2023-12-31-accounts - Roborough Rewilders

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 16/05/2023 To 31/12/2023

Charity name: Roborough Rewilders

Charity registration number: 1203077

Objectives and Activities

	SORP reference
Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document	Para 1.17	TO PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PHYSICAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BY PROMOTING BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY; TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN ROBOROUGH AND THE SURROUNDING AREA IN THE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PHYSICAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts.	Para 1.17 and 1.19	1) Habitat creation in two fields to the north of Roborough village in North-central Devon. The rewilding of this area to increase species number and diversity. 2) The promotion of the theory of rewilding through open days, talks and other activities and the education of the public. 3) Fundraising to acquire more land and facilitate the operation of the charity.
Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit	Para 1.18	The trustees have had regard to the Commission’s guidance and all of its current activities are focussed on promoting environmental benefit in the land managed by the charity, thereby benefitting the local community in an area where the great majority of the land surrounding Roborough village is subject to agricultural management with little if any public benefit beyond very limited employment opportunities. We have engaged with the local community in the form of presentations explaining the nature, purpose and results to date of our rewilding activities and walk-round events in the fields to enable those attending to see at first hand the work in progress and the achievements to date. The fields are also open at all times to any members of the public wishing to visit them.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

	SORP reference
Policy on grant making	Para 1.38	Not applicable to our current activities, which are limited to promoting environmental benefit in the land managed by the charity.
Policy on social investment including program related investment	Para 1.38	Social investment does not currently form a material part of our activities, which are limited to promoting environmental benefit in the land managed by the charity.
Contribution made by volunteers	Para 1.38	Volunteer activities to date have involved the trustees themselves plus two volunteers who are residents of Roborough village and have made an extensive and invaluable contribution in creating photographic and video records of the increasing number of plant and animal species present on the land managed by the charity.
Other		For the purpose of enhancing the rewilding process (e.g. by the reduction in dominant grasses previously sown on the land for grazing purposes) local livestock owners have voluntarily helped by variously lending sheep, pigs and cattle to graze and forage on sections of the land, with consequent biodiversity benefits.

Achievements and Performance

	SORP reference
Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole.	Para 1.20	On the formation of the charity at the start of this reporting period it took over a project begun by the owners of the land 2 years previously. During this period the charity has continued numerous practical steps to increase the biodiversity of the land under its management and to consolidate and develop the steps taken to improve the habitat in the first 2 years of the project. These have included hedge management to encourage invertebrates, nesting birds and small mammals, measures to protect tree saplings from rodents and roe deer, installation of nesting boxes, including for barn owls, kestrels and swallows, establishment of brash piles to provide cover for nesting birds, reptiles and small mammals, sowing yellow rattle seeds in the grass areas to reduce the vigour of rye grasses planted when the land was in use as pasture and a period of grazing by cattle to break up the soil surface to encourage wild flower seed germination and

competition of flowering plants with grasses. Animal species present were recorded with trail cameras, giving an insight into the numbers and variety of animals using the site and showing clear evidence of the presence of growing numbers of insect, reptile, bird and mammal species not thought to have been present when the site contained little beyond rye grass monoculture. During this period the learning to date was shared in presentations to the local community and also to landowners and others interested in improving the management of land for biodiversity, by showing how significant habitat enhancement can be achieved with limited resources in a relatively short period, thereby encouraging the development of an increasing number of small to medium sized sites managed in this manner, ideally with corridors linking them to facilitate the movement of animal species between such sites. The project will also have resulted in increased carbon capture by promoting the growth of large numbers of native trees and bushes on the site, and enhanced flood water storage in the many ponds created at the outset of the project.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Achievements against objectives set	Para 1.41	No specific objectives were set in this reporting period beyond gaining charitable status and continuing the process of managing the land to convert it from its previous agricultural use, with the achievements documented above.
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set	Para 1.41	As the charity was newly established in this reporting period, no fundraising activities were planned or undertaken.
Investment performance against objectives	Para 1.41	Not applicable – the charity has no investments, its only capital asset being the land it owns and manages.
Other

Financial Review

Financial Review
Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period	Para 1.21	At the end of the reporting period the charity was still in the process of arranging transfer of the legal title of the land managed by the charity from the ownership of two of the trustees to the charity (this process was completed in February 2024). Therefore at this point the charity held no financial or other assets
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	At the end of the reporting period the charity held no financial reserves as it had no financial assets
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	Nil
Reasons for holding zero reserves	Para 1.22	See above
Details of fund materially in deficit	Para 1.24	Not applicable
Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern	Para 1.23	At the end of the reporting period the charity was still in an embryonic state, awaiting transfer of the legal title of the land it manages. Its running costs at this point were minimal and expected to remain so in the short to medium term. However the charity’s subsequent intention is to initiate fundraising to acquire more land and facilitate its operations.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

The charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising)	Para 1.47	At the end of the reporting period the charity had no established sources of funding and its activities were sustained entirely by voluntary efforts, as documented above.
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted	Para 1.46	Not applicable to the charity’s circumstances at the time of reporting
A description of the principal risks facing the charity	Para 1.46	No significant risks to the charity’s activities were identified during this reporting period as its activities were effectively limited to the management by volunteers of the land under its management, which at that time required minimal financial resources. The principal future risk to the charity’s stated goal of acquiring more land to manage for habitat creation and environmental improvement will be an inability to raise the funds required to do this.
Other

Structure, Governance and Management

Description of charity’s trusts:
Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter)	Para 1.25	Trust deed
How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO)	Para 1.25	CIO
Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees	Para 1.25	Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of 3 years by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of Roborough Rewilders. No other person or external body is entitled to appoint one or more trustees.

Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:

Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees	Para 1.51
The charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works	Para 1.51
Relationship with any related parties	Para 1.51
Other

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name	Roborough Rewilders
Other name the charity uses	None
Registered charity number	1203077
Charity’s principal address	Higher Lovelynch Barn Higher Lovelynch Milverton TAUNTON Somerset TA4 1NP

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

Trustee name	Office (if any)	Dates acted if not for whole year	Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany)
Nicholas David Benge	Chair	Whole year	N/A
Margaret Anne Benge		Whole year	N/A
Andrew Hugh Mounstephen	Treasurer	Whole year	N/A
Robert Dunbar Fisher		Whole year	N/A

– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved Director name N/A

Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity

Trustee name	Dates acted if not for whole year
N/A

Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others

Description of the assets N/A held in this capacity Name and objects of the N/A charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for N/A safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets

Additional information (optional)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)

Type of adviser	Name Address	Name Address
N/A

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Exemptions from disclosure

Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details

N/A

Other optional information

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Date

	Nicholas David Benge	Andrew Hugh Mounstephen

	Chair	Treasurer
	5thOctober 2024 6thOctober 2024
	5thOctober 2024

Roborough Rewilders	Roborough Rewilders		1203077
Receipts andpayments accounts				CC16a
For the period from	5/16/2023	To	12/31/2023

Section A Receipts and payments

to the nearest £ - Restricted funds	to the nearest £ - Endowment funds	Total funds to the nearest £ 70	Last year to the nearest £
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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use	Details Cash in bank Details Details Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	to nearest £ 70 - - 70 OK to nearest £ - - - - - Unrestricted funds Unrestricted funds Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates	to nearest £ - - - - OK to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Restricted funds Restricted funds Amount due (optional)	to nearest £ Endowment funds
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				to nearest £ Endowment funds
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Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Signature


Print Name Andrew Hugh Mounstephen Nicholas David Benge	Date of approval
Andrew Hugh Mounstephen	10/1/2024
Nicholas David Benge	10/18/2024