Waterloo Community Garden C.I.O. Registration Number 1175609
34 Harborough Rd, Great Oxendon, LE16 8NA
Trustee Annual Report, 1st April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024
Structure:
Trustees: Kathleen Stephens Chair of Trustees
Linda Pentland Treasurer
Mark Baverstock Secretary
Judy Rowley (resigned April 2024)
Sarah Wilkinson (resigned April 2024)
There are several other garden volunteers who along with the Trustees make decisions about the day to day running of the garden – planning crops, events, work shops etc
Objectives for 2023/2024
-
To maintain and improve the production of organically grown food
-
To increase the number of volunteers and visitors to the garden
-
To continue and extend the educational aspects of the garden including the benefits of growing food.
• To forge new links with local organisations and businesses
• To make the garden more accessible to people with disabilities and young people and develop links with social prescribers
- Understanding and promoting Planet friendly gardening
Achievements
• 2023/24 has been a very successful year for the garden with several new volunteers meeting regularly.
• All the beds were cultivated and a wide range of crops grown. Fruit was picked from trees and fruit bushes with a particular bumper crop of plums. Pruning work shop was held
• Apple pressing took place over 2 days in October receiving a lot of visitors including a group from U3A
• We were again part of Market Harborough Big Green Week. The garden was open and we had several talks which were all well attended.
• We were given a new polytunnel which was constructed over the Autumn and Winter of 2023. We have the use of half of the polytunnel.
•This year we have been picked as one of the local Coop's charities.
- •A recent project has been to begin to surround the beds with wood.
Membership of the garden had increased last year, with 12 members attending regularly each week. Unfortunately winter and spring saw a decline in numbers attending. We have produced posters to try to get new members.
Some volunteers continued to meet through the winter clearing and tidying. Some overwintering crops were sown and several beds covered with membrane to prevent weeds.
A pruning workshop was held in February. This was well attended with participants learning how to prune fruit trees and bushes.
Potato planting took place with 2 beds of early potatoes planted. Parsnips, beetroot and spinach sown and broad beans overwintered. The start of 2024 has been difficult with regards to weather and crops have been slow to establish.
The committee has met several times throughout the year. There has also been occasional Gardeners Meetings. At the meeting early in 2024 Sarah Wilkinson and Judy Rowley resigned from the committee. Two other garden members - John Comont and Felicity Guilford - volunteered to take their place on the committee.
Donations have been received from garden volunteers.
Completed April 2024
Waterloo Community Garden
Income and Expenditure Account 1st April 2023 - 31st March 2024
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted | Unrestricted | Restricted | Unrestricted | |||||||||
| Income | funds | Funds | Total | funds | Funds | Total | ||||||
| Donations received | £200.18 | £ | 200.18 |
£ | 320.00 |
£ | 320.00 |
|||||
| Grants received | £ | 498.04 |
£ | 498.04 |
£ | - |
||||||
| Total Income | £ | - |
£ | 698.22 |
£ | 698.22 |
£ | - |
£ | 320.00 |
£ | 320.00 |
| Expenses | ||||||||||||
| Seeds and plants | £ | 76.00 |
£ | 76.00 |
£ | 400.00 |
£ | 78.03 |
£ | 478.03 |
||
| Equipment | £ | 123.57 |
£ | 123.57 |
£ | - |
||||||
| Insurance | £ | 130.80 |
£ | 130.80 |
£ | 130.80 |
£ | 130.80 |
||||
| Total Expenses | £ | - |
£ | 330.37 |
£ | 330.37 |
£ | 400.00 |
£ | 208.83 |
£ | 608.83 |
| Surplus | £ | - |
£ | 367.85 |
£ | 367.85 |
-£ | 400.00 |
£ | 111.17 |
-£ | 288.83 |
| plus brought fwd | £ | 431.31 |
£ | 431.31 |
||||||||
| Balance at 31st March 2024 | £ | 799.16 |
£ | 799.16 |