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2023-03-31-accounts

TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT – YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023

Our activities

Charity Buddy’s core operational activities are directed towards improving the lives of animals and their habitats, whilst offering rewarding opportunities for the public to volunteer and engage with our work.

Our current activities include:

Our impact

Sanctuary for geriatric animals

Whilst we continue to care for the remaining animals (16) geriatric horses, ponies, sheep and hens at the Charity Buddy sanctuary, we have decided not to take in any more large grazing animals, reducing the amount of land needed for sanctuary purposes.

We believe that longer term, we can improve the lives of many more animals by focusing on rehoming pets through PetRehomer, our new scalable rehoming service, and by dedicating the majority of the land used for grazing horses and sheep to further rewilding. By doing this we can have a greater positive impact on improving habitats for wildlife and supporting nature recovery.

Pro bono business and creative support

We continue to support a wide range of voluntary sector animal welfare organisations through the deployment of our growing network of Charity Buddy professional volunteers (180).

We have a client base of 110 organisations - from the smallest hedgehog rescue centre to large, well-established animal charities. These include campaigning groups, animal law, pet rehomers, pet community support groups, wildlife conservation, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, animal sanctuaries, and educational centres. This aspect of our work continues to grow organically, through word of mouth and returning clients within the animal welfare sector.

We have provided volunteers for a wide range of projects this year including:

Our volunteers operate remotely and use their skills to help our clients with tasks, projects or ongoing roles that they do not have the skills, experience or expertise to undertake themselves. This gives animal charities access to valuable resources which would otherwise be costly, time-consuming to identify, or out-of-reach, whilst offering flexible and rewarding volunteering opportunities within the animal welfare sector.

Rewilding

We started on our rewilding journey in 2022, having expanded our charitable objects to include this essential element. We believe that nature recovery plays a crucial role in offering suitable habitats for wild animals, birds and insects, whilst providing a setting for study, research and engagement with people interested in ecology.

We have a 30-acre ‘small-scale’ wilding site at Maple Farm in Alfold, Surrey which was previously used as grazing land. This site is being managed in conjunction with our partners, Youngwilders, a volunteer-led group of ecology, conservation and environmental enthusiasts. Youngwilders is a non-profit CIC organisation focused on accelerating the wilding of the UK, involving young people in the process.

Achievements - April 2022 to March 2023

In the year 2022/3 we carried out the following activities related to the Rewilding Project:

March 22 - Ground-breaking eco hot water treatment was tested to tackle invasive Giant Hogweed as an alternative to the traditional glysophate chemical application.

May 22 – “Visions of Soon” , a climate activism magazine and project conducted interviews and attended a photoshoot onsite at Maple Farm. The article was released in early 2023 to a positive reception.

June 22 - Mulching volunteer day. 15 young people mulched over 1000 trees in the newly planted, central hedgerow.

June 22 - Joe Revans published his AI art piece on the rewilding of Maple Farm, exhibited at the Central Saint Martins Masters Show. Interest in the Maple Farm project received a marked boost.

July 22 - Film crew from the UN Climate and Oceans filmed on location at Maple Farm for part of their documentary on rewilding in Sussex, ‘Revival’.

August 22 – The drought seriously affected the newly planted hedgerows. Youngwilders team members watered the central hedgerow during the Summer 2022 heatwave to aid hedge and tree survival rates

September 22 - Animal infrastructure installed to contain sheep. A bug hotel, bird boxes and bat boxes were scattered around the site.

October 22 - ‘Revival’ premiered at the Horsham Green Film Festival to a very positive response. Interest in the Maple Farm project received its most significant boost yet.

November 22 - ‘‘Free the landscape” volunteer day involved 16 young people removing around 1 km of fencing. Fence posts were turned into an animal shelter with a camera trap set up to record new residents.

December 22 – Youngwilders team members came to site to complete the sheep fencing in readiness for late winter grazing, allowing for increased natural regeneration in other parts of the site. Re-mulching and de-weeding was undertaken on the central hedgerow.

January 23 - Details and design for the Wilding Hub, an onsite structure for the Youngwilders and Charity Buddy nature education programs, were confirmed. It’ll be built using materials repurposed from equestrian field shelters.

February 23 - 20 volunteers planted and mulched a new 100-metre, 700-tree hedgerow on the north side of the site.

March 23 – Youngwilders’ new ‘Project officer program’ formally began. This is an action-focused, nature education program that aims to engage young people in nature, involving them in restoration/nature recovery projects in their local area.

Planned Activities in 2023/24

Wilding Hub construction

Work on dismantling the existing field shelters and creating the new Wilding Hub is planned for May 2023. The finished structure will provide an outdoor covered space for nature-based learning. Architects interested in ecological architecture will be joining the team to gain experience.

Scrape creation

Having decided on appropriate locations around the site, we will create a number of scrapes. These depressions in the ground will hold flood water and create seasonal wetlands attracting bird, amphibian, invertebrate and plant species.

Hedgerow maintenance

We will continue to mulch the ground around the planted hedgerows and trees in order to reduce competition from grasses.

Youth project officer program

This new program will be rolled out as a pilot first, however, we’re fully anticipating that it will continue in the future, creating more opportunities for young people to engage with and benefit from nature.

Wider collaboration

Once the wilding hub is complete, we plan to collaborate with ethical, organic voluntary organisations, schools and colleges, and other charities and not-for-profit organisations to generate more nature based learing opportunities, and to offer experiences in nature for people that could benefit from this space.

PetRehomer

PetRehomer is the brand name of Charity Buddy’s pet rehoming and adoption service.

We're a safer, more professional and ethical alternative to commercial pet trading sites such as Gumtree, Pets4Homes, Preloved and Facebook. Through our unique model of direct rehoming, we support and empower people to rehome their pets responsibly.

How we’re making a difference to people and pets

By connecting people who need to give up their pets with potential adopters, PetRehomer…

As well as offering a platform for listing and searching for pets, we also screen adopters to make the process as safe as possible, have a secure payment service for adoption fees, give animal welfare advice, and offer vital post-adoption support.

At the moment, we only accommodate cats, dogs and rabbits but we intend to expand to other species soon.

How we operate

PetRehomer was created with no budget, entirely by volunteers. Animates, a “tech for good” organisation, used the latest digital technology to build the platform, alongside other professional Charity Buddy volunteers and pro bono support from organisations such as Mattersmith Legal, Quadrant Communications and Zaboura PR Consultancy. Day-to-day, our service is currently run by a dedicated team of animal lovers who don’t get paid for their time.

As of 31[st] March 2023, and since our soft launch in Q4 2022, we’ve found suitable homes for 75 animals. We’ve also helped many rehomers to keep their pet, find suitable rescue spaces for urgent cases, and we’ve connected people to other charities that have helped them with their specific pet-related issues.

We have no operational or marketing budget, yet we’re still managing to grow. However, to help more people and pets in need, we would very much welcome financial support from philanthropists, ethical organisations and/or trusts.

– PetRehomer plans for 2023/4 a new and different approach

Continue beyond the pilot

We’re delighted with the impact that PetRehomer is making, and the positive feedback we’re receiving from people who’ve used our service. As such, we will continue to operate beyond the pilot and help support dogs, cats and rabbits find their forever home.

Create a spay & neuter fund

We know that in an ideal world pets should be neutered or spayed prior to rehoming. But people regularly ask to list unneutered or unspayed pets on our platform. We do not want to turn these pets away as we know that we can find responsible adopters who’ll agree to have them neutered as a condition of the adoption. If we turn them away, these pets are likely to end up on unregulated marketplaces or may even be abandoned.

To address this challenge, we want to set up a spay and neuter fund to encourage people to adopt unneutered and unspayed pets. We’d use this money to reimburse some of the costs associated with spaying and neutering after seeing evidence of the procedure, such as a receipt from the vet.

No other rehoming or rescue organisation in the UK today offers anything like this. But we believe it is time for a new approach to tackling the growing crisis of unplanned litters and, consequently, unwanted pets.

Overview

Charity Buddy registered as a Foundation CIO in April 2020 and does not have any permanent employees or workers, although we do use temporary staff from time to time.

We are grateful to Maple Farm Stables Limited for the kind donation of feed, hay and bedding for the animals within our sanctuary, and to our supporters who have made donations. We are delighted to have received a number of grants enabling us to deliver our plan for this year’s rewilding objectives.

Moving further into 2023/4, we will need to raise more funds to continue our work and deliver our objectives for PetRehomer, and for the operating costs of the Charity Buddy Sanctuary.

The Trustees confirm that they comply with their duty to have regard to the guidance on public benefit, published by the Charity Commission, when exercising their powers and duties.

CHARITY BUDDY - REGISTERED CHARITY 1189284

ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR TO 31 MARCH 2023

Detailed Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 31 March 2023

INCOME:
Donations inc Gift Aid
Grants
Rehoming Fees
Miscellaneous
EXPENDITURE:
Vet, Dental & Farrier Fees
Consumable Equipment
Software Subscriptions
Temporary Staff Costs
Volunteers travel Costs
Insurance
Rewilding
Stationery & Postage
Rehoming Costs
Pet Rehomer Platform Costs
Payment Processing Costs
Repairs & Maintenance
Depreciation (20% of Cost)
Sundry Costs
NET INCOME FOR PERIOD
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2023
FIXED ASSETS
Furniture & Equipment - Cost
Furniture & Equipment - Depreciation
CURRENT ASSETS:
Petty Cash
Bank Balance at 31.3.23
CREDITORS DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
NET ASSETS
CAPITAL & RESERVES
As at 1.4.22
Net Income Year to 31.3.23
As at 31.3.23		 Unrestricted Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
31-Mar-23
31-Mar-22
£
£
15412
0
15412
8260
2250
15610
17860
5000
7119
0
7119
0
359
0
359
527
25140
15610
40750
13787
3072
0
3072
2469
86
0
86
214
899
0
899
1338
7484
0
7484
3553
435
0
435
83
751
0
751
552
0
4689
4689
2026
56
0
56
15
559
0
559
0
1070
0
1070
0
115
0
115
0
425
0
425
0
94
0
94
0
49
0
49
0
15095
4689
19784
10250
10045
10921
20966
3537
Unrestricted Restricted
Total
Total
Funds
Funds
31-Mar-23
31-Mar-22
£
£
470
0
470
0
94
0
94
0
376
0
376
0
0
0
0
142
10232
13895
24127
3395
10608
13895
24503
3537
0
0
0
0
10608
13895
24503
3537
563
2974
3537
0
10045
10921
20966
3537
10608
13895
24503
3537

Section B Disclosure Only complete If the examiner needs lo highlight rnalerial mallers of conTrrn {see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief detalls of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examinerfs Report Report to the trusteès CHARITY BUDDY On accounts for the year ended 31st March 2023 Charity no (if any) 1189284 Set out on page5 One to five I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Ihe above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 31103 12023 As the chartty's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wrth the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {'the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5){b) of the Act. Responsibilities and basis of report Independent I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordan￿ with section 130 of the Charrties Act, or the accounts did not accord wtlh the accounting records., or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements Con￿rning the fom and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulalions 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair. view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examinats'on. I have no cOn￿mS and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attenlion should be drawn in this report in order to enable a pro r understanding of the accounls to be reached. Signed: Date: 810512023 Name: Petrou & Co Relevant professional quallfication(s) or body (if any): Chartered Accountanls Address: 4 Heddon Court Cockfosters Road Herts EN4 ODE IER Oct 2018