OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

2022-12-31-accounts

Charity registration number: 1184830

Wild About Clifford Annual report and financial statements for year ended 31[st] December 2022

Wild About Clifford

Contents

Reference and administrative details 3

Trustees report 4 Statement of financial activities

9

Wild About Clifford

Reference and administrative details

Trustees Dr Trevor Acreman Mrs Linda Pollock Mrs Heather Taylor Principal Office Maytrees 44 Clifford Chambers Warwickshire CV37 8HX Charity number 1184830

Bank Santander 21 Wood St Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 6JU

Wild About Clifford

Trustees report

The trustees present the annual report and financial statements for Wild About Clifford for the year ending 31[st] December 2022.

Trustees

Dr Trevor Acreman

Mrs Linda Pollock

Mrs Heather Taylor

Introduction

Wild About Clifford (WAC) became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Association model) on 8[th] August 2019. Having started as a community group in April 2017, members voted to become a charity at the AGM in early 2019. The primary reasons for this were to be able to legally own land and to give the potential for larger grant income. 2020 was planned to be the first full year of activities, education and fund raising but Covid 19 intervened and its impact continued into 2021. Activities increased in 2022 although fundraising remained a challenge. As of the end of December 2022, c80 members and their families had signed up to the purposes of WAC.

Objectives

The trustees shall first defray out of the income of the Charity all of the proper costs, charges and expenses of administration and management of the Charity.

The trustees shall apply the income of the Charity to promote for the benefit of the public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment by promoting biological diversity primarily in the village of Clifford Chambers and in exceptional cases also in the broader Parish of Clifford Chambers and Milcote and the local authority area of Stratford Upon Avon District Council.

The trustees shall also apply the income of the Charity to advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment primarily in the village of Clifford Chambers and in exceptional cases also in the broader Parish of Clifford Chambers and Milcote and the local authority area of Stratford Upon Avon District Council.

Wild About Clifford

Trustees report

Activities

The 5-year plan, completed in January 2020, outlined on-going conservation and education efforts along with two major long-term projects – establishment of a community orchard and a village wildlife pond. In total, a target of c£57,000 was set to fund these activities. This plan continued to set the background for 2022 whilst day to day activities continued.

During 2022 discussions continued with respect to buying or leasing land as did fund raising to pay for it – a continuing chicken and egg situation. Shortage of available land remains a key hurdle to progress and threatens realisation of the 5-year plan.

The annual AGM was held on April 23rd with six members present and a trustee meeting was held on November 4th.

In March, under the SWAN banner (South Warwickshire Area wildlife Network), WAC joined a group of 13 villages in South Warwickshire with similar aims. Whilst it is early days, we hope to share learning and potentially have more political impact as a group.

Activities and events returned to more normal levels post Covid with the trustees regarding 2022 as a successful build on previous years.

1) Conservation

The main new conservation activity was the installation of two swift boxes in the church belfry. Alongside these, swift calls were broadcast morning and evening from late May to July. Whilst no swifts were seen to nest in the boxes, several swifts were seen around the village we are hopeful for 2023 and 2024.

Approximately 10 bird boxes and two bee boxes were made and sold for installation in the village/parish.

Anecdotally, it was another good year for grass snakes but less good for butterflies. A moth trap was operated throughout the calendar year with 50 nights trapping. 30 new macro species were detected for the village including an Eyed Hawk moth. It proved a very good year for migrant moths with Vestal and White Point amongst those trapped.

The village allotments continue to be an important wildlife haven and WAC continued to push the Parish Council to apply to make them an Asset of

Community Value. If the Parish Council decide against this WAC will investigate doing this.

Wild About Clifford

Trustees report

1) Conservation (cont)

WAC objected on wildlife and conservation grounds to a planning application in the parish by ‘All Things Wild.’ This wildlife theme park was for an expanded version of one currently located in Worcestershire. We await the decision of the council re this unwanted and harmful tourist attraction. Comments were made on other plans in the parish, especially to encourage greater mitigation for wildlife.

We understand that the adjacent Alscot Park Estate is planning on a major rewilding project and are seeking further details at year end.

2) Education

The conservation efforts themselves each had an element of education but in addition several specific educational events were run.

The main events of the year were

Three articles were published in the village magazine including ones on swifts and another on the incredible value of trees.

The first WAC newsletter of the year, highlighting seasonal wildlife in the village and surrounding area, was sent out to c80 members in February with a further 18 sent through to September. The newsletter was very well

received, such that plans for a more professional look are in place for 2023.

WAC joined in several SWAN meetings and contributed to planned letters to the council covering verge cutting and reviewing planning applications for nature. WAC also met with villagers from Charlecote to help them set up a wildlife group.

The charities night time cameras and bat detectors were loaned out to villagers as they were keen to learn what was out and about in their gardens. The charities moth trap has been made available to members, to broaden members knowledge and to allow an audit of village moths. 240 macro moth species have now been identified in the village.

Wild About Clifford Trustees report

Public Benefit

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Funding

Over 90% of the Charities funding is expected to come from grants – with the remainder from proceeds from events and also donations.

Following a successful 2020 (5 grants worth £17,400 awarded) 2021 and 2022 have been disappointing. With our purposes applicable to fewer grant giving bodies and monies also seemingly being focussed more on Covid relief and charities in distress we won just one grant of £1,000 from seven applications totalling c£15,000 in 2021 and just one grant of £365 was received in 2022 from Warwickshire County Council. We are very grateful to the Thomas Jackson Education Foundation for a grant of £1670 to be paid in January 2023.

A further sum of c£80 was received for the chargeable butterfly walk and the sum of c£120 was received from thegivingmachine.co.uk activity and sales.

As such, we have not progressed beyond the one third of the funds needed for the 5-year plan. We plan to return to greater fundraising activity but only once we have secured land to buy/lease.

Wild About Clifford

Trustees report

Financial Review

It is the policy of the Charity to maintain free reserves of at least 12 months of operating expenditure (costs of generating funds, administration and governance costs). This was set at £2000 for 2022. A further c£17,000 is reserved towards the target for our 5 year plan leaving a further c£37,000 to be raised.

Other Activities

Recruitment of Trustees

The constitution states the body of trustees shall consist of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 8 competent, elected trustees. Four trustees were appointed at the formation of the Charity with one resigning on 11th February 2020. Further trustees will be sought in future. Trustees are appointed by members or trustees until their retirement or removal – they do not serve a fixed term.

Major Risks and Management of Risk

The principal risk is failure to attract sufficient grant funding to fulfil our purposes. As we have no salary costs, nor other significant non-project related costs, there is great flexibility in the level of project work each

year and the trustees do not consider there to be any significant risks associated with the operation of the charity.

Thanks

Thanks, must be extended to our trustees, members and other volunteers for their efforts and involvement over the year.

The annual report was approved by the trustees of the charity on 8[th] March 2023 and signed on its behalf by

…………………………………………

Dr T M Acreman

Trustee

Wild About Clifford

Statement of Financial Activities for Year Ended 31 December 2022

Income for the year was £549.08 with expenditure of £1542.66. The charity had a balance of £20,980.92 on 31 December 2022. Details of our bank current account, bank deposit account and petty cash transactions and balances are given in full below.

The financial statements above were approved by the trustees and authorised for issue on 8[th] March 2023 and signed on their behalf by

………………………………………

Dr T M Acreman

Trustee