ANDOVER TREES UNITED
Registered Charity Number 1167574
Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2022
Principal address
Westcott Old Salisbury Road Abbotts Ann Andover SP11 7NH
Trustees
John Baxter Wendy L Davis Daniel J Lobb Susan Risdale appointed 11 September 2021 Tim Rolt Elizabeth B Scrace (Treasurer)
Structure, governance and management
Andover Trees United became a registered charity on 9 June 2016. The charity is governed by its constitution dated 31 May 2016.
Trustee selection methods
Potential trustees are interviewed by the board of trustees. All trustees are appointed at the Annual General Meeting and serve for a period of up to one year. The board may co-opt people to serve as trustees until the next AGM.
Risk Management
The trustees are responsible for identifying and managing risks to the charity. The trustees consider that they have complied with the Charity Commission’s guidance on managing risk. When appropriate, systems or procedures are established to mitigate risks faced by the charity. Where risk cannot be eliminated the charity purchases insurance cover.
Public benefit
The trustees confirm that they have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission.
Objectives and activities
The charity’s constitution sets out the objectives as:
-
The conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment for the public benefit by the establishment and maintenance of woodland in Andover.
-
The advancement of education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment in Andover and the Test Valley area including by promoting the woodland as a means for the community to learn about wider environmental issues such as: sustainability, climate change, ecology and the mitigating need for trees.
The main activities during the year April 2021 – March 2022 were as follows:
-
The main timber frame and roof for the woodland classroom and community space have been constructed, a process overseen by the Carpenters’ Fellowship involving over 100 traditional timber framers and volunteers. For a variety of reasons, the building could not be completed during 2021-22 but work is planned to restart in June 2022. Although the final phase will not be finished until 2023, it is expected to be weathertight and usable by the end of this year.
-
Winter tree planting saw over 1500 trees planted as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project. More than 1000 were planted by 1200 children from 27 schools in Andover and the surrounding villages, supported by 100s of local residents and schools’ staff. The ambition for 10000 children to plant 10000 trees over a decade was realised, culminating in March in a special planting of 30 oak and ash trees with representatives of almost all participating school in the presence of the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.
-
Hundreds of wildflower plants were raised from seed and planted in the wood. A ‘Habitats Trail’ including an extension to the wildlife pond and a ‘chalk scrape’ area for native wildflowers was constructed. A drainage system was installed from the Cabin to the ponds which, once connected to guttering, will see all rainwater that falls on the roof carried to the ponds.
-
The management team maintained the programme to broaden availability of volunteering opportunities to work in the natural environment, by delivering weekly workdays at Harmony Woods and the Vigo Rd allotment, as well as monthly weekend workdays.
-
Volunteer opportunities were further broadened to include regular ‘Nature in Harmony’ sessions, an extensive citizen science programme, devised by Ecology Intern Alex Marshall.
-
Continuing the ‘6 Trees & 6 Flowers’ partnership with five local schools to develop an environmental education programme, funding to undertake field study trips to Harmony Woods to investigate what lives in Harmony Woods was granted by Dr Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots programme.
-
The charity continued to develop the intern ecologist role, supporting Alex in a successful application to People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) for a funded internship that investigated the effects of climate change on the at-risk Small Heath butterfly. In addition, Alex secured funding to run the citizen science ‘Nature in Harmony’ and ‘Habitats Trail’ projects. Funding was also secured to continue the ecology internship programme, allowing a new intern to take over April 2022- March 2023.
-
In addition to the internship, the charity has supported young people to develop their skills and interests in the natural world by offering work experience to Sparsholt students, providing weekly volunteering opportunities to Harrow Way students and by delivering dedicated sessions to local guiding and scouting groups.
-
The newly established Nature in Harmony Exchange programme for young people 14-17 years continued into its 2[nd] year and the link with the Corcovado Foundation in Costa Rica has been maintained. As the founding students continued into their 2[nd] year, they were joined by a new ‘year 1’ cohort.
-
Artistic collaborations were developed with: CAS (UnderEarth); storyteller Amanda Kane-Smith (Test Valley Tales); place-based artist James Aldridge, sound artist Justin Wiggan and musician Paul Sartin (Voices in Harmony and Living by the Ash Tree Waters); and London-based world music educators Musiko Musika.
Achievements and performance
-
During 2021-22 the charity continued to pursue its objective of establishing a woodland in Andover with the planting of young trees, the construction of a second wildlife pond and a new area for native chalk-loving wildflowers. The school planting programme returned in full after the Covid19 restrictions, over an extended period to cater for increased numbers of children taking part.
-
Further opportunities for education in the natural environment continued with the five partnership schools as part of the 4-year 6 Trees and 6 Flowers pilot programme. These included field study trips
to Harmony Woods, propagating wild flowers from seed and 2 artist-led programmes which commenced in March and will continue across the summer months: ‘Living by the Ash Tree Waters’ and ‘Voices in Harmony’. As these projects develop, they will be extended into the wider community.
-
The town centre allotment lease continued where, on a regular basis, volunteers are able to propagate wildflowers and nurture saplings for later transfer to the woodland.
-
Negotiations with Hampshire County Council for the change from a licence agreement for Harmony Woods to a lease to manage the whole of the Diamond Wood continued to progress.
-
Work started on the woodland classroom and community space with the timber structure completed during the summer and roofing in early winter of 2021. Unforeseen circumstances meant that the building could not be completed (but phase 2 work will restart in June 2022 for completion by November 2022).
-
The development of strong relationships with local businesses continued, in particular volunteering and funding from Abel & Cole, the Coop, Waitrose, Ocado, SimplyHealth, Stannah, Virgin Media, Wessex Woodland and Middleton Estate.
-
The strong community-led management team continued to work well.
-
Funding was secured (Nov. 2021) from The National Lottery (TNL) Reaching Communities Programme to help realise the first 5 years of the ‘Branching Out’ strategy (devised by public consultation 202021).
-
At the end of the financial year (Feb/ March), thanks to TNL funding, one full-time and one temporary part-time employee were engaged together with a part-time administrator to assist with the development of the charity and the delivery of the Branching Out strategy and programme of community engagement events.
Financial review
The incoming resources in 2021-22 amounted to £147625 (2020-21 £47978) and total resources expended amounted to £89906 (2020-21 £9560) leading to a surplus for the year of £57719 (2020-21 surplus £38417). The charity maintains one Unrestricted General Fund and six Unrestricted Designated Funds, and at 31 March 2022 twenty Restricted Funds. The total funds balance was £114192 of which the balance of Restricted Funds at 31 March 2022 was £104572. No funds were in deficit at 31 March 2022 and sufficient funds are held to enable each fund to be applied in accordance with any restrictions.
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on 5 September 2022 on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Wendy Davis Trustee
Andover Trees United
Charity No 1167574
Receipts and Payments Account For the year ended 31 March 2022
| 2022 Unrestricted Restricted Total Income Local Authority grants 44000 44000 Grants and donations 300 50300 50600 Fundraising 4770 25505 30275 Other income 22750 22750 Interest income 0 0 5070 142555 147625 Expenditure Trees planting and site maintenance 280 3063 3343 Transport 0 2721 2721 Equipment 1024 1814 2838 Equipment hire 0 1042 1042 Events 0 3300 3300 Staff and Intern 1120 6079 7199 Volunteer costs 559 1702 2261 Insurance 1387 0 1387 Administration & publicity 1034 0 1034 Study Centre 0 56657 56657 Allotment, Jonathans Wood 72 0 72 Environmental Studies 0 7008 7008 Youth Work 0 611 611 Fundraising costs 433 0 433 5910 83996 89906 Excess of income over expenditure -840 58559 57719 Transfer between funds -73 73 Balance at 1 April 2021 10533 45940 56473 Balance at 31 March 2022 9620 104572 114192 Cash at bank 9565 104572 114137 Cash in hand 55 0 55 9620 104572 114192 |
2021 Total 8684 18828 20300 166 0 47978 2637 1032 1116 90 0 2018 331 782 811 0 78 213 391 61 9560 38418 18055 56473 56423 50 56473 |
|---|---|
The receipts and payments account was approved by the Board of Trustees on 5 September 2022 and was signed on its behalf by:
Elizabeth Scrace Treasurer
Wendy Davis Trustee
Independent Examiner’s Report
I report to the trustees of Andover Trees United (charity No 1167574) on my examination of the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022 set out on page 1.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
-
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
-
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in the report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed Date 6 September 2022
Andrew Dance
Damhsa, Church Lane, Goodworth Clatford, Andover SP11 7HL