2023-03-31-accounts - The Bothies

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

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 2022-2023

From Period start date 01/04/22 To Period end date 31/03/23

Charity name: The Bothies

Charity registration number:1195264

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	“To promote for the benefit of the inhabitants of North Yorkshire and the surrounding area the provision of facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the said inhabitants.”
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	1. Educational coursesdelivered by visiting tutors on a wide range of topics including horticulture, painting and drawing, crafts, eg. felting, embroidery, cooking, floristry, willow weaving, heritage topics - benefitting adults from a wide age range, both local and from out of area 2. Woodland and nature activitiesdelivered by a Forest School qualified teacher - benefitting local schools and families with children. 3. Practical gardening experiencesbenefitting people who may not have gardens of their own or who enjoy the opportunity to acquire the practical skills of gardening in a social setting 4. Provision of sheltered gardening experiences and craft activitiesin co-operation with local care agencies or charity groups and benefitting adults with learning and other disabilities. 5. Promotion of volunteering;We have formed a large group of volunteers to organise and run activities in The Bothies and we also work in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council in supporting ‘back to work’ volunteer placements. 6. Community projectsare organised by special interest groups eg. oral history project, family history research, other research projects leading to exhibitions within the Learning Resource Centre benefitting a core group of heritage volunteers and the wider visiting public
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity	Para 1.18	The trustees have regard for the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit. While some activities are directed at specific groups with defined characteristics, the Resource Centre offers a wide range of activities to the public as a whole and will hire out space for many special interest groups to organise their own activities.

Commission on public benefit

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP referenc e
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	N/A
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	N/A
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	The dedication, skills and enthusiasm of a team of volunteers, has been vital for the establishment of the Charity. People have brought with them a whole range of transferable skills appropriate to furthering the aims of the project – these skills range from educational, heritage research, accounting, administration, technology, horticulture plus a willingness to offer just good old fashioned ‘hard work’! The Bothies has a recruited team of 16 volunteer staff to run activities. During an average week we use aprox 120 hrs of voluntary time.
Other
Achievements and Performance
	SORP referenc e
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	Volunteering As the promotion of volunteering is embedded in The Bothies’ objects, a wide variety of roles for potential volunteers have been developed including gardening, hosting events, supporting the outdoor activities with children and vulnerable adults, supporting school and family activities and general fundraising for the charity. A recruitment drive for volunteers was carried out in the summer of 2022 and all volunteers who showed an interest in working with us, were invited to visit and discuss the various roles on offer. Upon taking up a place on the team they were asked to complete an application form, provide the names of two referees, and to undertake a short induction programme. The work carried out by volunteers includes the following;  A core group have been involved in overseeing the gardening in the Bothy Garden and for propagating pelargonium to maintain a permanent display in the Hot House and to sell to visitors as a fundraiser for our educational activities.  Working with Social Services and NYCC we have successfully included four supported volunteer placements.

			 The Heritage Research Group created a major exhibition about WH St Quintin and his nationally important contribution to conservation and ornithology. Other temporary displays featured topics on rural life  The ‘sheltered’ gardening experiences have offered so many different experiences to adults and young people who are vulnerable or with learning and other disabilities. There have been benefits related to health and wellbeing for a whole variety of groups. The social aspects of weekly visits to our garden by participating adults has provided an opportunity for increasing self confidence through engaging with others and has been a great way to get regular exercise, and increase general mobility.  Contacts have been made with local schools and a programme of activities linked to the Key Stage 2 curriculum offered during the summer months. Amongst these activities are opportunities to learn about gardening skills, go pond dipping, hunt for ‘minibeasts’, develop map reading and navigation skills plus enjoying the fun of a campfire to toast marsh mallows! Tailor made courses have also been set up to meet any specific needs of the school.  Use of the parkland and the woodland have lent themselves to Forest School type activities for young children and their families through our Wild Life Club and Nature Scamps toddler group. Children, who must be accompanied by at least one adult, can work towards earning the Wildlife Trusts Wild Awards. The club is staffed by a freelance tutor who is a qualified Forest School teacher and is supported by suitably trained volunteers from The Bothies team

Additional information (optional)

You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	Learning outside in the environment  Adjoining the Conservatory is a garden known as ‘The Bothy Garden’. We have worked with local community care agency, The Wilf Ward Family Trust, to build an area of raised beds there and so offer a permanent place for vulnerable adults to come and enjoy the therapeutic benefits of working with others in a garden setting. All money raised by the sales of vegetables and plants from the Bothy Garden, together with monies raised through room hire and courses go directly into funding our activities.  Currently we still need to renovate the access paths and ensure they are accessible for wheelchair users.  We have also created an accessible woodland classroom for the delivery of curriculum linked workshops to school groups, family learning groups and for our adult groups. The addition of this area to our existing garden area has increased our capacity and extends the range of activities we can offer.  For school groups, this area allows the development of several additional habitats to be used in curriculum workshops, i.e. log piles for work on minibeast classification. It extends the activities we can offer to include resilience building activities such as den building and bush craft. It also provides a base exclusively for use of groups which is not accessible to the general public. In addition, the local school has been offered the use of the site for their weekly forest school sessions, having recently lost the use of their previous site.
		The income to finance the objectives detailed above has been

Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	dependent upon a variety of funding streams. Room Hire: Three rooms have been made available for general hire and have been successfully used as meeting rooms for both corporate and private events. Refreshments have been charged as an extra. A table of charges exists for hirers. Fairs: A Christmas and Spring Fair with a variety of craft stalls have been organised, money being raised via ‘space rental’ from stall holders. Additional monies have been generated by a raffle and a stall run by The Bothies team selling assorted crafted items, home produce etc. Plant Sales: The sale of Pelargonium cuttings grown by our team has provided us with a steady income throughout the year. Aprox. 1000 cuttings were propagated during the year. Donations and Grants Two organisations have made grants to the Charity to help fund the setting up of the woodland area and a covered work shelter in the Bothy Garden. Further grant funders are to be explored with reference the support required for completing the seating area in the garden. The donations from visitors to the Conservatory have been allocated to this project.. School and family activities A small charge has been made for these activity programmes to help towards the costs of employing a qualified freelance Forest School tutor.
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41	N/A
Other
Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	A large balance has been accrued in our current account to ensure we can complete plans to develop the Bothy Garden and build a permanent seating area during 2023-2024
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The trustees will consider setting up a reserve account during the next financial year, so that there is an ‘emergency’ fund to cope with any unforeseen costs
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	N/A
Reasons for holding zero	Para 1.22	The charity is only 2 years old and as our development projects are finalised we require quick access to all our funds at present.

reserves
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	N/A
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	N/A

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	Funds to finance the charity’s expenses are mainly raised by the hire of rooms and the sale of plants grown on site. These activities take place during the warmer seasons (April to October) Two major craft fairs add significant fund raising at Christmas and in early Spring. These events spread over 12 months, provide the charity with an income all year round. Funds raised must cover all housekeeping expenses and the utilities in addition to covering the costs of community and charitable activities for which we do not charge participants.
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	The costs of electricity are currently a major consideration for the charity.
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Constitution Lease agreement on building
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	CIO
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional	Para 1.25	Currently working with the initial trustees who formed the charity and are named in the original constitution. Policy for recruiting any new trustees as part of a succession plan will be developed during 2023-24.

provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees

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		All bar one of the trustees are working members of The Bothies’ team. Policies and the induction procedure for both trustees and other team members are detailed in the Team Handbook – see extract below ‘Policies for Protection and Support The following policies and Risk Assessments have been put in place to ensure your safety and wellbeing. ‘THE BOTHIES’seek to provide a safe and happy environment for our team members and these outline the procedures in place to assist with that. They can be accessed in the Policy folder in the Conservatory office.  Equal Opportunities Policy  Data Protection Policy  Safeguarding Policy and Guidance  Health and Safety Policy  Risk Assessments Where you are working directly with children or vulnerable adults there will be an induction into aspects of safeguarding and a DBS application will be completed when necessary. Induction and Training New team members will be introduced to the various jobs and any training necessary will be provided. No-one will be expected to carry out a task for which they consider they lack the strength, skill or knowledge. Supervision and Support ‘THE BOTHIES’Team is committed to ensuring team members have an enjoyable and rewarding experience. To achieve this, the Trustees will offer support and encouragement, recognising that the same principles of good management and supervision apply to volunteers as well as employees. The Co-ordinator will provide a point of contact and deal with any issues that arise.’
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51		The Bothies has five trustees. Four are actively involved in the day to day working of the charity as volunteers. One works elsewhere and is therefore able to contribute to discussion in a dispassionate and unbiased way which is an asset to the charity. The Bothies Team consists of 16 volunteer members (inclusive of the trustees). Certain team members assume specific responsibilities in line with their interests and skills. Currently there are 7 main areas of responsibility as follows;  management of the Bothy Club for a community group of adults with learning and other disabilities  management of the plant sales  oversight of the Bothy Garden  management of the pelargonium display  management of the exhibitions and displays  organisation of the two Craft fairs  general administration of the charity

		The other members of the team carry out a range of roles of their choosing to support each of the areas listed above eg. gardening, cleaning, housekeeping, working at events etc. In addition the charity is in the process of building up a relationship with partner agencies such as NYCC Support to Employment, Social Services, Ryedale Carers, Dementia Forward, the Parkinsons Support Group and Carers Plus. Currently all governance (financial and policy) decisions are made by the trustees whilst day to day activities are discussed and outcomes agreed at whole team meetings which occur several times during the year. On a day to day basis, where an important decision has to made quickly, the trustees working that day will decide.
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	The Bothies
Other name the charity uses	N/A
Registered charitynumber	1195264
Charity’s principal address	Scampston Walled Garden Conservatory Scampston North Yorkshire YO17 8NG

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)
Dianne Ford	Co-ordinator/Chair	The trustees will be jointlyresponsible
Simon Roe	Vice Chair
Carol Lyon	Treasurer
Lesley Jenkinson
Susan Milward

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name N/A

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
N/A

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets held in this capacity	N/A
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)

Names and	addresses of advisers (Optional information)	addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser	Name Address
	N/A



Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
N/A

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees Signature(s) Lesley Ann Jenkinson Full name(s) Dianne Elizabeth Ford Position (eg Secretary, Chair Trustee Chair, etc) Date 17/11/23

march Independent examiner's report on the accounts

Section A Independent Examiner’s Report

Report to the trustees/ members of

Charity Name

The Bothies

March 2023

On accounts for the year ended Charity no (if any)

CC16a

Set out on pages

(remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets)

Responsibilities and basis of report

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 / 03/ 2023 .

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

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention ~~(other than that disclosed below *)~~ in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn 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:

15[th] November 2023

Name:

Karen Price

October 2018

IER

Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any):

Part qualified ICMA accountant

Address:

Simonside, 14 Main Street, Hutton Buscel

Scarborough

North Yorkshire YO13 9LL

Section B Disclosure

Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).

Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .

October 2018

IER