## **THE PAGE WOODS TRUST** Charity Registration No. 1168506
## **ANNUAL REPORT for the year ended 30[th] June 2023**
Page Woods continues to provide a little green oasis situated in the midst of Basildon’s growing concrete jungle. It is somewhere which can provide solace to those seeking quiet but also a place where families can enjoy nature. It is not possible to estimate the number of visitors to the woods but we receive many good comments from both within the local community and those living outside the area.
During the year two local businesses, Smith Glass and CarterRemy Estate Agents sponsored the printing of 1000 newsletters. On each occasion these newsletters were delivered to over 900 homes by volunteers; the balance were left at organisations where they could be picked up by other interested parties. In addition, two email newsletters were sent out to our database of approximately 100 wellwishers. The newsletters advise people of our progress, events and usually contain a little bit of local history.
We also remain in contact with the community through our Facebook page.
We ran two non-profit making community events during the year:
- As in previous years, we put an autumn Halloween Trail in place but this one, which was sponsored by Nisa Pound Lane Shop, was a bit different. Children were able to collect a form from the shop on which they could list the 26 creatures appearing on the trail – on return of the completed form to the shop each child received a small prize. Entrants who left their names and addresses were entered into an additional competition to win one of five books signed by the author.
- In December, yet again, Alton Garden Centre kindly sponsored the Christmas Lights competition which is always well received by villagers and helps light up the long winter nights. This year there were three categories with £75 of prizes in each i.e. £225 in total.
With regard to fundraising activities:
- We again took part in the Barleyland’s Fun Walk – this year, due to covid, the walk took place around the woods.
- We continued with our Local History/Nature Walks around the woods.
- Our popular Quiz was another success with every table sold in advance.
- • The annual Christmas Bazaar made a record profit of £583 and local people found some excellent bargains.
In addition, CarterRemy Estate Agents made a donation to the Trust for each Christmas Advertising Board our supporters allowed in their gardens. This resulted in a magnificent donation of £250.
We thank the local Benbow Club for allowing us to use their hall free of charge for both the Quiz and the Bazaar.
Throughout the year, as well as helping at events, volunteers continued to pick up rubbish and keep pathways clear..
We have been fortunate in that no additional costs were incurred in the woods during the year. We also found a new company which was willing to insure us at less than half the cost of our previous insurer. Therefore, our expenditure of £347.18 was substantially less than last year’s figure of £1474.31.
With less need to bring in income we lessened our fundraising activities. Basildon Council’s Community Lottery ceased in 2022, reducing our income by £162.64.
Despite reduced income of £1540.52 (£2027.36 the previous year), our low expenditure resulted in excess of income over expenditure of £1,193.34 (compared to £553.05 the previous year).
In order to ensure that sufficient funds are available to meet any unexpected expenditure the Trustees have agreed a Finance Policy whereby a minimum £1,000 is retained in our bank account. Our Finance Policy will be reviewed each year.
We will continue with our fundraising with a view to installing a new gate, and fencing along the front entrance in Page Road. We may also consider fencing at the back of the woods to stop stray animals getting in.
We regard ourselves lucky to have so many supporters from both within and outside the community. There are too many names to mention but they know who they are and we thank them all for their hard work in the woods and for their gifts which keep our tombolas, raffles and community events going.
Rose Griffin Chairman
Date:
## **THE PAGE WOODS TRUST**
## Charity Registration No. 1168506 **Income and Expenditure for the Year ended 30th June 2023**
|Income
**2022/2023**
Notes
Fun Walk: Sponsorship & Bonus Pot
£517.00
Note 1
Community Lottery
£45.25
General Fundraising
£638.01
Community Events
£0.00
Note 2
Sundry
£0.01
Gift Aid
£90.25
Talks
Donations
£250.00
£1,540.52
Expenditure
Insurance
£264.69
Community Events
Printing, postage, stationery
£54.56
Note 3
Tree Cutting
Christmas Bazaar
Sundry Expenses
£27.93
£347.18
**Excess of Income over Expenditure**
**£1,193.34**
Assets
£
Land
£33,000.00
Note 4
Bank Account
£4,281.59
Stock
Prepayment 2022/23
£35.68
Note 5
Debtors
£90.25
Note 6
**£37,407.52**
Liabilities
Community funds brought forward
£36,214.18
Consolidated Income over Expenditure
£1,193.34
**Community funds c/fwd**
**£37,407.52**
**THE PAGE WOODS TRUST**
Charity Registration No. 1168506
**Balance Sheet as at 30th June 2023**|2021/2022
£577.50
£207.89
£881.36
£0.00
£0.00
£55.11
£103.50
£202.00
£2,027.36
£463.27
£18.56
£35.06
£850.00
£31.94
£75.48
£1,474.31
**£553.05**|
|---|---|
||£33,000.00
£2,953.70
£193.33
£67.15|
||£36,214.18|
||£35,661.13
£553.05|
||£36,214.18|
## Notes:
|Notes:||
|---|---|
|1|We encourage people to sponsor us on the Funwalk rather than make donations:|
||we can then take advantage of a share in the Funwalk Bonus Pot.|
|2|Community Events are those activities e.g. Easter Egg Hunt, Walking Fayre,|
||for which we do not seek to make a profit. The only event this year was the|
||Halloween trail, for which there was no income and was fully sponsored.|
|3|Printing costs are low due to the 2 newsletters being sponsored by Smith Glass|
||and Carter-Remy Estates.|
|4|Page Woods came into the ownership of the Trust in October 2017 .|
||at a purchase cost of £33,000. It is shown at cost value.|
|5|The prepayment is for insurance.|
|6|The debtor is for Gift Aid claimable, and Basildon Community Lottery (last year).|