Open Spaces J061 Annual Report and Accounts 2025 25a Ball Streel Hony)n-Th4Mes RG9 2BA Email: hq@oss.org.uk Website: www.oss.ory.uk Charity no 1144840 Registerod in England and Wales, limited company no 7846516
THE OPEN SPACES SOCIETY Victyresidents, officers, othor trusto08 and staff 31 Decernr 2025 Vice-presidents Diane Andrewes Mike Clarke Richard MalKy Phil Wad¢y (F.G.L) Grdham B&h¢ (G) (lo July 2025k Stuart Bain (FG) (from July 2025) Stuart Bain (FG) (to July 2025). James Lean {FG) (from July 2025) David (Lord) Clark Roger de Freit&s Chairman VKe-chairman Treasurer Other Iruslees Chri5 Beney John Hall (L), Andrew Packman (L from August 2025) Tara-jane Sutcliffe (L io August 2025) mernber finance wmmittee member general purposes committee member legal cornmittee Staff Generalsecrerary Case officers Kate Ashbrook Helen Clayton Hugh Craddock Nicola Hodgson (to February 2025) Hel¢n Monger (from MaKh 2025) Jes5 Tyl¢r Commons re-regislration o]ficer Finance officer Fran¢es Kerner Glynis Smith (to April 2025) Jenny Neagle (from July 2025) Operalions marketing manager OJTice assEslant aml membership secretary Digital markefing and contenl manager Sarah Hacking Lucy McKean Abbie Cavendish Bank: Barclays Bank plc, Lei¢esfrr LE87 2BB CAF Bank Ltd. 25 Kings Hill Avenue. Kings Hill. West Malling ME18 4JQ Flagstone Group Ltd, Clareville House. 2fv27 Oxendon Street. London SWI Y 4EL Soli¢itor8: Mercers, 50 New Street. Henley-on-Thames RG9 2BX. Richard Buxton, Dale's Brewery. Gwydir Street, Cambridge CBI 2LJ Flnancial Independent examiners: Villars Hayward LLP. Boston House. 2 Boston Road. H¢nley- on-Thame5 RG9 1 DY Investment advisers.. JM Fin 25 Copthall Avenue. tA)tMlon EC2R 7AH
Open Spaces Society Trustees, report for 2025 Highlights of 2025 During the year we: helped our members and others protect more than 830 commons. greens, open spaces, and paths under threat of welcomed the Welsh Government's repeal of the 2026 date for extinguishment of unrecorded highways; celebrated the supreme court's confirniation of backpack- camping rights on Dartmoor, in which we intervened. through legal action secured the removal of unlawful obstructions from paths in West Northamptonshire, and a wall on a South Gloucestershire common. rejoiced at the Welsh minister's decision to reject the deregistration of West Cross Common, swans for housing; celebrated the registrdtion of seven lost commons, in Cornwall, Devon, Hertfordshire and North Yorkshire, totalling 1,290 hectares" gave advice and support to our network of 45 local correspondents who protect many open spaces and paths" ted our legal-action fund. Reference and administrative infonnation Reglstered charity name and number The Open Spaces Society. registered number 1144840. Roglstered company name and number The On Spa$ Society. registered number 7846516. Principal and registered offico 25a Bell Street. Henley-on-Thames RG9 2BA Names of trustées. advisers and staff The tNste¢s are lied aknve, together with deiails of adviser5 and the names ofthe staff.
Structure, governance, and management Governing documont The charity is controlled by its governing document. the memorandum and articles of association, and constitutes a IiTnikd company. limited by guarantee. os d¢fined by the Companies Act 2(Kl6. The charity is the successoT to the Commons. Open Spaces and Foolpaths Preservation sle¢Y (r¢gisl¢r¢d charity number 214753) which was established by a trust d¢ed dated 6 December 1963. originally having been founded in 1865. It was registered &s a Company limil¢d by guaran1¢¢ on 14 November 2011. Rocrullment and appointrnont of trusto Trustees are apwinted by the Members of the ¢ompany (ie the societyk in accordance wilh the memordndum and articles of association. Related party dlsclosuros No ITansa¢tion whi¢h would need to k disclosed h&s been notified by any tn15t¢¢. in relation to the year. nor any balance outstanding from previi)us years. Declarations of internst An agenda item for recording these. if any d¢¢lar¢d. appears on the agend& for each trstee meeiing. The society'5 insurer5 require a statemenl lo k minuted at each (quarterly) meeting that the trusiees are not aware of anything arising which might lead to a claim on the society's indemnity wlicy. Risk.managoment slatement The society maintains a risk register which is Tegularly reviewed by trustee5 with practical precautions being implemented by officers and staff. Public benefit ststement Section 4 of ihe Clwities Act 201 I requires the charity trnstees to comply with their duty to have due regard to public benefit guidan¢¢ published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers or duties. The Iruslees are mindful of this obligation and have been referring to th¢ guidance when reviewing their aims and objeclives and in planning their future activities. They have considered how planned a1VitIeS will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set. Objectives and activities for the public benefit Summary of the charity's objects and strategy for achieving them The objects of the society are campaigning to ¢ieale and conserve comtnon I&T]d, village greens. open spaces. and rights of public ac¢ess in town and country. in England and Wales. These obj¢¢ls are furthered boih locally and nationally. The society maintains a network of local ¢orr¢sw>nd¢nls who can make site visits where problerns arise and submit appropriat¢ representations regardin& for example, proposed changes to the public-paih n¢twork. The society also secures the registration of new village greens. resists encroachments on common land. and defends common land and greens against deregistration.
At a national level the society's unique expertise is its accumulaled knowledge in the omplicated case law and common law that apply to ¢ommon land and its user rights. Bodies such 8S the Departmeni for Environment. Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). the Welsh government. Naturnl Englan Nalurdl Resources Wales. and lh¢ National Trust acknowledge the society's primacy in this are& The Society is a mandatory consuliee for certain applications for works on common land and for changes to publi¢ rights of way. The society also endeavours to improve the law for the benefit of the public. By Challenging una¢c¢ptable proSaI$-thrQUgh the courts if necessary-and more generally by seeking media attention and lobbying parliaments and local authoriti¢5. it protects places of beauty and inter¢sL and achieves better public access throughout England and Wal¢s. Achievements and perforniance, delivery of public benefit Summary of main achievements durlng the year tkspite the continuing threats to open Spaces and paths. from d¢v¢lopm¢nt and lack of funding especially. we remain upbeat and can celebrate many su¢c¢ss¢5 in 2025. We had hoped for more. sooner. from the Westminster govemm¢nt. and have lobbied minislers repeatedly on public ¢¢$s, with little result. But we are not to be deterred. Boosted by our legal-action fund we pursued s¢v¢ral wes in the courts and backed our members in doing so. We renewed our appeal to members to supwrt Ihe fund and were pleased that. thanks to their generosity. we had raised a year-end total of £41,137 (including Gift Aid). The m3in achievements during the year are listed below under headin&% which refiect the four main objects in our constitution. To protect commons, gmns. and other open spaces We Tespond¢d io calls from members for advice on protection and management of at leasi 149 ¢ommons. 80 greens, and 213 other open spaces. Othercases and disputes came to us from consultations from official iM)dies OT were dealt with by our Ial corresEX)ndents. OUT re-registTation officer. FTances Kerner. fundal by the generous legacy from Jack Candy. continued her work on applications. submitting a further one in North Yorkshire. She also pursued and defended applications w¢ had already made in oih¢r English counties before their registers closed to new applications on 31 December 2020, and app¢ared at Ihree public hearing5 in Cornwall (and a further two in sUPPOrt of applications made by our dedicated supwrter Tom&5 Hill). and one each in Devon, Hertfordshire. and North Yorkshire. During the year we celebrated the addition of seven commons lo Ihe registers. Covering about 1290 hectare5 (five square miles). thanks to our efforts. These are in Comwall at Trewellard Common. in Devon at Ditsworthy and Legistor. Peter Tavy Gre Common, and Walkhampton Common, and in North Yorkshire at Gr¢ta Wood. We continued to scoF the work to be done in Wale5. where Ihe deadline for applications is 2032. five years after Curnbria and North Yorkshire. In May the supreme court ruled that Ih¢r¢ is a right to backpack camp on the Dartmoor commons. we had intervened in support ofihe Dartm(K)rNational Park Authority arguing Ihat ihere was such a right. Our general secreiary sFKTrke al a celebratory rally at Huytor on Dartmoor shortly after. We wrote to the then environment secretary, Steve Reed, and
the Welsh Deputy First Minister. Huw Irranca-tknvie4 Callillg on them to amend by regulations the Countryside and Rights of Way Aci 2000 to extend the right to mapped acce55-land throughout England and Wales. bul to no avail. We were d¢lighi¢d when Huw Irranc&Davie5 refused the application to ¢x¢hange part of Clyne Common at West Cross, Swansea thus preventing development for housing. we app¢ar¢d as an obje¢lor at the public inquiry in 2024. and rne a donation to the Gower So¢iely for legal representation in the fight. In celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Commons Registration Aci 1965 IT] July. we called on ministers to extend part l of the Commons Acl 2(K)6 10 the whole of England. to redre5S the balance whereby landown¢rs throughoui England apply to deregister wrongly-regisiered land. We weTe pleased to meet the environment minisier, Sue Hayman. io discuss this in more detsil and we look forward to following up with her next year. Our enforcement officer. Jess Tyler. wntinued our actions at Th¥0 sites against unlawful inclosures on commons. One of these went to urt and, as a resul¢ a stone wall wa5 removed from part of Patchway Common in South Gloucesletshire. At the year's end we were challenging with pre-action protocol l¢tt¢rs three d¢¢isions for common land by lh¢ Planning InsFeCtorate where we believeAI errors had been made. Applicants for work5 on. or exchang¢ of. common land nolified us of41 cases. We raised objeciions to 15 of them. Of the 46 statutory applications for works which were determined during the year. 21 were granted with no objection fTom ths. and 14 were granted despite our objection. These included a lido building on Tooting B¢c Common. Wandsworth- works connected to highway development at Hempton Green ¢ommon in Norfolk. and an electricity substation on Brickenden IAne verges in Hertfordshir¢' Coastal revetmenls at Summerhill Marsh, Walney. in Cumbria. 8nd road widening at Frimley green, and exchange of land for a car park at Haslemere. both in SurTey. Six applications were rejected following our advice. These included the above- mentioned exchange of land ai West CTOS4 for housing development. and the deregistration and exchang¢ of land at Brow Moor, near Haworth in Bradfor and Adwalton Common in t£eds. Three applications were withdrawn-. for resurfacing and an equipment shed ai Therfield Heath in H¢rtfordshir¢. and exchange of land at Cefn Hirgi)ed and Hirwaun Common. Bridgend. for an energy hub. We helped a resident to confirni Hawkhurst green in Kent as a village green, correcting a mistake by the county council in 1974 during the original registration process. When recreation rights on green spaces were threatened by a proEK)sed amendment to the Planning and InfrLstru¢lure Bill we briefed peers to reject it. The amendment would have made il easier for Ial authorities to disEK>se of or appropriate open spaces with rights of recreation. The am¢ndm¢nl was wiihdrawn when Sharon Taylor. the minister for housing. and local gov¢rnm¢nL promised an inquiry into the tnatter. (Early in the new year She gave us an assuranc¢ that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and LA)cal Government would engage us in that review.) Wilmot Gard¢ns in Plymouth, a much-loved community space. wa5 saved from development followtng a high court case. we had backed the local camFAigners fighiing this. We hope that it will now k Tegistered as a town green. We were also relieved when
Lambeth Council withdrew its legal appeal against Protect Brockwell Park which was campaigning to stop the coun¢il's occupation of the park for commercial events. In Bridport. Dorset. we supw)rted a resid¢nt to challenge Bridwrt Town Council over its attempts to sell bits of public open spa¢¢ which had pViOUSly been given to it by Dorset Council. Our case olTi¢¢rs Hugh Craddock and Helen Monger delivered two online trnining packages on Commons and greens. an with general secretary Kale Ashbrook. spoke at an event organised by ihe Uniied Kingdom EnviTonmental Law Association. To protect and enhan publk rlghts of way and publlc access The Henley office dealt with 350 requesls for advice on paths. and our local ¢orresw>ndent5 pursued many others. We were delighted when the Welsh govemment repealed the 2026 cut•off for recording historic paths, thanks to our prompting. However. we continued io be frustrdted by the Westminster government's failure to fvlfil its Boxing Day 2024 promise to real the 2031 cut-off in England. Our legal ¢hallenge to the wrongly-made temw)rdry tralyic regulatton order (TTRO) in Wesl NorthamplonshiTe was 5ucce5sfvI. the council conceded before th¢ matter ached court. and il subsequenily reopened the illegally-blocked paths at Staverton. This outcom¢ has deterred other auihorilies from making TfROs to evade their duty of reopening obstrnct¢d routes. In Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire. the COU11 had made a TTRO to stop up a valued foolpath. Our local corresN)ndent. Bany Thomas. with other campaigners and Amanda Hack. MP for North West Leicestershire. rslladed the council instead lo reopen it. We are backing our local corresFM)nd¢nls in serving notices under 5tIOn 130A of the Highways Act 1980 where local authoTlties are failing to wry out their duties lo reopen blocked paths. At the end of the year we had three outstanding cases against three councils and anticipate going to the magistr*¢s' court over some of them. A blocked path at Cwmparc. Treorchy in Rhondda Cynon Taf was re0ned thanks to the efforts of local camp2igneTS SUPWrted by the society. (r generdl secretary joined a celebratory walk there in S¢pt¢mb¢r. The Closure of cro&sings over railway lines continues to be a cO¢m. but we cheered when Wiltshir¢ Council refied to make an order c105ing a path across the line at Westbury. to which we had objected. The rights-of-way siakeholders. working group. of which Kate Ashbrook is a member, supported by Helen Clayton and Hugh Craddo¢k. remained domjant throughout the year. with no progress on implementing the provisions in the Deregulation Act 2015; these would improve and accelerdte th¢ procedures for claiming public paths in England. Indeed, by the end of the year. there Seem to slim prospects for any progre55 on rights-of-way reforni. In Wales we continued to work with the cross-party group for oUtdr activity. and attended the launch of its manifesto for the senedd election in 2026. We also p3rticipai¢d in Wales Environment Link's work on access. (Mr general secretary Ske at the 93 anniversary celebration of the Kinder Scout mass trespass, the Wild Summit organised by Wildlife and Countryside LinK and the gathering in Hebden BTidge Celebrating ihe 25 anniversary of the Countryside and Righis of Way Act 2000. We expressed our disapwinthient that no minister marked this mileston¢. (r
c&se oificer Helen Clayton gave two online Iraining sessions to local councils and as5i5ted with a day of T¢Storing-th¢-T¢wrd training. At th¢ year's end we congratulated our chairman. Phil Wadey. on being mad¢ an MBE for servi¢¢s to rights of way. To secure the creatlon of now public paths and open Spaces Chris Smith, one of our East Sussex local corresw)ndents. made 27 appli¢ation5 for definitive map mdifiCation orders in the Society's name. in West Sussex (two). Shropshire (four) and Powys (21). We made a further application on half0fa member in Rhondda Cynon Taf. We continued to encourdge local authorities and other landowners voluntsrily to register their land as town or village green. thereby giving local PIC rights of recreation there and prote¢iing it from development. We celebrated the voluntary registration of 1.5 h¢¢tar¢s at Swaffl)am, Norfolk, secured by our local correspondent lan Witham as part of a new development. This was in exchange for the withdrnwal of his objection to the diversion of a footpath which crossed ihe site which would have delayed progffss. We were also pl¢as¢d lo leam of the dedication of1.6 hectare5 a5 green at Mae5 Glasfryn al St David's, Pembrokeshire. We continued to campaign for a mandate on developers to register new greens. and called out those developers who advertised a 'village Er¢¢n' as part of a new d¢v¢lopm¢nt when they had no intention of registering it as such. We suprted ihe launch of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Outdoor R¢¢r¢ation and Access to Nature. and participated in ils inquiry to make recommendations to govemment on ihis topic. We believe that the comprehensive set or ommendalions could forni the basis of ihe goveTnment's promised green paper into access to nature. and w¢r¢ deeply disapFvinted when. in publishing its Environm¢ntal Improvement Plan in tkc¢mt¢r. minislets gave this low priority. We joined a drop-in for parliamenlarians in November to ¢n¢ourage them to press foT access legislation. and we shall ¢onlinu¢ to lobby for th¢ green paper as a vital precursor to a new law. The government announced on Boxing Day. the first of its National River Walks. the 'Mersey Valley Way,. We argued that this was not new-the route was already a public right of way. While we welcome the greater investment in improving the path. we do not believe this should have PTiority over the much wider-ranging and more beneficial access green paper. and we consid¢r that the National River Walk5 should primarily be aboul creating new of wider access rights ak>ng England's rivets. We continued to press for the England Co&st Path to go along the beach al Osknrne Hous¢, managed by English Heritage. on the Isle of Wight, and were disappointed when Natural England published an inland route instead. We hope for a public inquiry lo argue the case for a truly coastal route. We advised at l¢ast 40 m¢mbeffS and other inquirers about claiming greens. To protoct tho beauty of tho country8lde We conlinued to work with the Campaign for National Parks {CNP) and the Alliance of Welsh Designated Landsca& and lo press for the proposed national park in north-east Wales. We attended the launch of the APPG on Nalional Parks and National Landscapes. and pledged our suprK)rt for CNP'S New PeTspectives programme for young leaders and npaigners. We were dismayed that Sw2nsea Counctl detemitned to proceed with it5 massive tourist development on Kilvey Hill. north<&st of Swansea. giving planning perniission to
Skyline Swanse4 appmpriating publi¢-acc¢ss land. and ignoring public rights of acces5. We sUp)rted local 0p1¢ in th¢ir fight against this. Our case officers regularly attended external meetings with fellow stskeholders including Wildlife and Countryside Link (WCL), the Parks Working Group host¢d by MHCLG and the Better Planning Coalition (BPC). Boih WCL and BPC snt significant parts of the y¢or challenging amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill wheTe we contributed. Organisational management We were greatly sadden¢d when our case otTicer. Nicola Hodgson. retired in February 2025 after 25 years devoted seTvice. In recognition of thi5. we gave her honorary lif¢ m¢mb¢rship al our AGM. We appointed Helen Monger in her place. Our finan¢e o(fi¢er Glynis Smith left in April. and Jenny Neagle replaced her in July. We now have 41 local corre5p)ndents. In 2025 w¢ appointed Kit Cawthom (London Borough of Ealing). We were Sad to lose Chris MeeWen. Ashley Redsell, and lan Witham. and thank them for their exemplary seTViCe. We held our annual general me¢ling in London with an online option. In total 46 mernbers attended, and others participaied by proxy. Voting w&$ undertaken online, with 64 votes c&st. James Lean. Andrew Packman. and Phil Wadey were re-elected to the board of trustees. We were sorry that Graham Bathe stood down as our vice-chaimian and a Itee after many years. dedi¢aied seryice. Stuart Bain took hi5 place as vice- chaimian. while Jarne5 Lean Teplaced Stuart as treasurer. We mourned the death of our fornier lo1 correspondent Gordon Sencicle. We held a succe&%ful membets. day in Kenilworth. Warwickshire. on 13 September. Fifty memkTS joined us in exploring our land at Parliament Piece and saw th¢ Ire¢s planted in honour of the $Iety'S 160, , and the general secretary's 40, . anniversaries. In conjunction with the Museum for English Rurnl Life. we funded the digitisation of a survey by the National Federdtion of Women's Inslitul¢s. in the early 1990s, of village greens" this is a useful Te50urce which w¢ shall arrang¢ to hav¢ hosted online. We resFrf)nded to several national consultation papers, including the Law Commission's on compulsory purch&se, the Defra land-use framework. and the trees action plan. We issued 53 pre55 releases and published thr¢¢ ¢dilions of our magazine Open Spaee. Staffand members appeared at I¢ three times on the radio. and nine timeson lelevision. At the year's end we were looking forward to the launch of our new website. on which our operations and marketing tnanager. Sarah Hackin& and digital marketing and content manager, Abbie Cavendish, have worked incredibly hard. a5SiSted by freelance Laura Smith. Abbi¢ Cavendish continued her detsiled research with new audiences. increasing our influ¢n¢¢ and reach. and therefore our campaigning clout. On 31 December. membership stood at 2.428. a net gain of 22. This number is comprised of1,789 individuals, and 639 organisations and local authorities. We welcomed 235 new voting member5 and 25 members who had lapsed and rejoined. 19 members died during the year and a further 223 lapsed. We made Paul Johnson an honorary life memberon his retirement from Naturdl England where he had latteTly Sced as Ihe principal OLCer for statutory access. but had previously worked for the Countryside Agency and Countryside Commission, playing an outstanding part in lh¢ protli0n of MMons. greens, and public acctss for 40 years.
Our dedicated staff. Kate Ashbrook. Abbie Cavendish. Helen Clayton. Hugh craddk, Sarah Hackin& Frances Kerner. Lucy McKean. Helen Monger, Jenny Neagle, and Jess Tyler have had another busy year. We thank them warmly for their commitment and success in furthering Ihe work of the society. Financial review Financial operations In 2025. the society's income was split across rn¢mir subscriptions, donations (including legacie5), returns from our investments and fvndraising through appeals. Donations and legacies increased by £32.876 (including gift aid) and focused appeals generated £70,532 for which we are extremely grateful. This valuable support ¢nsur¢s that fure generations in IK)th rural and urban settings will enjoy access to commons. open spa¢es and paihs throughout England and Wales. Jncome exceeded that of 2024 and provided a reassuring coverage of our fixed costs. EXpendire throughout 2025 a total of £573.533 bro&lly in line with our 2024 administrative and charitable costs. Professional and extemal fees associated with delivering our new website and online service deliv¢ry are ongoing and will continue into 2026. This is a very exciting and important investment. During 2025. following tTUStee 2greemenl, our long-tem) investments were transferred frorn M&G Securities to JM Finn. This has increased the diver5ificalion of our rtfoliO in tenns of geography and asset class to balance risk, wilh a greater focus on Capital growth to creale unrestricted funds to support our charitabl¢ obje¢tiv¢s for decades to otne. The rnarket value of our long-temi inv¢stm¢nts at year end wer¢ £932.203. up from £777.350 at the saTne wint in 2024. Investment in¢om¢ (interest received) from our short, medium and long-terni inveslments was £54.705 down from £101,471 in 2024 bul reflecting slightly lower int¢Test rate availability and a switch of our long-temi investment strntegy as ab)ve. Our short and medium-terni funds ar¢ held on instant &e$S and fixed temi treasury deposits where the capital is guaranteed. Legacles recognised in 2025 Moird Ruth Bishop. George and MargaTet Gaffney. Alan G¢org¢ Gow¢r, John Stuart Northover, Margaret Ethel R(M)ker. We ar¢ grat¢ful for all legacies and donations. and your gift to the s(Kiety will help to ensuTe that futur¢ g¢nerations will enjoy commons. open spaces. and paths. in towns and countysid¢ through0 England and Wales. Please see our websi*: .uklwhal- infomation. ou-can-dolle for more Reserves policy The Open Spaces Society financial )sItIon at yearend total charity funds of£l.88m. Our resetves and financial commitments are reviewed quarterly and at year end to ensure thal we have the resources to Me both current and future year ca5hflows. Our work extends across multiple years and with unpredictable timing and outcomes. Our reserves policies help us to maintain committed resources and deliveT in full our charitable aims.
With recuing planned deficits. we continue lo hold a strategic reserve fund that provides for those cashflows up to four years ahead. Following approval of the 2026 budget we are reducing this reserve to £864k as one-off¢osts for the websile should complete within the year. The applications serve fund is increased slightly to £250k. Trusiee5 acknowledge this resetve is essential since ihe costs asslat with iaking applicaiions to completion are variabl¢ and ¢an run ov¢r a long period. We have reviewed our restricted and endowment funds whi¢h provide ongoing support for the society and are now able to deploy the Buxton Fund on our core ¢haritable aims and close this down in the accounts. A hug¢ thank you to the original donors of these funds. Our generdl fund remains stmng at £577k and reflects the financial capability we are building to meet our long-t¢rni goals. Conclusion Once again. this society has had an excellenl year of achi¢vemenl. Seizing on the opportunity presented by the consideration of th¢ Legislation (Procedure, Publication and Repeals) (Wales) Bill. we persuaded th¢ senedd to includ¢ the repeal of the 2026 Path Extinguishmeni Day in Wales. This saves countless unrword¢d and under- recorded rights of way in Wales. Our legal work has continued to show real value for open spaces and access. W¢ were delighted to iniervene in the supreme court to help gain the confirniation of backpack- amping righis on Dartmoor, and to take cases in the lower courts to prevent commons en¢roachm¢nt and path obstruction. Once again. we have seen the benefit of earlier proactive work io record over 1.200 hectaTes (over 3.IXIO acres) of common land giving rights of access to lh¢ public on foot, and in tnany places also on horseback. I thank our dedicated staff, increasing number of local ¢orrestx)ndents. and members. and all who have held in SUprt of the society and its activities in pursuit of ihese. nd other. successes. I commend thi5 report to our em[s. Signed Phil Wadey {chairn)an, on behalf of the trnstees)
Equallty, Inclusivity. and diverJity statement We shall seek to urkderstand. and where appropriate. reach out to those parts of society that are under-represented within our membership. staff. volunteers or trustees, and
tential members outside our existing network. We have an objective of learning from relevant groups when ext¢nding our r¢ach. Our vision is that everyone Can enjoy public th$ and open spaces through ihe exercise of their rights. We work to protect. incre&s4 ¢nhan¢¢ and champion the Common land, village green4 public patlL8. and ot*n spS in England and Wales, and the public's rights to enjoy them. We want to see a thriving and bealFUl Countrystde, cities, towns, and villages to which everyone has access and which all benefiL for their well-being and to rArticipate fully in th¢ enjoyment. ¢nhanc¢menL and protection of nature. We want these pla to be incI1ve and diverse for th0 who live there and those who visit
5 Soci Nufflber. stered Com dent Examinerfs Ae Theo to the Trustees of I report to the charity tWUStees on my examinaiion of the financKal statements of the COMpV for the year ended 31 December 2025 Set tyjt on pages nine to 51xleen. Respondbllltbes arA basts of r•)rt A5 the charitfs trustee5 of the company land its directors for the putposes of c¢)mpany lawl you are responsible for ihe Preparati( of the fifi•ncial 5taternents in accordan with the requirements of the Cornpanie5 Act 2(K61'the 2(K16 Act'l. Having satisfed mysdf that the finantial statements of the u)mpany are not required to be audited under Parr 16 of the 2(¥J6 Art and are el¥ible lor independent examination. I rep)rt in pect of my examination of your charit¢s financial staiements as cairied out under sertK)rt 145 of the Charities Art 2011 (the .2011 Act'l. In carrying out my e¥arnination I have fo1kn¥4Ed the DirectMs given by the Charity Commission under settion 14515llbl of the 2011 Act. Indtpendent exarninerf5 report Since the companls gross IncomÈexceeded E250.Cthy0urexamir must bea meMr01 a bth listed in section 145 of the ZOII kl. l ¢onfinn that l am Qualified to undertake the examiThation because l arn a memberof the knstitute of Chartered Accountsnt5 in England and wa5. whith is one rjf the listed Wies. I have ci)mpkned rny exarnination. I confirrn that no matters have come to my attention in connettion wlth the examination 8Nin8 me oiise to believe.. tountin# record5 wwe not kept respect of the mmpany as required by section 386 ot the ZCI)6 Act,. or the financial Statents do not accord with tlhjse accounting recgrds- the financial Statements do not compty wf(h the acctyJntin8 requirements ol section 396 of the 2CQ6 Aci other than any requirement that the finanoal statements 8T¥e a'irue and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent e¥amination.' or the finanaal statements have not been pparert in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended practKe for accounting and reporting by charities lapplicable to tharities eparing their financial statements in accordance with the Finanoal Reportin8 Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021. I have no ¢orKems and halt come across no other matter5 in connection with the exarnination to whKh attentvn sh¢)uld be drawn in this report in orderto enablea proper understanding of the financral statements to be ¥hed. 8FP ACA, CTA Nichola5 M Smith BFP. ACA. CTA Ilars Hayward LLP Chartered Accountsnts StatutoryAuditors Chartered Tax Advise Boston House Henley-on-Thame5 RG9 IDY Dale.. 16M ..2026 Page 8
Number. 07846516 tat ment of FS I Attt5 Income and E nditure Account Fof the Year Ended 31 Oectrnber 2025 Unrestrlcted Restrfcted Endowment (und5 fvnds ld% Total fund5 2025 Total funds 2024 Income and endowments Irom: Donat10115 linc. Gift "d) and legacies 155.440 155,440 122.564 Charitable aCtIe$ Subscriptions Appeuls 80.380 70,532 80.380 70.532 78,860 47,974 Other trading activitie5 Sole olpublicLTtions. Trusts. Royolties etc. 7.778 7,778 6.774 Investments 41.635 12.477 593 54,70S 101.471 Total 355.765 12.477 593 368.835 357,643 EJtpenditwe OTh: Raising fund5 Otherpublicotion5 costs Charitable activities Staff salaries ondreloted costs Premise5 costs Admintstrution costs L¢xolcorrespgndents Open 5poce ond website Othercosts Governunce costs 2.872 14.652 50.030 954 35,783 J12.855 25,0 37.913 328,785 14.652 $0.030 954 35.783 118.249 25.080 325.225 24,6% 44,451 6,394 22.528 129.083 11.2È10 5,394 io Totsl 530.226 43,307 573,533 564.385 GalnllL0551 on investment assets li 154.853 154,853 24,665 Net lexpend5turellinc(me 119.6081 130.8301 593 149,8451 1182,0771 Transfers between funds 13.071 112.4781 15931 16.537 143,3081 149.8451 1182.0771 Recondlllon dluNI>' Total funds brought forward L702.391 161.513 68,116 1.932.020 2.114.097 Total funds carried torward 1.695.854 118.205 68.116 1.882,175 1,932,020 Page 9
Number: 07846 Ststement ol Anandal P as at JI Oecember 2025 31.11 31.12.24 FIMed Asset% Tanglble lixed assets Investments 6.645 932,203 8.179 777.350 14 TottJlllxedossets 938W8 785.529 Current Assets.. Oebtors Short term der)sits ash at bank ènd In hand 27,986 754,726 195B92 39.568 892.595 250.025 16 Totolcurrent Ossets 978.604 L182,188 Llabllltle5: Credrtors.. 3mourtsfallingdue wf(hin one year 17 135,2771 135.6971 Nei curnentassets 943327 1.146,491 Totsl a¢ I82.17$ 1,932,020 Thef1$ of the charftr. UftreStrted funds.. Stroteglcreser¥efund Applicotions rueTh¢ J4ttRd Legol octsonfvnd Generollund Restrkted funds: Condyfvnd Cfeechjonesfvnd Endowmeni fvnds: 8uxtonfund 864.0 250.OCiI 29.445 577.146 918.385 216.OCKI 14.973 553,033 118.205 43.3 161.513 43,379 24,737 Total charfty 1.882.175 1.932.020 The charitable company 15 enthled tOeXempt from audlt uThler5e£Mn 477 ofthe Companès Act 20C6 forthe year ended 31 December 202S. The members have not requlred the chariiable compary lo obtsin an audit of it5 financial statemerts forthe yearended 31 Oecefflber 2025 in accordance with SeaioTh 476 of Companies kt 2CX)6. The trustees acknowledge their reSp(SIblIS1or. lal ensurlng that the charitable CoMnY keep5 accountin8 re£d5 wthich comth wlth Sections 386 arbd 387 of the Compan*s Act 21K)6 and Ibl pparIngn)ntlal statemeftts whrh gNe a true and faw vW of the state ot aftairs of the charitabk company as at ihe end of each financol year and of its surplu50rdefKit foreach finarKYal year In accordance with the reqUInnts of Serticms 394 and 395 and which otherwise compFtrY With the requirements ol the Companles Att 2[ relatinK to financial statements. 50far as appli(at4e to the charitable company. These linancial statements have been wepared in acCOrdae wtth the specol wovish)ns of Part 15 of the Companies Att 2ChJ6 relating to srnall charitae companies and wi(h the Financial Reportirq standard applirable In the united Kin8dom and RepublK of Ireland IFRS 102 These finan¢ial $tsternents wyre approved bythe 803rd TSteeS on 21 May. 2026 and were gned Dr P D Wadey- Chairman J iean-Treawrer P•8e 10
red Com Number: 07846516 finandal atMts Forthe Year Ended 31 em ACCOUNTING POUOES The principal accounting policies adopted. jud8ements and key sources of e5tirnation for uncertainty in the preparation of the h"nancial statements are as follovS'. lal 8asls of preparatlon The fjnancial statements ha been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their attounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applitable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021- Icharities SORP IFRS 10211. the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and RepublK Of Ireland IFRS 1021 and ihe Companie5 Act 2006. The Open Spaces Society meets the definition of a publbc benefit entbty under FRS 102. Assets and liabllltles are initialty recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accovnting policy noie(sl. Ibl Income reciwiltlon pollcles Items of income are recognise(l and included in the financial 5taternent5 when all of the following criteria are met: the charrty has entr(lementto the funds.. any performance conditions attached to the itemlsl of income have been met or are ful within the control of the charity,. there is sufficient certainty that receipt of the inconw 15 considered probable, and - the amount can be measured reliabfy. ielaaes For legacies. entitlement 15 taken a5 the earliest of= the date on which the charty is aware that probate has been grantèd.. the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executorlsl to the ¢h3rity that a distribution will be made- or - when a distribution is received from the estaie. ReIpt of a legacy, in whole Of in part. bs onty considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the tharrty has been notthed of the executor'5 intention to make a distribution. other Voluntary 6ntomè Voluntsry incoffle received by way ofsubscription. donations and appeals is Included in the financial staternents when receivable and the amount can be measured reliab by the charity- Oonated serytces The value of service5 provided by volunteers has not been induded in these financial statements. Interest recelvable Interest on funds held on deposit is included when reteivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity.. this is normal upon notrfication of the interest paid or payable by the bank. Icl Exp•ndltur• and IrYeco¥eralAe VAT Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constrnrtive obligation to make a payment ro a third party. it is probable that settlement wll be fequired and the amount of the obllation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classrfied under the following aciivtty headings: Expenditure on Charitable actiwties comprise those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its benefichiries. tt includes both c05t5 that can be allocated directly to svch activitie5 and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. G¢)vemance costs include those costs associated with the constitutional and statutory requirements of the tharity and incjude the independent examinerfs fees and cosis linked to the strate8ic management of the charity. Irrecovefable VAT 15 tharge(J as a cost against ihe attlty for which the expeNJtture was incurred. P4e 11
Re ered Com an Number: 07846516 Notes to the financSal statements For the Year 31 continued ACCOUNTING POUCIES Icontinued) Idl Flxed Assets Fixed assets lexcluding investments) are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is prgvided so as to write off the asset over fouryear5. Investments held 35 red a$5ets are revalued at mid-markw value at the balance sheet date and the gain OT Ioss taken to the Statement of Financial Activities. l•) Fund AccountlnB Genernl fvnd Thi5 15 an UnstrIcted fund wthich is to be invested for the benefit of the society but remains availaNe to the trustees to be used for the objects ol the 5ouety or for makin8 allocations to the Strategic Reserve fund. Strategic Reser¥e fund- This is an unrestrTrcted fund dwib*d from allocatN)ns from the General fvnd. It Trs the poliry of the trustees to keep 48 nTh)nths' reseNe in this fund. so that it should hold sufficient to cover the society's following 48 month5, net outgoing5. and to allow for an orderly closure of the society thereafter. should this become necessary. In line wtth thi5 policy. the fund sto¢)d at £864.} at 31 December 2025 This fund is to be invested for the benefrt of the society but remains available to the truslee5 to transfer back to the General fund In case of need. Appllo7tlons Reserye Fund-Thls Os an unrestricted fund derived from albcations from the General Fund. The funds within this reserve are to be used to set through to completion applications to register rights of way or common land where the application has been rnade in the name of the Society. Some applKatTrons are determined quickly and without Sbgnificant cost, but for some there may be many yeats between an application bein8 made and its conclusion. The Trustees con&def thai it is appropriate to hold a reserve for this purpose $0 that protratted applications can be supported. Creech Jonesfvnd - The income from this re51rirted fund may be used for the objects of the society that would not normal be met from the General fund. Candy fvnd Th is a restricted fund to be used onty for the Keneral charitsble purposes of the Open Spate5 Society. 11 is not to be used for administrative expenses. Buxtonfvnd- The income from this fund is tfansferred to the Socitty's General fund. t>ONATIOP4S IIIIC GIFT AID) AND LEGAaES 31.12.25 31.12.24 Legacies Donations Gift Aid excluding Gfft Aid on appeals 119.494 104,260 14.207 5,653 21.739 12.651 155.440 122.564 APPEAIS A140 GIFT AID Funds raised by appea15 over the year also generated related Income via Gift Aid. Appeal Donatlons Glft Ald on donatlons T¢)tal AUtUD 2023 appeal Autumn 2024 appeal Appeals transartions 12 33.349 29.197 12 2.708 5.266 36,057 34,463 62,558 7,974 70.532 INCOME FROM OTHER TRAOING ACllVITIES 31.12.25 31.12.24 Sale5 of publicatTron5 Special projects and trainin8 Trusts. royaleS. comrni55ion etc. 920 1,319 4,830 625 5,500 1.358 7,778 6.774 Pa8e 12
Theo istered Com n Number: 07 516 Notes to the finantia staternent5 Fw the Year Ended 31 ontinyed r 2025 INVESTMENT INCOME 31.12.25 31.12.24 Listed inve5twnents Cash investments 18,632 36.073 50.033 51,438 54.705 101,471 STAFF SALARIES 31.12.25 3LI2.24 Gross Salaries Employees National Insurance Contribution5 Employer Pension Contributions Recruitment Costs 289.032 24,129 14,445 1,179 288.691 22.958 13.052 524 328.785 325.225 Employees with emoluments èxceeding the Charity Commission reporting threshold of £60.]0.. Nil12024.. Nil) The average number of full-time equTrvalent employees in the year was six12024.' 5TrxI PREMISES COSTS 31.12.25 31.12.24 Rent 8,300 1,897 798 1.940 499 1.218 8,300 2.951 7.367 1,412 3.669 879 118 Light and Heat Repairs and Maintenance Cleaning Insurance Rates and Water Consumables 14,652 24,696 ADMINISTRATIOII COSTS 31.12.25 31.12.24 IT Costs Posta8e, Telephone and Stationery Travel and Subsistence Depreciation of Computerloffice eguiwent Printin8 and Phoiotopying Appeal Costs Villa8e 8reens di8ltisation Other Expenses Professional Indemnity Insurance 10.345 8.918 5,967 3,270 2.928 3,013 10,000 4.424 1,165 12.019 8,339 4,270 3.408 2,800 2,972 10,643 50.030 44.451 Page 13
Theo ces Sode NUM1. 07846516 Notes to the financial statements Trtln For the Year Ended JI Oefember 2025 OTHER COSTS 31,12.25 31.IZ.24 Legal Costs Marketin8 Commons Registration Projert Sub5criplion5 Donations and Grants Legacy mailin8 to the Law kniety Conferences èntl Training Books and Maps 47,2(K) 52,937 5.393 11.140 66,941 45,764 2.195 11.646 1,301 430 761 516 ss 45 118,249 129.083 io GOVERNANCE COSTS 31.12.25 31.12.24 Independeni examiner's fees-. Independent examinatton Itnc. underaccrual for prior year) Tax advis¢yy se5 Other financial services AGM and trustees other prOf510nd1 fees 6.449 439 9.097 4.682 4,413 6.213 438 3,163 1,426 25.080 11.240 li fjAINSIILOSSESI ON INVESTMENT ASSETS Unreali5ed 8ainl1105s1 on revaluatson of investments 154,853 24,665 12 ANALYSIS OF FUIIDS Openi balan¢e Net kncomel lexpendfturel Transle aoslne balance Unrestrkted fvnd5 Strategic reserve fund Applications reserve fund Le8al action fund General fund 918.385 216.(K)) 14.973 553,033 154,3851 34.000 864.0 250,0 29.445 577.146 14,472 134.080} 58.193 Restrlcted fvnds Candy fund 161.513 I3170) 111,4381 118,205 Endowmentfunds 8vxton fund Creech Jones fund 24.737 43.379 593 1.040 125.3301 11.0401 43.379 1.932.020 149.8451 1,882,17S During the yèar the truslee5 agreed that, in the best intets of the charity, and in accordance wlth the Charities Att 2022 ihe Buxlon fund be transferred from Endowment Funds into the General Fund. Page 14
5tered Number. 07846516 Not to the financial statements ntinued Forthe Year Ended 31 December 2025 13 TANGIBLE FIXEDASSE15 Office Computer èquipment equipment Total Cost At l January 2025 Addrtion5 Disposals 14,158 52,871 1,736 67,029 1,736 At 31 Decernber 2025 14,158 54,607 68,765 At l January 2025 Char8e for the year Oi4)osals 11,490 822 47,360 2.448 58,850 3.270 At 31 December 2025 12,312 49,808 62,120 Pletbook value at31 Decemkn2025 1.846 4.799 6.645 Net book volue ot31 December2024 2,668 5,511 8.179 14 INVESTMENTS 2025 2024 AT MARK VALUE I JANUARY Net investrnent gainslllossesl 777.350 154.853 752.685 24,665 AT MAAKETVALUE 31 DECEMBER 932,203 777,350 There were no investment assets outside the UK. The investments are h*kl primarity to provmle an investment return for the Charity. On 30 January 2025. follo agement among theTrustees the entire w)vestment portfolio was transferred from M&G Securitie5 to JM Finn. The historic C05t of the above investnts following the transfer is E842.501 12024.. £620,3491. 15 DE8TORS 2025 2024 Accrued income znd Gift aid 27.456 530 39.568 Prepayments 27.986 39,568 16 SHORT TERM OEPOSITS 31.12.25 31.12.24 Flagstone CAF Gold Atcount 590.957 163.769 885,571 7.024 7S4,726 892,595 Page 15
The Numb 784651 Notes to the financ" l slatements contlnued For the Year Ended 31 December 20Z5 17 CREDITORS: AMOUPUS FALLING DUE WtrHIN ONE YEAR 31.12.25 31.11.24 Trade eredilofs Accrvals Other tsxes and sooal security costs 8.894 19,206 7,177 19.558 8.314 725 35,277 35.697 18 PARUAMENT PIECE The society owns this land in Kenilworth which is leased. under 3 99-year lease. to Warwick District Council and managed localty. No vzlue has been plad on this land in these financial statements. 19 REMUNERATION OFTRUSTEES None of the trustees receNed any remuneration12024.. £nill. An aggregate of £47812024: £751 was reimbursed io the(2D24- hvol trustees for expenses incuired in relation to the society's actiwties. including attending meetin85 andlor acting as I31 correspondents. Page 16