## Friends of Gedling Country Park
## **Chair's Report for 2023 AGM**
## **May 2023**
To all our members and supporters, I should like to thank you on behalf of the trustees for your continuing support over the past year. They have not been the best for activities, but we have persevered and have, we hope, achieved some good successes in leaving behind troubled times.
We have continued moving the AGM to what we hope is a more suitable time of the year and would hope that members can take advantage of the light evenings to enjoy the park before or after the AGM.
This report is briefer than I would have hoped but its still reflects our determination to support Gedling Country Park through the activities of the Friends.
2022 and the start of 2023 has seen us finally start to move out of the shadow of COVID and that coupled with last years high temperatures has had lasting effect on the park. We have suffered from loss of volunteer help during COVID and the lagoons in the park suffered, in some cases badly, from lack of water and damage to the base layers.
We have still maintained contact with Gedling Council staff and have had regular meetings with them to help with suggestions as to what work could be done and to offer advice and support.
The work carried out by the Rangers, Rob and Michael has been successful, with our help, in maintaining the Park environment during this troubled year and without their efforts, especially during the summer we would have lost a substantial number of trees.
Thanks must also go to those volunteers who have helped not only on Sundays but also helped the rangers during the week. Without their help the park would be in a sorry state.
We are planning, with the full support and in partnership with Gedling Borough Council, to hold, what we hope will become a regular Event, on the 2[nd] of August. This will highlight environmental groups and also local groups who are, like ourselves actively looking for volunteers. If you are aware of any groups who might be interested please contact me at:
## **FGCPCHAIR@GMAIL.COM**
The event will focus on environmental issues and concerns of which everyone is aware, the impact of Global warming and how we can all help, in any small way, to tackle the problems.
Our thanks go to all those groups who have supported us over the last year and I want to personally thank Mapperley Rotary who have helped us in providing the funding to purchase the trees in the area between the two car-parks.
We are also carrying out a major fundraising initiative in the coming weeks and my fellow trustee , Tony Keyworth, will explain more about that at the AGM.
## Friends of Gedling Country Park
A further thanks go to Carlton Rotary club who produced post cards using photographs supplied by Phillip Orme. Philip’s regular photos have helped keep the Park alive in people’s minds even when they have not been able to get there in person. Then in turn they have inspired many others to post photographs on the Facebook page
However, we are seeing signs of a new growth in interest in supporting us, our Sunday sessions have shown a slight increase in numbers, we have had one very successful corporate volunteers day with 2 more already lined up. So if you know of any company that would like to support us in this way please ask them to get in touch.
In the last year we introduced a new longer term membership offer and we have seen a good take up of this.
The completion of Gedling access road has finally provided improved access and so more people are aware of the park, indeed we have spoken to people who travel here from outside Nottinghamshire to enjoy the views and scenery available.
To those members who have stayed loyally with us I offer my thanks and appreciation for your support. Please continue and encourage friends to join us.
My personal thanks go out to my fellow trustees who have put up with my emails and calls over the last year. We only managed to start normal monthly meetings in the Autumn. The Treasurer's Report contains details of those individuals, groups and companies who have supported us financially over the last year and I add my thanks for their support.
I do have an appeal to our members, who may be interested, for new trustees. This year we have 2 new members come forward to stand as trustees and the help is greatly appreciated. But we still need others, so if anyone is interested can they please email me on
## **FGCPCHAIR@GMAIL.COM**
Finally, a mention of thanks to the Gedling Lottery which through the purchase of tickets by users and by nominating us has helped by raising funds on a regular basis.
So, let’s look forward to 2023/4 and see how the park continues to develop
In the meantime:
Take Care, Stay Well and Stay Safe.
Terry Lock, Chairman, Friends of Gedling Country Park
May 24[th] 2023
FGCP Treasurer's Report Dec22 FINAL.docx
## Treasurer’s Report – December 2022
The Friends of Gedling Country Park was formed on 29[th] September 2014 and this report is for our eighth financial year for the period from 1[st] January 2022 to 31[st] December 2022. We are a UK registered charity number: 1167205.
## Key Events
The overall financial position of the charity remains healthy and membership income and donations have held up well. Thanks, must therefore be given to every member who has paid their fee this year and to every other person or organisation who has donated to us.
Each member who joins us or renews their membership has the option to confirm that they are a UK taxpayer, which enables us to claim gift aid on their membership fee. Many members have chosen to do so, and we hope that this continues and would encourage all others to do the same if they can please.
Commencing from October 2022, we introduced a new five year membership, which saves 20% compared to annual membership (costing just £20 per individual or £40 per family for up to two adults plus children under 16). This represents great value compared to the annual individual and family memberships of £5 and £10 respectively. Since then, almost half of new members and renewals have chosen the 5 year membership option. This has the obvious benefit of providing a greater immediate income, but we also should recognise that this income must be spent wisely over multiple years to ensure that we cover our ongoing overheads.
The Gedling Borough Council run ‘Gedling Lotto’ (https://www.gedlinglotto.co.uk/), continues to raise money for good causes, including for the Friends of Gedling Country Park and many other local community groups and charities. Those who play the Gedling Lotto can choose their good cause and a big thank you goes out to those who have chosen us. In 2022, we received donations totalling £788 which is a valuable contribution to our charity.
The new Gedling Access Road (GAR) runs parallel to the park and opened in 2022. We worked closely with Via East Midlands who managed the project, and with Balfour Beatty, the principal contractor, to ensure that the impact on the park was minimised and careful thought was given to the landscaping of the borders between the two. Via East Midlands also provided us with a £568 donation to contribute towards us improving the two lagoons closest to the GAR, including to create a nesting island surrounded by a deep channel to keep predators away. Balfour Beatty generously donated the land drain piping and stone we needed.
Councillor Pat Bosworth of Gedling Borough Council provided us with a donation of £450 to help us purchase additional beehives for the park.
The Neighbourly Fund kindly awarded us a donation of £400 to help us improve the wildlife scrapes in the park, one of which is shown in this photo:
The Rotary Club of Mapperley and Arnold funded the planting of three Sorbus acuparia ‘Sheerwater Seedling’ - trees within the park (£375) to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Please see https://www.rotary mapperleyarnold.org.uk/ for a list of their activities and the good causes they support.
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FGCP Treasurer's Report Dec22 FINAL.docx
Netherfield and District WI donated £100 to plant additional trees in the WI area of the park,
also to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Their Facebook page provides a useful update on their many worthy activities: https://www.facebook.com/NETHERFIELDWI/
A donation was kindly provided by Carlton Rotary Club of £313 from the sale of their Christmas cards. Please see https://carltonrotary.co.uk/ for a list of their activities and the good causes they support.
Here is the complete list of organisations who have generously supported the Group this year (in alphabetical order):
- Amazon Smile
- Balfour Beatty
- Carlton Rotary Club
- Gedling Borough Council
- Gedling Lotto
- Neighbourly Fund
- Netherfield and District WI
- Nottingham City Council Catering Services (who operates Cafe 1899 in the park and offers a 10% discount for all FGCP members)
- Nottinghamshire Country Link Club
- The Rotary Club of Mapperley and Arnold
- Via East Midlands
## Income Received
The income received for the period from January 2022 to December 2022 was as follows:
|**Category**|**Amount**|**Description**|
|---|---|---|
|**Donations**|£3,055|Donations from the various organisations listed above.|
|**Membership Fees**|£760|Membership fees taken for individual and family memberships
(£280 of 5year memberships and £480 of annual).|
|**Honey Sales**|£54|Sale of honey produced in GedlingCountryPark.|
|**Fund Raising Events**|£36|Raffle income from 2022 AGM.|
|**TOTAL**|**£3,905**||
## Expenditure
For the same period, expenditure was as follows:
||**Amount**|**Description**|
|---|---|---|
|**Grounds**
**Maintenance/Development**|£3,082|Implementation of lagoon sand martin nests and nesting rafts.
Provision of digger services to create ‘scrapes’ within the park for
wildlife enhancement and to protect the lagoon nesting island.
Installation of a woodland seat and arches for hornbeam trees in
the Miner’s Memorial Garden. Raising of the outlet weir for the
central lagoon.|
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FGCP Treasurer's Report Dec22 FINAL.docx
|**Plants/Trees/Seeds**|£710|Purchase of trees for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and purchase of
various shrubs and wildflower seeds.|
|---|---|---|
|**Insurance**|£440|Provision of public liability and volunteer personal accident
insurance (also providing trustee, finance, libel and slander
protection).|
|**Honey Making Costs**|£273|Purchase of additional beehives and frames.|
|**Marketing,**
**Communications and Web**|£243|Printing of wildlife walk and survey forms, web site hosting, new
membership cards, stamps, and printing costs for membership
forms. Annual membershipto the Greenwood Forum.|
|**Finance Charges**|£135|Bank service charges from Unity Bank, transaction fees from PayPal
and Information Commissioner's Office Data Protection Registration
Annual Fee.|
|**Equipment**|£63|Purchase of buckets and hand trowels for volunteer sessions.|
|**Fund Raising Costs**|£43|Volunteer session drinks.|
|**TOTAL**|**£4,989**||
## Bank Reconciliation
The opening balance as of 1[st] January 2022 was £4,149.91 (comprising of £3,610.17 held at Unity bank, £374.74 held with PayPal, £135.00 income not yet cleared at the bank, and £30.00 of cash holdings).
Total income for 2021 was £3,905.54 and total expenditure was £4,988.98.
The closing balance as of 31[st] December 2021 was £3,066.47 (comprising of £2,109.02 held at Unity bank, £685.85 held with PayPal, £271.60 income not yet cleared at the bank, and no cash holdings).
**Nick Benedek, Treasurer, Friends of Gedling Country Park 31[st] December 2022**
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