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← The Friends Of Warnham Local Nature Reserve

2024-03-31-accounts

Information Pack for the 2023-24 Annual General Meeting

Index

Secton Sub-Secton Page
Context Introducton 3
Background 3
Annual General Meetng & Resolutons 3
Minutes of the Previous AGM 4 - 5
Annual Report Introducton 6 - 7
Governance 8
Promotng Educaton 8
Visitor Experience 9
Funding 9
Volunteers 9 – 10
Horsham District Council 10
Annual Accounts for the Period 1stApril
2023 to 31stMarch 2024		 Commentary 11
Accounts 12
Re-electon of Trustees 13

2

Context

Introducton

This Pack contains all of the necessary information for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve, including the Annual Report and Accounts for the year to 31[st] March 2024.

The AGM is to be held on Wednesday 20[th] November 2024 at the Visitor Centre of Warnham Local Nature Reserve, and will start at 7:00pm.

Background

The Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve (FoWLNR), charity number 1171924, is registered with The Charity Commission for England and Wales (The Charity Commission).

The objectives of the charity are:

to promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of Warnham Local Nature Reserve, in particular but not exclusively by:

(a) advancing the education of the public about all aspects of the natural history of the reserve; and

(b) promoting biological diversity.

FoWLNR is governed by a formal Constitution and makes annual reports to The Charity Commission.

The 2023/24 report was submitted to The Charity Commission on 4th November 2024.

Warnham Local Nature Reserve is owned by Horsham District Council (HDC), and all volunteers of FoWLNR work closely with HDC staff, in particularly those from the Parks & Countryside Department who manage and maintain the Reserve.

The day-to-day management of FoWLNR is the responsibility of the Trustee Board which is ably supported by a dedicated group of other volunteers, some of who sit on the newly re-established Management Committee.

Annual General Meetng

The Constitution requires that FoWLNR holds an AGM at intervals of not more than 15 months, and the last AGM was held on 22[nd] November 2023.

This AGM is in respect of the period from 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024.

Only eligible Members of FoWLNR will be able to vote on the Resolutions at the AGM, which are proposed by the Trustees as follows:

Resolution 1: Approve the Minutes of the Previous AGM held 22[nd] November 2023 (see pages 4 - 5)

Resolution 2: Adopt the Annual Report for the Period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024 (see pages 6 - 10)

Resolution 3: Adopt the Annual Accounts for the Period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024 (see pages 11 - 12)

Resolution 4: Re-election of those Trustees retiring by rotation and who wish to stand for re-election (see page 13)

3

Minutes of the Previous Annual General Meetng

Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve (FoWLNR)

Annual General Meeting - 22[nd] November 2023

In attendance:

Eric Baker, Liz Bridges, Eric Brown, Jill Brown, Gill Clifton, Barry Clough, Hilary Harding, John Harriss, Diane Hellyer, Peter Hellyer, Neil Henry (T), Steve Kenward (T), Denise Knight (T), Denise Leach, Ruth Morgan, David Putland, Andy Roberts (T), Viv Roberts, Graham Rumsey, Andrea Saxton, Paul Shergold (T), Linda Slattery (T), Margaret Symonds, Richard Symonds (T), Lyn Whale.

(T) denotes Trustee

The Chairman advised that extensive background papers previously circulated with the calling notice for the AGM supported the resolutions now put before the AGM.

  1. Apologies for absence. Celia Strudley

  2. To approve the Minutes of the Previous AGM, held on 18[th] January 2023.

The minutes were proposed as accurate by Paul Shergold, seconded by Viv Roberts and adopted by a majority show of hands.

  1. To adopt the Annual Report for the period 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023.

Following a summary of the Annual Report by SK, the adoption of the Annual Report was proposed by Richard Symonds & Neil Henry, seconded by Linda Slattery & Ruth Morgan and supported by a majority show of hands.

Thanks were expressed to all volunteers of FoWLNR and to Horsham District Council (HDC) staff, particularly those from the Parks & Countryside Team.

To adopt the Annual Accounts for the period 1[st] April 2022 to 31[st] March 2023.

Following a summary of the Accounts and financial position of FoWLNR, the adoption of the Accounts as reviewed by the independent examiner for the period to 31[st] March 2023 was proposed by Paul Shergold, seconded by Viv Roberts & Linda Slattery and supported by a majority show of hands.

  1. To elect Trustee(s) retiring by rotation.

Standing down in order of rotation were Paul Shergold, Linda Slattery and Richard Symonds.

Having decided not to stand for re-election, Linda was thanked for her service as a Trustee.

Paul Shergold agreed to stand for re-election, and was proposed by Eric Brown, seconded by Neil Henry and Hilary Harding and supported by a majority show of hands.

Richard Symonds also agreed to stand for re-election, and was proposed by Paul Shergold, seconded by Denise Knight and supported by a majority show of hands.

It was noted that Graham Matthews was also standing down as a Trustee effective from 22[nd] November 2023, and that this would be accounted for in the 2023/24 AGM.

4

  1. Any other business.

  2. a. Hilary Manning enquired whether WLNR could be included on a public bus route.

While not definite, it was thought that HDC might be exploring a Hopper Service between points of interest in the town and which might include WLNR.

The Chairman (Steve Kenward) thanked members for attending the AGM and for their support for FoWLNR.

An illustrated presentation of Butterflies, the Warnham Butterfly Fields and the Wild About Warnham Project was then given by David Bridges.

Resolution 1: Approve the Minutes of the Previous AGM held 22[nd] November 2023

Proposer:

Seconder:

Vote of Eligible Members:

5

Annual Report

Introducton

The year to March 2024 has given us a period of stability, after the turbulence of previous years both nationally and within our Trustee group.

We have taken the opportunity to refresh, regroup, and prepare for future.

The year began with work being undertaken by FoWLNR to refresh the Herons Rest facility. Our original plans included creating a new kitchen layout, additional storage space, shelving, display facilities and furniture. In the event and with the promise of change inspired by Horsham District Council’s (HDC) plans for the building to be retro fitted to align with their eco requirements, our plans were reduced to a mere redecoration. This was achieved. The opportunity was taken to upgrade some of our café equipment and our till facilities. The changes suggested by HDC, were to be incorporated into a bigger plan for the Visitor Centre and a Friends working group was established to take on the planning tasks. These plans subsequently faced uncertainty given the difficulties of local authority financing, and FoWLNR may have to revisit the elements previously planned such as additional storage and display space and furniture.

An ongoing theme throughout the year has been to improve our systems, procedures and compliance, both with our partner HDC requirements outlined in our jointly signed Service Level Agreement (SLA) and the statutory requirements of the Charities Commission. Our work in these areas included a development of our financial processes, driven by the installation of a new till system, and new banking arrangements, in part due to the inability to communicate with our original bank. After a considerable period of investigation and professional advice, the Trustees were reassured FoWLNR had the correct operating structure, relative to its charitable status. FoWLNR’s awareness of its responsibilities to its volunteers was significantly heightened as was its at ude to risk, conflict of interest, assets, and lone working. I, and the Trustees are indebted to our colleagues responsible for the finance and secretarial aspects of the charities work for the efforts they have made and the improvements that have been achieved during the year.

The Service Level Agreement (SLA), referred to above was renewed at the end of the period and runs until 2027. Whilst the SLA is the umbrella under which both the Friends and HDC work together, the Friends undoubtedly benefit from the positivity of the individual relationships involved and the support constantly available from the HDC Wardens team.

During the year in question visitors to the Reserve totalled 29,784. Less than the previous year where we saw a post pandemic bounce, and reduced by the fact that we closed for a week in the Spring to achieve our redecoration. It remained a frustration that despite these numbers of visitors our Friends numbers remained low. A lack of Friends makes it difficult to attract new volunteers, reduces our ability to support the Warden’s work on the Reserve, and continue to deliver events. During the year plans were proposed to our partner HDC to increase Friends membership, and these plans were accepted and came into force in April 2024. We now have the potential to have a Friends membership equal to our annual permit visitors which can only be good for the Charity and its objectives going forward. The next task will be to increase the total number of visitors to the Reserve, and a project group in the following year will develop a communication strategy and programme to achieve additional visitor traffic.

6

Financially the Charity ended the year in review, very strongly. This largely reflected the fact that the Boardwalk replacement programme, whilst budgeted had not commenced. This was disappointing but the delays enabled a wide range of suppliers and contractors to be considered and drew a plan from HDC to match fund replacement work for the following five-year period. The combination of all of this should enable considerable amounts of boardwalk replacement throughout the Reserve in the years ahead.

The Charity could not continue without the tireless work of the volunteers, the Trustees and the support of the HDC Countryside Warden team, for which as Chairman I am extremely grateful. My thanks go to all involved for their efforts and achievements on behalf of the Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve.

Steve Kenward

Steve Kenward,

Chair – Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve

7

Governance

FoWLNR continued throughout the year to fulfil its obligations as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation that is registered with The Charity Commission.

The Trustees run the charity in line with the documented Constitution and Policies, and all aspects of the day-to-day operations were managed by the Trustees and their designated function leads or teams.

On a quarterly basis, the Trustees and function heads met to review the performance of FoWLNR in line with its objectives, to develop strategic plans and to translate those into future operational goals.

The Trustees of FoWLNR for the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024 were:

The designated function heads or teams for the same period were:

Promotng Educaton

In line with our objective of advancing the education of the public about all aspects of the natural history of the Reserve, FoWLNR has:

8

Visitor Experience

The Reserve continues to receive positive feedback from many of its visitors, either in person or via various online platforms.

A small number of visitors were unhappy or critical about elements of their visit. Where any such feedback was received, it was shared with the applicable function heads and HDC to identify any opportunities for improvement.

Funding

FoWLNR generates income in a number of different ways, including:

We are very grateful to our members and to those who have made contributions to FoWLNR, who we wish to thank.

During the year we were able to contribute over £21,000 towards various projects at the Reserve, and the year ended with a healthy bank balance which will help us with the planned projects.

Volunteers

Our dedicated volunteers have continued to generously donate their own time in support of FoWLNR and HDC, to ensure that Warnham Local Nature Reserve remains one of the leading visitor attractions in the Horsham District.

We wish to take this opportunity to thank them all for their contributions, which combine to make the Reserve the success that it is.

These volunteers contributed over 8,400 hours in the year towards:

9

We are seeking additional volunteers to help us, and if you are interested in contributing to one of the areas above, please email fowlnr@gmail.com

Horsham District Council

FoWLNR would like to thank HDC staff and in particular their Parks & Countryside Team, who are always very supportive of our charity and with whom we have an excellent relationship.

Resolution 2 – Adopt the Annual Report

Proposer:

Seconder:

Vote of Eligible Members:

10

Annual Accounts for the Period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024

Commentary

The Annual Accounts of FoWLNR are shown on the next page. These were independently examined and approved on 10[th] October 2024 by Richard Hopkins who is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Total funds of FoWLNR at 31st March 2024 amounted to £116,340 which included monies held as a General Reserve and those split between separate bank accounts, in part to attract a reasonable rate of interest but while also not exceeding the Financial Services Compensation limit of £85,000 for any single bank account.

While the total funds held by FoWLNR are healthy, the project to ultimately replace all of the boardwalks over the coming years will require these funds plus other substantial amounts which are to be raised over a number of years.

Resolution 3 – Adopt the Annual Accounts

Proposer:

Seconder:

Vote of Eligible Members:

11

Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve

Annual Accounts 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024

Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve Friends of Warnham Local Nature Reserve
Annual Accounts 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024
Income Expenditure
Café Cafe
Sales – Food & Cold Drinks £16,436.83 Purchases – Food & Cold Drinks £12,666.06
Sales – Hot Drinks £26,257.90 Purchases – Hot Drinks £04,901.50
Sales – Ice Cream £02,732.55 Purchases – Ice Cream £02,242.80
Total Food & Drink Sales £45,427.28 Total Food & Drink Costs £19,810.36
Other Income Admin Expenditure
Friends Membership £01,024.50 Till & Card Machine £3,366.54
Sales – General £01,363.80 Cofee Machine £1,943.34
Events Income £04,432.30 Goods Purchased for Sale £0,731.69
Gif Aid Income £02,052.48 Event Costs £0,865.51
Income – Other £01,314.54 Phone,Internet,Website,IT £1,312.13
Total Other Income £10,187.62 PrintngSupplies £0,059.00
Miscellaneous £1,499.32
Donatons Organisatonal Costs £0,177.00
Artwork Sales Commission £00,194.97 Legal Fees £3,096.00
Donatons & Bequests £02,012.19 Volunteer Barbeque £0,702.72
HDC Permit Donatons £16,609.01
Birdseed Donatons £02,135.01
Total Donatons £20,951.18 Total Admin Costs £13,753.25
Charitable Expenditure
Bird Food £04,472.87
Cameras £03,889.96
Walkways £06,418.00
Wildlife Surveys £01,132.73
Visitor Centre £04,097.82
Projects £01,316.00
Educatonal Signage £00,009.00
Total Charitable Spend £21,336.38
Total Income £76,566.08 Total Expenditure £54,899.99
Annual Accountng Balance £21,666.09
Total Funds Held £116,108.51

12

Re-electon of Trustees

The Constitutional requires that one-third of the elected Trustees must retire from office at every AGM.

In the order of their appointment, those resigning this year are:

Resolution 4: Re-election of those Trustees retiring by rotation and who wish to stand for reelection, namely Neil Henry and Denise Knight.

Resoluton 4: Re-electon of those Trustees retring by rotaton and who wish to stand for re-
electon, namely Neil Henry and Denise Knight.		 Resoluton 4: Re-electon of those Trustees retring by rotaton and who wish to stand for re-
electon, namely Neil Henry and Denise Knight.
Neil Henry Denise Knight
Proposer:
Seconder:
Vote of Eligible Members:		 Proposer:
Seconder:
Vote of Eligible Members:

13

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES The Friends of Ylzrnham Local ma￿1• Reswve Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the perlod To 0110412023 31103r2024 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restrict fvnds Endowment Total funds Last year tothè r8WÈSt £ tothè nts•rE￿£ toJ ￿lI¥stE to thB wres1£ A1 Receipts Sales- Food and drink Sales-hol dnnk8 Sales- I￿ cream Membership fees ersales and ¢tsrmis Events Donations Qthwsales and ¢tynmis> 16.437 16,437 25B 2,732 1.025 1,364 4.432 20.951 16.780 25.711 2.321 1,550 1732 1,025 4.432 20,951 3,398 26,313 tota ross Income AR) 77.479 A2 Asset an (see table). Investment sales. receipts A3Pa ents PurGhases for resak Adrnin expenditure ChantaNe expendiknre 1S,B10 13,753 I9￿10 13.753 21,336 19.112 7,357 25,743 Sub total 54.899 51212 A4 Asset and invesknent urchases se• table Sub total S4*99 52,212 Net of recelpts/(paymentsJ A5 Tr#n$feTS between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this yearend 21.66 21,66 25.26 116,340 116,340 94.673 CCXX R1 arxounts ISSI 0311012024

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestrkcted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds to ngarestf Categories Details 81 Cash funds 58,t03 65,031 61.212 29.202 2.97S Total cash funds 116.340 94.673 Unrestrtcted funds to wrest£ Restrlct funds to nearest£ Endowmont funds to ne8f8St£ i Deta41s B2 Othor monetary assets F￿nd to which Currentvaluè onal Details Cctloptfjonall B3 Investmènt assets Ftjrbd towhich Currentvalvg onal Details ostlopuonall i ! B4 A88ets retalned for the ¢harity's own tofftfjch Aniou¢itduo ona Detasls on B5 Liabiliti8s Signed by one OT tsvo tri$taes on behahf of all the lJustees Svjnature Piint Name Date of roval CCXX R2 aC￿unts ISSI 0311012024

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Seclion A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteesl ' members of The Friends of Wamham Local Nature Resetve On accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 Charity no {if any) 1171924 Set out on pages 1&2 I report to the trust￿8 on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended Responsibilities and As the charsty trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordan￿ with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {"the Acr). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts Ca￿led out under sedion 145 ofthe 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5}{b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confjnn that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ") in connection with the examinatson which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examinerfs ststement I have no COn￿mS and have come across no other matters in Gonnection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. se delete the wonys in the brackets rfthey do not apply. Signed." Date: (00 Name: RICFIARD HOPKINS Relevant professional qualificationls) or body (rfany): Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Address: Three Elms. Maudlyn Park, Steyning, West Sussex BN44 3PS IER October 2018

ection B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to hsghlight matters of concem (see CC32, Independent examination of chartty a¢Gounts: directions and guidan￿ for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. There are no matters of con￿rn. IER October 2018