RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 March 2024
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RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
SIGNIFICANT INFORMATION
Registered as a Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) Charity No. 1199899 on 1 August 2022
Trustees
Under their Constitution the activities of the CIO are co-ordinated by Trustees whose powers and responsibilities are defined in the Governing Document. The Trustees also decide on the general policy to be adopted in the pursuance of the objectives of the Charity. The following Trustees served throughout the period
Committee of Trustees
H A Edwards (Chair) C.S.Benn J.G.Benn M.J.Higgins N.J.Jackson C.I.Peterken Independent Examiner Mrs C.E Braidwood FCA Lowood The Street, Betchworth Surrey RH3 7DJ Bankers National Westminster Bank plc 14 High Street, Dorking Surrey RH4 1AX
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RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
The Trustees present their report and the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024.
STRUCTURE GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing Document
The constitution of Re-Betchworth CIO was submitted to the Charity Commission and accepted as a registered CIO on 1 August 2022. The Charity Number is 1199899
Risk Management
The Trustees are responsible for the management of risks faced by the Charity. Procedures are in place to ensure risks are minimised.
Trustees
The trustees meet regularly to discuss rewilding and sustainable living projects and other matters connected with the Charitable objects. New trustees will be appointed as and when required so that the expertise of the trustees covers a broad base suitable for such a charity.
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES
Objectives
The objectives of the CIO are to promote the conservation, protection, and regeneration of the Natural environment for the benefit of the public in the area covered by Betchworth Parish Council and adjoining parishes and to help raise awareness of practices for a more sustainable future.
Public benefit
The trustees have complied with the requirement of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charities Commission.
Volunteers
The Trustees are all volunteers and give freely of their time and expertise to the CIO. They all have extensive knowledge of the local area.
REVIEW OF ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE FOR THE PERIOD
In this, our first full year of operating as a charity, we increased our self-generated income and broke even or made a positive contribution on two new events: the Wassail and the Scything Workshop. Other minor events were low or no cost: a wildflower wander on National Meadows Day, a Zoom talk in advance of The Big Garden Bird Count, and the Nesting Box Building workshop.
The Forest School became properly established and is very popular with the young families, but we have yet to find a way of matching income to costs, now that the latter includes the recommended tree safety survey. Our Forest School is one of the important programmes that really encourages the next generation
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RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES (continued)
and their parents to connect to nature and to become involved in actions for sustainability. We continued to invest in establishing the Apple Press Day but failed (as did Leigh this year) to grow juicing volumes.
Thanks to the £3,200 grant from the PC these losses were covered, and we were also able to transfer to an excellent new web services provider. With the BPC grant we were able to involve 70 households in sowing mainly perennial native wildflower seed to help insect pollinators. At no additional cost, we supported the creation and facilitation of a WhatsApp Nature Group which provides a new forum for the exchange of knowledge and learning about nature and biodiversity in our area.
On the back of this bio-diversity work, in February Trustee Norman Jackson was successful in attracting a £5,000 National Lottery funded grant from the Transition Network for a one year development project to investigate the possibility of establishing a Biodiversity ‘Park’ covering the area of Betchworth, Brockham, Buckland and Box Hill – the 4Bs.
The Trustees are proud of what we’ve been able to achieve with the PC’s help and self-generated funds. Our efforts to engage our parish community were recognised externally, through one of only three Community Champion Awards made by Surrey Wildlife Trust in August 2023.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
£11,150 (2023 £5,985) was received in the year including grants of £3,200 from Betchworth Parish Council. and a £5,000 transition network grant towards costs for the 4B’s biodiversity park. £584 had been received for the trip to Knepp which takes place in the next financial year. Money was also received towards the costs of the Apple pressing day, a scything workshop and a Wassailing event. £711 was received for attending the Forest School but the costs this year had been £1,260.
Direct Charitable expenditure totalled £5,045 (2023 £4,739) creating a surplus for the year of £6,105 (2023 £1,246) The surplus to be carried forward is £7,351 (2023 £1,246)
The expenditure largely consisted of costs of setting up and maintaining the website £1,335 and costs associated with the various workshops and the Apple Press Day. Wildflower seeds costing £341 were again purchased to encourage wide participation of the B- line scheme and £308 was spent on advertising and promotion including leaflets and flyers thus ensuring professional communications with our supporters.
RESERVES AND FUTURE COMMITMENTS
The reserves are felt to be sufficient for the moment to enable the CIO to continue with its activities. Future funding from grants is not guaranteed and activities must become at least self-funding as they become established, enabling any grant money received to be used to get new initiatives off the ground.
The wet and cold 2024 spring severely dented our expectations for the Forest School, but we have learnt from that. While attendance at the AppleFest will always be affected by the weather on the day, we expect it to be self-funding this year.
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RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES (continued)
The grant money for the 4Bs Biodiversity Park project is being devoted to educational talks and encouraging residents from Betchworth, Buckland, Brockham and Box Hill to set up a range of bio-diversity enhancing projects: mini-meadows, wildflower strips, ponds, insect and bird shelters and wormeries. 45 people are creating new habitats for wildlife.
Work continues on attracting more villagers to join in the CIO’s other activities, with a heavy emphasis on online communications, a quarterly digital magazine and nature videos .
TRUSTEES RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCOUNTS
Charity law requires the trustees of the Association to prepare a receipts and payments account and a statement of liabilities for each financial year. In addition, the trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which are sufficient to show and explain the Charity’s transactions and to disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Association. 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.
Approved by the Trustees on 14[th] October 2024 and signed on their behalf by: Hilary Edwards Chair of Trustees
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF
RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the accounts of Re-Betchworth CIO for the period year ended 31st March 2024
Responsibilities and basis of report
As 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 Trustees’ accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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.
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:
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Accounting records were not kept by the Trustees as required by section 130 of the Act; or
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The accounts do not accord with those records; or
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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.
Signed Chris Braidwood Date 14th October 2024
Mrs C.E.Braidwood FCA Chartered Accountant Lowood The Street, Betchworth Surrey RH3 7DJ
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RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2024
| RECEIPTS | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Grants from Betchworth Parish Council | 3,200 | 4,800 |
| Transition network grant | 5.000 | - |
| Income received from Apple Day | 849 | 655 |
| Pruning workshops | - | 150 |
| Wassail receipts | 330 | - |
| Scything workshop | 330 | - |
| Income for attending the Forest School | 711 | 380 |
| Sundry income | 146 | - |
| Prepaid income for visit to Knepp in 2024/25 | 584 | - |
| _ | _ | |
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | £11,150 | £5,985 |
| _ | _ | |
| PAYMENTS | ||
| Direct Charitable Expenditure | ||
| Costs for : | ||
| Forest School | 1,260 | 1,071 |
| Apple pressing day | 842 | 1,004 |
| Pruning workshops | - | 270 |
| Wassail expenses | 169 | - |
| Scything workshop | 355 | - |
| Maintenance of ponds and water features | - | 97 |
| Wildflowers in connection with the B- line project | 341 | 872 |
| Equipment for various projects | - | 312 |
| Insurance | 157 | 157 |
| Fees for advice and help for apple day and water projects | - | 150 |
| Advertising, promotion including cost of Leaflets and flyers | 308 | 806 |
| Website cost and retainer | 1,335 | |
| Sundry expenses | 278 | |
| _ | _ | |
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | 5,045 | 4,739 |
| _ | _ | |
| Excess of Income over Expenditure for the period | 6,105 | 1,246 |
| Excess of Income over Expenditure brought forward | 1,246 | - |
| _ | _ | |
| Surplus of General funds carried forward | 7,351 | 1,246 |
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RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
AT 31[ST] March 2024
| MONETARY ASSETS | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Balances | ||
| Current Account | £7.351 | £ 1,246 |
| ______ | ______ | |
| Balance of General Fund at 31st March 2024 | £7,351 | £1,246 |
| ______ | ______ |
Approved by the Trustees on 14[th] October 2024 and signed on their behalf by:
H Edwards : Hilary Edwards Chair of Trustees
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