Charity Report 2023/2024
Another successful year for the Community Garden.
Highlights of the year were the Spring and Winter Fairs which were very well attended with demand for stalls from local residents which exceeded that of the previous year.
Other events were an Art Exhibition in June and our involvement in the annual Bristol "Get growing Trail" for which gardens and allotments across the City were opened up to the public for the day.
A "bug trail" was laid out across the site for young children to enjoy and this has continued to bring delight to families on our regular open days.
Structural developments in the Garden over the year have included the installation of CCTV and other security improvements, the first full year with our new gravity-feed watering system, covering the length of the site; this certainly proved its worth over the Summer months.
Numerous repairs to decking and other H&S issues, including leak proofing the all-purpose Garden Room.
In the large historic greenhouse, the wooden structure has been restored and made safe. The lengthy job of installing the glass will now follow.
A recent volunteer couple from Hong Kong, one of which has helped further their ambition as a professional horticulturalist, by providing the Garden with a redesigned perennial border. A separate project for a mini orchard in a derelict area close to the paved entry point is being prepared. The implementation of both projects will be started in the coming year.
Community inclusion
We have started hosting a weekly session with a local learning disabilities charity "Freeway" which has proved mutually beneficial.
As our reputation has spread, other community garden clubs and charities, some just starting up, have come to us for advice and ideas.
A couple of folk and country music bands have started to use our space to practice, coinciding with our open days so as to provide added interest for our visitors and volunteers alike.
Given our proximity to Blaise Museum we try and ensure we synchronise our community events and cafe days with those of the Museum Dept. to create a broader range of interest for the public - to our mutual advantage.
Finance
Thanks to the many hours of volunteer effort in staging various events and cafe mornings (including home-made cakes!), takings
have happily kept pace with the costs of day-to-day maintenance and essential equipment. Some of more serious building restoration (including water damage to the barns) is
proving more challenging - both due to the cost, and the availability of builders prepared to take on the work.
Sadly, our long-time Treasurer, who had been with us since our inception, has died this year. His replacement has a background in finance and has proved very competent in the role.
Blaise Community Garden Financial Statement 2023-24
| INCOME | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|
| Grants | £ 0.00 | £ 0.00 |
| Events | £ 8001.37 | £ 6516.20 |
| Donations |
£ 1419.48 | £ 545.22 |
| Plant Sales | £ 3219.34 | £ 3629.78 |
| Loans | £ 0.00 | £ 0.00 |
| Miscellaneous | £ 1286.22 | £ 338.29 |
| Totals | £ 13926.39 | £ 11029.49 |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Buildings | £ 11239.76 | £ 770.91 |
| Equipment | £ 2970.89 | £ 935.52 |
| Electricity | £ 412.12 | £ 388.34 |
| Plants/Seeds | £ 194.67 | £ 255.93 |
| Events/Catering | £ 708.90 | £ 603.97 |
| Compost etc | £ 840.07 | £ 1272.80 |
| Insurance | £ 445.69 | £ 852.96 * |
| Miscellaneous | £ 1578.46 | £ 1650.07 |
| Totals | £ 18390.56 | £ 6730.50 |
| SURPLUS/ | ||
|---|---|---|
| (DEFICIT ) | £ ( 4464.07) | £ 4298.99 |
| Brought Forward | £ 5504.64 | £ 1040.47 |
| from 2021-23 | from 2022-23 | |
| Carried Forward | £ 1040.47 | £ 5327.47 |
Notes
- This figure, insurance expenditure, covers 18 months, as we have changed provider during the year.
The income and expenditure columns include some larger donations-in-kind. Smaller donations-in-kind are not factored in ( but are on record) and neither are the estimated values of the large number of cakes baked by our volunteers and friends for our ‘Café Days’.
Also included in the income column is a sum paid to art-exhibitors who used our card-payment facilities; this, minus our commission, features within the expenditure column.
In addition, both columns contain a couple of large sums where the income matched an individual’s outlay and has been taken directly from the cash.
The miscellaneous income refers mainly to produce sold to our local pub.
The miscellaneous expenditure includes an increase in our float, fees for various organisations to which we are affiliated, as well as our ‘internet provider’. It also includes the larger sums, mentioned earlier, that do not ‘fit’ under other headings