Trustees annual report 01/06/2024 – 31/05/2025 ## 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. Partnership with Metropolitan Housing (local HA) has continued to grow and prove fruitful through open days for residents. The core group of volunteers is stable at 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 for Cotgrave residents to benefit from the garden. 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. 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 and meeting our charitable aims. Throughout 2024, we delivered weekly supplies of fruit and vegetables grown at the garden to the Cotgrave Community Kitchen (social supermarket). Supplying throughout the year approximately up to 30kg of free and low cost healthy food. To broaden engagement further, we successfully achieved confirmation of funding to develop a sensory area to the garden. This will enrich the experience of the garden with our community members from vulnerable groups such as the pupils from the local special needs school and the dementia group. The dementia group have been holding weekly sessions of 20 plus dementia sufferers and their carers at the garden. We’ve welcomed 4 people through social prescribing, and they have become valued members of our volunteer group and attending the garden has been a place of solace and a safe stepping stone back into the wider community. 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. Our valued partnership with Metropolitan Housing continued. With over 600 residences in Cotgrave, the CCG has been able to host residents at 4 open days, welcoming families with free food and refreshments and entertainment. We’ve hosted pupils and staff from Ash Lea Special needs school for sessions on connecting with nature, picking strawberries and enjoying the calm and tranquil space. Our other local school, Candleby Lane, have also been actively engaged in the growing space. Throughout the year, the number of individuals who attended open days; attended community dinners and participated in volunteering activities was over 1000 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. 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. Trustee recruitment has been prioritised this year, a number of candidates have been considered, and we have successfully recruited at the end of this financial period. ## **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**|**Ofce (if any)**|**Dates acted if**
**not for whole**
**year**|**Name of**
**person (or**
**body) entitled**
**to appoint**
**trustee (if**
**any)**| |---|---|---|---| |FionaFernandez|||| |NiaHarris|||| |**Declarations**|||| The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above Signature: Full name: Fiona Jayne Fernandez 30 March 2026 CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the ppriod from 0110612024 3110512025 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Endowment fund8 Restricted fund5 Total fund5 Last year tothe near¢$t tothe nÈareStE to th* neAre$t£ t¢ the neèfeStE to the neart$t£ Al Recei DOnBli￿$ LAGraTr15 Serwce5 2.005 7.250 1.140 23.080 1.804 7.250 1.140 23.040 535 40 $30 29 Other Incorne th￿itableaGtiVtie5 baance 2• 1.700 4,359 36,369 Sub tOtal(G￿8S incom8 forAR} A2 Asset and investment sal￿, 800 t8blo. Sub total 4,359 32,010 36.369 19,992 A3 Pa ments 190 190 Governats¢È & support Star PtOJe¢A lead rwces Supplie5 & InfrèSCiTuGIu 520 308 308 Sub total 4.JS9 18.285 A4 Asset and investment purch8sos,18eo table) Sub total 4,359 12,BZ1 18.285 Net of receipts/{payments) A5 Transf8r8 bth8en funds A6 Cash funds lastyoar ond Cash funds this ￿•r gnd 19,188 19,188 1,707 19,188 19,188 1,707 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds to n88r￿t£ Restrictsd fvnd5 Endowment funds to nq8r85t£ Cate Ji ories to n•arostE B1 Cash funds ain bankaccounl Total cash funds 19,188 Unrestricted funds Restricted fvrLd5 Endowment funds Details tQ nO4Tr¥t£ to n￿r$￿tE to ng4TP¥t£ 82 Other monetsry a$$ets Fund towhich ass•t belong$ Details Costloptionall Curr•ntvalu& B3 Inve5tm8nt assets Fund towhich a$s•t belong¥ Currentvalu& Details Co&tloptionall B4 Assets retained for the charity's own use Fund tOwlli¢h Amountdue Deta118 B5 Llabllltles Signed by one ortwo trustee5 on behalf ol all thetmstees Signature Print Name Dale of 8pproval Fiona Fernandez 3110312026 I hav8 no cMcem8 and hAv8 comé across no ofhpf maftérs in ¢AJnnpclion wllh th8 ex8minatK)n to thich attention should be dr￿ in this report in ordef to en8ble a sxoper urKlefSt8nding of the accounts to be re%hed, ' Flease delete the Words In lh8 bracket8 if they do not apply. Signed: Dafe; Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): MoAq-J Add￿ss. Ib Li(cxC Ctc< Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight material matters of con￿rn (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts- directions and guidance for examiners). Give here bn•f detsils of any rtems that the examiner wishes to disclose. IER October 2018 Scanned with Tapscanner CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WAI IS Independent examiner's report on the accounts Sectioh A . Ihdèpehdènt Éxamin•rl• Reèort i . Report to tlie trusteesld1￿CtorSI members of c (farfL CoMwLU L)1 ry Gffl(utr•J SiJoi/zoL5 'On accounts for the year ended Charity no.: Company no.: VIOL 00 Set out on pages I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended As the charity's trustees of the Company (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law), you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ("the 2006 Act"). Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited for this year under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ("the 2011 Act") In carrying out my examination, I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act. Responsibilities and basis of ￿pOrt Independent examinerfs statement rrhe company's gross income exceeded £250,000 and l am qualified to undertake the examination by being a qualified member of [insert name of applicable listed body]] Delete [ ] if not applicable. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below ") which gives me cause to believe that: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 386 of the Companies Act 2006, or the accounts do not accord with such records. or the accounts do not comply with relevant accounting requirements under section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or .the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS102) October 2018 Scanned with Tapscanner