## **HOPE VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION** ## TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2023 The Trustees of Hope Valley Climate Action (‘HVCA’) have pleasure in submitting their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2023. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements and Charity Commission guidance. ## **Introduction** Hope Valley Climate Action’s objects are the advancement of environmental protection and the promotion of sustainable development both within the Hope Valley and more widely, by addressing the causes and consequences of climate change, for the public benefit of all people living within the Hope Valley, as well as others living elsewhere. We continued to these objects through raising awareness, taking local action, and advocating for the changes in policy that are necessary to mitigate the impact of the climate emergency and adapt to the changes to our climate that are inevitable. We have continued to grow as an organisation, and our monthly newsletter now goes out to over a thousand people. We work with other climate groups in the Region, and continue to engage with local and Westminster politicians and other decision makers. In this report we summarise our activities in the year, present our annual accounts, and outline our plans for 2024. ## **Our Trustees** Trustees during the year were: Jeremy Wight (Chair), Roger Clarke, Mandy Holden, Faith Johnson, Louise Petheram, Stephen Platt, Davina Ripton, Sarah Roberts. During the course of the year Steve Platt, Sarah Roberts and Jeremy Wight all completed their first term of office and were re-elected for second terms. ## **Achievements and Performance** ## _**Awareness raising**_ We have continued to hold general meetings through the year, open to all. Topics for the meetings have included the Schools Climate Challenge, the role of hedges in carbon capture (and supporting wildlife) and the decarbonization of cement manufacture and construction more generally. We also had a presence at various village fetes and fairs, as well as at the Hope Show. The regular column in parish magazines is now a regular feature in most villages. ## _**Action**_ Energy ## Eco Open homes We held a successful Eco Open homes event on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 October. 13 homes were available for tours. We put more effort into publicity in 2023 including working with other groups to expand reach. As a result visits to the open homes over the event weekend were well up on last year, with over 50 people attending the open homes. It was also encouraging to note that visitors this year appeared better informed about retrofitting, and more willing to tackle large-scale improvements such as internal wall insulation, installing clean energy systems and fitting solar panels. - 1 - Our Retrofit Question Time on Monday 9 October was also well attended with a wide range of retrofitrelated questions to our four panel members from a lively and enthusiastic audience. Marches Energy Agency agreed to bring their ‘Fantastic Home’ mobile energy exhibition van to the centre of Hathersage on Sunday 8 October. Their exhibition attracted a steady stream of visitors both from the local area and further afield. Enquiries ranged from low-cost tips on saving energy to general advice on how to manage more ambitious retrofit projects. We received £7000 from Breedon, a substantial proportion of which will be donated to Eyam school for solar panels, and £500 from High Peak Borough Council to fund the open eco homes event and speaker events focusing on retrofit. ## HVCA Election Manifesto We contributed an energy section to the HVCA Election Manifesto about what energy related goals we'd like our local parliamentary candidates to prioritise should their party get into power at the next election. The Energy Group responded to Historic England’s public consultation on whether solar panels and heat pumps should be allowed on listed buildings. During the year we received active support from Joanna Hill at Derbyshire Dales District Council and Peter Burgess Allen Marches Energy Agency and in 2024 we anticipate support also coming from John Kinderman at Derbyshire County Council. ## Regenerative Hope Valley Regenerative Hope Valley was launched in August 2023. This project aims to help build coalitions within and between villages to chart a way forward on retrofit and renewables. Three villages are now involved in the project: Abney (the original focus of the project), Edale and Bradwell. Each village has its own steering committee. Regenerative Hope Valley brochures were sent to the parish councils in all the villages not participating in the project to encourage them to join. ## Land ## Every Fence a Hedge In the early part of 2023 we worked with the Hope Valley Farmers to plant 3.4 km of hedge, funded through the Peak District National Park Authority's Farming in Protected Landscape grant, with whips provided by the Woodland Trust. This was such a success that we then went on to undertake a survey of all the potential hedges in the Hope Valley to see how they could be improved or replanted and what the effect would be on carbon sequestration. This involved some work by professional ecologists and mappers supported by a group of a dozen volunteers ground truthing the aerial survey work. A full report is due out in April 2024. In the meantime Hope Valley Farmers have planted another 6 km of hedges and are likely to plant more next winter. ## Verges and Gardens The work of the Wild Garden group has grown as more people have joined the group and opened their gardens to visitors. They continue to share advice and plants. Several villages in the valley have taken an active role in how their grass verges are managed. This has involved actively doing the work or persuading parish and borough councils to manage the verges less intensively to benefit wildlife and reduce carbon emissions. ## Thornhill Carrs recording We have continued to support the work of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust in managing Thornhill Carrs reserve by recording the wildlife found on the reserve. The purpose is to help develop the management plans for the reserve by providing a base date on the wildlife found there and an input from the local community. A group of 6 people lead the work though many others have been involved. - 2 - Campaigning Working as part of the High Peak Biodiversity group we were influential in getting the council to develop a biodiversity strategy and recruit a biodiversity officer. We worked with the council on eliminating the use of glyphosate in the borough and reducing the use of peat. ## Travel and transport Using funds from the Department for Transport carried forward from 2022, and other funds received in year, we continued our ‘ **Travelling Light** ’ work with the main objectives of - making it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday journeys - increasing the use of high-quality public transport - reducing car use and encouraging the switch to electric vehicles. We continued to press the case for **active travel** . Our community conversations tell us that more people would walk and cycle if there were safe and attractive routes. We were delighted that, after HVCA pressure for several years, Derbyshire County Council agreed to produce an **Active Travel Masterplan** for the Hope Valley. Work with DCC on the Masterplan will be a main feature of 2024. Separately, we negotiated support from High Peak Borough Council for a new project **‘Move More Hope Valley’.** This will help us engage local communities about how active travel opportunities could be improved. Likely outcomes range from new village walking and cycling groups, to proposals for safe cycle routes to school and the dedication of back roads as ‘Quiet Lanes’ suitable for active travel. We have also kept up pressure for low speed limits in villages, to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. We ran a second ‘Use the Bus’ campaign during the February half term. User feedback confirmed widespread public dissatisfaction with the quality of **bus services** , and particularly delays and cancellations. We launched a campaign to improve bus services, with an initial focus on real time information [RTI], and DCC is now installing RTI displays at Sickleholme and Castleton. We are pressing for RTI in each village, complemented by bus tracker information via QR codes at each bus stop, as well as frequent, reliable services. We met DCC Cabinet Member Charlotte Cupit to champion the public transport needs of the Hope Valley. We continue to campaign for a **train service** at every station every 30 minutes. We were successful in gaining support from DCC and Midlands Connect for **‘Moving Together’** , a project to encourage people to share lifts, cars and electric vehicle charging points. At the request of Midlands Connect, the initial focus was on creating a website to bring together shared mobility expertise with local demand. In 2024 we will concentrate on community engagement, practical development of shared travel schemes, and further customer experience research. Travelling Light has around **150 supporters** on its mailing list, of whom 20-30 are active volunteers on different aspects of the project. We held regular travel and transport open meetings, online and inperson. We used the Commonplace community engagement platform to enable local people and visitors to express their views on aspects of travel, such as the scope for improved routes. Around 400 people have contributed so far. We held events at village summer festivals throughout the Valley. We carried out community conversations on transport topics in several villages including Bamford, Bradwell and Castleton, working with local organisations. We set up an exchange with Hope Valley College and King Edward VII School, Sheffield, to enable students to discuss their experience of local travel. We commissioned short films on ways in which local tourism businesses are embedding sustainable travel into their offer, for example by installing EV charging points and providing transport from the station. ## Cement Cement manufacture is responsible for almost 10% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, and here in the Hope Valley we host the largest cement factory in the Country, which alone produces 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Given the essential role of cement in construction, and the need for extensive infrastructure development to underpin the decarbonisation of our economy, decarbonising cement manufacture is vitally important. - 3 - The way forward advocated by the construction industry is carbon capture and storage (CCS), the process of removing CO2 from the exhaust gasses from the factory, and then transporting it somewhere where it can be stored safely and not released into the atmosphere. Locally, Breedon, the operators of the Hope Cement Works, have been exploring the feasibility of both capturing CO2 from the plant, as well as the development of a network of pipelines to transport it to the Mersey basin, and from there to former natural gas reservoirs under the Irish Sea. The feasibility of this pipeline network was explored jointly with other lime and cement works in Derbyshire and Staffordshire (the ‘Peak Cluster’). We have engaged closely with these initiatives, hosting a well attended public consultation meeting, and meeting the cement works management to hear from them about the outcome of their feasibility studies. We also explored alternatives to conventional cement in construction at one of our general meetings. If and when any formal application is made for planning permission to build either a CCS plant on the Hope site, or the network of pipelines that would be necessary to export the CO2, we will study it carefully and engage appropriately. ## _**Advocacy**_ During the course of the year we have continued to engage actively with our two local MPs, Robert Largan in High Peak and Sarah Dines in Derbyshire Dales. Correspondence covered planning policy for onshore wind development; the Community Energy Bill; and the Climate Change Committee’s annual report to Parliament (in which it noted the lack of proper effective leadership on the agenda). In addition we wrote deploring the approval of the Rosebank gas field and the Prime Minister’s relaxation of the timetable for the decarbonisation of the economy. In face to face meetings we pressed for more investment in training locally in the necessary skills for retrofitting housing to improve energy efficiency, and for review and relaxation of planning restrictions for renewable energy generation capacity (solar and onshore wind). We also met and corresponded with District and County Councillors, not least at the time of the local elections in May, pressing for the importance of action to address the emergency at all levels of Government. We remain active participants in both the High Peak Green Network and the Derbyshire Climate Coalition. 2024 will of course be a year of elections. Anticipating this, towards the end of 2023 we started work on a ‘Manifesto’ describing what we want to see done in the Hope Valley. We will be using this as a platform for engaging with all candidates in both the forthcoming Mayoral Election (East Midlands Regional Mayor) as well as the General Election. ## **Plans for the Future** HVCA’s current strategy has a further year to run. On reviewing it, Trustees decided it was still relevant, and that a good time to prepare a new one would be after the General Election. In the meantime, plans for 2024 were formulated. These are available on our website, and include (but are not limited to) the following. ## _**Travel and transport**_ - Promoting an increase in active travel, working with ‘Move More High Peak’ and with the County Council in the development of an Active Travel Masterplan for the Valley. - Press for increased use of public transport, specifically calling for improvements in bus reliability and real time information displays to promote their use. - Reduce fossil fuel dependency through for example the promotion of EV charge points and car sharing. - Using the Mayoral and General Elections as a springboard to press for a comprehensive approach by public authorities to planning and delivering a high quality integrated transport system. ## _**Energy**_ - Partner with other climate action groups to organise a county-wide open eco-homes event in the last two weeks of September + first two weeks of October. Organise a speaker meeting, workshop or retrofit fair to run in conjunction with this open eco homes event. - Help organise retrofit skills courses (installing insulation, lime plastering etc) to DIY retrofitters in the valley either with Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT) or People Powered Retrofit. - 4 - - Support climate change initiatives (insulation and solar panels) in local organisations and businesses. - Invite companies linked to retrofit and home energy generation to a Q&A session. - Work with schools to encourage them to reduce consumption, consider green energy generation, and promote education of children in all aspects of climate action. Support the installation of solar panels for Eyam and Bradwell Primary Schools, and hopefully other primary schools in HV. ## _**Land**_ - Promoting hedges, aiming for a 40% increase in hedgerows across the Hope Valley by 2030. Work to date has identified locations for restoration and planting (in addition to two phases of hedge planting in recent years). Funds will be sought to continue this. - Undertaking mapping of major land holdings, areas of bracken, areas of potential meadow or woodland improvement, all using GIS. The aim being to develop a tool that can be used for delivering new projects of climate and wildlife value. - Following the successes of previous tree planting projects, we are keen to get more trees in the ground in 2024. We are exploring the feasibility of using the mapping approach adopted for Every Fence a Hedge to develop a ‘tree planting in bracken’ project. - Repeating the ‘Open Wild Gardens’ weekend. ## **Financial Review** ## _**Principal funding sources**_ Our funding during the course of the year came principally in the form of grants from the Peak District National Park (Farming in Protected Landscapes funding), the Foundation for Integrated Transport, Derbyshire County Council and Breedon. In addition, we received a small amount of funding from individual private donors. ## _**Expenditure**_ Net expenditure in the year amounted to £50,570 (2022: net income of £113,391). The net assets of the charity decreased from £137,551 at 1 January 2023 to £86,981 at 31[st] December 2023. This reflects the main activity of the year which was carrying out the projects for which funding was received in 2022. Some grant funding received during 2023 is carried forward for expenditure in 2024. ## _**Reserves policy**_ The trustees wish to ensure continued smooth operation of the charity and its projects. Accordingly it aims to keep a minimum £10,000 as general reserves to ensure core activities can continue and that projects can be properly concluded in the event of a small overrun. The level of general reserves at the end of the year, £28,744, meets this minimum requirement. This policy is reviewed annually as part of the preparation of our annual accounts. - 5 - _**Project finance summary**_ |Balance at
1 Jan 2023
Hedges
10,000
Renewables
912
Safer Roads
840
Schools Climate
Challenge
3,680
Summer Events
927
Moving Together
-
Travelling Light,
90,726
Use the Bus
(246)
Abney
-
Total Projects
106,839
General
30,712
Total Reserves
£137,551|Income
Expenditure
Transfers
Balance at
31 Dec 2023
34,506
(40,685)
3,821
6,000
(165)
6,747
-
-
840
-
(3,000)
680
-
(696)
231
16,000
(4,266)
11,734
18,400
(74,942)
34,184
-
-
246
-
600
(1,000)
400
-
75,506
(124,754)
646
58,237
15,529
(16,851)
(646)
28,744
£91,035
£141,605
-
£86,981| |---|---| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ## _**Legal Structure**_ The charity was set up in 2020 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and registered as a charity with reference number 1192830. ## _**Recruitment and appointment of Trustees**_ The Board consists of elected members. Election is made by the existing Trustees and recruits are identified and selected to ensure an appropriate mix of skills. New Trustees are identified and interviewed by one or more existing Trustees, proposed to a full meeting of the Board, seconded and voted. The constitution provides for the progressive rotation of Trustees by retirement after three years. Such Trustees may, by agreement, be re-appointed for one further term. ## _**Trustee induction and training**_ It is a necessity for all Trustees to support wholeheartedly the objects of the Charity, and this fact is established at the interview. No other formal induction and training procedures have been established. ## _**Trustees’ responsibilities**_ The trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). - 6 - The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the requirements set by the Charities Commission. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## _**Organisation and management**_ The key management personnel are the Trustees, who are in charge of directing, controlling, running and operating the charity on a day to day basis. All Trustees give of their time freely and none have received any remuneration. Out of pocket expenses incurred are reimbursed. During the course of the year we developed subcommittees concerned with Policy and Advocacy, Communication and Engagement, and Executive and Finance. ## _**Public benefit**_ The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Trust’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the grant making policy for the year. ## **Administrative information** Charity name: Hope Valley Climate Action Charity number: 1192830. Address: Croft Head, Aston Lane, Hope, Derbyshire, S33 6RA Email: hopevalleyclimateaction@gmail.com Website: www.hopevalleyclimateaction.org.uk - 7 - **HOPE VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION** FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2023 ## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (SOFA)** |**_Income_**
Donations
Grant funding
**_Total income_**
**_Expenditure on Charitable activities:_**
Project costs
Administration and support costs
**_Total expenditure_**
**Net (expenditure) / income**
**BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**Current assets**
Debtors – Grants receivable
Cash at bank
**Creditors:**amounts falling due within one year
**Net Current Assets**
**TOTAL ASSETS LESS LIABILITIES**
**Reserves**
Allocated to projects
General Reserves
**TOTAL RESERVES**|**2023**
£
1,629
89,406
91,035
124,754
16,851
141,605
**£(50,570)**
2023
£
44,500
42,947
87,447
466
86,981
**£86,981**
**2023**
£
58,237
28,744
**£86,981**|**2022**
£
703
156,100
156,803
31,906
11,506
43,412
**£113,391**
2022
£
2,188
138,659
140,847
3,295
137,551
**£137,551**
**2022**
£
106,839
30,712
**£137,551**| |---|---|---| |||| ||
**£**|
**£**| - 8 - NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2023 ## 1 **ACCOUNTING POLICIES** ## a **Basis of preparation** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), Financial Reporting Standard 102 (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements are drawn up on an accrual basis. Hope Valley Climate Action (HVCA) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered in in England and Wales. It meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. ## b **Revenue** Income is included in the SoFA when the charity has been notified in writing that a grant has been awarded, the amount is certain and pre conditions (if any) have been met. No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with the SORP (FRS 102). Similarly, no value is attached to gifts in kind that although graciously acknowledged, are not material for separate calculation or inclusion. ## c **Expenditure** Expenditure is included in the SoFA on an accruals basis, inclusive of VAT and is directly attributable to specific categories of resources expended under which it is classified ## d **Fund accounting** Income received, whether by donation or grant is spent on projects in pursuit of the charity’s objectives and necessary central (“core”) support.. Income is allocated between projects and core based on discussions with the donor or grant making body. Using the definitions in the Charities SORP all of the charity’s reserves meet the definition of Unrestricted Funds, those allocated to projects meet the definition of Delegated Funds. ## e **Fixed Assets** Tangible fixed assets with a cost of less than £1,000 are not capitalised, but treated as expenditure in the year of acquisition. This is a change of accounting policy; ## f **Debtors** Grants receivable and other debtors are included at the settlement amount due. ## g **Creditors and provisions** Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation arising from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at their settlement amount. ## h **Going concern** The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for twelve months from authorising these financial - 9 - statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern. ## 2 **INCOME** During the year, grants of £89,406 (2022 - £156,100) were obtained. Of this, £58,907 (2022 - £120,750) are grants from central and local government. ## 3. **EXPENDITURE** |**Projects**
**Admin**
**and support**
**£**
**£**
Salaries
37,355
6,530
Consulting and Contractors
69,492
-
Marketing and communication
6,165
2,245
Events
924
-
Travel and subsistence
2,124
205
IT and Office costs
7,865
1,408
Accountancy
-
6,216
Sundry expenses
829
247
124,754
16,851|**Total**
**Total**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
43,885
12,128
69,492
18,343
8,410
4,989
924
-
2,329
493
9,273
1,971
6,216
3,385
1,076
2,103
141,605
43,412| |---|---| ## 4 **MOVEMENT ON RESERVES** All of the charity’s reserves are unrestricted, but the trustees allocate a significant portion of income, and the related expenditure, to projects, a designated reserve. The unallocated income, expenditure and reserves are referred to as “core”. Where projects over spend the allocation, the shortfall is transferred from Core. ||**Allocated**
**to projects**|**General**|**Total**| |---|---|---|---| ||**£**|**£**|**£**| |Reserves at 1 January 2023|106,839|30,712|137,551| |Income|75,506|15,529|91,035| |Expenditure|(124,754)|(16,851)|141,605| |Transfer|646|(646)|-| |Movement in the year|(48,602)|2,329|(50,941)| |Reserves at 31 December 2023|£58,237|£28,744|£86,981| ## 5 **CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING POLICY** The trustees have amended the accounting policy for fixed assets so that only fixed asset expenditure over £1,000 is capitalised. Expenditure below that value is written off in the year of acquisition and no depreciation is charged in subsequent years. The impact of this change has been to reduce the opening reserves from £137,970 by £419 to £137,551. 6 **TAXATION** - 10 - The charity is exempt from taxation on its charitable activities. ## 7 **TRUSTEES’ REMUNERATION** No fees or emoluments were paid to the Trustees of the company during the year. Out of pocket expenses amounting to £123.62 (2022: £277.58) were paid to trustees. ## 8 **RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS** During the year accountancy services were commissioned from a relative of one trustee at normal commercial rates to the total value of £4573.80.. - 11 - ## **HOPE VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION** ## TRUSTEES REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2023 The Trustees of Hope Valley Climate Action (‘HVCA’) have pleasure in submitting their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31[st] December 2023. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements and Charity Commission guidance. ## **Introduction** Hope Valley Climate Action’s objects are the advancement of environmental protection and the promotion of sustainable development both within the Hope Valley and more widely, by addressing the causes and consequences of climate change, for the public benefit of all people living within the Hope Valley, as well as others living elsewhere. We continued to these objects through raising awareness, taking local action, and advocating for the changes in policy that are necessary to mitigate the impact of the climate emergency and adapt to the changes to our climate that are inevitable. We have continued to grow as an organisation, and our monthly newsletter now goes out to over a thousand people. We work with other climate groups in the Region, and continue to engage with local and Westminster politicians and other decision makers. In this report we summarise our activities in the year, present our annual accounts, and outline our plans for 2024. ## **Our Trustees** Trustees during the year were: Jeremy Wight (Chair), Roger Clarke, Mandy Holden, Faith Johnson, Louise Petheram, Stephen Platt, Davina Ripton, Sarah Roberts. During the course of the year Steve Platt, Sarah Roberts and Jeremy Wight all completed their first term of office and were re-elected for second terms. ## **Achievements and Performance** ## _**Awareness raising**_ We have continued to hold general meetings through the year, open to all. Topics for the meetings have included the Schools Climate Challenge, the role of hedges in carbon capture (and supporting wildlife) and the decarbonization of cement manufacture and construction more generally. We also had a presence at various village fetes and fairs, as well as at the Hope Show. The regular column in parish magazines is now a regular feature in most villages. ## _**Action**_ Energy ## Eco Open homes We held a successful Eco Open homes event on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 October. 13 homes were available for tours. We put more effort into publicity in 2023 including working with other groups to expand reach. As a result visits to the open homes over the event weekend were well up on last year, with over 50 people attending the open homes. It was also encouraging to note that visitors this year appeared better informed about retrofitting, and more willing to tackle large-scale improvements such as internal wall insulation, installing clean energy systems and fitting solar panels. - 1 - Our Retrofit Question Time on Monday 9 October was also well attended with a wide range of retrofitrelated questions to our four panel members from a lively and enthusiastic audience. Marches Energy Agency agreed to bring their ‘Fantastic Home’ mobile energy exhibition van to the centre of Hathersage on Sunday 8 October. Their exhibition attracted a steady stream of visitors both from the local area and further afield. Enquiries ranged from low-cost tips on saving energy to general advice on how to manage more ambitious retrofit projects. We received £7000 from Breedon, a substantial proportion of which will be donated to Eyam school for solar panels, and £500 from High Peak Borough Council to fund the open eco homes event and speaker events focusing on retrofit. ## HVCA Election Manifesto We contributed an energy section to the HVCA Election Manifesto about what energy related goals we'd like our local parliamentary candidates to prioritise should their party get into power at the next election. The Energy Group responded to Historic England’s public consultation on whether solar panels and heat pumps should be allowed on listed buildings. During the year we received active support from Joanna Hill at Derbyshire Dales District Council and Peter Burgess Allen Marches Energy Agency and in 2024 we anticipate support also coming from John Kinderman at Derbyshire County Council. ## Regenerative Hope Valley Regenerative Hope Valley was launched in August 2023. This project aims to help build coalitions within and between villages to chart a way forward on retrofit and renewables. Three villages are now involved in the project: Abney (the original focus of the project), Edale and Bradwell. Each village has its own steering committee. Regenerative Hope Valley brochures were sent to the parish councils in all the villages not participating in the project to encourage them to join. ## Land ## Every Fence a Hedge In the early part of 2023 we worked with the Hope Valley Farmers to plant 3.4 km of hedge, funded through the Peak District National Park Authority's Farming in Protected Landscape grant, with whips provided by the Woodland Trust. This was such a success that we then went on to undertake a survey of all the potential hedges in the Hope Valley to see how they could be improved or replanted and what the effect would be on carbon sequestration. This involved some work by professional ecologists and mappers supported by a group of a dozen volunteers ground truthing the aerial survey work. A full report is due out in April 2024. In the meantime Hope Valley Farmers have planted another 6 km of hedges and are likely to plant more next winter. ## Verges and Gardens The work of the Wild Garden group has grown as more people have joined the group and opened their gardens to visitors. They continue to share advice and plants. Several villages in the valley have taken an active role in how their grass verges are managed. This has involved actively doing the work or persuading parish and borough councils to manage the verges less intensively to benefit wildlife and reduce carbon emissions. ## Thornhill Carrs recording We have continued to support the work of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust in managing Thornhill Carrs reserve by recording the wildlife found on the reserve. The purpose is to help develop the management plans for the reserve by providing a base date on the wildlife found there and an input from the local community. A group of 6 people lead the work though many others have been involved. - 2 - Campaigning Working as part of the High Peak Biodiversity group we were influential in getting the council to develop a biodiversity strategy and recruit a biodiversity officer. We worked with the council on eliminating the use of glyphosate in the borough and reducing the use of peat. ## Travel and transport Using funds from the Department for Transport carried forward from 2022, and other funds received in year, we continued our ‘ **Travelling Light** ’ work with the main objectives of - making it easier for people to walk, wheel and cycle for everyday journeys - increasing the use of high-quality public transport - reducing car use and encouraging the switch to electric vehicles. We continued to press the case for **active travel** . Our community conversations tell us that more people would walk and cycle if there were safe and attractive routes. We were delighted that, after HVCA pressure for several years, Derbyshire County Council agreed to produce an **Active Travel Masterplan** for the Hope Valley. Work with DCC on the Masterplan will be a main feature of 2024. Separately, we negotiated support from High Peak Borough Council for a new project **‘Move More Hope Valley’.** This will help us engage local communities about how active travel opportunities could be improved. Likely outcomes range from new village walking and cycling groups, to proposals for safe cycle routes to school and the dedication of back roads as ‘Quiet Lanes’ suitable for active travel. We have also kept up pressure for low speed limits in villages, to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists. We ran a second ‘Use the Bus’ campaign during the February half term. User feedback confirmed widespread public dissatisfaction with the quality of **bus services** , and particularly delays and cancellations. We launched a campaign to improve bus services, with an initial focus on real time information [RTI], and DCC is now installing RTI displays at Sickleholme and Castleton. We are pressing for RTI in each village, complemented by bus tracker information via QR codes at each bus stop, as well as frequent, reliable services. We met DCC Cabinet Member Charlotte Cupit to champion the public transport needs of the Hope Valley. We continue to campaign for a **train service** at every station every 30 minutes. We were successful in gaining support from DCC and Midlands Connect for **‘Moving Together’** , a project to encourage people to share lifts, cars and electric vehicle charging points. At the request of Midlands Connect, the initial focus was on creating a website to bring together shared mobility expertise with local demand. In 2024 we will concentrate on community engagement, practical development of shared travel schemes, and further customer experience research. Travelling Light has around **150 supporters** on its mailing list, of whom 20-30 are active volunteers on different aspects of the project. We held regular travel and transport open meetings, online and inperson. We used the Commonplace community engagement platform to enable local people and visitors to express their views on aspects of travel, such as the scope for improved routes. Around 400 people have contributed so far. We held events at village summer festivals throughout the Valley. We carried out community conversations on transport topics in several villages including Bamford, Bradwell and Castleton, working with local organisations. We set up an exchange with Hope Valley College and King Edward VII School, Sheffield, to enable students to discuss their experience of local travel. We commissioned short films on ways in which local tourism businesses are embedding sustainable travel into their offer, for example by installing EV charging points and providing transport from the station. ## Cement Cement manufacture is responsible for almost 10% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, and here in the Hope Valley we host the largest cement factory in the Country, which alone produces 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 per year. Given the essential role of cement in construction, and the need for extensive infrastructure development to underpin the decarbonisation of our economy, decarbonising cement manufacture is vitally important. - 3 - The way forward advocated by the construction industry is carbon capture and storage (CCS), the process of removing CO2 from the exhaust gasses from the factory, and then transporting it somewhere where it can be stored safely and not released into the atmosphere. Locally, Breedon, the operators of the Hope Cement Works, have been exploring the feasibility of both capturing CO2 from the plant, as well as the development of a network of pipelines to transport it to the Mersey basin, and from there to former natural gas reservoirs under the Irish Sea. The feasibility of this pipeline network was explored jointly with other lime and cement works in Derbyshire and Staffordshire (the ‘Peak Cluster’). We have engaged closely with these initiatives, hosting a well attended public consultation meeting, and meeting the cement works management to hear from them about the outcome of their feasibility studies. We also explored alternatives to conventional cement in construction at one of our general meetings. If and when any formal application is made for planning permission to build either a CCS plant on the Hope site, or the network of pipelines that would be necessary to export the CO2, we will study it carefully and engage appropriately. ## _**Advocacy**_ During the course of the year we have continued to engage actively with our two local MPs, Robert Largan in High Peak and Sarah Dines in Derbyshire Dales. Correspondence covered planning policy for onshore wind development; the Community Energy Bill; and the Climate Change Committee’s annual report to Parliament (in which it noted the lack of proper effective leadership on the agenda). In addition we wrote deploring the approval of the Rosebank gas field and the Prime Minister’s relaxation of the timetable for the decarbonisation of the economy. In face to face meetings we pressed for more investment in training locally in the necessary skills for retrofitting housing to improve energy efficiency, and for review and relaxation of planning restrictions for renewable energy generation capacity (solar and onshore wind). We also met and corresponded with District and County Councillors, not least at the time of the local elections in May, pressing for the importance of action to address the emergency at all levels of Government. We remain active participants in both the High Peak Green Network and the Derbyshire Climate Coalition. 2024 will of course be a year of elections. Anticipating this, towards the end of 2023 we started work on a ‘Manifesto’ describing what we want to see done in the Hope Valley. We will be using this as a platform for engaging with all candidates in both the forthcoming Mayoral Election (East Midlands Regional Mayor) as well as the General Election. ## **Plans for the Future** HVCA’s current strategy has a further year to run. On reviewing it, Trustees decided it was still relevant, and that a good time to prepare a new one would be after the General Election. In the meantime, plans for 2024 were formulated. These are available on our website, and include (but are not limited to) the following. ## _**Travel and transport**_ - Promoting an increase in active travel, working with ‘Move More High Peak’ and with the County Council in the development of an Active Travel Masterplan for the Valley. - Press for increased use of public transport, specifically calling for improvements in bus reliability and real time information displays to promote their use. - Reduce fossil fuel dependency through for example the promotion of EV charge points and car sharing. - Using the Mayoral and General Elections as a springboard to press for a comprehensive approach by public authorities to planning and delivering a high quality integrated transport system. ## _**Energy**_ - Partner with other climate action groups to organise a county-wide open eco-homes event in the last two weeks of September + first two weeks of October. Organise a speaker meeting, workshop or retrofit fair to run in conjunction with this open eco homes event. - Help organise retrofit skills courses (installing insulation, lime plastering etc) to DIY retrofitters in the valley either with Home Energy Advice Team (HEAT) or People Powered Retrofit. - 4 - - Support climate change initiatives (insulation and solar panels) in local organisations and businesses. - Invite companies linked to retrofit and home energy generation to a Q&A session. - Work with schools to encourage them to reduce consumption, consider green energy generation, and promote education of children in all aspects of climate action. Support the installation of solar panels for Eyam and Bradwell Primary Schools, and hopefully other primary schools in HV. ## _**Land**_ - Promoting hedges, aiming for a 40% increase in hedgerows across the Hope Valley by 2030. Work to date has identified locations for restoration and planting (in addition to two phases of hedge planting in recent years). Funds will be sought to continue this. - Undertaking mapping of major land holdings, areas of bracken, areas of potential meadow or woodland improvement, all using GIS. The aim being to develop a tool that can be used for delivering new projects of climate and wildlife value. - Following the successes of previous tree planting projects, we are keen to get more trees in the ground in 2024. We are exploring the feasibility of using the mapping approach adopted for Every Fence a Hedge to develop a ‘tree planting in bracken’ project. - Repeating the ‘Open Wild Gardens’ weekend. ## **Financial Review** ## _**Principal funding sources**_ Our funding during the course of the year came principally in the form of grants from the Peak District National Park (Farming in Protected Landscapes funding), the Foundation for Integrated Transport, Derbyshire County Council and Breedon. In addition, we received a small amount of funding from individual private donors. ## _**Expenditure**_ Net expenditure in the year amounted to £50,570 (2022: net income of £113,391). The net assets of the charity decreased from £137,551 at 1 January 2023 to £86,981 at 31[st] December 2023. This reflects the main activity of the year which was carrying out the projects for which funding was received in 2022. Some grant funding received during 2023 is carried forward for expenditure in 2024. ## _**Reserves policy**_ The trustees wish to ensure continued smooth operation of the charity and its projects. Accordingly it aims to keep a minimum £10,000 as general reserves to ensure core activities can continue and that projects can be properly concluded in the event of a small overrun. The level of general reserves at the end of the year, £28,744, meets this minimum requirement. This policy is reviewed annually as part of the preparation of our annual accounts. - 5 - _**Project finance summary**_ |Balance at
1 Jan 2023
Hedges
10,000
Renewables
912
Safer Roads
840
Schools Climate
Challenge
3,680
Summer Events
927
Moving Together
-
Travelling Light,
90,726
Use the Bus
(246)
Abney
-
Total Projects
106,839
General
30,712
Total Reserves
£137,551|Income
Expenditure
Transfers
Balance at
31 Dec 2023
34,506
(40,685)
3,821
6,000
(165)
6,747
-
-
840
-
(3,000)
680
-
(696)
231
16,000
(4,266)
11,734
18,400
(74,942)
34,184
-
-
246
-
600
(1,000)
400
-
75,506
(124,754)
646
58,237
15,529
(16,851)
(646)
28,744
£91,035
£141,605
-
£86,981| |---|---| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ## _**Legal Structure**_ The charity was set up in 2020 as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and registered as a charity with reference number 1192830. ## _**Recruitment and appointment of Trustees**_ The Board consists of elected members. Election is made by the existing Trustees and recruits are identified and selected to ensure an appropriate mix of skills. New Trustees are identified and interviewed by one or more existing Trustees, proposed to a full meeting of the Board, seconded and voted. The constitution provides for the progressive rotation of Trustees by retirement after three years. Such Trustees may, by agreement, be re-appointed for one further term. ## _**Trustee induction and training**_ It is a necessity for all Trustees to support wholeheartedly the objects of the Charity, and this fact is established at the interview. No other formal induction and training procedures have been established. ## _**Trustees’ responsibilities**_ The trustees are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). - 6 - The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the requirements set by the Charities Commission. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. ## _**Organisation and management**_ The key management personnel are the Trustees, who are in charge of directing, controlling, running and operating the charity on a day to day basis. All Trustees give of their time freely and none have received any remuneration. Out of pocket expenses incurred are reimbursed. During the course of the year we developed subcommittees concerned with Policy and Advocacy, Communication and Engagement, and Executive and Finance. ## _**Public benefit**_ The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Trust’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the grant making policy for the year. ## **Administrative information** Charity name: Hope Valley Climate Action Charity number: 1192830. Address: Croft Head, Aston Lane, Hope, Derbyshire, S33 6RA Email: hopevalleyclimateaction@gmail.com Website: www.hopevalleyclimateaction.org.uk - 7 - **HOPE VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION** FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2023 ## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (SOFA)** |**_Income_**
Donations
Grant funding
**_Total income_**
**_Expenditure on Charitable activities:_**
Project costs
Administration and support costs
**_Total expenditure_**
**Net (expenditure) / income**
**BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2023**
**Current assets**
Debtors – Grants receivable
Cash at bank
**Creditors:**amounts falling due within one year
**Net Current Assets**
**TOTAL ASSETS LESS LIABILITIES**
**Reserves**
Allocated to projects
General Reserves
**TOTAL RESERVES**|**2023**
£
1,629
89,406
91,035
124,754
16,851
141,605
**£(50,570)**
2023
£
44,500
42,947
87,447
466
86,981
**£86,981**
**2023**
£
58,237
28,744
**£86,981**|**2022**
£
703
156,100
156,803
31,906
11,506
43,412
**£113,391**
2022
£
2,188
138,659
140,847
3,295
137,551
**£137,551**
**2022**
£
106,839
30,712
**£137,551**| |---|---|---| |||| ||
**£**|
**£**| - 8 - NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5TH APRIL 2023 ## 1 **ACCOUNTING POLICIES** ## a **Basis of preparation** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), Financial Reporting Standard 102 (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. The financial statements are drawn up on an accrual basis. Hope Valley Climate Action (HVCA) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered in in England and Wales. It meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. ## b **Revenue** Income is included in the SoFA when the charity has been notified in writing that a grant has been awarded, the amount is certain and pre conditions (if any) have been met. No amount is included in the financial statements for volunteer time in line with the SORP (FRS 102). Similarly, no value is attached to gifts in kind that although graciously acknowledged, are not material for separate calculation or inclusion. ## c **Expenditure** Expenditure is included in the SoFA on an accruals basis, inclusive of VAT and is directly attributable to specific categories of resources expended under which it is classified ## d **Fund accounting** Income received, whether by donation or grant is spent on projects in pursuit of the charity’s objectives and necessary central (“core”) support.. Income is allocated between projects and core based on discussions with the donor or grant making body. Using the definitions in the Charities SORP all of the charity’s reserves meet the definition of Unrestricted Funds, those allocated to projects meet the definition of Delegated Funds. ## e **Fixed Assets** Tangible fixed assets with a cost of less than £1,000 are not capitalised, but treated as expenditure in the year of acquisition. This is a change of accounting policy; ## f **Debtors** Grants receivable and other debtors are included at the settlement amount due. ## g **Creditors and provisions** Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation arising from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at their settlement amount. ## h **Going concern** The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for twelve months from authorising these financial - 9 - statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern. ## 2 **INCOME** During the year, grants of £89,406 (2022 - £156,100) were obtained. Of this, £58,907 (2022 - £120,750) are grants from central and local government. ## 3. **EXPENDITURE** |**Projects**
**Admin**
**and support**
**£**
**£**
Salaries
37,355
6,530
Consulting and Contractors
69,492
-
Marketing and communication
6,165
2,245
Events
924
-
Travel and subsistence
2,124
205
IT and Office costs
7,865
1,408
Accountancy
-
6,216
Sundry expenses
829
247
124,754
16,851|**Total**
**Total**
**2023**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
43,885
12,128
69,492
18,343
8,410
4,989
924
-
2,329
493
9,273
1,971
6,216
3,385
1,076
2,103
141,605
43,412| |---|---| ## 4 **MOVEMENT ON RESERVES** All of the charity’s reserves are unrestricted, but the trustees allocate a significant portion of income, and the related expenditure, to projects, a designated reserve. The unallocated income, expenditure and reserves are referred to as “core”. Where projects over spend the allocation, the shortfall is transferred from Core. ||**Allocated**
**to projects**|**General**|**Total**| |---|---|---|---| ||**£**|**£**|**£**| |Reserves at 1 January 2023|106,839|30,712|137,551| |Income|75,506|15,529|91,035| |Expenditure|(124,754)|(16,851)|141,605| |Transfer|646|(646)|-| |Movement in the year|(48,602)|2,329|(50,941)| |Reserves at 31 December 2023|£58,237|£28,744|£86,981| ## 5 **CHANGE IN ACCOUNTING POLICY** The trustees have amended the accounting policy for fixed assets so that only fixed asset expenditure over £1,000 is capitalised. Expenditure below that value is written off in the year of acquisition and no depreciation is charged in subsequent years. The impact of this change has been to reduce the opening reserves from £137,970 by £419 to £137,551. 6 **TAXATION** - 10 - The charity is exempt from taxation on its charitable activities. ## 7 **TRUSTEES’ REMUNERATION** No fees or emoluments were paid to the Trustees of the company during the year. Out of pocket expenses amounting to £123.62 (2022: £277.58) were paid to trustees. ## 8 **RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS** During the year accountancy services were commissioned from a relative of one trustee at normal commercial rates to the total value of £4573.80.. - 11 - ## ##