Trustees' Annual Report for the period
| Period start date | Period start date | Period end date | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **From ** | 01 | 05 | 2022 | To | 30 04 |
2023 |
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Myrtle Park Friends Other names charity is known by Friends of Myrtle Park Registered charity number (if any) 1195824 Charity's principal address 8 Unity Street North Bingley Postcode BD16 1EN
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosie Sharp | Chair | |||
| LindsayBennett | Secretary | |||
| Martin Lofthouse | Treasurer | 01/05/22 - 26/04/23 | ||
| Joy Smith | Membership Secretary |
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| Gaynor Smith | ||||
| Moira Pearce | ||||
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
| Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) | Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) | Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) |
|---|---|---|
| Type of adviser Name Address |
||
| Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information) | ||
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Constitution – Association model, adopted 16[th] September 2021 Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) How the charity is constituted
- (eg. trust, association, company)
All current trustees stand down and are eligible for re-election at the AGM. Trustee selection methods A notice for the AGM will be sent to members at least 14 days before the (eg. appointed by, elected by) date of the meeting including a nomination form. New trustees can also be co-opted by the existing committee at any time, as long as the maximum number of trustees does not exceed 10.
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Each newly appointed trustee will be given a copy of the constitution, a copy of the latest annual accounts and trustees report, and referred to guidance on the roles and responsibilities of a trustee available on the Charity Commission website.
The trustees oversee the day to day running of the group. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits.
We have a paid membership scheme that we advertise via social media and to visitors in the park, which provides a small income to enable us to put on free activities and events, for additional resources for the Park Hub and its upkeep.
We seek the views of our members and visitors via social media, newsletters, emails and questionnaires.
We work with the Parks Manager at Bradford Council as well as the gardeners and council staff, raising any issues and working together to improve the park for visitors.
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Section C Objectives and activities
The object of the CIO is for the benefit of the inhabitants of Bingley, Bradford City (“the area of benefit”), to provide or assist in the provision of facilities for recreation and other leisure time occupation in the Summary of the objects of the interests of social welfare with the object of improving the conditions of charity set out in its life for the inhabitants of the area of benefit in particular but not governing document exclusively by the preservation, promotion, support, assistance and improvement of Myrtle Park, Bingley, Bradford City.
The trustees can confirm that they are aware of the need to make decisions to ensure the best public benefit possible, in line with guidance issued by the Charity Commission.
We hold bi-weekly action days on a Sunday morning, run by the trustees and open to members of the public to volunteer to help. This involves gardening and maintenance of several community beds. We open the Park Hub to visitors every Sunday afternoon to look at the displays and information about the park, make use of the children’s nature activities and resources, and provide leaflets on local groups and community Summary of the main activities. We also organise family activities such as an annual Easter activities undertaken for the Trail event. public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
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We are grateful for the many hours our Trustees and volunteers contribute. Without this valuable contribution of time, energy and expertise we would not have been able to achieve so much.
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
Section D Achievements and performance
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Section D Achievements and erformance p
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
Spring/Summer 2022
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We were able to purchase plants to improve our community bed and many resources for the children’s area in the Hub to increase engagement with the families that visit us. They can now colour a range of wildlife-inspired pictures with a large supply of felt tips, learn about and play with life cycles of salmon, ladybirds and butterflies. We have a laminator to use for resources for our activity days, and a wide range of nature spotter sheets for both children and adults to borrow as they explore their park. For the younger spotters, we’ve been able to make this an interactive experience where they can mark off their spots, borrowing our new clipboards and markers. It helps teach the next generation about the nature that so needs our protection and appreciation, and it provides fun and enjoyment for them and their families.
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We were approached by a benefactor who wanted to commemorate his late wife in Myrtle Park seeing as she had enjoyed it as a child. We are delighted with our beautiful tree carving that has been the source of much joy and creativity for all park visitors. He also funded a bespoke black steel rose arbor and 10 rose plants to grow up in the years to come, forming a fragrant tunnel of colour. The project was carried out in close collaboration with BMDC who agreed to install and maintain it. We have since worked with the council to plant perennials in the beds around the rose bed to enhance the appearance further.
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In collaboration with Bingley Bloomers, their Incredible Edibles scheme and Shipley Men’s Shed, we installed 3 well-sized wooden planters and have grown vegetables including Bell Peppers, Spaghetti Squash, lettuce, French beans, and strawberries for the public to enjoy.
Autumn/Winter 2022
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We joined Bingley Walkers are Welcome for a Community Countryfile Ramble for Children in Need. We walked through the town centre and via the canal to the 3-rise and 5-rise locks, then made our way to Prince of Wales Park and then back down to finish with a loop around Myrtle Park. We dressed in yellow and donned our Pudsey ears, collecting donations for the charity along the way and raised £333.
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We gathered together a team of volunteers and planted 4,000 purple crocus bulbs provided by Bingley Airedale Rotary Club in support of World Polio Day. The display is on a slope that welcomes visitors to the park and we supplemented the purple display with a mix of coloured crocuses to surround it. We hope it
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Section D Achievements and erformance p
will become a welcoming display in the years to come and plan to, in collaboration with the Rotary Club, add more crocus bulbs later in the year.
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We hosted a free Christmas event over two weekends in the Hub which included crafts, family quizzes and a festive “Message in the Trees” trail in the park.
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To capture the many examples of local oral history that park users share with us informally, we created a bespoke, permanent display for the Park Hub. We interviewed local residents and they described memories of winters gone by.
Spring 2023
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We decided we wanted to enhance the offering of the Park Hub further by securing 20 new stackable chairs for our trustees, visiting groups and the general public, plus 10 washable cushions for extra comfort. We had inherited a set of plastic garden chairs from previous users of the Hub, but these had reached the end of their usable life and had become a hazard. After applying through the Bingley Town Council Large Grant scheme, we were awarded £1,704 in March and have been able to purchase the chairs and cushions that we wanted. Over 150 children made use of our new chairs during our Easter event and we think they are a fantastic new addition to our Park Hub .
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We received funding of £7,555 from the On Senior’s Side Foundation, which is a charitable branch of the Damartex Group. The money funded eight robust, metal benches to encourage older residents to take longer walks, safe in the knowledge there will be somewhere to sit if they begin to tire. They also enable older people to participate in family picnics and watch games and events held for families in the meadow/field. The benches increase opportunities for enjoyment for older and less mobile residents, as well as their mobility, fitness and wellbeing by enabling them to access the meadow, riverside and woodland. What’s more, they are also enjoyed by people of all ages and have been a great addition to the park.
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We held our second Easter Trail and Egg Hunt and it was an even greater success than last year. We estimate that over 450 people enjoyed the park that day , evidence that when the resources are provided, our local community does engage very enthusiastically with us. The park was teeming with people in the sunshine enjoying our trail and the craft activities and chocolate treats we had prepared for them all.
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Section D Achievements and erformance p
Ongoing activities
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We have drawn up a strategic plan that involves short-, mediumand long-term goals for us to work on. It’s not a fixed plan; rather we review it regularly and use it to guide our planning and direction. We recently carried out a public consultation with park users, Bradford Council, and Bingley Youth Café to get as much information on what the skate park users would like to see in the park. They have stated seating is a priority for them, so we have added that to our planning and are currently seeking funding for this. They also wanted further facilities for the park, such as a half-pipe and additional ramps. This is beyond the scope of our charity currently, but we are liaising with local councillors. Working alongside Bradford Council, we are currently involved in an exciting bid with the Bradford City of Culture to improve the bandstand in the park.
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From March until October, we hold bi-weekly Action Days in the park and invite members of the public to join us. We are engaged in ongoing improvements to an area known as the sunken garden and a community long bed, an area around the newly instated rose arbour and to our veg beds. Twice yearly, we have received donations for summer and spring bedding, but going forward we will just be ordering the spring bedding. We are also, for the first time this year, allocating a yearly bulb budget, so we can increase spring flowering overall in the park.
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We work alongside Bingley Town Council to set out chairs for the summer programme of local brass bands that perform in the bandstand and advertise the programme on our Facebook page and on our notice boards to promote it and increase attendance. The results have paid off and the number of people picnicking and enjoying the music have increased. We’ve also held two music events this summer in which local jazz groups have performed outside the Hub for passersby to enjoy.
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We open the Park Hub to the general public every Sunday from 2- 4pm. This gives visitors a chance to read our displays to learn more about the park. We have compiled a collection of memories about the park and the surrounding area from the 50s and 60s from local residents. There are also photos of the park over the last 100 years on display. Our children’s corner offers naturethemed toys, books, dressing up clothes and colouring sheets to our younger visitors. We also provide bug hunter kits that can be taken out by young families free of charge. We have a wide range of nature spotter sheets to cover all the seasons which can be taken out by families and adults with clipboards and pens to mark off their finds. We offer free use of the Hub to various local
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Section D Achievements and erformance p
groups such as Action Stations, Walkers are Welcome, Glen Bowling Green, Grim up North, Rhyme Time sessions, and local jazz groups for their practice space.
- We have formed a productive relationship with the Parks Manager at Bradford Council, as well as the gardeners and council staff who tend the park each week. We have regular communication with them, often flagging up issues that arise in the park. We also collaborate with them about issues pertaining to park use and projects we carry out in the park. The Damart funding for the benches was a great example of Friends of Myrtle Park, BMDC, and a local business that provided the funding working together to provide something beneficial for the park.
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Section E Financial review
Brief statement of the
charity’s policy on reserves
We aim to keep a minimum of £250 in the current account at all times in order to cover our minimum commitments, primarily our public liability insurance.
Details of any funds materially Not applicable. in deficit
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
Our main source of funds this year has been grants from Bradford Council, Bingley Town Council and the Damartex Foundation, as well as donations from the sale of books and greetings cards, and membership fees.
We apply for grants for specific projects or resources. We use general funds to pay for materials (crafts, printing) for the Easter and Christmas events, as well as upkeep of the Park Hub, plants for the community beds and gardening tools/equipment.
- investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Full name(s) Lindsay Bennett Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Secretary etc) Date
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TAR 10 Mar¢h 2012
Myrtle Park Friends
Accounts for the year to 30[th] April 2023
Income and expenditure accounts for the year to 30[th] April 2023
| 2023 | 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | ||
| Income | |||
| Donation from Friends of Myrtle Park 677 | 0 | ||
| Subscriptions 232 | 0 | ||
| Grants received 2,195 | 0 | ||
| Donations 7,894 | 0 | ||
| Sundry sales 87 | 0 | ||
| Sundry income174 |
0 | ||
| Total income 11,259 | 0 | ||
| Expenditure | |||
| Hub expenditure 2,374 | 0 | ||
| Purchase of park seats 7,555 | 0 | ||
| Insurance 99 | 0 | ||
| Seasonal events 271 | 0 | ||
| Plants and compost 150 | 0 | ||
| Sundry expenditure182 | 0 |
||
| Total expenditure 10,631 | 0 | ||
| Excess income over expenditure 628 | 0 |
Balance Sheet as at 30[th] April 2023
2023 2022
Assets Cash at Bank Cash in hand 71 Total assets 628 Labilities 0 Balance Balance brought for Surplus for year Balance carried forward |
£ £ 557 0 0 0 0 628 0 0 0 628 0 628 0 |
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