**Chair’s Annual Report for** ## **Sutton Walls Conservation Group AGM 21[st] September 2022** Welcome to this year’s AGM, ## **Our Board** I’d like to thank all our Trustees for all the work they have done this year. On our board we have 6 Trustees but we also have 4 co-opted members on our board who are there for their expertise in finance, governance, archaeology and business/environmental which we greatly appreciate. All give their time voluntarily and we couldn’t do anything without all of them. ## **Our Activity** Since April last year we have successfully completed all the outstanding geophysical surveys that were required under the funding we were awarded by Historic England and set about the East Entrance project. The East Entrance project - Due to the complex nature of trying to manage a large area set on a slope of 45 degrees a number of licences, ecological supervisors, archaeologists and permissions were required from Natural England and Historic England which had to be approved before the closing date for applications for funding to Community Landfill Trust. This was missed by just 2 days and as a result would mean that we would miss the window for the project and would have to wait another year in order to meet Natural England conditions. Fortuitously Historic England came to the rescue, understanding the loss of a year to the project they sourced the funding for us to go ahead. The clearance of the East Entrance has now opened up an amazing vision of what the entrance was like in the Iron Age and in the future we hope that we may be able to complete some archaeological work at the site. We have also undertaken some soil and water sampling as part of Health and Safety strategy to ensure that all volunteers and contractors are safe when undertaking group activities. As part of this ongoing attention to managing risk we have retained a prominent local Health & Safety consultant who will guide our work in a safe manner. ## **Our Plans** Going forward we decided to focus on the management of the East Entrance and the management of the trees along ST2, the footpath around the Hillfort. An application to Herefordshire Community Foundation has recently been approved and the work of felling the dangerous trees will be done in the 22/23 financial year. We are hoping to improve the signage on the site and to this end Mr Chris Thomas has been designing an information board with contributions from all the committee. We hope this will be commissioned in 22/23 financial year and be funded from Sutton St Nicholas Parish Council. ## **Our Neighbours** The Farm Business Tenancy Agreement with local farmer Richard Andrews for the coming year has been approved. It has also been helpful that Mr Andrews has allowed us unfettered access to the East Entrance 1 | P a g e via the path from Ordis Farm and the wider margins of the outer East Field. This has helped our contractors to bring in their machinery to do the work required and this support is much appreciated. ## **Media and publicity** We have had regular articles in the Sutton and Marden Parish magazines so that local people are aware of what we are doing. This is an important aspect as we want to engage more with the local community and are planning activities and work parties for year 22/23 and encourage them to be part of what we do. ## **The impact of Covid-19** Now being out of Covid we have been able to engage in local events including Sutton St Nicholas table top sale. We have continued to have meetings via Zoom as they have proved to be as productive as face to face meetings but we are starting to have sub group meetings face to face. We hope to restart our joint events with Sutton & Marden Historic Society and aim at walks during the summer and lectures in the winter. ## **Opportunities** We wish to continue to review the operational plan created from our Conservation Management Plan so that we can map future projects and identify appropriate funding to achieve them. There is now an opportunity to seek out support and funding to complete a 10yr tree management plan with support from the Forestry Commission under the small woodland grant scheme I would like to send my heartfelt thanks to all the Trustees and Committee members who all do so much, each in your own way, that contributes a tremendous amount to the project and I look forward this year to having more face to face contact with everyone, more events more sharing of our findings and more fun. Have a good year. Thank you Anna Toon Chair, Sutton Walls Conservation Group 2 | P a g e ## **Sutton Walls Conservation Group (a Charitable Incorporated Organisation), Charity number 1175194** ## **Receipts and payments account for the year ended 5 April 2022** |**Notes**
**Receipts**
Grants
Donations, including Giftaid recovery
Miscellaneous income
_Sub-total_
**Payments**
Legal and professional fees
1
Insurance
Miscellaneous expenses
_Sub-total_
Net of receipts/(payments) for year
Cash funds at beginning of year
Cash funds at end of year
**Statement of assets and liabilities at 5 April 2022**
**Cash funds**
Cash at bank and in hand
Total cash funds
Notes
1. East entrance project
Trimble survey, Herefordshire Council|**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
0
20021
20021
317
1991
2308
56
0
56
_373_
_22012_
_22385_
-22548
-22548
-337
0
-337
-65
0
-65
_-402_
_-22548_
_-22950_
-29
-536
-565
1025
1166
2191
996
630
1626
**Total**
**£**
1626
1626
21798
750
22548|**Year ended 5**
**April 2021**
**£**
8102
905
0
_9007_
-7218
0
-245
_-7463_
1544| |---|---|---| |||647| |||2191| |||**5 April 2021**
**£**
2191| |||2191| |||| 22/11/2022