2021-03-31-accounts

Dale Farm Trust Financial Statement and Annual Report for the Year ended 31st March 2021

Dale Farm Trust

Trustees’ Annual Report for the Year ended 31st March 2021 Charity No: 1156516

The address of the Trust is;

51 Oldfield Rd, Heswall, Wirral CH60 6SN

Governing Document; The charity is governed by its Trust Deed

Structure

The Trust consists of 9 Trustees

James Lester (Chair) Naomi Graham (Vice- Chair) Ian Johnson (Secretary) Madeleine O’Rourke (Treasurer) Bernd Heerwagen Wendy McKeown Jean Scott Clare Gaskin Robert Winterson

The minimum number of Trustees is 7.

Charity Structure, Management and Trustee Recruitment

The Farm is situated on the edge of Heswall Dales on the Wirral Peninsula. Dale Farm provides a day service for adults with disabilities and/or mental illness giving people the opportunities to learn life skills through the therapeutic use of horticulture.

The Board of the Trust meets regularly and receives reports on financial activity over the intervening period. The accounts are updated monthly with a detailed breakdown of income and expenditure. The Farm Manager and Deputy Manager attend each meeting and report on key events and anything else pertinent to the Trust.

The Trust holds an annual general meeting which is open to the public, staff of the Farm, volunteers, and service users at which the accounts of the Trust are made available, and the work of the Trust and Farm are discussed.

The Trust’s Rules and Policies, including financial regulations were last updated in October 2018 and approved by the Board. They are available as an A5 booklet.

Objects and Activities

The Trust objectives are

• The relief of those in need in particular but not exclusively by assisting in the treatment and care of persons suffering from mental or physical illness of any description or in need of rehabilitation as a result of such illness, by the provision of facilities for work and recreation.

• to promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of the Wirral and surrounding area, the provision of facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving conditions of life of said inhabitants.

The Trust achieves its objectives by supporting Dale Farm financially and through the work of over 30 volunteers, some of whom are also Trustees.

All aspects of horticulture are used to create a working environment in which people can participate. We grow organic fruit and vegetables in the fields and polytunnels and keep bees. We sell our fruit, vegetables and honey in our farm shop which is open to the public every weekday. We also sell bagged compost and split, seasoned logs and wood chippings

The Farm is presently operating a reduced programme with a limited number of service users attending. We continue to attract a wide range of volunteers who are essential in ensuring that the service users and staff are fully supported.

The Board has had fewer meetings during the year because of the pandemic and many of those meetings have been online limiting the agenda. It is planned to review the Development Plan and expenditure for the next three years.

Achievements and Performance

The Covid pandemic dominated all our lives in 2020/21 and is going to be a significant influence in the future. The Farm was closed to service users from 23[rd] March until 28[th] July 2020 with staff and a small group of volunteers ensuring that essential maintenance was carried out. From the end of July, we operated with limited capacity and strict social distancing and hygiene regimes. Service users were restricted to attending one facility throughout the summer and autumn and then close to Christmas a further national surge in Covid cases led to a second lockdown and the cancelation of Christmas activities with the exception of an online Christmas plant sale which raised £298.00

The reduced numbers of volunteers and service users during the year meant that it was difficult to undertake all the maintenance tasks around the Farm with a subsequent reduction of harvestable crops.

Following a survey of volunteers in February and March it was decided to establish a development group with representatives from each day. The group elected Robert Winterson as their chair. They have met regularly and, with the support of Farm staff have agreed a detailed programme of improvements which they have started to implement including the promotion of the Farm shop and a review of the cropping programme.

The year ended on a sad note when Mike King, a volunteer for over 20 years died in March after a short illness. He will be much missed.

Financial report

The year-end accounts for 2020/21 are attached to this report. Despite the limited activity during the year the annual accounts show a surplus of income over expenditure of £10,191 increasing the amount held in our accounts to £56,760.

Many thanks again to our Treasurer, Maddy O’Rourke who has ensured that our accounts are kept in good order and submitted regular reports to the Farm Board.

Declaration

There have been no serious incidents or matters that should have been brought to the attention of the Charity Commission. The Trustees have approved this report and the financial statement which follows.

J Lester Chair of the Trustees Date September 2021

DALE FARM TRUST

Registered Charity Trust No: 1156516

51 Oldfield Road, Heswall, Wirral, CH60 6SN Tel: [phone] Receipts and Payments for the year ended 31 March 2021

Receipts Gross Income Donations Bank Interest Total Receipts Payments Unrestricted Funds Vehicle Costs Machinery Costs Site costs Van Purchase Total Net Receipts/Payments Cash Funds last year end Cash Funds this year end Cash Funds Lloyds COIF Charity Deposit Accounts HSBC Amenity Account Cash Account Petty Cash Float Total Cash Fund	2020/2021 £28,136 £4,674 £26 £32,836 £3,785 £18,860 £22,645 £10,191 £46,569 £56,760 £22,590 £21,600 £11,622 £754 £194 £56,760	2019/2020 £21,625 £6,901 £131 £28,657 £3,530 £1,237 £26,057 £15,000 £45,824 -£17,167 £63,736 £46,569
	£22,590 £21,600 £11,622 £754 £194 £56,760	£18,810 £21,575 £5,750 £346 £88 £46,569

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ members of

The Dale Farm Trust

On accounts for the year ended

March 2021

Charity 1156516 no (if any)

Set out on pages

(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 / 03 / 2021 .

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the 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 given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination 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.

Signed:

Date: 19/01/2022

1

Oct 2018

IER

Name: Andrew Roberts

Relevant Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accounting professional qualification(s) or body (if any):

Address: 11, Teal Close, Aughton, Ormskirk, Lancs L395QQ

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

None

2

Oct 2018

IER

IER Oct 2018