**Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** **----- Start of picture text -----**
Trustees report
and financial statement
for the ear ended 31st Dec 2020
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**Final version dated 08 Oct 2021** Page 1 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** ## Contents Reference and administrative details ......................................................................................... 3 Structure, governance and management ................................................................................... 4 Type of governing document .................................................................................................. 4 Charitable Objects ................................................................................................................... 4 Trustee Selection Methods ..................................................................................................... 4 Committee and organisational approach ............................................................................... 4 Activities and achievements ....................................................................................................... 5 Statutory declaration .............................................................................................................. 5 Executive summary ................................................................................................................. 5 Membership and volunteering ............................................................................................... 6 Badger casualty, sett and live sightings records ..................................................................... 6 Badger vaccination .................................................................................................................. 8 Badger rescue and welfare ..................................................................................................... 9 Crime liaison ............................................................................................................................ 9 Promotion of activities and social media .............................................................................. 10 Planning and development ................................................................................................... 11 Badger cull ............................................................................................................................. 11 Collaboration with other organisations .................................................................................... 13 Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic............................................................................................. 14 Financial report for the period 09 December 2019-31 December 2020 .................................. 15 Principal sources of funding and outgoings .......................................................................... 15 Financial status...................................................................................................................... 15 Financial reserves policy ....................................................................................................... 15 Details of any funds materially in deficit .............................................................................. 16 Statutory statements on liabilities ........................................................................................ 16 Statement of accounts for the period 09/12/2019 to 31/12/2021 ...................................... 17 Trustees approval: .................................................................................................................... 19 Page 2 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** ## Reference and administrative details |Charity name:|Oxfordshire Badger Group| |---|---| |Type of charity:|Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with voting members| |Registration details|Registered with the Charity Commission on 9thDecember 2019
The charity is registered with HM Revenue & Customs| |Registration Number|Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1186850| |Charity address:|29 Webbs Way, Kidlington, OX5 2EW| |Trustees who manage
the charity|Julia Hammett (Chair)| ||Richard Tilley (Treasurer)| ||Linda Ward (Secretary)| |Advisors and senior
members of staff|None| |Banks:|The Co-operative Bank, P O Box 250, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT
(primary)
Lloyds Bank, P O Box 1000, Andover| |Public Liability|Zurich insurance, The Zurich Centre, 3000 Parkway, Whiteley, Fareham,
Hampshire PO15 7JZ| Page 3 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** ## Structure, governance and management ## Type of governing document Constitution: Based on the Charity Commission model governing document for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with voting members. ## Charitable Objects As defined in our Constitution (Governing Document) the charity’s objects are: 1. To promote, for the public benefit, the conservation and protection of badgers, their setts and habitats in Oxfordshire and elsewhere; and 2. To advance the education of the public on the ecology, behaviour and protected status of badgers, their setts and habitats. Nothing in this constitution shall authorise an application of the property of the CIO for the purposes which are not charitable in accordance with section 7 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and section 2 of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008. ## Trustee Selection Methods In accordance with the Constitution there must be at least 3 charity Trustees to a maximum of 12. The current Chair, Treasurer and Secretary are ex officio charity Trustees. They became the first Trustees of Oxfordshire Badger Group when it became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 09 December 2019. In accordance with the Constitution, all Trustees retired from office at the first Annual General Meeting held 5[th] June 2021. They were unanimously re-elected as Officers and Trustees by the membership. In appointing additional or replacement Trustees, due consideration will be given to ensuring that the Trustees have, between them, the skills and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively and in accordance with charity law. ## Committee and organisational approach The Trustees of the charity during the period of this report were: Julia Hammett (Chair), Richard Tilley (Treasurer), and Linda Ward (Secretary). The Trustees meet regularly. In addition to their regular committee duties, the Trustees lead on ensuring we comply with the Charity Commission’s best practice guidance, reporting requirements and applicable regulation. Members of the committee are elected via the members Annual General Meeting and have specific role(s) within OBG> Other members of the Committee during the report period were: Barbara Witkowski (records officer), Debbie White (vaccination and rescue coordinator), Emily Lawrence (crime liaison and public relations), Karl Moore (licenced vaccinator), Keiron Ward (licenced trapper). Eileen Anderson was elected to the committee (as an additional post) at the first Annual General Meeting of the members held 5[th] June 2021. Page 4 of 19 ## **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** Oxfordshire Badger Group has no paid staff and is run entirely on a volunteer basis. Members have the option to volunteer to take part in various organised activities or may simply support our work via their membership fees[1] . The charity has created three regional sub-groups serving the North West, the South, Central and eastern areas of the County of Oxfordshire respectively. Each sub-group is organised by one or more committee members. ## Activities and achievements ## Statutory declaration The Trustees of Oxfordshire Badger Group confirm that they have paid due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit in deciding which activities the charity should undertake. ## Executive summary Oxfordshire Badger Group (OBG) is a small wildlife welfare charity which promotes the conservation and protection of badgers, their setts and habitats in Oxfordshire and beyond. It began as a not-for profit organisation (of the same name) in January 1989. This is our first annual Trustees report since becoming a registered charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). It covers the period 9[th] December 2019 to 30[th] September 2021. Our work for badger conservation is for the public benefit, primarily in Oxfordshire but also nationally, in partnership with the Badger Trust and other badger groups. Our members are concerned for the conservation, protection and welfare of badgers and their habitats. We promote: - protection, understanding and appreciation of an important native wild animal - a healthy ecosystem and biodiversity - enabling individuals and communities to protect and nurture wildlife - ethical standards of behaviour and respect for the law - animal welfare The charity has worked to increase: - the number of paid members and pool of active volunteers; - the training support and resources available for volunteers; and - the range and scope of activities which directly benefit badgers and the public The charity has established an ambitious animal welfare programme that includes structured procedures for checking badger sighting reposts and manning a 24/7 badger rescue response team. Our badger vaccination programme began in 2019 as a small scale pilot. We have successfully doubled this activity year on year. We have also worked to increase awareness and reporting of wildlife crime. Work to expand and keep our badger records up to date is ongoing. An important part of our volunteer work is to respond to incidents and enquires involving badgers. Since becoming a charity OBG has logged and responded to 136 enquiries (70 in 2019/20 and 66 in 2021 to date. Call outs are classified as animal welfare and rescue (26); possible wildlife crime (31); > 1 Membership of the charity costs £12 per year per household (or £6 concessionary rate) Page 5 of 19 ## **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** public outreach/ education / concerns over badgers in property or gardens (42); impact of development works or planning applications (37). The majority 91 (67%) of enquiries came from members of the public. Our members raised 30 (22%) of cases and 15 (11%) were from professionals. Members of the public were found to be important sources of all types of report. They were responsible for 39% of crime reports, 54% of badger rescue incidents and 64% of work/development queries. The government established a cull zone in Oxfordshire in 2020. Part of Oxfordshire is also included in the Warwickshire zone. In 2021 they licensed a second Oxfordshire zone, greatly increasing the area culled and the target number of badgers to be shot. These are all four year licenses. OBG works to raise public awareness, lobby decision makers and to support members in opposing the cull by all legal methods available. OBG has achieved significant growth in membership, activities and service delivery. We are building a strong public profile as the ‘go to’ charity for Oxfordshire badgers. Volunteer morale and commitment remains very high despite the extremely challenging operating conditions. ## Membership and volunteering The existing members of the previous voluntary organisation were transferred (with their knowledge and consent) over into the new charity administration on 9th December 2019. The membership database has been cleaned. Of note: 1. The membership fee was increased to £12 per household per year but now runs monthly and will no longer expire at the end of each calendar year. 2. A concessionary membership fee of £6 per household was introduced to enable people on low income to join. Subscription to our newsletter has always been free to the public. 3. Membership applications and payment of fees can now be made online. 4. Paid membership has increased by 60% following a membership drive. 5. Members of OBG benefit from group membership of the Badger Trust and are entitled to attend Badger Trust events and Annual General Meetings. 6. We have formed teams of volunteers willing to take part in badger rescue, vaccination and checking road casualties (RTAs). This enables us to provide much better coverage of the county, improved response times and greater strength in depth. 7. We provide mentoring / training and have produced protocols and guidelines for people taking part in these core volunteer activities. ## Badger casualty, sett and live sightings records Oxfordshire Badger Group holds secure records of reported deaths, live sightings and setts dating back over five decades. This information underpins our core charitable activities. Hence we work to maintain the data base and ensure it is as up to date and extensive as possible. Data is held in confidence and only released for legitimate purposes. Examples of bone fide data uses include: Page 6 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** - A professional, chargeable data search service to agencies (such as developers, ecologists, and planning authorities) that can prove that they have a legitimate reason need for information about the presence of badgers in a specific area. - To inform OBG’s responses to planning applications and major development consultations - Planning the badger vaccination programme - Enabling volunteers to check that sett records are up to date by periodic visits - Dealing with potential wildlife crime or identifying setts which may be at risk - Animal welfare and rescue – for example identification of nearby setts which require monitoring to assist in badger cub rescues or release - Data sharing under agreement – for example we have a mutual data sharing agreement with the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre. We also share information with the National Badger Trust. We encourage members and the public to report all badger sightings live or dead promptly. The data is very valuable; it demonstrates badgers are active in an area. It can be cross-checked against sett records to confirm continued activity at known setts or else identify areas where our records may be incomplete. The number of dead badgers reported killed on roads in Oxfordshire averages about 160 a year. This is probably an underestimate since reporting patterns reflects our membership base. We are working to raise public awareness and reporting rates via social media and outreach. We emphasise that prompt reporting allows us to help badgers directly and have made it very easy to report online. ## Casualty reports protocols introduced in 2021 In February 2021, volunteers started a concerted effort to go out to every dead badger that was reported, and check firstly whether the animal could possibly be rescued. Then, if pronounced dead, to check its gender and lactation status in case there may be vulnerable cubs nearby that required our assistance. Information about dead badgers (RTAs) was shared in a closed What’s App group to a core group of OBG members from across the county, individuals volunteered to check bodies & report back. The charity has updated it’s risk assessment and casualty report protocols accordingly. This system is working well, providing timely, thorough checks of RTAs (where safe to stop) and surveys of the surrounding environment. It has generated several reports of new setts, as well as improved records of the gender and approximate age of badgers found dead. Close inspection allows us to check for signs of suspicious circumstances of death, as yet none have been found. We are aware of several ‘hotspots’ for badger casualties. As you might expect, there are clusters on several of the counties’ major A roads. We support and promote the Badger Trusts’ ‘Give Badgers a Brake’ campaign. ## Sett records OBG holds well over 1300 sett records of which 500 were added or updated in the reporting period. This has involved a significant volunteer effort. We have a core of people who regularly contribute Page 7 of 19 ## **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** reports and those who have set – and achieved - personal targets of adding considerable numbers of new setts to our records each year, even during a pandemic. We have been raising public awareness of the importance of sett reporting and welcome ‘ad hoc reports’ from non-members. Some of the reports are updates on previously recorded setts, which are very welcome as they provide a history of the sett and its health over several decades in some cases. Other reports provide brand new information and increase our knowledge of badger presence in the county. A good number are new setts that we have learned of from being permitted access onto private land by landowners who have signed up to our vaccination programme. These extremely confidential records are held separately from the main records and are excluded from data sharing agreements and professional data searches. Our sett surveying work had been structured to two purposes: “footpath surveying” of areas marked for development, and methodical surveying of land where access has been agreed for vaccination. The on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions impacted on both activities. We were not able to hold sett surveying days where small groups of volunteers followed footpath routes to survey areas of interest. However, individuals who wished to walk in areas local to them, following all current health guidance, were provided with tailored information. A fieldwork training session was provided at Wytham Woods in the summer 2021. We have encouraged more members to be “guardians” of their local setts, keeping a regular watch to check that all’s well and reporting any changes, or any concerns, to the Group for advice on maintaining the sett’s protection. Nationwide, badger vaccination was delayed until the time when national restrictions were lifted and protocols were in place to ensure that vaccination teams could work safely. Surveys were undertaken on all previous and new vaccination sites in 2020 and 2021 during the summer. ## Sightings of live badgers Around 35 live sightings of badgers have been reported to us since July 2019 from a variety of locations across the county. Many of the reporters express their surprised delight on seeing a real, live badger. Several of the reports mention capturing badgers on trail cameras in the resident’s gardens, and a few reporters have told us where they think or know their local sett is. We really appreciate receiving reports about live sightings; they don’t only tell us where badgers are, they also reveal the engagement that members of the public have with nature and the genuine excitement that people feel when they have a rare interaction with our secretive, cautious nocturnal neighbours. ## Badger vaccination Oxfordshire Badger Group works with landowners, volunteers, and the public to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis by providing treatment, under licence, in the form of vaccination to badgers in Oxfordshire. Badger vaccination builds immunity and reduces the risk of treated badger populations becoming infected with TB. The aim is to reduce the spread of the disease in the badger population. Oxfordshire Badger Group actively promotes this humane approach to reducing the spread of bovine tuberculosis through education and awareness. Page 8 of 19 ## **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** Despite the Covid restrictions, during 2020, our core vaccination group, consisting of 2 qualified vaccinators and 2 qualified trappers, supported by 4 field assistants, worked with 10 landowners to successfully vaccinate the badgers on their land. Once the vaccination season finished in September, the last few months of 2020 were spent proactively engaging with new landowners ready for expansion in 2021. The 2021 vaccination programme is our largest and most ambitious to date. ## Badger rescue and welfare Oxfordshire Badger Group works with members of the public and wildlife hospitals in the rescue of injured or sick badgers in Oxfordshire. Together with being on call to give advice to the public and landowners who may have concerns about the welfare of badgers in their community. It is important that badger rescue is performed by suitably experienced volunteers. Also they must have the proper tools to retrieve an injured badger from various situations and transport it in a way that is both safe and welfare friendly. Initially, the charity had only two ‘inherited’ sets of basic rescue equipment and just one trained rescue volunteer. In 2020 we successfully applied for a Badger Trust Clare Hammacott Grant (£1,472) for field work and badger rescue equipment. This allowed us to increase capacity and establish 7 rescue teams complete with full rescue equipment. Rescue is ideally performed in pairs. Via our WhatsApp group we can rapidly coordinate and call on 19 rescue trained volunteers. We now are able to provide good coverage across the county. We also liaise with neighbouring badger Groups to improve response times. The charity is now able to offer an out of hours call out service. Luckily, our volunteer rescue training day, with input from a local wildlife hospital and a Thames Valley Police Wildlife officer, was held in February 2020 before the lockdowns began. The training meeting was well attended by members and we were pleased to be joined by several members of the Binfield Badger Group. During the year 2020 we attended 18 rescues and incidents. Some were resolved through monitoring and advice. Several badgers were removed from scene for veterinary treatment. A small number had to be euthanatised due to the seriousness of injuries, but the rest were successfully returned to the wild. In 2021 so far we have dealt with 9 call outs to rescue badgers. ## Crime liaison Oxfordshire Badger Group crime lead liaises with the police, Badger Trust, RSPCA and members of the public. We are concerned that wildlife crime in the county is probably under-reported and that the police response is often unduly delayed and inadequate. We stress the importance of reporting all suspicious or actual wildlife crime incidents to the police and also to the Badger Trust. We offer advice and support and also follow through as necessary to monitor situations where badgers may be at risk in future. Our aim is to ensure that all volunteers and members are suitable trained and this is achieved via periodic online crime training sessions provided by Craig Fellows, the Badger Trust Crime officer. During 2020/21 we have had a large number of crime reports coming into OBG. We believe this is because we are succeeding in helping our members become more aware and that we are getting Page 9 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** better at dealing with these issues. With the badger cull taking place in Oxfordshire more people have been out on the group checking badger setts and reporting in anything suspicious. Badger crime from hunting was not an issue in 2020 due to the suspension of hunting due to Covid19 restrictions (we did not have any reports in). Members are becoming adept at recording grid references and then reporting via our new form which is on the website and then to the Badger Trust. Our crime liaison officer is a member of the Committee and is available if anyone needs advice or assistance on badger related crime. Oxfordshire Badger Group has identified a number of issues with how badger crimes are being dealt with via Thames Valley Police. We have escalated these concerns via the Badger Trust crime officer and are continuing to monitor the situation. We thank everyone who has taken the time to report crime into us or to BT. By recording all the incidents and statistics we are able to paint a more accurate picture of what badgers in Oxfordshire are facing. ## Promotion of activities and social media Oxfordshire Badger Group understands how important social media is in attracting new members, spreading our message and maintaining good relationships with stakeholders and the general public. We aim to grow these platforms and improve our interaction and content. We also operate a mailing list which includes nearly 300 subscribers. Around two thirds of these are formally members of the Group, significantly increasing the reach of our ‘open’ newsletters. We currently have 1319 followers on twitter and have great interaction with a wild ranging audience from other badger groups to individuals in conservation and general members of the public. We also have members of the local media that follow us who we have established a good relationship with, especially in the last 18 months. Vaccination pictures and reports go down well and this is something that is done sensitively to maintain confidentiality. We are looking to increase and widen our reach by including more video on what we do. This is something we are encouraging supporters to get more involved in. We have lots of people sending in pictures of badger sightings which we try to retweet. As an example, one of our vaccination videos had 2,713 Impressions. 356 people clicked on it to watch and we had 104 engagements so we can hopefully work on making these numbers larger. Twitter has been very successful in helping direct people to donate via our vaccination fundraiser. Similarly we have 1261 Facebook followers and get good interaction and reach on posts. We are working to engage a wider and more engaged Facebook audience by putting out more meaningful posts including events as these get up and running again. We have begun to share Facebook posts in other relevant groups and have been sharing our friends posts when seen (Northamptonshire Badger group, Nutkin Ward, Oxfordshire Wildlife rescue. Vale Wildlife hospital and Warwickshire Badger group to name a few) Page 10 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** ## Planning and development The county of Oxfordshire is facing massive development from both local and national planning for growth pressures. Oxford City plans to build on much of the open spaces remaining with its boundaries. As local councils have to provide for Oxford’s unmet housing needs, more and more pressure is being put on the Green Belt and rural areas outside the city. Cherwell Council are planning to build 4,400 houses in the Green Belt north of the City. Land at Barton will see 1,100 additional homes built on Green Belt under Oxford City’s Local Plan in addition to the recent 885 home Mosaics Barton LLP development. West Oxford’s Local Plan includes a 2,220 home development on green fields in Eynsham. New controversial planning laws would do away with many of the constraints on development, see local councils and residents views marginalised and categorise land according to its suitability for housing putting many areas rich in wildlife at risk. Oxfordshire Badger Group have responded to consultations for local plans with comments about potential impact on badgers and are trying to make sure that the mitigation is the best it can for badgers on new developments. We also liaise with and support local residents concerned about the environmental impact of proposals. The scale of development planned for Oxfordshire is daunting and much of the proposals are likely to impact the badger population. **Eynsham Garden Village** : OBG has submitted an objection for plans on this green field site as it would lead to the loss of many setts. We are working closely with Council Officers at this early stage of planning with suggestions for mitigation **Land north of Bayswater Brook, Barton** : OBG has attended some of the online open meetings and have voiced concerns about the impact on badgers and the species rich Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) adjacent to the site. Outline plans have yet to be submitted **Radley Development:** OBG has worked with the developers and local residents to provide a badger road tunnel as part of the new development of 240 houses on fields sold by Radley School. **Iffley Fields:** OBG are working closely with local residents in the Friends group to ensure that the badger sett is protected through future development by Oxford City Council on fields in this Conservation area. **Seacourt Park and Ride extension:** The extension to the Park and Ride is completed. OBG has worked with the Council officers and site manager to ensure that the neighbouring badger sett is given the maximum protection possible from light pollution and disturbance. ## Badger cull Oxfordshire Badger Group has always strongly opposed the policy of culling badgers as part of the government’s strategy for eradicating bovine TB. In 2020, the government issued licences to cull badgers in Oxfordshire for the first time. Culling will continue for at least four years. Hence 2020 was a pivotal year for our campaign against the cull. Our activities included: - Supporting and promoting two legal challenges to the cull via the Judicial Review process; Page 11 of 19 ## **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** - Supported the Wild Justice petition calling for an immediate end to the free shooting of badgers; - Responded to the DEFRA consultation on proposals to manage the delivery of both badger vaccination and culling in Edge counties; - Mounted a campaign highlighting the impact of the planned Oxfordshire cull, encouraging members and the public to write to the Secretary of State and local MPs with their objections; - Cooperated with other groups opposing the cull including Berks Bucks and Oxon wildlife Trust (BBWOT) and the Badger Trust; - Worked with Oxford City Councillors providing advice that led to the Council voting to ban culling on their land, also lobbied other Councils across Oxfordshire to do the same; - Provided advice to landowners concerned that badgers might be culled on their land; - Provided support and advice on how to oppose the cull by legal means (such as organising a wounded badger patrol) while discouraging any illegal activity; - Issued a press release and secured widespread press coverage. Gave interviews on local and national TV and radio stations; - Advocated badger vaccination as a humane and effective alternative to culling; - Publicised the outcome of the Oxfordshire cull – with the deaths of at least 1040 badgers. The 2021 culling season opened at the end of August and covers a larger area of the county than previously due to the addition of a second cull zone licence. Page 12 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** ## Collaboration with other organisations Oxfordshire Badger Group has worked with and contributed to the activities of several other organisations during the reporting period. We view collaboration as essential to our own objectives and continue to seek new operating relationships. - **The Badger Trust** : OBG is a full member of the Badger Trust (registered charity 1111440). The Trust is the national umbrella organisation which represents and support around 60 local voluntary badger groups across England and Wales). OBG functions independently but in partnership with the Trust. This relationship provides access to expert advice, peer group support and mentoring; training; authoritative information (such as leaflets) and the opportunity to apply for Badger Trust grants. OBG supports relevant Badger Trust campaigns and helps disseminate information and calls for action to our members and followers. - **Other Badger Groups** : We liaise with the Groups covering our neighbouring counties (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire; Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire) on a regular operational basis. During the reporting period this has involved sharing resources - to cover badger call outs on the ‘overlapping’ county borders along with joint training and social events. - We are part of the wider badger vaccination network and have benefited from training and mentoring along with regular news and best practice updates. We offer special thanks to the highly experienced Somerset, Derbyshire and Cornwall vaccination teams for their support. - **The Conservation Volunteers** local South Eastern group (TVC) registered charity in England (261009). OBG is a paid member of TVC. This gives us access to advice, support and funding opportunities. We are listed on their website and contribute to their regular newsletters. We also benefit from access to discounted insurance prices. We intend to make more of this resource to help grow our own charity. https://www.tcv.org.uk/ - **Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT):** Our local wildlife Trust has a keen interest in badger welfare and shares our opposition to culling. Like us, they advocate vaccination against bTB as the way forward. During 2022 OBG worked with BBOWT staff to perform a badger rescue on their land. We are also using BBOWT as a source of local training for our vaccination volunteers. - **Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC):** We believe it is vital to maintain accurate environmental records capturing the diversity and threats to wild life in this area. We share information with Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) via a mutual data sharing agreement that respects the sensitivity of our data. - **Wytham Woods Field Station, Oxford University Wildlife Conservation Research Unit:** OBG is fortunate to have excellent working relationships with the ecologists running Badger Project at WildCRU: The “laboratory with leaves” at Wytham Woods. WildCRU’s Badger Project has collected a wealth of fundamental ecological data for over 30 years. They kindly support our activities, and have allowed us to use their facilities for training in sett mapping and badger watching events. In July 2021 we held a social and training event at Wytham Woods which was well attended by members. Page 13 of 19 ## **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** - **Wildlife rescue and Hospitals** : Our rescue volunteers aim to take badgers in need of care to a suitable wildlife hospital. We work primarily with ‘local’ centres within striking distance of Oxfordshire. Rescued badgers have been taken to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital; The Nutkin Ward; Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue; and the Vale Wildlife Hospital. We have also taken advice from the Secret World Wildlife Rescue in Somerset which specialises in badger rescue and rehabilitation, especially of orphaned cubs. - **RSPCA** : The RSPCA is often contacted by members of the public and others concerned about badger issues, especially possible crime or badgers in need of rescue. Our charity liaises with the local officers. Volunteers were called to assist the RSPCA with a badger crime investigation in 2020 and a badger rescue from the floods in January 2021. ## Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic The pandemic has had a major impact on communities and economies worldwide. It significantly affected Oxfordshire Badger Group’s operations. Plans to increase our public presence and fundraising via public meetings, fairs and events had to be put on hold. As a result, our sales income (which historically had accounted for around 65% of income) plummeted. It was necessary to scale back planned fundraising campaigns. We concentrated effort on running an online crowdfunder. This was very well supported, thanks largely to a successful social media campaign focused on the success and cost of continuing our badger vaccination programme. Since the charity does not have ‘offices’ much home based work could continue unaffected. Our committee, trustee and other meetings, including essential training and the 2020 AGM, were moved online. The website was further developed to provide downloadable information to members and others Two of our major charity activities- animal rescue and vaccination were designated ‘key work’. We implemented ‘best practice’ covid-19 safety protocols which allowed volunteers to continue rescue, vaccination and fieldwork in safety while taking additional measures to prevent the spread of COVID into the badger population and their habitats. We stressed the importance of personal choice and safety in making individual risk based decisions. We continued to respond to public enquiries though at the peak of the restrictions it was necessary to replace ‘home’ site visits with remote assessments. It is worth noting the charity has had to absorb the considerable and ongoing costs of providing volunteers with personal protective equipment – masks, gloves and disinfectant – in addition to the need to purchase additional equipment so that no one had to share items used in the field. Page 14 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** ## Financial report for the period 09 December 2019-31 December 2020 ## Principal sources of funding and outgoings The charity was registered as a CIO on 9[th] December 2019. Hence our first financial “year” reporting period runs from 09[th] December 2019 to 31[st] December 2020. Future financial years will run for the calendar year 1[st] January to 31[st] December (unless otherwise notified). On becoming a charity, our main banking activity was moved from the previous Lloyds Business Account across to a new Co-Operative Bank “Community Account. No interest accrues on the bank account. We have worked to maximise our fundraising online. The charity is now registered with platforms such as PayPalGiving, Amazon Smile, Ebay and Give As You Live online. These allow supporters to nominate us as their chosen charity, donate items from our wish list and ‘top up’ payments to benefit our work. The main source of income is from donations from our generous members and supporters. Donations comprised 65% of total income, with crowd funding raising 40% of total income. The charity is working to maximise the lawful take up by donors of Gift Aid. A further 18% of income came from a Badger Trust Grant. Sales income was down 60% on 2019 due to Covid-19 restrictions putting a stop to attending and selling at public events. Expenditure in the financial reporting period was largely related to the consumable costs of badger vaccination during 2020. The Badger Trust Grant was spent as planned on the purchase of equipment to establish our county wide badger rescue teams. Expenditure was lower than projected due to the impact of Covid 19 restrictions in limiting volunteer activities and training. ## Financial status Though modest, Oxfordshire Badger Group’s current resources from unrestricted donations are sufficient to meet its outgoings for at least next year. Indications are that this will remain the case for the foreseeable future ## Financial reserves policy The charity aims to hold adequate reserve funding to meet unforeseen or new contingencies; to maintain a good cash flow; known operating commitments; and be able to close down in good order should the charity become financially unsustainable. The Trustees have referred to applicable Charity Commission requirements and Guidance in setting the charities financial reserves policy. The charity reserves are in cash and cash deposits. They arise from the accumulated surpluses of members’ subscriptions, donations and grants over expenditure. They also include surpluses accumulated by the previous voluntary group which were transferred to the charity on 09 December 2019. They are unrestricted and freely available to support any of the charities activities and expenses. In practice, our main priority is to fund the badger vaccination project and our fundraising campaigns emphasise this. Page 15 of 19 ## **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** The Trustee’s current policy is to maintain reserves at a level that will cover at least one year’s typical expenditure. Anything over and above this will be kept as a general contingency. The Trustees seek to build a larger reserve over time in order to support a planned expansion of the badger vaccination programme year on year. As at 31 December 2020 the reserves carried forward to 2021 were £8,238. This policy, and the level of reserves held by the charity will be kept under review. The Trustees intend to prioritise using the charities income and funds to support activities that directly benefit our work in the public interest. ## Details of any funds materially in deficit The charity has no funds which are materially in deficit. ## Statutory statements on liabilities The Trustees declare that: - The charity has given no guarantees where potential liability under the guarantee is outstanding at the date of this statement ( _eg:_ any outstanding/ongoing contract or legal undertaking to buy or provide specific services); and - The charity has no debt outstanding at the date of this statement which is owed by the CIO and which is secured by an express charge on any assets of the CIO ( _eg:_ a mortgage on property owned by the charity). Page 16 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** Statement of accounts for the period 09/12/2019 to 31/12/2021 Page 17 of 19 Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report Section B Statement of asset5 and liabilities at the end of the period Unreylrlcted tund$ Rè$trlcttrd funds to noW•4t£ Endowrnent fundb to nvwp4t£ dlegoryd to B1 Cash 275 CtrOpBatsk CA5h ￿41 rolal Galblj fuiNIs" Endowm•nt fundB to n•w•4t£ runds to n••r•stE fund to n•w•it£ Delallj Fufidtowhltth Coit lopUofi411 Curr•fit¥4lu• B3 Inv••tm•nt 188•ts Pundtowhlth •••tb•lon eurrtfitv4lu• 84 r•tJlnqd for ¢h• ¢h•rlW• own u•• Furtdttswhl( v•l4t DÈiall8 &gnq¢ byon9 0rtwlruste&8on beh£llof All thotius*es Date of Print NarnB R￿mARD TLLEY 05 io Zozi cexx R2 ISSI U611Q12021 Page 18 of 19 **Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report** ## Trustees approval: Signed on their behalf by: Linda Ward, Secretary and Trustee Date: 08 Oct 2021 Page 19 of 19