Friends of Yeovil Country Park
-supporting ondhelping to mointoin Yeovil Country Pi7rk in conjunction with the Countryside Teom"
Reference: FOYCP04042025
Dated: 04 April 2025
Friends of Yeovil Country Park
Trustees Annual Report
for the Year ending
31 December 2024
Table of Contents
Reference and administrative information
Trustees Report
Accounts
Objectives and activities
Summary of main achievements during the year
Key plans for the future
Reserves policy
Risk
DBS
Report approval
Friends of Yeo*il Coiinlry Park CIO RebylStered Cliaritrv No". 1185579
Yeoiiil Country Park Centre. Brnnswick Street. Yeoiijl. B.420 1 QZ

Trustees annual report forthe Year ended 31 December 2024
Reference and administrative information
The reference and administrative infomation forms part of this report.
Cha rity name
Friends of Yeovil Country Park CIO Icharitsble Incorporated Organisationl
Registered Charity number
Charity No: 1185579 Registered l October 2019
Principal and operational address
Yeovil Country Park, Brunswick Street, Yeovil BA20 IQZ
Trustees
The Trustee5 who served during this period in alphabetical order are a5 follows:
Amanda Card- Treasurer
Gary Cashmore- Chairman
Nicholas Hill
o Edward Sadler
o Al ison Suter
Constitution
Friends of Yeovil Country Park CIO was registered on l October 2019. The
Constitution for the Friends of Yeovil Country Park CIO has been reviewed and
we can confirm that Issue 3 remai ns the current version. document Reference..
FoYCP28042019 Issue 3.
Trustees Report
Friends of Yeovil Country Park report and financial statement as a Charitable
Incorporated Organisation ICIOI for the Charitys fifth period ended 31
December 2024.
We remain a group with five Trustees, and together with the Members
successfully managed the organisation over the year. That included a
considerable administrative task as a result of the owners hip and management
of the Country Park changing from a unitary council to a town council.
The TNstees will continue to look for new members with suitsble skills that can
complement the work that we undertake. We will always consider those with
the appropriate experience and qualifications for the role of Trustee in our
team.
Our thanks to all of the Trustees, Members and Volunteers who generously
gave thei r time and experknse over the year to achieve the goals of the Cha rity.
They are our most valuable asset.
Friends of Yeoi'il Coiintry Park CIO RecTlStered Charitv No." 1185579
I'eoi'il Couiiirj Park Ceiilre, t3rui)S￿l¢k Siiyet, I'eoi'il. BA20 1 QZ
Page 2

Trustees annual report forthe Year ended 31 December 2024
Over the period we held six meetings and an AGM. Adhoc reviews We￿ also
held.
There was much activity in the Country Park and visitor attendance increased
notably and may have been stimulated by the completion of the updated
children'5 play zone.
A tree was planted in March in memory of our much appreciated Trustee James
(Jim) Fison. He left a generous donation for the Friends and this will be put to
good use.
The risk identitied in the last report conceming Somerset Unitary Council and
the potentia l irnpact to the Country Park materialised. Fortunately, Yeovil Town
Council stepped in and negotiated a takeover for the Country Park. The
impl ication of this for the Friends was that the agreements and procedures that
were in place with Somerset Council had to be revised and agreed with Yeovil
Town Council.
As a group we have now completed all the essential changes required and
documents and new policies have been set in place. We continue to check and
review all our documentation over the year.
The transfer to Yeovil Town Council ownership will provide more localised
focus, especially with Yeovil Country Park being in the unique situation of
sharing boundaries within the Yeovil Town area.
One of the impacts of the change was that we ended up funding the Green Flag
entry as we have been supporhng this as a group over many years and wanted
to ensure continuity, recognising the value this award brings to the Country
Park, Cha rity and public.
The Park continues to achieve Green Flag recognition status and it was
awarded to the Park again in the year. We continue to enter the RHS Pride in
Parks award, application in May and judgi ng in September. Over the years we
have achieved 5 star recognition and this award recognizes all the work that the
Park Rangers achieve but importantly the vol unteer base supporknng the Park.
Forest School development and promotion.. the area has been expanded with
help from volunteer days from Yeovilton. with funding from Friends for paths,
fencing and security. Forest School activities are a theme the Friends are keen
to develop as we are now in a position to engage with more of the community
who will benefit from lea rning about the countryside.
The April Spring Trail was a great day for all involved. The weather wasn't great
a nd there was plenty of mud, but It was brill iant to see some 442 parents and
children enjoying themselves. Lots of positive feedback was received from the
public. We were able to secure support from local supermarkets Tesco and
Morrisons, of donated confectionery which was handed out on completion of
the Trail.
Friends of Yeoi'il Coiintry Park CIO RecTlStered Charitv No." 1185579
I'eoi'il Couiiirj Park Ceiilre, t3rui)S￿l¢k Siiyet, I'eoi'il. BA20 1 QZ
Page 3

Trustees annual report forthe Year ended 31 December 2024
We attended and supported the Yeovil Town Super Saturday event held in
September, with the aim of adverhsing the Country Park. We shared a stand
with the Countryside Tea m ma king bi rd boxes for children to decorate.
September saw a new event, Autumnal Apples and Somerset Scything in one of
the orchards of the Park. This was enjoyed by lots of famil ies.
October witnessed the traditional Hallowe'en Trail, one of our major events.
This attracted large numbers of the public, with over 1,500 in attendance and
some of the longest queues ever for this yearly event. We received great
feedback a nd some new visitors to the Park as well.
Ninesprings Café, Rangers workshop and office celebrated its 10 years of
opening i n October, a special occasion as the founder Chairma n of the Friends
group and the original Country Park volunteer Robin MacKay was a ble to come
a long and parknci pate. The Cafe has become the hub of the Country Park and is
a base for al I the Park volunteers who help keep it in such great condition.
During November a funding opportunity was identified to us by Spark Somerset
and we applied for a grant with the Prime Foundation to enhance the Forest
School area for teaching experience in the outdoors. Just before our year end
we hea rd that we had been successful in our application. We are very grateful
to the Prime Foundation for supporknng our cause and we will use the grant to
support the Forest School sessions and can now purchase essentia I materials,
safety equipment and a weatherproof canopy. ensuring that the learning and
fun can continue uninterrupted, rain or shine.
Friends of Yeovil Country Pa rk remai ns a n active going concem.
Accounts
The accounts are checked at each of the Friends regular meetings a nd feed the
year end position. The final year end statement is reviewed and approved by the
Trustees. The detailed Accounts are included below.
We had a pproxi mately 10 volunteers, excluding Trustees.
Income and Spending
Accounting perrod l January 2024 to 31 December 2024 and the financial
controls for the period of this report were reviewed by the Members and
Trustees at meetings held throughout the yea r.
The accounts include funds and commitments from 31 December 2023
accounts. These amounted to £17,020.65
Friends of Yeoi'il Coiintry Park CIO RecTlStered Charitv No." 1185579
I'eoi'il Couiiirj Park Ceiilre, t3rui)S￿l¢k Siiyet, I'eoi'il. BA20 1 QZ
Page 4

Trustees annual report forthe Year ended 31 December 2024
Funds generated principa l income,.
Our two principal events, namely the Spring and Hallowe'en trails, were
both successful, with the Spring Tra il generating a n i ncome of £766.28, an
increase of 50°A from the previous year due principally to increased
numbers attending.
The Hallowe'en Trail generated an i ncome of £2,021.85, an increase of 23%
from the previous year and aga in due to an increased number of attendees.
Friends penci I sa les accounted for another £236.50
Public donations received £118.72 and for dog biscuits £277.39, totaling
£396.11
There were generous donations from people that had close association
with the Friends with legacy donations amounting to £1,110.47
The above together with other sundry items are detailed in the on the
accounts sheet.
In total, recei pts for the year amounted to £4,946.36
Key spending was for-
The first Lantern and Wassail event incurred set up expenditure of £178.51
Spring Trail expenses amounted to £220.14, for purchase of props and
confectionery for handing out to participants. Support was received from
our sponsors Asda, Morrisons and Tesco.
Hallowe'en Trail expenses £92.35 were lower this year as last yearfs
expenditure restocked many of the equipment props and we received
support with confectionery donations from our sponsors Asda, Morrisons
and Tesco who continued to support the local community.
The newly developed and expanded Forest School area has accounted for
£1,903.41 of expenditure for materia Is and equipment.
Google domain name yearly expenditure of £10.00
Miscellaneous items for the year a mounted to £929.63 of which costs for
some of the larger items i ncluded, Friends feather Flag £119.98, Green Flag
entry £424.00, RHS Southwest in Bloom entry £30.00 and an Apple Press
and Pulper £132.99
Together with other costs the total expenditure for the year amounted to
£3,457.16
Friends of Yeoi'il Coiintry Park CIO RecTlStered Charitv No." 1185579
I'eoi'il Couiiirj Park Ceiilre, t3rui)S￿l¢k Siiyet, I'eoi'il. BA20 1 QZ
Page 5

Trustees annual report forthe Year ended 31 December 2024
Accounts summary sheet;
Friends of Yeovil Country Park
Racèlpts and Payments Account and Statement of Balanc8s
for thè yèar ènding 31st Dèeembér 2024
Receipts
Tesco Bags of Help
Post Code Lottery Award
Sales of KnittedlHandmadè ltsms
Sponsorship
Public Donations
Super Saturday
Pencil Sales
SSDC reimbursements
Grants
Dog Biscuits Donations
Post Gard S8leslDonalions
Halloween
Calendar Sales
Sale of Photographi¢ Prints
Spring Trail
Wellness Event
Wessex Water Grant
Asda - GrÈén Giving Tokèns
Other Grants
Wassail Income
Legacy
Other Income
Payments
Purchases
SSDC Invoices
Misc Expgnses
Spring Trail Expenses
Purchases for Park
Calendar Printing
Aclivits'es
Park Yoga
Halloween Expenses
Google Domain Cost
Wassail Event Event
Pencil Purchases
SeedslPlant
Bank Payment Charges
Forest School
0.00
o.oo
929.63
220.14
100.00
o.oo
0.00
0.00
92.35
10.00
178.51
0.00
o.oo
23.12
1,903.41
118.72
236.50
2T7.39
37.60
2.021.85
766 28
107.41
1,110.47
74.15
Total Receipts
4,946.36
Total Payments
Excess of Re￿iptS over Paymenis
3.457.16
1,489.20
4,946.36
4,946.36
RESERVE FUND
Balance al start of year 1st Jan 2024
REPRESENTED BY:
Balance al Bank 31112124
Current Account Old
Current Account New
Dep051t Aw(>unt
Cash in hand of Treasurer (Café safel
Credits yet to be on statement
Ch￿U0S land Debit Card) not on statern
17.020.65
0.00
18,270.62
0.08
40.00
199.15
o.oo
18,509.85
Excess of Re¢eipls over Payments
1,489.20
Balance to dale
18,509.85
Amanda Card, Honorary Treasurer
Friends of Yeoi'il Coiintry Park CIO RecTlStered Charitv No." 1185579
I'eoi'il Couiiirj Park Ceiilre, t3rui)S￿l¢k Siiyet, I'eoi'il. BA20 1 QZ
Page 6

Trustees annual report forthe Year ended 31 December 2024
Objectives and activities
Fundraising opportunities. We continue to identify sponsors who we can work
with to improve the Park facilities and have applied INovemberl to the Prime
Foundation Trust smal I grants for outdoor activities delivered to families with
vulnera ble children.
We applied to Woodward Trust in April for help with delivering Forest School
sessions but were unsuccessful in our application.
A key objective going forward is to deliver more educational activities in the
Country Park.
We continue to hold regular Friends group meetings to review plans and ideas,
matching funds and exploring opportunities to further enhance the faci lities and
events for the public.
Summary of main achievements during the year
Our main achievements for the year are with the Spring and Hallowe'en trail
events. Both attract large numbers of families and continue to be popular
events i n the local area.
The Forest School has continued to be developed with Friends funding and a
generous donation from a member who lost her husband (He was a Trustee of
the Friendsl and was passionate about gethng a facility for children to
experience the outdoors with classroom learning experiences. A nami ng event
was held and the area is now known as 'Robi ns Willow" a nd is being well used
by the community.
Key plans for the future
Working with the Countryside Team, we are looking to promote and develop an
area of the Park as a growing hub that will engage the local community. The
area is currently left to fallow and has seen antisocial behaviour. We will be
lending our support to hel p this initiative;
We will continue in conjunction with the Countryside Team to run the well
esta blished key public events, namely the Spring Trail and Hallowe'en Trai I,.
Esta blishing a Friends website, mentioned last year had to be put on hold due
to all of the admi nistration requi red for the Park ownershi p changes,.
Review the possibility of getling Park Yoga back at the Park-
Exploring new fundra ising and sponsorship opportunities.
Friends of Yeoi'il Coiintry Park CIO RecTlStered Charitv No." 1185579
I'eoi'il Couiiirj Park Ceiilre, t3rui)S￿l¢k Siiyet, I'eoi'il. BA20 1 QZ
Page 7

Trustees annual report forthe Year ended 31 December 2024
Reserves policy
Our reseNes policy is to retai n a worki ng capita I to cover costs incurred prior to
income being received; cover unforeseen events,. project overrun costs; etc. The
a mount is set at £2,500 unallocated reserves.
Risk
Funding opportunitie5 are increasingly harder to identify in the current
economic climate. We are reliant on help with this funding and delivery of
f uture projects could be impacted.
Inflation continues to be a challenge for family expenditure and the ability to
attend events in the Park where a charge is levied, which means there is more
pressure on seeking/generating funding in order for events to have a lower
charge or be free to attend Ifor the community).
DBS
This was reviewed over the year and the current roles remain essentially the
sa me. No action was required for this financial year, since the original guidance
was obtained from DBS. We currently have no Trustees, Members or Volunteers
who are in roles that are eligible.
Report approval
Report approved by the seNing Trustees of Friends of Yeovil Country Pa rk.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees,.
Gary Cashmore
Amanda Card
Position: Trustee - Chairman
Position.. Trustee - Treasurer
Date.. 04 April 2025
Date: 04 April 2025
Friends of Yeoi'il Coiintry Park CIO RecTlStered Charitv No." 1185579
I'eoi'il Couiiirj Park Ceiilre, t3rui)S￿l¢k Siiyet, I'eoi'il. BA20 1 QZ
Page 8