2023-04-05-accounts

ANNUAL REPORT REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1179312 friends of YBAILEY HILL I B'R'YN Y BEILI

The Board of Trustees 3 The Friends 4 Chair’s Introduction 5 Overall Progress 7 Good Governance, Organisation & Delivery 9 Sustainable Funding & Finance 12 Volunteering 13 Practical Action in the Park 14 Structured Education / Training 20 Engagement & Influencing 21 Grant-Aiders FY 2022-2023 to be Thanked 23 Summary of Accounts FY 2022-2023 24 Current Trustees – Biographic Notes 27

Silver helichrysum and red pelargoniums and black mondo grass: a summer display pot near the War Memorial.

[Front cover image: The Friends busy removing, stage by stage, the overgrown Berberris plant infecting the Irish Yew on the Inner Bailey.]

2

Our Current Board of Trustees

Twelve (maximum) Trustees are allowed under our current Constitution. There were 9 Trustees at the beginning and the end of Financial Year (FY) 2022-23:

• Eira Hughes – Trustee (from 6 February 2018) – Chair

• Richard Trefor Jones – Trustee (from 6 February 2018) – Communities Secretary, and Quartermaster

• Mike Antony Bunting – Trustee (from 6 February 2018) – General Secretary

• Hilary Preece - Trustee (from 22 March 2019) – Vice-Chair, and Director of Finance

• Nia Hughes - Trustee (from 22 March 2019) – Minutes Secretary

• Helen Hayes – Trustee (from 20 September 2020) – Data Lead

• Paul James Tatterson – Trustee (from 20 September 2020) – Website Manager*

• John Atkinson – Trustee (from September 2021) – Wildlife Recorder

• Mary Considine - Trustee (from September 2021) – Education Lead.

• [* Please note: Paul James Tatterson later resigned as a Trustee - on 18 June 2023.]

The current 8 Trustees in post produced this Report. Their short biographies appear at the end of this Report.

Meetings: we met regularly during the FY 2022-23, usually quarterly, face-to-face, and/or on Zoom.

Changes in the Board of Trustees during FY 2022-2023

There were no changes during the FY 2022-23.

We thank, once again, all those Former Trustees who supported us in any way during the FY 2022-23.

Recruiting New Trustees

Under our Constitution: Trustees must be signed-up Friends/Members with voting rights. Before an AGM, we firstly ascertain which of the current Trustees wish to continue. Trustees are appointed or re-appointed, annually, at an Annual General Meeting (AGM), and the Board has to have between 3 and 12 Trustees. Roles for our Trustees are decided after discussion by the AGM-appointed Board of Trustees (soon after the AGM). We periodically invite Friends, via email, to self-nominate themselves as potential Trustees, during the year, for the AGM to consider. We can also recruit/co-opt a couple of extra new Trustees between AGMs.

---

Independent Auditor

Our auditor for FY 2022-23 was Phillip Hughes ACA. We thank him for his clear guidance.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3

‘FRIENDS OF BAILEY HILL – FFRINDIAU BRYN Y BEILI’ (FoBH-FfByB)

The Charity

FoBH-FfByB is an independent body, formed on 6 February 2018. It became a registered charity (No. 1179312), on 24 July 2018. It is a charitable incorporated organisation (a ‘CIO’) set up as an ‘association’, whereby the wider membership, and not just the founding trustees, have voting rights.

Our Charitable Objects

• “To promote for the inhabitants of Mold, Flintshire and the surrounding area the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation at Bailey Hill for the public at large - in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of residents and visitors.

• To promote for the public benefit the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment at Bailey Hill - by promoting biological diversity and to respect the history of the site, its special landscape features and status as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM).

• To advance the education of the public - by promoting opportunities within Bailey Hill for learning about the heritage of the public park and the natural environment through structured training and educational programmes.”

Official Addresses

Post: FoBH/FfByB (General Secretary), ‘Rivendell’, Denbigh Road, Mold. CH7 1BL

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Bailey-Hill-1442020782754561/

Email: [e-mail]

Tel:

Our Financial Year

Our FY currently runs from April 6th – to April 5th.

Relevant Roles

Bank: Barclays Bank (during FY 2022-23).

Solicitors: Llewellyn-Jones, Mold.

Independent Examiner of Accounts: Phillip Hughes ACA (from February 2021 onwards).

4

Eira Hughes – Chair/Cadeirydd

THE FINANCIAL YEAR (FY) 2022-23 REPORT

It is an honour to present our fifth Annual Report.

The last FY 2022-2023

With the pandemic receding, Friends gathered strength again and we set about spending all the grantmoney Friends had gathered in, rolling out a very busy programme of planting and tidying work across the Park. At the same time, we worked closely with Flintshire County Council (FCC) and Mold Town Council (MTC), to secure the physical upgrade of the Park, generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) package (to 'Reveal Bailey Hill: Mold Castle'), which ended on 31st March 2023.

The HLF Project Plus

During the FY, the tripartite partnership’s efforts between 2019 and 2023 to upgrade the central areas of the Park (with the benefit of the HLF Project Plus funds) was completed and reviewed, and the future possibilities assessed. Meanwhile, there was an injection of other monies by FCC to upgrade the boundary walls, to fell diseased trees and to secure new children’s play furniture (set to be placed on site in due course). A key issue for the Friends was the long debate on the issue of the charity's access to the new Centre, a matter which has been under discussion with the current lesees (MTC) since the end of 2021. On the volunteering front and ‘quality of experience’ issues, the lack of access to the Centre, when we needed it most, during a very busy FY 2022-23 programme, especially on weekends, was a brake on our scope for satisfying volunteers’ reasonable expectations and recruiting more volunteers for the Friends. A workable User Agreement (UA) with MTC is now finally in sight following a roundtable tripartite discussion in June 2023. Once that access is secured, it will underpin, and ease, the charity's work and contribution to the Park. Resolution of that issue, and a renewed and expanded licence from FCC, should provide a means to undertake further practical volunteering and small conservation projects in the Park - as envisaged in the tripartite Management and Maintenance Plan (M&M Plan). Those building blocks will enable Friends’ to search for more small grants - to fund further small conservation projects, more plants, landscape bark, compost, pots, wildlife boxes, etc.

5

Looking Further Forward

For the future, Friends have in our favour as a charity, a sound governance system and a strong Board of Trustees with a good range and depth of relevant expertise. Also, fair capacity physically to perform our various roles under the M&M Plan and our licensed list of activities in the Park, capacity to help manage tripartitely any follow-on partnership work with FCC and others, and continuing capacity as a registered charity to raise monies to address smaller problems in the Park which would otherwise be unresolved.

Our Members – and other Users of the Park

There are now 121 members of the charity. Thank you for your continuing support. Special thanks go to all our very active volunteers, including the recent trainees. We need more people to become active volunteers regularly, or from time to time, and will encourage that further in the year ahead.

Day-to-day, the dog-walkers, bird-watchers, picnic-makers, history fans, parks and gardens fans, etc. are currently the most important beneficiaries of the recent upgrade in the Park. More can be done to improve the experience of coming to the Park in the years to come for a wider spectrum of users, with the charity’s help. FoBH-FfByB’s charitable aims remain clear and our mission remains focussed on improving recreation / leisure / conservation on Bailey Hill, as a park, and conserving the site of Mold Castle and its biodiversity.

Eira Hughes DipLA, MCD, MRTPI (ret’d), CMLI (ret’d) July 2023

During 2022-2023, there was a focus on restoring the Inner Bailey hedges which had become overgrown and out of shape in recent years. After FCC cut it back to a reasonable height, the Friends started to plug gaps with branches and new plants, using plants grown from cuttings taken in the Park, plus new holly plants of the type favoured by Edward Kemp, plus honeysuckle and crab apple, all as agreed with FCC.

6

Creating a High-Quality Park at Bailey Hill

Creating a high quality park remains always ‘what it is all about’ for the Friends of Bailey Hill.

The Significant Contribution of the Friends

Very significant hours of effort were invested again by Friends in the effort to improve the Park during FY 2022-2023 (our fifth financial year). We intensified our practical volunteering programme in the Park (work done over and above the usual care given to the Park). We continued to work strongly, tripartitely – with FCC and MTC – to deliver the Bailey Hill Project through to its official conclusion on 31 March 2023.

Contributing to the Tripartite Partnership’s Work – now a £1.5M

HLF Plus Project, called ‘Revealing Bailey Hill / Mold Castle’

During FY 2022-2023, the Partnership work was focussed on the following:

• The modern Bailey Hill Centre - intended to be a vibrant hub for the Park – opened in March/April 2022, and a variety of different uses and events were trialled during its first operational year to identify which would fit best with the building as completed, under Mold Town Council’s stewardship (as they leased it for an initial 3 year period from FCC). Meanwhile, the flat above was rented out to derive an income to help meet the costs of maintaining the building. There were a few teething problems (e.g. birds attacking the putty around the new windows, a small damp spot in one corner, and plumbing challenges) to be addressed by the contractors and MTC.

• The Project Officer (employed by MTC) was able to roll out a strong programme of events on planned themes set by the tripartitely agreed ‘Interpretation & Activities Programme‘.

• FCC/Aura/MTC secured much additional grant-aid by the HLF and others in the wake of the Covidpandemic, and more grant from Cadwyn Clwyd, to pursue archaeological work and fresh new activities programmes (including Forest Schools, and Men’s Shed activities) in the Park.

• FCC continued to do basic maintenance work in the Park, and managed to repair the boundary retaining walls very substantially and to agree reasonable boundary improvements with two neighbouring property owners – a big step forward. And, FCC managed the Park so as to minimise interference with the badgers who moved into the Park for a few months.

• FCC also undertook a major tree-felling programme to fell many diseased trees suffering from ashdieback and Dutch elm disease – across the Park.

• FoBH-FfByB complemented those efforts by completing the training of a new wave of ‘Bailey Hill Gardening and Wildlife Volunteers’ – many of them with substantial relevant experience of practical work in the field in nearby country parks and local nature reserves.

• FoBH-FfByB was then able to intensify its own programme of voluntary work in the Park considerably to ensure a well-maintained, horticulturally-interesting, attractive, and biodiverse Park.

7

• FCC/MTC/FoBH-FfByB met many times to address (i) succession planning, and (ii) HLF Project Plus finance matters that needed to be resolved.

Match-Funding Contributions

The many hours the Friends put into managing the Friends as a charity and planning, risk assessing and doing practical work at our various Odd-Job Days / STSs, etc. in the Park, plus any other administrative tripartite partnership work done, are recorded. An element of that formed part of the ‘match’ for the Project.

What did we achieve during FY 2022-2023?

In FY 2022-23, our Trustees contributed to tripartite partnership work (with FCC and MTC) as follows:

• We attended 18 meetings with FCC and MTC - to manage through to its completion the c.£1.5M project (at formal meetings of the full Bailey Hill Steering Group, mainly)

• We commented, from the Friends’ perspective, on many relevant technical and administrative documents needed to progress matters

• We signed an updated ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ with FCC / MTC (June 2022)

• That MoU, the tripartite ‘Management and Maintenance Plan’ (M&MPlan) for 2021-2031, and, the 12-month licences granted by ‘FCC Estates’ (as owners of the site) form the ‘soft management agreement’ which rules the charity’s uses of and voluntary work within the Park. (That enabled us to draw a veil over the earlier mooted ‘management agreement’ approach.)

• Friends secured a further licence (with new additional tasks listed) from the park’s owners, FCC Estates, and the required permissions from FCC Streetscene and FCC Countryside units, for various small interventions in the Park, consistent with the agreed M&MPlan which includes the agreed recipes for improving each of the Park’s ‘Landscape Character Areas’ (LCA 1-7).

• During a tripartite funding review in the autumn of 2022, we established that a net sum of £9,013.41 had been raised locally in Mold by the Mayor’s Fund for Bailey Hill (2017-18), and the monies were duly transferred to FCC Treasurer to go into the Bailey Hill Project Fund head.

• A few other sundry small sums raised in the past ‘for the Friends of Bailey Hill’, identified in the review, were duly transferred from MTC to the charity.

NEXT: during 2023-24, we will:

• secure a proper User Agreement with MTC to access the new Centre to ensure a more acceptable ‘quality of experience’ for all the voluntary gardening and wildlife work done regularly in the Park by the Friends,

• • review the HLF Project from our own perspective as a charity, and any lessons learned,

• and continue to work with our partners FCC and MTC tripartitely to:

• close off the HLF Project Plus in a satisfactory manner, to ensure it stands up to any future reviews or performance scrutiny by any funders, which include the NHLF, and several governmental departments and bodies (all of whom have claw-back powers), and the local funders (including the local populace and the charity itself).

• identify scope to do more follow-on complementary work to enhance the Park over the longer term

• • help ensure continued Green Flag status for the whole Park annually, up to 2029-30, at least
• • use and help to secure the future of the new Centre as a vital and viable facility in the Park.

Note: Green Flag status is applied for by FCC. It is a requirement of the HLF grant process that it be retained for 7 years by FCC. A first Green Flag was awarded in 2021. The FCC application for a 2nd Green Flag, in 2022, was successful. A third Green Flag was awarded during July 2023.

8

The Importance of Good Governance

With the Covid-pandemic coming to an end, FY 2022-2023 was a good and very productive year in which we managed a large work programme of voluntary work in the Park and finished rolling out a significant training programme.

Our Independence

We continued to cherish and maintain our independence of thought and action as a charity, and a strong focus on our three formal ‘charitable objects’, in accordance with official guidance issued by the Charity Commission (CC); and as guided, from the start, by the Flintshire Local Voluntary Council (FLVC).

What did we achieve during FY 2022-23?

In FY 2022-2023, we:

• arranged and held our 4th Annual General Meeting , at St David’s Church Hall, Mold

• made our 4th Annual Return to the Charity Commission

• held 4 formal meetings of the full Board of Trustees (28th TM > 31st TM), and held subcommittee meetings (e.g. a Financial Sub-Committee, on 24/4), plus several other informal meetings to ensure progress, as needed

• identified two new prospective Trustees from among our regular volunteers

• doubled our visits to the Park – in order to improve the planting especially

• organised and ran 10 Small Team Sessions (STS) on Saturday mornings in the Park

• organised and ran a further 36 Mini-Team Visits (in the intervening weekends) in order to tend our Outdoor Pots Display and to do additional planting and tidying jobs in the Park: and, four of those evolved into substantial ‘Extra Work’ sessions over and above the normal routine weekend visits (to make up for several cancellations due to spells of cold, icy weather).

• organised weekly visits to the new Bailey Hill Centre – to tend the Friends’ Indoor Plants Display at the Centre (from February 2022 onwards), at times of the week convenient for Friends and the Bailey Hill Project Officer (MTC’s lead officer at the new Bailey Hill Centre).

And, we made good progress on these matters -

• Our Proposed Use of the new Bailey Hill Centre – we pursued discussions with MTC how the charity might use the new Centre to support our practical sessions and training activities; and, the scope for a formal User Agreement for Friends to use the toolstore, loos, kitchen, an information board, etc. – as long promised to Friends and in accord with the guiding VISION document for the Centre (which accompanied the original grant-aid application to NHLF for Lottery monies, and other grants, from February 2018 onwards). By the end of our FY 20222023, we were still inching towards an agreement acceptable to both the charity and MTC.

• Training and Development of our Trustees: several Trustees undertook training on outdoor first-aid – to inform our practical work.

9

• The Annual Log / a Record of Our Practical Work in the Park – to report our progress on practical work, consistently, and to inform partners, funders and key contacts.

• Monitoring Safety Standards - working in the Park without sustaining any significant accidents (and noting any near misses and/or lessons to be learned as we went).

• Keeping Friends informed on our progress – via Facebook / emails / information offered to the local press – especially the local Welsh-language paper ‘Papur Fama’ (including an article on the four types of snowdrops Friends have added to the Park).

NEXT, during 2023-24:

USER AGREEMENT: this must be secured to ensure that the HLF Project Plus ‘Vision’ for the new Centre – as promised to all funders – is duly delivered; and to meet volunteers’ reasonable expectations of comfort and ease in the volunteering work they do under Friends’ direction in the Park. TRAINING: We now have 5 Trustees who have had recent Outdoor First-aid Training. Further training on outdoor first-aid, wildlife matters, and food safety (for Trustees) will need to be prioritised. COMMUNICATIONS: Our website development is currently somewhat stalled, but we hope to get it fully assembled ere long. And, we need to review and update our Communications Policy.

FY 2022-2023		FRIENDS’ MAIN EVENTS - ORGANISED & DELIVERED - in all 54 Practical (incl. 2 Training), plus 2 other events
Start of FY >
9 April	√	Small Team Session (STS 21)in the Park – and - 3rdPRACTICALsession/BH Project Gardening andWildlife (G&W)Trainees
16April	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV31)inthePark
23April	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV32)inthePark
30 April	√	Small Team Session (STS 22)in the Park – and - 4th PRACTICALsession/BH Project Gardening andWildlife (G&W)Trainees
3 May	-	NB. Formal Landscape Maintenance Handover Meeting (HDD) > from the landscape contractors toFCC andFoBH-FfByB
7 May	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV33)inthePark
14 May	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV34)inthePark
21 May	√	Small TeamSession(STS23)inthePark
28May	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV35)inthePark
4June	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV36)inthePark
11June	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV37)inthePark
16 June	√	STUDY VISIT:toFlaybrickCemetery,Birkenhead
18 June	√	Small TeamSession(STS24)inthePark
25 June	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV38)inthePark
2July	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV39)inthePark
9 July	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 40)inthePark
16 July	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 41)inthePark
23 July	√	Small TeamSession(STS25)inthePark
30 July	√	Small Team Session (STS 26) in the Park 2ndPark Condition Review 1stBees and Butterflies Survey

10

6August	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 42)inthePark
13August	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 43)inthePark
20August	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 44)inthePark
27 August	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 45)inthePark
3 September	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 46)inthePark
10 September	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 47)inthePark
10 September	√	4th ANNUALGENERAL MEETING -at St. David’s Church Hall,Mold
17September	√	Small TeamSession(STS27)inthePark
24September	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 48)inthePark
1October	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 49)inthePark
8 October	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV50)inthePark
15 October	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV51)inthePark
22October	√	Small TeamSession(STS28) inthePark –
29 October	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV52)inthePark
5November	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV53)inthePark
12 November	√	Small TeamSession(STS29) inthePark –
19November	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV54)inthePark
25November	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV55)inthePark
3December	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV56)inthePark
10December	-	Cancelled MTV -due to very cold icy weather
17 December	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV57)inthePark
24 December	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV58)inthePark
31 December	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV59)inthePark
2023
7January	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV60)inthePark
14January	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV61)inthePark
21January	-	_Cancelled MTV -due to very cold icy weather _
28 January	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV62)inthePark
4 February	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV63)inthePark
11 February	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV64)inthePark
15 February	√	(Extra)Mini-Team Visit (MTV 65) in the Park – identifying tree-planting sites etc.
18February	√	Small TeamSession(STS 30) inthePark –
22 February	√	(Extra)Mini-Team Visit (MTV66)inthePark -planting
25February	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV67)inthePark
4 March	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV68)inthePark
8March	√	(Extra)Mini-Team Visit (MTV69)inthePark -planting
11 March	-	Cancelled MTV -due to very cold icy weather
15March	√	(Extra)Mini-Team Visit (MTV 70)inthePark
18March	√	Small TeamSession(STS 31) inthePark –6newtrees planted, etc.
25March	√	Mini-Team Visit (MTV 71)inthePark
End of FY

11

Raising Funds for the Future

The Charity has no income stream and therefore relies solely on seeking donations, fundraising locally and securing grants, gift-aid, and, for a while, Amazon Smile (where cashback was received on nominated sales).

What did we achieve during FY 2022-2023?

During FY 2022-23:

• We concentrated on making the most of the monies already gathered in in the previous year.

• We were successful in attracting one small grant from Mold Town Council - to enable us to purchase more plants for the area around the new Centre.

• We continued to place our Red Charity Pots in various businesses around Mold.

• The Charity is registered with HMRC to receive Gift Aid under the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme and is able to claim this from donations made to us via the Red Charity Pots.

• The Charity was registered with Amazon Smile to receive cashback on nominated sale (but that scheme came to an end in February 2023).

• Trustees and our keen volunteers continued to donate plants, materials, as well as meeting various minor office supplies, home-office running cost, transport costs (for plant sourcing)– which cumulatively must be worth several hundred pounds over the course of the financial year.

• We carefully considered other methods of fundraising (e.g. introduction of a subscription and/or setting up a 100 Club). Neither was thought appropriate for us at this moment in time.

• We decided against organising coffee mornings or other social events during FY 2022-23 – as people were still very cautious indeed about attending such events, even as the pandemic faded. (The Covid-pandemic was not declared officially ‘over’ until May 2023.)

ASSETS: The Charity does not hold property of its own. Its only assets include tools and equipment to undertake volunteer work in the Park plus bird, bat and hedgehog boxes placed in the Park with the kind permission of FCC: and, the plants it acquires or grows from seed or cuttings.

STATUS: the powers of the charity as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation may be used, perhaps, in the future.

NEXT, during 2023-24:

• We will seek a few new grants for specific projects, and to support our annual running costs.

• Use our Red Charity Pots: we currently have 5 pots in situ, as numbers reduced due to the fact that many businesses still operate ‘card only’ following the Covid-19 pandemic.

• We will consider other fundraising events (now that Covid-19 restrictions are ended) which are compatible with the continued health and wellbeing of our Trustees and volunteers.

• We also intend to approach larger local businesses, seeking general donations, in due course.

12

Gifting Time

The charity has no employees. Our Trustees give very generously indeed of their time for running the charity, and engaging with other bodies. No Trustees’ expenses were claimed or paid during FY2022-23. The Trustees and other Friends are not employees, and did not accept any remuneration or other benefits. They act as unpaid practical volunteers, gifting time to the charity’s work.

What did we achieve in FY 2022-2023?

During FY 2022-23, interest in our charitable work increased, and we -

• were pleased to achieve a membership level of 121 Members during the FY (of whom c. 25% are active volunteers, regularly or occasionally)

• connected with all the Members, via email, the Chair’s Updates, plus our Logs showing an illustrated record on all the work done in the Park by Friends

• managed to plan and deliver significant progress in improving the Park further, with our strong team of keen and committed volunteers organising our volunteering events

• continued to retain and attract a good number of volunteers to our monthly Small Team Sessions and to any ‘expanded’ Mini-Team Visits as/when needed, to tackle various physical tasks

• continued the rota system to ensure there would always be 2 volunteers working together on intervening Saturday morning Mini-Team Visits, to tend our year-round Outdoor Pots Display; and doing an occasional small additional task, some weeding and tidying, and a quick check around the Beds.

NEXT: during 2023-24, we will:

• endeavour to secure a better quality of experience for our volunteers through a formal User Agreement with MTC to allow us to use the loo, toolstore, water supply, information board and other facilities at the new Centre (as long promised)

• continue with a busy programme of practical sessions in the Park and other events

• ensure more of our most regular volunteers receive training in relevant subjects

• • continue to do sensitive minor improvements in the wider Park - with input of advice from FCC Countryside Management and Biodiversity officers, and the North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT)
• • plan, prepare and manage seasonal flower pots (to be placed on the decking and flanking the Cenotaph as agreed with HDD), generally 4 pots (and sometimes 6 or 8 for greater seasonal effect)
• • maintain planted Beds in the Park as agreed with FCC - especially the Friends’ Bed (Bed 18), the Hydrangeas Bed (Bed 19) and other areas (of Bed 6 etc.) planted-up by the Friends, plus general care (fertilising/weeding/clipping/bulb-planting) in the other Beds, if and as resources allow
• • support FCC/Aura and the Bailey Hill Project Officer’s efforts to interpret the ancient monument, and to make good use of the revamped Park and its brand new Centre

• do minor improvements (e.g. for the benefit of the less able, if possible, to the Perimeter Path) to the extent our licence, risk assessment and insurance will allow

• • invite and encourage more of the Members to become active volunteers.

13

HISTORY: Many of the Friends have also been involved in the Bailey Hill Project in another capacity - as History Research Volunteers, Poetry Volunteers, Guided Tours Volunteers, and Visitor Volunteers (under the Bailey Hill Project Officer’s direction, under MTC’s Insurance and risk assessment, and its own licence from FCC Estates. Others have helped with the archaeological digs in the past few years. So, people who are Members of FoBH-FfByB are heavily invested in understanding and improving the Park and presenting it to the public.

ARCHAEOLOGY: Please note that FoBH-FfByB/FCC/MTC still await sight of a full/final reports upon the various studies commissioned by FCC/Aura from Durham University, Cardiff University and other experts, on the various unexpected archaeological finds unearthed during the construction works and other contracts in the last few years: and, the further site exploration works done thereafter on the two baileys. We anticipate that some of the smaller finds will be displayed in the new Centre in due course.

Getting things done - to enhance the Park

A. HABITATS WORK IN THE PARK

Examples:

Our first small bee-hotel added in the Park

14

Attending our set of next-boxes (now 25) across the Park in the autumn of 2022.

B. PARK & GARDENS WORK IN THE PARK

Examples:

Removing many dead leaves - from the main Beds.

15

Graffiti removal - from important trees in the Park.

Decorative spring flowers in our Outdoor Pots on the Decking – in the Spring of 2023.

Sorting an immediate danger found during our MTV 70 session – in mid-March 2023

16

Improving the Beds - Bed 6 is a challenge: at the top end of the shady Bed 6, bluebells and other plants being added in late Spring 2022. More new plants will be needed in the future by Friend (as the original pachysandra planted there by the landscape contractors struggled there for various reasons).

17

Getting many water bottles ready – to water our pots and other plants during a long summer in 2022.

STS 31 (on 18 March 2023) – our big tree planting day in the Park – the 6[th] new tree goes into position.

MTV 71 – adding Daffodils (Barrett Browning) to Bed 18 – on a damp day in March 2023.

18

What did we achieve in FY 2022-2023?

During FY 2022-23, we:

• did very extensive and quite physical work within the Park (over 54 practical sessions)

• continued to develop the skills of all our regular volunteers

• helped to retain GREEN FLAG status for the Park

• we scoured local nurseries and ones further afield by car or online – to secure the particular plants we needed for the Park (as set out tin the M&MPlan, LCA 1-7 planting recipes) - work done without claiming travel costs, voluntarily by the Trustees and regular volunteers.

• added more new plants in line with the M&MPlan and LCA 1-7 ‘planting recipes’

• added more bird boxes – and ensured they were all numbered and inventoried

• planted various wildflowers and propagated more off-site, and for the Park

• attended and managed all our Indoor Pots in the Centre weekly – and focussed on showing different types of daffodils in pots during the first few months of 2023

• managed all the Outdoor Pots, at the Entrance, weekly – changing them seasonally

• kept an eye on the Heritage Daffodils and other bulb and wildlife plantings in the Park – augmenting them where necessary for a good show

• ensured all the practical work done was in accordance with our FCC licence (and any subsequent small permissions given by FCC staff)

• respected the now significantly increased archaeological significance of the Mold Castle site.

NEXT: during 2023-2024, we will be:

• completing our big extra planting programme across the Park

• continuing to make small improvements to help sustain Green Flag standards of tidiness and beauty

• persuading FCC to tackle a few tricky small safety issues remaining as and when their resources allow - improving the state of the woodlands as natural / wildlife habitat (through selective interventions)

• developing a composting station (as and when we secure a User Agreement for the use of the Centre).

We will continue to take into account the plants favoured by Edward Kemp (1817-1891) - the famous landscape gardener who advised the Mold Local Board in 1871, on what might best grace the Park, after it came into public hands in 1870/71. We will also respect the Welsh Historic Gardens Trust (WHGT)’s suggestions and its keen interest in this aspect of the Park’s history.

We also aim to be ready to help maintain the new planting areas in the new Numbered Beds (1-24) - and adjacent areas - to augment FCC’s usual, regular, basic maintenance of the Park.

We remain committed to doing our part - as promised - to deliver the Park's longer-term tripartite M&M Plan, through discussion with and joint action with FCC and MTC.

19

Education - part of our remit as an independent charity

During FY 2022-23 we completed the delivery of the training programme for the ‘Bailey Hill Project Gardening & Wildlife Volunteers’ (BHG&W). This was a serious undertaking for the charity, and a big time commitment, and it secured grant-aid from Cadwyn Clwyd.

Bailey Hill – ‘Gardening and Wildlife Volunteers’ Training Course 2021-2022

Delivered by FoBH-FfByB – as the Chair of FoBH-FfByB had the relevant professional background and experience to be a 'main deliverer' of such a course.

1. 11.2021 - Bailey Hill (L1): Introduction & History 18.12.2021 - Bailey Hill – Walk & Talk 20.1.2022 - Bailey Hill (L2) Strategy 17.2.2022 - Bailey Hill (L3) Ecology & Biodiversity 15.3.2022 - Bailey Hill (L4) Horticulture & Fine Gardening 31.3.2022 - Bailey Hill (L5) Review & Other Practical Points And, organised and led the associated practical sessions:

19.3.2022 – Bailey Hill – 1st Practical session in the Park 2.4.2022 – Bailey Hill – 2nd Practical session in the Park 9.4.2022 – Bailey Hill – 3rd Practical session in the Park 30.4.2022 – Bailey Hill – 4th Practical session in the Park

What did we achieve in FY 2022-2023?

During FY 2022-23, we:

• completed the delivery of the practical skills training programme for extra new Gardening and Wildlife Volunteers needed for part of the Bailey Hill Project (as funded by Cadwyn Clwyd)

• continued to teach the volunteers further skills - on what is involved in caring for Beds, Pots, Indoor plants, etc. in a public park, to a good ‘parks’ standard.

• ensured that the new Volunteers were integrated into the Friends’ regular volunteers team and had a chance to contribute to all aspects of the Friends’ practical ‘parks and gardens’ work in the Park and to help with the charity’s wider set of tasks.

NEXT: during 2023-24 – on the structured education and training front – we will consider providing more training modules to suit a further batch of new volunteers. It may be that there will be a campaign to attract more volunteers (in partnership with FCC and MTC) as follow-up, after the ending of the BH HLF Project Plus (which ended formally on 31 March 2023).

20

A new BHG&W Volunteer hard at work, with our usual volunteers, at an Extra MTV, adding a butterfly box.

Networking with and persuading others

The Trustees continued to devote much time to creating positive relationships with other agencies, as well as doing our utmost to be effective and reliable partners within the tripartite partnership.

What did we achieve in FY 2022-2023?

During FY 2022-23, we continued to engage effectively with, and respect the advice of:

• FCC and MTC, and Aura (who look after leisure/libraries/heritage for FCC) – we attended 4 formal meetings of the Bailey Hill Partnership Board and sundry other special meetings to discuss the Park, and what would be done, by whom, where in fine detail – including the large FCC felling programme –to secure a good joint working, best practice, and the practicalities.

• Welsh Historic Gardens Trust (WHGT), Clwyd Branch – continued to take an interest in our progress in the Park.

• Local historians – we continued to maintain close contact with local historians and researchers informing the BH Project Officer’s ‘Interpretation and Activities Programme’ for the Park

• North Wales Wildlife Trust (NWWT) – several regular volunteers for NWWT became Friends and added to our depth of expertise on wildlife matters.

21

We made much use of:

• Facebook – using our FoBH Facebook Page, we continued to draw attention to good-practice exemplar small parks and gardens with strong historic interest, as well as presenting aspects of our work and relevant information, bilingually (to engage effectively with the local population and Welsh learners). We currently have c. 718 followers on our bilingual FoBH Facebook Page > see > https://www.facebook.com/Friends-of-Bailey-Hill-1442020782754561/

• Papur Fama –providing several short articles to the Welsh-language local community paper to inform and interest the local community of Welsh speakers and learners about our work on Bailey Hill.

Awards:

• ‘GOLD AWARD: for the Best Kept Community Area 2022’ – was awarded to FoBH-FfByB by FLVC and FCC.

NEXT: during 2023-2024, we will sustain and develop the key relationships, and we hope to complete our website.

An award given to the charity in 2022 > FLVC/FCC GOLD AWARD to ‘Friends of Bailey Hill’ – for the ‘Best Kept Community Area’ in 2022.

22

We thank, in respect of FY 2022-2023:

 Mold Town Council £ 300.00 - to help pay for more plants

We also wish to thank, again:

Woodland Trust – whose dozen seedling native trees donated, were planted in the Park during 2022, with the rest to be planted in 2023-2024.

Welsh Historic Gardens Trust - whose earlier grant-aid has helped to pay for the old shrub roses and hydrangeas now blooming in the main Beds.

Cruach Trust – whose earlier £100 towards our native bluebell swathe on the Outer Bailey demonstrated a good show of native bluebells on the Outer Bailey in the Spring of 2022 and 2023 – and FCC grass-cutters made sure they were allowed to bloom and disperse seed before the grass was cut back.

Heritage Lottery Fund, and its supporters – for supporting the tripartite partnership (‘Friends of Bailey Hill / Flintshire County Council / Mold Town Council) work by enabling FCC to draw down significant special package of project monies from the Heritage Lottery Fund, plus Welsh Government (‘TAIS grant’), Cadwyn Clwyd, Landfill Funds, etc. – over several years - to upgrade the Bailey Hill Park (from 2019 through to the end of March 2023).

A few of the many daffodils added with the benefit of the grant-aid from Mold Town Council to Beds 10 and 11 near the new Centre – for extra spring colour.

23

SUMMARY OF ACCOUNTS 06/04/2022 TO 05/04/2023

£ INCOME £ EXPENDITURE

INCOME:

DONATIONS:

Red Pots (1) Cash Donations FUND RAISING: Mayor’s Ball (2) GRANTS: Mold Town Council GIFT-AID – GASD(3): AMAZON SMILE(4): TOTAL EXPENDITURE: Insurance Zoom Training Legal Fees Equipment/tools/bird & bat boxes Plants & compost TOTAL Deficit for the year	£ 269.51 £ 155.00 £ 261.00 £ 300.00 £ 46.06 £ 36.42 £ 1,067.99 £ 3,648.04	£ 261.80 £ 143.88 £ 312.00 £1,440.00 £ 364.75 £2,193.60 £4,716.03

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

24

BALANCE SHEET 5 April 2023 5 April 2022

Bank/cash balance Net Assets Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds Total Funds	£5,585.54 £5,585.54 £2,818.66 £2,766.78 £5,585.54	£9,233.58 £9,233.58 £6,285.45 £2,948.13 £9,233.58

Status – FoBH/FfByB is a Registered Charity since 24 July 2018 – Registered Charity No 1179312

Notes:

• (1) Red Pots – these are collection pots placed in local businesses around Mold. They are emptied and monies banked on a regular basis through the financial year.

• (2) Mayor’s Ball - The Mayor agreed to raise funds for a group of local people then called Friends of Bailey Hill or Ffrindiau Bryn y Beili and to hold such funds raised until the group became a fully constituted charity. Funds raised have therefore now been passed to this Charity.

• (3) Gift-Aid – Applications are made to HMRC for Gift-Aid on donations within the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme.

• (4) Amazon Smile – the Charity is registered with Amazon Smile where the Charity is nominated to receive cashback on nominated sales.

This STATEMENT is based on the accounts up to 5 April 2023, which were checked at the Charity’s Financial SubCommittee on 26 April 2023.

Note: The Independent Examiner’s report of 12 JUNE 2023, on these accounts, is appended below.

25

THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT – dated 12[th] JUNE 2023:

26

In alphabetical order >

>

ATKINSON, John (Trustee): John’s career has focussed on purchasing and procurement functions within the nuclear energy generation industry, nationally and internationally. He was chartered in purchasing and supply. He has skills in planning and organising: and report-writing skills. He is also very interested in local history, especially prehistory and archaeology (including working as a volunteer for CPAT on their recent digs on Bailey Hill). He is also a keen amateur ornithologist. He was for many years a junior football team coach (and a committee member) for Mold Alex Juniors. He is currently learning Welsh.

BUNTING, Michael Antony (Trustee, and General Secretary): a retired Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and for the last 10 years of his career, he was a Company Director and ran Rivendell Enterprises Ltd providing consultancy services to the electricity supply industry in the UK and also Europe. Much experience of project management, quality control systems, and health and safety matters. Well-versed in the use of computer spreadsheets and project planning. Experience of working for a local church and other local bodies.

CONSIDINE, Mary (Trustee, Lead on Education): Mary was a college lecturer at Deeside College for many years, teaching essential literacy and numeracy to adults and older teenagers. She now works part-time for Coleg Cambria, supporting groups of students with learning disabilities. She has a BA in Business Studies and a postgraduate certificate in education. Her experience also includes working in administrative officer roles for civil service departments in London; and she was previously a nursery teacher and nanny. Originally from Limerick, she has a keen interest in history, playing the piano, having fun with the family, and travelling. She can speak Irish and French.

27

HUGHES, Eira (Trustee, and Chair): retired former regeneration specialist, town planner, and landscape architect. Ran her own consultancy firm for 10 years, after a series of Director-level, senior management posts (managing large teams, revenue and capital budgets) in local government, the civil service and non-departmental bodies in England and Wales – across a wide range of services. Has prepared and delivered £MM projects and programmes. Much experience of policy development on sustainability, environmental issues, and conservation; also, of managing streetscene services, a sports/leisure stadium and many parks, including several Green Flag parks. Amenity gardening skills. Fluent in Welsh.

HUGHES, Nia (Trustee, and Minutes Secretary): retired university senior lecturer with subject specialism in marketing and consumer behaviour. Much experience of teaching and academic course planning/administration at all levels, in the UK and overseas. Also planned, conducted and disseminated original research findings. Organised many different types of public events for different audiences. After decades of living in Staffordshire, and now returned to live in Wales, brushing up on Welsh skills.

JONES, Richard Trefor (Trustee, Communities Secretary, and Quartermaster): retired former teacher of geography and biology; a trustee of several local charities and experience of being a Treasurer to several small charities. Assists the ‘Mold Spring Clean’ initiative, and the Daniel Owen Festival. Translator for FoBH’s bilingual notices, official correspondence, and newsletters. Fluent in Welsh.

28

PREECE, Hilary (Trustee, Vice-Chair, and Director of Finance): retired after a long and varied career in a major UK clearing bank, her final position was that of a Senior Corporate Director. She undertook a number of roles in North Wales including Branch Manager in a local Flintshire branch and various managerial roles in the commercial sector. During her career she developed a number of managerial skills including personnel management, time management, networking skills, the ability to deal with difficult and stressful situations, and, report writing and analytical skills. Hilary recently moved to Mold after spending time in the north of England. Previously she had grown up and lived in Buckley and Hawarden. She is a passionate dog lover and likes gardening, baking, protecting local wildlife and local history.

Note: TATTERSON, Paul James (Trustee, and Website Manager): was a Trustee throughout 2022-2023. He resigned his Trusteeship on 18 June 2023. That change was duly reported to the Charity Commission - as required for the public record on the charity’s trustees.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Report is signed and dated by the Chair on behalf of the Board of Trustees by:

Eira Hughes (Chair/Cadeirydd)

31 JULY 2023

29