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2025-04-05-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report & Statement of Financial Activity

For the Year Ended 5th April 2025

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2024-25 ANNUAL REVIEW Our mission is to improve physical and mental wellbeing by introducing the transformative benefits of yoga in nature, fostering joy. connection and a deep sense of community. During 2024 Park Yoga has continued to grow, with high satisfaction rates and significant impact on our participant's health and wellbeing. I ATfENDANCES ' 60,043 MPAcfoN PARTiapANT* 22% total attendances over 20 weeks increase from 2023 99/ of participants feel satisfied or highly satisfied with Park Yoga 100 , LESS AcfivE COMMUNMES 80 91% 17°A of participants classified themselves as either inactive or not very active 74/ 60 71/ We aim to increase this to 27% by 2027 to ensure we are supporting those individuals who need Park Yoga most. 20 IMPAcf ON PARTICIPANrs I Iii feel happier more more 92A felt more connected to nature 86A felt healthier 84% felt more flexible/mobile physically connected to active community attended 6 or more sessions 30% were new to yoga I VENUES IDONATK>NS £34,741 48 LOCATIONS across England delivered Park Yoga sessions including: of donations recieved, including Gift Aid 18 NEWVENUES new venues in West Midlands o increase from 2023 Free, friendly community Park Yoga forever

Trustees’ Annual Report 2024/25

Period Start Date: 6th April 2024 Period End Date: 5th April 2025

Reference & Administration Details

Charity Name: Park Yoga
Registered charity 1183253
number:
Charity’s principal
address:		 c/o Lytchett House, 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole,
Dorset, BH16 6FA – new address from 17thJune 2025

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity:

Trustee name Role Appointed Resigned
Sibyl Ann King 3rd May 2019
Cathrine Farrer 3rd May 2019 20thJuly 2024
Lisa Upchurch Chair 2nd April 2020
Sharon McHugh 26th January 2023
Daniel King 26th January 2023 28thOctober 2024
Nilesh Pattani 25thJanuary 2024
Kathryn Shade 14thOctober 2024

Names of advisors:

Type of advisor Name
Charity Adviser Martin Cooke

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members:

Name Role Appointed Resigned
Cathrine Mitchell Director 1stOctober 2024

No key personnel details have been exempt from disclosure.

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Structure, Governance and Management

Description of the charity’s trusts:

Type of governing document: Constitution – based on the Charity Commission’s model
governing document for Foundation Charitable
Incorporated Organisations, ie: where the Trustees are the
only Members of the charity.
How the charity is Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
constituted:
Trustee selection methods: There must be at least three charity trustees. If the number
falls below this minimum, the remaining trustee or trustees
may act only to call a meeting of the charity trustees, or
appoint a new charity trustee.
The maximum number of charity trustees is 12. The charity
trustees may not appoint any charity trustee if as a result the
number of charity trustees would exceed the maximum.
Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be
appointed for a term of three years by a resolution passed at
a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
In appointing Trustees due consideration is given to
ensuring that the Trustees have, between them, the skills
and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively
and in accordance with charity law.
There are currently no formal induction and training policies
for Trustees.
Risk management system: A comprehensive Risk Register is reviewed by Trustees on a
quarterlybasis.

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document:

To improve the health and wellbeing of the public by providing free yoga sessions in an open space for the public benefit. The beneficiaries will extend to those living throughout the UK regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity or ability.

Summary of the main activities in relation to these objects:

Park Yoga provides free community yoga in nature to improve our participant’s health and wellbeing. Sessions run for one hour on Sunday mornings, between the beginning of May to mid-September. The charity works in partnership with local organisations, including Town Councils, Local Authorities, Active Partnerships, parks and instructors to bring Park Yoga to local communities, particularly those with residents who are likely to benefit most from the inclusive and welcoming atmosphere of Park Yoga. The Park Yoga support team provide extensive advice and guidance to both the host venues and yoga instructors, including training

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and on-going support throughout the season, ensuring a high-quality Park Yoga session is delivered, with incidents reported in line with policies. The support team also provide marketing and communication activation alongside our host venues and instructors, as well as delivering an annual evaluation demonstrating the impact of our work.

In 2024 Park Yoga expanded to deliver at 48 park locations, with 18 new venues including five in the West-Midlands for the first time. In 2024, we had a total of 60,043 attendances over 20 weeks, averaging 3,215 people a week and 67 people per venue, per week.

Policy on grant making:

Venue partners fund the costs of Yoga Instructors, in 2024 this was £70 a week - £1,400 for the season. If a venue partner is not able to fully fund the instructor costs, then the Trustees consider requests from Venue Partners to support these costs. Venue grant selection criteria include the area’s level of deprivation, the number of potential beneficiaries (including the number of under-served communities in the area), capability of the organisation, suitability of the site, location (what other Park Yoga provision there is in the area), the level of support (including financial) that is available from the host organisation to support the service and the availability of funds within Park Yoga.

Public Benefit Statement

The Trustees of Park Yoga confirm that they have paid due regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

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Achievements and Performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year:

Park Yoga runs for one hour on Sunday mornings, between May and September to improve the health and wellbeing of its participants. In 2024, Park Yoga expanded to 48 venues predominately across the Southwest and South-Central England, as well as two venues in Northwest England and five in the West-Midlands. Park Yoga is a registered charity funded through donations and grant giving trusts and foundations.

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Venue: Winchester
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Over the 20-week season, 888 sessions were delivered, an average of 18.5 sessions per venue, with cancelled sessions typically due to poor weather. Average weekly attendances range from 18 in Dudley to 183 in Southampton; with 60% of venues having an average attendance of over 50 participants per week. 8 venues saw over 100 participants per week. The number of overall attendances increased by 22% compared to 2023.

Due to its open location, free to user, nonjudgmental environment Park Yoga has continued to attract a broader audience than traditional yoga sessions and encourage repeat attendance. 30% of survey respondents were new to yoga and 45% had never taken part in Park Yoga before. 62%

Key Achievements

took part in 6 or more sessions. Repeat attendance is an indicator of how much people enjoy Park Yoga, but more importantly, the more regularly and frequently people attend, the more likely they are to develop positive habits around participating in physical activity.

Furthermore, we know Park Yoga is targeting some of the people who need it most. 17% of participants classified themselves as either inactive or not very active, and there is considerable scope of increasing these numbers.

Unfortunately, two venues stopped delivering Park Yoga in 2024. Trustees will closely monitor if and when venues stop operating to understand their and our reasonings for doing so.

Thank you to Weleda who provided our yogis with samples of their skincare products throughout the season and a discount code – these were well received by our participants.

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Impact on Participants:

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Venue: Wokingham
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An annual survey carried out by an independent evaluator captured data and comments around the impact on participants of Park Yoga.

Satisfaction rates are extremely high, with 99% satisfied overall, 99% enjoying yoga and 86% agreeing that their yoga skills have improved.

“It gets me and my children outside early on a Sunday morning, without disrupting the whole day. We love it!”

One of the most cited benefits of taking part in Park Yoga is the sense of community it instills in participants as well as the potential longer-term impact of park Yoga.

“Park Yoga is so special. To have so many people there together, moving and breathing, to be part of that is incredible. It feels like activism against the negativity in the world.”

“It has encouraged me to exercise more regularly, not just yoga. It has increased my social connections and improved my wellbeing.”

“Park Yoga has given me something to look forward to on the weekend. It was something that I was able to do with family. I have made new friends, which has meant I have felt part of a community. I can't tell you how great it has been for my mental health. Please please can we have more Park Yoga next summer.”

Yoga has a number of health benefits, including strength, flexibility, bone health, posture, balance and mobility. The survey results show that, as result of taking part in Park Yoga:

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“Park yoga is the highlight of my week. I look forward to practicing outside and connecting with my community. Park yoga has changed my life. I wouldn't have made friends with people I now regularly go running with. My health and happiness is thanks to Park Yoga”

“I’ve loved being able to practice yoga outside on a regular basis. It’s definitely helped with my core strength, balance and flexibility all of which are so important as we get older - I’m 72.”

There is a strong evidence base showing the benefits of access to greenspace and in particular outdoor exercise on wellbeing and mental health. Park Yoga provides an opportunity to connect to nature in a meaningful way, by helping people relax, be mindful and therefore take more notice of the sights and sounds that surround them. This is reflected in the survey results which shows that as a result of taking part in Park Yoga:

“It has made me leave the house on a Sunday when I would normally stay indoors and mope around. With yoga I get some much-needed time outside which I enjoy but always talk myself out of, in a group of people, focussing on being in the moment for that hour leaving life’s stresses. The improvement in my mental health after that one hour is beyond words, my mind is clearer, and I feel empowered to go about my day. I actively look forward to my park yoga and hope with all I have it is back next year.”

“This time last year I was diagnosed with Grade 4 Cancer. Following Chemo, Surgery, further Chemo I am now on Target Therapy. Park Yoga has totally helped me through my challenging recovery. Not only has it enabled me to exercise in the morning sun in the most magnificent, picturesque location surrounded by greenery looking onto a lake but also to be able to exercise with over 100 people yet feel as though one is in their own beautiful space. It's felt an absolute privilege.”

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Venue: Plymouth
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Donations and grants

As a young, small charity we need to diversify our fundraising income to ensure our on-going financial sustainability. Following a pilot at five venues in 2023, this year all 48 venues provided the option for participants to donate on site using contactless donation machines, with an average of £492 being donated at each venue. Participants were also given the option to donate online, with a total of £7,636 donated via our website throughout the year. Including Gift Aid a total of £34,741 was donated by participants during the 2024 season, an increase of 169% compared to 2023 demonstrating the importance of this fundraising channel as we expand.

Although our participants recognise the need for donations and are happy to donate when they can afford to, for many (82%) the fact that Park Yoga is free is a key motivator for taking part. Park Yoga is committed to being free for our yogis to attend forever.

Park Yoga applied for some restricted grants on behalf of some of our venue partners. The Trustees would like to thank:

Thanks also to Dorchester and Weymouth Rotary clubs for their donations to our unrestricted funds.

The Trustees would like to thank one of our founding Trustees, Alice King, who ran the London Marathon in April 2024 on behalf of Park Yoga, raising over £3,000, including a donation from Gallagher (please note: some of these funds were accounted for in the 2023/24 financial year).

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Venue: Taunton
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Staff and volunteers

Following a prolonged period of staff instability, the Trustees are happy to report that Cathi Farrer-Mitchell joined the charity as Director in October 2024. A founding Trustee, previous venue partner CEO and park yogi participant since 2017, Cathi understands the challenges within the charity sector and combined with her dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of communities the Board is excited to see the growth of Park Yoga under her leadership. Alongside our part-time Director, a Venue Liaison Lead, Yoga Instructor Lead and freelance Bookkeeper complete our staff team equating to 1.2 full-time equivalent employees. Day-to-day operations of the charity are administered by the staff team as defined in a Scheme of Delegated Authority.

Future plans

A new strategy is in place for the 2025 to 2027 period with the following objectives:

  1. Growth to national UK coverage: This will be specifically targeted at (i) major cities and (ii) areas with a high proportion of less active communities.

  2. Widening the reach of Park Yoga: In terms of raising awareness of the charity, diversifying our participants to ensure we reach inactive communities and our geographical spread.

  3. A stable operating platform: To ensure we have the systems, processes, funding and people in place to support the growth.

There is high demand for the growth of Park Yoga, with regular expressions of interest for new venues received from communities, local authorities, landowners and instructors. While we focus on growing our income streams and ensuring our charity’s financial stability, we have planned modest growth for 2025, before accelerated growth to a potential 150 venues by 2027. The charity’s priorities for the 2025 season are:

  1. Successfully deliver Park Yoga at 55 venues ensuring a high level of participation, satisfaction (99%) and benefit.

  2. Increase the average number of Park Yogis attending each venue to 75 per week (rising from 67 in 2024), averaging 4,125 people per week and having over 75,000 attendances throughout the season.

  3. Promoting Park Yoga to less active communities (as identified by Sport England) to ensure we are supporting those individuals that need it most. This work will aim to increase the number of participants who classify themselves as inactive pre-season from 17% to 27%.

  4. Develop existing and new income generation channels to raise over £115,000 (an 88% increase compared to the 2024/25 Financial Year), with a focus on longer term income streams.

  5. Piloting a volunteer scheme at 5-7 venues so volunteers can gain new skills, make new friends, give back to their community creating a sense of connection, reduce isolation and improve the individual’s confidence; with a view to rolling this scheme out to all venues in 2026.

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Conclusions

During 2024 Park Yoga has continued to grow and was successfully delivered at 48 venues. Satisfaction rates and the impact on participant’s health and wellbeing continues to be significant; Park Yoga has provided people with an opportunity to take part in physical activity and people are reporting improvements in their physical activity levels, happiness and overall health as a result.

The strengths of Park Yoga remain unaffected despite the current societal challenges including the cost-of-living-crisis, with Park Yoga being a very cost-effective activity to deliver at just £2.08 per participant per visit. It remains inclusive, accessible, free, offers excellent quality yoga instruction by skilled and personable teachers and offers a different experience to indoor classes by enabling people to better connect to nature.

Park Yoga has continued to introduce new audiences to yoga and local parks with more people using their local parks and many participants joining yoga classes in their local communities.

We are living in an environment where mental and physical health levels are declining, social isolation is rising, and the cost-of-living crisis is affecting our disposable income. Park Yoga is continuing to demonstrate the difference it can make to communities to support these issues.

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Venue: Salisbury
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Financial Review

Details:

Brief statement of the
charity’s policy on reserves:		 The Charity aims to have 3 – 6 months of operating costs as reserves
within unrestricted funds.
As of 5thApril 2025, we have the equivalent of two months in our
reserves, however Trustees are confident that this will be more
positive next financial year as our budget for 2025/26 forecasts a
c.£20,000 surplus.
Details of any funds The Charity has no funds which are materially in deficit.
materially in deficit:
Principle sources of funding: Grant funding, in particular from Sport England, well as donations
from participants.
How expenditure has The significant expenditures have been on staff costs, contributions
supported the key objectives: to venues to deliver sessions and investment in contactless
donation machines. Contributions to venues cover instructor costs
and equipment for the sessions. Other costs include insurance,
marketing, office, IT, evaluation, postage and uniform.
Remuneration of Trustees: All Trustees act in a voluntary capacity and receive no
remuneration or other material benefits from their services to the
Charity.
Out-of-pocket expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by
Trustees in promoting the purposes of the Charity are reimbursed at
cost.
Funds Held as Custodian None.
Trustee on Behalf of Others:
Any significant events that
have affected the financial
performance:		 No Director in post for the first six months of the year (whose role
focuses on income generation), as a result no unrestricted grants were
received this year.
Financial position of the Park Yoga’s current resources from grant funding and donations are
charity during the reporting sufficient to meet its outgoings for the next year.
period:
The charity operated at a £23,551 deficit during 2024/25. A
planned £18,712 from a non-accrued restricted fund was spent in
this period. The deficit is also due to investing in additional staff
resource, which will start to show a return in the next financial year.
Park Yoga will carry forward total funds of £24,629 including
£10,000 in restricted funding and £14,629 in unrestricted funding
reserves.
In 2025/26 the charity is forecasting a more positive c.£20,000
surplus, with income being received from donations, grant funding
and sponsorship.

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Statement of Financial Activity

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Balance Sheet As at April 5, 2025 S Aw 2025 S AFW 2Q4 CLfftit¥Ass8(S 1.127 22.026 Cash Ai Bank AIKI In Harxl 51.807 63.074 Trading Crediw5 -1S8 49.634 -1S,864 Nei Ass•ts 24.629 48.1 & ReseThfs 10.( 28.712 14.629 19.468 48.1 14of16

Independent Examiner report

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Declaration

The Trustees declare that they have approved the above Annual Report and Statement of Financial Activity.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees:

Name Lisa Upchurch Name Nilesh Pattani Position Chair of Trustees Position Trustee Signature Signature Date 19[th] August 2025 Date 20[th] August 2025

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