## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From 1[st] September 2022 to 31[st] August 2023**
**Charity name: Friends of Priestfield Arboretum (FoPA)**
## **Charity registration number: 1191183**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|**To protect, preserve and enhance the**
**collection of rare and interesting**
**specimen trees at the privately owned**
**Priestfield Arboretum, Stony Lane, Little**
**Kingshill, Bucks replacing and adding to**
**them as appropriate.**|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or services
identified in the accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|**Work parties to maintain the site and**
**collection of trees.**
**Open days to enable members of the**
**public to enjoy and learn about the**
**collection of trees.**
**Produce a guide book for members**
**describing the history of the arboretum**
**and listing the specimen trees.**
**Maintain a list of members.**
**Collect membership subscriptions to**
**support the work of the CIO.**
**Produce quarterly newsletters.**
**Maintain a web site.**
**Arrange liability insurance.**|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|**Yes**|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
SORP reference Para 1.38 Policy on grant making Para 1.38 Policy on social investment including program related investment
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Para 1.38 Contribution made by volunteers Other
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|**FoPA have continued to maintain the**
**site and collections of trees.**
**Visits have been made to the**
**arboretum by:**
**Little Kingshill Village School**
**Berkshire, Buckinghamshire &**
**Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust**
**Volunteers from Little Kingshill for the**
**Big Help Out**
**We also held two open days with 90 and**
**151 visitors.**
**A new edition of our guidebook was**
**produced.**
**We have added 12 new specimens to the**
**collection, but lost 4 specimens due to**
**drought or disease.**|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|
Achievements against
objectives set|
Para 1.41||
|---|---|---|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41||
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41||
|Other|||
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11.0
20" May 2024
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|**£4151.00**|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|**Reserves are held in case needed for tree**
**felling or other urgent problems**|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**£1,500**|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|**Not applicable**|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|**None**|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|**None**|
|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|**Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|**Membership subscriptions**
**Open days and sale of guidebooks**
**Other organised visits**
**Donations**|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46||
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|**Weather, in particular wind, rain, drought,**
**and frost, plus the risk of fire in dry spells**|
|Other|||
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## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:|||
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|**Constitution**|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|**CIO**|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|**Volunteers who are elected at the annual**
**general meeting**|
## **Additional information (optional)**
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|
Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees|
Para 1.51||
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51||
|Relationship with any related
parties|Para 1.51||
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|**Friends of Priestfield Arboretum**|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses|None|
|Registered charity number|1191183|
|Charity’s principal address|Dil Kushi, Windsor Lane
Little Kingshill
Great Missenden
Bucks
HP16 0DP|
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## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
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17
18
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20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||TimothyPye|||AGM|
||Liz Murray-Leslie|||AGM|
||MaryWyatt|||AGM|
||Paul Heath|||AGM|
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– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved
## **Director name**
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
|**Trustee name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**||
|---|---|---|
|Timothy Pye|||
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## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets None held in this capacity Name and objects of the None charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for None safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of Name Address adviser**
**Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
## **Other optional information**
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## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s)**
**Full name(s)**
**Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)**
**Date**
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## **Friends of Priestfield Arboretum**
Financial report for the year 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023
## November 2023
## Introduction
The sources of funds (our income) for Friends of Priestfield Arboretum (FoPA) are:
- Membership fees paid annually by bank transfer, standing order, card or cash.
- Entrance fees from open days, usually held in May and October
- Sale of arboretum guidebooks
- Donations, which include fees paid to for speaking at events of other organisations.
Our two annual open days are proving increasingly popular. Entrance fees and sales of guidebooks are made by cash payment, credit or debit card.
Membership fees continue to be charged at £10 per person. There were 120 members at the end of calendar year 2022, this has risen to 138 members at end on this calendar year (2023).
Donations come from speaking events attended by members of the management committee – usually Tim Pye - and one-off donations, often made on open days.
The largest single regular outgoing during the year is insurance, which provides cover for volunteers involved in workdays at the arboretum and for us as a charitable organisation during open days when the paying public are on-site.
Other expenditure includes preparation for the open days - print costs for the guidebooks and other promotional material - and undertaking regular maintenance of the Arboretum including purchase of tools and equipment, signage, cost of new trees, fuel for machinery etc.
Our funds are held in a current account (Community account) to pay for day-to-day and regular expenses such as insurance and website maintenance.
We also have a deposit account (Business premium account) for unexpected expenses such as the removal of a dangerous branches or trees. The trustees have stipulated we should maintain a balance of at least £1,500 in this account for such unforeseen events, the account currently stands at £2,070. The bank pays a small amount of interest on this deposit account,
Finally, we maintain a small cash float for small incidental expenditure.
## Income for the Financial Year
2021/22 2022/23 **£ £** Membership fees - Standing orders 95 135 - Cash & cards 370 465 - Open days 138 270 **Total** 603 870 Entrance fees to open days 412 430 Sales of guidebooks 86 56 Donations 221 171 Interest 1 7 **Total** 720 664 **Total Income 1,323 1,534**
The income for FoPA has showed an increase over that of the previous year. Membership numbers have increased slightly, including additional recruitment at the two open days in October 22 and May 2023. Entrance fee income on open days was marginally up on 2021/2022. The October 2023 open day, which will be reflected in next year’s accounts, was particularly busy and successful.
Donations primarily come from payments made for two speaking events undertaken by Tim Pye during the year.
## Expenditure for the Financial Year
2021/22
2022/23
|**£**
Insurance
172
Costs for open day, tools, printing etc.
343
Purchase of tree
58
Web site annual fee
34
Expenses incurred in 21/22 paid in 22/33
197
**Total Expenses**
**804**
Costs accrued in 21/22 paid in 22/23
-343
Expenses incurred in 21/22 paid in 22/33
-197
**Total Expenditure**
**264**|**£**
172
491
0
34
0
**697**
343
197
**1237**|
|---|---|
Based on the figures available for the year our total expenses incurred in 2022/23 have decreased. This is mainly due to using existing stocks of brochures for the open days, thereby avoiding printing costs, and acquiring trees to plant at no cost.
Expenditure reflects the payment of an outstanding expenses of £540 (343+197) to Tim Pye for costs incurred during 21/22 including outstanding bills for maintenance. This impending expense claim was noted in the previous year’s Treasurer report.
## **Reconciliation of Funds**
The overall increase in funds for the year (Income less Expenditure) was £297 (£1,059 2021/22). The main reason for the decrease in funds generated year on year was the payment of the deferred expenses bill of £540, mentioned earlier. Income generated, less actual expenses incurred during the year, shows a net gain in of £837 (£519 2021/22)
During the year under review, £272 was paid into the deposit account, a further £28 into the current account, and a slight (-£3) reduction in petty cash.
As of 31 August 2023, the deposit account held £2,000 and the current account stood at £2,070. The petty cash fund stood at £81.
Overall FoPA is well funded and able to meet its financial commitments. Renewals of memberships continue to hold up well and our open days and donations continue to make a significant contribution to our funds.
## **Planned Expenditure and Income**
We expect income from membership and open days to continue at similar levels as that experienced during the current year. However, as the open day in May 2022 showed, bad weather can have a detrimental effect on attendance and our income for these events.
Expenditure planned for next year includes two new entrance signs and a new site description board to replace the current printed one.
Ian Brown, Treasurer, FoPA