2023-04-05-accounts - Natural Cambridgeshire

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From: 1 April 2022

To: 31 March 2023

Charity name: Natural Cambridgeshire

Charity registration number: 1193040

Objectives and Activities

Objectives and Activities
	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	From our Constitution, the object of Natural Cambridgeshire is: For the public benefit, the preservation, conservation and protection of the environment in particular but not exclusively by (a) the advancement of biological diversity, and (b) the promotion of sustainable development in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Sustainable development means ‘development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.
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	Advocacy for biodiversity and for the benefits of biodiversity, including for public health and well-being, climate adaptation, cleaner air, improved water quality, healthier soils and flood risk mitigation. Specifically, we: • Appointed an additional member of staff to augment advocacy capacity, specifically with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Cambridgeshire County Council and our other local authority partners and stakeholder groupings. • Convened and facilitated stakeholder groups including for local authorities; farmers and landowners, community organisations and other organisations working in the natural environment sector, particularly in preparation for the introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain and the requirement to prepare a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

		• Launched the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fund for Nature, with the first call for projects in Autumn 2022 and the first three beneficiary projects identified in Spring 2023.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	Trustees as part of their commitment to the organisation and their initial induction were required to familiarise themselves with the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. We are developing policies to ensure that new trustees receive this guidance as part of their induction process, and to review annually these policies. Our secretary trustee, Dr Roger Mitchell, ensures good governancepractice is followed at all times.

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	In 2022/23 Natural Cambridgeshire did not make any grants on its own account; it received £5,379 restricted income from which NC distributed £3,000 in grant monies to FWAG on behalf of Natural England.
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	n/a
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Much of the work of Natural Cambridgeshire to date has been achieved by and through volunteers, primarily trustees and advisors, all of whose time, dedication and commitment is much appreciated. While we are not a direct delivery organisation, and therefore not in the business of mobilising conservation volunteers ourselves, it is anticipated that future grantees will mobilise the efforts of volunteers in their improvements to green spaces within parishes, urban communities and on other nature sites. We will seek to ensure these efforts are fully acknowledged and celebrated.
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	• Continued to build momentum around the six identified priority landscapes for investment in nature recovery, the associated benefits for human health and wellbeing and other eco-system services. • Identified the first three projects to benefit from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fund for Nature, the £1m Fund made available by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority to accelerate Doubling Nature endeavours and to stimulate innovative funding models for nature projects. • Convened and facilitated discussion Forums (Policy and Planning Forum) for stakeholder groups including local authorities, environmental charities and community organisations to engage with the themes of: biodiversity, and its centrality to the future health and prosperity of communities across the county; and biodiversity net gain. • In relation to the above, we have also specifically worked with Natural England and Cambridgeshire County Council to familiarised district and city authorities and parish councils, NGOs, farmers and other landowners with the concept of Local Nature Recovery Strategies, including the development of Local Nature Recovery Networks for their areas. • Provided regular expert briefings (Partnership Forum) to the broader nature community on specialist subject areas relating to nature, biodiversity and landscape improvements. • Collated and sent out a weekly news digest of the latest international, national and local research, news and events relating the state of nature and the pressures of climate change to over 600 contacts in the county. • Membership of the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Climate Programme Board and the input into the development of the Cambridgeshire Peterborough Climate Action Plan.

Additional information (optional)

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Achievements against Para 1.41 objectives set Performance of fundraising Para 1.41 activities against objectives set Investment performance Para 1.41 against objectives

Other

Financial Review

Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	We appointed a Treasurer and gained grants from local authorities, charities and one corporate sponsor to cover running costs and build up a surplus. Our main achievement was to secure three years of revenue funding from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority; 2022/23 was our first claim against thatgrant.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves statingwhytheyare held	Para 1.22	We created additional resources which we developed to cover sustained running costs.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	£43,436
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 continuingas agoingconcern	Para 1.23	At present time, the charity’s running costs depend on gaining grants from local authorities to continue its work.

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	Local Authorities, including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Environmental charities One corporate sponsor
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46	N/A
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	• Failure to attract income for ongoing running costs. • Reputational risk. • Initiating projects which are not fully funded. • Key staff – for the reporting period the organisation employed two part-time officers, the second of which joined in September 2022. While at the time of writing there are two part-time officers equating to 1.4 FTE, the workload remains considerable.
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	The charity’s governing document is its constitution, which sets out how it will operate as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Foundation Model).
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association,CIO)	Para 1.25	The charity is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
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	In this, the CIO’s second full year, in addition to the first trustees who were those individuals who founded the charity and who met with the requirements of the organisation’s pre-CIO Terms of Reference as representing the identified sectors and organisations, we appointed four new trustees, one of whom resigned. New trustees were appointed on the basis of the skills, knowledge and subject matter expertise they were able to bring to the organisation in the fields of health, farming and communities.

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	Trustees when they were first appointed in the formation of the CIO were asked to familiarise themselves with the Charity Commission’s guidance: Charity trustee: what’s involved Conflicts of interest: a guide for charity trustees For Local Authority nominees: Councillors’guide: to a council’s role as charity trustee
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51	The generosity of local authorities and the support of partner organisations has enabled the trustees to retain one part-time co- ordinator (0.6 FTE) who provides secretariat support to facilitate the efficient running of the organisation and its meetings and now a part- time director (0.4 FTE). The day-to-day business operations are overseen by an Operations & Finance sub-committee of the trustee board that report into the Board, and programmes are steered by a working groups, made up of relevant trustees and officers, which also report to the Board. While the charity itself is a convenor and facilitator of networks and seen as a ‘key nexus’ for the environment sector in Cambridgeshire, it is also active in many other networks within the county, including the Universityof Cambridge’s Centre for Landscape

		Regeneration, the Steering Group for the development of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the area, a member of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Climate Programme Board, and Water Resources East.
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51	Nene Park Trust employ the two Natural Cambridgeshire officers on behalf of Natural Cambridgeshire and provide human resources, payroll and book-keeping services.
Other		See ‘Natural Cambridgeshire - Report on Activities 2022’ attached.

Reference and Administrative details

Charityname	Natural Cambridgeshire
Other name the charityuses	N/A
Registered charitynumber	1193040
Charity’s principal address	For the reporting period the charity’s principal address was: c/o Athene Communications Ltd 25 Priestgate Peterborough PE1 1JL From December 2022, the charity’s principal address changed to: c/o Nene Park Trust Ham Farm House Ham Lane Peterborough PE2 5UU

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
Richard Astle	Chair	To 31 March 2023	Business Sector
Martin Baker			Environmental Charity
Matthew Bullock	Treasurer	From June 2022	Independent
Matthew Bradbury	Vice-Chair	(absent from Jan 2023)	Country Park
Professor Carol Brayne		From June 2022, resigned September 2022	Independent
Major Tim Breitmeyer DL	Chair (Interim)	From 31 March 2023	National Farmers Union/ County Landowners Association
Rebecca Britton			Business Sector
Tom Clarke		From June 2022	Independent
Cllr Pippa Heylings			Local Authority
Professor Peter Landshoff			Independent/Partnership Forum
Dr Roger Mitchell	Secretary		Independent/Partnership Forum
Sarah Smith		Resigned December 2022	Environmental Charity
Rachel Steward		From June 2022	Independent
John Torlesse			Environmental Charity
Hannah Phillips			Environmental Charity
Rob Wise			National Farmers Union/ Country Landowners Association
Cllr Hilary Cox- Condron		Resigned March 2023	Local Authority

Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved

Director name None

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
None

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity	None
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects	N/A
Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets	N/A

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)

Pamela Abbott and Helen Dye

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

Other optional information

None

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) Dr Roger Mitchell Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Secretary etc) 17 December 2023

Date

NATURAL CAMBRIDGESHIRE	NATURAL CAMBRIDGESHIRE	NATURAL CAMBRIDGESHIRE	1193040
Annual accounts for theperiod
Period start date	01/04/2022	To	Period end date	31/03/2023

Section A Statement of financial activities	Section A Statement of financial activities	Section A Statement of financial activities
Recommended categories by activity Guidance Note Incoming resources Income and endowments from: Grants for Local Authorities Various Donations Community Projects - FPA Great River Ouse Project Other *Total* Resources expended	Unrestricted funds £	Restricted income funds £	Endowment funds £	Total funds £	Prior year funds £
	70,000	-	-	70,000	33,850
	5,500	-	-	5,500	5,000
	-	2,380	-	2,380	16,267
	-	3,000		3,000	5,808
	-	-	-	-	-
	~~75,500~~	~~5,380~~	~~-~~	~~80,880~~	~~60,925~~

Expenditure on:

540	-	-	540	115
1,680	-	-	1,680	-
-	-	-	-	282
2,020	-	-	2,020	184
-	-	-	-	450
700	-	-	700	-
50,822	2,925	-	53,747	25,515
-	-	-	-	3,646
-	3,000	-	3,000	5,808
230	-	-	230	-
234	-	-	234	-
216	-	-	216	-
~~56,443~~	~~5,925~~	~~-~~	~~62,368~~	~~36,000~~


19,057	- 546	-	18,511	24,925
-	-	-	-	-
19,057	- 546	-	18,511	24,925
-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-

-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	-
~~19,057~~	~~-~~ 546	-	~~18,511~~	~~24,925~~

12,304	12,621	-	24,925	-
31,361	12,076	-	43,436	24,925

Section B

Balance sheet

Unrestricted Restricted funds

income funds Total this year Total last year

£ £

Current assets

Debtors - invoiced but not paid:

U&C Contribution to running costs Cambs CC Grant for FPA Community Project Natural Englad Grants for GOV Projects Peterborough City Council SSCL - Great River Ouse Project

Accrued income

Cambs CC Grant for FPA Community Project Cash at bank

Total current assets

			-
			-
-	-	-	2,000
-	-	-	5,000
-	-	-	5,808
5,000	-	5,000	-
-	3,000	3,000	-

-	2,925	2,925	-
49,123	9,151	58,274	27,675
54,123	15,076	69,199	40,483

Current assets

			-
			-
840	-	840	-
11,753		11,753	-
-	3,000	3,000	-
-	-	-	2,808
-	-	-	3,000

420	-	420	-

9,750	-	9,750	9,750
~~22,763~~	~~3,000~~	~~25,763~~	~~15,558~~

~~31,360~~	~~12,076~~	~~43,436~~	~~24,925~~

~~31,360~~	~~12,076~~	~~43,436~~	~~24,925~~


-	12,076	12,076	12,621
31,361	-	31,361	12,304

31,361	12,076	43,436	24,925

Signature	Print	Name	Date of approval
	Roger Mitchell Secretary		27 June 2023

Creditors - invoiced but not paid:

Balancing Act Nene Park Trust Wildlife Trust NE Gov Project Expenditure - FWAG NE Gov Project Expenditure - Fieldsure Accruals

Accountancy accrual

Deferred revenue

Lottery Nature Recovery Grant advance

Total current liabilities

Total assets less current liabilities

Total net assets or liabilities

Funds of the Charity

Restricted income funds Unrestricted funds

Total funds

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Section C

Notes to the accounts

Note 1 Basis of preparation

1.1 Basis of accounting

These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the

Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and with the Charities Act 2011.

1.2 Incoming resources

All income is accounted for as soon as the Charity has entitlement to the income and there is a certainty of receipt. Resources received are allocated to Restricted Funds according to the limitations on their use specified by the donors or other providers. Funds received in the direct operation of the Charity are treated as unrestricted income funds.

1.3 Expenditure

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been listed under headings that aggregate all the costs related to that activity.

1.4 Restricted funds

Restricted funds represent money that has been given to provide for specific activities and for no other purpose.

Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ Natural Cambridgeshire members of On accounts for the year 31st March 2023 Charity no 1193040 ended (if any) Set out on pages 1 - 12 (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the period ended 31 March 2023.

Responsibilities and As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the basis of report accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have examiner's statement come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.

Signed:	Date:	03/11/2023
Name:	Rebecca Coles
Relevant professional	ACCA
qualification(s) or body

Oct 2018

IER

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(if any):
Address: Newton Hall, Town Street, Newton, CB22 7ZE
Section B Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight material matters of concern
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(see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of No matters of concern were identified during the independent examination. any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

Oct 2018

IER