Charity Registration No. 1136306 England and Wales
BIRCH HILL DOG RESCUE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 MAY 2025
Birch Hill Dog Rescue Contents Page For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Reference and Administrative Information | 4 |
| Reportofthe Trustees | 2-4 |
| Independent Examiners Report | 5 |
| Receipts and Payments Account | 6 |
| Statement ofAssets and Liabilities | 7 |
| NotestotheFinancialStatements | 8-9 |
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue
Reference and Administrative Information
For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
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Charity Name
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue
Charity Number
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1136306
Mrs W A W A A Watts
Mrs L Millward
Mrs T Cutler
Birch Hill House
Neen Sollars
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY14 0AQ
Powell & Associates
Chartered Certified Accountants
28-29 New Road
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY10 1AF
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Trustees Mrs W A W A A Watts
Mrs L Millward
Mrs T Cutler
Principal Address Birch Hill House
Neen Sollars
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY14 0AQ
Independent Examiner Powell & Associates
Chartered Certified Accountants
28-29 New Road
Kidderminster
Worcestershire
DY10 1AF
Bankers Barclays Bank PLC & TSB Bank PLC
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue Annual Report For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
1. Structure, Governance & Management
Constituted: Under Constitution document adopted 14 May 2010, and registered as a charity on 10 June 2010.
Trustee Selection. By Appointment. New Trustees will be selected from individuals who already have some involvement with the charity and supported in their role by the current Trustees.
Additional Govemance: The Trust consists of three Trustees all of whom are involved in the various aspects of the Trust activities. Mrs L Millward is responsible for dog welfare and provides support for the Trust's activities, and Mrs W Watts is responsible for fund raising activities. Mrs T Cutler assists with dog welfare and fundraising.
2. Public Benefit
For the benefit of the public to relieve the suffering of dogs in need of care and attention; and to provide and maintain kennels or other facilities for the reception, care and treatment of these dogs.
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e To promote humane behaviour towards animals by providing appropriate care, protection, treatment and security for animals, which are in need of care and attention by reason of sickness, maltreatment, poor circumstances or ill usage: and
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e To educate the public in matters pertaining to animal welfare in general; and e The prevention of cruelty and suffering among animals.
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The main activities in order to carry out the aims are:
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e Provide kennel facilities for dogs in need, under circumstances; e To involve volunteers and the local community in the work of the charity; e Toraise money and the Trust's profile through fundraising activities.
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The Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commissions guidance on public benefit.
2.1 Donations and Legacies
Income received consists of regular monthly donations, together with other one-off donations.
During the year we received legacies of £80,599.
- Trustees are guided by the criteria stated in note 2 above as well as ensuring that the money is used for the purpose intended and is in the best interest to the beneficiaries.
2.2 Volunteers
The Trust relies on the goodwill of a number of volunteers who assist in the day-to-day care of the rescued dogs and have helped in the fund-raising activities during the period.
2.3 Fundraising
Regular donations from the public are well received by the Trust but obtaining other donations and fundraising activities are the core of the charity’s income. Activities are developed in order that donations may be raised to help fund the Trust's main activities. Without the support of the community and public the Trust would struggle to provide the facilities required. The aim of the fundraising is primarily to raise money to cover the cost of providing day-to-day care and kennel facilities, but also to make the public aware of the Trust’s existence and to promote the welfare and care of dogs.
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The Trustees are indebted to the generous support received throughout this period. Despite remaining a difficult economic climate, people continue to support directly through donations and by supporting the Trust at various fundraising events.
3. Achievements and Performance
Through donations and fund raising the Trust has been able to accommodate approximately 30-40 dogs each month.
Financial
Sadly, yet another year affected by the current cost of living crisis, however we managed to increase our sponsors by sending out a sponsor form with our raffle tickets for the Christmas Raffle. This has proved to be a worthwhile exercise and one that we will continue to do.
Our charity shop in Worcester still continues to see a drop in income but continues to receive plenty of good quality donations. The shop has always done extremely well in Gift Aid with most of our donors signing up to it. Our small shop continues to be one of the highest Gift Aid raisers for an animal charity in the whole of the West Midlands.
The level of requests for us to take in unwanted dogs continues to gain momentum and we take in when we can from both dog pounds and private homes. Birch Hill Dog Rescue prides itself on not “cherry picking” dogs that need our assistance, we will take a dog no matter what age, condition, or breed, every dog needs a second chance. Throughout the year we rehomed 24 dogs, we also have 8 dogs in permanent foster, some of these dogs take longer to rehome due to medical conditions or behavioural issues. A dog with behavioural issues needs time and patience to correct the problem and get the dog ready for a new home.
Many of the dogs we have taken in throughout the year had medical issues and contributed to our vet bills amounting to £17,000. The cost of veterinary care just continues to rise however we have managed to purchase some medications online. We also managed to source alternative vets who offered a slightly cheaper price for larger operations. We have been quite successful by raising some of these funds through Just Giving.
During the year we received two legacies which have helped tremendously with the day to day running of the rescue together with the purchase of a new heater for the kennel block.
Fundraising
We once again booked up more outdoor events throughout the summer months despite as ever, a shortage of volunteers. We find it extremely difficult to attract younger people to give up some of their free time to help raise funds.
The weather played a large part in our fundraising calendar, especially our Annual Fun Dog Show. All the week before we were keeping an eye on the forecast and it was getting hotter towards the weekend. With four days to go we made the difficult decision to cancel our event because the temperature was going to be 30 degrees, far too hot for dogs to be out and about in, it would have been totally irresponsible of the charity to continue, even though we needed the funds. Unfortunately, it was not the only event, there were one or two others that we decided it was too hot for our volunteers to participate in.
Achievements
Social media is still an important source of communication for the charity, we have seen our followers exceed 12,000, and we often show videos of our dogs on Tiktok. This enables us to show the rescue dogs all over the country and have even gained some interest abroad.
We were able to purchase a new heater for the main kennel block, long overdue because the old one kept breaking down. Receiving a legacy meant that we could purchase this sooner than expected.
Future Plans
At the end of the year, we launched our biggest project to date, to build a new kennel block to replace the old one, this project we have called “Operation Sunrise”. Following years of patching up and repairing various parts of the old block, there comes a time when it is no longer possible, and therefore this is the only option teft.
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Next year 2026 is our 30th Anniversary, 30 years of saving dogs and giving them a second chance. We hope to promote “Operation Sunrise” as much as we can and linking this with our anniversary will hopefully enforce the need for the new, state-of-the-art kennel block, a kennel for the future and one that can keep the dogs happy in both cold and extreme heat.
We are hoping to apply for some grants in order to help achieve our project together with support from the general public and supporters.
4 Financial Review
Cash balances at the year-end were £59,907 (2024 - £16,482)
4.1 Core Fundraising
As the Trust has no income from endowments or regular grants it must rely primarily on donations and eventbased community fundraising for its income and promotional activities. The charity is registered to receive Gift Aid on donations.
The Trust reviews and evaluates each fundraising event and promotional activity to identify need and value for money.
The fundraising expenses are necessary to generate funds to fulfil the Trust’s obligation to further charitable causes. Trustees are committed to reduce expenses wherever possible.
4.2 Reserves Policy
Itis the policy of the Trust to maintain a fund balance to sustain the Trust's operations and remain in a position to provide funds to provide kennel and other facilities over a 3-month period. The Trustees consider the cash reserve of £15,000 to be appropriate, and funds at the year end of 31 May 2025 were more than this amount.
5 Plans for the future
Trustees are:-
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Committed to raising as much income as possible to provide facilities for dogs in need.
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- Supporting and encourage people to donate or to support fundraising activities to provide funds but also to encourage volunteers to help with the day-to-day care at the centre.
Trustees are aware that many people volunteer their time to help with the care of the dogs as they like to feel involved in making a difference to the lives of those less fortunate.
LSArvordt
Mrs W Watts Trustee
16 March 2026
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue Independent Examiners Report For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
| report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 May 2025, which are set out on pages 6 to 9.
Responsibilities and basis of the report
As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
| report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination | have followed all of the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
| have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
2) the accounts do not accord with those records.
| have no concems 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.
George Powell FCCA
Powell & Associates 28-29 New Road Kidderminster Worcestershire DY10 1AF
16 March 2026
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue Receipts and Payments Account For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Notes|Restricted|Unrestricted|2025|2024|
|£|£|£|£|
|Receipts:-|
|Regular|Donations|-|24,825|24,825|17,097|
|Other Donations|-|46,123|46,123|46,176|
|Legacies|-|80,599|80,599|7,722|
|Fund|Raising|Events|-|17,357|17,357|11,999|
|Shop|Income|-|39,472|39,472|46,343|
|Rehome|-|3,821|3,821|4,275|
|Gift Aid|Donations|-|15,993|15,993|17,977|
|Bank|Interest|Received|-|13|13|104|
|Grants|Received|-|-|-|11,000|
|Loans|Received|-|460|460|6,574|
|ee|
|Total|Receipts:|-|228,663|228|663|169,267|
|Payments:-|
|Direct Charitable|Expenditure|2|-|132,632|132,632|145,543|
|Charitable|Activities|to|Furtherance of Charitable|3|
|Objectives|-|1,691|1,691|1,758|
|Fundraising and|Publicity|4|-|4,129|4,129|2,578|
|Management and Administration|of the|charity|5|-|42,435|42,435|28,866|
|Loans|Repaid|-|1,084|1,084|4,540|
|:|181,971|181,971|183,285|
|Asset|&|Investment|Movements:-|
|Fixed Asset|Purchases|-|3,267|3,267|2,585|
|Fixed Asset|Disposals|-|-|-|(333)|
|eeD|
|Total|Payments:|-|185,238|185,238|185,537|
|Surplus/(deficit)|of Receipts over Payments Receipts over Payments over Payments Payments|:|43,425|43,425|(16,270)|
|Transfers|between|funds|-|-|-|-|
|Brought forward forward|Monetary Assets Assets|5,000|11,482|16,482|32,752|
|Carried|forward|Monetary Assets Assets|5,000|54,907|59,307|16,482|
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Asset & Investment Movements:-
Total Payments:
Surplus/(deficit) of Receipts over Payments Receipts over Payments over Payments Payments
Transfers between funds
Brought forward forward Monetary Assets Assets
Carried forward Monetary Assets Assets
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue Statement of Assets & Liabilities For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
Cash Funds
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |||
| Cash atBank | 59,716 | 15,599 | ||
| PettyCash | 191 883 59,907 16,482 —S>~—————>00—0—0————5————>>== |
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| Assets Retained forCharity Use | ||||
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Cost | Cost | |||
| ComputerEquipment Gazebo Industrial WallHeater ShopAssets Shop Stock DigitalCopier Printer HeatingSystem Foundationfor'Meet& Greet KennelRuns LogCabin‘Meet& Greet’ Flooring ‘Meet&Greet’ StoneBase HouseRenovationWorks Panels /Gates Boilers, Radiators and Pipework VanEK68EHW DesignerKennels Kennel Block Heater |
Fund Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted |
£ 421 500 550 2,242 2,982 670 400 7,800 5,966 5,100 10,850 1,346 1,308 5,510 6,600 3,400 13,999 2,585 3,267 |
£ 421 500 §50 2,242 2,982 670 400 7,800 5,966 5,100 10,850 1,346 1,308 5,510 6,600 3,400 13,999 2,585 - |
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| Creditors | 75,496 72,229 ——————————_——— |
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| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| WagesandPensions Taxand Social Security Independentexaminers fee |
£ 5,309 825 500 |
£ 6,623 673 2,750 |
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| Long Term Creditors | — | 6,634 10,046 EES |
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| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Loan -AJones Loan - W AWatts |
(Note 7) (Note 7) |
- 384 11,410 11,650 ee |
Approved by the Board of Trustees on 16 March 2026 and signed on its behalf by:
Mrs W A Watts — Trustee
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue Notes to the Accounts For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
1 Principal Accounting Policies
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1.1 Accounting Policies — The financial statements have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis in accordance with Section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and CC16 issued by the Charity Commission.
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1.2 Payments — Direct charitable expenditure comprises of costs relating to the board and treatment of dogs under the care of the Charity during the period.
2 Direct Charitable Expenditure
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Kennel Fees | 14,673 | 21,687 |
| Vet Fees | 17,379 | 14,378 |
| Shop Expenses | 27,919 | 27,935 |
| Wages and Salary | 66,842 | 76,142 |
| PAYE | 5,819 | 5,401 |
| 132,632 | 145,543 |
3 Charitable Activities to Furtherance of Charitable Objectives
Van Expenses
| 2025 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| 1,691 | 1,758 | |
| oe | 691 | 1758 |
| 4 | Fundraising and Publicity | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||
| £ | £ | ||
| Event Fees and Stall Rents | 4,129 | 2,578 | |
| 4,129 | 2,578 |
5 Management and Administration of the Charity
| 5 Management andManagement andand Administration of thethe Charity | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Rentand Rates Insurance Repairs and Maintenance |
18,415 3,325 3,031 |
13,769 555 261 |
| Postage and Stationary | 280 | 3,168 |
| Telephone | 2,812 | 1,066 |
| ComputerExpenses | 4,452 | 3,093 |
| Bank Charges | 1,054 | 288 |
| Sundry Expenses Accountancy Legal and Professional Fees |
2,440 4,295 2,331 |
1,255 4,089 1,322 |
| 42,435 | 28,866 |
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Birch Hill Dog Rescue Notes to the Accounts For the Period Ended 31 May 2025
6 Fund Balances
| Restricted | Brought forward |
Incoming resources |
Resources expended |
Carried forward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Jean Sainsbury Trust | 5,000 | : | : | 5,000 |
| 5,000 - : 5,000 ee EEE |
Jean Sainsbury Trust — A £5,000 grant was awarded towards the cost of the Kennel roof repairs.
7 Related Parties
The Charity has a long-term outstanding loan to Mrs W Watts (Trustee). The balance carried forward at the year-end is £11,410 (2024 - £11,650).
A Jones (employee) had a loan balance brought forward of £384. This was fully repaid during the financial year.
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