2025-03-31-accounts

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of Catton Park Trust Ltd Charity – year ended 31 March 2025

Registered Charity No: 1112444

Receipts in the Year: £33,710.69 Payments in the Year: £24,488.19 Reserves as at 31 March 2025: £15,285.18

1. Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Independent Examiner.

The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011. The Trustees require an independent examination.

As the Independent Examiner it is my responsibility to:

• a) examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011.

• b) follow all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145 (5)(b) of the Act and state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

2. Report for the year ended 31 March 2025.

The Charity Commission records the Charity’s Governing document as relating to a Memorandum and Articles of Association incorporated on 1 April 2004, amended by special resolution dated 2 December 2005 and again on 2 September 2019. The area the Charity can operate in, as set out in its governing document, is Catton Park, Old Catton, Norfolk.

The aims and activities of the Charity are ‘to promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of Catton Park. To advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of Catton Park’.

The Independent Examiner attended the Old Catton Parish Council’s offices on 26 November 2025. The Trustees (the Old Catton Parish Council) have a Scribe accounting system in place with a detailed breakdown of receipts and payments recorded within the system. Detailed documents recording the Receipts and Payments in the year of account were presented to the Independent Examiner and transactions in the year of account were examined on a sample basis.

The following observations are made:

TREVOR BROWN CPFA Internal Audit Services

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Charnwood, California, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4DE Tel: [phone] or 07587 523764 Email: [e-mail]

• a) The Charity’s Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2025 have been examined; they have been prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis for audit and Charity Commission purposes. The Accounts have yet to be formally approved by the Trustees.

• b) The Catton Park Trust received and agreed the Independent Examiner’s Report for the year ended 31 March 2024 (dated 10 October 2024) at its meeting on 18 November 2024. The Charity Commission website confirms that the Commission received the Trust’s Annual Return for the year ended 31 March 2024 on 12 December 2024, within the due date. The Commission also received and published a copy of the Independent Examiner’s Report for the year ended 31 March 2024.

• c) The Treasurer confirmed that, following approval by Trustees. the Annual Return and accounting information for the year ending 31 March 2025 will be submitted to the Charity Commission by the due date of 31 January 2026.

• d) The Charity holds a Current Account at the Co-operative Bank. The bank account stood at £15,285.18 as at 31 March 2025. The movement in the Account Balances during the year was as follows:

• Accounts Balance b/f at 1 April 2024: £6,062.68 (confirmed with Accounts and Bank Reconciliation at that date)

Add Receipts in year 2024/25: £33,710.69 (confirmed from Scribe Transactions List)

Deduct Payments in year 2024/25: £24,488.19 (confirmed from Scribe Transactions List)

Accounts balance c/f at 31 March 2025: £15,285.18 (confirmed from Statement of Accounts and Bank Reconciliation at that date)

• e) The recorded Overall Receipts of £33,710.69 in the 2024/25 year of account consisted of donations from Old Catton Parish Council regarding Employment Costs (£5,337.09), Grants and Donations (£4,380.34), Natural England (£2,292.89), Re-cycling Income (£3,559.19), Hire Receipts (£9,407), Park Hire (£2,760), Refreshment Income – Carey’s Coffee (£5,050), Garage Sale (£219) and Miscellaneous/Other Income (£705.18). (The 2024/25 Overall Receipts of £33,710.69 compares to £65,832.79 in total in the previous year).

• f) Overall Payments in the year were recorded as £24,488.19 in the 2024/25 year of account and consisted of Employment Costs for Warden and Park Assistant (£8,076.53), Catton Park Maintenance (£4,485.81), Buxton Lodge expenses (£4,301.33), Plant and Machinery (£1,759.67), Recycling Costs (£1,770.76), Telephone/Internet (£932.12), Friends of Catton Park Donation (£774), Legacy Woodland (£441.36) Bank Charges (£44) and Miscellaneous (£1,902.61). (This compares to overall expenditure of £67,001.08 recorded in the previous year, 2023/24).

• g) The Reserves balance at the year-end 31 March 2025 amounted to £15,285.18 and reflected the overall surplus of £9,222.50 in the 2024/25 year of account.

• h) The Treasurer confirmed to the Independent Examiner that the Old Catton Parish Council has agreed to dissolve the Charity and bring the Sole Trusteeship under the remit of the Council. The Treasurer has confirmed that she is continuing to take this forward with the Charity Commission and all other relevant parties.

• i) The Charity is not registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a Fee Payer/Data Controller for Local Charity purposes. Organisations which are established for ‘not-for-profit’ making

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TREVOR BROWN CPFA Internal Audit Services Charnwood, California, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4DE Tel: [phone] or 07587 523764 Email: [e-mail]

purposes can be exempt from registration; the exemption may apply to small clubs, voluntary organisations and some charities. The Treasurer confirmed that she had previously completed the ICO’s Registration Self-Assessment which indicated that the Charity need not register with the ICO.

• j) The Treasurer confirmed that the Charity de-registered with HMRC for VAT purposes following advice received from HMRC. Once the Charity’s operations are under the remit of the Parish Council any VAT paid may then be recovered from HMRC.

• k) The Charity maintains an Asset Register listing buildings, equipment and machinery under the ownership of the Charity. The Asset Register describes each asset held and (where possible) lists details of the date of purchase, model/serial number and manufacturer’s name (where relevant) and the Initial (Purchase) Value and Insured Value. As at 31 March 2025 the Register recorded Assets of £330,978 and reflected the significant loss of stolen vehicles and equipment in the year of account which the Treasurer confirmed to be at an approximate value of £25,000. The recovery of sums due from the insurers will be reflected in the 2025/26 Accounts. The Treasurer advised that the Trustee is aware that the overall sums to be recovered from the insurers for the loss of the stolen machinery and equipment in the year of account is unlikely to reach the full extent of the replacement cost.

• l) The Insurance Policy for the period 28 April 2024 to 27 April 2025 was presented to the Independent Examiner. The Policy was with Hiscox Insurance at a cost of £3,000.98 and provided cover for both Employer’s Liability and Public Liability at £10m., cover for Officials’ and Trustees’ Indemnity at £500,000, Fraud and Dishonesty at £150,000, Total Buildings cover at £707,087 and Total Contents/Equipment/Machinery cover at £20,619.

• m) The Insurance Policy with Hiscox Insurance (for the period 28 April 2025 to 27 April 2026 at a cost of £3,453.06) provides cover for both Employer’s Liability and Public Liability at £10m., cover for Officials’ and Trustees’ Indemnity at £500,000, Fraud and Dishonesty at £150,000, and Total Buildings cover at £742,442. Total Contents/Equipment/Machinery cover now stands at £61,477.

• n) The Fidelity Guarantee (Fraud and Dishonesty) insurance cover normally needs to cover the maximum amount of bank/cash sums held by a Charity at any one time. The current Fraud and Dishonesty cover of £150,000 is appropriate to the Charity’s needs.

• o) The Charity also had in place insurance cover with Countrywise Motor Insurance for an Iseki TG6496 Tractor (£30,000), John Deere X590 Lawn Mower (£6,250) and a Kawasaki Mule Pro DX Utility Terrain Vehicle (£19,194) at a total cost of £909.58 for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025. The Treasurer confirmed that the policy currently in place for the vehicles/machinery is with Countrywise Insurance for the same value of cover at a cost of £1,142.58 for the year 2025/26.

• p) The Council’s financial administration is undertaken by the Treasurer to a high standard using the Scribe Accounting System. End of Year financial statements (a Receipts and Payments Account) have been prepared by the Treasurer. The Scribe system displays the date of payment, the method of payment, the payee (or person/organisation making payment to the Charity in the case of sums received), a description of the service received or provided and the amount of the transaction, both Net and Gross of VAT. The Scribe system secures the necessary financial control over transactions and provides clear evidence of each payment and receipt.

• q) The Independent Examiner undertook a sample check of the entries in the Scribe Payments Lists for each month of the year of account and confirmed the transactions with the Bank Statements. Individual invoices/vouchers supporting the payments made were examined. Invoices/vouchers were confirmed as being held for each item of expenditure examined with an appropriate audit trail in place. However, very few supporting invoices and vouchers were available for payments made in

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TREVOR BROWN CPFA Internal Audit Services Charnwood, California, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4DE Tel: [phone] or 07587 523764 Email: [e-mail]

respect of the Co-operative Business Visa Card and accordingly the Examiner was unable to verify the payments being made. The Treasurer explained that the invoice/voucher concerned is held as the supporting document to evidence the recharge made to the Parish Council. It is suggested that a copy is held on the Charity’s files to evidence the payment of the Credit Card Statement in order to secure a full audit trail.

• r) Employment costs recorded for the Warden amounted to £8,076.53 in the year of account. Wage records were made available to the Examiner. Staff are currently under the employment of the Parish Council.

• s) The Charity Commission website lists the following Policies and Procedures as being held by the Charity:

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures

• Complaints handling

• Complaints policy and procedures

• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures

• Internal risk management policy and procedures

• Paying staff

• Risk management

• Safeguarding policy and procedures

• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries

• Serious Incident reporting and procedures

• Social media policy and procedures

• Volunteer management

The Treasurer confirmed to the Examiner that some of the above Policies and Procedures are now linked and when the Charity is dissolved the Parish Council’s approved Policies, Procedures and Protocols will apply.

• t) The Treasurer confirmed to the Independent Examiner that she was not aware of any issues (potential legal liabilities, financial or administrative issues) which the Charity faces which could impact upon the future short-term finances or income streams of the current organisation of the Charity (bearing in mind that the Council has resolved to dissolve the Charity and will assume responsibility for all financial matters).

• u) I would like to record my appreciation to the Treasurer for her assistance during the course of this Examination and for the careful presentation of the Charity’s documents for the review.

3. Basis of independent examiner’s report.

My examination was carried out in accordance with the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission.

An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the Treasurer to the Charity and Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

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TREVOR BROWN CPFA Internal Audit Services Charnwood, California, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4DE Tel: [phone] or 07587 523764 Email: [e-mail]

4. Independent Examiner’s statement.

In connection with my examination:

• a) I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect the accounting records were not kept in accordance with Section 130 of the Charities Act 2011 or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records or comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts.

• b) 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 (other than those matters already listed at item 2 above) in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Trevor Brown

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

4 December 2025

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TREVOR BROWN CPFA Internal Audit Services Charnwood, California, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 4DE Tel: [phone] or 07587 523764 Email: [e-mail]

Catton Park Trust Limited

Company limited by guarantee

Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ending 31[st] March 2025

The Trustee presents the Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended: 31[st] March 2025.

Registered Charity Name Catton Park Trust Ltd Charity Number 1112444 Company Registration Number 05090852 Registered Office and Operational Buxton Lodge Address Oak Lane Old Catton Norwich NR6 7DB Sole Trustee Old Catton Parish Council Chairman Mr Bradley Sabberton-Coe Company Secretary Ms Sarah Vincent Treasurer Ms Sarah Vincent Independent Examiner Mr Trevor Brown, Internal Audit Services Bankers The Co-Operative Bank PLC

Structure, Governance and Management

Governing Document

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 1[st] April 2004 and registered as a Charity on 7[th] December 2005. The Company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its Articles of Association. Memorandum of Association was amended and approved at meeting on 2[nd] September 2019. In the event of the Company being wound up Members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees

The two Directors of the Company, Mr B Sabberton-Coe and Mr M Vincent are also Charity Trustees for the purposes of charity law. Old Catton Parish Council is the sole-trustee of Catton Park Trust; all Council Members are Members of the Trust and offer a wide range of business and public sector experience from which the Charity will benefit. Old Catton Parish Council became sole-trustee of the Park on 1[st] July 2014.

Trustee Induction and Training

Members are encouraged to attend relevant training and copies of newsletters and circulations from the Charity Commission and Voluntary Norfolk are available for all members.

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Risk Management

The Members have identified and assessed all risks and established systems to mitigate the risks.

Organisation Structure

The Members meet every 8 weeks to administer the Charity and its finances and deal with day to day matters.

The Charity employs a Park Warden who is responsible for the day to day running of the Park. The Warden is supported by an Assistant Park Warden.

Mission Statement

• To manage and protect Catton Park in a way that is recognised as high quality, enhancing the natural landscape and wildlife whilst promoting enjoyment for the local community and visitors.

• To provide opportunities and facilities for education and recreation in a safe and attractive environment, which will encourage greater understanding of the heritage and natural assets of Catton Park.

Public Benefit

The Members confirm that they have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

The Members consider that the Charity meets the Charity Commission’s public benefit requirements in the advancement of its objectives, by way of the promotion of the conservation, protection and improvement of Catton Park and its environment. The Park is open to all and there is no charge for use of the Park by individuals.

Achievements and Performance

Catton Park was awarded a Community Green Flag Award for the eighth consecutive year during this period. The Award recognises that Catton Park boasts the highest possible environmental standards, is beautifully maintained and has excellent visitor facilities.

Hire of the Lodge continues to remain good with the building being used every weekday (weekend hire not available) by organisations who meet the Trusts educational requirement for the Lodge. Hirers include home education classes, art classes, senior recreational groups, Brownies, yoga, pilates and mental wellbeing. Outside space continues to be used by educational groups for forest school and disability groups as well as being used for ParkRun on Saturday mornings. During this period the Park has also welcomed annual hire from the funfair and circus.

Financial Review

All incoming funds have been unrestricted. Income was £33,711 of which £5,337 was received from the Parish Council, via precept, for staff salaries. Expenditure was £24,488 (a decrease of £42,513 on the previous financial year – this expenditure now being met by the Parish Council via precept).

Principal Funding Sources

Funding is now dependant on private hire, local authority, Natural England and fund raising. Hire of Buxton Lodge, events in the Park, refreshment sales and recycling are an important source of income.

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Investment Policy

There are currently no funds for long-term investment. The Trust will continue to review this position should substantial funds become available for investment.

Reserves Policy

The Members are working to find ways to build up reserves.

Plans for Future Periods

Dissolution of the Trust has been agreed and is pending action. Transfer of Trust’s staff to Parish Council staff took place from 1[st] July 2024. Funding streams in the interim will continue to be investigated.

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