Registered Charity No. 1197155
# **Wildlife Friendly Otley Annual Report June 2023 - May 2024**
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **Contents**
Foreword Pages 3 The Trustees Page 4 Campaigns Page 5 Communica@ons Page 6 Educa@on Page 7 — 8 Events Page 9 Finance and Governance Pages 10 — 11 Habitat Restora@on Page 12 Barn Owls Page 12
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **Foreword**
This year our young charity aNracted our first patron Dr George McGavin - the illustrious Entomologist and TV Presenter. Our charity also grew this year with the Trustees vo@ng in favour of adop@ng the work of Wharfedale Barn Owls under our umbrella. The founder Stewart Barlow subsequently joined the board of trustees. The group have recently become a part of our small charity and will run as a subcommiNee.
Our charitable objects are:
- To promote for the benefit of the public the conserva@on of the wildlife and wildlife
- habitats and protec@on and improvement of the physical and natural environment of Otley and the surrounding area.
- To advance the educa@on and apprecia@on of the public regarding the conserva@on, protec@on and improvement of the physical and natural environment.
The work of our charity is divided into seven subcommiNees (see figure 1); Campaigns, Communica@ons, Educa@on, Events, Finance & Governance, Habitat Restora@on and Barn Owls. The work of each subcommiNee for the past year will be described in the remainder of this report.
Thank you to our membership, which has grown significantly from 212 in May 2023 to 291 in May 2024.
**Figure 1** Structure of the charity.
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **The Trustees**
As of May 2024, we have 10 trustees:
**Claire Blindell Catherine Burton Helen Hey Jane Smith Neil Griffin Nic Shipp River Six Rob Tindall Sarah Shipp Stewart Barlow**
Our schedule of mee@ng as trustees is as follows;
**January General commiEee meeFng February No meeFng March General commiEee meeFng April No meeFng May Trustee meeFng June AGM July No meeFng August Trustee meeFng September No meeFng October General commiEee meeFng November Trustee meeFng December No meeFng**
The subcommiNees also meet as individual working groups regularly.
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **Campaigns**
We con@nue to campaign as the voice for wildlife in Otley, to protect the and promote the fragile rela@onship between people and wildlife. This year we have achieved this in a number of ways, some of which will be explored in the reports of work by the other subcommiNees.
The task of this subcommiNee this year was to manage and coordinate current and upcoming campaigns, including collabora@ons with other groups. Such as those listed below;
## **Feed the Birds**
Equipment to feed the birds was distributed to a number of households and sheltered housing units, iden@fied as benefibng from this connec@on to wildlife because they were socially vulnerable or immobile.
## **Leeds and Bradford Airport**
As a charity, we wrote an objec@on to the planned expansion of Leeds and Bradford Airport. The plan to expand during a climate and biodiversity emergency is madness.
## **PesFcide Free Town**
We officially registered Otley with the na@onal effort, Pes@cide Free Town campaign (hNps:// - - www.pan uk.org/pes@cide free/). This will also run alongside our Wildlife Friendly Gardens campaigning (see Habitat Restora@on below) this year.
## **Where to see wildlife**
Our popular Where to see wildlife leaflet was updated and reissued, new copies are available around town. As before it encourages the residents and visitors to Otley to go spend @me in our green spaces and connect with the wildlife and nature found there.
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **CommunicaFons**
This subcommiNee includes the management of press releases, social media and the website.
## **Press releases**
We have maintained an ac@ve presence in the tradi@onal media, with some room for growth on social media. There have been many press releases issued by the charity and published in the local Wharfedale Observer and in wider media, such as the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Publicity for the 2023 Wildlife Arts Fes@val was again extensive, appearing in local and regional press.
We have also supported Friends of Weston Woods by organising press releases for the visit of Julia Davies whose loan enabled the Friends to mount a successful bid, and subsequently the launch of a new crowdfunding campaign to repay the loan.
We also publicised the joining of Wharfedale Barn Owls to our charity.
## **Social media**
Many of our ac@vi@es and achievements go under reported on social media, due to not having enough support. We are ac@vely recrui@ng more help here. Having said that our social media figures have con@nued to increase this year.
Our social media figures are as follows
## **NewsleEers**
Helen and River have successfully put out 3 newsleNers in this last year, every season. These newsleNers were sent to all out members.
## **Other media**
Both Amy-Jane Beer and George McGavin (our guest speakers at the 2023 Wildlife Arts Fes@val) praised WFO, our aims and work in their radio interviews about their talks.
Stewart set up our own YouTube channel; Wildlife Friendly TV. It includes a live feed of one of our occupied barn owl boxes.
Stewart also created a short film at our community orchard plan@ng event (see Habitat Restora@on below).
The website needs upda@ng, we are ac@vely recrui@ng help for this.
1K+ up from 961 600 up from 538 979 up from 908
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **EducaFon**
The purpose of the Educa@on subcommiNee is to establish and maintain working rela@onships with the Otley group of schools, promote onsite habitat management and organise adult educa@on opportuni@es.
## **All Saints Primary School**
Neil returned to the school and helped their Global Champions repair their old mini-beast hotel. As part of the Wildlife Arts Fes@val build up, author Jeanne Willis visited the school to repeat the day she did at Westgate last year, again funded mostly by Wharfedale Naturalists.
## **Ashfield Primary School**
Neil successfully led a series of nature-engagement lessons at Ashfield Primary School. These were based on the Science curriculum and funded by Wharfedale Naturalists' Society (Nursery and Years 1, 2, 3 and 5).
Pupils provided wildlife poems and pictures for the Wildlife Arts Fes@val exhibi@on at the Courthouse.
The school accepted our dona@on in the form of a Microclimate Books bundle.
In February Neil visited Year 2 to make a presenta@on “How local groups can have a posi@ve impact on wildlife and climate” as part of the new climate change curriculum.
In March n 11 March, River, Jane and Neil helped pupils plant up the school verge with bulbs and wildflower seed.
## **Pool Primary School**
In November 2023 Cathy, Neil and River, with parents and pupils of Pool Primary met at the neglected pond at Pool Primary to bring it back to life. The pond was in a much worse state than an@cipated, as well as being choked with Irises, the pond was also full of rubbish, including cones and laptops! Aqer removing some of the damaged liner, the pond was s@ll holding water. The decision was made to promote the exis@ng pond as an ephemeral (seasonal) pond, whilst also finding funding for a couple of raised ponds for the school to pond dip.
As part of Science Week, on March 20 Cathy and I spent an aqernoon working with Year 4.
Cathy led Wildlife Detec@ve ac@vi@es including iden@fying tracks, poo and bones; whilst Neil supported children plan@ng bulbs and seed outside plus the educa@onal wildlife games.
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **Prince Henry’s Grammar School**
On Timanyane (ci@zenship) Day, 11 July Year 10 students helped us reducing cleavers and bindweed and watering beds at Wharfemeadow Park. Students have also assisted us staffing stalls at events (eg Carnival), suppor@ng ac@vi@es (eg Discovery Day) and balsam-bashing on the Chevin. Our Patron George McGavin held a special presenta@on “The Secret Science of Sewage” for Year 10 as part of the Wildlife Arts Fes@val build up.
Helen, Neil and River met with the Eco-miNee, teachers from the Science, IT and Geography departments were also in aNendance, plus the site manage. We explained the opportuni@es for students to get involved with bioblitzes (inc one at Henry’s) and the barn owl project. The mee@ng also involved talking to the students about becoming a trustee when they turn 16, Helen has con@nued to work with them.
## **Queensway Primary School, Yeadon**
As part of their Science Week on March 14 Neil ran a wildlife day that involved every pupil in the (small) school. This followed the usual structure, with the addi@on of dipping in their very wellstocked pond (there were many newts and frogs).
## **Westgate Primary School**
The school accepted our dona@on in the form of a Microclimate Books bundle.
Claire, Jane and Neil helped pupils from their Eco Team with plan@ng at Grove Hill park to supplement that done last autumn.
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **Events**
## **Chevin Discovery Day 2023**
As well as our stall, Cathy led a mini-beast hunt, Steve led walks on wildflowers and foraging, and Rebecca and Neil led a smartphone photography walk. It was a very successful event. It was decided together with the partners of the event, the Friends of Chevin Forest 2024 will be a fallow year for the Discovery Day but will return in 2025 and will be a biannual event going forward.
## **Otley Carnival 2023**
Our stall aNracted plenty of aNen@on, despite the rain and a huge swarm of bees, which some people seemed to think we'd laid on. We sold wildlife-friendly plants kindly donated by members, and exhibited a variety of natural artefacts such as the shed skin of a grass snake.
**Otley Science FesFval 2023**
As well as our stall, Steve led an autumn/winter trees walk, Wharfedale Mens’ Shed led a build-anestbox workshop.
## **Walking FesFval 2023**
We ran well-aNended walks about (1)wildflowers and (2)trees (both led by Steve); (3)where to watch wildlife in Otley and (4)on the Chevin (led by Neil and Steve).
## **Wildlife Arts FesFval 2023**
Our ever popular fes@val returned in 2023 with sponsorship from Otley Town Council and local business Sinclair’s. The fes@val featured triple @cketed events for the first @me: These Hills Are Ours, Daniel Bye & Boff Whalley; Amy Jane Beer and George McGavin. As in previous years we hosted a wildlife art exhibi@on in the main courtroom of Otley Courthouse: a high-quality exhibi@on of nature art in a variety of media by 5 crea@ve groups and a further 21 individuals. As well as a series of free talks in the Labour Rooms. Also happening were a schedule of workshops for adults and children; a linocut prin@ng workshop by Kim Coley, a poetry workshop, squirrel craqs with Pat Foster, s@cker art with Alex Eve. In the hall with the artwork were 8 stalls: WFO, Otley Camera Club, Helen Sky Roberts (wildlife photographer), YWT, Friends of Weston Woods, Wharfedale Naturalists, Prickly Pigs, Chevin Watercolour Group; and outside there was a live a chainsaw sculp@ng demo.
The expanded fes@val was a success.
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **Finance and Governance**
The financial report below has been submiNed by Sarah Shipp, our treasurer.
## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS**
## **For the period from 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024**
|||Restricted|Unrestricted|
|---|---|---|---|
|Carried forward from 31/03/2023|£4967.84|£4467.25|£500.59|
|Receipts (Sec@on A1)|£5067.75|||
|Payments (Sec@on A2)|£5992.08|||
|**Net**|**£4043.51**|||
|Bank (Sec@on B1)|£3993.51|||
|PeNy cash (Sec@on B2)|£50.00|||
||**£4043.51**|||
|**SecFon A1**||||
|**Receipts made up of:**|Restricted|Unrestricted|**Total**|
|Dona@ons from individuals|£25.00|£4.98|£29.98|
|Dona@ons from businesses||£610.00|£610.00|
|Wildlife Arts Fes@val 2022||||
|OTC/LCC (Leeds Inspired Grant)|£400.00||£400.00|
|Wharfedale Naturalists:||||
|wildfower seeds grant|£800.00||£800.00|
|Co-Op Funeralcare|£763.20||£763.20|
|Events takings|£2175.50|289.07|£2464.57|
|**Total**|**£4163.70**|**£904.05**|**£5067.75**|
|**SecFon A2**||||
|**Payments made up of**|Restricted|Unrestricted|**Total**|
|Website||£28.78|£28.78|
|Bank charges||£8.40|£8.40|
|Events expenses|£2671.09|£320.31|£2991.40|
|Feed the Birds (Co-Op)|£363.64||£363.64|
|Barn owl boxes||||
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
|Wildlife for schools|£82.19||£82.19|
|---|---|---|---|
|Miscellaneous expenses|£400.00|£252.50|£652.50|
|Sta@onary and prin@ng||£398.39|£398.39|
|Insurance||£159.60|£159.60|
|Habitat restora@on|£1164.70|£142.48|£1307.18|
|**Totals**|£4681.62|£1310.46|**£5992.08**|
|Surplus in year ending 31/03/2023|- £517.92|- £406.41|- £924.33|
|Carried forward at 31/03/2023|£3949.33|£94.18|£4043.51|
## **SecFon B1**
## **Bank Account**
Opening balance at 01/04/2023 £4917.84 Receipts £5067.75 Payments - £5992.08 £3993.51
|**SecFon B2**||
|---|---|
|**PeEy Cash**||
|Opening balance at 16/12/2021|£50.00|
|Receipts|0.00|
|Payments|0.00|
||50.00|
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Registered Charity No. 1197155
## **Habitat RestoraFon**
Work towards the goals of our Nature Recovery Plan for Otley drive the work of this subcommiNee. Progress is slower than we would like, but progress is being made.
A third community orchard was planted in St Mar@ns Fields in October 2023, as well as a line of fruit trees in Grove Hill Park. We con@nued to diversify the underplan@ng at all our three community orchard sites with wildflower seeds made possible by a dona@on from Wharfedale Naturalists. We also planted a number of wildflower patches through the town, to add to our exis@ng meadow islands, including at Grove Hill Park, and Adlington House.
We will have con@nued to work with Leeds Parks and Countryside to make this progress possible, through signing Community Partnership Agreements.
Otley Town Council commissioned a biodiversity audit of the habitat in the whole parish of Otley. The work was carried out by Haycock and Jay Associates, mapped by River. This will inform a lot of our habitat restora@on work going forward, par@cularly crea@ng meaningful wildlife corridors through the urban areas (including peoples gardens).
Aqer a focus on the community orchards and biodiversity audit part of the nature recovery plan in 2023, we shiqed into wildlife in gardens and wider wildlife corridors as our primary focus in 2024. Otley Town Council funded us to produce a leaflet on restoring wildlife in gardens, thanks to our volunteers 6500 were delivered to every household in Otley.
As well as the leaflet, we are running our first annual Wildlife Garden Compe@@on.
## **Barn Owls**
Since joining the charity, the Barn Owl group have been restricted to become a subcommiNee and has spent @me recrui@ng members and assigning roles. Stewart has recruited a new ringer and can now begin building field skills within the group this season.
The nestbox camera in Leathley has been a success so far, with the barn owl named BeNy laying her first egg being laid on 27 April at 1.10 am.
Stewart ran a successful Facebook fundraiser raised £93.78 and has been to be transferred to WFO’s paypal through the Paypal Giving Fund.
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## **WILDLIFE FRIENDLY OTLEY**
**RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNTS For the period from 01/04/2023 to 31/03/2024**
Carried forward from 31/03/2023 Receipts (Section A1) Payments (Section A2)
## **Net**
Bank (Section B1) Petty cash (Section B2)
## **Brought forward from year ended 31/03/23**
## **Section A1: Receipts made up of:**
Donations from individuals Donations from businesses/organisations Wildlife Arts Festival 2023 OTC/LCC (Leeds Inspired grant) Wharfedale Naturalists: wildflower seeds grant Tesco: gardening equipment for children Co-op Funeralcare Events takings
**Section A2: Payments made up of:**
Website Bank charges Events expenses Feed the Birds (Co-Op) Wildlife - direct support (barn owl boxes) Wildlife for schools Miscellaneous expenses Stationery & printing Insurance Habitat restoration
Surplus/(Deficit) in year ending 31/03/2023
Carried forward at 31/03/2023
## **Made up of:**
## **Section B1: Bank account:**
Opening balance at 01/04/2023 Receipts Payments
## **Section B2: Petty cash:**
Opening balance at 01/04/2023 Receipts Payments
**Section B3: Notes to the accounts:**
Signature:
Date:05/05/2024
|||
|---|---|
|||
|||
||4967.84
5067.75
5992.08
**4043.51**
3993.51
50.00
**4043.51**
**Restricted**
**Unrestricted**
**Total**
4467.25
500.59
4967.84
25.00
4.98
29.98
610.00
610.00
400.00
400.00
800.00
800.00
0.00
763.20
763.20
2175.50
289.07
2464.57
0.00
0.00
4163.70
904.05
5067.75
28.78
28.78
8.40
8.40
2671.09
320.31
2991.40
363.64
363.64
0.00
82.19
82.19
400.00
252.50
652.50
398.39
398.39
159.60
159.60
1164.70
142.48
1307.18
4681.62
1310.46
5992.08|
||4967.84
5067.75
5992.08|
||**4043.51**|
|||
||3993.51
50.00|
||**4043.51**|
|||
|-517.92|-406.41|-924.33|
|---|---|---|
||||
|3949.33|94.18|**4043.51**|
||||
|**4043.51**|||
4917.84 5067.75 -5992.08 3993.51
50.00 0.00 0.00 50.00 **4043.51**
Trustee & Treasurer, Wildlife Friendly Otley