FRIENDS OF PAGE PARK REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR FINANCIAL YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2025 Charity Number 1158230
Status Friends of Page Park was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 13 August 2014 with charity number 1158230 Members of the Board of Trustees The trustees who served during the period were as follows: Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if an Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole year Lorna Marie Carter-stevens Stephanie Purser Chair Vice Chair Janice Green Finance Paul Graham Website William Lee Social media Rachael Ruane Policies Janet Biggin Colin Bracey Tom Beard n/a n/a nla 10 Nathan Gornall nla Since 6 January 2025 Independent examiner Lloydbottoms Limited Registered in England and Wales No: 06433276 Registered Office: 118 High Street Staple Hill Bristol BS16 SHH Bankers Lloyds Bank plc
The Trustees have pleasure in presenting its report of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) for the period ended 31 March 2025. STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Appointment of trustees Apart from the first charity trustees, every appointed trustee must be appointed, by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the CIO. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Charitable purposes The objects of the CIO are A) to assist with the preservation, restoration, maintenance and improvement of Page Park for the benefit of the public; B) to promote the benefit of the residents of Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas by associating with South Gloucestershire Council and inhabitants in a common effort to provide and improve facilities at Page Park in the interests of social welfare for recreation, sport, education and leisure time activities with the objects of improving their conditions of life; and C) to promote horticulture and floriculture for the benefit of the public generally and in particular those who live near to or visit Page Park and the surrounding area of Staple Hill by the provision of floral displays, shrubs, trees and landscapes in places visible to the public in and around Page Park and Staple Hill for improvement of the environment.
Review of activities Chairman's report All members of the Friends of Page Park are volunteers and we encourage both regular and occasional volunteers to spare time towards helping with the upkeep and improvement of the park. The park has had its Green Flag status renewed again this year (see htt s:Ilwww. reenfla award.or /how-it-works/ ud -criteria/) and there is flagpole advertising the park as a Green Flag park at the front of the park. Some details of this award appear on the website here: Pa e Park- Park Summa Details Green Fla Award. Our group was set up over 25 years ago to promote the improvement of the maintenance of the park and to make it a welcoming space for local residents and the ever-increasing number of visitors coming to Staple Hill to visit Page Park as a destination park. To this end, some of our trustees are active members of the South Gloucestershire Council Green Spaces Forum, which has met in the park and promotes best practice among other friends and volunteer groups across the local area and, alongside our regular communications with South Gloucestershire Council members, is a chance to understand some of the policy issues at Council level which have in recent years had significant constraints to budgets connected with the upkeep of Page Park and other green spaces. Following the completion of the Heritage Lottery Project in 2020 it is of paramount concern to the group that this legacy is protected and the legal requirements for upkeep of Page Park continue to be met by South Gloucestershire Council. More details are set out below and please take a look at this fantastic review in the Bristol Post: The award-winnin ark with an id Ilic bandstand avia cafe la areas and s orts itches Bristol Live. Our volunteers have continued to support the parks team with care of the Sensory Garden and one-off volunteering activities such as planting groups (more information on this below). There are weekly volunteer groups who work in the Sensory Garden, which for most of the year is ablaze with seasonal colour from the shrubs and annuals planting. The group comprises around 15 individuals who enjoy the camaraderie, fresh air, sense of achievement and learning about the plants and the pleasure that this space brings to the public at large as an intended quieter space in the park, for families and individuals to enjoy as a picnic area, venue for our summer yoga as well as peaceful contemplation. We thank all our regular volunteers for their care of this special space and park visitors in helping to keep this space "wheels-free" from bicycles and scooters for the protection of the plants, and those enjoying this very special space. Volunteers also assist with litter picking on an ad hoc basis, supporting the parks team especially during the busy summer months. There are counters on the gates to the park which monitor visitor numbers, and these have recorded approximately 668,000 visitors during this period.
Our Facebook page (https:Ilwww.facebook.com/FriendsofPageParkl) is the primary way we share information about the park and the group's activities. We currently have c. 6900 people following us (up from 6,500 last year) and our page was visited over 800,000 times over the year. Many of our individual posts on the page are viewed by over 10,000 people. There were over 5,000 Interactions (reactions, comments, shares etc) with page content over the year. Our website (htt ://www.friendsof ark.co.uld) continues to store detailed information about our projects and activities as well as galleries of pictures showcasing completed projects and the array of events which have taken place in the park. We have a comments section and pride ourselves in listening to feedback and responding wherever possible to those who take the time to get in touch with us. Our website also includes a detailed section on leaving a legacy to The Friends of Page Park. Gifts in wills have a huge impact on our fundraising as a small charity and we are very grateful when people consider including us in your plans. If you have remembered The Friends of Page Park in your will, are planning to leave a gift or would like to find out more about how a gift in your will could help Page Park flourish, we would be delighted to hear from you via our website. Knowing your intentions can help us to plan for the future, but also gives us the opportunity to update you about important developments and, most importantly, thank you for your generosity. We extend our thanks again to all of our members and all those who have either donated to us or given volunteering help, as well as everyone else involved with the park at South Gloucestershire Council. Please keep an eye on our Facebook page or send us an email via the website if you would like to get involved! Participating Organisations South Gloucestershire Council South Gloucestershire CVS Staple Hill Runners Page park Walking Well Group Avon & Somerset Police Page Park Nordic Walkers Staple Hill, Mangotsfield and Downend Residents Staple Hill & Mangotsfield Ward Councillors Downend Councillors Staple Hill & Mangotsfield Councillors Page Park junior parkrun Staple Hill Community Hub Finance For this financial year, our expenses were approximately £5,000 less than our receipts. Whilst we have minimal recurring costs (website, insurance and accountancy fees), our income continues to vary from year to year depending upon fundraising success, support from partner organisations and the projects with which we are involved. We have adequate remaining funds coming into the next financial period for all regular costs and it is likely that our attention will turn again to new fund- raising for future identified projects including an additional of a second tin storage shed in the Sensory Garden as well as looking at the provision of play equipment in the park, especially for children with disabilities. Volunteers
We have a reliable long-standing group of volunteers who participate in the activities of the CIO, Iitter-pickers who help supplement the work of the Council's park team c?nd volunteers who tend weekly to the Sensory Garden. Additionally we have many volunteers who help with one-off events in the park including fund-raising events, planting sessions or when promoting our work through tFie local area from our red gazebo. As the core group is getting significantly older, we welcome new volunteers and can help find opportunities to suit the time they have to spare and give to the park so that we can continue with this important work. Projects and main activities 25 Year Anniversary Event July 2024 saw our own 25th anniversary event take place in the park, which was a fantastic celebration of all the group has achieved over a quarter of a century. We had help from many volunteers without whom this day could not have taken place. It was a chance to listen to music on the bandstand, treat ourselves to food from an amazing selection of food stalls and come together as a community to celebrate. Other celebrations in the Park Prior to the our own event in July, our volunteers helped out both at the Refugee Festival event in the park organised by the Bean Tree café (Festival reveals refu ee and lobal music lineu )and at the Armed Forces Day. We also set up a tent and our silly games at the Emergency Services fun day, now a regular fixture in September at the return to school time, giving the community chance to speak with our local services personnel and the chance to see inside a police car and a fire engine. It's always really well attended with young children and their parents and carers (Communit meets emer enc services - Downend Voice). Pumpkin Patch October half term saw the beloved return of our Halloween event with a fancy dress competition, our silly games (which raised with other donations - over £1,000 for our funds) and much fun besides. Pum kin Patch - Pa e Park 2024 London Marathon l Frenchay 10k Run We were very pleased to secure a place at the 2025 and 2026 London Marathons this year, for a member of a local running club to represent us in the marathon. Wendy Gwinneth was chosed as our runner in 2025, fulfilling a lifetime goal for herself, and raising almost £1,500 on our behalf. Great work Wendy, many thanks indeed! We were also lucky enough to be chosen this year to be one the organisations supported by a local 10k run event (to take place in April 2025) and which we will also support with volunteer help.
Sensory Garden and other planting Our fabulous group of sensory garden volunteers have continued to make this special space look beautiful. The Council only assists with grass cutting and with the trees in the sensory garden and all other gardening upkeep is done by volunteers. We like to keep this space wheel and ball free, not only to protect the plants, but so that our youngest and oldest visitors as well as those less physically above and those seeking some peace and quiet can find some calm here and enjoy the space. We have spent over £1,000 of funds during this period on plants and park upkeep more generally. Aviary The aviary, which was fully renovated in the financial year 21122 with volunteer help continues to be managed by the new aviary team including trustee Tom Beard, Joe Chorley, members of park staff and other volunteers with specific interest and experience with caged birds. They continue to improve the quality of life for the birds and coordinate re-homing of birds where we are able to do so on requests from the public. It's amazing to see young and old alike around the aviary getting pleasure from seeing the birds year round We continue to raise money to support both feeding and looking after the birds e Park Avia JustGivin The aviary is now home to over 50 budgerigars and zebra finches who have some warm shelter now in the winter months - even more than you can see on this short video: Birds in the avia atPa e Park in Sta le Hill video Dail motion. Festival of Nature I Woodland Trust plantings Our trustees are avid supporters of the Open Spaces forums that the Council runs and we were proud this year we also had a film crew from the Woodland Trust filming in the park. They were interested in the native hedgerow that we have been creating over the past few years along the Park Road and Southview sides of the park. The Woodland Trust give out Community Tree Packs twice a year and we have been very lucky our applications have been successful. The film made was shown at the Festival of Nature in Bristol in June 2024 and at other venues throughout the year. The hedgerow as it grows will and is providing much needed habitat for our wildlife and insects. The Woodland Trust representatives were very impressed with how the hedgerow was coming along. A further 240 whips arrived and were planted in November. Toilets project and storage Our additional toilet facilities in the park, which are open for longer hours than the existing toilets (tied to the café and only open during the hours the café is open) finally opened in summer 2024. This might not be the most glamourous project we have assisted with, but it was high on the wishlist of many visitors to the park. The project includes a "Changes Places" toilet plus additional provision, which will improve access to the park for those with severe disabilities. We donated £20,000 of restoration funds in our previous financial year, raised from a combination of grants and public donations which went towards this project which was led by South Gloucestershire Council. Given these facilities cost nearly a quarter of a million pounds in total, as a group we are keen to ensure that the public knows what an
investment this has been and does everything it can to help keep the toilets tidy, clean as you'd like to find them and reports any vandalism or other concerns to the police on 101. Walking Well We continue to support the hire of the community room in the Bean Tree café to provide refreshments after the Walking Well walks which start in the park. There are usually 15 to 25 people taking part in the twice weekly walks. The walks themselves are now organised by Age UK South Glos and are open to all. For more information on how to register please see Walkin One You South Gloucestershire south los. ov.uk Refugee festival The third Refugee Festival, which took place in the park in June 2024 was again organised by the Bean Tree Café. We provided volunteers to help with set up of the festival, which is going from strength to strength and draws in lots of visitors from the wider Bristol area and beyond: South Gloucestershire & Bristol Refu ee Festival 2024 - Movema. Page Park Calendar We launched our photographic competition in early 2024 for our charity calendar for 2025. Sales raised just under £7,000 (with surplus above our costs being approximately £5,000), a welcome increase in surplus over over 10 % from the last year. We offered a cash prize to the winning photo this year of £125. As ever, a huge thank you very much to all the volunteers who have assisted Colin Bracey with sales of the calendar throughout the autumn. We sold calendars in the park, at local supermarkets and also at Christmas on the Hill. We are grateful for the ongoing support from all the local businesses who sold calendars on our behalf during autumn 2024. Plant Sales We were able to hold several plant sales with fantastic donations from our regular growers and raised c.£828 from these sales and hopefully provided some much-needed colour to many gardens. Park cleaning Following the success of the "Big Clean" last year, we organised two volunteer sessions, in May and mid-summer each attended by around 20-25 people of all ages (despite some rather inclement weather) to clean signage, railings, litterboxes and picnic benches in the park. It was a great opportunity for a natter and a catch up alongside the hard work and we welcomed some new volunteers to help with this. Summer yoga in the park One of our most popular events is now the annual outdoor yoga on Sunday mornings during the summer months (May - mid-september) again run by Pippa, and this attracted well over 100
participants each week (sometimes more than 200), who really look forward to taking part and some exploring yoga for the first time (2024 Yo ainPa e Park). It runs after the junior parkrun, and means summer Sunday mornings in the park and in the café are hive of activity and wellbeing for our local community. The Friends were able to fully fund these sessions again this year, with the costs being covered by donations from the community via a Just Giving page. Just bring along a mautowel and some water to keep yourself hydrated. Lialsing with other organisationslsignposting We continue to grow our list of members and our vice chair sends out regular updates on what is happening in the park and in the local community as well as chairing the South Gloucestershire Green Spaces Forum. We continue to update our members on the activities of various local organisations including the Salvation Army and the Staple Hill Community Hub and also help other friends, groups which are applying for Heritage Lottery or other grant funding to share in our experience. In Conclusion We have increased our interactions with South Gloucestershire Council to ensure that the legacy of the Heritage Lottery improvements and park maintenance/action plan, which the council adopted, is respected and carried out to full effect and to ascertain how best we focus our fund-raising efforts going forward. With the end of the Heritage Lottery Project we are turning our intention to additional much needed improvements in the park, attracting a younger set of volunteers to help with the CIO and using our resources, both pecuniary and human manpower, to best effect to improve the park and lives of local residents. Reserves policy No specific reserves are held. The trustees consider that we have minimal ongoing commitments (these are limited to payments for services of our accountant, our public liability insurance and our website) and we only spend monies we have been able to raise. We note at our base costs are under £1,000, we have no employees, nor do we directly engage any contractors, and we manage the funds we hold with the bank to obtain interest on funds held wherever possible. Organisational structure The charity is run by the Trustees who are in contact on a regular basis. Powers are delegated to volunteers as and when appropriate. Responsibilities of the Trustees The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees, Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to anymaterial departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements, and prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. The trustees are responsible for keeping sufficient accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the annual general meeting on 20 January 2026 *84MI i PULS Trustee Trustee
Friends of Page Park Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period from To 0110412024 3110312025 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds to the nr•st Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds Last year to Ihe nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to tho naarèst É A1 Recei Bank Interest Don8tyons & Cdlections Walk8r5 Frenchay 1 OK sponsorship S Glos Billy Kart London Marathon sponsorship P18nt Sales Wessex Water Yoga General FuraisIng Event Funding Geneial exp5 reirnbursed Calendar Project'23 Calendar Project '24 Aviary project Restoration fund 153 153 421 940 125 125 500 1.499 828 1,499 828 1,387 rant. wld flowers and lant5 2.945 2.945 1,792 1.584 4.254 6,013 6,843 6,843 252 2.849 2S2 780 1.873 1849 Sub total (Gross income for AR) A2 Asset and investment sales. (see table). 13.881 3.197 17,078 17.960 Sub total Total receipts 13.881 3.197 17,078 17.960 A3Pa ents PlantslP8rk Upkeep Website InsLJrance Accountants Fee Contribution to SGC toilet project Sundry & Admin Expenses The Nest Billy Kart project London Marathon 25 & 26 costs Events .23-24 Events '24-25 Yoga in the Park Aviary Relurb15hrn8nt Walkers fund Calendar Project'23 Calendai Project'24 1.086 173 142 210 1,086 173 142 210 2,303 173 138 210 20,000 342 500 153 153 960 960 3,797 4.224 4,224 1,600 71 415 1,600 71 415 1,400 969 1.459 1,821 1,855 1,855 Sub total 8,803 2.086 10.889 33,112 A4 Asset and investment purchases. sae table Sub total Total payments 8.803 2,086 10,889 33,112 Net of reGeipts/(payments) AS Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end 5.078 1.111 6,189 15,152 10,975 16,053 2,299 3,410 13.274 19.463 28,426 13,274 CCXX R1 accounts ISSI 1110812025
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds to nreSt £ Restricted funds to nearest £ Endowment funds to nearest É Categories Details B1 Cash funds Lloyjs 0268 2,193 Lloyjs 4460 13,860 3.410 Llwls 32 day alc Petty cash Total cash funds 16,053 3.410 law balar5 wlh rewO5 arnl pa acc15)) Unrestricted funds to nearest £ Reslricted fund5 to nearèst £ Endowment funds to nearest £ Details B2 Other monetary assets Fund to whlch asset belon Current value tional Details Cost loptionall B3 Investment assets Fund to which asset 10 Details Cost loptional} Current value tlonal B4 Assets retained for the charity's own use Fund to which liabll relates Amount due o tional When due ional Details B5 Liabilities Signed by one or trustees on behaw of all the trustees Signature PTint Name Date of roval £.PJ£S£L CCXX R2 accounts ISSI 1110812025