## Trustees’ Annual Report 2023 Reference and administrative details 

_**Charity name:**_ Woodcraft Folk _**Charity number:**_ 1148195 and in Scotland SC039791 _**Company registration:**_ 8133727 _**Registered Office:**_ Holyoake House, Hanover Street, Manchester, M60 0AS 

## **General Council (Trustees & Directors) for the period:** 

Agnes Taylor (Chair) Sapna Agarwal (Chair of Staffing until 30th September 2023) Stuart Walker (from 1st October 2023 & Lead Staffing Trustee from 18th November 2023) Roland Susman (Treasurer) Nadia Asri (Lead Safeguarding Trustee) Edmund Moriarty  (Lead Health & Safety Trustee) Jeni Dixon (Lead Membership Trustee until 30th September 2023) Thomas Boxall (Lead Membership Trustee) Zacharia Asri (Joint Lead Sites & Centres Trustee) Tamsin Pearce (Joint Lead Sites & Centres Trustee until 30th September 2023) Joseph Bailey (from 1st October 2023 & joint Lead Sites & Centres Trustee from 18th November 2023) Eedie Baker-Thompson Emma Britton-Voss Huw Hickman (Welsh rep) Tom Brooks Ray Maynard-Vesely (until 17th June 2023 ) Delilah Wallbank (until 30th September 2023) Jack Brown (until 30th September 2023) Jeremy Hudson (until 30th September 2023) Eliza Jones (from 1st October 2023) Esmerelda Thompson (from 1st October 2023) Niamh Steyaert-Hernon (from 1st October 2023) Paul Nolan-Paley (from 1st October 2023) Tyler Eckersall (from 1st October 2023) 

## **Individuals who serve(d) as a trustee for the charity in holding the title to property belonging to the charity** 

Andrew Bibby Ian Millward Jess Cawley John Slater John Keyworth Julie Thorpe 

## **Company Secretary** 

Deborah McCahon, Chief Executive Officer 

Auditors: Buzzacott LLP, 130 Wood Street, London ECV 6DL Bankers:  Unity Trust Bank plc, Planetary Road, Willenhall, WV1 9DG The Co-operative Bank plc, 60/62 Pinstone Street, Sheffield, S1 2HP 

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## Contents 

1. Charitable objects and key messages 

2. Chair’s introduction 

3. CEO overview 

4. Impact & public benefit 

5. Increasing and widening participation 

6. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 

7. Decarbonisation & climate resilience 

8. Future plans 

9. Financial review 

- 10.Structure, governance and management 

11. Auditor’s Opinion 

12. Financial Statements 

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## Charitable objects 

The charitable objects of Woodcraft Folk are the advancement of education and the empowerment of children and young people for the public benefit by: 

- encouraging children and young people to participate in society, improving their lives and others through active citizenship; and 

- promoting the interests and welfare of children and young people. 

## Key messages 

## **We are Woodcraft Folk and...** 

## **… we change the world.** 

We support our members to celebrate and question the world around them. We enable them to bring about the changes that they want in order to create a more equal and caring world. 

## **… we are youth led.** 

We support young people to participate, take the lead, and make decisions about their programme and how the organisation is run. We empower them to become active citizens locally and globally. 

## **… we welcome everyone.** 

Our groups, events, centres and volunteer roles are open to all. We do our best to remove any barriers to participation. 

## **… we are co-operative.** 

We practice co-operation and teamwork through all of our activities. 

## **… we understand and respect our one world.** 

We think it’s important to learn about our environment and how we can take better care of it. We develop international understanding and friendship through our activities and exchanges. 

## **… we’ve been running since 1925 and we’re still going strong!** 

We’ve changed over the past century but draw on our heritage and what we’ve learnt as we move forward. 

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## Chair’s introduction 

Woodcraft Folk is fast approaching its centenary, and if you have been following our social media and newsletter, you will have seen the huge amount of work by staff and volunteers already going towards Camp 100, our special edition of the cooperative journal and many other exciting celebrations coming up in 2025. 

It is important however for me to use this space to reflect on 2023, and share our organisational journey over this time. 

What makes Woodcraft Folk special is our commitment to value-led education for social change. We are seeking to build in an inclusive movement that celebrates, empowers and amplifies young people’s voices. 

In our Annual General Meeting last August, a group of Venturers brought forward a climate change motion, calling Woodcraft Folk to become net zero by 2030. We saw a lively debate, with support and challenge heard from our Elfins to our District Fellows. The motion passed, demonstrating Woodcraft Folk’s commitment to nature and the environment, and our young people’s awareness of our social responsibility. This work is being supported going forward by our Decarbonisation Working Group, and we are proud to be leaders within the youth sector around the climate. 

The Trustee Board consistently uses the good governance code to assess our work and last year we also launched a new stream of work in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). This work is headed up by an EDI working group made up of staff, trustees and volunteers, who are currently working with a consultant to assess and review Woodcraft’s current practice in terms of accessibility and inclusivity. This work is essential to force us to look critically at our practice and to make tangible steps towards truly living our values, and achieving our strategic aims of widening participation. 

Woodcraft Folk as a youth organisation does not exist in a vacuum and works hard to respond to the current social and political climate through our value-led work - including equality and inclusion, international friendship and peace. In October 2023 we saw an escalation of mass violence and genocide against Palestinian people that has continued well into 2024. Woodcraft Folk members, groups and districts have called out these atrocities and worked hard to put international solidarity into action through attending demos and marches calling for a ceasefire and through running educational sessions on peacebuilding. 

We are an organisation that works to respect and defend the rights of all children and young people and I am so proud of all our children, young people and volunteers who are consistently standing up for what is right and demonstrating their courage. It is these actions that bring me hope and inspire me and it is our youngest members that I see the future of tomorrow. 

You will read throughout this report of the huge impact that Woodcraft Folk is having across the country and I would like to thank our staff, volunteers for all their hard work in making this happen. I want to thank our children and young people for keeping us radical and enacting our values. 

Blue Skies, 

Aggie 

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## CEO overview 

I’ll start my overview with a **big thank you** - to all of our volunteers: camp organisers, fundraisers, centre wardens, District treasurers, group leaders and all those who have enabled children and young people to have positive Woodcraft Folk experiences. Bringing enjoyment, equipping and empowering children and young people is what the charity is all about! 

Throughout this report you will read the impact of the collaborative effort of volunteers and staff, as they engage more children and young people in Woodcraft Folk activities. For now just a few highlights: 

- New groups in all Woodcraft Folk regions, engaging new communities across the UK: Sheffield Derwent Woodchips, Wray Valley Elfins , Old Trafford Woodcraft Folk, Leeds DFs, Bath Elfins, Banbury Venturers, Llanfechain Woodcraft Folk, Hastings Woodchips, Hasting Elfins and Pioneers, Chesterfield Pioneers, Cherry Woodchips (New Earswick, York), Thanet Pioneers, Stirling DFs, Wivenhoe Woodchips and Birmingham South Woodchips 

- Venturer Camp (week long residential for 13-17 year olds took place at Biblins Youth Campsite in August 2023) welcoming more young people than the previous event in 2019 

- Our international project work with the International Falcon Movement, which saw Woodcraft Folk young members engage in anti-racism and youth leadership activities 

- Green Influencers, in its final year, engaged 243 young people in green social action and environmental education 

- 2023 saw the end of Woodcraft Folk’s engagement in the European Solidarity Corps after hosting our last pair of volunteers supporting both Biblins and Cudham 

- Increased levels of activity for those young people who do not attend local groups with the launch of the remote members scheme and the continuation of Camps for All 

2023 has also seen unprecedented levels of marketing and recruitment at a national and local level, which included our first ever centre volunteer campaign. The investment in recruitment has been supported by a generous legacy, and will very much help as Woodcraft Folk seeks to rebuild engagement levels and group numbers following a decline experienced during the COVID years. 

2024 will see the organisation prepare for its centenary in 2025 and the next large scale camp - Camp100. The focus for the staff team will continue to be: 

1. Making it easier to volunteer, removing the barriers and burdens 

2. Increasing and widening participation of children and young people 

3. Environmental sustainability 

4. Financial sustainability 

And finally a **big thank you** to those: 

- Staff who left the organisation; especially Jo Holiday after 5 years at Lockerbrook, Andy Worster after a busy year reopening Height Gate, Elaine 

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Brown after nearly 3 years delivering the Green Influencers project, Grace Sharod & Natalie Braunton from the membership team who provided maternity cover for Leanne Powell and Hannah Mook who stepped into the breach at Height Gate. 

- Trustees who stood down from the Board: Delilah Wallbanks (2021-2023), Jack Brown (2022-2023), Jeni Dixon (2019-2023), Jeremy Hudson (20192023), Ray Maynard-Vesely (2022-2023), Sapna Agarwal (2017-2023), Tamsin Pearce (2019-2023) 

Debs McCahon Chief Executive debs@woodcraft.org.uk 

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## Impact & public benefit 

## Group activity 

The following describes, in summary, just some of the wide range of activities local Woodcraft Folk groups and volunteers have been involved in during 2023: 

- On the 6 January Woodcraft Folk’s Development Officer Lauren Karstadt, a volunteer and two young people from Waltham Abbey and Harlow District attended the Annual Science Education Conference in Sheffield that was held at Sheffield Hallam University. Attending the conference was a great opportunity to start conversations with students,teachers, lecturers and education specialists about climate education, climate literacy and how individuals, groups and institutions can make change in society and in education.Young members Fred and Tom Bailey helped to run the stall in the school’s exhibition hall and engaged a lot of different people in the climate action game of ‘How Bad are Bananas’ and shared their own experiences of being part of the climate change ‘All Change’ project. 

- Hounslow & Twickenham pioneers won an environmental project competition about encouraging bin use, and won £1,300 

- Chanctonbury Ring District raised £1,330 on Just Giving to fund a visit by their young members to Mitoto to experience life in a small Kenyan village, volunteer within the local school and help support the Mitoto Woodcraft Folk Group 

- In March Glossop Elfins ran a session inspired by the Right to Roam movement. The group started by making DIY compasses. They looked at maps, and learnt about the Land Enclosure Act and how local, brave ordinary people challenged it and won through the Kinder Trespass. The group then played a game which explored the Act and how, by working collectively we can reclaim access to public spaces which are becoming increasingly fenced off. 

- Glasgow East End took part in the Alexandra Park food forest group’s tree care day where they helping with mulching, pruning and willow planting 

- Woodcraft Folk’s Chair of General Council Aggie Taylor joined children and young people, MPs and peers, trade unions, doctors and other civil society leaders handing in a letter to parliament at 10 Downing Street demanding universal free school meals across the UK. Over 90,000 people have signed the letter including Woodcraft Folk’s CEO Debs McCahon 

- In September Newham Woodcraft Folk again supported action to Stop the Arms Fair. Every two years the Excel Exhibition Centre in London hosts DSEI which is Europe’s biggest arms fair. Leaders, governments and military experts from around the world come to East London to buy weaponry from electric batons to ballistic missiles. To show their passion for a peaceful future, Newham district attended the march outside the event and provided tea, snacks and refreshments to those protesting against the arms fair and war. 

- Woodcraft Folk members from Highgate and Holloway and Camden joined the Peace Pledge Union Alternate Remembrance Day ceremony in Tavistock Square, London and laid the wreaths made by their groups as part of the ceremony. Many groups also downloaded a peace activity pack created by Woodcraft Folk and Peace Pledge Union that encouraged groups to take part in activities around peace and white poppies 

- Local groups took part in Woodcraft Folk’s annual membership badge 

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competition. This year the theme was ‘unity’. Entrants were asked to base designs on pictures and words that share young people’s vision of coming together in unity and solidarity.There were 238 votes in total and the charity is pleased to announce the competition winner Sophia, aged 9 from the Watford local group. 

- Kennington, Waltham Abbey, New Barnet have taken part in penpal activities in 2023, Elfins have shared postcards between groups and written back. 

- Clapham Elfins welcomed Max from IFM-SEI office for a night of dancing and games. 

- Bristol Woodcraft Folk group had 5k of camping equipment stolen and set up a fundraiser for £3,000 to recoup funds so that their young members could go on camping trips and get close to nature. Local businesses and figures also supported the campaign including Bristol Mayor and outdoor shop Elis Bringham. 

- Glasgow Southside took part in the Govanhill carnival parade promoting an anti-racist message, and Kelvingrove hosting a pea fair at The Pyramid open to others. 

- Sessions delivered by children included global gender inequalities, a ceilidh, and a wealth distribution game all designed and led by Leith Venturers. 

- Kelvingrove Venturers organised a food drive where they collected food and money to donate to a local food bank. They also did a cake sale to increase funds donated. The food and money was taken to the G20 youth group's food bank. They liked the idea of passing stuff onto another youth organisation. 

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance set out in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. 

## New groups 

16 New groups were established in 2023, including: 

- Bromley Woodchips 

- Sheffield Derwent Woodchips 

- Wray Valley Elfins 

- Old Trafford Woodcraft Folk 

- Leeds DFs 

- Bath Elfins 

- Banbury Venturers 

- Llanfechain Woodcraft Folk 

- Hastings Woodchips 

- Hasting Elfins and Pioneers 

- Chesterfield Pioneers 

- Cherry Woodchips 

- Thanet Pioneers 

- Stirling DFs 

- Wivenhoe Woodchips 

- Birmingham South Woodchips 

The Membership Team offered the following support to new groups in 2023: 

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- New Groups Fireside Chats 

- Implemented the new groups forum 

- Launched the new group's telephone surgery 

- Updated the website making it easier to manage and respond to enquiries 

The online New Groups forum was set up on the Guild.com platform. We created an online discussion space for volunteers to share their experiences, ask questions and receive help from staff and peer to peer support from fellow volunteers. So far the forum has attracted over 20 members and continues to grow with more development planned in 2024. 

Along with the new groups forum we also launched a new groups telephone surgery. It’s an online calendar that allows volunteers to book a call with the membership team to discuss the possibility of starting a group, ask questions about the process or an opportunity to brainstorm ideas. 

We hosted two new groups fireside chats in 2023. The sessions were well attended. In total we had 14 participants attend from across the country all at different points in their new group journey. Each of the sessions were dedicated to plus an opportunity for questions. The new groups fireside chats have been a great addition to our programme calendar and plan to host a further 4 in 2024. 

All of these tools were introduced to improve communication between us and our new groups. Providing more opportunity to respond to queries, signpost to relevant events & training and create a space for peer to peer support. Volunteers expressed they have felt more supported during their new group's process. 

_We're holding a weekly group night with 10-12 Pioneers, and have been since September. Everything is going well, we feel supported and we're looking at some ways to fundraise for camping equipment for the spring/summer. Thanet Pioneers, Thanet District_ 

_The Fairwood Pioneers meet every other Thursday evening and we have 10 members. So far, everything is working well, we are at risk of reaching capacity quite soon and have contacted the membership team for support with this. Chesterfield Pioneers, Derbyshire District_ 

## Access to all of  these new tools can be found on our website. 

## Venturer camp 

From 5-12th August, 299 young people aged 13-17 years, spent a week embracing youth organisation Woodcraft Folk’s values at Venturer Camp. The camp was hosted at Woodcraft Folk’s Biblin’s Youth Campsite, located in the beautiful Wye Valley. The idyllic venue with lack of phone signal meant young attendees could fully switch off for the week; disconnecting from the digital world to enjoy getting back to basics such as exploring the outdoors, taking part in workshops, making friends and getting close to nature. 

This was no ordinary camp, the event had been organised by young people, for young people. Young members of the charity took on numerous roles such as coordinators, running workshops on topics such as the arts and climate action, organising the week’s food for campers and leading on logistical planning. It’s no 

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mean feat organising a camp for hundreds of people and where many adults would feel overwhelmed, the young people took it in their stride whilst learning valuable skills along the way that will serve them well in employment and their personal lives. 

Camp Co-ordinator, Thomas Boxall said: 

“Being a volunteer at Venturer Camp felt like a very important part of my journey as a DF. Being a young leader, facilitating something good for other young people. It made me more confident to continue to take on roles of responsibility for the DF Movement” 

There was a diverse programme on offer with plenty of engaging events to get stuck into including bushcraft, clothes dyeing, rock climbing, canoeing, storytelling and art therapy. An activism focused tent hosted topical workshops such as a climate focused one hosted by Ellie Chows, Group Leader of the Green Party and local author Alan Oberman led a session on climate activism and creative writing. 

Woodcraft Folk at its heart is a cooperative movement with a big advocate for peace. In honour of the 90th anniversary of the white poppy by the Co-operative Women’s Guild, a session was hosted at camp in the lead up to Remembrance Day where young campers could create their own white poppy wreath as well as learn about the roots of the white poppy in the cooperative movement. 

## Remote membership activity 

Building on Woodcraft Folk online and #DreamBigAtHome activity delivered during COVID, 2023 saw the launch of a remote membership pilot. Young people who are unable to attend a local volunteer led group: 

- Signed up and received a welcome pack 

- Regular programme newsletters 

- Invited to attend Camps for All events, and where appropriate Venturer Camp 

The following comment came from a parent of a Camps for All participant: 

_“He came home peaceful, inspired and refreshed. It was absolutely lovely to see! He would love to join another camp in the future!”_ 

In total, 4 Camps for All events were facilitated in 2023, one at each Woodcraft Folk centre, engaging 80 young people. 

- 21% of Camps for All participants described themselves as a person of colour 

- 16% of Camps for All participants described themselves as having additional support needs 

- 6% of Camps for All participants described themselves as young carers 

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## Centres activity 

Activity at Woodcraft Folk centres exceeded 2019 occupancy levels: 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
2019 2022 2023<br>Biblins Youth Campsite 20,227 17,971 21,457<br>Cudham Environmental Activities Centre 2,866 1,460 3,619<br>Height Gate Camping Barn 800 813 2,271<br>Lockerbrook Farm Outdoor Activities  4,771 5,052 3,781<br>Centre<br>Total 28,664 25,296 31,128<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


2023 started with renovation work at Cudham, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund. The building work has seen the bed capacity increase, improved heating controls and the introduction of additional showers and toilets. 

During 2023, the centres team benefited from some DCMS funding from the UK Youth’s Adventures Away from Home programme. The funding, designed to target disadvantaged children and young people, enabled Woodcraft Folk to host a number of residential and day adventures with Woodcraft Folk groups and partner organisations. We worked with CASPA for the first time, giving the neurodiverse young people they support a stay at Cudham and engage in a wide variety of environmental activities. 

- 31% of Adventures Away from Home described themselves as having a disability 

- 35% of Adventures Away from Home participants described themselves as neurodiverse 

- 8% of Adventures Away from Home participants described themselves as experiencing the care system 

Woodcraft Folk centres also host residentials and outdoor adventures for schools and other youth groups, the following two quotes sum up the impact of time outside the classroom. 

_Ronald Ross Primary School teacher following their first residential at Cudham: ”Since our visit, the class seems more cohesive, individual children with behavioural issues seem more settled and children who have previously been rather marginalised are more included.”_ 

_An 8 year old pupil from the same school wrote “I really enjoyed it because. I’m going to be honest, I don’t usually stay outside that much. When I come back from school I’m really tired and exhausted. After lunch, I stare at my tablet watching for hours and hours, but Cudham has made me realise being inside on my tablet all day is not very healthy and not very fun. After experiencing this trip I now know that being in the forest and the sunshine, running around and having fun, is way better than being on a tablet all day.”_ 

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Feedback forms have highlighted the following positive outcomes for children following a visit to the centres: 

- 93% strongly agreed that children had fun visiting the centre and had opportunities to try new things, with a further 7% agreeing 

- 71% strongly agreed children left with improved confidence and selfesteem, with a further 29% agreeing 

- 79% strongly agreed children achieved a sense of belonging and improved friendship, with a further 21% agreeing 

- 43% strongly agreed that children experienced improved mental health following their visit to the centre, with a further 57% agreeing 

- 43% strongly agreed that children were more active following their visit, with a further 57% agreeing 

- 57% strongly agreed that children learnt new skills, with a further 29% agreeing 

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## Project activity Green Influencers 

The final year of a 3 year programme to support young people to engage in youth led green social action. The project benefited from funding from the Ernest Cook Trust and other sources. 

Throughout the year the Green Mentor worked with small group of young people to deliver a wide range of activities including: 

- Building a community garden 

- Science Week activities at Coop Academy Beckfield: planting fruit trees and making bird & bat boxes 

- Training for teachers,  supporting them to explore how they can do more climate and outdoor education activities 

- Environmental Activities Day at Leeds City Farm 

- Holiday Activities Programme activities with young refugees with Hyde Park Source, facilitating fire lighting, healthy eating, outdoor campfire cooking and making bird boxes 

Elaine Brown, Green Mentor, reflected on the HAF activities by noting that: 

_“young people had a safe outdoor space to play, where they didn’t feel frightened or have to be quiet but can be loud and free. They made new friends, learned new skills, were valued, cared for and accepted just as they are. The project gave them the skills and a place somewhere to cook outside and make lunch for themselves and their friends. It was also a space for their mums to be around new people and feel cared for and less alone.”_ 

The Green Influencers Programme successfully engaged a broad range of young people, demographic monitoring suggests that: 

- 43% of participants described themselves as a person of colour 

- 98% of participants described themselves as coming from a low income background/entitled to free school meals 

- 77% of Green Influencers participants live in the top 10% of most deprived communities 

## Everyone’s Environment 

As part of a network of 50 voluntary organisations, Woodcraft Folk supported research into young people’s views for what action is required to address the climate emergency. Over 100 young people were engaged, both Woodcraft Folk and non-Woodcraft Folk members, who said they had all felt eco anxiety and wanted a greater level of action to protect nature and the environment. 

Woodcraft Folk worked in partnership with The Kite Trust and Coop Academy Trust to ensure diverse voices influenced the report, including people of colour (28% of participants and gender diversity (22% identified as a gender different to the one they were assigned at birth). In addition: 

- 41% of NPC participants described themselves as neurodiverse 

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- 33% of NPC participants described themselves as living in poverty or in receipt of Free School Meals 

## HAF @ Cudham 

Working with Bromley Children & Families Voluntary Sector Forum, Woodcraft Folk staff and volunteers deliver activities during the Easter holidays. Activities include: 

- Bushcraft & campfire cooking 

- Arts & craft 

- Drama 

- Co-operative games & team challenges 

18 children participated in the holiday activities, 100% of whom were in receipt of free school meals. 

## Peer Action Collective 

At the end of 2023, Woodcraft Folk were engaged by the Co-operative Group, Young Foundation and Youth Endowment Fund to support local Peer Action Collective initiatives to adopt co-operative approaches in their social projects. 

Young leaders attended the launch residential, delivering an introductory session to co-operative values to nearly 100 young people. 

Eliza, aged 21 said of the launch event: 

_“It was inspiring to meet young people…The atmosphere was electric, filled with powerful opinions and plans!_ 

Throughout 2024 and 2025 Woodcraft Folk will be supporting 15 peer educators to deliver co-operative values education to local Peer Action Collective delivery partners in Exeter, Bristol, Hull, Bradford, Cardiff, Preston, Blackburn, Tottenham and Birmingham. 

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## International activity EmPACT 

An international project looking at the impact of COVID lockdowns, youth leadership and good practice in online youth work. The project saw young people engage in: 

- A youth leadership residential at Height Gate in March for 10 young people, which involved mental health & physical first aid 

- Research to explore the impact of COVID lockdown, targeting young members from Brighton and London - 60% of whom reported that they felt very or overwhelmingly lonely during lockdown, 84% said that they had been worried about their friends when they returned to face to face activities 

- A seminar in Zimbabwe with representatives from Peru, Palestine, Norway, Austria, attended by three Woodcraft Folk members 

## Choosing Anti-Racism 

A year-long project to develop an Anti-Racism education toolkit, which saw Woodcraft Folk young members attend and facilitate sessions at seminars in Finland, Brussels and Malaga. 

_“Choosing to attend the Anti-racism project held in Finland was an incredibly valuable experience for me. Meeting and bonding with the other young people from around the world was so amazing and unique. Anti racism was something I was already incredibly passionate about so to see other young people eager to affect change in our respective organisations/communities was empowering.” Sadie aged 18 years._ 

## ESC 

The year started saying goodbye to Eva, who had been on placement for 12 months supporting Woodcraft Folk’s communication. 

In April 2023, Woodcraft Folk welcomed two new volunteers, one from France and the other from Spain. Noemie and Sabrina volunteered for 5 months supporting activities at Biblins and Cudham. Both Noemie and Sabrina also supported the Camps for All residentials across the UK. 

## Journey of Youth Leadership 

Started in 2022, this international project involved young people from Austria, Catalonia, Chile, Senegal, Mali, India, Finland, Hungary and Belgium amongst others. The project has produced a toolkit and good governance guidance following seminars in Finland, Chile and the UK. 

_“For me it was great being able to travel across the world and meet with project members once again to finally complete the toolkit as well as hearing all ideas from the different steps of the project come together and creating tangible results.” Eireny aged 25 years_ 

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## Volunteer support 

## The Group Health Check 

For the first time in 2023 we implemented the Group Health Check. It was a questionnaire sent to all current Woodcraft Folk groups. It was an oppurutnity to explore how we can make improvements to best support our groups and ensure their strength in years to come. We were keen to make sure that those groups who were struggling or facing challenges could have a direct line of communication with national Woodcraft Folk and access the help available. 

68 (40%) groups completed the Group Health Check. Consisting of 25 Districts. 18 (26%) groups reported they’re doing well and have either grown or remained in a stable condition in 2023. The statistics revealed: 

## **Successes** 

- 75% of groups have been able to provide an aims & principles programme 

- 70% of groups reported that they had enough money to cover their costs in 2024 

- 58% of groups have fundraised or made an attempt to fundraise in 2023 

- 47% of our groups recruited more children in 2023 than they did 2022 

- 66% of groups reported their volunteers have been able to engage in training 

- 86% of groups attended a camp or residential 

## **Challenges** 

- 61% of groups struggle with volunteer recruitment 

- 47% of groups struggle with outreach & publicity 

- 41% of groups have not attempted to fundraise this year 

- 13% of groups did not attend a camp or residential 

The Group health check revealed that we needed to provide a diverse training programme focusing on areas that our groups found challenging. The membership team will work collaboratively with the Development team, Fundraising and Comms to provide tailored support and training programmes. 

It also identified we need to improve the lines of communication between ourselves and our groups who face challenges so plan to implement a weekly group telephone surgery, group sustainability web pages and hands on support for those that need it. 

We will continue to conduct an annual Group health check so we can continue to monitor the challenges our groups face and to identify those that are at risk. Hopefully this will give us the opportunity to provide support earlier to our groups who are struggling and considering closure. 

## Training programme 2023 

Last year we engaged over 110 volunteers in our online training programme and 154 volunteers at our in person events across the UK. Our aim is to provide regular training for all of our volunteers, new and experienced, offering the opportunity to gain new skills, self development and improve the experience of our beneficiaries. 


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Training highlights of 2023: 

- Fundraising Awards for All was our most attended session 

- Our online Induction to Volunteering sessions engaged over 80 new volunteers 

- All of our monthly safeguarding events were well attended 

- We hosted 7 Groop Surgeries throughout the year supporting groups to effectively use and understand the system 

- 168 volunteers have watched replays of our training sessions 

- We sent out 7 themed half term updates with activity suggestions 

All of our sessions are recorded and uploaded to our training section on the website https://woodcraft.org.uk/resource-type/webinars/ 

## Recruitment campaigns 

In 2023, Woodcraft Folk’s Comms Manager tested the success of volunteer and young member recruitment via paid social media marketing at various times during the year.  The campaigns were very successful at generating leads proving that Woodcraft Folk’s low market awareness compared to its competitors was not a barrier to entry. 

Campaigns were run by the national office for local groups with five signing up to a young members campaign with a total of 97 leads generated and seven groups signed up to a campaign to recruit volunteers with 67 leads secured. Once national generated campaigns, they were shared with local groups for them to make contact. Further separate campaigns were also run with less group involvement where a further 47 volunteer leads were generated for both Woodcraft Folk’s staff team as well as for local groups. Across all campaigns, a handful of volunteers and young members were successfully converted although campaign follow up is still ongoing into 2024. 

During campaign evaluation, it was highlighted that improvements needed to be made to user journeys and staff application processing to ensure prompt communication with leads, efficient conversion rates as well as to reduce processing and communication steps to help eliminate drop off points. 

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## Increasing and widening participation 

In 2018 Woodcraft Folk agreed its strategic plan with a focus of increasing and widening participation, ambitions included: 

- Strengthening local groups and their volunteers 

- Empowering young people 

- Increasing diversity and improving inclusion 

- Being better known and understood 

- Delivering a values driven programme of activities 

The strategic plan informs the work of the central staff team, new partnerships and funding applications. 

Much energy of the Membership & Programmes team has been invested in supporting volunteers, for example: 

- Delivery of online and face to face training and skills workshops 

- Volunteer recruitment campaigns to increase capacity within local groups 

- ● New group development 

- YHA and Nature England funded residential for new groups at Height Gate 

- Monthly online volunteer induction sessions 

2023 saw the development of a number of new partnerships, all designed to support Woodcraft Folk’s ambition of increasing and widening participation. Woodcraft Folk worked with the Kite Trust and CASPA (neurodiverse charity) as part of the Adventures Away from Home initiative. Woodcraft Folk is delighted to have received additional funding to deliver the initiative in 2024, which will see the charity work with agencies supporting young people in care to benefit from outdoor adventures. 

Woodcraft Folk has also delivered its first year of its five year agreement with Free to Be Kids, which has seen Cudham host 11 x 5 day residential experiences engaging 203 vulnerable children. Evaluation by Free to Be Kids, suggested that their participants demonstrated the following benefits: 

- 88% of the children attending reported positive indicators of improved selfesteem, social confidence and resilience, including reporting feeling believed in, trusted, adventurous and special. 

- 85% reported trying something they’d previously not thought possible whilst they were with us. 

- Project workers reported that 95% of children showed improvement in terms of self-esteem/social confidence over the course of our projects, with 79% of children showing very significant improvement. 

- 100% of children developed or learned new social skills whilst with us, including making/keeping friendships, relating better with trusted adults and better managing frustration/challenge. 

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## Equality, Diversity & Inclusion 

In 2022 Woodcraft Folk established an Equality Diversity & Inclusion working group following a review by Trustees of the Charity Governance Code’s Equality, Diversity & Inclusion standards. The working group involves representatives from Trustees, volunteers, DFs, staff and an external partner representative from Volunteering Matters. 

During 2023 the group completed demographic monitoring of Trustees, staff, volunteers and Venturer Camp participants. They have also engaged specialist support from 7PK to review barriers to volunteering to support further demographic monitoring across the organisation. 

Demographic monitoring undertaken in 2023 suggested that: 

- People of colour were underrepresented at Venturer Camp - 87.7% white including British (73.6%), Irish (3.3%), Gypsy/Traveller (1.2%) and other white (9.6%). 2021 Census data suggests 82% of people in England and Wales are white, and 18% belong to a black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic group. 

- People of colour are better represented in the Trustee Board (14% of respondents), although the size of the group and response rates are such that 6.25% equals only 1 individual 

- People with disabilities are represented, although there is further research to be done to explore barriers to participation (26.3% of the staff team, 26.7% of Trustees, 19.4% of Venturer Camp volunteers, 13.4% of Venturer Camp participants, 12.2% of individuals who completed the volunteer demographic survey) 

- 40% of Trustees, 33.3% of Venturer Camp volunteers and 35% of staff described themselves as neurodiverse, this is reflective of Woodcraft Folk’s young participants (26.5% of Venturer Camp participants described themselves as neurodiverse), but is much higher than the general population (neurodiversity estimated to be 1 in 7 in the workplace 2016 study) 

- People of different genders are represented, including non-binary - 13% of Trustee respondents, 10% of staff respondents, 5,6% of Venturer Camp volunteer respondents and 7.2% of Venturer Camp participants 

Woodcraft Folk also contributed to the Race (Racial Action for the Climate Emergency) Report, an annual survey of environmental organisations. In total 142 organisations representing 12,900 employees across the environmental charity sector have submitted data on the racial diversity of their staff members as part of the second annual report from the The RACE Report campaign. The overall findings of the second instalment of The RACE Report – which collected data from April to October of 2023 – remained broadly consistent with the previous year’s report. Namely, that 6% of employees identify as people of colour and other racially or ethnically minoritised groups (Woodcraft Folk’s demographic monitoring of staff suggested that just 5.3% of the staff team describe themselves as a person of colour). 

The Equality Diversity & Inclusion Working Group have a full programme of activity planned for 2024, including: 

- Update of Woodcraft Folk’s Inclusion & Equality Policy 

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- Surveys of volunteers who have left the organisation, including those who did not complete their sign up journey 

- Review of complaints & concerns raised from an EDI perspective 

- Training for staff, volunteers and Trustees 

- Focus groups with volunteers and some targeting individuals with protected characteristics 

- Review of policies, procedures & practices from an EDI perspective 

For more information contact edi.group@woodcraft.org.uk 

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## Decarbonisation & climate resilience 

At the Annual General Meeting, August 2023, a small group of young members brought a motion calling upon the movement to: 

_This Annual General Meeting notes the on-going climate emergency and the necessity of the Woodcraft Folk locally and nationally acting to contribute to solutions to the crisis through our own practices._ 

_We therefore call on Woodcraft Folk to work to make all camps, residential activities and weekly group nights net zero carbon by 2030. When planning events, organisers should consider the impact on this target of implementing a range of measures including but not limited to:_ 

- _Vegetarian only menus_ 

- _Prioritising locally sourced produce and minimal food miles when ordering and catering_ 

- _Promoting the use of public transport and other carbon neutral/ low emission transport only to travel to Woodcraft events_ 

- _To explore all possibilities for using sustainable and reusable energy sources for running woodcraft events including national and international camps_ 

_Finally we ask the Decarbonisation Working Group to be responsible for producing an annual report,reflecting the activities of the wider movement and showcasing impactful practice_ 

The motion was convincingly passed. Thanks to Bromley District Venturers for proposing the motion and making a call for action across the movement. 

## Decarbonisation working group 

The Decarbonisation Working Group was established in 2022 following the adoption of Woodcraft Folk’s Climate Resilience and Carbon Reduction Plan. The plans sets the following priorities: 

- Minimising and reducing the environmental impact of our activities. Reducing emissions, pollution and waste 

- Reduce our use of raw materials, energy and supplies 

- Work with other organisations local to our buildings to maximise our collective efforts 

- Modifying buildings and equipment 

- Using clean, energy efficient technologies and renewable energy sources 

- Complying with environmental legislation and approved codes of practice 

- ● Raise awareness of environmental matters and encourage young people, volunteers and staff to play an active part in addressing them 

- Promote discussions and action on environmental issues across the voluntary and youth sector 

In the last 12 months the following activity has taken place: 

- Increased insulation installed at Height Gate 

- Introduction of zonal heating controls at Cudham with a tamper proof thermostat 

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- Additional solar panels and battery storage have been installed at Biblins 

- Independent energy audit completed at Cudham 

- Lockerbrook have introduced low carbon menu 

- Increased activity delivery on and around site at Lockerbrook to reduce travel 

- All new toilets fitted at Cudham are installed with backflush which uses recycled hand washing water to flush the toilets 

- Cudham have installed a washing line 

- Repair and servicing of the wood pellet stoves at Height Gate 

## NPC Everyone’s Environment 

Woodcraft Folk joined NPC and 50 social and environmental organisations to better understand the impact of the climate emergency on vulnerable groups. Working in the youth strand with Groundworks UK and Barnardos, Woodcraft Folk undertook research with young people (Woodcraft Folk and non-Woodcraft Folk young members) to collate young people’s demands for action from schools, charities, local and national governments. 

Research showed that young people on low incomes in the UK are more likely to be affected by the changing environment than their more affluent peers. Conversely, young people on low incomes also stand to benefit the most from more support and targeted policies as part of the green transition. 

All young people engaged in the research wanted more action to address the climate emergency, regardless of background they valued having open green spaces and wanted futures with clean energy efficient homes and workplaces that did not negatively impact the environment. 

## Decarbonisation roundtable 

Since COP26 in Glasgow, Woodcraft Folk has been seeking opportunities to encourage more youth and outdoor education organisations to do more to address the climate emergency, both decarbonising activities but also looking to improve resilience in response to extreme weather. In November 2023, supported by UK Youth, Woodcraft Folk staff and Trustees brought together representatives of the following organisations to share best practice in decarbonisation and climate resilience: 

- The Scout Association 

- Street Games 

- Youth Adventure Trust 

- Institute of Outdoor Learning 

- London Youth 

- UK Youth 

- Girl Guiding UK 

- Jewish Lads & Girls Brigade 

- Summer Camps Trust 

- Groundworks UK 

- ● NPC 

The group has continued to meet, demonstrating great levels of co-operation across organisations. 

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## Future plans 

Woodcraft Folk’s is currently working on its next strategic plan, which will guide the priorities of the organisation 2025-2030. Consultation with young people, volunteers and staff suggest that the priorities will build on the current strategic plan, with a focus on: 

- Reducing the barriers to volunteering, simply making it easier for more and a greater diversity of individuals to give freely of their time and energies to support the work of the charity 

- Increasing and widening participation by children and young people, continuing to deliver values education with groups of young people through local groups, projects, camps and partnership working 

- Environmental sustainability and climate resilience, seeking to reduce our impact on the environment whilst safeguarding outdoor adventures as we respond to extreme weather events 

- Financial sustainability and removing financial barriers to participation, which will include growing our donor numbers and improving our approach to Gift Aid and other income streams 

Other future work includes preparing for a centenary - celebrating 100 years of Woodcraft Folk spanning the world with friendship. Centenary plans include: 

- Camp100: International camp 

- UCL publication on the history and impact of Woodcraft Folk, to be published at the end of 2024 

- A picture book - 100 items for 100 years from the archive 

- Co-operative Studies Journal focused on Woodcraft Folk (spring 2025) 

- Centenary recruitment and fundraising campaigns 

- Exhibition at the People’s History Museum 

- Linking up with the International Year of Co-operation with colleagues at Coops UK 

- Lots of cake, camps and ceilidhs! 

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## Financial review 

## Principal Funding Sources 

The greatest source of income for Woodcraft Folk is the individual contributions made at a local level - the group night and camp donations, which support local branches to meet the costs of co-ordinating and delivering local activities. Much of this is spent on venue hire, refreshment, materials and transport. These contributions also support the annual registration fees paid by local branches to the central organisation to pay for staff support, insurance and governance costs of the organisation. Where appropriate, members are asked to register donations for Gift Aid to enhance the value of these receipts. 

A second key income stream is generated through activities at Woodcraft Folk’s network of outdoor education and residential centres. The centres generate income through bookings for accommodation and activities by Woodcraft Folk groups, schools and other youth organisations. The funds raised through this stream are invested back into the centre network to safeguard the centres, so they can continue to provide outdoor adventures to future generations of young people. 

Funds from grant-making bodies such as Lottery Funds, charitable trusts, foundations and government agencies also make up a significant income stream. In 2023, Woodcraft Folk has attracted DCMS funding for outdoor adventures and other funding to support direct work with children and young people. Some project work and, where allowable, an element of core funding, is supported by grants from these funders and Awards for All provides a number of small grants to groups for their equipment and local activities which support our volunteers to deliver our key activities for children and young people. 

The final source of revenue derives from the co-operative and trade union movement. Woodcraft Folk has, since its foundation, been supported by different co-operative societies because of its promotion of co-operative principles and practice and its role in introducing children and young people to these principles through the educational work undertaken. Funding from the co-operative movement includes national, regional and local grants, some of which are linked to the delivery of co-operative education work in partnership with co-operative Societies. Woodcraft Folk renegotiated its Memorandum of Understanding with the Coop Group at the beginning of 2023. 

2023 also saw a relaunch of Woodcraft Folk’s Union affiliation scheme, with new affiliations from PSC and local branches of both Unison and Unite. 

## Fundraising 

Woodcraft Folk’s fundraising strategy, updated in 2023 to include an Individual Giving Strategy, seeks to diversify income streams. The majority of funds are raised from members, supporters and grant-making bodies. Woodcraft Folk does not normally fundraise from members of the general public who have no preexisting relationship with the organisation. 

A variety of fundraising activities were undertaken during 2023 to encourage donations from supporters, including: events; promoting online donation platforms via social media, websites and mailing lists; match funding campaigns; and smaller donation methods such as Give as You Live and Union Lotto. 

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Supporter numbers grew in 2023 with 826 regular donors, 240 of whom also volunteered for the charity. We encourage supporters to register for Gift Aid to increase the value of eligible donations. 

Following successes in match funded donation campaigns in 2022, Woodcraft Folk took part in a further match funded campaign in 2023. We joined the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge campaign in December, and were very successful in raising a total of £11,881 to reduce financial barriers and help many more children experience Woodcraft Folk activities and residentials. 

The Trustee Board and the Senior Management Team oversee the fundraising carried out by the organisation. Legacy and Individual Giving is managed by the paid staff role of Fundraiser (Legacy and Individual Giving). Any complaints about fundraising activities should be directed to the Chief Executive and would be dealt with using the Woodcraft Folk complaints and disputes procedure. 

Woodcraft Folk are registered with the Fundraising Regulator and are committed to the Fundraising Promise and the Code of Fundraising Practice. The Code forms an important part of Woodcraft Folk’s Funding & Fundraising Policy, and informs other policies and procedures including the Privacy Policy, Supporting Vulnerable Persons Policy and Complaints Procedures. The Code is used when considering and implementing new fundraising activities, to ensure that Woodcraft Folk is acting according to best practice. 

Woodcraft Folk received no complaints about fundraising activities during 2023, nor were we aware of any failures to comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice. 

Woodcraft Folk did not make use of a professional fundraiser or commercial participator to raise funds during 2023. Volunteer fundraisers took part in the newly established Fundraising Working Group (facilitated by the staff Fundraiser); ran events; submitted grant applications; shared online donation promotions; and encouraged donations to match funds and affiliate schemes. Fundraising resources are shared with volunteers on our website and shared drive, including policies, procedures and example fundraising activities. Grant fundraising training was delivered at different locations across the country. 

To protect vulnerable people during fundraising activities during 2023, Woodcraft Folk had in place the Supporting Vulnerable Persons Policy. This policy follows the Code of Fundraising Practice and the Institute of Fundraising guidance around Treating Donors Fairly. The policy applies to all staff and volunteers, and is reviewed by the Trustees every three years. All staff and volunteers take part in safeguarding training. We believe everyone has the right to donate if they wish to and are able to do so, which is why we offer further support for people in vulnerable circumstances who want to make a decision about whether to make a donation. 

## Volunteers’ Contribution 

Woodcraft Folk is dependent upon the time volunteered by individuals in all areas of our charitable activities and the in kind contribution this makes to the operation of the charity is crucial.  We would like to thank all the volunteers who have given up their time to deliver our activities without whom we could not exist. 

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## Reserves Policy 

The Trustees reviewed the charity’s Reserves Policy during 2023 and confirmed the policy remains appropriate and adequate to ensure the charity remains a going concern while taking advantage of opportunities to develop further. Unspent restricted funds are not counted towards free reserves as they can only be spent for the purposes for which they were donated – the trustees cannot change the purpose of the restricted funds without the permission of the donor. 

Woodcraft Folk’s unrestricted funds fall into two categories: 

- Designated Funds: Funds which the Trustees have decided to spend on a specific charitable purpose within a defined timeframe. Details of the various designated funds are set out at the end of this policy. 

- General Reserves: The general fund is made up of four types of reserve: 

   - Working Capital – Funds required to ensure Woodcraft Folk can manage fluctuations in short term operational cash flow due to the timing of receipts and payments. Working Capital will be retained at a minimum of £100,000 and a maximum of £200,000 and will fluctuate throughout the year within these parameters. £100,000 was held at 31 December 2023 for this purpose. 

   - Minimum Reserve – Funds held to manage unexpected events that have a short term negative financial impact. Analysis of Woodcraft Folk’s risk register, financial commitments and income and expenditure profiles has been used to calculate an appropriate level of minimum reserve. Minimum Reserves will be retained at a minimum of £200,000 and a maximum of £250,000. £250,000 was held at 31 December 2023 for this purpose. 

   - Unallocated Reserve – Funds for which a specific purpose has still to be identified. £115,000 is held at 31 December 2023 for which a specific purpose is yet to be determined. 

   - Committed reserve – Funds which the trustees have committed to invest over the next three years in accordance with the financial and strategic plan. £241,675 is held at 31 December 2023 for this purpose. 

The total funds in the General Reserve at the end of the year amounted to £706,675. If Reserves fall below the minimum thresholds for Working Capital or the Minimum Reserve, Trustees will develop a plan to return Reserve levels to at least the minimum threshold within three years. 

Designated funds (including Tangible Fixed Assets) are as follows: 

- Districts, Groups, Regions and Nations Funds: Funds collected by individual districts, groups, regions and nations to fund their activities are designated for their specific use. The funds held at 31 December 2023 represent local working capital, funds raised locally for specific projects or capital expenditure. 

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- Buildings Fund: A fund is designated equal to the unrestricted net book value of the charity’s building assets. This is drawn on annually to fund the depreciation on the charity’s building assets charged to expenditure over the useful economic lives of the assets. The funds held on 31 December 2023 will be spent over the next 50 years. 

A financial plan has been developed for the period 2024 to 2027 which aims to spend a large proportion of the General Reserve in excess of the Working Capital and Minimum Reserves. The reserves will be invested to achieve sustainable growth in charitable activity. 

## Summary of the year 

The financial statements on pages 39-56 bring together and report on all the activities of Woodcraft Folk. 

Woodcraft Folk incurred a deficit of £298,368 (2022 £184,990).  The deficit primarily reflects the utilisation of restricted project funding (£63,834) and the investment of the general reserves in charitable activity (£234,534). 

Income decreased £421,660 (25%) to £1,251,211 (2022 £1,672,871). Donations and legacies decreased £105,630 (27%) to £282,427 (2022 £388,057).  2022 donations were higher than normal due to the final instalment of a large legacy (£82,258). Fees and other income decreased £257,707 (27%) to £714,573 (2022 £972,280).  Fee income was exceptionally high in 2022 due to the hosting of a major international event, Common Ground, the scale of which is only undertaken every few years. 

Expenditure decreased £308,282 (17%) to £1,549,579 (2022 £1,857,861).  Group and Activity Centre expenditure increased £57,200 to £828,388 (2022 £771,188) in line with the increased levels of activity after Covid.  Central Activities expenditure decreased £358,667 to £498,154 (2022 £856,821). Central activities had been exceptionally high in 2022 due to the Common Ground event.  Staff costs increased £39,484 in reflection of a cost-of-living increase and incremental pay rises but FTE reduced slightly to 18.1. 

Fixed Assets decreased £3,570 to £960,834 (2022 £964,404) due to the annual depreciation charge (£28,188), which was partially offset by the acquisition of fixtures and fittings at Biblins (£24,618). 

Cash decreased £230,550 to £1,424,335 (2022 £1,654,885) mainly due to the 2023 net movement in funds (£298,368) which mainly consists of cash transactions. 

Restricted funds decreased £63,834 to £430,980 (2022 £494,814) due to the utilisation of project funding received in previous years. 

Designated Funds decreased £2,527 to £1,171,109 (2022 £1,173,636). 

General Funds decreased £231,917 to £706,675 (2022 £938,592) due to the strategic investment in charitable activity as per the finance plan. 

Woodcraft Folk Enterprise Ltd was incorporated on 15 September 2021 as a wholly owned trading subsidiary of Woodcraft Folk.  The trading subsidiary undertakes 

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commercial activity on behalf of Woodcraft Folk, primarily relating to the rental of camping pitches, cottages and barns to private individuals and businesses, and the sale of drinks and snacks at events. In 2023 Woodcraft Folk Enterprise Ltd generated a profit of £11,682, which it distributed to Woodcraft Folk under the corporate gift aid scheme. 

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## Structure, governance and management 

## Governing Document 

Woodcraft Folk is a registered charity and a registered company established in July 2012, governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association. The activities, assets and liabilities of the unincorporated organisation Woodcraft Folk, which was founded in 1925 and was a registered charity, were transferred to the charitable company on 1 January 2013. 

## Company Status 

Woodcraft Folk is a company limited by guarantee and all company members have agreed to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 in the event of a winding-up. 

## Trading subsidiary 

Woodcraft Folk Enterprise Ltd was incorporated on 15 September 2021 as a private limited company limited by shares.  One share has been issued which is owned by Woodcraft Folk. Woodcraft Folk Enterprise Ltd is therefore a wholly owned subsidiary of Woodcraft Folk. 

## Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees 

The board of trustees, who are also the directors of the company, is known as General Council and comprises 20 elected members each serving a two-year term, plus a treasurer selected by open recruitment and interview and appointed to serve for five years. 

The elected members comprise: 

- 10 members, five elected each year by conference ballot 

- one member, elected in Scotland from the membership there 

- one member, elected in Wales from the membership there 

- four Members aged 16 to 24 inclusive, two elected each year by conference ballot 

- two DF movement members elected at DF Althing (their own conference) 

- ● two members appointed by the DF Committee (DF members are aged 16 to 20 inclusive) 

The Aims, Principles & Programme require a standing invitation for an observer representing the educational activity of the co-operative movement. This place is vacant at the time of writing. 

## Induction and Training of Trustees 

The General Council handbook was updated in September 2022 and 2023. To support induction of new Trustees, all Trustees began their term of office from 1st October. 

New and existing trustees attended online induction/refresher sessions in September, October and November 2023, topics covered included: 

- Structure of General Council 

- Roles and responsibilities of a Trustee 

- Charity Governance Code 

- Introduction to Woodcraft Folk’s strategic and business plans 

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- Financial management & reporting 

- Introduction to Safeguarding 

- Annual report & accounts summary 

- Induction to centres and campsites 

New trustees are paired up with an experienced General Council member for ongoing support. 

Trustees review practice against the Code of Good Governance, completing selfassessment and identify areas for improvement. In 2023 they focused on Board Effectiveness, establishing a Governance Working Group to review the charity Articles of Association, Standing Order documents and branch constitutions. The Governance Working Group aims to share its recommendations with the wider membership in 2025. 

## Remuneration Policy for Key Management Personnel 

The key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing and controlling, running and operating the charity on a day-to-day basis comprise the trustees and the Senior Management Team led by the Chief Executive Officer of Woodcraft Folk. The Senior Management Team includes: 

- Head of Membership & Programmes 

- Head of Resources 

- Head of Centres 

Trustees of Woodcraft Folk receive no remuneration for the role but are paid out of pocket expenses arising in the pursuance of their duties. 

All staff are paid on a salary scale which is reviewed annually by the trustees as part of the budget-setting process to reflect changes to the cost of living. 

Woodcraft Folk is committed to paying the Real Living Wage. 

## Organisational Structure 

Woodcraft Folk is a democratically structured membership organisation which operates as part of the voluntary and community sector. Local groups, comprising a team of volunteers, meet regularly to provide a range of activities for children and young people. Where two or more groups exist in a locality, they constitute a district association. Each group and district are entitled to send a delegate to the Annual General Meeting of the company. It is this body of delegates who elect Trustees. 

There are also conferences held and committees operating in Scotland, Wales and the English regions with varying functions and status. The two nations relate directly with their own governments and send a representative each to General Council. The regions in England have no direct representation on General Council. 

The young adult section of the Woodcraft Folk, called DFs, include 16 to 20 year olds organising their own affairs through district, regional and UK-wide bodies including a DF Committee and their own annual conference, Althing. They elect four delegates to General Council. 

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The four residential centres and campsites are the responsibility of local committees typically drawn from local districts or the nations/regions in which they are based, together with General Council representation. Terms of Reference are in place for Centre Committees and are reviewed regularly. These local committees are ultimately responsible to General Council who have the final responsibility for the oversight and good management of the centres and campsites. 

## Connected Parties & Partnerships 

Woodcraft Folk is a member organisation of the International Falcon Movement – Socialist Education International (IFM-SEI). We co-operate with IFM-SEI and its member organisations on several joint projects, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe. These projects include running and participating in seminars and camps throughout the year. 

Woodcraft Folk provides services, including payroll, to the trustees of Darsham Country Centre, an independent charity which operates as part of Woodcraft Folk’s network of campsites and outdoor activity centres. 

Woodcraft Folk has a partnership agreement in place with Free to Be Kids to provide residential services 2023-2028 at Cudham Environmental Activities Centre. 

Woodcraft Folk is also a member of Coops UK, Co-operative College, UK Youth, Institute of Outdoor Learning, Charity Comms, Greater Manchester Council for Voluntary Organisations, YouthLink Scotland, Outdoor Citizens and the British Youth Council. 

Woodcraft Folk benefits from financial and other support of the following Trade Union organisations: 

- Communication Workers Union, including local branch support from South London/Surrey, West Yorkshire 

- Fire Brigade Union 

- National Education Union 

- Public & Commercial Services 

- Transport Salaried Staff Association 

- Unison East Midlands 

- Unite , including local branch support from Clerkenwell & St Pancras, Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland, LHR Aviation Engineers - LE0443, London & Eastern, South West London, West Midlands 

- Unsion, including local branch support from Barnsley (Local Government) 

## Property management 

Woodcraft Folk owns a number of properties, most of which are used to facilitate residential experiences for children and young people: 

- Cudham Environmental Activities Centre 

- Height Gate Camping Barn 

- Lockerbrook Farm Outdoor Activities Centre. 

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Woodcraft Folk also owns an office (SE17) which it currently leases to generate unrestricted income. 

## Risk Management 

Trustees are actively involved in reviewing threats to the organisation, monitoring the organisational risk register quarterly. Woodcraft Folk’s risk register explores risks in the following categories: 

- Governance & strategy 

- Our young members 

- Our volunteers 

- Our staff 

- Our property 

- Compliance 

- Our finances 

- Our reputation 

- Our IT 

- Our operations 

The Risk Register includes a summary of significant risks, mitigations, accountabilities, priorities for action and deadlines. Risk registered are also produced for significant projects and events within the organisation. 

The Trustees consider the key risks to be as follows: 

1. **Governance and oversight** – Woodcraft Folk comprises 300 local branches, projects and centres supported by a small staff team and an elected board of trustees (General Council). Working as one charity is a priority to Trustees and staff, reducing duplication and ensuring positive experiences for all children and young people. 

2. **Finance** – Although the organisation holds significant assets and has what appears to be a relatively high cash balance, most liquid assets are designated for use by local branches of the organisation to deliver activities directly to children and young people. 

All financial actions within Woodcraft Folk are subject to its comprehensive financial procedures, which were reviewed during 2022. Operational management of agreed budgets is delegated to staff members. Woodcraft Folk’s Head of Resources submits financial reports to Trustees quarterly, highlighting progress against agreed budgets. Trustees have recently approved a mid-term financial plan 2024-2027. 

3. **Safeguarding** – As an organisation working with children and young people there is always a risk of a safeguarding or major child protection incident which would have direct impacts on beneficiaries and indirect, reputational, impacts on the organisation. 

Woodcraft Folk follows best practice in safer recruitment and screening. It also has a Lead Trustee for Safeguarding who chairs a Review group, who meet twice a year to identify lessons learnt and training needs in response to complaints, incidents, and accidents. 

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The organisation’s safeguarding policy and procedures are reviewed annually by the Trustees in conjunction with the lead and deputy safeguarding officers (both members of staff). They are promoted throughout the organisation and are supported by training at grassroots level and online resources. Full details are on our website at www.woodcraft.org.uk/safeguarding 

## Statement of trustees’ responsibilities 

_The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and accounts in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice)._ 

_The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare accounts for each financial period which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing the accounts the trustees are required to:_ 

- _select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;_ 

- _observe the methods and principles of Accounting and Reporting by_ 

- _Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102);_ 

- _make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;_ 

- _state whether applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards have_ 

- _been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the accounts; and_ 

- _prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate_ 

- _to presume that the charity will continue in operation._ 

_The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Charities Act 2011, applicable charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provisions of the trust deed. 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._ 

## Approval 

_This trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report, was approved by the trustees on 23 May 2024 and signed on its behalf. This report has been prepared having taken advantage of the small companies exemption in the Companies Act 2006._ 

_A Taylor Chair of Trustees_ 

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## Auditor’s Opinion 

## Independent auditor’s report to the trustees and members of Woodcraft Folk 

## Opinion 

We have audited the financial statements of Woodcraft Folk (the ‘charitable parent company’) and its subsidiary (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the consolidated statement of financial activities, consolidated and charitable parent company balance sheets and statement of cash flows, the principal accounting policies and the notes to the financial statements. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). 

In our opinion, the financial statements: 

- give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the charitable parent company’s affairs as at 31 December 2023 and of the group’s income and expenditure for the year then ended; 

- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and 

- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. 

## Basis for opinion 

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. 

## Conclusions relating to going concern 

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate. 

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group and charitable parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue. 

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going 

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concern are described in the relevant sections of this report. 

## Other information 

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, including the trustees’ report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. 

Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. 

We have nothing to report in this regard. 

## Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006 

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit: 

- the information given in the trustees’ report, which is also the directors’ report for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and 

- the trustees’ report, which is also the directors’ report for the purposes of company law, has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. 

## Matters on which we are required to report by exception 

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the charitable parent company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ report. 

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: 

- proper and adequate accounting records have not been kept by the charitable parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or 

- the charitable parent company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or 

- certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or 

- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or 

Page | 35 



- the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report. 

## Responsibilities of trustees 

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 33, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. 

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and the charitable parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the charitable parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so. 

## Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements 

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. 

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below: 

Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows: 

- the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations; and 

- we obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to the group and the charitable parent company and the sector in which it operates. We determined that the following laws and regulations were most significant: Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing 

Page | 36 



their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Companies Act 2006, the Charities Act 2011 and Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, regulation 8 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations (as amended), The Code of Fundraising Practice and safeguarding regulations. 

We assessed the susceptibility of the group and the charitable parent company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by: 

- making enquiries of management as to their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and 

- considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations. 

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we: 

- performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships; and 

- tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions. 

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to: 

- reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance; and 

- enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims. 

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any. 

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion. 

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report. 

## Use of our report 

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and to the charity’s trustees as a body, in accordance with Section 44(1)(c) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and Regulation 10 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are 

Page | 37 



required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. 

## Date 24 May 2024 

Catherine Biscoe (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of Buzzacott LLP, Statutory Auditor 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL 

Page | 38 



Consolidated Statement of Financial Activities (including consolidated income and expenditure account) Year to 31 December 2023 

|Note<br>Income and expenditure<br>Income from:<br>Donations<br>1<br>Other trading activities<br>2<br>Investments<br>3<br>Charitable activities<br>4<br>Folk Supply<br>Specific grants & projects<br>Fees and other income<br>Total Income<br>Expenditure on:<br>Raising funds<br>Charitable activities<br>Total expenditure<br>5<br>Net (expenditure) for the year<br>7<br>Net movement in funds for the<br>year<br>Fund balances brought forward<br>at 1 January 2023<br>Fund balances carried forward<br>at 31 December 2023<br>13, 14|Unrestricted<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total<br>funds 2023<br>Unrestricted<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total<br>funds 2022<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>277,613<br>4,814<br>282,427<br>367,974<br>20,083<br>388,057<br>38,903<br>-<br>38,903<br>25,477<br>-<br>25,477<br>681<br>-<br>681<br>1,384<br>18<br>1,402<br>6,140<br>-<br>6,140<br>17,314<br>-<br>17,314<br>24,192<br>184,295<br>208,487<br>43,139<br>225,202<br>268,341<br>708,042<br>6,531<br>714,573<br>971,482<br>798<br>972,280|
|---|---|
||1,055,571<br>195,640<br>1,251,211<br>1,426,770<br>246,101<br>1,672,871|
||5,553<br>-<br>5,553<br>21,508<br>-<br>21,508<br>1,284,552<br>259,474<br>1,544,026<br>1,454,224<br>382,129<br>1,836,353|
||1,290,105<br>259,474<br>1,549,579<br>1,475,732<br>382,129<br>1,857,861|
||(234,534)<br>(63,834)<br>(298,368)<br>(48,962)<br>(136,028)<br>(184,990)|
||(234,534)<br>(63,834)<br>(298,368)<br>(48,962)<br>(136,028)<br>(184,990)|
||2,112,318<br>494,814<br>2,607,132<br>2,161,280<br>630,842<br>2,792,122|
||1,877,784<br>430,980<br>2,308,764<br>2,112,318<br>494,814<br>2,607,132|



All of the charitable company’s activities during the above two financial periods derive from continuing activities. 

All recognised gains and losses are included in the statement of financial activities. 

Page | 39 



Consolidated Balance Sheet 31 December 2023 

|Notes<br>Fixed assets<br>Tangible assets<br>10<br>Current assets<br>Debtors<br>11<br>Cash at bank and in hand<br>Creditors<br>Amounts falling due within one year<br>12<br>Net current assets<br>Net assets<br>The funds of the charity<br>Restricted funds<br>14<br>Unrestricted funds<br>Designated<br>13<br>General<br>Total charity funds|2023<br>£<br>34,070<br>1,424,335|2023<br>£<br>960,834|2022<br>£<br>111,012<br>1,654,885|2022<br>£<br>964,404|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||1,458,405||1,765,897||
||(110,475)<br>1,171,109<br>706,675||(123,169)<br>1,173,636<br>938,682||
|||1,347,930||1,642,728|
||||||
|||2,308,764||2,607,132|
|||430,980<br>1,877,784<br>2,308,764||494,814<br>2,112,318<br>2,607,132|



As permitted by S408 Companies Act 2006, the charity has not prepared its own Statement of Financial Activities and related notes as it prepared group accounts. The charity’s deficit for the year ended 31 December 2023 was £298,368 (2022: £184,990). 

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. 

Approved and authorised for issue by the Board and signed on its behalf by Agnes Taylor: 

A Taylor Chair of trustees Approved on:  23[rd] May 2024 

Company registration number 8133727 (England and Wales) 

Page | 40 



Charity Balance Sheet 31 December 2023 

|Notes<br>Fixed assets<br>Tangible assets<br>10<br>Current assets<br>Debtors<br>11<br>Cash at bank and in hand<br>Creditors<br>Amounts falling due within one year<br>12<br>Net current assets<br>Net assets<br>The funds of the charity<br>Restricted funds<br>14<br>Unrestricted funds<br>Designated<br>13<br>General<br>Total charity funds|2023<br>£<br>45,752<br>1,424,335|2023<br>£<br>960,834|2022<br>£<br>130,745<br>1,654,885|2022<br>£<br>964,404|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||1,470,087||1,785,630||
||(122,157)<br>1,171,109<br>706,675||(142,903)<br>1,173,636<br>938,682||
|||1,347,930||1,642,727|
||||||
|||2,308,764||2,607,132|
|||430,980<br>1,877,784<br>2,308,764||494,814<br>2,112,318<br>2,607,132|



As permitted by S408 Companies Act 2006, the charity has not prepared its own Statement of Financial Activities and related notes as it prepared group accounts. The charity’s deficit for the year ended 31 December 2023 was £298,368 (2022: £184,990). 

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. 

The notes on pages 46-56 form part of the financial statements. 

Approved and authorised for issue by the Board and signed on its behalf by Agnes Taylor: 


A Taylor Chair of trustees Approved on: 23[rd] May 2024 

Company registration number 8133727 (England and Wales) 

Page | 41 



Consolidated statement of cash flows 31 December 2023 

|Cash (outflow)/ inflow from operating activities:<br>Net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities<br>Cash inflow from investing activities:<br>Interest received<br>Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year<br>Cash and cash equivalents at 1 January 2023<br>Cash and cash equivalents at 31 December 2023<br>(A) Reconciliation of net (expenditure) to net cash<br>inflow (outflow) from operating activities<br>Net expenditure (as per statement of financial<br>activities)<br>Depreciation charge<br>Fixed assets additions<br>Interest receivable<br>Decrease in debtors<br>(Decrease) in creditors<br>Net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities<br>(B) Analysis of cash and cash equivalents<br>Total cash and cash equivalents:<br>Cash at bank and in hand<br>Reconciliation of net debt:<br>Cash at bank and in hand|(A)<br>(B)<br>(B)<br>At 1 January<br>2023<br>£<br>1,654,885|2023<br>2022<br>£<br>£<br>(231,231)<br>379,437<br>681<br>1,402|
|---|---|---|
|||(230,550)<br>380,839<br>1,654,885<br>1,274,046|
|||1,424,335<br>1,654,885|
|||2023<br>2022<br>£<br>£<br>(298,368)<br>(184,990)<br>28,188<br>21,870<br>(24,618)<br>(17,126)<br>(681)<br>(1,402)<br>76,942<br>681,123<br>(12,694)<br>(120,038)|
|||(231,231)<br>379,437|
|||2023<br>2022<br>£<br>£|
|||1,424,335<br>1,654,885|
|||Cash flows<br>At 31 December<br>2023<br>£<br>£<br>(230,550)<br>1,424,335|
||1,654,885|(230,550)<br>1,424,335|



Page | 42 



Principle accounting policies 31 December 2023 

## **Basis of preparation** 

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are laid out below. 

## **Company information** 

Woodcraft Folk is a private company limited by guarantee and is incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office address is Holyoake House, Hannover Street, Manchester, M60 0AS. The charitable objects of Woodcraft Folk are the advancement of education and the empowerment of children and young people for the public benefit by: 

- encouraging children and young people to participate in society, improving their lives and others through active citizenship; and 

- promoting the interests and welfare of children and young people. 

## **Basis of accounting** 

The financial statements have been prepared under the historic cost convention with items initially recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policies below or notes to these financial statements. 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the principles set out in Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting standard applicable in the UK and republic of Ireland (Charities SORP FRS 102), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. 

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. 

The accounts are presented in sterling and are rounded to the nearest pound. 

## **Consolidated financial statements** 

The financial statements for the year end 31 December 2023 consolidate, on a line by line basis, the results of the charitable company and its subsidiary, Woodcraft Folk Enterprise Ltd. 

## **Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement** 

The preparation of financial statements requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates and judgements. It also requires the trustees to exercise judgement in the process of applying accounting policies. 

Areas requiring the use of estimates and judgements that may impact on the charity’s financial activities and financial position include the following: 

- Woodcraft Folk estimates the value of legacy assets on the basis of information provided by independent experts. 

- Woodcraft Folk recognises property as a tangible fixed asset where the property is held by an Official Custodian on behalf of Woodcraft Folk and/or where Woodcraft Folk controls the benefits that derive from the property. 

- Woodcraft Folk estimates the useful economic life of tangible fixed assets for the purpose of determining the annual depreciation charge. 

Page | 43 



## **Going concern** 

The trustees have assessed whether the use of the going concern assumption is appropriate in preparing these financial statements. They have made this assessment in respect of at least one year from the date of approval of these financial statements. 

Woodcraft Folk is a charity with a strong supporter base. It has well-established sources of stable and secure income with which to finance its planned activities at the expected level of expenditure. This situation is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. 

Woodcraft Folk also makes use of project funding to finance short-term activities in support of its charitable objectives. The charity scales up and scales down its activities and expenditure in accordance with the project funding which it obtains. 

The trustees have concluded that there are no material uncertainties about Woodcraft Folk’s ability to continue as a going concern. 

## **Income** 

Income is recognised in the period in which the charity is entitled to receipt, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the funds will be received. 

Income is deferred only when the charity has to fulfil performance related conditions before becoming entitled to it or where the donor or funder has specified that the income is to be expended in a future accounting period. 

Donations are recognised when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity. 

In accordance with the Charities SORP FRS 102 volunteer time is not recognised. 

Legacies are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the legacy, the executors have established that there are sufficient surplus assets in the estate to pay the legacy, and any conditions attached to the legacy are within the control of the charity. 

## **Expenditure** 

Expenditure is recognised on the accrual basis when a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes VAT, since this cannot be recovered, and is included as part of the expenditure to which it relates. 

Raising funds comprises those costs incurred in attracting voluntary income, and those incurred in trading activities that raise funds. 

Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both the direct costs relating to such activities and all the charity’s general support costs. 

## **Tangible fixed assets and depreciation** 

Fixed assets are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Individual items costing less than £5,000 are not capitalised. 

Page | 44 



Tangible fixed assets are depreciated on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives as follows: 

|||
|---|---|
|**Asset Category**|**Annual rate**|
|Property|2%|
|Fixtures, fittings & moveable buildings|10%|
|Equipment and vehicles|25%|



## **Operating leases** 

Rentals payable under operating leases, where substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership remains with the lessor, are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the lease term. 

## **Debtors** 

Debtors are recognised at the settlement amount, less any provision for non-recoverability. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid. They have been discounted to the present value of the future cash receipt where such discounting is material. 

## **Cash at bank and in hand** 

Cash at bank and in hand represents such accounts and instruments that are available on demand or have a maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition. 

## **Creditors and provisions** 

Creditors and provisions are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at the amount the charity anticipated it will pay to settle the debt. They have been discounted to the present value of the future cash payment where such discounting is material. 

## **Financial instruments** 

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. 

## **Pensions** 

The charitable company contributes to defined contribution pension schemes on behalf of its employees. The assets of these schemes are entirely separate to those of the charity. The pension cost in Note 8 represents contributions payable by the charity on behalf of the employees and it has no other liabilities to these schemes. 

There were no contributions outstanding at the balance sheet date. 

## **Fund accounting** 

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. 

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes. 

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through terms of an appeal. 

Page | 45 



## Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

## 1. Income from donations and legacies 

||Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted<br>funds|Total 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted<br>funds|Total 2022|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|£|£|£|
|Gifts & Donations|62,038|3,081|65,119|67,503|15,708|83,211|
|Gift Aid Reclaimed|6,174|1,733|7,907|10,941|1,375|12,316|
|Legacy|-|-|-|82,258|-|82,258|
|Non-specific core grants|34,000|-|34,000|34,925|-|34,925|
|Membership income|76,079|-|76,079|80,518|3,000|83,518|
|Group subscriptions income|99,322|-|99,322|91,829|-|91,829|
|Total funds|277,613|4,814|282,427|367,974|20,083|388,057|
|2. Income from other trading|activities||||||
||Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted<br>funds|Total 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted<br>funds|Total 2022|
||£|£|£|£|£|£|
|Fundraising activities|38,903|-|38,903|25,477|-|25,477|
|Total funds|38,903|-|38,903|25,477|-|25,477|
|3. Income from investments|||||||
||Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted<br>funds|Total 2023|Unrestricted<br>funds|Restricted<br>funds|Total 2022|
||£|£|£|£|£|£|
|Bank interest|681|-|681|1,384|18|1,402|
|Total funds|681|-|681|1,384|18|1,402|



Page | 46 



## Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

## 4. Income from charitable activities 

|Folk Supply<br>Specific grants & projects<br>Outdoor activity centres<br>Groups, districts, regions &<br>nations<br>National<br>Other projects<br>Fees and other income<br>Outdoor activity centres<br>Groups, districts, regions &<br>nations<br>National<br>Other projects<br>Total Funds|Unrestricted<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total 2023<br>Unrestricted<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total 2022<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£|
|---|---|
||6,140<br>-<br>6,140<br>17,314<br>-<br>17,314|
||-<br>-<br>-<br>9,371<br>-<br>9,371<br>24,192<br>33,443<br>57,635<br>7,618<br>86,262<br>93,880<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>26,150<br>-<br>26,150<br>-<br>150,852<br>150,852<br>-<br>138,940<br>138,940|
||24,192<br>184,295<br>208,487<br>43,139<br>225,202<br>268,341|
||360,062<br>-<br>360,062<br>291,415<br>-<br>291,415<br>330,965<br>-<br>330,965<br>439,304<br>798<br>440,102<br>17,015<br>-<br>17,015<br>240,763<br>-<br>240,763<br>-<br>6,531<br>6,531<br>-<br>-<br>-|
||708,042<br>6,531<br>714,573<br>971,482<br>798<br>972,280|
|||
||738,374<br>190,826<br>929,200<br>1,031,935<br>226,000<br>1,257,935|



Page | 47 



## Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

## 5. Expenditure on: 

|5. Expenditure on:||
|---|---|
|Raising funds<br>Charitable activities<br>Folk supply<br>Projects<br>Groups, districts, regions<br>& nations<br>Outdoor activity centres<br>Central activities<br>Governance<br>Previous year<br>Raising funds<br>Charitable activities<br>Folk supply<br>Projects<br>Groups, districts, regions<br>& nations<br>Outdoor activity centres<br>Central activities<br>Governance|Staff costs<br>Administration<br>Depreciation<br>Activities<br>Other<br>2023<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£|
||-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>5,553<br>5,553|
||-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>92,966<br>12,186<br>-<br>61,692<br>2,658<br>169,502<br>-<br>3,116<br>-<br>406,844<br>8,880<br>418,840<br>162,071<br>24,373<br>13,040<br>180,775<br>29,289<br>409,548<br>315,939<br>20,991<br>15,148<br>79,576<br>66,500<br>498,154<br>23,741<br>-<br>-<br>2,401<br>21,840<br>47,982|
||594,717<br>60,666<br>28,188<br>731,288<br>129,167<br>1,544,026|
||Staff costs<br>Administration<br>Depreciation<br>Activities<br>Other<br>2022<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£|
||-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>21,508<br>21,508|
||-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>86,293<br>10,377<br>-<br>53,123<br>9,058<br>158,851<br>-<br>3,341<br>-<br>435,293<br>12,337<br>450,971<br>138,742<br>15,770<br>7,735<br>132,272<br>25,698<br>320,217<br>330,585<br>86,106<br>14,137<br>345,819<br>80,174<br>856,821<br>23,742<br>229<br>-<br>4,349<br>21,173<br>49,493|
||579,362<br>115,823<br>21,872<br>970,856<br>148,440<br>1,836,353|



## 6. Taxation 

Woodcraft Folk is a registered charity and therefore is not liable to income tax or corporation tax on income derived from its charitable activities, as it falls within the various exemptions available to registered charities. 

Page | 48 



Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

## 7. Net movement in funds 

This is stated after charging: 

|7. Net movement in funds<br>This is stated after charging:|||
|---|---|---|
||2023|2022|
||£|£|
|Staff costs (note 8)|599,717|560,233|
|Auditor's remuneration|19,200|19,200|
|Auditor’s tax advisory service|2,190|-|
|Depreciation charges|28,188|21,870|
|Operating lease payments|19,500|19,500|
||2023|2022|
||£|£|
|Statutory audit|19,200|19,200|



## 8. Staff costs 

Staff costs during the year were as follows: 

|Staff costs during the year were as follows:||
|---|---|
|Wages and salaries<br>Social security costs<br>Pension costs|2023<br>2022<br>£<br>£<br>536,366<br>507,690<br>43,353<br>36,972<br>19,998<br>15,571|
||599,717<br>560,233|



The average number of employees during the year, calculated on average headcount and full time equivalent, was as follows: 

|Administration<br>Regions & Nations<br>Outdoor Activity Centres<br>Projects<br>Total|Headcount<br>FTE<br>2023<br>2022<br>2023<br>2022<br>9.0<br>9.9<br>7.4<br>7.3<br>2.2<br>2.9<br>1.8<br>2.5<br>9.2<br>7.8<br>6.0<br>4.7<br>4.3<br>4.8<br>2.9<br>3.8|
|---|---|
||24.7<br>25.4<br>18.1<br>18.3|



No employees received emoluments of more than £60,000 per annum (2022: none). 

The key management personnel of the charity in charge of directing, controlling, running and operating the charity on a day to day basis comprise the trustees, and the Senior Management Team, which consists of the Chief Executive Officer, the Head of Resources, the Head of Membership and Programmes, and the Head of Centres. The total remuneration, including employer’s pension contributions, of the key management personnel for the year was £167,690 (2022: 150,217). There were no taxable benefits. 

No staff were made redundant in 2023 or 2022. 

Page | 49 



Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

## 9. Trustee remuneration and expenses, and related party transactions 

Neither General Council (the Board of trustees) nor any persons connected with them received any remuneration during the year. 

Nine members (2022:17) of the General Council received travel and subsistence expenses during the year of £2,442 (2022: £7,093). 

No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity, including guarantees, during the year. 

10. Consolidated group and charity Fixed Assets 

|Cost<br>At 1 January 2023<br>Additions<br>Disposals<br>At 31 December 2023<br>Depreciation<br>At 1 January 2023<br>Charge for the year<br>Disposals<br>At 31 December 2023<br>Net book value<br>At 31 December 2023<br>At 31 December 2022|Freehold land &<br>buildings<br>Leasehold land &<br>buildings<br>Fixtures, fittings &<br>moveable<br>buildings<br>Equipment &<br>vehicles<br>Total<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>567,434<br>706,825<br>117,742<br>47,845<br>1,439,846<br>13<br>-<br>24,605<br>-<br>24,618<br>387<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>387|
|---|---|
||567,834<br>706,825<br>142,347<br>47,845<br>1,464,851|
||165,418<br>162,567<br>99,612<br>47,845<br>475,442<br>11,077<br>15,148<br>1,963<br>-<br>28,188<br>387<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>387|
||176,882<br>177,715<br>101,575<br>47,845<br>504,017|
|||
||390,952<br>529,110<br>40,772<br>-<br>960,834|
|||
||402,016<br>544,258<br>18,130<br>-<br>964,404|



Page | 50 



Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

## 11. Consolidated group Debtors 

||2023|2022|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|Other debtors|34,070|102,147|
|Prepayments|-|8,865|
||34,070|111,012|
|Charity Debtors|||
||2023|2022|
||£|£|
|Other debtors|45,752|121,880|
|Prepayments|-|8,865|
||45,752|130,745|
|12. Consolidated group creditors; amounts falling due within one year|||
||2023|2022|
||£|£|
|Accruals|42,438|24,035|
|Other Creditors|15,059|41,870|
|Creditor Prepayments|52,978|57,264|
||110,475|123,169|
||2023|2022|
|Deferred income:|£|£|
|At 1 January 2023|57,264|179,011|
|Released in year|-|-|
|Deferred in year|(4,286)|(121,747)|
|At 31 December 2023|52,978|57,264|
|12. Charity Creditors; amounts falling due within one year|||
||2023|2022|
||£|£|
|Accruals|42,438|24,035|
|Other Creditors|26,741|61,604|
|Creditor Prepayments|52,978|57,264|
||122,157|142,903|



Page | 51 



Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

|13. Consolidated group and charity<br>Designated Funds<br>Designated Funds<br>Groups, districts, regions & nations<br>Fixed Asset Fund<br>Previous year<br>Designated Funds<br>Groups, districts, regions & nations<br>Fixed Asset Fund|As at 1 January<br>2023<br>New<br>designations<br>Released<br>As at 31<br>December 2023<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>504,540<br>523,619<br>(526,148)<br>502,011<br>669,096<br>19,207<br>(19,205)<br>669,098|
|---|---|
||1,173,636<br>542,826<br>(545,353)<br>1,171,109|
||As at 1 January<br>2022<br>New<br>designations<br>Released<br>As at 31<br>December 2022<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>494,227<br>673,911<br>(663,598)<br>504,540<br>664,857<br>17,126<br>(12,887)<br>669,096|
||1,159,084<br>691,037<br>(676,485)<br>1,173,636|



Funds have been designated by the General Council for the following purposes: 

Groups, districts, regions & nations – All assets held by groups, districts, regions & nations that are not restricted, to be used by the group, district, region or nation holding the assets. 

Building funds – The net book value of unrestricted funds tied up in property, which are not therefore readily available for other use. 

Page | 52 



## Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

14. Restricted Funds for Group and charity 

|14. Restricted Funds for Group and<br>charity||
|---|---|
|Projects<br>Western Sahara<br>#Iwill Bereavement project<br>ESC Projects<br>Kids Got Rights project<br>Other projects<br>Groups, districts, regions & nations<br>Fixed asset funds<br>Cudham<br>Lockerbrook<br>Height Gate<br>Previous year<br>Projects<br>Western Sahara<br>#Iwill Bereavement project<br>ESC Projects<br>Kids Got Rights project<br>Other projects<br>Groups, districts, regions & nations<br>Fixed asset funds<br>Cudham<br>Lockerbrook<br>Height Gate|As at 1 January<br>2023<br>New<br>designations<br>Released<br>As at 31<br>December 2023<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>5,975<br>-<br>-<br>5,975<br>5,453<br>-<br>(5,453)<br>-<br>(2,411)<br>10,525<br>(1,470)<br>6,644<br>(8,591)<br>-<br>8,428<br>(163)<br>58,163<br>151,672<br>(210,259)<br>(424)|
||58,589<br>162,197<br>(208,754)<br>12,032|
||140,894<br>33,443<br>(41,737)<br>132,600|
||56,269<br>-<br>(1,953)<br>54,316<br>102,646<br>-<br>(2,973)<br>99,673<br>136,416<br>-<br>(4,057)<br>132,359|
||295,331<br>-<br>(8,983)<br>286,348|
|||
||494,814<br>195,640<br>(259,474)<br>430,980|
||As at 1 January<br>2022<br>New<br>designations<br>Released<br>As at 31<br>December 2022<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>5,975<br>-<br>-<br>5,975<br>13,152<br>-<br>(7,699)<br>5,453<br>45,247<br>531<br>(48,189)<br>(2,411)<br>16,117<br>10,459<br>(35,167)<br>(8,591)<br>51,058<br>148,144<br>(141,039)<br>58,163|
||131,549<br>159,134<br>(232,094)<br>58,589|
||194,978<br>86,967<br>(141,051)<br>140,894<br>58,223<br>-<br>(1,954)<br>56,269<br>105,619<br>-<br>(2,973)<br>102,646<br>140,473<br>-<br>(4,057)<br>136,416|
||304,315<br>-<br>(8,984)<br>295,331|
|||
||630,842<br>246,101<br>(382,129)<br>494,814|



Page | 53 



Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

Restricted funds represent monies to be used for the following specific purposes: 


**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
A project funded by the Co-Op Foundation as part of a UK-wide<br>#Iwill Bereavement  campaign to get 6 out of 10 young people involved in social<br>action.<br>DCMS funded project supporting residential activities at<br>Adventures Away From Home<br>Woodcraft Folk centres.<br>National Lottery Community Fund partnership grant for<br>Cudham Building Project<br>refurbishment and capital buildings works.<br>Scottish Government’s Children, Young people & Families Early<br>EIF (Scotland)  Intervention Fund to support Woodcraft Folk activities in<br>Scotland.<br>The European Solidarity Corps fund a range of projects,<br>ESC Projects  providing opportunities for individuals from around Europe to<br>become involved with the organisation.<br>Council of Europe funding exploring youth leadership, creating<br>Journey of Youth Leadership<br>a toolkit.<br>A project designed to explore and promote the rights of<br>Kids Got Rights<br>children.<br>National Lottery Heritage Funded project supporting the<br>New to Nature<br>employment of a trainee at Lockerbrook.<br>Peer Action Collective Ongoing contract with Youth Endowment Fund.<br>The Big Give Christmas Campaign Online public donations.<br>BBC Children in Need funding to undertake research with<br>Think NPC<br>young people.<br>Western Sahara Promotion of solidarity with counterparts in Western Sahara.<br>Various other externally funded projects with less than £5,000<br>Other Projects<br>income in the year.<br>Funds raised by groups, districts, regions and nations for specific<br>Groups, Districts, Regions and Nations<br>projects.<br>Balance of grants and donations received for the purchase of<br>Fixed Asset Funds  fixed assets and not yet expended by depreciation on the<br>related assets.<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


Page | 54 



## Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

|15. Analysis of consolidated group net assets between<br>funds<br>Fund balances at 31 December 2023 are represented<br>by:<br>Fixed assets<br>Current assets<br>Current liabilities<br>Previous year:<br>Fund balances at 31 December 2022 are represented<br>by:<br>Fixed assets<br>Current assets<br>Current liabilities<br>16. Analysis of charity net assets between funds<br>Fund balances at 31 December 2023 are represented<br>by:<br>Fixed assets<br>Current assets<br>Current liabilities<br>Previous year:<br>Fund balances at 31 December 2022 are represented<br>by:<br>Fixed assets<br>Current assets<br>Current liabilities|General<br>funds<br>Designated<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total 2023<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>5,388<br>669,098<br>286,348<br>960,834<br>811,762<br>502,011<br>144,632<br>1,458,405<br>(110,475)<br>-<br>-<br>(110,475)|
|---|---|
||706,675<br>1,171,109<br>430,980<br>2,308,764|
||General<br>funds<br>Designated<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total 2022<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>-<br>669,097<br>295,307<br>964,404<br>1,061,851<br>504,539<br>199,507<br>1,765,897<br>(123,169)<br>-<br>-<br>(123,169)|
||938,682<br>1,173,636<br>494,814<br>2,607,132|
||General<br>funds<br>Designated<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total 2023<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>5,388<br>669,098<br>286,348<br>960,834<br>823,444<br>502,011<br>144,632<br>1,470,087<br>(122,157)<br>-<br>-<br>(122,157)|
||706,675<br>1,171,109<br>430,980<br>2,308,764|
||General<br>funds<br>Designated<br>funds<br>Restricted<br>funds<br>Total 2022<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>£<br>-<br>669,097<br>295,307<br>964,404<br>1,081,585<br>504,539<br>199,507<br>1,785,630<br>(142,903)<br>-<br>-<br>(142,903)|
||938,682<br>1,173,636<br>494,814<br>2,607,132|



Page | 55 



Notes to the financial statements 31 December 2023 

## 17. Lease Commitments 

|Amounts payable under operating leases<br>Within one year<br>Within 2 to 5 years<br>Over 5 years|2023<br>2022<br>£<br>£<br>19,500<br>19,500<br>78,000<br>78,000<br>-<br>-|
|---|---|
||97,500<br>97,500|



## 18. Woodcraft Folk Enterprise Ltd 

The charity owns the whole of the issued share capital of Woodcraft Folk Enterprise Ltd, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom and registered in England and Wales (company number 13623421).  The subsidiary is used for non-primary purpose trading activities.  All activities have been consolidated on a line by line bases in the statement of financial activities.  During the year, the charitable company undertook various transactions on behalf of its trading subsidiary.  Available profits are gift aided to the parent charity under a deed of covenant.  A summary of the results of the subsidiary is shown below. 

## Statement of comprehensive income for the year ended 31 December 2023 

|Turnover<br>Cost of Sales<br>Gross Profit<br>Administrative expenses<br>Profit on ordinary activities before taxation<br>Tax on ordinary activities<br>Profit for the financial year after tax<br>Gift aid distribution to parent charity<br>Profit for the financial year<br>he aggregate of the assets, liabilities and funds was:<br>Current assets<br>Debtors<br>Creditors: amounts falling due within one year<br>Net Assets<br>Capital and reserves<br>Called up share capital|£<br>112,834<br>42,466<br>70,368<br>58,685<br>11,682<br>-<br>11,682<br>(11,682)<br>-<br>£<br>£<br>28,432<br>(28,431)|£<br>112,834<br>42,466|
|---|---|---|
|||70,368<br>58,685<br>11,682<br>-|
|||11,682<br>(11,682)|
|||-|
||1||
||1||



The aggregate of the assets, liabilities and funds was: 

## **19. Related party transactions** 

There were no other related party transactions in the year to 31 December 2023. 

Page | 56