## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From 1[st] April 2022 To 31[st] March 2023**
**Charity name: Monmouthshire Meadows Group**
**Charity registration number: 1192542**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To promote the conservation,
protection and improvement of hay
meadows, grasslands and
unimproved pastures in the wye
valley and elsewhere in
Monmouthshire so as to conserve and
restore the diversity of plant and
animal species native to that
environment, in particular but not
exclusively, by facilitating and
prompting the management of those
lands consistent with thatpurpose.|
|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|Managing the owned and leased land
as per the objectives above.
Providing information, advice and
training to the membership and
others to enable them to manage
their land appropriately.
Promoting our aims to the general
public through publications,
attendance at public events and other
awareness-raising activities.|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|I confrm that the trustees have had
regard to the Charity Commission
guidance on public beneft.|
## **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 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|Signifcant achievements this year
were to install two ponds at the Wet
Meadow site, and to continue hay
meadow management at all three
sites, using volunteers were possible.
These sites are open to the public and
are exemplars on managing grassland
to improve biodiversity. Wet Meadow
is used by the local school as part of
their Forest School
In addition we continued to provide
information to our members via
regular newsletters and meetings
with speakers
We arranged and subsidised training
courses to encourage members to
manage their grassland sustainably
including:
2 scything workshops; 1 training
session on wildfower identifcation; 1
training on grassland management
for reptiles and amphibians; 1 training
session on managing meadows ‘by
hand’
We engaged with the wider public by
holding
2 open meadows days in spring and a
fungi open meadow day in autumn
We took our stall to various public
events including Monmouth Bee
Festival, Wye July Festival, the
Chepstow Show and others
Our book Grassland Fungi: A Field
Guide continued to sell nationally via
the Natural History Booksellers|
## **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|||
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Very good.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|Reserves are held in case there is a
need to purchase land in order to
protect and conserve a valuable
wildlife site, as we have done in the
past|
|Amount of reservesheld|Para 1.22|£40,000|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|n/a|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|n/a|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23||
## **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|
Grants and membership donations|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|An amount of our funds are invested
in a higher interest savings account|
|||As awhollyvolunteer-run|
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|organisation our main risk is loss of
key volunteers|
|---|---|---|
|Other|||
## **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|Election annually by membership|
## **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|
As per CC guidance.|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|MMG works closely with Gwent
Wildlife Trust and with the Wye Valley
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
We are members of the
Monmouthshire Local Nature
Partnership|
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51||
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Monmouthshire Meadows Group|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses||
|Registered charity number|1192542|
|Charity’s principal address|The Beeches, The Narth, Monmouthshire, NP25 4QL|
|||
**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Stephanie Tyler|Honorary President|||
||Stephanie Poulter||||
||Rachel Morgan|Chairman|||
||Pamela Manfeld|Minutes Secretary|||
||David Llewellyn|Treasurer|||
||Richard Coates||||
||Marilyn Dunkelman|Membership
Secretary|||
||Judith Carruthers||||
||Clare Adamson||||
||Maggie Hamlen||From 1stFeb||
||Teona Dorien Smith||From 1stFeb||
||Clare Catto||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
## – 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**
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets n/a held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for 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**
## **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)** Rachel Duncan Morgan Marilyn Dunkelman **Position (eg Secretary,** Chairman Trustee **Chair, etc) Date** 14[th] Feb 2024
## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
**From 1[st] April 2022 To 31[st] March 2023**
**Charity name: Monmouthshire Meadows Group**
**Charity registration number: 1192542**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|To promote the conservation,
protection and improvement of hay
meadows, grasslands and
unimproved pastures in the wye
valley and elsewhere in
Monmouthshire so as to conserve and
restore the diversity of plant and
animal species native to that
environment, in particular but not
exclusively, by facilitating and
prompting the management of those
lands consistent with thatpurpose.|
|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|Managing the owned and leased land
as per the objectives above.
Providing information, advice and
training to the membership and
others to enable them to manage
their land appropriately.
Promoting our aims to the general
public through publications,
attendance at public events and other
awareness-raising activities.|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity
Commission on public
benefit|Para 1.18|I confrm that the trustees have had
regard to the Charity Commission
guidance on public beneft.|
## **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 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|Signifcant achievements this year
were to install two ponds at the Wet
Meadow site, and to continue hay
meadow management at all three
sites, using volunteers were possible.
These sites are open to the public and
are exemplars on managing grassland
to improve biodiversity. Wet Meadow
is used by the local school as part of
their Forest School
In addition we continued to provide
information to our members via
regular newsletters and meetings
with speakers
We arranged and subsidised training
courses to encourage members to
manage their grassland sustainably
including:
2 scything workshops; 1 training
session on wildfower identifcation; 1
training on grassland management
for reptiles and amphibians; 1 training
session on managing meadows ‘by
hand’
We engaged with the wider public by
holding
2 open meadows days in spring and a
fungi open meadow day in autumn
We took our stall to various public
events including Monmouth Bee
Festival, Wye July Festival, the
Chepstow Show and others
Our book Grassland Fungi: A Field
Guide continued to sell nationally via
the Natural History Booksellers|
## **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|||
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|Very good.|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|Reserves are held in case there is a
need to purchase land in order to
protect and conserve a valuable
wildlife site, as we have done in the
past|
|Amount of reservesheld|Para 1.22|£40,000|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|n/a|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|n/a|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23||
## **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|
Grants and membership donations|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|An amount of our funds are invested
in a higher interest savings account|
|||As awhollyvolunteer-run|
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|organisation our main risk is loss of
key volunteers|
|---|---|---|
|Other|||
## **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|Election annually by membership|
## **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|
As per CC guidance.|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|MMG works closely with Gwent
Wildlife Trust and with the Wye Valley
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
We are members of the
Monmouthshire Local Nature
Partnership|
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51||
|Other|||
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|Monmouthshire Meadows Group|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses||
|Registered charity number|1192542|
|Charity’s principal address|The Beeches, The Narth, Monmouthshire, NP25 4QL|
|||
**Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body)**
**entitled to appoint trustee**
**(ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Stephanie Tyler|Honorary President|||
||Stephanie Poulter||||
||Rachel Morgan|Chairman|||
||Pamela Manfeld|Minutes Secretary|||
||David Llewellyn|Treasurer|||
||Richard Coates||||
||Marilyn Dunkelman|Membership
Secretary|||
||Judith Carruthers||||
||Clare Adamson||||
||Maggie Hamlen||From 1stFeb||
||Teona Dorien Smith||From 1stFeb||
||Clare Catto||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
||||||
## – 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**
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
Description of the assets n/a held in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for 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**
## **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)** Rachel Duncan Morgan Marilyn Dunkelman **Position (eg Secretary,** Chairman Trustee **Chair, etc) Date** 14[th] Feb 2024