2024-12-31-accounts - Roborough Rewilders

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Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

From 01/01/2024 To 31/12/2024

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 its current activities are focused on promoting environmental benefit in the land managed by the charity. This benefits 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 continued to engage with the local community by giving presentations explaining the nature, purpose and results to date of our rewilding activities and by 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 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 as well as two volunteer residents of Roborough village who continue to make an extensive and invaluable contribution by in creating photographic and video records of the increasing number of plant and animal species present on the land managed by the charity and by using social media to publicise the charity’s activities.
Other		In order to enhance the rewilding process (e.g. by reducing the growth of dominant grasses previously sown on the land for grazing purposes) local livestock owners have voluntarily helped by lending cattle (of a breed indigenous to the area) 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 early in 2023 it took over a project begun by the owners of the land 2 years previously. During the current reporting period the charity has continued practical measures to increase the biodiversity of the land under its management and to consolidate and develop the steps taken to date. 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 further 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 have continued to be recorded with trail cameras, giving an insight into the numbers and variety of animals using the site and continuing to show clear evidence of the presence of growing numbers of insect, reptile, bird and mammal species not present when the site was previously managed as grazing land containing little beyond a rye grass monoculture. During this reporting period the trustees have continued to share learning to date in presentations to the local community and also to landowners and others interested in improving the management of land for biodiversity, showing how significant habitat enhancement can be achieved with limited resources in a relatively short period, with the aim of encouraging the development of growing numbers 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 continued to increase carbon capture by promoting the growth of large numbers of native trees and bushes on the site, and to enhance 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 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	The charity set no specific fundraising objectives in this reporting period but successfully established a scheme for individuals who wished to become financial supporters to make regular subscription payments, thereby providing a sufficient income stream to meet day to day running costs.
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	During the reporting period the charity completed the transfer of the legal title of the land managed by the charity from the ownership of two of the trustees to the charity itself. This land, valued at £75,000 at the time of transfer of its legal title, represents the principal asset of the charity, along with the modest sum held in the charity’s bank current account to meet operating expenses.
Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held	Para 1.22	The charity’s policy is not to hold financial reserves beyond the land in its ownership, which is the principal subject of the charity’s nature conservation activities, and a sum sufficient to meet its modest annual running costs, held in a bank current account.
Amount of reserves held	Para 1.22	No monetary reserve beyond current account balance
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	Having established a regular income from individual financial supporters during this reporting period (plus one corporate grant of £500) the charity’s financial position is currently secure, at least in respect of meeting its modest normal running costs. However the charity continues to seek fundingto acquire more land and expand its operations in future.

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	The charity currently receives funding from regular giving by supporters, occasional ad hoc payments for talks on rewilding and occasional grants from institutions wishing to support its work.
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 remain effectively limited to the management by volunteers of the land under its management, requiring very limited financial resources. The principal challenge to the charity’s stated goal of acquiring more land to manage for habitat creationand environmental improvement is

that of obtaining sufficient funds to make this a reality. 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)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)	Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser 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
	5thNovember 2025 5thNovember 2025
	5thNovember 2025

	Roborough Rewilders	Roborough Rewilders	Roborough Rewilders	1203077
	Receipts andpayments accounts
	For the period from	1/1/2024	To	12/31/2024

CC16a

Section A Receipts and payments

	Unrestricted funds	Restricted funds	Endowment funds	Total funds	Last year
	to the nearest £	to the nearest £	to the nearest £	to the nearest £	to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
		-	-
One-off donations byindviduals	813	-	-	813	70
Corporategrant	500	-		500	-
Workshopfee	410	-	-	410	-
Membershipsubscriptions	425	-	-	425	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	2,148	-	-	2,148	70

A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
*Sub total*	-	-	-	-	-

**Total receipts **	2,148	-	-	2,148	70

A3 Payments 686 10 Public liabilityinsurance annualpremium 187 152 - - - - - Sub total 1,035 Conveyancing fee, transfer of Roborough Fields legal title (see notes) Transfer of public liability insurance following transfer of title Expenses claim: charity event stand equipment	A3 Payments 686 10 Public liabilityinsurance annualpremium 187 152 - - - - - Sub total 1,035 Conveyancing fee, transfer of Roborough Fields legal title (see notes) Transfer of public liability insurance following transfer of title Expenses claim: charity event stand equipment	- - - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - - -	686 10 187 152 - - - - - 1,035
Conveyancing fee, transfer of Roborough Fields legal title (see notes)	686	-	-	686	-
Transfer of public liability insurance following transfer of title	10	-	-	10	-
Public liabilityinsurance annualpremium	187	-	-	187	-
Expenses claim: charity event stand equipment	152	-	-	152	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
**Sub total **	1,035	-	-	1,035	-

A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-
**Sub total **	-	-	-	-	-

**Total payments **	1,035	-	-	1,035	-

**Net of receipts/(payments) **	1,113	-	-	1,113	70
A5 Transfers between funds	-	-	-	-	-
A6 Cash funds last year end	70	-	-	70	-
**Cash funds this year end **	1,183	-	-	1,183	70

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Details Cash in bank Details Details Details Roborough Fields *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))	to nearest £ 1,183 - - 1,183 OK to nearest £ - - - - - Endowment Unrestricted funds Unrestricted funds Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs	to nearest £ - - - - OK to nearest £ - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - Restricted funds Restricted funds	to nearest £ Endowment funds

			-
			-
			-
			OK
			to nearest £ Endowment funds
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			-
			-
			-
			Current value (optional)
Roborough Fields	Endowment	-	75,000
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-
		-	-

-		-
-		-
-		-

B5 Liabilities

Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees

Details

Fund to which liability relates	- - - - - Amount due (optional)	When due (optional)
	-
	-
	-
	-
	-

Date of Signature Print Name approval