Natural Kirklees
Charity number 1174259
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 September 2024
Natural Kirklees
Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 30 September 2024
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Trustees' report | 2 to 4 |
| Examiner's report | 5 |
| Receipts and payments account | 6 |
| Statement of assets and liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the accounts | 8 to 10 |
Prepared by West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
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Natural Kirklees
Trustees' report for the year ended 30 September 2024
Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors
The trustees during the financial year and up to and including the date the report was approved were: Name Position Dates Edwin Day Chair Julie Hirst Treasurer Joan Vevers Secretary Christine Senior Phil Slater David Rudd Timothy Duke Kat Woolley Appointed 26 October 2022 Stefanie Rofke Appointed 26 October 2022 Stuart Taylor Appointed 9 November 2023 Charity number 1174259 Registered in England and Wales Registered and principal address Bankers The Depot Virgin Money Beaumont Park 40 New Street Huddersfield Huddersfield HD1 7AY HD1 2BT
Independent examiner
Sarah Coates MAAT West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
Structure, governance and management
The charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) association formed on 15 Aug 2017 and is governed by a constitution.
Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees
The trustees of the charity are appointed by the members at the AGM.
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Natural Kirklees
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 30 September 2024
Objectives and activities
The charity's objects
To promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment in Kirklees by promoting biological diversity.
To advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment.
The charity's main activities
Umbrella organisation for volunteer groups in Kirklees promoting conservation and biodiversity. Providing free insurance and tool share for groups working on Kirklees green spaces.
Public benefit statement
In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular giving help and support to the 130 member volunteer groups who work tirelessly to improve their green space, hold events to raise funds and most importantly bring the local community together. When updating the member database in July 2024 the input from member groups identified they give in excess of 50,000 volunteer hours spent improving green spaces and looking after the environment. We continue to assist these groups providing advice and guidance on working practices, grants and opportunities to exchange experiences etc.
Achievements and performance
The past year has been more challenging than expected. Following Covid, we had, not only high hopes of a return to, perhaps a new normal, but one where we could expect the environmental volunteering sector to get back playing an important part in the parks and green spaces in Kirklees. However, as the year progressed we realised that fewer volunteers are coming forward and the local council finances, being in a difficult state have impacted their work in these areas. However, despite this we have received a grant to keep our finances secure and for which we are very grateful
On a positive side our membership stands at 130 full and associate members and we provide public liability insurance to 96 of those member groups. This is by far the major benefit our members perceive of our services. We also continue to provide free garden maintenance tool hire to members from 2 locations in Wiltonand Beaumont Parks.
We were also able to sponsor the countryside marquee at the Honley Show in June where we enabled 12 members to showcase their work and which was considered very successful by both participants and the show committee. We have also been able to fund aspects of a project at a council owned growing area, to enable members to grow their own plants this past season
Our quarterly meeting of members have been very well attended with a number of guest speakers and we are actively involved in a research project in relation to Community Gardens, with Huddersfield University.
While we maintain a web site directory of member groups and a lot of information and documents to help our members and signpost interested members of the public, our newsletter is now our main means of communication and reaches nearly 500 subscribers and is used to publicise events, fund raising opportunities, member activities and of course our own means of disseminating information.
As our reputation continues to grow, we are now contacted by businesses and other third parties and we have been able to direct companies who want to provide opportunities for their staff to volunteer to various member groups, we also received free seed packets and one of the local Rotary Clubs donated 5000 purple crocus bulbs.
This has certainly been our most active year in what remain difficult times.
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Natural Kirklees
Trustees' report (continued) for the year ended 30 September 2024
Financial review
The net receipts for the year were £29,977, including net receipts of £1,542 on unrestricted funds and net receipts of £28,435 on restricted funds.
Reserves policy
The charity's free reserves, at the year end were £2,562.
The ongoing support to members by way of providing public liability insurance is seen as the prime financial aspect of Natural Kirklees' role. Should the Council be in a position where they cannot provide adequate funding, Natural Kirklees is unlikely to be able to raise sufficient funds by other means. The trustees therefore aim to maintain reserves at a level which equates to two future years of charitable expenditure in relation to the provision of the public liability for members, the web site and general administration. The trustees consider that this level will provide sufficient funds to respond to the cost of the insurance for those members covered at the time of any failure of the agreement with the council and ensure that basic support and governance costs are covered.
Approved by the board of trustees on 23/10/2024
Julie Hirst (Trustee)
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Natural Kirklees
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Natural Kirklees
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 30 September 2024, which are set out on pages 6 to 10.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the CIO 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 CIO's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. 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 charity as required by section 130 of the Charities Act; 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.
Sarah Coates MAAT
04/11/2024
West Yorkshire Community Accountancy Service CIO
Stringer House 34 Lupton Street Leeds LS10 2QW
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Natural Kirklees
Receipts and payments account for the year ended 30 September 2024
| Notes 2024 Unrestricted funds £ Receipts Grants (2) - Bank interest 1,542 Grants returned - Total receipts 1,542 Payments Insurance - Tool store - Website - Administration - Events and activities - Accounting - Small grants programme (3) - Total payments - Net receipts / (payments) 1,542 Fund balances brought forward 1,020 Fund balances carried forward (4) 2,562 |
2024 Restricted funds £ 38,000 - 750 38,750 535 - 53 20 1,783 420 7,504 10,315 28,435 46,877 75,312 |
2024 Total funds £ 38,000 1,542 750 40,292 535 - 53 20 1,783 420 7,504 10,315 29,977 47,897 77,874 |
2023 Total funds £ 35,000 1,020 - 36,020 22,023 5,560 1,041 17 542 240 8,086 37,509 (1,489) 49,386 47,897 |
|---|---|---|---|
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Natural Kirklees
Statement of assets and liabilities
| as at 30 September 2024 2024 Unrestricted £ Cash funds Cash at bank 2,562 Total cash funds 2,562 |
2024 Restricted £ 75,312 75,312 |
2024 Total £ 77,874 77,874 |
2023 Total £ 47,897 47,897 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liabilities Accruals |
2024 £ 13,528 13,528 |
|---|---|
The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 23/10/2024
Julie Hirst (Trustee)
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Natural Kirklees
Notes to the accounts
for the year ended 30 September 2024
1 Accounting policies
Basis of accounting
The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis.
There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year.
No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years.
Taxation
As a charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates.
Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts.
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Natural Kirklees
Notes to the accounts continued for the year ended 30 September 2024
| 2 Grants Kirklees Council Kirklees Council Peace Pit 3 Grant making Project or activity 100 Miles of Hedgerow Badger Sett Protection Bee Habitat Contemplation Area East Bierley Village Preservation Society Flower Borders Friends of Cliffe House Friends of Cowcliffe Recreation Area Friends of Crow Nest Park Friends of Honley Old Woods Get Together Gardening Golcar Lily Environment Group Grange Moor Community Association Growing Works Huddersfield & District Badger Group Keep Hecky Tidy Knotweed Treetment Lepton in Bloom Lepton Village Preservation Society Mirfield in Bloom Peace garden River Holme Connections School Woodlands Street Sign Planters Top Pond Liner Urban Tree Huggers Village Gardens Wildflowers on the River Colne Total |
2024 Unrestricted funds £ - - - |
2024 Restricted funds £ 33,000 5,000 38,000 |
2024 Total funds £ 33,000 5,000 38,000 2024 Grants to institutions £ - - - - 350 - 750 750 294 750 - 690 300 750 750 250 - - 250 750 - 600 - - - 270 - - 7,504 |
2023 Total funds £ 35,000 - 35,000 2023 Grants to institutions £ 320 750 588 750 - 750 - - - - 430 - - - - - 500 500 - - 748 - 600 500 750 - 750 150 8,086 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Natural Kirklees
Notes to the accounts continued
for the year ended 30 September 2024
| 4 Restricted funds Kirklees Council Kirklees Council Peace Pit Fund name Kirklees Council |
Balance b/f Incoming Outgoing Transfers Balance c/f £ £ £ £ £ 46,877 33,750 9,725 - 70,902 - 5,000 590 - 4,410 46,877 38,750 10,315 - 75,312 Purpose of restriction Towards the costs of insurance, tool share scheme, website, publicity and promotional events. Also monies for distribution as part of a small grants programme. |
|---|---|
Kirklees Council Peace Pit Towards the expenses an activities of the Peace Pit growing area.
Trustee expenses
No trustee received any expenses during this year or the previous year.
Trustee remuneration and benefits
No trustee received any remuneration or benefit during this or the previous year.
| Funds held as agent Balance b/f £ Reap What You Sow (Kirklees) - - Fund name Additional information |
Incoming £ 1,000 1,000 |
Outgoing £ 1,000 1,000 |
Balance c/f £ - - |
|---|---|---|---|
Reap What You Sow (Kirklees) Monies held for part of the year, as the group had no bank account.
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