Charity Registration Number: 1168059
BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE AND REHABILITATION CENTRE
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT
– FOR THE PERIOD JULY 2020 DECEMBER 2020
(amended financial period to enable new full year to run January to December going forward)
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS
Charity name: Blue Acre Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (referred to as Blue Acre in this document) Charity registration number: 1168059 Charity location address: Ham Island, Ham Lane, Old Windsor, Berkshire SL4 2JT Charity business address: 45 Albany Park, Colnbrook, Slough Berkshire SL3 0JU
Trustees
Caron North Appointed January 2016 Bob Regan Appointed January 2016 Veanne Filkins Appointed November 2016
Fundraising Manager: Sue Turner Appointed April 2017 Treasurers: Sue Turner Appointed January 2017 Veanne Filkins Appointed January 2017
TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE PERIOD JULY 2020 – DECEMBER 2020
NOTE: this is a shortened financial period to facilitate a new financial year of January to December going forward.
The trustees have prepared and present their report and accounts for the period of July 2020 – December 2020.
Objectives
The charity’s objectives, as set out on the Charities Commission website are:
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To rescue abused, abandoned or neglected horses, administering care and medical treatment. and work towards their rehabilitation and (where appropriate), re homing.
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For the benefit of the public, to relieve the suffering of animals in need of care and attention through abuse, neglect or abandonment.
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To provide and maintain suitable facilities for the reception, care and treatment of such animals.
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To promote humane behaviour towards animals by providing appropriate care, protection, treatment and security for animals which need care and attention through reasons of sickness, maltreatment, poor circumstances or ill usage.
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To educate the public and raise awareness in matters pertaining to animal welfare in general and the prevention of cruelty and suffering among animals through abuse, wilful negligence or simply lack of knowledge.
To fulfil these objectives Blue Acre operates on a 42 acre site, accommodating and caring for elderly; abused, neglected and abandoned animals, mainly horses and ponies. We operate with a small team of volunteers none of whom are paid.
Overview
Blue Acre has existed as a horse rescue operation since 2002 but has had Registered Charity status since April 2016. The charity rescues mistreated, neglected or abandoned animals to the extent they can be cared for responsibly on the land we have available. We are usually alerted to potential cases by the general public and follow all legal guidelines under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 with regard to recovering animals and often work with the RSPCA and Police services regarding potential rescues.
Our ultimate aim is to rehabilitate rescues through step by step training and we assess each animal’s situation over many months before trying to find them loving, permanent homes wherever possible given the potential or limitations of each one. The majority of rehoming requests we receive are for ready made riding horses. Because we don’t accept horses that are simply unwanted or those that haven’t met the requirements of their owners, the majority of our rescues are difficult to rehome for riding purposes due to age, long term physical issues (which often require ongoing medication) or unpredictable behaviour due to past trauma. In such cases, the charity will provide permanent care and sanctuary for them at the Rescue enhancing their quality of life to its maximum potential until the end of their natural life. Should there come a time when this quality of life deteriorates then a decision to have the horse humanely euthanised is taken.
REHOMING PROCESS
Every horse we rescue is given a wellness check by our vet and, after a period of quarantine and once they have settled into life with our herd, we start a programme of working to earn their trust and bring them to a point where they can be caught in the field; safely led; groomed and have their feet picked up willingly as a minimum. At this point we start to assess their suitability for riding, assuming they have no age or physically inhibiting ailments e.g. arthritis, spinal issues, preventing this. It is during this process we might identify mental or neurological issues, often caused by previous trauma, which renders them as unsuitable or unsafe ridden prospects and therefore limits their rehoming potential. In this case we evaluate their suitability as companion only horses which quite understandably makes them an expensive “pet”, particularly if they require long term medication.
Potential owners are invited to the farm to meet potentially suitable horses and are invited to handle and groom the animal or to ride if applicable. Following this a visit to the potential home is made to assess suitability of the new home and it’s facilities. If successful and all parties are in agreement a rehoming contract is signed detailing the purpose and any limitations on the use for each horse or pony. This document also states that the animal remains the property of our charity and cannot be sold under any circumstances, and if the current agreement can no longer be maintained, the horse is returned to Blue Acre Horse Rescue.
(see paragraph below – COVID 19 IMPACT)
SPONSORSHIP SCHEME
We have seen an increase in popularity of this scheme after promoting it via our website and social media. People choose an animal to sponsor from our website https://www.blueacrerescue.co.uk/sponsorship and make a regular monthly donation starting at £10/month. This gives them an opportunity to donate whilst feeling they are truly helping to support their chosen animal’s living costs in return for a “meet and greet”; certificate, relevant updates and the opportunity to spend time with their animal at the rescue by appointment. Some people are also giving a 6 month sponsorship as a birthday gift. This is valuable revenue for us as it’s regular and therefore helps with monthly budgeting.
VOLUNTEERS
Our volunteers fulfil a range of duties at the farm but, with Covid restrictions, we had to turn down many offers from new people who found themselves with time on their hands. This was frustrating as we really need manpower to help run the rescue. During school breaks and at weekends we have several younger volunteers who work so hard to help feed and clean the animals and their habitats. They also learn all aspects of horse management and many have become proficient riders which is key to the whole process of rehabilitating our horses and ponies for rehoming. Going forward we are looking to encourage more young people who would like to learn all about working with animals but we also need help now behind the scenes with help at events and manning stalls now that restrictions are easing.
We collaborate with the ‘Ways into Work Scheme’ helping disadvantaged young adults develop their skills for the future; have hosted young people considering a career with animals on their work experience weeks; work closely with local schools and their pupils taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme plus we also welcome older volunteers, who may be retired but still active; or who work shifts and look for something worthwhile to do on their non work days.
COVID 19 IMPACT
Since the onset of Covid 19 in March 2020, the price of buying a horse (similar to that of dogs and cats) has increased hugely – in some cases it’s trebled - which has resulted an increase in requests to rehome horses as our rehoming fee is just a few hundred pounds. However most people are looking for riding horses suitable for showing/jumping/eventing which we simply don’’t have.
Conversely requests for us to take in horses has dwindled a little over the Summer but we always expect this to increase over the winter which is an expensive time to keep horses – particularly this year due to an enormous increase in the price of hay.
Other changes which have impacted us:
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People going back to work has led to a decrease in the offers of casual help during weekdays;
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Pupils going back to school has meant less help at the farm which is now being hugely missed;
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No income from static donation boxes in local hospitality venues due to people continuing to pay by debit/credit card;
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Prevention of street collections and no options to partake in local fairs etc
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Positives – this situation has made us look at ways to work smarter and look for new revenue streams; raise our profile in the community.
INTAKE/REHOME FIGURES
During this short financial year our intake and rehoming/euthanasia figures are as follows:
Intake: None Rehomed: 1 Euthanised: 2
ACTIVITY AND ACHIEVEMENTS
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August 2020 – a 6 yr old volunteer, who rides one of our golden oldie ponies, did a sponsored scoot from the War Horse memorial in Ascot to the Copper Horse in Windsor Great Park – a distance of just over 6 miles (accompanied by her Dad, running). She raised an amazing amount of money and we were given permission by the Park Rangers to take her sponsored pony to meet her at the finishing line as a surprise. This was covered by local press.
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August 2020 – following an appeal on our social media we arranged a fabulous volunteer day during which 35 local people came to help us mend a barn roof; paint stables inside and out; remove weeds from the fields etc. It was a fantastic day and really helped us integrate with supporters from our local community. It really confirmed that our increased social media presence is really paying dividends in terms of raising our profile.
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Our social media following has now increased to just under of 2,500, an increase on the previous year which we are working on;
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Gift Aid Registration – September 2020 – this enables us to claim back basic rate tax paid on donations for UK tax paying donors and on smaller donations going back 4 years. This is a huge piece of work and something we are pursuing actively.
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October 2020 – Eton College donated a substantial amount of their hay harvest to us free of charge
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November 2020 we were successful in securing a grant from Animal Friends Insurance for £2k to buy and build new fencing. We replaced old fencing which was rotting and created a new paddock area.
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Berkshire Life Magazine ran an article on Blue Acre Rescue and the work we do.
FUTURE PLANS (ongoing)
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Continue to replace broken or rotting fence lines around the farm in general.
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Create a 50m round pen with fencing. This is a key item for us to help us work with horses in the early stages of their assessment training. It provides a safe, yet non invasive area to work on a 1:1 basis with new horses and is also used in later stages of any training programme.
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Buy new gate and replace the rotting fence for our Summer Grazing in order to move the horses around the fields to allow areas to rest.
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Create an additional covered area to enable us to work with more horses now that we have offers of more volunteers after the Covid restrictions are looking like being lifted. This is a large project needing a concrete base but would make a huge difference to how we operate, meaning we could engage with local schools and groups of people with additional needs, for whom interaction with animals has proven to be beneficial.
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Create pathways from road planings/chippings from the main yard area to:
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The various gates we use to bring horses into the yard
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The chicken and duck houses to make access easier during winter
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The feed room
War Horse Memorial
We continue to be one of the War Horse Memorial beneficiary charities however they have also felt the effects of Covid19 and their own events and sales of their purple poppies from which we benefit have been severely affected. https://www.thewarhorsememorial.org/
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The charity has increased its income again this year which can be seen from the accounts submitted for the relevant period. This is an amazing result considering the Covid restrictions, under which all charities have suffered. For us, the situation has truly made us think of different ways to alert the public to our current predicament:
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raise our profile on social media by posting regular updates
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find grant offerings online – particularly those offering emergency funding for animal charities
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use local press to highlight our situation
FINANCIAL STATEMENT 01 July 2019 to 31 December 2020
Below is the income statement for year ended 31 December 2020. Full accounts have been submitted and can be viewed on the Charity Commission website.
| Jul – Cost of Sales Gross Loss Administration expenses Other operating income Government Grants Operating surplus/(loss) Interest receivable and similar income Surplus/(loss) on ordinary activities before taxation Tax on surplus/(loss) on ordinary activities Surplus/(loss) for the financial year |
Dec 2020 £ (17.628) (17,628) 2,685 17.687 5,293 22,980 2,667 - __ 2,667 - ____ 2,667 ====== |
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NOTE : this covers a short year of accounts from 1 July to 31 December 2020, following which our financial period will be 1 January to 31 December.
Company Registration No. 1168059 (England and Wales)
BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1 JULY 2020 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020
BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS CONTENTS
| Page | |
|---|---|
| Directors' report | 3 |
| Accountants' report | 4 |
| Income statement | 5 |
| Statement of financial position | 6 |
| Notes to the accounts | 7 |
| Detailed profit and loss account | 9 |
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BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 (COMPANY NO: 1168059 ENGLAND AND WALES) DIRECTORS' REPORT
The directors present their report and accounts for the period from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020.
Directors
The following directors held office during the whole of the period:
Ms Caron North Mr Bob Regan Ms Veanne Filkins
Statement of directors' responsibilities
The directors are responsible for preparing the report and accounts in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the directors to prepare accounts for each financial year. Under that law, the directors have elected to prepare the accounts in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the directors must not approve the accounts unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and of the profit or loss of the company for that period. In preparing these accounts, the directors are required to:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Small company provisions
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to small companies within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.
Signed on behalf of the board of directors
............................................................................
Ms Caron North Director
Approved by the board on: 21 October 2021
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CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS' REPORT TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON THE PREPARATION OF THE UNAUDITED STATUTORY ACCOUNTS OF BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1 JULY 2020 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020
In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Companies Act 2006, we have prepared for your approval the accounts of Blue Acre Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre, Charity Number 1168059 for the period from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020 as set out on pages 5 - 8 from the company's accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us.
As a practising member firm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which are detailed at icaew.com/membershandbook.
Our work has been undertaken in accordance with AAF 7/16 as detailed at icaew.com/compilation.
Chartered Accountants
21 October 2021
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BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1 JULY 2020 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Cost of sales Gross loss Administrative expenses Other operating income Operating profit Interest receivable and similar income Profit on ordinary activities before taxation Tax on profit on ordinary activities Profit for the period |
31/12/2020 £ (17,628) (17,628) (2,685) 22,980 2,667 - 2,667 - 2,667 |
30/06/2020 £ (24,461) |
|---|---|---|
| (24,461) (7,094) 35,004 |
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| 3,449 1 |
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| 3,450 - |
||
| 3,450 |
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BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2020
| Notes Fixed assets Tangible assets 4 Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Net current assets Net assets Capital and reserves Profit and loss account Shareholders' funds |
31/12/2020 £ 1,596 4,621 4,621 6,217 6,217 6,217 |
30/06/2020 £ 1,716 1,834 |
|---|---|---|
| 1,834 | ||
| 3,550 | ||
| 3,550 | ||
| 3,550 |
For the period ending 31 December 2020 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.
The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime and in accordance with the provisions of FRS 102 Section 1A - Small Entities.
The financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors and authorised for issue on 21 October 2021 and were signed on its behalf by
Ms Caron North Director
Company Registration No. 1168059
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BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1 JULY 2020 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020
1 Statutory information
Blue Acre Horse Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre, Charity Number 1168059 is a private company, limited by shares, registered in England and Wales, registration number 1168059. The registered office is Ham Island, Ham Lane, Old Windsor, SL4 2JT.
2 Compliance with accounting standards
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions of FRS 102 Section 1A Small Entities. There were no material departures from that standard.
3 Accounting policies
These financial statements for the period from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2020 are the first financial statements that comply with FRS 102 Section 1A Small Entities. The date of transition is 1 July 2019.
The transition to FRS 102 Section 1A Small Entities has resulted in a small number of changes in accounting policies to those used previously.
The nature of these changes and their impact on opening equity and profit for the comparative period are explained in the notes below.
Basis of preparation
The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention as modified by the revaluation of certain fixed assets.
Presentation currency
The accounts are presented in £ sterling.
Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
Tangible assets are included at cost less depreciation and impairment. Depreciation has been provided at the following rates in order to write off the assets over their estimated useful lives:
| Plant & machinery | 20% |
|---|---|
| Fixtures & fittings | 20% |
4 Tangible fixed assets
| Tangible fixed assets Cost or valuation At 1 July 2020 Additions At 31 December 2020 Depreciation At 1 July 2020 Charge for the period At 31 December 2020 Net book value At 31 December 2020 At 30 June 2020 |
Plant & machinery £ At cost 2,820 180 |
|---|---|
| 3,000 | |
| 1,104 300 |
|
| 1,404 | |
| 1,596 | |
| 1,716 |
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BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1 JULY 2020 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020
5 Average number of employees
During the period the average number of employees was 15 (30/06/2020: 15).
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BLUE ACRE HORSE RESCUE & REHABILITATION CENTRE, CHARITY NUMBER 1168059 DETAILED PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1 JULY 2020 TO 31 DECEMBER 2020
This schedule does not form part of the statutory accounts.
| 31/12/2020 | 30/06/2020 | |
|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |
| Cost of sales | ||
| Purchases | 17,628 | 24,461 |
| Gross loss | (17,628) | (24,461) |
| Administrative expenses | ||
| Motor expenses | 981 | 2,174 |
| Light and heat | - | 117 |
| Subscriptions | 55 | - |
| Bank charges | 42 | 335 |
| Equipment expensed | 673 | 384 |
| Repairs and maintenance | 634 | 3,322 |
| Depreciation | 300 | 564 |
| Advertising and PR | - | 198 |
| 2,685 | 7,094 | |
| Other operating income | ||
| Other operating income | 17,687 | 35,004 |
| Government grants | 5,293 | - |
| 22,980 | 35,004 | |
| Operating profit | 2,667 | 3,449 |
| Interest receivable | ||
| Interest receivable | - | 1 |
| Profit on ordinary activities before taxation | 2,667 | 3,450 |
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