Trustees Annual Report : 01/01/21 – 31/12/21 Charity Name : Ancoats Canal Project (ACP) Charity Number : 1163243 Address (c/o) : Appt 27, Junction Works, 40 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2DF Trustees and office : Hannah Neate Secretary Paul England Treasurer Chris Hawke Chair Michelle Wren Scott Grant
Bankers : Co-operative Bank PLC, PO Box 250, Skelmersdale WN8 6WT 08-92-99 65841628
Signatories Paul England, Hannah Neate, Chris Hawke.
Charity structure, governance and management
Ancoats Canal Project is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, with a revised constitution adopted on 8[th] June 2015. The organisation has five trustees and is counting the 28 members (who attended events in 2021) and the 7 of which who attended at least three events in 2021 have voting rights at the 2021 AGM.
Trustees are appointed or reappointed annually at the Annual General Meeting held in January. Chris Hawke was confirmed as chair at the 2020 AGM, and all five trustees were re-elected. Scott Grant has moved away from the area and offered his resignation in advance of the AGM.
ACP works closely with the Canal and Rivers Trust (CRT) and with Manchester City Council and its partners. In 2021 we re-focused activities following the pandemic to work directly with a number of CRT reps.
The 2021 financial year has been affected by the pandemic such that we left plans open when we held the virtual 2020 AGM. We engaged with CRT throughout spring 2021 and produced a document highlighting seventeen ‘greening’ opportunities in anticipation of a return to volunteer activities. We also agreed at the 2020 AGM to extend our adopted area to the aqueduct before the Etihad Stadium on the Ashton Canal. After revised Risk Assessments we returned to volunteer days in July 2021.
All trustees deliver their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits.
Objectives and Activities
To encourage the use of the Rochdale and Ashton canals as a public and social space, primarily to the residents of local wards, residents of Manchester as a whole and visitors to the city.
All of our activities focus on the public benefits of the work undertaken, these include improvements to the visual aspect of the Rochdale & Ashton Canals, creation of extra amenities, encouragement of wildlife diversity and organisation of social events to bring different parts of the community together.
Achievements and Performance
ACP planned to hold monthly clean-up events on the last Sunday in each month and during 2021 held events in July (17 attendees), August (14 attendees), September (12 attendees), October (11 attendees) and November (11 attendees). At the January AGM the committee agreed the 2020 accounts but left plans open for 2021 pending the pandemic, much of the work undertaken in 2021 arises from discussions with CRT during lockdown.
This year we undertook litter picking at each of the five events held; four on the Ashton and one on the Rochdale. Activities on the Rochdale have been limited by building developments and by a closed section of the towpath. We also experienced a section of the Ashton towpath being closed early in 2021 before volunteer activities started. We also had the benefit of CRT tools and volunteer support at each event so we were able to repair and replant the Bridge 5 beds, clear the litter from the offside banks on the Ashton, clear and plant spring bulbs on the Rochdale, prepare the Ashton wildflower meadow, mount bird boxes and a bug hotel on the Ashton and clear significant buddleia growth.
Financial Review
On 31/12/2021 ACP holds £1,727.96 in the current account, all of which is unrestricted funds available to finance projects in 2022.
Declaration
The trustees have approved the annual report and financial statement that follows.
| Treasurer | Paul England | Chair | Chris Hawke |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signatures | |||
| Date | 30/01/2022 | 30/01/2022 |
Ancoats Canal Project; receipts and payments for the period 01/01/21 – 31/12/21
| Receipts | 31/12/21 | 31/12/21 | 31/12/20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City Council Grant | £ | 0 | £ 1,000.00 |
| Bank Interest | £ | 0 |
£ 0 |
| Total income | £ | 0 | £ 1,000.00 |
| Expenditure | |||
| Community Engagement (festival etc.) | £ | 0 | £ 0 |
| Insurance | £ | 75.00 | £ 75.00 |
| Tools and Equipment | £ | 0 | £ 60.00 |
| Catering | £ | 0 | £ 12.75 |
| Planting Projects | £ | 0 | £ 76.69 |
| Postage, Stationery, Advertising | £ | 14.39 | £ 0 |
| Total Expenditure | £ | 89.39 | £ 147.75 |
| Current Assets | |||
| Cash at Bank | £ | 1,727.96 | £ 1,817.35 |
| Petty Cash | £ | 15.46 | £ 15.46 |
| Total | £ | 1,743.42 | £ 1,832.81 |
| Current Liabilities | £ | 0 | £ 0 |
| Net Assets | £ | 1,743.42 | £ 1,832.81 |
The accounts show the financial status of ACP compared to 2020, the net current account balance of £1,743.42 reflects small reduction in capital of £89.39 due to public liability insurance and the Zoom account for the virtual AGM.