2022-03-31-accounts - Crosby Group Riding For The Disabled Association

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Annual Report 2022

Crosby Group Riding for the Disabled Association is based at Home Farm Stables, Back Lane, Little Crosby, Liverpool L23 4UA. Our charity registered number is 1074270.

Trustees 2021/2022

Lyn Brady – Chair Joanne Welsh - Treasurer Louise Fraser – Secretary and Safeguarding officer Judith Parsons Anne Grindy Stephanie Highet Val Parry Paul Cook

Structure and management

The trustees are responsible for protecting the assets of the charity and for ensuring that they are properly used for the Group’s best interests. Trustees also are responsible for long term planning, meeting legal obligations and the requirements of our governing body Riding for the Disabled UK. This has included the review of our policy and procedures for COVID safe operations. The Trustees routinely review the risks Crosby RDA faces to include

Review of Investment and Reserves Policy
Analysis of Financial Risk and regular review of the cash position
Review of health and safety and risk assessments for operations
Succession planning

Our constitution specifies a maximum of 11 trustees. The current trustees have a range of skills expertise and experience including those supporting people with disability (including family members of riders), administration, legal, financial, communications, equitation and horse and stable management. We aim to recruit trustees both from volunteers within the group with relevant skills and experience, and from outside the group who have a genuine interest in furthering the groups aims and objectives. Trustees are elected by the group members at AGM although can be co-opted part way through a year to fill a vacancy subject to election at the AGM.

Ride coaches are responsible for all aspects of rides to include assessment of riders, delivery of ride sessions, training and development of leaders and side walkers. Whilst COVID restrictions remained in force coaches also ensured that safe COVID procedures were in place during RDA activities. Coaches meet at least 4 times a year to consider all aspects of provision of rides and activities for our participants and the waiting list.

Horse care is managed by Anne Grindy Horse Coordinator and undertaken by horse carers. All aspects of the operation of Crosby RDA are undertaken on a voluntary basis

Activities and objectives

We have had a very busy 12 months starting off with the Christmas Fair in December 2021. This was a scaled down event due to COVID, with us only taking up half of the indoor arena and fewer stalls, but it was well attended, and even Santa came to see us. We had a successful, fun afternoon and everyone left feeling a little more Christmassy.

Crosby Group Riding for the Disabled Association Registered charity number 1074270 A member of Riding for the Disabled Association Incorporating Carriage Driving Registered company No. 5010395 Registered charity number 244108 President HRH The Princess Royal KG KT GCDO QSO

Rides resumed in early 2022 and rider numbers have increased. We are now averaging 50 riders each week.

On 22nd May 2022 RDA North West held its Regional Show at Warren Farm in Formby. It was a beautiful day and those riders chosen to take part in the Countryside Challenge and in Dressage all did brilliantly. Not only did they ride really well but they all looked so smart and each received at least one rosette which was thoroughly well deserved. Our horses looked rather splendid too and this was all down to the horse carers and their hard work from early morning. It was a very busy, full day and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of taking part and soaked up the wonderful atmosphere. The weather was good too. A huge success all round. Well done to Team Crosby!

Also in May was the first of two riding holidays held at Clwyd Riding Centre. The second holiday was at the end of September this year. Clwyd Centre is set in beautiful countryside and has wonderful accommodation and facilities. Our riders receive tremendous support and enjoy spending time with and making new friends. These holidays wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the ride coaches and volunteers from Crosby RDA who attend Clwyd with our riders, not only to instruct them as they do here, but in organising the catering and providing full, fun packed days and creating special memories. The smiles on the recent photographs say it all.

The Open Day on 3[rd] July 2022 was a huge success, in fact many thought it was our best one ever. We had glorious sunshine which is always a bonus. There was the usual array of stalls, face painting, burgers, games, and of course our wonderful riders demonstrating their riding skills and having fun, with family and friends watching and cheering. It really was a lovely atmosphere and a great time was had by all.

New this year have been our Summer Sessions. These are the perfect opportunity as an introduction to meet our horses and experience riding for disabled riders. They enable us to offer rides, albeit on a short-term basis, to people on our waiting list. One of our major challenges is that demand far outstrips what we are able to offer in terms of numbers of participants. There are also the Meet, Greet and Groom sessions for those who would rather not or aren’t able to ride but still want to interact with a horse.

The benefits of being with horses are amazing, both physically and mentally. They are very trusting and gentle and are used as therapy animals the world over. This is true for our own horses here at Crosby too.

On 23[rd] August we held our pilot Tea with a Pony session which was organised by one of our ride coaches Paula Huyton and Linda Lawson from the Alzeimer’s Society, Sefton. A wonderful spread of homemade cakes, and tea served in fine china, all set out on tables draped in pretty tablecloths. These tables were set out on the gallery in the indoor arena and 4 participants with their carers arrived and took their seats. There was also a support worker from the Alzeimer’s Society. Paula gave a brief introduction and then two of our horses, Buster and Ziggy, were led into the arena and paraded around for all to see. These boys do like to be admired. There was the opportunity for those who wished to meet the horses to come into the arena and stroke them

or brush them. And for those seated in the gallery, they too were able to give the horses a stroke if they wished when our horses were led over to them and their heads were just the right height for a quick tickle and a chat. It was such a success that there is now a waiting list which seems to be growing rapidly. We have held two more sessions since and there is another one coming up in December. Thank you again to Paula for setting this up, the hosts who support those at the tables, the horse helpers, and of course we mustn’t forget the bakers. We have had such lovely comments from the Alzeimer’s Society as everyone is enjoying coming to meet the horses and it is having such a positive impact on the participants in so many ways.

This year we have had a couple of changes with our horses. Leo has moved on to pastures new and we have bought Polo as a replacement. We also have Rosie who is on loan to us. Both are doing really well and after their initial training they are now being used regularly on the rides and becoming firm favourites with so many of our riders. Ziggy and Emma are working well too. Buster is getting ready for well deserved retirement after all his hard work over the years. Our smallest riders just adore Cindy so I have to thank Ali for allowing Cindy to be ridden on Saturday mornings.

I must thank Steph Highet who is not only a trustee and ride coach but has also taken on the role of arena maintenance champion. With the help of her husband they have organised various repairs this last year including having a cowl fitted over the heavy sliding door to protect it from rainwater and stop it warping. The indoor riding surface is now regularly deep harrowed. We have our own quad and harrow too so in-between the deep harrows our trained volunteers can harrow the surface more regularly to ensure it doesn’t become compacted and put a strain not only on the horses’ legs but everyone walking with the horses. Thank you to all concerned.

As Crosby RDA relies totally on donations and funds raised from organised events, I have to say a massive thank you to our wonderful Fundraising Team. They organised our Summer Open Day, a marvellous quiz night, last year’s Christmas Fair, and are in the final stages of sorting out this year’s Christmas Fair which is on Sunday 4[th] December 2022. I know for a fact that Santa is coming and his elves will be there too to help him out. These events are a lot of hard work and our thanks go out to you for all that you do throughout the year. I must also mention individual fundraising organisers, one being Geoff Hughes who organised a charity football match between North West Ambulance Service and Liverpool Royal Hospital staff and raised £935.00 for our group. Our thanks also to Maghull & Aughton Rotary who organise a Santa sleigh collection each year and present us with a cheque at their annual presentation night.

We are so grateful to all our amazing fundraisers and thank you for your hard work and continued support.

Moving forward, Crosby RDA as we currently stand, is an unincorporated registered charity and not a legal entity. All liabilities and assets are held by our 8 trustees. The Trustees have decided that we will convert to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) which is a legal entity, will still have trustees and must operate in accordance with Charities legislation. This change won’t affect the running of the group as it will still be run exactly the same way. We will remain compliant with our RDA membership and will adopt the form of constitution agreed between RDA National and the Charity Commission.

Finally, as always, our group would like to thank the Blundell of Crosby estate for their support. They continue to provide fantastic accommodation and grazing and 1 free stable, and the estate shows its support in so many other ways, such as accommodating the disruption of our Open Days and Christmas Fairs.

We really couldn’t operate without all the support I have mentioned, and our wonderful tireless volunteers. We are so very grateful to you all.

Treasurers Report 01.04.21 – 31.03.22

Income for the year ending 31.03.22 was £28,829.73 (up £11,773.32 on last year). This was mostly due to the weekly rides getting back to normal capacity plus a rise in general donations compared to the previous year.

Ride donations were up by £6,014.90 General Donations were up by £6,027.96

Whilst we continue to receive a monthly donation of £150 from the Charity shop we have not received any Horse Sponsorship this financial year.

General Donations

Edith Steen (In memory of) £3,000 Anonymous Donation £3,000 Community Foundation £2,500 Betty CM £1,000 H F Ewins £500 Crosby Rotary £500 Cargills £500 Eagleshield CP School / Crosby Rotary £400 A E Green £350 Maghull & Aughton Rotary £350 Rotary Club Ormskirk Clocktower £312.99 W Cox £200 Soroptimist International £200 T Highet & D Cai £200 Lloyds Bank £190 Eva Parr (In Memory of) £125 M Silcock £100

Fundraising

Fundraising income was £3,357.31 which remains similar to last year Christmas Fair Takings £1,235 (Profit 1,203) Sale of lock up items £1,025 JustGiving £422.12 Bike Ride (cash) £235 Easy Fundraising £193.26 Sale of unwanted equipment £116 Sale of Books £83.63

Funds also raised by sale of uni student items & RDA collection box

Refund - £1,185.00 - Clwyd Holiday payments

100 Club deposits - £112.00

Miscellaneous - £170.42 (includes interest on savings account £20.42, £120 ride money paid into the Horse Box account by mistake, £30 paid for Robocop – later refunded)

Expenditure for the Year

Expenditure for the year ending 31.03.22 was £29,841.52 (up £3,109.10 on the previous financial year).

Horse Care Costs

Horse care costs (£21,901.09) have remained similar to the previous year (up £2,628.52) This rise was mostly due to maintenance costs incurred to Buster’s stable (£2,647.78)

Building & Maintenance Costs

Similarly building & maintenance costs (£5,513.34) have remained similar to the previous year (up £774.19). This year we have provided quad training at a cost of £535.

Ride Equipment & Provision

Ride equipment & provision costs (£1,665.67) was down from last year by £155.03. Fundraising Costs

Fundraising costs (£761.42) were also down from last year by £138.58.

The financial year (2021 – 2022) was run at a deficit of £1,011.79. This is a great improvement from the previous year’s (2020 – 2021) deficit of £9,676.01 and we have not had to draw down any reserves from the savings account.

From January 2022 HSBC started to make charges on all their business accounts. Within this financial year bank charges have been £26.72 (for 3 months). Trustees are looking to transfer all accounts to a bank which offer free banking for charities.

Proposal for Reserve & Designated Funds

In March this year trustees discussed the need for a reserve fund based on 12 months expenditure. This would give the group security for the following year. (Expenditure for year end 31.03.20 was £41,118).

Proposed reserve for 2022 / 2023 was £42,000 .

Trustees also discussed the need for a designated fund to cover the ongoing maintenance costs of the arena.

Previous maintenance spends have been as much as £6,565.74 in 2019 / 2020 and since expenses relating to the arena are likely to increase a designated fund of £10,000 was proposed for 2022 / 2023.

These funds would be taken from the savings account. Reserve and designated funds would be reviewed annually in March and notified to the Honorary Accountant.

Riding for the Disabled (RDA)

Crosby Branch

Balance Sheet

2021 £ Fixed Assets 79,043 Tangible fixed Assets Current Assets 172,673 Cash at Bank 251,716 Total Assets Accumulated Funds 178,218 General fund 73,498 Arena Reserve 251,716 Total Funds Notes to the Accounts 2021 1 Total Fixed Assets 385,896 Cost at start of year Additionss - Disposals 385,896 Cost at end of year 285,534 Depeciation at start of year 21,319 Charge for the Year	2022 £ 58,257 171,661 229,919 174,795 55,124 229,919 2022 Arena Horses Equipment Total 5% 33% 25% 385,896 367,492 12,400 6,004 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 385,896 367,492 12,400 6,004 306,853 293,994 7,466 5,393 20,786 18,375 1,800 611	no depreciation in year of acquisition KC Buster Emma Leo pre 2018 2018 24/08/2019 0 3,000 4,000 2,400 0 3,000 4,000 2,400 horse 1 Buster Emma Leo 0 3,000 4,000 1,600 800

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Disposals and Adjustment 0 0 0 0
306,853 Depeciation at end of year 327,639 312,368 9,266 6,004 0 3,000 4,000 2,400
79,043 Net Book Value 31 March 58,257 55,124 3,134 (0) 0 0 0 0
Net Book Value 1 April 2020 79,043 73,498 4,934 611 left 15/10/19
2 Cash at Bank
10,434 General Purposes 9,760
480 Horse Box account 105
159,597 Arena 159,617
2,162 100 Club 2,179
172,673 171,661
3 General Fund
192,638 Opening Balance 178,218
(14,420) (Deficit)/Surplus for the year (3,423)
178,218 174,795
Arena Fund
91,873 Opening Balance 73,499
(18,375) Depreciation in Year (18,375)
73,499 Closing Balance 55,124
----- End of picture text -----

Ziggy 0310312020 3,000 3,000 Ziggy 1,000 iooo

2,000 1,000

Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Crosby Branch

Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 March 2022

----- Start of picture text -----
2021 2022
£ Income £ £ £
6,451 Horse Care 12,485
3,809 Buildings and Maintenance 3,540
1,925 Riding Provision 7,980
4,872 Fund Raising Income 4,825
17,056 Operating Income 28,830
Expenditure
19,273 Horse Care 21,901
4,739 Buildings and Maintenance 5,513
1,821 Riding Provision 1,666
900 Fund Raising Income 761
26,732 Operating Expenditure 29,842 29,842
(9,676) Operating (Deficit)/Surplus (1,012)
(4,744) Depreciation (2,411)
(14,420) (Deficit)/Surplus for the year (3,423)
2021 Arena Fund 2022
£ £
91,873 Opening Balance 73,498
(18,375) Depreciation in Year (18,375)
73,498 Closing Balance 55,124
2,021 Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021
£ note £
79,043 Fixed Asse 1 58,257
Current Assets
172,673 Cash 2 171,661 171,661
251,716 Total Assets 229,919
178,218 General fu 3 174,795
73,498 Arena Fund 55,124 229,919
251,716 Total Funds 229,919
----- End of picture text -----

I have reviewed the underlying accounting records and the Income and Expenditure and Balance Sheet and in my opinion they represent a true and fair view of the finanical position of the RDA Crosby Branch as at 31 March 2022

Mark Taylor, B.A; A.C.A.

Chartered Accountant