2020-07-31-accounts - The Trent Rivers Trust

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THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST

Annual Report of the Trustees and

Unaudited Financial Statements For the year ending 31[st] July 2020

Company number 04225307

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST

Annual Report of the Trustees

and

Unaudited Financial Statements For the year ending 31[st] July 2020

CONTENTS	PAGE
Company Information	2
Chairman’s Report	3 & 4
Trustees’ Report	5 to 17
Independent Accountant’s Report	18
Statement of Financial Activities	19
Balance Sheet	20
Statement of Cash Flows	21
Notes to the Financial Statements	22 to 26

The Trent Rivers Trust st Company Information for the year ended 31 July 2020

Patrons

RM (Mich) Stevenson OBE Anthony Wilkinson DL Timothy Dalton John Jackson OBE

Trustees

Mark Owen (Chairman) Geoffrey Nickolds Donald Jones Timothy Farr Ian Wellby (resigned 18th February 2020) Ian Butterfield Valerie Holt Alastair Mew Roland Caley Jack Perks (appointed 18th February 2020) Paul Smith (appointed 18th February 2020)

Company Secretary

Valerie Holt

Registered Charity Number

1089239

Company Number

04225307

Registered Office

The Old Coach House Rock Terrace Buxton Derbyshire SK17 6HN

Chief Executive Officer

Matthew Easter, appointed 6[th] May 2020 (Chloe Palmer to 31[st] March 2020)

Finance Manager

Sandra Worsley

Independent Examiners Bankers

MCABA Limited t/a Mitchells Bank of Scotland Co-operative Bank Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditor 33 Old Broad Street Delf House 91-97 Saltergate London Southway Chesterfield BX2 1LB Skelmersdale S40 1LA WN8 6WT

Chairman’s Report for the year ending 31st July 2020

In the last year, Trent Rivers Trust has continued to expand both the scope and number of projects it delivers and has appointed its first full time Chief Executive Officer, Matthew Easter. Many projects have been completed successfully and we have been able to consolidate and increase our staff team.

The trust now has a team of ten, continuing its gradual growth. Our two Senior Catchment Managers are taking on and overseeing a greater number of projects and with a more varied profile, with a wider number of funders. Our ‘River Starts Here’ project operating in the Notts/Derbys coalfield area continues to progress and to support Julie Wozniczka, we have employed Gail Pickles as a new part time project officer. Gail has many years relevant experience and is a knowledgeable and welcome addition to the team. The Trust also now has two further trustees in Jack Perks, the leading UK fish photographer and Paul Smith, Deputy Vice Chancellor at Leeds Beckett University, who brings new engineering expertise to us.

We said goodbye to our part-time CEO, Chloe Palmer, and the Board would like to extend their thanks for the contribution that Chloe has made over the years in enabling TRT to grow and develop. We send our best wishes for her future endeavours.

Our new CEO, Matt Easter, joined in May and has been working in the environmental sector for over 20 years, recently as regional director for a larger charity. He brings experience in business development, project management, team management and in providing strategic direction for a charity. He has a background in ecology and environmental project development and delivery and has links into the public sector in the Trent Catchment.

Our work in the river Mease, funded for multiple years, has moved into a deeper phase of capital works delivery. The year saw us plan for work at various sites, for delivery in Autumn 2020. The project officer for the Mease, Emma Smail, now has a mapped understanding of current and potential projects, shared with partners. Doing this scale of river restoration work has been a step up for TRT both in scope and detail. She has also managed the Mease Developer Contribution Scheme with positive support for her ongoing work from partners.

Our two Senior Catchment Managers, Kim Jennings and Ruth Needham are both managing a growing portfolio of projects, Kim covering the East of the Trent catchment and Ruth the West. Both bring a strong technical knowledge, combined with experience writing many scoping studies and overseeing river restoration, habitat improvement, biodiversity enhancement and natural flood management projects.

Our FRAMES project concluded by summer 2020, though hampered by Covid-19 in its final stages. It has enhanced TRT’s reputation both locally and nationally as an organisation able to deliver larger and more complex projects, in this case involving flood management and in particular, the installation of natural flood management measures close to the town of Southwell.

Other highlights in 2019/20 include the expansion of our Natural Flood Management feasibility and delivery work, with a pipeline of projects that TRT is leading in

Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire, the ongoing delivery of our landowner engagement work funded by Severn Trent associated with improving water quality at Tittesworth, Staunton Harold and Cropston reservoirs and progress with work funded through enforcement undertakings in Leicestershire and Staffordshire.

In 2019/20 we have been working on 45 projects across the Trent Catchment. The number of projects continues to grow and although our dedicated and skilled team is ensuring we deliver these projects to time and to budget, it does mean we are likely to be expanding our team further.

Our new CEO will continue to work to the business plan covering the period 2019-22 though was asked to provide some initial thought on operational priorities for the Trust. Two areas stand out, the first is our communication activity, which is growing but does not yet reach as wide an audience as we would like. The focus here is on building on the work undertaken in our communications review, increasing our activity on social media, keeping our website vibrant and having more interaction with the media. The second area is financial management. The Trustees took a decision to move from having our finance and accounts managed externally, to having them overseen by a new internal Finance Manager. This process will start late 2020.

The Trust is already exceeding some expectations highlighted in our business plan, diversifying its income, increasing the number and variation of projects we deliver and having the associated environmental impact we want those projects to have on the Trent Catchment and in particular the Trent and its main tributaries.

Covid-19 has had an operational impact on the Trust, though initial falls in income are hopefully just timing delays. We have not needed to furlough staff as developmental work continued and then some projects recommenced in line with funder requirements.

The Board of trustees and myself are very pleased with the recent expansion of the Trust’s work and team and foresee this trend continuing into 2020/21, enabling us to increase further the continuing improvement of the river environment in the Trent catchment.

Signed...............Mark Owen....................... Date.......18[th] February 2021.......... Mark Owen, Chairman

Report of the Trustees for the year ending 31[st] July 2020

The Trustees are pleased to present their annual report together with the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31[st] July 2020. This report is also prepared in order to meet the requirements for a Directors Report and accounts for the Companies Act purposes.

The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and make reference to the guidelines provided by the Statement of Recommended Practice – Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2005).

The Charity

The Trent Rivers Trust is a registered charity and also a company limited by guarantee. As such it does not have any share capital.

The Trent Rivers Trust was founded in 2001 as the Trent Salmon Trust and is governed by the Memorandum and Articles of Association which were created in 2001; the Articles being amended in 2019. The charity is managed by a board of Trustees comprising ten trustees, chaired by Mark Owen.

The Trent Rivers Trust continues to work closely with its umbrella organisation, the Rivers Trust (RT), on matters of governance, funding opportunities, training and staff appointments. The Chair and/or the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust attends the national AGM organised by the Rivers Trust each year and where possible, a number of the staff team is nominated to attend the RT conference in the autumn and spring.

Structure, Governance and Management

The strategic direction of the Trent Rivers Trust is directed by the Board of Trustees. The day to day management of the charity is the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer, referred to as the CEO, who is now full time.

The trustees, who are also the directors of The Trent Rivers Trust for the purposes of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 FRS 102;
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping up to date accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Trustees meet at least three times each year to discuss the strategic direction and business activities of the Trent Rivers Trust. The financial performance of the charity is an item on the agenda for every meeting and the Trustees receive financial and project updates including the half yearly management accounts and forecasts for the following year and at each meeting are fully briefed of the current situation.

Members of the board are selected to bring a broad cross-section of skills and expertise relevant to the carrying out of activities by the Trent Rivers Trust. This skillset includes financial and business management as well as skills and knowledge of river management and broader charity management. Trustees also provide support when required, regarding specific technical elements of projects, recruitment and HR matters.

Potential new trustees can be identified by another member of the board or by a member of staff, usually in response to a skills or geographical gap. At the AGM, an election within the board decides whether or not they are appointed.

Newly elected trustees meet with the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman to learn more about the recent, current and future activities of the Trust. This is an informal briefing. New trustees also receive a copy of the Rivers Trust ‘Trustees Guide’. Guidance and information notes provided by the Charities Commission is also circulated to all Trustees as it is published and any issues relevant to the Trust are discussed at Trustee meetings.

This guidance outlines the overarching responsibilities of Trustees and the expectations of the role that they will fulfil. The Chair and Chief Executive Officer refer to these documents at the initial briefing session. New Trustees are introduced to the other members of the staff team at the earliest opportunity to hear about their roles and work in the organisation.

Existing trustees receive no formal ongoing training but also have access to the comprehensive guidance documents and are invited to national and locally organised events.

Matthew Easter is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Trent Rivers Trust and is responsible for the day to day management of the organisation. The decisions made by the CEO include matters relating to project and business development and project planning and delivery, staff appointments (except senior management positions), day to day financial management including budgets, public relations and funding.

The strategic direction of the Trust and policy decisions regarding finance, governance, structure and ongoing management arrangements are referred to the Trustees for approval in advance of being formally adopted. In these instances, the CEO reports the matters to the board in advance of a Trustees meeting, and a decision is made at the meeting.

A risk register has been prepared for the organisation to highlight all the organisational and operational risks which the Trust may be exposed to. The risk register is reviewed quarterly by the CEO and is tabled at each Trustees meeting. Any substantial risks identified are addressed as a matter of urgency.

The Trust engages the services of a finance manager on a consultancy basis. Sandra Worsley was first contracted to the organisation in November 2012 and since this date, she has been responsible for the financial management of the organisation. Her areas of responsibility include:

Preparation of the annual accounts
Cashflow management and credit control
Payroll, invoicing and purchasing
Budget monitoring including project budget recording
Financial procedures

The Trust employs two Senior Catchment Managers covering the Trent East (Lower Trent, Soar, Derbyshire Derwent and Idle and Torne) and the Trent West (Upper Trent, Dove, Tame, Anker and Mease) catchments. Kim Jennings manages the Trent East catchment and Ruth Needham manages the Trent West catchment.

Julie Wozniczka is a Senior Project Manager and she is responsible for the development and delivery of projects within the Derwent catchment principally, focusing on the River Starts Here project in the Upper Amber and Erewash catchments. Julie now manages Gail Pickles, who has many years work experience and who is overseeing the River Friendly Business awards and working with Julie in progressing a number of practical projects.

The Trust employs two Project Managers; Josh Wells was primarily project manager for the FRAMES project but with that project concluding, now leads on natural flood management projects across the Trent catchment. Emma Smail is the Mease Project Manager, and is responsible for the Mease DCS, Mease River Restoration and associated Mease catchment work.

Alan Graham is the Trust’s Technical Manager and he prepares designs for river interventions, supervises on-site works and develops monitoring solutions to enable the effectiveness of the measures to be assessed over the longer term.

Tina Bardill is the Rural Catchment Officer for the Trust covering the Dove and Derwent catchments. Tina leads on agricultural project delivery as she has over ten years of experience working with farmers to deliver solutions to improve water quality and address flood risk.

The Trust engages the services of a part-time, self-employed Administration Officer/Events Co-ordinator and also sub contracts two self-employed agricultural specialists as the Catchment Officers for the Tittesworth and the Staunton Harold/Cropston catchments on behalf of Severn Trent.

The registered office of the Trent Rivers Trust is located at The Old Coach House, Rock Terrace in Buxton. The office does not provide a base for the staff team but organisational records are kept there and the financial manager works from the office on a regular basis.

The TRT leases an office comprising two rooms and a storage room at The Old Police Station in Ilkeston and they provide a base for the staff to use for internal and external meetings, hot desking and the storage of TRT equipment. The lease is for the duration of a year, due for review in Jan 2021 and the offices are rented via the Erewash Business Partnership.

Objectives and Activities

The charitable objectives of the Trent Rivers Trust are set out in the organisation’s Memorandum and Articles of Association. Following agreement on the merger with

the On Trent Partnership in spring 2012, the charitable objectives of the Trent Rivers Trust were revised. The charitable objectives for the Trust were agreed as follows:

Creating a rich diversity of linked water and wetland habitats
Preserving, protecting and enhancing biodiversity and our river heritage
Encouraging sustainable approaches to urban and rural land management to improve the aquatic environment
Increasing understanding and appreciation of water and its management
Encouraging involvement by all in our work
Promoting the beneficial use and enjoyment of rivers and wetlands

As far as possible, new projects and activities will be pursued only if they further these objectives. In addition to the charitable objectives, a statement of principles was also made:

Demonstrating leadership in the Trent Catchment through effective communication
Being a delivery focused organisation
Seeking to work in partnership with other organisations
Respecting and enhancing the local environment
Promoting the integration of a range of interests; balancing the needs of heritage, wildlife and people
Encouraging an Ecosystem Services approach
Taking account of adapting to, and mitigating the effects of, climate change

The Trent Rivers Trust has since developed an aim for the organisation which is:

‘Working to conserve and enhance the rivers of the Trent Catchment for people and wildlife.’

Using this aim, the Trust has now adopted a strap line to be placed on all promotional material. This is:

‘Action for people, places and wildlife along our rivers and streams.’

During this reporting period, the work of the Trust has reflected these principles and objectives. Where possible, the organisation seeks to engage with communities and partners, encouraging collaboration, engagement and feedback to further joint opportunities to improve rivers.

In the Business Plan 2019-22, six primary work areas are identified:

Delivering NFM and SuDS
River restoration
Habitat creation
Control of invasive non-native species
Improving fish passage
Preventing pollution

In addition to these areas, three further secondary work areas were also stated:

To promote understanding and positively influencing behaviour through education
Catchment Partnerships
Access and recreation

Though at any given time TRT won’t be delivering work across equally across these areas, we strive to keep a balanced programme of work, evaluating its effectiveness in meeting our charitable objectives.

We have now mapped our income against each of these work areas and also internally report against progress in each area. We employ a team of people able to work across the area and work in partnership with contractors and partners where we do not have all the skills and experience in house.

We have a growing number of projects across the Trent Catchment, though the distribution of these varies. We have listed below briefly some examples of projects being delivered in 2019/20.

i. Delivering NFM and SuDS:
Completion of Wigeon Drive Suds retrofit. Mease Catchment
Completion of FRAMES Project. This project concerned building flood resilience in Southwell. The project included the installation of 3 bunds, 17 leaky barriers, 6 storage ponds and 2 farm track water diversions. The project has also helped raise TRT’s profile through presentations and engagement with FRAMES partners in the UK and Europe. Lower Trent and Erewash Catchment.
Clarborough NFM. The project aims to Instal natural flood management interventions to improve the flood resilience of the Town of Clarborough. Successful completion of scoping study and report. Further funding negotiated for a project implementation phase with Nottinghamshire County Council. Idle Catchment.
Lowdham NFM. Installation of leaky barriers and bunds in the Cocker Beck catchment upstream of Lowdham, a village prone to flooding. Project continuing with final NFM measures delivered in 2020/21. Lower Trent and Erewash catchment.
Breedon NFM, Scoping study with the Breedon On The Hill catchment completed, with the project moving into a new delivery phase, following the successful identification of projects with landowners. Soar Catchment.
ii. River restoration
The Stoke River Restoration project has continued. This is funded via an enforcement undertaking and is one of the Trust’s larger projects. Two projects were initially chosen for delivery, one in Trentham Gardens, Stoke and one on the River Trent near Weston. Covid-19 and increasing costs have meant we decided to stop our work at Trentham and move to a separate site near Stone. However our project at Weston has been completed with restoration work completed (substantial bank re-profiling, gravel introduction, large woody material works and a backwater created for as a fish refuge).
Rothley Brook River Restoration Project. This project aims to improve the Water Framework Directive (WFD) ecological status of the Rothley Brook following a pollution incident in 2016. Project ongoing with designs for weir removal being developed with consultants.

iii. Habitat creation

A number of TRT projects, though not having the primary aim of habitat creation, do deliver multiple benefits, creating new riparian and in-channel habitats. NFM projects have created bunds and ponds of benefit to wildlife and our river restoration work can provide areas of gravel, diversifying the habitat along small stretches of river.
TRT has undertaken its first Trees on The Trent tree planting project, close to Nottingham. We have also secured further funding from Severn Trent Water to do further tree planting close to Nottingham in winter 2020/21. Lower Trent and Erewash catchment.
iv. Control of invasive non –native species
There has been less opportunity to deliver work to control non-native species in 2019/20. However our work with volunteers in The River Starts Here project has involved some removal of Himalayan Balsam.

v. Improving Fish Passage

A part of our River Starts Here project will involve notching small weirs on Oakerthorpe Brook. We have now scoped this work, for delivery in autumn 2020, improving the passage of Trout, Bullhead, Minnows and Loach. TRT has also scoped a low-cost baffle fish-pass on Alfreton Brook as part of the River Starts Here project. Derwent catchment.
Our work on the River Greet seeks to improve fish passage on the River Greet by increasing the connectivity of the watercourse to enable easier fish migration. Lower Trent and Erewash catchment

vi. Preventing pollution

Several of TRT’s projects seek to reduce the risk of diffuse and point source pollution from a range of sources. These projects also often have multiple other benefits linked to TRT’s other project areas. Examples are:

Development of the Outfall Safari pollution recording App, supported by the Rivers Trust. There have been extensive discussions with the EA and Severn Trent Water about this new App being piloted by TRT. It builds on our engagement work, enabling people, initially in the River Starts Here project area to record and submit evidence of potential pollution incidents.
TRT works through one employee and two consultants to help address water quality issues affecting Tittesworth, Cropston and Staunton Harold reservoirs. Severn Trent Water fund this work through annual partnership agreements. Advice is provided to farmers in each catchment including support for them to sign up to Severn Trent’s Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS.) which funds capital investment on farms to improve agricultural practice and enhance water quality. Our work with farmers local to Cropston has also focused on raising awareness and promoting a Metaldehyde reduction initiative. This includes awareness raising events, water sampling and has meant that 100% of eligible farmers were signed

up to the scheme in the Cropston catchment. We have continued to meet our targets around farmer engagement and sign up to STEPs schemes and are also now, through one of our consultants delivering a project focusing on soil and water samples and their analysis at numerous sites across Nottinghamshire.

One of TRTs biggest ever projects is our work on the River Mease to deliver river restoration (EA funding) and phosphate reducing actions (DCS funding) along the River Mease and in the catchment. This is a 3 year project enabling TRT to work on multiple sites with multiple landowners, planning, designing and delivering schemes that both seek to prevent phosphates reaching the river and restore sections of the river closer to a more natural state. This is a flagship project for the Trust, particularly important not just because of its local impact (the Mease is a SAC site) but because it is a large project with some regional and national significance.

The other secondary work areas are important to enable TRT to meet its objectives:

(i) To promote understanding and positively influencing behaviour through education
The River Starts Here project is our main project that seeks to engage with the public. It has raised awareness about local brooks and how people’s activities impact on the quality of the water. We have also carried out a number of practical activities with local volunteers as part of this project.
Many of our projects include an element of farmer engagement. Some of these projects focus on driving improvements in soil management, others on water use, retention and flood prevention and others on the use of pesticides and other chemicals.
Our completion of a new communications strategy and recently updated website have enhanced our ability to communicate more effectively with the public. Improving this further remains a focus of our work in 2020/21.

(ii) Catchment Partnerships

The Trust continued in its role as Catchment Partnership host for the Lower Trent & Erewash, the Soar and the Dove. We also have a role in in hosting a Mease catchment partnership and website, part of the wider Tame, Anker, Mease catchment. Our role is primarily a facilitative one, enabling partners to deliver against the objectives for the waterbodies within the catchment. Other activities include:

Ensuring all partners are made aware of funding opportunities which could enable key actions to be delivered
Keeping partners updated with news and project activity throughout the catchment by means of an informative newsletter, regular catchment meetings, email updates and regular liaison
Adapting methods of communication with catchment partners to the individual catchments rather than using a ‘one size fits all’ approach

Leading projects where appropriate but otherwise seeking the right delivery partner
Using and sharing data in a user friendly format for example, using the ‘story mapping’ approach. This ensures all activity is based on sound, up to date and relevant scientific evidence

(iii) Access and recreation

The Trent Valley Way and its promotion is the main project that promotes access to the Trent from nearby communities. We have Heritage Lottery funding to work on enhancements on the Trent Valley Way in Staffordshire and South Derbyshire and continue to source match funding for this work.

The Trust also continues to field a variety of enquiries about the River Trent and its tributaries and recreation opportunities from members of the public and has provided a variety of information to people wanting to get more active in and around their local rivers and brooks.

Achievements and Performance

A focus in future years will be improving how TRT measures and monitors its performance. This is important for a number of reasons:

To demonstrate achievements to funders.
To measure achievements against TRT set goals, helping decide which future projects TRT wants to deliver.
In developing TRTs performance management culture.
To communicate our achievements to the public and a wider range of funders and potential donors.

The TRT business plan identifies six desired environmental outcomes. Every project must contribute to at least one of these and fit within TRT’s identified work areas. Listed below are each of these outcomes with examples of what we are achieving:

Fish passage will be improved by the removal and overcoming of barriers

Our work on the River Greet and on Oakerthorpe Brook will both improve fish passage. These projects will reach practical delivery phases in 2020/21, with TRT undergoing planning and design work in early 2020 and involve the partial or full removal of weirs. Each of our river restoration projects also has a positive impact on fish passage and fish life cycles. For example our project at Weston provides refuges for fish and improved spawning areas for salmonids.

Positive, measurable changes to farm management will take place as a result of the support and advice provided by TRT

TRT has substantially increased its overall engagement with landowners. Our projects have engaged with over 100 farmers in 2019/20. In the River Soar catchment in Leicestershire our Tesco Diffuse Pollution project funded via WWFUK has enabled us to work with Beef and Dairy farmers. This project enables TRT and its contractor to prepare Whole Farm Plans with the individual farmers and deliver on farm events focusing on soil health topics with farmers who are part of the Tesco supply chain.

Our work with farmers in the Tittesworth, Cropston and Staunton Harold reservoir catchments has continued. There we have enabled farmers to submit new STEPs applications. 2020 saw the sixth funding round for STEPS with for example, 8 agreements offered in the Cropston catchment and 9 in the Staunton Harold. Some of these grants target improvements to water quality and others biodiversity enhancements such as feeding farmland birds, hedgerow planting or pond management.

Our River Mease work has had a substantial element of farmer engagement. We have engaged with 30 farmers, both to inform them of the work we are doing in the Mease catchment and to investigate on farm improvements designed to capture phosphates and enable river re-profiling and restoration work. Though this engagement is project specific, it does enable us to support farmers in making longer term changes and enables us to speak about the wider need to reduce pollution into the river Mease.

3. Cleaner water enters our rivers and streams from the built environment

Our River Starts Here project, funded through the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Greggs Foundation has enabled us to continue working with urban communities and businesses to raise awareness about how to reduce actual and potential water pollution. We are expanding our river friendly business scheme that provides an award to local businesses able to identify ways to reduce the potential for water pollution from their premises.

Our SuDS scheme at Wigeon Drive at the edge of Measham was completed and signed off by the Local Authority and we are exploring new potential schemes in the Mease catchment.

Reduced impact from invasive non-native species on our river environment

Our Stoke Rep project at Weston and our River Starts Here projects have included small elements of Himalayan Balsam removal. Many of our other projects have identified the presence of invasive species and we are continuing to work with partners to find ways of funding work to remove them,

Natural processes are restored so that rivers, streams and floodplains function more effectively

Our river restoration work at Weston, near Stafford has been completed. This work has transformed a uniform section of river into one with a wider variety of natural features such as new gravel beds, re-profiled banks and backwaters as a refuge for fish, especially at times of high flow.

Our river Mease work has enabled us to work with landowners and identify numerous schemes that will both improve water quality, reduce pollution and improve the natural function of the river. Many of these schemes have passed into a design stage, with some due to be delivered in Autumn 2020.

Wildlife thrives in and around our rivers and streams

Our projects have helped wildlife thrive in a number of ways:

By seeding bunds and banks with wild flowers, therefore benefitting as part of the delivery of some of our NFM projects, including in Lowdham and Leicestershire
At Hilcote in North Derbyshire our habitat creation around our first ‘set back outfall’ has led to water vole being seen in the area in early summer.
The projects we class as river restoration or to improve fish passage all have an impact on fish and invertebrates using the stretches of river we have worked on.

The 2019/20 period has also had a variety of other successes which we would like to highlight:

Growth of our reputation in delivering NFM scoping studies that accurately identify nature based solutions and lead onto capital projects being delivered. We now have a strong pipeline of NFM projects in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
Over 3 hectares of riparian and floodplain habitat works planned for autumn 2020 in the River Mease catchment, with many more potential schemes identified with landowners.
TRT has continued to work with partners and secured funding from the National Lottery Fund to help extend the Trent Valley Way from Shardlow in Derbyshire along to Colwich in Staffordshire. This work will form part of the ‘Transforming the Trent Valley Landscape Partnership scheme’, led by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
Agreement with partners regarding our plan for wetland habitat creation and creation of an eel refuge, working with Scottish and Southern Energy near their power station at Keadby. The capital works being delivered in autumn 2020.
Our business development activities have identified numerous exciting opportunities which we are hopeful will become new projects in 2020/21. These include further work with WWFUK, this time working on a pollinators project in the Soar catchment, new projects in Derbyshire on NFM schemes in Breadsall, Eyam, Rosliston and Stoney Middleton and new EA WEIF projects associated with Alfreton Brook, Saffron Brook in Leicestershire and Sileby and Syston also in Leicestershire.

During 2019-20, the Trust has worked on 45 separate projects within the twelve month period. As part of this delivery, the following outputs were realised:

130 volunteers worked with us implementing improvements to rivers, streams and surrounding habitats
Over 7 HA of Riparian habitat improved
1400 trees planted
We have engaged positively with 190 farmers/landowners
Actively worked on 6 NFM projects containing multiple interventions
10 further projects in development by July 2020

Organisational achievements:

The Trust continued to record performance on the basis of a set of indicators. The statistics for these are provided below:

The attendance record for all employed staff was 99 percent
64 percent of staff time was spent on income earning activity
6 percent of staff time was spent on project development
24 new projects commenced during this reported period
The team at the Trust worked on a total of 45 different projects during this reporting period

The three year business plan remains active, coming to an end in July 2022. From 2021/22 we will also be developing annual business plans that set out the charities main objectives and priorities for the period overall and by catchment. The Trust is continuing to expand and it is likely that staffing structures and recruitment priorities will need ongoing attention as new funding and projects come on stream.

The Trust continues to employ Alan Graham as the Health and Safety officer for the Trust, within his broader role. Alan continues to update the Trust’s health and safety policies and improving and checking risk assessments. Health and safety features as an item on every team meeting agenda and every Trustees Meeting agenda. Any incidents from the accident and near misses book are reviewed, and staff share any concerns and issues they might have. The Trust also engaged in a health and safety audit and Alan with the new CEO is reviewing the recommendations that were made by the assessor.

The Trust used funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation’s ‘Grants Plus’ support scheme to allow us to let a contract for the preparation of a Communications Strategy for the organisation. Jamie Veitch was appointed to carry out this work for the Trust, culminating in TRT having a communications review, communications plan and a number of communications templates.

Public Benefit

The trustees have had due regard to the guidance published by the charity commission on public benefit.

The work of the Trent Rivers Trust benefits rivers, river wildlife and the people who enjoy rivers and who gain their livelihood from rivers.

The work undertaken by the Trust delivers a number of different public benefits. These are summarised below:

Work by the Trust’s Catchment Officers in three Severn Trent drinking water catchments helps to ensure that water in the reservoirs is free from pesticide residues, excess phosphate and sediment. By supporting farmers to adopt best practice management of crop protection chemicals, fertilisers and organic manures, the risk of these substances inadvertently entering the water in the reservoirs is reduced, thus minimising the cost of treating the water before it is piped to the consumer
The Trust has delivered several major flood management projects which have all made a significant contribution to the reduction of flood risk to local villages in the nearby area. After flash flooding incidents during the summer of 2019, it

was clear the interventions which were designed and constructed by the Trust are helping to make a real difference

The Trust has secured funding to deliver major river restoration projects across the Trent catchment. Not only will these projects deliver large scale habitat enhancement but they will also help to reduce flood risk downstream. Though reducing flooding is not a stated objective, many of our projects have a positive impact on flooding, particularly our NFM work. Encouragingly, we now have a strong pipeline of such projects and have been able to work more closely with The Environment Agency to identify new projects that can be included within their long term planning documents.
Many of our projects boost biodiversity and support wildlife to thrive. There is a strong link between access to wild places and the waterside environment with mental well-being. Our projects that encourage wildflowers and pollinators as part of wider restoration or NFM works also have a clear public benefit.
The Trust has worked with several communities in deprived urban areas to improve their local environment, and specifically their streams and brooks. Volunteers have helped to identify and map pollution incidents and they have worked with the Trust to carry out habitat creation and management works on the ground. As a result, they are more aware of the wildlife and stream features on their doorstep, and so are more likely to care for them in the future
The Trust hosts four Catchment Partnerships which help to bring organisations and individuals together to work for the benefit of the river environment. This partnership working fosters collaboration and contributions from all those with an interest in the river and the issues affecting it, which in turn, benefits the local community and those who depend upon the health of the river for their livelihood or recreational pursuits

Financial Review

This year has been another successful year for the Trent Rivers Trust, as shown in this report and the accompanying figures.

The TRT staff team must be congratulated on their care in the monitoring of project spend. The finance manager provides project leaders with monthly spend figures against budget, which enables staff to regularly review the project spend against milestones and allowing time for appropriate action if projects appear to be moving towards going over budget. Sometimes a small overspend on projects is unavoidable, but staff make every effort to ensure the time spent on the planning, delivery and evaluation of projects falls within the projected budgets. Continuing diligence with regard to monitoring expenditure on materials, equipment and incidental items has also been instrumental in ensuring projects are delivered within budget.

TRT has little core funding, so all costs must be covered by project income. The finance manager regularly reviews the running costs of the organisation in order to reappraise the staff daily rates and the projected core cost contribution and financial management charges required. In May, TRT received £25,000 from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. These grants were offered to organisations already being funded in recognition of the impact of Covid-19 on charitable income.

Projects that require match funding still present a challenge for TRT as very often projects are agreed at short notice so opportunities for securing match funding are sometimes limited. In addition, working with some DEFRA bodies which do not grasp the need for full cost recovery has caused us to reduce some aspects of work, as we

are unable to subsidise projects to the extent they expect. TRT is looking at how it can access the necessary element of match now needed for these partner collaborations.

Reserves Policy

The adopted policy on reserves was approved by the Trustees at a target of six months operating costs of the organisation. This figure gives due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance but also takes into account the approach adopted by our funders in respect of reserves provision.

Subsequent to the approval of this target, it is now the aspiration that every project contributes a minimum of 5% of its value to reserves. This figure is built into the budgeting process where possible and where allowable by funders.

As it is not always possible to budget for a contribution to reserves, efficiency savings within project delivery has allowed the Trust to generate a surplus which can be transferred to reserves.

As a result of this two pronged approach, the Trust is delighted to have made steady progress towards achieving the reserves target.

Small Company Provisions

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf

Signed..........V L Holt……............. and ......I Butterfield..............

Name............Valerie Lois Holt........and.......Ian Butterfield......... Date..............24[th] March 2021.....................26[th] March 2021.....

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Trent Rivers Trust

Year Ended 31 July 2020

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Trent Rivers Trust ('the charity') for the year ended 31 July 2020.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed…..Tim Leeman…………

Timothy Leeman BA FCA Independent Examiner

MCABA Limited t/a Mitchells Chartered Accountants 91-97 Saltergate Chesterfield Derbyshire, S40 1LA

Date…..…1 April 2021…………

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

including income and expenditure account for the year ended 31st July 2020

Notes Income and endowments from 1 - Donations and legacies 2 - Investment Income 3 - Charitable activities 4 TOTAL INCOME Expenditure on Charitable activities 5-12 TOTAL EXPENDITURE Net Incoming/(Outgoing) Resources Total Fund Balances b/f Transfer of Funds Total Fund Balances c/f	Unrestricted Restricted Total 2019 Funds Funds £ £ 1,013 1,013 916 3,608 3,608 1,813 25,000 629,378 654,378 576,400 29,621 629,378 658,999 579,129 - 619,436 619,436 501,989 - 619,436 619,436 501,989 29,621 9,942 39,563 77,140 152,579 322,756 475,335 398,195 28,123 (28,123) 210,323 304,575 514,898 475,335

All gains and losses in the year are included above and therefore a separate statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared.

The notes form part of the financial statements

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST

BALANCE SHEET

As at 31st July 2020

Registration Number: 04225307			2020		2019
	Notes	£	£	£	£
CURRENT ASSETS
Work in Progress	1	-		-
Debtors & Prepayments	13	122,836		93,817
Cash & cash equivalents		889,420		845,684
		1,012,256		939,501
CREDITORS: Falling due within a year	14&15	(497,358)		(464,166)
Net Current Assets			514,898		475,335
NET ASSETS			514,898		475,335
FUNDS	16
Restricted Funds	17		304,575		322,756
Unrestricted Funds	18&19		210,323		152,579
			514,898		475,335

The notes form part of the financial statements

For this year, the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

No members have required the company to obtain an audit of the accounts for this year in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime and in accordance with SORP (FRS 102) (effective 1st January 2015).

Approved by the Board and signed on its behalf:

........Mark Owen...............

Mark Owen Director Date: …18th February 2021……..

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

for the year ended 31st July 2020

		Total Funds	Total Funds
	Notes	2020	2019
		£	£
Cash generated by operating activities	9	40,128	424,245
Cash flows from investing activities
- Interest Income		3,608	1,813
Cash provided by (used in) investing activities		3,608	1,813
Increase in cash/equivalents in the year		43,736	426,058
Cash/equivalents at the beginning of the year		845,684	419,626
Total cash/equivalents at the year end		889,420	845,684

The notes form part of the financial statements

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31st July 2020

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

General Information

The charity is a public benefit entity and a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is The Old Coach House, Rock Terrace, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6HN.

Statement of Compliance

These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland”, the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (Charities SORP (FRS 102)) and the Companies Act 2006.

The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102.

Company Status

The charity is a company limited by guarantee. In the event of the company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the company.

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historic cost convention. Assets and liabilities are recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

The financial statements have been prepared Sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.

Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees believe that no material uncertainies exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements.

The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

Income and Funding

Restricted Funds are funds for particular projects, to be used in accordance with specific restrictions set by the donor.

Such income is included when received, invoiced or due, having met the conditions for receipt.

Unrestricted income is made up of general and voluntary donations, without any restriction on use and being available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.

Unrestricted income, which includes any investment income, is included upon receipt.

Expenditure

Expenditure is included on an accruals basis as the liability is incurred and includes irrecoverable VAT.

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred in the delivery of the charity's activities. Governance costs represent the costs to meet the constitutional and statutory requirements.

Work In Progress

This represents amounts expended during the year on projects but not claimed until after date.

continued....

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31st July 2020

Financial Instruments

Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in the profit and loss account in other administrative expenses.

2 DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

The income of £1,013 is from general donations and is all unrestricted (2019 £916).

3 INVESTMENT INCOME

There was Bank Interest received in the year of £3,608 (2019 £1,813).

4 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

Most of the income of £654,378 is for specific projects and is restricted (2019 £576,400), apart from £25,000*, which we received as unrestricted (2019 £60).

The source of the income is as follows: Environment Agency European Union funds Severn Trent Water Local Councils Enforcement Undertaking donations Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Greggs Foundation Rivers Trusts Wildlife and Woodland Trusts National Forest Assorted small projects Peak Angling Passport Scheme 5 EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES* Salaries, NIC & Pensions Travel & Subsistence Materials & Equipment External contractors Peak Angling Passport scheme Professional Fees Capital works grants to landowners Distribution of Enforcement funds Financial Management Analysis of soil & water samples Meeting & Event Costs Training fees Project Audit fees Office & IT costs Administration Independent Examiner's fee Insurances Subscriptions Sundries	2020 2019 143,110 221,462 32,380 24,924 123,401 81,548 105,854 89,310 122,948 93,950 62,092 32,736 33,361 11,639 - 6,969 8,611 1,643 7,800 - 13,403 10,906 1,418 1,313
	654,378 576,400
	2020 2019 239,057 177,542 20,678 22,237 19,107 28,185 134,822 91,165 374 833 38,609 27,827 12,950 8,500 27,795 58,875 49,623 38,707 9,462 8,766 17,052 7,895 1,597 2,054 4,090 - 19,514 13,703 16,913 9,555 1,200 1,200 4,060 3,051 2,454 1,867 79 27
	619,436 501,989

continued....

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31st July 2020

6 EMPLOYMENT COSTS

During the year there were 8 part-time and 2 full-time employees, equating to 6.5 full-time employees over the year (2019 5 FTE).

Costs were as follows: Gross pay Employer's NIC costs Pension Costs	2020 2019 209,246 159,064 14,953 9,542 14,858 8,936
	239,057 177,542

There were no employees with emoluments over £60,000pa (pro-rata) (2019 nil)

7 PENSIONS

There is no Company Pension Scheme. Pension Costs represent amounts contributed into employees' own schemes, as Employer contributions. Employees also contribute, by way of deduction from net pay.

8 SUPPORT COSTS

Of the £44,220 support costs, we were able to recoup all from projects (2019 £29,404). Costs were allocated according to funders' allowable amounts and using a % of value basis.

9 RECONCILIATION OF NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS TO NET CASH FLOW

Net movement in funds Deduct interest income shown in investing activities Decrease/(increase) in debtors Increase/(decrease) in creditors Net cash generated by operating activities	2020 2019 39,563 77,140 (3,608) (1,813) (29,019) (48,422) 33,192 397,340
	40,128 424,245

10 TRUSTEES REMUNERATION

None of the trustees received any remuneration during the year (2019 nil).

11 TRUSTEES EXPENSES

During the year one trustee was paid £40 for travel expenses (2019 £22).

12 AUDITOR'S and INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REMUNERATION

No statutory audit was required this or last year. During the year, there were project audit costs of £4,090 (2019 nil). The Independent Examiner's fee was £1,200 (2019 £1,200).

13 DEBTORS

Debtors on project claims Other debtors Prepayments	2020 2019 55,788 34,161 67,048 59,656 - -
	122,836 93,817

continued....

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31st July 2020

14 CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year

Creditors re outstanding invoices Taxation and National Insurance Other creditors Accruals and deferred income	2020 2019 - - - - 27,419 16,118 469,939 448,048
	497,358 464,166

15 DEFERRED INCOME

Included within Creditors is deferred income of £466,849 (2019 £438,878), which represents income that the charity did not have entitlement to at the balance sheet date. This is due to the income being received in advance for projects, and the Trust does not have entitlement to all of the income until the projects have been completed. Therefore, the element of income relating to the unfinished part of the project has been deferred.

en deferred.
Balance b/f at 1st August 2019 Income deferred Income released Balance c/f 31st July 2020	£ 438,878 297,455 (269,484)
	466,849

16 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

Having no Fixed Assets, all funds, as analysed below, are included within net current assets.

RESTRICTED INCOME FUNDS	Balance at	Incoming	Outgoing	Balance at
Fund Name & Purpose:	1 Aug 2019	Resources	Resources	31 July 2020
	£	£	£	£
Catchment liaison work	460	75,272	74,232	1,500
River Restoration Schemes	24,777	75,299	98,647	1,429
Porous Pots & Sample Testing	5,904	38,108	40,427	3,585
Catchment Partnerships - Hostings	(299)	36,430	36,131	-
River Starts Here/Cleaner Water Projects	(5,994)	129,572	123,578	-
Sustainable Drainage Systems	4,297	29,884	30,000	4,181
Natural Flood Management Schemes	34,707	111,824	133,096	13,435
Robin Templeton Memorial	2,100	-	-	2,100
Lady Hind Trust Nottinghamshire	4,600	-	2,500	2,100
Others including transfers	252,204	132,989	108,948	276,245
	322,756	629,378	647,559	304,575

During the year, the Trustees designated £9,000 of Development Funds for two specific projects. (2019 none)

18 UNRESTRICTED INCOME FUNDS

All unrestricted income is of a general nature and during the year no funds were designated by the Trustees for any particular use (2019 none).

Balance b/f at 1st August 2019 Incoming Resources Outgoing Resources Transfers in Balance c/f 31st July 2020	£ 152,579 29,621 - 28,123
	210,323

continued....

THE TRENT RIVERS TRUST NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

for the year ended 31st July 2020

19 TRANSFERS TO RESERVES

During the year the Trust received income towards several projects they were working on. Some projects have now been completed and, due to efficiency savings made by the Trust, small surpluses have been allocated to unrestricted funds in order to be put towards other ongoing works. The Transfer to Reserves (over a number of projects) was £28,123 (2019 £12,000).

20 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There was one Related Party Transaction during the year (2019 £nil). One of our project areas covered farmland owed by one of our Trustees. One payment was made to the Trustees' business account for the sum of £3,000 for a grant within a Works Grant Agreement. This agreement was one of many within the same project, which covered many different landowers in that area and the sum paid was in proportion to the other third-party payments. The sum was duly considered at Board level and approved for payment.