Clwity Numttr 1188060 FRIENDS OF BROOMHILL friendsolbnKtyMhilLollk Registered offe: 69 BroJDPton Farm Road Roch¢st¢r. Ken4 TrIE2 3QX Annual Report & Accounts 2024 for the ptriod of l April 2(P23 to 31 March 21ll4 prepared by Susan Fletcher, Treasurer 17th May 2024 Introduetion The Friends of Broomhill ("foB") are dedicated to the improvement and enrichment of Br<M)mhill Park situated in Strood, KenL ME2 3NB. The FOB own the Old Orchart a nine-acre woodland site. adjacent to the Park which was purch&sed IOT £45,000 in May 2018. This area w&$ PUTclwed with donation5 from th¢ general public. companies and match funding from Medway Council. This purchase has enabled us to preserve the woodland from development for all time. Our volunteers assist maintaining both the Park and the Old Orchard by litter picking, general scrub clearing, bulb planting and maiThkning the pathways. Trustees David Park (Secretary) Louise Hubbard (Trustee) May Draper (Chair) John LawTenson (Trnstee) Susan Fletcher cfreasurer & Membership Secretary) Andrew Millsom {l'nee) Barbard Harrison (Trustee) Colin Pearson (Grants Officer) Danielle Haughey (Communications Officer) Bank CAF Bank, 25 Kings Hill Avenue. Kings Hill, West Malling. ME19 4TA. Our account with National Westm1er Bank PIC w&$ closed following a transfer of the balance to CM Bank on 10 November 2023. Struelure The FOB Were inaugurated in May 2007. registered as a charity in 2013, and became a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) with charity numkr 1188060 in February 2020. We are governed by our Constitution dated February 2020 which does not allow us to sell the Old Orchard. If the FOB were to dissolve at any time, this land would be giftcd to another Tnt to be protected for all time. We have therefore listed the Old Orchard in our Accounts with a historic value of £45.000. Following the appointment of two new Trust¢es from our membership. our Board h&5 increased from seven to nine Trustees. The Board meets six times per year to rcvicw and plan futurc activitics. ova5cc finances and deal with any ongoing matters. OUT membership ¢UTrently stands at 127 members.
Public beDefit The Trust¢es conftrm that they have Compli with the duty to have regard to public benefit guid&nce published by the Charities Commission in defrrmining the activities undertaken by the Chtty. The Trustees understand the charity's PUTposes as set out in our constitutio they plan what the charity will do, aTe able to explain how the activities support its PUTPOSes. and understand how the charity benefits tbe gcneral public. To underpin these activitie4 the FOB have public liability insurance. We have 18 volunteers who regularly att¢nd on task days. There are many benefits of volunteering- improves physical and mental health. more social Contact by meeting new people, CODnection to the local community and a at sense of achievemenL We also work with the Further Education stlents and staff from Abbey Court CommuDity Special Foundation School. This is a special school for pupils between the ages of 3-19 with severe and Profound l&qrning difficulties. We meet for an hour aweek duriDg terni time and cally out tasks such as litter picking and footyath cl¢aring. The FOB held four free events for children during school holidays. We are very grateful to Medway Council and the King Arthurs Drive Residents Association for their genero% fiujding. Funding received covered the full cost of these events which were well attended and drew a lot of people to Broornhill. Aivards Achieved We were delighted to recesve a Silver in the Kent Wildlife Trust Wilder Kent Awards, which is a reflection of the hard work our volunteers contribute towards improving the habitat and environment for both our con)munity and wildlife. We ar¢ very proud that BT(K>mhill Park once again received the Green Flag Award for the twelfth consecutive year, and we were also presented with a RHS South East in Bloom Award in th¢ Community Gardening Category. Income Our total income has incre&s¢d from £1,108.63 in 2022123 to £16,252.44 in 2023124. We were delighted to be awarded Ihree grants totslling £14,710.00 for three separate projects: The Kent Community Foundation award¢d us £8,750.00 fron] The Lower Thames Crossing Community Fund for impTovements to the entrances to the Old Orchard from the Park. We were extrernely pleased to receive this funding which enabled us to provide safer access the use of tter surfaces. handrails and steps on steep slopes. Our volunteers have been continuing the work at some of the other entrances into the Old Orcbard. Our successfill application to Orchard Community Energy resulted in the FOB receiving funding of £4.960.00 to create community pocket orchards in The Old Orchard. We are very grateful for this money which h&s been ring-fenced for this exciting projecL Work will commence later in 2024 and hopefully be completed by the end of 2025" and Medway Councillor Zoe van Dyke kindly donated £l:000 from her ward grant which will be used for tree planting in th¢ pk. Thi5 mon¢y has bccn rS-f¢nrCd for ihis proje¢t with the planting TO be undertaken after completion of the work at the top of Broomhill Park. membership numkrs have remained fairly consistent with renewals ongoing thr()ughout the year. We are very grateful to members who have madc a donation with their subscriptions which totalled £238.34 in 2023124. Three separate claims were made to HMRC for Gift Aid in respect of subscriptions and donations received between the period of 9 Match 20?2 10 31 December 2023. The FOB received three payments of £49.65. £141.21 and £75.41 Tespectively which amounted to a total of£266.27 received for Gift Aid during 2023124.
We have a150 received additional illcome througb our signing up to Easyfimdrdising, a free fillthaising plarforn] where retsilers send us a free donation b&sed on the amount the shopper spends and with no extra Cost to the shopw. We are v¢ry grnteful to our MernETS who ate Ing Easyfundraising for their online shopping. We have so far received two quarterly payments totalling £176.81. Expenditure Our exp¢nditure has increased from £5.635.52 in 2022123 to £10,493.96 in 2023124. £9,322.36 of this expenditure w&s in relation to tmprovements to the entrances into the Old Orchard from the Park for which we received a grdnt of £8.750.00. The decrease in our expenditUTe on planting in the Old Orchard from £519.57 in 2021Q3 to £39.90 in 2023124 was partly due to our successful application to I Dig Trees who kindly gave us a donation of150 Dativ¢ trees. Our aims gnd plans for 2024r25 We are looking forward to commencing the work to create community pocket Orchards within the Old Orclwd area at Bn)otDhill. This is an amazing opp)rtunity for us to plant fruit trees which will provide food for the community as well as boosting the habilat for wildlife. We have sourced 26 apple. pear and plum vaTieties with Kentish connections. These pocket orchards, together with our recent planting of 150 native species of trees, will add to the diversity of the Old Orchard to improve the area for birds, butterfiies and insects. In July 2023, Hillstone Homes began the development of the area around the communications mast at the top of Gorse Road. The area had Evn oTred by Southern Water and contained two underground res¢rvoirs. The infilled res¢rvoirs will be landscaped to create an open area with a path networl benches and a n¢w viewpoint which will look over the Thames and Medway. Completion is anticipated to be early 2025, after which the FOB will be offered the cbance to own and maintsin the aTe& Four detached houses ar¢ being constNcted by HIllSe Homes on the South West corner of the site between Gorse Road and the allotments. ivhilst this is outside of Broomhill ParL we have followed the planning process for many yeaT8 to ensure the best outcome for Park users. Conclusio Following our successthl applicatio% for grants. we are very pleased to say that our totaI cash at bank has incre&sed from £19,439.67 in 2022123 to £25,198.15 in 2023124. The complelion of the projects will greatly improve the area for the enjoyment of all and also provide a vital habitat for wildlife. Many thanks to all our members and hard-WOlng volunteers for their continued support. Susan Fletcher Treasurer on behalf of the Trustees of The Friends of Broomhill
FIUEIYDS OF BROOMHILL ANNUAL FINAYICIAL REPORT. I APRIL 21n3 TO 31 lARCH 2024 2022-2023 202>2024 STATEME OF FINANCIAL ACTivrriES Income Grants Easyfundraising HMRC Gift Aid Orchard expenditure refund Subs¢riptions {net) Donations from members (net) KADAR (King Arthurs Drive Association) donation for event CLIFARA (Cliffe Active Retirnent) donation CAF Bank interest Medway Council donation for funding events 14710.00 176.81 266.27 58.80 481.01 238.34 75.00 541.28 264.42 75.00 50.(M) 27.93 150.00 1108.63 46.21 200.00 16252.44 Totsl 1come Eipenditsre Orchard improvements Events Website CAF Bank fees AGM costs Stationery Tools & Equipment Sundries Refreshments Planting (orchard) Signage (orchard) Insurdnce (orchard) Engravcd brick seat (orchard) Build a Bug House eveni and repaits (orchard) Make Wildflower Seed Eggs Easter cvent (Orchard) Build a Bird Box evenl (park) First aid supplies Donation to Kent Wildlife TrLr (in memory of G. MaytunL a member) Total Eipenditsr¢ Ex¢ess ofineome over expenditsre 9322.36 213.03 127.73 60.00 40.00 21.99 166.19 113.26 72.00 63.29 52.89 174.22 3.50 83.88 519.57 701.60 402.22 2951.24 297.19 79.69 11.17 52.30 57.50 5635.52 452&89 79.89 39.90 16.80 402.22 3.85 10493.96 575&48 BALANCE SHEET Cash at Bank Balance brought foTward Excess of Income over Expenditure 23966.56 4526.89 19439.67 19439.67 5758.48 2519&15 Total eA$h Balanee at 31103ll024 represented by: CAF Bank NaÈW¢st Current Account C&sh held by PayPat and Just Givtng Balance Cale forward to next finandal year 19226.79 145.18 67.70 19439.67 25097.17 0.00 100.98 25198.15 CurrÈDt Assets Old Orchard (historic value) Tools 450(KI.00 250.00 45250.00 45000.00 350.(M) 45350.00 Total CurY¢n¢ Assets Current Liabilities 0.00
2022-2023 INCOME £150.00 £27.93 £541.28 £389.42_- Subscriptions • Donations CAF Bank interest * Medway Council fundlng 2023-2024 INCOME £176.81 £58.80 £481.01 £313.34 £46.21 £266.27 £200.OQ £14,710.00 Subscriptions F Bank Interest Grants Easyfundralsln8 Oonations Medway Council fundin8 Gift Aid Orchard cost refund 2022-2023 EXPENDITURE £113.26 £388.05 £52 30 £57.50 £52.89 E174.22 £83.88 £3.50 £72.00 £63.29 £4,S74.63 WebsSte CAF fees Sundries First aid Stationerv AGM Refreshrnents Donatlon to Kwr Tools Old Orchard Event5 2023-2024 EXPENDITURE £213.03 £3.85 £127.73 £21.99 £60.00 £79.89 £166.19 £40.00 £9,781.28 Web51te CAF fees Refreshments Stationery AGM Events Tools Old Orchard First Aid