2024-03-31-accounts

Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period September 2023 to July 2024

1. Purpose of the Charity

The Charity exists to preserve, maintain and develop the Heart of Wales Line Trail (the Trail) as a public amenity and facility for recreation, and to encourage use of the Heart of Wales Line (HWL) as a means of accessing the Trail

1. Summary of activities

In pursuance of those aims the Friends’ volunteers work with the relevant local authorities to maintain and improve the condition of the Trail. In addition every opportunity is taken to publicise the Trail’s existence

1. Public benefit

The trustees confirm that in the course of their activities they have paid due regard to the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission

1. Summary of main achievements

1.During the period covered by this report our volunteers have continued to improve waymarking on the route of the Trail and have been involved in bridge building and renewal, working with Rights of Way officers

2.We have designed and had printed posters about the Trail which are beginning to be displayed by Transport for Wales at stations on the HWL. In addition we have worked with the HWL Community Rail Partnership to promote the Trail on social media

1. A lot of effort has been put into establishment of the organisation as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, especially involving the adoption of a number of policies to guide the way in which we operate. Hopefully this process is nearing completion

2. We are now focused on creating a membership base from which we hope additional help for the trustees can be gained, thereby helping to ensure the long-term survival of the CIO and allowing its work for the public benefit to be taken further

3. By improving the route and making its existence more widely known we are encouraging people to lead more healthy lifestyles by walking. In addition, the more people who walk the Trail the greater the benefit to the economies of the towns and villages along the route. A further public benefit is that by helping to get more passengers to use HWL trains we are helping to secure the future of this mostly rural route whose survival is important for those communities, not least to allow local residents to access urban centres elsewhere in the UK

4. The trustees wish to record here their gratitude for the support which they have received from PAVO (Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations) and the HWL Community Rail Partnership (which is hosted by PAVO). They are also indebted to the two committee members who are not trustees who have worked in support of our aims: one looks after the route at its southern end and the other is developing a Trail

Passport scheme, which we think will encourage greater use of the Trail by those who have long distance walking as their hobby

1. Financial Review

The financial position of the Charity is dealt with in a separate report which will be presented to the AGM by the Treasurer

1. Structure, Governance and Management

2. The FHWLT is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (Charity number 1204801) and is governed by a Constitution which can be accessed on the Charity Commission’s website

3. The FHWLT replaced the HWL Steering Group. In the latter guise it was a subcommittee of the HWL Development Co Ltd. However that company is in the process of going into voluntary liquidation, so the Steering Group committee decided to reconstitute itself as an independent organisation and to seek charitable status. The Charity Commission approved the establishment of the CIO in September 2023. This meant that the Steering Group’s existing committee members became the founding trustees of the CIO, so at the first CIO AGM in July 2024 members of the Charity will be asked to elect the trustees, all of whom are willing to stand for election. Other members will be invited to offer to become trustees as additional help is felt to be needed

4. Reference and administrative details

5. Charity name: Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail

6. The Charity does not use any other name, though the name is commonly abbreviated to FHWLT

7. Registered Charity number 1204801

8. Charity’s principal address: 12 Maple Terrace, Tremont Road, Llandrindod Wells, Powys, LD1 5BP

9. Names of the founding trustees who have managed the Charity since CIO status was granted in September 2023:

   • Michael Watson (Chairman)

Leslie Lumsdon John Ashley Robin Barlow Lisa Denison (Secretary) David Rowe Andrew Bull (Treasurer)

The Trustees declare that they have approved this report

Signed on behalf of the trustees

A.M.Watson

Alun Michael Watson

Chairn]an 04.07.24

Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail

Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)

Registered with Charity Commission for England and Wales - number 1204801

Income and Expenditure from Registration to 31[st] March 2024

It was decided to adopt 1[st] April – 31[st] March as the financial year for the organisation. This first report is therefore a part-year of operation and the Annual General Meetings from 2025 onwards will consider accounts for a full year.

Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail was established to replace a steering group of the Heart of Wales Line Development Company (Devco). The starting balance in the table below refers to monies that were held by Devco and specifically allocated for the Heart of Wales Line Trail. Those monies were transferred upon the registration of the new CIO and the setting up of a bank account in its name.

Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail was established to replace a steering group of the Heart of Wales Line Development Company (Devco). The startng balance in the table below refers to monies that were held by Devco and specifcally allocated for the Heart of Wales Line Trail. Those monies were transferred upon the registraton of the new CIO and the setng up of a bank account in its name.	Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail was established to replace a steering group of the Heart of Wales Line Development Company (Devco). The startng balance in the table below refers to monies that were held by Devco and specifcally allocated for the Heart of Wales Line Trail. Those monies were transferred upon the registraton of the new CIO and the setng up of a bank account in its name.	Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail was established to replace a steering group of the Heart of Wales Line Development Company (Devco). The startng balance in the table below refers to monies that were held by Devco and specifcally allocated for the Heart of Wales Line Trail. Those monies were transferred upon the registraton of the new CIO and the setng up of a bank account in its name.	Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail was established to replace a steering group of the Heart of Wales Line Development Company (Devco). The startng balance in the table below refers to monies that were held by Devco and specifcally allocated for the Heart of Wales Line Trail. Those monies were transferred upon the registraton of the new CIO and the setng up of a bank account in its name.
Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail – Income and Expenditure
Description and Date	Income £	Expenditure £	Balance £
Startngbalance transfer 06/11/2023	1429.86		1429.86
TC’s MeetngVictoria Hall 16/11/2023		80.00	1349.86
TC’s MeetngNeuadd Hotel 16/11/2023		348.00	1001.86
Les Lumsdon 21/11/2023 -gif	10.00		1011.86
Meetngroom(SWEA)04/12/2023		24.00	987.86
Royaltes from Kitwake 02/01/2024	150.20		1138.06
Grant from HoWL/CRP for roundels (via PAVO) 15/01/2024	500		1638.06
Contributon to Champions Mtg from HoWL/CRP (via PAVO)15/01/2024	300		1938.06
Brissco – directonal roundels 26/01/2024		541.80	1396.26
Meetngroom(SWEA)05/02/2024		24.00	1372.26
Trialpayment via CAF 17/04/2024	1.8		1374.06
Meetngroom(SWEA)22/04/24		24.00	1350.06
Total Income forpartyear	2,391.86
Total Expenditure forpart-year		1,041.8
Balance for Part-Year			1,350.06

Treasurer’s Report

A “Community Directplus” account was opened with the Co-operative Bank. The Treasurer, Secretary and Chairperson are registered as signatories, with two of three required to sign cheques. It is not planned, at present that there will be payments by bank transfer but there may be occasional payments via the debit card that is held by the Treasurer. Such payments will only be made where the payment has been authorised by the Committee.

It is re-assuring that the income has exceeded expenditure during this period but there is little finance available to allow any significant expenditure on the Trail without securing specific grant aid for such works.

There was no income from membership fees (£15 for an individual or £25 for a couple) as the invitation to join had not been sent out prior to the end of the financial year. This had, in part, been due to the discussions over the mechanics of establishing a membership system. It has been decided to work with the Charities Aid Foundation as a means of collecting membership fees from those prepared to agree to standing order payments.

Andrew Bull,

Treasurer, Friends of the Heart of Wales Line Trail