Charity Number 1188060 

## **FRIENDS OF BROOMHILL** 

**friendsofbroomhill.org.uk Registered Office: 69 Brompton Farm Road Rochester, Kent, ME2 3QX** 

## **Annual Report & Accounts 2023** 

**for the period of 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023 prepared by Susan Fletcher, Treasurer** 

## **14 May 2023** 

## **Introduction** 

The Friends of Broomhill (“FoB”) are dedicated to the improvement and enrichment of Broomhill Park situated in Strood, Kent, ME2 3NB.  The FoB own the Old Orchard, a nine acre woodland site, adjacent to the park which was purchased for £45,000 in May 2018. This area was purchased with donations from the general public, companies and match funding from Medway Council. This purchase has enabled us to preserve the woodland from development for all time.  We maintain this area to provide a habitat for wildlife and for everyone to enjoy. 

## **Trustees** 

David Park (Secretary) May Draper (Chair) Susan Fletcher (Treasurer and Membership Secretary) Barbara Harrison Danielle Haughey (Communications Officer) Andrew Millsom Colin Pearson 

## **Banks** 

CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4TA National Westminster Bank Plc, 56 High Street, Strood, Rochester, Kent, ME2 4AG 

## **Structure** 

The FoB were inaugurated in May 2007, registered as a charity in 2013, and became a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) with charity number 1188060 in February 2020.  We are governed by our Constitution dated January 2020.  The Trustees meet six times per year to review and plan future activities, oversee finances and deal with any ongoing matters.  We recruit new Trustees from our large group of 129 members with a view to such recruits bringing expertise which might otherwise need to be purchased. 

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Our Constitution does not allow us to sell the Old Orchard.  If the FoB were to dissolve at any time, this land would be gifted to another Trust to be protected for all time.  We have therefore listed the Old Orchard in our Accounts with a historic value of £45,000. 

## **Public benefit** 

The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty to have regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charities Commission in determining the activities undertaken by the charity.  The Trustees understand the charity’s purposes as set out in our Constitution, they plan what the charity will do, are able to explain how the activities support its purposes, and understand how the charity benefits the general public. To underpin these activities, the FoB have public liability insurance. 

## **Income** 

We are very grateful to all our existing members who have renewed their membership.  Our PayPal account has continued to be successful in attracting new members and is convenient for existing members to renew online from our website. Our online banking with CAF Bank has continued to be an efficient way for us to manage our funds.  We are also now very pleased to receive quarterly interest on our CAF account which has amounted to £27.93 for 2022/23. 

Our subscription revenue has decreased from £806.31 in 2021/22 to £541.28 in 2022/23, but this was mainly due to a high number of subscriptions being received in 2021/22 after the previous year end. 

Many thanks to members who have paid a donation with their membership. Donations have dropped from £2,253.66 in 2021/22 to £389.42 in 2022/23.  Although this is a large decrease, we did receive an exceptionally high amount of donations in 2021/22 from several families for memorial planting in the Old Orchard.  Many thanks also to the King Arthurs Drive Residents Association for their donation of £75.00 which they raised at their Jubilee street party celebration in 2022.  A donation of £50 from CLIFARA (Cliffe Active Retirement) was in appreciation for the talk given to this group by our Secretary. 

The FoB have held three free events to encourage children to become more involved in nature - Make a Bird Box, Build a Bug House, and Make Wildflower Seed Eggs and Easter Trail. We are very grateful to Medway Council for their generous funding towards these events. 

A claim has been made to HMRC for gift aid in respect of subscriptions and donations received during the last financial year.  This sum will appear in our accounts for 2023/24. 

## **Expenditure** 

Our expenditure has increased from £1,943.78 in 2021/22 to £5,635.52 in 2022/23.  £2,951.24 was in relation to the brick seat in the Old Orchard. The engraved tiles were purchased by individuals and companies who contributed towards the purchase of the Old Orchard in 2018.  Covid delayed our progress with this, but we were very happy to finally get this project completed in 2022. 

Our spending on signage to make it easier for visitors to navigate through the Old Orchard has increased from £342.00 in 2021/22 to £701.60 in 2022/23.  We have installed route markers indicating an accessible green route, a red route with steep gradients and exit points.  The increased expenditure on planting of native species of trees and bulbs from £120.85 in 2021/22 to £519.57 in 2022/23 has also made a great improvement to increase the biodiversity of the area.  Our total expenditure on the Old Orchard was £4,574.63. 

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## **Conclusion** 

We are very grateful to everyone who has supported us either by continuing to be a member, by donating to us or by being a volunteer at our task sessions. 

Although we have made a net loss of £4,526.89, we consider this financial year to have been a successful one for the FoB as we have seen the completion of our engraved brick seat project and our work in the Old Orchard has greatly progressed to improve the area for visitors and to preserve the woodland as an important wildlife habitat. 

Our aim is to incorporate the Old Orchard into a unified and extended Broomhill Park.  Our project for 2023/24 is to complete the disabled friendly path in the lower part of the Old Orchard to provide access for all. At the time of writing this report, we can confirm that our grant application to make our Old Orchard entrances accessible for all users has been approved. A date to carry out the work is being negotiated. 

Many thanks again for your support. 

Susan Fletcher Treasurer on behalf of the Trustees of The Friends of Broomhill 

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## **FRIENDS OF BROOMHILL** 

## **ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023** 

## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES** 

|**STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES**|||
|---|---|---|
||**2021-2022**|**2022-2023**|
||£|£|
|**Income**|||
|Subscriptions (net)|806.31|541.28|
|Donations from members (net)|2253.66|264.42|
|KADAR (King Arthurs Drive Association) donation||75.00|
|CLIFARA (Cliffe Active Retirement) donation||50.00|
|CAF Bank interest||27.93|
|Medway Council funding for "Build a Bug House" event||150.00|
|HMRC Gift Aid|175.08||
|**Total Income**|**3235.05**|**1108.63**|
|**Expenditure**|||
|Website|124.64|113.26|
|CAF Bank fees|64.00|72.00|
|AGM costs|62.42|63.29|
|Stationery|22.59|52.89|
|Tools & Equipment|150.89|174.22|
|Sundries|61.65|3.50|
|Tree Surgeon|650.00||
|Refreshments||83.88|
|Planting (orchard)|120.85|519.57|
|Signage (orchard)|342.00|701.60|
|Insurance (orchard)|344.74|402.22|
|Engraved brick seat (orchard)||2951.24|
|Build a Bug House event and repairs (orchard)||297.19|
|Make Wildflower Seed Eggs Easter event (orchard)||79.69|
|Build a Bird Box event (park)||11.17|
|First aid supplies & rucksack||52.30|
|Donation to Kent Wildlife Trust (in memory of G. Maytum, a member)||57.50|
|**Total Expenditure**|**1943.78**|**5635.52**|
|**Excess of income over expenditure**|**1291.27**|**-4526.89**|



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## **FRIENDS OF BROOMHILL ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT - 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023** 

## **BALANCE SHEET** 

||**2021-2022**|**2022-2023**|
|---|---|---|
||£|£|
|**Cash at Bank**|||
|Balance brought forward|22675.29|23966.56|
|Excess of Income over Expenditure|1291.27|-4526.89|
|**Total cash**|**23966.56**|**19439.67**|
|Balance at 31 March represented by:|||
|CAF Bank|23753.92|19226.79|
|NatWest Current Account|110.18|145.18|
|Cash held by PayPal and Just Giving|102.46|67.70|
|**Balance carried forward to the next financial year**|**23966.56**|**19439.67**|
|**Current Assets**|||
|Old Orchard (historic value)|45000.00|45000.00|
|Tools|200.00|250.00|
|**Total Current Assets**|**45200.00**|**45250.00**|
|**Current Liabilities**||**0.00**|



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**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
2021-2022 INCOME<br>£175.08<br>£806.31<br>£2,253.66<br>Subscriptions Donations Gift Aid<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>



**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
2022-2023 INCOME<br>£150.00<br>£27.93<br>£541.28<br>£389.42<br>Subscriptions Donations<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>



**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
2021-2022 EXPENDITURE<br>£22.59<br>£61.65  £124.64<br>£150.89<br>£64.00<br>£62.42<br>£1,457.59<br>Website Stationery Tools<br>CAF fees AGM Old Orchard<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>



**----- Start of picture text -----**<br>
2022-2023 EXPENDITURE £113.26<br>£388.05<br>£52.30 £57.50  £52.89  £174.22<br>£83.88  £72.00<br>£3.50  £63.29<br>£4,574.63<br>Website Stationery Tools<br>CAF fees AGM Old Orchard<br>Sundries Refreshments Events<br>First aid Donation to KWT<br>**----- End of picture text -----**<br>


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