Annual Report
1[st ] January 2024 to 31[st] December 2024
Ecological Land Trust
Charitable Incorporated Organisation
Charity Number: 1158032
Registered Office: Unit 2, Wildgoose Space, 228 Mina Road, Bristol BS2 9YP
Trustees
O Rodker (chair)
L Beighton
H Westphely
Governance
Governing Document: Constitution
Date: 28[th] July 2014
The Ecological Land Trust has a relationship with the Ecological Land Cooperative (Community Benefit Society no. 30770R registered with the FCA under the Cooperative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014) and raises funds for environmental conservation work on the Cooperative’s small farm sites.
The Trust also receives funds on behalf of the Ecological Land Cooperative. These are held in the Ecological Land Trust’s bank account until they are drawn down by the cooperative.
Charitable Aims
“To promote sustainable development (as defined below) 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 development and regeneration.
To advance the 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.”
Activities
The Ecological Land Trust has been engaged in supporting the charitable work of the Ecological Land Cooperative to conserve and protect the natural environment.
The Trust distributed funds for the development of the Cooperative’s site in Cornwall in Autumn 2024. This included a barn, hardstanding, PV array and borehole installation. 2 sets of ELC stewards moved onto the site in Autumn 2024, with a third plot still available.
The Trust received the donation of a farm in Carmarthenshire in June 2022 – Maesgwyn Isaf. The ongoing maintenance and management of this farm will be carried out by the Ecological Land Cooperative. There is a Tenancy at Will in place in which the Ecological Land Trust is the Landlord and the Ecological Land Cooperative is the Tenant. The Ecological Land Cooperative has full repairing and insuring liability of Maesgwyn Isaf.
In August 2024, the Trust became the owners of Ragmans Lane Farm in Gloucestershire. The transfer was to be completed following legal and financial advice from Third Sector Accountancy and Wrigleys Solicitors with regards to the tax implications of the farm donation for both the Trust and the donor.
Work was carried out towards the end of 2023 on a new website for the Trust which was launched in 2024.
A number of grant applications were submitted by the Fundraiser of the Ecological Land Cooperative on behalf of the Trust in order to carry out ecological surveys, as suggested following the identification of the lack of income as a risk in the 2023 Annual Report. None of these applications were successful.
The Trustees are exploring the option of
The Trustees had due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Achievements and Performance
The Ecological Land Trust was effective in its purpose of supporting the promotion of sustainable development as per its Objects. It did this by distributing funds for the renovation of a farm; the development of a new farm and the legal ownership of a further farm which is an exemplar of permaculture in the UK. Each of these areas seek to support new entrants to ecological farming to gain affordable access to land and to ensure that ecological principles are upheld in farming practices.
Finances
An overview of the Ecological Land Trust’s financial transactions in the year to 31[st] December 2024 are as follows:
Donations £125
Other income £218 (the payment of rent from National Grid for pylons on land owned by the Trust)
Expenditure £27,983
Remaining carried forward = £13,711
Money has been spent on site development and distributing funds to the Ecological Land Cooperative whose aims directly support the objectives of the Trust.
The restricted funds at 31[st] December 2024 are entirely for the development of Maesgwyn Isaf. In addition to the amount declared in the accounts (£4,380), the Trustees have designated a further £6,159 bringing the total funds allocated to this purpose to £10,539.
The Trust seeks to hold £1,500 in reserves.
Risks
The Trust did not have any successful funding applications in 2024. In the instance that further funding is not achieved, the Trustees are exploring the options and implications of winding up the Trust.
Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees:
……………………………………………………….
Oliver Rodker
16[th] October 2025
| Charity Name | Charity Name | No (if any) | No (if any) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecological Land Trust | 1158032 | ||||||||||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | CC16a | ||||||||||||
| For the period from ~~ee~~ |
Period start date 01/01/2024 ~~ee~~ |
To | Period end date 31/12/2024 ~~ee~~ |
||||||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||||||
| Donations | 125 | 125 | - | - | - | 125 | 1,177 | ||||||
| Other income | 218 | 218 | - | - | - | 218 | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for | (Gross income for | ||||||||||||
| AR) | AR) | 343 | 343 | - | - | - | 343 | 1,177 | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). - - - - - - - - - - ~~Sub total~~- - - - - Total receipts 343 - - 343 1,177 ~~S555~~ |
|||||||||||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||||||
| Distribution of Crowdfunds | - | - | 8,749 | - | - | 8,749 | 27,952 | ||||||
| Ecological surveys | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5,000 | ||||||
| Site development | - | - | 17,280 | - | - | 17,280 | 3,720 | ||||||
| Subscriptions | 150 | 150 | - | - | - | 150 | - | ||||||
| Advice | 1,740 | - | - | - | 1,740 | - | |||||||
| Distribute unrestrictedgrants | 64 | 64 | - | - | - | 64 | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||
| **Sub total ** | 1,954 | 26,029 | - | - | 27,983 | 36,672 |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) Ragmans Lane Farm - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - Total payments 1,954 26,029 - 27,983 36,672 ~~SS55—~~ |
|---|
| Net of receipts/(payments) - 1,611 - 26,029 - - 27,640 - 35,495 A5 Transfers between funds - 6,159 6,159 - - - A6 Cash funds last year end 10,942 30,409 - 41,351 76,846 Cash funds this year end 3,172 10,539 - 13,711 41,351 ~~=SS~~ |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
17/10/2025
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | funds | funds | funds | ||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||
| B1 Cash funds | 3,172 10,539 - - - - - - - 3,172 10,539 - Total cash funds Cash in bank ~~===~~ |
|||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments | (agree balances with receipts and payments | |||||||
| account(s)) | OK | OK | OK | |||||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowment | ||||||
| funds | funds | funds | ||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~~=====~~ |
|||||||
| B3 Investment assets | Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Current value (optional) - - - - - - - - - - Details ~~=—===~~ |
|||||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Current value (optional) General - 500,000 General - 1,500,000 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Details Maesgwyn Isaf Farm Ragmans Lane Farm ~~==~~ |
|||||||
| Fund to which | Amount due | When due | ||||||
| B5 Liabilities | liability relates (optional) (optional) - - - - - Details ~~=—==—~~ |
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| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Print Name | Print Name | Date of approval |
|||
| Oliver Rodker | Oliver Rodker | |||||||
| 16/10/2025 | ||||||||
| CCXX R2 accounts (SS) | ~~2~~ | ~~17/10/2025~~ |
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)