Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
(CIO Number:1169599)
Trustees Annual Report & Financial Statements for the year ending
31st December 2023
Charity accounts preparation & independent examination service
Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
(CIO Number:1169599)
| Contents | |
|---|---|
| Index | Page |
| Report of the Trustees | 1 |
| Independent Examiner's Report | 5 |
| Receipts & Payments Accounts | 6 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 8 |
Trustees' Annual Report
From: 01/01/2023
To: 31/12/2023
Charity's full name Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
Registered Charity number 1169599
Objectives and activities
Summary of the purposes of the charity set out in its governing document
1)To promote the conservation, protection and enhancement of the physical and natural environment of the area known as Gledhow Valley Woods in north Leeds("the Woods") for the benefit of the general public, including in particular by:
(a)protecting the natural beauty of the Woods,
(b) maintaining and improving facilities within the Woods, such as paths and seating,
(c) promoting biodiversity in the Woods,
(d) increasing public awareness of the Woods and thir consevation, protection and enhancement, and reflecting the opinions and concerns of the wider community in relation to the Woods,
(e) acting to prevent development in the Woods where such development may be considered damaging the Woods, it's flora and fauna or it's value as a community amenity,
(f) working with other groups that have an interest in , control over or responsibility for the Woods in furtherance of the objects of FGVW, including relevant public authorities and other local community groups.
2) To engage in any activities which in the reasonable opinion of the Trustees are conducive, ancilliary or incidental to any of the above.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts
(a) FGVW have continued to work with the main land owners, Leeds City Council and the Wades Charity to implement the management plan and remove the increasing amount of litter and fly tips.
(b) FGVW own a field in the Woods, called Beck Pasture, and we are managing it as a wild flower meadow to impove biodiversity
(c) FGVW hold monthly action mornings doing a varied range of projects from footpath repair to scything the meadows.
(d) The management plan is implemented to improve the biodiversity. FGVW manage 6 wild flower meadows and work to eradicate/control invasive species.
(e) The 17th Century Bath House, though not owned by FGVW, is opened each year on the Heritage Open weekend in September. (f) FGVW liaise with the private landowners where necessary.
(g) The Trustees, Steering group and any project teams liaise with various public bodies, including the main landowners the Wades Charity and Leeds City Council. We are in regular contact with council sectors, Parks and Countryside, Forestry, Land Drainage and Flood Risk Management.
(h) FGVW also consults with outside bodies, including Yorkshire Water, the Woodland Trust,The River Stewardship Company, Groundwork UK.
(i) FGVW also has a community engagement programme, associated with the lake project and this has invoved linking with 3 local promary schools, arts organisations, TCV, a local community centre and numerous other groups.
All the Trustees have paid regard to the Charity Commission's public benefit guidance. We take it in to account in our decision making. We have not had cause to depart from the guidance.
The trustees consider that they have complied with their duties to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.
1
Contribution made by volunteers: Our volunteers make us one of the leading Friends groups in Leeds. The average number of volunteers attending action mornings is well over 30. For the period of this report, we had 10 action mornings in 2021. We limited the attendance for social distancing reasons, but still came out with a healthy average of 33 for 2021.
There are many others contributing throughout the year, not just at action mornings. There is much preparatory and extra work to do, along with meetings and the social media team are always active. Thanks to Adam and Carol Bull, Steve Jones-Blackett, David Miles,Stephen Tyndale-Biscoe, Mervyn and Joan Clayton and Trevor and Diane Kitto for their extra contributions.
Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.
The FGVW trustees are pleased to report on another year of progress. 2023 saw the start of a major project to address the silting up of Gledhow lake. The £130,000 project was made possible thanks to various grant providers, with over half the money provided by Veolia. The project aimed to manage the flow of silt into Gledhow lake through contouring, altering the flow of the two entry channels, planting of appropriate wetland plants and measures to prevent silt from entering the beck and lake directly. The bulk of the work wascompleted in 2023. Many thanks to David Miles for steering the project from idea to fruition. We look forward to it's completion in 2024. The monthly action mornings have been well attended and volunteers have undertaken tasks such as dead hedge maintenance, the creation of a living hedge to replace a dead hedge destroyed by fire, the planting of more hedges along the sides of the woodland and the annual cutting and raking of our six meadows. audrey's meadow received some extra attention with a hired rotivator and the subsequent seeding with a rich wildflower mix. Another highlight of the year was the creation of an arc site for native crayfish, an exciting addition to Gledhow's wildlife. Again, David Miles worked to set this up along with a Citizen Science project to monitor water quality, using volunteers to take samples for analysis. The results should help us to understand and hopefully to improve the water quality. 2023 saw more than the usual number of trees falling dramatically, an alarming result of the changing weather patterns. FGVW actively encouraged members to participate in the Commonplace survey which was created by Leeds City Council to harness feelings about a proposal to plant trees on the green space at the junction with Allerton Grange Way. A very healthy amount of comments resulted in the withdrawal of the proposal. FGVW once again attended the Chapel Allerton Arts Festival and we opened the Bath House for one of the Heritage Open Weekends. Thanks to the generosity of Wendy Jones Blackett ltd in donating discontinued greetings cards, we were able to raise funds at these events. Thanks to all the volunteers for manning the FGVW stall. Also another thank you to WJB ltd for printing small runs of FGVW Christmas cards at a competitive price. They have proved to be extremely popular and thanks to Steve Jones Blackett for his work in producing these cards. We still face challenges in trying to manage the woodland. Japanese Knotweed is still with us, despite being on the Leeds City council knotweed
There were a couple of disappointing events in 2022. The tree that fell across the lake, nearly destroying the FGVW built jetty, should have been dealt with before it fell as Leeds City Council Forestry received various warnings about it's perilous state, but failed to act in time. LCC will be repairing the jetty and surrounding area early in 2023. The other incident involved persons unknown removing a section of newly installed wooden railings protecting the public from a steep drop next to a section of raised footpath. Incidents like this are thankfully rare in the Woods and repacement metal railings were installed by FGVW volunteers. Thanks to Mervyn Clayton for leading the engineering team. Local Co-op stores once again chose FGVW to be a beneficiary of their Community Fund. This is a fantastic help to our work and we are very grateful to the Co-op for their support. The year ended with a thank you event for volunteers in the Three Hulats. A very satisfying year for FGVW. Thank you to all the volunteers who make it all possible
Financial review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period
A slight deficit in unrestricted funds has meant unrestricted reserves have decresed this year. Restricted funding has been secured for a lot of projects.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held
The purpose of the Reserves Policy for FGVW is to ensure stability of the ongoing operations of the charity. Reserves are intended to provide an internal source of funds for situations such as a sudden increase in expenses, one-time unbudgeted expenses, unanticipated loss in funding or uninsured losses. The reserves may also be used for one-time, non-recurring expensesthat will build long-term capacity, such as investment in infrastructure.
Reserves are not intended to replace a permanent loss of funds or eliminate an ongoing budget gap. It is the intention of FGVW for reserves to be used and replenished within a short period of time. The Reserves Policy will be implemented in concert with other governance and financial policies of FGVW and is intended to support the goals and strategies determined by the Trustees. The target Minimum Operating reserve has been set at £1000, being equal to one years insurance premium and likely legal fees to deal with any transfer of the land asset on winding up. At this stage, the charity does not have set or predictable operating expenses and financial commitments which need to be accounted for in the Operating Reserve.
An additional sum will be held as part of the Operating reserve to account for costs incurred should a major event such as the Fun day be cancelled. This will be calculated as the average costs of the three preceeding Fun days.
2
Reasons for holding zero reserves N/A Funds materially in deficit
None
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern None
Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity's trusts
Type of governing document Constitution How the charity is constituted CIO
Trustee selection methods including Trustees must be drawn from the membership of the CIO details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees
Other names the charity is known by FGVW Charity’s principal address 83, Gledhow Park Avenue Leeds Yorkshire Postcode LS7 4JL
Names of the trustees who manage the charity
| Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naomi Watts-Kitto Adrian Coltman Secretary Martin Calvert Chair Steve Jones-Blackett Treasurer |
Names and addresses of advisers
| Type of adviser | Name | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Bankers HSBC UK Bank PLC PO Box 105 33 Park Row, Leeds LS1 1LD Independent Examiner Karen Wood ACMA Outsource Accounting Services & IE's Hiscox Building, Peasholme Green York YO1 7PR |
3
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees Annual Report and Accounts
Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees
Signature
Full Name Martin Calvert Position Chair Date 29.05.2024
4
Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
I report on the accounts of: Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods for the period ended: 31st December 2023 which are set out on pages 6 to 9.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Charity'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.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
2 the accounts do not accord with those records
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 be reached.
Karen Wood (ACMA)
Date:
Outsource independent examination service The Hiscox Building Peasholme Green York YO1 7PR
5
Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
(CIO Number:1169599)
| Receipts &payments accounts for theyear ending: 31st December 2023 |
Receipts &payments accounts for theyear ending: 31st December 2023 |
Receipts &payments accounts for theyear ending: 31st December 2023 |
Receipts &payments accounts for theyear ending: 31st December 2023 |
Receipts &payments accounts for theyear ending: 31st December 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net of receipts/(payments) Defibulator Merchandise costs Insurance , subs & licence fees Balance carried forward Materials & action mornings Administration costs Website, advertising & publicity Total payments Transfer between funds Bank charges Tools & equipment Independent examination Balance brought forward Signage & information Carol's bench Bank interest Member subscriptions Receipts Merchandise sales Grants received Donations Events Workshops , events & exhibitions Total receipts Payments Groundwork, tree & grass cutting |
Unrestricted funds £ - 338 886 50 30 - 1,304 2,231 66 - - - 337 1,044 432 - 84 50 300 68 4,612 (3,308) - 15,506 12,198 |
Restricted funds £ 57,500 - - - - - 57,500 35,794 - 700 - - - 867 - - - - - - 37,361 20,139 - 10,839 30,978 |
2023 Total funds £ 57,500 338 886 50 30 - 58,804 38,025 66 700 - - 337 1,911 432 - 84 50 300 68 41,973 16,831 - 26,345 43,176 |
2022 Total funds £ 9,132 5,236 - 2,759 290 20 |
| 17,437 | ||||
| 1,773 4,057 - 290 935 745 802 413 10 84 50 300 79 |
||||
| 9,538 | ||||
| 7,899 - 18,446 |
||||
| 26,345 |
6
Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods
(CIO Number:1169599)
| Statement of assets and liabilities at: | 31st December 2023 | 31st December 2023 | 31st December 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current bank account Petty cash Assets Cash at bank and in hand |
Unrestricted funds £ 11,700 498 12,198 |
Restricted funds £ 30,978 - 30,978 |
2023 Total funds £ 42,678 498 43,176 |
2022 Total funds £ 25,782 563 |
| 26,345 |
| Liabilities Independent examination fee |
Unrestricted funds £ 330 330 |
Restricted funds £ - - |
2023 Total funds £ 330 330 |
2022 Total funds £ 300 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 |
7
Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods (CIO Number:1169599)
Notes to the accounts for the period ended: 31st December 2023
1. Basis of accounts
The Trustees have taken advantage of section 144 (2) of the Charities Act 2011 and prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
2. Restricted income funds
Fund name Purpose Lakes Phase 1 Lakes Phase 2
Gledhow lake improvement works Groundwork to prepare the Phase 2 plans
Funding to be used in conjunction with volunteer-based input in Gledhow Valley associated with Bushcraft Session for vulnerable men. Funding for the physical work used to create the wetlend beds/ponds along Gledhow Valley.
Thriving Communities
NHLF Postcode Lottery Yorkshire Water
Funding for improvements to water quality in Gledhow Beck, Contribution to phase 2
Funding for the closure of Gledhow Valley Road and Green Fair to be held Sunday July 14th 2024.
Climate Action Leeds
Ongoing community project to monitor the water quality of Gledhow Beck
Water monitoring
| Balance b/fwd £ 15,506 596 5,847 6,443 3,000 1,396 - - - - - - - 10,839 26,345 |
Incoming resources £ |
Resources expended £ 4,612 596 5,847 6,443 5,807 1,058 7,500 10,200 5,486 - 517 350 867 37,361 41,973 |
Transfers btw £ - - - - - - 0 - - - - - - - - |
Balance c/fwd £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,304 | 12,198 | |||
| - - |
- - |
|||
| - | - | |||
| 5,000 | 2,193 | |||
| 1,200 | 1,538 | |||
| 10,000 | 2,500 | |||
| 25,000 | 14,800 | |||
| 10,000 | 4,514 | |||
| 5,000 | 5,000 | |||
| 800 500 |
283 150 |
|||
| 1,300 | 433 | |||
| 57,500 | 30,978 | |||
| 58,804 | 43,176 |
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
Lakes Phase 1 Martin Wills Wildlife Trust Coop Community Grant
Lakes Phase 2 Wades
Thriving Communities Space2 Leeds
NHLF
Postcode Lottery
Yorkshire Water
Climate Action Leeds Community Foundation
Water monitoring Voluntary Action Leeds ChangeX
Total Restricted Funds
Total Funds
8
Approval of accounts for the year ended: 31st December 2023
The report and accounts were approved at a meeting of the Trustees held on:
14.05.2024
Date
Signed for and on behalf of the trustees
Date
29.05.2024
Steven Jones-Blackett
Print name
Treasurer
Position (e.g. Chair etc)
9