2023-03-31-accounts

Ridgeline Trust – East Reading Hor3cultural Therapy and Community-Based Training Ltd

Annual Report for the year ended 31 March 2023

Foreword: naviga3ng challenging 3mes

The na3onal context

The cau(ous op(mism we embraced as we emerged from pandemic concerns in April 2022 has been somewhat tempered by the challenges all voluntary organisa(ons have faced this year as a result of steep rises in the cost of living. The Na(onal Council for Voluntary Organisa(ons (NCVO) iden(fies these to include rising energy prices, costly consumables, increases in fuel prices, and more expensive staff. They note that as these core costs rise, income streams are at risk including both constraints on individual giving and public sector income. All of this puts pressure on the sustainability of voluntary service delivery, while demand from service users increases as inequi(es deepen.

At Ridgeline Trust

The dedica(on of staff and volunteers deserves recogni(on as they doubled down, undaunted, to mi(gate the aIer effects of the pandemic and the worsening cost of living crisis. Their commitment and hard work brought about a valued increase in the number of client gardeners and we enjoyed welcoming a wide cross-sec(on of the community to our sessions again, including many young people from local Special Needs schools. Some excellent developments were made to the garden to make the ac(vi(es more meaningful, accessible and enjoyable for our client gardeners while maintaining a beau(ful and peaceful environment for all who visited as regular aMendees or for our popular fundraising events. We very much welcomed the opportunity to return to our annual plant sales, curtailed since 2019 because of the Covid pandemic. With renewed enthusiasm and a lot of (me generously given by staff, volunteers and supporters, we resumed our popular Plant Sale in June and the Harvest Fete in September and delighted in welcoming the local community through our gates once more. We con(nued to be grateful to local chari(es for suppor(ng our social prescribing ac(vi(es, essen(al to their delivery, and for suppor(ng some significant garden equipment purchases. We also gratefully acknowledged generous dona(ons and legacies to Ridgeline Trust during 2022-23, which made a very posi(ve contribu(on to crea(ng an enjoyable and purpose-led environment for all to enjoy.

Managing our expenditure prudently remained a strong impera(ve in both the na(onal and local context. We had ended the financial year 2021-22 with an annual deficit of £5,735 because of a post pandemic shor[all in fee income and the addi(onal costs of maintaining measures for keeping our clients, staff and volunteers safe. This year we focused again on minimising expenditure and increasing income to restore our finances to a break-even posi(on, and we are pleased to report we succeeded in this, with a small annual year-end surplus of £2,730.

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1. Overview

1.1 What we do

Ridgeline Trust offers social and therapeu(c hor(culture to people with mental and/or physical disabili(es and other special needs. Our professionally-trained hor(cultural therapists offer safe gardening ac(vi(es all year round in our beau(ful garden near Reading town centre. With our support, beneficiaries recover and develop their skills, confidence, and self-esteem and enjoy the opportuni(es provided for social communica(on in a calm, restora(ve environment.

We foster evidence-led approaches in the provision of social and therapeu(c hor(culture, delivered with a firm commitment to collabora(on, inclusion and professional prac(ce. All our ac(vi(es are undertaken to further our charitable purposes for the public benefit.

2. Main ac3vi3es during the year 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023

Our ac(vi(es are set out in the form of the priori(es we agreed at the previous AGM, with brief comments on how well we have achieved them.

2.1 To build on the achievements of the past year to restore and expand client gardening sessions by increasing par3cipa3on across all our adult groups.

This has been achieved and is ongoing, restoring our pre-pandemic levels of par3cipa3on:

• We helped 55 people to enjoy the benefits of hor(cultural therapy

• We ran 166 hor(cultural therapy sessions

• We provided over 3,000 hours of hor(cultural therapy

2.2 To con3nue to look for alterna3ve ways of funding the adult Hor3cultural Therapy sessions with a view to reducing our reliance on grant funding and ensuring that all those who are eligible are able to aOend.

This has been achieved and is ongoing:

• The John Sykes Founda(on granted us £1,000 towards con(nua(on of our social prescribing project un(l the end of September 2022. In addi(on to the £1,680 carried over from the St Laurence Relief in Need Trust for the months of April and May 2022, Reading Dispensary Trust provided further support amoun(ng to £2,000 for individual pa(ents to aMend the Monday sessions for another 6 months from October 2022 to March 2023.

• The Social Prescribers at the University Health Centre took on the commitment to successfully research sources of funding for most of the Monday client gardeners, and secured £500 from the Berkshire Nurses Relief Fund as well as con(nued support from Reading Dispensary Trust.

• We renewed our procedures for assessing clients to benefit from our Special Circumstances Fund and sought resources to replenish this to ensure any clients who met the criteria could be funded. This led to preparing and submigng a bid at the end of the financial year for a fundraising event with Big Give in May 2023, to coincide with the 20th Anniversary event at the garden, the proceeds for which would support mental health via the Kind2Mind match funding ini(a(ve.

• One of our Hor(cultural Therapists, Hannah Pritchard, secured £1,000 from the Lakeland Staff Managed Charity Fund for par(al funding of a new greenhouse (spend for which was incurred in the year 2023-24).

• Building on the success of our ini(al "Daffodil Day" in 2021, it was decided that we should run an expanded event with indoor and seasonal plants and refreshments. This event raised £503, and with the agreement from the trustees it was decided that these funds should be used for garden development.

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• We were grateful recipients of dona(ons (£760) made at the funeral of the grandmother of Mr Stephen Dilley. These paid for the base, threshold and staging for the new greenhouse, purchased from the grant awarded by Lakeland.

• Generous dona(ons in the memory of former Ridgeline client Phil Banbury and of Peter Lawlor, the father of another Ridgeline client, allowed us to purchase and erect two locallymade sheds. One of these is accessible to wheelchair users, with the other smaller shed dedicated for storing sharp tools.

2.3. To maintain careful monitoring of our finances in view of the infla3onary pressures on our budget and to iden3fy where savings can be made that do not impact on the quality of service we offer.

This has been achieved and is ongoing:

• We increased our current reserves by £4,852 through careful management of income and expenditure.

• Ridgeline con(nued to work as sustainably as possible - reusing, repurposing and minimizing all waste. With the support and help of two volunteers the very effec(ve compos(ng system con(nued to work well. Leaf mould was also produced by using our own leaves and supplemented by those gathered by our neighbour, Lakeside Residen(al Care Home. Both these prac(ces kept down costs, contributed to the biodiversity of the garden and enhanced a sustainable way of working. An award of compost from Reading Borough Council also helped to minimize our compost costs, as did reusing compost when we could. We also bought compostable plates and cups for our plant sale refreshments.

• In prepara(on for the new greenhouse with polycarbonate windows, we approached the neighbouring allotment holders to see if they would like to reuse the old glass greenhouse. The removal of the greenhouse was subsequently arranged with the recipient making a substan(al dona(on to the garden in lieu of a purchase price.

• Problems with the Pavilion roof and the plumbing were dealt with by local firms aIer research by the Garden Coordinator to find compe((ve quotes, being always mindful of the cost to the charity.

• We also saved costs by carefully reducing the frequency of paid cleaning in the wake of the pandemic, while always maintaining a safe and clean environment for all our garden users.

• ● Fundraising at the gate via bucket dona(ons con(nued to be a successful means of fundraising for specific items, such as a transporta(on cart and staging for the greenhouse. Visitors enjoy seeing what their dona(ons help us provide.

• Our Wednesday maintenance volunteers con(nued, as ever, to support the work of the hor(cultural therapists and to maintain the garden to a high standard, given (me constraints and the numbers involved. They remain the backbone of the garden.

• In August 2022 the role of Garden Coordinator was divided into two, crea(ng a role of Hor(cultural Therapist Coordinator for the previous incumbent of the Garden Coordinator's role. The garden coordina(on role was taken on by one of the trustees, Margaret Osborne, which proved a successful division of labour and avoided the need for addi(onal staff costs.

• To further maintain control over costs we used a broker for the annual insurance renewal, which resulted in a saving of £309 on the annual premium from the previous year.

2.4. To achieve beOer outcomes by working in partnership with other organisa3ons including schools by con3nuing to develop exis3ng partnerships and establishing new ones in order to achieve our objec3ves.

This has been achieved and is ongoing:

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• As members of RGWN we enjoyed free access to staff and volunteer training sessions from Reading Physical Ac(vity Mental Health Partnership from October 2022-March 2023, which a few members of staff aMended. This included First Aid training for Rachel Jarvis, and First Aid Mental Health training for Hannah Pritchard and Julie Roberts.

• ● We were also able to benefit from our membership of RGWN in having an excellent video made by Real Time Video in July 2022, funded by Reading Borough Council. This is now uploaded on the homepage of our website and very effec(vely promotes what we do at Ridgeline.

• The representa(ve of Reading Borough Council (RBC) who manages our contract visited the garden in March 2023, enabling him to appreciate first hand the quality of what we offer in a beau(ful environment, both which benefit the referrals made by RBC.

2.5. To con3nue to develop the garden so that it can provide meaningful gardening ac3vi3es for an increasing number of client gardeners. This has been achieved and is ongoing:

• The new approach to managing the garden and its maintenance by alloca(ng each gardening group an area for which they are responsible for its maintenance and development con(nued to work well.

• ● Margaret Osborne led the development and maintenance of the garden and established the new Garden Coordinator role, which Rachel Jarvis embraced with enthusiasm and success.

• Daffodil Day funds allowed us to regenerate the grass border as well as renew the lavender plan(ng in the Long Border. This provided opportuni(es for the school students to par(cipate in a bigger and very visible project.

• ● The two new sheds erected in June/July 2022 proved a posi(ve development. One is now used to store gardening tools with easy access for client gardeners and the larger shed has enhanced the garden experience for school students in par(cular, as they are able to choose their own tools. The shed is now well ordered and uncluMered, meaning safer and easier access for everyone.

• Volunteers with DIY skills con(nue to make a very valuable contribu(on to the general maintenance of the garden, for example mending benches and tables and fixing water buMs.

• ● The clock was erected on the Pavilion during summer 2022.

2.6. To commit resources and energy to professional prac3ce and good governance. This has been achieved and is ongoing:

• The Trustees met regularly, usually once a month throughout the year, some(mes with the wider Planning Group. At these mee(ngs, progress on our objec(ves was monitored and a number of policies and procedures were reviewed.

• Our finances were closely monitored by our volunteer Treasurer, Gillian Charles, and through her excellent repor(ng and helpful financial analysis we were able to achieve a posi(ve yearend ouMurn.

• ● In line with our objec(ve of offering high quality professional Hor(cultural Therapy, Trustees commiMed to staff development through the training provided by Reading Physical Ac(vity Mental Health Partnership.

• ● In February 2022 Jane Ruse and Stuart Donald, both ac(ve Ridgeline volunteers, were appointed as Trustees and have brought new ideas and valuable skills and experience to the Trustee Board and the wider Planning Group.

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3. Brief summary of significant ac3vi3es and developments since the end of the financial year, for informa3on:

• We celebrated Ridgeline’s 20th Anniversary with an enjoyable garden party on 21 May coupled with a successful fundraising ini(a(ve. Generous dona(ons to the Big Give Kind2 Mind campaign for our Special Circumstances Fund exceeded the £5,000 target, meaning the addi(onal income and all the giI aid (in total £6,898) is unrestricted in terms of how we use it.

• We were delighted to make a presenta(on in July to Jill Grainger and Carol Woodward for their dedicated and commiMed work since the garden's founding.

• Our annual Friends event was hosted by Graham and Angela Johnson on 3 September. Ridgeline’s 20th anniversary was marked with an illustrated summary Graham had prepared of Ridgeline’s first 20 years, with the many Friends who have contributed over the years appreciated through this acknowledgement.

• The popular annual Plant Sale held in July this year was well aMended as ever, and raised £2,622.

• The new greenhouse was erected in July 2023, giving more growing space and extending the growing season. It is wheelchair accessible and safety is enhanced by the toughened safety glass.

• The Harvest Fete in September raised a record £2,867 plus significant dona(ons of over £2,000 from Aurum investment specialists, in response to Marc Bartsch’s guitarathon. Visitors to the garden enjoyed Marc’s talented playing as they browsed the stalls and enjoyed tea and homemade cakes donated by our many volunteers and supporters.

• We aMended the Pepsico Volunteering Fayre organised by Connect Reading in October 2023, to promote Ridgeline and to network with the local business community for their support.

• In the garden, the Goat Willow has been pruned for safety and three new steps have been created from the Welcome Bed to improve access. These were built by one of our new volunteers, using repurposed materials. Client gardeners who are unsteady can now fully access the bed and as the steps are light-coloured, this also enables those who have sight difficul(es to see them clearly.

• We were very sad to say goodbye to Rachel Jarvis who has resigned from her roles as Hor(cultural Therapy Coordinator and lead for the Addington School Groups. We are very grateful to Rachel for her contribu(on to Ridgeline’s development over the past few years and she will be missed. Rachel is planning to move out of the area but fortunately she has agreed to stay on as a volunteer un(l her move is completed.

• We are also pleased to have appointed Julie Roberts as the new Hor(cultural Therapy Coordinator and to welcome Catherine Watkins as the lead for Addington School.

• We have received an increased number of enquiries about Hor(cultural Therapy sessions in recent months, with a few poten(al client gardeners aMending for a trial session. We are now looking at the possibility of opening a new session on Monday mornings in the New Year, but this will depend on us having enough client gardeners for this to be financially viable.

4. Finance

4.1 Accounts for 2022-2023

The accounts have been circulated prior to the AGM. All figures quoted here will be subject to Independent Cer(fica(on. Last year’s figures are shown in brackets for comparison.

• In summary, our income for the period was £43,882 (compared with £39,602 in 2021-22). £6,180 (£7,745) came from project grants (including the Coronavirus Job Reten(on Scheme in 2021-22), £12,477 (£7,956) from fundraising ac(vi(es and dona(ons and £25,224 (£23,901) from charges for our services (and supplier relief payments in 2021-22).

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• We spent £5,330 (£6,496) on grant-funded projects, including the Social Prescribing Project with the University Health Centre, and on usage of our Special Circumstances Fund.

• General opera(ng costs were £33,700 (£36,006), of which £27,465 (£28,218) were employment costs (less staff costs aMributed to the Social Prescribing Project). Deprecia(on on the building was £2,123 (£2,123), making total expenditure for accoun(ng purposes £41,152 (£45,338).

• Income exceeded expenditure by £2,730 (in 2021-22 a deficit of £5,735 was recorded).

• Total assets at 31 March 2023 stood at £64,427 (£61,698 at 31 March 2022). The Pavilion building is a fixed asset, currently valued at £29,717 (£31,839) aIer deprecia(on. Net current assets totalled £34,710 (£29,858). Of these current funds, £1,562 (£2,430) were treated as restricted with the remaining £33,148 (£27,428) being available in reserves for running costs, general garden development and con(ngencies.

• Since the year-end, grants totalling £1,000 have been received. At the end of September 2023 our cash reserves stood at £42,637 (compared to £29,914 at the end of September 2022).

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4.2 Grants from Organisa3ons during the financial year 2022-23:

Organisa3on	Purpose	Amount
Reading Dispensary Trust	For Social Prescribing client gardeners	£2,000
Berkshire Nurses Relief Fund	For Social Prescribing client gardeners	£500
John Sykes Founda(on	To con(nue Social Prescribing project	£1,000
Lakeland Staf Managed Charity Fund	Towards purchase of new Greenhouse	£1,000 (to be aMributed to next fnancial year)
St Laurence Relief in Need Trust	To con(nue and expand Social Prescribing project	(£1,680 aMributed to this fnancial year from dona(on of £3,360 in 2021-22)

4.3 Friends of Ridgeline Scheme: This encourages regular dona(ons, providing a degree of reliability in our income . £2,269 (£1,834 in 2021-22) was contributed by a total of 12 Ridgeline Friends. We con(nue in our efforts to encourage more of our supporters to join this scheme.

A further £1,797 was raised in one-off dona(ons from generous supporters of Ridgeline Trust.

4.4. Reserves Policy: Our aim, in which we have succeeded in the year under report, is always to maintain a balance of sufficient funds in the bank to enable us to con(nue to meet our ongoing obliga(ons and to operate for at least three months (and preferably six months) in the event of unforeseen con(ngencies or failure to aMract sufficient income or grant funding for providing our core Hor(cultural Therapy services. These reserves are regarded by the Trustees as virtually “ringfenced” in the charity’s management accounts. Three months’ funding at current levels is approximately £12,000.

5. Strategy and Development

In July 2020 the Trustees agreed a new Ridgeline Strategy for 2020-2023. This provided clear direc(on and concrete steps for how we would resume our work in pandemic condi(ons, priori(sing the safety of our clients, staff and volunteers. It aspires to diversify and extend our services to addi(onal clients, including those in need of support and rehabilita(on as a result of the new circumstances arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic, and it affirms our commitment to good governance and professional prac(ce.

This Strategy con(nues to inform our proposals on the priori(es for the coming year and may be viewed on our website via a link embedded in the Our Mission page.

A new strategy is being developed in 2023-24 to determine our development priori(es going forward.

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6. Priori3es for the year 2023-2024 (no change, carried over from 2022-23)

1. To build on the achievements of the past year to restore and expand client gardening sessions by increasing par(cipa(on across all our adult groups.

2. To con(nue to look for alterna(ve ways of funding the adult Hor(cultural Therapy sessions with a view to reducing our reliance on grant funding whilst also ensuring that cost is not a barrier for those who would otherwise benefit from par(cipa(on.

3. To maintain careful monitoring of our finances in view of the infla(onary pressures on our budget and to iden(fy where savings can be made that do not impact on the quality of service we offer.

4. To achieve beMer outcomes by working in partnership with other organisa(ons including schools and to con(nue to develop exis(ng partnerships and establish new ones in order to achieve our objec(ves.

5. To con(nue to develop the garden so that it can provide meaningful gardening ac(vi(es for an increasing number of client gardeners.

6. To commit resources and energy to professional prac(ce and good governance.

7. Governance and Organisa3on

7.1 Governing Document: The organisa(on is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 12 May 2003 and registered as a charity on 15 September 2003. The company was established under a Memorandum of Associa(on which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Ar(cles of Associa(on. In the event of the company being wound up, members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £10.

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the company’s Ar(cles are known as Trustees. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Ar(cles of Associa(on, one third of the Trustees are required to re(re each year by rota(on in the order of the (me since their appointment. Re(ring Trustees may be re-elected at the Annual General Mee(ng.

7.2 Organisa3on: The running of the Charity is managed through the efforts of an enthusias(c but small number of regular volunteers from the local community. A brief overview of the governance arrangements is as follows:

• Members of the Charity (of whom there were 15 at 31/3/2023) who aMend and are en(tled to vote at all General Mee(ngs of the Charity, are appointed by the Trustees. More Members would be very welcome.

• Trustees (currently five), appointed by the Members, of whom Sara Uren has been the Chair. We recruited two new Trustees in 2021-22, bringing in new skills, to reduce/share the load and to ensure succession planning for the future. Their appointments were formally confirmed at the AGM in November 2022.

• The Planning Group comprises all Trustees and the Development Manager. Representa(ve Hor(cultural Therapists are invited to aMend mee(ngs from (me-to-(me. Mee(ngs take place every two months, to which reports are submiMed and any significant developments are reviewed, so that opera(onal decisions can be taken. In Trustee mee(ngs, strategic decisions are taken, approvals are given, policies and procedures are reviewed, and finances and budget are monitored with aMendance of the Treasurer. In addi(on, informal Garden Planning discussions take place regularly throughout the year.

• Volunteers are invited to aMend as observers at the AGM.

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The Trustees con(nue to encourage and recruit volunteers for the essen(al and rewarding work of running the garden and the charity’s client services. From (me-to-(me, we also welcome interest from volunteers who have the skills or experience to contribute to the administra(on of the Charity.

Our Management Structure and our policies and procedures (23 in all) are carefully reviewed, through an annual calendar of agenda items for the monthly Planning Mee(ngs. The monitoring of risks to the Charity is undertaken, in line with the guidance of the Charity Commission, principally in terms of governance, external, regulatory and compliance, financial and opera(onal risks. The aim is to sa(sfy ourselves that our iden(fica(on and management of risk enable us to fulfil our duty of accountability to our stakeholders, including beneficiaries, donors, funders, employees and the general public.

The Trustees are grateful to our accountant Peter Tilbury for his assistance in cer(fying our accounts, providing payroll services and hos(ng our Registered Office.

Ros Richards was re-elected at the November 2022 AGM via resigna(on and reappointment of one third of Trustee by rota(on, as required by Ar(cles of Associa(on.

8. List of Trustees of the Charity (all of whom were appointed at a General Mee(ng under the Ar(cles of Associa(on, originally adopted on 10 May 2003, and were Directors of the Company) during the period under report:

• Sara Jane Uren

• Rosalind Jessie Richards

• Margaret Osborne

• Stuart Donald

• Jane Ruse

9. Companies Act requirements

For the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 the Company was en(tled to exemp(on from audit under sec(on 477 of the Companies Act 2006 rela(ng to small companies.

Directors’ responsibili(es:

• The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in ques(on, in accordance with sec(on 476.

• The Directors acknowledge their responsibili(es for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accoun(ng records and the prepara(on of accounts.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.

Public Benefit Statement: The Trustees have complied with their duty to have regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and du(es.

The above Directors’ Report is to be presented at the Annual General Mee3ng of the Charity on 15 November 2023

Board of Directors/Trustees

East Reading Hor3cultural Therapy and Community- Based Training Ltd (The Charity known as Ridgeline Trust) Company limited by guarantee - Company no. 4760734 - Registered Charity no. 1099441 Registered Office: 6 Windsor Square, Silver Street, Reading RG1 2TH [e-mail]

www.ridgelinetrust.org.uk

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Section A Independent Examiner’s Report Report to the trustees/ East Reading Horticultural Therapy and Community Based Training Limited members of (known as Ridgeline Trust) On accounts for the year Charity no | 1099441 ended (if any) | report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 / 03 / 2023. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). | report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. Independent | have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination fetherthanthat disclosed below) which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect,: e the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or e the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or e the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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. | 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. * Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: |21st December 2023

Signed: Date: |21st December 2023 Name: | Peter N. Tilbury Relevant professional Fellow of the Association of International Accountants (FAIA) qualification(s) or body (Membership Number 142181) (if any):

IER

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October 2018

Address: | 6 Windsor Square, Silver Street,

Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2TH

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose.

NONE

IER

2

,

October 2018