## **Annual Report** ## **September 2023 to September 2024** ## **Reference and Administration Details** **Charity Name:** Ash Rescue Centre **Registered Charity Number:** 1153339 **Principal Address:** Ash Rescue Centre, 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 method:** Trustees are appointed or reappointed every three years by a resolution of the Trustees passed at a special meeting. ## **Objectives and Activities** ## **Summery 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 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 2023 October started off with us winning an RHS Award for our wildflower Meadows, we received an ‘Outstanding’ for all categories including sustainability, wildlife habitats and human interaction. We we lucky to have 12 sponsors for our Calendars again so this means all sales go to the Charity. The calendars bring in a good amount of funding for us every year. We are always grateful for the sponsors, photographers and buyers. In November we have three of our hedges laid by Devon Rural Skills and new fencing put in, this keeps the hedges and boundaries thick and healthy. In November our Manager and Trustee Jenny took part in the World Horse Welfare Annual Conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London. One of 4 speakers, the event focused on ‘Horses and the Environment’. It was a great day and we got to meet Princess Anne and talk about all the work we are doing here on the farm. In November our major Planning application was finally submitted after 3 years of meeting, drawings and surveys, this feels like a big achievement to get to this point and we are keeping everything crossed for an approval. December saw another busy weekend wreath making course, as well as plenty of wreaths made to sell in our Charity shop. Our theme for the Stokefleming Christmas Tree festival was ‘Festive Fungi’ with over 100 handmade and donated mushroom ornaments. We had a number of Swans, Seabirds (inc Guillemots and Razorbills), Tawny Owls and Buzzards in this Autumn. All were successfully rehabbed and released. ## – January March 2024 January saw the arrival of Badger, a little old pony rescued by the RSPCA, he has settled in well and will hopefully enjoy a few years of his retirement home. In February our office roof was fixed so we could finally redecorate and move into it. We were donated a few computers and printers. We only opened the shop for six days a week in January which gave us a chance to have a thorough sort and clean ready for the year ahead. It was a long wet winter but thankfully with our homegrown hay supplies, large field shelters and great volunteers teams all the horses came though it fit and well. ## – April June 2024 In April we had the handover of our amazing sponsorship package from Babcock's International, they had kindly funded the work and time into making us a more user friendly pack. This means we now can push the sponsorship of each pony helping to bring in essential funds. In April we had a large donation of Jewellery which was then sent to Auction (the local auctioneers charged us no commission on this) and we made a fantastic £5200. The Force4Nature team helped with a number of jobs this spring including clearing our poly tunnels, prepping the gull pens and clearing out and cleaning our stables and storage containers. April saw our first Fundraising Fashion show held at our local Guildhall. This was a fantastic sell-out event organised by Tracey one of our volunteers. We made £3500 on the night and we hope to make it at annual event. May saw our Equine Dentists here for two days. We got all the horses treated (including Rosie and Tom who have to be sedated, thank you Phoenix Vets). The volunteers always enjoy these days and get to learn so much about horses teeth. Keith still only charges us a reduced rate which we are so grateful for. We covered our sheep tunnel in May with the help of the Saturday team, it is a big job but it is essential for the ponies and sheep in the winter. May saw our disabled compost loo from Thunder-box being installed next to our car parking space. This will mean we can hold events without having to hire in toilets, which will be a great saving. Thank you to the Lottery funding for both of our compost loos. May we held our first ‘Drumming with Ponies’ as part of our social prescribing calendar of events. Thanks to Drum Devon for the great session and to South Hams for the Community recovery funding. Our new horse trailer arrived in June, funded by the Animal Rescue Foundation and Dartmouth Rotary, we look forward to getting our new logo and name on the sides and taking the ponies to attend more events. Our new 4x4 Mitsubishi truck arrived in June, this was funded by The Prowting Charitable Foundation which we are so grateful for. We had a great write up in the Swedish Ridsport magazine about all the work we do here combining horses and wildlife. We had a number of wildlife rescues in Spring including Woodpeckers, Moorhens, Swans, Robins, a Water Rail, a Sparrow hawk and a few Roe deer. We also rescued a Buzzard from a car radiator which made the local news. The shop had a new Manager start, we now have regular sale items such as ‘Jeans Fest’ which is proving to be very popular. ## – July September 2024 We had a successful fundraising Tea hut in Dartmouth in July, with homemade cakes, book sales and a tombola. We had the ‘Till the Coast is Clear’ team out helping to pull ragwort from some of our fields in July, it's a great help to have many hands on this job so we can keep on top of it and stop it seeding. We had more fundraising events including the Stokefleming Host and Sport which we took ponies to and made over £300 and the Strete village day. Our hay was cut, baled and wrapped in June and we had over 40 bales (thank you to Paul and Sophie), and we had a delivery of straw (reduced rate) from Winzer Equine, so we are all ready for the winter. ## **In Summary** We have had a great year of support, whether in the Charity shop with donations, volunteers and buyers, at our Charity home with the horses, wildlife, conservation work or admin, and from grant givers who have enabled us to purchase essential items such as our compost loos, vehicles and equipment. We’ve held some great events which we hope to do more regularly and have many fantastic plans for next year. We have teams of volunteers join us three days a week now to tackle the larger jobs and to help keep on top of the daily jobs such as mucking out, watering and fencing. Our planning application is still in with the Council but we hope to be able to move forward with this next year so we can build our purpose built wildlife centre, equine barn and classroom. Our focus for the next year will be on reducing bills and making the Charity more environmentally and financially sustainable. **Julie Tomkinson – Chair 30[th ] September 2024** ASH RESCUE CENTRE. DARTMOUTh TREASURER'S ANNUAL REPORT- 2024 8ALANCE RECEIPTS PAYMENTS 3010912023 0111012023 TO 3010912024 0111012023 TO 3010912024 3010912024 9,971.30 68.461.47 70,758.41 7.674.36 BALANCE RECEIPTS 2024 PAYMEl¥tS 2024 DONATIONS 19.197.37 13,212.79 3.539.19 19.665.12 ADVERTISING ANIMAL W£LFARE BANK CHARG CHARITY SHOP COSTS FEED/HAYIEDGE FUNDRAISING COSTS FIELD/FARM LAND COSTS SEEDS INSURANCE MEDIA cosr5 668.60 FUNO RAISING EVENT5 HMRC GIFT AID CLAIMIS CHARITY SHOP INCOME PAYE AND Nli RtFUNDS GRANTS RECEIVED 4.958.78 432.66 9,265.71 13.477.21 2,362.85 1.305.20 702,60 12.000.00 1,212.73 3,975.68 689.37 PAYROLL COSt5 EQUIPMENT REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE SUBSCRIPTIONS WAGES ANO SALARIES IINC TAXES1 M15CELLANEOUS PLAKfAND )AACHINERY IASSETSI 1.185.36 2,222.20 7,980.50 6,348.96 13.970.00 68,461.47 70,758.41 PREPARED BY IPRINT NAME) DA FISHBURN ISIGMI. IDATEI. 0810712025 CHECKED BY IPRipif NAME) G.RWEBB (SIGN IDATEI.. 0810712025 I CHARITY COMMISSION . J FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustees On accounts for the year ended Charity no lif any) //szzg:? Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Yhe Trust") for the year ended Responsibilities and basis of report As the charitls trusiees, you are responsible for the p￿paratiOn of the accounts in accordance wtth the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Yhe Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions giNen by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b> of the Act. Independent ￿he charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 and l am qualified to examiner's statement undertake the examination by being a qualrfied member of linsert name of applicable listed body]]. Delete [ ] if not applicable. I have completed my examination. I confinn that no material matters have come to my attention in connection wrth the examination (other than that disclosed below .) which gives ffle cause to believe that in. any m*erial respect". the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or the accounts did not comply wtih the applicable requirements onceming the fonn and content of accounts set out in the Chartties (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Yrue and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection wrth the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. . Please delete In e1)rackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: Na Relevant professional qualification(s) or body IER Oct 2018 (If any): Address: I.A.W Account2nc> Senrices i Hi"de Road, Paignion pai.gntoiifa iai%'accoi)iitanci.co.uk Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matenal matters of concern (see CC32, Independent eyamination of charty accounts: diredions and guidance for examiners). Give he￿ brief details of | any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018