(optional)
6,611
1,680
341
-
-
Print Name		 Endowment
funds
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
OK
Endowment
funds
to nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
292,186
-
-
-
-
Current value
(optional)
8,867
289
100
459
-
-
-
-
-
When due
(optional)
Date of
approval

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

28/10/2024

2

w xeinadin Iiidepeiideiil eAaiiiiiiei s reporl lo ilie Triislees of Follifool Pfirk Disrtbleil Rideis Gi'oiip I i'eport to tlie triistees on my examination of tlje accounts of Follifoot Park Disabled Riders GIDiip foi. tlie yeai. elided 30 Julie 2024. Respoiisibililies aiicl basis of i'epoi'l As the cl)ai'ity triistees of the Triist yoii are respoiisible for tl)e preparation of tlie accounts iii accordance witl) Ilie I'eqiiii'emei)ts of tl)e Cljaritics Act 2011 ('tlic Acl,). We I'eport in respect of oiir exainination of the Triistee's accounts carried oiit iindei. section 145 of tlie 201 l Act aiid iti cariyiiig oiit oiir exaiiiination ive liave folloived all tlie applicable Dii-ectioiis giveii by tlie Cliarity Coiniiiissioii iiiider sectlon 145{5)(b) of tlie 201 l Act. liiclepeiiileiil eAftiiiiiiei s slnleiiieiil We liave coinpleted iiiy exainination. We confirm that no Inatei'ial matters liave come to oiir attei)tion in coi)iiectioii iviih the exaiiiination giving us cause to believe tl)at iii aiiy inaterial respect: ( l ) accoiiiiting Itcords ivere iiot kept iii respect of the Triist as requiird by sectioii 130 of tlie Act; oi. (2) tlie accoiii)ts do nol accord wilh tliose records. We l)ave no coiicerns aild l)ave coiiie across no other niatters in eoiiiiectioji witli tlie exaiiiiiiation to whicl) alleiitioi) slioiild be drawn in this report in order to enable a piDper iiiiderstaiidiiig of tlie accoiints to be reaclied. Sigiied g LeJ¢L.p Name: Siinon Leitch-Devlin Meinbei. of tlie ICAEW Addi'ess: Xeiiiadiii Stockport Riveiside E4oiise Kings Reacli Biisiness Park Yeiv Sti'eet Stockpoit SK4 2HD Date: 20/1 l/pL)24 oieie• Roglstoyed Offlc• Rlv•rÈkl• Hvuse RIvf1161do Housv Xlng5 ReoLh 8u8lng1$ Polk Klngg Reacli Buglno$ Pork Yew Slio•l Y¥w Slro4L Sloclpoii. Chèshli• siockpoii. Ch•$hli• EnglorKI, 5x4 2HD Englori(J, SKd 2HO Iri urxtr wtsl•s- CLynpwii¥ t4ynthr.IlJeQ881 mul￿(11)y Orwp Is u tubiklloryi xthr•(&l Olotsp LI1￿￿•1[ Phon• 0161476 8276 Èmall stwkpoil@xolnodln.coin W•bilt• trSThMiiliO¢uup Lltllit￿l s45ulkniied tsnd reoufotd by Instiiuté ceounioiil In I•)Y￿￿(1011d Wo*