Company registration number: CE000516 Charity registration number: 1152615
Birds of Poole Harbour
(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation)
Annual Report and Financial Statements Year Ended 31 March 2021
Charity registration number: 1152615
Birds of Poole Harbour
Contents
| Trustees' Report | 1 to 17 |
|---|---|
| Reference and Administrative Details | 17 |
| Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities | 18 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 19 |
| Statement of Financial Activities | 20 |
| Balance Sheet | 21 |
| Notes to the Financial Statements | 22 to 33 |
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
The trustees, present the annual report together with the financial statements of the charitable incorporated organisation for the year ended 31 March 2021.
Introduction:
'Birds of Poole Harbour' was set up originally as a conservation group with the aim of promoting Poole Harbour as a popular place to come and watch birds. Within the first six months of operating, it became clear that our ideas and focus were far more charitable and in 2013 we applied for charity status. The application was successful, which allowed us to progress further with our ideas. As a charity, we aim to boost the profile of bird conservation, preservation and education in and around Poole Harbour using a number of platforms with which to achieve this. This report introduces and describes each of the projects carried out by 'Birds of Poole Harbour' over the last year, our donations received and how our funds have been distributed.
Objects:
The objectives of the CIO are to provide environmental education on the birds of Poole Harbour and their protection through an interactive website, guide walks, school boat trips, public talks and other projects within Poole Harbour and surrounding areas.
Activities Undertaken in Relation to Objects:
In setting out our objects and planning our activities, we, as Trustees, have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit, and during the period have undertaken activities in relation to the objects including:
Running a School Bird Boat Program; 24 hour live webcams; conservation work/projects; commissioned surveys for public use; the fourth phase of a 5-year Osprey translocation project; running an Engagement Centre style HQ for members of the public on Poole Quay; varied guided walks and public bird boat schedule; and regularly updating public information.
Financial review:
Finance
Trustees oversaw the charity’s income and expenditure and received financial reports that described monthly income and expenditure, cashflow forecast and financial risk profile.
Income for 2020/21 was £183,812 (2020: £344,941) and expenditure for 2020/21 was £256,050 (2020: £345,053).
Trustees have continued to monitor the financial position of the charity in the light of the pandemic and have taken steps to minimise the impact by reviewing staffing requirements and it was agreed not to utilise the furlough scheme. Support has been received towards core costs from a range of grant providers to whom the charity is extremely grateful. The reserves in place along with additional coronavirus funding received will help the charity through this difficult time.
Page 1
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Reserves Policy
The Board of Trustees has examined the Charity’s requirements for reserves in light of the main risks to the organisation. It has established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets held by the Charity should be equal to the amount required to address the red flags as determined by the Risk Register which is £24,000.
Achievements and performance
Staff
2020/21 was an incredibly strange and challenging year because of the arrival of COVID:19. With uncertainty ahead in April 2020, all options were considered when it came to our staff. Despite the challenges, 2020 still potentially had the opportunity to be an incredibly exciting year for the charity as there was a possibility we could see our first pair of nesting Osprey as a result of our Osprey reintroduction program. With this in mind, we knew public communication and engagement was going to be a key element in keeping the public up to date with progress, and as we entered lockdown it soon became clear how important that communication became for the general public. When the furlough scheme was announced, we considered the pro’s and con’s of partaking in the initiative and decided that to maintain staff morale and enthusiasm, and to support the public we would continue with each of our three staff contracts and not utilise the government furlough scheme. This turned out to be a really positive decision when we started receiving emails and correspondence from the public, thanking us for our work and online communication during lockdown, explaining that it helped them through a really difficult period. Staff contracts ended in Sept 2020, and with uncertainty ahead we were hesitant to offer full 1-year contract extensions to our staff. However, we really didn’t want to lose three excellent staff, so negotiated with them a rolling month by month contract agreement until there was more certainty ahead. Each staff member, despite immediate job security, continued to fulfill their job roles to the highest standard and we couldn’t be happier with their performance. The rolling month by month contract agreement continued past the financial year 2020/21, with annual contracts being offered once again from the summer months.
In 2020 we were also planning and preparing to host the fourth year of our Osprey reintroduction during July and August 2020, meaning we’d need to re-employ an Osprey project assistant on a 3-month contract. This person was employed in July 2020, and began helping prep for the arrival of our Osprey chicks. However, at the last minute, it was sadly discovered that we would not be able to host the project that summer due to the lack of available chicks up in Scotland and therefore the project was put on hold for a year. We considered what to do with this three-month role, and spoke with our project partners, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, who at the same time were carrying out the White-tailed Sea Eagle reintroduction on the Isle of Wight and coincidently needed some help. So, it was agreed that with the funder of the roles agreement we’d redeploy Lucy to the Isle of Wight to help with the Sea Eagle project.
Page 2
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
School Bird Boat Project
Each year, Birds of Poole Harbour funds winter bird boats for local schools, taking up to c1,500 school children into the harbour. This is a very rewarding and successful project that starts at the end of September, finishing at the beginning of April.
The list of available trip dates are sent out to local schools during the summer, and schools book onto the trips on a first come first served basis. These trips give us the opportunity to get school children out into their local environment and explore an area that they potentially didn't know existed, despite it being right on their doorstep. Winter in Poole Harbour is spectacular, allowing us to show the children some truly magical wildlife spectacles including vast wader flocks, Peregrine and Merlin chases, flocks of 40+ Spoonbill, and, on most trips, one or two Common Seals. The trip doesn't just look at birds, but natural history as a whole, as well as discussing the local history and industry, highlighting how important the harbour is for both people and wildlife. Our target age group is Years 3 to 6. The unique part about these trips is that there is absolutely no cost to the school, parent or pupil: 'Birds of Poole Harbour' covers the cost of everything from the boat hire, coach hire, educational material and even binoculars.
During the 2020/2021 season we sadly had to postpone all of our School Bird Boat trips because of Covid. The trips were due to start in September 2020, but schools were reluctant to move forward with the trips, as were we, because at the time we didn’t know how class bubbles would work and how safe they were. Then, of course in October 2020 we went into a national lockdown so all trips were officially cancelled. With the national lockdown lasting until March 2021 it meant no trips could take place this season. However, the season ended on a positive note when we began discussions with Poole based cosmetics company LUSH about them possibly funding the School Bird Boat project as part of their companies charitable giving. Although at the time of writing this report, the funding hadn’t been officially confirmed, it seems highly likely that LUSH will be sponsoring the project for the 2021/22 season.
Poole Harbour Osprey Project
Overview
After running a successful Osprey Project fundraising campaign through the winter of 2019/2020, we were able to purchase a livestream webcam to be installed on one of the local artificial nesting platforms. The camera was set-up in March 2020, in anticipation of the return of ringed Ospreys CJ7 and LS7, a pair that had formed a bond in the harbour in 2019. With the potential for the first nesting Ospreys on the South Coast in nearly 200 years, the camera was installed to offer the public the opportunity to witness key moments in the reestablishment of the species to the area.
Page 3
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
As well as the livestream webcam, several motion-sensitive cameras were serviced and redeployed ahead of the new season, as well as two new cameras being purchased and installed. These additional cameras were bought with generous donations to the project and were installed at two locations; one on a nest platform on private land and the other on the new feeding platform at Holes Bay Nature Reserve.
----- Start of picture text -----
Un-ringed Juvenile Osprey on Holes Bay Platform – October 6 [th] 2020
----- End of picture text -----
The Osprey season started while the country entered the Covid-19 lockdown, which provided difficulties for monitoring their return from their migration during the spring. We were pleased to see the safe return of female CJ7, who first appeared on the livestream nest on 8th April 2020, after spending a week elsewhere in the harbour area. Unfortunately, the young male LS7 did not arrive back to join her, most likely having perished during his spring migration due to difficult weather conditions, which also impacted many other birds across the UK.
Nevertheless, the livestream camera meant that we could share CJ7’s activities with a wide audience, reaching almost one million views by the end of the season. As well as watching her nest-building, the camera also allowed us to document and understand more about Osprey nesting behaviour, as CJ7 laid 3 unfertilised eggs in the early part of the season. This is an under-studied area of Osprey behaviour and being able to have further insight was a fantastic resource. Unfortunately, despite having a few passing visitors, no males turned up to join CJ7 during the summer and she left on her migration during August.
Page 4
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
----- Start of picture text -----
CJ7 with two unfertilised eggs - April 4th 2020
----- End of picture text -----
Despite LS7 not returning in 2020, the project was certainly not without success. On 20th May, we received news that a Poole Harbour translocated female from the 2018 cohort, ringed 014, had returned to the UK for the first time. She was first reported in Wales by the Dyfi Osprey Project when she appeared at the nest site, but was seen on multiple locations at different sites in Wales, frequently with young males, later in the season. She was also seen a little closer to “home” when she was reported at Seaton Wetlands in Devon, though didn’t make an appearance to Poole Harbour. Furthermore, re-sightings of another young translocated female, ringed 019, in her wintering grounds in The Gambia in March 2021 have given hope for her return in the future.
----- Start of picture text -----
014 at the Dyfi Osprey Project - August 11th 2020
(Credit: Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust)
----- End of picture text -----
Page 5
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Engagement
In addition to the high numbers of people engaging with the project reached through the livestream camera, we were able to run public events in the summer of 2020, including free Pop-Up Osprey Watchpoints and our popular Poole Harbour Osprey Cruises. The Osprey Watchpoints at BCP Ham Common and Holes Bay Nature Reserve attracted c.40 members of the public to each event, which we ran bi-weekly during August with additional sessions during September and October. Unfortunately, we were unable to run our Poole Harbour Osprey Cruises at their usual capacity due to Covid-19 restrictions, with each of the 7 cruises in August taking a reduced number of 30 members of the public on a guided tour of the harbour. We have worked on expanding our opportunities to include our brand new Osprey Project cruises for June and July along with various popup events where we can be responsive to the activity of the birds in certain areas. Due to having to cancel our Osprey Fundraiser cruise in May 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, in September this year we were finally able to reschedule this. This cruise was in partnership with Osprey Europe who covered the cost of the boat hire and saw 100% of the profit going to the Osprey Project.
While we haven’t been able to run public talks in person this year, members of the Osprey Project team have run several online talks for different organisations and private groups, which have been well received.
Translocation
As previously mentioned, the conditions during the spring migratory period were exceptionally poor during 2020, which impacted the number of Ospreys returning to breed across the UK, as well as delaying the start of the breeding season for others. Unfortunately, this reduced the number of successful nests, particularly in Scotland, which we were reliant on for the translocation project to run in 2020. These factors meant that there was a lack of suitable chicks available for the project, and the decision was therefore made to not go ahead with the 2020 translocation. Fortunately, the project has been granted a 2 year extension for the collection of chicks by Scottish Natural Heritage, improving the chance of success for the project down the line.
Events
Our events schedule was due to expand considerably in 2020/21, with a larger audience now keen to learn about our work. As we’ve experimented with different trips and thought of new ideas, we’ve been able to offer a larger range of events on a more frequent basis. However, like many other areas of our work, Covid had a big impact on the number of events we could host during 2020/21. All our spring events were cancelled due to the initial lockdown and the same went for all our autumn and winter events due to the second lockdown. However, as we were keen to try and offer some form of public events, following government guidelines we managed to safely run seven reduced capacity Osprey cruises in August 2020, 1 mid-summer cruise and seven reduced capacity Nightjar walks in June and July of the same year too. Although this greatly reduced income it was important that we were still able to offer a service to the public to keep them engaged and enthused about local natural history.
Page 6
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
National lockdown measures from 26th March brought the cancellation of the Osprey Project Fundraiser Cruise, International Dawn Chorus Day Walk, Up With The Lark Spring Cruises, Mid Summer Meander Cruises, Purbeck Puffin Cruises, Low Tide Cruises, Winter Wareham Channel Cruises, Winter Reconnect Tours, Winter ID Courses and Sunnyside Ringing Demonstrations.
Free Events
It was important that we were able to offer a series of free events too for people wishing to learn more about various areas of our work, so we were able to repeat a series of Public Osprey Watches from Ham Common between 8th and 31st August, in partnership with BCP Council. These watch points were announced shortly before the day of the event, aimed at attracting a new audience of walkers and passers by, expanding the reach of our engagement. We were also able to conduct a total of eight guided walks across Poole Town and Holes Bay, engaging with c.100 people before the second National lockdown measures from 5th November meant the cancellation of the Low Tide and Wareham Channel Cruises, Winter ID Courses and Sunnyside Winter Ringing Demonstrations.
Osprey Watch at Ham Common - August 15th 2020
Talks
Covid obviously stopped all face-to-face public talk opportunities, however, 2020/21 also saw the rise of the ‘Zoom’ platform meaning hosting talks to groups was still able to continue. During this financial year we hosted 10 online talks to numerous groups including Wildlife Trust, RSPB and Natural History groups. This is a far more efficient and environmentally friendly way of communicating with a wide range of people and definitely something we’ll be considering to host more of over the coming years.
Page 7
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Public Engagement
Following the opening of our HQ engagement centre in March 2018, building our online presence and more importantly, the expansion of our events program over the last few years, our audience has grown substantially. During the 2020/21, despite Covid, we were still able to maintain a good level of public engagement, especially online thanks to our Osprey webcam channel. This helped us reach a much wider audience than just our local Poole-based demographic, meaning when restrictions were eased there were greater opportunities for us to host more events. Although restrictions were still largely in place at the end of March 2021, the Covid situation improved during the summer and autumn of 2021.
BoPH HQ on Poole Quay
The Birds of Poole Harbour HQ, located in the heart of Poole, helps interpret the rich birdlife found locally, offering high-quality interactive experiences that showcase Poole Harbour’s ecological importance. Touchscreen maps enable visitors to visualise and plan birding routes around the harbour, learning where and when to visit the best places to watch birds. Several listening stations offer familiarisation with the bird calls that can be encountered locally, and numerous screens display exclusive live-streams and mini documentaries, while an indoor bird hide helps bring nature-watching to a new audience. The centre is also a small retail outlet, specialising in ethical and cruelty-free optics, natural history books, ID guides and postcards, as well as providing a centralised location from which to secure donations.
Footfall increased 25% in the previous financial year, however the coronavirus pandemic and the associated restrictions and lockdowns had a huge impact on the centre and its operations. The centre was closed from 13th March 2020, approximately 2 weeks ahead of the national lockdown, to protect staff, volunteers and visitors. The visitor centre then remained dormant until September, welcoming visitors again into October until the second national lockdown was announced on 5 November. The 2nd December saw the centre doors reopen briefly for several weeks in the run up to Christmas and the New Year before remaining closed for the remainder of the financial year in line with government guidelines on non-essential retail. As a result, footfall during the 2020/21 financial year was down approximately 86% on last year, with 3,465 visitors welcomed through our doors.
The lockdown closures provided an opportunity to revamp all of the interpretation within the centre, providing the latest information and project updates. The HQ is already equipped to accept cash or contactless donations, however a new contactless donation system was installed at the beginning of the financial year. The upgraded donation station features a bird animation triggered by a motion-sensor, inspiring visitors as they pass. This new interactive concept was proposed by the Fine Family Foundation (FFF), who kindly offered to design and fund the project. We worked with the FFF on the project over the winter and the device was completed in April 2020. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic and reduced opening hours, the new system has yet to be utilised to its full extent yet.
Page 8
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
The future of BoPH HQ
Despite the HQ’s high standard of interpretation and engagement opportunities, the last year has allowed us to look at it’s effectiveness and it’s long-term role within the charity. Despite Covid hopefully coming to end at some point, the truth is no one knows exactly when restrictions will lift completely and when life will return 100% to normal (if ever). With this in mind, at the end of this current financial year, we’ve begun looking at where we’re most effective as a charity in terms of staff deployment, income generation and education outreach as well as money saving opportunities. This raised the question as to whether we should continue the lease on our HQ which isn’t due to run out until 2026, but has an early release clause of November 2021, or whether we begin looking at forming local partnerships with other stakeholders to host our displays, therefore allowing us to end the lease and redeploy our team to be out and about in the Harbour. All businesses and charities are having to greatly adapt to the current global situation and we’re no different. Remaining dynamic and effective is a key objective for us, and if that means having to make big decisions like this to ensure the long-term safety of the charity then so be it.
In late Spring 2021, a decision was made to end the lease early and form a closer working partnership with BCP Council Poole Museum. The interpretation panels, multiple display screens, natural history display cabinets and model osprey nest were all relocated and displayed in the museum’s temporary exhibition galleries ahead of the public opening on 9th October 2021 running until 24th April 2022. In a normal year their visitor numbers can reach 200k+ visitors and this will function as a superb engagement focal point for the charity, promoting the harbour’s important birdlife, the work conducted by the charity’s and enable Birds of Poole Harbour to continue to offer a range of programmed talks and tours in the heart of Poole town.
----- Start of picture text -----
Birds of Poole Harbour Gallery Takeover in Poole Museum
----- End of picture text -----
Page 9
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Local Presence
The pandemic made it hard for us to educate and communicate our work out in the local community, but we made a huge effort to make sure as much of our work and storytelling was done online so that the public could still follow important and developing areas of our work, most notably the Osprey project story. When restrictions were lifted we quickly negotiated a safe and secure set of events at public sites around the harbour with different land owners, as well as the boat companies so we could begin promoting our work once more.
Online Engagement
During the winter period of 2019/20 we fundraised for a webcam to be placed on the Osprey nest platform we thought may get used by our Osprey pair CJ7 and LS7. The webcam went live in late February 2020, which provided huge excitement, as it could potentially be live streaming the first nesting Osprey attempt in southern Britain for 200 years. We were expecting our birds to come back in early April and sure enough on April 2[nd] , the female CJ7 arrived back into the harbour. Initially there weren’t any sightings on our nest cam for about a week, but then at 5am on April 8[th] CJ7 landed on the nest cam for the first time. Her behaviour immediately showed she was keen to breed, as she brought sticks and moss to the nest on a daily basis, began nest cup scraping and generally became bonded to that nest. This provided a huge online public engagement opportunity, especially during the first national lockdown between March and May. Around the same time Chris Packham started a new online TV show with his step daughter Megan McCubbin which regularly saw thousands of viewers tune in on a daily basis to learn about the natural world. Chris and Megan kindly invited us to be on the show live, to talk about CJ7’s arrival and the potential for the season. At this stage there was still no sign of the male osprey LS7, but we held out hope that he’d be OK, and would arrive back soon. The webcam soon attracted around 1000 viewers each day in late April and early May with people waiting in anticipation for the males safe return.
Page 10
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
We also began hosting daily Q&A sessions on our YouTube chat page, which was a brilliant communication and education tool that allowed us to discuss the project to a wide audience. Another popular element of our online education is the Holton Lee bird feeder cam. In late 2020 we hosted an online fundraiser to pay for a long-term supply of bird food which was hopefully going to last the winter.
Partnerships and Sponsorship
As our exposure grew during 2019, local businesses and the council became interested in learning more about our work and starting longer term partnerships.
Osprey Europe
In 2019, Birds of Poole Harbour formed a partnership with Osprey Europe, who share a common goal in raising awareness of conservation initiatives. Osprey Europe kindly supported our fundraising, including our winter Osprey Project campaign, through providing prizes for raffle draws, as well as sponsoring a harbour cruise, meaning that ticket sales could go directly towards the campaign. They also provided additional funding for a second cruise in 2020, as well as sponsoring our live stream Osprey nest camera. The partnership continued into the 2020/21 financial year with a planned fundraiser boat organised for May 2020 which Osprey Europe sponsored. Sadly due to the pandemic that trip was postponed and the funding will be re-allocated to a new boat when restrictions allow.
Saltwater Stone
Saltwater Stone were key contributors to our Swift City project and kindly gave 50% of the funding needed for us to erect Swift boxes in Old Town Poole. We also ran a parallel public fundraiser which saw us double the number of Swift boxes erected. In early May 2020 the final amount was spent on installing Swift boxes in Wareham and Hamworthy.
BCP Council - Poole Museum
In addition to our partnership with BCP Council during pop-up events and guided walks, we redesigned and provided new content for the “Poole Harbour Habitats” hide in Poole Museum. In late Spring 2021, the decision to end the Enefco House building lease resulted in the closure of our Poole Quay engagement HQ (see The future of BoPH HQ ) and form a closer working partnership with BCP Council Poole Museum. Contents of the engagement centre were reinstalled in the museum’s temporary exhibition galleries, where in a normal year their visitor numbers can reach 200k+ visitors! This will function as a superb engagement focal point for the charity, promoting the harbour’s important birdlife, the work conducted by the charity’s and enable Birds of Poole Harbour to continue to offer a range of programmed talks and tours in the heart of Poole town.
Page 11
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Quay Holidays
In October 2019, we became partners with a local holiday lettings agency, Quay Holidays . The partnership continued into the 2020/21 financial year with the partnership offering our customers a 5% discount on holiday lettings with Quay Holidays when they book referencing Birds of Poole Harbour. Quay Holidays have kindly offered to donate a further 5% of the booking to Birds of Poole Harbour, for which we are extremely grateful. Unsurprisingly, with holiday lettings coming to a grinding halt we didn’t see any income from this partnership, but we hope that post pandemic this relationship could grow.
Student Grant
PhD Funding
We have continued to provide financial support towards Brittany Maxted’s part-time PhD research. The grant covers her tuition and research costs, whilst she remains employed fulltime by Birds of Poole Harbour and divides her time between work and studies. The funding has already been donated to the charity in full and is ring-fenced so it cannot be allocated to other projects.
Brittany has been involved in the charity since 2015 and is responsible for managing our Osprey Translocation Project. She began her part-time PhD at Bournemouth University in September 2019, supervised by Professor Richard Stillman, Dr Pippa Gillingham, and Professor Ross Hill. The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation has provided the main dataset for her research, alongside additional supervision from Dr Tim Mackrill. The research aims to investigate the drivers of nesting decisions and range expansion in the British Osprey population, and to provide a management framework for the species in the future.
The project helps to strengthen and establish ties with other organisations, and also provides opportunities for publication of peer-reviewed scientific research, all of which help to raise the charity’s status within conservation and scientific communities.
Surveys and Scientific Projects
As a charity, we aim to obtain high quality data on populations and status of birds and other wildlife that are relevant to our wider conservation values.
Moths of Poole Harbour
The Moths of Poole Harbour Study which began in 2017 came to it’s final conclusion during this financial year, with the full report published on the website by March 2021. This has seen our two contracted moth surveyors, Chris Thain and Abby Gibbs, gather really important data on moth populations right across the harbour, working in partnership with National Trust, RSPB and private landowners. Although the pandemic had a small impact on their ability to carry out the study, they were able to continue with the work on an almost full time basis by June 2020. This work continued until late 2020 and the report writing was completed in early 2021. The funding for this was in place, meaning they could continue with the work.
Page 12
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Big Poole Harbour Bird Count
On October 25th 2020 we held our second ever Big Poole Harbour Bird Count: a survey of the birdlife in Poole Harbour, collected via community science. As previously, we scheduled the event to coincide with the monthly Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), to ensure that the wetland areas of the harbour - where the majority of our winter birds are found - received full coverage. In total, 72 participants recorded 34242 birds of 139 species, seen across 113 different locations in the harbour. Coronavirus prevented us from hosting our usual end-of-day gathering, but all the results were uploaded to the interactive website where they can be viewed in maps, graphs and tables, and compared with the data from the previous count: https://birdsofpooleharbour.shinyapps.io/Big_Poole_Harbour_Bird_Count_Results/
Big Poole Harbour Bird Count interactive webpage
Poole Harbour WeBS counts
We continue to manage the Poole Harbour WeBS (Wetland Bird Surveys), which is a national scheme run by the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology). This survey, which sees a team of 30 volunteers distributed across the harbour once a month through the winter (Sept – March), is a hugely important survey, as the collective data affords Poole Harbour much of its designated protection.
Page 13
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Conservation Work
A key part of our work is to identify opportunities that, in both the short-term and long-term, enhance opportunities for birds to flourish and for habitats to become established, therefore enhancing ecosystems for wider biodiversity. The pandemic sadly meant that we couldn’t pursue some areas of conservation work, including our Osprey translocation project.
Swift City
2019 saw us initiate our Swift City project by installing Swift boxes up at sites across Old Town Poole to help boost the population of Swifts in the area. Swifts are in dire need of help with a 51% decline in population in just 40 years. The project was jointly funded by local business Saltwater Stone and through a public fundraiser which ran during the winter of 2018/19. There was sufficient funds left over which allowed us to install 12 new Swift boxes in early May 2020 in the Wareham and Hamworthy areas of Poole Harbour.
House Martin Tower
To support another species that's struggling locally, the House Martin, we began a new project to install a House Martin Tower to increase their breeding opportunities. We don't believe this concept has been used before in the UK and were fortunate to receive permission for the project from a local landowner, as well as planning permission granted in early spring 2020. A funding application was made to the Turbary Trust, applying for the main bulk of funding to get the installation installed, however, the pandemic meant that applications weren’t being considered for this financial year, and we were then invited to make a reapplication for the 2021/22 financial year which was successful along with other donations.
Barn Owl boxes at Keysworth
In early 2020 we were considering starting a full Poole Harbour breeding wader survey, which meant we needed access to all areas of Poole Harbour and landowner permissions. One site we’d never worked at before was the Keysworth Estate and after some productive discussions we were granted access to survey that area later in the summer. As a thank you we agreed to install 2 new Barn Owl boxes on the estate as the landowners had recently seen some on site.
New Sunnyside Screening
During the 2019/20 winter period we hosted our first Sunnyside ringing demonstrations which raised funds for a project on site to enhance viewing and habitat opportunities. Although we could not run the new sessions during the winter of 2020/21, we still had funds left over to invest in a project. So, we thought about new viewing screen infrastructure and we hosted an online public fundraiser in February 2021 to raise the final amount. The screen was then built in March 2021.
Page 14
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Fundraising
Now with a bigger outreach and more people following our work we continued to build on our fundraising opportunities. Not only do we receive regular support from a number of generous donors, we are now seeing contributions to our fundraising campaigns grow too. In 2020/21 we hosted several specific fundraising targets for specific projects across the harbour. Some were via traditional fundraising methods, using our Just Giving fundraising page, and others were through public events that had a specific fundraising need.
Fundraising Campaigns
Feed the Birds
We ran a mini online fundraiser through Just Giving during December, raising money to fill the bird feeders at Livability Holton Lee, who are our partners for our livestream bird feeder camera. The fundraiser exceeded our goal £250, raising £376.25 for bird food which kept the feeders topped up over the next few months. This meant that the public were able to continue watching the livestream camera from home and enjoy seeing the variety of birds that use feeders.
Sunnyside
After the success of the Feed the Birds campaign, we launched a second mini fundraiser in March to raise the remaining required funds for the Sunnyside Scrape Viewing Screen. The funds for the screen had initially been planned to be raised through ticket sales to our Sunnyside Ringing Demonstrations, in partnership with Stour Ringing Group. However, Covid-19 restrictions meant that these demonstrations were unable to go ahead, so we launched the Just Giving fundraiser instead. We exceeded our goal of £450, raising £578.75 for the work at Sunnyside, which was then able to be completed in March.
Osprey Project
We kept our general Just Giving Osprey Project page open throughout the year, generating donations through our livestream webcam up until March 2021, as well receiving generous donations from other funding sources. We also launched a new fundraiser in January 2021, raising funds for Osprey monitoring cameras and photo packages in the upcoming season, totalling £1941.25. In February 2020, we launched a raffle to raise funds for the Osprey Project, which ran up until August 2020. Prizes for the raffle were kindly donated by Osprey Europe, Opticron, Kowa and The Sound Approach. The raffle raised £1249 towards the Osprey Project. These donations, which amounted to £8450.34 in total, contributed to Osprey Project developments, including the maintenance of nest platforms, cameras and engagement infrastructure.
.
Page 15
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Fundraising Events
Nightjar walks
These were a partnership project with the National Trust, and saw us raise £592 for a farmland bird/bird protection focused project on National Trust Land. The easing of lockdown restrictions meant we were able to host eight walks in total.
Volunteer Contribution
In a normal year, due to the number of projects we’ve now set up and are involved in, we wouldn’t be able to function without our volunteer network. Our volunteers assist with our events, manning the HQ, the Osprey Project and the School Bird Boat Project. However, with Covid and the reduced number of events, projects and education programs that took place this year, we made the decision to manage without volunteers for safety.
Small companies provision statement
This report has been prepared in accordance with the small companies regime under the Companies Act 2006.
The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 12 January 2022 and signed on its behalf by:
......................................... Kerry Fletcher Trustee
......................................... Paul Morton Trustee
Page 16
Birds of Poole Harbour
Trustees' Report
Reference and Administrative Details
Trustees Kerry Fletcher Paul Morton Principal Office Enefco House 19 The Quay Poole Dorset BH15 1HJ The charity is incorporated in England and Wales. Charity Registration Number 1152615 Bankers Barclays 100 High Street Poole Dorset BH15 1BL Metro Bank One Southampton Row London WC1B 5HA Independent Examiner PKF Francis Clark Towngate House 2 - 8 Parkstone Road Poole Dorset BH15 2PW
Page 17
Birds of Poole Harbour
Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice) and applicable law and regulations.
The law applicable to charities requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
-
select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
-
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
-
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
-
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the applicable Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations, and the provision of the constitution. The trustees 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.
Approved by the trustees of the charity on 12 January 2022 and signed on its behalf by:
......................................... Kerry Fletcher Trustee
......................................... Paul Morton Trustee
Page 18
Birds of Poole Harbour
Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of Birds of Poole Harbour
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2021 which are set out on pages 20 to 33.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
As the charity’s trustees of Birds of Poole Harbour (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).
Having satisfied myself that the accounts of Birds of Poole Harbour are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of Birds of Poole Harbour as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view' which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
-
the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities [applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
......................................
Anne-Marie Gates FCCA FCA (a partner of) PKF Francis Clark
Towngate House 2 - 8 Parkstone Road Poole Dorset BH15 2PW
13 January 2022
Page 19
Birds of Poole Harbour
Statement of Financial Activities
Year Ended 31 March 2021 (Including Income and Expenditure Account)
| Note Income and Endowments from: Donations and legacies 2 Charitable activities 3 Investment income 4 Total income Expenditure on: Charitable activities 5 Total expenditure Net (expenditure)/income Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 15 Note Income and Endowments from: Donations and legacies 2 Charitable activities 3 Total Income Expenditure on: Charitable activities 5 Total Expenditure Net (expenditure)/income Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 15 |
Unrestricted funds £ 107,021 63,044 7 170,072 (242,474) (242,474) (72,402) 1,885 (70,517) 218,252 147,735 Unrestricted £ 240,613 53,484 294,097 (323,769) (323,769) (29,672) (29,672) 247,924 218,252 |
Restricted funds £ 13,740 - - 13,740 (13,576) (13,576) 164 (1,885) (1,721) 30,522 28,801 Restricted £ 50,844 - 50,844 (21,324) (21,324) 29,520 29,520 1,002 30,522 |
Total 2021 £ 120,761 63,044 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 183,812 | |||
| (256,050) | |||
| (256,050) | |||
| (72,238) - |
|||
| (72,238) 248,774 |
|||
| 176,536 | |||
| Total 2020 £ 291,457 53,484 |
|||
| 344,941 | |||
| (345,093) | |||
| (345,093) | |||
| (152) | |||
| (152) 248,926 |
|||
| 248,774 |
The funds breakdown for 2020 is shown in note 15.
The notes on pages 22 to 33 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 20
Birds of Poole Harbour
(Registration number: CE000516) Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2021
| Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 11 Current assets Stocks 12 Debtors 13 Cash at bank and in hand Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 14 Net current assets Net assets Funds of the charity: Restricted income funds Restricted funds Unrestricted income funds Unrestricted funds Total funds 15 |
2021 £ 112,974 27,345 4,352 45,494 77,191 (13,629) 63,562 176,536 28,801 147,735 176,536 |
2020 £ 185,059 29,202 8,440 54,225 |
|---|---|---|
| 91,867 (28,152) |
||
| 63,715 | ||
| 248,774 | ||
| 30,522 218,252 |
||
| 248,774 |
The financial statements on pages 20 to 33 were approved by the trustees, and authorised for issue on 12 January 2022 and signed on their behalf by:
......................................... Kerry Fletcher Trustee
......................................... Paul Morton Trustee
The notes on pages 22 to 33 form an integral part of these financial statements. Page 21
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
1 Accounting policies
Summary of significant accounting policies and key accounting estimates
The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all the years presented, unless otherwise stated.
Statement of compliance
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). They also comply with the Companies Act 2006 and Charities Act 2011.
Basis of preparation
Birds of Poole Harbour meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.
Going concern
The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. As explained in the trustees report, the trustees have considered the uncertainty relating to the coronavirus pandemic and the impact on the charity’s operations and finances in the short to medium term. In the opinion of the trustees, with the support of high-value donors and proactively managing cash-flow the charity has sufficient working capital to continue to meet its financial obligations and pay its liabilities as they fall due for the foreseeable future and therefore the financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves held and the additional funding committed by high-value donors for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.
Exemption from preparing a cash flow statement
The charity adopted Bulletin 1 published on 2 February 2016 and have therefore not included a cash flow statement in these financial statements.
Income and endowments
All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of the income receivable can be measured reliably.
Page 22
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
Donations
Donations are recognised when the charity has been notified in writing of both the amount and settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance by the charity before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity and it is probable that these conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period.
Deferred income
Deferred income represents amounts received for future periods and is released to incoming resources in the period for which, it has been received. Such income is only deferred when:
- The donor specifies that the grant or donation must only be used in future accounting periods; or - The donor has imposed conditions which must be met before the charity has unconditional entitlement.
Investment income
Bank interest is recognised when it is received.
Charitable activities
Engagement centre sales are recognised when goods are sold.
Boat trips and tour income is recognised when the trips take place.
Expenditure
All expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to that expenditure, it is probable settlement is required and the amount can be measured reliably. All costs are allocated to the applicable expenditure heading that aggregate similar costs to that category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated on a basis consistent with the use of resources, with central staff costs allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use. Other support costs are allocated based on the spread of staff costs.
Charitable activities
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them.
Governance costs
These include the costs attributable to the charity’s compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements, including audit, strategic management and trustees’s meetings and reimbursed expenses.
Page 23
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
Taxation
The charity is considered to pass the tests set out in Paragraph 1 Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 and therefore it meets the definition of a charitable company for UK corporation tax purposes. Accordingly, the charity is potentially exempt from taxation in respect of income or capital gains received within categories covered by Chapter 3 Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992, to the extent that such income or gains are applied exclusively to charitable purposes.
Tangible fixed assets
Individual fixed assets are initially recorded at cost, less any subsequent accumulated depreciation and subsequent accumulated impairment losses.
Depreciation and amortisation
Depreciation is provided on tangible fixed assets so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over their expected useful economic life as follows:
Asset class Depreciation method and rate Office equipment and website 5 years straight line Furniture and fixtures 5 years straight line Conservation assets 3 and 5 years straight line HQ equipment 3 years straight line
Stock
Stock is valued at the lower of cost and estimated selling price less costs to complete and sell, after due regard for obsolete and slow moving stocks. Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out basis (FIFO).
Trade debtors
Trade debtors are amounts due from customers for merchandise sold or services performed in the ordinary course of business.
Trade debtors are recognised initially at the transaction price. They are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method, less provision for impairment. A provision for the impairment of trade debtors is established when there is objective evidence that the charity will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of the receivables.
Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.
Page 24
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
Trade creditors
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of business from suppliers. Accounts payable are classified as current liabilities if the charity does not have an unconditional right, at the end of the reporting period, to defer settlement of the creditor for at least twelve months after the reporting date. If there is an unconditional right to defer settlement for at least twelve months after the reporting date, they are presented as non-current liabilities.
Trade creditors are recognised initially at the transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Fund structure
Unrestricted income funds are general funds that are available for use at the trustees' discretion in furtherance of the objectives of the charity.
Restricted income funds are those donated for use in a particular area or for specific purposes, the use of which is restricted to that area or purpose.
Pensions and other post retirement obligations
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions are charged in the Statement of Financial Activities as they become payable in accordance with the rules of the scheme.
2 Income from donations and legacies
| Donations and legacies; Donations from individuals Gift aid reclaimed |
Unrestricted funds General £ 86,469 20,552 107,021 |
Restricted funds £ 13,118 622 13,740 |
Total 2021 £ 99,587 21,174 120,761 |
Total 2020 £ 231,306 60,151 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 291,457 |
Page 25
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
3 Income from charitable activities
| Engagement Centre Sales Public Bird Boat Income Other income Engagement Centre Sales Public Bird Boat Income Other income 4 Investment income Interest receivable and similar income; Interest receivable on bank deposits Total for 2021 Total for 2020 |
Unrestricted funds General £ 5,865 5,198 51,981 63,044 Unrestricted funds General £ 24,783 26,089 2,612 53,484 Unrestricted funds General £ 7 7 - |
Total 2021 £ 5,865 5,198 51,981 |
|---|---|---|
| 63,044 | ||
| Total 2020 £ 24,783 26,089 2,612 |
||
| 53,484 | ||
| Total funds £ 7 |
||
| 7 | ||
| - |
Page 26
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
5 Expenditure on charitable activities
| 5 Expenditure on charitable activities |
||
|---|---|---|
| Purchases Osprey tags Rent and rates Light, heat and power Insurance Cleaning School boat trip costs Surveys Conservation work Repairs, renewals and equipment People engagement Telephone costs Travel and subsistence Computer costs Printing, postage and stationery Training Refreshments Equipment hire Public boat trip costs Other costs Publicity Consultancy Recruitment cost Student Grant costs Wages and Salaries Bank charges Credit card charges Loss on the sale of Fixed Assets Governance costs ( see note 6) Depreciation |
Total 2021 £ 4,474 2,250 22,899 3,213 4,365 213 - 31,982 3,760 8,893 3,922 435 124 4,595 1,405 177 34 503 2,350 55 705 - - 2,163 73,895 204 2,310 - 6,070 75,054 256,050 |
Total 2020 £ 18,395 3,666 25,019 1,802 2,673 132 11,835 42,514 2,944 9,280 20,480 396 3,399 2,922 1,458 - 567 461 10,875 2,523 2,529 10,244 350 2,163 84,413 313 2,190 150 9,847 71,553 |
| 345,093 |
Page 27
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
6 Analysis of governance and support costs
Governance costs
Unrestricted
| Independent examiner fees Examination of the financial statements Accountancy Fees |
General £ 4,560 1,510 6,070 |
Total 2021 £ 4,560 1,510 6,070 |
Total 2020 £ 4,200 5,647 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9,847 |
7 Net incoming/outgoing resources
Net outgoing resources for the year include:
| Loss on disposal of fixed assets held for the charity's own use Depreciation of fixed assets Independent Examination Fee Accountancy Fees |
2021 £ - 75,054 4,560 1,510 |
2020 £ 150 71,553 4,200 5,647 |
|---|---|---|
8 Trustees remuneration and expenses
No trustees, nor any persons connected with them, have received any remuneration from the charity during the year.
No trustees have received any reimbursed expenses or any other benefits from the charity during the year.
9 Staff costs
The aggregate payroll costs were as follows:
| Staff costs during the year were: Wages and salaries Social security costs Pension costs |
2021 £ 66,368 5,207 2,320 73,895 |
2020 £ 76,616 5,740 2,057 |
|---|---|---|
| 84,413 |
No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000 during the year.
Page 28
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
10 Taxation
Birds of Poole Harbour is a registered charity and its activities are therefore exempt from taxation.
11 Tangible fixed assets
| Cost At 1 April 2020 Additions At 31 March 2021 Depreciation At 1 April 2020 Charge for the year At 31 March 2021 Net book value At 31 March 2021 At 31 March 2020 12 Stock Stocks 13 Debtors Prepayments Other debtors |
Office equipment and website £ 54,372 - 54,372 21,922 10,977 32,899 21,473 32,450 |
Furniture and fixtures £ 197,694 - 197,694 81,647 38,541 120,188 77,506 116,047 |
Conservation assets £ 68,499 - 68,499 48,664 11,174 59,838 8,661 19,835 |
Conservation assets £ 68,499 - 68,499 48,664 11,174 59,838 8,661 19,835 |
HQ equipment £ 44,260 2,969 47,229 27,533 14,362 41,895 5,334 16,727 2021 £ 27,345 2021 £ 3,642 710 4,352 |
HQ equipment £ 44,260 2,969 47,229 27,533 14,362 41,895 5,334 16,727 2021 £ 27,345 2021 £ 3,642 710 4,352 |
Total £ 364,825 2,969 367,794 179,766 75,054 254,820 112,974 185,059 2020 £ 29,202 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 68,499 | 47,229 | ||||||
| 48,664 11,174 |
27,533 14,362 |
||||||
| 59,838 | 41,895 | ||||||
| 8,661 | 5,334 | ||||||
| 19,835 | 16,727 | ||||||
| 2021 £ 27,345 2021 £ 3,642 710 4,352 |
|||||||
| 2020 £ 7,806 634 |
|||||||
| 8,440 |
Page 29
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
14 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
| Trade creditors Pension scheme creditor Accruals Deferred income 15 Funds Unrestricted funds General General Funds Restricted funds Osprey Translocation Project Osprey Cameras Swift City Project PHD - Osprey House Martin Project Sunnyside Farm Project Contactless Donation Station Pergins Island Nest Cam Binoclars Repair Nightjar Walk Hobbie Nest Project Feed The Birds Project CAF Covid Grant Total restricted funds Total funds |
Balance at 1 April 2020 £ 218,252 1,854 238 2,246 23,237 169 1,153 525 750 350 - - - - 30,522 248,774 |
Incoming resources £ 170,072 40 2,213 - 4,597 - 759 - - - 1,505 2,500 376 1,750 13,740 183,812 |
Resources expended £ (242,474) - (113) (1,900) (7,648) - (1,648) (166) - - (16) - (335) (1,750) (13,576) (256,050) |
2021 £ 5,216 - 6,563 1,850 13,629 Transfers £ 1,885 - (1,885) - - - - - - - - - - - (1,885) - |
2020 £ 12,191 387 5,589 9,985 |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28,152 | |||||||
| Balance at 31 March 2021 £ 147,735 1,894 453 346 20,186 169 264 359 750 350 1,489 2,500 41 - |
|||||||
| 28,801 | |||||||
| 176,536 |
Page 30
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
| Unrestricted funds General General Funds Restricted Osprey Translocation Project Osprey Cameras Swift City Project PHD - Osprey House Martin Project Sunnyside Farm Project Contactless Donation Station Pergins Island Nest Cam Binoclars Repair Total restricted funds Total funds |
Balance at 1 April 2019 £ 247,924 200 - 802 - - - - - - 1,002 248,926 |
Incoming resources £ 294,097 11,415 400 3,382 25,489 311 1,184 7,563 750 350 50,844 344,941 |
Resources expended £ (323,769) (9,761) (162) (1,938) (2,252) (142) (31) (7,038) - - (21,324) (345,093) |
Balance at 31 March 2020 £ 218,252 1,854 238 2,246 23,237 169 1,153 525 750 350 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30,522 | ||||
| 248,774 |
The specific purposes for which the funds are to be applied are as follows:
Osprey Translocation Project - A pioneering 5-year reintroduction program, trying to restore Osprey, a large fish eating bird of prey, to its former breeding grounds after a 200-year absence. The project see’s 6 week old Osprey chicks brought down from Scotland and raised and released here in Poole Harbour, in the hope they’ll eventually breed here. As part of this project we have launched a fundraiser to cover the cost of some of the infrastructure to help us monitor and engage with the public in the future. Part of this is our Osprey cameras.
Osprey Cameras - A public fundraiser campaign was started to raise funds for SMS trail cameras to be bought and placed on our Osprey nest platforms around Poole Harbour to monitor Osprey activity and behaviour on our nests.
Swift City Project - A public fundraiser campaign was started to raise funds for Swift boxes to be installed in and around the Poole Harbour area in an effort to help build Poole's struggling Swift population
Sunnyside Farm Screen - A series of public events were held and money was raised at Sunnyside Farm in a bid to refurbish the dilapidated viewing/birdwatching screen at the site. The money that was raised will see a new screen being built.
Page 31
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
Osprey PHD placement - For the first time, we have been able to provide funding for a local student to pursue a postgraduate degree in avian biology. Brittany Maxted is a member of the Birds of Poole Harbour team, who has been involved in the Osprey Project since its inception and has managed the translocations for the last three years. The funding we provide covers the costs of her research and tuition fees, whilst she remains employed full-time at Birds of Poole Harbour, dividing her time between work and research, and allowing her to maintain her current role as Osprey Project Officer alongside her studies.
House Martin Tower Project - Funds are being raised to build and erect a House Martin nesting tower in Upton, Poole in an effort to help build Poole's struggling House Martin population
Contactless Donation Station - A kind grant was given to us by the Fine Family Foundation which allowed us to design and install a new, interactive contactless donation station within our HQ on Poole Quay, to help generate donations.
Pergins Island Nest Camera - We were kindly given money by some supporters of the charity who were keen to place a new SMS trail camera on a nest platform that they also contributed towards.
Binocular Repair - Poole Rotary Club kindly provided funding to get some of our school bird boat binoculars repaired, allowing more children to use binoculars during their boat trips in the winter.
Nightjar Walks - Each summer we carry out guided walks on National Trust land at Slepe Heath, Wareham. When we began these walks several years ago, we agreed with the National Trust that funds raised through these events would be spent on specific projects on National Trust land within the Purbeck/Poole Harbour region. The current project proposal is for a wading bird protection zone on Shell Beach, Studland which is currently in it’s design phase and being organised by the National Trust.
Hobby Nest Cameras - Live webcams have become incredibly popular over the last 5 years. A private landowner who has breeding Hobby on his land was keen for a nest cam to be installed on that nest and made a direct donation to the charity to allow this to happen, whilst providing enough funds to have another camera installed on a different Hobby nest within the harbour. The summer of 2021 sadly didn’t see these nests being used so funds will be spent next year installing the cameras.
Feed the Birds - To keep the bird cam feeders topped for public viewing on our website, we host regular online fundraisers to purchase bird food for the feeders. Will also received a donation from a member of the public specifically for bird food and new feeders for our webcam. We only purchase the food as and when we need to.
Page 32
Birds of Poole Harbour
Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
16 Analysis of net assets between funds
| Tangible fixed assets Current assets Current liabilities Total net assets |
Unrestricted funds General £ 112,974 48,390 (13,629) 147,735 |
Restricted funds £ - 28,801 - 28,801 |
Total funds at 31 March 2021 £ 112,974 77,191 (13,629) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 176,536 |
17 Related party transactions
There were no related party transactions in the year.
Page 33