## **LOWLANDS FARM RIDING FOR THE DISABLED ASSOCIATION** Registered under Charity Number 1169453 (A Member Group of Riding for Disabled Association Incorporating Carriage Driving, Registered under Charity number 244108) ## **Trustee Annual Report** ## **Financial Year ended 31[st] March 2024** Lowlands Farm Riding for the Disabled Association became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) on 3[rd] October 2016. The Constitution is the standard CIO Constitution of the Riding for the Disabled Association adopted at a meeting on 8[th] July 2016. The aim of the Charity is to provide disabled children and adults in Shrewley and the surrounding areas with the opportunity to ride and experience equestrian activities, to benefit their health and wellbeing. The Charity’s correspondence address is Lowlands Farm RDA Group, Lowlands Equestrian Centre, Old Warwick Road, Shrewley, Warwickshire, CV35 7AX. The activities of the Group take place at this address. The Charity’s bankers throughout the year were NatWest Bank, Royal Priors, 59 The Parade, Leamington Spa CV32 4ZX, as in previous years. The Trustees during the year to 31[st] March 2024 were as follows: - Miss Marisa Bretherton-Mackay – Chair (re-elected Chair 14[th] January 2024) - Mrs. Louise Clarke – Treasurer (re-elected Treasurer 14[th] January 2024) - Mr. David Ivens – Secretary (re-elected Secretary 14[th] January 2024) - Mrs. Alex Claughton – Participant Representative (re-elected as Trustee 14[th] January 2024) - Mrs. Sue Mack – Coaching & Volunteers (re-elected as Trustee 14[th] January 2024) The focus during the period under review has been to continue to build on the sessions on offer to our participants and to enhance our overall services, streamlining our practices and making the best use of the facilities, equines and resources available. Also under focus has been the continuation of the strengthening of the relationship between Lowlands Equestrian Centre, and the Lowlands Farm RDA Group. Over the past year, careful management of rider groups by the coaches and volunteers has once again meant that the group has managed to increase its opportunity for activity over the previous 12 months. This has been thanks to the dedication of our volunteers and coaches in responding to enquiries about the charity’s services and working with session planning to open up rider opportunity for these applicants within the group session structures. As a result, a further 11 new participants, including an adult within the 60 – 70-year age group, were welcomed to LFRDA. 5 of the new riders were aged 18+ and the remaining 6 were aged 17 years or younger. ## **Lowlands Farm RDA Group** Lowlands Equestrian Centre, Old Warwick Road, Shrewley, Warwick CV35 7AX ✉ info@lowlandsfarmrda.org.uk ☎ 07943 239003 **Registered Charity Number: 1169453** ## **Activities** During the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024, LFRDA delivered a total of 676 individual activities – across the 39 weeks we were open (with a further 84 sessions having to be withdrawn due to client cancellation, or stoppage due to bad weather conditions. In summary, these activities comprised: - 676 shared riding sessions, held on Saturdays, with up to four registered riders in each. ## **Participants** - There were 32 registered participants in all - 22 of our participants were 17 and under - 10 were over 18 years of age - There were 11 new participants – included in the numbers above ## **Competition:** In addition to scheduled ridden sessions on Saturdays, we were proud and delighted to be able to successfully enter 11 qualifying LFRDA participants to the RDA UK National Championships for Countryside Challenge and Dressage in July 2023, at Hartpury College, Gloucestershire, ## **Fundraising** As in previous years, loyal supporters/private donors once again provided personal and fundraised donations during the year, which were most gratefully received, and which enabled the continued delivery of our services. Ongoing, proactive fundraising is still needed, in order to meet the continued operational costs – some of which have increased considerably, beyond the Trustees’ control. Service and maintenance of Charley (the ‘mechanical horse’) and the hoist - which are assets of Lowlands Farm RDA Group - is currently paid for, by agreement, with the RDA National Training Centre (LEC) in return for access for use by the Centre’s own clients, at times when not in use by LFRDA Group. ## **Employees** The Charity has no employees, but pays one self-employed coach per session on a service agreement (contractor) basis (beginning September 2019) and is otherwise entirely reliant on voluntary helpers who are trained on a regular basis, according to RDA UK standards and policy. ## **Volunteers** During the year, 25 volunteers, who are now also Members of the Group, provided riding, administrative and fundraising support to enable the group to carry out its prime charitable objectives. ## **New Activity Leader** We have been delighted to congratulate one further longstanding volunteer on their attainment of RDA Activity Leader status, to support non-ridden activities, following successful training and approval. The Trustees have approved this report. ## **Marisa Bretherton-Mackay (Group Chair)** For and on behalf of the Board of Trustees 2[nd] January 2025 ## **Lowlands Farm RDA Group** Lowlands Equestrian Centre, Old Warwick Road, Shrewley, Warwick CV35 7AX > ✉ info@lowlandsfarmrda.org.uk ☎ 07943 239003 **Registered Charity Number: 1169453** CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLANO AND WALES L.OUl4￿0j rA/ZM r2 DO Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the perfod from 11*123 311212 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds tothB nparest Restrlcted funds Endowment funds to rtar•st £ Total funds Last year tothe nparest £ tot}* Mar•st £ to thè nèarèst £ A1 Reeei Donations Charitable Incom&- Pidin Other Inc¢m¢ ts 723 12.482 723 12,482 14 13,375 120 Sub total(Gross in¢ome forARJ 13,20S 13.205 13.$09 A2 Asset and invèstm•nt salès, see table Sub total Totalre¢elpts 13,205 13.205 13.509 A3Pa ments t￿ritable expend11ure Cost of charitable aGlivilies C￿Ch Gosls C4)51 of Gharilable activities- horyJe hire 51 01 Ghantable activiligs Uipffenl Cost ol generaling funds fundr?isin SuprM>rt Gosls repairs & rnincÈlttsmpuler Support cosls equIp￿Thi for le$$ons Support C05l5 volunteers costs Suppori cosls odmin & office c051s 83fjk ond Oiher charges 355 355 542 81 285 285 B94 985 282 266 266 Sub total 16.65B 16.658 16,202 A4 Asset and investment pur¢hases. Isee tabl•l Sub total Totalpayments 16,658 16.65 16,202 Net of re¢eiptsl(payments) A5 Transfers between fund5 A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this yearend 3,453 3,453 2,693 18,140 18,140 14.687 20,833 14.687 18,140 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds to nearest £ Restricted funds Endowment funds to nearest £ Categories Detail$ to Mar•st £ 81 Cash funds Nalv*st Gu￿ent account 14,560 rAsh In handlslrlpe funds 127 CCXX R1 acttjunls ISSI Total casfr funds 14,687 lybywwswi￿r*1￿￿*Faym•ts*£￿qsI} OK Unrestr1￿8￿ funds to n8arfy$t £ Endowment funds to nearest £ Detai15 to no•rè$t £ Fund to whlch assot bulon urrent VAI% loptlorkill Detai15 Cost loptlonoll B3 Invgstmenl a$$ets Fund to whlch belongs ¢urreTrt v•lufr onall 3.846 Details Para Ikdtrr holsl ost loptlonpll B4 Assets retslngd for the Charity's own use 3,846 FLnd to whlch 11a￿]￿ty r•l8tes Amount due loptlonall VTh•n duA lopt10r￿lI Details B5 Liabllities Signed by ong orlwo trustee$ on b8half of 811 the tru51ee$ Stgnature Print Name Oalg of approval IFJiilL- CCXX R2 acwunts ISSI 1711212024 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Lo￿￿474 1)J Ffv7CM itrJG rDtL Tr i Jffi£Lt- rl££cLI On accounts for the year ended Charity no {if any} 21Jr Mer