FOREST GATE COMMUNITY GARDEN
Charitable incorporated organisation Charity number 1169500
Trustees’ Annual Report for the year ended 5 April 2025
The trustees present their report and financial statement for the year ended 5 April 2025.
Forest Gate Community Garden (‘FGCG’ or ‘the charity’) is a charitable incorporated organisation whose principal address is 72B Hampton Road, London, E7 0NU.
Objectives of the charity
The charity’s objectives are to provide or assist in the provision of facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals residing in Forest Gate and the surrounding area who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age infirmity or disability, financial hardship or social circumstances with the object of improving their conditions of life, in particular through the facilitation of a community gardening, growing and volunteering project.
Aims of the charity
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To create and maintain green spaces for wildlife, plants and people.
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To support enjoyment and learning about nature
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To promote an inclusive community and nurture wellbeing
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To promote biodiversity and sustainable practices
Activities
The garden is on designated housing land owned by the London Borough of Newham at 136 Earlham Grove, London, E7 9AS and held by FGCG under a peppercorn lease. Planning permission was renewed until April 2029 and the lease was renewed until July 2035.
The charity has 5 independently contracted staff, a Co-ordinator (2 days per week), an Outreach Worker (2 days per week) a Media co-ordinator (1 day per week) an Oversight Gardener (1 hour per week) and an admin. Assistant (3 hours per week). The garden is principally maintained and staffed by volunteers. It is normally open to the public for 14 hours each week over four days. Volunteers work in small teams led by a Garden Host during these hours. Many local groups, including schools, disability groups, health services, arts and other voluntary groups use the site outside public opening hours.
Other activities held in the garden include a number of seasonal activities and celebrations including regular plant sales.
Members of the public on occasion hire the garden for private events.
Grants enable the charity to obtain its necessary administrative and support services (see ‘Financial Review’ below) and allow it to run other courses and workshops in gardening or the arts. Every effort is made to raise funds locally through plant sales and donations. 2024/5 was a very successful year for the garden - full details of events, successes and challenges can be seen in our Annual Report on the website.
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Independent Examiner’s review
As FGCG’s revenue in the year exceeded £25,000, the trustees obtained an independent scrutiny of the financial statement. Accordingly, they appointed SME Tax Ltd. The review is less in scope than an audit and does not involve forming an opinion as to whether the accounts are ‘true and fair’. It is attached to this report.
Reserves and going concern
FGCG has instituted a policy for the retention of unrestricted cash balances. It will retain the trustees’ estimate of the amounts that could be needed in the next twelve months for staff costs, core costs and other committed costs, net of unutilised grants received and committed grants receivable for the payment of staff costs. This amount has been set at £10,000, the policy being subject to annual review.
Trustees
The trustees during the period were as follows: Ms Kerena Fussell Mr Peter Williams Ms Hedy Richards Mr Mark Gorman Ms Maureen Egbe Mr Kevin Richard Mansell Mr David Rosenberg Ms Georgia Lindsay (resigned on 13 July 2024) Ms Donna Stokes (reappointed on 13 July 2024) Ms Myanah Saunders Ms Laura Batatota (appointed on July 13 2024) Ms Lyn Brown (appointed on 13 July 2024 and resigned on 27 March 2025)
In the preparation of this report the charity trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Name: Myanah Saunders Date5/11/2025 Chair of Trustees
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Financial Report
During the year ended 5 April2025 the charity changed its accounting basis from the accruals basis to the receipts and payments basis. This change was made as the trustees consider the receipts and payments basis to more appropriately reflect the charity’s size and financial transactions, and to simplify financial reporting while maintaining transparency for stakeholders.
The accounts do not include comparative figures for the year ended 5 April2024 as these were prepared on an accruals basis. Accordingly, the current year’s figures are not directly comparable with those of the previous year.
No restatement of prior-year figures has been made, as this is not required under the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 for receipts and payments accounts and the trustees do not consider that restatement would materially alter users’ understanding of the charity’s financial performance.
Any significant differences in timing between the two bases (for example, previously recognised accruals or prepayments) have been reviewed by the trustees to ensure that the opening cash balance is correctly stated.
Forest Gate Community Garden CIO Charity Number: 1169500 Receipts and Payments accounts Year Ended 5 April 2025
| Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ t |
Restricted funds o the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest |
Total funds £ to the nearest £ 39,900 4,471 125 65 405 441 45,407 21,661 16,577 786 537 29 6,966 46,556 - - |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants | - | 39,900 | - | 39,900 |
| Sales/Donations | 4,471 | - | - | 4,471 |
| Corporate volunteers | 125 | - | - | 125 |
| Give As You Live | 65 | - | - | 65 |
| Hire | 405 | - | - | 405 |
| Other | 441 | - | - | 441 |
| Total Receipts | 5,507 | 39,900 | - | 45,407 |
| A3 Payments | ||||
| Staffing | - | 21,661 | - | 21,661 |
| PPP projeect | - | 16,577 | - | 16,577 |
| Solar power system | - | 786 | - | 786 |
| Events | - | 537 | - | 537 |
| Street Planters | - | 29 | - | 29 |
| Maintenance, utilities, services | 6,966 | - | - | 6,966 |
| Sub total | 6,966 | 39,590 | - | 46,556 |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
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| None | - | - | - | - |
| Sub total | - | - | - | - |
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Total payments 6,966 39,590 - 46,556 Net of receipts/(payments) 1,459 310 - - 1,149 A5 Transfers between funds - - - - A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end 35,849 24,576 - 60,425 34,390 24,886 - 59,276 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted Restricted Endowment funds Categories Details funds funds Bank 34,390 24,886 - Total cash funds 34,390 24,886 - ~~a~~ to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ ~~ee~~ B1 Cash funds Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of Signature Print Name Date of approval 5/11/2025 M.Saunders
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Forest Gate Community Graden CIO
Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
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|Report to the trustees|
|On accounts for the year|5 April 2025|Charity no|1169500|
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I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 5 April 2025. Responsibilities and basis As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’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.
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Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have
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examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below) which gives 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
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• 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 this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to
Date: 6 November 2025
James Moreno
be reached.
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Signed: Name:
| Name: | |
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| Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: |
FCCA |
| 39 Leigh Road | |
| Cobham, Surrey | |
| Section B | |
| Disclosure | |
| KT11 2LF | |
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
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Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
During the year, the charity changed its accounting basis from the accruals basis to the receipts and payments basis. I have reviewed the trustees’ disclosure of this change, including the explanation of why the accounts have not included prior year figures due to non-comparability, and I am satisfied that the change has been appropriately disclosed.
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