## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Financial Statements
for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 Charity Number: 1198223
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Charity Information
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Trustees:** Professor Tony Martin Simon Baker Msc Barend van der Berg (Treasurer) David Wege Msc Professor Bill Amos
## **Registered Office:** Solo House
The Courtyard London Road Horsham West Sussex RH12 1AT
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
## TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
## **OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS**
To protect and conserve the water vole and other native species for the advancement of environmental protection and improvement, for the benefit of the public by, in particular but not exclusively, advancing the control of invasive alien species, notably the American mink, in Great Britain. The activities of the charity are solely focussed on controlling American mink, and raising funds to enable this work. They include recruiting and training volunteers to manage traps, purchasing mink trapping equipment and distributing it to volunteers, carrying out scientific analysis of captured mink, and promoting the work via public talks, meetings and media interviews.
The main achievements of the charity in the year to 31 March 2024 were (a) to successfully complete the landscape-scale mink eradication trial in East Anglia, whereby 9% of England is now mink free, and publicise its conclusion and outcome, (b) to raise substantial funds to allow the work to continue and expand, including the winning of £500k in a competitive bid to Natural England's Species Recovery Programme, and (c) for the first time, to recruit, train and support full-time staff in pursuit of the charity's objectives.
During the year the Trust, working with partners and volunteers, achieved the following:
- Placed 627 further smart mink rafts into waterways giving a total of 1534 active rafts by 31 March 2024.
- Caught and humanely dispatched 930 mink, 292 from Lincolnshire alone.
- Trapped and released 201 water voles of which 154 were from Norfolk and Suffolk, which had been cleared of mink, but only 9 from Lincolnshire, where there was a dense mink population.
- Produced 4 Newsletters, which are distributed to 1500 interested parties.
- Carried out a post mortem on all mink caught, these also provided a tissue sample for genetic analysis and anal gland extract to act as lure in our traps.
- Worked closely with Professor Bill Amos at the University of Cambridge on the genetics of mink, deriving much practically useful information concerning mink dispersal and familial relationships.
- Started trapping on a small Scottish island to learn more about the challenges that will be faced in this type of environment.
- Further developed our website, which is now widely used (27,209 unique visitors) and elicited 280 reports of mink from the public from all over Great Britain.
## **RISK ASSESSMENT**
The major risks faced by Waterlife Recovery Trust are identified on a risk register which is reviewed by the Board of Trustees as part of the 6 board meetings that were held during this financial year. We believe that maintaining reserves at current levels, combined with an annual review of the controls over key financial systems, will provide sufficient funds in the event of adverse conditions. The Trustees have also examined other operational risks faced by the charity, and we confirm that we have established systems to mitigate, where possible, any significant risks.
## **STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT**
In addition to the board of five Trustees, at the end of this reporting year the charity had 7 staff on fixed-term contracts and hired 5 self-employed contractors as required. We also had a part time Account Assistant and managed some 1500 volunteer citizen conservationists, spread across 25 counties in England, Wales and Scotland.
## **PLANS FOR FUTURE**
The charity is now well established, and has in place robust and transparent financial and H.R. management systems. Much of the admin and development work is still dependent on Trustees, however, so the raising of funds to recruit core staff remains a priority.
Having demonstrated that landscape-scale eradication of invasive American mink is not only feasible, but more rapid and less expensive than anticipated, the objective now is to expand WRT's work across Britain as rapidly as possible. Achievement of this ambition will be dependent not only on WRT itself, but on the growing partnership of organisations that seek WRT's guidance and assistance in freeing their own local areas of American mink. The distribution of active smart rafts run by WRT and partners is shown in Figure 1.
**Figure 1. Active smart mink rafts in England and Wales on 31 March 2024**
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
The year under review produced a significant increase in income with most of the increase from Grants. Grants increased year on year from £119,411.90 to £692,910.97. The charity also seen an increase in donations by just over double from the year before with a total of £32,691.52 donations. Closing reserves as at 31 March 2024 are at £186,876.75.
The Trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and 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.
## **By Order of the Board**
------------------------------------------
**Barend van der Berg Trustee and Treasurer**
Walnut Cottage,
Pymoor Lane,
Pymoor, CB6 2EF
Date: 30 August 2024
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
## Statement of Income and Expenditure for the Year Ended 31 March 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|**Notes**
Donations
Grants
Gift Aid
Interest Received
1
**Total Income**
Staff Costs
2
Project Officers Fees
Rafts and Traps
Ecological Services
Consumables
Travel and Subsistence
Professional Fees
Insurance
Postage
Recruitment Fees
Advertising
IT Support
Office Equipment
Printing and Stationery
Bank Charges
Other
**Total Expenditure**
**Net Income / Loss**
**Funds Brought Forward**
**Funds Balance at 31 March 2024**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total 31/03/2024**
**Total 31/03/2023**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
29,483.80
3,207.72
32,691.52
14,074.55
16,955.00
675,955.97
692,910.97
119,411.90
1,005.25
1,005.25
3,000.00
769.82
769.82
**48,213.87**
**679,163.69**
**727,377.56**
**136,486.45**
125,013.84
125,013.84
-
1,527.63
45,304.28
46,831.91
20,963.66
7,279.20
259,123.46
266,402.66
17,773.26
64,500.00
64,500.00
34,000.00
1,061.50
25,824.73
26,886.23
538.89
297.17
29,876.69
30,173.86
2,582.32
7,590.00
21,835.75
29,425.75
650.00
545.59
545.59
-
2.40
506.98
509.38
-
596.00
596.00
-
0.00
118.80
0.00
450.00
777.43
3,763.90
4,541.33
-
400.80
3,052.87
3,453.67
894.00
60.00
0.00
60.00
47.20
28.91
28.91
19,621.04
579,348.09
**598,969.13**
**78,018.13**|
|---|---|
||**128,408.43**
**58,468.32**
**58,468.32**
0|
||**186,876.75**|
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
||**Notes**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total 31/03/2024**
**Total 31/03/2023**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total 31/03/2024**
**Total 31/03/2023**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Current Assets**||**Funds**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**|**£**|
|Bank||48,592.83
55,595.67
104,188.50|73,468.32|
|Debtors|**3**|145,688.25
145,688.25|0.00|
|Long Term Loans|**4**|-63,000.00
-63,000.00|-15,000.00|
|**Net Current Assets**||**-14,407.17**
**201,283.92**
**186,876.75**|**58,468.32**|
|**Funds of the Charity**|**5**|||
|Restricted Funds||99,815.60
142,952.06|43,136.46|
|Unrestricted Funds||28,592.83
43,924.69|15,331.86|
|**Total Funds**||**28,592.83**
**99,815.60**
**186,876.75**|**58,468.32**|
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Notes to the Financial Statements for the year end 31 March 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**----- Start of picture text -----**
1 Interest Received
31/03/2024 31/03/2023
£ £
Bank Account Interest 769.82 -
2 Staff Costs
31/03/2024 31/03/2023
£ £
Salaries 94,868.10 -
PAYE and NI 23,049.46 -
Pension Costs 7,096.28 -
125,013.84 -
**----- End of picture text -----**
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
|Direct charitable
**3 Debtors**
Amount Recoverable on Contract
**4 Long Term Loans**
Tony Martin (Trustee)
Bill Amos (Trustee)
**5 Funds of the Charity**
**Unrestricted Funds**
**Restricted Funds:**
EA KENT
BEDS IDB
LINCS WILDLIFE
EA LINC
NE NORFOLK/SUFFOLK
LISMORE
NORFOLK IDBS
DARRENT
TRENT VALLEY
SOLVE|**31/03/2024**
**31/03/2023**
8
0
**31/03/2024**
**31/03/2023**
**£**
**£**
145,688.25
-
**31/03/2024**
**31/03/2023**
**£**
**£**
33,000.00
15,000.00
30,000.00
-|
|---|---|
||63,000.00
15,000.00|
||**31/03/2024**
**£**
43,924.69
15,191.02
21,966.00
4,450.00
27,036.62
53,086.88
256.68
12,500.00
6,464.86
1,000.00
1,000.00
186,876.75|
## **6 TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS**
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31March2024 nor for the year ended 31 March 2023.
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Financial Statements
for the Year Ended 31 March 2024 Charity Number: 1198223
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Charity Information
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**Trustees:** Professor Tony Martin Simon Baker Msc Barend van der Berg (Treasurer) David Wege Msc Professor Bill Amos
## **Registered Office:** Solo House
The Courtyard London Road Horsham West Sussex RH12 1AT
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
## TRUSTEES’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
## **OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS**
To protect and conserve the water vole and other native species for the advancement of environmental protection and improvement, for the benefit of the public by, in particular but not exclusively, advancing the control of invasive alien species, notably the American mink, in Great Britain. The activities of the charity are solely focussed on controlling American mink, and raising funds to enable this work. They include recruiting and training volunteers to manage traps, purchasing mink trapping equipment and distributing it to volunteers, carrying out scientific analysis of captured mink, and promoting the work via public talks, meetings and media interviews.
The main achievements of the charity in the year to 31 March 2024 were (a) to successfully complete the landscape-scale mink eradication trial in East Anglia, whereby 9% of England is now mink free, and publicise its conclusion and outcome, (b) to raise substantial funds to allow the work to continue and expand, including the winning of £500k in a competitive bid to Natural England's Species Recovery Programme, and (c) for the first time, to recruit, train and support full-time staff in pursuit of the charity's objectives.
During the year the Trust, working with partners and volunteers, achieved the following:
- Placed 627 further smart mink rafts into waterways giving a total of 1534 active rafts by 31 March 2024.
- Caught and humanely dispatched 930 mink, 292 from Lincolnshire alone.
- Trapped and released 201 water voles of which 154 were from Norfolk and Suffolk, which had been cleared of mink, but only 9 from Lincolnshire, where there was a dense mink population.
- Produced 4 Newsletters, which are distributed to 1500 interested parties.
- Carried out a post mortem on all mink caught, these also provided a tissue sample for genetic analysis and anal gland extract to act as lure in our traps.
- Worked closely with Professor Bill Amos at the University of Cambridge on the genetics of mink, deriving much practically useful information concerning mink dispersal and familial relationships.
- Started trapping on a small Scottish island to learn more about the challenges that will be faced in this type of environment.
- Further developed our website, which is now widely used (27,209 unique visitors) and elicited 280 reports of mink from the public from all over Great Britain.
## **RISK ASSESSMENT**
The major risks faced by Waterlife Recovery Trust are identified on a risk register which is reviewed by the Board of Trustees as part of the 6 board meetings that were held during this financial year. We believe that maintaining reserves at current levels, combined with an annual review of the controls over key financial systems, will provide sufficient funds in the event of adverse conditions. The Trustees have also examined other operational risks faced by the charity, and we confirm that we have established systems to mitigate, where possible, any significant risks.
## **STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT**
In addition to the board of five Trustees, at the end of this reporting year the charity had 7 staff on fixed-term contracts and hired 5 self-employed contractors as required. We also had a part time Account Assistant and managed some 1500 volunteer citizen conservationists, spread across 25 counties in England, Wales and Scotland.
## **PLANS FOR FUTURE**
The charity is now well established, and has in place robust and transparent financial and H.R. management systems. Much of the admin and development work is still dependent on Trustees, however, so the raising of funds to recruit core staff remains a priority.
Having demonstrated that landscape-scale eradication of invasive American mink is not only feasible, but more rapid and less expensive than anticipated, the objective now is to expand WRT's work across Britain as rapidly as possible. Achievement of this ambition will be dependent not only on WRT itself, but on the growing partnership of organisations that seek WRT's guidance and assistance in freeing their own local areas of American mink. The distribution of active smart rafts run by WRT and partners is shown in Figure 1.
**Figure 1. Active smart mink rafts in England and Wales on 31 March 2024**
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
The year under review produced a significant increase in income with most of the increase from Grants. Grants increased year on year from £119,411.90 to £692,910.97. The charity also seen an increase in donations by just over double from the year before with a total of £32,691.52 donations. Closing reserves as at 31 March 2024 are at £186,876.75.
The Trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity’s trust deed, the Charities Act 2011 and 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.
## **By Order of the Board**
------------------------------------------
**Barend van der Berg Trustee and Treasurer**
Walnut Cottage,
Pymoor Lane,
Pymoor, CB6 2EF
Date: 30 August 2024
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
## Statement of Income and Expenditure for the Year Ended 31 March 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|**Notes**
Donations
Grants
Gift Aid
Interest Received
1
**Total Income**
Staff Costs
2
Project Officers Fees
Rafts and Traps
Ecological Services
Consumables
Travel and Subsistence
Professional Fees
Insurance
Postage
Recruitment Fees
Advertising
IT Support
Office Equipment
Printing and Stationery
Bank Charges
Other
**Total Expenditure**
**Net Income / Loss**
**Funds Brought Forward**
**Funds Balance at 31 March 2024**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total 31/03/2024**
**Total 31/03/2023**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
29,483.80
3,207.72
32,691.52
14,074.55
16,955.00
675,955.97
692,910.97
119,411.90
1,005.25
1,005.25
3,000.00
769.82
769.82
**48,213.87**
**679,163.69**
**727,377.56**
**136,486.45**
125,013.84
125,013.84
-
1,527.63
45,304.28
46,831.91
20,963.66
7,279.20
259,123.46
266,402.66
17,773.26
64,500.00
64,500.00
34,000.00
1,061.50
25,824.73
26,886.23
538.89
297.17
29,876.69
30,173.86
2,582.32
7,590.00
21,835.75
29,425.75
650.00
545.59
545.59
-
2.40
506.98
509.38
-
596.00
596.00
-
0.00
118.80
0.00
450.00
777.43
3,763.90
4,541.33
-
400.80
3,052.87
3,453.67
894.00
60.00
0.00
60.00
47.20
28.91
28.91
19,621.04
579,348.09
**598,969.13**
**78,018.13**|
|---|---|
||**128,408.43**
**58,468.32**
**58,468.32**
0|
||**186,876.75**|
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
||**Notes**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total 31/03/2024**
**Total 31/03/2023**|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total 31/03/2024**
**Total 31/03/2023**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Current Assets**||**Funds**
**Funds**
**£**
**£**
**£**|**£**|
|Bank||48,592.83
55,595.67
104,188.50|73,468.32|
|Debtors|**3**|145,688.25
145,688.25|0.00|
|Long Term Loans|**4**|-63,000.00
-63,000.00|-15,000.00|
|**Net Current Assets**||**-14,407.17**
**201,283.92**
**186,876.75**|**58,468.32**|
|**Funds of the Charity**|**5**|||
|Restricted Funds||99,815.60
142,952.06|43,136.46|
|Unrestricted Funds||28,592.83
43,924.69|15,331.86|
|**Total Funds**||**28,592.83**
**99,815.60**
**186,876.75**|**58,468.32**|
## **Waterlife Recovery Trust**
Notes to the Financial Statements for the year end 31 March 2024
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**----- Start of picture text -----**
1 Interest Received
31/03/2024 31/03/2023
£ £
Bank Account Interest 769.82 -
2 Staff Costs
31/03/2024 31/03/2023
£ £
Salaries 94,868.10 -
PAYE and NI 23,049.46 -
Pension Costs 7,096.28 -
125,013.84 -
**----- End of picture text -----**
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:
|Direct charitable
**3 Debtors**
Amount Recoverable on Contract
**4 Long Term Loans**
Tony Martin (Trustee)
Bill Amos (Trustee)
**5 Funds of the Charity**
**Unrestricted Funds**
**Restricted Funds:**
EA KENT
BEDS IDB
LINCS WILDLIFE
EA LINC
NE NORFOLK/SUFFOLK
LISMORE
NORFOLK IDBS
DARRENT
TRENT VALLEY
SOLVE|**31/03/2024**
**31/03/2023**
8
0
**31/03/2024**
**31/03/2023**
**£**
**£**
145,688.25
-
**31/03/2024**
**31/03/2023**
**£**
**£**
33,000.00
15,000.00
30,000.00
-|
|---|---|
||63,000.00
15,000.00|
||**31/03/2024**
**£**
43,924.69
15,191.02
21,966.00
4,450.00
27,036.62
53,086.88
256.68
12,500.00
6,464.86
1,000.00
1,000.00
186,876.75|
## **6 TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS**
There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31March2024 nor for the year ended 31 March 2023.
CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examinerfs
report on the accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the trusteesl
members of
Waiedrfe Recovery Trust
On accounts for the year
ended
31 March 2021
Charity no
(if any)
1198223
Set out on pages
l+ts q
I reFK)rt to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity (kne Trusf) for the year erKled 31103 1202
Responsibilities and As the charty trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation
basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the ruIreMents of the Charities Act
2011 {Ihe Acf).
I report in respect of my examinatK)n of the Trust's accounts carried out
under seclKin 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I
have fiAlow&J the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145{5)(b) of the Act
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material tnatters have
come to my attenti{ in cijnnection with the examinatK)n which gives me
cause to leve that in. any material respect.
accounkn'ThJ records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of
the Act or
the aCCnts (k) rM)t accord with the aCCntIng records
I have rKI C(CernS arKI have come across no other matlers in connection
with the examinatK)n to which attentwjn should be drawn in order to enable a
prLyer urKlerstarKling of the accounts to be reaCtr.
Independent
examinerfs statement
Signed:
Date."
30- (JS-_ zo'LLtr
Name".
S fiass
Relevant professlonal
qualification{s) or body
(rf any):
A QQA - tr4ewvibo' &k-4?
Addrtss:
Section B
Disclosure
Only comF4ete rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of Concern (see CC32,
Independent examination of chanty aCcJnts. directions and guidance for
examiners).
IER
October 2018
Give here brief details of
any items that the
examiner wishes to
disclose.
IER
October 2018