SEEDS FOR GROWTH CHARITY DIRECTOR’S ANNUAL REPORT ## OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARITY - a) to advance the education of persons from disadvantaged communities and others in various charitable areas that address social and economic circumstances and health issues. - b) to promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection, and improvement of the physical and natural environment by promoting recycling and sustainability practices; and - c) the promotion of such other purposes, being exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales, as the trustees may determine from time to time. ## GREENING COMMUNITIES Greening Communities specialises in identifying under-utilised land within social housing estates. The charity actively engages with local tenants to form community-led groups that establish and manage their own new communal gardens. Tenant-led steering committees oversee these gardens' design, development, and management, empowering residents with the skills and confidence needed for effective garden management. These committees reflect the estate’s demographic diversity. The charity has launched 20 gardens that boost community confidence, provide fresh, locally grown food, and mitigate climate change impacts through carbon savings, flood reduction, shade provision, noise abatement, bird habitat enhancement, and biodiversity enhancement. The gardens provide a relaxed place for young people and adults to sit and chat and a safe place for children to play. Greening Communities address 13 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. A nationwide expansion is planned, whereby 100 Third Sector organisations in cities and large towns will purchase, for a nominal fee, a Greening Communities Satellite based on franchise principles. All the satellites will receive a community garden launch pack, enabling them to establish successful community gardens. The pack will include guidance documents, pro-forma, films, lists of design and build construction companies, local and national grant sources, and garden suppliers, etc. Mentoring and one-to-one support will be provided. By 2028 the 100 Greening Communities Satellites will have been established and each will create at least 5 new green spaces per year. Combined with the 100 to be generated in London, 600 new green spaces will be launched annually in the UK. ## GREEN DREAMS – SOCIAL PRESCRIBING This Green Dreams program supports residents facing the challenges of depression, social isolation, and loneliness through our group gardening sessions and guided excursions to ecological sites. These excursions include nature-based art activities to aid physical and mental well-being. In socialising with others experiencing mental health problems, participants may be exposed to new perspectives and approaches to dealing with the issues that they are facing - particularly given that many of their co-participants are from the same area as them and likely to have shared similar challenges. In developing a garden together, participants will invest in a collective project. Through this process, participants will feel a sense of purpose, learn to trust one another, and have trust in their future - a critical philosophical tenet of gardening. Through interacting with and learning about nature, participants will feel a greater connection to the land and thus feel part of an interconnected world - a sensation and place proven to abate many mental health conditions. ## . ## STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE and MANAGEMENT The charity is a company limited by guarantee and, therefore, governed by its memorandum and articles of association. The trustees meet regularly to make decisions and monitor the charity's work. The board of trustees is authorised to appoint new trustees to fill vacancies arising through the resignation or death of an existing trustee. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose the charity's financial position with reasonable accuracy at all times to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the charity's assets and taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities. These accounts were prepared under the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small company’s regime as set out in Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 and in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102). ## FINANCIAL REVIEW During the year, the Charity received income of £63,823 (2023: £61,507), of which £54,144 (2023 nil) was restricted. Total expenditure during the year amounted to £82,535 (2023: £31,855), of which £30,055 was restricted. Net income for the year amounted to £21,975 (2023: £40,686). At the year's end, the general fund stood at -£2,319 (2023: £39,981) ## SEEDS FOR GROWTH Trustees Annual Report and Financial ## statements for Year Ended 31 March 2024 Charity No 1117640 ## Company No 05940935 ## Rana & Co Accountants Ltd 97 Walbrook Road DERBY DE23 8SF ## **SEEDS FOR GROWTH Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statement Year ended 31 March 2024** |**Contents**|1| |---|---| |Reference and Administrative Information|2| |Director’s Report|3 – 4| |Independent Examiner's Report|5| |Statement of Financial Activities|6| |Balance Sheet|7| |Notes to the Accounts|8| 1. ## Reference and Administrative Information **Company No** 5940935 **Charity Name** SEEDS FOR GROWTH **Charity Registration Number** 1117640 **Registered Office** 128 Cannon Workshops Cannon Drive London E14 4AS **Directors and Trustees** The Directors of the charitable company are its Trustee for the purposes of charity law. The following Directors and Trustees served during the year: Elise ASH Andrea AU (resigned 2 February 2024) Matthew BUCHANAN Danielle EDWARDS Nikos KOTINAS (resigned 3 February 2024) Camila MIZUNO James ODEM Hannah SMITH (resigned 8 October 2023) Shwetha SREEKUMAR ## **Company Secretary** Gregory COHN **Independent Examiner** Rana & Co Accountants Ltd 97 Walbrook Road DERBY DE23 8SF 2. Director’s Report ## OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARITY - a) to advance the education of persons from disadvantaged communities and others in various charitable areas that address social and economic circumstances and health issues. - b) to promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection, and improvement of the physical and natural environment by promoting recycling and sustainability practices; and - c) the promotion of such other purposes, being exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales, as the trustees may determine from time to time. ## GREENING COMMUNITIES Greening Communities specialises in identifying under-utilised land within social housing estates. The charity actively engages with local tenants to form community-led groups that establish and manage their own new communal gardens. Tenant-led steering committees oversee these gardens' design, development, and management, empowering residents with the skills and confidence needed for effective garden management. These committees reflect the estate’s demographic diversity. The charity has launched 20 gardens that boost community confidence, provide fresh, locally grown food, and mitigate climate change impacts through carbon savings, flood reduction, shade provision, noise abatement, bird habitat enhancement, and biodiversity enhancement. The gardens provide a relaxed place for young people and adults to sit and chat and a safe place for children to play. Greening Communities address 13 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. A nationwide expansion is planned, whereby 100 Third Sector organisations in cities and large towns will purchase, for a nominal fee, a Greening Communities Satellite based on franchise principles. All the satellites will receive a community garden launch pack, enabling them to establish successful community gardens. The pack will include guidance documents, pro-forma, films, lists of design and build construction companies, local and national grant sources, and garden suppliers, etc. Mentoring and one-to-one support will be provided. By 2028 the 100 Greening Communities Satellites will have been established and each will create at least 5 new green spaces per year. Combined with the 100 to be generated in London, 600 new green spaces will be launched annually in the UK. ## GREEN DREAMS – SOCIAL PRESCRIBING This Green Dreams program supports residents facing the challenges of depression, social isolation, and loneliness through our group gardening sessions and guided excursions to ecological sites. These excursions include nature-based art activities to aid physical and mental well-being. In socialising with others experiencing mental health problems, participants may be exposed to new perspectives and approaches to dealing with the issues that they are facing - particularly given that many of their co-participants are from the same area as them and likely to have shared similar challenges. In developing a garden together, participants will invest in a collective project. Through this process, participants will feel a sense of purpose, learn to trust one another, and have trust in their future - a critical philosophical tenet of gardening. Through interacting with and learning about nature, participants will feel a greater connection to the land and thus feel part of an interconnected world - a sensation and place proven to abate many mental health conditions. 3. ## STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE and MANAGEMENT The charity is a company limited by guarantee and, therefore, governed by its memorandum and articles of association. The trustees meet regularly to make decisions and monitor the charity's work. The board of trustees is authorised to appoint new trustees to fill vacancies arising through the resignation or death of an existing trustee. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose the charity's financial position with reasonable accuracy at all times to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The Trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the charity's assets and taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities. These accounts were prepared under the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small company’s regime as set out in Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 and in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102). ## FINANCIAL REVIEW During the year, the Charity received income of £63,823 (2023: £61,507), of which £54,144 (2023 nil) was restricted. Total expenditure during the year amounted to £82,535 (2023: £31,855), of which £30,055 was restricted. Net income for the year amounted to £21,975 (2023: £40,686). At the year's end, the general fund stood at -£2,319 (2023: £39,981) 4. . ## Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of SEEDS FOR GROWTH I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on pages 6 to 8. ## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner** The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charity Act 2011 (the Charity Act). It is my responsibility to: - examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act; - follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charity Act), and - to state whether particular matters have come to my attention ## **Basis of independent examiner's statement** My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charty Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the organisation and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explanations from you as 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[11 ] and** the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. ## **Independent examiner's statement** ## **In the course of my examination, no material matters have come to my attention:** - 1 ,which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the requirements - to keep accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act or - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirement of the Charities Act have not been met, or - 2 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Rana & Co Accountants Ltd 97 Walbrook Road DERBY DE23 8SF Date: 17/12/2024 5. ## SEEDS FOR GROWTH Statement of Financial Activities Year ended 31 March 2024 |**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Income**
**Notes**
**2024**
**£**
Grants
4
0
Donations and legacies
4850
HMRC tax refund
4829
**9679**
**Expenditure**
Costs of generating donations and legacies
234
Greening Communities Project
0
Salaries/wages
30716
Staff training
481
Travel and subsistence
0
General insurance
147
Information and publications
496
Software, IT support and related costs
2056
Stationery and printing
500
Subscriptions
722
Sundry expenses
537
Telephone and broadband
438
Accountancy and bookkeeping
899
Other legal and professional costs
1993
**39219**
**Surplus/(Defecit) for year**
**-29540**
**Other gains/Transfers**
**0**
**Total funds brought forward**
**39981**
**Total funds carried forward**
**10441**|**Restricted**
**Funds**
**2024**
**£**
54144
0
0
**54144**
0
30555
8167
0
44
0
488
2300
896
0
378
487
0
0
**43315**
**10829**
**0**
**705**
**11534**|**Total**
**Total**
**2024**
**£**
**2023**
**£**
54144
61507
4850
0
4829
0
**63823**
**61507**
234
6812
30555
0
38883
20300
481
47
44
82
147
80
984
10
4356
1223
1396
769
722
379
915
701
925
425
899
505
1993
552
**82535**
**31885**
**-18712**
**29622**
**0**
**0**
**40686**
**11064**
**21975**
**40686**| |---|---|---| 6. ## SEEDS FOR GROWTH Balance Sheet at 31 March 2024 |||**Total**|**Total**| |---|---|---|---| |||**2024**|**2023**| ||**Notes**|**£**|**£**| |**Current assets**|||| |Debtors|8|0|51| |Cash at bank and in hand||23578|42290| |||**23578**|**42341**| |**Creditors:**Amount falling due within one|9|0|1655| |year|||| |**Net current asset**||**23578**|**40686**| |**The funds of the charity**|||| |**Restricted Funds**|10||| |Restricted income funds||11534|705| |**Unrestricted Funds**|10||| |General funds||10441|39981| |**Reserves**|10||| |**Total funds**||**21975**|**40686**| These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. For the year ended 31 March 2023 the company was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts. Approved by the board on 18 December 2023 and signed on its behalf by: Gregory J. Cohn Company Secretary on behalf of the Board of directors 17/12/2024 7. ## SEEDS FOR GROWTH Statement of Balances ## Notes to the Accounts ## Notes 1 Accounting policies The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: 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) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. ## Note 2 Company status ## Note 3 |**Creditors**
Note4
**Restricted funds**
Funder 1|**Opening**
**Balance**
705
**705**|**Income**
**Expenditure**
54144
43315
**54144.14**
**43315**|**Transfer**
0
**0**|0
**0**
**Closing**
**Balance**
11534
**11534**| |---|---|---|---|---| ## Note 5 In the accounts of 31 March 2023, the funds balances should have been expressed as: Unrestricted funds £3,027 Restricted funds £37,659 8. ## Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of SEEDS FOR GROWTH I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024 which are set out on pages 6 to 8. ## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner** The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charity Act 2011 (the Charity Act). It is my responsibility to: - examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act; - follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charity Act), and - to state whether particular matters have come to my attention ## **Basis of independent examiner's statement** My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charty Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the organisation and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeks explanations from you as 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[11 ] and** the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. ## **Independent examiner's statement** ## **In the course of my examination, no material matters have come to my attention:** - 1 ,which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect, the requirements - to keep accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act or - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirement of the Charities Act have not been met, or - 2 to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Rana & Co Accountants Ltd 97 Walbrook Road DERBY DE23 8SF Date: 17/12/2024