2025-03-31-accounts

Company no. 3336101 Charity no. 1061568 Action with Communities in Rural England Report and Audited Financial Statements 31 March 2025

Action with Communities in Rural England Reference and administrative details For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Status The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 19 March 1997 and registered as a charity on 26 March 1997. Governing document The company was established under a Memorandum of Associalion which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. Company number 3336101 Charity number 1061568 Registered office and operational address 2 The Quadrangle Banbury Road Woodstock Oxfordshire OX20 1 LH Honorary officers James Blake Helen Susan Dovey Gavin Pa￿er Chair Vice Chair Vice Chair A full list of the trustees serving during the year and up to Ihe date of this report can be found on page 17. Executive director Richard Quallington until 28 May 2024 Chief executive Corinne Pluchino from 29 May 2024 Company secretary Corinne Pluchino from 29 May 2024 Bankers Lloyds plc 14 Castle Street Cirencester Gloucestershire GL7 1QJ Solicitors Stone King LLP 13 Queen Square Bath BA12HJ Auditors Godfrey Wilson Limited Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS14QD

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 The trustees present their report along with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2025. Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 fomis part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (effective from January 2019). ACRE'S purpose and vision ACRE is the only national charity focused on promoting, supporting and enabling rural communities in England. Our objects are to promote any charitable purpose to improve the conditions of life of people and communities in rural areas in England and Wales. More specifically our mission is to work with its 38 members and other key stakeholders to evidence and address need, to inform and to influence at a national level, speaking up as the voice of rural communities across England. ACRE'S beneficiaries are at the heart of all our work. We are dedicated to people who live in rural communities across England, particularly those who are facing the greatest needs and challenges as a result of where they live. We do not represent a specific group or sector- we are dedicated to rural communities as a whole. We work closely with our ne￿Ork of member organisations, consisting of 38 member charities who are active in rural areas across England, and which beiween them have many decades of experience of enabling and supporting local communities on the ground to seize opportunities and address unmet need. Our vision is rural communities that are thriving, inclusive and sustainable, with the support they need to ensure equitable outcomes for everyone. Our vision is underpinned by behaviours which support five values". Responsive- responding and listening to the needs of members and beneficiaries- Innovative- testing and developing new approaches. Collaborative - working with others to achieve results for our members and beneficiaries., Empowering - enabling members and rural communities to take action" and Solution focused - achieving results that make a difference. Our priorities ACRE reviews its strategic priorities, aims and objectives on a regular basis as part of the business planning cycle. The current three-year corporate plan 2022-25 came to an end in March 2025. This report focuses on the main achievements of the final year of the plan. We began work on our new strategy for 2025-30 in autumn 2024 and launched it in July 2025. The key themes began emerging early in the process and we have been using the last twelve months to enable us to transition to our new ambitions and ways of working. Our work in 2024125 has been focused on three core areas: Gathering evidence and conducting research to better understand rural communities" Articulating a Vol￿ for rural communities at the national level and influencing decisions that impact on rural communities; and Delivering programmes with our members which directly improve the lives of our end beneficiaries and increase the resilien￿ of rural communities.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 As the national body of the ACRE Network. ACRE also supports its member organisations to build their capacity and resilience so that they can respond to the needs of rural communities, enable them to take action and support those in greatest need. Key workstreams ACRE'S day to day activities during the last year of our three year corporate plan have largely been focused on four areas.. 1. Policy, advocacy and influencing- 2. Enabling local communities and addressing unmet need. 3. Profile and engagement. and 4. Working in partnership. Last year was an ex￿ptionallY busy period for ACRE and one of significant change both in and outside the organisation. We continued our work across all our workstreams, ensuring that in doing so we were responding to these changes while deploying our resources effectively and efficiently. The key highlights can be found in the next section. Our funders and sponsors Our work is made possible by the engagement and generosity of our funders and sponsors. We are extremely grateful to the following for their financial support during the year- . ACRE members Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) Environment Agency Hallmaster Norris and Fisher Utility Aid We are also very grateful to the supporters of our annual Village Hall Advisers Event, without whom the event would not be possible: Utility Aid. Hallmaster, Zolb EV, SRS Ltd, ARC Thermal. Total Floor Care and Creative Spark. How our activities deliver public benefit ACRE'S charitable activities are to alleviate rural disadvantage in rural communities throughout England through its activities and achievements, a sample of which are set out below. The Trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidan￿ on public benefit in deciding activilies the charity should undertake. ACRE'S Key Activities, Outputs and Outcomes in 2024-25 Introduction The last twelve months have been a period of considerable change for ACRE, internally and externally, and for our members and beneficiaries. Intemally we welcomed our new Chief Executive, Corinne Pluchino, who joined ACRE in May following the retirement of Richard Quallington. As Executive Director Richard led ACRE with immense skill and commitment for nine years. We were delighted when he was awarded an OBE in the King's New Year Honours list for services to rural communities in December 2024. It was also a year when ACRE'S income continued to increase, from £4.65m in 2023124 to £5.03m in 2024125. Over 850/0 of this figure was distributed to the ACRE network and directly to rural communities, to enable activity in local areas and support those in greatest need. Further details about developments within ACRE and our impact can be found below.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Policy, advocacy and influencing The new Labour Govemment, elected in July. announced an ambitious programme for growth and launched a wide-ranging policy review designed to deliver its five missions. This had the potential to impact both positively and negatively on nearly every aspect of rural lrfe, including housing, land use, local government reorganisation, transport, energy and healthcare. We were delighted to have the opportunity to brief the Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner MP, in person when he visited ACRE members lo see their work at first hand in Warwickshire in February and Cambridgeshire in March 2025. We welcomed the Government's commitment in its manifesto to create wealth in every community and to empower local areas. We allocated significant reSoUr￿S during the year to contribute to the policy making process and to ensure the rural voice was heard and better understood. We were concerned, and remain concerned, that one of the greatest challenges rural communities face is that they will be overlooked by policy makers, and opportunities will be lost to ensure that they can benefit from, and contribute to. the gr0￿h agenda. We made submissions to 16 consultations, which included: Proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) - We made the case for rural affordable housing that meets local needs. both in order to support sustainable local communities and encourage economic growth. We also called for the definition of "affordable" to be reviewed so that it reflects the reality of local incomes rather than national demand. Energy policy and the transition to net zero - We highlighted the continued vulnerability of power supplies in many rural areas. We also stressed the enormous potential for communities to install and benefit from renewable allernatives. but the need to ensure that energy infrastructure and networks have the capacity to support new community generation. Community benefits relating to electricity transmission We engaged in discussions with Government about the impact that new transmission infrastructure is going to have on rural communities and how this can be mitigated appropriately. We argued that measures should be put in place to ensure rural communities as a whole have the chance to benefit in the long-term from the development of new infrastructure, and not just individual homes that will receive reduced electricity bills for a limited period only. This is a rare opportunity to secure funds for local communities that should not be lost and could leave a lasting positive legacy., and Integrated national transport We argued that the strategic approach to rural transport must be based on a commitment to reasonable equity in access to. and cost of, public transport for people living in rural areas. We supported the Govemment's plans to improve the incentives for better bus services, and proposed that if there is insufficient public funding to overcome rural Tnarket failure, equity will have to be achieved through economies of scale that strategically link rural areas with urban ones and provide cross-subsidy. We have also contributed evidence to enquires ranging from the future of the universal postal service to the future of social housing rent policy to competition in the road fuel market.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 We achieved definitive progress in several areas-. Two years of gentle but persistent campaigning in relation to "Matyn's La￿ paid off in 2024. While we strongly supported the overarching objectives of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, we were concemed that it might have a disproportionate impact on small, remote premises such as village halls and other rural community buildings. We were very pleased to be called to give eviden￿ to the Bill Committee, given our expertise in this area, and welcomed the Government's decision to raise the threshold of premises included in its provisions so as to exclude all but the largest village halls. We are now awaiting guidan￿ on the new Act., Working with other charity networks and advisors. we campaigned to improve the poor deal that many charities have been receiving from the banking sector. This resulted in an unprecedented letter from the Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, addressed to all the leading banks and to the Government, calling for improvements to be made. In 2025 the Government reacted with new rules to prevent the 'de-banking' of organisations. and We brought together a wide partnership of rural, housing and homelessness organisations to challenge the definition used by the Government for 'affordable' housing and achieved a broad consensus that the current definition of 800/0 of market prices is inappropriate in many rural areas. Unfortunately, despite the breadth of support for a new approach, we were not successful in achieving change on this occasion. The campaign will continue. However, we were very pleased to work with such a diverse group of organisations so closely for the first time. Enabling local communities and addressing unmet need ACRE has a long history of enabling local communities through its network of member charities. We provide advice and guidance at national level to support our members. work at local level and help to manage and deliver nationally funded prograrnmes that are delivered locally. In 2024-25 ACRE distributed 85 % of £5m through several funds provided by Defra, which were dispensed to the ACRE ne￿Ork to deliver specific activities in rural communities, or directly to fund developments and refurbishments in village halls and community buildings. totalling nearly 500 individual payments. The Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) Programme- The RHE Programme completed its first full year in 2024-25. Funded by Defra, the programme was originally launched in 2023 to build RHE capacity across England in order to support the delivery of affordable housing to meet local needs. RHES are affordable rural housing specialists, who focus on engaging local communities, bringing key stakeholders together, and helping to identify solutions and drive developments forward to completion. ACRE was appointed by Defra to Co-ordinate and manage the programme. It is delivered through our network of member organisations in 34 counties across England, which delivered activities to meet the specific circumstances in their local areas. The total fund available in 2024-25 was £2.23M of which £2.03M was distributed to the ne￿Ork locally. The remainder funded a programme of training, support and development, plus rigorous quarterly reporting. which was delivered by ACRE. We also commissioned an independent evaluation from CCRI, the Countryside and Community Research Institute, which is due to report in 2025. By the end of March 2025, 307 housing needs surveys or other forms of secondary data evidence had been collected to help identify local needs, and 2,210 affordable homes were in the delivery pipeline.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Supporting Village Halls and Community Buildings - There are over 10,000 village halls in England, the vast majority of which are run by volunteers committed to providing a place where local people can meet, build relationships and access important services. Over recent years we have seen village halls support an increasingly innovative and diverse range of facilities, many of which are designed to address urgent unmet needs. These range from wann hubs in winter for individuals experiencing fuel poverty. to groups designed to combat loneliness. to advi￿ serVI￿S on accessing health and social care. ACRE'S Village Halls Service operates by supporting our nelwork colleagues, based at county level, who in turn work with local community buildings. We provided ad hoc advice and support, issued guidance on govemance and management issues, and monitored and contributed to public policy and legislative changes that might impact village halls. In addition to our work on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill mentioned above, we hosted three meetings for hall advisers so they could share experiences and best praclice, and a successful residential training event attended by 36 advisers in April 2024. We completed proposed revisions to the model governing documents and internal guidance. with a focus on disposal of charity land and propety, which also covered a wide range of other small updates. We await final approval from the Charity Commission. We continued to provide support on energy efficiency and the transition to net zero and responded to a consultation on 'Reforms to Energy Performance of Buildings, from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. We also provided updated briefings on waste recycling policy, insurance and fire safety in Village Halls. These are vital but often forgotten aspects of running a safe, quality community space. ACRE also worked with our member in Cumbria, Action with Communities in Cumbria, and architect Ben Stagg to produce the Guide to Surveys. We are very grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) for supporting this activity through an initiative of the 'Northumberland, Durham and Cumbria Community Places. project. Funding for Village Halls ACRE also continued to manage several schemes funded by Defra designed to enable village halls to access capitsl funding. The largest of these was the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund which completed its second full year in 2024-25. ACRE was appointed to manage and distribute the fund when it was first announced in 2023 and it continued to run smoothly last year. Three hundred applications were received and 112 grants awarded following a rigorous review process by an independent awards panel. As a result, the fund closed for the year having awarded £1.18m of the £1.25m available for the financial year. We were delighted to learn in February 2025 that the fund would be extended for another year, with £750K available for applications in 2025-26. ACRE has again been appointed to manage this process. ACRE also administers The Rural Community Buildings Loan Fund on behalf of Defra. In 2024-25 it offered eight new loans totalling £233,767. This supported total project costs of £1,072,409. There are 32 village halls currently in the process of repayng their loans. The loan repayments need to be set up and monitored each month. ACRE provides support for loan recipients and reports quarterly to Defra.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Defra Local Action Grant - ACRE and the ACRE network were awarded funding by Defra in 2022-23 to enable ACRE members to help support the delivery of government priorities in rural communities ranging from building digital inclusion to social infrastructure to supporting the transition to net zero. This builds on funding awarded in previous years. In 2024-25 ACRE received £1.71m, of which £1.63m was distributed to its members. An important outcome of this funding is that it enables ACRE members to engage in discussions at a strategic level locally on the issues impacting rural communities. as well as using the resources on specific issues and projects. This in turn enables ACRE to collect quantitative and qualitative data from the front line which can be used to inform national policy making. We were delighted to leam in February that funding had been continued for 2025-26. We are very aware however, of the extremely challenging funding environment being experienced nationally and locally and are awaiting news of the outcome of the Spending Review in 2025. The outcome will be critical for rural communities across England and the ability of ACRE and the ACRE Network to help ensure their voice is heard over the next three years. Profile and engagement Our key publication of last year was No Rural Community Left Behind". our recommendations for the new government. Published in May 2024, it was sent to prospective parliamentary candidates in every county of England through our network of members and formed the basis of our conversations with the newly elected Government. After the election we focused our external communications on building relationships with the new Government and Parliament and key stakeholders who share our ambitions and values. Village Halls Week 2025 began on 17 March and the theme was volunteers. We focused on the invaluable role that these venues play in connecting people, and on the volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain and manage them. Celebrations for the week included the launch of Halls for All: A History of Village Halls, written by Louise Beaton and David Clark with a foreword by The Princess Royal (sponsored by Carnegie UK). We also invited hall committee members to recognise individual volunteers in an online Volunteer Gallery. Two hundred and fifty packs of bunting, badges and posters were distributed and ACRE joined Leicester local radio for a discussion on the value of halls to their community- We were very pleased to be invited to contribute to BBC Radio 4's Farming Today to share our views on the new NPPF and the future of housing development, and to speak at the National Landscapes Association annual conference in July 2024 on the theme of rural communities in the landscape. We began a review of our core communications messages and collateral, which we will be developing further to align with our new strategy, and updated our social media policy to reflect changing good practice. Working in partnership A key feature of our corporate plan is the importance of working in partnership and building alliances to help deliver our objectives. We continued to work closely with the Defra Rural Affairs Team, both to share the experiences and insights from our ne￿Ork and to contribute to national policy discussions and consultations. We value this relationship and the opportunity it brings for dialogue on a wide range of issues.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 We continued to provide the secretariat for, and to be an active member of, the Rural Coalition. The Rural Coalition comprises twelve national organisations who subscribe to a vision for a living and working countryside in England. A key focus for the coalition last year was the launch of Reigniting Rural Futures: rural communities, capacity to boost economic growth. ACRE worked with other members to commission the report from Pragmatix Advisory which was launched in September 2024. The report highlights the critical need for focused investment and policy changes to bridge the productivity gap between rural and non-rural areas. It showed that with the right policy framework, the rural economy could increase productivity significantly, leading to an additional £9-19 billion per year in tax revenues. This growth would not only support rural communities but also have far-reaching benefits for the national economy, helping to fund essential public ServI￿S and drive broader economic initiatives. We worked with coalition members to promote the report's findings throughout the year. We were also invited to be one of six members of the Rural Flood Resilience Partnership {RFRP). Launched in September 2024, it was established to improve collaboration, deepen understanding of vulnerabilities, and support rural communities and agricultural businesses in building their resilience to present and future flood risks and coastal erosion. The other members are the Environment Agency, National Farmers Union (NFU). Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA), Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and Natural England. ACRE'S role is to represent rural communities and to share information and resources with our members. Our key achievements over the period included setting up a community of practice, to bring ACRE members together to share case studies and good praclice and seek views and experiences to feed back to national partners. We also started work to explore how Parish and Town Councils can be better supported to consider flood resilience when working with local communities, including writing Neighbourhood Development Plans. We also took part in initiatives to promote the RFRP with other member bodies to raise awareness of its work and increase its potential impact. In addition we were invited to join the National Energy System Operator (NESO) Advisory Forum to represent rural communities. We worked closely with NAVCA to explore the impact of the devolution agenda on rural communities and local infrastructure and voluntary organisations. We also engaged with a wide range of other third sector partners over the last year which are too numerous to list here. We would like to thank them all for their generous support and willingness to collaborate with us. Support for ACRE members The ACRE network is integral to our work and the priorities we set ourselves. Our members, knowledge and experience on the ground give us a unique insight into what is really going on in rural communities, and we are able to draw on this when we engage with policy makers, advisers and stakeholders. All of our activity is designed to support them and their beneficiaries. as well as our own, both directly and indirectly.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 In addition to the work programmes outlined above, we continued to provide ongoing support in a wide selection of areas, ranging from policy briefings and analysis to supporting local parliamentary engagement to convening online and in person meetings for our members so they could share insights and best practice. We also provided ad hoc advice on governance and management issues. In October 2024 we joined with ACRE colleagues to arrange the ACRE Chief Executives, annual conference on the theme of Balancing Ambition and Resilien￿. One of the key issues emerging for our neiwork is the impact of the Government's devolution and local govemment reorganisation agenda. We developed a workstream specifically designed to examine the strategic opportunities and challenges both for our members. and rural communities. from these changes. This work will continue in 2025-26. ACRE'S governance and development ACRE began work on its new strategy for 2025-30. Rural Ambition: enabling communities to thrive, in the autumn of 2024. It is designed to ensure that ACRE is able to maximise its impact during whal is likely to be a continued period of rapid and often unpredictable external change, but also where there is clear opporlunity to promote and unleash the potential of rural communities. We also wish to build our own resources and increase our resilience so that we can support our members more effectively to do the same. We have also seen changes to our Trustee Board. Louise Beaton and Ivan Annibal completed their final terms and stood down from the Board at the AGM in November 2024 after many years of dedicated service. We are very grateful to them. As reported last year, we also appointed three new trustees following a competitive extemal process. We were delighted to welcome Caroline Cotterell CBE, Sharon Davies and Andrea Graham fonnally to the Board in November at our AGM. ACRE conducted a governance review in 2023-24 and we continued to implement the recommendations for action. This included strengthening our financial governance by establishing a Finance Sub-committee of the Board. We also conducted a review and update of our financial policy and procedures and began work on updating our employee handbook and policies. We have also committed to introducing a new performan￿ management prO￿sS in 2025-26, to enable team members lo set their objectives and identify the training and developmenl they need to support their work more clearly. The Trustees would like to end their report with two items of thanks. Firstly, to our funders for their continued support for our work with rural communities across England, withoul which this vital activily could not continue. Secondly, to the ACRE team members, for their ongoing focus and hard work during a year of great change, and without whom ACRE would not be able to deliver its objectives for its beneficiaries or its members. Thank you to them all.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Financial review Basis of preparation The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities" Incoming resources are recognised once the charity has entitlement to the resources, it is certain the resources will be received. and the monetary value of the incoming resources can be measured with sufficient reliability- Resources expended liabilities are recognised as resources expended as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to the expenditure. All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category., and Grants payable are payments made to third parties in furtherance of the charitable objectives of the charity. The directors report a net decrease in total resources of £38.813 (31 March 2024 a net increase of £158.744). The closing fund balan￿S at the 31 March 2025 were £574.398. The net decrease of £38.813 can be explained by looking at unrestricted and restricted funds separately= Unrestricted funds ended the year with a surplus of £51,639. Restricted funds ended the year with a deficit of £90,452. This deficit reflects cashflow timing with prior year funds held now fully paid out. The statement of financial activities (SOFA) shows that the total incoming resources for the year were £5,033.650 compared with £4.657,150 for the previous year. During the year ACRE received £4,￿,759 restricted income and £668,891 unrestricted income. A list of the restricted funds is included in note 18. All incoming resources for the year have been secured specifically to advan￿ the chariws strategic objectives. Reserves policy The directors consider that the level of unrestricted reserves should be sufficient to invest in essential capacity during short-term funding shortfalls, allow time for reorganisation in the event of a longer- term downturn in income, protect ongoing work programmes and allow ACRE to meet its legal requirements. Our current policy states that the target level for unrestricted reserves is £171,081 which is the equivalent of three months of the chariws general expenditure budget plus an allocation to allow for longer-term liabilities and contingencies and an additional element to support ACRE'S research and development objectives and transformational change. Directors confirm that ACRE is in compliance with the agreed reserves policy. We will be reviewing our policy during 2025-26 following publication of our new strategy. The directors can also designate other unrestricted funds to ensure that ACRE can continue to operate effectively, meeting its anticipated liabilities and the development needs of the wider ACRE Network as it continues to focus on enhancing outcomes for end beneficiaries. At 31 March 2025. the totsl reserves were: Restricted funds= Designated funds: General funds: £574,398 £37,726 £24,878 £511,794 10

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Principal funding sources ACRE'S principal funding for 2024-25 came from a number of sources: 'A grant in aid, agreement from Defra. over 950/0 of which was directly allocated to local organisations to deliver work at a county level- Membership fees paid by the ACRE members. This funding was used to support ACRE'S key themes of activity., Rural Housing Enabler Programme funded by Defra. over £2.2M available during 2024-25; and Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Fund Programme funded by Defra. £1.18m allocated to support village halls. Key objectives for 2025-26 Our new strategy, Rural Atnbition: enabling communities to thrive, builds on ACRE'S work of the last five years but also marks a change in focus and pace. It has been published at a time of immense economic, societal and environmental flux, but is optimistic and ambitious because we believe there are opportunities as well as unresolved challenges. We will focus on the most important issues facing rural communities, speaking up more boldly, building new alliances and working more actively with our network to make an even greater impact. We are also clear that we need to be a resilient organisation if we are going to be successful, and the collective power of our ne￿Ork is essential to achieving our goals. Our new strategy, which was published in the summer of 2025, sets out a clear theory of change and ambition for the period.. by 2030 we will have helped to improve the quality of life for rural communities and supported those in greatest need. In order lo deliver this we will focus our external activities in three areas during our strategy period- Campaigning.. We will raise awareness and understanding of rural issues and work to ensure public policies support thriving rural communities; Enabling: We will increase the opportunities for rural communities to make their Vol￿ heard and take action to shape their future- and Unlocking.. We will ensure equitable access lo investment. essential services and opportunities for growth - particulady for those most in need. To deliver our overarching ambition we need to ensure that we are resilient, capable and adaptable. We have identified four pillars to shape the way we work internally, to ensure we have a solid foundation for our strategy. They will ensure that we have the right resources, a resilient ne￿Ork and compelling communications. We will: Create a robust financial model so that we can plan for the long-term, develop our organisation and take advantage of opportunities to increase our impact" Work with our members in new ways so that we can increase our collective impact and enable rural communities to flourish- Invest in raising the profile of rural communities and focus on the issues where we can make the biggest difference., and Build new relationships and alliances so that we can achieve more change. more quickly. The strategy will be underpinned by an annual business plan setting out operational objectives for the year, which in tum will inform team member objective setting and performance management. The first year of the strategy, 2025-26. is a foundational year which will help us to put the structures, skills and capacity in place to deliver our ambitions.

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Funds held as custodians Defra investment in the ACRE Network A further year of investment to enable the ACRE Network to deliver support to rural communities within the key Defra priority themes was secured. The investment in support of rural communities through ACRE members amounted to £1,633,000 during the year. ACRE, as the national umbrella body of The ACRE Network, was the accountsble body for these funds. ANPAC ACRE has held funds on behalf of the National Parks Residents Association (ANPAC) for use only as designated by them. The Association did not draw down from this fund during 2024-25. Rural Communities Buildings Loan Fund ACRE administers the Rural Communities Buildings Loan Fund on behalf of Defra. This fund previously known as the Village Hall Loan Fund has been in existence since the 1930s. Rural Coalition ACRE undertakes the secretariat for the Rural Coalition. The funds from the Rural Coalition are carried forward to activity planned for 2025-26. Platinum Jubilee Grant Fund ACRE administers the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Grant Fund on behalf of Defra. Structure* governance and management Organisational structure Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is a company limited by guarantee (number 3336101) with a Board of Directors elected at general meetings by its 38 members, and in accordance with the Articles of Association adopted on 18 June 2014 and amended on 29 November 2016 and 27 November 2018. Governance The Board of Directors is responsible for the govemance and the management of ACRE. The ACRE Board consists of not less than six but (unless otherwise detemiined by ordinary resolution) shall not be subject to any maximum. The chair is elected at the AGM by the members. All directors have an induction into the organisation. In line with ACRE'S governing documents the board is refreshed on a regular and systematic basis with members serving a maximum of seven years without a break of at least one year. During the year all directors gave of their time voluntarily and re￿iVed no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity and any InStan￿S where directors have received benefit from the charity for specific services. as permitted under clauses 4 (2) and 4 (3), are set out in noles 6 and 22 to the accounts. 12

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Management The Chief Executive retains responsibility for operational decisions and for delivering the organisation's strategic objectives and operational plan. The staffing structure has focused on retaining capacity to support the operational and leadership requirements of the organisation, as we move from one strategy period to the next. and in response to the retirement of some long-standing team members. Some changes have been made to roles and responsibilities within the team over the last twelve months to ensure we are ready to deliver our new stralegy. As part of this process we have appointed some additional roles to the employee team. in Pla￿ of exiemal consultancy support, to ensure we have the capacity and expertise to deliver our strategy efficiently and effectively. Risk management The directors are committed to a regular review of the major strategic, business and operational risks which ACRE faces, with a view to ensuring that appropriate systems and procedures are in place to minimise these risks. In particular the risk of government reducing or ceasing its funded relationship with the ACRE Network is considered carefully by the ACRE board on a regular basis during the year and miligating actions including identifying and exploring alternalive sources of funding and developing new partnership arrangements with key stakeholders and the operation of Cirican (the ACRE Ne￿ork'S consultancy arm). Following discussion between the members of Cirican it has been decided to close the company as of the 31st March 2025. This and other risks to the fulfilment of ACRE'S strategic priorities are kept under review by the directors via the risk register which is reviewed regularly. The financial challenges originally occasioned by the pandemic have substantially given way to the current cost of living difficulties. inflationary pressures. and a very tight financial climate. Trustees have kept, and continue to keep. these additional pressures under constant review, especially so in relation to managing the risk to ACRE of staff turnover resulting in loss of capacity and skills to support the organisation and its work. However, the current remuneration policy and ongoing grant funding from Defra and other funders, combined with the current healthy level of unrestricted reserves, provides a reasonable level of confidence and reassurance that any challenges will have a manageable impact on the organisation's perfonnance and longer-term financial position. In addition the need to ensure ACRE has a robust financial and organisational model was one of four essential supporting pillars identified in our new strategy and will be a key area of focus. Register of interests All Board members complete an annual declaration of interests in compliance with the Conflict -of - Interest Policy. This is updated as required during the year. Board members are required to declare any related interest in decisions at the start of all Board meetings. or thereafter if relevant topics arise. Related parties and connected organisations ACRE receives Membership subscriptions from its members. In addition, ACRE works with Members on joint initiatives. During 2024-25 a total of £1.633,000 was committed to members through the DefralACRE Investment Programme. Whilst some of the directors elected are also directors or chief executives of ACRE members, within an ACRE context they have no influence over business transactions between members and ACRE. 13

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Remuneration Policy ACRE recognises that the delivery of its mission and strategic priorities is largely dependent upon the skills, knowledge and experien￿ of its staff. It is therefore committed to ensuring that the staff are provided with appropriate remuneration to encourage and enhance performance and, in a fair and responsible manner, are rewarded for their contributions to the success of the charity. The salaries of ACRE staff are reviewed on an annual basis in line with our policy. Directors consider this information alongside the affordability for ACRE to inform and adjust salaries and remuneration accordingly. Where appropriate, ACRE employs freelance contractors to undertake specific activities for the organisation. These include policy and research, programme development, training, marketing and governance support. Directors ensure that whilst the associated remuneration is sufficient to attract individuals with the skills, experience and competencies required, rewards are also benchmarked against sector averages for similar activity and levels of responsibility. Grant-rnaking policy ACRE administers grants on behalf of other charitable trusts and govemment organisations that further the charity's objectives. The grant-making processes are agreed with the funders from the outset. Grants are paid on respective merits and follow transparent and rational processes. ACRE'S unrestricted funds are not used for grant-making purposes, unless by resolution by the directors. Arrangements are in place to segregate grant-making decisions ensuring conflicts of interests are avoided in the governance of ACRE. Fundraising policy ACRE does not engage in any direct fundraising from members of the public and does not employ fundraisers. However, the directors are aware of the fundraising requirements and the code of fundraising practice and ensure that the charity is compliant with the code in all its fundraising activities. 14

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 ACRE members at 31 March 2025 Action with Communities in Cumbria Action Hampshire Action in rural Sussex Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity Cambridgeshire ACRE Cheshire Community Action Community Action Isle of Wight Community Action Norfolk Community Action Northumberland Community Action Suffolk Community Council for Somerset Community Development Action Hertfordshire Community First in Herefordshire and Worcestershire Community First Oxfordshire Community First, Wiltshire and Swindon Community First Yorkshire Community Futures, Lancashire Community Impact Bucks Connecting Communities in Berkshire Cornwall Rural Community Charity Devon Communities Together Dorset Community Action Durham Community Action GRCC Community Action in Gloucestershire Humber & Wolds Rural Action Northamptonshire ACRE KENT ACRE Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire Rural Action Derbyshire Rural Community Council of Essex Rural Community Council (Leicestershire & Rutland) Community Resource (Shropshire) Support Staffordshire Surrey Community Action Tees Valley Rural Action Warwickshire Rural Community Council West of England Rural Network YMCA Lincolnshire (incorporating Community Lincs) Statement of responsibilities of the trustees The trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees, report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. including Financial Reporting Standard 102.. The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the income and expendilure of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to.. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistendy. observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP" make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent", state whether applicable UK accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed. subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements., and prepare the financial statements on the going concem basis unless it is inappropriate lo presume that the charity will continue in operation. The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hen￿ for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 15

Action with Communities in Rural England Report of the trustees For the ear ended 31 March 2025 In so far as the trustees are aware- there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable companys auditors are unaware., and the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit infomation and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information. The trustees are responsible for the Maintenan￿ and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable companys website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. The Directors Trustees. who are also directors under company law. who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows: Number of Board meetings attended during the year Ivan Annibal Louise Beaton OBE James Blake Charles Coats Sally Jane Colthup Caroline Cotterell CBE Sharon Davis Helen Susan Dovey Retired November 2024 Retired November 2024 Chair- Elected November 2022 Joined November 2017 Joined February 2024 Joined November 2024 Joined November 2024 Joined November 2018 Elected Vice Chair November 2023 415 Joined November 2024 111 Joined November 2023 515 Joined February 2024 515 Joined February 2023 Elected Vice Chair November 2023 515 Joined November 2018 515 414 414 515 515 515 111 111 Andrea Graham Garry Jones Sarah Morland Gavin Parker Francis James Webster Members of the charitable company guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 to the assets of the charitable company in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 March 2025 was 38 (2024: 38). The Directors have no beneficial interest in the charitable company. Auditors Godfrey Wilson Limiled were re-appointed as auditors to the charitable company during Ihe year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity. Approved by the trustees on 17 September 2025 and signed on their behalf by James Blake- Chair 16

Independent auditors. report To the members of Action with Communities in Rural En land Opinion We have audited the financial statements of Action with Communities in Rural England (the 'charity') for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balan￿ sheet, statement of cash flows and the related notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Slandard 102- The Financial Reporling Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion, the financial statements.. give a true and fair view of the state of the charity's affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of reSoUr￿s. including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended., have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice- and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. Basis for opinion We conducted our audit in accordance with Intemational Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAS {UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevanl to our audit of the financial stalements in Ihe UK, including the FRC'S Ethical Standard. and the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in note 6 to the financial statements, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. Conclusions relating to going concern In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees, use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that. individually or collectively. may cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to continue as a going con￿rn for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going cOn￿M are described in the relevant sections of this report. Other information The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, ex￿pt to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report. we do not express any fom) of assurance conclusion thereon. 17

Independent auditors. report To the members of Action with Communities in Rural En land In connection with our audit of the financial statements. our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears lo be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other infomiation. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required lo report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard. Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit: the information given in the trustees. report, which includes the directors, report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements., and the directors, report included within the trustees. report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. Matters on which we are required to report by exception In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors, report included within the trustees, report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: adequate accounting records have not been kept or retums adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us- or the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns" or certain disclosures of trustees, remuneration specified by law are not made. or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit. or the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies. exemptions in preparing the trustees, report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report. Responsibilities of the trustees As explained more fully in the trustees, responsibilities statement set out in the trustees, report, the trustees {who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law} are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such intemal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement. whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements. the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going con￿rn basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic altemative but to do so. 18

Independent auditors. report To the members of Action with Communities in Rural En land Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assuran￿ about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement. whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAS (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the econornic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. Irregularities, induding fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities. including fraud. The prO￿dureS we carried out and the extent to which they are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud. are detailed below.. (1) We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, and assessed the risk of non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Throughout the audit, we remained alert to possible indications of non-compliance. (2) We reviewed the charity's policies and procedures in relation to: Identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations, and whether they were aware of any instan￿$ of non-complian￿. Detecting and responding to the risk of fraud, and whether they were aware of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud- and Designing and implementing intemal controls to mitigate the risk of non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud. (3) We inspected the minutes of trustee meetings. (4) We enquired about any non-routine communication with regulators and reviewed any reports made to them. (5) We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and assessed their compliance with applicable laws and regulations. (6) We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected transactions or balances that may indicate a risk of material fraud or error. (7) We assessed the risk of fraud through management override of controls and carried out procedures lo address this risk. Our procedures induded: Testing the appropriateness of joumal entries. Assessing judgements and accounting estimates for potential bias. Reviewing related party transactions: and Testing transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business. Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. Irregularities that arise due to fraud can be even harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion. 19

Independent auditors. report To the members of Action with Communities in Rural En land A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at.. v￿m.frC.org.UkIaudlt0rsreSponSlbllitles. This description foms part of our auditor's report. Use of our report This report is made solely to the charitys members, as a body, in accordan￿ with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law. we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitys members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. WIU167KI GKY Slake Date.. 22 September 2025 William Guy Blake ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of.. GODFREY WILSON LIMITED Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS14QD 20

Action with Communities in Rural England Statement of financial activities (incory)orating an income and expenditure account) For the ear ended 31 March 2025 2025 Total 2024 Total Restricted Unrestricted Note Income from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Investments 203 203 22 657,228 5,021,987 4,644,673 11,460 11,460 12,455 4.364.759 Total income 4.364,759 668,891 5,033,650 4,657,150 Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities 9,361 607,891 9,361 4,050 5,063,102 4,494,356 4,455,211 Total expenditure 4.455.211 617,252 5,072,463 4,498,406 Net income l (expenditure) and net movement in funds (90.452) 51,639 (38,813) 158,744 Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward 128,178 485,033 613,211 454,467 Totsl funds carried forward 37,726 536,672 574,398 613,211 All of the above results are derrved from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in nole 18 to the accounts. 21

Action with Communities in Rural England Balance sheet As at 31 March 2025 2025 2024 Note Fixed assets Tangible assets Mixed motive investments 231 878 693 3,000 10 1,109 3,693 Current assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand 319,268 1.112,047 431,833 1,129,195 1,431,31 S 1.561,028 Liabilities Creditors.. amounts falling due within 1 year 12 858,026 951,510 Net current assets 573,289 609,518 Net assets 17 574,398 613,211 Funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds: Designated funds General funds 18 37,726 128,178 24,878 511,794 22,000 463,033 Total charity funds 574,398 613,211 These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies. regime. Approved by the trustees on 17 September 2025 and signed on their behalf by James Blake - Chair 22

Action with Communities in Rural England Statement of cash flows For the ear ended 31 March 2025 2025 2024 Cash used in operating activities: Net movement in funds (38,813) 158,744 Adjustments for: Depreciation charges Impairment of investments Dividends, interest and rents from investments Decrease l (increase) in debtors Increase l (decrease) in creditors 462 2,122 (11,460) 112,565 (93,484) 597 (12,455) {129,348) 183,693 Net cash provided by l (used in) operating activities 28,608 201,231 Cash flows from investing activities: Dividends, interest and rents from investments 11,460 12,455 Net cash provided by investing activities 11,460 12,455 Increase l (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year {17,148) 213,686 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year 1,129,195 915,509 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 1,112,047 1,129,195 The prior period comparative has been restated to reclassify Rural Community Buildings Fund loan movements within debtor movements. An analysis of changes in net debt is shown in note 20. 23

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Accounting policies a) General information and basis of preparation Action with Communities in Rural England is a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. The registered office address is 2 The Quandrangle, Banbury Road. Woodstock. Oxfordshire, OX20 1 LH. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Siatement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities in preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. Action with Communities in Rural England meels the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note. b) Going concern basis of accounting The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charity is able to continue as a going concem, which the trustees consider appropriate having regard to the current level of unrestricted reserves. There are no material uncertainties about the charitls ability to continue as a going concern. c) Income Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. Income from the govemment and other grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met. it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. Income received in advance of provision of services is deferred until criteria for income recognition are met. d) Donated services and facilities Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item, is probable and the economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised. On receipt. donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of re￿IPt. 24

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Accounting policies (continued) e) Interest receivable Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity- this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank. fj Funds accounting Unrestricted funds are available lo spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity's work or for specific projects being underlaken by the charity. g) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred. h) Allocation of support and governance costs Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. GovemanTr costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity. including the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements and any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity's activities. These costs have been allocated based on an estimate of staff time attributable to each activity as follows- 2025 2024 Raising funds Charitable activities Governance costs 88.1 % 10.20/0 83.9 /0 i) Tangible fixed assets Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to wrtte down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows: Fixtures and fittings 3 years straight line Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £500. j) Mixed motive investments Mixed motive investments represent the charitable coMpan￿S partner interest in Cirican LLP, which the trustees consider to have the dual objective of both financial return and furtherance of charitable objects. The investment is carried at fair value through the income and expenditure account. The LLP is an unquoted investment vehicle and a degree of judgement is required in assessing the fair value. At initial recognition the fair value is deemed to be the transaction amount. A review for impairment is carried out annually. 25

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Accounting policies (continued) k) Debtors Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due. l) Cash at bank and in hand Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account. m) Creditors Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third paty and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due. n) Conduit funding Conduit funds are monies received for third parties and do not belong to the charity. The incoming funds and outgoing payments are excluded from the Statement of Financial Activities. Any conduit funds in hand at the year end are shown as creditors in the accounts. o) Financial instruments The charitable company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequendy recognised at amortised cost using the effective interest method. p) Pension costs The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for its employees. There are no further liabilities other than that already recognised in the SOFA. q) Operating leases Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the lease term. r) Grants payable Grants which have been authorised and paid are included as expenditure in the SOFA. Grants which have been authorised but not yet paid are accrued in the balance sheet and are included within creditors. s) Accounting estimates and key judgements In the application of the charivs accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other SoUr￿s. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates. The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if Ihe revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods. 26

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Accounting policies (continued) s) Accounting estimates and key judgements (continued) The key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements are described below: Mixed motive investments As described in note 1 (i.) to the financial statements, mixed motive investments are carried at their fair value. However. the current investment is an unquoted investment vehicle and a degree ofjudgement is required in assessing its fair value. Prior period comparatives: statement of financial activities 2024 Total Restricted Unrestricted Income from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Investments 22 22 538.889 4,644,673 12.455 12,455 4,105,784 Total income 4,105,784 551,366 4,657,150 Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities 4.050 500,191 4.050 4,494,356 3,994,165 Total expenditure 3,994,165 504.241 4,498,406 Net income 111,619 47,125 158.744 Transfers between funds 204 Net movement in funds 111,823 46,921 158,744 27

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Income from charitable activities 2025 Total Restricted Unrestricted Defra - ACRE network agreement Defra - Platinum Jubilee Village Hall fund Defra - Rural Housing Enabler fund Membership Environment Agency Rural communities buildings loan fund Utility Aid Conferences Action wilh Communities in Cumbria Norris & Fisher Rural Coalition Other 1,633,000 1.130.000 1,601.759 79,000 1,712,000 88.312 1,218.312 195,683 1,797,442 193,179 193,179 39,600 39,600 20.000 20,000 17.000 17,000 13,347 13,347 5.000 5,000 5.000 5.000 951 951 156 156 Total income from charitable activities 4,364,759 657,228 5,021,987 Prior period comparative 2024 Total Restricted Unrestricted Defra - ACRE network agreement Defra - Platinum Jubilee Village Hall fund Defra - Rural Housing Enabler fund Membership Village Hall Design Guide on Energy Efficiency Rural communities buildings loan fund Conferences Utility Aid Norris & Fisher Tudor Trust Coyler-Fergusson Hallmaster Other 1,633,000 1,696,356 767,428 79,000 1,712.000 98,844 1,795,200 90,803 858,231 182,632 182,632 29,500 29,500 20,000 20,000 15,170 15,170 10.000 10,000 10.000 10.000 5,000 4,000 2,000 940 5,000 4,000 2,000 940 Total income from charitable activities 4,105,784 538,889 4,644,673 28

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Government grants The charitable company received government grants during the year, defined as funding from the Department for Environment. Food & Rural Affairs (DEFFiA), to fund charitable activities. The total value of these grants is shown below. There were no unfulfilled conditions or contingencies attaching to these grants in the current or prior year. 2025 2024 Defra - ACRE network agreement Defra - Platinum Jubilee Village Hall fund Defra - Rural Housing Enabler fund 1,712,000 1.712,000 1.218,312 1.795,200 1.797,442 858,231 4,727,754 4.365,431 29

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Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Net movement in funds This is stated after charging: 2025 2024 Depreciation Operating lease payments.. Property Other Trustees, remuneration Trustees, expenses Auditors. remuneration (excluding VAT): Statutory audit Prior period under accrual 462 597 14.246 1.215 12,490 1,215 2,700 7,500 3.159 8.250 1,800 6,700 In common with other charities of our size and nature we use our auditors to assist with the preparation of the financial statements. Trustees, expenses represents the payment or reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs totalling £3,159 {2024= £7,500) inCu￿ed by 11 (2024.. 13) trustees relating to attendance at meetings of the trustees. Trustees, remuneration is detailed in note 22 to the accounts. Staff costs and numbers Staff costs were as follows: 2025 2024 Salaries and wages Social security costs Pension costs Freelance staff 257,320 8,715 16,969 86.561 123,080 12,800 9,109 124,697 369,565 269,686 Staff cost increases reflect the charity's planned restructuring of the team during the year, the aim being to reduce consultancy support and bring capacity and expertise in house to deliver our new strategy. Termination and redundancy payments totalling £17,969 (2024: £nil) are included within salaries and wages costs. These costs related to a settiement agreement of £11,200 and £6,769 for payments in lieu of notice. 1 employee earned more than £60.000 during the year, (2024: none). Total employee benefits including pension contributions and freelance staff costs paid to key management personnel during the year totalled £121,023 {2024: £101,987). 32

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 Staff costs and numbers (continued) 2025 2024 No. Average head count: Taxation The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes. Tangible fixed assets Computer equipment Cost At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 6,220 Depreciation At 1 April 2024 Charge for the year 5,527 462 At 31 March 2025 5,989 Net book value At 31 March 2025 231 At 31 March 2024 693 10. Mixed motive investments 2025 2024 Investment in Cirican LLP At 1 April Impairment 3,000 {2,122) 3,000 At 31 March 878 3.000 During 2020, ACRE made an investment of £3,000 into Cirican LLP. The objective of Cirican is to enable ACRE and those members who are involved in Cirican to tender for larger national research contracts that play to the members. skills and experience. for both financial return and furtherance of charitable purposes. An impairment review was conducted in the year due to the expected closure of Cirican LLP. 33

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 11. Debtors 2025 2024 Trade debtors Loans to rural community buildings under loan scheme (note 14) Prepayments Accrued income VAT debtor Other debtors 67,624 246,261 2.231 12,596 294,751 2,339 97,192 2,863 22,092 2,152 1,000 319.268 431,833 Amounts due after more than one year included in: Loans lo rural community buildings under loan scheme 192,974 189,543 12. Creditors: amounts due within 1 year 2025 2024 Rural community buildings loan fund (note 14) Trade creditors Taxation and social security Other creditors Accruals Conduit funding (note 19) Deferred income (note 15) Grant commitments (note 13) 700.000 23.166 5,851 21,690 19,986 5,740 23,637 57.956 700,000 36,984 6,066 6,433 16,958 5,740 12,192 167,137 858,026 951,510 13. Grant commitments 2025 2024 Grant commitments at 1 April Grant commitments made (note 16) Grants disbursed 167,137 4,452,711 4,561,892 3.978,975 3,811,838 Grant commitments outstanding at 31 March 57,956 167,137

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 14. Rural community buildings loan fund Rural community building loan fund administered by ACRE on behalf of DEFRA: 2025 2024 Funds advanced by DEFRA at 1 April 2024 (note 12) 700,000 700,000 Loans to rural community buildings: Outstanding at 1 April Loaned during the year Repaid during the year 294,751 100,000 (148,490) 299,295 70,857 (75,401 } Outstanding loans at 31 March (note 11) 246,261 294,751 Bank deposit on hand at 31 March 2025 less inlerest payable to DEFRA 453,739 405,249 15. Deferred income 2025 2024 At 1 April 2024 Deferred during the year Released during the year 12.192 23.637 (12,192 15,150 12,192 15,150) At 31 March 2025 23,637 12,192 Deferred income relates to Village Hall Advisors training event and Corporate Sponsorship income received in advance. 35

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable During the year, ACRE made the following grants to institutions.. 2025 2024 DEFRA grants to ACRE network Action Hampshire Action in Rural Sussex Action with Communities in Cumbria Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity Cambridgeshire ACRE Cheshire Community Action Connecting Communities in Berkshire Community Action Isle of Wight Community Action Norfolk Community Action Northumberland Community Action Suffolk Communily Council for Somerset Community Development Action Hertfordshire Community First in Herefordshire and Worcestershire Community First Oxfordshire Community First, Wiltshire Community First Yorkshire Community Futures, Lancashire Community Impact Bucks Lincolnshire YMCA Ltd (Community Lincs) Comwall Rural Community Charity Devon Communities Together Dorset Community Action Durham Community Action GRCC Community Action in Gloucestershire Humber & Wolds Rural Action Kent ACRE Northamptonshire ACRE Rural Action Derbyshire Rural Community Action Nottinghamshire Rural Community Council {Leicestershire & Rutland) Rural Community Council of Essex Community Resource (Shropshire) Support Staffordshire Surrey Community Action Tees Valley Rural Action WRCC {Warwickshire Rural Community Council) West of England Rural Ne￿orf( Resource for the continuation of support for Kent rural communities 44,675 47.395 49,265 35,840 44,180 39,500 34,840 33,840 50,995 42.405 45,310 44,060 38,065 43,930 39,640 41,095 69,720 44.240 39,000 49,030 45,670 53,145 41.255 42,585 39,220 41.965 12.383 40,280 44,200 40,580 41,200 46,875 40,135 42.405 38.735 34,235 37,635 36,325 37,148 44,675 47,395 49,265 35,840 44,180 39,500 34,840 33,840 50,995 42,405 45,310 44,060 38,065 43,930 39,640 41,095 69,720 44,240 39,000 49,030 45,670 53,145 41,255 42,585 39,220 41,965 40,280 44,200 40,580 41,200 46,875 40,135 42,405 38,735 34,235 37,635 36,325 50,181 1,633,000 1.633,651 36

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable (continued) 2025 2024 Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Grants 1st Albrighton Scout Group, Shropshire 1st Coddington Scout Group, Notts Acland Memorial Hall, Berkshire Alderholt Village Hall. Dorset Alveston Village Association, Warwickshire Anslow Village Hall. Stsffs Arnesby Village Hall Trust, Leics Badwell Ash Village Hall, Suffolk Baylham Village Hall, Suffolk Beeding & Bramber Village Hall Bradden Village Hall. Northants Broad Oak, Sussex Cardington Village Hall, Shropshire Chatton Village Hall Trust. Northumberland Child Memorial Village Hall, Sussex Chittlehampton Village Hall, Devon Claughton Memorial Hall Clipston Village Hall. Northamptonshire Coaley Village Hall, Gloucestershire Coddington Village Hall, Notts Combe Florey Village Hall, Somerset Coronation Hall Mary Tavey, Devon Cross in Hand Village Hall, Sussex Crowhurst Village Hall, Sussex Cury Mallet and Beercrocombe Village Hall. Somerset Denmead War Memorial Hall, Hants Dundry Village Hall, North Somerset Dunnington Village Hall, Yorkshire East Coker Village Hall, Somerset East Cowton Village Hall, Yorkshire East Woodhay Village Hall, Hampshire Ellen Hinde Hall, Oxon Everton cum Tetworth Village Hall. Beds Farndon Community Centre, Cheshire Five Ashes Village Hall. Sussex Freshford Village Memorial Hall Garthorpe Village Hall, North Lincolnshire Graveney & Goodnestone Village Hall, Kent Grindleford Playing Fields Association l Grindleford Playing Field Trust Hale Village Hall New Forest, Hants Halse Village Hall Helsington & Brigsteer Village Hall. Cumbria Hesketh Bank CC, Lancashire 4,000 4.613 10.718 3.068 2,280 3.000 4.500 13,082 33,682 10,500 5.000 3,809 2,286 5,000 2.112 75,000 4,885 45,407 20.000 5,000 2,196 7,500 9,800 11.318 2,077 4.770 8.500 3.193 17,386 22,000 2,671 4,000 4,728 34,000 3.186 4,500 14,909 3,421 5,000 3.251 5,000 3,230 4.000 3,960 Sub total 437,538 5,000 37

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable (continued) 2025 2024 Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Grants (continued) Sub total brought forward 437,538 5,000 Hillesley (Hopkins Hall). Glos Hoghton Sports & Social Club, Lancashire Holbeach Reading Room, Lincs Holmbury St Mary, Surrey Holme Village Hall. Cambs Holwell Village Hall Horam Village Hall Indian Queens Victory Hall, Comwall Keelby Village Hall Committee Kentford Community Hub, St. Marys PCC Layer Marney Community Hub, Essex Little Aston Village Hall, Staffordshire Liverton Village Hall. Devon Lopen PCC, Somerset Loxton Community Hub, North Somersel Madley Parish Hall, Hants Maiden Bradley Village Hall, Wiltshire Malborough Village Hall & PFA, Devon Mark Community Centre, Somerset Martin Village Hall (Blandford), Hampshire Nash Mills Village Hall. Hertfordshire Neen Savage Parish Hall, Shropshire Old Pool Bank Village Hall, Yorkshire Orleton Village Hall, Hants Osmotherley Village Hall. Yorkshire Papplewick & Linby Village Hall, Nottinghamshire Par Bay Community Trust, Comwall Piddinghoe Village Hall. Sussex Plumbland Village Hall Plumley Village Hall, Cheshire Potten End Village Hall Ramsey Community Centre. Cambridgeshire Ripley Village Hall Ruan Minor Village Hall, Comwall Ruskington Village Hall, Lincs Seghill Colliery Institute, Northumberland Shadforth Community Association, Durham Shurdington Village Hall, Glos Silchester Village Hall. Hants Slapton Village Hall South Hanningfield Village Hall. Essex South Milton Village Hall, Devon 2.190 20.700 2,893 8,363 3.774 4.739 2,200 2,440 3.035 5,000 7,524 39,000 3,252 4,000 20,000 5,000 9.224 2.314 4,891 26,400 12,581 3,667 2,783 2.327 2.108 3,212 7,644 31,571 3,080 2,240 2,740 60,000 5.000 22.800 2,300 11,000 2,781 2.521 5,000 4,742 2.904 3.401 Sub total 810,879 5,000 38

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable (continued) 2025 2024 Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Grants (continued) Sub total brought forward 810,879 5,000 Springthorpe Village Institute. Lincs St. Days Enterprise Centre, Comwall St. Mary's Appledore PCC, Devon St. Andrews Community Hall, Lancashire St. Mary's Church Room. Sole, Kent St. Piran's Village Hall. Cornwall Stannington Village Hall, Norlhumberfand Starkholmes Village Hall, Derbyshire Staverton Village Hall Stokeinteignhead Village Hall, Devon Stretton Priory Centre, Staffs Stutton Village Hall, Yorkshire Swardeston Village Hall, Norfolk Swimbridge Jubilee Hall. Devon Teigngrace Parish Charity, Devon The Barnetby Village Hall, Lincolnshire The Grand Pavilion. Derbyshire The Hill in Millom Village Hall, Cumbria The Institule, Kelvedon The Institute, Ottery St. Mary. Devon Theale Village Hall, Somerset Thurgoland Village Hall, Yorkshire Titchfield Village Trust, Hampshire Trimdon Grange Community Association, Durham Uplyme Village Hall, Devon Weston with Gayion Village Hall. Staffs Willey & District Village Hall, Shropshire Wilsford Village Hall. Lincs Winchcome Community & Arts Hub. Glos Winchelsea New Hall, Somerset Winsley Church Hall, Wilts Wolvey Village Hall, Warwickshire Woodbury Village Hall, Devon Wookey Church Hall PCC, Somerset Woolfardisworthy S&C Hall, Devon Worton & Marston Village Hall, Wiltshire Adastra {Hassocks CA) Aldenham Memorial Hall. Hertrordshire Allerthorpe, Humber & Wolds Amberley with North Stoke Church Hall. Sussex Ampleforth Village Hall, Yorkshire Appleton Thom, Cheshire 2.000 11.000 2,020 24,000 55.612 4,513 8,064 2,150 2.320 2,000 4,278 18,618 12.314 3,617 4,484 5,000 4.072 3.707 5,000 2,211 10,182 3.980 5,000 3.960 3.579 2,024 2,125 2,206 3,634 4,224 4,834 54,477 2.400 3,356 2,943 14,500 10,278 8,461 10,000 7,500 8,509 8,178 Sub total 1,111,283 57,926 39

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable (continued) 2025 2024 Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Grants (continued) Sub total brought forward 1,111,283 57,926 Armathwaite, Cumbria Ashill Village Hall, Somerset Bedwyn Village Hall, Wiltshire Bilbrook, Suffolk Bishopstone, Buckinghamshire Bomere Heath, Shropshire Bratton Church Institute, Wiltshire Burton in Lonsdale Byihorn Village Hall, Cambridgeshire Cambo Village Hall. Northumberfand Caryford, Somerset Cassington Village Hall. Oxfordshire Castle Acre Village Hall, Norfolk Chittlehamholt Village Hall, Devon Church Eaton Village Institute, Staffordshire Copythorne, Hampshire Comworthy Village Hall, Devon Crantock, Cornwall Danby Village Hall, Yorkshire Donisthorpe, Leicestershire Dormansland. Surrey Dorstone Village Hall, Herefordshire Duxford Village Hall, Cambridgeshire Eversley Village Hall, Hampshire Falfield Village Hall. South Gloucestershi Ferring, Sussex Fishburn Youth & Community Centre Goldhanger Village Hall, Essex Great Denham, Bedfordshire Great Finborough. Suffolk Great Horwood Village Hall, Buckinghamshire Guarlford Village Hall Haddenham, Buckinghamshire Hanna's Field Charity, Essex Hartland Parish Hall, Devon Hickling Barn,Norfolk Hinderclay, Suffolk Hollym, Humber & Wolds Holme CC. Yorkshire Hutton Roof Village Hall. Cumbria Hyde, Hampshire Jevington, Sussex 8,949 11,226 25,000 10,545 22,007 8,498 7,500 19,315 16,500 10,078 75,000 4,722 9,000 7,804 4,839 7,966 10,000 17,289 9,600 75,000 15,000 8,500 15,640 7,500 23,860 9,495 25,000 8,400 11,289 8,000 40,349 7,680 16,989 8,000 7,937 13,668 7,500 10,704 23,550 30,632 19,000 12,441 Sub total 1,111,283 749,898 40

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable (continued) 2025 2024 Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Grants (continued) Sub total brought forward 1,111,283 749,898 Kilburn. Yorkshire Lady Alice Memorial Hall, Somerset Lambeage Village Hall, Comwall Lanreath Village Hall, Cornwall Little Thefford, Cambridgeshire Litton Village Hall, Somerset Longworth Village Hall, Oxfordshire Lord Thurlow Hall. Suffolk Lover CC, Wiltshire Lower Withington Village Hall, Cheshire Lyonshall Village Hall Maker with Rame, Comwall Mariansleigh. Devon Mawnan Smith Memorial Hall, Comwall Medbourne Memorial Hall, Leicestershire Menheniot Village Hall, Cornwall Meshaw Village Hall, Devon Newton Valence, Hampshire Peak Forest Reading Room, Derbyshire Quarnford & Healthylee Memorial Hall, Stafftjrdshire Rifle Hall Trust, Suffolk Ruishton, Somerset Sawbridgeworth. Hertfordshire Seaton Sluice, Northumberland Sessay Village Hall. Yorkshire Settle, Yorkshire Shapwick Village Hall, Somerset Shedfield Reading Room, Hampshire Shenstone, Staffordshire Shillingford & Petton, Devon Shrivenham Village Hall. Oxfordshire Snape Village Hall, Yorkshire St. Mabyn Peace Memorial Hall, Comwall St. George's Parish Centre. Somerset St. Newlyn East Mem Hall, Comwall St. Paulinus Centre, Kent Stevington Community Hub, Bedfordshire Stewkley Village Hall, Buckinghamshire Sunnyside. Kent Takeley Silver Jubilee Hall,Essex Toppin Memorial Hall (John Castiehow). Cumbria Troon Village Hall, Cornwall 20,855 19,440 32,000 9,921 18,500 7,610 8,541 8,163 10,600 10,218 10,000 9,192 8,283 7,500 12,000 39,173 26,558 32,000 8,000 10,374 15,202 10,311 72,000 8,292 32,265 18,000 16,000 12,000 9,213 15,971 20,000 7,500 21,000 8,951 15,916 7,267 19,525 23,506 9,123 20,000 33,600 40,500 Sub total 1,111,283 1.494,968 41

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable (continued) 2025 2024 Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Grants (continued) Sub total brought forward 1,111,283 1,494,968 Walton Village Hall, Yorkshire Weston Sub Edge, Gloucestershire Whimple Village Hall. Devon Whitley, Yorkshire Whixley Village Hall, Yorkshire Wilshaw Village Hall, Yorkshire Withersfield, Suffolk Wootton Village Hall, N.Lincolnshire Wormingford, Essex Worminghall, Buckinghamshire Wretham, Norfolk Yarlington, Somerset Yeolmbridge, Comwall 28,850 12,500 12,824 14,120 23,000 13,407 9,451 3,266 12,776 18,000 23,238 15,000 8,135 Subtotal 1,111,283 1.689,535 Repaid grants 3,538 1,107,745 1,689,535 42

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 16. Grants payable (continued) 2025 2024 Rural Housing Enabler Fund ACRE member in: Bedfordshire Berkshire Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Cheshire Comwall Cumbria Derbyshire Devon Dorset Durham Essex Gloucestershire Hampshire Herefordshire Hertfordshire Humber & Wolds Isle of Wight Lancashire Leicestershire Norfolk Northamptonshire Northumberland Oxfordshire Shropshire Somerset Staffordshire Suffolk Surrey Sussex Warwickshire WERN Wiltshire Yorkshire 36,475 48,607 39,869 57.941 58,408 61,496 50,800 58,912 61,335 49,860 47,322 61.487 43.052 34,822 58,697 43,850 60,308 48,544 61,163 54.780 54,194 55,822 46,420 46,343 51,205 57,076 47,622 23.208 54.791 60,289 42.075 34,020 43,970 57,203 23,844 35,251 19,610 35,225 33,530 6,000 31,425 6,128 35,670 26,969 23,994 17,533 35,598 39,046 5,000 3,457 2,687 25,006 17,405 6,015 6,580 16,662 25,750 34,506 6,046 5,216 12,351 11,227 6,498 35,670 4,358 34,412 27,120 1,711,966 655,789 43

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 17. Analysis of net assets between funds Restricted funds Designated funds General funds Total funds Tangible fixed assets Mixed motive investments Current assets Current liabilities 231 231 878 1,431,315 858,026 878 24,000 117,372 79,646 1,289,943 778,380 Net assets at 31 March 2025 37,726 24,878 511,794 574,398 Prior period comparative Restricted funds Designated funds General funds Total funds Tangible fixed assets Investments Current assets Current liabilities 693 693 3,000 1,561,028 {951,510) 3,000 19,000 316.747 (188,569) 1,225,281 (762,941) Net assets at 31 March 2024 128,178 22.000 463,033 613,211

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 18. Movements in funds Transfers be￿een funds At31 March 2025 At 1 April 2024 Income Expenditure Restricted funds Tudor Trust Big Lottery Safeguarding DEFRA rural communities DEFRA PJVH fund DEFRA RHE fund Coyler Ferguson Kent ACRE National Parks Residents Association National Village Halls Forum 1,500 3,961 (1,500) 3,961 1.633,000 (1,633,000) 1.130,000 (1,107,745) 1,601,759 (1,711,966) (1,000) 6,820 111,639 1,000 29,075 1,432 2,787 471 2.787 471 Total restricted funds 128,178 4.364,759 4,455,211 37,726 Unrestricted funds Designated funds." ACRE Network review ACRE Network members LLP Consultancy {Cirican) 4,000 15,000 3,000 4,000 20,000 878 5,000 2,122 Total designated funds 22,000 2,122 5,000 24,878 General funds 463,033 668,891 (615,130) {5,000) 511.794 Total unrestricted funds 485,033 668.891 617.252 536,672 Total funds 613,211 5.033,650 5,072,463 574,398 Purposes of restricted funds Tudor Trust ACRE re￿iVed the initial 50% of the year long grant for the purpose of reviewing the purpose of the Village Hall services provided throughout the ACRE Network and identify areas for expansion. Big Lottery Safeguarding The National Lottery Community Fund provided funds for a project that will promote good safeguarding practice to village and community halls throughout England. ACRE used the 38 ACRE Networf( members. contacts and reach into rural communities to signpost and share resources. Advice and examples of best practice have been shared helping hall committees to better understand their responsibilities, put in place proportionate policies and procedures, and have Confiden￿ to deal with safeguarding issues as they arise. 45

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 18. Movements in funds (continued) Purposes of restricted funds (continued) DEFRA rural communities The investment delivers support to the end beneficiaries of the ACRE Network. ensuring that rural communities have the technical support and advice needed to survive and Ihrive. The grant is distributed through ACRE to its 38 members, full details are available on the ACRE website. DEFRA PJVH fund DEFRA Platinum Jubilee Village Hall {PJVH) fund is a grant fund provided by DEFRA to support the modemisation and improvement of rural community buildings. DEFRA RHE fund DEFRA Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) fund is a £2.5m programme funded by DEFFIA creating a new network of Rural Housing Enablers (RHES). RHES are specialists who help rural communities consider the need for affordable housing locally. CoylerFerguson KentACRE Coyler Ferguson grant is a grant provided to support the establishment of Kent ACRE, specifically for legal fees to support the CIO. National Parks Residents Association ACRE holds funds on behalf of the National Parks Residents Association for use only as designated by the Association. National Village Halls Forum The National Village Halls Forum closed and a decision was taken to pay funds remaining in the bank account to ACRE for hosting and support work undertaken by the new Village and Community Halls Network. Purposes of designated funds ACRE Network review The ACRE Board designated funds to support the research, review and modemisation of its services. ACRE Network members The ACRE Board designated funds to support a strategic review of ACRE member seNices in order to identify the best and most sustainable way of safeguarding such services for end beneficiaries in the future. This has been increased with a transfer from general funds this year. LLP Consultancy {Cirican) The ACRE Board designated funds to underpinned 'Cirican' the ACRE Network Consultancy vehicle, established to capitalise on members, extensive experience and understanding of rural issues, and to generate an income stream to advance ACRE'S charitable aim of supporting rural communities. Transfers Transfers to designated funds from general funds are to represent future spends expected based on the trustees assessment. 46

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 18. Movements in funds (continued) Prior period comparative Transfers be￿een funds At31 March 2024 At 1 April 2023 Income Expenditure Restricted funds Tudor Trust Big Lottery Safeguarding DEFRA rural communities DEFRA PJVH fund DEFRA RHE fund Coyler Ferguson Kent ACRE National Parks Residents Association National Village Halls Forum Rural Coalition (1,000) 3,961 447 5,000 (2,500) 1,500 3,961 1.633,000 (1,633,651) 1.696,356 (1,689,536) 767,428 (655,789) 4,000 (3,000) 204 6,820 111,639 1,000 2,787 471 9,689 2,787 471 9,689 Total restricted funds 16,355 4.105,784 3,994,165 204 128,178 Unrestricted funds Designated funds." ACRE Ne￿ork review ACRE Network members LLP Consultancy {Cirican) 4,000 10,000 3,000 4,000 15,000 3,000 5,000 Total designated funds 17,000 5,000 22,000 General funds 421,112 551.366 (504.241) (5,204) 463,033 Total unrestricted funds 438,112 551.366 504,241 204 485,033 Total funds 454,467 4.657,150 4,498,406 613,211 19. Conduit funding 2025 2024 Funds held at 1 April Amounts received Adjustment to correct closing balance 5.740 5,500 240 Funds held at 31 March 5,740 5,740 ACRE receives and disburses funds on behalf of The Rural Coalition. The balance held at the year end date is included in other creditors. 47

Action with Communities in Rural England Notes to the financial statements For the ear ended 31 March 2025 20. Analysis of changes in net debt At31 March 2025 At 1 April 2024 Cash flows Cash 1,129.195 17,148 1,112.047 1,129.195 (17,148) 1,112,047 Loans falling due within 1 year 700,000 700,000 Net debt 429,195 {17,148) 412,047 21. Operating lease commitments The charity had operating leases at the year end with total future minimum lease payments as follows.. Propety 2025 Equipment 2025 2024 2024 Amount falling due: Within 1 year Within 1- 5 years 7.123 6,245 1.215 1,215 1,519 7.123 6.245 1.215 2,734 22. Related party transactions During the current and prior year. ACRE distributed DEFRA grants to its member organisations. A full list of these is induded in note 16. During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterty surveys of the DEFRA network grant. the company received £5.100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17.000). No amounts were due at the year end. Cirican LLP is a commercial research parlnership of which ACRE is a member. ACRE invested £3,000 in the partnership in 2021. This investment was impaired by £2,112 during the year, resulting in a valuation as at the year end date of £878. There were no balances outstanding at year end. 48