2025-12-31-accounts

Westmorland Damson Association.

Trustees’ Annual Report - Year ended 31 December 2025

TRUSTEES

The Trustees who served during the year were:

Mark Basey-Fisher – Chair Angela Slater - Secretary Hilary Fitch – Membership Secretary Peter Hensman – Treasurer Sandi Friend-Thornton Andrew Griffiths (until 22 January 2025) Desmond Holmes Rebecca Patterson Hartley Trotter Adam Walker

STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE

The Westmorland Damson Association is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) operating under a constitution approved by the Charity Commission and adopted on 7 June 2021 with Charity Number 1194710. Membership of the Association is open to anyone who supports the objectives of the Association. The day-today affairs are managed by an Executive Committee comprising Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and up to 6 other trustees who are appointed each year by the members at the Annual General Meeting.

The Association can be contacted at Ingilnook, Charney Well Lane, Grange over Sands, Cumbria, LA11 6DB.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The Westmorland Damson Association seeks to enhance the economy and landscape of traditional damsongrowing areas in Cumbria by supporting the growing, picking and use of Westmorland damsons. The objectives of the Association are:

• To encourage, for the benefit of the public, the conservation and protection of damson orchards and the preservation of their genetic biodiversity, landscape and heritage value in Cumbria, including by planting and creating more damson orchards.

• To advance the education of the public in the growing, cultivation, preservation and use of the Westmorland damson variety common in Cumbria.

To pursue these objectives, the Association:

1. Organises an Annual Damson Day in April every year. This public event provides opportunities for those attending to learn about the history and techniques of damson growing in the area, to purchase damson trees for planting and to buy and sell damson-based and other local products.

2. Encourages the growing, picking and use of damsons by buying in damsons from growers at harvesttime, freezing them and then selling them to those requiring them throughout the year.

3. Encourages the planting of new damson orchards through its Orchard Grant Scheme and the supply of damson suckers.

4. Promotes the growing and use of damsons by providing advice to members and the public through the circulation of newsletters and other publications and by attending local agricultural shows.

By pursuing these objectives, the Trustees continue to give due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2025

Promotion and education

The Association again organised Damson Day which was held on 12 April, for the second year on the Westmorland Showground. The weather was fine and there was a good turnout. The many attendees enjoyed a full programme of activities and demonstrations along with a large range of stalls covering damson-based and other local food produce as well as local crafts. The Trustees are particularly grateful to Gilbert Gilkes and Gordon Ltd, the main sponsors, and other sponsors without whose financial backing the financing of the Day would be difficult.

Two stalls were again organised at the popular Westmorland County Show in September. Both raised the profile of damsons and their use, one through displaying the Association’s archive and giving advice on damson growing and the other, in the food marquee, by selling fresh damsons and giving advice on how to use them.

The Association also gained some valuable publicity for damsons and the South Westmorland orchards by being invited to take part in a Cumbrian episode of Michael Portillo’s Great British Railway Journeys TV series. Other publicity arose when the Association presented damson suckers to celebrity chef Pru Leith and celebrity gardener Patrick Grant. The latter resulted in a good article in the Financial Times weekend Gardening Section.

Two Damson Walks through the orchards at blossom time were arranged and were well supported.

Buying in, storing and selling of damsons

The Association continues to work to increase the market for damsons both by finding new customers and by making frozen damsons available throughout the year.

Unfortunately, because of the very poor damson crop, the Association had not been able to buy in any damsons in 2024. Growing commercial demand meant that stocks of frozen damsons were exhausted by the summer of 2025 and sales did not resume again until October, after the 2025 harvest. As a result, total sales of frozen damsons at 1.2 tonnes were down on the previous year (1.75 tonnes).

In complete contrast to the negligible 2024 crop, 2025 was an exceptionally good year. Trees right across the Lyth and Winster valleys were laden. The Trustees took the view that, because of the limited market and storage space in the large freezer at Halecat, they would not be able to buy in all the surplus damsons offered to them and restricted purchases to 3 tonnes. Sadly this meant that some growers were disappointed in not finding an outlet for their damsons. As well as freezing damsons, the Association grew its partnership with Booths supermarkets for fresh damsons. Four stores were supplied and a further 200kg were sold in this way.

At the 31 December, stocks of frozen damsons amounted to 2.5 tonnes which should be adequate to maintain supplies into 2027 if the 2026 harvest is not good.

Encouraging the planting of damson orchards

There were no applications for orchard grants again this year although a number are in the pipeline. However, the Association supplied a good number of damson suckers for planting both locally and further afield.

VOLUNTEERS

The activities of the Association, including Damson Day are undertaken entirely by volunteers with the exception of the sales of frozen damsons which are managed on the Association’s behalf by employees of Witherslack Orchards. Altogether some 20 volunteers are involved in setting up and running Damson Day and in other activities. The Trustees would like to thank all those who assist the work of the Association in this way.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

With much better weather, Damson Day made an excellent surplus of £4200, partly recouping the 2024 deficit of £8000.

Because of the shortage of frozen damsons and despite a price increase to compensate for higher electricity costs, sales in the year fell back to £6338 (2024 £7350). This was not sufficient to cover the storage costs which are not volume dependant and there was a deficit in this activity of £1365 (2024 £1248 deficit).

Taking management and administration costs into account, there was an overall surplus for the year of £2158 (2024 £9813 deficit). This increased the balance in unrestricted funds at 31 December 2025 to £26700, of which £17400 are free cash reserves.

The Trustees aim to hold sufficient cash reserves to enable them to fund both a Damson Day and the purchase of a year's damson crop. They estimate that the amount required would be of the order of £20,000.

Approved by the Trustees on 10[th] March 2026

Mark Basey-Fisher

M. Basey-Fisher Chairman

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Independent Examlnerfs report on the accounts to tho Trustees of the Wostmorland Damson Association I report on the accounts of the Westmorland Damson Association for the year ended 31 December 2025, which are set out over 6 pages and include the Trustees Report. Respectlv• rèsponslbllltles of trustse and oxamingr The charity's trustee is ￿spOnSible for the preparation of the accounts. The chanty's trustee considers Ihat an audit is not required under sethn 144{2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is our responsibility to: Examine the accounts under section 145 of th8 2011 Ac( To follow th8 procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5Xb) of the 2011 Act, and To stale whether particular matters have come to our att8ntion. Basls of Indepondenl •x•mlnerfs statement Our examination was carrled out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a rewew of the accounting records k8Pt by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includ8S consideration of any unusual items or disclosurès in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustee conceming any such matters. The procedures undertak8n do not provide a8 to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair, view and the report is Simited to those matters sel out in the next slalement. Indepondont examlnerfs slat•m•nt In connection with our examination. no matter has come to our attention.. (1) Whlch gives us reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements.. to keep accounting records in accordance wth section 130 of the 2011 Act: and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with th8 accounting requirements of the 2011 Act other than the need to apply the Charities SORP {FRSSE). have not been met; or {2) to which, in our opinion. attention shoukl be drawn in order to enabl8 a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Redhead Accountancy Ltd Chartered Accountants Bank House, Griffin Street Broughton-in-Fumess Cumbria LA20 6HH Slgnod on bohalf of Redh￿d Accountancy REDHEAD ACCOUHTANCY LTO Chartered A¢count3nts aènk House. G¥iffin Streei Bioughton-in-Furness I A20 6Hkl Tel.. [phone] July 2026