2025-08-31-accounts - Froyle Wildlife

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FROYLE WILDLIFE Trustees’ Report for the period 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025 fmWildlife

1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025

The trustees of Froyle Wildlife present their Report and Accounts for the period 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025.

1. Reference and administrative details

Froyle Wildlife is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, registered charity number 1171997. Its registered address is:

Braemore Husseys Lane Lower Froyle Alton GU34 4LX.

The trustees of Froyle Wildlife throughout the period were:

Barry Clark (chairman) Susan Clark Alan Dyos (secretary) Jayne Fisher Nigel Hughes Jenny Matthews Jonathan Pickering (treasurer)

At each annual general meeting of the members of the CIO, one-third of the charity trustees shall retire from office. Any person who retires as a charity trustee by rotation is eligible for re-election.

Jonathan Pickering and Nigel Hughes have indicated that they plan to retire in 2025 and not stand for re-election. Deborah Addison and Mark Crisp are proposed as their replacements.

Governance, management and trustee recruitment

Froyle Wildlife is run by its trustees, who meet as often as required during the year to manage its affairs. They also arrange the events which Froyle Wildlife puts on in the village, and recruit and manage volunteers to assist with the upkeep and maintenance of the Froyle Park pond and the two wildflower areas on Froyle Recreation Ground.

The trustees of Froyle Wildlife share an interest in local wildlife and the natural environment, and the importance of its conservation and protection. Potential new trustees are sought from the residents of the local area who share the values and objectives of Froyle Wildlife.

2. Objectives and activities

The objectives of Froyle Wildlife are:

(a) to promote for the benefit of the public resident in and around the villages of Upper Froyle and Lower Froyle, Hampshire the conservation, protection and improvement of the local physical and natural environment , in particular but not exclusively by identifying and recording species of flora and fauna in the local area ;

(b) to advance the education of the public resident in and around the villages of Upper Froyle and Lower Froyle, Hampshire in the conservation, protection and improvement of the local physical and natural environment.

During the period Froyle Wildlife (FW) continued to arrange a programme of activities. The trustees confirm that activities have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. Our plan is to carry out the following activities, either separately or in conjunction with each other:

Providing talks, preferably illustrated, by relevant knowledgeable individuals on aspects of species, local wildlife conservation, protection and natural environmental improvement;
Providing guided walks in the local countryside, led by relevant knowledgeable individuals, to observe and where possible record various elements of the local flora, fauna and, if appropriate, related topography;
Offering opportunities to participate in the development, maintenance, upkeep and renewal of local natural facilities including, but not limited to, the wildlife pond and meadow area in Froyle Park, and the wildflower areas on the Froyle Recreation Ground;
Providing forums in which interested people can meet to discuss and share experiences, observations and opinions relating to local flora, fauna and conservation matters generally, all of which will be open to members of the public at an appropriate modest entrance fee, generally £3 (designed to cover both staging and general operating expenses) and free for members.

Froyle Park Pond area May 2025

Wildflowers on Froyle Rec. June 2025

3. Achievements and performance

Froyle Wildlife arranges ‘walks and talks’ that support our purposes and form part of a year on year programme, see our website for more information https://froylewildlife.co.uk/news/past-events/. We continued to look after the wildflower areas on Froyle Recreation Ground and the wildlife pond area near Gid Lane with volunteers.

Last October Ben Hamlin gave a talk ‘Why We Need Trees’ at a joint event with Froyle Gardening Club. The talk covered topics including ‘why we need trees’ (for our health and wellbeing, for wildlife habitats, to clean our air and to help prevent soil erosion are some) and ‘what is the problem?’ Only 13% of the UK has tree cover, only 2% of Britain is ancient woodland with only 15% of that being protected, and a half of our ancient woodland has been lost or damaged since the 1930’s.

Knapweed broomrape near a Froyle footpath

In November Isobel Girvan gave a fascinating talk on the ‘Wildflowers of Froyle’, updating a survey originally carried out in 1952 and done again in 1991. Two particular highlights were the white helleborine, a rare orchid which grows under beech trees, and toothwort - an ancient woodland indicator. On our chalk grasslands species recorded included bee orchid, pyramidal orchid, knapweed broomrape and quaking grass. Even in the arable and hedgerow habitat there was a rich variety of plants, from teasels to musk mallow and dog rose, as there was also in the walls and banks. The number and range of wild plants in Froyle is an indicator of the rich flora we enjoy and need to foster.

We appreciated a talk in February about ‘Wildlife Photography’ by Jon Hawkins, an award-winning professional photographer who has a passion for wildlife. He was a knowledgeable speaker who entertainingly shared his approach, photographic technique, and a host of brilliant photos. Tips for successful images included: getting up early, knowing and respecting the animals’ habits and feeding patterns, staying downwind, camouflage (including using a hide), investing in high quality photographic equipment, and being prepared to wait for hours for one successful picture.

An informative and entertaining talk about ‘Understanding birds and how they live’ in March was presented by Keith Betton. We heard that 382 bird species were observed in Hampshire in 2024. Birds have been on earth for about 150 million years whereas humans only about 1 million – and most of the decline in the bird population is attributable to human activity, in particular industrialisation and climate change, which has

Understanding birds talk in village hall

changed the temperature in birds’ habitats, altered their food supplies and caused habitat loss. About 2,000 bird species migrate, principally in search of food and also to avoid extreme cold, so as to maximise their chances of survival, including the arctic tern and bar-tailed godwit.

In June we visited Noar Hill SSSI to see wildflowers at these medieval chalk workings. Over hundreds of years the mounds and hollows have been colonised by a great variety of beautiful chalk downland flowers now rare in the wider countryside. There were numerous orchids including pyramidal, musk, fragrant and common spotted along with common broomrape and twayblades. Other plants included: yellow wort, clustered bellflower, fairy flax, marjoram and ladies bedstraw.

Pyramidal orchids at Noar Hill White Admiral at Abbotts Wood

Warm sunshine in July was ideal for a walk in Alice Holt forest for woodland butterflies. We enjoyed seeing the variety and numbers of butterflies at Abbotts Wood along with close encounters while they were nectaring. The 17 species spotted included Silver Washed Fritillary, Red Admiral, Brimstone, Ringlet, Comma, Large Skipper, White Admiral, Speckled Wood and Purple Hairstreak. We had not seen as many Silver Washed Fritillaries for several years and it was lovely to witness their courtship flights as well.

At the wildlife pond area and meadow we had drizzle in the morning during the dropin day in July, after weeks of hot dry weather. It brightened in the afternoon for the dragonflies and butterflies to start flitting among the wonderful wildflower meadow that surrounds the pond. There were numerous butterflies including Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Common Blue, Comma and Small Copper. Odonata seen included Emperor dragonfly, Blue-tailed damselfly, Common darter, Small Red-eyed damselfly, along with bees, ladybirds and hoverflies. Among the vegetation was a metallic green Rose Chafer beetle, a wasp spider and a Turnip sawfly.

Community involvement:

We assisted the Froyle tree warden to obtain disease resistant elm trees from a Hampshire County Council scheme. In January eight bare rooted trees of the species Ulmus ‘Ademuz’ were planted in Froyle by volunteers at three locations. Froyle once had majestic elm trees along hedges and fields. Suckers from old elms

do still grow locally usually for 10-20 years before succumbing to Dutch elm disease. Elm trees provide habitats for wildlife, including birds, butterflies and fungi, supporting local biodiversity. Elm is the sole larval foodplant of the White Letter Hairstreak butterfly, with Froyle’s last record in 1997.

Planting disease resistant elm trees New perennial wildflower area on rec.

The wildflower areas on Froyle recreation ground provide nectar for bees and other pollinators as well as a colourful display for the community. Last September we changed the cornfield annuals area to perennials by sowing perennial seeds. A mixture of British native species that are different to the original wildflower area have started to grow thus increasing diversity and flowering times for next year. Seeds were also grown in pots to supplement those sown directly in the ground. About 50 pot grown wildflowers were also planted out by volunteers.

In Spring we trimmed the willow dome on Froyle recreation ground and tied in new growth to maintain a compact structure. In July the perennial wildflower plot had its annual cut by traditional scything and rake up of cuttings as part of the maintenance plan. Many locals enjoyed seeing the colourful wildflowers and using the willow dome, achieved with the help of 14 volunteers involved for 72 hours work.

We encourage local people to send us their wildlife sightings in Froyle with photos if possible: these included Slow worm, Jersey tiger moth, Silver-washed fritillary, 6- spot burnet moth and caddisfly larva. In addition to our website www.froylewildlife.co.uk, we also publish monthly articles in the Froyle Village magazine to inform about local wildlife. Our Instagram page #froylewildlife has 78 followers and our events are also posted on Facebook in the Froyle Residents group. We had a display of local wildlife information at the Froyle Fete in July and at the Froyle Gardens Open event in June 2025.

Froyle Wildlife stand at Froyle fete Pulling horsetail weeds on pond edge

Managing the wildflower meadow surrounding Froyle Park Pond has involved 17 volunteers for 229 hours of hands on work to maintain the habitat. With this effort, the wildflowers have thrived and the pond continues to support breeding amphibians, dragonflies and damselflies. Work included removing perennial weeds (especially field horsetail); cutting paths to enable access for visitors; and removing excess pond and stream vegetation. In addition we replaced a 40m length of broken fence and posts to prevent sheep from straying into Ryebridge stream, where hemlock water dropwort grows. The high number of plants, insects and amphibians that would otherwise be absent from the area is due to our management which includes selective cutting and sheep grazing in winter months.

Pond dipping for families July 2025 Sheep grazing at pond area

Several families enjoyed a lovely morning of pond dipping in July at the wildlife pond. Due to the lack of rain, the pond level had dropped by 80 cm, so children could only reach the water with the long handled net. We collected a range of tiny creatures and examined them using our new portable wireless microscope. The microscope proved very popular with the children who quickly learnt how to use it to view water beetles, boatmen, dragonfly nymphs and young newts in greater detail. The water was teeming with life and we also saw dragonflies and damselflies. Also the children and adults were amazed to see a ‘wasp spider’ with its long legs and vivid black and yellow stripes.

Species recording:

Observations have been made to record what species are present in the local area throughout the seasons. These add to the information from previous years, accessible from our website http://froylewildlife.co.uk/recording/species-lists/.

We held two moth identification evenings after dark in Froyle during May. One was held in a Lower Froyle garden and recorded 25 species including Poplar Hawk-moth, Iron Prominent and Brimstone moth. The second was held in the wildflower meadow that surrounds the pond near Gid Lane and recorded 27 species including White Ermine, Nut-tree Tussock and Scorched Wing. Most of the moths were photographed for conclusive identification of the species. These records were

White Ermine moth

then submitted to the National Moth Recording Scheme via the Hampshire County Recorder. Moths and butterflies are indicator species for the health of our natural environment.

We have informally monitored the habitat at the wildlife pond and wildflower meadow and our records include: 19 species of dragonfly/damselfly; 4 species of amphibian; 26 species of butterfly; 137 species of moth and 117 species of flowering plants. Records at the pond area for the first time this year include: Grey wagtail, Red bartsia, Turnip sawfly, Emerald damselfly and a Silver grass-miner moth.

Turnip sawfly Red bartsia Emerald damselfly

The wildlife pond has a good population of Great Crested Newts (GCN) with recorded presence every year since 2016. Evidence of breeding was confirmed again in 2025 with newt larvae observed of both GCN and Smooth Newt.

Surveying continued this summer in Froyle’s disused quarry (SINC site), a habitat with naturally regenerating chalk grassland. At this private site Froyle Wildlife volunteers also assisted with habitat management of scrub and non-native buddleia.

4. Financial performance

Froyle Wildlife’s opening funds were £1,405 none of which were restricted. During the year it received no grants from either East Hants District or Froyle Parish councils. Overall there was a deficit of income over expenditure of £143 (compared with the previous year’s deficit of £63). Closing funds were £1,262, none of which are restricted. Froyle Wildlife has no debts.

The trustees manage Froyle Wildlife to allow the purchase of essential items of equipment or consumables to enable it to carry on its conservation activities, and aim to maintain a small positive cash balance as working capital to enable the production of local events. The subscription amount is set at a level to meet these objectives: the trustees do not consider it is necessary or appropriate to generate significant reserves to be held by the charity.

Other matters

Froyle Wildlife holds no funds as custodian trustee, and has not taken advantage of any exemptions from disclosure.

FROYLE WILDLIFE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Income & expenditure statement

Income Subscriptions Donations Refreshment receipts Door entries Total income Expenditure Maintenance Donations to speakers Insurance Sundries Hall hire Food & drink Planting Total expenditure (Deficit)/Surplus of income over expenditure	Year ended 31 August 2025 2024 £ £ 430 370 427 90 126 118 27 21 1,010 599 513 51 238 145 173 170 36 82 115 90 78 48 76 1,153 662 £(143) £(63)	Year ended 31 August 2025 2024 £ £ 430 370 427 90 126 118 27 21 1,010 599 513 51 238 145 173 170 36 82 115 90 78 48 76 1,153 662 £(143) £(63)
		599
		51 145 170 82 90 48 76
		662
		£(63)

FROYLE WILDLIFE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Balance sheet at 31 August 2025

Current assets Cash at bank Petty cash Net current assets TOTAL FUNDS Represented by: Capital introduced Opening reserves (Deficit)/Surplus Closing reserves TOTAL FUNDS	31 August 2024 2023 £ £ 953 1,184 309 221 1,262 1,405 £1,262 £1,405 53 53 1,352 1,415 (143) (63) 1,209 1,352 £1,262 £1,405	31 August 2024 2023 £ £ 953 1,184 309 221 1,262 1,405 £1,262 £1,405 53 53 1,352 1,415 (143) (63) 1,209 1,352 £1,262 £1,405
		1,405
		£1,405
		53
		1,415 (63)
		1,352
		£1,405

Approved on behalf of the Committee by:

Barry Clark

Jonathan Pickering

Date: 8 September 2025

FROYLE WILDLIFE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

Froyle Wildlife is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (no.1171997) which took over the the activities of Froyle Nature Conservation Group (FNCG).
The accounts cover the year ended 31 August 2025.
The accounts have been prepared on a Receipts and Payments basis, as agreed by the Trustees.
In accordance with recommended practice, the gross income and expenditure for various ancillary activities have been shown in the accounts, rather than the net figures, which are as follows:

as follows:
	Refreshments
	£
Receipts	126
Costs	(78)
Net proceeds	£48