THE GREEN BACKYARD A Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Annual report for the year ended 31 March 2021
Legal and Administrative information
Chair:
Vanessa Pool
Secretary:
Becky Vince
Trustees:
Mahemuda Arselani Cllr Louise Coles (deceased 29 April 2020) Virginia Victoria (resigned 14 July 2020) Sophie Easteal Olivia Slater Charlotte Palmer Charlotte Fionda from 13 June 2020 Zina Ndoro from 14 July 2020 (resigned 7 March 2021) Ema Corcoran from 10 August 2020 Kathy Shaw from 31 October 2020 Samuel Smylie from 31 October 2020 (resigned 20 March 2021)
Charity number: 1155534
Bankers:
CAF Bank Limited, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4JQ.
Registered office:
Chauffeurs Cottage, St Peter’s Road, Peterborough PE1 1YX.
Independent Examiner:
Triple Bottom Line Accounting, Enterprise Centre, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ.
Website: www.thegreenbackyard.com
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Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2021
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.
Objects and Activities
The Green Backyard is governed by a Constitution which became effective from incorporation as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 30 January 2014. The charitable purposes of The Green Backyard CIO are:
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To develop the capacity and skills of members of socially or economically disadvantaged communities within the community of interest in such ways that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society, including by:
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A. equipping people with skills and competencies which they would not otherwise have;
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B. realising existing skills and developing potential;
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C. promoting people’s self-confidence;
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D. encouraging people to get involved in their community and wider society.
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To promote sustainable development for the benefit of the public by:
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A. the preservation, conservation and the protection of the environment and the prudent use of resources;
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B. the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration.
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C. the advancement of education of the public in subjects relating to sustainable development and the protection, enhancement and rehabilitation of the environment and to promote study and research in such subjects provided that the useful results of such study are disseminated to the public at large.
Sustainable development means “development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
The Green Backyard is a vibrant community growing project in the heart of Peterborough, which was established in 2009 and is run entirely by volunteers. From this urban space we have transformed a once derelict former allotment site into a beautiful and productive community garden that is open to everyone. We are passionate about sustainability and work to raise awareness of environmental issues by involving the community in informative, practical demonstrations and workshops. We work with many different individuals and groups, as well as various schools, businesses and other organisations from across Peterborough and beyond.
Our AGM was held on 26 September 2020 and an EGM on 31 October 2020.
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Charity governance
Governing document:
The charity is controlled by its governing document, the Constitution as amended 18 March 2018, and constitutes a Charitable Incorporated Organisation as defined by the Charities Act 2011.
Risk management:
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
Governance:
Trustees are elected by members at the Annual General Meeting. During the period covered by this report, trustees met monthly to oversee the charity and were responsible for all operating decisions. The charity’s money may only be expended on authorisation of a quorum of trustees, when that decision is recorded in the minutes.
Public Benefit:
The trustees have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission. The activities described in this report have been undertaken for the public benefit and in pursuit of the charity's objects.
Reserves:
The Green Backyard is a registered charity and as such operates as a not for profit entity. Any accounting surpluses in our year-end accounts ordinarily become a reserve to be used for future investment in the charity’s objects and activities. Reserves are not intended to be expended to support ongoing operating costs of the charity except in exceptional circumstances. As such, it is the charity’s intention to cap the unrestricted reserve at six months operating expenditure, with any further surplus designated to projects that deliver our objects. This level of six months has been set to meet a potential need, such as an unexpected drop in income. This will ensure we can pay essential bills while we secure new funds. We will review this policy annually in line with the production of our accounts.
Financial review:
The charity continues to operate as a going concern. We have chosen to report on a Receipts & Payments basis rather than an accruals basis and this has meant that we have restated our opening balance to reflect this change in accounting policy. As such, no accrued liabilities or income was recognised in our opening balance this year. Opening bank balance is restated due to loss of access to Paypal account (£159.00). Discussions are ongoing with Paypal to rectify this.
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Purpose of restricted funds
Awards for All
This fund was granted to enable the charity to develop provision for a small community cafe. Initially, issues around security of tenure and planning prevented us from delivering all of the aims of this grant immediately, and the COVID-19 pandemic led us to decide to allocate the grant towards developing community activities on site. Notably buying a new refurbished container to host the Sodexo/Peterborough City Council Green Wheel bike repair and refurbishment project. We also plan to repair and enhance our hub building and outdoor areas to make them safe and attractive for community groups which we’re so looking forward to welcoming back on site soon.
TRU Postcode
We have made significant progress towards achieving the aims of this fund, by installing a new impactful gate at our entrance, produced by a local designer. We have also undertaken an accessibility audit to inform essential improvements to the paths between the entrances and the core areas of activity on site. This year, remaining funds will be used to deliver the new pathways and raised beds, ensuring improved accessibility for those with disabilities, as well as generally improve year round access. We will also enhance the educational value of the site by improving internal and external signage.
Groundwork
We were awarded a grant under the Bags of Help programme to build a toolshed suitable for use by disabled people. This will better support several of our existing volunteer groups and enable us to welcome more people into our community, and complement our accessible toilet on site, and planned site path improvements and accessible raised beds in our existing polytunnel (see TRU Postcode fund).
Co-Operative
We were successful in winning a grant from the Local Community Fund to improve and expand our animal enclosures (for ducks and chickens at the time). In February 2020, we received confirmation that we could re-allocate this money towards a site hygiene improvements project, which was a welcome opportunity when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We were able to plan several site developments to improve onsite hygiene, notably an additional tap that facilitated three new touch-free handwashing stations (tippy tap) and also improvements to our toilet/urinal and humanure area.
SHED
We received a generous donation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to use our site to supply vulnerable people with plants for raised beds to be able to feed themselves at home self-sufficiently. This led to a wide variety of produce being grown on site as well as plants being started off to go into the beds at recipients’ own homes.
Health XChange
We received contract funding to empower local flat residents to benefit from the power of plants during our extended lock-down by providing an informal online growing course to build skills and confidence. We expect this to generate interest in volunteering on site when we re-open.
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Chair’s Report
In the extraordinary context of the COVID-19 national restrictions which covered the whole of this financial year and on the road to opening up the site we have achieved a lot!
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We embarked on a massive waste tidy up which has resulted in an improved environment for volunteers, wildlife and visitors alike. We were able to re-purpose, pass on, sell, re-gift or recycle many items as a result.
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Finance changes – we introduced new management accounts software which enables accurate fund accounting. As this report shows, we have also adopted a Receipts & Payments accounts procedure providing greater control & transparency, and saving costs year on year.
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We completed three projects, two of which - Co-op and Groundwork - had been awarded before the last financial year and SHED which we were allocated in the current financial year.
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TRU Postcode started with the fabulous Jeni Cairns gate being installed and exciting plans underway to make improvements following our commissioning a site accessibility audit.
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More than 100 learners benefited from courses funded by Peterborough City College Community Learning Trust, including bee keeping, therapeutic plants and cooking with herbs. Our summary report is available on our website.
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We have embarked on new - and renewed previous - partnerships including Sodexo, YMCA, PECT Forest for Peterborough, Nene Coppicing & Crafts, which has led to new volunteer activity on site.
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We have invested in upgrading our website, and designed a new logo.
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We continued to make donations to food banks from our shop and of produce grown on the site while unable to open to the public.
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We began to bring volunteers back on a pre-booked basis to undertake tasks alongside some of the trustees and the small group of volunteers who have been able to work on site during lockdown.
The trustees made a renewed commitment to The Green Backyard being a volunteer-led site, from the trustees to all our other dedicated volunteers old and new. We will each work to our skill sets and interests and acquire new ones.
We are all excited for our gradual re-opening in 2021-22.
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 14 June 2021 and signed on its behalf by:
Vanessa Pool Chair of Trustees
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The Green Backyard CIO
Independent Examiners Report to the Trustees
For the year ended 31 March 2021
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Act and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act,
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to follow the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Act, and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, with the seeking of explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
• the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.
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.
Lamon French ACA Triple Bottom Line Accounting Limited The Enterprise Centre University of East Anglia Norwich NR4 7TJ
13 July 2021
| Notes Receipts: Donations and legacies 2 Charitable Activities 3 Other trading activities 4 Total Payments: Raising Funds Charitable Activities 3 Support, administration and governance 4 Reduction in assets Total Net receipts/(payments) Cash funds at 31 March b/f 5 Transfers between funds Cash funds at 31 March c/f 5 |
Unrestricted funds Designated funds Restricted funds Total funds £ £ £ £ 2,072 19,167 21,238 - - - 257 - 257 2,329 19,167 21,496 103 - 103 5,000 10,656 15,656 17,589 11,777 29,365 6,250 - 6,250 28,942 22,433 51,375.05 (26,613) (3,266) (29,879) 25,072 25,781 50,853 4,892 4,700 (9,592) - 3,351 4,700 12,923 20,974 31 March 2021 |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds £ £ £ 24,891 10,712 35,603 16,258 - 16,258 16,367 - 16,367 31 March 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| 57,516 10,712 68,228 |
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| 12,884 2,540 15,424 6,445 - 6,445 54,390 - 54,390 |
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| 73,719 2,540 76,259 |
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| (16,203) 8,172 (8,031) 43,275 15,609 58,884 (2,000) 2,000 - |
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| 25,072 25,781 50,853 |
| Section B Balance sheet Cash Funds Cash at bank & in hand Assets retained for the charity’s own use Solar panels Liablities Creditors: amounts due within 12 months Total Charitable Funds |
Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Total £ £ £ 8,05012,92320,973 8,050 12,923 20,973 - - - - - - - - - - - - 8,050 12,923 20,973 31 March 2021 |
Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Total £ £ £ 18,822 25,781 44,603 31 March 2020 Restated |
|---|---|---|
| 18,822 25,781 44,603 | ||
| 6,250- 6,250 |
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| 6,250 -6,250 | ||
| - - - |
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| - - - | ||
| 25,072 25,781 50,853 | ||
1) Receipts and Payment accounts
Receipts and payments accounts are statements that summarise the movement of cash into and out of the organisation during the financial year. In this context "cash" includes cash equivalents, for example, bank accounts where cash can be readily withdrawn to pay for debts as they become due. The prior year accounts have been restated as the Trustees made the decision to move from accruals accounting to receipt and payments accounting,
2) Donations, grants and legacies
| BGL Co-operative CLT 19-20 SHED HealthXchange Unrestricted Grant Donations Gift Aid 3) Income from charitable activities Site maintenance Event income 4) Other income Shop income 5) Raising Funds Donations Shop costs 6) Direct Charitable Expenditure Charitable Activities 7) Charity Management and Administr Staff and Administration Costs Governance Costs Purchases and direct costs 8) Funds Restricted Funds: Awards for All Co-operative Groundworks HealthXchange SHED TRU Postcode CLT 19-20 Total Restricted Funds Unrestricted funds Total Funds |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2021 Total funds £ £ £ - - - - - - - 12,357 12,357 - 5,000 5,000 - 1,810 1,810 - - - 1,785 - 1,785 287 - 287 2,072 19,167 21,238 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2021 Total funds £ £ £ - - - - - Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2021 Total funds £ £ £ 257 - 257 257 - 257 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2021 Total funds £ £ £ - 103 - 103 103 - 103 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2021 Total funds £ £ £ 5,000 10,656 15,656 5,000 10,656 15,656 ation Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2021 Total funds £ £ £ 15,050 11,777 26,826 2,539 - 2,539 - - - 17,589 11,777 29,365 Balance at 1 April 2020 Incoming Resources Resources Expended £ £ £ 3,938 - (1,896) 3,172 - (3,044) 2,000 - (1,971) - 1,810 0 5,000 5,000 (8,855) 11,671 - (3,745) - 12,357 (2,922) |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2020 Total funds £ £ £ - 2,540 2,540 - 3,172 3,172 - - - 5,000 5,000 - - - 20,000 - 20,000 4,891 - 4,891 |
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| 24,891 10,712 35,603 |
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| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2020 Total funds £ £ £ 320 - 320 15,938 - 15,938 |
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| 16,258 - 16,258 |
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| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2020 Total funds £ £ £ 16,367 - 16,367 |
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| 16,367 - 16,367 |
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| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2020 Total funds £ £ £ 12,348 2,540 14,888 536 - 536 |
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| 12,884 2,540 15,424 |
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| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2020 Total funds £ £ £ 6,445 - 6,445 |
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| 6,445 - 6,445 |
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| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds 2020 Total funds £ £ £ 37,000 - 37,000 6,373 - 6,373 11,017 - 11,017 |
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| 54,390 - 54,390 |
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| Transfers between funds Balance at 31 March 2021 £ £ - 2,042 128 - - 29 - - - 1,810 - 1,145 7,926 (9,435) - (9,592) 12,923 9,592 8,051 - 20,974 |
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| 25,781 19,167 (22,433) |
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| 25,072 2,329 (28,942) |
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| 50,853 21,496 (51,375) |
6) Related party transactions and Trustees' expenses and remuneration
The Trustees all give freely their time and expertise without any form of remuneration or other benefit in cash or kind (2020: £nil).
No Trustees, or person related or connected by business to them has received any payments or other benefits from the charity during the year.