**The Olive Ridley Project**
**Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ending: 31[st] December 2022**
**Charity no: 1165905**
## **Legal and Administrative Information**
Trustees
Chief Executive / Founder Chief Operating Officer Senior Project Scientist Scientific Advisors
Lead Veterinary Surgeon Communications Officer Communications Intern Graphic Designer Veterinary Surgeons
Veterinary Nurse Volunteer & Educational Outreach Education & Outreach Assistant Liaison Officer Researcher - Spatial Ecology Researcher - GIS Ecology
## Dr Mike Sweet
Jannicke C Hallum (until 31 January 2022) Lee Cannan (from 21 March 2022) Cliona Kirby Amanda Costain Zacari Edwards (from 18 January 2022) Dr Martin Stelfox Jannicke C Hallum (from 1 February 2022) Dr Stephanie Kohnk Dr Jillian Hudgins Dr Max Polyak Dr Claire Petros Anadya Singh Mohamed Naaif Susie Gibson Dr Amelia Liddell Dr June Ang Dr Mariana Fragoso Lauren Valentine Risha Ali Rasheed George Evans Ibrahim Shameel Rushan Bin Abdul Rahman Jane Lloyd
Sea Turtle Biologists/Guest Educators Maldives
Maldives Interns
Seychelles Oman Project Manager Kenya Infield Supervisor Kenya Project Coordinator Kenya Research Assistant Kenya Project Manager Maldives Project Manager Pakistan Project Coordinator Pakistan Community Leader Pakistan Field Coordinator Pakistan Ambassadors
Rosie Brown Joe Rigby Emily Mundy Olivia Forster Neus Segura Mariyam Niuma Moosa Mohamed Aminath Angeela Alfrah Abdul Sathaar Julian Gervolino Abdulla Swift Hameed Adam Naahi Fauzy Afrah Abdul Sathaar Sarah Ibrahim Mariyam Niuma Lara Kalisch Tom Osborne Dr Joana Hancock Jenni Choma Leah Mainye Juma Gwerenya Isha Afeef Usman Iqbal Asif Baloch Waqar J Khan Muhammad Hanif Matt Sorum Andy Torbet
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|Registered Office|91 Padiham Road, Sabden, Clitheroe, BB7 9EX|91 Padiham Road, Sabden, Clitheroe, BB7 9EX|
|---|---|---|
|Bank|Lloyds Bank||
||8 Royal Parade||
||Plymouth, PL1|1HB|
|Independent Examiner|Carly Exeter FCCA||
||Segrave & Partners LLP||
||Turnpike House||
||1208/1210 London Road||
||Leigh on Sea||
||Essex||
||SS9 2UA||
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## **The Olive Ridley Project Trustees’ Report For the year ending 31[st] December 2022**
## **Structure, governance and management**
This Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) is regulated by its constitution whose only voting members are its trustees. The CIO was established by Dr. Martin Stelfox (CEO and founder) in 2013 and then became the CIO on the 7[th] March 2016.
New trustees are appointed by the existing trustees and serve for three years after which they may put themselves forward for re-appointment. The Charity provides for a minimum of 3 trustees, to a maximum of 7 trustees.
At the quarterly trustee meetings, the trustees agree on the broad strategy and areas of activity for the charity, including consideration of grant making, investment, reserves and risk management policies and performance. The day to day administration of grants and the processing and handling of applications prior to consideration by the trustee is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer.
The trustees formally approved arrangements complying with the CC30 guide ‘The recruitment, appointment and induction process for new charity trustees and how to set a framework for recruitment.’ and recruit new trustee(s) for their experience, empathy and knowledge of the charity and to keep the skills and composition of the trustee body and succession planning under review. The trustees have also developed a code of conduct for trustees including formal statements of role and responsibilities and provision for trustee training. New trustees may be sought by open advertisement or through peer to peer dialogue. The ultimate decision on selection is a matter for the trustees.
On appointment, new trustees sign a constitution committing them to giving of their time and expertise. The induction process includes an initial meeting with the trustees, followed by a series of short meetings with the Chief Executive Officer on day to day activities within the charity, current projects, grant making process and powers and responsibilities of the trustee board. The welcome pack includes a brief history of the charity, copy of the trustee board minutes, a copy of the constitution, 5-year plan and a copy of the Charity Commission’s guidance ‘The Essential Trustee: What You Need to Know’ and ‘Charities and Public Benefit’.
All trustees give their time freely and no trustee remuneration was paid in the year. Trustees are required to disclose all relevant interests in accordance with the charity policy and update all policies including, ‘Bullying and Harassment’, ‘Code of Conduct, ‘Conflicts of Interest’, ‘Equal Opportunities’, ‘Financial Management’, ‘Health & Safety’ and ‘Safeguarding Children and Young people’.
## **Objectives, Mission and Principal Activity**
The Olive Ridley Project takes a multidimensional approach to protecting sea turtles and their habitat. In 2022 as ORP expanded its workforce and technical ability it decided to take a more holistic approach to sea turtle conservation by changing the mission from ‘protecting sea turtles in the Indian Ocean from ghost gear’ to ‘protecting sea turtles and their habitats everywhere’. The charity updated its objects:
To promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of sea turtles and their habitats, in particular, but not exclusively by:
- (a) promoting humane behaviour towards sea turtles by providing appropriate care, protection, treatment and security for animals which need care and attention by reason of sickness, maltreatment, poor circumstances or ill usage and to educate the public and veterinarian community in matters pertaining to sea turtle welfare
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in general and the prevention of cruelty and suffering to sea turtles.
- (b) advancing the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of sea turtles, by provision of talks, workshops, online courses and training; and
- (c) advancing the education of the scientific community by filling scientific data gaps in sea turtle research.
Nothing in this constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the CIO for the purposes which are not charitable in accordance with section 7 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and section 2 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.
## **Public Benefit**
All trustees follow the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. By closely following this guideline we ensure the charity stays true to its purposes and focuses resources in direct relation to the charitable purposes.
We focus on protecting sea turtles and their habitats through rescue and rehabilitation, education and outreach and scientific research worldwide. We achieve this in the following ways:
1. Conducting workshops, informal meetings and seminars with local communities, governments, schools and the public to promote sea turtle conservation;
2. Hiring infield project coordinators that can disseminate our research findings and promote awareness to local communities;
3. Working with local fishing communities to mitigate threats to sea turtles including marine plastics, bycatch and safe release education;
4. Operating a Marine Turtle Rescue Centre and a Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre that allow Maldivian nationals, local schools and veterinarian surgeons from under resourced regions to work alongside qualified professionals to increase personal development and awareness;
5. Establishing relationships with research institutes to advance our research capacity and subsequently increase knowledge within the sea turtle scientific community;
6. Continue to maintain a citizen science projects, specific to sea turtles, that allows people from all backgrounds to contribute to scientific research and develop personal skills;
7. Offering paid internships to Maldivian and Kenyan nationals to build in-country capacity;
8. Providing open access resources such as educational videos and an e-learning platform on our website, with the addition of a Frequently Asked Turtle Questions page and educational blogs. This resource provides information on everything you need to know about sea turtles, including free publications such as our Sea Turtle Code of Conduct and Turtle Entanglement Protocol. Our protocols explain how to behave around foraging, nesting, and hatchling turtles, and what to do when finding an entangled sea turtle and are published in several languages. The aim of the publications is a) to reduce human disturbance, whether it be intentional or accidental, to sea turtles in all of their habitats while still allowing people to have an enjoyable wildlife encounter, and b) to increase the chances of survival for entangled sea turtles;
9. Maintaining very active social media channels and engage with our followers through various messaging platforms;
10. Working with a number of journalists from TV channels/programs, newspapers and magazines to further spread our message about sea turtle conservation; and
11. Contributing to scientific journals to advance the scientific community knowledge on sea turtles and the threats they face.
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## **Risk management**
The Trustees have identified the major risks applicable to the charity and believe that appropriate action has been taken to manage and mitigate against these risks. Furthermore, the Trustees have assessed the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, in particular those relating to the operations, reputation and finance of the Olive Ridley Project. The CEO assesses and updates the likelihood and impact of material risks and ensures controls are in place, such as special risk assessments for general fieldwork and working at the rescue centre.
The trustees accept that to achieve our objectives some areas of our work require the acceptance and management of risks.
## **Achievements and Performance 2022**
This reporting period is running from January to December 2022 and captures our charitable activities across Maldives, Pakistan, Kenya, Oman and Seychelles.
During 2022 our charitable objectives were officially altered to reflect the change from protecting sea turtles in the Indian Ocean from ghost gear to protecting sea turtles and their habitats everywhere. Operations kicked off in the Seychelles at the start of 2022 and we were able to resume operations in Oman following the lifting of Covid 19 restrictions.
The team now counts more than 30 experts in various disciplines. We are at the forefront of sea turtle conservation, influencing local policy makers, working with governments and fishing communities and collaborating with a number of research institutes and advocacy groups.
At the end of 2021, ORP received a very generous donation which allowed us to bring forward programmes planned for 2023-2026. These initiatives include new research priorities and expansion of the team in core areas in line with our goal to make the charity financially sustainable for the long term and providing a safe and supportive working environment.
On the rescue and rehabilitation front, we expanded our veterinary team to include a resident veterinary nurse at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in Baa Atoll. This role is an essential part of any veterinary team, providing both clinical and administrative support. We also started work to expand and improve the clinic at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre and continued construction of two more rehabilitation facilities in the Maldives.
We were able to diversify and expand our analyses of sea turtle populations, distribution, health and threats in the last year and continue to build upon our spatial ecology, parasitology, sea turtle behaviour, genetics and fishery related threats research. This year we have set up several initiatives to take advantage of new and existing technology to help us fill data gaps in sea turtle knowledge. These research projects include:
- Satellite tagging of released olive ridley turtle patients to gain insights into the feeding and migration habits of olive ridley sea turtles – a pelagic species about which little is known beyond their arribada nesting behaviour.
- The employment of temperature and humidity loggers as part of our nest monitoring research to improve our understanding of incubation conditions and their effect on hatching success.
- The use of drones to monitor nesting beaches and increase our observer coverage. In conjunction with AI technology, we hope to unravel several mysteries about sea turtles over the coming years, identify new nesting beaches and be able to better protect known nesting beaches against poaching.
Education and outreach remains a strong focus point for ORP and we were delighted to be able to add a full-time
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volunteer, education and outreach officer to the team in 2022. Tasked with overseeing and streamlining all educational initiatives across the charity, launching a sea turtle guardian training programme, and improving our internship and volunteer programmes, this role is key for ORP to achieve our goal of increasing capacity for sea turtle conservation at the grassroot level. A highlight of 2022 was the Vaavoshi festival - the first multi-atoll sea turtle festival to be arranged in the Maldives.
Our site expansions in 2022 include two new bases in Shaviyani and Baa atolls in the Maldives through new partnerships with Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi and Amilla Maldives Resort & Residences respectively. We also restarted our project in Oman after a two year hiatus brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our team in Kenya is growing and our activities and research areas are expanding and diversifying. We joined forces with Pwani University to investigate sea turtle health through genetics and started a pilot study with the Arribada Initiative using Snapper GPS receivers to help us understand fine-scale movements of green turtles in foraging areas.
In the Seychelles, one of the top five nesting grounds in the world for the critically endangered hawksbill, we began our nesting protocols and had a very successful first year of data collection.
And finally, we added two new members to the team in Pakistan, expanded to Kakapir village which is located between Sandspit, one of Pakistan’s most prolific sea turtle nesting beaches, and Hawke’s Bay, and initiated sea turtle Photo-ID and nest monitoring research.
As we move into 2023 and reflect on how far we have come from our humble beginnings, we recognise that our achievements would not have been possible without the hard work of our dedicated and passionate team, the invaluable contributions by our citizen scientists, and our volunteers, project partners and supporters. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude for your commitment to protecting sea turtles and their habits and supporting the incredibly important work we do, and we look forward to working with you all in 2023 and beyond.
## **Research**
In 2022, we implemented and extended many of the research projects initiated in the previous year, aiming to improve our analysis of sea turtle populations, distribution, health and threats in the Indian Ocean.
Our satellite tagging project #ORPTrack, led by ORP Spatial Ecology Researcher, Rushan Bin Abdul Rahman, kicked off in 2022, with two satellite tags successfully deployed with the assistance of our former Resident Veterinary Surgeon Dr Minnie Liddell and Sea Turtle Biologist Joe Rigby.
Together, the tags collected movement data over 121 days and over 4,700km for the two rehabilitated olive ridley turtles. Preliminary analyses provided us with first insights into seascape use and movement patterns of both sea turtles. Nine additional tags have been purchased with the help of our generous supporters and are being prepared for an exciting tagging season in 2023.
In addition to our nest monitoring projects in Maldives and Seychelles, we implemented a new technique to improve our understanding of incubation conditions: we now collect sand temperature and humidity data in three atolls and on Félicité Island. This is the first step towards understanding hatchling sex ratios in these locations and comparing them to data from other nesting beaches.
Additionally, results from our nest monitoring efforts, a study evaluating the socioeconomic value of sea turtles in Maldives, and another summarising risk factors and health conditions influencing the outcome of rescue and rehabilitation, were presented at the Fourth Maldives Marine Science Symposium in Malé in August 2022.
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The sampling expedition for sea turtle population genetics in the Maldives, in close cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency planned for Q2 of 2022 was unfortunately delayed due to unforeseen circumstances. A one-day training trip for all participants was executed in September 2022 and we are now aiming to complete the expedition in 2023.
In Kenya, we initiated a new partnership with Pwani University to extend our in-water studies investigating sea turtle health. Additionally, we started testing experimental satellite trackers in cooperation with the Arribada Initiative to help develop low-cost fine-scale tracking methods for sea turtles.
In addition to ORPs regular technical reports and reviews, ORP team members were part of a working group that created and published the first ever National Red List Assessments for select species in the Maldives in February 2022, covering each of the five sea turtle species which have been reported from the country.
Three of the assessments - for hawksbills, greens and olive ridleys - were led by ORPs CEO Dr Martin Stelfox and Senior Project Scientist Dr Stephanie Köhnk. Amongst other resources, they included information about each species’ population, nesting activity and potential threats as collected in ORPs Photo-ID, nesting, veterinary and entanglement databases, resulting in an evaluation of each species’ extinction risk following categories and criteria established by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The working group found that for olive ridley turtles not enough information was available for the Maldives, hence listing them as “Data Deficient”. Green and hawksbill turtle populations each experienced a significant decline in recorded nesting activity in the country and have therefore been listed as “Endangered” (green) and “Critically Endangered” (hawksbill) in the country, which is in agreement with regional trends for these species in the Indian Ocean.
Publications
- Afeef I, Köhnk S and Stelfox M 2022. Laamu Yearly Report 2021.
- Afeef I, Köhnk S and Stelfox M 2022. Nesting in Laamu - Technical Report 2021.
- Kalisch L, Köhnk S and Stelfox M 2022. Nesting on Félicité - Technical Report 2021.
- Köhnk S and Stelfox M 2022. Still swimming with turtles: tourist-turtle interactions in the Maldives pre- and post-COVID-19. Indian Ocean Sea Turtle Newsletter, published online: https://www.cms.int/iosea-turtles/en/news/still-swimming-turtles-tourist-turtle-interactions-maldives-pre-andpost-covid-19
- Köhnk S 2022. _Eretmochelys imbricata_ . The Maldives Red List of Threatened Species. Available online: http://www.environment.gov.mv/v2/en/download/14670
- Köhnk S and Stelfox M 2022. _Chelonia mydas._ The Maldives Red List of Threatened Species. Available online: http://www.environment.gov.mv/v2/en/download/14688
- Stelfox M and Köhnk S 2022. Lepidochelys olivacea. The Maldives Red List of Threatened Species. Available online: http://www.environment.gov.mv/v2/en/download/14672
- Olive Ridley Project. Annual Review 2022, Available online: - -
- https://oliveridleyproject.org/wp content/uploads/2022/08/ORP_Annual Review_2021.pdf
## **Sea Turtle Population Research**
Photographic identification (Photo-ID) is a non-invasive technique used to identify individual animals in a population and track them over time from natural marks on the body. For sea turtles, it relies on capturing photographs of the unique patterns of scales on the animal’s face.
Photo-ID can be used as a non-invasive alternative to tagging, and data may be analysed through Capture-Mark-Recapture (CMR) methods. This technique allows researchers to conduct longitudinal studies of individuals, yielding information about home range, survival rate, migration patterns, life cycle and includes groups that are less studied, such as juveniles and males.
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We collect sighting data for both nesting and foraging green ( _Chelonia mydas_ ) and hawksbill ( _Eretmochelys imbricata_ ) sea turtles in Kenya, Maldives, Oman and Seychelles. Olive ridley ( _Lepidochelys olivacea_ ), loggerhead ( _Caretta caretta_ ), and leatherback ( _Dermochelys coriacea_ ) sea turtles are present in these countries, but less regularly sighted.
ORP began collecting new and historical photographs of foraging and nesting turtles from the Maldives in 2014. We have a nine-year data set for some atolls. We started collecting Photo-ID data from Kenya in 2018 and Oman in 2019. Unfortunately, the project in Oman was put on hold in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but we successfully reinstated it in 2022. ORP also started a new chapter in the Seychelles at the end of 2021, establishing our Photo-ID database in the country.
ORP aims to help fill the gaps in scientific knowledge by providing detailed information on abundance, distribution, population growth rate, apparent survival, and nesting frequency of hawksbill and green sea turtles. We continue to use the Internet of Turtles (IoT) platform to analyse all turtle sightings from Maldives, Kenya, Oman, and Seychelles. The IoT platform combines data analytics with individual animal tracking and uses computer vision to compare new IDs to the existing database.
In the Maldives, we have recorded 33,889 identified turtle encounters from 5,789 different individuals until the end of 2022, including 574 newly identified turtles. Thanks to all of our citizen science contributors for their valuable support extending the scope of our data collection into areas where no ORP staff were present! Additionally, two new sea turtle biologist positions were established at the end of 2022, extending our research into Shaviyani and reinstating it in Baa Atoll.
In Kenya, there were over 3,769 sightings of 666 identified turtles (173 new individuals in 2022) who are now registered. We have added 265 turtle encounters in Oman in 2022, including 74 new identified individuals, bringing the total number of encounters to 332 and identified turtles to 114.
In our first full year of data collection in the Seychelles, we found 122 new turtles, bringing the aggregate number to 124, spotted over 249 encounters in total.
## **New Project Plans**
## **Maldives**
## **Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation**
2022 was another busy year for the veterinary team. We admitted 32 new turtle patients at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre over the course of last year. The first three months of the year were particularly busy with 18 new patients admitted - the busiest quarter on record. We successfully released 16 patients back to the wild, with two olive ridleys, Autumn and Pickle, becoming our first sea turtle patients to be satellite tracked upon release.
Most of our patients were olive ridley turtles, but we also treated one green and four hawksbills. The majority of our patients were found floating rather than entangled this year. However, upon analysis of their injuries, we suspected that most of them had been entangled but managed to free themselves. Unusually, we also had a green entanglement victim.
Unfortunately, we lost 15 of our turtle patients. Three of these died shortly after being admitted with their injuries being too severe or help arriving too late. One of the patients that we could not save was our long-term resident Disco, who had been with us over two years. Disco was found floating with a missing front flipper and suffering from severe buoyancy syndrome. An endoscopy procedure in April 2022 revealed incredibly abnormal lungs with severe pathologic changes, especially in her left lung, as well as a damaged liver. Disco’s case shows how ghost gear entanglement can cause grave external injuries as well as devastating damage to internal organs. Unfortunately our vets have few options when treating critical patients that have no chance of survival in the wild since euthanasia is
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not permitted in the Maldives. For example our beloved Heidi, another long term patient was sent to his forever home at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, UK. His journey to the UK was kindly sponsored by British Airways and his transfer to Malé was supported by Trans Maldivian Airways. The decision to transport Heidi to the UK was determined due to a lack of alternatives available to Heidi. We hope Heidi will be more comfortable in a larger environment.
We have also been working on expanding our sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation facilities, including our clinic at the Rescue Centre. Two new rehabilitation centres are under construction at our partner resorts Soneva Jani (Noonu Atoll) and JOALI BEING (Raa Atoll) in the Maldives. The Rescue Centre at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu will soon have a surgical suite and a clinical lab next door - twice the space we currently have. We would like to thank Coco Collection for their continued support and for making this possible.
In June, we welcomed our first Veterinary Nurse to the Rescue Centre – Lauren Valentine. The veterinary nurse role is an essential part of any veterinary team, providing both clinical and administrative support. Thanks to Lauren’s presence and expertise, we have been able to elevate our veterinary practices and provide even better care for our patients. Resident Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Minnie Liddell left Maldives after 18 months in April 2022. She was followed by Dr June Ang, who took over for six months, before Dr Mariana Fragoso joined our veterinary team at the end of the year.
## **Maldives Sea Turtle Photo-ID Research Results**
2022 was a very successful year for our Photo-ID research, with 574 newly identified sea turtles being registered: 176 greens and 398 hawksbills. We're proud of this achievement, which was only possible thanks to the excellent submissions from our citizen science contributors.
This year, North Malé became the second atoll from our database to surpass 1,000 registered individuals. With 1,028 identified individuals, it comes a close second to Baa Atoll, which recorded a total of 1,075 turtles. North Malé remains the atoll with the largest number of recorded hawksbills in the country to date - 942 individuals are registered here. The second and third largest number of hawksbills have been identified in Baa (844) and Ari (798). Lhaviyani Atoll remains the only atoll where the number of known green turtles exceeds the number of hawksbills, with 404 green turtles over 343 hawksbills. The second and third largest number of green turtles can be found in Laamu (290) and Baa Atoll (231).
The large number of resorts in the central atolls, as well as a consistent effort by our team members in certain atolls has resulted in better data coverage. The northern and southern atolls still have fewer turtles photographed and we hope to extend our data collection in those areas in the future.
Photo-ID not only allows us to monitor the Maldivian sea turtle population in the water, but also makes it possible to follow nesting turtles and the success of their nests over time. ORP sea turtle biologists have identified 34 different females nesting or attempting to nest in Baa, Laamu, Lhaviyani, Noonu, North Malé and Raa Atoll. Out of these, 16 turtles were observed laying more than one nest and six have been seen in more than one nesting season.
The so-called remigration interval describes the time nesting females take between active nesting seasons. In green turtles, the remigration interval is usually two to four years. We have observed a remigration interval of five years for one individual in Baa Atoll, who was first sighted in August 2017 before returning in June 2022. Cookie, a turtle known to nest in Laamu Atoll, has been seen in three different nesting seasons: 2018, 2021 and 2022. She took an 18 month break between the last two seasons. On average, greens nest every three years in the Maldives, based on seven remigration observations.
The 34 turtles were observed laying one to six nests per nesting season, for a total of 82 nests between 2017 and 2022. That means each turtle was observed to lay an average of 1.4 nests per season.
A turtle identified for the first time in Raa Atoll in 2022 laid three nests, all of which unfortunately had a very low hatching success rate - less than five percent. We believe that it was the health and fertility of the nesting turtle
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rather than the environmental factors that played a role in the low success of these nests.
## **Turtle Nesting**
ORP is continuing to collect data on sea turtle nesting mainly from Baa, Laamu and Lhaviyani atolls, where ORP’s Sea Turtle Biologists monitor the nests. We are encouraging other biologists in the country to report any nesting incidences, for example from South Malé, Noonu, Raa or Haa Daalhu Atoll.
Data for nesting is limited due to the small number of sea turtle biologists collecting nesting information
In total we recorded 310 true nests and 251 false crawls during the reporting period. We counted 10,651 live hatchlings, although not all nests have hatched and some nests were not observed hatching. We have recorded an average hatching success of 79.7% hatching success in all nests that have hatched and could be examined post-hatching. The average time of incubation was 61 days.
## **Internship Program**
One of ORP’s goals is to build local and national capacity for sea turtle conservation and rehabilitation in all our locations. Our internship programmes, only open to residents of our host country, offer great opportunities to gain hands-on experience in many aspects of sea turtle conservation.
Our first intern joined us in 2017 for a three-month stint at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre. Here interns learn about sea turtle care and husbandry, sea turtle conservation and the running of a rescue centre. They also assist with educational outreach and, if lucky with their timing, with nest monitoring and hatching events. We have since trained 19 interns at the Rescue Centre, some of which have gone on to work full-time for ORP, other conservation NGOs, and even the government.
In January 2022 we also started a sea turtle biology internship with Maldives Underwater Initiative at Six Senses Laamu, and later in the year at Soneva Jani. The interns here learn how to collect Photo-ID data through underwater surveys, assist with nest monitoring and hatching events, and take part in educational activities at the resorts and in the community. The interns also support the resorts’ marine biologists with additional research and educational activities.
We have since combined the two programmes so that interns now do three months at the Rescue Centre and three months with a sea turtle biologist. Working alongside both the veterinary team and sea turtle biologists allow the interns to gain a thorough understanding of the many sides of sea turtle conservation and research - the end goal being to fully train them to work with ORP long term.
All ORP interns receive a stipend, as well as meals and accommodation for their duration of stay.
## **Volunteer Programs**
Volunteers are essential in the everyday running of the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre. They assist with all aspects of sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation, including treating wounds, helping with routine medical exams, observing surgeries, diet preparation, feeding, tank and turtle cleaning. Some lucky volunteers even get to experience hatching events! We welcomed 60 volunteers from 14 countries to the Rescue Centre in 2022.
## **Visiting Veterinarian Program at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre**
Our Visiting Vet Programme ran at full capacity in 2022 for the first time in two years. This programme has three main aims: to give exotic animal veterinarians the opportunity to work with wild sea turtles and learn from us; for our resident veterinary team to learn new techniques from other experts and continue their professional training;
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and to provide training to veterinarians who work with sea turtles in locations where no sea turtle training is available. We welcomed five visiting vets from four countries in the last year.
We also welcomed several other experts to the Rescue Centre in 2022. In May, Arribada Initiative visited our Rescue Centre to trial pilot satellite tags on our patients, as they aim to create cost-effective tags for future tracking projects. We were also a part of an exchange with Project Biodiversity, a conservation non-profit organisation committed to protecting wildlife in Cape Verde. Dr Claire Petros visited Cape Verde in August to establish whether there is a need for a rescue centre there. Meanwhile, Albert Taxonera, the Executive Director of Project Biodiversity visited the Rescue Centre, along with his Scientific Coordinator, Kirsten Fairweather. This was a great opportunity for knowledge exchange, with the veterinary team providing clinical experience in treating sea turtles, and Albert in turn sharing his extensive knowledge of community led programmes and the use of drones for nest monitoring.
## **Kenya**
2022 finally brought some normality to our work in Kenya with the resumption of regular in-water surveys at all sites and the establishment of new exciting research and monitoring initiatives. To assist us in achieving our goals, Jenni Choma joined our team as an in-field supervisor.
Our regular diving surveys, conducted across 12 dive sites, resulted in 883 encounters of green turtles (of which 173 were new individuals), and 94 hawksbill turtles (including 18 new individuals). In addition, we conducted surveys to identify potential foraging sites for green turtles outside the reef with an emphasis on Diani’s seagrass lagoon, both by snorkelling trips and by drone surveys.
To continue our efforts in understanding the dynamics of the green turtles in our area, we joined forces with Pwani University to carry out collaborative work such as genetic studies. We also teamed up with the Arribada Initiative to conduct a pilot study using Snapper GPS receivers. This would help us understand fine-scale movements of green turtles in foraging areas. We managed to tag and sample three juvenile turtles by the end of the year, with two more tags available for deployment in 2023.
In our outreach efforts, our project coordinator, Leah Mainye, participated in the 12th WIOMSA Scientific symposium in South Africa and the Tenth Meeting of the WIO Marine Turtle Task Force. At a local level, our volunteer, Juma Gwerenya, led a three-month pilot study along Diani Beach. This was to help to understand the community along the coast and individual perceptions of sea turtles and their conservation in the region. The results were used to define our Community Education and Outreach Program for 2023.
## **Kenya Sea Turtle Photo-ID Research Results**
To date, ORP in Kenya has recorded 3,234 sea turtle sightings at the reserve, with 2,782 being green turtles and 452 being hawksbill turtles, corresponding to 539 individual green turtles and 73 individual hawksbill turtles.
## **Oman**
Our activities in Oman restarted in 2022 with ORP’s new sea turtle biologist Tom Osborne arriving at the Musandam peninsula in January.
Throughout the year we recorded 317 turtle sightings, including some familiar faces from 2019, and added a total of 74 new additions to our database (72 greens and 2 hawksbills). The majority of sea turtles spotted in the area are still green turtles, which outnumber the identified hawksbills 10:1. The newly established regular house reef snorkels were a huge success with the guests at our partner resort, as were the sea turtle talks for adults and children.
In cooperation with the Environment Protection Agency and Six Senses Zighy Bay, ORP organised and carried out two large scale ghost gear clean ups. With the help of 40 participants, a total of four tons (3,628 kg) of ghost gear was successfully removed from the ocean. In the process, the remains of a sea turtle were found in one of the nets, but
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thankfully no other wildlife was found entangled.
This year, we also started exploring the possibility of establishing a sea turtle rescue centre in Oman. As Musandam is a rather remote location separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates, we are considering Muscat, Oman’s capital, as a suitable location. Talks and meetings with relevant government officials and stakeholders have been initiated, thus laying the groundwork for further negotiations in the upcoming year.
## **Oman Sea Turtle Photo-ID Research Results**
This year we had a total of 265 sightings and identified 74 new individuals. This brings the total number of sightings since the project began to 332 with 114 individuals identified. Total sightings of greens are 317 with 105 individuals and total sightings of hawksbills are 15 with 9 individuals identified.
## **Seychelles**
We completed our first full year of work in Seychelles thanks to our partner, Six Senses Zil Pasyon, located on Félicité Island. Félicité Island is in close proximity to Ile Coco Marine Park and Sister Islands, which are renowned for juvenile hawksbill turtle populations. The island is also a prominent location for nesting hawksbill and green turtles.
We surveyed 15 different sites throughout the year both on land and in the water, resulting in over 300 survey hours. We recorded a total of 124 new individuals in 2022, of which the majority were Hawksbill turtles (N=117). The addition of the Zil Pasyon excursion boat in the last quarter of the year allowed us to add additional survey sites. Hawksbill turtles made up the majority of sightings in the water, and nesting activity was also higher for hawksbill turtles with 28 nests compared to 7 for green turtles.
Hawksbill turtles in Seychelles have a distinct nesting season from October until March. Seychelles is also one of the only locations in the world where hawksbills exhibit daylight nesting. Green turtles may nest all year round, but on Félicité we only observed them in the cooler months of August and September. Unfortunately, due to severe erosion on the main nesting beach, a significant amount of nests (n=10) had to be relocated. The nests are due to hatch in the first quarter of 2023.
This year we also worked on establishing new partnerships with local organisations such as the Seychelles Parks and Garden Authority (SPGA) and the Turtle Action Group Seychelles.
## **Seychelles Sea Turtle Photo-ID Research Results**
This year we had a total of 244 sightings and identified 124 new individuals. This brings the total number of sightings since the project began to 249 with 126 individuals identified. Total sightings of greens are 8 with 7 individuals and total sightings of hawksbills are 241 with 119 individuals identified.
## **Turtle Nesting**
Data is only recorded on Félicité Island. In total we recorded 40 true nests and 76 false crawls during the reporting period. We counted 4,185 live hatchlings, although not all nests have hatched and some nests were not observed hatching. We have recorded an average hatching success of 84.89% hatching success in all nests that have hatched and could be examined post-hatching. The average time of incubation was 64 days.
## **Pakistan**
We expanded both our team and operations in Pakistan in 2022. Two additions were made to the team: Waqar J Khan, joined us as Community Leader, and Muhammad Hanif, as Field Coordinator, in Kakapir. And, whilst we continued our educational outreach, ghost gear recovery and circular economy projects, we also initiated two new
13
research initiatives: sea turtle Photo-ID and nest monitoring for the first time in Pakistan.
Waqar is responsible for running and expanding our circular economy project. He initiated ORP’s participation in pop up markets and carnivals to sell our ghost net products, and also ensured that these are stocked in prominent pet stores. This has greatly increased the project’s visibility and the demand for products made by the community.
Hanif is helping us establish our presence in his village, Kakapir, located in the middle of turtle nesting beaches Sandspit and Hawke’s Bay. Kakapir residents often interact with nesting females and hatchlings during the nesting season. Hanif educates the residents on ghost nets, nesting protocols and sea turtle conservation.
We took our educational outreach initiatives from the classroom to the beach in 2022 - instead of making visits to schools, we invited the students to come for a walk on the beach with us for a more impactful and interactive session in the actual environment that sea turtles inhabit. This approach has been a great success and we plan to expand the programme next year.
Pakistan’s coastline serves as nesting habitat for primarily green turtles, although hawksbills and olive ridleys are also occasionally spotted. While green turtles are seen in large numbers every year, no data currently exists by which we can estimate population numbers.
In an attempt to fill this crucial knowledge gap, we began monitoring sea turtle nesting activity in September 2022. We’ve recorded eleven nesting females thus far on Hawke’s Bay, which we are hoping to identify with Photo-ID in the future. We hope to expand our monitoring efforts to Kakapir, Manora and Sandspit Beach in 2023.
## **Education & Outreach**
Education is a big part of ORP’s mission and an important aspect of our multifaceted approach to protecting sea turtles and their habitats. We believe education is a powerful tool to increase awareness, engage people – particularly young people – and stimulate action at local, international and policy level.
Our educational outreach initiatives take many forms and include a wide range of topics. We cover everything from sea turtle biology, anatomy, husbandry and veterinary care to threats, conservation and research findings. We organise workshops, talks and educational festivals, take part in conferences and symposiums, host webinars, visit schools and welcome school children to visit us. We also offer a free online learning platform and provide internships to build local capacity for sea turtle conservation and rehabilitation.
Our audience is global, diverse and includes everyone from school children to tourists to scientists and fellow conservationists and wildlife veterinarians. During 2022, we strengthened our commitment to education and outreach by welcoming Risha Ali Rasheed as our first full-time volunteer and educational outreach officer. Risha, who had initially joined us in 2020 as a volunteer coordinator, now oversees all educational initiatives across the charity. She frequently visits schools, local communities and resorts to conduct lectures, workshops, and take part in and arrange educational festivals.
For the past two years, most educational and outreach initiatives had to be virtual due to the Covid-19 pandemic but in 2022 we were finally able to resume in-person events. We once again welcomed school children to the Rescue Centre and relaunched Vaavoshi Festival as a multi-atoll event, reaching more than 3,700 children and local ’ community members. The festival was a huge success and was even featured on CNN s Call to Earth Day. In Kenya, we took part in the third edition of the popular Diani Sea Turtle Festival, organised by our partners, Conservation Education Society.
14
Our online learning platform continues to do well with 541 new enrolments in 2022 for our free e-Turtle School and Sea Turtle Science & Conservation courses. To date, 184 students have ‘graduated’. e-Turtle School received a refresh in 2022 and we added a new lesson on the importance of sea turtles. We were also delighted to receive unexpected help from Spongebob Squarepants in reaching a new audience. Our Sea Turtle Science Video “What Are Barnacles” now has 1.6 million views on YouTube!
## **Digital Reach - Global Community**
A major part of our strategy to increase awareness about the plight of sea turtles and the deadly consequences of ghost gear is a digital and social media presence. We continue to grow our web and social media channels to keep the public engaged with new content and regular updates. Our website now includes an online learning platform with free courses and resources about all things sea turtle and sea turtle conservation. Our sea turtle protocols have been translated into multiple languages, and our Sea Turtle FAQ pages are extremely popular, with thousands of visitors every month.
In 2022 our digital presence continued to grow across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. We also expanded our reach to Tik-Tok and LinkedIn. We place a strong belief in education and knowledge-sharing, and are grateful to be able to reach out to our ever-growing global audience on social media. This interconnectedness has helped us spread the message of sea turtle conservation far and wide, and we look forward to forging new connections in 2023.
We launched three major social media campaigns; one on the common misconceptions regarding nesting turtles in the Maldives and another on sea turtle Photo-ID, aimed at increasing Photo-ID submissions from the general public and citizen scientists. Through interactive posts across our social media channels, both campaigns reached an average total of 40K people.
On World Sea Turtle Day, we conducted a week-long campaign that highlighted the threats to sea turtle populations worldwide. The campaign ended with a three-part illustration series on “Why are sea turtles important to YOU”. This series exemplified the many ways in which sea turtles contribute to the welfare of human societies and were therefore pleased that this reached 14K people across our social media platforms.
## **Vaavoshi Sea Turtle Festival Maldives**
Vaavoshi Sea Turtle Festival, initially conceptualised by our former Resident Veterinary Surgeon, Dr Claire Lomas in 2019, is a celebration of sea turtles and marine habitats. ‘Vaavoshi’, meaning ‘olive ridley‘ in Dhivehi - the local language of the Maldives, aims to spread awareness about key marine habitats and ecosystems, the critical role that sea turtles play in maintaining these habitats, and the threats faced by marine life in the country.
In October 2022, Vaavoshi Sea Turtle Festival was celebrated across eight atolls in the Maldives as the first multi-atoll festival in the country. Nationwide, 2,177 students and more than 1,606 community members joined the festivities. The festival’s main objective is to educate students on the importance of protecting sea turtles and their habitats through a variety of fun educational activities. These included talks, video and poster competitions, beach clean-ups, sand sculpture competitions, and a marine creature parade where students marched together advocating for the protection of sea turtles and their habitats. The festival also addressed cultural attitudes towards sea turtles by clearing misconceptions regarding the species and their conservation status.
The support for Vaavoshi 2022 was phenomenal. We hope it will inspire younger generations to become more conscious of their actions and consider education and career opportunities in marine sciences and conservation. The success of the Vaavoshi Festival was only possible thanks to the help and participation of many - most of all the eight schools that co-hosted the festival with us with support from the Ministry of Education. Additionally, we had support from parents, island councils, Maldives Police Service, NGOs, local businesses, individuals and volunteers, partner
15
resorts, the British High Commission in the Maldives, Bank of Maldives, and the Environmental Protection Agency of Maldives.
## **Conferences And Talks**
At ORP, we routinely organise and participate in conferences and webinars to share our research findings among the scientific and conservation communities, as well as to gain insights from other professionals. Here are some of the events we participated in in 2022:
- In March 2022 ORP joined the International Sea Turtle Symposium hosted in Perth and conducted online. The International Sea Turtle Symposium is a global gathering where sea turtle biologists, conservationists, indigenous groups, researchers, academics, and advocates, come together to share knowledge, build capacity, network and collaborate towards the protection and conservation of sea turtles.
- In May, ORP members participated in a webinar on ‘Maldivian Youth in Sea Turtle Conservation’, hosted by the Environment Protection Agency of the Maldives.
- We hosted our 2nd annual World Sea Turtle Day webinar in the Maldives titled ‘Sea Turtle Science in the Maldives’, which highlighted key milestones in turtle conservation since, and presented ongoing projects by organizations working for sea turtle research and rehabilitation.
- ORP members participated in the Fourth Maldives Marine Science Symposium, in August 2022 at the Maldives National University, Malé, and presented across a wide range of topics from nesting to socio-economic value of sea turtles to the Maldives’ tourism industry.
- From 7th-9th October, ORP participated in the New Scientist Live 2022 exhibition, a fantastic multidisciplinary festival of scientific discovery and ideas. Former ORP members who now volunteer with us in the UK, stepped in to run the ORP stall and share our research and conservation efforts with over 300 attendees.
- The 12th Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association Symposium (WIOMSA) held from 12th-15th October 2022 in South Africa. Our Kenya team presented on Photo-ID as a ‘Tool to Study Sea Turtle Populations in Kenyan Marine Protected Areas’.
- ORP’s Senior Project Scientist, Dr Stephanie Köhnk gave a presentation on the successful integration of Citizen Science in conservation, to the German Youth for Conservation (Naju) group at the Ludwig-Maximillians-University Munich.
## **Collaborations**
## **Kenya**
## **Conservation Education Society (CES)**
The Conservation Education Society believes that, through education, empowerment and collaboration, everyone, big or small, can play a role in preserving our natural world. CES was officially established in March 2019 and operates out of the Marine Education Centre in Diani, Kenya. CES regularly organises educational events which ORP participates in and contributes to, as well as provides administrative and logistical support.
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## **Diani Turtle Watch**
DTW, a turtle conservation monitoring group, surveys the beach to spot any turtle nesting activities, mortality and turtle stranding cases throughout the day. DTW collaborates with ORP by sharing photos of by-caught turtles and stranded turtles for ID purposes, enriching our database and assisting with information about the threats that affect the turtles feeding off Diani’s reef.
## **Diving The Crab**
Widely recognised as the best dive centre in both Diani and in Kenya, Diving the Crab (DTC) is one of the main sponsors of the Marine Education Centre. DTC is also very supportive of marine biodiversity related activities in Diani, including ORP’s in-water work. Since ORP first arrived in Kenya, DTC has been instrumental in providing logistical support allowing ORP to conduct in-water surveys and explore Diani’s reefs, as well as actively participating in guest education, in-water surveys, ghost nest reporting and removal, and staff training.
## **D.M. Tours**
D.M.Tours is Diani’s leading tour agency, tailoring high quality traveling experiences for the most demanding adventurers. D.M. Tours has become one of ORP’s most helpful supporters, by facilitating logistics to conduct in-water surveys during Covid-19 times, and by submitting regular sea turtle sightings along Diani Beach.
## **Bahari Hai**
Bahari Hai aim to help create and support a community conscious of the marine environment and actively involved in protecting & establishing healthy ecosystems. Our partnership aims to improve sea turtle research and conservation along the Kenyan coastline.
## **Maldives**
## **Amilla**
Our new partnership with Amilla Fushi Resort in Baa Atoll, Maldives aims to provide a central hub for data collection in Baa atoll along with community engagement. Moreover ORP plans to identify local stakeholders in Baa to extend its data collection activities on sea turtle populations in the region. Finally ORP plans to work alongside identified local stakeholders to minimise threats to sea turtles such as poaching in the region.
## **Coco Collection**
Our long standing partnership with Coco Collection Resorts continues. Our Marine Turtle Rescue Centre is located on Coco Dhuni Kolhu in Baa Atoll. We would like to thank Coco Collection for all their support and for hosting the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre, our staff, volunteers and interns.
## **Joali Being, Raa Atoll, Maldives**
2022 marks the first year of ORP’s partnership with Joali Being. It is allowing ORP to have a presence in the area through education and outreach with the local community as well as collecting data on sea turtles residing and nesting here.
## **Fairmont**
In April 2022 we embarked on a new partnership with Fairmont Resort in Shaviyani Atoll, Maldives. This partnership aims to provide a central hub for data collection in the region along with community engagement. Moreover ORP plans to identify local stakeholders in Shaviyani to extend its data collection activities on sea turtle populations in the region.
## **Maldives Underwater Initiative (MUI)**
MUI (Maldives Underwater Initiative) is a marine conservation initiative from Six Senses Laamu, Maldives, which unites the resort and its 3 NGO partners under one central banner, with the aim to consolidate shared research,
17
science communication, community education and outreach goals. The NGO’s are Olive Ridley Project, Manta Trust and Blue Marine Foundation.
## **One&Only Reethi Rah, North Malé Atoll, Maldives**
In addition to advancing research of sea turtles in North Malé Atoll, we have also opened a Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Centre at One&Only Reethi Rah for turtle patients in need of long-term rehabilitation without veterinary care. This frees up tank space at the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre to allow admittance of more injured turtles that require veterinary attention. Additionally, neighbouring resorts in a resort-dense atoll have a local point to send injured turtles. If required, ORP will arrange for injured turtles to be sent to our turtle veterinarian for further care.
## **Prodivers & Kuredu Island Resort & Spa, Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives**
We continued our partnership with Prodivers, a German dive centre operator based on Kuredu Island Resort & Spa in Maldives, to work together to advance the research of sea turtles in the Maldives and provide educational outreach to international guests and Maldivian nationals. We would like to thank Prodivers for their support.
## **Six Senses Laamu, Laamu Atoll, Maldives**
We continue our partnership with Six Senses Laamu, a resort in Laamu Atoll, Maldives, to work together to advance the research of sea turtles in Laamu Atoll and provide educational outreach to international guests and Maldivian nationals. Here we work closely with 2 other not-for-profit organisations and resort staff under the umbrella Maldives Underwater Initiative, with the ultimate goal of creating a network of locally managed marine protected areas, in consultation with the community. We would like to thank Six Senses Laamu for their support.
## **Soneva Jani, Noonu Atoll, Maldives**
Having been long-time data contributors to the ORP, we officially went into partnership in 2021. This partnership aims to expand rehabilitation efforts in the country by providing additional rehab facilities in Noonu Atoll. In addition, our team will collect data on sea turtle population health in the region that will help contribute to the national database.
## **Pakistan**
## **Indus Scuba**
Indus Scuba is a dive centre based in Karachi, Pakistan. They provide invaluable logistical and equipment support for ghost gear recovery dives in the region and also sponsored the PADI Open Water Certification of 3 ORP team members, adapting the training to Urdu no less.
## **Seychelles**
## **Six Senses Zil Pasyon**
Extending our relationship with Six Senses, we started working in the Seychelles in late 2021. The aim of this partnership is to use non-invasive research techniques to better understand sea turtle population health in the region. Additionally, we hope to work with existing sea turtle conservation groups to assist with ongoing research and conservation in the country.
## **Oman**
## **Six Senses Zighy Bay**
Extending our relationship with Six Senses, we started working in the in Oman in 2018 and due to COVID resricted ceased operations between 2020-2021. However we were able to restart our operations in January of 2022. The aim of this partnership is to use non-invasive research techniques to better understand sea turtle population health in the region. Additionally, we hope to work with existing sea turtle conservation groups to assist with ongoing research and conservation in the country.
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## **World**
## **International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF)**
IPNLF works to develop, support and promote socially and environmentally responsible pole-and-line and handline tuna fisheries around the world. Our collaboration aims to develop a large scale ghost gear recovery project in the Maldives that incentivises fishers and other stakeholders.
## **International Sea Turtle Symposium**
We regularly attend international symposiums including the ISTS. We also co-organised the sea turtle photo-ID workshop to develop standard protocols and new methods of analyses.
## **Blue Banana Lab**
We highly appreciate the one off donation in 2022 from Blue Banana Lab to help with the running of our rehabilitation centres, specifically through providing funds to help replace much needed pumps and pipes at the centre.
## **Marine Life Protectors**
We continue our long partnership with Marine Life Protectors and appreciate their continued support in our research operations in Kenya and rescue and rehabilitation efforts in the Maldives.
## **NGO Tuna Forum**
The NGO Tuna Forum brings together NGOs and other individuals and organisations that work comprehensively on global tuna sustainability issues. ORP currently sits on three working groups: Bycatch Mitigation, Data and Transparency and Well-Managed FAD Guidance. The aim of this involvement is to ensure ghost gear and ghost fishing are brought into the conversation of global tuna fisheries at the policy level. We hope our experience and expertise will help guide stakeholders to make informed decisions on the issue and ensure it remains firmly on the agenda.
## **Satlink**
Satlink, a Spanish company focused on the development of technological solutions that foster the sustainability of the fishing industry and ocean resource protection, has partnered with ORP and the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) to establish a programme for the removal and reuse of abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing nets and other fishing gear (known as ALDFG) in Noonu Atoll. This project began in 2022 and builds on lessons learnt from previous pilot projects in Gemanafushi. If successful, we hope to scale this project nationwide to address the ALDFG issue in the country.
## **Sea Turtle Rescue Alliance (STRA)**
STRA, a charity registered in England & Wales, is a Global Network for Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Centres to share clinical knowledge and data to enhance medical practices at facilities worldwide, supporting the global conservation effort for these endangered species. ORP’s Marine Turtle Rescue Centre was the first rescue facility to pilot ProVet Cloud, a patient management software adapted specifically for sea turtles.
## **Silver Goat Media**
We appreciate the support of Silver Goat Media in publishing a children's story book ‘The Adventures of Olive the Sea Turtle’ co-authored by our very own CEO, Martin Stelfox. This book educates children in a fun way of the many threats and obstacles a hatchling sea turtle faces in the world today.
## **Financial Review**
The Olive Ridley Project is committed to minimising administrative costs and increasing revenue to maximise the reach of its conservation and research programmes. To achieve our objectives, we rely on senior staff, veterinarians, researchers and project coordinators to work as consultants within the charity. Consultants are solely funded through
19
donations and grants.
During 2022 ORP has seen record financial growth, with income received during the year of £559,797, an increase of 45% on the previous year. At 31/12/2022, ORP had net assets on the balance sheet of £506,264, of which £32,167 were restricted funds.
The sustained financial growth over the past two years has enabled us to expand our charitable operations and accelerate programmes included in our longer term plans. As a result, expenditure during 2022 was £383,617, an increase of 129% on the previous year. Given our strong balance sheet position, we have committed to a range of new initiatives within our financial budget and we therefore expect this level of expenditure to increase further in 2023.
In 2022, 97% of our expenditure was spent on charitable activities undertaken to further our charitable objectives and 3% was spent on raising funds. The split of expenditure across our three core objectives was:
- Rescue and Rehabilitation – 30%
- Scientific Research – 42%
- Education & Outreach – 7%
56% of our expenditure during the year was from unrestricted funds, with 44% from restricted funds.
## **Fundraising**
ORP is currently funded entirely through donations and grants, with the vast majority of our income being from private donations generated through our adoption and rescue centre volunteering programs, and donations from our corporate partnerships. We would like to thank all our supporters and donors for their support
A strategic review of our fundraising was performed during the year, and as a result we will be securing the support of a full-time fundraiser during 2023. The aim here is to maintain the growth ambitions of the charity through the optimisation of our existing income sources and diversification into new areas of funding.
## **OceanCare**
OceanCare is a Swiss charity committed to marine wildlife protection. Since 2011 they have had a Special Consultative Status on marine issues with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. OceanCare provides funding for our lead veterinarian. We would like to thank OceanCare for their generous and continued support.
## **Commercial Partners**
In order to diversify our fundraising income, the Charity formed several new partnerships with carefully selected Commercial Partners in the financial year. In addition to our existing relationships, we partnered with:
- Bracenet - A company that specialises in converting ghost gear into bracelets - Through this collaboration a range of sea turtle specific bracelets will be developed, 2 EURO per item sold being sent to ORP.
- Turtlee Green - Thanks to Turtlee Greens popular website customers donate and generate fundraisers for ORP whilst also providing plastic free alternatives to consumers. We thank Turtlee Green for this new partnership.
We would also like to thank all our long term commercial partners for their support:
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10 International (Sea Change Wine), Excelsior Maldives Private Limited, Fourth Element, Legend Bracelets, Redhand Limited, Silver Goat Media, Turtle Sodas, All Scrubbed Up, Kind Traveller, Mimie Reed, Oevaali Art Shop,, Reolink and Saywhat Bottles, Dhiraagu.
## **Reserves Policy**
The appropriate level of financial reserves held by ORP is considered each year by the Trustees. In order to operate effectively in the event of unforeseen circumstances, the Trustees have agreed that financial reserves should be maintained to cover a minimum of 3 months of essential operating costs. Essential operating costs are defined as the costs of key personnel within the organisation (CEO, COO, Lead Scientist, Veterinary Team and Project Leads), essential medical supplies, IT costs and governance costs. This amounts to £54,000 at the end of 2022.
Given the growth in income received over the past 2 years, current funds within ORP are in excess of the minimum reserve requirements. However, with the acceleration of key initiatives and expansion plans, our total fund position is forecast to reduce to levels more aligned with our reserving policy within the next 3 years.
## **Investment Policy**
The trustees have general power of investments and have freedom to invest in assets as they see fit. The trustees aim to diversify any investments including low risk investments where capital is not put at risk and lower risk listed securities.
## **Plans & Objectives for 2023**
We have five main charitable objectives for 2023:
1. Continue to expand research projects in order to:
- Fill data gaps in sea turtle population health
- Expand our satellite tagging program to identify major foraging habitats, fisheries interactions and release success
- Assess environmental factors influencing sea turtle behaviour and nesting
- Assess green turtle feeding behaviour and diet composition
- Establish a Sea Turtle Health Database of clinical indices to track population health of sea turtles in Maldivian waters
2. Expand our ghost gear recovery and repurposing projects in the Maldives and Pakistan
- Expand our ghost gear recovery efforts in Noonu Atoll, Maldives
- Extend circular economy products into local shop owners and pop up markets in Pakistan
3. Increase collaborative projects with local groups and governments
- Finalise and sign multi stakeholder agreements to protect sea turtles on Gaadhoo in Laamu Atoll
- Finalise and sign multi stakeholder agreements to protect sea turtles in Vandhoo in Raa Atoll
- Continue to work with governments to assist in data collection and/or conservation management of sea turtles.
- Engage local groups and individuals in sea turtle conservation and research.
4. Provide the best possible care for injured sea turtles in the Indian Ocean
- Expand our clinical and rehabilitation facilities in the Maldives and in other areas in need of our expertise
- Serve as leading innovators in sea turtle medical therapy to ensure best veterinary practices are implemented at our sea turtle hospital and share these innovations and therapies with other sea turtle rescue centres internationally
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- Evolve our Visiting Veterinary Programme into a formalised training tool in sea turtle medicine with special emphasis on increasing clinical knowledge of veterinarians from developing countries.
- Establish Clinical Research Programme to investigate specific disease processes prevalent in sea turtles inhabiting the region
5. Build national and local capacity for sea turtle conservation
- Build relationships with local NGOs, universities and local groups to help protect sea turtles and their habitats.
- Increase local participation in scientific research
- Expand our online learning tools to compliment national and international learning projects.
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## **Statement of Trustee's Responsibilities**
The trustees are responsible for preparing the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable Law). The financial statements are required by law to give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the surplus or deficit of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- ● prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of the financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Approved by the trustees on 11th October 2023 and signed on their behalf by:
Amanda Costain Lee Cannan Trustee Trustee/Treasurer
23
## **REGISTERED NUMBER: 1165905**
## **THE OLIVE RIDLEY PROJECT**
**PERIOD ENDED 31[ST ] DECEMBER 2022**
**SEGRAVE & PARTNERS LLP TURNPIKE HOUSE 1208/1210 LONDON ROAD LEIGH ON SEA ESSEX SS9 2UA**
## **Statement of Financial Activities – Year ended 31[st] December 2022**
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year ending 31[st] December 2022. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
|**Notes**
**Income**
Donations and legacies
3.1
Charitable activities
3.2
Income from investments
3.3
**Expenditure**
Raising funds
5.1
Charitable activities
5.2
**Net income/(expenditure)**
**before investment gains/(losses)**
Net gains/(losses) on investments
3.3
**Net income / (expenditure)**
Transfer between funds
11
**Net movement in funds**
**Reconciliation of funds**
Fund balance brought forward
**Fund balance carried forward**|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
292,144
133,457
425,601
81,978
52,015
133,993
203
0
203
**374,325**
**185,472**
**559,797**
10,789
25
10,814
204,733
167,570
372,303
**215,522**
**167,595**
**383,117**
**158,803**
**17,877**
**176,680**
(500)
0
(500)
**158,303**
**17,877**
**176,180**
9,191
(9,191)
0
**167,494**
**8,686**
**176,180**
306,603
23,481
330,084
**474,097**
**32,167**
**506,264**
|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Total Funds**
**£**
346,896
38,791
0|
|||**385,687**|
|||1,265
166,526|
|||**167,791**|
|||**217,896**
0|
|||**217,896**|
|||0|
|||**217,896**|
|||112,188|
|||**330,084**|
The notes on pages 4 to 10 form an integral part of the financial statements.
Page 2 of 10
## **Balance Sheet – As at 31[st] December 2022**
|**Notes**
**Fixed assets**
Tangible fixed assets
7
Investments
8
**Current assets**
Debtors
9
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors – amounts falling due within one year
10
**Net current assets**
**Total net assets**
**Funds of the charity**
Restricted income funds
11
Unrestricted funds
**Total funds**|**31/12/2022**
**£**
27,917
6,500
**34,417**
13,345
512,939
**526,284**
(54,437)
**471,847**
**506,264**
32,167
474,097
**506,264**|**31/12/2021**
**£**
18,897
7,000|
|---|---|---|
|||**25,897**|
|||2,528
335,126|
|||**337,654**|
|||(33,467)|
|||**304,187**|
||||
|||**330,084**|
|||23,481
306,603|
|||**330,084**|
The notes on pages 4 to 10 form an integral part of the financial statements.
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Trustees on _____________________. 11th October 2023
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Signed: _____________________ Lee Cannan Trustee & Treasurer
Dated: _____________________ Amanda Costain Trustee
Page 3 of 10
## **Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2022**
## **1. Basis of preparation**
The Olive Ridley Project (“ORP”, “the Charity”) is on a mission to protect sea turtles and their habitats through rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research and education and outreach.
ORP is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in the United Kingdom (charity number 1165905). The address of the registered office is 91 Padiham Road, Sabden, Clitheroe, BB7 9EX.
The financial statements have been prepared in compliance with applicable United Kingdom accounting standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102, Charities SORP (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention. They are prepared in pound sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity, rounded to the nearest £1.
Accounts have been prepared on an accruals basis for the financial year ended 31 December 2022 and the prior year comparative position. Accounts for periods up to 31 December 2021 have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis.
## **2. Accounting Policies**
The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below.
## **Going Concern**
The Charity meets its day-to-day working capital requirements primarily through the cash generated from its fundraising activities. The trustees have performed a detailed review of future forecasts and projections, and have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the trustees adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
## **2.1. Income recognition**
All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (“SoFA”) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.
Income from grants is recognised when the Charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.
Legacies are included in the SoFA when receipt is probable, that is, when there has been grant of probate, the executors have established that there are sufficient assets in the estate and
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any conditions attached to the legacy are either within the control of the charity or have been met.
Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.
Donated services and facilities are included in the SOFA when received at the value of the gift to the Charity, provided the value of the gift can be measured reliably. Donated services and facilities that are consumed immediately are recognised as income with an equivalent amount recognised as an expense under the appropriate heading in the SOFA. In accordance with the SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised as income.
Investment gains and losses include both realised and unrealised gains and losses resulting from the sale or revaluation of investments at market value at the end of the year.
## **2.2. Expenditure recognition**
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Raising funds expenditure comprises costs directly associated with fundraising activities. Charitable expenditure comprises costs directly attributable to the delivery of ORP charitable objectives. Other support costs comprise indirectly attributable overhead costs incurred to support the delivery of the Charity’s objectives.
## **2.3. Assets held on the balance sheet**
Tangible fixed assets costing more than £1,000 are stated at cost or valuation less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses.
Depreciation is applied to all tangible fixed assets. Depreciation rates are calculated to write down the cost or valuation, less estimated residual value, on a straight-line basis over the expected useful lifetime of each asset. Depreciation rates used are disclosed in note 7 of the notes to the financial statements.
Fixed asset investments in quoted shares, traded bonds and similar investments are valued initially at cost and subsequently at fair value (their market value) at the reporting date.
Debtors and creditors are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount after any trade discounts or amount advanced by the charity. Subsequently, they are measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be received.
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Unrestricted funds are funds which are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the core objectives of the charity, and which have not been restricted to other purposes.
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. A breakdown of the restricted funds is provided in note 11.
## **2.4. Judgements and estimates**
In the application of the Charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision only affects that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
## **3. Analysis of income**
## **3.1. Income from donations, legacies and grants**
|Individual donations
Corporate partner donations
Resort partners donations
Gift aid
Legacies
Grants (non-government)
Donated services & facilities|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
186,063
11,506
197,569
32,013
0
32,013
34,335
0
34,335
2,733
0
2,733
37,000
0
37,000
0
27,458
27,458
0
94,493
94,493
**292,144**
**133,457**
**425,601**
|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
240,517
35,973
276,490
12,778
0
12,778
10,133
0
10,133
1,949
0
1,949
0
0
0
0
1,058
1,058
0
44,488
44,488|
|||**265,377**
**81,519**
**346,896**|
ORP receives an annual grant from OceanCare to support the funding of specialist veterinary services within the charity.
Further details on donated services and facilities are provided in note 4.
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## **3.2. Income from charitable activities**
|Resort partner income
Rescue centre volunteers
Ghost gear product sales|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
0
51,355
51,355
81,978
0
81,978
0
660
660
**81,978**
**52,015**
**133,993**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
0
421
421
35,706
0
35,706
0
2,664
2,664|
|||**35,706**
**3,085**
**38,791**|
ORP receives restricted donations from several partner resorts to support the provision of on-site marine biologists and general project management costs.
ORP operates a volunteer scheme at our rescue centre within the Maldives. The donations associated with this scheme contribute to unrestricted income to support all charitable objectives.
## **3.3. Income from investments**
|Interest income
Unrealised gains / (losses)|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
203
0
203
(500)
0
(500)
**(297)**
**0**
**(297)**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
0
0
0
0
0
0|
|||**0**
**0**
**0**|
## **4. Donated goods, services and facilities**
|Biologist fees paid directly
Accommodation & Board
Transportation|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
0
46,978
46,978
0
30,711
30,711
0
16,804
16,804
**0**
**94,493**
**94,493**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
0
17,958
17,958
0
17,071
17,071
0
9,459
9,459|
|||**0**
**44,488**
**44,488**|
In carrying out its charitable activities, ORP maintains partnerships with selected resorts across Maldives, Oman and the Seychelles. As part of these contractual partnerships, ORP provides on-site marine biologists and also veterinary services and volunteers to run the turtle rescue centre. In return, partner resorts provide accommodation, board and transfer flights to ORP representatives. Within some resorts, marine biologist fees are paid directly by the resort partner.
The value of accommodation and board for ORP representatives is estimated based on the wholesale cost incurred by the partner resorts. The value of transfer flights is approximated based on the average flight costs over the financial period.
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## **5. Analysis of expenditure**
## **5.1. Costs of Generating Funds**
|Fundraising agents
Advertising and marketing
Incurred seeking donations|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
9,875
0
9,875
55
25
80
859
0
859
**10,789**
**25**
**10,814**|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
0
0
0
1,265
0
1,265
0
0
0|
|||**1,265**
**0**
**1,265**|
## **5.2. Expenditure on charitable activities**
|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
Wages & consultant fees:
**£**
**£**
**£**
Rescue and rehabilitation
19,787
16,663
**36,450**
Scientific research
28,451
48,513
**76,964**
Education and outreach
19,720
0
**19,720**
Charity operations
57,192
0
**57,192**
Equipment & medical supplies
44,382
5,140
**49,522**
Other charitable activity
expenditure
27,807
2,372
**30,179**
Donated services & facilities
0
94,493
**94,493**
Support costs
7,394
389
**7,783**
**204,733**
**167,570**
**372,303**
|**2021**|
|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
12,890
12,756
**25,646**
5,431
15,701
**21,132**
9,870
0
**9,870**
27,883
184
**28,067**
6,726
16,578
**23,304**
7,140
2,601
**9,741**
0
44,488
**44,488**
3,647
631
**4,278**|
||**73,587**
**92,939**
**166,526**|
## **5.3. Analysis of support costs**
|Bank charges
Printing, postage &
stationery
Independent examination
Insurance|**2022**
**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
2,530
0
**2,530**
2,613
389
**3,002**
500
0
**500**
1,751
0
**1,751**
**7,394**
**389**
**7,783**
|**2021**|
|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**
**Funds**
**Restricted**
**Funds**
**Total Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
1,614
0
**1,614**
58
631
**689**
400
0
**400**
1,575
0
**1,575**|
|||**3,647**
**631**
**4,278**|
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## **6. Employees & Trustees**
## **6.1. Employees**
The average monthly number of full-time equivalent persons employed by the charity during the year was 1 (2021: 1).
|Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs|**2022**
**£**
32,917
0
800
**33,717**|**2021**
**£**
23,703
0
0|
|---|---|---|
|||**23,703**|
## **6.2. Trustees**
No trustees received any remuneration or expenses from the Charity during the financial year (2021: £nil).
## **7. Tangible fixed assets**
|**angible fixed assets**||
|---|---|
||**Rescue Centre**|
||**Equipment**|
||**£**|
|**Cost:**||
|Fixed assets cost at the beginning of the year|32,428|
|Additions|14,134|
|Fixed assets cost at the end of theyear|**46,562**|
|**Depreciation:**||
|Depreciation at the beginning of the year|13,531|
|Depreciation|5,114|
|Depreciation at the end of theyear|**18,645**|
|**Net Book Value:**||
|Net book value at the beginningof theyear|**18,897**|
|Net book value at the end of theyear|**27,917**|
Veterinary equipment at our rescue centre within the Maldives is assumed to depreciate on a straight-line basis at 10% per year, reflecting the average useful life of the equipment.
## **8. Investment assets**
||**Listed**|
|---|---|
||**Investments**|
||**£**|
|Carrying value at the beginning of the year|7,000|
|Netgain/ (loss)on revaluation|(500)|
|Carryingvalue at the end of theyear|**6,500**|
The investments held by ORP are all in listed securities, and are valued at market value at the reporting date.
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## **9. Debtors**
Partner resort donations - debtors
|**2022**
**£**
13,345
**13,345**|**2021**
**£**
2,528|
|---|---|
||**2,528**|
## **10. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
|**editors: amounts falling due within one year**||
|---|---|
|Partner resort donations – creditors
Volunteer advance deposits
Other creditors|**2022**
**2021**
**£**
**£**
21,634
7,858
32,185
25,209
618
400|
||**54,437**
**33,467**|
## **11. Restricted funds**
|Rescue centre
Partner resorts
Kenya project
OceanCare grant
Expedition funding
Satellite tagging
Pakistan circular economy
Turtle festival funding|**Balance at**
**31/12/2021**
**Income**
**Expenditure**
**Transfer to**
**Unrestricted**
**Balance at**
**31/12/2022**|
|---|---|
||**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
2,574
526
(3,100)
0
0
6,871
150,475
(141,332)
(392)
15,622
0
5,373
(5,231)
0
142
8,799
12,168
(12,168)
(8,799)
0
3,901
10,290
(1,657)
0
12,534
0
1,980
(1,980)
0
0
278
660
(786)
0
152
1,058
4,000
(1,341)
0
3,717|
||**23,481**
**185,472**
**(167,595)**
**(9,191)**
**32,167**|
The transfer of funds for the OceanCare grant from restricted to unrestricted relates to a correction to earlier accounting periods. The grant is received on an annual basis, and all costs are incurred within the same annual period.
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## **THE OLIVE RIDLEY PROJECT**
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS PERIOD ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2022**
Independent examiners report to the trustees of The Olive Ridley Project in respect of the year ended 31[st] December 2022.
This is a report in respect of an examination carried out on the financial statements set out on pages one and two under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with the directions given by the Charity Commissioners under sub-section 5(b) of that section.
## **Responsibilities of trustees and independent examiners**
As described in the annual report, the charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. It is our responsibility to carry out procedures designed to enable us to report our opinion.
It is our responsibility to:
- 1) examine account under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011
- 2) follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011
- 3) state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of opinion**
Our examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a "true and fair view" and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Opinion**
No matter has come to our attention in connection with our examination which gives us reasonable cause not to believe that in any material respect:
- 1) proper accounting records have been kept in accordance with Section 137 of the Charities Act 2011, and;
- 2) the financial statements accord with those records.
Segrave & Partners LLP Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditor Turnpike House 1208/1210 London Road Leigh on Sea Essex SS9 2UA
Date: 19th July 2023
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