Treasurer’s Report for the year ended 30 June 2025
Summary
We have seen some significant positive developments this year in the finances of the Friends.
Firstly an extremely generous donation of £10,000 from Frank Smith to support the ongoing Tree works and other capital projects. This effectively bolsters the original BPT dowry which is how it will be accounted for in future.
Second, we have been successful in sourcing 3 new Grants totalling £5,154 for Tree Management, Planting and improving Biodiversity and Climate resilience. More details are below.
Our funds comprise two parts:
Restricted Funds the Friends. A list of these is given at the end of the Report along with their purposes.
Unrestricted Funds - which can be spent on any activities and are primarily used to run the Group.
Income and Expenditure
Restricted Income totalled £15,154 comprised of
-
£10,000 Donation from Frank Smith
-
£3,604 Grant from Our Space Award for Biodiversity and Climate Resilience
-
£750 Grant from NPT for Tree Management
-
£799 Grant from Veolia for Tree and other plantings
The main item of Restricted Expenditure was Tree and shrub planting of £1,786.
Unrestricted Income was boosted by £3,260 from the release of the remaining Backyard Nature restricted funds for general use, as authorised by the Grantor. Excluding this, there was a small deficit of £300 in unrestricted Income & Expenditure as income was lower due to no Honey Sales, whilst expenses remained under control.
Overall Reserves therefore increase from £24,578 to £37,647, of which £10,692 are unrestricted.
The Statement of Income and Expenditure is attached.
Miles Storey Treasurer
Accounts for Year ended 30 June 2025
| Accounts for Year ended 30 June 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Restricted |
2024-5 2023-4 |
|
| Backyard BPT Vli Our Space NPT |
||
| INCOME | Nature Dowry eoa Award |
|
| Member Subscriptions Life Subscriptions Donations Received Events & Functions Grants Restricted Grants Honey Sales Books & Cards Gift Aid Bank Interest |
515 - 10,000 300 758 (3,260) 3,260 3,604 750 799 - - - - - 10,000 (3,260) 3,604 750 799 4,833 |
515 670 - 150 10,300 102 758 216 - 128 5,154 - - 240 - - - - - - 16,727 1,506 |
| EXPENDITURE | ||
| Tree Surgery Repairs & Maintenance Professional Services Honey Costs Backyard Nature Volunteer & Open Day Costs Donations Made Printing & Stationary Society Subscriptions Website & IT Insurance Bank Charges Other |
1,064 722 191 350 148 370 122 40 334 316 1 - - - 1,064 - 722 1,872 |
- - 1,977 2,898 350 - - 195 - 540 148 - 370 281 122 105 40 40 334 194 316 288 1 0 - - 3,658 4,542 |
| SURPLUS/DEFICIT | 10,000 (3,260) 2,540 750 77 2,962 |
13,069 (3,036) |
| ACCUMULATED FUND | ||
| brought forward Jun-24 | 13,589 3,260 - - - 7,730 |
24,578 27,534 |
| carried forward Jun-25 | 23,589 - 2,540 750 77 10,692 |
37,647 24,578 |
| BALANCE SHEET | ||
| Cash at Bank Prepayments Debtors Less Sundry Creditors (restricted) |
37,647 26,712 - - - - 37,647 26,712 - 2,134 37,647 24,578 |
Restricted Funds Purposes
| BPT Dowry | The dowry isn’t for day to day running expenses, like membership |
|---|---|
| costs, insurance premiums, tree inspections or minor fence or | |
| other repairs, but rather for capital projects. These might include | |
| such things as tree works, planting new trees, establishing | |
| pathways or new access points, major fence replacements – or | |
| whatever other capital projects the Friends decide on. | |
| Seren Park Fence | The amount of £1,300, represents funds which The BPT |
| Woodlands Company Limited received from the Seren Park | |
| developer to pay for the reinstatement of the missing fence | |
| section behind Seren Park. | |
| Backyard Nature | To run events on a seasonal basis for groups who do not normally |
| access nature. In Feb-25 the remaining funds were released by | |
| the | |
| donor to | |
| unrestricted | |
| NPT | Grant for Tree Management and to further the charitable |
| purpose of promoting the conservation, protection and | |
| improvement of the Westcombe Woodlands in 2025 | |
| Veolia | Grant for Planting in Westcombe Woodlands to improve |
| Biodiversity and Climate resilience | |
| Our Space Award | Grant towards Improving Biodiversity and Climate Resilience in |
| Westcombe Woodlands |
Background
The Friends of Westcombe Woodlands were formed in 2012 and became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in 2015 to enable us to enter into a 999 year lease with the Woodland Trust. This has the effect of a “free transfer” of the freehold of Westcombe Woodlands from Blackheath Preservation Trust to the Woodland Trust.
conservation, protection and improvement “ of the woods. We are doing this by following a management plan and by involving the local community including schools and organisations.