THE GREEN BACKYARD
A Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Annual report for the year ended 31 March 2025
Legal and Administrative information
Chair: Tim Drake co-opted as Chair June 2024, resigned March 2025 (nb: prior to June 2024, the chair role was rotated between Trustees since December 2023 when Vanessa Pool resigned Secretary: Julie Danby co-opted as Secretary June 2024
Treasurer: Peter Slinger co-opted as Treasurer September 2024 for 1 year Trustees: Tim Drake Julie Danby Peter Slinger co-opted September 2024 for 1 year Christian Hogg (Councillor, PCC representative) Ellie Cooper resigned (Councillor, PCC representative) Jodie Poole Lewis Vernum Madhuraj Mishra Emma Blades 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. Charities with an income under £15,000 do not require an independent examination. These accounts have been prepared by a volunteer of the charity.
Website: www.thegreenbackyard.com
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Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2025
The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
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;
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 local 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, partners and groups, as well as various schools, businesses and other organisations from across Peterborough and beyond.
Our AGM was held on Friday 6th September 2024.
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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 stabilised our reserves now and are able to not only cover our ongoing costs especially the rent charges for the site but are also able to plan for things that we need as they arise. Income generation continues to be a focus for trustees, and these have focused on developing our on-site partnerships as well as general site hire.
Our Little Explorers’ group also received a generous donation from the Peterborough Council CLF fund managed by Andy Coles, Councillor, of £3,000 which the group used to purchase play equipment, outdoor cooking resources, new plates and bowls and arts and crafts supplies.
The trustees decided to unrestrict an aged fund from TRU Postcode and this money has contributed this year to our annual site rent payable to Peterborough City Council and other site development costs.
We were very grateful to receive a large donation of £1,500 from Compare the Market which we have used for the purchase a mower and a strimmer and any remainder for their upkeep.
We were delighted to receive a new restricted grant from Double Nature Cambridgeshire, to support wildlife activities on our site which we will be investing on the site in 2025/26.
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Purpose of our funds
TRU Postcode
This grant was unrestricted due to originally being provided for site access development which we have undertaken directly with our partners. We have used this money to support the development of our community activities on site. Ongoing work to repair our hub building as a community meeting space has been completed this year – we have now painted the building internally, finished our massive decluttering and clearance exercise so that the facility can be easily used for either site partners, site hire and/ or as a meeting venue.
Little Explorers
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Chair’s Report
There has been much change with our trustees at the end of this year, and so we are focused on rebuilding skills and knowledge among new board members and we are as always grateful for their time, energy and innovation to take the GBY forward.
Large scale events generally have tailed off but private site hire for smaller events have continued throughout the year which is heartening.
Other events included:
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6th – 11th May – grow your own food – 6 week course by Project Abundance.
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Friday community bike works shops – up to 15 bikes repaired a day
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Spring Fair – 27th April
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Thursday kids groups by Where the Wild Ones plays – up to 10 families each week
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Donations of bedding plants from B&Q
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Clothes swapped by Udgam – 4th May 2025
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Community Cooking with Udgam
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The Princes Trust volunteer group = couple of weeks during the summer.
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Wild art starting hosting free monthly art workshops
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Brewster Avenue School visit – 10th May
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Alternative provision kids hosted by Lewis.
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Pride held on site 8th June 2024
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Harvest Festival – 28th Sept
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New kids play equipment funded by council – July
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Donation of tools to men shed from David Wilson Homes.
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Christmas Fair – 16th November
We continue to progress with clearing up the site, repairing buildings and increasing diversity in the gardens. It is now better laid out with the lead for many beds signposted and the fewest weeds for many years although this is an ongoing task.
Regular volunteers have been hard to come by though there have been one or two new volunteers joining towards the end of the year. As a result, our reliance on Community Payback continues to be key to us maintaining the site and we are so grateful for this partnership. Monthly volunteer days on a Saturday have worked well through summer and autumn in 2023 and we are hoping to resume these come the spring in June 2024.
We have enjoyed a number of corporate days over the past year, and we have a small team of lead volunteers to continue to support this CSR activity and promote it to local businesses. Examples of these events included:
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CITB volunteer day 16th April
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Environment Agency volunteer day – April 2024
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Virgin Media volunteer day – 20th Jan
The arrangement of site partners continues to work well and indeed flourish. Details of our existing site partners included:
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Community Payback – continues to significantly support site maintenance activities for which we are grateful and currently continue to work with them every week.
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Project Abundance – continues to flourish, from the sale of market produce goods to weekly workshops and more.
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Refill Revolution – ongoing, a main reason for many people visiting GBY. Julie continues to draw many visitors who also look at our other offerings in terms of site gardens and of course the various site partners. Now open 4 days per week.
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Menshed – continues to operate well, open across 2 days (Thu & Fri) and is busier than ever.
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Community Bike Workshop – ongoing, normally open 1 day per week (Fri), run by Tim and supported by other volunteers such as Mark, Emma and Alice. Joint funding with H.E.L.P was successful in continues to support refugees. The work has extended to providing re-gifted bikes for the Light Project in Peterborough and also to providing mobile bike workshops for various groups in Deeping St James, Spalding and Peterborough.
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Little Explorers/ Where the Wild Ones Learn – ongoing, a young children’s group being run by Jodie and Rachel. Additional classes have been added diversifying into forest school activities. The ‘Hub’ is often used now by this group especially in poorer weather allowing them to extend their season to potentially all year round.
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Udgam – operated by Madhuraj. This organisation empowers individuals and communities to embrace a plant-based lifestyle, develop eco-friendly solutions, and foster wellness practices. They provide on site growing of plants, cookery sessions and provide tasty Indian food at our festivals.
Approved by order of the board of trustees on the xxxxxxx 2025 and signed on its behalf by:
Chair of Trustees
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The Green Backyard CIO
Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 31.03.2025
| 31 March 2025 | 31 March 2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Unrestricted Restricted |
Unrestricted | Restricted | ||||
| Notes | funds | funds | Total funds | funds | funds | Total funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Receipts: | |||||||
| Donations and legacies | 2 | 3,164 | 3,164 7,283 |
10,447 | 1,952 | 1,952 300 |
2,252 |
| Charitable Activities | 3 | 3,094 | 3,094 | 3,094 | 704 | 704 | 704 |
| Other trading activities | 4 | 2,848 | 2,848 | 2,848 | 3,481 | 3,481 | 3,481 |
| Total | 9,106 | 7,283 | 16,389 | 6,136 | 300 | 6,436 | |
| Payments: | |||||||
| Raising Funds | 5 | 130 | 130 | 130 | 190 | 190 | 190 |
| Charitable Activities | 6 | 2,366 | 2,366 2,959 |
5,325 | 1,507 | 1,507 474 |
1,981 |
| Support, administration and governance | 7 | 7,813 | 7,813 | 7,813 | 7,481 | 7,481 | 7,481 |
| Total | 10,309 | 2,959 | 13,268 | 9,178 | 474 | 9,652 | |
| Net receipts/(payments) | (1,203) | (1,203) 4,324 |
3,121 | (3,042) | (174) | (3,216) | |
| Transfers between funds | 6,910 | 6,910 (6,910) |
0 | 264 | (264) | ||
| Cash funds at 31 March b/f | 8 | 4,195 | 4,195 6,869 |
11,064 | 6,973 | 6,973 7,307 |
14,280 |
| Cash funds at 31 March c/f | 8 | 9,902 | 2 4,283 |
14,185 | 4,195 | 6,869 | 11,064 |
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Statement of Financial Position for the year ending 31.03.2025
| sheet | 31 March 2025 | 31 March 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted | ||||||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Unrestricted | income | |||
| funds | income funds | Total | funds | funds | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cash Funds | ||||||
| Cash at bank & in hand | 9,902 | 4,283 | 14,185 | 4,195 | 6,869 | 11,064 |
| 9,902 | 4,283 | 14,185 | 4,195 | 6,869 | 11,064 | |
| Total Charitable Funds | 9,902 | 4,283 | 14,185 | 4,195 | 6,869 | 11,064 |
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The Green Backyard CIO
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
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2025 Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Little Explorers' Councillor Funding | 3,000 | 3,000 | ||||
| Double Nature Cambridgeshire | 4,283 | 4,283 | ||||
| Menshed | 300 | 300 | ||||
| Donations | 2,837 | 2,837 | 1,952 | 1,952 | ||
| Gift Aid | 327 | 327 | ||||
| **3,164 ** | 7,283 | 10,447 | **1,952 ** | 300 | **2,252 ** |
3. Income from charitable activities
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2025 Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Event income | 3,094 | 3,094 | 704 | 704 | ||
| **3,094 ** | **3,094 ** | **704 ** | **704 ** |
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4. Other income
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2025 Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Sundry | 23 | 23 | 26 | 26 | ||
| Site hire | 1,775 | 1,775 | 1,355 | 1,355 | ||
| Refill Revolution shop donation | 1,050 | 1,050 | 2,100 | 2,100 | ||
| 2,848 | 2,848 | 3,481 | 3,481 |
5. Raising Funds
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2025 Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Events | 130 | 130 | ||||
| Marketing & website | 190 | 190 | ||||
| 130 | 130 | 190 | 190 |
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6. Direct Charitable Expenditure
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2025 Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Charitable Activities | 2,366 | 2,366 | 1,507 | 1,507 | ||
| Awards for All | 144 | 144 | ||||
| Menshed | 300 | 300 | ||||
| MIND | 30 | 30 | ||||
| TRU Postcode | ||||||
| Little Explorers' Councillor Funding | 2,959 | 2,959 | ||||
| 2,366 | 2,959 | 5,325 | 1,507 | 474 | 1,981 |
7. Charity Management and Administration
7) Charity Management and Administration
| Unrestricted | Restricted | 2025 Total | Unrestricted | Restricted | 2024 Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | funds | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Administration Costs | 5,060 | 5,060 | 5,060 | 5,060 | ||
| Governance Costs | 794 | 794 | 956 | 956 | ||
| Purchases and direct costs | 1,959 | 1,959 | 1,465 | 1,465 | ||
| 7,813 | 7,813 | **7,481 ** | **7,481 ** |
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8. Funds
| Balance at 1 | Incoming | Resources | Transfers | Balance at 31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Resources | Expended | between funds | March 2025 | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Restricted Funds: | |||||
| TRU Postcode | 6,869 | 6,869 | |||
| Double Nature Cambridgeshire | 4,283 | 4,283 | |||
| Little Explorers' Councillor Funding | 3,000 | 2,959 | 41 | ||
| Total Restricted Funds | 6,869 | 7,283 | 2,959 | 6,910 | 4,283 |
| Unrestricted funds: | 6,910 | ||||
| Total Unrestricted Funds | 4,195 | 9,106 | 10,309 | 6,910 | 9,902 |
| Total Funds | **11,064 ** | 16,389 | 13,268 | 13,820 | 14,185 |
9. 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 (2025: £nil). Trustees, or person related or connected by business to them has received any payments or other benefits from the charity during the year.
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