## Friends of Middleton Park
Charity number 1112043
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025
## Friends of Middleton Park
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2025
|**Contents**|**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' report|2 to 4|
|Receipts and payments account|5|
|Statement of assets and liabilities|6|
|Notes to the accounts|7 to 8|
## **Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO**
1
## Friends of Middleton Park
## Trustees' report for the year ended 31 March 2025
## **Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors**
The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: **Name Position Dates**
**Position Dates** Alan Shaw Chair Rachel Darton Secretary Frances Jones Treasurer Kim Groves Gayle Graham Jill Wildman Julie Gill Susan Cook
Resigned November 2024
Appointed 19 September 2023 Appointed 19 November 2024 Appointed 19 November 2024
## **Charity number**
1112043
Registered in England and Wales
## **Registered and principal address**
## **Bankers**
Tenants Hall Virgin Money Acre Close 1 The Penny Hill Centre Middleton Church Street Leeds Hunslet, Leeds LS10 4HX LS10 2AP
## **Accountants West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO**
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
## **Structure, governance and management**
The charity is governed by a constitution adopted on 19 July 2005, as amended 18 October 2005.
## **Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees**
The trustees of the charity are appointed by the trustees at a duly convened meeting.
2
## Friends of Middleton Park
## Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2025
## **Objectives and activities**
## **The charity's objects**
To promote the preservation, restoration, maintenance and improvement of Middleton Park and Middleton Woods for the benefit of the public, in co-operation with its management and staff.
To promote the benefit of the inhabitants of Middleton and its surrounding areas by associating the local authorities, voluntary organisations and inhabitants in a common effort to provide or assist in the provision of facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure-time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants.
## **The charity's main activities**
The Friends organise a programme of Summer events in the park and occasional working parties in the park and woodland. We work in partnership with Wade's Charity (who own much of the park) and Leeds City Council (who maintain it).
## **Public benefit statement**
In setting our objectives and planning our activities our trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular sport and recreation, environmental improvement, conservation and heritage.
## **Achievements and performance**
We ran a programme of events to encourage people to come and enjoy the Park, all free, thanks to our funders and the money we raise ourselves collecting subscriptions and donations.
Our programme included regular walks, brass bands, children’s holiday play sessions, plus a number of bigger events. Oddsocks came with their very own version of Julius Caesar, saying as ever that Middleton Park is their favourite venue. We are proud to bring such a professional performance to an audience who would not usually go the theatre. The Great Middleton Park Show was a lovely event, too, showcasing local talent and skills.
The Friends have continued to work with Wade's Charity and the council to create the tree trail of specimen trees, with a leaflet guide still in the pipeline.
We work closely with Tracey Fulton, who runs the cafe at week-ends and on bank holidays. This is a service that is much appreciated by the public, and by the Friends. Tracey runs a regular tombola and donates the profits to the Friends. Thank you, Tracey!
The trustees, steering group and our volunteers are at the heart of all our work, and the group is constantly on the look out for new members and volunteers.
Thanks go to all the trustees, members of the steering group and other volunteers for all your hard work; to our local councillors for all your support; to LCC Parks & Countryside; and to our funders – LCC for our Wellbeing grant; White Rose and Land Securities. We also had money from New Forest Village group who closed down for lack of support, a salutary lesson in how important it is to maintain our membership.
3
## Friends of Middleton Park
## Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 31 March 2025
## **Financial review**
The net payments for the year were £6,941, all on unrestricted funds.
## **Reserves policy**
The charity's free reserves, at the year end were £7,475.
The trustees have reassessed the charity’s ability to continue for at least 12 months from the date that the accounts are approved and conclude that no material uncertainties exist that cast significant doubt on the charity's ability to meet its liabilities as they fall due. We have prepared a budget for 2025-26. We aim to carry forward between £7,000 and £11,000 each year, which represents half the cost of our usual programme of events plus our running costs. This is to enable us to run a limited programme of events for a year if our grant funding dried up. We do not hold any money for other organisations.
Approved by the board of trustees on 18/11/2025
Frances Jones (Trustee)
4
## Friends of Middleton Park
## Receipts and payments account for the year ended 31 March 2025
|Notes
2025
Unrestricted
funds
£
**Receipts**
Grants and donations
(2)
2,947
Sales and fees
1,730
Show and oddsocks income
1,128
Fundraising
-
Memberships
329
Gift aid
180
**Total receipts**
6,314
**Payments**
Administration
270
Advertising and publicity
915
Events and activities
4,625
Independent examination
528
Insurance
516
Room hire
410
Produce show expense
5,891
Merchandise
-
Memberships and subscriptions
100
Sundry expenses
-
**Total payments**
13,255
**Net (payments)**
(6,941)
**Fund balances brought forward**
14,416
**Fund balances carried forward**
(3)
7,475|2025
Restricted
funds
£
4,530
-
-
-
-
-
4,530
-
-
950
-
-
-
3,580
-
-
-
4,530
-
-
-|2025
Total
funds
£
7,477
1,730
1,128
-
329
180
10,844
270
915
5,575
528
516
410
9,471
-
100
-
17,785
(6,941)
14,416
7,475|2024
Total
funds
£
10,786
1,876
1,925
170
545
-
15,302
105
951
6,692
315
397
470
6,196
150
40
670
15,986
(684)
15,100
14,416|
|---|---|---|---|
5
## Friends of Middleton Park
## Statement of assets and liabilities
|as at 31 March 2025
2025
Unrestricted
£
**Cash funds**
Cash at bank
7,475
**Total cash funds**
7,475
**Prepayments**
Prepayments
**Liabilities**
Accruals|2025
Restricted
£
-
-|2025
Total
£
7,475
7,475
2025
£
215
215
2025
£
564
564|2024
Total
£
14,416
14,416|
|---|---|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 18/11/2025
Frances Jones (Trustee)
6
## Friends of Middleton Park
## Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 31 March 2025
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Basis of accounting**
The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.
No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
## **Taxation**
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
## **Fund accounting**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.
7
## Friends of Middleton Park
## Notes to the accounts continued
## for the year ended 31 March 2025
|**2 Grants and donations**
2025
2025
Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
£
£
LCC Inner South Community Committee
-
2,530
Charities Aid Foundation
-
2,000
Connect Together
-
-
Leeds Culture Trust
-
-
Wades
-
-
Other donations
2,947
-
2,947
4,530
**3 Restricted funds**
Balance b/f
Incoming
Outgoing
£
£
£
Wellbeing
-
2,530
2,530
Landsec Futures Community
-
2,000
2,000
-
4,530
4,530
**Fund name**
**Purpose of restriction**
Wellbeing
Landsec Futures Community
Towards summer programme events.
Towards summer programme events.|2025
Total
funds
£
2,530
2,000
-
-
-
2,947
7,477
Transfers
£
-
-
-|2024
Total
funds
£
3,609
-
3,120
300
3,000
757
10,786
Balance c/f
£
-
-
-|
|---|---|---|
## **4 Related party transactions**
## **Trustee expenses**
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
## **Trustee remuneration and benefits**
No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
8