**Shropshire Hills Landscape Trust** Registered Charity no. 1168432 Unit 5 Drovers House, The Auction Yard, CRAVEN ARMS SY7 9BZ ## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025** ## _**Vision**_ _The natural beauty of the Shropshire Hills is secured forever as a place where wildlife, people, landscape and heritage thrive in harmony._ ## _**Mission**_ _We will inspire people, communities, and organisations to actively support the Shropshire Hills National Landscape and secure its natural beauty for the future_ ## **Objectives** The Shropshire Hills Landscape Trust (working name) is dedicated to promoting the conservation and enhancement of the of the Shropshire Hills. Most of our work is achieved through the Conservation Fund. This makes grant awards to small community groups to support practical projects that help the Shropshire Hills to be a beautiful landscape where nature and people thrive together. Priority areas for projects are: - Conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, landscape, wildlife or heritage of the Shropshire Hills. - Educational and awareness-raising activities relating to the area and its conservation, especially involving young people. ## **Governance** The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation established in 2016, working alongside the Shropshire Hills National Landscape Partnership and Team. The constitution allows for eight Trustees: four appointed by existing trustees (three-year terms), the National Landscape Team manager (ex officio), and up to three Partnership nominees (two-year terms). Trustees may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms. - Appointed Trustees: George Chancellor (Treasurer), Janet Cobb, Anthony Morgan, Neil Willcox - Nominated Trustees: Rachel Cockett (Chair), Charles Edwards, - Ex officio Trustee: Phil Holden (Secretary) Four Trustees meetings were held alongside the Annual General Meeting to review finances and determine policy. Trustees met in March 2025 to consider Conservation Fund applications and award grants. The National Landscape staff team provided administrative support, with day-to-day work carried out by Trustees working individually or in groups with staff and external support as needed. ## **Performance Against 2024-2027 Business Plan** ## **Conservation Fund** Fifteen projects were awarded a total of £20,947 during 2024-25. The awards continued to fulfill the underlying principle of supporting community groups aiming to care for the natural environment in their local area. Two projects focused on butterfly conservation, with grants supporting habitat restoration for the Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary in the Stiperstones area and the nationally significant Wood White butterfly populations around Bury Ditches Iron-Age hill fort. The Trust was pleased to support wildlife monitoring efforts, including a study of pine martens and dormice in Morville Parish, building on survey work in nearby areas. Conservation of traditional landscapes was promoted through a project creating a publicly accessible wildflower meadow at St George's and community hedgerow regeneration work, while the Trust supported an innovative approach to heritage conservation by funding work with all 65 burial grounds within the National Landscape to enhance their biodiversity value. Three projects specifically aimed to help young people appreciate the countryside, including the Hill Stories digital media project and the Youth Forum Rangers programme working with 11-18 year olds in the Clee Hill area. Other supported activities included wildlife training events in the Rea Valley, comprehensive river monitoring in Bishop's Castle, Edgton Parish's Nature Recovery Plan, a woodland conference, interpretation projects, and woodland management at the Millennium Coppice. Details of all the activities supported and reports on their outcomes are available on the Trust’s web pages https://www.shropshirehills-nl.org.uk/help-to-look-after/shropshire-hillslandscape-trust/conservation-fund-projects. ## **Increasing our Reach** We widened our geographic and organisational reach in 2024-25 with 8 successful new applicants to the Conservation fund. We engaged with all 63 Parish Councils in the Shropshire Hills National Landscape and received invitations to speak at 11 meetings. We presented talks on the work of the trust at three conferences Shropshire Hills National Landscape Forum, Clee Hill (13/06/24), National Meadow Groups Conference 2024, Bishops Castle (15/11/24) and the Shropshire Association of Local Councils (SALC) Conference, Church Stretton (06/12/24). ## **Fundraising** The Friends of the Shropshire Hills was established in 2008 on the 50[th] anniversary of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. With the creation of the Trust in 2016 the Friends’ membership fees are paid directly to the Trust and support the Conservation Fund. The Trust is most grateful to those who donated money to support the Conservation Fund. In particular, we thank the Millichope Foundation, our business supporters, Britpart (Border Holdings) the Castle Hotel (Bishops Castle), Moonshine & Fuggles, 2 parish councils, Edgton, Mainstone with Colebatch, Morville, and Pontesbury, and the many Friends of the Shropshire Hills. ## **Governance and Operations** The Trust has strengthened its governance framework during 2024-25 by reviewing the trustees' Register of Interests and implementing a new Conflict-of-Interest procedure specifically for grant award discussions. A safeguarding policy has also been developed and adopted. To enhance the Trust's capacity and broaden trustee recruitment opportunities, a constitutional review has been planned for 2025-26, which will enable recruitment from a wider trustee pool and create additional capacity for the Trust's growing work programme. ## **Financial review** The majority of the Trust’s money is used to award grants from its Conservation Fund. The Trust holds all its financial assets in a current account with Barclays Bank. At the start of the year the bank balance was £24,876 and the total income during the year was £31,819. £21,383 was paid out to grant recipients whose projects had completed and £14,630 was carried forward to cover expected claims from projects still in progress. Administrative services were kindly provided at no cost by members of the National Landscape team, hence minimal annual operating costs of £153. At the end of the year the Trust had a bank balance of £35,139. 3 Shropthire Hills AONB Truat Accounts 2024-2025 INCOME EXPENDITURÉ Frlethls Membershl f &557.16 LLAW AIAWATEAf*k* (Fn22315 AM Pettt CF1232412 shrop5￿￿ OrNtknknp(al￿etyCFj?324II DHMATCFI232413 GrowfJ>r*LeatnCFI131415 l￿Gr￿eCFl2324{l0 1111112024 1910412024 I91￿11￿024 I91￿112014 ODI0512024 0512024 165fy) Busffies% ￿ orter5 2.fthrAI GenLYal D￿at￿l £ 20.61426 633 50 ShutME Su orter5 Scheme DTGrO￿r￿ Mairtemrtt￿l2425II i￿￿￿￿1cF24l5ll MiChltlWht*tTI141yI ￿msTr￿EcFl242sl2 ryhweCF1242yJ £5m).Th) AM Pettt CF1242514 Smilbeath ¥51* bkllCF1242515 Mr5 SPCri[htf￿CFI2415l$ Stuart EthnrrtsUI142516 Stuart EthnrrtsUI2WI648 Ltrft Atcqn5CF/241¥7 uart 1012024 1011212024 2710212025 02IC412024 2511112024 1211212024 0210812024 I￿10)12024 I￿11012024 11112024 UIIII2024 720OJ Ca￿1 ILY carad￿ Appeal 7J7 Gfft AAd R*dalm 712.50 i.1￿￿) Millichope Foundation 1.4251h) I￿38 75 464 21 Grants Recepied £5.(￿￿Tr) 1.449 78 i.(*B a4 1.27166 i.S¢pJ¢rt) 5hrCp5￿rt ￿nyTh￿cFl14l518 hts M*•&w6tt￿pLY￿41$1I0 Fne￿$￿ P•i*tsdCFI2425112 11212024 1710212025 1710212025 670. gww5hrefA)woIStr4¥esd¢Thryoc￿j 021W2024 l￿.(x7 Grants Paid £ 21.383.07 Mr5 5DMwkettllMUE 561 IOM)5 a￿Al55l(l￿￿toS 191WIQ14 JJ Total irfomt Ino)me o¥er Ex ure TLrt £ 21.536.67 Althtk)r41 IKome PertuinfflgtC*thefJnondolygvrbvtiece*4edwfjt.AprW 1.2024 Adth1k)￿I E¥per•Jltwe Pertoffwjgto thtlbwclulyeur&Apofd/tr* bepol*post-Aprll L 2025 Glft *Ad Bedakn Jth (Fn425111 C45JeW•lltrq Fe5tywlCF21251J Mari￿% m¢￿G￿￿p￿?IZ$n9 tteof5tnr4CFt42¥11 Shropsrmrt Olmty*b•t41S￿erycF242s1x3 perorwry W￿1￿G￿cF242s1S Eiyon MeewiCF2425115 MMCLTcf242Y16 Abaonvilbv ItyIICn42¥17 JM37 Le¥wr*￿￿￿2I?Sll8 ¥ GèroenOCCF242 19 tr$￿P rrbw5N 405S5 2.&￿)¢1) É1.6Y). 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I report in rospecl ol my exarnuwtK>n of TnAI's •cc¢xxts WKlef 145 of Ihe 2011 Acl and In my examinalwi, I have f¢)IltrwJ all aFflKaL40 gNen by tho Charty ur#Jw Mcbon 1495Hb) ol tho Ind•p•nd•nt Ex•mln•rf• Stst•m•nt I have c(mF4eted my examinat￿ In acc(xdatKe gUKlarKe 9Nen by the Charty C¢ynmisswi. My examination has Incl￿ a rov*￿ of the accwnling recofds ke0 by Il%• ch8rrty and ¢(xnpar￿ lo the accounts presenled arKJ bank rec(*th (ye￿nIed It a IndLthd a r•v*w, rt r•qur•d. of any unw4 rtemi I dtsthsur•s In the accounts Y4tw• an eXF￿ana1￿n from the intslees has txen required. The procedures I have undertaken do n( OVKla all th• èvKSènce thai woth bè r•wir•d Icw an audrt aTrJ as such, I do r￿1 exwéss an oprth on the 8¢¢O￿ts. Upon C¢ffiFleliM ol my ex•mWi•t￿. l Ih•t ￿ m•lenal rn•ttern h•v• Con￿ to my attenlion In ¢onr￿Cl•0n Iho eXwny￿l￿. m• c•uvJ to behev• in, ￿Y m•tenal re•pect lom and content ol accounts sel ¢xrt In the Chant*s (Accourts and Rep￿tt> Re9ulatwis 2008 other than any requwwlenl Ihal the accounts grve a 'tru• and fair. Vthv Is not a matter Cly￿￿￿ as part of an ¥MYepe￿nf •xamwiatKn. In condusK)n, I have no concwr6 and have come across no mattern In connecbon vnth Ihe examirlatw to t*th•ch otterfK)n Sh￿￿j be drawn in ltsi rewi, ￿ ordw. k) a woper understarAJirvJ of the accounts to be reached. D•ie....13.C62025 Mrs J E Made