2023-03-31-accounts - River Action UK

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

Charity no. 1194995

River Action UK Report and Unaudited Financial Statements

31 March 2023

River Action UK

Reference and administrative details

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Date of foundation 29 June 2021 Charity number 1194995 Registered office and Mariner House operational address 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD Trustees The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows: Marina Gibson James Macpherson James Wallace (resigned 16 May 2022) Charles Watson Bankers Lloyds Bank Plc Lewisham London CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent Independent examiners Godfrey Wilson Limited Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

River Action UK

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2023

The Trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2023. Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on pages 11 to 13 and comply with the Charity's Foundation Constitution, the Charities Act 2011 and the Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS102) (SORP).

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

The Trust (the "Charity") is a charitable incorporated organisation, number CE026257, and is a registered charity, number 1194995. The Charity was established by initial gifts from Founder & Chair Charles Watson. The Charity actively fundraises and seeks to carry out the work desired through the careful stewardship of its existing resources and ad hoc contributions.

There must be at least 2 Trustees and new Trustees shall be appointed by a Trustees' Resolution passed at a special meeting called under Clause 9.3.1 of the original Foundation Constitution. New Trustees shall be selected with regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the Charity. If a vacancy occurs this shall be noted in the Trustees' Minutes at their next meeting.

Procedures have not been adopted for the induction and training of Trustees but all ensure they continue to operate within current guidelines by discussing all issues arising as advised by the Charity Commission.

The Trustees should hold at least two ordinary meetings each year.

The Trustees who served during the period are as set out on page 1.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE CHARITY

River Action is an impactful charity on a mission to rescue Britain’s rivers from the environmental calamity caused by the deluge of agricultural, sewage and industrial pollution. We aim to secure the necessary community activism, public support and policy change to end river pollution and enable natural climate solutions.

We go to the root causes of the problem and use a systemic approach to cascade change across the UK. Our five year strategy has three goals:

Empower local communities: Provide communities with a toolkit that includes legal guidance and advice, training in mobilising communities through media and communications, and guidance on how to raise funds for local campaigns; and
Help communities gather and present evidence of pollution sources and levels by organising collaborations between NGOs, activists, citizen science groups and academic bodies.
Mobilise public opinion:
Raise public awareness through creative and original content designed to go viral, gain maximum exposure in the national media, and amplify activists’ voices; and Leverage this awareness to pressure the government through petitions and call for consumer action such as boycotting products from certain polluting suppliers.

River Action UK

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Advocate government policy and industry practice change: Drive government policy enforcement of regulations through taking legal action against the relevant government bodies and creating a charter of best practices for rivers; and Catalyse behaviour change in polluting industries to adopt river-friendly practices by presenting them with evidence of the pollution they are causing, offering nature-based solutions, and leveraging consumer and stakeholder support to pressure them to do so.

The Trustees have complied with s17(5) of Charities Act 2011 and have had due regard to the guidance on public benefit by the Charity Commission when exercising relevant powers or duties.

FINANCIAL REVIEW

As set out on pages 9 and 10, the Charity's assets have increased in the period to £248,332, with £189,606 of this being unrestricted.

Reserves

The Trustees will continue to monitor the level of reserves. As the Charity enters its third year of existence, the Trustees will be working with its accountants to develop a Reserves Policy, which will be presented in its next annual accounts after considering any long-term commitments, of which there are none at present.

Risk management

River Action’s CEO and Senior Management Team maintain a risk register detailing all potential risk areas, updated monthly. The areas of risk include financial, strategic, governance, operational, reputational, legal, staffing and other risks. The level of each risk’s likelihood and impact is assessed and combined to give a rating that when above a certain limit alerts the team to pay special attention to that risk and expedite remedial actions.

Concerns are discussed in monthly Senior Management Team meetings and with Trustees in our quarterly board meetings. The Risk Register is then updated further with agreed changes in risk profile and mitigating actions.

The main risks requiring Senior Management Team and Trustee attention in this financial year were as follows:

Secure funding - as a new organisation with a growing team and overheads, we were concerned that we would not have sufficient funds to recruit our team and attain our objectives. Thanks to the generous support of new donors and the public, our fundraising was successful for this year, with a healthy pipeline for the next year, and our team has delivered our strategic priorities. The risk level has been lowered accordingly; and
Secure team - following a period of intense recruitment, we are delighted to have engaged a team of talented and committed individuals. The organisation culture is a very important contributor to our success, and we have endeavoured to enable a healthy balance between intense campaigning and quieter times for reflection and planning. With the core team now in place, we will continue to grow slowly but not by much. The risk level has been lowered accordingly.

River Action UK

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2023

ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE

This year, the Charity has continued to build on its success from 2021/22, cementing its reputation as an impactful campaigning organisation. Continuing to focus primarily on the River Wye catchment, including the launch of our first legal action targeting the the Environment Agency, River Action has become a go-to trusted voice on the issue of agricultural pollution and the crisis facing Britain’s rivers.

With the appointment of the Charity’s first CEO and supported by the Development Manager in autumn 2022, the focus has been on raising essential funds to grow our team so we can expand impact and the reach of campaigns. This has enabled the Charity to broaden campaigns with a strategic focus on developing the Charter for Rivers aimed at driving the need for healthy rivers up the voting agenda ahead of the next general election. This has been aided by the recruitment of a Campaigns Manager and Communications Coordinator at the beginning of 2023 with the appointment of two further Coordinator roles within the Campaigns Team starting in Q1 of 2023/24. The Charity’s public following through social media has grown rapidly this year along with significant uplift of national media coverage.

Headline achievements include:

Pressured greater investment from government for environmental regulators through the appointment of 50 new enforcement staff in the Environment Agency through the “Give Us Back Our Rivers” campaign, supported by almost 70,000 people through our ‘Double the Dosh’ petition;
Avara Foods admitted culpability for their role in the pollution destroying the River Wye following consistent and assertive pressure by River Action and local community groups. Avara supply the food for chickens, derived from soya grown in deforested areas of the Amazon, and the young chicken poults to farmers and then buy back matured chickens and process them for supermarkets like Tesco;
Direct engagement with the heads of government agencies, regulators, agriculture companies and food retailers to uphold the law and invest in rapid improvement in farming practices. This has included letters written to the Secretary of State for Environment and Ministers for Rivers supported by local and national NGOs, and a series of direct meetings with the leadership teams of environmental regulators, the water industry and the agricultural & food retailing sector; Launched our first legal challenge with a Judicial Review against the Environment Agency and DEFRA (as a related party) for failing to uphold the Farming Rules for Water along the River Wye and allowing the intensive poultry industry to cause the ecological collapse of the river catchment; Continued to provide support to community groups along the River Wye, advising on campaign strategy, citizen science, promotion of stories, events and actions, communications and legal support. Our collaboration with activists like Angela Jone (The Wild Woman of the Wye) has brought the plight of the river and local communities to the attention of people across the country; Developed the Charter for Rivers supported by over 70 cross sectors of organisations from national eNGOs such as National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, WWF and Greenpeace; Sustainable farming organisations such as Soil Association, Nature Friendly Framing Network and Sustain; national governing bodies including British Rowing, Swim England, Angling Trust, British Canoeing; and a wide range of local community groups. An extensive political advocacy and public campaign plan has been developed around the Charter for 2023/24;

River Action UK

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Increased online presence and high quality and inspiring content with increasing followers and contributors to local catchment-based action and national public opinion. We have increased our Twitter followers to 7,225, Instagram to 1,913, and Facebook followers to 1,198. We commissioned a series of cheeky animations - called This is Sh*t - with the animators who created characters such as Wallace and Gromitt and Shaun the Sheep which will be launched in the summer of 2023;
Rapidly increased our media presence through connections and contacts brought in through our Chairman, CEO and Campaigns Manager with coverage of the Charity’s campaigns and comment on related media stories in The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Financial Times, Daily Express, Sky News, The i, BBC, ITV, and many more; and
Expansion of the team with the appointment of a CEO, Development Manager, Campaigns Manager, Communications Coordinator and completed recruitments of a Campaigns Coordinator and Communities Coordinator. We have set up our systems, processes and policies to guide and enable our work as a highly effective campaigning team.

The combined impact of these achievements has been to establish the charity as one of the leading independent campaigning organisations focussed on combating the existential environmental threats to the UK’s rivers. They have also given a voice to our beneficiaries and helped them engage with the perpetrators of pollution in their communities and the statutory regulatory bodies responsible for enforcing policy. The expansion of the team positions River Action to scale its campaign work beyond the River Wye into other catchment areas and focusing on a broad range of issues impacting the health of rivers such as dairy farming, sewage pollution and abstraction going forward. They have also established River Action’s national campaign voice with recognition in the sector of the vital and unique role the Charity has in this campaign space.

The Charity has successfully raised funds to cover its core costs and campaign costs through various channels including grants, High Net Worth Individuals, fundraising events, online donations and crowdfunders. We have forged partnerships with funders, secured multi-year grants and continue to engage new leads. Most of the funds raised are unrestricted, with some restricted to community work, creation of communication content and citizen science.

We have created a Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting system that involves input from the team to follow our progress, and measure our impact for the benefit of updating our partners, beneficiaries, funders and the public and also to improve our work.

During the year ended 31 March 2023 incoming resources amounted to £485,398. The Statement of Financial Activities on page 9 includes income and expenditure throughout the period.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

The Charity has an ambitious programme of campaigns planned over the next 6-12 months: Charter for Rivers - our major campaign will focus public, political and media attention on the crisis facing our rivers with the intention of making rivers a major voting issue in the next general election, by-elections and London Mayoral election. We will be launching the Charter with a range of public stunts and political events in Westminster, launching a petition to develop the public mandate behind the Charter which will be handed in with an impactful public stunt, releasing the new series of cheeky but thought provoking animations to drive petition signatures, and working with Charter signatories to present the Charter at political party conferences;

River Action UK

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Catchment Campaigns - we will continue to support communities along the river Wye by identifying and calling out industry protagonists, we plan to launch a campaign focused on the impact of the dairy industry on rivers in the South West, investigate partnership campaigns focused on the over abstraction issue of chalk streams, and launch a campaign on the Thames focused on sewage pollution and impending water shortages facing populations across the capital and the South East of England;
Communities Toolkit - we will develop and launch the package of support for helping communities to become effective campaigners. This will include a website with information about the causes and solutions to river pollution and over abstraction, a repository for evidence of pollution and gathering stories, and sign-posting to partners who can provide expert advice including on citizen science and legal action;
Legal Action - we will continue to pursue our first legal challenge against the environment agency and pursue our advertising standards complaint against the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme. We will work with our legal advisors to identify any further opportunities to launch legal challenges that will have a significant systemic impact; and
We continue to nurture relationships with our existing donors, updating them with our progress and maintaining multi-year grants, and we continuously seek new leads, identify and engage major donors and pursue new partnerships to raise funds for our work through all channels available to us including grants, individual donations, online donations, crowdfunding.

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the incoming resources and application of resources, including the net income or expenditure, of the charity for the year. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity at any time and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the constitution. The trustees 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.

River Action UK

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2023

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charity's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The members of the charity have no liability to contribute to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

The Trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for ensuring that the Charity keeps accounting records which comply with the Charities Act and the provisions of the Foundation Constitution and preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity's financial activities during the period and of its financial position at the end of the period.

Independent examiners

Godfrey Wilson Limited were re-appointed as independent examiners to the charity during the period and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

Approved by the trustees on 4 August 2023 and signed on their behalf by

Charles Watson Chair

Independent examiner's report

To the trustees of

River Action UK

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of River Action UK (the CIO) for the period ended 31 March 2023, which are set out on pages 9 to 19.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’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 examiner’s statement

Since the CIO’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), which is one of the listed bodies.

Godfrey Wilson Limited also provides bookkeeping and payroll services to the CIO. I confirm that as a member of the ICAEW I am subject to the FRC’s Revised Ethical Standard 2016, which I have applied with respect to this engagement.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

(1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the CIO as required by section 130 of the Act; or (2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or
(3) the accounts do 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.

Date: 4 August 2023 Rob Wilson FCA Member of the ICAEW For and on behalf of: Godfrey Wilson Limited Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

River Action UK

Statement of financial activities

For the year ended 31 March 2023

Note Income from: Donations and legacies 3 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities Total expenditure 5 Net income and net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward	Restricted Unrestricted £ £ 59,451 425,947 59,451 425,947 - 50,438 725 252,572 725 303,010 58,726 122,937 - 66,669 58,726 189,606	2023 Total £ 485,398 485,398 50,438 253,297 303,735 181,663 66,669 248,332	Nine Months Ended 31 March 2022 Total £ 278,080 278,080 9,549 201,862 211,411 66,669 - 66,669

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 13 to the accounts.

River Action UK

Balance sheet

As at 31 March 2023

----- Start of picture text -----
2023 2022
Note £ £ £
Current assets
Debtors 10 5,974 32,811
Cash at bank and in hand 249,786 48,202
255,760 81,013
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due within 1 year 11 (7,428) (14,344)
Net current assets 248,332 66,669
Net assets 12 248,332 66,669
Funds 13
Restricted funds 58,726 -
Unrestricted funds
General funds 189,606 66,669
Total charity funds 248,332 66,669
----- End of picture text -----

Approved by the trustees on 4 August 2023 and signed on their behalf by

Charles Watson Chair

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

1. Accounting policies

a) Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities in preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

River Action UK meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

b) Going concern basis of accounting

The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charity is able to continue as a going concern, which the trustees consider appropriate having regard to the current level of unrestricted reserves. There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

c) Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from the government and other grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor(s) to the Trust that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the charity has been notified of the executor's intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, and the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.

Income received in advance of provision of a specified service is deferred until criteria for income recognition are met.

d) Donated services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item, is probable and the economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised.

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

d) Donated services and facilities (continued)

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

e) Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity: this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

f) Funds accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity's work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.

g) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

h) Allocation of support and governance costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity, including the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements and any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities based as follows:

ities based as follows:
	2023	2022
Raising funds	16.6%	0.0%
Charitable activities	83.4%	100.0%

i) Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

j) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

k) Creditors

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting 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 normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

l) Financial instruments

The trust only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently recognised at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

m) Foreign currency transactions

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. Balances denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange prevailing at the year end.

n) Accounting estimates and key judgements

In the application of the charity's accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

2. Prior period comparatives: statement of financial activities

Income from: Donations and legacies 3 Total income Expenditure on: Raising funds Charitable activities Total expenditure 5 Net income	Restricted Unrestricted £ £ 32,144 245,936 32,144 245,936 - 9,549 32,144 169,718 32,144 179,267 - 66,669	Nine Months Ended 31 March 2022 Total £ 278,080 278,080 9,549 201,862 211,411 66,669

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

3. Income from donations and legacies

Donations Gift aid Total income from donations and legacies Prior period comparative Donations Gift aid Total income from donations and legacies	Restricted £ £ 53,824 425,947 5,627 - 59,451 425,947 Restricted £ £ 26,299 218,970 5,845 26,966 32,144 245,936 Unrestricted Unrestricted	2023 Total £ 479,771 5,627 485,398 2022 Total £ 245,269 32,811 278,080

4. Government grants

The charity received no government grants during the current or prior period.

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

5. Total expenditure

Administrators Fundraising platform fees Event costs Consultancy Fundraisers Staff costs (note 7) Recruitment Advertising, marketing and PR Raising awareness and campaigning Computer and website Legal Accountancy Charitable donations Bank fees Printing, postage & stationery Memberships Insurance Travel and subsistence Grants payable (note 8) Sub-total Total expenditure Allocation of support and governance costs	Raising funds £ - 870 1,213 - 17,483 18,710 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 38,276 12,162 50,438	Charitable activities £ - - - - - 50,257 - - 122,126 - 18,754 - 3,200 - - - - - (2,144) 192,193 61,104 253,297	£ 10,664 - - 850 - 42,637 3,420 1,592 - 4,611 - 5,045 - 30 368 304 478 3,267 - 73,266 (73,266) - Support and governance costs	2023 Total £ 10,664 870 1,213 850 17,483 111,604 3,420 1,592 122,126 4,611 18,754 5,045 3,200 30 368 304 478 3,267 (2,144) 303,735 - 303,735

Total governance costs were £5,045 (2022: £5,075).

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

5. Total expenditure (continued) Prior period comparative

Administrators Fundraising platform fees Fundraisers Raising awareness and campaigning Computer and website Legal Accountancy Travel Grants payable (note 8) Sub-total Total expenditure Allocation of support and governance costs	Raising funds £ - 799 8,750 - - - - - - 9,549 - 9,549	Charitable activities £ - - - 141,696 - - - - 32,144 173,840 28,022 201,862	Support and governance costs £ 13,953 - - - 2,839 6,000 5,075 155 - 28,022 (28,022) -	2022 Total £ 13,953 799 8,750 141,696 2,839 6,000 5,075 155 32,144 211,411 - 211,411

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

6. Net movement in funds

This is stated after charging:

Trustees' remuneration Trustees' reimbursed expenses Independent examiner's fee: Independent examination (including VAT) Other services Staff costs and numbers Staff costs were as follows: Salaries and wages Social security costs Pension costs Freelance staff	2023 £ Nil Nil 1,980 3,065 2023 £ 72,315 3,352 682 35,255 111,604	2022 £ Nil Nil 1,800 - 2022 £ - - - - -

7. Staff costs and numbers

No employee earned more than £60,000 during the year.

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Trustees and chief executive officer (2022: the trustees). The total remuneration and employee benefits of the key management personnel were £77,774 (2022: £nil).

Average head count 8. Grants payable Radnorshire Wildlife Trust Grants payable were made to the following institutions:	2023 3 2023 £ (2,144) (2,144)	2022 No. - 2022 £ 32,144 32,144

Included in prior year accruals were grant commitments of £5,845 to Radnorshire Wildlife Trust. This was an over-accrual by £2,144.

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

9. Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

10. Debtors

Gift aid Prepayments Creditors : amounts due within 1 year Trade creditors Accruals	2023 £ 5,581 393 5,974 2023 £ 3,911 3,517 7,428	2022 £ 32,811 - 32,811 2022 £ 3,400 10,944 14,344

11. Creditors : amounts due within 1 year

There are no grant commitments included within accruals (2022: grant commitments of £5,845 to Radnorshire Wildlife Trust).

12. Analysis of net assets between funds

Current assets Current liabilities Net assets at 31 March 2023 Prior year comparative Current assets Current liabilities Net assets at 31 March 2022	£ 58,726 - 58,726 £ - - - Restricted funds Restricted funds	£ 197,034 (7,428) 189,606 £ 81,013 (14,344) 66,669 Unrestricted funds Unrestricted funds	£ 255,760 (7,428) 248,332 £ 81,013 (14,344) 66,669 2022 Total 2023 Total

River Action UK

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2023

13. Movements in funds

Restricted funds Creative Assets Total restricted funds General funds Total unrestricted funds Total funds Unrestricted funds	At 1 April 2022 £ - - 66,669 66,669 66,669	Income £ 59,451 59,451 425,947 425,947 485,398	£ (725) (725) (303,010) (303,010) (303,735) Expenditure	£ - - - - - Transfers between funds	£ 58,726 58,726 189,606 189,606 248,332 At 31 March 2023

Purposes of restricted funds

Creative Assets

River Action conceptualised, funded, commissioned and executive produced a new animation series called This is Sh*t, working with lead animators from Shaun the Sheep and Fantastic Mr Fox, and voice overs from Stephen Fry, Sunetra Saker, Paul Whitehouse, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and others. The series will launch in July 2023 and will use humour to engage the public in supporting River Action's advocacy work including petitions and the Charter for Rivers.

Prior year comparative

Restricted funds Wye Valley Citizen Scientists Total restricted funds Unrestricted funds General funds Total unrestricted funds Total funds	At 29 June 2021 £ - - - - -	Income £ 32,144 32,144 245,936 245,936 278,080	£ (32,144) (32,144) (179,267) (179,267) (211,411) Expenditure	£ - - - - - Transfers between funds	£ - - 66,669 66,669 66,669 At 31 March 2022

14. Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions in the current year. In the prior year Charles Watson, founder and trustee, made donations to the charity of £138,889.