2021-12-31-accounts

Abbey Physic Community Garden Annual Report 2021 Charity Registration Number 1119456

‘Hidden Away’

Hidden away Behind a brick wall Is a beautiful garden Available to us all.

There are frogs In a pond And bees in their hives Birdsong abundant And vegetables that thrive

You can visit with a friend Or come on your own When you arrive there . You surely won't be alone

Singing rings amongst fruit trees

Drumming sounds in the air Tea and cakes round a table

Delicious recipes to share

This joyous little garden Can bring peace to your mind

You’re invited to come and find us

And escape the daily grind.

• Anonymous APCG Poetry Group Member

Who We Are and What We Do

• The Abbey Physic Community Garden (APCG) is a half-acre, award winning, therapeutic community garden in the heart of Faversham, Kent.

• Our core purpose is to help our members and the wider public maintain or improve their physical and mental health and wellbeing, build diverse skills and confidence, reduce social isolation and connect with their community. Through our commitment to equality and diversity and provision of inclusive services and support we aim to break down the stigma of mental ill health and build understanding and empathy .We provide a beautiful, safe place where people can find peace, support and companionship.

• We offer a wide range of activities that are both practical and therapeutic, usually both at the same time: gardening, craft activities, horticulture training, a Men’s Shed, chicken and bee keeping and so many more member-led activities.

• There’s a strong focus on gardening sustainably and growing and preparing healthy food. Our Community Kitchen helps people learn about nutrition, budgeting and how to cook, using garden produce for those important shared meals.

• Social interaction is a key element in helping members recover their confidence and self-esteem; creating the connections that change lives. We love welcoming visitors to the garden – whether it’s people wandering through the town, parents with children or health professionals.

Find out more at: www.abbeyphysic.org

@abbeyphysic on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

Trustees’ Overview of 2021

We had a change in Chair of Trustees from Sarah Harvey to Helen Carr. The Trustees thank Sarah for all her drive and achievements for the garden and its members. As well as this Jo Osborn, our secretary, stood down this year - we are all very grateful to Jo for all of the time and care she donated to the garden.

The garden has flourished. We have more members than ever, with over 350. We have a diverse programme of therapeutic activities, growing in number throughout the year, most cocreated and run by member volunteers.

2021 saw the growth of a new connection between planting and cooking. The efforts of volunteer gardeners resulting in an excellent range of vegetables, salads and fruits for the Community Kitchen, Karen and Alex together with members creating wonderful meals each Wednesday and Friday.

A significant coming together of the community within this year was at the Christmas Party held during late summer – we sat in t-shirts sharing a full Christmas dinner as a way to celebrate after so much isolation and in case December was going to bring more lockdowns. We even had a Santa.

This is a member-led organisation, so this year has seen regular members’ coffee mornings and members’ meetings, to co-create the future direction of the garden.

Trustees’ Overview of 2021 cont.

Amongst all the business of the garden, we appreciate the need to provide quieter areas and times for our members, so the garden remains a point of refuge and calm. Tuesdays continue to be a quieter day with a small group of members focussing on their horticulture training.

We had four Occupational Therapy students complete a professional 8-wk placement at the garden, assessing accessibility and developing their own understanding of mental health. Trainee GPs also visit the garden.

Partnerships and connecting with the wider community have been continuing themes this year. It’s been a delight working with so many other groups and organisations. As trustees, we give huge thanks to our highly committed staffing team led by Suzanne as the Garden Manager who continually rises to new challenges with great enthusiasm and a smile. Our team makes the garden so welcoming. Also, in 2021, Tom was promoted to Assistant Garden Manager in recognition of his great work. We were saddened to hear about the loss of several members who passed away this . year

Some 2021 hi hli hts g g

	Month	Events
	January	Laying paths in the Moon Garden. Alex and Karen star on Radio Kent. Staying open to support members throughout lockdown; alongwith online socialising, cooking, articles and videos.
	February	The original ‘Gardening for the Mind’ online therapeutic journaling begins. Men’s Shed starts to build made-to-order bird, owl, bat boxes.
	March	Garden reopens to larger groups of members. Members start up the APCG Litter Picking Ninjas group. Plantingbegins in the Moon Garden.
	April	‘Rapid Report’ garden updates on YouTube. Our own version of ‘Gardening for the Mind’ – a six week mindfulness in nature course, begins. Communitycookingreturns to thegarden.
	May	Memory tree opening. Mental Health Awareness week online and at the garden.
	June	The children's area gets a major revamp, with a Wendy house, mud kitchen and nature mural.
	July	The moon garden is opened by Mayor Alison Reynolds.
	August	Garden re opens to the public on Fridays only. Regular member’s meetings started in August
	September	Back to an in-person AGM. A very successful Christmas party was held with 92 people attending. The garden hosts the ‘Swale in Bloom’ Awards.
	October	Regular Member coffee mornings started this month.
	November	Week-long members’ meetings began in 2021, with lots of involvement and input from the 60 members who attended over the week.
	December	Christmas wreath workshop. More than 50 handmade gifts exchanged by Secret Santas.

Some 2021 highlights 4*** BAD EIF

Some 2021 highlights ky A"

Playing Host to Partners in 2021

Allied groups who came to the garden in 2021 included:

• Debt and Business Advice

• One-To-One Positive Visualisation

• Parent and child social groups for new

• parents during Covid.

• AGE UK social outings and Men’s Shed

• sessions

• Dementia café

• Permaculture workshops for skills,

• resilient living, wellbeing, foraging.

• Death Café

• Domestic abuse drop-in support

• NHS drop-in health checks

• GP trainees, as part of education in the

• benefits of social prescribing.

Being a Member-led Garden

As we missed a Christmas event in 2020 and we’re not sure what’s going to happen this winter how about an earlier Christmas event?

We held a Christmas party at the end of September which was very well attended and we were all able to sit outside in the sunshine!

Set up regular member coffee mornings to allow some time for members to speak to each other and staff.

Members’ coffee mornings started in October and have already proven a success.

Make sure there are quiet times available to members at the garden

Gradual reopening to the public, afternoons kept free of activities.

Make sure there are people to welcome new visitors to the garden.

Volunteers who are able to welcome new visitors have the option to wear a ‘Here to help’ lanyard.

More alternative therapeutic activities

Make the Men’s Shed more inclusive

New member-led groups set up including poetry, craft groups ‘Open to All’ shed days welcoming all who would like to take part

Making a difference to our members

The garden has helped me get through some of my darkest moments. We are so fortunate to have this wonderful safe space when it is most needed.

Christmas dinner in September was such a joy. It was the first meal I had shared with other since lockdown. Thank you all so much.

I`m proud of welcoming people to the garden that I know will impress them and make them feel better.

A very strong sense of peer support i.e. like-minded people that really fly the flag for its ok not to be ok`

I live on my own and really cherish the days I come to the garden and am made to feel so welcome by so many people. Thank you.

A member talks about her experience of the garden this year

I was very depressed and miserable. I was suffering with bi-polar and psychosis and had a stay in hospital. When I came out, I would just lay on the sofa for days on end, I didn’t have any motivation even to walk my dog. I was really lonely. Eventually the mental health team referred me to the garden to help reduce my isolation.

My confidence has soared, I`ve stopped smoking and I talk to everyone now and I don’t mind saying hello to people. Before I was too depressed to think about conversing with people.

It is the people here that have helped make the change and getting involved with things. Tom took me under his wing and made me feel comfortable and that I can do anything. I loved working in the churchyard and helping to plant the wild meadow.

Suzanne encouraged me to talk with other members as I just sat on my own for 6 weeks. This was a big step for me and I joined the first Happy Café. One day I talked with another member for 2 hours. Even though I needed help, it was a good feeling being able to listen to another member and give them help.

Its really nice to talk to other people who have similar experiences and to know its not just me. Kelly from Mind was running Friday drop in sessions and that was amazing. I really like what I call the therapeutic things like bread making – touchy feely things. I had lost my motivation to cook but now I really enjoy it again.

The loneliness I struggled with for a while but this place I just love it Everyone is friendly, and we are so lucky. I was able to stay connected with my family with the tablet and wifi the garden provided. This really helped with my loneliness, being able to talk with my family.

I am managing my anxiety of coming out of lockdown and going for walks with my neighbour and I`m really looking forward to the acting classes.

Gardening and growing

10 Members are working towards a horticulture qualification

93% of members reported increased confidence

88% of members stated feeling comfortable discussing mental health and the benefits of peer support

Our Community Kitchen

78% members state that they’ve improved their eating habits

96% of members are now cooking and growing at home

95% of members have increased the amount of garden produce in their cooking

Faversham Men’s Shed Design and installation of our Memory Tree. Drop in Health checks. Wood turning sessions. Delivering bird and insect homes throughout the community.

Open to All sessions for women to learn woodwork skills.

Gardening for the Mind

17 individuals engaged in personalised, small-group activities across three cohorts.

76% reported increased comfort creating social connections.

73% directly attributed an increase in selfconfidence.

70% went on to engage regularly with other garden activities – including starting their own Crafts group.

145 members participated

£53,820 in kind volunteer time

43 different activities run

35 volunteers

529 people have benefited

2021 Our year in 5,330 volunteer numbers hours a year

Increased opening hours and weekend activities

23 collaborations with other groups & organisations

Our organisation and governance

We are a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee:

Charity Registration Number 1119456

Company Registration Number 06015188

Our Registered Office is:

Abbey Physic Community Garden

Abbey Place Faversham ME13 7BG

Bank details:

Santander Business Banking, Bridle Road. Bootle, L30 4BG Account title: Abbey Physic Community Garden.

Garden members appoint the trustees at the Annual General Meeting for a term of one year.

The Trustees for 2021 were:

• Dr Sarah Harvey – appointed 7.9.15 and appointed Chair in Sept 2017, stood down September 2021

• Helen Carr – appointed Sept 2020 and Chair Sept 2021

• Mr Gulliver Immink appointed Sept 2016

• Ms Hannah Temple – appointed June 2018

• Ms Lucia Dello-IoIo – appointed June 2018 and as Treasurer in July 2018

• Ms Josephine Osborn – appointed June 2018 and as Secretary in July 2018, stood down Sept 2021

• Ms Tamarin Ward – appointed Sept 2020

• Mrs. Sarah Porter – appointed (as secretary) Sept 2021

• Mrs Jane Arnott – appointed Sept 2021

Day to day management is the responsibility of the Garden Manager, Suzanne Campbell, and her team - Tom Jewell, Alex Leitch, Karen Franzac, Jacqui Hunt, Paul Muddle and Ian Hardie.

The Trustees met eight times during the year. We formed three working groups:

• Finance and Fundraising

• Vision and Learning

• Policies and Procedures

There are regular member meetings to discuss and plan how the garden operates.

In our planning of APCG’s activities we have paid due regard to Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit, and on the standards expected of trustees.

Our financial report

Summary

In 2019 and 2020 The Abbey Physic Community Garden received more money than it spent.

Over this period the APCG received a number of large grants, generous donations, secured COVID related funding.

We got a tight control on spending as we wanted to build up our reserves as some of our major grants were finishing in 2021. As a result, we started 2021 with current assets of £135,665.

During 2021 we spent some of the reserves that we had built up and only made a limited number of grant applications.

• Our income for the year to Dec 2021 was £84,020 and we spent £118,481.

• Current assets as at 31[st] Dec 2021 reduced by £34,019 to £101,647.

Income Summary

• The garden received income £84,020 during 2021, this was only 55% of the £153,790 income received in 2020.

• The term ‘restricted grants’ requires that the money is spent on specific projects.

2021 Accounts – income and Grants not Fully Spent

Restricted Income

Unrestricted Income

70% of our income came from large, restricted grants.

• £26,049 of unrestricted funds was received in 2021, £4,790 less than in 2020.

• The Big Lottery, Reaching Communities Continuation Fund provided £37,871.

• £9,200 from Awards for All (Big Lottery),

• Every other type of income rose in 2021 but these increases did not outweigh funds received in 2020 where we benefitted from a legacy of £6,650 and Covid JRS grant of £4631.

• £5000 from Swale Borough Council, £5000 from Faversham Town Council and £900 from KCC members grants.

Grants Not Fully Spent

• At the end of 2020 we had a number of grants that weren’t fully spent because of Covid restrictions on activities. These were all spent in 2021.

• Three grants have balances brought forward into 2022.

• Big Lottery grant 25% was carried forward to 2022 Jan to Mar salaries £9468.

• Awards for All £9200 project starting 2022

• Swale Borough Council £5000 decking delayed work until 2022.

2021 Accounts - expenditure

Total Expenditure

Total expenditure rose by 18% as we were running a full staff rota and ran a lot more activities.

and repair costs were lower at £4,404 (£5648 in 2020).

All Other Costs

As well as higher staff costs we spent more on sessional workers, bought more groceries, bought more plants, seeds, meal ingredients and Men’s Shed supplies. We also created the memory tree and moon garden which increased our garden supplies costs.

• These totalled £11,537 and were £1,608 higher than in 2020.

• Supplies, groceries and provisions, insurance,

• professional services and training and the telephone were all over £1,000, the utilities cost was lower than in 2020.

Salaries, garden supplies and repairs expenditure

The largest cost type continued to be salary costs followed by garden supplies and repairs costs.

Salaries, national insurance and sessional worker costs for 2021 were £97,687, 20% higher than for 2020.

Garden supplies costs were £4,853, 62% higher

2021 Accounts:

Fund Movements and the Balance Sheet

Net Movement in Funds

Charities measure the movement of funds, the difference between money received and spent, during a reporting period. During 2021, as expected we spent £34,461 more than we received, as we had lower income and higher costs.

Balance Sheet

At the end of the year the Abbey Physic Community Garden had £10,731 of fixed assets. There was £101,500 in the bank account, £99 in Local giving, £33 in cash and £14 in Paypal. This was made up of £42,918 of restricted funds and £58,286 unrestricted. There are no loans so the total assets were £112,378.

In 2022 we will be applying for new grants to prevent a further reduction in funds.

2020 Comparison

The £34,461 reduction of funds during 2021 was expected but we had built up a strong balance sheet position in 2020 and 2019 to cope with reduction in funds. The balance sheet assets at the end of 2021 were £111,935, down from £147,922 in 2020.

2021 Accounts: Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet

2021 Accounts: Notes to the Financial Statements Note 1

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

to revenue in the year of purchase/

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2021 Accounting Policies

Assets acquired costing £2,500 or more are depreciated on a 10% straight line basis.

Basis of Preparation

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and are in

accordance with Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective January 2007),

the Companies Act 2006, and follow the recommendations in Accounting and Reporting by

Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (issued 2005).

Purchases and miscellaneous costs

Purchases and miscellaneous costs includes the direct costs of the activities. Where such costs relate to more than one cost category, they have been split on an estimated basis as appropriate.

This was previously named charitable expenditure.

Unrestricted Funds

Quickbooks accounting software is used to explain income and expenditure but it does not contain all the asset calculations.

Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources receivable or generated for the objects of the charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.

Grants and Voluntary Income

All grants and voluntary income are accounted for gross when receivable.

.

Restricted Funds

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets criteria is charged to the fund.

Resources Expended:

Depreciation

Assets acquired costing less than £2,500 are charged

2021 Accounts: Notes to the Financial Statements Note 2

ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN
NOTES TO THE FINANCIALSTATEMENTS
**2 **	Incoming Resources				Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
					2021	2021	2021	2020
	Grants Received:				£	£		£
		ReachingComm. Cont Fund		05.03.21		18,936	18,936
		BigLottery		24.09.21		18,936	18,936
								31,690
		Awards for all		01.10.21		9,200	9,200
		KCC membersgrant		15.01.21		500	500
		KCC membersgrant		15.03.21		400	400
		Swale Borough Council		06.04.21		5,000	5,000	595
		Faversham Town Council		12.03.21		5,000	5,000
		Main Grants. Rcommunities						48,553
		Postcode Lottery
								19,229
		Optivo
								920
		Orchard CommunityEnergy
			Funding
			Covid
							0	6,699
		Kent CommunityFoundation
			EmergencyFund
			Resilience Fund
			. Resilience Fund
								16,600
					-	57,971	57,971	124,286

ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN
Donations:
	Whelan Legacy						6,551
	Swire Foundation		29.4.21	5,000		5,000	5,000
						0
	Inner Wheel					0	1,090
	Local GivingDonations			3,025		3,025	1035
	Turner & Hodges					0	2000
	Organisation / Corporate Donations			1,118		1,118	109
	Total Donations <£1000			3,342		3,342	2,360
				12,485	-	12,485	18,145
Membership Subscriptions:				4,962		4,962	4,116
Sales:				5,185		5,185	2,437
						~~0~~
Grub Club:						0
						~~0~~
Faversham Lottery				678		678
						0
Fundraising Events				1,378		1,378
External Groups				1,319		1,319
						0
Gift Aid Reclaimed				43		43	175
						~~0~~
Bank Interest:
Covid JRS Grant							4,631
Total Incoming				26,049	57,971	84,020	153,790

2021 Accounts: Notes to the Financial Statements 3-8

ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN
**3 **	Resources Expended				Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Total
					2021	2021	2021	2020
					£	£		£
	Purchases and miscellaneous costs:
		Garden supplies			752	4,101	4,853	2,982
		Grub Club Ingredients					-	72
		Groceries/Provisions			1,704		1,704	275
		Craft tools/Equipment			596		596	209
					3,052	4,101	7,154	3,538
	Operational and support costs:
		Advertising					-	33
		Accounts/Auditing					-	-
		Bank Charges			137		137	99
		Bees,Beehives and Chickens			53		53	252
		Computer costs			301		301	872
		DBS checks			-		-	16
		Insurance			1,570		1,570	1,441
		KCC Licence fee/ Subscriptions			413		413	-
		Office supplies & admin			510		510	264
		Printingand Stationery			46		46	-
		Professional Services			1,035		1,035	267
		Rent					-	-
		Repairs,renewals & maintenance			3,239	1,165	4,404	5,648
		Salaries /NI			45,893	49,239	95,132	81,588
		Sesional Workers			2,555		2,555
		Supplies			1,907		1,907	1,849
		Telephone / Internet			1,015		1,015	955
		Training			1,317		1,317	1,424
		Travel/Parking			27		27	262
		Utilities			257	500	757	1,640
		Website re-design					-	-
		~~.~~			60,273	50,904	111,177	96,610
	Governance costs:
		Companies House			150
	No employee received emoluments of more				than £50,000.

ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN	ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN
**4 **	Directors of the Charity
	No member of the Board of Directors received anyremuneration duringtheperiod.
	Reimbursement of expenses to the Directors was zero.
	The charityhas Trustee IndemnityInsurance(effective from 1st November 2014).
**5 **	Taxation
	The charityis exempt from Corporation Tax on its charitable activities.
ABBEY PHYSIC COMMUNITY GARDEN
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS(cont.)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 December 2021
**6 **	Tangible Fixed Assets
							2021	2020
							£	£
	Pavilion				Purchased 2009 10% straight line			0
	New Cabin				Purchased 2017 10% straight line		6,000	7,000
	New units & Island				Purchased 2019 10% straight line		1,886	2,096
	Men's Shed				Purchased 2017 10% straight line		2,845	3,161
							10,731	12,257
**7 **	Analysis of Net Assets between Funds
							2021	2020
							Total	Total
							£	£
	Restricted Funds					42,918	42,918	39,952
	Unrestricted Funds				58,286		58,286	95,713
							101,204	135,665
**8 **	Incorporation
	The AbbeyPhysic CommunityGarden is a companylimited by guarantee,without a share capital,
	incorporated on 30 November 2006.
	It took over the activities in thegarden on 1 December 2006.
	In the event of the companybeingwound up,membersguarantee topay£1 each towards the Garden's

Thank you

We are incredibly thankful for all the support we receive from all our donors, sponsors, volunteers and the community – thank you for all you have done to help us continue what we do well – supporting people when they need us.

We would also like to say an extra special thanks to the following individuals and organisation

• Our landlords – Old Grammar School Charity

• Funders:

• Faversham Town Councillors for several generous grants.

• Mayor, Councillor Alison Reynolds BEM, for her support over the year.

• Axminster Tools for providing support and materials to the men’s shed

• Faversham Women’s Institute for providing beautiful cushions.

• Bovis Homes for the huge donation of timber.

• The Big Lottery Reaching Communities Fund

• Sue King and Sharon Gurney for the beautiful mural.

• Awards for All

• Faversham Town Council

• Kent County Council Members Grants

• Marianne LeBoutillier for all of her work on improving the children's area

• Swale Borough Council

• Swire Foundation

• Whelan Legacy

Thank you

And of course, thank you to all of the garden’s amazing volunteers for running groups, welcoming visitors, serving refreshments, caring for chickens, growing the plants, watering, weeding, supporting each other and all the hundreds of things you do for the garden and members.