GOATWALKLANIyfRUST Matthews Hall Fore Street Topsham EXEfER EX3 OHF Registered Charity No 1162973 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR 1 SEPTEMBER 2024 TO 31 AUGUST 2025 The Charity commi&s￿n requires all charftles to submit an annual report contslnlng certain infomwtion induding details of a tharitys a(wunts, its management and compliance the objects ofthe charity. Accordingly, the fomiat ofthis annual report, whith covers the Trusf s Finaneial Year to 31 August 2025, is similar to the reports of previous years and for the benefft of new memters. it indudes a brief synopsis of how the Trust is managad as wBII as report on I￿r stewardship of th8 kand duriNJ the Tho Tru•t'• Orlglns In February 2015, a successful, iolnt appeal by the Topsham Communlty Associatlon and the Topsham s(￿ raised over £300,000 to purchase the Goat Walk Land, beSng 6 acres of land between the Goat Walk and BowllfYJ Green Road in Topsham, for the benefit of the people of Topsham. A Ch8rltable Incorporated Organisation, known as th6 Goat Walk Land TNSt (GWLT). was 8Stablish8d to own and manage the land with the object, set out in its ¢x)nstitution, of °the mainten8nL¥ of the mral envlronment and henTtage of th8 his￿¥C town of Topsham Ihrough the preserwaNon and enhancem8nt, without any pemyanent bulldings, of Ihe Goat Walk land for the quiet enjoyment and pleasurn of the residents of Topsham and vlsltlng members of the public at large.. T￿ Tru8t••8 The Trust's consthtlon provldes for seven trustees to hold office for three years although they May hdd offi(* for Iwo further three-year periods. The current truste88 are Lynn OnyetL Slmon Brlscoe, Jenny Jones, John HaThvood, John Bryant and Kathryn Jamas. John Bryant is stepping down as trustee at the 2026 AGM. We are very grateful for his expert input on the nalural environment and diverse plant life Inhabiting our18nd and hls be8Utlful photryJr8phs, many of whlth Illustrate our ￿￿b51t0. The consfjtutlon provldes forthree trustees to be 8lect8d by members. Each year. one of the88- the longest standlng- must ￿ti￿ bul is welcome to stand again for election. John Harwood is therefore due to staThl dNn but has agre&J to stand again. The Trustees are pleased to support his applicztion. If John Haphiood and Kathryn James remain as the elecled trustees, this leaves 8 V8￿nCY for 8 further elected trustee and applications are wel(xime. At the last 2025 AGM Peter Gray retired from his trustee role but has (a)ntinued to diligently manage the administration of the momborship and sub3criptions. He is handing that task over to Simon Briscoe going fward and the Tfustees wanted to GOATWALKLANryfRUST record their gratitude for his hard Work and dedication (Ner the years to supp(Yt the GWLT and to help further its aims. embershlp The Trust was establlshed as a ChaTilable Incorporated Organlsatlon wlth a membership stheme which not only provides the in(x)me to fund the WO￿ of the Trust and voting rights but also enables the community to becoTh more involved in the management of the land by volunteering, for example, as members of the worklng parties. Due to the significant work of the Trustees and our m8mb8rs in embracing s￿181 media and in highlighting the existen￿ of the land and the Trust at varlous local avents. for example th8 "Join the Club" ev8nL in additi{￿ to numerous leaflets being hand posted through many lettefboxes. we were pleased to see that our efft)rts to boost membership to help cover the rise in costs has been successful. We currently have around 280 members. a rise of 15% over the year. We will continue our drive to recrult new mombers In thls comlng year. A Management Committee was Set up by the Trust to deal wlth th8 da￿t￿daY management of the land and to help the Trustees to develop a strategy %thlch ddlvers the Trusys aims and objectives that the land should b6 accessible, sustainable, Nral In nature, simple to manage and for the quiet enjoyment of all. Members are appolnted to the Management Committee by the Trustees to whom they are responsible. John Harwood is the Chalr of thls Commlttee. arKI the Trustees are extremely gratefvl for all the work that he and the members ofthe Management Commlttee do. Wtthout thelr efft)rts it would not be possible to manage the land as effectively as it has been. Ten years ago, at the 2016 AGM an annual membershlp fee of £10 was approved on the basis Ihat this would cover the rK)rnial annual running costs of the Trust. The cost of the mainlenance and insurance of the land has conts'nued to increase significantly this year. Taking into acmunt the reserves (as d8tai18d on th8 attached accounts), some stand-alone (k)nakns made to the Trust and with some members having voluntsrily increased their donations to £15, the base membership fee has remained at £10. In the light of present and proposed work as detailed in the report from the Management Committee. the Trustees would encourage existing members who have not already done so, to increase their stsnding orders or other fomi of payment to the recommended £15 or more. While som8 rrnmb8rs already generously pay more than the recommended minimum these additional sums alone wdl not provide a sufficient boost to our operating funds and, in tlme, the trustees may have to consider an increase to th8 minimum annual membership fee to £15. Management of the Land The Goat Walk land ￿￿inUeS to provKle value to the community by ensuring an open. natural environment for th8 enjoyment of the people of Topsham and for many w5itors throughwt Ihe year. It provldes green space for quiet exercisa, away from public roads. The native trees and local varieties of apples which were planted at the start of the Trust are now 88lablished and have forméd a natural extension of the woodland. The vanety of wiiafiowers conunues to Increase and bflng pkasure w ali wno see them. Page 2 GOATWALKLANiyfRUST We continue to fa