## **Annual Report of Trustees and Financial Statement year ending 31 December 2025** 

Sustainable Blewbury was registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (number 1203308) in May 2023. The community group had existed for over 30 years before becoming a charity and produced annual reports and accounts. This report details our activities for the calendar year 2025. 

## **Charity objectives** 

Sustainable Blewbury (SB) objectives, to be carried out in Blewbury Village and the surrounding area, are: 

- to advance the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment and the prudent use of natural resources for the benefit of the public through promotion, awareness raising and skill sharing to build community resilience to combat climate change and resource scarcity; 

- to advance the education of the public in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment. 

## **Review of Activities and Achievements** 

## **Highlight of the Year: Quaker Wood Opening.** 

Having planted our 2.5acre wood at the end of 2024, we improved the gateway, made an information sign with a plan of the site at the entrance, and fixed a hardwood seat provided by the estate of the late Richard Brodie. We invited everyone in the village to come to an opening in June 2025. The date was chosen to coincide with a school fete so that we could attract families. 

Some 60 people attended including Ann Brodie, sister of Richard Brodie, whose estate generously donated a large sum towards it, Councillor Hayleigh Gascoigne from the Vale of the White Horse who gave us a substantial grant and Simon Barrett, who kindly gave his time as a solicitor. 

We hired a marquee which acted as a good focal point. It was also a shelter when a shower came at 2pm just as John Ogden, chair of Sustainable Blewbury, made a speech. 

Several children took part in the pond dipping. A celebration cake was shared around. 

In July an oak bench was installed at the north end of the woodland. This had been gifted by the Wallingford Quakers.  It has been sited so that there is a view out from the wood to the landscape beyond, across the Mill Brook. 

The 2025 drought became an issue. Volunteers started to water the trees on 5 July using water from the stream alongside the wood. It took four sessions to water all the trees and we continued until the end of August. Over 20 volunteers helped.  Even so, we still lost about a third of the trees which we replanted in early November. 



## **Apple Juicing** 

This activity relates to our objective of making good use of natural resources. 

Sustainable Blewbury owns an apple press, chopper and three pasteurizers. We run public juicing sessions at the Manor during the fruiting season. These were very popular this year, reflecting the vast number of apples, pears and quinces locally, with many examples of branches breaking under the weight of fruit. Apart from the first session in August, all the public juicing sessions were very well attended and there were record numbers of private bookings of the equipment. As well as making use of excess fruit, the sessions have been a good way for newcomers to meet other people from the village and for people to share ideas, for example, juicing apples and quince together. Each session required two or three volunteers from Sustainable Blewbury to manage the equipment, including the pasteurizers. 

## **Repair cafes.** 

We ran four two-hour repair cafes, in February, May, September and November in the village hall. About 10 volunteers came each time to use their expertise to repair bicycles, sharpen tools, mend clothes and household items including electrical goods. About 50 people came to get things fixed for free, although we accepted donations towards the cost of hiring the hall and refreshments. We repaired or sharpened 62 items reducing the amount of waste going for recycling or disposal. We couldn’t repair everything that was brought but had about an 84% success rate. We now have a reliable network of people to help and get advice and support from the local Community Action Group (CAG). 

Over the past six years, our repair cafes have been organised by Jo Lakeland to whom we are very grateful. Jo has now relinquished this role, and we are looking for another champion. 

## **Litter collection.** 

As part of the Great British Spring Clean, we organised a litter -picking day in March. Some 20 volunteers came. Equipment was provided by the District Council’s Waste Team. Everyone worked very hard and we collected 33 bags of litter, mainly plastic bottles and drink cans, from the roads into and out of the village. The village itself is kept free of litter by residents as they walk around. We collected more sacks in 2025 than 2024 (by about a half). We still wonder why some dog owners leave their poo bags hanging in trees! 

## **Blewbury Nature Reserve** 

This activity relates to our objective of the conservation and protection of the environment and educating local people about it. This was our third year of the ten-year lease agreement with Thames Water. 

We are protecting three key bird species: Whitethroats, Yellowhammers, and Linnets as well as reptiles. We also want to improve the range and quality of the habitats on the three-acre site. We held monthly volunteering mornings between February and April (January was cancelled due to very cold weather) and then again August until December, to manage the site. We did not work in the bird-nesting season except to keep the paths open by scything. Our sessions included: 

- Scything, strimming and raking the area just outside the site to make it suitable for sitting 

- Strimming and scything the grass paths 

- Scything and raking the orchard area in the autumn and some of the rough grassland area to vary the length of the sward 



- Weeding around the hedging plants to give them more light and space 

- Replacing dead whips in the hedging 

- Planted some holly, hazel and other trees donated 

- Removing teasels plants from the bark path and replenishing the bark 

- Removing saplings from the pond 

- Mulching and re-tying the trees 

- Re-hung the gate, cemented in the posts and improved the sign on it 

- Made bee homes in the new gate post 

A total of about 200 volunteer hours were given by 31 individuals. About 12 volunteers came to more than half the sessions we ran. We thank them all for their commitment. It was good to see new people coming too, especially two volunteers who have taken to scything enthusiastically. We paid for four volunteers to attend a scything training course in September and purchased an additional scythe for Sustainable Blewbury. This has helped tremendously with maintaining the reserve to enhance biodiversity. 

A team from Thames Water also came for a team-building day in February, supervised by one of their staff. They contributed by scything and raking the ‘orchard’ area, planting new whips where there were gaps in the hedging, and trimming back the willows. 

We ran two bird-watching visits in May and June which were attended by nine people each time. Our key species all bred this year. Thanks to Martin Latham for his excellent teaching. 

James Morgan organised a reptile monitoring programme which ran between mid-March and mid-October with weekly monitoring between April and September. The surveys included looking under 15 strategically placed ‘refugia’ (mats) and a quiet walk-over transect. There were regular observations of both male and female Grass Snakes and Common Lizards and juveniles for both species. This implies that there are breeding populations on the site. A Slow Worm, albeit dead, was seen on the track leading to the reserve so we are hopeful that some will be recorded in the reserve next year. 

Many thanks to James for leading this programme, making recommendations about how we can improve next year, and for the volunteers who helped him with the surveys (and quick photography!) 

## **Green spaces, copses and hedgerows** . 

Sustainable Blewbury undertakes the planting and maintenance of new and existing woodlands, copses, hedgerows, and wildlife corridors, either belonging to Sustainable Blewbury, or in co-operation with other landowners. By its nature, it’s long-term work. All are actively managed to benefit biodiversity and community enjoyment. The most prominent of these are a Wildflower Strip at Ticker’s Folly field, Community Orchard, Hans’ Copse, Quaker Wood and Local Hedgerows. All are accessible to the public. 

_Hans’ Copse_ . This is situated close to the Chalk Pit, an area of approx. ½ acre, belonging to Beeswax Farms, but with a footpath close-by and well used by residents. In 2019, land was cleared of elder and nettles and agricultural rubbish (corrugated iron, barbed wire, etc). Some 100 or so native hardwood trees and shrubs were planted, with deer-guards. Already present are orchids and wildflowers, harvest mice, and lizards. In 2025, management consisted of replacement planting, control of nettles, and maintenance of deer-guards. Sustainable Blewbury puts in voluntary labour of about 30 hours over the year. 



_The Wildflower Strip_ , having been planted many years ago, is now mature, with a wide range of grasses, herbs and orchids. It is mown once a year, in the Autumn, and the top hamper removed. No pesticides or herbicides are used. Along one border is a traditional hedgerow, which is managed appropriately. Sustainable Blewbury advises the Parish Council on the management of the Strip but the work is done by them. 

_Churn Hedge_ .  This is a stretch of about 1500 m hedgerow/wildlife corridor, planted on their land by Beeswax Farms, in 2018, and maintained by Sustainable Blewbury, with the long-term aim of producing a hardwood hedge that can be laid by SB in the traditional manner. The work involves seasonal weed-clearance (by hand) and infilling gaps where plants have perished. We spent about 50 hours’ voluntary labour on this hedgerow in 2025. 

_Hedge-laying_ We have a team of volunteers who have developed skills in hedge-laying over the past decade or so. Unfortunately, there were no local hedges in need of laying in 2025 so nothing to report here! 

_Chalk pits._ These are accessible by footpath from the village and designated as a Local Wildlife site by the local wildlife trust. They contain a range of chalk grassland species which have been documented by the trust who have suggested managing the sites to enhance the species found. Scrub is encroaching on some of the chalk grassland. Our scything team will be tackling this in 2026. 

_Sensory Green Space at the Primary School._ In 2024, one of the Trustees has helped the school to redesign an existing green space which can no longer be used in its current form.  The Parent- Teachers Association are now seeking funding to progress this worthy project.  This has been a way of meeting our objectives of helping with education. 

## **Community Orchard** 

This is situated on Tickers Folly, land belonging to Blewbury Parish Council. It comprises about 42 traditional fruit trees (apples, pears, plums, gages, nuts, quince, medlar) which were planted in 2016. It is managed on behalf of the Parish Council by Sustainable Blewbury, using skilled volunteer labour. The trees are becoming established and are now beginning to flower and fruit prolifically. Management consists of winter pruning, vigorous fruit-thinning in late spring, weeding around the base of each tree in winter, applying mulch in winter, and repairing damage to tree-guards, stakes and labels. This takes about 30 hours per year. 

2025 was a good year for orchard fruits and many of the tree branches were in danger of breaking due to the quantity. Thinning was done. Many people in the village enjoyed the fruit as it ripened. 

## **Permaculture Project** 

This project is no longer part of our remit due to the termination of the lease by the landowner in 2024. 

## **Stream Project** 

This was set up a few years ago to raise awareness of the conservation value of the many chalk streams which flow through Blewbury. They arise through springs at the foot of the Berkshire Downs. There have been concerns about the quantity of silt and lack of wildlife in the pond, known as the Cleve, which was developed for cress growing in the past. We do not currently 



have a lead for this project, but we did open-up the Millbrook where it flows through the Quaker Wood by doing some work to the trees. We hope this will improve the ecological quality of the stream here. 

## **Talks** 

We organize occasional talks to inform us about matters relevant to our objectives, inviting speakers from the village or close-by. We held four talks during the year (one combined with our AGM) when about 25 to 30 people attended each. 

In March, Yvonne Parks, a Trustee of the Oxfordshire Bee Keeping Association (OBKA), talked about different types of bees and why they are so important to our ecosystem. She also said that there are as many different flavours of honey as there are flowering plants for bees to forage on. We learned how we can help our pollinators in our gardens and enjoyed a taste test comparing shop-bought and bee-keeper honeys. 

In April, Jon Mason talked about how he has created a wildlife-friendly garden at the foot of the Chiltern Hills. He advised Blewbury gardeners (and would-be gardeners) about gardening with nature and providing the best possible conditions for our wildlife to flourish. 

Anna Dillon, the guest speaker at our AGM in April, is part of the core team behind the Aston Nature Recovery Project in Pick’s Field between Aston and Blewbury. The team have a five-year plan to improve the biodiversity of the site and have obtained some funding from The Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment. They have already had working parties to remove privet which is invading the site. Anna showed some photos of the species found so far including pyramidal orchids, ant hills (where common lizards have been seen), wasp spiders and a nationally scarce weevil. 

In November, Neville Hargreaves, one of our supporters, talked about his 666 mile walk from Blewbury to Islay in the summer of 2025. He showed pictures of the different landscapes he had walked through and talked about the part that others had played in helping him with this six-week walk in aid of Motor Neurone Disease Association. 

## **Newsletters** 

In line with our objective to educate the public about conservation and improvement of the local environment, we provided information monthly into the local Blewbury Bulletin which is delivered to all households in Blewbury. Besides information inviting people to events, one of the Trustee wrote ‘Nature Notes’ each month explaining to people what nature to look out for around the village. 

We also sent a newsletter in March, June and November to our supporters (over 220) which included progress on our projects and several pages of information about what is happening locally and further afield, relevant to our aims. 

We continued the process of modernising our website. We have a structure in place and are migrating relevant content from our old website. A new volunteer, James Kieft, has come forward to help with this and we have made excellent progress since November 2025. 



## **Administrative information** 

The Trustees met seven times during 2025 to develop and review policies as well as to plan and review day-to-day activities.  The Trustees were: 

John Ogden (Chair) Moray Inglis (Treasurer) Jane Kinniburgh (Secretary) Sarah Bennie (from June 2025) Dr Andrew Evason Glen Meadows Anne Millman Sean Morris Anthony Stiff 

## **Financial review** 

The charity started the year with £35,418.  Activities up to the end of December generated income of £804 from repair cafes, talks, and other sources (including book sales). There was a further £400 received from apple juicing but this was not paid into our bank account until 2026 so it is not included in the figures here. This explains the large change in the apple juicing figures from the previous year. In actuality, apple juicing income more than doubled, it being a bumper year for apples. 

Expenditure was £ 7,120, most of which was on Quaker Wood (£ 5,050). We paid £ 637 for insurance, a better deal than the previous year by changing our provider. Expenses for various activities including hall hire made up the rest. This resulted in a closing balance of £ 29,102 in the bank account held by the Co-op Bank. In 2026, we expect to use a substantial amount of this in the continued maintenance and development of Quaker Wood. 



## **Sustainable Blewbury, charity number 1203308, financial statements 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025** 

|**RECEIPTS**|**This year: 2025 (£)**<br>**Unrestricted funds**|**Last year: 2024 (£)**|
|---|---|---|
|Grants|Nil|10,000|
|Legacy|Nil|35,000|
|Repair café donations|274|471|
|Talks (ticket sales)|395|473|
|Apple juicing|35|215|
|Other|100|87|
||||
|**Total operating:**|804|46,246|
||||
|**PAYMENTS**|||
|Quaker site planting and maintenance|5,050|24,345|
|Nature reserve|618|47|
|Repair café (hall hire and refreshments)|208|297|
|Talks (hall hire and refreshments)|217|129|
|Green spaces (tree tags etc)|168|250|
|Insurance|637|1,071|
|Other|222|47|
||||
|**Total expenditure:**|7,120|26,186|
||||
|**OPERATING SURPLUS/ (DEFICIT):**|**(6,316)**|**20,060**|



## **Cash funds held in current bank account held by Co-op bank:** 

|Opening balance:|**£35,418**|
|---|---|
|Balance at end Dec 2025|**£29,102**|



Assets:  Land known as Quaker Wood, 2.5 acres Leasehold (10 years from 11 October 2023):  Blewbury Nature Reserve There are no other significant assets and no liabilities. 

The accounts were independently examined by Jane Moreton and signed on 27 March 2026. 

## **Statement by Trustees** 

This report shows that we have complied with our legal requirement to carry out our purposes for public benefit. 

## **Approved by Sustainable Blewbury Trustees and signed on their behalf by John Ogden (Chairman) and Moray Inglis (Treasurer) on 8 June 2026**