1
o
The Friends of Jersey Park (FoJP}
Annual Trustees Report and Accounts Year Ending 31[st] March 2024
2
Introduction
The Trustees of the Friends of Jersey Park present their annual report and accounts for the year ending 31[st] March 2024.
Our Charity Aim & Objectives for the Public Benefit
For the benefit of the inhabitants of Briton Ferry, Neath and surrounding area (“the area of benefit”) to provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving their conditions of life for the inhabitants of the area of benefit in particular but not exclusively by the preservation, promotion, support, assistance and improvement of the Jersey Park.
Our Objectives are:-
-
To promote Jersey Park in Briton Ferry as a public open space for the benefit of the community and to involve the community in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment within park;
-
To improve the health and wellbeing of the community in Briton Ferry and surrounding areas through healthy open air recreational activities which meets the needs of all ages, including space for tranquillity and enjoying the natural surroundings and wildlife. To be achieved through developing the facilities and activities for visitors to the site;
-
To promote a sense of community, through holding organised events and activities;
-
To gain the views of the public about what they see as the needs of Jersey Park in relation to improving the area. Raising funds through grants and fundraising activities to support such developments.
The Trustees of the Friends of Jersey Park are aware of the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance, and has duly complied with the requirements in all planning and implementation of our work
Activities and Achievements for the Public Benefit
Improving the physical and natural environment within park
April 2023 saw gardening re-commence at weekends to ensure that improvements achieved in the park were maintained. Litter picking was undertaken every weekend. Being in the park ensures that we are visible to the public.
Seven new bird boxes were made by one of our volunteers.
Working closely with the Council for Volunteer Services and Neath Port Talbot County Borough council the FoJP were able to provide opportunities for people long-term Unemployed and those with mental health issues to benefit from volunteering in the park.
An additional steel container was purchased as the existing contained was full to capacity. The new container has been organised to store gardening tools and the generator, leaving the other container to hold equipment used for our events. Buildings
3
and contents insurance was increased. An unsuccessful attempted break-in of the main contained occurred. Security has been improved and the incident reported to the police.
Community Events & Activities
During the reporting period the FoJP planned four main events though only three went ahead as the Halloween event was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. The remaining events namely, Easter Eggstravaganza, Summer Picnic in the Park, and Christmas children’s party were all well attended and were very successful.
A booth has been made by one of our volunteers, to serve as a puppet theatre for use at future events.
Wild Tot’s nature play was planned to take place on a monthly basis though not all went Ahead due to poor weather conditions. One of our volunteers made a new mud kitchen for Wild Tots nature play.
Plans
The agreed priorities for 2023/2024, were:-
To improve communication and partnership working with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) – Following a letter sent to the CEO of NPTCBC, raising concerns about poor communication, a meeting was held. The FoJP now has a named link with the council and the trustees have quarterly meetings with the Parks Management
Team.
To become active members of the Culture & Heritage Group – FoJP members have attended meetings and training events.
To complete the pond project – this project is ongoing. The FoJP have plants ready to be placed around the pond when they are big enough to plant. The council has completed new fencing around the pond.
To recruit new volunteers – Recruiting volunteers continues to be difficult though we did recruit three new volunteers during 23/24.
To obtain a key for the public toilets in the park,( which have not reopened to the public, since Covid). Throughout the reporting period the FoJP have lobbied the council to have a key. Risk assessments and CoSHH assessments have been undertaken and volunteers have received training in order to comply with the council’s health & safety standards. A key-holder policy has been drafted for the FoJP to agree and sign after which a licence for a key will be issued. The council have made minor improvements to the toilets by way of improved lighting, so that they can be safely used.
Structures, Management & Governance
Meetings and Communication
The FOJP monthly meetings have been maintained throughout the reporting period The
4
events subgroup met, as necessary. Close links have been maintained with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) who are the landowners of the park and we have instigated regular meetings with them
Representatives from the FoJP attended the Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) annual general meeting. Also, the FoJP have representation on both the CVS and NPTCBC Heritage forums.
Volunteer Training
Some three members successfully completed First Aid training. Four other members attended CoSHH, Needle stick injury, Manual handling and Violence and Aggression training.
Volunteer Benefits
As a group the FoJP has enjoyed being together and working as a strong, cohesive team. Excellent feedback has been received from the public regarding the gardening work and the events held in the park, which has given the volunteers a sense of achievement. The volunteers held a Summer and Christmas social event which was enjoyed by all our volunteers.
Financial Review
Our principal source of funding comes from donations and restricted funds for specific projects. Monies generated through having stalls at local fayres as well as selling refreshments at events are used to off-set the costs associated with holding events.
The FoJP do not reclaim VAT on purchases.
Reserves Policy
The Friends of Jersey Park maintains a cash reserve of £500.00 on the balance of our account in order to:
-
Meet unexpected costs of essential office or gardening equipment.
-
Repairs of our steel containers.
-
Funding to cover essential unplanned training costs
Restricted funding for projects is protected and spent in line with the funding agreement.
The charity does not have large income streams for unrestricted funds. Neither do we have overheads such as contractual obligations for service provision or paying employed staff.
Funding
As far as possible, the trustees try to anticipate future costs such as holding events, insurance and training costs etc and plan for ways to meet these costs. This will help to ensure that the reserves fund is not depleted unnecessarily, but left for unforeseen and emergency expenditure. There is a possibility that issues crop up during the year that we are unable to plan for in advance. This would be funded from our reserves and efforts would be made to obtain replacement funds
5
There would be no costs associated with closure of our charity. The obligation placed on us would be to distribute our assets to other not-for-profit groups in our community.
The FoJP Trustees proactively seek unrestricted funding to ensure sufficient funds are available for us to function and meet our objectives. It is assumed that most capital purchases will be funded from specific grants. Insurance will cover the cost of loss of equipment and damage to property as well as any public liability.
Establishing and maintaining reserves
In the event of reserves dropping below the minimum threshold level, we will aim to restore the reserves within the financial year through increased fund raising or reducing expenditure. Reserves that are above the minimum threshold will be used to further our objectives. The aim will always be to use our funds for the public benefit and not accumulate large amounts of money.
Monitoring and reviewing
Our reserves policy was reviewed in May 2024 and will be reviewed every two years.
Income Generation, Donations & Grants
As a community group we provide events that are free of charge to attend, with only nominal charges made should people wish to purchase refreshments.
Restricted Income Restricted funding was received from the following sources
- Briton Ferry Town Council grant toward the children’s Christmas party £250.00
Unrestricted Income was received from donations and grants totalling £819.00 was received from the following sources:-
-
Donation Liberty Hall £ 100.00
-
Miscellaneous donations £ 102.00
-
Donation Brunel talk – Iron & Steam £ 117.00
-
Grant Briton Ferry Community Shop £ 500.00
Income Generation totalling £1376.00 from the following sources
-
Events – sale of refreshments etc £ 996.00
-
Stalls at community events £ 204.00
-
Members voluntary subscription £ 176.00
-
Miscellaneous income £ 209. 00
Local businesses such as Tesco supermarket was very supportive during the year.
Expenditure
Our largest expenditure for the year was the purchase of a second steel container. The initial container was so full of equipment and materials that it was proving to be a health and safety issue. Having a second container has allowed us to store our gardening
6
equipment and generator separately from our events equipment. Our insurance premium subsequently increased to cover for the additional container.
Friends of Jersey Park Accounting Period 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2024
| Bank | £5886.00 | Starting Balance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petty cash | £136.00 | Starting balance | ||||
RECEIPTS |
||||||
| Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total Funds | Last Year | |||
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
|||
| Donations | 319.00 | 319.00 | ||||
| Grants | 500.00 | 250.00 | 750.00 | |||
| Members subs | 176.00 | 176.00 | ||||
| Income generation |
1200.00 | 1200.00 | ||||
| Miscellaneous | 209.00 | 209.00 | ||||
| Total receipts | 2404.00 | 250.00 | 2654.00 | |||
| PAYMENTS | ||||||
| Insurance | 354.00 | |||||
| Steel Container | 2000.00 | |||||
| Wild Tots | 67.00 | |||||
| Events | 919.00 | |||||
| Admin | 27.00 | |||||
| Miscellaneous | 387.00 | |||||
| Total Payments |
3754.00 | 00.00 | 3754.00 | |||
| Starting Balance Bank & Cash |
6022.00 | |||||
| Total Receipts | 2654.00 | |||||
| Total Payments | 3754.00 | |||||
Balance |
4922.00 | |||||
| End of Accounting Period 31.03.2024 Petty Cash £ 524.00 Bank Balance £4,398.0 0 Total Monies £4,922.0 0 |
E8tlmat• Valu• Steel ¢ontainer8 x 2 £3,500.00 Gazeb08 x 3 £ 598.00 Garden toops £2,500.00 Event equipment £5,600.00 OffKe equipment £ 200.00 Tot81 £12,398.00 Economic Valuo of our VoluntO0rn The FOJP is an important asset in our communty. We thank all of our voluntsers for giving their time and for all their hard work throughout the year. Conclusion The FOJP group continues lo gained strength and confidence. We are well estsblished 88 communty group in Briton Fery and feel that we have achieved our objectives to meet our purpose for public b8n8fft. Dg¢1orntl0n• The trustees declare that they have approved the trustee8' report abovo. Signed on beha of th8 charty'$ trustees nature Full Names Po8rtion Dale i4 //lLIfr
necessary notlces or obtaln any necessary consents from any statutory undertakers In respect of the same, Any dama8e to the same howsoever caused durln8 the carrylng out of the purposes of thls Agreement by The Organlsatlon's respectlve Contractors servants agents and sub-contractors shall be the responslbllity of the Organisation and the Organisation through It5 Servants agents contractors and sub-contractors shall ensure that safe methods of work are adopted In working in the vlcinlty of any Services both as regards the protertion of any apparatu5 and a5 regards the protettlon of Its servants agents coritractors and sub-contractors and the publlc. Could you please sign the Agreement below and return It to myself prlor to accessing the property. Yours faithfully for HEAD OF PROPERTY & REGENERATION Enc. Plan l agree to the above Terms a AuBUSt 2024 on behalf of d Condltlons as outllned in thls lett r dated 9, Slgned Date Capaclty
1
o
The Friends of Jersey Park (FoJP}
Annual Trustees Report and Accounts Year Ending 31[st] March 2024
2
Introduction
The Trustees of the Friends of Jersey Park present their annual report and accounts for the year ending 31[st] March 2024.
Our Charity Aim & Objectives for the Public Benefit
For the benefit of the inhabitants of Briton Ferry, Neath and surrounding area (“the area of benefit”) to provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving their conditions of life for the inhabitants of the area of benefit in particular but not exclusively by the preservation, promotion, support, assistance and improvement of the Jersey Park.
Our Objectives are:-
-
To promote Jersey Park in Briton Ferry as a public open space for the benefit of the community and to involve the community in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment within park;
-
To improve the health and wellbeing of the community in Briton Ferry and surrounding areas through healthy open air recreational activities which meets the needs of all ages, including space for tranquillity and enjoying the natural surroundings and wildlife. To be achieved through developing the facilities and activities for visitors to the site;
-
To promote a sense of community, through holding organised events and activities;
-
To gain the views of the public about what they see as the needs of Jersey Park in relation to improving the area. Raising funds through grants and fundraising activities to support such developments.
The Trustees of the Friends of Jersey Park are aware of the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance, and has duly complied with the requirements in all planning and implementation of our work
Activities and Achievements for the Public Benefit
Improving the physical and natural environment within park
April 2023 saw gardening re-commence at weekends to ensure that improvements achieved in the park were maintained. Litter picking was undertaken every weekend. Being in the park ensures that we are visible to the public.
Seven new bird boxes were made by one of our volunteers.
Working closely with the Council for Volunteer Services and Neath Port Talbot County Borough council the FoJP were able to provide opportunities for people long-term Unemployed and those with mental health issues to benefit from volunteering in the park.
An additional steel container was purchased as the existing contained was full to capacity. The new container has been organised to store gardening tools and the generator, leaving the other container to hold equipment used for our events. Buildings
3
and contents insurance was increased. An unsuccessful attempted break-in of the main contained occurred. Security has been improved and the incident reported to the police.
Community Events & Activities
During the reporting period the FoJP planned four main events though only three went ahead as the Halloween event was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. The remaining events namely, Easter Eggstravaganza, Summer Picnic in the Park, and Christmas children’s party were all well attended and were very successful.
A booth has been made by one of our volunteers, to serve as a puppet theatre for use at future events.
Wild Tot’s nature play was planned to take place on a monthly basis though not all went Ahead due to poor weather conditions. One of our volunteers made a new mud kitchen for Wild Tots nature play.
Plans
The agreed priorities for 2023/2024, were:-
To improve communication and partnership working with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) – Following a letter sent to the CEO of NPTCBC, raising concerns about poor communication, a meeting was held. The FoJP now has a named link with the council and the trustees have quarterly meetings with the Parks Management
Team.
To become active members of the Culture & Heritage Group – FoJP members have attended meetings and training events.
To complete the pond project – this project is ongoing. The FoJP have plants ready to be placed around the pond when they are big enough to plant. The council has completed new fencing around the pond.
To recruit new volunteers – Recruiting volunteers continues to be difficult though we did recruit three new volunteers during 23/24.
To obtain a key for the public toilets in the park,( which have not reopened to the public, since Covid). Throughout the reporting period the FoJP have lobbied the council to have a key. Risk assessments and CoSHH assessments have been undertaken and volunteers have received training in order to comply with the council’s health & safety standards. A key-holder policy has been drafted for the FoJP to agree and sign after which a licence for a key will be issued. The council have made minor improvements to the toilets by way of improved lighting, so that they can be safely used.
Structures, Management & Governance
Meetings and Communication
The FOJP monthly meetings have been maintained throughout the reporting period The
4
events subgroup met, as necessary. Close links have been maintained with Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC) who are the landowners of the park and we have instigated regular meetings with them
Representatives from the FoJP attended the Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Services (CVS) annual general meeting. Also, the FoJP have representation on both the CVS and NPTCBC Heritage forums.
Volunteer Training
Some three members successfully completed First Aid training. Four other members attended CoSHH, Needle stick injury, Manual handling and Violence and Aggression training.
Volunteer Benefits
As a group the FoJP has enjoyed being together and working as a strong, cohesive team. Excellent feedback has been received from the public regarding the gardening work and the events held in the park, which has given the volunteers a sense of achievement. The volunteers held a Summer and Christmas social event which was enjoyed by all our volunteers.
Financial Review
Our principal source of funding comes from donations and restricted funds for specific projects. Monies generated through having stalls at local fayres as well as selling refreshments at events are used to off-set the costs associated with holding events.
The FoJP do not reclaim VAT on purchases.
Reserves Policy
The Friends of Jersey Park maintains a cash reserve of £500.00 on the balance of our account in order to:
-
Meet unexpected costs of essential office or gardening equipment.
-
Repairs of our steel containers.
-
Funding to cover essential unplanned training costs
Restricted funding for projects is protected and spent in line with the funding agreement.
The charity does not have large income streams for unrestricted funds. Neither do we have overheads such as contractual obligations for service provision or paying employed staff.
Funding
As far as possible, the trustees try to anticipate future costs such as holding events, insurance and training costs etc and plan for ways to meet these costs. This will help to ensure that the reserves fund is not depleted unnecessarily, but left for unforeseen and emergency expenditure. There is a possibility that issues crop up during the year that we are unable to plan for in advance. This would be funded from our reserves and efforts would be made to obtain replacement funds
5
There would be no costs associated with closure of our charity. The obligation placed on us would be to distribute our assets to other not-for-profit groups in our community.
The FoJP Trustees proactively seek unrestricted funding to ensure sufficient funds are available for us to function and meet our objectives. It is assumed that most capital purchases will be funded from specific grants. Insurance will cover the cost of loss of equipment and damage to property as well as any public liability.
Establishing and maintaining reserves
In the event of reserves dropping below the minimum threshold level, we will aim to restore the reserves within the financial year through increased fund raising or reducing expenditure. Reserves that are above the minimum threshold will be used to further our objectives. The aim will always be to use our funds for the public benefit and not accumulate large amounts of money.
Monitoring and reviewing
Our reserves policy was reviewed in May 2024 and will be reviewed every two years.
Income Generation, Donations & Grants
As a community group we provide events that are free of charge to attend, with only nominal charges made should people wish to purchase refreshments.
Restricted Income Restricted funding was received from the following sources
- Briton Ferry Town Council grant toward the children’s Christmas party £250.00
Unrestricted Income was received from donations and grants totalling £819.00 was received from the following sources:-
-
Donation Liberty Hall £ 100.00
-
Miscellaneous donations £ 102.00
-
Donation Brunel talk – Iron & Steam £ 117.00
-
Grant Briton Ferry Community Shop £ 500.00
Income Generation totalling £1376.00 from the following sources
-
Events – sale of refreshments etc £ 996.00
-
Stalls at community events £ 204.00
-
Members voluntary subscription £ 176.00
-
Miscellaneous income £ 209. 00
Local businesses such as Tesco supermarket was very supportive during the year.
Expenditure
Our largest expenditure for the year was the purchase of a second steel container. The initial container was so full of equipment and materials that it was proving to be a health and safety issue. Having a second container has allowed us to store our gardening
6
equipment and generator separately from our events equipment. Our insurance premium subsequently increased to cover for the additional container.
Friends of Jersey Park Accounting Period 01.04.2023 to 31.03.2024
| Bank | £5886.00 | Starting Balance | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petty cash | £136.00 | Starting balance | ||||
RECEIPTS |
||||||
| Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Total Funds | Last Year | |||
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ | to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
|||
| Donations | 319.00 | 319.00 | ||||
| Grants | 500.00 | 250.00 | 750.00 | |||
| Members subs | 176.00 | 176.00 | ||||
| Income generation |
1200.00 | 1200.00 | ||||
| Miscellaneous | 209.00 | 209.00 | ||||
| Total receipts | 2404.00 | 250.00 | 2654.00 | |||
| PAYMENTS | ||||||
| Insurance | 354.00 | |||||
| Steel Container | 2000.00 | |||||
| Wild Tots | 67.00 | |||||
| Events | 919.00 | |||||
| Admin | 27.00 | |||||
| Miscellaneous | 387.00 | |||||
| Total Payments |
3754.00 | 00.00 | 3754.00 | |||
| Starting Balance Bank & Cash |
6022.00 | |||||
| Total Receipts | 2654.00 | |||||
| Total Payments | 3754.00 | |||||
Balance |
4922.00 | |||||
| End of Accounting Period 31.03.2024 Petty Cash £ 524.00 Bank Balance £4,398.0 0 Total Monies £4,922.0 0 |
E8tlmat• Valu• Steel ¢ontainer8 x 2 £3,500.00 Gazeb08 x 3 £ 598.00 Garden toops £2,500.00 Event equipment £5,600.00 OffKe equipment £ 200.00 Tot81 £12,398.00 Economic Valuo of our VoluntO0rn The FOJP is an important asset in our communty. We thank all of our voluntsers for giving their time and for all their hard work throughout the year. Conclusion The FOJP group continues lo gained strength and confidence. We are well estsblished 88 communty group in Briton Fery and feel that we have achieved our objectives to meet our purpose for public b8n8fft. Dg¢1orntl0n• The trustees declare that they have approved the trustee8' report abovo. Signed on beha of th8 charty'$ trustees nature Full Names Po8rtion Dale i4 //lLIfr
necessary notlces or obtaln any necessary consents from any statutory undertakers In respect of the same, Any dama8e to the same howsoever caused durln8 the carrylng out of the purposes of thls Agreement by The Organlsatlon's respectlve Contractors servants agents and sub-contractors shall be the responslbllity of the Organisation and the Organisation through It5 Servants agents contractors and sub-contractors shall ensure that safe methods of work are adopted In working in the vlcinlty of any Services both as regards the protertion of any apparatu5 and a5 regards the protettlon of Its servants agents coritractors and sub-contractors and the publlc. Could you please sign the Agreement below and return It to myself prlor to accessing the property. Yours faithfully for HEAD OF PROPERTY & REGENERATION Enc. Plan l agree to the above Terms a AuBUSt 2024 on behalf of d Condltlons as outllned in thls lett r dated 9, Slgned Date Capaclty