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← Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

2024-12-31-accounts

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Report and Unaudited Accounts

For the year ended 31[st] December 2024

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity Registered charity number 1145477

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Charity Information

Trustees

Rebecca Willers (Chairperson) Sally Willers (Secretary) Colin Taylor (Treasurer) Jeanette Richards Mike Hunter Liz Dams Yvonne Morrin Liz Bennett Hannah Lintott (Resigned 4/12/2024) Tasha Ennew (Appointed 19/09/2024)

Independent Accountants

Curnow & Co Limited Brackenhurst Lee Ilfracombe EX34 8LW

Business address and contact details

c/o. Shepreth Wildlife Park Station Road Shepreth Royston Herts SG8 6PZ

Email: swcc@sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk

Registered Charity Number

1145477

Bankers

Lloyds TSB The Cross 2 Melbourn Street Royston Herts SG8 9AB

Governing Document

Constitution

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Reports and Accounts

Contents
Trustees Report 1-15
Statement of Trustees Responsibilities 16
Independent Examiner’s Report 17-18
Statement of Financial Activities 19
Balance sheet 20
Notes to the Accounts 21-24

SWCC Annual Report 2024

Report of the Trustees

During the Twelve year (2024) of operation the Charity, Trustees and volunteers have undertaken work falling within the following:

  1. Raising funds through various means to donate to other charities whose aims are consistent with the Charity’s own but have the local presence and expertise to achieve the Charity’s objectives.

  2. Management of the SWCC Hedgehog Hospital.

  3. Events successfully delivered: Easter Conservation Trail, Elephant Event, Clouded Leopard Event, Hedgehog Event, Lemur Event, Halloween Event, Annual Raffle, Santa’s Grotto, Christmas Hedgehog Ball.

  4. Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers to manage the hedgehog programme. 5. Educating the general public about conservation projects supported by SWCC and the work of the SWCC Hedgehog Hospital

Achievements and Performance

1. The Board of Trustees

The Charity has continued to raise funds for a variety of conservation causes in line with its aims and objectives.

2. Donations

The Charity raised and made donations of funding and equipment to:

3. SWCC Hedgehog Hospital

The Charity raised the funds required to keep the Hedgehog Hospital running efficiently. In the 2024 reporting period the hospital admitted 493 hedgehogs. The success of this reporting period is credit to the staffing team and volunteers who continue to work hard during to ensure that high standards of welfare were maintained throughout the year.

We would like to acknowledge Natasha Ennew and Kirstie Coddington for collating this data and producing this report on behalf of SWCC.

1

SWCC Hedgehog Hospital Data

Reporting Period 01.01.24 – 31.12.24

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Admission Post Code View
Series1
10
PE7 3
CB7 4
CB6 2
IP28 8
CB6 3
1
PE28 0 IP28 6
| CB
2…
IP29 5
PE19 6 a
SG
1…
SG CB21 4
8…
SG8 8 CB CB10 2 CO9 4
1…
P |
C
M…
Pn
Powered by Bing
© Open Places
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This the first year since 2011 that we have reported on a calendar year rather than a financial year. We can start to build a picture going forward on hedgehog seasonal trends within the year.

For the year 2024, 493 Hedgehogs were admitted to the Hospital for treatment. The above admission maps show a density view of where the hedgehogs were originally rescued from. High admission volumes are seen within certain pockets of Cambridge, Stevenage, Peterborough and Suffolk.

2

Release Views

----- Start of picture text -----
Release Reason % View
1%
1%
2%
12%
48%
36%
Unknown Release Death Euthansia DOA In Care Off Site
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Release Reason Count View
Unknown
Release 236
Death 179
Euthansia 60
DOA 6
In Care 10
Off Site
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The release percentage is 48%. This is an outstanding achievement and easily surpasses the expected study outcome from Molony et al (2007); that concludes only 30 to 40% of wildlife casualties are successfully released back into the wild.

There are two unknown exits this year. It is highly likely that this is a miss recording of an Id number and these can be removed from the data set. Accurate record keeping is instrumental in achieving this admission count picture. The Hospital Team have ensured that files are completed so that we can accurately audit the hedgehog journey from their admittance to their destination. Only ten hedgehogs are recorded as remaining in care from this reporting period.

Euthanasia’s again remain higher than earlier years, due to changes in protocols; this ensures that no disabled hedgehogs are placed in secure gardens inhibiting their natural instincts.

3

Admission Reasons

----- Start of picture text -----
Admission Reasons % View
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
9%
0%
3%
68%
Injured Out During the Day Underweight Unknown Orphan Other Attack Trapped DOA
Admission Reasons Count View
350 309
300
250
200
150
10050 25 14 2 42 35 9 19 1 15 0 0 3 19
0
InjuredOut During the DayUnderweightUnknown Orphan Other Attack Trapped Other - Disturbed…DOA WaterRemoved - Unsafe…Other - RingwormOther - Born into…
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‘Out during the day,’ like previous reporting years, is the main reason identified as to why hedgehogs are admitted to our care. This is followed by orphans. The Hospital Team educates the public via Facebook or Public Talks as to when is appropriate to intervene with nests that are assumed to have been abandoned or disturbed. This is to give the mother a chance to come back to nurse or move her young.

Trapped Hedgehog remain high this year, a trend we have seen increasing over the last couple of years. This would be a prudent topic to continue to educate the public on ‘dangers in your garden’ via their communication channels.

At the point when the Admission Form needs re-printing, we will be looking to introduce a ‘final diagnosis’ field to our files to see if we can analyse the real reason they were admitted. For instance, a hedgehog found out during the day may, under further examination, be injured which is not initially visible and this would alter their admittance reason. New admission reasons were added last year which breakdown the ‘other’ category. This is an ongoing process; we will shortly be adding breathing difficulties and tick burden as admission categories on the data set. We will also look at adding fields to quantify ecto-parasite burdens upon arrival, to analyse any patterns with a likely death outcome or identify successful parasite treatments.

Thank you to the Hospital Team for maintaining accurate record keeping.

4

What If?

If we deduct the hedgehogs we were never able to save like euthanasia’s, dead on arrival and those that pass within 48 hours of admittance (deemed unsavable as they are already in critical decline and would require critical care facilities), the total release percentage would increase from 48% to 60%.

The Unsavable

The table below show the numbers that have either passed or were released within 48 hours of arrival at the hospital. These have been deducted from the data set to produce the ‘What If’ view.

Death <2 38 Euthanasia <2 60 DOA 6 Release <2 2 Total 106 ~~—~~

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Exit Reasons What If View %
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
0%
1%
3%
36%
60%
In Care DOA Total Release Total Death Unknown exits
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In conjunction with the Hospital Manager and Vet, Elizabeth Bennett, we aim to review the deaths under 48 hrs to see if we can alter care plans and/or introduce new care plans. The Hospital core manuals are also under review.

5

----- Start of picture text -----
Gender Split Information
Gender Split Count
250
200
150
243 245
100
50
i 3 2
0
Male Female Not Sexed TBD
Gender split % View
1% 0%
50% 49%
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----- Start of picture text -----
Male Female Not Sexed TBD
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For the past couple of years, we have seen a gender admission gap trend towards more males being admitted into our care. For the year 2024 we are back to seeing admission genders almost equalised. Three hedgehogs remained unsexed; the need for them to receive emergency veterinary care supersedes the need to record the gender in this instance.

We are building a report to show many males and females have been released to understand if there is a pattern emerging from our survival perspective.

6

Admission Body Score Release % View

Hedgehogs with a body score of 3 and above are more likely to be released. Our highest death trends occur for hedgehogs with a body score of 2 and below.

Count Total by
BCS		 BCS Death Euthanasia DOA Release In
Care		 Release %
29 1 17 11 0 1 0 3.45%
246 2 128 22 6 86 4 34.95%
174 3 32 24 0 112 6 64.36%
39 4 1 3 0 35 0 89.74%
3 5 1 0 0 2 0 66.66%

The view below audits the number of days a hedgehog spends in our care, with the majority being less that 50 days. No hedgehogs have spent more than 250 days in care. Hedgehogs with ringworm tend to stay with us longer to clear the infection.

----- Start of picture text -----
Days in
Hospital
2024
>50 94
>100 12
>150 5
>200 3
>250 3
>300 0
>350 0
----- End of picture text -----

The following review examines the release weights of hedgehogs; weights are analysed alongside a body condition score. Notably, no hedgehogs were released with a Body Score of 5, indicating they were overweight. This demonstrates the Hospital Team's commitment to excellent governance by ensuring that overweight hedgehogs are not released.

Exit
Weight		 2024
>1000 50
>1100 3
>1200 17
>1300 1

7

Get Me Home

----- Start of picture text -----
Back Home
5%
38%
31%
13% 13%
> 1 2 3 4 5
Category Code Example
Home 1 Complete Post Code Match
Same Sub Postcode 2 i.e. CB21 to CB21
Same Main Postcode 3 i.e. CB to CB
Outside Main Postcode 4 i.e. CB to SG
== Incomplete Data 5 unable to define
The British Hedgehog Preservation Society conclude that hedgehogs build a mental map of their
home range to help better navigate their environment. Hedgehogs released from unknown sites
face larger competition for resources and a greater risk of road mortality. They may also spread
infectious diseases to new populations. Simply release a hedgehog where they will be most
content, within its original home range.
----- End of picture text -----

However, it is not always possible to release back home for several reasons:

The Hospital Team strive to get the hedgehogs back home as swiftly as possible. For whatever reason, where this is not possible or suitable, the nearest location to the home site is preferred.

This view represents the release picture by Post Code view, unfortunately this does not show actual distance. For instance, a hedgehog released outside of the main postcode area CB1 to SG8 may only be a few miles away and is still suitable.

The Hospital Team have continued to focus on postcode data capture at admission and release points. We only have 5% incomplete records vs 33% that we have reported in earlier years (2021-2022). Many of these files are hedgehogs that have arrived via vets or other rescues, and that information has not been captured by them or shared with us.

There is still an opportunity to reduce the number of hedgehogs released outside their area. It is noted this may not always be feasible due to release sites not being available or prepared at the same time the hedgehog is ready to be released.

8

Release Count View by Post Code

----- Start of picture text -----
Series1
9
CB6 1
CB7 4
PE28 5
PE28 3 1
CB6 3
PE28 0
CB
2…
ae IP29 5
PE19 6
Ks. |
MK SG19 3
4…
SG8 0 CB21 4
SG18 9
SG7
5 CB11 4
SG5 3 * -
34
Powered by Bing
© Open Places
----- End of picture text -----

The release map above illustrates the distribution density of released hedgehogs. Higher densities of releases are observed in specific areas of Cambridge, Stevenage, Peterborough, and Milton Keynes.

Antibiotic Usage

Antibiotic stewardship is a coordinated approach within all healthcare systems to promote and monitor the judicious use of antimicrobials to preserve their future effectiveness. It focuses on ensuring antibiotics are used appropriately, avoiding overuse and misuse, and preventing the development of antimicrobial resistance.

The following shows the guidance and rules set for Veterinary prescribing along with our compliance.

9

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Compliance

The table below illustrates our adherence to responsibilities regarding antibiotic usage.

Drug Name Administered Cate Administered Category
Synulox 40 C
Diatrim 19 D

12

Report of the Trustees (continued)

3.1 Staffing

SWCC employs a Hospital Manager and three part-time Welfare Assistants. Volunteers are continually recruited and trained to maintain the hospital on a seven-day/week basis.

Alongside Shepreth Wildlife Park, SWCC employs a Conservation Officer to co-ordinate the community engagement programme and help develop the longer-term conservation strategies.

3.2 Release Programme

At the time of reporting, 236 hedgehogs were successfully released back into the wild. We would like to thank the Hospital staff, volunteers and Release Site Co-ordinator for this tremendous success.

3.3 Hedgehog Scientific Advisory Board (HSAB - Research)

The SWCC Hedgehog Hospital has continued to support student research projects by offering its data for desk studies and assisting in research conducted at other institutions and in the field.

SWCC signed an MOU with Nature’s Safe to contribute towards the vital work they are doing with their wildlife BioBank, preserving cells and cell tissue from animals at risk of extinction. SWCC agreed to supply the Biobank with tissue samples from deceased hedgehogs.

3.4 Hedgehog Helpline

SWCC staff man a hedgehog helpline.

4. Website

The SWCC website (www.swccharity.org) continued to be updated.

5. Fundraising

The committee continued to meet virtually to discuss grant applications and upcoming fundraising events. Regular fundraising event days took place during the year.

The Christmas Hedgehog Ball hosted by Shepreth Wildlife Park raised £26,610.97 profit for the SWCC Hedgehog Hospital.

5.1 Grants

Grants were applied for and received from:

6. Media

The SWCC Hedgehog Hospital continued to receive good media coverage, and SWCC staff and volunteers maintain a successful social media presence.

The relationship with Eddy Temple-Morris, Virgin Radio DJ, continued with regular updates to listeners about the work of the charity live on his daily show.

13

7. Education

The Hedgehog Challenge badge, created by 1[st] Swavesey Rainbows after an inspirational trip to Shepreth Wildlife Park in 2022, raised £1298.20 for the SWCC Hedgehog Hospital in 2024.

SWCC updated it’s ‘Guide to Hedgehogs’ which was mass reproduced. 1,000’s of copies have continued to be distributed, in addition to the PDF download from the SWCC website: https://swccharity.org/guide-to-help-hedgehogs

The monthly awareness and conservation events, which ran on-site throughout 2024 to help highlight the work of SWCC and other conservation initiatives, took the form of invited speakers, workshops, and relevant educational games.

The promotional video of the history of the wildlife park and the work of the conservation charity and SWCC Hedgehog Hospital, continued to be screened to the 100,000 visitors to the wildlife park in 2024, to help promote conservation awareness.

8. Community

Community plays a significant role in what we do, from training volunteers, assisting students with the research element of the hedgehog programme, to advising people on how to make their garden wildlife friendly.

Our Conservation Officer and Volunteer Release-site Co-ordinator continue to work closely within the local community and with organised wildlife groups, to inspire and encourage citizen science programmes and enthuse young people to engage in wildlife and habitat restoration projects. Between them they also attended 38 pre-booked formal talks and events including school assembly talks, sustainability events, WI talks and uniform group events.

We would like to thank both Judith Large and Terri Page for their time spent on this community engagement.

9. Sustainability

SWCC worked with the Green Business Impact Scheme over several months to evaluate the energy use of both the SWCC Hedgehog Hospital and the programme, in order to reduce the charity carbon footprint. As a result of this work, the charity was able to secure a £15,000 government grant to be spend on 20x 450w solar panels and one 5kw battery, which were installed in 2024.

Report of the Trustees (Ends)

14

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Report of the Trustees (continued)

Financial Review

The financial accounts are set out on pages 19 - 24. The financial statement has been prepared implementing the Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting by Charities issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales (effective January 2019) and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective January 2015).

During the period the principal sources of funding were fundraising and donations.

The Statement of Financial Activities shows net income of £8,536 which added to the reserves brought forward of £58,551 make total reserves of £67,087 at the year end. The Restricted funds total £27,407 (Hedgehogs £25,456, Tigers £365, Red Panda £759, Lemur £766 and Elephant £61) which leaves free reserves of £39,680.

The Trustees are satisfied that these reserves are sufficient at the present time.

Plans for future years

The Charity expects to increase its fund-raising and obtain grants to pay for the hospitals running costs, employ staff and to allow it to continue to donate to other charities.

This report was approved by the board of Trustees on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2025 22nd May

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……………………..…………. Chair
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15

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

Charity Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including Statement of Financial Activities, for the financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the management committee should follow best practice and:

The trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

22nd May

This report was approved by the Board of Trustees on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2025

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…………………………………. Chair
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16

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Independent Examiner’s Report

Report of the Independent Examiner to the trustees on the Unaudited accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] December 2024

I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31[st] December 2024, which are set out on pages 19 to 24.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this period under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. The charity’s gross income did not exceed £500,000 although the charity’s trustees have requested that an independent examiners report is undertaken. I am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to an audit under Charities Commission law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s statement

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

17

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Independent Examiner’s Report (continued)

Independent Examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements:

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act;

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met; or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

…………………………….

P J Curnow FCCA

Curnow & Co Limited Chartered Certified Accounts Brackenhurst Lee Ilfracombe EX34 8LW

Date: 9[th] June 2025

18

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Charity Number: 1145477

Statement of Financial Activities

Year ended 31 December 2024

Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Restricted
Unrestricted
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
Funds
Hedgehogs
Tigers
Red Panda
Lemur
Clouded
Leopard
Elephant
Charity Ball
Shepreth
Wildlife
Park
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
Incoming Resources
Donations
29,351
4,397
365
487
643
2,628
525
Fundraising
2,092
2,968
111
222
233
48,713
Grants
35,358
3,000
Interest Received
332
31,775
42,723
365
487
754
5,850
758
48,713
-
Asset and Investment Sales
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total Incoming Resources
31,775
42,723
365
487
754
5,850
758
48,713
-
Resources Expended
Donations
5,918
1,200
Fundraising
Fundraising
1,912
Charity Ball Costs
22,102
Equipment
Hospital Costs
Hospital supplies
2,408
Veterinary
8,664
Hospital equipment
Waste Disposal
6,512
Repairs and maintenance
Administration
Staff wages
46,081
Staff pensions
2,077
Printing/Stationery/Advertising
Accountancy
715
Subscriptions
246
Bank Charges
8
Website
240
Insurance
1,745
Electricity
3,320
Telephone
884
Solar Panels
15,922
Sundry Expenses
2
Depreciation
Leasehold property
2,933
5,889
87,780
-
-
-
5,918
1,200
22,102
-
Asset and Investment Purchas
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Total Resources Expended
5,889
87,780
-
-
-
5,918
1,200
22,102
-
Net Income for the year
25,886
45,057
-
365
487
754
68
-
442
-
26,611
-
Transfers between funds
68
-
70,513
-
-
68
49,699
-
20,814
-
Total funds brought forward
13,862
-
-
272
12
-
503
23,088
20,814
Total funds carried forward
39,680
25,456
365
759
766
0
61
-
-		 Total
Total
Funds
Funds
Year ended
Period 1/4/23
31/12/2024
to 31/12/2023
£
£
38,396
25,181
54,339
5,542
38,358
11,277
332
369
131,425
42,369
-
-
131,425
42,369
7,118
2,472
1,912
5,373
22,102
-
-
1,989
2,408
2,647
8,664
4,260
-
-
6,512
-
-
63
46,081
32,346
2,077
444
-
-
715
684
246
192
8
5
240
195
1,745
1,016
3,320
3,385
884
499
15,922
2
144
2,933
2,933
122,889
58,647
-
-
122,889
58,647
8,536
16,278
-
-
-
58,551
74,829
67,087
58,551

19

Charity Number: 1145477

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Notes
Fixed Assets
Tangible Assets
(3)
Current Assets
Cash at Bank and in hand
Stock
Sundry Debtors
Prepayments
Creditors: Amounts due within one year
(4)
Net Current Assets
Total Assets less Current Liabilities
Creditors: Amounts due over one year
Net Assets
Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds: Hedgehogs
Tigers
Red Panda
Lemur
Clouded Leopard
Elephant
Charity Ball
Shepreth Wildlife Park
Total Funds
Balance Sheet a		 £
£
20,535
60,781
2,491
3,801
-
(20,521)
46,552
67,087
0
67,087
39,680
25,456
365
759
766
0
61
-
-
67,087
s at 31st December 2024
31/12/2024		 £
£
23,468
35,729
3,295
-
2,520
(6,461)
35,083
58,551
0
58,551
13,862
-
-
272
12
-
503
23,088
20,814
58,551
31/12/2023		 £
£
23,468
35,729
3,295
-
2,520
(6,461)
35,083
58,551
0
58,551
13,862
-
-
272
12
-
503
23,088
20,814
58,551
31/12/2023
58,551
0
58,551
13,862
-
-
272
12
-
503
23,088
20,814
58,551

20

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31[st] December 2024

1. Accounting policies Basis of preparation of accounts

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standards for Smaller Entities (FRSSE), effective April 2008, and all other applicable standards, as modified by the Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting issued by the Charity Commissioners for England & Wales, effective October 2005. The accounts have been drawn up in accordance with the provisions of the Charities Act and the Companies Act.

The company has also taken advantage of the exemption in Financial Reporting Standard No. 1 from the requirement to produce a cash flow statement.

The Charity is entirely dependent on donations, fundraising and grants as a consequence the going concern basis is also dependent on the continuation of donations, fundraising and grants.

The particular accounting policies adopted are set out below.

Accounting convention

The financial statements are prepared, on a going concern basis, under the historical cost convention as modified by the revaluation of freehold land and buildings and fixed asset investments.

Incoming Resources

Incoming resources are accounted for on a receivable basis deferred as described below where appropriate. Grants are all included in voluntary income on the SOFA.

Recognition of liabilities

Liabilities are recognised on the accruals basis in accordance with normal accounting principles, modified where necessary in accordance with the guidance given in the Statement of Recommended Practice for Accounting and Reporting issued by the Charity Commissioners for England & Wales.

21

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31[st] December 2024 (Continued)

Resources Expended

As specified by SORP (2005), adopted during the year, resources expended includes all expenditure directly related to the objects of the charity and comprises the following:-

Costs of generating voluntary income

The cost of generating voluntary income comprises of an appropriate share of support costs associated with attracting and administering grants and donations received by the charity.

Fundraising Costs

Fundraising costs comprise of goods and services obtained specifically for fund raising activities and events, and an appropriate share of the support costs.

Governance Costs

Governance costs represent expenditure incurred in the general running of the charity and expenses incurred for compliance with charitable and statutory requirements, as well as an appropriate share of support costs.

Fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation.

Depreciation has been provided at the following rates in order to write off the assets (less their expected residual value) over their estimated useful economic lives.

A regular review of the likelihood of asset impairment is undertaken.

Fixtures, Fittings and Equipment 25% straight line Leasehold Property Over 20 years

Taxation

As a registered charity, it is exempt from income and corporation tax to the extent that its income and gains are applicable to charitable purposes only. Value Added Tax is not recoverable by the charity, and is therefore included in the relevant costs in the Statement of Financial Activities.

22

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31[st] December 2024 (Continued)

Funds structure policy

The charity maintains a general unrestricted fund which represents funds which are expendable at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objects of the charity. Such funds may be held in order to finance both working capital and capital investment.

Restricted funds have been provided to the charity for particular purposes, and it is the policy of the board of trustees to carefully monitor the application of those funds in accordance with the restrictions placed upon them.

There is no formal policy on the allocation of funds to designated funds.

There is no formal policy of transfer between funds. Any proposed transfer between funds would be considered in the particular circumstances.

2.

Winding up or dissolution of the charity

If upon winding up or dissolution of the charity there remains any assets the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities the assets represented by the reserves shall be transferred to some other charitable body or bodies having similar objects to the charity.

3. Tangible Fixed Assets

Cost at 1stJanuary 2024
At 31stDecember 2024
Depreciation at 1stJanuary 2024
Charge for the year
At 31stDecember 2024
Net Book Value
At 31stDecember 2024
At 31stDecember 2023		 Leasehold
Fixtures
Total
Property
& Fittings
61,970
58,664
3,306
61,970
58,664
3,306
38,502
35,196
3,306
2,933
2,933
Nil
41,435
38,129
3,306
20,535
20,535
Nil
23,468
23,468
Nil

4. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

Sundry Creditors and Accruals 2024
£
20,521
20,521		 2023
£
6,461
6,461

23

Shepreth Wildlife Conservation Charity

Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31[st] December 2024 (Continued)

5. Leasing commitments

The charity has a 20 year lease from the Wildlife Park ending in 2033. The £100 per annum rent has been waived to date.

6. Staff numbers

The average number of employees during the period under review was 4 (2023 – 4).

7. Waste Disposal

Waste Disposal cost of £6,512 covers 2 years (2024 and the previous year).

8. Restricted Funds

Charity Ball - This was a special event to raise monies for the Hedgehog Hospital and the profit from this years’ event and the one held in November 2022 totalling £49,699 to be transferred to Restricted Fund Hedgehogs, as agreed by the Trustees.

Shepreth Wildlife Park – This fund arose due to a donation from a marathon run event and the donor wishes this to be used for the hedgehog hospital costs.

9. Clouded Leopard

“Krokodille Zoo” of Denmark granted £3,000 to be donated to the Clouded Leopard Working Group. This donation is on top of the £2,918 donation noted in the Annual Report.