Lowberdale Farm
Annual Report for period 1[st] April 2021 to 31[st] March 2022
1. Charity Details
Lowberdale Farm – a Charitable Incorporated Organisation Charity Registration Number – 1180913 Address of Operation: Field House Farm, Hulme End, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 0HQ
Trustees: Chair – Robert Sales Treasurer – Paul Haslam retired, Henry Rusch appointed 31st January 2022 Rev Timothy Morris Andrew Brown Liz Hitch Dorothy Hawton Tamara Oates Fiona Goodyear from 31st January 2022
2. Governance and Management Structure
We have however continued to strengthen our Board of Trustees by adding a new Trustee. Very sadly our Treasurer, Paul Haslam had to resign due to ill health and has been replaced by Henry Rusch. Henry has a background in accountancy, business management and farming, so has proved a valuable addition to the board.
Work has also continued by the Board to ensure policies have been updated annually and procedures are in place for running more programs on the farm, over the coming Summer period.
The Trustees, all volunteers, continue to meet circa six times a year to ensure the Charity meet regulatory requirements, is operating effectively and meeting its goals. The Board is supported by a secretary, Andrew Warren. The day to day management of the Care Farm continues to be carried out by Mark Lowe, an experienced teacher and farmer. Mark is assisted in his role by trained volunteers.
2. Activities and Objectives
With the ongoing presence of the Covid virus throughout the last 12 months, and fluctuating periods of lockdown to greater or lesser extents, the last 12 months has been challenging for Lowberdale, in terms of the work we’ve been able to do with young people on the farm. It has been difficult to establish new relationships with schools, due to them dealing with the pressures of Covid under limited resources. One of our existing partners has chosen to discontinue referring young people onto work experience type placements due to their own reduced resources, particularly with regard to their access to suitable volunteers.
The number of young people coming to the farm has therefore been low. When young people did attend the farm, government guidance was followed such as social distancing, hand washing and the wearing of face masks indoors.
Lowberdale farm has worked mainly with one young person during the past 12 months. He has attended up to 3 days per week almost thoughout most of the year.
During this time, he assisted in caring for the cows and sheep, by carrying out feeding, watering, and bedding type activities as well simple health type treatments such as worming. He has also assisted with farm maintenance such as fencing, dry stone walling and plumbing. He has therefore developed a good range of agricultural skills. He has also grown in confidence when working alongside a small range of adults, and engages with them in conversation. This is good progress considering his previous levels of anxiety around adults and other young people, which would often result in him withdrawing and not attending school / his football team etc.
4. Achievements during the period
One young person who has attended the farm 2-3 days a week, through this period has developed sufficient farm experience and confidence to become a self employed farm worker across various farms. He continues to help on the farm on a self employed basis and continues to benefit from being part of the farm community.
We have established a relationship with a local organisation called ‘Carers Connecting SEN High-Peak’ and with them, plan to run a ‘Summer Shepherding School’ over with Summer holidays. We will offer 8 places across two afternoons per week, over a six week period, using their network to gain referrals. During these sessions young people we will cover the following objectives:
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Basic sheep herding and handling
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Sheep and lamb health checks
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Health treatments – worming, foot trimming, foot bathing etc.
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Monitoring of growth, condition and weight
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Use of handling, shedding and weighing systems
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Selection of sheep for breeding and slaughter
5. Financial Review
The reporting period covers the year to 31[st] March 2022. The charity began with £4314 and ended the period with £8365. Income included donations of £5000 from the Methodist High Peak Partnership while costs were contained at £1250. With the Pandemic restrictions now lifted the focus is now very much on how best provide the charitable services we offer.
| Charity Name | Charity Name | Charity Name | Charity Name | Charity Name | No(if any) | No(if any) | CC16a | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||||||||
| For the period from |
Period start date | To | Period end date | ||||||
| 1st April 2021 | 31st March 2022 | ||||||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
Total funds | Last year | |||||
| to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ | |||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||
| Laptop 07-04-2021 | 300 | - | - | 300 | - | ||||
| HPP Donation 13-03-2022 | 5,000 | - | - | 5,000 | - | ||||
| Donations | - 0 | - | - | - | 400 | ||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total_(Gross income for AR) _ | 5,300 |
- | - | 5,300 | 400 | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | |||||
| Sub total | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Total receipts ** | 5,300 |
- 0 | - 0 | 5,300 | 400 | ||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||
| Premises | 1,200 | - | - | 1,200 | 1,200 | ||||
| Bank Chargers | 15 | - | - | 15 | - | ||||
| Leaflets 15-06-2021 | 35 | - | - | 35 | - | ||||
| IT | - 0 | - | - | - | 50 | ||||
| Insurance | - 0 | - | - | - | 518 | ||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| - 0 | - | - | - | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 1,250 |
- | - | 1,250 | 1,768 | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases,(see table) |
|||||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| - 0 | - 0 | - 0 | - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - 0 |
- 0 | - 0 | - | - 0 | ||||
| **Totalpayments ** | 1,250 |
- 0 | - 0 | 1,250 | 1,768 | ||||
| **Net of receipts/(payments) ** | 4,050 |
- | - | 4,050 | - 1,368 |
||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - 0 | - | - | - | - | ||||
| A6 Cash funds lastyear end | 4,315 | - | - | 4,315 | - | ||||
| **Cash funds thisyear end ** | 8,365 |
- | - | 8,365 | - 1,368 |
||||
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |||||||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||
| B1 Cash funds | Bank Balance 31-03-2022 | 8,365 | - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Total cash funds | 8,365 | - | - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
06/02/2023
1
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | OK | OK | OK | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds | Endowment funds |
|||||||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||||||
| B2 Other monetary assets | - | - | - | ||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) | Current value (optional) |
||||||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
- | - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| - | - | ||||||||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
||||||
| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| - | |||||||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Date of approval | ||||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
06/02/2023
2