**Trustees’ Annual Report** For the period
From (start date) 0 1 0 4 2 4 to (end date) 3 1 0 3 2 5
## **Section A – Reference and administration details**
Charity name Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust Other names the charity is known by SCPT Registered charity number (if any) 1165749 Charity’s principal address The Green, Snodhill, Dorstone, Herefordshire, UK Postcode H R 3 6 B G
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
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Dates acted if not for
whole year Name of person (or body)
Trustee name O�ice (if any) entitled to appoint
From To
trustee (if any)
1 GARRY RAYMOND CROOK CHAIR
2 LOUISE MACINTYRE SECRETARY
SURREY GARLAND TREASURER
4 NICK LONGMAN VICE-CHAIR
5 BRIDGET KNIGHT
6 BRIDIE SULLIVAN
7 RUTH WOOLMER
8 SUSANNAH GARLAND
9 KATE HAYWARD
10 JADE LEIGH BERESFORD
11 JOE EMMETT
12 TOM OLIVER
13 SARAH LEWIS
14 WILLIAM KLEMPERER
15
16
17
18
19
20
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any (for example any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
From To
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**Section A – Reference and administration details (continued)**
Names and addresses of advisers (optional information)
|**Type of adviser**|**Name**|**Address**|
|---|---|---|
|Historic England, statutory authority|Neil Rimmington|Historic England|
|Archaeology and Excavations|Tim Hoverd|Herefordshire Council|
|Bookkeeper|Sarah Halliday|Common Bach, Dorstone|
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Name of chief executive or names of senior sta� members (optional information)
n/a
## **Section B - Structure governance and management**
Description of the charities’ trusts
Type of governing document Constitution (eg trust deed, constitution)
How the charity is constituted Charitable Incorporated Organisation (eg trust, association, company)
Trustee selection methods Appointed by trustees (eg appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (optional information)
|You**may choose**to include additional
information, where relevant, about:
policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees;
the charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works;
relationship with any related
parties;
trustees’ consideration of
major risks and the system
and procedures to manage
them.|The trust aims to adopt and follow the governance structures and
procedures as outlined by the Charity Commission, NCVO, NLHF, Historic
England, Herefordshire Council and other relevant bodies.
Following the grant award by the NLHF in 2024, these structures and
procedures, including those covering risk, safeguarding, fnance,
volunteers and health and safety have been subject to review and ongoing
revision as part of the 3-year ‘Fortifying the Future’ (FTF) resilience project.
During the year in review the Trust joined Herefordshire County BID, the
Heritage Trust Network, the Herefordshire Histories Week festival, and
Charity Digital.
We formed partner relationships with the Mortimer History Society and Hay
Castle; and we established an ongoing association with the neighbouring
HLF-funded projects of St Faith’s, Dorstone and St Peter’s, Peterchurch,
with the aim of maximising synergies for the beneft of all .
We continued to host Summer student archaeology digs in conjunction
with Manchester and Cardi� Universities and the Institute of Field
Research, San Francisco.
As part of the FTF project, and funded by the NLHF, we initiated an exciting
and innovative curriculum relationship with NMiTE, Hereford’s new
engineering university; and partnered with the Cartshed and the Family
Place Foundation, aiming to develop facilities for, and to deliver with them,
‘green welfare’ projects for vulnerable individuals and their carers.|
|---|---|
**Section C – Objectives and activities**
|**ection C – Objectives and activities**||
|---|---|
|Summary of the objects of the charity
set out in its governing document
Summary of the main activities
undertaken for the public beneft in
relation to these objects (include
within this section the statutory
declaration that the trustees have had
regard to the guidance issued by the
Charity Commission on public
benefts)|“To preserve for the beneft of the people of the Hamlet of Snodhill, the
Parishes of Dorstone and Peterchurch, Herefordshire and the Nation ("the
benefciaries"), the historic, architectural and constructional heritage that
exists in and around the Castle of Snodhill ("the area of beneft") in
buildings (including any building as defned in Section 336 of the Town and
Country Planning Act 1990) of particular beauty or historical, architectural
or constructional interest, including but without limiting the generality of
the foregoing acquiring, renovating, restoring and utilising for the beneft of
the benefciaries the structure, curtilages, site and environs of Snodhill
Castle, Snodhill , Herefordshire and to educate the general public in the
geography, history, natural history, architecture and economic and social
history of the area of beneft ("the Objects")".|
|||
||The main activities pursued during the year continue to be the excavation,
exploration, restoration and maintenance of the standing remains of
Snodhill Castle and its wilderness setting, and initiating and broadening
access, awareness and engagement among particular groups and the
wider public in this mission. We do this by providing year-round access,
online and on-site interpretation, site tours and events, as well as
encouraging special interest groups to use and value its amenity for study,
enrichment and recreation. The trustees have had regard to the guidance
issued bythe CharityCommission onpublic benefts.|
Additional details of objectives and activities (optional information)
|You**may choose**to include further
statements, where relevant, about:
policy on grantmaking
policy programme related
investment
contribution made by
volunteers|The Trust makes no grants and has no investments. Details of our fnancial
position over the year are in the attached Accounts.
The successful fulflment of our mission depends entirely on the e�orts of
volunteers of whom the management and Trust body is entirely comprised,
and who contributed on average some 5 hours per person per week, or over
3500 hours a year.
During the year in review the Trust welcomed four new volunteers who
brought with them valuable skillsets in architecture and public
administration.|
|---|---|
**Section D – Achievements and performance**
|Summary of the main achievements of
the charity during the year
**Section E – Financial review**
Brief statement of the charity’s reserve
policy
Details of any funds materially in defcit|
|During the year in review the charity prepared, applied for (in April 2024)
and won (in July) a ‘Heritage Resilience’ grant of £201,104 from the National
Lottery Heritage Fund for our three-year ‘Fortifying the Future’ (FTF)project.
Half of the total grant was drawn down (though not spent) during the year in
review.
This ambitious programme aims to upgrade the Trust’s governance,
procedures, IT and communications, enabling us to greatly enhance our
engagement reach and performance.
As part of FTF, a Conservation Management Plan was initiated with a year-
long wildlife survey commencing in April, and work began on its various
timelined initiatives in November.
Meanwhile during the year in review the castle hosted pilgrims for
hedgerow communions, tours for Hay Festival attendees and History
groups including Cambrian Archaeology, Leintwardine Archaeology
Society, AbbeyCwmHir History Group, Hay Castle Volunteers and Walk
Hay. A tour was hosted for the Mortimer History Society and the Trust
published a feature article in Mortimer Matters, their journal.
The Trust completed the second phase of the restoration of the Royal Free
Chapel and held an event in the Summer for VIPs, donors and benefactors.
As part of the FTF project the trust advertised and recruited specialist
consultants in project management, ecology, engagement, IT and
evaluation.
By the end of the year in review (April 2025) these consultants were
successfully recruited and in place.|
|---|---|---|
||||
|||The Trust continued to maintain £10k as a contingency reserve as per our
stated policy.|
||||
|||n/a|
You **may choose** to include additional information, where relevant, about: Our income has been entirely derived from:
- 1) Grants – The National Lottery Heritage Fund
- 2) Appeals – The Royal Free Chapel Appeal Fund
- the charity’s principal sources 2) Appeals – The Royal Free Chapel Appeal Fund of funds (including any 3) Donations – as recorded in our financial report fundraising) 4) Sales - of Christmas cards, artworks and firewood – as recorded in our financial report
how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity Our expenditure has supported the charity by enabling the purchase and maintenance of equipment and supplies to support the fulfilment of our investment policy and objects during the year. objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted The trust has no investments.
## **Section F – Other optional information**
## **Section G – Declaration**
The Trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above
Signed on behalf of the Charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Full name(s) Garry Crook Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Chair
Date 3 0 0 1 2 6
## **Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust (registered charity number 1165749)**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 March 2025. The accounts comprise the attached receipts and payments account and the statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and, in carrying out my examination, I have followed applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or
- the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
**Stephen Purse Chartered Accountant 30 January 2026**
## **Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust Year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Receipts and payments account**
|**Receipts and payments account**||||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Receipts**
Grants
Donations
Miscellaneous sales
Interest income
**Payments**
Project expenditure
Restoration costs
Insurance
Website
Miscellaneous expenses
Asset and investment purchases
**Net income/(expenditure)**
Funds brought forward
**Funds carried forward**
**Statement of assets and liabilities**
Cash funds
Liabilities
Net assets
Assets retained for the
charity's own use|||2025|
||Unrestricted
funds
Chapel
Appeal
Fund
£
£
-
-
6,155
1,350
353
-
1,114
-
7,622
1,350
-
-
4,562
5,938
906
-
1,035
-
964
-
7,467
5,938
-
-
155
(4,588)
12,053
4,588
12,208
-
**at the end of the year**
Container at cost
Snodhill Castle
Unpaid bills
Current account
Deposit account|||
## Notes:
1. The trust acquired a long lease of Snodhill Castle at no cost. The lease is recorded at a nominal amount of £1. 2. The Chapel Appeal was launched in May 2023 to fund restoration work on the castle's Royal Free Chapel.
3. The Heritage Fund results from a grant awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the long term resilience of the trust.
|Signed on behalf of the
trustees|Signature
Print Name
Garry Crook
Date of Approval
30.01.26|
|---|---|