2025-03-31-accounts - The Bothies

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 2024-2025

From Period start date 01/04/24 To Period end date 31/03/25

Charity name: The Bothies

Charity registration number:1195264

Objectives and Activities


Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	“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.	1. Educational coursesdelivered by visiting tutors on a wide range of topics including horticulture, painting and drawing, crafts, eg. felting, embroidery, cooking, 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 7. Creation of a Destinationfor isolated or vulnerable people and their carers. The Friday Place offers a ‘respite’ for one afternoon - sometimes including organised activities or an afternoon tea. 8.Hosting Private Hires: certain rooms can be hired by members of the public for parties and other celebrations such as wedding receptions or funeral wakes. Visiting parties can also hire the room for lunch or afternoon tea. The hire charges are used to fund the activities we offer free

Summary of the
purposes of the
charity as set
out in its
governing
document

“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.

1. Educational coursesdelivered by visiting tutors on a wide range of
topics including horticulture, painting and drawing, crafts, eg. felting,
embroidery, cooking, 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
7. Creation of a Destinationfor isolated or vulnerable people and their
carers. The Friday Place offers a ‘respite’ for one afternoon - sometimes
including organised activities or an afternoon tea.
8.Hosting Private Hires: certain rooms can be hired by members of the
public for parties and other celebrations such as wedding receptions or
funeral wakes. Visiting parties can also hire the room for lunch or
afternoon tea. The hire charges are used to fund the activities we offer free

	to certain groups.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	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.

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 everyday management 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, craft plus a commitment to generally ‘muck in’ where needed. The Bothies has a team of 17 volunteer staff to run or support activities. During an average week we use aprox 130 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	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. All volunteers who show an interest in working with us, are invited to visit and discuss the various roles on offer. If they decide to join the team they are asked to complete an application form, provide the names of two referees, and to undertake a short induction programme.

	its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.		The work carried out by volunteers includes the following;  A core group are 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 over the past year, we continue to include 2 supported volunteers.  The Heritage Research Group are currently planning a display on garden history related to Walled gardens and have produced a light hearted display on the making of garden wall bricks which has proved very popular with our visitors.  The ‘sheltered’ gardening experiences have offered so many different experiences to adults and young people who are vulnerable or with learning and other disabilities. They have had the opportunity to plan and sow vegetables and flowers in their own raised beds and the produce grown has been taken home. They have also taken part in a wide range of crafts and have enjoyed walks in the parkland, a picnic and a Christmas party.  Local schools have had trips to Scampston and undertaken a programme of activities linked to the Key Stage 2 curriculum. Amongst these activities were 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. Each of these visits has been organised by a qualified tutor and supported by one of the Bothies team.  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. 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	 Adjoining the Conservatory is ‘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.  The access paths in the Bothy Garden have been landscaped to provide a dry and accessible route for everybody including wheelchair users.  Our woodland classroom has been well used for the delivery of curriculum linked workshops to school groups, family learning groups and for our adult groups.  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.

		 The Friday Place now offers a destination for carers seeking a period of respite. Disappointingly this resource has not been fully used despite our promotion to the local care agencies. Those people who have visited us speak highly of the welcome they received and of our refreshments! Next year we will have a publicity campaign to promote the facility again..  A local carpenter has made us a mobile storage unit where we can store a range of activities to be used with a variety of our visiting groups.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	The income to finance our activities has been dependent upon a variety of funding streams. Room Hire: Three rooms are 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 quiz sheet, 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. Donations and Grants The donations from visitors to the Conservatory have been allocated to a purchase of a garden table large enough to accommodate our Bothy Club. School and family activities A small charge is made for these activity programmes to help towards the costs of employing a qualified freelance Forest School tutor and purchasing equipment.
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 continue our plans to develop the Bothy Garden.

Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The trustees have agreed to set up a reserve savings account as an emergency fund and at present this restricted fund is kept within the current account.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	N/A
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 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 Christmas and Spring Fairs, the hire of rooms and the sale of plants grown on site. These activities take place during the warmer seasons (April to October) These events, 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 continue to be a major consideration for the charity. As from September an alternative provider will be adopted.
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 which is due for renewal next year.
How is the charity constituted?	Para 1.25	CIO

(e.g unincorporated association, CIO)
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	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 is in development.

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 has built 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 be 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)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any)

1 2 3 4 5 6	Dianne Ford	Co-ordinator/Chair Finance & Safeguarding		The trustees will be jointly responsible
	Simon Roe	Vice Chair
	Carol Lyon	Finance
	Lesley Jenkinson	Bothy Club Finance & Safeguarding
	Susan Milward	Plant Sales

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) Dianne E Ford Full name(s) Dianne Elizabeth Ford Position (eg Secretary, Chair of Trustees Chair, etc) Date 17/11/25

The Bothies No (if any) Receipts and payments accounts For the period 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To from

Section A Receipts and payments

A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £	Restricted funds to the nearest £	Endowment funds to the nearest £	Total funds to the nearest £
CommunityGroups	292	-	-	292
Private Hires	2,093	-	-	2,093
Plant Sales	3,427	-	-	3,427
Misc Sales	1,341	-	-	1,341
Fairs	5,665	-	-	5,665
School Visits	707	-	-	707
WL Cub/ Nature Scamps	482	-	-	482
Workshops	1,170			1,170
Donations	573			573
Workshops	1,170	-	-	1,170
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	16,920	-	-	16,920

A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-			-
	-			-
*Sub total*	-			-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
				16,920

Event catering	512	-	-	512
Refreshments	319	-	-	319
Housekeeping	3,492	-	-	3,492
BothyClub	504	-	-	504
Team Expenses	106	-	-	106
Office/Admin	251	-	-	251
Garden	1,778	-	-	1,778
Equipment	416	-	-	416
CleaningMaterials	84			84
Bank Charges	148			148
Insurance	478			478
Publicity	107			107
Wages	2,378			2,378
Fairs	959			959
Displays	201			201
Workshopexpenses	190	-	-	190
**Sub total **	11,923	-	-	11,923

A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
	-			-
	-			-
**Sub total **	-			-
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*



	-			-
	11,926			11,926
	15,822			15,822

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

24/01/2026

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets	Details Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details	Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - 15,822 OK Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs	Restricted funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			OK
			Restricted funds to nearest £
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Cost (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-

B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities	Details Details	Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates	Cost (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Amount due (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-

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

Signature

Dianne E Ford

Print Name

Dianne Ford

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

~~24/01/202~~ 6

~~2~~

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CC16a
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Last year

to the nearest £

296 505 3,671 3,324 - 5,512 336 1,225 1,478 345 16,692

16,692

1,602 392 3,660 435 - 257 3,582 266 56 145 478 207 3,043 1,093 1,293 64 16,573

CCXX R3 accounts (SS)

24/01/2026

Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - -

OK Endowment funds to nearest £

Current value (optional) - - - - -

Current value (optional) - - - - - - - - - When due (optional)

Date of approval

14/01/2026

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4
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CCXX R4 accounts (SS)

24/01/2026