Friends of London Fields Annual Report 2024-25
Friends of London Fields (FoLF) Registration number: 1202952 Address: London Fields Primary School, Westgate Street, Hackney, London, E8 4RA Trustee names: Maya Gur, Mariachiara Faliva, Christian Demonte, Matilda Sklair
This report outlines Friends of London Fields’ objectives for the year 2024/2025, the community and fundraising activities carried out during the year and the targets achieved up to 28 March 2025.
Charity’s Structure
The Charity Friends of London Fields was formally founded on 28 March 2023.
FoLF operates with a structure designed to facilitate effective collaboration, fundraising, and support for London Fields Primary School. The structure comprises the following key elements:
-
Trustees:
-
FoLF, comprising four trustees, ensures effective oversight and management of its activities. Two co-chairs provide leadership and coordination across all initiatives, while a treasurer oversees financial matters, ensuring responsible management of funds. Additionally, a secretary ensures compliance and governance adherence, maintaining the integrity of FOLF's operations. Together, these trustees work cohesively to uphold FOLF's mission and ensure its continued impact.
2. Members:
- At present, FoLF comprises eight school parent members, representing diverse year groups and cultural backgrounds. These individuals form the core of FoLF, actively participating in decision-making processes crucial for the charity's direction. They are the heart of FoLF and play a pivotal role in shaping FoLF's key annual objectives, allocating funds, crafting grant applications, organising and managing our community and fundraising events. Their diverse perspectives and collective input enrich the charity's endeavours and ensure alignment with the needs and values of the school community.
3. Core Volunteers:
- FOLF's central volunteer group comprises 80 parents from the school community who generously devote their time and energy to a wide array of activities. These dedicated individuals play pivotal roles in organising our community and charity events, contributing significantly to the success and vibrancy of our initiatives.
Charity Mission, Values and Objectives
The Charity mission is to “Harness the talents of our families to create access and opportunities for all children and foster a school environment where everyone belongs”.
Our shared values are:
-
Inclusivity
-
Supportiveness
-
Impact
-
Creativity
-
Fun
The Charity overall objectives are:
-
Raise money, apply for grants and support the school in making a difference for the children and community by enhancing their learning environment over and above what is provided.
-
Foster extended relationships between the staff, parents and others associated with the School.
-
Engage in activities, which will support and improve the School and advance the education of the pupils attending it.
2024 / 2025 Objectives
- Playground improvement: The first phase of the playground renovation project was completed in April 2024 and the children have been enjoying the new equipment and the increased shade provision made a huge difference in the summer months.
The second phase of the playground renovation was to remove the outdated exercise equipment and redundant ramp from the area between the two playgrounds and replace it with a sensory garden, providing shade and open ended play. This was designed and managed by a group of parent volunteers and was completed during the sumer holidays, with completion in early September 2025.
-
Sustainability focus: we're committed to cooling our school environment and reducing our carbon footprint.
-
The largest part of this objective is the installation of solar panels to the roof of our school. This will reduce utility bills, freeing up spending for other things, and help reduce the school’s impact on the environment. The children and the local community will also be able to see and learn about this important green technology.
-
Increasing tree cover in all of our outdoor spaces for natural shade and purified air.
-
Ditching single use plastic at FoLF fairs and events.
-
Offering a free uniform exchange.
-
Continue to support the school to engage the children with sustainability knowledge and practices.
Activities and objectives carried out during the year
- Playground project
Since 2022 a large scale plan has been in the works to revolutionise the outdoor play spaces at our school. There had been no investment into these spaces for a while and they were sorely lacking in provision for a modern primary school. There was no designated ballsports area and football games tended to take over the entire space. There was also very little shade cover and with summers becoming increasingly hot this really hampered the children's enjoyment of the space.
These plans went through many iterations and a feasibility study, funded by the Hackney Community Energy Fund in 2023, to finally settle on a multi-phase renovation, funded by FoLF and designed and managed primarily through expert parent volunteers, to whom we are very grateful..
Phase 1a
The construction for the first phase of the project started on 4 April 2024 and was completed on 19 April 2024. The refurbished area includes:
-
a. A fenced ball games area with goals and basketball hoops.
-
b. An area with low benches under the trees in the south west corner of the playground.
-
c. New timber playing equipment, including monkey bars, climbing poles and netting, low and high bars. This area was also resurfaced with new low impact artificial grass.
In addition, four fabric sails were installed around the play area to provide much-needed shade.
Phase 1b
The plans for phase 1b of the playground renovation involved the removal of a set of outdated and inappropriate exercise equipment and a now redundant ramp in the space between the Sheep Lane and Westgate Street playgrounds. This area has long been a pinch point at drop off and pick up times, parents with bikes or buggies often having to queue to pass through the passage way. The ground was also very uneven and a large puddle formed quickly in the rain.
The idea for this area was to create a space for open ended and imaginative play while also providing a quieter and more calm play space that could be used outside of playtimes by children who require respite from the classroom, due to SEND status or any other reason.
A gorgeous design was created by a group of parent architects who then gathered quotes from companies able to carry out this work and finally appointed Natural Playscapes to carry out the work. The quote was for just over £57k + VAT, which had been raised this year through the summer and winter fairs, the Run Kids Run sports event, grant from Run Kids Run Foundation and a grant from UBS.
The design includes:
-
a. Decked steps and a wooden platform leading to a wide stainless steel slide.
-
b. Coloured parasols with stump seating underneath.
-
c. A sensory trail including stepping stones, boulders, a bridge, a wooden rumble path and a mirrored tunnel.
A variety of floor colours and textures and wall coverings were also used to add interest.
The construction company were on site during the summer holidays and the sensory garden was completed in early September 2025 with a ribbon cutting ceremony and immense gratitude to the team that made it happen.
2. Solar Panels
Back in 2022 FoLF proposed to the School to install solar panels on the roof as part of our commitment to sustainability. The School accepted the proposal and FoLF applied for the Stream B of the Hackney Community Energy Fund. The fund would cover up to two thirds of the capital costs of the measures proposed based on the results of the Feasibility Study (Stream A).
FoLF discussed different options with solar panels suppliers and installers, to define the amount of energy producible, optimal system characteristics and arrangement. The final plans were submitted for planning permission, which was granted. Concurrently, FoLF was awarded £42,000 as part of the Stream B Hackney Community Energy Fund. FoLF received a donation from a family in the school that enabled this project to proceed..
The solar panels were installed in October 2024 and have been a huge success. The school has seen the reduction in their energy bills and as a result of this effort, the council has since installed a heat pump in the school to further increase their energy self-sufficiency. There
were a number of days during the summer when over 50% of the school’s electricity use was generated by the solar panels, which is a great result.
It is still possible to access the roof in controlled groups so many of the children have been taken up there to see the solar panels in action. This is a powerful tool in sustainability education as this experience will serve to bring lessons about renewable energy to life.
3. Trees Planting
Increasing tree cover, particularly in our Sheep Lane playground continues to be a priority for FoLF and for the school.
In March 2023, we launched the "Mini Forest" project aimed at providing essential shade for our early years concrete playground, addressing concerns raised by numerous parents regarding summer exposure. Our initial objective was to plant 16 trees in this area to ensure adequate shade coverage. During Phase 1 of the project, we conducted a fundraising campaign that successfully raised £8,287. This funding enabled us to plant 8 semi-mature trees, marking a significant step toward achieving our goal.
In 2024 fundraising continued for this project and a campaign was launched to ask local businesses to donate towards this and our annual Greenday event promoted this as well. A local coffee shop, a favourite amongst parents post drop off, donated 10p from every coffee sold over the weekend of the Hackney Half Marathon to the school and promoted this in their comms and on their instagram. This totalled £350 and went towards buying a semi-mature tree.
Financial Accounts for the year ending in March 2025
| INCOME & SPENDING FOR FOLF |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGISTERED CHARITY NO: 1202952 |
||||||
| FOR THE PERIOD JAN 2021 - MAR 2025 |
||||||
| Year | ||||||
| Category | INPUT | Name | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| ONLINE | 1A | GENERAL FUNDRAISING | £ 1,186.97 | £ 38,410.37 |
||
| 1B | CHILD RUNNING EVENT | £ 7,354.49 | ||||
| 1C | REUSABLE PARTY KIT | £ 360.00 | £ 10.00 | |||
| 1D | PLAQUES | £ 550.00 | £ 1,400.00 | £ 650.00 | ||
| 1J | EASYFUNDRAISING | £ 3,278.24 | £ 54.62 |
£ 206.69 | £ 228.64 |
|
| ONLINE Total | £ 3,828.24 | £ 3,001.59 | £ 8,221.18 | £ 38,639.01 |
||
| EVENT | 2A | WINTER FAIR | £ 7,959.68 | £ 9,020.96 | £ 8,004.44 | |
| 2C | SUMMER FAIR | £ 5,474.30 | £ 5,912.12 | |||
| 2D | RUN KIDS RUN | £ 6,098.59 | £ 12,850.08 |
|||
| 2J | COMMUNITY EVENTS | £ 41.00 | £ 1,109.53 | £ 1,437.51 | £ 761.38 |
|
| EVENT Total | £ 41.00 | £ 9,069.21 | £ 22,031.36 |
£ 27,528.02 |
||
| ROOF PROJECT | 3B | INDEPENDENT | £ 464.15 | |||
| 3C | PLANNING COSTS | £ 1,700.00 | ||||
| 3D | HCEF (GRANT) | £ 15,000.00 |
||||
| 3E | ROOFTOP SOLAR FUNDRAISE |
£ 790.46 | ||||
| 3F | ROOFTOP SOLAR | £ - |
| ROOF PROJECT Total | £ 464.15 | £ 16,700.00 |
£ 790.46 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NON FOLF EVENTS | 4A | LEAVING | £ 925.00 | £ 160.00 |
||
| 4B | APPEALS | £ 443.95 | £ 620.00 | £ - |
||
| 4C | BALLET RAMBERT | £ - | ||||
| NON FOLF EVENTS Total |
£ 925.00 | £ 603.95 |
£ 620.00 | £ - |
||
| Tree Project | 5A | GREEN DAY | £ 189.95 | |||
| 5B | TREE FUNDRAISE | £ 3,843.54 | £ 1,181.69 | |||
| 5C | TREE PROJECT COSTS | 0.00 | 0.00 |
|||
| Tree Project Total | 4,033.49 | 1,181.69 |
||||
| CORPORATE | 6 | CORPORATE | 797.05 | |||
| 6A | CORPORATE DONATION | 829.69 | ||||
| CORPORATE Total | 797.05 | 829.69 |
||||
| GRANTS | 7A | GRANTS | 2,500.00 | |||
| GRANTS Total | 2,500.00 | |||||
| OTHERS | 8A | OTHERS | 2,475.81 | |||
| OTHERS Total | 2,475.81 | |||||
| PLAYGROUND | 9A | PLAYGROUND PHASE 1A | 0.00 | |||
| 9B | PLAYGROUND PHASE 1B | |||||
| PLAYGROUND Total | 0.00 | |||||
| OPERATIONAL | 11A | OPERATIONAL | 0.00 | 0.00 |
||
| OPERATIONAL Total | 0.00 | 0.00 |
||||
| 4,794.24 | 13,138.90 | 52,403.08 | 73,944.68 | |||
| Year | ||||||
| Category | INPUT | Name | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
| ONLINE | 1A | GENERAL FUNDRAISING | 0 | 0.00 |
| 1B | CHILD RUNNING EVENT | 0.00 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1C | REUSABLE PARTY KIT | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| 1D | PLAQUES | 0.00 | 0.00 |
0.00 | ||
| 1J | EASYFUNDRAISING | -2,452.02 | 0 |
0.00 | 0.00 |
|
| ONLINE Total | -2,452.02 | 0 |
0.00 | 0.00 |
||
| EVENT | 2A | WINTER FAIR | -1,553.59 | -957.81 | -305.52 |
|
| 2C | SUMMER FAIR | -810.42 | -1,188.48 | |||
| 2D | RUN KIDS RUN | 0.00 | -786.72 |
|||
| 2J | COMMUNITY EVENTS | 0.00 | 0 |
-911.57 | -266.76 |
|
| EVENT Total | 0.00 | -1553.59 |
-2,679.80 | -2,547.48 | ||
| ROOF PROJECT | 3B | INDEPENDENT | 0.00 | |||
| 3C | PLANNING COSTS | -16,874.0 0 |
||||
| 3D | HCEF (GRANT) | 0.00 | ||||
| 3E | ROOFTOP SOLAR FUNDRAISE |
0.00 | ||||
| 3F | ROOFTOP SOLAR | -21,000.0 0 |
||||
| ROOF PROJECT Total | 0.00 | -16,874.0 0 |
-21,000.0 0 |
|||
| NON FOLF EVENTS | 4A | LEAVING | 0.00 | -1,085.00 | ||
| 4B | APPEALS | -1,190.00 | 0.00 | -67.72 |
||
| 4C | BALLET RAMBERT | -13,000.0 0 |
||||
| NON FOLF EVENTS Total |
0.00 | -2,275.00 | -13,000.0 0 |
-67.72 |
||
| Tree Project | 5A | GREEN DAY | 0.00 | |||
| 5B | TREE FUNDRAISE | 0.00 | 0.00 |
|||
| 5C | TREE PROJECT COSTS | -2,440.99 | -1,981.53 | |||
| Tree Project Total | -2,440.99 | -1,981.53 | ||||
| CORPORATE | 6 | CORPORATE | 0.00 |
| 6A | CORPORATE DONATION | 0.00 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CORPORATE Total | 0.00 | 0.00 |
||||
| GRANTS | 7A | GRANTS | 0.00 | |||
| GRANTS Total | 0.00 | |||||
| OTHERS | 8A | OTHERS | 0.00 | |||
| OTHERS Total | 0.00 | |||||
| PLAYGROUND | 9A | PLAYGROUND PHASE 1A | -40,669.0 0 |
|||
| 9B | PLAYGROUND PHASE 1B | |||||
| PLAYGROUND Total | -40,669.0 0 |
|||||
| OPERATIONAL | 11A | OPERATIONAL | -140.00 | -390.00 |
||
| OPERATIONAL Total | -140.00 | -390.00 |
||||
| -2,452.02 | -3,828.59 | -75,803.7 9 |
-25,986.7 3 |
Financial Summary for Friends of London Fields Primary School (FoLF) Charity
Financial Year: April 2024 – March 2025
1. Fundraising Overview:
FoLF had an exceptionally successful year in terms of fundraising, with several key events and donations contributing to a total fundraising amount of £73,944.68 for the year.
Large Donations Over £38,000 raised through significant donations.
Fundraising Events:
Summer & Winter Fairs: Together raised approximately £14,000. RunKidsRun Event: Generated nearly £13,000.
Subsequent Donations:
A substantial donation of £20,000 from the RunKidsRun event will be recognized in the next financial year (2025-2026) as it was received in Spring 2025.
Grant:
A £2,500 grant was received from the Span Trust.
Ongoing Fundraising:
Fundraising efforts continued for the Tree Project (focused on trees for the nursery and reception play area), as well as for the Solar Rooftop Project, which reached its fundraising target.
2. Investments in the School:
The charity allocated significant funds to projects that benefit the school community.
Solar Rooftop Project:
A total of £21,000 was invested in the Solar Rooftop Project.
Hackney Council provided a grant that funded the solar panels directly, meaning those funds did not pass through FoLF accounts.
Tree Project:
A total of approximately £2,000 was spent on planting trees in the nursery and reception play area, enhancing the school’s outdoor environment.
3. Financial Position:
Opening Balance (April 2024): £2,779
Closing Balance (March 2025): £50,737
The charity ended the year with a substantial cash balance of £50,737, which is a positive outcome from the strong fundraising activities throughout the year.
4. Future Plans:
The healthy cash position enables FoLF to fund the next phase of the Playground Project, planned for Summer 2025.
Conclusion:
FoLF has had a strong financial year with significant contributions from donors and successful events. The charity’s financial health** at the close of the year positions it well for continuing its projects and further investment in the school’s development.