## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** **From 1 February 2025 To 31 January 2026** **Charity name: Exeter Dissenters’ Graveyard Trust** ## **Charity registration number: 1159449** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To assist in the restoration, preservation,
improvement, maintenance and
conservation of Exeter Dissenters'
Graveyard and to advance education in the
graveyard and an understanding of the
history and heritage of the graveyard and
the people who were buried there.| |Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|**Improvement of the site allowing access**
**to members of the public**
For many years the site known as the
Exeter Dissenters’ Graveyard was derelict
and was targeted by fly-tippers and
substance abusers. The graveyard lies just
outside Exeter city centre in an area of
historic significance - the Southernhay and
The Friars Conservation Area, next to a
major hotel. It was an eye-sore for locals
and visitors alike and was a constant target
for developers.
The principal work of the Trust is now to
maintain the graveyard, conduct research
into the people buried there and their
families, and carry out repair work where
appropriate.
**Research**
The Research Group continues to
investigate individuals and families
associated with the Graveyard. Over 120
family biographies have been uploaded to
the Trust’s dedicated website
(www.edgt.org.uk).| |||**Website and social media**
Our website (www.edgt.org.uk) is regularly
updated with information about the project
as well as photographs of the work and
data about the people buried at the site.
EDGT also has a Twitter account
(@ExeterDGT) and a Facebook page
(@exeterdgt) which are not regularly
updated.
**Education**
A successful event was held at Old St
Leonards Hall in September 2025 as part
of the national Heritage Open Weekend
initiative. Ward grants totalling £515 were
secured to support the event on 20th
September as well as a performance by the
Daedalus Theatre of Gerrard Winstanley’s
True and Righteous Mobile Incitement Unit,
at St Nicholas’ Priory, Exeter, on 6th
October 2025. Over 30 people attended
each of the events.
Trustee Ian Varndell gave two talks about
the work of the EDGT to the Exeter Local
History Society (March 2025) and the
Shillingford St George History Society
(October 2025).
**Public benefit and EDGT trustees**
The trustees have regard to the guidance
on public benefit issued by the Charity
Commissioner and the trustees confirm
that they have had regard to public benefit
guides PB1, PB2 and PB3 issued by the
Charity Commission when making
decisions to which they are relevant.| |---|---|---| |Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|The trustees confirm that they have
complied with the requirements of section
17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due
regard to the public benefit guidance
published by the Charity Commission for
England and Wales.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|NA| |Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|NA| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|**Volunteers**
The EDGT has no employees and relies
entirely on volunteers to plan, manage,
undertake and report on the work of the
charity, and maintain the site using paid
contractors only where specialist
knowledge, skills or equipment are
required. Since 2014 volunteers have
undertaken duties ranging from clearance
work, building, pointing, stone repair and
gardening to research work, stewarding
and charity administration.| |---|---|---| |Other||| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|**Restoration**
The principal restoration of the Graveyard
was completed in 2018/19.
The main emphasis for the trustees is the
maintenance of the graveyard, but they
continue to increase its exposure to
members of the public and ensure that
fundraising meets the priorities for
improvement works.
The trustees agreed to open the graveyard
on a permanent basis between early March
and the end of October each year, subject
to no damage being incurred at the site.
**Research**
The Research Group has continued to
expand the quantity and accuracy of its
biographical database.
The Research Group met four times in
person and by videoconference in 2025
and shared a lot of data electronically.
**Conservation**
A limited amount of conservation work was
incurred in the financial period simply due
to lack of funds. No major items required
attention.
**On-line Activity**
The website continues to report progress
on the Project and publicise events. The
Trust has a presence on Facebook and| Twitter, although there are no regular postings. Visitor numbers are monitored and the most popular page visited is Social History which includes output from the EDGT’s active Research Group. As QR codes are scanned by visitors to the graveyard this activity is captured electronically. More QR code plaques will be installed in the graveyard in the coming years. ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |||| |---|---|---| |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|| |Other||| ## **Financial Review** |**Financial Review**||| |---|---|---| |Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|The trust has £18,476 total funds, of which
£390 are unrestricted, £86 are restricted,
and £18,000 relate to Heritage Assets.| |Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|EDGT aspires to accumulate reserves to
the level of three years’ operating
expenditure. This will be kept under review
during the current financial year. The
trustees have not identified any potential
concerns.| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|The trust has £18,476 total funds, (2024/5:
£18,333) of which £390 are unrestricted
(2024/5: £126); £86 are restricted (2024/5:
£207); and £18,000 relate to Heritage
Assets (2024/5: £18,000).| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|NA| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|NA| |Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|NA| |**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements|where relevant about:| |---|---|---| |The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|**Principal sources of funding**
None.| |Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|Fundraising for a closed graveyard is
difficult in times of recession and when cost
of living is high. Lack of funding could
require the trustees to cease all activities if
insurance cover cannot be afforded.| |Other||| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|
Para 1.25|Foundation model constitution| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|Charitable Incorporated Organisation| |Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|Appointed for a three-year term by the
current Board of Trustees by resolution at a
properly convened meeting of the Board.| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|**Board of Trustees**
The initial Board was composed of
members representing several heritage and
community associations operating in the
county of Devon. Close relationships were
therefore formed with those associations,
all of whom contributed seed funding for
the early feasibility work. Whilst close
working relationships still exist with the
founding associations, new trustees are
invited on the basis of their experience and
appropriate expertise.
**Induction and training of trustees**
New trustees are sought from the local
community on the basis of appropriate
expertise as required by the Board or have
a demonstrated interest in the Objects of
the Trust. The charity trustees make
available to each new charity trustee, on or
before his or her first appointment: (a) a
copy of the current version of our
constitution; and (b) a copy of the CIO’s
latest Trustees’ Annual Report and
statement of accounts.| |---|---|---| |The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|| |Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51|| |Other||| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Exeter Dissenters’Graveyard Trust| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|EDGT| |Registered charity number|1159449| |Charity’s principal address|c/o The Mint
21 Mint Lane
Exeter
EX4 3BL| ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**wholeyear**|**Dates acted if not for**
**wholeyear**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee(if any)**| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||Stephen Wills|Chair||||| ||Ian Varndell|Treasurer||||| ||Paul Chant|||||| ||Nigel Fitzhugh|||||| ||SallyDyer|||||| ||Jane Marston|||||| ||Claire Rudkins|||||| ||CathyMoran|||||| ||Anne Amosford|Chair of Research Group||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |||||||| ||Corporate trustees–names of||the directors at the date the report was approved|||| ||**Director name**|||||| |||||||| |||||||| Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity |**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year **|| |---|---|---| |||| |||| |**Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**||| |Description of the assets
held in this capacity||| |Name and objects of the
charity on whose behalf the||| assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets ## **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** |**Type of adviser**
**Name**
**Address**|**Type of adviser**
**Name**
**Address**|**Type of adviser**
**Name**
**Address**| |---|---|---| |||| |||| |||| |||| |**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**||| |||| ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details ## **Other optional information** ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** |**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary,**
**Chair, etc)**
**Date**||| |---|---|---| ||Ian Michael VARNDELL|Robert Paul CHANT| ||
Hon. Treasurer|Hon. Secretary| ||5thJune 2026|| ||5thJune 2026|| ||**Exeter Dissenters' Graveyard Trust**
**1**|**Exeter Dissenters' Graveyard Trust**
**1**|**Exeter Dissenters' Graveyard Trust**
**1**|**159449**|**CC16a**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||**For the period**
**from**|2/1/2025|**To**|1/31/2026|| ||||||| |**Section A Receipts and payments**|||||| |**A1 Receipts**
Donations and Legacies
**299**
Charitable Activities
**918**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,217**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**_Total receipts_ 1,217**
**A3 Payments**
Charitable Activities
**953**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ 953**
**-**
**-**
**_Sub total_ -**
**_Total payments_ 953**
**_Net of receipts/(payments)_**
**264**
**A5 Transfers between funds**
**-**
**A6 Cash funds last year end**
**126**
**_Cash funds this year end_ 390**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**to the nearest £**
**_Sub total_**_(Gross income for AR)_
**A2 Asset and investment sales,**
**(see table).**
**A4 Asset and investment**
**purchases, (see table)**||**to the nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**121**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**121**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**121**
**- 121**
**-**
**207**
**86**
**Restricted**
**funds**|**to the nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**|**Total funds**
**to the nearest £**
**299**
**918**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,217**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,217**
**1,074**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,074**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**1,074**
**143**
**-**
**333**
**476**|**Last year**
**to the nearest £**| ||||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**299**|**-**| |||||**918**|**74**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**1,217**|**74**| ||||||| ||||**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**|| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| ||||||| ||||**-**|**1,217**|**74**| ||||||| ||||**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**1,074**|**501**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**-**|**-**| |||||**1,074**|**501**| ||||||| ||||**-**
**-**
**-**|**-**|| |||||**-**|| |||||**-**|**-**| ||||||| ||||**-**|**1,074**|**501**| ||||||| |||**- 121**|**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**|**143**|**(427)**| |||**-**||**-**|**-**| |||**207**||**333**|**760**| |||**86**||**476**|**333**| ## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** |**Categories**
**B1 Cash funds**
**B2 Other monetary assets**
**B3 Investment assets**
**B5 Liabilities**
**B4 Assets retained for the**
**charity’s own use**
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees|**Details**
Bank
Cash
**Details**
**Details**
**Details**
Graveyard Land
**Details**
Signature
#VALUE!
#VALUE!
**_Total cash funds_**
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))|**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**238**
**86**
**152**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**390**
**86**
OK
OK
**to nearest £**
**to nearest £**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**Cost (optional)**
Heritage
**18,000**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
Print Name
Ian Michael Varndell
Robert Paul Chant
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**asset belongs**
**Fund to which**
**liability relates**
**Amount due**
**(optional)**|**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**| |---|---|---|---| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||OK| ||||**to nearest £**
**Endowment**
**funds**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**Current value**
**(optional)**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**-**| ||||**When due**
**(optional)**| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||| ||||Date of
approval| ||#VALUE!|Ian Michael Varndell|6/5/2026| ||#VALUE!|Robert Paul Chant|6/5/2026|