Registered Charity number 1157820
Trustees Annual Report 01/04/2022 - 31/03/2023
The objectives of the Friends of Foundry Wood (FoFW) CIO are:
- 1) To promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the urban woodland resource that is Foundry Wood for the public benefit of current and future generations,
and
- 2) To advance public education in the areas of wildlife, woodlands, environmental protection and traditional crafts
Foundry Wood is co-managed by FoFW and Achieving Results in Communities (ARC) CIC who currently hold the lease on the land.
Trustees: Dan Champion, Heather Haslett, Kristie Naimo, Katherine Pasteur, Sue Deeley (until May 2023) Sarah Biddle, Kayleigh Brookes (from May 2023)
Steering Group: The Trustees, plus Sue Deely (from May 2023 ), Matt Cox, Kate Haines, Achievements for the year to April 2023
-
The Trustees and Steering Group met regularly every two months.
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Kept the wood open to the public and for use by groups.
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We run monthly volunteer mornings for woodland maintenance which are well attended by volunteers of all ages.
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We continued to send a monthly e-newsletter to around 1400 supporters.
-
Awarded a sixth Green Flag Community Award in July 2022.
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ARC continued to run their weekly Wellbeing in Nature sessions, now with funding from National Lottery
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Signed, at the end of March 2022, a 15-year lease with Network Rail for use of the disused railway sidings adjacent to the wood.
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Restoration of the pond took place over the autumn/winter 2022 – project was a success and many newts counted!
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Continued to have great support and publicity from local community.
Report on activities at the wood in the year to April 2023 Annual General Meeting
At the AGM in May 2022, John Hinton performed some songs inspired by the woodland. No Trustees stepped down or needed to request re-election at this AGM.
Leasing the adjacent Network Rail Land
We got access to the Sidings area – ARC signed a lease in March for 15 years. Initial access work completed by many business groups and conducted wildlife surveys with flora, butterfly and mammal groups. Found a badger set with a family of foxes (videos on website) and other interesting plants. NOT intending open all the time due to sensitive nature of site. We will NOT be removing the fence separating the two – part of our lease requirement and felt it suited our liabilities
Regular activities
Regular activities during the year included Adult Wellbeing in Nature and Youth Mentoring sessions (delivered by ARC),, Muddy Puddles (forest school for toddlers), Magical Stories, Singing for Joy, Intuitive Dance, Full Moon Healing Circle. something nearly every day of the week.
Nature activities
We continued to record wildlife activity in the wood with the camera, setting it up in various locations around the wood.
Wildlife Camera continues to record evidence of badger (we have a sett just off site in the Railway bank),foxes, hedgehog and deer.
Volunteers spotted unusual moth, and we held a fungi talk for the first time and had around 50 people attend!
We held our usual moth morning, and adapted recording butterflies during the Big Butterfly Count to allow the public to do this across a longer time period, and submit their results to us electronically.
The Mammal Monitoring morning was held in September.
Species records continued to be collated and shared with Warwickshire County Council Ecological Services, and a member of the Steering Group reported to their annual meeting in March 2023.
We conducted our annual review and updated our Woodland Management Plan for ongoing care-taking in the woods. The Management Plan along with reports and news is regularly updated onto the Foundry Wood website www.foundrywood.co.uk
Other events
A Woodland Youth Theatre group was run by a local youth practitioner, culminating in performances at Art in the Park arts festival in August
Theatre performances resumed with shows by Heartbreak, Mikron and Alarum Theatre in the summer.
A 2 day 'Music in the Woods' event was held by an outside organisation called OAF (Open Arts Festivals) and was well attended.
In September we had an information stall at Ecofest 2022 in the Pump Room Gardens.
Ongoing fundraising
We continue to have regular donations from Local Giving, but have also signed up to Easy Fundraising to allow people to donate to Foundry Wood as they shop.
Education project
The Education sessions are in the main delivered by our co-management organisation ARC and their staff – some of whom are also members of the FOFW Steering Group.
School and after school visits resumed with bug hunting and pizza making popular choices once again.
Friends of Foundry Wood – Annual Accounts to April 2022 submitted separately.
Income in the year came from ongoing donations, and a one off donation from ASDA of £1,284 for play bark and improvements to the climbing frame play area.
Dan Champion Treasurer Friends of Foundry Wood Trustees
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|---|---|---|---|
|April 22 position|
|Balance|26,484.37|
|Income|Amount|
|Grants|
|Donations- Local Giving & Easy Fundraising|1,322.19|
|Donations- One offs/Cheques|1,844.03|
|Bank interest|-|
|Income|3,166.22|
|Outgoings|Amount|
|Local giving costs|96.00|
|Ecofest costs|25.00|
|General upkeep & play inspection|1,677.33|
|Tree Surgery|1,224.00|
|Outdoor camera costs|-|
|-|
|Marketing & Website Costs|
|Network rail land fencing costs|14,785.30|
|Moth morning costs|75.00|
|Pond Costs|-|
|-|
|Tools & padlocks|
|Entertainment costs|150.00|
|Gravel, paint & signage costs|1,630.58|Outgoings|19,912.30|
|Internet Costs|189.85|
|Water Plus (Severn Trent)|59.24|
|April 23 position|
|Bank Account|9,738.29|
|Cash Float|-|
|Profit/Loss|- 16,746.08|
|9,738.29|
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|---|---|
|Draft Annual Expenditure|
|Annual Play area maintainence|115.00|
|Expert talks|75.00|
|Free events expenditure|100.00|
|Leaflets & Signs|300.00|
|Outreach - entertainment|110.00|
|Severn Trent|85.00|
|Tools etc|100.00|
|Tree surgery|1,000.00|
|Website maintainence|115.00|
|Local Giving costs|100.00|
|2,105.00|
|Pending Expenditure|
|Play Inspection|108.00|
|Tree Surgery|1,000.00|
|Current total|1,108.00|
|Residual balance|8,630.29|
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10 Year picture
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IN OUT Severn Trent
profit/loss Apr-14 £5,000.00
-£41.85 Apr-15 £358.15 £400.00 54.9
-£784.24 Apr-16 £3,933.13 £4,717.37 125.21
£1,060.29 Apr-17 £1,747.78 £687.49 6.43
£5,576.30 Apr-18 £6,573.70 £997.40 48.2
-£1,530.82 Apr-19 £1,135.24 £2,666.06 54.92
-£748.61 Apr-20 £1,177.33 £1,925.94 61.24
£18,864.89 Apr-21 £20,596.26 £1,731.37 60.9
-£1,043.04 Apr-22 £7,451.94 £8,494.98 81.08
-£16,746.08 Apr-23 £3,166.22 £19,912.30 59.24
Average £4,606.84
Totals £46,139.75 £41,532.91 £552.12
Average £5,126.64 £4,614.77 £61.35
Diff £511.87
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