SLOW THEFLOW Charity number 1191174 Annual Report and Financial Statements For the period 01/01/2024 to 3111212024 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Annual Report and Financial Statements For the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 Contents Trustees, Report Receipts and payments account Statement of assets and liabilities Notes to the accounts Page 13 14 15 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Trustees, report for the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 Reference and administrative details of the charity, its trustees and advisors The trustees during the financial period and up to and including the date the report was agreed were.. Name Bede Mullen Adrian Horton Position Chair Ito 15107120241 Secretary (from 0610612024 to 19107120241 Chair Ifrom 19107120241 Dates Resigned 1510712024 Stephen John Garrod Robin Gray Katie Kimber Amanda McDermott Paul Garry Williams Andrew Colin Wright Jacqueline Ann Lowe Andrew John Mackintosh Robin Howorth Susan O'Brien Treasurer Resigned 06106/2024 Secretary (to 06/06120241 Resigned 0610612024 Resigned 2010712024 Appointed 2310512024 Resigned 1611012024 Appointed 1310712024 Appointed 2310112025 Appointed 2510312025 Appointed 2510312025 Appointed 3110712025 Secretary (from 1910712024 to 16110120241 Samuel Townsend Pat Devine Rachel Smith Sophie Tankard Rachel Flood Charity Number The charity was registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, number 1191174, on 0710912020. Principal addre55 Hebden Lodge Lee Mill Road Hebden Bridge West Yorkshire HX7 7AE Bankers Reliance Bank Ltd Faith House 23-24 Lovat Street London EC3R 8E8 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Trustees, report Icontinued) for the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 Structurei governance and management The charity is governed by a constitution adopted Jan 2020. Method of recruitment and appointment of trustees The trustees of the charity are the founding trustees of the charity or are otherwise appointed by the trustees. Objectives and activities The charity's objects Slow The Flow is a charity working to advance the education of the public in Natural Flood Management, Sustainable Drainage Systems and other renewable methods of managing the environment, including the exploration of alternative practices which safeguard the natural environment and its resources in a manner which best fits the specifics of a local geography. The charlty's maln actlvltles The educational objective of the organisation is achieved by presenting information on the Slow The Flow website from a mixture of specialist technical professionals and NFM practitioners including.. case studies carried out with volunteers, how to guides for implementation at their own properties or land or that provided by others,. workshops, lecture5 and seminars from the technical professionals and those leading or being involved in volunteer projects,. and the hands-on volunteer activities - giving members of the public the opportunity to try first hand a range of flood management techniques on land offered by consenting landowners before doing the same on their own property or by similarly seeking cooperation for projects on land owned by others. SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Trustees, report Icontinued) for the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 The organisation implements pilot projects in so far as this is necessary in a science which is emerging and requires an evidence base to demonstrate its efficacy. Its main project to date is work carried out by volunteers on land owned by The National Trust, which is not a beneficiary but a consenting and cooperative landowner whose motivation is to help the organisation educate communities about Natural Flood Management and do its bit on land over which it has control. This project sets out to provide proof of concept including the feasibility of volunteer-based actions to implement Natural Flood Management in a local scenario- notably to the benefi't of the entire downstream community- while recognising that this implementation by itself is a small part of a wider solution only achievable by educating others in the mechanics and arguments for Natural Flood Management. Other implementations entail projects based on a similar scalability model where the organisation produces results and promotes the learned physical and social science to encourage others to repeat and expand the work so that it is scaled up to a level that is of benefit to the extended community. These projects include= identifying Natural Flood Management opportunities,. suggesting designs for small-scale woodland and terrain interventions,. communications that encourage involvement of volunteers and landowners,. facilitating discussions between participating parties,. and building understanding between community participants and local and national government agencies Public benefit statement In setling 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 in relation to advancing the education of the public in Natural Flood Management, Sustainable Drainage Systems and other renewable methods of managing the environment. SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Trustees, report Icontinued) for the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 Achievernents and performance Slow The Flow started its work to build Natural Flood Mana ement INFMI and Sustainable Draina e Solutions ISUDSI into the Calder catchment in 2016. Since then its volunteers, trustees and partners have worked tirelessly on the task with the aim of reducing flood risk to our communities. We have continued to build upon this early work and develop new partnerships, ideas, projects, and initiatives to reduce flood risk here in the Calder Valley. Below you will find information about some of the activitie5 we have been gethng up to throughout 2024. 2024 was a busy year for Slow The Flow trustees and volunteers. We have continued with our long-term project at the National Trust's Hardcastle Crags estate in Hebden Bridge and this year started work at a new site.. Broadhead Clough. We have worked in partnership with the National Trust for the past eight years bringing hundreds of volunteers to monthly work sessions building leaky dams, and placing logs along valley contours to interrupt the flow of water into rivers. We also continue to welcome guests and visitors to Hardcastle Crags for them to see for themselves the work and the benefits to the community, and to the developing bio-diversity which the work contributes towards. January 2024 Slow The Flow appeared on BBC Look North on 7th January 2024, showcasing its Key Stage 2 educational resources being used by pupils at Copley Primary School near Halifax. A video of the coverage is available at htt www. outube.com watch?v=b7M8tDh20G Funding from the Community Foundation For Calderdale enabled Slow The Flow to develop KS2 and KS3 education resources. More can be read about the materials on Slow The Flow's website from where the materials can also be download at no charge. At the charity's first session at Broadhead Clough on Sunday 21st January 2024 Slow The Flow was joined by a team from ITV news who compiled the report that can be watched at www. h?v=E7r r7R Volunteers put 4 leaky dams in place and could already see them in action as the rain poured down. SLOWTHEFLOW Walking through Broadhead Clough, the dams can be spotted at the first stream on the right when heading from the bottom of the nature reserve, they can't be missed. On days when the area is being hit with rain and gale force winds it's clear why this work is so important. The more work done in the uplands to slow the flow the less the valley bottom has to deal with. February 2024 Slow The Flow welcomed Jack Wallington as a patron of the charity whose passion for its cause and dedication to making a difference will undoubtedly inspire positive change. Jack is a local landscape designer and nature writer; his combination of growing, showing and explaining what he does to help others has allowed him to communicate a new approach to gardens. Slow The Flow is keen to see Jack seamlessly weave its natural flood management principles into his celebrated work, adding a flood resilience and eco-conscious touch to his creations. The following video clip shows Jack introducing himself and explaining why he's delighted to be involved. htt www. outube.com watch?v=zukcNPe-xLO March 2024 On Sunday 3rd March, Halifax MP, Holly Lynch joined the volunteers at Hardca5tle Crags to help make leaky dams and stuff gullies and recorded the video below where she set out what Slow The Flow hoped to achieve from its planned trip to the Houses of Parliament on 12th March. htt www. outube.com watch?v= G9sac12FI On Tuesday 12th March, Slow The Flow visited the Houses of Parliament and presented five key messages to a room full of Members of Parliament and Peers at The House of Commons, highlighting the importance of NFM, Sustainable Drainage Systems ISUDSI, and other renewable methods of managing the environment to reduce flood risk. The day was very positive, meeting more than 25 MPS who wanted to understand how NFM can reduce flood risk. There were lots of great conversations about natural flood SLOWTHEFLOW management and what MPS can do in their own constituency which produced lots of engagement and interest. The key messages presented were: l. More funding is needed for NFM stressing it is a cost-effective approach that provides value for money. All new developments should include SUDS. 3. Green skills and expertise are necessary for the development of N FM. Local authorities should have NFM officers. 4. Education is crucial for long-term understanding and success. NFM and SUDS should be included in the primary school curriculum. 5. NFM and SUDS have a positive impact on Combined Sewer Outfalls, and the automatic right to combined sewer connection should be removed. Using contacts made at this event, Slow The Flow planned to continue to work with these legislators to ensure that NFM is f ront and centre of decisions around reducing flood risk in Calderdale and around the UK There followed an article about the visit on the BBC website. As part of its educational aims and campaign to promote the adoption of natural flood management across the United Kingdom. on Wednesday 20th March Slow The Flow hosted Ymgynghoriaeth Gwynedd Consultancy IYGCI, the largest public sector run consultancy in Wales, to view the work carried out at Hardcastle Crags and Broadhead Clough. Ten staff of YGC spent the day with Slow The Flow's Chair, Bede Mullen, examining some of the 1000 plus leaky dams the charity has installed, together with the other natural flood management measures it has undertaken, with an emphasis on monitoring their effectiveness and promoting community engagement. YGC work with an extensive and varied list of clients, both in the public and private sector. Services provided include cost estimating, procurement, project management and other specialist consultancy services in the areas of transport infrastructure, building design, flood mitigation and environmental work. Currently employing 120 members of staff and with annual turnover of circa £5.5m. SLOWTHEFLOW YGC have a dedicated team of engineers to deal with the ever-increasing threat of flooding due to predicted rise in sea levels and rainfall intensity associated with climate change. One of their key responsibilities is to undertake flood risk management, ranging from building flood defences to building resilience through raising public awareness. Through good public engagement and collaboration with other risk management authorities. YGC aims to manage the risk of flooding in communities across the region. This includes carrying out the role of operating as Lead Local Flood Authority on behalf of Gwynedd & Anglesey Councils. Elen Williamson from YGC said "it was inspiring to see the enormous amount of work Slow The Flow has carried out since 2016 to protect local communities from the effects of flooding. This community led approach is something to be recommended and adopted elsewhere" Robin Perkins of YGC spoke about this in the video below. htt www. outube.com watch?v=2iG2KDJVxAU April 2024 Slow The Flow Trustees, Adrian Horton and Stephen Garrod, met with Andy Bampton, Project Development Champion at Andy's Man Club. Among other things, they spoke about the power of volunteering to improve mental health and well-being. Summer 2024 In June, some of the Slow The Flow Trustees, alongside colleagues from the Landscape Institute of Yorkshire and Humberside, had a great site visit to 'Sponge Parks, at West Gorton Community Park and Mayfield Park in Manchester to view two very different approaches to urban surface water drainage. Highlights of the visit included the retrofit of the surrounding highways at West Gorton to maximise water attenuation and at Mayfield the retention of elements from the former factory including structural beams, attention to detailing and some incredible specimen trees which gave this site the wow factor. SLOWTHEFLOW Throughout June and July, Slow The Flow welcomed local Scouts, Cubs, Brownies, Guides and Rangers who took part in Natural Flood Management INFMI and Balsam Bashing sessions at Hardcastle Crags. Parhcipants each received a special STF badge for their efforts. During July and August the trustees were busy planning the future of Slow The Flow, taking time to reflect on what the charity does well, what it should do more of, and what activities might need to be placed at lower priority. On Saturday 13th July trustees met in a meeting room at The Birchcliffe Centre in Hebden Bridge to discuss the strategy and what plans they had for the next few years. It was a terrifically productive day and great to spend some time together to discuss what was to be achieved in the years ahead. There was a follow-up meeting in October to finalise the strategy plan. On 8th August, trustees had a brilliant afternoon with two of the charity's partners meeting first with the Broadhead Clough, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserve Assistant to explore some exciting leaky dam plans at Slow The Flow's new natural flood management site there,. and later with the Hardcastle Crags, National Trust Site Managers to discuss the continuation of its 7 year collaboration with The National Trust into 2025. October 2024 Following on from Slow The Flow's visit to Parliament in March this year, and with the general Election settled, trustees were proud to be invited by Ashley Dalton M P, West Lancashire, and Scarisbrick Parish to a public meeting discussing their local flooding issues. (4th October) One of the outcomes sought after the March visit to Parliament was to reach new audiences and spread the word about the Natural Flood Management and Sustainable Urban Drainage System work achieved by the charity which would help to mitigate the effects of climate change. The discussion centred on finding long-term solutions to flooding in the area and involved local Councillors, the Environment Agency and Slow The Flow Trustees Adrian and Sam. io SLOWTHEFLOW November 2024 Slow The Flow was delighted to have won the Community Foundation For Calderdale Community Spirit Award in the "Great and Green" category, for its work in providing NFM education in schools. Slow The Flow thanked the Community Foundation for Calderdale for the financial support in enabling it to make these excellent resources freely available to schools across Calderdale, and nationally. Throughout the Year Slow The Flow used skilled volunteers to review Calderdale Council planning applications and, where appropriate, submit comments to the planning portal to highlight ways in which Natural Flood Management INFMI, Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems ISUDSI and other practices can be incorporated into the design to help alleviate potential flood risk. Trustees volunteered their time to represent Slow The Flow on a number of external committees where they inform and provide their expertise and guidance to other organisations working in the same area. In return, much was learned about the work completed by others. These organisations included- Calder Catchment Partnership ICCPI West Yorkshire Flood Innovation Programme IWYFLIP} White Rose Forest IWRFI Natural Flood Management Operations Group INFM Ops Group) Calderdale Invasive Non-Native Species group11 NNSI li SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Trustees, report Icontinued) for the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 Financial review The net receipts for the year were.. £1289 to unrestricted funds comprising £7,420 receipts and £6,131 payments; and -£7.914 to restricted f unds comprising no receipts and £7,914 payments. Reserves policy The charity's free cash reserves at the year end were £18765. It is the charity's policy to maintain a reserve to provide a growing fund (currently £11,750) for future employment of staff and working capital in the region of £7,000 to fund its general activities in the year ahead comprising expenditure anticipated as follows.. Insurance Website General Publicity and Educational Media Promotion by Social Media Office and Admin Costs Room Hire/Meeting Expenses Trustee Expenses Equipment Fundraising Costs Governance Costs Trustee and Volunteer External Training Bank Charges 470 950 500 480 2400 500 200 300 600 250 250 loo Risk management The Trustees have introduced a risk management process to assess business risks and are implementing systems to mitigate these risks. Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures or authorisation of all transactions and projects and to ensure consistent quality of delivery for all operational aspects of the Charity. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with health and safety of staff, volunteers, clients and Vlsltors to relevant sites. These procedure5 are periodically reviewed to ensure that they still meet the needs of the Charity. Signed on behalf of the board of trustees: Signed Date.. 21110/2025 Name: Stephen Garrod (Trusteel 12 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Receipts and payments account for the Financial Period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 Financial Period to 3111212024 Unrestricted Funds Financial Period to 3111212024 Restricted Funds Financial Period to 3111212024 Totsl Funds Financial Period to 3111212023 Totsl Funds Receipts Donations Grants Totsl Receipts 6830 590 7420 6830 590 7420 4689 14800 19489 Pa ments Bank Charges Donations Fundraisin General Publicity Governance Costs Insurance Groundwork Tools Protective Clothin Meetin Room Hire Miscellaneous offi.ce and Admin Costs Restricted Grant Funded Projects Trustee Expenses Trainin Costs Website Total Pa 96 96 89 io 282 costs 605 605 1150 1150 202 750 406 81 783 367 448 448 557 50 1571 557 50 1571 1604 7914 7914 5060 448 671 946 6131 1289 448 671 946 14046 166251 70 471 10176 9313 ments 7914 179141 Net ments Irecei ts Fund Balances Brought Forward Fund Balances Carried Forward 17476 20616 38092 28778 18765 12702 31467 38092 13 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Statement of assets and liabilities as at 31 December 2024 All cash funds were held at the charity's bank. A55ets retained for the charity's own use were valued at £4,500 and comprise items purchased and depreciated since time of purchase in the following categories.. Office Equipment Marketing Display Equipment Protective Clothing Groundworks Equipment Weather and Water Flow Monitoring Equipment Approval of the accounts The financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 2111012025. Signed: Name". Stephen Garrod ITrusteel 14 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Notes to the accounts for the period 01/0112024 to 31112/2024 l Accounting policies Basis of accounting The trustees have taken advantage of section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 and have prepared the accounts on a receipts and payments basis. There ha5 been no change to the accounting policies since last year. No changes have been made to the accounts for previous years. Taxation As a registered charity the organisation benefits from rates relief and is generally exempt from income tax and capital gains tax but not from VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the cost of those items to which it relates. Fund accounting Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the accounts. 2 Trustee Expenses {excluding reimbursement for purchases made on behalf of the charity) Expenses were paid to or on behalf of the following trustee to reimburse them for travel to Westminster to meet with MPS.. Bede Mullen . £41.20 Stephen Garrod . £57.16 Paul Williams . £62.92 Amanda Mc Dermott... £71.12 Katie Kimber... £49.82 Robin Grey.. £66.09 Samuel Townsend ... £49.82 Expenses were paid to or on behalf of the following trustees to reimburse them for their DBS check: Robin Grey ... £18.(10 Katie Kimber ... £18.00 3 Trustee remuneration and benefits There was one trustee who received remuneration for services supplied to Slow The Flow. This was Andrew Wright who was paid £3,560 in the year under 3 written agreement for him to provide 18 teaching days in schools to enable Slow The Flow to deliver its Education in Schools Project. 15 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Notes to the accounts for the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 4 Disclosures Relevant to The Charitable Incorporated Organisations (Generall Regulations 2012 al There were no guarantees given by Slow The Flow where any potential liability under the guarantee was outstanding at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities. bl There was no debt outstanding at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities which was owed by the CIO and which was secured by an express charge on any of the assets of the CIO. 5 Grants and Donations Flnanclal Period Unrestricte d Funds 500 Flnanclal Period Restricte d Funds Financlal Period Totsl Funds soo Source of Income Yorkshire Divide Blazing Saddles Limited 204 204 Calder Valley Fellrunners 600 600 Calderdale M.B.C. Victoria Theatre iooo iooo Calderdale Sustainability Forum Community Foundation for Calderdale/ Halifax Minster Diaz-N & San Gu Friendly Soap Limited Hebden Bridge Trades Club LocalGiving Limited Mytholmroyd St Michaels Wives Group Probus 90 500 35 706 500 90 soo 35 706 soo 3095 3095 30 30 25 loo 25 Scarisbrick Parish loo 35 Smith BC 35 7420 Total: 7420 16 SLOWTHEFLOW Slow The Flow Notes to the accounts for the period 01/0112024 to 3111212024 4 Restricted Fund5 Balance blf Incomin Outgoing Balance clf Community Foundation For Calderdale YORKSHIRE WATERSE 2616 2616 5000 1154 3846 WEST YORKS F&R-FUN Community Foundation For Calderdale 3000 575 2425 ioooo 20616 3569 7914 6431 12702 Fund Name Purpose of Restriction Education in Schoo15 Project Set up Education in Schools Projert roll out West Yorkshire Resilience Grant for Equipment Monitoring the effectiveness of Natural Flood Management at Broadhead Cough Community Foundation For Calderdale YORKSHIRE WATER SE WEST YORKS F&R-FUN Community Foundation For Calderdale 17