2023-12-31-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 1[st] January 2023 to 31[st] December 2023

Charity name: Treez CIO

Charity registration number: 1185908

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	The advancement of environmental protection and improvement for the public benefit in Malawi by providing funding for locally managed reforestation projects.
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	The charity’s activities are confined to raising funds and making grants to assist projects carried out by others in Malawi. During the period of this report the projects being supported in this way are those of Zomba TREEZ Ltd, a not for profit company formed in Malawi in an effort to protect and restore the once well forested area of the Zomba Plateau. Work for which grants have been given include new tree planting (and its subsequent maintenance), fire prevention and fire fighting.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The trustees have had regard to the guidance from the Charity Commissioners on public benefit

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	The grants that the CIO can make are necessarily dependent on the amount of donations received. The aim is for all donation income ultimately to be given as grants, apart from a minimal amount for expenses and a small working balance. (However in 2023 Malawi experienced a massive currency devaluation, which has shown that it will generally be safer to retain funds in the UK, until they are actually needed). An organisation seeking a grant must submit a costed proposal for a project in

		Malawi (and at least for the period covered by this report it must also be in the Zomba Plateau region). The organisation must hold a bank account in its name. Eligibility for a grant is then assessed against the following criteria: The proposal must be for community based tree planting and protection initiatives that  Mobilise communities to tackle deforestation  Improve nutrition, food security, incomes and local livelihoods  Support communities’ rights to manage natural resources in a sustainable way  Mitigate the negative impacts of climate change  Preserve and promote indigenous knowledge of natural resource management The aim is to support organisations that are based within or close to their community, and which represent the interests of the local community, including women and vulnerable groups; and to help such community-based organisations build their capacity.
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	The charity has no paid employees. All its activities are carried out by volunteers
Other

Achievements and Performance

SORP reference Some Background The Charity was formed as a result of the Trustees’ awareness of

Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20		eforts being made in Malawi to reverse the degradation being sufered to the once well forested highland area of the Zomba Plateau. These eforts were at frst undertaken by individuals, in particular the proprietors of Zomba Forest Lodge. Then in 2016 a not for proft company was formed to facilitate the work. This was named Zomba TREEZ Ltd (using an acronym that stands for “The Reforestation of the Environment and Ecosystem of Zomba”). The Charity was formed to help raise funds outside of Malawi to help with the work being done by Zomba TREEZ and potentially other similar projects in Malawi. Why reforestation is needed in Malawi Malawi has one of the highest rates of fuelwood use in the world, with 97% of the population dependent on frewood or charcoal for home use. Fast population growth and increased pressure on fuelwood and charcoal have led to the depletion of Malawi’s forest resources. In the last few decades, Malawi has lost over half of her forests. The loss of forests brings with it multiple issues. Some of the most pressing ones include the loss of potential forest-based income (fuelwood, timber, honey, wild foods); changes in microclimate, leading possibly to less precipitation in areas with high deforestation; threats to local water resources and overall land degradation due to disturbances like fres and soil erosion. Loss of tree cover also leads to much greater risk to life from fooding. This was tragically illustrated in 2023 by the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy. Poverty is both cause and efect in this scenario; Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of per capita income, and the loss of forest resources is likely to disproportionately afect communities in and around forested areas that might already inhabit marginal lands Making a start in Zomba It is against the above backdrop that the current eforts are being made to protectand enhancetheforest

resources of the Zomba Forest Reserve. Zomba Forest Reserve encompasses Zomba Plateau, a massif rising to 2000m in southern Malawi. The plateau is the only source of water for the city of Zomba, the former colonial capital and now Malawi’s fourth largest city with a population of around 100,000. The plateau further gives rise to multiple streams and small rivers that are used for drinking water and irrigation by local communities all around the plateau. Zomba, and the country’s second largest city Blantyre (which is only an hour away), have placed rising pressure on Zomba Plateau’s forest resources; research has noted that urban areas depend heavily on charcoal (not locally collected firewood), meaning that the rising population of Zomba and Blantyre will continue using more and more charcoal. Zomba Plateau has lost vast amounts of its natural forest in the recent past. The existing forests have been ravaged by human-induced wildfires that are often set to get easier access to stands of trees deeper in the forest and to catch wildlife fleeing the fires. This has led to a vicious cycle of forest depletion, leading to loss of livelihoods, which in turns pressures communities to extract even more resources from the forest

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	In the year the Charity raised donations of £30,375 and received grants of £25,250. Using these funds; it gave £53,000 in grants to Zomba TREEZ. These figures are all a considerable increase on previous years. In March southern Malawi was struck by Cyclone Freddy, which wreaked terrible destruction across the region. This event dominated the activity of Zomba TREEZ for some time. They fed and clothed 296 households and were the only people to get to the remote Kasonga community in the Domasi Valley, where the road had been washed away. The support they gave earned much local goodwill and ensured that the communities were able to resume reforestation work at the earliest opportunity. The cyclone brought home the benefits of reforestation. The planting and protection of trees in this area meant it escaped the lethal

		mudslides that occurred on the denuded mountains round Blantyre and on the Mulanje Massif. Another effect of the cyclone was that the Charity noticed a considerable boost in donations in the weeks following it. Apart from the disruption caused by the cyclone, work continued in the ways detailed in the previous years’ reports. This included: The creation and maintenance of Water Catchment Corridors; Working through Community Groups - each allotted a zone to plant and maintain (3 new groups set up in the year); The establishment of Community Resource Planting- within communities using quick growing trees for firewood, building materials etc, and establishing fruit orchards: Micro-financing seedling nurseries; Sponsoring the local Tour Guides association; Sponsoring local football and netball teams, in return for fire prevention work and fire- fighting, when necessary (for a second year running this proved very successful, with only one small fire occurring, which prompted an impressive community response to put it out). Zomba TREEZ also held another Run4Reforestation in September, which was very successful, despite their not getting a sponsor. Virtual runs also took place outside Malawi and a large amount of the donations received by the Charity came in response to the runs. In the year the Charity received generous donations from two other charities. The Belvedere Trust gave £19,450 and Sustainable Global Gardens (SGG) gave a total of £5800. The Charity are most grateful for those grants. In the case of SGG they also welcome the fact that SGG are working in Malawi with Zomba TREEZ.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	2023 saw the Charity’s income increase considerably. At the end of the year the Charity had a closing cash balance of £17,868
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	Funds are retained for the purpose of making future grants as needed
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£17,868 at the year end
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	Donations Grants An annual fund- raising event- the Run4Reforestation
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	A written Constitution adopted in August 2019
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	As a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	The Constitution names the first trustees (who throughout the year remained the only trustees, with one retiring close to the end of the year). It further provides that the CIO shall have a board of trustees comprising at least 3 persons; and that the Board may recruit new trustees. In selecting these the Board must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	As described elsewhere in this report the Charity is achieving its charitable objectives by providing funding to Zomba TREEZ Ltd in Malawi. That organisation was the Charity’s inspiration and so far has been the Charity’s only direct beneficiary.
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51	Three of the trustees are related to Thomas Inch who is a director of Zomba TREEZ Ltd (and also the proprietor of Zomba Forest Lodge). James Inch is Thomas’s father and Laura Coyle is his cousin. Ray Coyle is Laura’s husband. The fourth trustee, Selena Gleadow-Ware, is not related, but she has been a guest at Zomba Forest Lodge several times. Ray Coyle resigned as a trustee in December 2023. (In February 2024 a new trustee was appointed, who is not related) The trustees are aware of the need to treat Zomba TREEZ Ltd as they would any other beneficiary and have required them to submit written, costed applications in accordance with the Charity’s grant making policy before making any funding available to them.

Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Treez CIO
Other name the charity uses
Registered charity number	1185908
Charity’s principal address	2 Underwood Cottages, The Coombe, Streetly-on Thames, RG8 9RA

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20	Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
	Mr Raymond Coyle		1stJanuary to 14th December 2023
	Mrs Laura Coyle
	Dr Selena Gleadow-Ware
	Mr James Inch
	Mr Colin Doney		Appointed 17/02/24

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity

Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects

Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of Name Address adviser

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s)

Full name(s) James Davidson Inch

Position (eg Secretary, Trustee Chair, etc)

Date

14[th] march 2024

Treez CIO (Charity number 1185908) (incorporation date 21/10/2019) ANNUAL ACCOUNTS for period from 01/01/2023 to 31/12/2023 Opening Balance £15,720.43 Income Donations £30,375.23 Grants received £25,250.00 Bank interest £ 4 9.03 £55,674.26 £55,674.26 £71,394.69 Expenditure Fundraising expensesJust Giving subscription £ 360.00 Bank charges £ 166.00 Grants Zomba Treez £53,000.00 £53,526.00 £53,526.00 Surplus £17,868.69 Balance Sheet at 31 /12/22 at 31/12/23 Assets Cash at Bank £15,720.43 £17,868.69 Retained surplus £15,720.43 £17,868.69

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS Report to the Trusteeslmembers of Treez CIO On accounts for the period from oii0112023 to 3111212023 Charity Number: 1185908 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity I'the TrusV'I for the year ended 3V12123 Responsibllities and basis of report As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 20111"the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charitv Commission under settion 14515) Ibl ofthe Art. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matter have come to my attention other than that disclosed below) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect= Accounting records were not kept in accordance with sertion 130 of the Act or The accounts do not accord with the accounting records I have concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the account5 to be ￿aChed. Signed Mr N A Thomas Jervis & Partners Chartered Accountants Cranford Terrace 30 Harborough Road Kingsthorpe Northampton NN27AZ