trBILN The Friends of Cannizaro Park Truslees, Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2021 Registered Charity No. 116(V)82 Athlre&8: % Willow Hous< 35 High Stre¢( Wimbledor4 SW19 5BY AR Introduction & Constitutlon The trustees present their Report and the Financial Ststements of Th¢ Friends of Cannizaro Park ("FoCP") for the year ended 3 1st March 2021. which comply with the FOCP'S Constitution and with applicable law and accounting r¢quirements. In accordance with the FOCP'S Rules, the Financial Statements have been examined by a person who is not a trust¢¢ or otherwise involved in the charity's administration. Th¢ purposes and administration of the FOCP, which is an unincorporated association, are regulated by its Constitution filed with Ihe Charity Commission. the current version was adopted in 2019. II is managed by trust¢e& with a minimum of three and a maximum of I l. Truslees are appoinied based on their interest in the FOCP'S activities and their S]fiC skills and ability to contribute. Founded in 1997, the forn1 objects of th¢ FOCP set out in the Constitution are for the benefit of the inhabitants of Merton, to provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare with the object of improvin8 their conditions of life for the inhabitanls of the area of benefit in particular but not exclusively by the preservation, promotion, support, assistance and improv¢ment of Cannizaro Park. To focus our work, th¢ FOCP has translated this forn1 statement into two practical objectives. The first is to support park-owner Merton Council with the maintenance and renewal of the park landscape. The second is to enhance appreciation and enjoyment of the park, by engagem¢nt with park visitors and our local ¢ommunity. Merton Council supports mosl hard landscaping requirements in th¢ park and, through its contractor idverde, provides one ll-tiMe gardener to maintain the park's thirty four acres. In the wake of the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, this past year has seen Cannizaro Park become an even more vital feature of the Wimbledon are& The trustees are proud thaL with the help of a hugely expanded volunteer team and our active embrace of online m¢eting& the FOCP has been able to omplete all areas of the 2020121 strategic plan develokKd prior to Covid. 2020121 Achievements in the Park LandK•pe Despite the challenges of lockdowffj we were delighted to complete OUT goal of two si nificant landsca renewal ro ects. The Park Entrance Project w&s realis¢d thanks to an inspiring multi- partner collaboration. Merton Council resurf the path and supplied new fencin8' award-winning landscapers Landfonn UK assisted with the design and tree planting; following kind assistance from Crowdfunder. our generous local community part-fimded the planting. and an amazing volunteer gardening team worked through all temperatures to complete the project before the winter lockdown. The Mayor of Merton perfornied the official Oling ceremony in April 2021. Our second project involved re-design and re-planting of a major in the Tennis Court Garden. Again, volunteers worked tirelessly to remove old planting and to settle in new rhododendrons and slmibs.
Beyond these two focal projects, the volunteer gardening team did substantial maintenance work in Cannizaro. Th¢ team's numb¢rs almost doubled over the year, with an average attendance of 20 people in non-lockdown we¢ks. meaning the volunteer crew adds the labour of at least one extra 11- time gardener to the park. Work tackled across the year ranged from essential weeding. watering and pruning to teckmical projects including the installation of new trial squirrel-proof bins and improvements to drainage around the wnd and the c&scade. The volunteer team also completed the cleaning and re-furbishment of the Toilets blocL after many years of closure. Finally, the Tree Group began the installation of one hundred new tree labels. Marked with a QR cod¢ as well as tree name. these labels allow visitors to leam more about the park's importdnt tree collection through links to inforniation on our websit¢. Looking ahead, the trustees identified the need to develop a number of lon er ran lans. in order to accomplish our future strategic goals. These saw the development of an outline 10-Year Renewal Plan of Park Projects 2021-2031, together with a more d¢tailed 5-Year Renewal Plan 202 1-2026. In addition, an Annual Maintenance Plan was crea*d to help guide volunteer gardening activity. 2020121 Aehi¢vements in EnhAntlng Visitor Appreelatlon & Enjoyment Throughoui 2020121, the Friends worked to increase visilor apprecialion of Cannizaro in two main ways. Firstly. we transforn]d our communications with park visitors. A new monthl e-newsletter provided nature news and park infonnalion to over l 000 people, whil¢ our T nched Insta ram has seen followers increase by 56% from 1167 to 1825. These initiatives were butlressed by the rollout of our new online membershi s slem in May 2020, which facilitates easy contact with members as well as simplifying internal administration on Gift Aid and GDPIL As part of this communication programme, the Friends conducted its first rvi itor surve in summer 2020, which hclped us assess visitor numbers and profiles. During lockdown. we estimated approximately 9000 visits per weeL with 500/0 Vlslting at least once per week and over three quarters of visitors coming from SW18119120 post¢od¢s. We also learnt the qualities of the park most valued by visitors - the variety of its landape, a feeling of safety and tranquillity, and the quality of its maintenance &8 w¢ll as most desired improvements: a cafe; toilets. better litter collection. and drainage. W¢ acted on these learnings, with work on toilets and drainage across the following autumn and winlcr. We also sought to promot¢ the newly opened Hotel du Vin ¢af¢ Va and liaised with idverde on litter collection. Our second route to build engagement was ihrough the ex ansion of our Events ro amme. Sadly, staples of our cal¢ndar such as thc Spring Talk and the Bridge Drive were cancelled by Covid-19. Flow¢ver, thanks to the energies of a new Events team. we pioneered a summer well-being festival, I CANN. which received a gr¢ai respon% from both teachers and participants despite mixcd weather. Ffinances & FundiDg The FOCP'S funds increas¢d by £6.086 during the year, to a total of £31.362 at 31 st March 2021, compared with a decrease of £1.794 in the previous year. Expenditure in the year included £16,791 for the front entranc¢ project and donatkons included £12,113 received from the related fundraising ampaign. Oth¢r donations more than doubled 10 £9,012. The generoslty of all don0 is very grat¢fully acknowledged, as w¢ll &s the contribution from the Hotel du Vin for the sunken garden bedding. The net result from Activkties decreased by more than £3.000' in the previous year significant amounts were generdied from the Bridge event and two ialks.
Under the constitutio the FOCP'S fimds shall be applied only in fierIng its objects. A long-temi programme of park improvement projects was begun in 2020 and as part of the budgetary process, including fundraising consideration¥ the trustees Viewed the reserves lic . It was d¢cid¢d that £10,000-£15,000 should be held as reserves, to ensure thai there would be sufficient funds to cover expected (a) ongoing annual expenditure in ¢&se of a significant reduction in income and (b) upfront costs for major projects before any specific fundraising takes place. This policy will be reviewed at least annually. The trustees intend to reduce the level to the tsrget range over the n¢xt three years through the planned park renewal projects. In addition to a review of the reserves tx)li¢y. the FOCP began the developm¢nt of a lon er-terni fundin model, which would ass¢ss th¢ relative contributions of membership subscriptions, donations and external fimding such as grants and sw)nsorship in thc funding of our 5-Year Renewal Plan 2021- 2026. Structure 4Dd People Trustees: The were four changes during the year. Catherine Nelson &ssumed the Chair rol¢ in June 2020, in addition to Marketing responsibilities, with Chris Mouniford moving to focus on his role as tnlee for Park Matters; Anna Watkin was ClPIed as trustee responsible for Fundraising in November 2020. and Alison Young and Juliet Willis stood down from their trustee roles in July 2020 and March 2021 respectively. We are extremely grateful for Chris, long service a5 Chair, and for his continued ¢ommitm¢nt to renewal work in the park. The similar long service of Ali50n and Juli¢t has been hugely valued. and we send them our very best wishes for n¢w adventures. At the end of the financial year, the following tru5*es were in place: Chair Treasurer Volunteers Legal Catherine Nelson Simon Ingall Anne Peacock Caroline Newsholme Secretary Park Matters Membership Fundraising Elizakth ("Pit") Rink Chris Mountford Jerny Lumbers Anna Watkin The trustees have complied with their duty to have du¢ T¢gard to the Charity Commission's guidanc¢ on public benefit in exercising their powers or duties. Th¢ trustees are required to manage the FOCP in accordance with its Constitution and to mainlain appropriate books and records in order to comply with the Charities Act 2011. They are responsible for S¢ifeguarding the FOCP'S ass¢ls and therefore for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and irregularities. 'I'hey are also responsible for the preparation of an annual report and financial ststements in accordance with applicable law and accounting requirements. Membershi Our membership rose substantially over the year, which w¢ attribute to a combination of improved communications, awareness of park projects. the new membership system (spring 2020) and greater value placed on parks as a result of the pandcmic. At the financial ycar ¢nd. membership stood at over 400, up by one-third since the new syslem has been in place. Volunteers.. The Friends, volunteer corps has grown signifjcantly over the year, and we are grateful to be working with so many enthusiastic and talented individuals. The gardening volunteer team numbered forty at th¢ y¢ar end. from which approximately twenty people were attending each week. Over 2020121. we have also been fortunat¢ lo build our team of organisational volunteers, who lead our communications and events programmes. At year en(L over twenty volunteers w¢r¢ helping in these areas.
Partnershi s: Key to our achievements this year have been our relationships with external partners. As part of ongoing collaboration, Merton Council provided not only Park Entrance items, but also extensive new railings on Cannizaro's Chester Road l)oundary. and towards the end of the year, resource to investigat¢ drainage issues around the Italian Garden. The Hotel du Vin continues to finance planting withln the Sunken Garden and signed up for cleaning supwrt in the Toilets, reopening. Catherine Macdonald, Nicola Hale and Mark Gregory of Landforni UK provided invaluable support in the design and execution of the Park Entrance projecL while Phil G¢raghty of Crowdfunder UK guided us through our first crowdfunding projecl and Royal Wimbledon Golf Club &ssisted with sorn¢ hea lifting! Finally, we continue to appreciate working alongside the park's full-time gardener from park contractor idverde. Plans for 2021122 AgaiDSt our charitsble objwtive of restoring the park's horticulttwal fabric, next year's strategic plan will see us targeting two new renewal projects in the park (the Rose Garden and a Bog Garden). We will also undertake maintenance of last year's projects and. working with Merton Council. we will tsckle further drainage work in the Italian Garden and around the pond. and consider the viability of the toilet block in the face of vandalism. As we look ahead to longer-terni projects, the trustees will also be completing the development of the previously mentioned funding model, together with a donations and commemoration guid¢. To addre&s our objective of building visitor enjoyment. the next year will see the launch of an expanded evenls programme and a re-d¢sign of our website, while we contlDue to provide the regular newsletter and Instagram service. Approved by the trnst¢eg and signed on their bebalf by: Catherine Nelson Chair 23rd April, 2021
FINANCtAL STATEMENfs FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH 2021 Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 315t March 2021 2020 2021 Income 3,485.00 M¢mbeTS' subscriptions 3,958.39 Donations (Note 3) 2,134.87 Gift Aid claims 5,978.00 Activities (Note 2) 10.75 Other 15,567.01 Total 4,035.00 21,125.33 5,321.23 1,609,00 13.85 32,104.41 Expenditsre (Note 3) (4,779.17) Planting and maintenance (3,099.36) Pern)anent items for visilors (2,663.81) Aviary (2.533.85) Activities (Note 2) (1,916.36) IT (1,695.61) Communications 672.96) Other 61.12 Total (18,019.94) (2,721.50) (383.70) (1,255.78) (1,381.00) (1.724.23) 532.37 26 018.52 17 (1,794.11) Movement in funds 6,085.89 27,070.40 Funds brought forward 25,276.29 25 76.29 Funds Carrled forward 31 2.18 Balanee Sheet at 31" March 2021 2020 2021 Net current gets 3,111.06 Cash at bank - current account 28,010.75 - deposit account 33.48 PayPal account 5,879.00) Creditors (Note 4) 25 76.29 3,743,61 32,018.57 loo.00 4,500.00 31 62.18 25276.29 Funds 31J62.18
Notes to the Financial Statements l Basis of prepar#tioD And aecounting polieie8 The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with Statement of Recommended Practice SORP (FRS 102) under th¢ Clwities Act 2011 and tberefore on an accnthls basis, except for subscriptions, donations and Gift Aid claims which are r¢cognised as income when rec¢ived. 2 Results of Aetivities 2021 Tot¥dl 2020 ICANN event Calendars Talk 5,978.00 Income 2,533.85 Expenditure 3,444.15 Net result 1.185.00 923.91 261.09 424.00 (231.87) 192.13 1,609.00 1,255.78) 353.22 loo.00 100.00 There was a Bridge event and two tslks during the year ended 31° March 2020. 3 Expenditure and donationj The categories presented have b¢¢n u[ted provide additional transparency. comparative information has been reclassifi¢d accordingly. Planning and maintenance for the year ended 31" March 2021 includes £16,791 for the park's tront entrance proj¢ct. Donations include £12.113 received from the related fundrnising campaign. Expenditure is shown nel of the contribution from the Hotel du Vin for sunken gard¢n bedding and, for the year ended 31° March 2021, after the reversal of £3,179 accrued ai 3 1st March 2020 no longer requir¢d for ¢nlranc¢ work. 4 Credltor8 Creditors at 31 March 2021 comprise the amount due to Merton Council for the sunken garden bedding in 2020 and a prepayment from the Hotel du Vin for the bedding in May 2021. Approved by the trustees 23 April 2021 d£ Catherine Nelson. Chair Simon Ingall, Treasurer INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE FRIENDS OF CAN]YIZARO PARK I have examined th¢ Financial Stal¢m¢nts of The Friends of Cannizaro Park for the y¢or ended 31 st March 2021 and confirni that they have b¢en correctly prepared and are in accordanc¢ with the books and records. Signed Colin Prlce 23 April 2021