2023-03-31-accounts

Long Mead Foundation Year end 31 March 2023

Long Mead Foundation

Registered Charity Number: 1196294

Report and Financial Statements

for the year ended 31 March 2023

Long Mead Foundation Year end 31 March 2023

CONTENTS

Administrative Information

Accountants’ verification

Report of the Trustees

Approval of the Trustees

Statement of Financial Activities

Long Mead Foundation Year end 31 March 2023

Administrative Information

Trustees

Fiona Ravenscroft Louise Henson Kevin Martin

Registered address

Horseshoe Island Oxford Road Swinford Witney OX29 4DU

Bankers Metro Bank Key management personnel Catriona Bass Charity Registration number 1196294

Long Mead Foundation Year end 31 March 2023

Report of the Trustees – Year ending 31[st] March 2023

Long Mead Foundation was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with The Charity Commission in England on 27[th] October 2021. This is the first Report and Financial Statement of the Foundation. We have set our financial year to end on 31[st] March each year so this first Financial Statement includes the first months of 2022 as well as the 12 month period to 31[st] March 2023. Future Financial Statements will be for a 12 month period only.

All Trustees have been in post throughout the period and have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by The Charity Commission in exercising their duties.

The objects of Long Mead Foundation are:

1. To promote, for the benefit of the public, the conservation protection and enhancement of the natural environment and in particular but not exclusively

2. a. To undertake the conservation and enhancement of the biodiversity of the floodplain meadows along the Upper Thames;

3. b. To advance the understanding of, and methods to, restore the ecosystems of floodplain meadows working with academic institutions, farmers and landowners;

4. c. To advance education of the public about the natural environment, including naturebased solutions for climate-change, particularly in relation to floodplain meadows;

5. To relieve the needs of adults with learning disabilities and autism by offering naturebased activities.

In the Foundation’s first 17 months of operation, the meadow creation work included the creation of 19 hectares of new meadow on both sides of the River Thames at Pinkhill, connecting up existing ancient and species-rich floodplain meadows as part of the Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project. With the assistance of community volunteers, schools students, scouts, beavers, and social farming participants (adults with learning disabilities and autism and those with physical and mental health challenges) plants were propagated using seeds from local meadows and then planted out in the Autumn. Data was collected on germination rates, growing times, as well as other characteristics of individual species as part of research for the creation of a Protocol for Community Based Plant Propagation. Trials were begun on various growing media, including zero miles compost, using woodchip pollarded from Long Mead willows. Over 3000 plants were planted out in 5 meadows; aluminium tags were placed at the planting locations to enable long term monitoring. Botanical surveys were carried out between April and September. A longitudinal study of invertebrates in floodplain meadows under restoration was carried out by a team of local experts. The Foundation also led the enhancement of 5 community meadows in Eynsham as part of the community Nature Recovery Network. A number of talks and workshops were undertaken, articles published and Long Mead welcomed a significant number of visitors. Funded was received from the Open University Floodplain

Long Mead Foundation Year end 31 March 2023

Meadows Partnership, the Freshwater Habitats Trust, Natural England, Oxfordshire County Council and West Oxfordshire District Council.

The Trustees are grateful for the hard work of Catriona Bass who, during these early days of the Long Mead Foundation, has carried out the day-to-day running of the Charity as well as its engagement activities, pro bono . They also thank all volunteers at Long Mead Foundation and the contractors, consultants and experts who have contributed to the work of its Thames Valley Wildflower Meadow Restoration Project.

The Trustees offer their thanks for the financial support from the multiple individual donations made to the Foundation and to their donors: Freshwater Habitats Trust, Open University, Natural England, Oxfordshire County Council and West Oxfordshire District Council without whom much of this work would not be possible.

Approval of the Trustees

The Trustees of the Long Mead Foundation have approved these, the first financial statement for the period herein and is signed on their behalf by:

Signature redacted for security

M L Henson Trustee

Long Mead Foundation Year end 31 March 2023

Statement of Financial Activities

O/B	£0
INCOME
RESTRICTED FUNDS	INCOME	EXPENDITURE	c/BALANCE
Natural England	£26,926	£26,864	£62
Open University	£20,700	£14,000	£6,700
Freshwater Habitats Trust	£24,350	£18,235	£6,114
Oxfordshire County Council	£4,294	£470	£3,824
West Oxfordshire District Council	£500	£486	£14
TOTAL	£76,770	£60,055	£16,714
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
DONATION	£2,390
OTHER INCOME	£688
TOTAL	£3,078
TOTAL INCOME	£79,848
EXPENSES
EXPENDITURE FROM RESTRICTED FUNDS
CO-ORDINATION	£17,050
COMMS/ENGAGEMENT	£590
DATA MANAGEMENT	£500
OVERHEADS	£6,266
PLANT PROP	£8,904
REFERENCE	£482
RESEARCH	£16,996
RESTORATION	£9,268
TOTAL	£60,056
EXPENDITURE FROM UNRESTRICTED FUNDS
OFFICE/ADMIN	£9
OVERHEADS From grant income	-£6,266
UNRESTRICTED - TOTAL	-£6,257
TOTAL EXPENSES	£53,799
TOTAL C/B	£26,048