Trustees’ Report for the Year Ending 31[st] December 2022 ## Hill Close Gardens Trust Registered charity 1085278; registered company 03981067 – limited by guarantee. Registered & principal office: Bread & Meat Close, Warwick, CV34 6HP. **2** ## **Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31[st] December 2022** The Trustees present their Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2022. The Trust was established in 2000. It is a registered charity and is incorporated as a Company Limited by Guarantee. The guarantee of each member is limited to £1. The Trust is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. ## **Contents**  About Hill Close Gardens Trust______________________________3  Objective of the Trust______________________________________4  Public Benefit_____________________________________________4  Board of Trustees__________________________________________4  Structure, Governance, and Management______________________5  Professional Advisers_______________________________________5  2022 Performance Highlights________________________________6  The Gardens______________________________________________7  Events & Workshops_______________________________________9  Children and Family Education_____________________________10  Links with other Organisations & Publicity____________________11  Employees and Volunteers_________________________________12  Help shape the future by becoming a Trustee__________________13  Financial Review_________________________________________13  Independent Examiner’s Report_____________________________14  Thank you to all our supporters!_____________________________22 **3** ## **About Hill Close Gardens Trust** Hill Close Gardens is a gem in the heart of Warwick. Our unique attraction boasts a collection of 16 restored Victorian pleasure gardens, each with its own unique character and charm. Visitors can step back in time and experience the elegance and romance of the Victorian era. The gardens were originally built in the late 19th century as a recreational retreat for the residents of Warwick. Each garden was designed and tended by its owner, and served as a place for them to relax, entertain guests and grow exotic plants. Over the years, the gardens fell into disrepair and were eventually forgotten. Until around the year 2000… For more than 20 years, Hill Close Gardens has undergone a stunning restoration. The restoration process involved the careful preservation of the original garden features, such as the summerhouses and greenhouses as well as the introduction of new planting schemes that reflect the original designs. Visitors to Hill Close Gardens are free to roam around the 16 gardens. The gardens are a peaceful haven of beauty and tranquillity, with colourful blooms, fragrant flowers, and lush greenery. For those interested in history, Hill Close Gardens offers a wealth of information about the Victorian era and its social customs. Visitors can learn about the various gardening styles and techniques that were popular during this time, and the importance of gardening as a leisure activity. In addition to its rich history, Hill Close Gardens also offers a range of activities and events throughout the year. From guided tours and workshops to family activities and picnics, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Visitors can also enjoy a stroll through the peaceful gardens or relax with a cup of tea in the tearoom during spring and summer weekends. Hill Close Gardens is a must-visit for anyone looking for a unique and fascinating day out in Warwick. With its beautiful gardens, rich history, and peaceful surroundings, this hidden treasure is sure to captivate visitors of all ages and interests. Whether you are a gardener, history buff, or simply looking for a peaceful escape, Hill Close Gardens has something for everyone. **4** ## **Objective of the Trust** The objective of the Trust is to manage, preserve and maintain Warwick’s restored 16 Victorian pleasure gardens as a charitable trust. We aim to develop the site as a welcoming, environmentally responsible, and financially sustainable, visitor attraction for all ages and abilities. We want to inform, engage, and inspire people so they enjoy the Gardens’ horticultural relevance and social history. We recognise and support the importance of a visit to the gardens as being important and beneficial to peoples’ health and wellbeing. ## **Public Benefit** The Trust has provided a public benefit to Warwick townspeople and its visitors by: maintaining the Gardens to a high standard and welcoming visitors to the Gardens every weekday, and at weekends in the growing season, running special events highlighting aspects of horticulture and history in the Gardens, providing training in horticultural techniques, running special events to involve children and disadvantaged families in the Gardens, providing organised tours of the Gardens, engaging volunteers in the various aspects of the Gardens, and participating in local horticultural events and shows The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit when making decisions and are satisfied that the Gardens provide a public benefit to the local community and visitors from further afield. ## **Board of Trustees** The Directors of the Trust, as defined in the Companies Act 2006, are also Charity Trustees for the purposes of charity law. At the date of this report the Trustees are: - Chris Begg - Chris Wainwright - Herbie Jhita - Jenny Lamb - Richard Eddy - Robert Bleasdale In accordance with the Articles of Association Warwick District Council can nominate up to four Trustees, and Plant Heritage one Trustee but both have chosen not to do so. The Warwick Society, as an organisation that supports the Trust, may also nominate **5** one. This body is represented on the Board by Jenny Lamb. She is the only Trustee with disclosable interests. **6** ## **Structure, governance, and management** Trustees are selected and appointed to bring a balance of skills to the board, including horticultural, legal, and financial skills. Trustees hold office for a period of three years and retire by rotation at the Annual General Meeting. A trustee may be appointed midterm to fill a casual vacancy but must be elected by the members at the subsequent Annual General Meeting. The Trustees are responsible for policy and strategic governance, safeguarding of the Charity's assets, provision of adequate funding to maintain the Gardens, fulfilling its legal obligations, and its obligations to stakeholders including the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Warwick District and Warwick Town Councils. The Trust uses a Management and Maintenance plan as the source for all details of its governance. - The Trustees have a risk management strategy which comprises of: - An annual review of the principal governance, compliance and financial risks and uncertainties that the charity faces, the Risk Register, was circulated and approved - the establishment of policies, systems, and procedures to mitigate those risks identified in the annual review; and - the implementation of procedures designed to minimise or manage any potential impact on the charity should those risks materialise. ## **Professional advisers** Bankers: CAF Bank Ltd, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA Solicitors: Blythe Liggins, Edmund House, Rugby Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 6EL Accountants: Duo Accountants, 11 Dormer Place, Leamington Spa, CV32 5AA Independent examiner: Henry Leaver BA (Hons) MAAT, 26 Minster Road Coventry, CV1 3AF **7** ## **2022 Performance Highlights** We welcomed more than 7,000 visitors to the Gardens, sustaining the level experienced in 2021. This generated income of £17,183 from general admissions (vs £17,805 in 2021), while the number of Group Visits increased and delivered income of £1,954 (vs £557 in 2021); and Guided Tours of the Gardens delivered £2,521 (vs £762 in 2021). In addition to visits from general admissions and Hill Close Gardens members, we also attracted visitors via partnerships and promotions with the RHS (553 visitors in 2022 vs 497 in 2021), and Gardeners’ World Magazine (610 visitors in 2022 vs 730 in 2021). In addition to visitors enjoying the Gardens themselves, we saw an increased level of income from visitors making use of the weekend Tearoom, delivering £13,367 (vs £10,221 in 2021), and purchasing items from the on-site shop, delivering £1,816 (vs £639 in 2021). Hire of the Lammas Room for private events also saw growth in 2022 and delivered income £26,955 (vs £14,890 in 2021). On membership, and to offer flexibility to those wishing to purchase an annual subscription, this is now offered for a period of one year from the date of purchase. Previously membership was offered on a calendar years basis, running from January to December. In 2022, income from membership subscriptions was £6,593 (vs £7,852 in 2021). We offered a Membership Pass to all our volunteers allowing free entry for up to two people in recognition of the enormous contribution our volunteers make to the success of the gardens. This was very well received and appreciated by the team. 2022 also saw the first full year of operations for the new Bleasdale Room, officially opened late in 2021. The Bleasdale Room adds another experience for visitors and features videos, display boards, and interactive touch screens to enable visitors read about the people, the place and the plants, and trees in the gardens before they walk round the gardens. We are proud of what we have achieved in 2022 and grateful for the support we have received from our visitors, volunteers, members, donors, partners, and staff. It is pleasing that so many people continue to visit and enjoy the Gardens, in addition to making use of our facilities, our workshops, and plant sales. We were also thrilled to welcome those from our membership who became new volunteers in the year. The Trust remains exceptionally thankful for the support of its visitors, volunteers, staff, and the funding made available to it as we, our employees, and our volunteers continue to share our passion for these unique and beautiful gardens for the delight of our members and visitors. **8** ## **The Gardens** As always, the weather plays a big part in the life of the gardens and in 2022 it was the prolonged period of very hot weather in the summer, which caused considerable stress in the gardens. It affected the size of the fruit and that of the plants in the late-flowering herbaceous borders. It also meant that there was a continual battle to keep plants for sale, and those in the nursery and glass houses, sufficiently watered. The garden year began with ongoing plant maintenance, including pruning the apple trees and tidying up the hedges before the nesting season began. We were thankful to have the additional assistance of WRAGS trainees (Work and Retrain as a Gardener Scheme), who were previously with us for a Winter Apple Pruning Course. It was a job well worth doing as it’s always amazing how much growth is put on throughout the year and truly feels satisfying once completed. Maintenance work also continued to improve access across the garden plots and to make important repairs to the summerhouses before we turned our attention to the snowdrop season and preparing other spring bulbs. Like many, the heat of the summer was challenging – especially for getting enough water on to the garden. Some plants struggled in the heat while others romped away – such are the vagaries of gardening! 2022’s summer weather certainly showed us clearly how important it is to look after water we considered how we could better capture rainfall when it’s more plentiful. We examined ways to store water from our buildings, particularly the large greenhouse, which will allow us to supplement mains water by using a large storage tank and filters to eradicate any pathogens. We expect to develop this in 2023 and beyond. As well as water, another essential resource is the material we take off the gardens, including weeds and woody waste. We considered better ways to make better use of these valuable resources. Our current composting areas are small, and it is difficult to turn over the heaps. It is hoped that by managing them differently will allow us to produce better quality compost to return to the gardens. Again, this plan will be developed into action in 2023 and beyond. As the days drew shorter and plants entered their autumnal and winter phases we turned attention to the structural parts of the gardens, with hedges and fruit being a focus. The apples and pears were pruned with the restricted forms being carried out first. With some varieties, such as the Bramley Seedling, it always feels as if you’re removing far too much of the wood, but being so vigorous, if you leave them, they’ll soon take over. Some soft fruit also received a winter prune too and the biggest task of all was the hedges. We pruned the hedges harder to bring them down to more manageable heights, and although they’ll respond with renewed vigour, we will them in check. **9** ## **Plant & Produce sales** Our Plant & Produce sales were again very strong during the year, and this generated an income of £11,203 (vs £11,738 in 2022). The decision to offer a selected range of chrysanthemums varying from year to year was attractive to regular visitors building up their own collections There was a large amount of apple juice processed in 2022 mainly because of the heavy crop of small apples. Many thanks to everyone who bought from us in 2022, and we hope you enjoyed a bloom or a taste from Hill Close at home. As always, the income from these sales helps us to invest in maintaining the gardens for today and the future. **10** ## **Events & Workshops** - **The Snowdrop Weekend** in February was a very welcome return of a popular event and was our first event of 2022; we were unable to host this in 2021 due to Covid restrictions. We displayed more than 130 varieties of snowdrops throughout the garden, as well as producing an indoor display, and cultivators were available for visitors to purchase. With more than 550 visitors over the weekend, the return of this event was a great success and generated more than £5,000 income. - **Wellbeing Day** in May attracted more than 90 visitors to enjoy Art Therapy, Tai Chi, Storytelling, and Mindfulness sessions with time for wandering, wondering, and wellness. - **Midsummer Music** in June saw 85 people entertained by the FB Pocket Orchestra in the Lammas room as the weather was inclement on the evening. - **Evening Opening** in July welcomed people from 6pm until 9pm to enjoy an after-work picnic or have a tearoom supper. - **CultureFest** : **Art in the Gardens** in July attracted more than 100 visitors and featured an exhibition by Caitriona Dunnett – resident artist of Hill Close Gardens for CultureFest. The event was supported by other local artists with displays and sales of a wide range of British arts and crafts. - **Jane Eyre by Heartbreak Productions** (August) brought open air theatre into the Gardens and a percentage of the income was shared with Hill Close Gardens. - **Apple Day** on 9th October was also a great success where, being graced with good weather, we welcomed more than 400 visitors come to enjoy the gardens, buying apples, in addition to produce and items from an array of stalls. The year’s apple and pear crops were truly abundant, which meant we had enough fruit to juice and bottle for sale in the shop. - **Chrysanthemum Day** in October was a showcase of the vibrant displays of our autumnal flowers, which are part of the dispersed National Collection and attracted more than 100 visitors. ##  **Workshops included:** - Feathers and Frost Family Workshop (February) - Planning Your Vegetable Garden (March) - Sempervivum Workshop (May) - Propagation Workshop (June) - Summer Pruning Workshop (August) - Hedgehog Workshop (October) - Christmas Craft Workshop (December) - Christmas Family Workshop (December) **12** ## **Children and Family Education** The Children and Family Education Team maintained a volunteer team throughout 2022 and welcomed more than 340 paying children to the Gardens (excluding Apple Day and the Arts event). The year began slowly, with low numbers attending the ‘Grow and Explore Drop In’ as parents/carers were still cautious about group activities given the high levels of Covid cases still being recorded in schools. Ramping up the promotional push for such events saw the numbers increase. We produced a separate leaflet for Children and Family events and a delivered a focussed social media campaign that was shared with other Warwick community groups’ social media feeds to attract new visitors. The summerhouse roof was re-felted and repainted by the volunteer maintenance team and a Trustee managed to secure a donation of bark to create a ‘bug friendly ’area. The ceiling in the storeroom has also been replaced. The Children and Family Team attended Safeguarding Training and a new Safeguarding Policy was approved by the Trust. Our Playworker left the post in July to take up full time employment, the Trust considered how best to replace. When there has been a shortage of C&F volunteers, members of other teams have helped at larger events. This is very much supporting the aspiration of integrating the teams, encouraging a feeling of ‘one team’ of volunteers working across areas. ## **School visits** - St Margaret’s School (July) attracted 90 children from year three. - Westgate School (July) attracted 30 children from year six for a pottery session. ## **Family Workshops** - The Ugly Bug Ball attracted 40 children and 38 adults. - Teddy Bears Picnic brought in 33 children and 37 adults. - Hedgehog Day – saw 64 children and 81 adults attend. **13** ## **Links with other organisations & publicity** ## **Publicity** - In 2022 we focused on improving our use of social media networks, with an increased number of posts, more creatively themed, and by sharing them with local community groups relevant to the Garden’s visitor audience. - The results were significant and saw our Facebook audience reach grow to 36,812 (+36% growth vs 2021), and Instagram audience grow to 1,311 (+238% growth vs 2021). - By the end of 2022, we achieved almost 2,200 Facebook followers and 1,210 Instagram followers, with the major demographic being Women aged 35-44 years. - The above was achieved without any costs in paid-for promotion. - Several new online systems were introduced, including MailChimp, which provides an improved method of managing email communications, and Eventbrite to support on-line bookings. ## **Partnerships** - The Gardens continues to maintain links with local, national, and international organisations, including: ## **Google Arts & Culture** - The Google Arts & Culture online site and app enables users to browse treasures, stories, and knowledge from over 2,000 cultural institutions in 80 countries. Hill Close Gardens is a featured partner alongside some very illustrious other heritage sites and gardens. You can access the UK Gardens section of the site here and explore our story here. ## **The Royal Horticultural Society** - There was a successful visit from the RHS Partnership team to gain more information about the Gardens This was the resumption of their vetting programme. It continues to attract a regular 10% of our visitors. Rosemary Mitchell attended a meeting at Wisley on Biodiversity and plant health. ## **Warwick in Bloom** - The high standard of horticulture at Hill Close Gardens was recognised with success in Warwick in Bloom 2022 where the Gardens were once again awarded a Gold medal and named the overall winner in the Public Access Gardens category. ## **Plant Heritage** - Plant Heritage ran a very varied series of Zoom meetings, usually offered by National Collection Holders. The dispersed National Collection of Hardy Chrysanthemums suffered during the hot dry summer although benefitted from the late summer rains. Two volunteers are looking after the collection. There is involvement in the Plant Exchange scheme with the annual exchange of plants which are rare and endangered. ## **National Gardens Scheme** - The Gardens open twice a year for the NGS which benefits from the entrance monies as well as publicity through their yearbook is much used by garden visitors who enjoy a mixture of individual gardens as well as the better-known ones. ## **Local garden clubs** **14** - There was participation in the two main local shows – the Warwick Horticultural Society and the Ol Milverton Society. We show what is grown in the gardens. ## **Employees and volunteers** ## **Our Employees** The Head Gardener, Neil Munro, continued to manage the gardens and supervise gardening staff and volunteers, assisted by Alison Taylor and apprentice Richard Tomkins. Alison also continued to maintain the additional garden plots, now privately owned, on behalf the residents of the Martinique Square apartments, our neighbours. The Trust’s Caretaker, Peter Stayt, assisted Richard with out-of-hours visitor centre hiring customers and the security of the Gardens. In July, Richard Hayward, the Centre Manager, moved on after 10 years’ service to the Trust, and interim arrangements were introduced. The newly appointed Business Development Officer, Matt Nolan, took over the role of Manager on a part time basis. The focus of the work was focused on improving communication, teamwork, and a focus on customer service and this was achieved. The Tea Room Supervisor, May Tsai, also agreed to undertake additional management responsibilities with increased hours. This has since been made permanent. A full review of staff and structures will be undertaken in 2023, considering future aspirations and developments for HCG. ## **Our Volunteers** The gardens would not be able to maintain a good standard of horticulture without the regular help from volunteers, plot volunteers and members of the Garden Team. They are very much appreciated and the Trust thanks for their ongoing commitment to the gardens, especially the plot/border volunteers, each of whom work mainly on one or a half plot. They give their plots a sense of individuality which reflects the historical concept of the gardens. The maintenance and running of the Gardens and the Centre depend on a significant amount of work by volunteers. These assist with: - general gardening and horticultural tasks; - administrative duties; - welcoming visitors and running a café; - providing tours of the gardens; and - running educational and community events Our Newsletters and Letters to Volunteers kept everyone up to date with happenings of the Gardens. The Board of Trustees recognises the importance of volunteers to the maintenance and smooth running of the Gardens. It continuously seeks to recruit and retain people to help in all areas of the activities and maintenance of the Gardens. The Trustees thank all staff and volunteers for their enthusiasm and commitment to the promotion and operations of the Gardens. ## **Education and training** There were several Zoom lectures run by Plant Heritage which were relevant to the work of the gardens as well as a series organised by the Snowdrop group of the Hardy Plant Society. A course on chrysanthemum propagation was held for WRAG trainees and there were summer workshops for pruning and propagation attended by volunteers as well as the public. **16** ## **Help shape the future by becoming a Trustee** For more than two decades, Hill Close Gardens Trust has been dedicated to a continuing programme of development and enhancement. Throughout our journey, the Board of Trustees have guided the way. To ensure that work continues, we are now inviting applications to join our Board of Trustees. We need people from all walks of life to volunteer and give their time as a Trustee to help the Trust be managed effectively. As well as devoting time, which includes six day-time Trustee meetings per year, we’re also looking for new Trustees who have an interest in the Gardens, and who can bring a range of management skills and experience to support the Trust going forward. There’s no requirement for incoming Trustees to be horticultural experts – we are particularly interested in applications from people who can bring business and/or professional management experience, legal experience, or skills in fundraising and online marketing, IT, HR, and many others, to benefit the trust and further develop a diverse Board. As a Trustee you have the chance to support and shape the work of the Gardens and make a significant contribution to the Trust’s future. In addition, some of our Trustees invest additional time to serve on the Trusts’ operational committees, which brings them even closer to the dayto-day running of the Gardens. Find out more at https://hillclosegardens.com/become-a-trustee/ ## **Financial Review** 2022 was a financially challenging year for the Trust, with total income down from the previous year. This was primarily due to reduced income from grants, and with trading activity not yet reaching pre-Covid levels. On a positive note, trading activities were increased vs 2021, which brings positive signs for 2023 and beyond. At the year end, the Trust reported a loss of £72,427, factoring in depreciation of £54,904. Readjusting the figures to consider earnings before depreciation, the Trust would have made a loss of £17,523, compared to an adjusted profit of £7,054 in 2021. While the Trust has some reserves to cover such financial losses, this of course is not a sustainable situation, and we are working towards maintaining healthy profits in the future. New initiatives by the Trustees, our employees and our volunteers are all showing very positive signs towards this end. **This report was approved by the board of Trustees on** …………………………………….. ## **Signed on behalf of the charity’s Trustees:** Signed:……………………………………………………….. Name: ……………………………………………………….. **17** Date: ……………………………………………………….. **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Hill Close Gardens Trust for the year end 31[st] December 2022** ar STATEMENTOF FINANCIALACnVITIES Fty IhesEaTended31 Dp(embei 2022 rt•d 1021 INCOME Dona¢kin5 legac￿5 U60 1.522 6iantJrecelvatle 29.0 10.2th) 39. 76.204 MeThbEtshiplee5 6.593 6.593 7￿53 7.443 3.787 Mer(h?Dd151llE Lètti 26.3 26.395 24.IWI 16.955 17.151 55iDDfte5 17.J54 18.361 lnr9mpfr￿n bankinlwe51 0tberinc0￿e 3.936 3.936 5.753 10.2th) 150.567 EXP￿dhur• st DlgènÈr31inÈvWuhtatyir*tyne 52.7f 52.7( 47.592 C05tsoftharit*>leaclp47l￿5 93,532 154.244 48.750 48.750 142.282 202.994 148Bg1 204.365 NETIt4COMVIEXPENDffUREI 138.550) NETMOVEMEN7 IN FVWDS Fund5atlJèwary 592.*2 FUNDSATal DECEM8Eft 554.442 571.092 650.520 BALANCE SHEEfat 31 December2011 202Z 20ZI TAN61BLERXEDAS 541029 596.933 WRRENT*SSETS Slocks 947 947 DebtQ15 1.975 46. 4.IiNI 107Q45 hat bankand In h¥ 49.712 IiiC02 Cytslitors-fallingdue *Jithin I￿￿1 13.647 NETCUFffiEpJfA%5ETS Cr•drtoN-lonit•rm 49.W4 S78fv4 É90.520 AJNDS UnrostsYdAd xo 33￿1 544.492 9,028 64L492 Restrictqd É50.520 ForthE yeirendiTr431 DeLEmbw20Z2thPcamwnyw45enli￿e￿ro￿Mpi1D￿l￿M4uditW￿efs¢Ql￿n477o1tr￿CvrrW￿￿sAl12Q06 reliliD¥tosMdl cvrn￿Dies ThprompaThyls?15￿ y￿rI￿echoi¢Yc￿￿rnIsyo￿ fEquiremeDts. R05PQTh5O111105olTru51405aDd DiroCtQl5." -Th•membe￿h*l•n0Ir•qu1r￿lhÉC¢rnpInYloCbi•Ill lThiL￿1tOf hts￿￿Un1shrlh•￿K1nR￿￿tl0ffl Inaccordanc•wlth ￿¢tIon476.. -Th•diri¢tOrsxkrthJlx￿Ih•1rr*W￿￿lltlQ5IUr¢QmP￿h¥w￿hth*r•qulr•MIrt$afth•A¢1￿rthr*lP•rttD1c(OUrnIrrf Tqcordsandtr*piwr#h?nof sèattOuThtsh￿tsÉ0nvÈPa￿d1￿￿tttor43fit#wIthth￿P￿È￿￿&ap￿1cètrlét0cOMplnIéS, sub10tttot￿ Sh￿11(rA￿p1nléS, 14gimartdln atto1dar￿• iih FR510250RP. ilusteeg wpproVedthpK￿ullt50n 16thm￿￿ 2023 inqd on bI￿lf0f Ih*chartVsTru5tW5'. COLIPnlN6 poL￿E$ Th￿etIn1￿clI1 itotornontshave b••n pr4par•dund•rtho hlstorlul ￿5t conv•ntloThand lffl iccordanc•wlth AccouThtln8and R•poi¢hy byChwl¢lK- StatÈménrof RÈtoMméndéd Pia(titèl5(thPI. èThdin acCoidantèththt￿ Pinantlal ftéportin¢Stsndardappllcab￿ p￿the UKand KépuElitof Irélar*llFAS 6otrrf