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2022-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Report (AGM 25[th] February, 2023)

In this report, the trustees provide a critical review of the work of the Association over the last year in relation to its objectives (objects), which are:

“To preserve the honey bee by furthering the craft of beekeeping and educating the public of the benefit of bees in the environment.”

These objectives translate to services to bees, beekeepers (members and beginners) and the public.

Summary

A positive year. After the difficulties of the year before, 2022 proved to be the year of sunshine – in several senses. Literally for the bees, who just loved it; for the Association, as increasingly we emerged from the isolation of COVID – and moved towards the celebration of the Centenary of Beds BKA.

Bees and beekeeping. Many beekeepers wilted as temperatures soared, while the bees prospered, they perhaps reminding us of their African origins.

Education . In-person training resumed as far as possible, also with continued activities online.

For the public . Our contacts with the public regained momentum as the year unfolded. The Centenary Honey Show and Honey Festival at Stockwood Park was a notable highlight.

Finances and Assets. The Association’s assets and finances remain in good order, though now stretched with the increased cost of insurance, printing of the yearbook and with a planned measure of possible deficit through one-off spending on the Centenary celebrations.

Membership . The numbers of members remain high at 539, if with a small decline from the previous year.

Insurance . An improved situation for some members.

Commitment . We are in good heart. We can believe in the importance of our role in the future.

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Trustees’ Report (AGM 25[th] February, 2023)

And in more detail…

Services for Bees and Beekeeping

Preserving the honey bee. The Beds BKA Annual Beekeeping Survey each Autumn provides a very helpful guide to how well the bees are doing. Interestingly, one of our members lives in Georgia USA, and commented, “Greatly appreciate the tools & insights your organisation offers beekeepers. Thank you!”

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Year Number of Losses Colonies Colonies Swarms Honey Nucs
responses over within outside dealt with harvest in going into
previous Beds Beds lbs winter of
winter 2022
2022 71 111 322 278 169 20,709 68
2021 75 91 282 224 213 14,300 50
2020 132 166 780 489 286 39,759 188
2019 127 84 586 319 348 38,630 108
2018 111 174 448 240 154 29,982 ?
----- End of picture text -----*

Key points from the Survey include:

Weather and its effects. After a very mild winter, all through Spring and Summer the bees revelled in the prolonged drought and heat - the hottest on record in the UK. Imperfect mating still resulted in cases of queen failure, however. Foraging continued into the mild autumn, by now with plenty of moisture in the ground, and some hives at least ended up with a fair supplement of ivy honey.

Crops. What the farmers are growing is so important for beekeeping. As many plants flowered earlier than usual, it was often difficult to be sure where the bees were gaining most of their nectar, unless oilseed rape or beans were an obvious target for them in the Spring.

Nucs. From the Survey, the average would seem be one nuc for every beekeeper, but this is misleading. Half of the respondents did not have any nucs going into winter. Overwintering nucs is strongly encouraged as insurance against winter losses and early queen failure.

Temper. In the hot weather, our bees seemed generally very good-tempered, and we are not aware of any problems.

Health. The incidence of varroa seems to have been generally low or very low. though we were still encouraged to treat, in line with NBU policy. Mercifully, the outbreak of European Foulbrood (EFB) in 2021 seems to have been effectively contained. Nosema ceranae was a possible suspect for some

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Trustees’ Report (AGM 25[th] February, 2023)

mysterious colony losses in later winter, especially when a hive would be seemingly well populated in January, only for the bees to have disappeared without trace a month or so later, with no other obvious symptoms. A sample from a “sentinel apiary” just to the south of Luton, again tested negative for Small Hive Beetle.

Other Pests. Wasps appeared overall to pose no great threat to beehives, unless you were unlucky. Wax moths loved the heat. They were much present and quick to take over stored equipment, given a chance (the sharp cold spell in December will have reduced them). Asian Hornet may be coming closer – reported near Chelmsford and Rayleigh in nearby Essex.

Support for beekeeping research. Our support for the Eastern Associations Research Studentship (EARS) continues with £2,000 donated to work related to CBPV.

Services to Members and Beginners

Yearbook. Our 2022 Yearbook was even better than the previous one, in a high-quality new format. It stands as a marvellous record of the Association and a mine of information.

Talks . Four excellent talks were hosted by BedsBKA during 2022:

Beginners Course . An in-person course led by Mike Niemann and team ran successfully at Stockwood, attracting around 15 participants. Around 18 people attended the online course or used the recordings for self-paced learning. Whilst the course was well received, disappointingly the opportunity to gain practical experience in the Bedford teaching apiary was not taken advantage of.

For Improvers and more established beekeepers . This year, a deliberate attempt was made to cater for this category of members, who had missed out during the pandemic. Wally Thrale organised a lively daytime in-person event on March 2022 rooted in practical beekeeping was very well attended by roughly 70 beekeepers. A follow-up series of evening sessions on Zoom consisting of panel discussion and Q & A proved very popular.

Honey Show. The 2022 Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association honey show was held on Saturday 1st October 2022 at The Discovery Centre, Stockwood Park, Luton. This was a special event as it marked the start of a year of Centenary celebrations for the Association. The date of the show was the nearest Saturday to the first meeting of the Association in its current form that had been held at the end of September in 1922. Entrants had a chance to win special rosettes produced using the centenary logo. The event attracted 41 entrants who submitted a total of 209 entries and represented 10 of the Beds BKA districts. There was a good mix of people winning awards. Best exhibit in show was awarded to Beverley Underwood’s outstanding photomicrograph of a honeybee larvae, which captured a lot of detail. It was particularly good to see so many new or inexperienced beekeepers entering, with 8 entries in the novice honey class, which was won by Arnold Talats. There were two classes for schools or home-schooled children and the standard of these entries was very high.

As the 2022 Honey Show was the first event of the Centenary celebrations a lot of work had been put in to restoring some of the older trophies that had either been damaged, replaced or simply run out of room, so that all awards now have a full history of winners. There was also a new Centenary cup (actually a silver cup dating from 1922) engraved with the Centenary logo donated by Fiona and Peter Cook that was awarded to the best instructive exhibit, which was won by Wally Thrale.

We would like to thank Sue Lang for all her help on the day, and particularly for working through all the results, Karen Glasse and Matt Alabaster for acting as Stewards and Claire O’Brien and Stephen Guest for judging, plus all the exhibitors for taking part and making the day a success.

District Advisors (DAs) services. We had the benefit of DAs in post for every area of the county. They are so important for members in terms of advice and support as need arises.

Stockists for our Bulk Purchase Scheme (BPS). Our BPS Manager, Simon Cockle, continues to organise this large-scale operation on behalf of members in terms of containing high costs and thus making beekeeping more affordable. Our stockists as ever continued to provide an excellent service,

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Trustees’ Report (AGM 25[th] February, 2023)

storing goods and supplying members with basic equipment at much reduced prices. The wax exchange ran very successfully again thanks to a small, hardworking team of members, in concert with Maisemore, our new supplier.

Facebook Chat Page . The Facebook chat forum continues to host lively debates and opportunities for beekeepers to ask questions and provide advice on a daily basis.

Teaching apiaries. Our two teaching apiaries progressively returned to normal (one at Stockwood Park in Luton managed by Mike Niemann and team, the other at Priory country Park in Bedford run by Matt Alabaster and helpers). Honey sales from both teaching apiaries were strong – our thanks to both Matt and Mike and their teams for their continuous efforts and sharing their expertise with beginners.

Services to the Public

Swarm-collection. Our free swarm-collection service to the public remained operational. Although it seemed a quieter year for the scheme, perhaps still due to Covid, many queries from the public about bees (not only honeybees) and beekeeping were addressed. This is a vital service to our bees as many swarms would die if left to their own devices.

Talks and Visits. Five visits to classes in primary schools in the south of the county took place in 2022, two as entirely “live events”, three by Zoom using a pre-recorded talks as well as Q&A with the children. Members may have given talks to schools or other groups that we do not know about. Do please contact the Education Liaison Officer (Colin Hall) to keep Trustees informed about this important work that is a fundamental part of our mission as a charity.

Bee Gallery at Stockwood. We have been able to advise Luton Culture Trust about the restoration of the Bee Gallery at Stockwood Discovery Centre, including the installation of a new observation hive. There is a possibility of further links with local schools in terms of learning about bees and beekeeping.

Attendance at outside events. Attendance at outside events recommenced, with stalls at Taste Bedford in early September and Bromham Xmas Fayre (Bromham Mill) in December.

Honey Donations . Our thanks go to members who generously donated 100 pots of honey to mark our centenary. These were distributed to the Luton Foodbank, Bedford Foodbank and the Trussell Trust. The honey was added to food hampers for those in need.

Honey Festival . The Honey Festival that accompanied the Honey Show at Stockwood Park was well received with approximately 500 members of the public visiting. Activities included honey tasting, T- shirt designing, face painting and apple pressing. Various stalls included flowers, jewellery, books, trying on bee suits, hive and equipment demonstrations plus several talks by Wally Thrale and Gill Brewer.

Beds BKA Operation

Trustees and Officers. Trustees continued to meet throughout the year to monitor the state of the Association and to guide its activities. The Secretarial Team continued to work “behind the scenes” on the detailed management of the Association.

We mourn the loss of Ray Smith as a trustee and DA for NW Beds. Ray was devoted to the Association. See the separate article about Ray. Helen Vaughan will take on the position of DA for NW Beds for this coming year.

The committee of Trustees has remained generally stable. Fiona Cook is ending her long contribution as our excellent Honey Show Secretary, also David Chapman is stepping down.. Colin Hall has stepped down as Chair of Trustees after ten successful and dedicated years in the post. Happily, Paul Rubens has taken on the role – for the start of our new century.

So much is done by our various officers and postholders to provide key services. Richard Dowsett has acted as our new H&S Officer.

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Trustees’ Report (AGM 25[th] February, 2023)

Centenary Celebrations. An energetic group, led by our Secretary Karen Glasse, has worked imaginatively on a range of ways to commemorate our Centenary. As previously noted, the Honey Show and Honey Festival was timed to coincide as closely as possible with the inaugural meeting of Beds BKA on 28th September 1922, Other projects include planting a hundred mainly pollinatorfriendly trees (Liz Anderson), themed Christmas cards and notelets (Jennie Tysom), a Centenary tamper-proof label (designed by Pasquale Lafiosca). The Centenary Booklet (Chris Jenkins and Andrew Ulyett) draws on wide research to vividly record the history of the Association and those who have contributed in so many ways. 100 pots of honey were distributed to food banks at Christmas. 100 packets of seeds will be distributed to schools across Bedfordshire, with an offer for schools to bring their children to visit a new bee garden and bee gallery at Stockwood Park, experience both live bees and a talk on bees. Schools will also be encouraged to enter our 2023 Honey Show and Festival that will be held at Stockwood Park.

Membership numbers. 2022 membership totalled 539, a slight fall from the very high numbers in 2021 (565), but in line with 2020 (541). In 2022 there were 479 Full Members, 45 Associate Members, 12 Student Members and 3 Honorary.

IT Systems . The promised “Members Only” area on the Beds BKA website is now available. Two outstanding past talks can currently be accessed there with much other member related information.

Insurance. A change to our public and product liability insurance provided a pleasant surprise: Full and Honorary members with a turnover no greater than £10,000 were now to be covered (see the details in the 2022 Yearbook). The great difficulty in finding Insurance for members means that this must remain a matter of concern for trustees and all of us. In any case, Insurance also presents a much-increased cost for the Association overall.

Re-affiliation to the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA). Not all members may be aware that we are not affiliated to the BBKA, unlike many but not all county or local associations. Trustees debated the question of whether to seek re-affiliation. After careful consideration, they decided against this. Deciding factors were confidence in what we are doing as an independent association, and in the insurance that we had been able to secure at this time.

Policies. The Safeguarding Policy has been updated and published on the website.

And Finally

This is our centenary year – a time to celebrate and honour those who have come before us. We remain a thriving Association with much to offer. This is only due to the enthusiasm of the various people who donate their time and expertise. We know that everyone has busy lives – but would still ask each member to consider what they could contribute, however small, to ensure that the next 100 years for the Association builds on our past.

We want our Association to learn from our bees – being truly social, giving to each other selflessly like honey bees, and serving the planet that we share with all other creatures as part of the fabric of life.

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Addendum to Beds BKA Trustees Report for 2022

This addendum provides the addi�onal informa�on required for the Trustees Annual Return by the Charity Commission in the Charity SORP (FRSSE) - Statement of Recommended Prac�ce (Financial Repor�ng Standard for Smaller En��es). (Link to SORP.)

SORP 1.9

SORP 1.19

SORP 1.26

SORP 1.28

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Trustee Note
1 Matt Alabaster
2 Neil Blakemore from 25/4/22
3 David Chapman
4 Fiona Cook
5 Anne Cross
6 Richard Dowsett
7 Karen Glasse
8 David Goodridge
9 Colin Hall
10 Chris Higham resigned 6/6/22
11 Chris Jenkins
12 Carly Jordan
13 Rosemary Long
14 John Macdougall
15 Mike Niemann
16 Paul Rubens from 26/9/22
17 Ray Smith died 5/12/22
18 Dawn Talats from 7/11/22
19 Wally Thrale
20 Jennie Tysom
Signature
Name and posi�on John Macdougall, Trustee and Assistant Secretary
Date 17 [th] October 2023
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Treasurer’s Report (AGM 25[th] February 2023)

The annual accounts for the Association were prepared by myself, for the first time and have been reviewed and examined in accordance with the Charity Commission’s regulations. The review was carried out by Caroline Rainbow, an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, England & Wales. Caroline trained with KPMG as an auditor, and worked in local government as an auditor and has more years’ experience in this field than she would probably like to admit. A big thank you to Caroline for agreeing to do this review.

Overall revenue increased by £4,745 to £41,077. Membership subscriptions were £6,473, £901 higher than last year, and close to what was expected in the budget.

Revenue from the bulk purchase scheme increased by £4,893 to £27,283 a 24% increase. The margin stayed the same as last year at 5.4%. Whilst wax costs have stayed reasonably constant, the price of jars has increased by 30% in the year, accounting for much of this increased revenue. My thanks to all the stockists, and Simon Cockle for working hard to find suppliers with the best prices, so members get the best value possible in these inflationary times.

Training revenue was lower than last year, as the doubling up of courses cancelled in 2020 and attended in 2021 due to COVID, was not repeated. That said £2,662 was slightly above expectations.

Apiary sales were again very strong, at £3,393 an increase of £464 with both Bedford and Luton producing and selling significant quantities of honey to the Priory Café and Discovery Centre.

Overall expenditure for the year was £16,684, an increase of £4,936. There 2 main areas of increased expenditure. Firstly, the cost of events, £1,971 an increase of £1,793. This was principally the reestablishment of the Honey Show following COVID for £1,366, and a one-off significant overhaul of a number of trophies for £220. Secondly, we increased our donation to the Eastern Associations Research Studentship to £2,000 from £1, 500 last year and in addition donated £900, with matched funding from Central Beds Council to plant 100 trees at Marston Vale to mark our Centenary.

Other cost changes were:

The net result was a deficit of £1,415, a significant change from last year’s surplus of £3,412. Although some of this expenditure can be considered as one-off, it is clear that the Association is not immune to the cost of living inflationary increases being seen elsewhere.

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Treasurer’s Report (AGM 25[th] February 2023)

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PROFIT/LOSS 2022
Actual Budget Actual
Full Year Full Year Full Year
2022 2022 2021
GBP GBP GBP
REVENUE
Subscriptions 6,473 6,687 5,572
Bulk purchase scheme 27,283 20,763 22,390
Training 2,662 2,500 4,530
Events 338 300 50
Apiary sales 3,393 2,064 2,929
Donations 184 97 97
Interest earned 108 1 3
Magazines 635 731 761
Other revenue 0 0 0
Total revenue 41,077 33,144 36,332
COSTS
Bulk purchase scheme 25,808 19,414 21,172
margin % 5.4% 6.5% 5.4%
EXPENSES
Subscriptions 418 422 422
Print & Post 2,782 2,021 2,021
Committee 358 555 519
Events 1,971 1,710 178
Training 266 1,000 125
Apiary 1,710 446 1,183
Insurance 4,136 3,974 3,974
Donations 2,900 2,000 1,500
Bank charges 475 264 293
Depreciation 930 900 925
Magazines 740 608 608
Total expenses 16,684 13,900 11,748
surplus/(deficit) -1,415 -170 3,412
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Treasurer’s Report (AGM 25[th] February 2023)

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BALANCE SHEET
2022 2021
ASSETS GBP GBP
Fixed Assets 2,073 3,003
Cash 29,828 30,470
Stock 7,063 2,922
Debtors 689 1,418
Creditors -4,568 -1,313
Total 35,085 36,500
REPRESENTED BY
Surplus b/f 36,500 33,088
Profit/(loss) for period -1,415 3,412
Total 35,085 36,500
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The key figures to point out on the balance sheet are:

Fixed assets: No purchases in the year, the book value of the assets decline to £2,073 after depreciation.

Stock finished the year significantly up at £7,063 versus £2,922 with increased quantities of stocks of wax foundation, Ambrosia, fondant and jars to sell in 2023.

Debtors at £689 versus £1,418 in 2022 were lower mostly £514 for honey due from Stockwood Discovery Centre now paid.

Creditors of £4,568 versus £1,313 in 2022 were higher as our donation to EARS of £2,000, Marston Vale of £900 and £1,235 owing to members for the cancelled Centenary Dinner, had not be paid at 31[st] December 2022. All these amounts have now be paid.

Our cash balance is £29,828, slightly down on 2021, which was £30,470.

Our Reserves at £25,948, are just below the lower band of £26,370, and significantly below the £29,300, set at the end of 2021.

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BEDFORDSHIRE BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION PROFITILOSS 2022 A¢tual Budget Actual Full Year 2022 GBP Full Year 2022 GBP Full Year 2021 GBP REVENUE Subscriptb)ns Bulk purchase scheme Training Events Apiary sales Donations Interest eamed Magazines Other revenue Total revenue 6,473 27,283 2.662 338 3.393 6,687 20,763 2.500 300 2.064 97 5,572 22,39) 4.530 2.929 97 108 635 731 761 41,077 33.144 36,332 COSTS Bulk putchase scherne margin % 25,808 5.4% 19.414 65% 21,172 5.4% EXPENSES Subscriptions Prlnt & Post Commlllee Events Training Apiary Insurance Donations Bank charges Depreciation Magazines Tolal expenses 418 2,782 358 1.971 422 2.021 555 1,710 1,CX]O 446 3,974 2.000 264 900 608 13.900 422 2,021 519 178 125 1,183 3,974 1.500 293 925 608 11,748 1,710 4,136 2.900 475 930 740 16.684 surpluslldeficit) -1,415 -170 3,412 BALANCE SHEET 2022 GBP 2.073 29,828 7,C63 689 4.568 3S,08S 2021 GBP 3,003 30,470 2,922 1,418 -1.313 ASSETS Fixed Assets Cash Stock Debtors Creditors Totsl REPRESENTED BY Surplus blf Profitlllos51 for peri(MJ 36,500 -1,415 33,088 3.412 Total 35,085 36,500

Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Report to the trustees/ members of Bedfordshire Beekeepers Association on accounts for the twelve months to December 2022 as set out on page 2 of this report. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner The charity's trustees consider than an audit is not required for this year lunder section 43121 of the Charities Act 1993 (the Actll and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responslbility to Examine the accounts (under settions 43 of the Act). To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 4317llbl of the Act). and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examiner's report My examination was carried out in accordance with General Directions given by the Charity Commisslon. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charlty and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual Items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanatlons from us as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provlde all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no oplnlon is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair. view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examinerfs statement In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention whlch give5 me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: to keep accounting records In accordance with section 41 of the Act, and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply wlth the accountlng requirements of the 1993 Art have not been met,. or 2. to which, in my oplnion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed: Date: 2()a3 Name: tr 12AIN 6cJ Professional quallfication or body: I ch ÉA ( ALA) Address: ks PAOiL hver4¥Je , K£C>liD , Mloio 2fsJK Disclosures: None to report