2023-03-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1 April 2022 Period start date To 31 March 2023 Period end date

Charity name: Northwick Park Community Garden (NPCG)

Charity registration number: 1180141

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	To provide facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation by providing an area for use as a community garden and other activities for individuals in Brent, London and the surrounding area, who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infrmity or disablement, fnancial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the said inhabitants. (2) To advance education for the public beneft, by providing opportunities for learning about horticulture in and around the community garden. (3) To promote for the beneft of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of the garden by restoring derelict areas and promoting biological diversity
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	In planning our activities, we keep in mind the Charity Commissioner’s guidance on public beneft at trustee meetings. a) The charity's objectives are as follows: i. Building a community and connecting people in the area. We do this by making a gardenspacefor members

		of the community. ii. We aim to change perception of the park with the community garden and provide an attractive, natural environment in keeping with the surrounding park, attracting people who wouldn't normally choose to visit the park for leisure. iii. We provide opportunities for everyone to learn how food is grown, harvested, and eaten. We do this through regular workshops on topics such as taking cuttings, mushroom logs and fruit trees to name a few. iv. Increasing biodiversity and protecting the environment. We use organic permaculture principles. The garden is already attracting bees, pollinators, and other benefcial creatures to pollinate the trees and plants. b) The garden is being planted based on permaculture principles and patterns which mimic the natural environment. The existing plants found in the garden area were incorporated in the design to enhance the natural environment and support the ecosystem. c) Through Brent CIL funding, the charity has ofered a fully funded Permaculture Design training course for 30 participants to learn how to design and create Permaculture spaces for the community and educate others in permaculture principles and sustainable approachestoliving.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	In planning our activities at trustee meetings, we keep in mind the Charity Commissioner’s guidance on public beneft.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

SORP reference

Para 1.38

Policy on grant making
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Our volunteers are essential to the running and maintenance of the garden. A core group of volunteers meet weekly throughout the year to weed and maintain the garden and ensure that the new plants become established by watering throughout the drier months and during the extreme heat of the summer of 2022. These regular volunteers have built up expertise in growing and planting and attend our smaller planting sessions and supporting our new volunteers The level of outstanding awarded by it’s your neighbourhood is due to the workof the volunteers.
Other

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	The project funded by Brent CIL was initially scheduled to end on 31 May 2020 Brent Final funding instalment of £8,839.20 was received 22 May 2020. The garden was originally planned to be created around a timetable of permablitzes installing the garden in a phased approach. (A permablitz is a one-day garden makeover event supported by a group of local volunteers). The global pandemic afected most aspects of the initial project idea – including timeframe, methods, and modes of delivery. We still have funding to spend on the garden and associated project deliverables and we continued to monitor and adjust our timeframe andmodes of

delivery during 2021-22 as sickness	delivery during 2021-22 as sickness	delivery during 2021-22 as sickness
and changing circumstances of key
people had impact on the project
deliverables
During 2022 volunteers have led
weekly maintenance work in the
community garden, including
weeding, composting and
additional meet-ups to water the
plants in the hotter summer
months.
In May we received a £1000
donation from Harrow Care	Plus to
enable us to further develop		some
wildlife friendly resources such as
mini ponds and large bug hotels.
Very few new plants were added
after April as the extreme
temperatures of the summer took
hold.
From July onwards Northwick Park
Community Garden trustees		with
Permaculture London focussed on a
key deliverable from the 2019/20
Brent Council CIL funding award of
a fully funded education project for
adults of all levels of experience
that leads to a qualifcation	of a
Permaculture Design Certifcate.
In July two of the trustees and a
garden volunteer spoke about the
garden and advertised the
forthcoming Permaculture Design
Certifcates at the London
permaculture Festival at Cecil
Sharp House.
The course began in September
2022 with 30 students and is due
to fnish June 2023.
The workshops will develop
attendees understanding of
permaculture garden design
principlesand on sustainable
energy efcient lifestyles and
edible, wildlife-friendly horticultural
approaches. Participants are
enabled to lead, teach and engage
on these areas with others in the
community.

After testing two children’s outdoor
workshops in the garden in May
and July of harvesting from the
garden and creating a wildlife
habitat; in the coming year we will
be running a series of activity-
based workshops for children to
improve the next generation’s
knowledge of how we can live in
ways that will beneft both
ourselves and the natural world.
We continue to need to fundraise to
cover materials for maintenance of
the community garden; occasional
venue charges and to pay for
yearly administrative costs such as
public insurance and website
maintenance. We held a seed swap
at the March AGM with seed
donations from Franci seeds and in
May held a pop-up plant and cake
sale of plants and cakes donated
by our community.
We have continued to participate in
the “It’s Your Neighbourhood”
category of London in Bloom RHS
community participation
programme and were visited by a
member of the judging panel at a
workshop we ran in the garden
space in the early summer of 2022.
This is awarded and judged on the
categories of community
participation, environmental
responsibility and gardening
achievement.
In 2022 NPCG achieved the highest
level of outstanding.
Social Media
 321 sign ups to our
newsletter mailing list (22%
increase on 2022)
www.northwickparkcommunitygard
en.
 749 Facebook followers
(11.6% increase on 2022)
 797 Instagram followers (27%
increase on 2022)
 17 subscribers to the
YouTube channelcreatedin

response to Covid (no increase)

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41
Other		Unrestricted funds: Fundraising £193.14 Donations £1020

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of theperiod	Para 1.21	31 March 2023 Cash at bank 15,734.53 Expenditure2,994.79
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23

Additional information (optional)

Additional information (optional)	Additional information (optional)	Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	NPCG’s principal source of funds are Brent Council CIL Funding 2019/20 (Ongoing due to Covid restrictions). Brent Council CIL Funding 2021 awarded (£27,840) Initial funding instalment of £9280.00 received 11 Feb 21
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	Additional fundraising is needed annually to cover expenditure including insurance and Website costs. This year we raised. £44 seed swap £149.14 Plant and cake sale Received £20 donation. £213.14
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trustdeed,royalcharter)	Para 1.25	Constitution – date of constitution (lastamended)28th September 2018
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	Association
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Appointed by Trustees

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51	Child protection policy in place. Health and safety policy in place. Equal opportunities policy in place. Risk assessments are carried out by NPCG and provided to Brent Council
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	NPCG is a member of the London Permaculture Network. The permaculture garden expert and designer of NPCG is associated with the Network. NPCG is a member of the Capital Growth Network and the Big Dig. Joined March 2019. NPCG is a member of the Conservation Volunteers Network (TVC). Joined February 2022
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51	All trustees give their time voluntarily and have received no renumeration or other benefts
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Northwick Park Community Garden
Other name the charity uses	NPCG
Registered charitynumber	1180141
Charity’s principal address	23 Rydal Gardens Wembley Middlesex HA9 8SA

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	Iris Fenn	Secretary
	Joanna Harris	Social Media
	Rishil Parekh	Chair
	Eleri Kyfn	Treasurer

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity

Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects

Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of Name Address adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)

Full name(s)

Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)

Date

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of On accounts for the year ended Charity no lif any) IiÉai+ Set out on pages (remember lo in=lude Ihe page numbers of 8ddilional sheeisl I report lo the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust'l for the year endedw , Wa I ZtyZ3. Responsibilities and As the Charity twstees of Ihe Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordan￿ with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act'l. I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)Ib) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have ome to my attention (other than that disclosed below ") in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect. accounling records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the a¢¢ounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no COn￿rnS and have Come across no other matters in connection with the examination lo which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 2S.É.2 Name: Rolevant professional qualifi¢ation(s} or body (if any): Address: IER October 2018

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES c.harity N3nie Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period from To 0110412022 3110312023 Section A Receipts and payments Unr&stricièd fund$ R8Strictsd fund$ Endowinfjnt funds Total fund¥ La$t yoar toth• no8r08t toth• n88108t £ tothtr ngarnst £ to th• nearpBt£ to thtr rwarètst£ A1 R•eelpt8 Countyl Gran WotksThOP Fundraising 193 1,020 421 1,020 tota ross InMmg or ARJ t,213 1,213 $41 ¥sgt an {ty9g table). nvestment sa 1.213 A3Pa ments Sub8istsn Cleani InsiJr3nte Plants. Garden$. WcKshops Garden Consultants Health & Safety Pnntingisiaiior*ty Events Intallaion Benches Pnzes ma￿etIng11T Profesww81 Fee$ 777 157 157 1,610 1.610 67 67 383 6,500 340 2,538 6,500 Sub total 9.485 9,4 4041 A4 A88•t and Inv•¥tmgnt ur¢ho•e$ table Sub total 9.495 9.495 041 Net of re¢•lpts/(paym•nts) AS Transfers be￿een funds A6 Cash fund$ 1o$t year ¥nd Cash funds this year end 8.282 9.235 17.$18 CCXX R1 accounts ISSI 251(W2023