2023-04-05-accounts - Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust

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Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust Charity Number 1180729

Annual Report From 6/4/2022 to 5/4/2023

Principal Address: 3 Church Lane Langar Nottinghamshire NG13 9HG

Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust, Trustees’ Report for the period ending 5[th] April 2023

Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust

Third Trustees’ Report For the period ending 5[th] April 2023

The Trustees present their report and receipts and payments accounts for the period of 6[th ] April 2022 to 5[th] April 2023.

Trustees

Mr Jason Richard Ernest Mordan, Chair Dr Glyn Stephan Green, Treasurer Dr Tamsin Victoria Alice McMillan, Secretary Mr Andrew Ashley Wimble

Structure, governance and management

The Trust was constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and registered with the Charity Commission on 16[th] November 2018.

Appointment of Trustees

The Trust has a policy for the recruitment of Trustees. Nominations are considered from any source, but any potential Trustee would be expected to bring specific skills and/or experience to the Trust. In selecting new Trustees, the Trust follows the guidance laid down by the Charity Commission.

Induction and training of Trustees

New Trustees are briefed on their legal obligations under Charity Law, the content of the Constitution of the Trust and recent trustees’ annual report and financial information of the Trust.

Volunteers

Volunteers, some who are members and others who are not, make a contribution to the Trust, including Trustees who devote many hours organising events for the benefit of our supporters, and contributing to its conservation work.

Risk management

Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust Trustees have assessed the major risks to which they believe the Trust is exposed and are satisfied that systems have been established to mitigate against them. The Trust has appropriate public liability insurance arranged through the national association: the Gardens Trust.

Public benefit

The Trustees of Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust accept the need to have regard to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. They recognise that it is their responsibility to ensure that the benefits are realised in Nottinghamshire by promoting all

Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust, Trustees’ Report for the period ending 5[th] April 2023

aspects of historic designed landscapes both within the membership of the Trust and the wider community.

Charitable objectives

To advance the education of the public on matters concerned with the heritage, protection, conservation and enhancement of historic parks, gardens and other designated landscapes of Nottinghamshire for the benefit of the general public and to promote research into the heritage of such parks, gardens and other designated landscapes of Nottinghamshire, ensuring the useful results of such research are disseminated to the public.

Main Activities

As a small group of volunteers, the Trust’s events-organising capacity is currently restricted. Until further volunteers can be recruited, we accept this limitation, organising only a small number of events ourselves, but achieving our charitable objectives by sharing invitations to other appropriate events (particularly from the Gardens Trust and other County Gardens Trusts [CGTs]) with our mailing list; being active on social media; and responding to planning applications in order to conserve historic parks, gardens and other designed landscapes.

Main achievements and performance

Events

14[th] July: a fascinating evening tour of University of Nottingham, University Park Campus (Millennium Garden, Highfields Walled Garden, renovated Edwardian Rock Garden, Jekyll Garden, and Hugh Stewart Hall). Paid £50 to Friends of Nottingham University Park for guided tour. Sold 8 tickets, making £40 (net loss of £10).
Garden historian David Marsh gave us an online talk on the evening of Thursday 6th October: ‘What makes our garden grow’ – a fun talk about fertiliser in historic gardens. He kindly waived a fee. Total sales £60 (our profit £50.40, after Eventbrite fees).
Planned a garden “Tour and Draw” with artist Jane Fredericks, at Holme Pierrepont Hall. Full day – tour and tuition - £30pp. Was planned for 15[th] July but had to be cancelled as too few bookings. Hope to run in 2024.
Started to plan a joint Heritage Open Day with the Friends of Wollaton Walled Garden, Wollaton Hall, for September 2023.
Investigated private landscapes for visits.
NGT Chair ran lime plastering workshops in 2 brick outbuildings at St Ann’s allotments with the Renewal Trust and some MA postgrad Nottingham Trent University students, starting 25[th] November. Ran two of the sessions as NGT, inviting the Friends of NGT, and making £500 for the Trust.
Started to plan some tree surveying in historic designed landscapes, possibly in collaboration with the Woodland Trust. Had a meeting with WT’s Louise Hackett to discuss this.
Matt Dolman, membership and engagement manager at Bromley House library, invited our members to attend their garden history online talks at a discounted rate. We passed this on to our mailing list.

Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust, Trustees’ Report for the period ending 5[th] April 2023

Support for conservation projects:

We continued to follow and advise on the conservation of the Arts and Crafts gardens at Nottingham Trent University’s Brackenhurst Campus. This included viewing their Conservation Management Plan and advising on a suitable contractor for repairs to the Rose Garden.

Other activities:

We’ve had a great deal of input into planning ‘Nottinghamshire’s Garden Story’ - a research and recording training project for new volunteers in Notts, instigated by the national Gardens Trust, under their ‘Volunteers Save Space!’ project, which is partfunded by Historic England.
We planned possible partnerships, including parks Friends groups, Inspire, for archive training sessions; and possible sites – preferably in levelling-up priority areas.
On 28[th] March, Trustees visited Ossington Hall, to discuss its potential as a research site.
Trustees visited Sutton Lawn, a public park in Sutton in Ashfield and liaised with the Mill Waters Ranger there. We subsequently, on 6[th] April, ran a joint, familyfriendly event with the GT to run introduce the site’s heritage to its users and to promote the project.
We started to plan a stall at a “Hands on Heritage” local history fair at Mansfield Library, on 13[th] May, to continue volunteer recruitment.
Trustees supported and attended a Japanese Gardens Day, organised by the Japanese Gardens Society, at Newstead Abbey on 10th July. Gave out some NGT leaflets and raised awareness of the Trust.
Liaised with Isle of Wight GT re their request for information about our HLF start-up grant.
Started to update NGT Policies, to include on website.
Set up an NGT Instagram account
Updated website with membership benefits

Planning consultations and conservation:

In collaboration with the national Gardens Trust, Nottinghamshire GT has responded (including ‘no comments’ responses) to approx. 8 planning applications/consultations which could affect Registered designed landscapes, as well as some affecting undesignated landscapes, including:
➢ Annesley Hall reconsultation FR3/4371
➢ Annesley Arboretum
➢ Other work around Annesley – Local Plan related.
➢ Newark Castle Gardens (Grade II) - Newark and Sherwood DC want to reopen an access route at the Normal Gate, from Beast Market, to make a café etc space + new development against curtain wall, including a couple of unnecessary architectural embellishments. The ruins are v much part of the park. Scheme has had stage 1 pass from NLHF.
➢ Farms around Rufford Abbey – responded to two consultations, including re. a biogas-related development (silage clamp extension) – no comment.

Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust, Trustees’ Report for the period ending 5[th] April 2023

➢ Papplewick single storey extension - no comment.
➢ Traveller’s site in Bassetlaw, on edge on undesignated parkland of Haughton Hall (interesting landscape with duck decoy, moated site).
➢ Clumber Park Application to reinstate a number of pathways within the pleasure grounds.
➢ Brackenhurst, Southwell Proposal for new storage building in gardens - undesignated but on County HER.
This type of work is a major part of our contribution to the conservation of historic parks and gardens in the county and also supports the national Gardens Trust’s role as statutory consultee in relation to planning applications which affect the designed historic landscape.

Financial review

On 5th April 2023 the charity held bank balances totalling £2017, comprising £1687 in unrestricted funds and £330 in restricted funds. These unrestricted and restricted funds are held in order to maintain the activities of the charity.

Declaration

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

Signed on behalf of the charity's Trustees on 6[th] February 2024:

Mr Jason Mordan (Chair)

Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust, Trustees’ Report for the period ending 5[th] April 2023

Charity Name No (if any) Nottinghamshire Gardens Trust 1180729

Receipts and payments accounts

CC16a

For the period Period start date Period end date To from 06/04/22 05/04/23

Section A Receipts and payments

to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - 339 - - - - - 339 - - - 339 - 339 - 669 330 Restricted funds	to the nearest £ Endowment funds	Total funds to the nearest £ 590 9 - - - - - - 600 - - - 600 - 339 - - - - - - - 339 - - - 339 261 - 2,086 2,347	Last year to the nearest £
	-	590	358
	-	9	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	600	358

	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-

	-	600	358

	-	-	97
	-	339	318
	-	-	50
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	-	-
	-	339	465

	-	-
	-	-
	-	-	-

	-	339	465

- 339	-	261	- 107
-	-	-	-
669	-	2,086	2,193
330	-	2,347	2,086

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees	Details Co-operative Bank Details Details Details Roller banners Details National Trust - 2019 Clumber event Domain & Website (2022-24) Friends of University Park Signature *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	to nearest £ Unrestricted funds		to nearest £ Endowment funds
		2,017 - - 2,017	330	-
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			330	-
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				Date of approval
		G S Green		04/03/24