## **Annual Report** ## **September 2021 to September 2022** ## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS** **Charity name: Ash Rescue Centre Registered charity number: 1153339 Principal address: Ash Tree Farm, Dartmouth, TQ6 0LR** ## **Charity trustees who manage the charity** Julie Tomkinson – Chair Jenny Rogers – Treasurer David Wilding Craig Irons ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** **Type of governing document:** Trust Deed adopted 6th August 2013 **How the charity is constituted:** Charitable Trust **Trustee selection methods:** Trustees are appointed or reappointed every three years by a resolution of the trustees passed at a special meeting. ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** **Summary of objects of the charity set out in the governing document:** To relieve the suffering of elderly equines and other animals by providing care, rehabilitation and a permanent sanctuary facility. To provide people with learning opportunities in animal care and welfare matters through information sharing, volunteering and courses. **Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects:** In planning our activities for the year we kept in mind the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit at our trustee meetings. Our main activities are as follows: - Maintaining health and providing habitat enrichment for the animals in our care - Inducting and retaining new volunteer team members including a regular group via the local Social Prescribing network - Managing financial stability and continuing to improve working and financial practices These activities benefit not only the animals in our care but the families, organisations and individuals that approach us for help. Horses come into our care from many different backgrounds: abandonment, homelessness due to owner’s death, rescues from cruelty/neglect cases. We have seen an increase in need for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation from the local and wider community which has expanded our workload and experience over the past 12 months. Our volunteering opportunities provide people with a variety of ways to get involved and help, boosting self-esteem, combatting isolation, and encouraging social interaction while learning new skills and becoming part of a team. We are extremely grateful to our volunteers and supporters; their help, support, donations and encouragement are the lifeblood of the charity. ## **ACTIVITIES AND PERFORMANCE** **Summary of the main Achievements of the charity during the year:** October – December 2021 The first quarter of the year included two winter weddings and varied festive fundraising initiatives with our handmade festive wreaths being sold at markets and events around the area and our annual calendar and cards available through our online shop. We held two weddings and our Christmas List social media campaign raised over £1000 and generated a vast amount of donated items and food. Our annual entry at the Stoke Fleming Christmas Tree Fair – ‘Hark the Herring Gulls Sing’ further raised awareness of the plight of gulls around our area. We lost Edward, a very special horse. ## January – March 2022 The year started with lots of sightings of our resident Barn Owl hunting on the land, and maintenance work clearing grass and brook lime from one of our wildlife ponds. Work was completed on our new John Williams barn laying Mudcontrol mats with help from our volunteers from the social prescribing network. The barn was funded by a grant from the Animal Rescue Foundation and a private donation. We were awarded £7600 Community Recovery Grant from South Hams Council to purchase a compost toilet for volunteers and to facilitate a programme of workshops for people to access through the social prescribing network. We were chosen by the Torbay District Riding Club as one of their supported charities. ## April – June 2022 We assisted local garden centre with a tawny owl rescue from a polytunnel and visited Vale Wildlife to view their rehabilitation facilities. We received a donation as a nominated charity a local retailer and removed and released a herring gull stuck in a local hotel chimney. The first orphaned gull chicks started arriving for rehabilitation, assisted by our group of volunteer drivers and collectors. An office unit was purchased by the charity as a temporary workspace. ## July – September 2022 We ran three horse bathing days and received a great response to our call for volunteer help, enabling us to bath all resident horses by herd. We spent evenings releasing rehabilitated groups of gulls at the local beach as season drew to a close with just over 300 gulls having been rehabilitated onsite. An injured Greater Blackback gull was admitted having been caught in football netting as our attention turned away from young gulls onto injured adults. We were privileged to be involved in an unusual rescue of seven young white storks that had escaped from a zoo in the West Midlands and flown to Devon; working remotely with keepers we captured and kept the birds overnight until they were collected by the zoo team. The swan admitted earlier was released following a reasonably lengthy rehab period. Fundraising initiatives included a September wedding and our annual presence at the Stoke Fleming Hort and Sport show. We hosted a Trauma Sensitive Equine Assisted Mindfulness Weekend run by MiMer Centre, providing space, horses and hospitality for the attendees. We were honoured to received a donation from the ‘in memorium’ collection from a charity supporter which funded a new incubator for our wildlife rescues. The pony herd relocated to neighbouring Fast Rabbit Gardens wildflower meadow to act as conservation grazers. We lost Truffle, one of the original horses that led to the set up of the charity. **In Summary** This year, we have seen a big increase in the number and variety of wildlife cases that have been brought to us by members of the public and referred to us by vets and other specialists, reinforcing our plans to create a purpose-built onsite rehabilitation facility. Local community support has remained strong and we have noticed that our reach has extended outside Dartmouth and surrounding areas to further afield either through calls for help, donations or offers of assistance. Our work with gulls has created a lot of links with local people, businesses and organisations; spreading awareness and knowledge of the charity and our work. Our group of volunteers who joined us via the social prescribing network is a regular, reliable team. Finances remain buoyant, we continually seek areas to save money, raise funds and work more leanly. **Created by: Julie Tomkinson – Chair Date: 30[th] September 2022** 14TAÉ.DA4TMOUTH TREASURER'S ANNUAL REPORT- 2022 8ALANCE 3010912021 DIIIOI2021 YO 30IOY11012 OV1012021 TO 3010912022 3010912022 25.094.01 39.029 50 51.252 46 12,841.OS PAYMENTS BALANCE 1022 20 DONATIONS FUND RAISING EVENTS HMRC GIFY AID CLAIMISI 2&880.94 S.832.00 4.316 56 ANIMALWELFAHE 8At4K CHARGES FEEDIHAYIEOGF FUNDRAISING COSTS FIELDIFARP• L4N?COSTS SEED5 INSUK4NCE MEDIA COSTS PAYROLLCgSts MAINIÉPIANCE SU8SCRIPTlOt4S WAGES AND SAkAfilSSlIt4CTMESI MISCÈLIANEOUS PLANT ANO MACHIIIERY (AS5ET51 5,853.41 276.80 9.808.15 1.169 53 3,274.80 953.96 408 177. 2.698.78 534 99 LO,800.DD 623 05 13,075 39.029.50 SI,2Y2.46 PREPAAED IYIPRINT NWEI D.A. FISMBUAN TEI. 0210612023 CHECKED JY IPRINT Nl4MEI G.RWEB8 10612013 I.A.W Accoutt1￿cy Services i H%'de Ro3d, Paignton Del'on TQ4 DBII. pJignToiiCoi2%i•ccoiiiii3nci.co.uk CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner'5 Report Report to the trnsteesl membèrs of fl5￿ LEscu6 ts-ArtG 30-SGftEM&c£ aoal On ac¢ounts for thg year ond•d Charity no Ilf any) 1153339 Set out on pages I report lo the trustees on my examination ofthe accounts of the above tharty lllhe Tnjst'l forthe year ended BO o? Responslbllltles and As the charty Iwstees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report oflhe accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Acl 2011 cthe Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under sedion 145 of the 2011 Acl and in carrwng out my exafflinalion, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the Act. I have completed my examinat¢on. I confirni that no material matters have Come lo my attention (other than that disclosed below'l in connection with the examination which gwes me cause to believe that In, any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in accoriJ8nce with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do ncl accord with the accounting records Independent examinels statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in COnnect￿n with the examination t attention should be drawn in orderto enable proper underst unls to be reached. . Please de ' they t* not apply. of the the Signed". Na Relevant professlonal quallflcationlsl or body lif any): FcFPr. Address: I.A.W AcLuu..IklllC'. Senic 5 H}"de 1%,,., IER October 2018 Section B Disclosure Onty Complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem Isee CC32, Independent examination of charty attounts." directions and guidance for examiners). Give herE brief detai5s of any items that the examlner wlshos to disclose. IER October 2018