Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND UNAUDITED
ACCOUNTS
FOR THE PERIOD 4 APRIL 2020 TO 3 APRIL 2021
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
| CONTENTS | PAGE |
|---|---|
| Trustees’ Report: | |
| Reference and administration details | 3 |
| Structure, governance, and management | 4 |
| Objectives and activities | 4 |
| Achievements and performance | 5 |
| Providing a public service | 6 |
| Education | 6 |
| Collaborative working | 7 |
| Aspirations of the charity | 7 |
| Financial review, acknowledgements and declaration | 8 |
| Receipts and Payments Accounts | 9 |
| Statement of Receipts and Payments | 9 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 10 |
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
TRUSTEES’ REPORT
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS
Charity name
Communities For Horses
Other names charity is known by CFH Registered charity number 1180625 Principal address 6 Fern Cottages Dorking Road Abinger Hammer Surrey RH5 6SA
CHARITY TRUSTEES
Ana Pombo Rose Jo Hockenhull Katherine Thomas Melissa Upjohn William Smith
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Type of governing document: Trust Deed 01/11/18 How the charity is constituted: Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
Our Trustees
Our trustees are appointed by resolution of existing trustees at a recruitment meeting (governing document section 10.1). Once appointed, the trustees are brought up to date on current activities and the necessary administration, either at a meeting in person or online. Our trustees are appointed for their relevant expertise and specific training is not often required but is available if appropriate.
Our Organisational structure
Communities For Horses (CFH) has two co-founders. One is now the Equine Welfare Officer and the other an advisor. There are five trustees appointed who meet regularly and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity.
Policy on financial reserves
The policy on reserves is to avoid holding excessive funds to maximise spend on our charitable objectives. Large reserves are not currently required as CFH has minimal fixed costs and programmes of work are only undertaken when funding has been secured and with a clear remit. The trustees review the policy on an annual basis to ensure that it is still relevant as the charity develops.
Risk management and mitigation
CFH does not own premises or offices and does not have significant running costs. Staff costs were covered by a National Lottery Community Grant until November 2020. CFH has public liability insurance which covers all staff members and volunteers. Furthermore, all our policies and procedures are reviewed by the trustees annually.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Our charity works with communities where urban horses are a key part of the heritage and life of the people who live there. A foundation of our approach is that there is an Equine Welfare Officer embedded within the communities. She is the point of contact for many urban horse owners for information and help. She is trusted and confided in and through years of work in these communities she has formed relationships with many urban horse owners. This enables her to monitor welfare issues, take action where needed and focus on prevention and mitigation of problems.
The charity works in an area of high-level economic deprivation and low educational attainment. Historically this has led to widespread failure to meet the standards set by animal welfare legislation. Additionally, visible occurrences of equine welfare failure creates problems with the both wider
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
community and the Authorities which in turn can reinforce feelings of ostracism, create tension and prevent resolution of the underlying problems.
The core aim of the charity is to prevent equine suffering and promote humane behaviour towards equines through educational methods tailored to the communities in which we serve. Our charitable aims and objectives are detailed below along with a summary of the main activities undertaken to deliver benefit to the community.
Summary of charity objectives as set out in the governing document:
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To promote humane behaviour and good equine welfare practices through public education to prevent cruelty and suffering.
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To provide appropriate care, protection and treatment for horses in need (including necessary veterinary intervention). This may be due to neglect, maltreatment or unsuitable living conditions.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objectives:
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To provide equine welfare education in horse owning communities on an outreach basis through innovative programmes for children and adults.
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To provide support both to horse owners and to concerned members of the public in relation to equine welfare and one of the most important avenues to achieving this is via a telephone helpline.
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To monitor our effectiveness, share our experiences with other organisations and provide mentoring and training opportunities to those who want to learn about working in an ethical, constructive way in the community.
All the charity trustees have regard to the commission’s public benefit guidance and take it into account when making decisions to which that guidance is relevant.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
We believe that the charity, via the work of the Equine Welfare Officer has connected with a key members of the urban horse owning community which has had a slow but real positive impact upon the welfare of many of their animals. Its work educating and engaging with younger members of the community has given them a sense of responsibility for their animals and a focus. This, in a community where levels of unemployment, crime and substance misuse are high. Knowledgeable horse ownership and potential avenues into the equine industry could be a lifeline for many young people. Our charity seeks not only to help equines in need but educates, supports and facilitates sustainable changes within the community.
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
Summary of the main achievements 4 APRIL 2020 to 3 APRIL 2021:
Providing a public service :
Our capacity to deliver services was restricted by lockdowns and the requirements for social distancing. However, the charity adapted and during the 2020-2021 period CFH continued to build relationships with owners, providing advice remotely and then, when rules allowed, getting back out in the field to deliver in person.
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CFH received hundreds of calls from owners and concerned local people regarding the health and safety of horses in the Swansea area. This was, we believe, testament to the level of engagement we have achieved within the local community. During lockdown CFH and our volunteers had to be creative so as to deliver on our goals. For example, CFH designed a form which could be used to notify ambulance crews about animals for which a patient was responsible. The form included details of the animal’s location and contact details for a named individual to be notified of the need to care for them in the owner’s absence.
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Approximately 75% of calls related to welfare issues for which assistance was requested, 15% were people wanting advice, 4% related to rehoming one of our horses, 3% related to inperson yard visits and 3% covered other topics. Additionally, CFH has worked alongside enforcement organisations with statutory powers and assisted in welfare investigations.
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In March 2021 our Equine Welfare Officer, Lisa Lanfear was recognised by the National Equine Forum as Highly Commended for the Special Covid-19 Sir Colin Spedding Award 2021 for commitment to equine welfare in Swansea during the Covid-19 pandemic. This award is presented annually but in 2021 was adapted as a one-off to recognise those who have gone ‘above and beyond’ in supporting equine welfare during a very difficult year.
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CFH is not primarily a rescue and rehoming organisation. However, with restrictions in place, resources were stretched to bring a number of horses into our care.
Education
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We have continued to provide advice to vets, local authorities and local police on the relevant provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Fly Grazing Act 2015 and the Codes of Practice for equine care.
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In February 2021 new Regulations upon equine identification were introduced in Wales. Our Equine Welfare Officer developed a local education programme to improve understanding of and compliance with these new regulations.
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We have continued to educate owners about using humane and kinder training methods with their horses. In March 2021 we worked with owners to understand “shaping” (breaking the learning process down into small achievable targets for a horse and rewarding the desired behaviour).
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
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In March 2021, our first organised event took place which gave community members the chance to undertake worm counts for their own horses. We took a microscope to allow horse owners to see for themselves if their horse or pony has a parasite burden by giving them the opportunity to view and count parasite eggs. This proved to be highly successful. Planned to coincide with British Science Week, it had to be scaled back due to reintroduction of Covid-19 restrictions but secured significant engagement and we shall be looking to repeat the event.
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The charity has maintained its extensive social media following, where our educational posts are reaching more than four thousand horse owners and other members of the public through Facebook. On average, the posts achieve on average over 35,000 clicks. Our monthly online newsletters achieve sector leading click through rates, which is very encouraging for disseminating educational messaging.
Collaborative working
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CFH is a member of the equine working group at Swansea city council, reporting and collaboratively working to address equine welfare issues that affect the area. Membership of the Animal Welfare Network Wales (AWNW) enables us to make a positive contribution to policy discussions and decisions that affect Wales and its animals. In particular, AWNW has worked to bring a code of practice into place for Animal Welfare Establishments in Wales. It is the view of CFH that the required collaboration for a fully working animal welfare system in Wales is not yet in place. We will continue to work for that goal, and we attended AWNW meetings remotely, alongside other members, throughout the reporting period.
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CFH is a member of the British Horse Council (BHC). Collaborative working with other equine industry stakeholder groups has enabled us to extend our delivery and we attended virtual BHC meetings throughout the reporting period.
CFH has continued to be called upon by owners to facilitate securing veterinary assistance in situations where the owners lack the confidence to deal with the veterinarian first-hand or were restricted due to learning difficulties. During the 2020-21 period we have maintained our contacts with veterinarians to facilitate veterinary assistance. With new equine identification legislation coming into force in Wales in February 2021, owners were conscious of up-and-coming deadlines, anxious about finances and failing to comply with the new legislation. We had planned to hold a passporting and microchipping clinic around the time of the legislation coming into force, but Covid restrictions made this event impossible to run. However, to both meet the desire to comply with legislation and the Covid restrictions, we linked a low-key microchipping service with our regular visits to a couple of yards, who were keen for their horses to be compliant. The microchipping days allowed us to alleviate some anxiety for the owners as well as giving us the opportunity to do some hands-on educational work.
Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
ASPIRATIONS OF THE CHARITY
Building on our experience to date we aspire to:
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Run more worm count events
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Continue with face to face and telephone advice
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Assist owners with castration, vaccination, microchipping and passporting of unregistered horses.
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Maintain on the ground engagement with an ever-widening network of contacts, expanding the prospects for positive change across the community.
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resume workshops and veterinary days as soon as it is safe to do so in accordance with government advice.
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embark on a proactive programme to source funding in order to develop our educational resources and support our equine welfare field officer.
Communities For Horses wants the positive changes to become permanent within the community and understands that community projects eventually must become something from the community involving people within the community to be self-sustaining.
FINANCIAL REVIEW, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DECLARATION
Financial position at the end of the reporting period:
During the 12-month period ending 3[rd] April 2021 CFH had total receipts of £ £23,230 which were lower than the total amount of payments for the same period (£27,119). Cash Funds as of 3[rd] April 2021 were £2,854 most of which were restricted funds.
Policy for holding reserves:
The charity trustees agreed to hold a reserve balance of £500 to make sure public liability insurance and phone credit costs each month could be covered, enabling the welfare officer to still attend emergency welfare cases and operate the phone line.
Fund details:
No funds are in deficit. There have been no transfers between funds.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank our supporters, especially those who have donated money to fund our work and our wonderful volunteers.
DECLARATION
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:
Ana Pombo Rose
Joanna Hockenhull
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS
Communities For Horses - 1180625 - CIO - FOUNDATION REGISTERED 09 NOV 2018 Receipts and Payments Accounts 2020/2021 - Financuial Year Ending 3rd of April 2021
Statement of Receipts and Payments
Unrestricted Funds
| Receipts | to the nearest £ | NOTES | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donations | £ | 3,298 | |
| Other Activities | £ | 494 | |
| Total Receipts | £ | 3,792 | Sum of above |
| Payments | to the nearest £ | ||
| Cost of raising funds | £ | 89 | |
| Cost of charitable activities | £ | 3,555 | |
| Other expenses | £ | 0 | |
| Total Payments | £ | 3,644 | Sum of above |
| Net of Receipts / (Payments) | £ | 148 | |
| Opening Cash Funds | £ | 411 | |
| Closing Cash Funds | £ | 559 | |
| Restricted Funds | |||
| Receipts | to the nearest £ | ||
| Donations | £ | 19,438 | |
| Other | 0 | ||
| Total Receipts | £ | 19,438 | |
| Payments | to the nearest £ | ||
| Cost of raising funds | £ | 59 | |
| Cost of charitable activities | £ | 23,416 | |
| Total Payments | £ | 23,475 | |
| Net of Receipts / (Payments) | £ | -4,036 | |
| Opening Cash Funds | £ | 6,331 | |
| Closing Cash Funds | £ | 2,294 |
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Communities For Horses – Registered Charity No. 1180625 – Annual Report 2020/2021
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
| Cash Funds | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | |||
| Current Accounts | £ | 559 | 2,294 | |
| Total Cash Funds | £ | 2,854 | ||
| Liabilities | NONE | |||
| Assets retained by the charity | ||||
| Current | ||||
| Fund | Cost | Value | ||
| Equipment & Fittings | Restricted | £ | 2,571 | 2,020 |
| Other assets | Restricted | £ | 5,751 | 5,282 |
| Total | 8,322 | 7,303 |
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Communities for Horses 1180625
Receipts and payments accounts
For the period 4/4/2020 4/3/2021
To
from
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Restricted Endowment
Total funds
funds funds funds
to the nearest
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
£
A1 Receipts
Donations 3,298 19,438 - 22,736
Charitable Activities 494 - - 494
Other Activities - - - -
- - - -
Sub total (Gross income for AR) 3,792 19,438 - 23,230
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - -
Total receipts 3,792 19,438 - 23,230
A3 Payments
Cost of Raising Funds 89 59 - 148
Cost of Charitable Activities 3,555 23,416 - 26,971
Other Expenses - - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ 3,644 ] 23,475 - 27,119
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
- - - -
- - - -
Sub total [ - ] - - -
Total payments 3,644 23,475 - 27,119
Net of receipts/(payments) 148 - 4,037 - - 3,889
A5 Transfers between funds - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end 411 6,331 - 6,742
Cash funds this year end 559 2,294 - 2,853
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| Section B Statement of | assets and liabilities at | the end of the period | the end of the period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | ||
| Categories | Details | funds | funds |
| B1 Cash funds | Current accounts Total cash funds |
to nearest £ 559 - 559 |
to nearest £ 2,294 - 2,294 |
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | |
| Unrestricted | Restricted | ||
| funds | funds | ||
| B2 Other monetary assets | Details | to nearest £ - - |
to nearest £ - - |
| B3 Investment assets | Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) - - |
| B4 Assets retained for the | Details Equipment & Fittings |
Restricted Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) 2,571 |
| charity’s own use | Other Assets | Restricted | 5,751 - - - |
| B5 Liabilities | Details None |
Fund to which liability relates |
- - - Amount due (optional) |
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Name | |
| Ana Pombo Rose Melissa Upjohn |
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CC16a
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Last year
to the nearest £
19,037 - 3,890 22,927
22,927
807 13,381 4,189 18,377
18,377 4,550 - 2,192 6,742
Endowment funds to nearest £ - - -
OK
Endowment funds to nearest £
-
----- Start of picture text -----
Current value
(optional)
-
-
----- End of picture text -----
Current value (optional) 2,020 5,282 - - -
When due (optional)
Date of approval 2/25/2022 1/29/2022