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Trustees report 2021/22
and financial statement
for the ear ended 31st Dec 2021
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Report dated 23[nd] October 2022
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 Trustees, Committee and organisational approach ............................................................... 4 Statutory declaration .............................................................................................................. 4 Activities and achievements – our officers reports .................................................................... 5 Membership ............................................................................................................................ 6 Badger records ........................................................................................................................ 7 Badger vaccination project ................................................................................................... 10 Badger rescue and welfare ................................................................................................... 12 Badger and other wildlife crime ........................................................................................... 13 Promotion of activities and social media .............................................................................. 13 Education: Reaching out for Badgers in 2022 ....................................................................... 15 Public outreach – fetes and fairs .......................................................................................... 16 Planning and development ................................................................................................... 17 Badger cull ............................................................................................................................. 18 Hutchcomb’s Copse .............................................................................................................. 18 Collaboration with other organisations .................................................................................... 19 Treasurer’s Financial Report ..................................................................................................... 20 2021 Receipts ........................................................................................................................ 20 2021 Payments ...................................................................................................................... 20 2021 Reporting...................................................................................................................... 21 Financial status...................................................................................................................... 21 Financial reserves policy ....................................................................................................... 21 Details of any funds materially in deficit .............................................................................. 21 Statutory statements on liabilities ........................................................................................ 21 Statement of accounts for financial year 01/01/2021 to 31/12/2021 ................................. 22
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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 | Julia Hammett (Chair) |
| Richard Tilley (Treasurer) | |
| Linda Ward (Secretary) | |
| Eileen Anderson (Education and outreach) | |
| Committee members | Simon Boulter, Karl Moore, Keiron Ward, Debbie White and Barbara Witkowski |
| Banks | The Co-operative Bank, P O Box 250, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT (primary) PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. et Cie, S.C.A. 22-24 Boulevard Royal L-2449 Luxembourg |
| Public Liability | Zurich insurance, The Zurich Centre, 3000 Parkway, Whiteley, Fareham, Hampshire PO15 7JZ |
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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 (CIO) with voting members. 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.
Charitable Objects
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To promote, for the public benefit, the conservation and protection of badgers, their setts and habitats in Oxfordshire and elsewhere; and
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To advance the education of the public on the ecology, behaviour and protected status of badgers, their setts and habitats.
Trustees, Committee and organisational approach
The charity Trustees during the period of this report were: Julia Hammett (Chair), Richard Tilley (Treasurer), and Linda Ward (Secretary). Members confirmed these appointments at OBG’s first Annual General Meeting held 5[th] June 2021. Our second AGM held on 20[th] August appointed Eileen Anderson (education and outreach), as Trustee.
Other members of the Committee during the report period were:
Emily Lawrence (crime liaison and public relations), Karl Moore (licenced vaccinator), Keiron Ward (licenced trapper), Debbie White (vaccination and rescue coordinator) and Barbara Witkowski (records officer). Simon Boulter (an ecologist) joined the Committee on 2[nd] October 2022.
Our Constitution specifies that there must be at least 3 charity Trustees to a maximum of 12. The Chair, Treasurer and Secretary are ex officio charity Trustees. The Charity is seeking to recruit one or more additional trustees and has made a role description available via the website. In appointing Trustees, consideration will be given to ensuring the Trustees have, between them, the skills and experience necessary to manage the charity effectively and in accordance with charity law.
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] .
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.
1 Membership of the charity costs £12 per year per household (or £6 concessionary rate)
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Activities and achievements – our officers reports
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.
OBG began as a not-for profit organisation in January 1989. This is our second annual Trustees report since becoming a registered charity in December 2019. It covers the period 1[st] January 2021 to 31[st] August 2022. Late breaking news includes the appointment of Simon Boulter to the Committee on 2[nd] October.
Our charity’s activities have focused on badger rescue; vaccination; study & record keeping; public education and awareness raising. We undertake conservation work, take part in planning consultations, lobby against badger culling and encourage the reporting of wildlife crime.
We are fortunate to have many supporters and a growing number of wonderful volunteers who give their time and experience freely to help badgers. We are funded entirely by public donations and grants and have no paid staff. Most of our funding goes to run our badger vaccination and rescue programmes.
OBG is committed to providing training and supporting our volunteers. We have worked to put systems and protocols in place to encourage best and safe practices.
Highlights of this report include – several successful and high profile rescues; doubling the land covered by the vaccination programme; increased badger sett and sighting reporting; and initiating an educational outreach programme in schools.
In August 2022 the charity purchased Hutchcomb’s Copse, a small (2.05 acre) parcel of ancient and semi-ancient woodland close to Oxford City. This is a major and exciting new departure for the Charity. The aim is to protect, preserve and enhance a wildlife reserve – including an established breeding badger sett – from the threat of development. We will be mounting a major fund raising campaign to cover the purchase cost.
Oxfordshire Badger Group has been making very positive news. More and more people are coming to us for help and advice when badgers get into difficulty. It’s been a very busy time but it is good to know that our work is benefiting badgers and their human neighbours.
Thank you for your interest and support.
- Julia Hammett, Richard Tilley, Eileen Anderson and Linda Ward (Trustees)
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Membership
Our members are at the heart of Oxfordshire Badger Group and new members are always welcome. One thing we have in common is a love of badgers and other wildlife and a desire to celebrate and protect the natural world.
Paid membership is a must for volunteers who work in the field and/or represent Oxfordshire Badger Group. Membership fees are £12 per household per year (£6 concession). £2 of this goes to the Badger Trust and allows members to take part in the Trusts’ events and AGM.
There is no pressure on members to volunteer in our activities, though many do. Many others are content to just be kept informed of our work and badger related news. We try to organise at least one badger watching session per year. We provide relevant fieldwork training for those taking part in our rescue, vaccination and field work programmes. There are a lot of other things going on – members can expect to get invitations to help out with funding campaigns, awareness raising, sett survey walks, field work, 'office work', signing petitions, lobbying decision makers, responding to planning applications, public enquiries, sales events and so on.
Oxford is a large county and we hope every member will look out for badgers in their local area.
Interest in membership and volunteering has been boosted by positive media coverage and a social media presence that is both authoritative and fun. Many people are attracted to join by the opportunity to take part in our rescue and vaccination programmes. We are also looking for volunteers interested in helping with administrative activities such as fundraising, dealing with enquiries, managing the website. If you have skills and time to offer we’d love to hear from you.
- Linda Ward, Secretary
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Badger records
Oxfordshire Badger Group holds secure records of reported deaths, live sightings and setts dating back over five decades. This highly sensitive, confidential information underpins our vital rescue and vaccination work and underpins all our activities.
Professional requests for data
We maintain protected records and offer a professional, chargeable data search service to vetted agencies that can prove that they have a legitimate reason to require information about the presence of badgers in a specific area.
Oxfordshire Badger Group welcomes the opportunity to liaise with developers and Local Authorities sharing expertise to inform and improve development plans that enhance rather than exclude badgers from the environment. We have a mutual data sharing agreement with the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) to facilitate connection between agencies and ensure that badgers and their habitats are considered and protected.
January – December 2021 : One data request received, but the ecologists decided not to pursue the report. No data requests have been received in the first eight months of 2022.
Reflection:
Developers & ecologists are performing their due diligence by asking TVERC for an initial data search. The reports that TVERC produce always advise that the developers should then contact OBG for more accurate information than TVERC have, but perhaps the developers feel that the TVERC data search is adequate.
The lack of professional data requests not only impacts negatively on the income to the Oxfordshire Badger Group. It also raises serious concerns that development of land is going ahead across the county without proper research into the prevalence of badgers, putting animals at risk instead of shaping plans that will accommodate this protected species.
Casualty reports
A core group of OBG members from across the county volunteer to check dead badgers & report back on their health (and arrange rescue if viable) or if pronounced dead, to check it’s gender and lactation status in case there may be vulnerable cubs nearby that required our assistance. The months marked with * on the table below indicate when this activity takes place.
The activity has generated several reports of new setts, as well as improved records of the gender and approximate age of badgers found dead. Close inspection of the bodies allows us to check for signs of suspicious circumstances of death, as yet none have been found.
January – December 2021
287 dead badgers were reported between 1[st] January 2021 and the end of December 2021.
The numbers are grim but sadly not notably higher than in previous years, and our reach has grown substantially with the addition of new reporters across the county. Most were killed on roads. One dead cub was found near a sett and another seen on farmland from a footpath, both during dry summer months and neither was thought to be suspicious. Four other badgers were found dead in
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
parks, college grounds and woodland. OBG members checked the bodies, one of which was sent for post mortem.
Casualties per month:
| Season/ Year |
Winter 2021 | Spring 2021 | Summer 2021 |
Autumn 2021 |
Winter 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar* - 41 | June *- 24 | Sept – 28 | Dec - 5 | ||
| Jan - 4 | Apr*- 35 | July - 19 | Oct – 22 | ||
| Feb* - 48 | May*- 36 | Aug - 12 | Nov – 13 | ||
| Total dead | 52 | 112 | 55 | 63 | 5 |
Total deaths reported annually:
2018 = 161 2019 = 165 2020 = 150 2021 = 287
Hotspots for deaths on the county’s roads in 2021:
A40: More than 30 deaths reported along the road’s length with particular hotspots at Shotover / Sandhills (13 deaths), between Old Marston and Barton (10 deaths) and around Witney (7 deaths).
A34: 22 deaths in total with hotspots between Wytham and Hinksey Hill interchange (12 deaths).
A420: 9 deaths between the Botley interchange and Besselsleigh, a further 11 deaths reported south of Besselsleigh.
A4074: 14 deaths between Reading & Oxford, with clusters of deaths at the familiar hotspots near the Dorchester bypass (4 deaths), Sandford On Thames (3 deaths) and around Nuneham Courtenay & the Arboretum.
There have been notable numbers of reports from the A415 (Culham continues to be a hotspot), B4009 around Chinnor and Aston Rowant and the A4260 around Deddington. The rise in reports from these areas reflects an increasing number of OBG members who regularly travel these roads.
The A40, A34, A420 and A4074 have again claimed the most lives in the first six months of 2022.
January – end June 2022
191 dead badgers have been reported in 2022 between 1[st] January and the end of June.
| Month | January* | February* | March* | April* | May* | June* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths | 14 | 45 | 47 | 43 | 22 | 20 |
- = Period when dead badgers are checked for gender and lactation status.
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Sett records:
The updates on previously recorded setts are very welcome as they provide a history of the sett and it’s health over a period of years, and sometimes several decades. Reports of new setts come in from a variety of sources:
-
From members of the public concerned about development of land where there is a sett.
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From sett surveying days organised by OBG to explore areas of the county where we have sparse records or where development is planned.
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From methodical surveying of private land by landowners taking part in 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.
The increased amount of rescue call outs to injured or ill badgers across the county have generated new records of badger setts and signs in new areas.
| 2021 | January – end June 2022 |
|---|---|
| 252 new and updated sett reports, raising the total number of records to just over 1480 collected since the 1970s. |
252 new and updated sett reports |
Sightings of live badgers
Members of the public and OBG members continue to share their experiences of seeing badgers with us, many from trail cameras. We really appreciate receiving reports about live sightings; they reveal where badgers are living and also describe the genuine excitement that people feel on seeing a live badger going about it’s normal activities.
Two notable sightings from the records in 2022: an erythristic badger was seen by a dog walker on Salt Way, Banbury in broad daylight; and an urban badger spotted near Cowley gave a cyclist a shock when it barrelled out in front of him. Luckily a collision was avoided & the badger was observed diving back into the scrub adjacent to the cycle path.
| 2021 | January – end June 2022 |
|---|---|
| 27 live sightings | 11 live sightings |
My sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed their time, effort and reports to our records.
Barbara Witkowski, Records Officer, July 2022
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Badger vaccination project
Oxfordshire Badger Group works with farmers, 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.
Bovine tuberculosis is a disease in cattle that has spread into the wildlife population, including badgers. Through badger vaccination, we aim to reduce the transmission and spread of the disease in the badger population and reduce the risk to cattle.
We believe it is important to offer a humane and equally effective alternative to culling. More and more landowners want to vaccinate their badgers.
During our 2021 season , we were able to double the area of vaccination land. This was made possible by a successful GoFundMe appeal, a kind donation from Waitrose & Partners, Wantage, and a grant from the Badger Trust. Funds were used for vaccine and consumables. We were also able to pay for more of our existing volunteers to train to become licenced to trap and vaccinate via our Natural England Licence.
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Our 2022 vaccination season was successfully completed in September.
In April 2022, we held a well-attended volunteers introduction session, signing up just over 20 new volunteers.
We enjoyed a lively social and educational event at Wytham Woods Sawmill.
New farms and landowners made for a very busy season, but together with our amazing core team, the new volunteers have learned quickly and become indispensable.
Vaccination highlights
Some highlights from the vaccination programme – all health checked, vaccinated and released by our volunteers.
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
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. Our teams are on call to advise the public and landowners who may have concerns about the welfare of badgers in their community. In 2020 we attended 18 rescues and incidents.
Thankfully, 2021 was quieter than previous years, with only six rescues, over half of which were cubs. The rescues involved support feeding orphaned cubs, a road traffic collision, and a badger cub with a plastic bag stuck around its neck. Our teams also visited several sites to give advice. In January, several team members attended the Secret World training event on ‘Rescue, care and rehabilitation of badgers
So far, 2022 has been a busy year for the rescue teams, with 15 rescues to date. The rescues have been a mixture of cubs, road traffic collisions, and badgers in poor condition or with injuries. We have used Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue and Nutkin Ward for all veterinary treatment, donating to both for each rescue.
Elsa, a ‘white’ cub, rescued June 2022 Debbie said “ she is a tiny fighter and now eating on her own. All badgers are special, but occasionally one just gets you straight in the heart. I first saw this little one hiding under a bin, barely able to walk. Kudos to Oxfordshire wildlife rescue for her care.
When we released Elsa back to her family, I've never seen a badger so quickly recognise her home and so keen to be released.”
Elsa, the white badger cub, and the badger in the skateboard park both received a lot of media attention, which highlights our work.
Thank you to all of the rescue team, not only for the rescues but for helping monitor and support feed cubs and elderly badgers.
- Debbie White, Rescue and Vaccination Coordinator
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Badger and other wildlife crime
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. 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 suitably trained and this is achieved via periodic online crime training sessions provided by Craig Fellows, the Badger Trust Crime officer.
To reiterate all crimes to badgers should be reported to the police online or via 101. Please make sure you get a crime number and then send all these details into the Badger Trust.
There have been ongoing problems with the Thames Valley Police forces ability to respond to badger crime reports in a timely and effective way. OBG has collated and raised several examples of concern. The Inspector leading the Thames Valley Police Rural Crime Taskforce attended our AGM in August. He explained the how the Taskforce is organising to tackle rural crime, the challenges they face and outlined measures that should improve the forces’ response to badger crime reports in future. We continue to monitor the situation.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to report crime into us or to BT. It is sad for the badgers but by recording all the statistics it really paints a picture of what badgers in Oxfordshire are facing. I am happy to talk to anyone who needs advice or assistance on badger related crime.
Emily Lawrence
Promotion of activities and social media
Oxfordshire Badger Group understands how important social media is in attracting new members, spreading our message and engaging with the general public.
Currently, 1,380 people like our page and 1,457 people follow us.
Between the 6th July - 2nd August 2022, our posts reached a huge 7.2k and 8 new people liked our page. The most popular post was a share of the new badger bedding at Asda creating the most reactions to a post with 229 likes, 22 shares. It reached 4000 people.
The second was a rescue that at a skate park in Oxford. This reached 1000 people, had 92 likes and 10 shares. This story reached local media and so reached an even higher audience.
Twitter has been very good for engagement this year and less posting has improved engagement to ensure followers aren’t saturated with content.
We have 1696 twitter followers and our average rate of engagement is usually is around 500 impressions (How much it is seen in feeds), but we have had some stories in 2022 that have gone way above this. Twitter has been very successful in helping direct people to donate via our
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vaccination fundraiser. Our post about the vaccination of the pure white badger achieved 6529 impressions/ 522 engagements
A tweet we put out with the video of the skate park badger being released had 4224 impressions and 180 engagements. A tweet that we put out regarding a rescue we were called to by Thames Valley police was one of our most popular tweets at 7041 impressions.
We had lots of coverage about the rescue of Elsa the white badger cub. We shared Debbie’s tweets on this. The Badger Trust, Oxfordshire Wildlife rescue, Keep the Ban and Dominic Dyer (wildlife campaigner) also shared the story in their words on their own channels which increased our reach.
Where relevant our posts explain how the public can help badgers as in these examples. In 2022, Facebook posts asking the public to put out water in the hot weather for wildlife reached over 1000 people.
Summary
All in all a really good year on social media with the vaccination and rescue teams providing lots of interesting content to share. Next steps are promoting other areas of our work including development and education on our platforms. We do a lot of work in these areas which is largely unseen. We haven’t needed to use Facebook Ads in 2022, maybe this is an area we can look into for recruiting new people or sharing any big fundraisers we may have in the future.
We are thinking of different ways to promote our fundraising. Facebook has seen a decline across the whole industry with younger people moving to platforms like Tik Tok so OBG may have to think about where the future of its social media lies. In March 2021 we opened an Instagram account that now has 699 followers
Emily Lawrence
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Education: Reaching out for Badgers in 2022
In the Spring of 2022 engagement and support was sought from Oxfordshire Badger Group (OBG) as part of the campaign to save the Horse Fields and Memorial Field in Iffley Village. The Horse Fields is the home of Luna the White Badger, and the Friends of the Fields Iffley wish to protect these fields for her, for the Badger clan living there for many years and for the rich habitat on these ancient meadows which connects with the blue green corridor along the Thames. Oxford City Council purchased the land in 2020 and it is designated for housing development.
As part of our support for the campaign, OBG Committee Members Julia and Eileen attended three local schools[2] to provide a ‘Badger Assembly’ and Eileen and Evelyn Sanderson, Co-ordinator of Friends of the Fields, Iffley Campaign attended a fourth school[3] to provide a classroom-based event. Following this last event, the children wrote to their local Councillor saying why the Fields should be saved from development. We were able to broaden this session to look at biodiversity more generally and the benefits for all of us of being in and protecting nature at this time of emergencies for people and planet
Some two hundred children took part in these events. Most were 7–8-year-olds, whilst Iffley Academy students who have special educational needs were in some cases older.
Children were wonderfully engaged, enthusiastic and bursting with questions. We shared information about how badgers live and encouraged the children to help us to protect them. Watching the video about Iffley Fields, narrated by Peggy Seeger a famous folk singer, prompted discussion of protecting where Luna and her clan live. Subsequently, some children asked their parents to take them to ‘see where Luna lives.’
We look forward to invitations from schools to meet and ‘talk Badger’ with more children after the summer break. Friends of the Fields Iffley will also be providing an update on Luna and her family.
This photograph is shared with the permission of parents and the school. Frodo the taxidermy badger was universally loved!
– Eileen Anderson, Education & Outreach
2 Rosehill Primary, St Mary and St John Primary, Iffley Academy
3 Larkrise Primary
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Public outreach – fetes and fairs
In the summer of 2022, we were able to start taking OBG’s message to the general public via our stall at suitable fetes and fairs. Thanks to the easing of the pandemic restrictions, there was no shortage of suitable events The season kicked off at the Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue’s easter bank holiday Fete. Our badger took part in the obstacle race and dancing much to the crowd’s delight.
Many people came to share their love of badgers, to talk about badger problems, their concerns about the Cull or just for information. Our child friendly stall offered games, drawing material and puzzles, using educational material provided by the Badger Trust. Our three stuffed badgers- Frodo, Sam and Gandalf - were a great attraction. Our new information posters were also well received, especially our (in)famous ‘Badger Poo Poster’!
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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.
The scale of development planned for Oxfordshire is daunting and many of the proposals are likely to impact the badger population. During the period of this report new development threats have emerged in the form of massive solar farms and industrial warehousing. The Environment Agencies’ proposal for the £123 million Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme threatens multiple badger setts along its length.
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 smaller proposals that nevertheless, can be devastating to badgers.
We encourage our members and the public to contact us as early as possible in the planning process if they are concerned that badger setts or foraging areas will be impacted. It is very difficult to influence proposals once planning permission has been granted. The following are examples of current developments where we hope to make a real difference in ensuring the best possible outcome for badgers.
Eynsham Garden Village : OBG is concerned that plans for this green field site would lead to the loss of many setts. We are working closely with Council Officers to suggest mitigation measures.
Land north of Bayswater Brook, Barton : OBG taken part in consultations from the concept stage 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. Our feedback was received positively. Recently we submitted comments on the outline plans and will continue to be involved throughout the planning process.
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. The developer, Pye Homes is proud to have achieved a higher-than-average biodiversity net gain by incorporating natural landscaping to encourage and protect local wildlife, including the introduction of badger corridors. We know, because they have advertised this on the buses !
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.
- Julia Hammett and Richard Tilley
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
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. The 2021 culling season opened at the end of August and covered a larger area of the county than previously due to the addition of a second cull zone licence. In March 2022 we reported that 1254 badgers were culled in Oxfordshire in 2021 - up from 1040 in the previous year. We were appalled to see the number of badgers killed by the cruel and inhumane ‘free shooting’ method has increased from 61% to 80% , meaning that many more animals are likely to have suffered a painful and lingering death.
Oxfordshire Badger Group believe that the vaccination of badgers in the county is a more humane and cost effective alternative. We are proud to offer a vaccination service to landowners. We continue to call on the Government to stop the cull. Badgers in Oxfordshire are already under threat due to the unprecedented level of housing developments. Culling an iconic, protected native mammal on such an intensive scale is not acceptable in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world.
We encourage our members and supporters to oppose the cull by all legal means possible.
Hutchcomb’s Copse
In August 2022 Oxfordshire Badger Group completed the purchase of Hutchcomb’s Copse. This is 2.05 acres of ancient and semi ancient broad leaf woodland on Cumnor Hill (OX29 HE) close to Oxford City. Our professional valuation report described it as “ a quiet gem of a woodland that is secluded and largely untouched.” Importantly, the wood is home to a wellestablished breeding badger sett. Hence the purchase will allow us to directly protect and study a badger clan.
The Copse is part of a larger, ecologically important green space within an otherwise urban area.
We intend to manage the Copse sensitively to enhance it’s potential as a wildlife reserve and training/ volunteer asset.
The purchase was completed with the aid of an unsecured Trustee loan. The Charity plans to crowdfund the repayment costs to secure the Copse for posterity.
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Collaboration with other organisations
Oxfordshire Badger Group believes that collaboration as essential to deliver our charities’ aims. We have established ongoing operating relationships with the following organisations.
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.
Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT): Our local wildlife Trust shares a keen interest in badger welfare, opposes culling and vaccinate against bTB. BBOWT is able to provide local training for 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. We regularly hold social and training events at Wytham Woods.
Wildlife rescue and Hospitals : Our rescue service captures badgers in need of care and take them to a suitable wildlife hospital. We work primarily with ‘local’ centres within striking distance of Oxfordshire - includingThe Nutkin Ward; Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue; and the Vale Wildlife Hospital.
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.
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Treasurer’s Financial Report
This is the charities’ second financial report. It includes a Statement of Accounts for the period 01 January 2021-31 December 2021, along with figures for our first CIO period 2019/2020 for comparison. As a CIO with 2021 income of £10,339, OBG’s accounts do not require Independent Examination until our gross income exceeds £25,000, unless a specific request is made by membership at the AGM. No request was made at the latest AGM on 22[nd] August 2022.
2021 Receipts
Sales - With events curtailed by Covid, sales remained at very reduced level. Dedicated sales were started to finance the OBG Conference planned for November 2022.
Interest - No interest accrues to our Co-Op bank account.
Gift Aid – The Charity is able to claim Gift Aid on donations and this is helping boost our income.
Badger Trust Grant - In May 2021 OBG received a Badger Trust Vaccination Grant of £1,963.00. This funded one Module 3 Vaccinator course and four the Module 2 Trapper courses.
Members’ Subscriptions – Up 76% in volume on previous year reflecting a larger than usual new intake of volunteers.
Donations - Comprise 59% of OBG’s income in 2021. As last year, the outstanding feature of our accounts is the continued generosity of our members and supporters, who continue to be the mainstay of our funding. The Trustees thank all our members and supporters and hope for continue support despite the current pressure on everyone’s cost of living.
The Secretary has worked to increase OBG fundraising and income by using online tools which support charities. 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.
Professional Fees: OBG received payment of £675 from APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency).
2021 Payments
Insurance – Annual insurance continued at £565.86 in October 2021, to cover OBG’s expansion of field activities, including sett surveying, badger rescue and vaccination.
Badger Trust Levy and Donation - OBG is a full member of the Badger and as such, pays an annual fee based on membership numbers.
Badger Rescue Equipment – In March 2021 OBG spent the last £418.45 of our 2020 Clare Hammacott £1,472 Grant from the Badger Trust on equipment for badger rescues. The Grant enabled us to complete equipment purchase for 7 rescue teams.
Badger Vaccination – 81% of OBG’s expenditure in 2021 has been towards the vaccination project, including purchase of equipment, vaccines, expendables and training of volunteer trappers and vaccinators.
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
2021 Reporting
The Trustees’ first Annual Report and Accounts for 2019/2020 were submitted to the Charity Commission on 8th October 2021.
2019/2020 Tax Returns and accounts for HMRC, to confirm that, as a charity, OBG should be exempt from Corporation Tax, were submitted online on 11th November 2021.
At year end, 31st December 2021, OBG funds totalled £10,334.27, up 25% on year end 2020.
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.
Our policy is to try and maintain reserves sufficient to cover one year’s typical expenditure. Anything over and above this will be kept as a general contingency. This policy, and the level of reserves held by the charity is reviewed annually.
As at 31 December 2021 the reserves carried forward to 2022 were £10,334.27
Details of any funds materially in deficit
The charity has no funds which are materially in deficit.
Richard Tilley, Treasurer, 20[TH] October 2022
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
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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).
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Oxfordshire Badger Group: Trustees Annual Report
Statement of accounts for financial year 01/01/2021 to 31/12/2021
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Charity Name No (if any) OXFORDSHIRE BADGER GROUP 1186850 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01/01/2021 31/12/2021
Section A Receipts and payments
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 787 6,095 1,963 381 438 675 - - 10,339 - - - 10,339 566 100 85 63 93 418 6,129 615 174 8,243 - - - 8,243 2,096 - 8,238 10,334 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 787 6,095 1,963 381 438 675 - - 10,339 - - - 10,339 566 100 85 63 93 418 6,129 615 174 8,243 - - - 8,243 2,096 |
Total funds to the nearest £ 787 6,095 1,963 381 438 675 - - 10,339 - - - 10,339 566 100 85 63 93 418 6,129 615 174 8,243 - - - 8,243 2,096 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Members' subscriptions | 787 | - | ||||
| Donations | 6,095 | - | ||||
| Grants | 1,963 | - | ||||
| Sales | 381 | - | ||||
| Gift Aid | 438 | - | ||||
| APHApayments | 675 | - | ||||
| Professional services | - | - | ||||
| Interest | - | - | ||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
10,339 | - | ||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | - | |||||
| Sub total | - | - | ||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| Insurance | 566 | - | ||||
| Badger Trust levyand donation | 100 | - | ||||
| Donations to wildlife hospitals | 85 | - | ||||
| Hall ans stall hire,& office supplies | 63 | - | ||||
| PayPal fees | 93 | - | ||||
| Equipment for badger rescues | 418 | - | ||||
| Equipment for vaccinationprogramme | 6,129 | - | ||||
| Trainingfor vaccination | 615 | - | ||||
| Travel expenses | 174 | - | ||||
| **Sub total ** | 8,243 | - | ||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | ||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| 2,096 | - | - | 2,096 | - | ||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 8,238 | - | - | 8,238 | - | ||
| 10,334 | - | - | 10,334 | - |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
23/10/2022
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds |
Details Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Co-Op bank account Cash float Details Signature |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 10,294 - 40 - - - 10,334 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name RICHARD TILLEY |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| RICHARD TILLEY | 20/10/2022 | ||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
23/10/2022
2