of ChtyNwnber 1188( FRIENDS OF BROOMHILL Ivw.MeDdsolbrootllhllLorg.llk R¢gi4teT¢d Office: 69 Brompton Farm Road. Ro¢heJtrr, KeDC ME2 3QX Annual Report & Accounts 2025 for the period of l April 2024 to 31 Mareh 2025 prep2red by SusAn Trleteher (fre4sllrer) 7 May 2025 ntroductiOD The Friends of Broon)hill ("FoB-) are dedicated to the irnPTovement and enrichment of Broomhill Park situa*d 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 fundin8 from Medway Council. Our aim was to incorporate the Old Orchard into a unified artd extended Broomhill Park that will be protected from developm¢nt to stop the loss of iTreplaceable habitat and to enhance it for both community e and nature. Our Man8gement Plan (revised in 2021) scls out our proposals, projects and recommendations to guide improv¢rnents to the Old Orchard. Without management, woodlands become 0vewoW dark and will eventually die. It is not clear when the land ce&sed to be managed as an orchatd. but it had become an area of scrubby woodland with mature hawthorn being the dominant species. Very few of the fornier orchard trees rematn. Our recent project to create a pocket orchard (a small group of fruit trees) has been undeTtsken to maintsin a link to its past use. Structure The FOB were inaugurated in May 27. registe1 &$ acharity in 2013, and became a charitable inconN)rated organisation (CIO) in February 2020. The charity is registered with the Charity Commission under registration number 1188060 and we are 8overned by our Constitution dated February 2020. Our Constitution docs not allow us to sell the Old Orchard so it is listed in our Accounts with a historic value of £45,000. If the FOB were to diwlve at any lime, this land would b¢ gifted to another Tnt to be protected for all time. The day-to-day management is undertaken by all of our seven trustees who meet SIX times per year to review and plan futu activitie& oversee finances and deal with any ongoing mall¢rs. The purch&se of thc Old Orchard has increased responsibility for the charity and thcrcfore robust managcment arrangements, insurances, liabilities and health and safety have been fully considered. Our membership cUentlY stands at 115 members. Trustees David Park (Secretary) May Draper (Chair) John Lawrenson (Tnth) Susan Fletcher (Tre&8urer & Membershtp Secretary) Andrew Millsom (frStee) Barbara Harrison (Tn]stee) Colin PcaT3on (Grants Officer) Bank CAF BanL 25 Kings Hill Avenue. Kings HilL West Mall1 ME19 4TA.
Public benefit Our valuable greenspace in Strood has many public benefIts. We aim to maintain and preserve the Old Orchard as a healthy habitat for wildlife and for people to enjoy the benefits of improved physical and mental wellbeing. Woodlands ar¢ also vitally important in the fight against Clinle change as tre¢s remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and rele oxygen back into the air. An extensive amount of WO has been completed over the l&%t seven years. We began by improviJ]g pedestrian acce&s through tlJ¢ Old Orcl)ard by clearing and widening the main paths, some of which were completely overgrown with brambles. whilst leaving some are&s relatively undisturbed to provide sanctuary for wtldlife. This task greatly improved sightlines for the safety of our visitors. Signage was put in place. entrance5 from the Park into the Old Orchard were improved to make them more accessible with handrails and steps on steep slopes, wood chippings latd on paths, benches installed and a variety of Spring bulbs planted. We are planting trees, scrub. wildflowers and bulbs to increase blodivslty. 1,000 English Blueb¢lls in tbe green were planted in May 2024. and we entlY received two donated chestnut trees. We are carefully controlling some of the dense scrub by tneans of removal to create pockets of light. Overcrowding causes illsufficient light to hit the woodland floor Nvhich limits the diversity of the ground florn Sunlight cnables a rnore extenslve range of vegetation to grow which supports a widcr range of insect life and this will in turn support birds. Improv¢ments for wildlif¢ w¢r¢ also made by the iDstsllation of a bug hotel, bird boxes and hedgehog EK)xes. The FOB secured two sq)arate grants to help us establish a pocket orchard in the lower glade of the Old Orchard for the benefit of the local community. With assislance from LUmrzaC Tree Services, and a lot of painstaking work by our volunteers over many rnonths, we prepared the ground. We sourced 26 apple. pear. plum and quince varieties with Kentish connectioDS from a local nursery, and the first batch of14 fruit trees were planted in January 2025. This is the first stag¢ of tbis exciting projecL Raspberry, redcurranL blackcurrant and gooseberry plants were also planted in tbe vicinity. Birds. butterflies and insects will greatly benefit &8 their habitat will be incre&8ed with these new additions. We applied to the Woodland Trttst for free tree packs (dog rose. ha1. crab apple and dogwood) and were v¢ry grat¢ful to receive 60 saplings in Marcb 2025. We also received a very kind donation of saplings which were left for us by an anonymous donor. All of these wcr¢ planted &s hedging for the pocket orchard which will provide som¢ new woodland growth and Structu div¢Tskty for th¢ iKnefit of wildlife. Ourvolunteers &8sist with mainlaining Ix)th the Park and the Old Orchard. Our Thursday morning WOTkgroup (loam to 12pm) focuses on the Old Orchard with t&8ks such as path clearing. prnning, bulb and tree planting. learing vegetation and removing fallen brdnches or trees. Our Sunday morning workgroup (loam to 12pm) focuses on the Park and is held on the first Sunday of the month from September until May (excluding January). If this falls duTing a bank holiday weekend, we postpone to the second Sunday of the month. We carry out light gardening tssks such as pnuung. clearing vegetation aDd litter pickin8. Our task days benefit the public in many ways. They are a great opFK)rtunity for more social conlact with Othe who share the satne interests, they encourage physical activity, and also provide a sense of comrnunity spirit with teaTn work to achieve a conllllon aim. During the course of the last year, our task days have resuIted in over 1200 bours of Work by 23 volunteers with an average of13 volunteers attending each session. Broonjhill Park and the Old Orchard also provide a great opportunity for lo1 children to tske an interest and prlde In ihelr suOund1ngs. The FOB hold wk sessions for Funh¢r Educauon siudents Sidff frorn Abbey Court Community Special Foundation School. This is a special school for pupils between the ages of 3-19 with severe and profound learning difficulties. We meet for an hour a week during ternj time with a group of older students and cally out tasks such &s litt¢r picking and sowing wildfiower seeds. The TnteeS confirni that they have complied with the duty to have regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charities Commission in d¢tern]ining the activities undertaken by the chatity. We understand the charity's purposes as set out in our co[ltion. The Trustees 2re able to explain how its activities support its purposes, and undersland how the cl]arity benefits the general public. To underyiin tbese activities. the FOB bave public liability insurance.
Awards Achieved The FOB wer¢ delightrd to be awarded-outstanding" from the RHS South and South East in Bloom Awards and "Gold" from the Kent Wildlife Tnt Wilder Kent Awards in 2024. A fantastic achievement by our hard-working volunteers to improve the habitst and enVironellt for both our community and also wildlife in the are& We are also very proud to say that BToomhill Park once again received the Green Flag Aw8rd for the 13 coreCUtIVe year. Income Total income for 2024125 w&% £2,955.51. We w¢r¢ r¢m¢1Y gratcfid to r¢1v¢ thTcc s¢paratc grants. £I.O(K).00 from Tesco Stronger Starts, which we added to the fimd foT our wcket Orchard projecL and two ward grants from Medway Councillors Zoe van Dyke (£149.00) and David Field (£200.00) for work to b¢ undertaken by FOB in the Park to mend a safety barrier near the Hillyfields Close area. Our memknship income (£482.38) has remained steady with renewals ongoing throughout the year and we are very grateful to members who have made a donation with their subscriptions (£143.75). Many thanks also to members who have raised £397.25 in 2024125 by ing Easyfundraising for their online shopping. Easyfundraising is a free fundraising platforni where retsileTS send us a free donation b&sed on thc amount the shopper spends and with no extra cost to the shopper. Claims for Gift Aid were mad¢ to HMRC in respect of subscriptions and donations received between the period of l January 2024 to 31 October 2024. We received a total of £111.73 of Gift Aid durtng 2024125. The opening of a savings account with CAF Bank has vastly increased the amount of bat]k interest received (£441.40). Expenditure Totaj expenditure in 2024125 was £4,946.54. £3.895.24 was spent on the first stage of OUT pocket orchard pioject by purchasing fruit trees (£361.00), tree stakes, tree guar(ts. comtK)st elc (£128.07), tools (£618.27), fencing (£1,077.90), and assistance frottL Lumberzac Tree Services (£1,710.(K)). This expendÉturc ha5 been covered by the grants we received from Orchard Community Energy (£4.960.00) awarded in fu]ancial year 2023124 and from Tesco Stronger Siarts (£1,000.00) awarded in September 2024. Our aims and pl2n$ for 2025126 Care and maintenance of the fruit trees and the pocket orchard area will be ongoing. A further bateh of 12 f1t trees will be planted in NovemberlDecember 2025. We have the remainder of the grant money (£2.064.76) to cover the cost olthe second stage of this project. The main paths in the Old Orchard will be k¢pt ¢l¢ar with gUlar cutting back of v¢getation for acce55 and safW TsonS. We will continue planting native bulbs and sowing wildfiower seeds to increase bi(Nliversity. Work is continuing on providing handrails on one of the entrances into the Old Orcbard which will make it more accesstble. We have continued to work ¢losely on the planning foT the landscaping of the extended parkland area at the top of BToomhill Park around the communications m&st that had once becn own¢d by Southern Water and contained two underground reservoirs. This land w&s then in private ownership until Ing purchased for development. The new parkland area will link up tbe Park and the Old Orchard. The reservoirs have been infilled and we are hop¢ful that the hard landscaping of th¢ paths will begin in th¢ Summ¢r followed by planting in Autumn this Conclusion Support from the general public can make a huge difference to our work either through volunteering, becoming a member. making a donatioo giving a gr2nL or leaving a gift in a will. Membership of the FOB benefits all our community as well as future generations. The membership fet providcs vital funding to purch&se tools, trees. plants. seeds and bulbs. The completion of the projects will gatlY improve the area for the enjoyment of all and also provide a vital habitat for wildlife. Many thanks to all our members and hard-working volunteers for their continued supwrt. All our work is ongoing and can ODly happen with donations and h¢lp ftom our wondcrful voluntecrs. Susan Fletcher. Treasurer on behalf of the Trustees of the Friends of Broonthill
FRIENDS OF BROOMHtLL ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT- I APRIL 2024 TO 31 MARCH 2025 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AcfivTfiES 202>2024 2024-2025 Income SubscTiptions (net) Donations from members (nei) Easyfimdraising HMRC Gift Aid CAF Bank interest Medway Council ward 8rants for repairs to Park safety baTrier Tesco Stronger Starts grant for Pocket Orclwd Tree planting donation Grants. OrchaTd expenditure refund L4DAR (King Arthurs Drive Association) donation for event Medway Council donation for funding events Total Ineome 481.01 238.34 176.81 266.27 46.21 482.38 143.75 397.25 111.73 441.40 349.00 iooo.00 30.00 14710.(K) 58.80 75.00 200.00 16252.44 2955.51 Expenditure Website CAF Bank f¢¢s AGM costs Stationery Sundries Refreshments rirst aid supplies Old Orchard tnsurance Pocket Orchard project (tree4 tools, fencing, tree surgeon etc) Old Orchard planting Old Orchard signage Old Orchard entrance improvements proje£t Tools & Equiptllent Events 127.73 136.78 60.00 51.54 7.00 20.00 94.85 8.18 402.22 3895.24 217.95 52.78 40.00 21.99 79.89 3.85 402.22 39.90 16.80 9322.36 166.19 213.03 10493.96 Totsl Expenditure 4946.54 Excess of income over expendithre 5758.48 -1991.03 The Kent Community Foundation - £8.750.1XI Orchard Community Energy- £4,960.(*J Medway Council ward Bfdnt- £i,LKX).(K)
FRIENDS OF BROOMHIIL ANNUAL FiNANCIAL REPORT- I APRIL 2024 TO 31 MARCH 2025 BALANCE SHEET 2023-2024 2024-2025 Cash at Bank Balance brought forward Exccss of Income over Expenditure 19439.67 5758.48 25198.15 25198.15 -1991.03 23207.12 Total C*sh Balance at 31 March represented by: CAF Bank Curr¢ni Account CAF Bank Gold Account C&8h held by PayPal Cash held by JustGiving Balanee carried fonvard to tbe next fanCial year 25097.17 704.06 22429.71 43.35 30.00 23207.12 100.98 25198.15 Current Assets Old Orchard (bistoric value) Tools 45000.00 350.00 45350.00 45000.00 900.00 45900.00 Totsl Curr¢Dt Assets Current Liabilities Income 2024125 30. 482.38 Ic#Jo.c¥) 143.75 111.73 441.40 349.C 397.25 . &Jb5criptions Gtft Aid EasyFundraisin8 . Tesco grant CAF Inte$t . CourKiI grants . Tree plantin8 donath 8.18 5Z.78 Expenditure 2024125 20.cKJ 94.85 217.95 402.22 51.54 3895.24 136.78 - Website . CAF fees .AGM . SundriES . statery . Orch plantFn8 Fi¥st Aid Insurance Orch. signage . Refreshments