The Gardeners’ House
Annual Report
2024/25
This has been an amazing year for the Gardeners’ House with the completion of the renovation of the former derelict stable block, transforming it into a beautiful, light and welcoming space. A launch event was held in June 2025 and the building opened to the community the following week. This milestone followed nine years of preparation to register and develop the charity, secure funding, develop building plans and appoint a construction team. None of this could have been achieved without the support of our funders, in particular the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Penzance Town Deal, and their continued advice throughout the journey. We were also fortunate to work with an excellent project team, led by Project Manager Trevor Humphreys, Jewell Construction and other local contractors.
Achievements this year also include the appointment of Director Miki Ashton, previously Project Co-ordinator, and Finance & Administration O�icer Kate Picknett in January 2025. This was followed by the appointment of a sta� team who have enthusiastically begun developing the Gardeners’ House activities and engagement programme. Early work included community workshops delivered by film-maker Jane Darke and artist Andrew Tebb. Artefacts from these workshops have been incorporated into the Sensory Garden, developed with the Sensory Trust and supported by funding from the Tanner Phoenix Trust and the Emily Bolitho Fund, administered by Cornwall Community Fund.
Part of the building is now occupied by Sustainable Penzance, who took up residence in early summer 2025 and work closely with the Gardeners’ House team. A recent exhibition on skateboarding and the environment successfully attracted younger members of the community.
The commitment of our volunteers has been integral to this progress. A core group supported the renovation, and the volunteer team continues to grow. Special mention is due to Maggi Livingstone and volunteer Emmy for their work on preserving and cataloguing the collections ahead of the appointment of Collections Manager Emily Goddard.
The Gardeners’ House seeks to celebrate landscape and people while preserving local stories. Funding from Historic England’s Everyday Heritage programme enabled the Morrab Memories project, supporting this aim, alongside continued work on consolidating and cataloguing the collections.
The Board of Trustees met regularly throughout the year, attending construction meetings and reflecting on the evolving role of the Board with a full-time Director and sta� team in place. Recruitment of new trustees has begun to strengthen the Board and support succession planning.
In conclusion, this has been a positive and successful year for the Gardeners’ House, providing a strong foundation for future growth and contribution to Penzance and West Cornwall.
Doreen Pinfold
Highlights From Our Year
September 2024
• Twenty-four new bards were welcomed into the College of Bards of Gorsedh Kernow at Callington this weekend – including our Board member Sue Hill, and former Board member Tamsin Daniel. They were brought into the renowned organisation by the Grand Bard of Cornwall, Pol Hodge, Mab Stenak Veur, at a ceremony on Saturday 7 September, in recognition of their outstanding work in serving Cornwall.
- Mark Holman joined the Gardeners’ House team as our horticultural lead.
• Our colleagues at Penlee House Gallery and Museum invited us to take part in an exhibition in early 2025, reflecting on climate change and showcase new artwork in response to this global issue.
December 2024
for people who would help us to throw open our doors and be a part of our story, right from the beginning.
• We were looking for a Collections Manager, a Site Manager, a Community Engagement Lead, a Children and Youth Engagement Lead and a Business Development O�icer, each role essential in shaping our future.
January 2025
• Work turned to planning our sensory garden and getting ready for planting once the winter is over. The Sensory Garden has been designed by Helen Rosevear of the Sensory Trust, working collaboratively with The Gardeners’ House and local groups including Pengarth Day Centre. The design features plants carefully selected to create a garden that is not only beautiful to look at but appeals to all the senses too.
• Mark Holman, our horticultural lead, sourced plants from a number of nurseries and they were ready to be delivered to us in January. Mark needed space – and protection from the weather – to keep them until he could set them all in place. We started work on a polytunnel project, just outside Penzance, to help us with space for the plants.
February 2025
• Our Morrab Memories project was awarded £16,300 by Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grants programme – giving us an exciting opportunity to capture our
communities memories about Morrab Gardens and preserve them for future generations.
• For National Lottery Open Week, we said #thankstoyou with free entry to The Gardeners’ House o�ering behind the scenes tours before we opened in early summer.
• We put up a commission for an artist to work with us on a set of illustrations showcasing what we do here at the Gardeners’ House, and we decided to work with Karolin Schnoor.
March 2025
• We advertised for a customer service apprentice to join our team, a 21-month apprenticeship running from June 2025 until February 2027.
May 2025
the organisation.
The following people joined us in May 2025:
-
Collections Manager: Emily Goddard
-
Children & Youth Engagement Lead: Daisy Wright
-
Community Engagement Lead: Lauren Campbell
-
Business Development O�icer: Rachel Booth
-
Site Manager: Hannah Roberts-Burt
• We hosted a stall at Pengarth Day Centre’s community day, providing a great way to introduce people to the Gardeners’ House before we opened. We were able to show plans for the building and to talk to visitors about our Morrab Memories project, encouraging visitors to draw their memories and moments in Morrab Gardens on a shared drawing roll.
June 2025
in the people of West Cornwall. Our building – which celebrates the landscape of West Cornwall and the stories of its community – o�icially opened to the public on Tuesday 24 June. We held a launch event with our funders on Saturday 21 June, with over 150 people coming along.
• The Gardeners’ House received a treasure trove of new archive materials with the gift of a collection of William Watson’s belongings, the last head gardener to live in the Gardener’s House in Morrab Gardens.
• With the team is installed in our beautiful newly renovated building, our collections manager Emily started work on sorting our existing collection.
July and August 2025
• We ran free drop-in family workshops every Wednesday during the summer holidays. All of our activities were based around the theme of seaweed, and these creative activities were inspired by Victorian seaweed pressings in the living archive at the Gardeners’ House.
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
-
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
-
observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP 2015 (FRS 102);
-
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
-
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
-
inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with charity regulations. 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.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
-
there is no relevant information of which the independent examiner is unaware; and
-
the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant information and to establish that the independent examiner is aware of that information.
By Order of the Trustees
This report was approved by the Trustees on ................................... On behalf of the Trustees ...........................................
Independent Examiner's report to the trustees of The Gardeners’ House - Penzance
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] August 2025 which are set out on pages 8 to 13
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees 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 charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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.
I have used the granted dispensation from the charity commission dated 15,6,26 per paragraph below.
Re: THE GARDENERS' HOUSE - PENZANCE: 1195599
Thank you for your application for dispensation from the accounts scrutiny requirements of section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011.
An audit dispensation is granted for The Gardeners' House - Penzance: 1195599 under Regulation 34(3)(b) of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008.
This dispensation is for the financial year ended 31 August 2025 only and allows an independent examination in place of an audit for this year.
The dispensation is given based upon the information provided by the trustees that:
-
the exceptional circumstances outlined mean that an audit would be disproportionate;
-
there are no constitutional or other requirements on the charity which require an audit; and
• the charity is not incorporated under company law. The independent examiner’s report must disclose that the examination has taken place instead of an audit (Regulation 31(f)) and state the date of this dispensation.
Independent examiner's statement
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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with those records [; or
-
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.
.
Name : Dick Maule F.C.A. Address : The Cross House South Woodchester GL5 5EL Date:
7
The Gardeners' House - Penzance
Statement of Financial Activities [including Income and Expenditure Account] for the year ended 31st. August 2025
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Funds | ||||
| Notes | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 | 2024 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||||
| Income from | |||||||
| Donations and fundraising | 385 | - | 385 | 200 | |||
| Investment income | 813 | - | 813 | - | |||
| Charitable activities | |||||||
| Other income | 1,279 | - | 1,279 | 413 | |||
| Grants and contracts | - | 1,601,528 | 1,601,528 | 812,285 | |||
| Total Income | 2,477 | 1,601,528 | 1,604,005 | 812,898 | |||
| Expenditure on | |||||||
| Charitable activities | 9 | - | 188,894 | 188,894 | 61,310 | ||
| Net income/[expenditure] | 2,477 | 1,412,634 | 1,415,111 | 751,588 | |||
| Reconciliation of funds | |||||||
| Transfers between funds | 1,527,925 | (1,527,925) | - | - | |||
| Total funds brought forward | 527,832 | 346,915 | 874,747 | 123,159 | |||
| Total funds carried forward | 2,058,234 | 231,624 | 2,289,858 | 874,747 |
8
The Gardeners' House - Penzance
Balance sheet as at 31st. August 2025
| Notes £ Fixed assets Tangible assets 2 Current assets Debtors and prepayments 3 Cash at bank and on hand Total current assets Current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due within 12 months 4 Net Current assets Net assets The funds of the charity: Unrestricted funds 7 General funds Designated funds Restricted Funds Total charity funds |
2025 £ 2,054,263 7,613 228,758 236,371 (775) 235,596 2,289,858 3,972 2,054,262 231,624 2,289,858 |
2024 £ 526,337 |
|---|---|---|
| - 349,184 349,184 (775) |
||
| 348,409 | ||
| 874,747 | ||
| 1,495 526,337 346,915 |
||
| 874,747 |
These financial statements were approved by the Trustees.............
On behalf of the Trustees ...............................
dated:-
9
The Gardeners' House - Penzance
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st. August 2025
(1) Principal Accounting Policies
The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements are set out below and have remained unchanged from the previous years.
(a) Basis of preparation
The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial
statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) as updated by Update Bulletin 2, and the Charities Act 2011.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.
(b) Fund accounting
[i] Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
[ii]Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Management Committee for particular purposes.
[iii] Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure imposed by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.
(c) Income
Income is included in the statement of financial activities when the charity
is entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income.
[i] Income received by way of grants, donations and gifts and is included in full
in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable. Grants, where entitlement is not
conditional on the delivery of a specific performance by the charity, are recognised when the charity becomes unconditionally entitled to the grant.
[ii] Donated services and facilities are included at the value to the charity where this can be quantified.
[iii]The value of services provided by volunteers has not been included in these accounts.
[iv] Investment income is included when receivable.
[v]Income from charitable trading activity are accounted for when earned.
[vi]Income from grants, where related to performance and specific deliverables,
are accounted for as the charity earns the right to consideration by its performance.
(d) Expenditure
Expenditure is recognised on an accrual basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered
[i]Costs of generating funds comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income and the costs of trading for fundraising purposes.
[ii] Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them [iii]All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories of the SoFA on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned on an appropriate basis.
10
The Gardeners' House - Penzance
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st. August 2025
(1) Principal Accounting Policies
(e) Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets are written off over the expected useful life of the asset, at 25% per annum on the reducing balance method .
Items costing over £500 are capitalised.
(2) Fixed Assets
| (2) Fixed Assets Fittings & equipment £ Cost brought forward 526,337 Additions in year 1,527,925 Net book value 31st. August 2025 2,054,262 Net book value 31st. August 2024 - 2025 £ The following building project expenditure has been capitalised Captial Project Management & QS 18,000 Architects and other professional fees 52,247 Sensory garden 74,702 Construction and fit out 1,382,976 1,527,925 (3) Debtors 2025 £ Sundry debtors - (4) Creditors Amounts falling due within 12 months Sundry creditors 775 (5) Employee information Average number of staff employed in the year [includes part time] 7.0 No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000. The average weekly number of employees during the year were calculated on the average monthly head count. Salaries and wages 75,662 Pensions 998 Social security costs 6,010 82,670 (6) Trustees information £ Trustees remuneration and expenses 1,058 |
2024 £ 32,244 58,710 - 435,383 526,337 2024 £ - 775 - £ 496 |
|---|---|
11
The Gardeners' House - Penzance
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st. August 2025
(7) Movements in funds
| (7) Movements in funds | Capital | ||||
| Balance | Related | Balance | |||
| 31st. August | Income | Expenditure | Balance | 31st. August | |
| 2024 | Transfers | 2025 | |||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Unrestricted funds | |||||
| General Fund | 1,495 | 2,477 | - | - | 3,972 |
| Designated Fund | 526,337 | - | - | 1,527,925 | 2,054,262 |
| 527,832 | 2,477 | - | 1,527,925 | 2,058,234 | |
| Restricted funds | |||||
| CCF Tanner Trust grant | 10,000 | - | - | - | 10,000 |
| Penzance Town Deal Grant | 306,915 | 324,525 | - | (631,440) | - |
| NHLF Stage 1 Grant | - | 1,270,183 | (187,457) | (867,485) | 215,241 |
| Historic England | - | 4,000 | - | (4,000) | - |
| Cornwall CC | - | 820 | (637) | - | 183 |
| Emily Bolitho | - | 2,000 | (800) | - | 1,200 |
| Garfield Weston | 30,000 | - | - | (25,000) | 5,000 |
| 346,915 | 1,601,528 | (188,894) | (1,527,925) | 231,624 | |
| Total funds | 874,747 | 1,604,005 | (188,894) | - | 2,289,858 |
An amount equal to the net book value of capitalised building is transferred to a designated fund,
| (8) Charitable expenditure | Total | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||
| £ | £ | ||||
| Wages and salaries | 82,670 | - | |||
| Project Co-ordinator | - | 20,160 | |||
| Non capitalised equipment | 11,122 | 12,480 | |||
| Admin/Marketing costs | 3,813 | 15,541 | |||
| Other professional fees | 57,954 | - | |||
| Bank Fees/Insurance | 11,529 | 9,097 | |||
| Training and freelance fees | 3,039 | ||||
| Repairs and renewals | - | 604 | |||
| Subscriptions | 1,899 | 180 | |||
| Trustees meetings and expenses | 1,058 | 496 | |||
| Events | 782 | 78 | |||
| Merchandise | 5,192 | ||||
| Volunteer costs | 877 | ||||
| Room rental | 8,181 | ||||
| Sundry | - | 1,900 | |||
| Independent examination | 775 | 775 | |||
| 188,894 | 61,310 | ||||
| 12 |
The Gardeners' House - Penzance
Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31st. August 2025
(9) Analysis of net assets between funds
| General | Designated | Restricted | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Funds | Funds | Funds | Total | |
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Fixed assets | 2,054,263 | - | - | 2,054,263 |
| Current assets | (2,049,516) | 2,054,262 | 231,624 | 236,371 |
| Current liabilities | (775) | - | - | (775) |
| Net assets at 31st August 2025 | 3,972 | 2,054,262 | 231,624 | 2,289,858 |
13