## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** **From 01-06-24 To 31-5-25** ## **Charity name: Benson Community Green Space Trust** **Charity registration number:** 1186960 ## **Objectives and Activities** |**Objectives and**|**Activities**|| |---|---|---| ||SORP
reference|| |Summary of the
purposes of the
charity as set out
in its governing
document|Para 1.17|The constitution establishing BCGST sets out the
objective of the CIO as being to further or beneft the
inhabitants of the parishes of Benson and Berrick
Salome and the neighbourhood without distinction
of sex, sexual orientation, race or of political,
religious or other opinions by associating together
the local authorities, voluntary organisations and
inhabitants in a common efort to advance education
and to provide facilities in the interests of social
welfare for**recreation and leisure-time occupation**
with the objective of improving the conditions of life
for the said inhabitants.| |Summary of the
main activities in
relation to those
purposes for the
public beneft, in
particular, the
activities,
projects or
services
identifed in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|The Trust owns Warwick Spinney, a community
nature reserve on the edge of Benson village, which
it manages to provide nature-rich access to the
outdoors for the beneft of the people in the area.
There is strong scientifc evidence that access to
nature-rich green spaces is benefcial to people’s
physical and mental well-being. And there is a
mutually reinforcing relationship with volunteering -
additional benefts for individuals and communities
accrue when opportunities are ofered to help look
after these places; physical exercise, a sense of
community and connection, and the wildlife benefts
too. There are multiple wins.| |Statement
confrming
whether the
trustees have
had regard to the
guidance issued
by the Charity
Commission on
public beneft|Para 1.18|The trustees have noted the published guidance,
and are confdent that the Trust’s planning and
activities are undertaken so as to ensure that
benefts are provided to the residents of the area
defned in the charity’s constitution.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-beneft-rules-
for-charities| |---|---|---| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP
reference|| |---|---|---| |Policy on grant
making|Para 1.38|The trust may make grants, subject to there being
sufcient surplus - its constitution gives trustees the
power to do anything which is calculated to further its
objects or is conducive or incidental to doing so. But
at present the Trustees do not believe there is
sufcient surplus to do so.| |Policy on social
investment
including
program related
investment|Para 1.38|The trust does not have a social investment
programme, although its constitution gives trustees
the power to do anything which is calculated to
further its objects or is conducive or incidental to
doing so| |Contribution
made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|The Trust draws on the support of volunteers to
manage Warwick Spinney, with tasks including the
maintenance of footpaths, planting and laying of
hedges, and mowing of the meadow to maintain the
biodiversity interest. Volunteers are drawn from
Wallingford Green Gym, although the volunteer
coordinator draws on the support of Benson Area
Nature Group (BANG) to organise and run events.
Supporting volunteering better, making it easy for
them to undertake the work that the Trust relies on,
for example by ensuring equipment is available on
site, has been an important feature of the Trustees
work in the reporting period.
The estimate of volunteers is:
1 Coordinator
6 BNG volunteers
12-18 Wallingford Green Gym
Additional adhoc volunteers from the village (variable
number)
For more detail, see below.| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP
reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of
the main
achievements
of the charity,
identifying the
diference the
charity’s work
has made to
the
circumstances
of its
benefciaries
and any wider
benefts to
society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|This reporting period is the ffth for the CIO. The Trust’s
working arrangements are well established.
1. It is reliant on partners, primarily Benson Area Nature
Group, and an array of volunteers to manage Warwick
Spinney, including a local coordinator, some Benson
village volunteers, and 12-18 Wallingford Green Gym
volunteers.
2. In this reporting period, we were beginning to capitalise
on the success of a brilliant community event,_Wild_
_about Benson, coordinated by our sister organisation_
_BANG_. This celebrated the nature we have across 4
parishes including Benson and Berrick Salome and
encouraged people to get involved in caring for it. Over
800 people visited the event over the 1.5 day period it
ran. One of the purposes of the event was to generate
new volunteers to help look after green spaces in the
area including Warwick Spinney.
3. About half way through this reporting period, BANG was
successful in winning a grant from Oxfordshire
Community Foundation’s ‘Thriving in Nature’ fund to
enable the group to appoint a self-employed volunteer
coordinator to improve the ofer to volunteers. This has
proved really valuable in increasing the profle of
volunteering across the group of parishes that have a
stake in Warwick Spinney. We will continue to support
BANG in building volunteering. We are reliant on this
capacity into the longer term (i) to look after Warwick
Spinney but more crucially (ii) to generate commitment
to acting as trustees.
4. One new trustee was appointed at the start of the
reporting period, representing Warborough parish.
5. Midway through the reporting period, one of our
founding trustees (our Treasurer) stepped down with
immediate efect due to a personal move. The
remaining trustees agreed to begin the search for new
trustees to improve the resilience of the CIO.
6. In terms of practical activities, the Trustees continued to
host volunteers working on the boundary hedge, a
measure designed to increase the wildlife value of the
site and provide a pollution and noise screen along the
adjacent road. We also hosted volunteers following
scything and mowing of the main meadow to rake up
and remove arisings as part of a measure to maintain
and enhance the biodiversity interest on the site.
7. Supporting public access to our feld, Warwick Spinney,
is a key driver for the Trust. The construction of a new
road layout associated with the development has
addressed the most dangerous aspect of the approach
by pedestrians.| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Achievements
against objectives
set|Para 1.41|**N/A**| |---|---|---| |Performance of
fundraising
activities against
objectives set|Para 1.41|**N/A**| |Investment
performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|**N/A**| |Other||| ## **Financial Review** |Review of the
charity’s fnancial
position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Through the successful and considered use of grant
applications the fnancial accounts are in a
satisfactory position. The charity has sufcient
reserves to cover regular outgoing payments| |---|---|---| |Statement
explaining the
policy for holding
reserves stating
why they are held|Para 1.22|The Charity holds a reserve of funds, which is
needed to cover ongoing liabilities such as annual
site/ public liability insurance at Warwick Spinney.
Investment in infrastructure and activities in only
possible therefore through grants, donations and
other fund-raising. A future task for the Trustees will
be the development of a funding strategy.| |Amount of
reserves held|Para 1.22|At the end of the reporting the charity held reserves of to
confirm value £4589.07| |Reasons for
holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|**N/A**| |Details of fund
materially in defcit|Para 1.24|The fund is not materially in defcit| |Explanation of any
uncertainties
about the charity
continuing as a
going concern|Para 1.23|**None**| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |The charity’s
principal sources of
funds (including any
fundraising)|Para 1.47|The Trust can seek to raise funds through applying
for grants and inviting donations (by publicising what
it does) and legacies.| |---|---|---| |Investment policy
and objectives
including any social
investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|N/A| |A description of the
principal risks facing
the charity|Para 1.46|Risks include:
Injury or death of a user or volunteer.
Theft of tools stored on the site.
The Trust is insured in respect of both of these risks.
Another risk is that the Trust may be hampered in
achieving its objectives if it is unable to attract
community volunteer support to manage the site. The
Trust is managing this risk by investing with local
partners in developing a shared Volunteering Strategy
and seeking resources to build interest locally in
participation in wildlife volunteering. (some ongoing
achievements in this regard are listed in
Achievements section above.)| |Other||The charity has a number of assets in addition to
Warwick Spinney, the small nature reserve it owns.
These include:
A storage shed for tools
A selection of tools including two mowers which are
shared with Benson Area Nature Group
A metal gate
A security bollard at entrance| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description of charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing
document
(trust deed, royal
charter)|Para 1.25|Constitution| |How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|CIO| |Trustee selection
methods including
details of any
constitutional
provisions e.g. election
to post or name of any
person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|The approach to selection of trustees is set out in
the constitution -
_‘every trustee must be appointed for a term of three_
_years by a resolution passed at a properly convened_
_meeting of the charity trustees,_and
_In selecting individuals for appointment as charity_
_trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to_
_the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the_
_effective administration of the CIO.’_
The constitution also sets out that a new Trustee
must expressly acknowledge that they accept the
office of trustee.| |---|---|---| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Policies and
procedures adopted
for the induction and
training of trustees|Para 1.51|| |---|---|---| |The charity’s
organisational
structure and any
wider network with
which the charity
works|Para 1.51|| |Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51|| |Other||| ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Benson Community Green Space Trust| |---|---| |Other name the charity uses|Benson Green Space Trust| |Registered charity number|1186960| Charity’s principal address C/o Benson Parish Council, Parish Hall, Sunnyside, Benson, Oxfordshire. OX10 6LZ **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** ||**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for**
**whole year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(if any)**| |---|---|---|---|---| |1
2
3
4
5|Edel McGurk|Chair||Any trustee| ||Jon Fowler|Treasurer||Any trustee| ||Helen
Stevenson|Trustee||Any trustee| ||Emma
Simpson|Trustee||Any trustee| ||Steve Ash|Trustee||Any trustee| ## **Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved** **Director name** None Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity |**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**|| |---|---|---| |None||| ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** |Description of the assets
held in this capacity|N/A| |---|---| |Name and objects of the
charity on whose behalf the
assets are held and how this
falls within the custodian
charity’s objects|| |Details of arrangements for
safe custody and
segregation of such assets
from the charity’s own
assets|| **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** **Type of Name Address adviser None** **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** The CIO has no staff ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details **Nothing to declare** ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** > **Signature(s)** Edel McGurk > **Full name(s)** EDEL MCGURK > **Position (eg** CHAIR **Secretary, Chair, etc)** **Date** 21 Mar 26 ||||||||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||||||||||| |**Benson Community Green Spaces Trust 2023/24**|||||||||||| ||||||||||||| |C/Fwd
Balance at 1/6/2024
£4,746.07|||||||||||| |1-Oct-24
Zurich Insurance
Insurance
Deb-O
-£157.00|||||||||||| |Total =
**£4,589.07**|||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||**Totals by Type**||||||| ||||||Credit byDonation(Cre-D)=|£0|||||| ||||||Other Credit(Cre-O)=|£0|||||| ||||||**Total Income =**|**£0.00**|||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||Debit Donations (Deb-D) =|£0.00|||||| ||||||Cheque Debit (Deb - O) =|-£157.00|||||| ||||||Sundries(Deb-S)=|£0|||||| ||||||**Total Expenditure =**|**-£157.00**|||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||**Total net decrease/increase =**|**-£157.00**|||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| ||||||||||||| 1