Friends of Nuttall Park, Ramsbottom, Bury
Annual Report 2023
5[th] April 2024
Registered Charity number: 1181981
Friends of Nu�all Park
Chair’s Report for the year ending 31[st] December 2023
2023 has been an exci�ng year and we have again completed many projects and been involved in the organisa�on of various events thanks to our group of mul�-talented volunteers.
The year started with Bury Council sending out tenders for the comple�on of the bandstand. Leander Architectural were chosen to do the work and we were very pleased with this. It was agreed that Friends of Nu�all Park would share the costs 50/50 with Bury Council. Leander, part of Middle Peak Engineering, began by installing the roof so the structure was water�ght. The embellishments which were in storage in Ramsbo�om were transported to Leander’s workshop where they were painted in RS6005 Green in keeping with the metalwork in other areas of the park. The steel uprights were painted on site and the balustrades, cornices etc. were fixed and made good. A ceiling was fi�ed and the handrails to the steps were fi�ed in October.
The Easter Bunny paid a visit during the Easter weekend with small chocolate eggs for the children.
Our big event of 2023 was a celebra�on for the Corona�on of King Charles III on the 7[th] May. We organised this along with Ramsbo�om Rotary & we are very grateful for their help.
There was a variety of stalls including those of many local community groups who were raising funds for their own group. Food & drink stalls & the Tea Room & Cake Stall were very popular.
The bandstand was in use from 12 to 4:30 with Goodshaw Brass Band, Shoehorn (a group of local secondary school pupils) playing rock music, Ramshackle Wailers (a local choir), a Brass trio and Rossendale Ukulele Band performing for a large audience enjoying sunshine and a picnic on the grass. The whole event was very successful and raised £1850 profit from dona�ons.
We held our Love Your Park Week from 5 to 13[th] August when the Tea Room was open each a�ernoon with cra� and outdoor or table games provided to entertain people. Ramsbo�om Running Club organised the Ramsbo�om Summer Mile on the Tuesday evening and it was a very successful 9 days.
The bandstand was officially opened on 1st October by the Mayor of Bury, Councillor Sandra Walmsley. Besses o’ th’ Barn Band and Rossendale Ukulele Band played wonderful music on the bandstand & there were food and drink stalls, a Cake Stall & a Tea Room. This was an excellent occasion, the culmina�on of much hard work and well worth wai�ng for.
We hope to con�nue holding events in 2024 to include a performer on the bandstand on the first Sunday of each summer month. We are also encouraging other individuals and groups to use the bandstand and park.
We had a spooky Lantern Parade at the end of October. It was very popular and well supported and the children enjoyed parading around the park with their lanterns lit at dusk. We were lucky with the weather as this affects the number who a�end any of our events held outside.
In December, 5 volunteers organised a Seasonal Cra� Day where children were able to pick up the parts to make a reindeer, snowman etc. to make at home. It was held inside the Base and was very successful. We are very grateful to the people who turn their hands to many different aspects of volunteering.
Santa Claus visited the Base on Christmas Eve from 11 to 3pm and this has become a regular part of our Christmas celebra�ons along with fes�ve treats and an amazingly decorated and lit Tea Room.
We have con�nued to help keep Nu�all Park well maintained with a number of Task Days. These tasks included li�er picking, leaf clearing, drain clearing, Tea Room cleaning, jet washing & we were also able to
5[th] April 2024
Registered Charity number: 1181981
fund the refurbishment of the no�ceboards and the handrails to the bandstand steps from our events and Tea Room dona�ons.
We are wai�ng for an extension to the pa�o behind the Base Tea Room funded by 2023 dona�ons when weather permits.
The petanque (boules) pitch has been used more frequently by the local U3a group and another group of regular users helped with its maintenance and added more gravel.
We received a dona�on of £2000 from Ramsbo�om Business Group in June and this has been used to purchase 4 carved wooden statues to be installed around the park in spring 2024. Stubbins Trust donated £250 which will go towards one of the musical Sundays during the summer.
‘The Gardening Group were busy from March to November as Steve’s report shows -
Every week includes the general tasks of weeding, pruning and �dying all the beds we look a�er, and mowing and edging the surrounds where appropriate. We also clear weeds and debris from the paths around the park. In 2023 we completely revamped the exis�ng Bu�erfly Bed with a new surround, lining and new stones which really shows off the bu�erfly shape. We have started to refresh the plan�ng and will con�nue that in 2024. We built a Bug Hotel from old pallets and a Hibernaculum (an underground shelter) for hedgehogs. We revamped the plan�ng in the Carpark Bed & removed a dead phormium from another & planted that up as well.
We created a new plan�ng area next to the Stumpery, planted another 500 daffodil bulbs, and put new shrubs in the Tennis Court Bed. Two of the new rhododendrons should be in flower there this Spring. We con�nued to clear and plant up the 'Walkways' around the car park and the Boules area.
This coming year we plan to overhaul the circular Centre Bed with a raised bed in the middle and new plan�ng along with tweaking the plan�ng in the Prairie and Jubilee Beds.
We aim to redesign the Monument Bed and add new plants as well and we will also soon be plan�ng 500 snowdrops. We also aim to look at the two now disused Incredible Edible beds and see what we can do with them.’
Our efforts have been well received by those who use Nu�all Park and the Tea Room is well managed and provides a very good income from dona�ons. We have welcomed 4 teenagers accompanied by a parent or guardian who help in the Tea Room as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award or School Star Award.
It is good to have young people who are interested in helping the community and we hope that it encourages them to volunteer more as they get older.
The Base Tea Room is as popular as ever and, as the Treasurer’s financial report shows, the annual profit from dona�ons has increased again this year.
All our events were successful and resulted in dona�ons helping Friends of Nu�all Park to commit to projects
which help to keep Nu�all Park as a beau�ful Green Flag Park.
Friends of Nu�all Park would not exist without the help and enthusiasm of a small band of volunteers who turn out in all weathers to help do a number of things.
Many thanks to you all & we hope to join together in 2024 to do more wonderful things for Nu�all Park.
Gwenda Newton Chair, Friends of Nu�all Park 5[th] February 2024
5[th] April 2024
Registered Charity number: 1181981
Friends of Nu�all Park Annual Accounts to 31/12/2023
Monetary Assets
| Monetary Assets | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Account | 31/12/2023 | Diference this year | 31/12/2022 |
| Barclays | closed | -£34,000.00 | £34,000.00 |
| Cash Account | £231.36 | £165.32 | £66.04 |
| Santander | £2,375.55 | £145.68 | £2,229.87 |
| Tea Room Float | £20.00 | £0.00 | £20.00 |
| Epworth Savings | £22,843.43 | £22,843.43 | |
| RBS | £601.50 | £601.50 | |
| Total | £26,071.84 | -£10,244.07 | £36,315.91 |
Summary of Receipts and Payments in 2023 compared to 2022
Receipts
| Category | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Base | £255.00 | £260.00 |
| Donations | £3,325.20 | £750.04 |
| Interest | £843.43 | |
| Events | £4,364.38 | £3,311.81 |
| Park Improvements | £5,000.00 | |
| Tea Room | £13,467.37 | £11,670.52 |
| Grand Total | £22,255.38 | £20,992.37 |
| Payments | ||
| Category | 2023 | 2022 |
| Base | £951.98 | £1,147.55 |
| Events | £2896.68 | £1,307.90 |
| General Expenses | £582.95 | £301.00 |
| Park Improvements | £24,447.70 | £9,355.39 |
| Tea Room | £3,620.14 | £2,952.48 |
| Grand Total | £32,499.45 | £15,064.32 |
| Surplus/Defcit for Year | -£10,244.07 | £5,928.05 |
Park Improvements in 2023
| Bandstand | £21,875 |
|---|---|
| Gardening Club | £1,180 |
| Notice Boards | £1,070 |
| Butterfy Garden | £163 |
| Boules Court | £159 |
Prepared by John Leyland - Treasurer
5[th] February 2024
5[th] April 2024
Registered Charity number: 1181981