Batchcombe Trust
Income & Expenditure Account, Financial Statement and Trustee Report 01 January – 31 Dec 2022
Income: £0 Expenditure: £0
The Batchcombe Trust was formed in 2020 with the specific objectives of:
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(i) raising funds to purchase an abandoned orchard in Cradley, Herefordshire known as Batchcombe Farm, which at the time was in private ownership; and
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(ii) to create a community project with a view to restoring the orchard with rare and heritage species and to create a wildlife haven.
Unfortunately, the advent of the 2020–2022 pandemic immediately presented an insurmountable barrier to progressing the project due to lack of local support. Opportunities for external funding radically reduced and funding (including Heritage Lottery funding) was directed to covid-19 relief. The private owner eventually indicated unwillingness to negotiate towards a sale and purchase.
Of the original three trustees, two have resigned, one due to work commitments, the other due to other local commitments.
The charity has remained dormant with a sole trustee, Paul Mountain. It has received no income and has incurred no expenditure whatsoever during its existence.
During 2022 the sole trustee Paul Mountain had discussions with other potential trustee-stakeholders about the prospects of reviving the charity’s mission postpandemic, as other potential sites came available for purchase. Unfortunately these discussions came to nothing.
Signed:
Paul Mountain
Sole Trustee