## **Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks** 

## **Trustees Annual Report** 

## **Year Ending 31 March 2024** 

The trustees present their Report and Accounts for the financial year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. FOIRP became a Registered Charity. No. 1189048 in April 2020 


Volunteers at the Memorial Flowerbeds for Remembrance Day 2023 

## **The Trustees** 

The trustees during the financial year were: 

**Name Position Date of Appointment** Edward Duguid Chair 14 April 2020 Pauline Munro Deputy Chair 14 April 2020 

Clare Smith Treasurer 14 April 2020 



Douglas Mowat Trustee 14 April 2020 Ken Whittington Trustee 27 September 2021 (Resigned 24 January 2024) Nicola Coldwell Secretary 27 September 2021 George Buckley Trustee 6 October 2022 

## **Registered Office** 

12 Lister Street, Ilkley, West Yorkshire LS29 9ET 

## **Bankers** 

Natwest, 63 North Street, Keighley BD21 3SB 

## **Independent Examiner** 

Elite Accounting Services, Suite 2, The Point, Mayfield Road, Ilkley LS29 8FL 

## **Structure, governance and management** 

Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with voting members other than its charity trustees. It is run by a Committee of trustees who are elected annually by its members at the Annual General Meeting. At the end of the first year all the trustees stand down and are up for re-election. In subsequent years one third of trustees will stand down. The normal term of a trustee is therefore three years and the maximum term is 9 years, after which they must stand down for at least 3 years before standing for re-election. All trustees must be registered with the Charity Commission 

## **Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees** 

The Committee of the charity will recruit additional trustees as required, having the appropriate skills to join the Committee and assist in the running of the organisation, subject to the approval of members at the first Annual General meeting after their nomination. 


Autumn Display at Bridge Lane Entrance 

## **Objectives and Activities** 

**The charity’s objects** : For the benefit of Ilkley and surrounding area (“the area of benefit”) to provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving the conditions of life of the inhabitants of the area of benefit, in particular but not exclusively by the preservation, promotion, support, assistance and improvement of Ilkley Riverside Parks. 



**The charity’s activities** : To achieve the above, the charity liaises on a regular basis with the local District Council of Bradford on all aspects of park maintenance and improvement, consults with a variety of local stakeholders, including other environmental groups, the Town Council in Ilkley and members of the public via opinion surveys. We have created a Master Plan for the Parks as a basis for consultation on future improvements. Volunteers take part in Work Parties twice a week throughout the year in order to ensure key aspects of maintenance of the parks is kept up to date and improvements are made. The charity also makes applications to a variety of bodies for grants, seeks sponsorship from local businesses and lobbies the District Council for direction of funds, as appropriate, to ensure that necessary improvements are carried out. All activities are risk assessed to ensure their safe execution and the charity holds the necessary public and management insurance indemnities for the protection of the public, our volunteers and the Committee of trustees. 

## **Public Benefit Statement** 

In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular, ensuring that the public living within the scope of our charitable purpose gain real and measurable benefit from the activities we carry out. 


Looking after planting on the Embankment is a regular job! 

## **Early Work by FOIRP** 

Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks was originally formed in 2018 in response to the gradual deterioration in infrastructure and standards of maintenance of the parks forming Ilkley Riverside Parks and discontent within the town and from visitors to the parks, and has been operating since August 2018. Many of the improvements in the parks result from the Master Plan from which more refined plans have been developed to tackle the issues identified at the formation of the charity. The parks have again seen further improvement during 2023/24 following on from the achievements since 2018. 

Earlier work included New Signage replacing the old redundant signage, new paths, ramps and fencing installed which allow better access into the parks by those with mobility issues, the renovation of the WW2 Memorial in Riverside Gardens, the creation of new flowerbeds to surround the Memorial and in the adjacent Platform area and Bridge Lane entrance to Riverside Gardens, a new Petanque Terrain, the creation  of a large Wildflower area. the full refurbishment of the Playground, the rebuilding of the Raised Flowerbeds at the Park main entrance, the renovation of all the wooden benches throughout the parks and the introduction of new benches, rusty park bins have been renovated or replaced, all paths have been edged and width has been recovered, Trees have been lower limbed and bushes trimmed to allow views of the river to be achieved, New trees have been planted to replace those which have been damaged,and twice weekly Litter Picks of all the park areas are carried out to ensure levels of litter are kept under control. Finally one side of the embankment area above the new Memorial flowerbeds had been reclaimed and planted up with a diversity of perennial plants 

Additionally,discussions took place with the Yorkshire Rivers Trust and Rewilding Yorkshire to consider the rewilding of the River Wharfe banks which abut the parks, which have been eroded over the years, regular reviews are carried out with the Council in relation to “special measures” required during school holidays, bank holidays and warm weather during the summer months to ensure that services to the parks (e.g. Litter collection, warden patrols, etc.) are escalated where this is required, 



Funding for all the above has either been raised directly by the charity or in the case of a few projects at our urging or because of pressure from the charity to ensure the projects take place. 

## **Achievements & Performance in 2023/24** 


New Planting at Triangular Flowerbed off New Brook Street 

**In 2023/24** in addition to the regular work which has taken place including Litter Picking, looking after the newly created flowerbeds in the parks and the general maintenance tasks carried out by the Group, the following improvements have been achieved; 

- the alternate side of the Embankment area at the East end entrance to Riverside Gardens has been cleared and completely replanted, again with the assistance of local Landscape Gardeners led by Helen Taylor, who created the Planting Scheme. This area further enhances the flowerbeds FOIRP created around the War Memorial with their help. A special mention also to the volunteers from Virgin-O2  and local company, High Speed Training who assisted in clearing this area on a number of occasions. 

- Further work has been done to develop the Wildflower area with planting of both annual and perennial pants and this is finally showing the progress we had hoped, albeit slow. It is a longterm project and will take a few more years to mature. 

- Further benches have been repaired and renovated. We would specially like to mention our Ukrainian volunteer, Stefan, who has used his extensive carpentry skills to renovate some badly deteriorated benches. We will miss him when he finally has the opportunity to return to his homeland 

- More bins have been cleaned, painted or replaced where necessary 

- More plants have been added to the new flowerbeds to fill them out following last year’s initial planting 

- More Trees have been planted or replaced as necessary in liaison with the Tree Section of Bradford Council. Our thanks go in particular to Peter Wilman, from Bradford Council’s Tree Section in this respect. 

- Further signage has been placed to ensure clear messages exist about expected conduct of visitors to the parks. 




Regular Work Parties every week keep the Parks Spic & Span! 

## **Looking Ahead to 2023/24** 

Looking ahead to 2024/25 we expect the following to progress: 

- The renovation of an old Triangular flowerbed on New Brook Street 

- More trees to be planted and for those with damage (e.g. as a result of storms and disease) to be replaced 

- Some progress made towards rewilding the riverbanks which abut the park areas, in particular the area on West Holme Fields which runs towards the Old Bridge. Consultations with other local environmental groups and the Environment Agency are continuing. 

- Further progress to be made on all ongoing maintenance and improvement works in the park areas. 

- The installation of new Circular Planters to enhance the area around the new stone Raised Flowerbeds 

- A new "Shed" installed to support our work. 

## **Financial Review** 

This summary covers the financial year 2023/24. It also briefly looks ahead to the next financial year. A copy of our accounts is available separately. 

## **Income** 

Key sources of income were grants, donations from individuals and organisations, in addition to fundraising events. A few individual donations were substantial. The support of individuals and organisations from within the community is important to us and show us that the work we do is much appreciated. There are several regular monthly individual donations alongside one-off donations. 

|**Grants:**|**Grants:**|Amounts:|Amounts:|
|---|---|---|---|
|||£|<br>500.00|
|**Donations:**||||
|From Individuals||£1090.00||
|From Organisations|||£<br>4178.50|
|**Fundraising events**||||



Fundraising events 

£ 1222.85 



## **Spend** 

During the year funds have been spent as follows: Public & Committee Liability Insurance to protect both FOIRP, its volunteers and members of the Public who we come into contact with, publicity material to get key messages over to the visitors, equipment which helps us do our work maintaining the Parks, new signage which was designed by FOIRP, and planting in the new flowerbeds and the wildflower meadow we have been developing. Examples of the range of expenditure required are: plants for the new planting on the Embankment, mulch for the ongoing maintenance of the flowerbeds, hire of  and fuel for the various machines, timber for bench repairs and playground replacement items. 

## **Reserves** 

Thanks to the financial support we have received during the year, we have been able to maintain a small reserve of £500. Given most grants we receive are for specific projects this allows the charity a little more flexibility when having to meet unusual costs or the need to act quickly prior to receiving any further specific project support, in addition to any of the organisation’s overheads like insurance, Hi Vis Jackets, printing, tools etc. 

## **Membership income** 

Income from FOIRP membership during the year was £505 from 39 Memberships. 

Although the initial membership join-up was good we need to continue to look at ways of attracting new members. This will assist us in covering the regular overheads of the charity. 

## **Income and expenditure going forward to 2024/25** 

A major project we are making progress with is the recovery and replanting of the Embankment area at the east end of Riverside Gardens. FOIRP will continue to coordinate further grant applications and fundraising activities to meet the overall cost of this and other key projects mentioned in this report. project 

**Other:** The Just Giving account was set up in April 2021 and continues to provide monthly donations, alongside registration with HMRC for Gift Aid, allowing us to claim further monies where applicable. Donations were also received by supporters using Easyfundraising when shopping, 

We will continue to look at other sources of income and grant applications as required e.g. National Lottery for Good Causes, Peoples Postcode Lottery, etc. 



## **Friends of Ilkley Riverside Parks Year 2023/24 Total Receipts & Payments Account** 

|**Year 2023/24**<br>**Total Receipts & Payments Account**||
|---|---|
|**Receipts**<br>Individual Donations<br>Organisational Donations<br>Grants<br>Sponsorship<br>Fundraising Events<br>Membership<br>Other income BDMC<br>Other income Ilkley Town Council<br>Gift Aid<br>**Payments**<br>Insurance<br>Room Hire<br>Planting<br>Maintenance<br>Equipment<br>Office Supplies<br>IT<br>General Administration<br>Publicity<br>Signage<br>Materials<br>**Net receipts / (payments)**<br>Transfer<br>Balance brought forward<br>**Balance carried forward**<br>Made up of:<br>Current account<br>_Checks - this should equal zero_|Total<br>Unrestricted<br>Playground<br>Renovation<br>Fund<br>Wildflower<br>Meadow<br>Flowerbeds<br>(general)<br>Reserve<br>Container|
||1,090.00<br>1,090.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>4,178.50<br>1,282.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>2,396.50<br>0.00<br>500.00<br>500.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>500.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>1,222.85<br>1,105.36<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>117.49<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>505.00<br>505.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>182.15<br>182.15<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00|
||**7,678.50**<br>**4,164.51**<br>**0.00**<br>**0.00**<br>**0.00**<br>**3,013.99**<br>**0.00**<br>**500.00**|
||0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>786.00<br>160.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>626.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>100.56<br>74.98<br>0.00<br>25.58<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>1,455.97<br>289.57<br>1,166.40<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>158.75<br>158.75<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>12.50<br>12.50<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>1,419.36<br>0.00<br>1,419.36<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>2,714.66<br>9.14<br>2,124.00<br>283.52<br>0.00<br>298.00<br>0.00<br>0.00|
||**6,647.80**<br>**704.94**<br>**4,709.76**<br>**309.10**<br>**0.00**<br>**924.00**<br>**0.00**<br>**0.00**|
||1,030.70<br>3,459.57<br>(4,709.76)<br>(309.10)<br>0.00<br>2,089.99<br>0.00<br>500.00<br>0.00<br>(500.00)<br>0.00<br>500.00<br>0.00<br>(29.52)<br>0.00<br>0.00<br>8,609.03<br>1,306.85<br>6,674.44<br>(37.55)<br>194.81<br>0.00<br>500.00<br>0.00|
||**9,639.73**<br>**4,266.42**<br>**1,964.68**<br>**153.35**<br>**194.81**<br>**2,060.47**<br>**500.00**<br>**500.00**|
||9,639.73<br>**9,639.73**<br>0.00|



_Checks - this should equal zero_