THE GREEN BACKYARD A Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Annual report for the year ended 31 March 2022
Legal and Administrative information
Chair:
Vanessa Pool
Secretary: Becky Vince
Trustees:
Mahemuda Arsalani Emma Blades (from 24th February 2022) Ema Corcoran ( resigned 28th February 2022 Charlotte Dixon (Council trustee) Sophie Easteal ( resigned 21st July 2021 ) Charlotte Fionda ( resigned 21st July 2021 ) Harriet O'Shea (from 14th March 2022) Oliver Sainsbury (Councillor trustee from 14th February 2022) Laura Saunders (from 11th March 2022) Kathy Shaw Olivia Slater ( resigned 21st July 2021 ) Barbara Staton (from 14th February 2022) Robbie Staton (from 14th February 2022)
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 2022
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.
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;
B. realising existing skills and developing potential;
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:
A. the preservation, conservation and the protection of the environment and the prudent use of resources;
B. the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration.
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 18 July 2021.
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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. Trustees have ensured legacy grants continue to be correctly directed towards our charitable activities and new funding has been won alongside considerable donations to underpin our operational costs. There have unfortunately been continued delays to spending some of our restricted grants due to Covid which will have priority in the year ahead.
We were again successful in winning & delivering a series of educational contracts (CLT and Thrive) which both generated a surplus. We do not forsee this sort of opportunity being realised in the coming year, which has led trustees to continue to designate funds to direct towards key development activities.
A key development has been partnering with Refill Revolution to take over our ethical shop activity, which has successfully contributed a significant donation to the charity alongside selling all remaining unspoilt stock, with the remainder being donated.
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Purpose of restricted funds
Awards for All
The COVID-19 pandemic led us to decide to re-focus the grant towards developing community activities on site (rather than a café). Notably buying a new refurbished container to host the Sodexo/Peterborough City Council Green Wheel bike repair and refurbishment project. We also ran a fantastic initiative with local artists to produce impactful work for our site to promote our objects. Ongoing work to repair our hub building as a community meeting space will be continued this year.
TRU Postcode
Remaining funds were targeting the delivery of new pathways and raised beds, ensuring improved accessibility for those with disabilities, as well as generally improve year round access. Quotes for this work have so far come in considerably over budget and trustees will determine how to refocus the bid outcomes to achieve its aims within budget.
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. Remaining funds have been targeting improvement of our garden areas for food growing, which have been donated or sold to the local community. A key aspect has been repairing our polytunnel to support more effective growing.
Co-operative
A new grant was won to continue to expand the work started by our SHED funding, particularly to launch a self-sufficient market garden project on the site, to support local education around sustainable food and growing. In time we expect this to generate income for the charity.
Health XChange
We were not able to fulfil this project due to Covid & the money was returned to the funder. We had already purchased some items for the project, and these have been sold through the shop.
MIND
We were successful in winning a small grant from MIND to establish our Menshed project on site, which is now meeting twice weekly and refurbishing wooden and metal furniture and machinery. They are also using waste materials on site to create new products such as bird boxes and bird tables, which are being sold at our events. This project is now self-sustaining, with remaining grant monies targeting improving the container to be water tight & warm during colder months.
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Chair’s Report
This year we moved from things happening mostly behind the scenes while we weren’t able to open to the public to becoming more visible and accessible.
The trustees continued to meet online. We tried a couple of meetings on site in the summer, but not everyone could attend and the technology we had didn’t work well enough for us to have a successful hybrid experience. We re-introduced monthly site meetings, recruited new trustees and got back close to our maximum number of trustees.
Our onsite shop re-opened under the Refill Revolution banner and has proved a great success bringing in visitors from all round the area. Julie who runs it has made a big difference to the site, being a welcoming presence, generating ideas and taking our social media forward.
We had a good supply of honey from our three hives which sold very quickly through the shop. We continued to make donations of produce grown on site to the Community Fridge.
Men’s Shed, funded by MIND, began to provide a safe space for men (so far) and women to work on mainly woodwork related projects with the help of the leader of the project.
A series of music festivals in the summer run by another provider tested our ability to be involved in whole site events, gave us an extra incentive to prepare the site and proved that we were ready to receive the public on a large scale once again.
Local groups held Vegan food shares, a Samba band and Extinction Rebellion meetings.
The Secretary and Chair spoke to a village community event about our work and ambitions and we received a generous donation from them.
In September we held our first annual International picnic and food share for two years. On-site were eight local artists who we had invited to work on panels during the event. Attendees fed back how good it was to be back on site, some remembering when the fence had been painted originally.
As Covid restrictions were easing again a small team of trustees began to plan our return to holding our renowned Christmas Fair. In spite of having carefully selected a date in advance of Christmas, we weren’t able to hold it as scheduled because of storms and predictions of dangerously high winds. We hastily re-arranged and because of increased restrictions we presented a new risk assessment to the City Council. That achieved, we were able to go ahead and thanks to our wonderful stall holders, had a successful event albeit on a smaller scale than previously envisaged.
We would like to thank everyone involved in The Green Backyard as volunteers and participants at events for their support, optimism and encouragement to grow and meet our community objectives.
Approved by order of the board of trustees on 17 October 2022 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 period ended 31[st] March 2022
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:
• 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 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.
Peter Ellington FAIA Triple Bottom Line Accounting Limited The Enterprise Centre University of East Anglia Norwich Norfolk NR4 7TJ
29 September 2022
| 31 March 2022 UnrestrictedDesignated Restricted Notes funds funds funds Total funds £ £ £ £ Receipts: Donations and legacies 2 4,337 - 105 4,442 Charitable Activities 3 16,334 - - 16,334 Other trading activities 4 1,064 - - 1,064 Total 21,735 - - 21,841 Payments: 5 1,200 - - 1,200 Raising Funds Charitable Activities 6 8,025 - 3,895 11,920 Support, administration and governance 7 8,545 - - 8,545 Reduction in assets Total 17,770 - 3,895 21,665 Net receipts/(payments) 3,965 - (3,895) 176 Cash funds at 31 March b/f 5 3,351 4,700 12,923 20,974 Transfers between funds Cash funds at 31 March c/f 5 7,316 4,700 9,028 21,150 |
31 March 2021 Unrestricted Designated Restricted funds funds funds Total funds £ £ £ £ 2,072 19,167 21,239 257 257 2,329 19,167 21,496 103 - 103 5,000 10,656 15,656 17,589 11,777 29,366 6,250 - 6,250 28,942 22,433 51,375.00 (26,613) 0 (3,266) (29,879) 25,072 25,781 50,853 4,892 4,700 (9,592) 3,351 4,700 12,923 20,974 |
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| Section B Balance sheet Cash Funds Cash at bank & in hand Total Charitable Funds |
31 March 2022 Restricted Unrestricted income funds funds Total £ £ £ 12,015 9,133 21,149 12,015 9,133 21,149 12,015 9,133 21,149 |
31 March 2021 Restricted Unrestricted income funds funds Total £ £ £ 8,050 12,923 20,973 8,050 12,923 20,973 8,050 12,923 20,973 |
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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.
2) Donations, grants and legacies
| Co-operative SHED HealthXchange MIND Donations Gift Aid 3) Income from charitable activities CLT Thrive Site activities (refund on a bill paid in previous year) Event income 4) Other income Shop donation Shop income 5) Raising Funds Marketing & website Shop costs 6) Direct Charitable Expenditure Charitable Activities CLT (contract) Thrive (contract) Awards for All Co-operative SHED TRU Postcode MIND 7) Charity Management and Administration Staff and Administration Costs Administration Costs Governance Costs Purchases and direct costs |
Unrestricted Restricted 2022 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 1,690 1,690 - (2,085) (2,085) 500 500 4,147 4,147 190 190 4,337 105 4,442 Unrestricted Restricted 2022 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 12,480 12,480 2,000 2,000 264 264 1,590 1,590 16,334 - 16,334 Unrestricted Restricted 2022 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 1,064 1,064 - 1,064 - 1,064 Unrestricted Restricted 2022 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 1,200 1,200 - 1,200 - 1,200 Unrestricted Restricted 2022 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 294 294 6,281 6,281 1,450 1,450 1,211 1,211 488 488 889 889 1,057 1,057 251 251 8,025 3,895 11,920 Unrestricted Restricted 2022 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 214 214 5,485 5,485 1,037 1,037 1,809 1,809 8,545 - 8,545 |
Unrestricted Restricted 2021 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ - - - - 5,000 5,000 - 1,810 1,810 - - - 1,758 - 1,758 287 287 |
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| 2,045 6,810 8,855 |
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| Unrestricted Restricted 2021 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ - 12,357 12,357 - - - - - - - - - |
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| - 12,357 12,357 |
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| Unrestricted Restricted 2021 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ - - - 257 - 257 |
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| 257 - 257 |
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| Unrestricted Restricted 2021 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 103 - 103 |
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| 103 - 103 |
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| Unrestricted Restricted 2021 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 5,000 10,656 15,656 |
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| 5,000 10,656 15,656 |
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| Unrestricted Restricted 2021 funds funds Total funds £ £ £ 15,050 11,777 26,827 2,539 - 2,539 - - - |
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| 17,589 11,777 29,366 |
8) Funds
| Restricted Funds: Awards for All Co-operative SHED TRU Postcode Mind HealthXChange Total Restricted Funds Unrestricted funds: Brought forward Total Unrestricted Funds Total Funds |
Balance at 1 Incoming Resources Transfers Balance at 31 April 2021 Resources Expended between funds March 2022 £ £ £ £ £ 2,042 1,211 831 - 1,690 488 1,202 1,145 889 256 7,926 1,057 6,869 - 500 251 249 1,810 (2,085) - 275 |
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| 12,923 2,190 1,810 - 9,133 |
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| 8,051 | |
| 8,051 21,735 17,770 - 12,016 |
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| 20,974 23,925 19,580 - 21,150 |
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 (2022: £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.