Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From 1/1/24 To 31/12/24
Charity name: Irvine Road Community Orchard Charity registration number: 1183649
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | To promote, for the benefit of the public, the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment of the Irvine Road Orchard, Colchester |
| 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 |
To fulfil its purpose, the charity will restore, manage, promote and celebrate this ancient orchard and its wildlife for the public benefit. Our aim is to engage the community in achieving its purpose and to rely on volunteers to undertake a range of activities including – site management, fundraising, education, community engagement, fruit harvesting, and communication. The CIO was registered in May 2019 in anticipation of taking on a fifty year lease for the Orchard. We expected to take on the lease in early 2020 but Brexit and Covid19 slowed building on the part of the Orchard allocated for development, and the initial lease was not enacted until 20/5/21. In 2023, we raised £45k to purchase a new 999 year lease that took effect on 8 August 2024. |
| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | Statutory Declaration The IRCO Trustees consider that they have complied with their duty under Section 4 of the 2006 Act to have due regard to guidance published by the Commission on charitable purposes and public benefit. |
Additional information (optional)
SORP reference We do not intend to award grants. Para 1.38
| Policy on grant making | ||
|---|---|---|
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | We do not envisage having funds to make investments but have chosen our bank (co-op) based on its ethical credentials. |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | IRCO is run entirely by volunteers with an estimated annual contribution in 2024 of over 690 hours_:_ Notes: 276 Site management 318 Governance, fundraising, comms 96 Events |
| 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 | We ran our our first Wassail in January as well as the Apple Blossom Open Day in April – both were well attended. Having achieved our major fundraising effort during 2023, we completed the new 999 lease in August 2024 – a major achievement for the charity. Following the previous year's event being cancelled due to a lack of apples and pears, the fruit pressing in September was a welcome success. Lots of fruit, perhaps due to the Wassail!, lots of attendees and the sun shone. We also hosted the first visits to the Orchard by a local junior school as part of their Forest Schools programme and we hope these will continue. Our second fungi foray in November revealed a whole host of new species in the Orchard and during the year a local expert reported finding four ant species in the Orchard. Work parties continued throughout the year where the highlights were using a loaned chipper to recycle material generated on-site, including from our second fruit tree pruning course held in January, the planting of couple of new trees and the removal and recycling of the hedge guards. |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against Para 1.41 objectives set
| 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 raised £1263 during the year and incurred expenditure of £44225 drawing on the funds we had raised in 2023 with the purpose of extending the lease which successfully completed in 2024. As a result out our financial reserves ended the year at £1842. |
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | We will need to maintain financial reserves but do not expect our normal running costs to be greater than £1k per annum. We could run the operation, for a time, on considerably less if we had to. We will also fundraise for specific projects we wish to run. |
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | £1,842.00 |
| 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 |
We would expect to raise funds through voluntary donations through events (sometimes in partnership with the Residents' Association) corporate sponsorship and donations grants |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1) We have yet to ascertain, beyond doubt, the long-term appetite of the community to get engaged in supporting and managing the Orchard – but evidence so far suggests that this risk is unlikely to materialise. 2) All the uncertainties and risks associated with land ownership – trespass, neighbourhood disputes, vandalism. The active engagement of the new residents abutting the Orchard has minimised this risk. 3) There is always a risk that the current landowner changes his current collaborative approach and looks to find ways to break the lease, returning the site to his control, or sells the land to |
someone who does likewise. Securing the 999 year lease has reduced this risk. Maintaining the relationship with him will continue to be important for the Trustees to pay attention to Other
Structure, Governance and Management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
||
|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | Constitution (based on the foundation model of a CIO) |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | We are constituted as a CIO |
| 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 | The Irvine Road Area Residents’ Association may appoint four charity trustees. Each appointment must be for a term of three years. The charity trustees can appoint three trustees for a term of three years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity 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 | None |
| Other |
Reference and Administrative details
| Charityname | Irvine Road Community Orchard |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | |
| Registered charitynumber | 1183649 |
| Charity’s principal address | 17 Irvine Road Colchester Essex CO3 3TS |
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| trustees charity |
who manage the | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
|
| 1 | Shaun Thomas | Chair | |
| 2 | Wayne Bennison | Mayonwards | |
| 3 | Nicholas Binns | Mayonwards | |
| 4 | Katherine Sandercock | Treasurer | |
| 5 | Gavin Sandercock | ||
| 6 | Willi Otto Emrich | ||
| 7 | Victoria Thomas | Secretary | |
| 8 | Sarah Jane Carter | Jan-April | |
| 9 | Simon Amstutz | Jan-April | |
| 10 | |||
| 11 | |||
| 12 | |||
| 13 | |||
| 14 | |||
| 15 | |||
| 16 | |||
| 17 | |||
| 18 | |||
| 19 | |||
| 20 |
– 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
| Community Orchard 1183649 Receipts and payments accounts To Period end date 01/01/24 31/12/24 For the period from |
Community Orchard 1183649 Receipts and payments accounts To Period end date 01/01/24 31/12/24 For the period from |
Community Orchard 1183649 Receipts and payments accounts To Period end date 01/01/24 31/12/24 For the period from |
Community Orchard 1183649 Receipts and payments accounts To Period end date 01/01/24 31/12/24 For the period from |
Community Orchard 1183649 Receipts and payments accounts To Period end date 01/01/24 31/12/24 For the period from |
CC16a |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
01/01/24 |
To |
Period end date 31/12/24 |
||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
| A1 Receipts Grants Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ Endowment funds |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|
| 750 | - - - - - - - - |
||||
| Fundraisingvia localgiving | 87 | ||||
| fundraisingother egopen days/sales | 426 | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 1263 | 46 149 | |||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
- - |
||||
| - - |
- - |
- - |
- | ||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | 46 149 |
| Total receipts - A3 Payments |
|||||
| - | - | - | 1263 | 46 149 | |
Insurance |
- - - - - - - - - |
- - - - - - - - - |
168 15 |
- - - - - - - - - |
|
| Workshop invoice | |||||
| Orchard sundries (boxes, trees etc) | 214 | ||||
| Website fees and design | 35 | ||||
| Legal fees | 3293 | ||||
| Purchase of lease (less deposit pd 2023) | 40 500 - - - |
||||
| Sub total | - | - | 44 225 | 5 123 | |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
- - |
||||
| - - |
- - |
- - |
|||
| Sub total | - | - | - | - | - |
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||
| 44 225 | |||||
| - | |||||
| 44 802 1 842 |
44 802 | ||||
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
15/07/2025
1
| 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 | 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 Details Details Details Details Signature Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
to nearest £ Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
to nearest £ Endowment funds |
||
| - | - | |||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| - | ||||||
| OK | ||||||
| to nearest £ Endowment funds |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| When due (optional) |
||||||
| Date of approval | ||||||
| Kate Sandercock | 12/07/2025 | |||||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
15/07/2025
2