FRIENDS OF FISHPOND PARK PANTEG CHARITY REGISTRATION NO. 1184066
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT 1[st] November 2022 to 31[st] OCTOBER 2023
Purposes of the Charity
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1) To advance the facilities and maintenance of the Fishpond Park Panteg for the benefit and enjoyment of the public at large
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2) To raise funds to further this aim whilst not engaging in any taxable permanent trading activity and must comply with any relevant statutory regulations.
Summary of the main activities
The ongoing maintenance and improvement of all areas of the park. This includes planting shrubs, annuals and perennials in the numerous beds. We keep costs down by purchasing seeds and plug plants. Some of our more green fingered members bring them on in their own greenhouses and allotments and transport to the park when ready for planting. Any plants surplus to requirements are offered to the general public in return for a donation. Many people donate empty hanging baskets and containers to us which we plant up and this helps us to raise more funds. The park is enclosed by hedging. The outside is cut annually by the Council but our members take care of the inside. This task alone keeps us busy at certain times of the year. A wood chipper enables us to reduce the green waste that is collected by the Council and also provides mulch for some of the borders.
There is a brick pavilion in the grounds which we use as our base and for some limited storage. We also have a metal storage container which provides extra storage for all our tools and equipment and is very secure.
We create a lot of green waste especially during the summer months. This is collected by the Local Authority. We also have a large compost area so that we can produce compost to use in the park and also reduce the amount of waste collected by the Council.
A major fundraising event is our family Fun Day/Dog Show which takes place in July and attended by several hundred people and generates much needed funds to finance our work.
To celebrate the Kings Coronation we held a picnic in the park which was a useful fund raiser for us. As in previous years we put on a free tea for local pensioners at Christmas.
The fish pond is an iconic feature in the park but this needs constant attention to ensure the wellbeing of the fish. Two pumps and a filter are housed inside the brick pavilion which is approximately 50 metres from the pond. This distance is a problem. After seeking expert opinion we were advised we needed new equipment which should be relocated to a position alongside the pond. This will involve digging out an underground chamber, installing the new equipment and running electric to it from the pavilion building. This will be a time consuming and costly project but we have made this work a priority and have
secured some donations to purchase most of the necessary equipment. Next year will be the park centenary so we hope to complete this project in time for the celebrations in the summer of 2024.
The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA )continues to provide professional tennis coaching sessions for children. Outside of these sessions, the courts are available to members of the public free of charge.
We hope that our status as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) will enable us to continue to secure funding to make improvements to the park. It has already enabled us to secure a 25 year lease with Torfaen County Borough Council running from August 2022.
The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Achievements and Performance
The main achievement is probably the fact that as a group we are still going strong and as determined as ever to work together to maintain and improve the facilities in this park for the benefit of the community. The park attracts lots of visitors of all age groups and we receive many compliments and words of appreciation. Our Facebook page is testimony to our achievements.
When the group started in 2016 there had been a lot of anti-social behaviour, drug use and vandalism by youths in the park. I am pleased to report that such incidents are now very rare and this is probably because the park is being cared for, used and more appreciated.
We are pleased that our hard work in the park has been recognised by Keep Wales Tidy and we have been awarded a Green Flag each year since 2016.
Financial Review
At the end of this reporting period (31[st] October 2023) the charity is in a good financial position. We have £18,517 which is a small increase on the previous year. We will continue to raise our own funds and try to secure funding to finance further improvements in the park.s
Structure, Governance and Management
Governing document - Constitution We are a CIO Trustees are appointed at our AGM. By election.
On behalf of the Charity’s Trustees
Wendy Woods Position: Secretary
Date.. IO" August 2024
FRIENDS OF FISHPOND PARK PANTEG
REGISTRATION NO. 1184066
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS FOR THE PERIOD 1st NOVEMBER 2022 to 31st OCTOBER 2023
| A1 RECEIPTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Donatons from the public | # | 545 |
| Donatons from organisatons | # | 2531 |
| Tea & veg sales | # | 977 |
| Income from Coronaton Event | # | 160 |
| Income from Fun Day event | # | 2134 |
| Standing Orders | # | 340 |
| Reimbursement of defbrillator costs | # | 419 |
| Reimbursement of insurance costs | # | 400 |
| Total income in period | # | 7506 |
| A3 PAYMENTS | ||
| General expenditure | # | 454 |
| Expenditure for Fun Day event | # | 235 |
| Expenditure for Coronaton event | # | 67 |
| Expenditure for pensioners tea event | # | 85 |
| New equipment | # | 1033 |
| Electricity bills | # | 592 |
| Insurance | # | 462 |
| Expenditure in period on pond project | # | 3010 |
| Plants & Shrubs etc | # | 948 |
| Total expenditure in period | # | 6886 |
| NET INCOME IN PERIOD | # | 620 |
| Total funds held at 31st October 2023 | # | 18517 |
| *** Donations from organisations as follows** | ||
| Ward Councillors | # | 600 |
| Community Councillors | # | 1500 |
| Admiral Insurance | # | 408 |
| Easy Fundraising | # | 23 |
| Total# | 2531 |