Registered Charity Number: 1193674
WADER QUEST
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
& ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
WADER QUEST
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5 APRIL 2025
Contents
Reference and administrative details ........................................................................................ 3 Structure, Governance and Management ................................................................................. 4 Objectives .................................................................................................................................. 4 Activities ..................................................................................................................................... 5 Reserves and Future Financial Policy ......................................................................................... 6 Trustees’ Responsibilities........................................................................................................... 6 Statement of Financial Activities ............................................................................................... 8 Balance Sheet ........................................................................................................................... 10 Notes to the Accounts ............................................................................................................. 13
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
Reference and administrative details
Name of Charity: Wader Quest Charity Number: 1193674 Principal address: 3[rd] Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE E-mail: waderquest@gmail.com Website: https://www.waderquest.net Bankers: Barclays Bank plc Milton Keynes 2 Ashton House Milton Keynes MK9 2LD
Trustees:
The trustees who served during 2024-25 were as follows:
Rick Simpson Chair Phil Hadley Secretary Elis Simpson Ray Heaton Elizabeth Anderson Louise Hathaway (appointed 24/11/24) Rob Clay (appointed 24/11/24)
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
Structure, Governance and Management
Wader Quest is registered with the Charity Commission as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity No. 1193674). It is governed under a constitution adopted in May 2020 and amended in February 2021 and November 2024. A Board of Trustees elected by the members manages the charitable affairs of Wader Quest. There are no restrictions on membership of Wader Quest subject to payment of the appropriate subscription.
Elected Trustees serve for a period of three years (renewable in line with the constitution), and may be found from amongst the members or other methods of recruitment. The Board has the power to co-opt additional members at any time where a specific need is identified. The Trustees are supported by the Executive Committee (ExCo), governed under the rules of the charity. Members of the Executive Committee serve for a period of three years and can be elected at the Annual General Meeting or Coopted to assist the committee carry out its functions.
There is one further committee, the Grant Fund Panel, which receives and reviews all grant applications made through a formal application procedure and makes recommendations to the Trustees. All decisions on the allocation of funds to conservation projects are made by, and are the responsibility of, the elected Trustees.
The charity has no employees and owns no property or fixed assets; the charity is run by an active team of volunteers, with a focus on ensuring that the majority of income can go to supporting its charitable purpose. The Charity is grateful to the contribution by Trustees and ExCo Members. Meetings are held online, which is time and expense efficient way of maximising volunteer engagement.
All Trustees are directed towards regular reference to the Charity Commission website to stay up to date on current guidance related to their responsibilities. Trustees meet formally four times during the year, with papers circulated in advance.
The Charity supports the issues facing waders on a global basis and through grant funding, providing financial assistance rather than organising and directing projects itself. The Charity pays due regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit in deciding the activities it should undertake.
Objectives
To advance the education of the public regarding the conservation and protection of waders or shorebirds and their natural habitats.
The charity has independent expert evidence that waders are in decline and merit conserving, and aims assist the prevention of that decline through:
i) raising funds which at the discretion of the Board of Trustees to be used to make small grants or carry out appeals to or for wader conservation projects worldwide.
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
ii) promote for the benefit of the public the conservation and protection of waders or shorebirds and improvements of their physical and natural habitats.
iii) advance the education of the public regarding the conservation and protection of waders or shorebirds and their natural habitats.
The Charity is non-political and non-profit making.
Activities
As much as possible the Charity awards grants towards wader fieldwork and conservation and invites applications through the Wader Quest website. Grant applications are received by the Grant Funding Panel which selects suitable projects and makes technical recommendations to the Trustees. Further considerations are based on local involvement, public benefit, available budget and financial sanctions that may restrict or prohibit the transfer of funds. These grants help us to meet our aims of raising funds to make small grants, and promotion of conservation and protection of waders.
Awards were made to the following projects during the year:
| May 2024; | |
|---|---|
| Grant to Wash Wader Research, Norfolk for radios for field work communications | |
| When deploying canon nets. . |
£1,184 |
| June 2024; | |
| Grant to Aves Limicolas, Brazil to cover purchase of laptop and postage to aid | |
| with data collection. |
£ 537 |
| September 2024; | |
| Donation made in respect of a fundraising appeal for protection of Piping | |
| Plovers in Chicago, USA |
£ 197 |
| October 2024; | |
| Grant to Projecto Aves Limicolas Peruibe to fund fieldwork in Ilha Comprida, | |
| Brazil, including Import tax. |
£1,500 |
| November 2024; | |
| Laptop and case for Projeto Aves, Limicolas Peruibe, Brazil to control the | |
| Ringing data and administration. |
£ 491 |
| February 2025; | |
| Donation to Countryside Regeneration Trust Wading Bird Winter Appeal | |
| In order to buy marshland for preservation | £1,000 |
Total £ 4,909
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
In addition to the funding of projects, to further advance public education regarding waders, the Charity organised its annual Wader Conservation World Watch on 2[nd] -3rd November 2024 when people were encouraged to participate in wader counts on these dates.
Wader Quest also promotes awareness about the threats facing waders and conservation projects to its members and the public through its website waderquest.net, through Facebook page
@WaderQuest, twitter account @waderquest and Instagram account @wader.quest.
The Charity publishes a quarterly newsletter, which is circulated to members and made available to non-members on our website. It also participates in UK based national bird events through networking, speaker opportunities and exhibition stalls.
At the end of the year there were approximately 261 family, life and individual worldwide all of whom received the Wader Quest newsletters. There were 8 club members and 13 corporate members.
Reserves and Future Financial Policy
The Trustees recognise the importance of reserves to be able to continue the work of the charity, especially in challenging times post-Covid. However, a decision was also taken to use some reserves to increase grant giving in this year, to actively support projects around the world benefiting wader conservation.
Trustees remain committed to growing the current membership level, and to try to maintain a grant fund target of £10,000. In this year, the value of grants given were £6,883 as listed on the previous page.
Trustees’ Responsibilities
Laws applicable to charities in England and Wales require the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the charity’s financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees:
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select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
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state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the statement of accounts;
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prepare the financial accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue its operations;
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the Charity and which enable them to both ascertain the financial
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
position of the charity and to ensure that the financial statements comply with applicable law, accounting standards and the Charities SORP. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, and therefore not registered with Companies House. Due to having income under £25,000, the charity is required to submit a Receipts and Payments based report to the Charity Commission, and does not require independent examination or audit.
Approved and signed on behalf of the Trustees:
Rick Simpson Chairman Date 24/11/25
Elis Simpson Trustee
Date 24/11/25
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
Statement of Financial Activities for the period 6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025
| GENERAL | RESTRICTED | TOTAL |
TOTAL |
TOTAL | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | Fund | 2025 | 2024 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Income from: | ||||||
| Donations and | ||||||
| legacies | ||||||
| Donations | 1,992 | 1,992 | 5,210 | |||
| Charitable activities | ||||||
| Subscriptions | 3,508 | 3,508 | 2,854 | |||
| Gift Aid tax refund | 673 | 673 | - | |||
| Other trading | ||||||
| activities | ||||||
| Sales of goods | 4,751 | 4,751 | 6,821 | |||
| Mobile Charity Shop | - | - | - | |||
| Red Bubble sales | - | - | 53 | |||
| Other Income | - | - | - | |||
| Refund of Grants | - | - | - | |||
| Sponsorship | - | - | - | |||
| Investments | ||||||
| Bank and other | - | 122 | 122 | 110 | ||
| interest | ||||||
| Total | 10,924 | 122 | 11,046 | 15,048 |
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
| GENERAL | RESTRICTED | TOTAL | TOTAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | Fund | 2025 | 2024 | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Expenditure on: | |||||
| Raising funds | |||||
| Cost of sale - goods | 3,185 | - | 3,185 | 3,637 | |
| Event running costs | 891 | - | 891 | 150 | |
| Charitable activities | |||||
| Conservation Fund | 4,909 | 4,909 | 6,883 | ||
| grants | |||||
| Support costs | |||||
| Postage fees | 368 | 368 | 306 | ||
| Stationary | 150 | 150 | 88 | ||
| Insurance | 171 | 171 | 160 | ||
| IT fees | 1,448 | 1,448 | 787 | ||
| Marketing | - | - | - | ||
| Maintenance | 30 | 30 | 11 | ||
| General expenses | 22 | 22 | 31 | ||
| Bank charges | 111 | 111 | 121 | ||
| Total | 6,376 | 4,909 | 11,285 | 12,174 | |
| TOTAL | TOTAL | ||||
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||
| £ | £ | ||||
| Excess of | (239) | 2,874 | |||
| Expenditure over | |||||
| income |
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
Balance Sheet at 5 April 2025
| Current assets Current account PayPal Cash Deposit account Total current assets Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Grants awarded but not yet paid Other creditors Net current assets Funds: General Fund Restricted Fund TOTAL Movement in Funds General Fund Conservation Fund TOTAL |
2025 £ 2,048 (11) 186 11,020 13,243 0 0 13,243 2,223 11,020 13,243 2025 £ 2,223 11,020 |
|
|---|---|---|
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2025
24/11/25
These financial statements were approved by the Trustees on …………………………………. and signed on their behalf by:
Rick Simpson Chairman Date:
Elizabeth Anderson Trustee and Chair of Executive Committee Date:
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WADER QUEST STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 5th APRIL 2024
Notes to the Accounts
1. Accounting Policies
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1a. Subscription Income. Subscription income is credited to the income and expenditure account in the period to which it relates. Subscriptions received in advance are carried forward as deferred income in the balance sheet and result in a liability for the future provision of membership services.
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1b. Stock. No value is placed on the stock of primary purpose goods and donated goods held for sale in the Charity’s accounts.
2. Trustees
No remuneration was paid or was payable out of Wader Quest funds directly or indirectly to any Board member or to any person or persons known to be connected to them. Trustees are able to claim expenses at cost, but no such expenses were paid this year.
3. Employees
The Charity has no paid employees.
4. Description of Funds
General Fund (Un-restricted)
The General Fund is the un-restricted cash fund of the Charity which receives all income and makes all payments. Transfers are made to and from other funds upon the authority of the Board.
Conservation (Reserve) Fund (Restricted)
The Conservation Fund was set up to provide awards to projects for conservation in the Region. It is funded from the General Fund, net proceeds from fundraising activities and from other funds set up specifically for that purpose.
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