RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 March 2025
RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
1
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
Commitee 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 | Natonal Westminster Bank plc |
| 14 High Street, Dorking | |
| Surrey | |
| RH4 1AX |
RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
2
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
The Trustees present their report and the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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 community, nature 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
Mission & Objectves
The CIO works to mitigate the effects of climate change and to create a greener, more biodiverse and sustainable local environment. We do this by promoting 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 helping to raise awareness of practices that support a more sustainable future.
Public beneft
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 second year of operating as a charity we continued to increase our self-generated income and were delighted to produce a surplus on our third communal AppleFest, as well as a group visit to the Knepp Estate. We used these surpluses to pay for professional work on the Village Orchard, to underwrite a trial ‘Repair Café’ in Betchworth, and to subsidise our Village Forest School.
The most significant contribution to this year’s activity was enabled by a £5000 Community Lottery Fund grant administered by the Transitions Network, awarded to Trustee Norman Jackson (and received in February 2024). The project became known as the 4Bs Biodiversity Initiative and aimed to build community commitment to, and involvement in, nature recovery and the conservation and enhancement of
RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
3
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES (contnued)
biodiversity. A website was created that fully documents activities and achievements htps://www.biodiversitypark.uk/
Awareness of biodiversity within the 4Bs landscape was raised through a range of activities and events. About 250 4Bs residents participated in 4 talks, 2 nature reserve guided tours and 2 wildlife garden tours, a wildflower wander and a bird spotting walk, and several nature surveys. 46 residents were given free Gardening for Biodiversity starter packs worth between £30-£40, which they used to create their own garden-scale wildlife habitat projects.
In addition, two community biodiversity enhancement projects were undertaken: 1) construction of a wildlife habitats garden at North Downs School pupils 2) a botanical survey of the species rich grassland on Rectory Green in Buckland. To encourage residents to learn about local nature, 15 nature movies were produced and these were watched over 1300 times on YouTube. The project also established a 4Bs Nature Magazine and 2 issues of the magazine were published during the year.
The scale of resident involvement in all these activities provides the foundation for community action for nature in 2026. The project:
-
Expanded the interest of the charity to embrace nature across the four villages and parishes of Betchworth, Buckland, Brockham and Boxhill.
-
Created new capacity to undertake nature-based projects in the form of a team of volunteers.
-
And led to the formation of a 4Bs WhatsApp Nature Group with 130 members, which now shares posts about nature on a daily basis.
The Trustees are proud of what we’ve been able to achieve with the PC’s help, the one-off Community Lottery Fund grant and our self-generated funds. In the current climate promoting sustainable living is something of an uphill struggle, so we focus on engaging our village residents with nature-enhancing and community-building projects in the expectation that they will look to us for leadership when the mood swings back.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
During the year £4,607 (2024 £11,150) was received including grants of £1,250 (2024 £3,200 ) from Betchworth Parish Council. Surrey County Council gave a grant of £599 towards equipment for the Apple Press day. The £5,000 Community Lottery Fund grant received in March 2024 towards costs for the 4B’s biodiversity initiative was fully expensed during the year. £507 (2024 £584) had been received for the trip to Knepp which takes place in the next financial year. The AppleFest was a big success and generated income of £1,610 (2024 £849 ) with costs of £979 (2024 842) . Other income was received at the new Repair Café, the Wassailing event and the Forest School.
Direct Charitable expenditure totalled £9872 (2024 £5,045) creating a deficit for the year of £(5265) (2024 Surplus £6,105) The surplus to be carried forward is £2,086 (2024 £7,351)
The general expenditure largely consisted of costs of maintaining the website £816 and costs associated with the various workshops and the Apple Press Day.
RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
4
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES (contnued)
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 and taken advice on making attendance more inviting to parents as well as the children. While attendance at the AppleFest will always be affected by the weather on the day, we expect it to produce a healthy surplus this year.
Work continues on attracting more residents to participate in the CIO’s activities, with a heavy emphasis on online communications, a quarterly digital newsletter, nature videos, a nature magazine and a healthy WhatsApp Nature Group.
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 xxxxxxxxx 2025 and signed on their behalf by: Hilary Edwards Chair of Trustees
5
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 2025
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:
-
Accounting records were not kept by the Trustees as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
The accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
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 xxxxxxxxxx 2025
Mrs C.E.Braidwood FCA Chartered Accountant Lowood The Street, Betchworth Surrey RH3 7DJ
RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
6
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31ST MARCH 2025
| RECEIPTS | 2025 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Grants from Betchworth Parish Council | 1,250 | 3,200 |
| Transiton network grant | - | 5,000 |
| Income received from Apple Day | 1,610 | 849 |
| SCC grant for Apple Pressing equipment | 599 | - |
| Wassail receipts | 331 | 330 |
| Scything workshop | - | 330 |
| Income for atending the Forest School | 203 | 711 |
| Income from Repair Café morning | 107 | - |
| Sundry income | - | 146 |
| Prepaid income for visit to Knepp | 507 | 584 |
| _ | _ | |
| TOTAL RECEIPTS |
£4,607 | £11,150 |
| _ | _ | |
| PAYMENTS | ||
| Direct Charitable Expenditure | ||
| Costs for : | ||
| 4B’s bio-diversity expenses | 5,000 | - |
| Forest School | 496 | 1,260 |
| Apple pressing day | 979 | 842 |
| Repair shop café morning | 391 | - |
| Wassail expenses | 283 | 169 |
| Scything workshop | - | 355 |
| Maintenance of ponds and water features | 207 | - |
| Wildfowers in connecton with the B- line project | - | 341 |
| Equipment for Apple pressing day | 599 | - |
| Insurance | 157 | 157 |
| Professional pruning and clearing of Village orchard | 394 | |
| Visit to Knepp in June 2024 | 495 | - |
| Advertsing, promoton including cost of Leafets and fyers | - | 308 |
| Website cost and retainer | 816 | 1,335 |
| Sundry expenses | 55 | 278 |
| _ | _ | |
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | 9,872 | 5,045 |
| _ | _ | |
| Excess of Expenditure over income for the year | (5,265) | 6,105 |
| Excess of Income over Expenditure brought forward | 7,351 | 1,246 |
| _ | _ | |
| Surplus of General funds carried forward | 2,086 | 7,351 |
RE-BETCHWORTH CIO
7
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
AT 31ST March 2025
| MONETARY ASSETS | 2025 | 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Balances | ||||
| Current Account | £2,086 | £7,351 | ||
| ______ | ______ | |||
| Balance of General Fund at 31st March 2024 | £2,086 | £7,351 | ||
| ______ | ______ |
Approved by the Trustees on xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
H Edwards : ……………………………. Chair of Trustees
8