2021-12-31-accounts - Friends Of Wanstead Parklands

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Friends of Wanstead Parklands

Trustees’ Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2021

The Trustees of Friends of Wanstead Parklands present their Report and Accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2021. Friends of Wanstead Parklands registered as a CIO on 6[th] June 2016.

Charity details

Registered charity number: 1167459

Trustees:

The trustees who manage Friends of Wanstead Parklands are as follows:

Trustee	Office	First Appointed	Last Re- appointed	Resigned
Simon Skelding	Treasurer	29-Mar-17	07-Apr-22
Gill James	Secretary	29-Mar-17	07-Apr-22
Peter Brimson		29-Mar-17	07-Apr-22
John Sharpe	Chair	29-Mar-17	07-Apr-22
Ali Bajwa		10-Jun-21	07-Apr-22
Adrian Russell		10-Jun-21	07-Apr-22
Jo Fensome		29-Mar-17		10-Jun-21

The charity is governed by a constitution adopted on 6 June 2016.

Trustees are appointed or reappointed annually at the annual general meeting held in March.

Objects of the charity:

To promote the use of Wanstead Park for the benefit of the inhabitants of the London Boroughs of Redbridge, Newham and Waltham Forest, their surrounding areas and the wider public at large;
To provide or assist in the provision of facilities or opportunities for recreation and other leisure time occupation for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving their conditions of life, in particular but not exclusively by the preservation, promotion, support, assistance and improvement of Wanstead Parklands;
To promote for the benefit of the general public the conservation and improvement of the physical and natural environment of Wanstead Parklands, especially its features of historic, architectural and wildlife interest;
To advance public education in the character, archaeology and history of Wanstead Parklands.

Achievements and performance

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects, and the key achievements of the charity, during the year:

Campaigning

During 2021 the Friends of Wanstead Parklands continued to campaign for investment in the restoration and management of Wanstead Parklands, and continues to work constructively both with the City of London Corporation (“CofL”), which manages most of the land that makes up the Wanstead Parklands, and with Epping Forest (“EF”).

In the absence of major capital sums being available from the CofL, the funding of the Parkland Plan has had to be revisited. From the Friends’ perspective, it has necessitated a more cohesive approach in joint fund-raising with EF management in order to get work done. During the year we have presented the case for additional Wanstead Park funding to the EF Commons Committee, and we routinely challenge the EF Consultative Committee in the cause of increased Open Space funding.

Our liaison with the Heritage of London Trust (HoLT) has resulted in work commencing on stabilising the Grotto Landing stage, and there is hope that this might prove the catalyst for extended restoration on this iconic site.

The Friends of Wanstead Parklands also continues to offer support to the campaign for play equipment in Wanstead park, and have committed to support the woodland play area on which development has begun in 2022, and have donated a sum of £2,000 in 2022.

Events run

The Friends of Wanstead Parklands typically run many successful events in Wanstead Park during the course of a year, including park walks and talks, and quiz events, all with the aim of raising awareness of Wanstead Parklands’ unique heritage, and offering an opportunity to enjoy the natural aspect of the park. Ability to run these events was still restricted through most of 2021, due to the covid pandemic, however the Friends were delighted that the successful annual fundraising quiz event could return in November 2021.

The Friends continued to hold the very successful litter pick events which began in 2020 and became a monthly event in 2021, which have generated significant interest and enabled community participation in the maintenance of Wanstead Parklands to continue through the pandemic and beyond.

All of these events attract a significant number of adults and children into Wanstead Park.

Promotion of the Park

Through a quarterly newsletter, website and social media (with over 2,600 members in a Facebook group and over 2,000 followers on Twitter), the Friends provided information to members, and the wider public, on key developments regarding maintenance works in the park, including the signage project mentioned above, management of invasive pennywort, repair works to the lakes, the reintroduction of grazing cattle to Wanstead Park, and recent proposals to open up cycle routes through the park.

Other projects

The Friends have taken a long-term interest in signage in Wanstead Park, and one project finally came to fruition. The Friends raised funding for a number of directional fingerposts in oak, as well as contributing to the cost of new Epping Forest entrance signs – this project has completed and the signs have been installed in 2021.

The Friends continues to consult with members on ideas for projects that could be covered by small grants and existing funds. Any such ideas are discussed with the CofL with the aim of making further improvements to the park whilst we campaign for more significant funds for bigger projects.

Financial Review

Reserves:

The charity held cash at bank at December 2021 of £21,400 ( 31 December 2020: £14,800 ), of which £12,900 ( 31 December 2020: £10,300 ) is unrestricted funds, after taking into account £4,100 payable to CofL (in respect of the signage project mentioned above). These funds are held in order to meet any unexpected expenditure that may occur. The charity aims to hold at least £7,000 and no more than £15,000 of reserves at the year end; reserves can be used to fund park projects of value up to £5,000.

Overview of financial performance:

Income for the full year 2021 was £3,437 ( 2020: £608 ), with 51% ( 2020: 89% ) coming from membership subscriptions, which increased significantly in 2021, partly driven by an increase in membership fees. The remaining income comes from donations and merchandise sales, and from the quiz night event mentioned above, which the Friends were able to stage following the lifting of pandemic restrictions (no events were possible in 2020).

The main ongoing costs are insurance costs and the costs of running the website, and there was a further investment in litter picking equipment made during the year.

After these costs, the Friends had a net income of £2,479 in 2021 (2020: net expenditure of £85).

Statement of receipts and payments for the year:

Statement of assets and liabilities:

31 December 2021	31 December 2020	31 December 2019
GBP	GBP	GBP
17,010 10,330 10,416 4,425 4,425 4,425 74 74 74 724 824 824
22,233 15,653 15,739 -4,100 0 0
18,133 15,654 15,739

De¢l•rntion The Trustees de¢lare that they approved the Trustees. Rel ate. Signed on behalf of the chariws Trustees.. John Sharpe Chair 24 Ortober 2022