Oxfordshire Badger Group
Registered Charity (England and Wales) 1186850
Annual Report
01[st] January 22 to 31[st] July 2023 Financial Statement for the year ended 31st Dec 2022
Signed on behalf of the Trustees Linda Ward Date: 3rd October 2023
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Contents
Reference and administrative details ......................................................................................... 2 Structure, governance, and management .................................................................................. 3 Type of governing document .................................................................................................. 3 Charitable objects ................................................................................................................... 3 Trustees, committee, and organisational approach ............................................................... 3 Statutory declaration of charitable activities ......................................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4 Activities and achievements – our officers reports .................................................................... 5 Chairs report ........................................................................................................................... 5 Secretary report ...................................................................................................................... 5 Membership ............................................................................................................................ 6 Badger records ........................................................................................................................ 6 Badger vaccination project ................................................................................................... 10 Badger rescue and welfare ................................................................................................... 13 Badger and other wildlife crime ........................................................................................... 14 Promotion of activities and social media .............................................................................. 15 Outreach and education report ............................................................................................ 16 Planning and development ................................................................................................... 18 The badger cull ...................................................................................................................... 19 Hutchcomb’s Copse – One year on ....................................................................................... 20 Collaboration with other organisations .................................................................................... 22 Treasurer Report 2022 .............................................................................................................. 23 Basis of accounting ............................................................................................................... 23 Financial reserves policy ....................................................................................................... 24 Details of any funds materially in deficit .............................................................................. 25 Statutory statements on liabilities ........................................................................................ 25 Statement of accounts 01/01/22 to 31/12/22 ..................................................................... 26
OBG Annual Report 2022/23
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| 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) | |
| Eileen Anderson (Education and Outreach) | |
| 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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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.
As defined in our Constitution (Governing Document) the charity’s objects are:
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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.
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 Trustees during the period of this report were: Julia Hammett (Chair), Richard Tilley (Treasurer), Linda Ward (Secretary) and Eileen Anderson (Education and Outreach). Members confirmed these appointments at our first Annual General Meeting held 5[th] June 2021.
The Charity is seeking to recruit additional trustees and has made a role description available via the website. In appointing additional or replacement Trustee, 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.
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 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 (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 third annual Trustees report since becoming a registered charity in December 2019. It covers the period 1[st] January 2022 to 31[th] July 2023.
Our group covers a full range of services as might be expected of a full member of the Badger Trust: badger rescue & welfare; vaccination against bovine TB; study of badgers & 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.
Sadly, much of Oxfordshire is threatened by the badger cull. After 3 years of culling we are starting to see a reduction in badger numbers in the cull zone. We continue to lobby government to end culling badgers since it is cruel and ineffective.
This has been our first full year as owners of Hutchcomb’s Copse. It has been a time of exploration, to understand the woodland in all seasons. From this we shall draw up a fiveyear management plan and get to work protecting and enhancing the woods continuing potential as a biodiverse wildlife haven.
We thank all our wonderful volunteers who give their time and experience freely to help badgers. We also thank our many supporters and everyone who has donated to our work. We are funded entirely by public donations and grants and have no paid staff.
Thank you for your interest and support.
Eileen Anderson, Julia Hammett, Richard Tilley and Linda Ward (Trustees)
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It’s been another busy year for OBG. This is the 5[th] year of badger vaccination for the dedicated team of volunteers. Teams have been out at all hours and in all weathers to rescue injured badgers and we thank them for their sterling efforts. Oxfordshire continues to face unprecedented levels of housebuilding and we are finding it difficult to keep up with reviewing the applications. As well as green fields, ecologically rich areas in Oxford are being concreted over and badger setts are being lost at an unprecedented rate.
Culling already takes place across an estimated 60% of Oxfordshire. We estimate that over 5000 badgers were killed between 2020-2022. Many more will needlessly die during the 2023 cull period which begins in September. As though this wasn’t enough it looks like Oxfordshire could be subjected to ‘epidemiological badger culling’ pilots. These would aim to kill every badger (100%). If epidemiological culling becomes policy we fear badgers would be driven to local extinction across large areas of the county. Culling would also continue indefinitely, in response to new herd breakdowns. A DEFRA consultation is to take place this autumn. Oxfordshire Badger Group will argue strongly against proposals to introduce epidemiological culling.
Oxfordshire Badger Group belongs to our members – you are at the heart of all we do. We also value the vital contribution made by our kind donors and the many supporters who follow us via the newsletters and on social media. We all share a love of badgers and a desire to celebrate and protect the natural world. Oxfordshire badgers are – literally – coming under fire as scapegoats for the spread of bTB. We need strength in numbers to oppose this government’s flawed badger cull policy.
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 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.
As of 1[st] September 2023, we have just under 400 subscribers to our mailing list. Of these, 118 are registered members of the group. However, around 20% are in arrears with their subscriptions. According to our constitution, membership will lapse “if any sum of money owed by the member to the CIO is not paid in full within six months of its falling due”.
OBG is a membership group, led by four trustees and a small committee. The more paid members we have the better – first because we need a pool of volunteers to call on; the numbers help boost the charities profile; and not least since we need the subscriptions to operate. Your annual membership fee of £12 (£6 for concessions) is needed to cover essential running expenses such as 3rd party insurance, website hosting and so on.
Can you help run our ‘behind the scenes’ activities?
We are always looking for volunteers interested in helping with administrative activities such as membership; finance/ treasurer work, fundraising (including sales), dealing with planning
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applications, public enquiries, managing the website and social media or looking after Hutchcomb’s Copse. If you have time to offer, we’d love to hear from you.
I believe that OBG is well run by our super-dedicated Trustees and committee BUT we really need more people to pitch in, learn the ropes, help do some of the work and bring new ideas.
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The membership fee is fixed at £12 per household per year but now runs monthly and will no longer expire at the end of each calendar year.
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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.
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OBG pays £2 of the membership fee to the Badger Trust. This entitles members to attend Badger Trust training events and Annual General Meetings.
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Members may join in volunteer activities such as badger rescue, vaccination and checking road casualties (RTAs).
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We provide mentoring / training and have produced protocols and guidelines for people taking part in these core volunteer activities.
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Our ‘social’ activities are open to all and usually advertised via our free mailing list.
- Linda Ward, Secretary
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 2022 : No data requests received during 2022.
January – end June 2023:
One data request received: following provision of a data search and report the ecological consultants donated to Oxfordshire Badger Group.
The single data request received during this 18 month period is evidence of the trend noted in last year’s report: that the majority of developers and ecologists are not seeking detailed, up-to-date information about the prevalence of this protected species.
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Casualty reports
Road Traffic Collision checks:
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.
Oxfordshire Badger Group were amongst many groups and individuals across the country to participate in a study run by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to ascertain the incidence of Bovine Tb in the wild badger population. The study began in April 2021 and ran until September 2022. The results are yet to be published.
January – December 2022
271 dead badgers were reported between 1[st] January 2022 and the end of December 2022.
This total is just slightly lower than the 287 recorded in 2021 and it reflects the increasing number of volunteers and members of the public who report what they see across the county to us. Their time and effort is much appreciated
Most badgers were killed on roads.
One thin juvenile male was collected from a school playing field and a dead cub was found on a footpath, both during the dry spring. One badger was reported after having drowned. An OBG member was called to check on a dead badger found to have died from bite wounds consistent with having been attacked by other badgers or dogs. Three badgers were found dead in or next to their setts and three more were found in college grounds, a barn and on a path in Wytham Woods. OBG liaised with Wytham Woods who did not believe the death to be suspicious.
Table 1: Casualties recorded per month in 2022
| Season/ Year |
Winter 2021/2 |
Spring 2022 |
Summer 2022 |
Autumn 2022 |
Winter 2022/3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar* - 50 | June *- 12 | Sept - 13 | Dec – 3 | ||
| Jan - 14 | Apr*- 52 | July - 24 | Oct - 17 | ||
| Feb* - 43 | May*- 24 | Aug - 15 | Nov - 4 | ||
| Total dead | 57 | 126 | 51 | 34 | 3 |
Hotspots for deaths on the county’s roads in 2022:
A34: 22 deaths again this year in total with hotspots around Gosford and the stretch between North Hinksey and Abingdon.
A40: 20 deaths reported along the road’s length with particular hotspots around Witney (8 deaths) and the Northern Bypass (7 deaths).
A420: Also saw 20 deaths reported along its length in Oxfordshire with hotspots again between the Botley interchange and Besselsleigh, and a further 12 deaths reported south of Besselsleigh.
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A4074: 10 deaths along the road to the Berkshire border, with clusters of deaths at the familiar hotspots at the Dorchester bypass and around Nuneham Courtenay & the Arboretum. A44: 10 deaths also reported along the busy A44, with several around Begbroke and Enstone.
There was a spike in deaths on the A423 Eastern Bypass road where four badgers were killed during spring and a further two in autumn. Checks were made where safe to do so, nothing suspicious was found.
There continued to be numerous reports from the A415 (Culham continues to be a hotspot), B4009 around Chinnor and Aston Rowant and the A4260 around Deddington.
January – end June 2023
137 dead badgers have been reported in 2023 between 1[st] January and the end of June. During the same period last year, 195 dead badgers were recorded.
The difference could be due to a wide range of innocuous factors such as changes in the routes and behaviour of the reporters, but the ongoing cull continues to eradicate badgers from large areas of Oxfordshire and the reduction of the badger population is becoming more apparent.
Table 2: Casualties recorded per month in 2023
| Month | January* | February* | March* | April* | May* | June* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths |
9 | 32 | 24 | 27 | 22 | 23 |
- = Period when dead badgers are checked for gender and lactation status.
Hotspots for deaths on the county’s roads in first six months of 2023:
A40 – 17 deaths reported
A420 – 11 deaths reported A4074 and A4260 - 9 deaths reported on each road A44 – 8 deaths reported A34 – 7 deaths reported.
Total deaths reported annually:
2017 = 95 2018 = 161 2019 = 165 2020 = 150 2021 = 287 2022 = 271
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Fig 1. Chart representing the number of badger deaths (y axis) recorded per month (x axis) each year since 2017
Sett records:
Oxfordshire Badger Group holds details of setts that began to be recorded over fifty years ago. Our confidential archive reveals stories of the movements of badgers across the county: setts abandoned, destroyed or otherwise lost, new setts excavated, unknown setts discovered and ancient setts still in active, healthy use.
Reports of new setts come in from a variety of sources:
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From members of the public concerned about development of land where they know 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 who have signed up to our vaccination programme. These extremely confidential records are held separately and are excluded from data sharing agreements and professional data searches.
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From rescue call-outs to injured or ill badgers across the county and from visits by OBG to concerned members of the public who seek advice about living with badgers – the work of our expert volunteers often uncovers badger setts and signs in new areas.
Updates on previously recorded setts are very welcome as they provide a history of the sett and its health over a period of years, and sometimes several decades.
January – December 2022
A total of 103 new sett reports were added to the OBG records in 2022, along with several updates to older records.
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January – end June 2023
A further 90+ new & updated sett reports have been received during the first half of 2023 bringing the total number of records close to 1750.
Sightings of live badgers
We love to receive reports of badgers going about their business. Their presence is often picked up by trail or doorbell cameras owned by residents who wouldn’t otherwise have been aware of the nocturnal life around them.
Most reports are of single badgers hurrying past, but there have been a few families of adults with cubs who visit gardens to tidy up fallen apples and uneaten cat food. A garden trail camera showed a clan of four adults including a veteran badger whom OBG assisted with supplementary feeding some years ago, he’s still going strong. Another lucky badger ran to safety after snacking in the middle of a dark road.
January – December 2022
29 live sightings
January – end June 2023
4 live sightings.
Our sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed their time, effort and reports to our records.
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.
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2023 season
We were delighted to be awarded a Badger Trust Vaccination Grant, worth just under £2000. This allowed us to purchase two additional vaccine fridge batteries. It also funded consumables needed to equip the volunteers and to buy some all-important bTB vaccine.
The volunteer team are now working their way through the 5th year of badger vaccination in Oxfordshire. This means some of the areas will have reached their final year of the recommended 4 years of vaccination.
It is quite sad to be leaving some beautiful sites that we have fallen in love with over the past few years, but it will mean we will have the capacity, funds, and volunteers to look at taking on new areas in 2024.
We have already been approached by landowners keen to learn more about getting their badgers vaccinated.
A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers who give up their evenings and lie-ins at the weekends to protect Oxfordshire’s badgers.
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An erythristic (ginger coloured) badger
Two cubs – double trouble !
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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.
The first 5 months of 2023 were extremely busy with 15 badger rescues. From ‘Biscuit’ the badger flooded out of his home to ‘Badgie’ the hit and run badger, with Midge and Barney with bite wounds. Not all of the rescues had a happy ending, but each badger was treated with respect and kindness in its last moments.
A huge thank you to Nutkin Ward, Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue and Tiggywinkles for their veterinary care and rehabilitation services.
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The local newspapers have taken a great deal of interest in our badger rescues, sharing the rescue stories, and educating readers on the work we do. Even the local TV station ran a story on Biscuit.
In March 2023, we held a very successful joint rescue training day with Northants Badger Group,
teaching new volunteers the basics of badger rescue. This is going to be repeated with Gloucestershire Badger Group in August
Oxfordshire Badger Group liaises with the police, Badger Trust, RSPCA and members of the public. Wildlife crime in the county is probably under-reported and the police response is often unduly delayed and inadequate. 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.
In April 2023 we organised a very successful and popular wildlife crime training session, provided by Craig Fellowes, the Badger Trust Crime officer. It was held at the Wytham Woods chalet, allowing for a field work session where delegates could practice assessing and reporting signs of an active sett.
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 to the Badger Trust (BT).
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.
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Oxfordshire Badger Group understands how important social media is in attracting new members, spreading our message and engaging with the general public.
Over the past year our social media following has been steadily growing. This has been down partly to great footage and photos from vaccination and rescue but also continuing to engage with other groups and individuals and post about the badger cull. Hutchcomb’s Copse also provided us with new content.
It has been a difficult year for our fundraisers, but we still have gained donations from our social media posts including those from Instagram.
The badger cull and badger coalition will continue to feature, alongside our work in schools and vaccination and rescue.
Stories of the sad badger campaigning against the badger cull in Oxfordshire have really increased interest and engagement.
Facebook – has grown from 1,380 people liking our page in 2022 to 1,500 in 2023.
Facebook has seen a general decline across the whole so our results are really promising and we will continue to try and grow it.
Twitter (now X)!
1696 followers in 2022, grown to 1,979 in 2023
Twitter has been very good for engagement this year with the most popular posts in the last 14 days of writing this gaining us new followers have been our vaccination update film and a short clip of sad badgers in Oxford.
All in all, a good year for our social media! Looking forward to thinking of more creative ways of sharing what we do and making an even bigger impact.
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Since our last report a year ago, we have met and engaged with many people in our efforts to inform about and help protect badgers. In November 2022 we held our first ever conference entitled:
On a beautiful sunny day in the Cotswolds, we hosted some 40 plus delegates including many of our members, our own committee and five great speakers. (Bob Cowley, Dr Tanesha Allen, Dr Merryl Gelling, PC Caroline Newsome, and Pauline Kidner). Our own members also provided workshops covering ways of recording location (OS grid reference vs What3Words), and how we plan and deliver our vaccination programme, with a practical demonstration (minus badgers!). So much badger interest, enthusiasm, and love! It was deemed an enormous success by all.
Since then, we have given presentations to the Ashmolean Natural History Society, Binfield Badger Group, and a local WI. Plus, the Rescue Training highlighted in another of our reports. Our school’s programme has found us chatting about badgers with nursery school children, with a taxidermy badger and a badger hand puppet assisting with badger story reading.
After spending time with the nursery children, we have then joined the rest of the school and provided a ‘Badger Assembly’ presentation with lots of badger video clips, explaining how badgers live their lives. When our full-size badger can join us, she always gets a great welcome and often finds herself shaking hands with every child in the school. A badger sticker for every child is always well received and we leave the nursery with the book that we read to them.
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story time!
Meeting the children in Nursery – no tears, lots of giggles and fun
Whole school assembly – the school was celebrating wild animals’ day and were dressed accordingly. Yes – there were badgers (see one bottom left), and they became extremely excited to see their distant relations!
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Foxy meets badger
The fascination of a badger skull!
So – if you have children attending an Oxfordshire Primary School, do let the school know that we offer an education and outreach programme, and give them our contact details – we would love to meet them. Our email address is: OBG@Oxonbadgergroup.org.uk
Eileen Anderson, Education and Outreach Coordinator, July 2023
( All photos are shared with full permissions and are from the last school we visited)
Housebuilding in Oxford and the county continues at an unprecedented rate. Instead of using brown field sites for really affordable/council housing the City council is building high tec business parks and student/ post-doc accommodation. As a result, huge swathes of green fields around the city, as well as ecologically rich green spaces within Oxford are being built on, to meet the unmet housing need. Many main badger setts have been lost. The threat to wildlife is at a critical stage.
Development of 84 houses on and adjacent to Spindleberry Nature Reserve, off Knights Rd, Blackbird Leys. The plan by Oxford City Council to build on a playing field and part of a Nature reserve will result in a 26% loss in biodiversity. Setts will be lost and the wildlife corridors along Northfield Brook will be impacted. Unbelievably there is a risk that water voles may be killed!!!
Horse Field, Iffley: Oxford City Council is preparing reports and is seemingly determined to come back with their flawed application to build on this species rich meadow and large main badger sett- home to the famous Luna and her clan.
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Begbroke Science Park- application open to consultation. Badger setts will be lost on this former Green Belt development.
Barton Park: More housing is planned on former Green Belt putting the SSSI and wildlife at risk.
Forresters, Hurst Rise Road, Development on this site has impacted badgers. An outlier sett has been blocked and a well-established badger path is now disused.
The Louie Memorial Fields, North Hinksey Proposal to build large community centre/ Pavilion on Green Belt/ Open Space approved for second time despite risk to catchment area of irreplaceable alkaline fen in the adjacent LWS and wildlife corridors to OBG’s Hutchcomb’s Copse.
Yarnells Hill, North Hinksey A rare but welcome victory for badgers and ecology. Plan to build 3 luxury homes on unspoilt green, bluebell wooded land adjacent to a LWS and rare alkaline fen unanimously rejected by VWHDC planning committee on grounds that, “the development would lead to an unacceptable risk and harm to irreplaceable habitats and protected species and impact on the badger sett!”
Can you help with our planning workload? We are looking for volunteers willing to monitor developments that may impact badgers. The aim is to try and ensure the badgers get the best ‘possible deal’ – adequate mitigation – from the development. This might be giving them space to keep their setts, or providing an artificial sett, maintaining access to foraging areas via adequate wildlife corridors, sensitive lighting and so on.
Should you learn of any development impacting a badger sett do report it quickly – the earlier in the planning process we can intervene the greater chance of making a difference to the outcome.
Julia Hammett., August 2023
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. Since then, the cull zones have progressively expanded and now cover an estimated 60% of the county. Around 5000 badgers have been shot in the first 3 years of culling. A further 5000 may die in the 2023 cull, since existing cull zones may expand to cover larger areas.
Worryingly, the National Farmers Union are lobbying for the introduction of epidemiological culling in reaction to new herd breakdowns. Oxfordshire could become a pilot area for ‘epi-culling’ in which all badgers would be killed across large areas around breakdowns.
Our Group has joined the Oxfordshire Badger Coalition. Our aim is to raise public awareness of plans that could drive badgers to local extinction and lobby decision makers to speak out against this unethical, cruel and futile proposal. Killing EVERY badger in the country will not change the progression of bovine TB. Only better cattle controls can manage a disease that is hidden in the herd.
We are helping drive the national campaign to end the cull by focusing on the impact and importance of Oxfordshire.
- Linda Ward
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We purchased Hutchcomb’s Copse a year ago, finding it unrestored and unspoiled – a haven for wildlife. From the start our intention was to preserve it in this way and so we decided to do little during the first twelve months and to focus on establishing what flora and fauna we have on site.
With a generous Councillors’ grant from Oxfordshire County Council, we commissioned a baseline ecology survey. This has just been completed, with Spring and late Summer recording taking place. We await the report.
We know there are Roe and Muntjac deer, foxes, Field Voles, and protected mammals. We have recorded as many birds as we have seen and heard and have started to do the same with butterflies. We hope to have a bat survey, and for the Oxfordshire fungal survey to consider including us as one of their sites to explore and record. We have also measured and recorded our ancient Oak trees.
On the ground we have resisted any sort of tidying up. We cut back Cow Parsley, Brambles, and Nettles only enough to allow us to form a route around the copse- and found it was soon overgrown again !
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Whilst there will never be a public access route into and around the Copse, we are keen to show OBG Members and guests around – subject to being able to walk the route we have tried to create. Once the vegetation dies back and we know what and who we have living there, then we can consider what if anything we want to do to enhance it further- we have some gifted local Oak saplings awaiting planting. It will stay as wild and protected as we can keep it.
Want to visit with us? Want to get involved in any work we do undertake (creating more log piles? Checking the reptile mats we have laid out? Maintaining the basic trail route?) – then do get in touch.
email OBG@oxonbadgergroup.org.uk
Eileen Anderson, July 2023
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Oxfordshire Badger Group believes that collaboration is essential to deliver our charitable aims. We have established 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 (TCV) registered charity in England (261009). OBG is a paid member of TCV. 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 – including The Nutkin Ward, Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue, and the Vale Wildlife Hospital.
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.
OBG Annual Report 2022/23
Page 22 of 29
The attached accounts have been prepared on the receipts and payments basis. OBG’s Financial and Reporting Year runs from 1st January to 31st December. This Report covers our third year as a CIO, to 31st December 2022.
Income
All receipts, including donations and grants, are accounted for when received. Any income tax recoverable on donations under Gift Aid is included when the money is received from the Inland Revenue or is paid automatically by PayPal on qualifying transactions.
Trading activities
A new venture for OBG in 2022 was holding our first Conference in November. Starting in late 2021, considerable effort went into the sale of goods, tickets and other fundraising to finance the event. After costs, a profit of £648.88 was made, £500 of which was allocated to setting up an Education and Outreach fund within OBG.
Interest
No interest accrues to OBG’s Co-Op Community Directplus bank account.
Payments from APHA
Payments from the Animal and Plant Health Agency were received to compensate for costs incurred collecting dead badgers and submitting them to this government agency for post mortem and testing for disease
Purchase of Woodland
The largest new expenditure and responsibility for OBG in 2022 was the purchase of 2.05 acres of land including ancient woodland. Hutchcomb’s Copse is in North Hinksey, near Oxford City. The land is now registered in the name of Oxfordshire Badger Group.
Hutchcomb’s Copse was purchased on 17th August 2022 for £25,000. Professional Valuation, Search and Legal Fees totalled £3,744.80 and were covered by the loan detailed below.
The purchase was made possible by a trustee loan to Oxfordshire Badger Group. Under the Loan Agreement (dated 15th July 2022 and as modified 23[rd] July 2023):
-
The Lender promises to loan £30,000 GBP to the Borrower
-
The Borrower promises to use this loan to purchase the parcel of land known as Hutchcomb’s Copse, off Hurst Rise Road, Cumnor, Oxon OX2 9HF
-
The Borrower promises to repay this principal amount to the Lender plus interest.
-
Interest is payable on the unpaid principal sum at the current Bank of England base rate, but capped at 2.5% with effect from 16[th] July 2023. Interest will be calculated monthly not in advance, from the date of this agreement.
As of 31st December 2022, the loan amount outstanding was £28,000.
OBG Annual Report 2022/23
Page 23 of 29
Independent Examination of Accounts
For the purposes of deciding whether an independent examination of these accounts is required the loan should be excluded from gross income. This is explained in the Charity Commission guidance “Charity reporting and accounting: the essentials” November 2016 (CC15d) which defines gross income as follows:
“For accounts prepared on a receipts and payments basis, gross income is simply the total receipts recorded in the statement from all sources excluding the receipt of any endowment, loans and proceeds from the sale of investments or fixed assets”.....”
This guidance also states: “For very small charities in England and Wales with gross income less than £25,000 there is no statutory requirement for either an audit or an independent examination.”
As gross income is less than £25,000 an independent examination is not required.
Taxation
The charity is exempt from Corporation Tax as all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Receipts
Total gross income in 2022 was £16,122.84 (including gross payments via PayPal and SumUp).
The £30,000 Loan increased overall receipts to £46,122.84.
Payments
Including the purchase of Hutchcomb’s Copse, loan interest and loan repayments made, total expenditure in 2022 was £42,611.74 (including fees deducted by PayPal and SumUp).
Balance
At the end of the financial year (31/12/2022) balance in OBG Co-Op account was £13,805.57 with an additional £39.16 cash float.
- Richard Tilley, Treasurer 24[th] July 2023
The Trustees have referred to applicable Charity Commission requirements and Guidance in setting the charities financial reserves policy. The Trustees aim 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 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.
OBG Annual Report 2022/23
Page 24 of 29
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.
The purchase of Hutchcomb’s Copse incurred an exceptional expenditure of £31,148 in 2022. Regular expenditure in 2022 was of the order of £11,500.
As 31 December 2022 the reserves carried forward to 2023 were £13,805. Given rising costs, including the need to repay interest on the loan, the Trustees are satisfied that the charity is carrying forward sufficient financial reserves into 2023.
The charity has no funds which are materially in deficit.
The Trustees declare that:
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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).
OBG Annual Report 2022/23
Page 25 of 29
Oxfordshire Badger Group-Trustees' Annual Report 2022/23 Statement of accounts 01101122 to 31112122 OXFORDSHIRE BADGER GROUP IOBGI Receip15 & Payments Accounts ar ended 3 12 022 INCOME /oin021 TO OiiOV2022 2021 2022 Tradl Sale of (x>ds Salesof oods for Conferer¢te Ticket sales for Conference 301.29 1029.15 80.(M) 787.45 Bank interest GiftAid Gift Aid claimed from HMRC Gift Aid collected by PayPal 540.33 438.(M) 282.25 From other charities Bad er Trust rant Othersources Mernbers, Subscriptions Donations Donations for l>adgervaccinatKJn 787.35 6,074.52 induded in th)nations above 20.(M) 947.99 905.70 5.767.15 Donations for COnfence er sett surve tEes rnents frotn APHA Lotal Authority Grant for woodlaNI management Donations for woodland 289.90 675.(M) 71KJ.(X> GROSS INCOME LOAN forwoodland TOTAL INCOME 10 339.16 urch05e Tradl Costs Purchases of stock Stsll fees Sales osts 287.30 58.(M) 8.95 UK Land Purchase of woodland Purchase of woodland- le W(x>d13nd mana ernent Loan interest Loan re 25,(KM).(K) 3 744.80 138.06 265.09 I fees rnents ments General adrninistrtion Insurance Website fee Pal fees Sumu fEe5 Office 511 565.86 244.(K) 69.22 10.89 287.42 92.67 Page 26 of 29 OBG Annual Report 2022123
Oxfordshire Badger Group-Trustees' Annual Report 2022/23 Venue hire/¢aterin for events Conference s akers. fees Travel ex 1220.(KI 150. 98.40 nses 173.70 Donations made er Trust I & donation Wildlife kns 'talslother 150. 275.(1 85. Other ex ndrture ment for bad ment for va¢cinatioTh VacciTration tsainin & mask fitti er rescues 41&45 6.129.01 615. 5,531.61 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 2Q.99 42 61L74 Nèt Intomel ex ndlture 4096.17 3.51LIO Bank balan at erxl ol Cash float 30.80 39.16 Richard Tilley, OBG TreasureT. 2110712023 Fixed assets Hutchcomb's Copse *x)odland £25,(LKJ. Current assets c(0p Bank account £13.805.57 Cash float £39.16 Net assets £3&84&73 The funds of the charliy. Fixed a55et5 fund £25.(KKI.(KI Intome funds £13N4.73 Totsl funds £W844.73 Approved by the Member5 and Trustees on 19th August 2023 and signed on their behalf by Richard Tilley Treasurer and Trustee Page 27 of 29 OBG Annual Report 2022123
| OXFORDSHIRE BADGER GROUP | OXFORDSHIRE BADGER GROUP | OXFORDSHIRE BADGER GROUP | 1186850 | 1186850 | 1186850 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
01/01/2022 | To | 31/12/2022 | ||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 948 7,663 3,000 2,889 823 800 - - 16,123 30,000 - 30,000 46,123 274 150 275 1,524 80 - 5,532 3,093 248 287 25,000 3,745 138 265 - 40,611 2,000 - 2,000 42,611 3,512 - - 13,845 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 948 7,663 3,000 2,889 823 800 - - 16,123 30,000 - 30,000 46,123 274 150 275 1,524 80 - 5,532 3,093 248 287 25,000 3,745 138 265 - 40,611 2,000 - 2,000 42,611 3,512 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||
| Members' subscriptions | 948 | 787 | |||||
| Donations | 7,663 | 6,095 | |||||
| Grants | 3,000 | 1,963 | |||||
| Sales | 2,889 | 381 | |||||
| Gift Aid | 823 | 438 | |||||
| APHApayments | 800 | 675 | |||||
| Professional services | - | - | |||||
| Interest | - | - | |||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
16,123 | 10,339 | |||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||
| Loan received for woodlandpurchase | 30,000 | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | 30,000 | - | |||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||
| 10,339 | |||||||
| Insurance and website | 274 | 566 | |||||
| Badger Trust levyand donation | 150 | 100 | |||||
| Donations to wildlife hospitals/groups | 275 | 85 | |||||
| Hall & stall hire & office supplies | 1,524 | 63 | |||||
| PayPal & SumUpfees | 80 | 93 | |||||
| Equipment for badger rescues | - | 418 | |||||
| Equipment for badger vaccination | 5,532 | 6,129 | |||||
| Trainingfor vaccination | 3,093 | 615 | |||||
| Travel expenses & speaker fees | 248 | 174 | |||||
| Purchase of stock for sale | 287 | - | |||||
| Purchase of woodland | 25,000 | - | |||||
| Purchase of woodland - legal fees | 3,745 | - | |||||
| Woodland management | 138 | - | |||||
| Loan interest | 265 | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | |||||
| 40,611 | 8,243 | ||||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||
| Loan repayments | 2,000 | ||||||
| - | |||||||
| **Sub total ** | 2,000 | - | |||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||||
| 8,243 | |||||||
| 3,512 | - | - | 3,512 |
2,096 | |||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | - | 8,238 | |||
| 13,845 | - | - | 13,845 | 10,334 |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
03/09/2023
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 Hutchcomb's Copse ancient woodland Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Bank account Cash Details Signature Outstanding loan for purchase of Hutchcomb's Copse ancient woodland |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 13,806 - 39 - - - 13,845 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) OBG 25,000 - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) OBG 28,000 - - - - Print Name RICHARD TILLEY |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| 25,000 | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| 15 July 2025 | |||
| Date of approval |
|||
| RICHARD TILLEY | 19/08/2023 | ||
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
03/09/2023
2