Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From 02/04/2020 To 04/04/2021
Charity name: Bristol Bat Rescue
Charity registration number: 1182760
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | To rescue, rehabilitate and release sick, injured and orphaned bats. To educate the public about bats, including science, conservation and rehabilitation, which may include use of the permanent licensed education bats. |
| 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 |
(1) To rescue and rehabilitate bats found by the public or handed over to animal carers, or have bats euthanaised if that is what their welfare requires; (2) Safeguarding the public and animal carers (e.g. vetinary staff) who have come into contact with bats to ensure that they are aware of the risks of European Bat Lyssaviruses (EBVL 1 and 2), which is fatal if contracted from an infected bat and not treated within time; (3) To assist the public and animal carers to ensure bats and their roosts are treated in line with the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; (4) To prevent spread of Covid 19 to UK bats; (5) To contribute to conservation efforts for Protected Species (bats) through rescuing and rehabilitating those that can be returned to the wild to maintain the wild population; through educating the public about bats; and through recording and sharing data of use to conservationists. |
| Statement confirming | Para 1.18 | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| whether the trustees have | ||
| had regard to the guidance | ||
| issued by the Charity | ||
| Commission on public | ||
| benefit |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Policy on grant making | Para 1.38 | |
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | At the start of the reporting period we had several trainees/volunteers working with us. By the end of June 2020 we were down to the two Trustees and Sophie. Some of our volunteers had set up their own rescue organisation Severn Wildlife Rescue (SWT) with our former trainee and third Trustee Ashley earlier in the year without our knowledge. We gave SWT Bristol Bat Rescue equipment to assist them with their set up, but could not endorse them or allow them to be a franchise as we felt we had insufficient information or input regarding animal care. Due to an apparent misunderstanding member of SWT put out messages in social media and to other carers stating that we had stopped taking bats and that Bristol Bat Rescue wished all bats be referred to their organisation. This was not the case- due to our family circumstances we were scaling back our work and were discussing ending the charity, but not Bristol Bat Rescue as an organisation, and we did not authorise anyone to state that Bristol Bat Rescue wanted bats referred to SWT. We intended to be available to help bats that needed an experienced Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) registered bat carer, focusing our efforts on taking in bat pups, juveniles and difficult cases that needed our care and then being passed on to another carer with a flightcage to complete their |
preparation for the wild. We would use our experience to assist the public and other bat carers. We had intended to register some of our volunteers, such as Charley and Nai, as BCT registered carers, but after a discussion with BCT it was agreed that they would have to complete another full season of bat care with us to demonstrate they were suitable. This was not practical, so their training with us ended- we understood they would seek other BCT registered trainers. As a result we were down to just us two and Sophie as bar carers to do what we could, with a new baby. So we could only take on a smaller number of bats than in previous years. Thankfully we had the support of North Devon Bat Care, Evesham Bat Care, other experienced BCT bat carers and the newly formed Wiltshire Bat Care who we helped get registered with BCT. 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 | (1) BBR helped 266 bats during the reporting period. Of these 64 were rescued and cared for by us, the rest we assisted by giving advice on immediate care and details of who else to approach. Of the 202 we assisted through advice only, 128 were from outside our area we could directly respond to. We gave advice to people from across the UK- particularly when the BCT helpline was not available. This can involve a lot of work as we try to identify any immediate actions the finder could take to assist the animal, and then time spent trying to identify an appropriate organisation or group, or vet, who may be able to assist in that locality (often contacting said organisation/group/vet to see if they can do so). Due to our lack of assistants during most of the reporting period our ability to |
directly rescue and care for bats was limited to 64. This number would have been lower if Sophie had been unable to care for bat pups. Thankfully new bat carers such as Wiltshire Bat Care, and Francis in southern Gloucestershire were starting up in summer 2020, taking on bats that in previous years we would have taken. Of the 64 bats, 16 (25%) died- 9 required euthanaisia by a vet. We referred several other bats in our area directly to vets to be euthanized due to obvious untreatable serious injuries in photos/videos sent to us by finders- these are in our stats as advice rather than rescued and cared for in person. Of the remaining 48, 3 were unreleasable. We therefore successfully rescued and rehabilitated 70% of the bats that came into our care during this reporting period. Our success rate would have been 75% like the previous reporting period, had we not agreed to take on bats mistreated by other carers who proved to be unfit for release. We reported these matters to BCT. Of the bats rescued 28 are recorded as pups who came in during June and July 2020. 15 are recorded as juveniles later in the year, and 21 were adults. Species cared for: Serotines (2); Leisler (6); Brown long-ear (4); Daubenton (1); Natterer’s (2); Whiskered (1); Common and Soprano Pipistrelles (49). All bats that required the use of a flightcage travelled to North Devon Bat Care’s flightcage, or that of other bat carers who do not wish to be identified for reasons we understand.
We carried out our work in line with the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. We followed the guidelines set out by BCT in their Bat Care Guidelines. We provided everyone involved with us a copy of our standards, which they signed and agreed to follow.
(2) It is a standard part of our call procedure to check with callers that no one has been bitten or scratched by a
bat, and to advise them not to handle bats with unprotected hands. We did have instances of people reporting being bitten or scratched by bats, and we gave them appropriate advice to seek medical advice in line with BCT’s guidelines and chapter 27 of the NHS Green Book. If a bat we took in had bitten/scratched a person, and the bat died, we sent the corpse to APHA for testing with the details of the person who was bitten/scratched. We used our social media accounts to educate the public that EBLV 1 and 2 (aka rabies) is a virus carried by a very small number of bats in the UK, despite the UK being officially rabies-free, and that it is fatal if any possible infection is not treated in time. (3) As with (2) it is part of our call procedure to cover any legal aspects regarding the protection of bats and their roosts we feel are relevant for the situation. Again we used social media accounts to educate the public on these matters. Unfortunately we encountered bat carers who mistreated bats and misled other carers and the public in this reporting period. We did what we could to treat bats that had been in their care where we had access, and we assisted any investigations we were asked to contribute to. During this period footage of our work was published by the Dodo channel on Facebook and Youtube without our knowledge and without crediting us, as well as presenting a false narrative. (4) We worked in line with Bat Conservation Trust’s Covid 19 guidance to protect bats that came into our care during this reporting period, and to educate the public on the issues. No bats in the UK carry Covid 19- there is a concern that bat carers may give Covid 19 to bats which are then returned to the wild ( we would be expected to euthanaise any bats that might post this risk). (5) We were able to return 70% of the bats we helped back to the wild, and
contribute to maintenance of the population. In particular the rescue and release of several Leisler pups from the important urban population still present in Bristol. We have submitted our records from this reporting period to BRERC, and will do so for the neighbouring areas’ Local Record Centres when opportunity allows. Due to Covid 19 we carried out no public education events in person during this reporting period. However, we continue to educate the public via social media on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and Google . In addition, the Dodo used footage of one of our bats without our knowledge. Our work has been used to educate a larger audience in the UK and around the world than we had realised.
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 |
Financial Review
| Financial Review | ||
|---|---|---|
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | We started the reporting period with +£1075. We raised £1444 through GoFundMe, PayPal donations and a couple of donations from the public who passed bats to us. Our costs from travel, equipment, food, medical supplies, and general costs totalled £1413. We donated £300 to other bat carers, as well as gifting equipment to Severn Wildife Rescue. We also noted that we failed to claim £375 in expenses for reporting period 2019-20. Therefore our balace at the end of the reporting period is +£731. |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | |
| Amount of reservesheld | 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) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising) |
Para 1.47 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| Other |
Structure, Governance and Management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
||
|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | Constitution |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | Charitable Incorporated Organisation- Foundation |
| 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 | Election 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 | |
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | |
| Other | Early on in the reporting period Ashley Dale and Stewart Rowden both submitted resignations as Trustees. Ashley’s was recorded with the Charity Commission, but when a lack of appropriate replacements were found by the remaining Trustee, Kiri, Stewart was asked to withdraw his resignation whilst we considered whether to continue as a charity. A suitable person from outside Bristol was approached to become the third Trustee, and signed the relevant paperwork, but we were unsure whether we wanted to carry on with the charity so did not register them as a Trustee. We have decided we do not want to continue as a charity at this time, and will be |
closing the charity down, but carrying on with Bristol Bat Rescue in a limited capacity due to family reasons.
Reference and Administrative details
| Charity name | Bristol Bat Rescue |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | |
| Registered charitynumber | 1182760 |
| Charity’s principal address | 77 Alcove Road. Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3DS |
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(if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiri Green | ||||
| Stewart Rowden | ||||
| AshleyDale | Until May2020 | |||
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 |
Kiri Green | Stewart Rowden |
|---|---|---|
| Kiri Joanne Green | Stewart James Rowden | |
Chair |
||
| 06/04/2022 | ||
| 06/04/2022 |