Trustees’ annual report (including Directors’ report) for the period
From: 1/4/24 Period start date
To: 31/3/25 Period end date
Charity name: Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust CIO (known as CREST)
Charity registration number: 1204462
Company number: NA
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 preservation of rural crafts and skills for the public benefit, providing and promoting the advancement of education, instruction and training in all such rural skills and crafts as the trustees in their discretion consider worthy of promotion, protection and preservation. |
| 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 |
ACTIVITIES: • Lantra Hedging courses – Introductory, Foundation and Intermediate courses • Stone Dressing Workshops • Enhanced Skills Hedging Workshops • Skills Consolidation Hedging Training • School Hedge Craft workshops • Taster and Practice Hedging Activities • Work Experience Hedging Days • Final Assessment Days for Hedging Craftspeople Trainees • Engagement Events at Agricultural, Heritage and Horticultural Shows • Training Site Open Days • Engagement talks and lectures on hedging and rural skills • Research work on hedging and related rural skills to support the development of training • Educational Hedge Value workshops |
| Please note: The majority of activities are serviced as part of a funded partnership agreement where the funds are handled by the partner. This agreement ended 31/3/25. |
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|---|---|---|
| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity |
Para 1.18 | CREST Compliance Checklist states that: “Administration for appointing trustees includes Trustee CVs, Fit and Proper Person Declaration and Trustee Declaration forms.” |
| Commission on public benefit | The CREST Constitution states that every new trustee receives an up-to-date copy of the constitution which covers public benefit in Section 6. |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
Policy on grant making |
Para 1.38 |
NA |
Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 |
NA |
NA Contribution made by Para 1.38 volunteers NA Other
Achievements and performance
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 |
CREST Project funded by Defra Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) hosted by Cornwall Heritage Trust as grant holder with CREST as the project delivery organisation Headlines from year 2 - During year 2, CREST trained 131 new trainees in hedging courses, plus an additional 16 new trainees who joined taster days, totaling 147 new trainees engaged in Cornish hedging. This increased our total number of individual trainees for Cornish hedging training from 68 (Year 1 total) to 215 individual trainees since August 2023. - In year 2, there were 173 training places used for Cornish hedging training including Lantra Introduction, Foundation and intermediate courses, skills consolidation days, work experience days and a unique 2- day introduction course for Cornwall Wildlife Trust volunteers which was not registered with Lantra so that we could teach a higher number of people. |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Additional to this, there were 27 training places used on practice day events and 18 training places for stone carving.
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24% of the year 2 training places were used by women, 26% of all year 2 trainees were women. This is an improvement on Year 1 when the total of trainees who were women was 19%.
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Of the 6 trainees progressing to become hedging trainers, 2 are women (33%).
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In Year 2, 23 trainees progressed to their Intermediate Certificate and all but one of them passed. In year 1, we identified 30 trainees who were interested in becoming craftspeople of Cornish hedging. Of these, 16 have maintained interest and continued their training, an additional 11 trainees expressed an interest in becoming a craftsperson, many of which have completed their intermediate certificate and the rest intend to continue training in 2025.
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The oldest trainee in year 2 was aged 82 and the youngest were aged 16. 14% of trainees were aged 16 - 25. 26% of trainees were aged 26-35 and this was proportionally the largest age group for year 2. 22% were aged 36 - 49, 24% were aged 50 - 64. 13% were over the age of 64.
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105 people have booked the 11 workshops in year 2 (9 of which have been delivered)
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CREST delivered 2 school workshops, one for Godolphin school and one for a group of home schooled children.
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CREST delivered 39 Cornish hedging training events adding up to 139 days of training in either Cornish hedging or stone carving.
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43 Bursary places were used in year 2. 20 of these were Volunteer bursaries used on Penwith Farms Introduction courses. 23 of these were either 50% or 100% Financial Hardship bursaries.
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32% of financial hardship bursaries were ‘50% bursaries’ and 68% were ‘100% bursaries’.
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£5,222.50 of financial hardship bursaries were awarded and £3,600 for volunteer bursaries.
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The majority of financial hardship bursaries (48%) were awarded to trainees aged 1525. A further 27% were awarded to trainees aged 2635.
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The majority of volunteer bursary places were awarded to Cornwall Wildlife Trust (59%) and National Trust volunteers (32%).
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The volunteers CREST trained give over 300 hours of volunteer time a month between them.
In year 2, CREST delivered:
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5 work experience days (Penwith Farms)
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9 Hedge Value workshops so far with another 2 being booked.
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4 Penwith Farm surveys are imminent
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6 new Hedging trainers start their training package in Feb 2025
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We anticipate approximately 10 advanced certificate bookings
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Achievements against objectives set |
Para 1.41 |
Included in summary above |
|---|---|---|
Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set |
Para 1.41 |
Included in summary above |
Investment performance against objectives |
Para 1.41 |
NA |
Other
Financial review
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | Bank accounts Lloyds account £3224.53 Paypal account £739.99 Net assets £3946.53 |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficiaries - Net profit £3946.53 | ||
| Total funds £3946.53 | ||
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | NA |
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | £2000 |
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | NA |
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | NA |
| Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern |
Para 1.23 | NA |
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 |
Grant funding Membership Sponsorship Donations of craft build materials |
|---|---|---|
Investment policy and objectives including any social investment policy adopted |
Para 1.46 |
NA |
A description of the principal risks facing the charity |
Para 1.46 |
The success of the FiPL Cornish Hedging project has generated more work than is sustainable on a volunteer level and CREST needs to source funding to support a paid staff team to take the charity forwards beyond FiPl funding and fulfil potential. |
Other |
Structure, governance and management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
||
|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document: for example,trust deed, memorandum and articles of association etc |
Para 1.25 |
Constitution |
| How is the charity constituted?for example limited company, unincorporated association, CIO |
Para 1.25 | CIO – Charitable Incorporated Organisation |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 13. 1. Appointment of charity trustees At the first annual general meeting of the members of the CIO all the charity trustees shall retire from office; 2. At every subsequent annual general meeting of the members of the CIO, one-third of the charity trustees shall retire from office. If the number of charity trustees is not three or a multiple of three, then the number nearest to one-third shall retire from office, but if there is only one charity trustee, he or she shall retire; 3. The charity trustees to retire by rotation shall be those who have been longest in office since their last appointment or reappointment. If any trustees were last appointed or reappointed on the same day those to retire shall (unless they otherwise agree among themselves) be determined by lot; 4. The vacancies so arising may be filled by the decision of the members at the annual general meeting; any vacancies not filled at the annual general meeting may be filled as provided in sub-clause (5) of this clause; 5. The members or the charity trustees may at any time decide to appoint a new charity trustee, whether in place of a charity trustee who has retired or been removed in accordance with clause 15 (Retirement and removal of charity trustees), or as an additional charity trustee, provided that the limit specified in clause 12(3) on the number of charity trustees would not as a result be exceeded; |
- A person so appointed by the members of the CIO shall retire in accordance with the provisions of sub-clauses (2) and (3) of this clause. A person so appointed by the charity trustees shall retire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting after the date of his or her appointment, and shall not be counted for the purpose of determining which of the charity trustees is to retire by rotation at that meeting.
| 6. A person so appointed by the members of the CIO shall retire in accordance with the provisions of sub-clauses (2) and (3) of this clause. A person so appointed by the charity trustees shall retire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting after the date of his or her appointment, and shall not be counted for the purpose of determining which of the charity trustees is to retire by rotation at that meeting. |
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|---|---|---|
| Additional Information(optional) | ||
| Policies and procedures adopted for the induction and trainingof trustees |
Para 1.51 | It is recommended that new Trustees read: The essential trustee:what you need to know, what you need to do(CC3)Gov.Uk(www.gov.uk) |
| The charity’s organisational structure and any wider networks with which the charity works |
Para 1.51 | The CREST main committee is a board of 7 Trustees which inlcude the foles of Chair and Secretary, plus a Support Advisor from Cornwall Council. The committee also includes the roles of Training Development Officer and Strategic Development Officer. The finance Committee consists of the Chair, Secretary and an aditional appointed Trustee, as agreed by the main committee and is subject to terms of reference to the main committee. CREST works closely with Cornwall Heritage Trust who host the FiPL funded project and whose CEO attends CREST Main committee meetings as often as possible. CREST also works with The National Trust, Cornwall Wildlife Trust (Upstream Thinking Volunteers) and Cornwall National Landscapes through hedging training course deliveryand Education. |
| Relationship with any related parties |
Para 1.51 | N/A |
| Other |
Corporate trustees – names of the directors at the date the report was approved
Reference and administrative details
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| Trustee Name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for wholeyear |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee(if any) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sara Davey | Chair | Whole Year | Approved byMain Committee |
| Confirmed chair: 24/7/24 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Bowkett | Secreatary Strategcic Development Officer |
Whole year | Approved by Main Committee | |
| Andrew Cockshaw |
Trustee Training Development Officer |
Whole year | Approved by Main Committee | |
| Helen Willett | Trustee | Whole Year | Approved byMain Committee | |
| Tim Scott-Ellis | Trustee | Appointed 24/7/24 | Approved byMain Committee | |
| David Paton | Trustee | Whole Year | Approved by Main Committee | |
| Natalia Eeernsten | Trustee | Appointed 24/7/24 | Approved by Main Committee | |
| Charityname | Cornwall Rural Education and Skills Trust CIO | |||
| Other name the charityuses | CREST | |||
| Registered charity number | 1204462 | |||
| Charity’s principal address | Woodside, Stennack ,Troon, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 9JY |
Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
| Description of the assets held in this capacity |
NA |
|---|---|
| Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects |
NA |
| Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets |
NA |
Additional information (optional)
Names and addresses of advisers (optional information)
Type of Name Address adviser
Cornwall Ann Reynolds Kresen Kernow, Li,le Vauxhall, Redruth TR15 1AS Council Historic Environmental Records
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (optional information) None
Exemptions from disclosure
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
NA
Other optional information
Declarations
The company has taken advantage of the small companies’ exemption in preparing the report above.
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report (including directors’ report) above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees/directors
Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (for example Secretary, Chair, etc)
Date
CREST CIO Balance Sheet
| Bank Accounts Lloyds Account 3224.53 Paypal 739.99 Net Assets Benefciaries Net proft 3946.53 Total Funds |
£ £3,946.53 £3,946.53 £3,946.53 £3,946.53 |
|---|---|
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CREST CIO
| Income Botany Workshop 90 Medicinal Plants Workshop 242.50 Geology Walk and Talk 395 Sketchbook Walk 120 Archaeology Walk and Talk 372.50 Medicine Making 120 Bodmin Geolology Walk 142.50 Bodmin Archaeology 485 Hedge-ucate! 390 Permaculture 480 Letter Cutting 1200 Wildlife Tracking 200 Lovelands Training 575 Memberships 400 Hedging Formers 180 Consolidation of Bank Accounts £200 Expenses Transfer to CHT 2225 Course booking refunds 45 Archaeology Walk fees 100 CREST trainer fees 275 Hedge-ucate fees 320 Lantra Annual Fee 744 Bank charges 73.57 Net proft |
£ £5682.50 £3782.57 £1,899.93 |
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