## **Summary Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** 

**From January 2022  To December 2022** 

## **Charity name: Walk the Loop** 

**Charity registration number:** 1173103 

## **Objectives and Activities** 

## **Summary of the purposes of the charity:** 

1. The advancement of education for the public benefit by providing services for children and young people (particularly age 0-8) that promote their holistic development (including physical, cognitive, social and emotional) through experiential learning outside the classroom at sites of natural beauty or of special interest on or near the London Loop 

- 2 To act as a resource for disadvantaged children and parent-carers living in the London area who are excluded from society, or parts of society, owing to their social and economic circumstances, by providing recreational and leisure time services with a view to improving the conditions of life of such persons and helping them gain new skills. 

## **Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public beneft, in particular, the activities, projects or services identifed in the accounts** . 

Our main focus over the year was on our **Nurture and Grow Family Learning Project** funded by the Emergence Foundation with the purpose of inviting local families to join in activities that would help a dedicated area in Pimp Hall Nature Reserve in North Chingford, E4 7HR, Greater London, become a haven for wildlife by growing and nurturing flowers and plants that are of benefit to insects, birds, bats and other creatures. Our aim was for the families to get close up to nature, observing how it shifts through the seasons, learning about the habitat and how to help it thrive. At the same time, they would be able to make and create through related arts and crafts and have quality time together in a calming and beautiful green space. We set out five outcomes: 

Participants will: 

- learn about nature by observing the shift of seasons and finding out about the flowers, trees, plants, birds and other wildlife. 

- appreciate how nature is a versatile tool for learning across the curriculum at very little cost. 



- give shape and expression to their experience through arts and crafts activities, drawing inspiration from natural resources with creative imagination. 

- have made a significant difference to a local reserve by engaging in activities that help it become a wildlife haven. 

- take pride in having contributed with others to a community endeavour that is of benefit to the local area and environment in the shorter and longer term. 

As set out in our application, we ran sixteen sessions over a period of eight months in order to achieve these outcomes. 

Three of the events were open to the wider community in the summer holidays and for an exhibition we held in October. The events ran twice a month: from March to August on Fridays and Sundays;  from September to October on Sundays only. We ran two other separate events on April 8[th] and May 30[th] that were open to the wider public. 

## **Working Together** 

For two of the events on 29[th] August and 9[th] October, we liaised with other organisations, helping broaden our reach: Waltham Forest Adult Learning Services; London Fungus Network. We also continued to work closely with the Friends of Pimp Hall Nature Reserve and staff from the Hornbeam Learning Lodge where we hire indoor space to complement outdoor activities especially in wet weather. We took on a self-employed coordinator and two forest school specialists from the local area to plan and deliver events. Volunteers played an invaluable role, bringing enthusiasm and creativity to the mix. This was particularly for our events on April 8[th] and May 30[th] . 

We were also able to work with Docklands Creative and students studying web design at the University of East London to create a microsite dedicated to recording how our project progressed from month to month. 

## **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._ 

As planned, we worked with a core group of families from the local area for our Nurture and Grow Project. We envisaged having 12 families join us on a regular basis. In reality, 11 families joined us. They did not attend every event. As further envisaged, we were able to reach out to a much broader range of families at events over the summer holidays and for our closing display / exhibition when we could share what we were doing and awake interest in sustaining our project further.                                 The core families we worked with had children aged 0-8. While it was mostly mothers attending, fathers came as well with extended family. A childminder was also able to step in when one of the mothers was working. The family life situations, needs and ethnic backgrounds were diverse 



including White British, Black British, Asian British, Italian, Japanese. For one event, a Ukrainian refugee family joined us. 

## **Successes** 

The project lead, coordinator and specialist support worked effectively as a team. We had thought through the project sufficiently well to be able to follow through our intentions to a large degree with activities that were educational, meaningful and relaxing for participants, bringing out creativity as captured in our closing exhibition. We could palpably see from month to month how the patch changed and developed. 

Each event brought into play cross curricular learning and development covering such aspects as: natural science; environmental awareness; comparing and contrasting; exploring colour, shapes and patterns; appreciating the beauty of the ordinary; hand-eye coordination; gross and fine motor skills;  following instructions; vocabulary development; speaking and listening. We could be holistic, helping foster social, emotional and spiritual well-being both for the children and the parent-carers 

We had a certain routine in place. On arrival, we invited participants to join us in looking at the patch and how it had changed since we last saw it, then following up with decluttering, planting and watering as was necessary. Through this routine, children and parent-carers could familiarize themselves with the patch and grow attached to it, taking pride in the difference they were making as a group coming together for a joint nurturing activity. 

This feeling of pride and attachment was consolidated by building up to our closing exhibition to which families actively contributed, preparing exhibits both individually and also as a group as, for example, when it came to creating our Nurture and Grow sign with clay letters or our Nature’s Circle. They helped set up the exhibition and could then show it to others. 

On an ongoing basis and at the close, we invited participants to sum up how they felt about the project overall in words or arts and crafts or both. 

## **Some Feedback on our Events** 

“Great way to build a community and support local wildlife”. Anonymous 

“We need more places to cultivate mindfulness, connection, hands-on learning / sharing knowledge, physical activity and contact with nature. Thank you for setting up this lovely oasis of real humanity for our children and us!” Anonymous 

“Lovely way to spend time with my 3 year old -he feels very free and confident outside. A big adventure for him and so lovely to see him connecting with nature.”  Usma 

“Thank YOU for this beautiful project. We are delighted to have had the privilege to be part of it. A project so strong in its utter simplicity. So meaningful in its delicate unfolding. So intense in its shared kindness. Thank you for making it 



happen. Yes please do keep us posted about further events. And yes, I would really love to be further involved in your work.” Valentina 

“I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you for wonderful sessions this year. You taught us how to love and nurture the nature and you also nurtured us. It wasn’t always easy for me to get out of the house with my two especially after a tough and tiring week but I was always able to forget about all the stress and fatigue and enjoyed every moment once I got there. My two learnt so much from you and enjoyed every session. So thank you. We’d love to come back to any future events and sessions. X” Ayako 

## **Financial Review** 

At the close of 2022, our charity has some £4843.47 in the accounts as outlined in our income and expenditure account / statement. This includes reserves of £3,000 that provide a safety net for any unexpected eventualities or emergencies. 


## **Sources of Funds and Fundraising** 

We ensured we spent the restricted funds provided to us by the Emergence Foundation on activities related to the **Nurture and Grow Project** . In addition, we offered two open events for free, inviting donations and support in kind. We also collaborated with other like-minded organisations and individuals, sharing ideas, facilities and resources so as to be able to keep focus on a positive way forward. 

## **Risk Management** 

Sustainability is our greatest challenge. Running our Nurture and Grow Project proved to be an intense experience with detailed planning and preparation and frequent visits to the reserve to keep an eye on our wildflower patch and water. Following this through in the long-term is going to need some careful monitoring. It will be intriguing to see what plants may come to the fore in 2023 and beyond. We will need to draw on local environmental and horticultural expertise to guide us on aspects of planting, pruning and culling with continued help from volunteers as well as the families we worked with, encouraging them to take on more responsibilities yet recognizing that they have complex lives and priorities that may make it difficult for them to commit. 

Overall,  we will continue to run open universal events particularly at half-term and in the holidays, and to develop our website which we would like to see used on a more interactive basis. 

## **Structure, Governance and Management** 



We are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) under the name of **Walk the Loop** and have a constitution whose only voting members are its charity trustees. 

The constitution details our trustee selection methods, which are also outlined in our Trustee Recruitment Policy. 


## **Names and Addresses of our Current Management Committee (Trustees)** 

|**(Trustees)**|||
|---|---|---|
|Ms Olivia Lowe|23 Queensbury<br>Ardmore Lane<br>Buckhurst Hill<br>IG9 5RY|Founder / Secretary|
|Ms Saika Alam|1 Horsley Road<br>Chingford<br>London<br>E4 7HX|Chair: Legal support|
|Mr. Steven Price|23 Grove Park<br>Wanstead<br>London<br>E11 2DN|Safeguarding|



## **Reference and Administration Details** 

|Charityname|Walk theLoop|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity<br>uses||
|Registered charity<br>number|1173103|
|Charity’s principal<br>address|23 QUEENSBURY<br>ARDMORE LANE<br>BUCKHURST HILL<br>IG9 5RY|
||Tel: 07983 996373<br>Email: info@walktheloop.org.uk<br>Website: www.walktheloop.org.uk|





## **Declarations** 

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees 

Olivia Ann Margaret Lowe Saika Alam Steven Price 

Date: 31[st] October 2023 



|**Organisation/Individual name: Walk**<br>**the Loop**|**Organisation/Individual name: Walk**<br>**the Loop**|**Registration**<br>1173103|
|---|---|---|
|Period covered|Starting: January<br>2022|Ending: December<br>2022|



|**INCOME** **(for the period above)**|**£ income**|
|---|---|
|EmergenceFoundationGrant|5760|
|Donations|246.27|
|Facilitation forShroomSunday|150.00|
|**TOTAL INCOME FOR THE PERIOD**|**6176.27**|
|||
|**EXPENDITURE** **(for theperiod above)**|**£ expenditure**|
|Project Coordination and Facilitation|3840|
|Specialist Support|1285|
|Venue Hire|370|
|Marketing andPromotion|240|
|Materials andResources|432.16|
|LiabilityInsurance|131.00|
|BankCharges|67.45|
|**TOTAL EXPENDITURE FOR THE PERIOD**|**6365.61**|



Net expenditure for 2022    =   £189.34 

Balance B/F 31.12.2021       = £5,032.81 Less net expenditure -                £189.34 Balance C/F 31.12.2022       = £4,843.47 

We, the trustees of Walk the Loop, confirm this is an accurate record of income and expenditure: 

Name of person completing form: 

Olivia Lowe Signature: 


Position in organisation 

Founder and Trustee