Trustees annual report 02/05/2023 – 31/05/2024
COTGRAVE COMMUNITY GARDEN
Charity number: 1202900
Objectives and Activities
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out its governing document
“To provide facilities for recreation or other leisure time occupation by providing an area for use as a community garden and other activities for individuals in Cotgrave and the surrounding area, who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disablement, financial hardship or social and economic circumstances or for the public at large in the interests of social welfare and with the object of improving the condition of life of the said inhabitants.”
The trustees can confirm that the purposes as laid out above were met. Bi-weekly volunteer events ensured the residents of Cotgrave had access to the community garden and could enjoy as set out above. Other organisations have also benefited, including a local youth group who have been working in the garden towards ASDAN accreditation. The core group of volunteers rose and is now 44 members. Additional open days and events such as Mothers Day flowers and Christmas wreaths, workshops on herbal health have also supported the purpose and created opportunity to benefit from the garden.
The Trustees confirm that they have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
Achievements and Performance
The main achievement of the charity has been to continue a consistency of service for local residents. To ensure that access to the Cotgrave Community Garden (CCG) is open and freely accessible to everyone during the stated opening hours.
The CCG continued to develop as a horticultural project, which can provide healthy food, grown using organic principles by and for local people. To provide an outdoor space where residents of all ages can access the space and enjoy the food, through (and not exclusively), community dinners, cooked with the food grown on site.
In addition to weekly opening hours, the CCG held special open days, with local partners such as Metropolitan Housing, including free refreshments; children’s activities; games and much more.
The on-going programme with young people at risk of exclusion from school continued to develop well, in partnership with Trent Bridge Trust. These young people had the opportunity to build fire pits; bird boxes, plant vegetables and work towards an ASDAN accreditation in horticulture.
The objective to provide workshops on healthy eating, herbal health and natural beauty begun during this period, and will be developed further as funds allow.
Throughout the year, the number of individuals who attended open days; attended community dinners and participated in volunteering activities was no less than 500 people.
As Trustees we regularly review our service provision and the feedback from volunteers. We are proud to report that we have at least 20 core volunteers who rely on access to the CCG for their mental health and social connection. Many more use the drop in sessions and open days and all report positive experience and a benefit from being outside in a shared space.
Financial Review
The Trustees are proud to report that the financial situation at the end of the period remains stable. At the start of the year, the CCG CIO received a transfer of £2,227 from its predecessor organisation. Costs have been minimised and resources used effectively.
The CCG does not have a policy for holding reserves. The CCG is solely reliant on gaining external funding. Many of the funding bids we receive are restricted funding; meaning the funds must be spent on a specific project. Hence, we are not in a financial position to hold reserves.
We do not have any material deficit.
As stated above we rely on fundraising efforts from a range of funders including the National Lottery, Rushcliffe Borough Council, Cotgrave Town Council, the RHS and others. There is never a 100% guarantee that funding will be available, although in our 5 years in operation we have not experienced a period with zero funding.
Structure, Governance and Management
The CCG is a Charitable Incorporated Organisaton (CIO), governed by it’s constitution document which lays out the charitable objects and lists the Trustees
Trustees are appointed by agreement between the interested party, the existing trustees and the CCG Project Lead. Trustees are appointed from the volunteer cohort and are already established and active participants to the CCG.
Reference and Administrative details
Cotgrave Community Garden (CCG)
Registered charity number: 1202900
Charity’s principal address: 2 Pinfold Close, Cotgrave, Nottingham, NG12 3QX
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| Trustee name | Ofice (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiona Fernandez | |||
| Nia Harris | |||
| Samantha Farmer | 1 January– 1 June |
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above
Signature:
Full name:
Fiona Jayne Fernandez
16 November 2025
| Charity Name Cotgrave Community Garden |
Charity Name Cotgrave Community Garden |
Charity Name Cotgrave Community Garden |
Charity Name Cotgrave Community Garden |
Charity Name Cotgrave Community Garden |
No (if any) 1202900 |
No (if any) 1202900 |
No (if any) 1202900 |
CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
02/05/2023 | To | Period end date 31/05/2024 |
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| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||||
| Donations | - 1,804- |
- -- |
- -- |
- 1,804- |
- -- |
||||
| Income from charitable activities | - -- |
- 1,390- |
- -- |
- 1,390- |
- -- |
||||
| Services | - -- |
- 950- |
- -- |
- 950- |
- -- |
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| Grants | - -- |
- 10,450- |
- -- |
- 10,450- |
- -- |
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| Other Income | - 3,171- |
- -- |
- -- |
- 3,171- |
- -- |
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| Transfer from volunteer org | - 2,227- |
- -- |
- 2,227- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
|||||
| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | - 4,975- |
- 15,017- |
- -- |
- 19,992- |
- -- |
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| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). | |||||||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). | |||||||||
| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| Sub total- -- Total receipts - 4,975- A3 Payments |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
||||
| - 4,975- |
- 15,017- |
- -- |
- 19,992- |
- -- |
|||||
| Charitable activities - sessions, events project delivery | - 4,975- |
- 12,790- |
- -- |
- 17,765- |
- -- |
||||
| Governance & support costs | - 520- |
- -- |
- 520- |
- -- |
|||||
| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
| - | 4,975- | - | 15,017- | - | -- | - | 19,992- | - | -- | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). | |||||||||||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||||
| Sub total | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| **Total receipts ** | - | 4,975- | - | 15,017- | - | -- | - | 19,992- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Charitable activities - sessions, events project delivery | - | 4,975- | - | 12,790- | - | -- | - | 17,765- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| Governance & support costs | - | 520- | - | -- | - | 520- | - | -- | |||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
17/12/2025
1
| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| Sub total - 4,975- A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
- 4,975- |
- 13,310- |
- -- |
- 18,285- |
- -- |
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| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||||
| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| Sub total - -- Total payments - 4,975- Net of receipts/(payments) - -- A5 Transfers between funds - -- A6 Cash funds last year end - -- Cash funds this year end - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
|||||
| - 4,975- |
- 13,310- |
- -- |
- 18,285- |
- -- |
|||||
| - -- |
- 1,707- |
- -- |
- 1,707- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- 1,707- |
- -- |
- 1,707- |
- -- |
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| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |||||||||
| Categories B1 Cash funds |
Details Main bank account |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ - -- - -- |
Restricted funds to nearest £ - 1,707- - -- - -- |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
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| Main bank account | - 1,707- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| Total cash funds | - -- |
- 1,707- |
- -- |
||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account (s)) |
OK | OK | OK |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Unrestricted | Restricted funds | Restricted funds | Endowment | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories | Details | funds | funds | ||||||||||||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||||||||||
| B1 | Cash | funds | Main bank account | - | 1,707- | - | -- | ||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||||
| - | -- | - | -- | - | -- | ||||||||||||
| Total cash funds | - | -- | - | 1,707- | - | -- | |||||||||||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account (s)) |
OK | OK | OK |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
17/12/2025
2
| B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
Details | Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
- -- |
- -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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- -- |
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| Current value (optional) |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
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| Current value (optional) |
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| - -- |
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| - -- |
CCXX R3 accounts (SS)
17/12/2025
3
| - | -- | - | -- | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | -- | - | -- | |||||||
| Fund to which | Amount due | When due | ||||||||
| Details | liability relates | (optional) | (optional) | |||||||
| B5 Liabilities | - | -- | ||||||||
| - | -- | |||||||||
| - | -- | |||||||||
| - | -- | |||||||||
| - | -- | |||||||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Name | Date of approval | |||||||
| Fiona Fernandez | 17/12/2025 | |||||||||
CCXX R4 accounts (SS)
17/12/2025
4