Trustees’ Report Registered Charity No 1177943 1[st] September 2023 – 31[st] August 2024
Introduction
This is the sixth Annual Report to the Charity Commission and takes in the period after the improvements to the Apiary. The trustees and the team of volunteers got use to the improved facilities and are now able to work safely in all weathers. The only alterations carried during this period was to install purpose-built worktops that allowed us to uptake specific tasks in inclement weather within the internal work area and work outside with the bees on drier days.
Conservation of the Native Honey Bee
We again successfully managed to bring another 22 colonies through the winter. The early part of 2023 was warm and dry which turned into damp, cold and windy weather during late spring until early June which did not do our bees any favours. With some late intervention through July and August we manage to recover. There was little or no honey production because of the weather conditions and any honey stores were left with the colony to help them recover for the poor early season.
Education & Community Engagement
The team of trustees and volunteers continued to monitor each colony for varroa and decided that with the records we had collected over the year to concentrate on breeding from queens that led colonies that showed signs of varroa tolerance/hygienic behaviour. We only treated the one or two colonies with high varroa drop and moved them off site. Our continued partnership with surrounding beekeepers and local beekeeping associations meant that we had another increase in volunteers who assisted in a range of bee management and queen raising techniques that would not have been available to them elsewhere.
Whilst the teams were monitoring the bees, one volunteer would explain the visitors in the View Area what work was being undertaken and gentle encourage visitors to look at plants to encourage pollinators into their own gardens
Pollination
Whilst we work with native black honeybees (Apis Mellifera Mellifera), we continue to inform beekeepers and members of the public about the important role that all pollinators play in our daily lives.
We have continued our work with staff of Mt Edgcumbe House and County Park to improve and increase the variety of forage within the Country Park and surrounding area.
Funding
We decided that this year we would purchase our own honey extraction equipment to allow us more flexibility in the future.
The group continued to purchase consumables: such as foundation sheets and feed. We continued to work with a Local bee farmer who supplies us with sugar syrup. Are sponsors Songbird Naturals have continued to support our aims and we are discussing with them a number of projects over the coming years
Conclusion
The year 2023-2024 has been a challenging one with the very changeable weather, but we have continued to improve our working arrangements and now have a steady group of volunteers who are also committed to the work we are undertaking. We continue to improve the knowledge and understand of the importance of pollinators within our volunteers and members of the public.
We look forward to the coming year with the help of our volunteers and our sponsors.
Mount Edgcumbe Cornish Bee Group 1177493 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01-Sep-23 31-Aug-24
Section A Receipts and payments
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 280 1,200 1,541 - - - - - 3,021 - - - 3,021 1,343 722 53 1,558 32 - - - - 3,708 - - 3,708 - 687 - 6,550 5,863 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1,527 - - - - - - 1,527 - - - 1,527 - 1,527 - 1,527 - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ 280 1,200 1,541 3,021 3,021 1,343 722 1,580 1,558 32 5,235 5,235 - 2,213 |
Total funds to the nearest £ 280 1,200 1,541 3,021 3,021 1,343 722 1,580 1,558 32 5,235 5,235 - 2,213 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | 280 | - - - - - - - - - |
280 | 540 | ||
| Sponsors | 1,200 | 1,200 | 300 | |||
| ApiarySales | 1,541 | 1,541 | 1,896 | |||
| Grant | - | |||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
3,021 | 3,021 | 2,736 | |||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | - - - |
|||||
| - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | |||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| - | 3,021 | 2,736 | ||||
| ApiaryEquipment | 1,343 | - - - - - - - - - - |
1,343 | 52 | ||
| ApiaryConsumables | 722 | 722 | 212 | |||
| ApiaryImprovements | 53 | 1,580 | 7,673 | |||
| ApiaryMaintenance | 1,558 | 1,558 | ||||
| Education | 32 | 32 | ||||
| Refreshments | - | |||||
| Parking | - | |||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | 3,708 | 5,235 | 7,937 | |||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | - - - |
|||||
| - | ||||||
| Sub total | ||||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| - | 5,235 | 7,937 | ||||
| - 687 | - 1,527 | - | - 2,213 | - 5,201 | ||
| - | - | - - |
||||
| 6,550 | 1,527 | 8,077 | 13,278 | |||
| 5,863 | - | - | 5,864 | 8,077 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
09/01/2025
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds |
Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Bank Bank Cash Details Details Details Signature John Chadwick |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 4,356 1,527 1,507 - 5,863 1,527 OK Agreement Error Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name John Chadwick |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
|||
| John Chadwick | John Chadwick | 09-Jan-25 | |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
09/01/2025
2