## Annual report & financial statements ## for the period ending 28 February 2025 ## Registered Charity in England No: 1205802 Annual Report p 2-5 Financial Report p 6-10 Independent Examiner’s Report Appx 1 Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** **Name of Charity:** Friends of the Storey Gardens **Registered Charity No:** 1205802 **Address:** Friends of the Storey Gardens C/o 23 Regent Street, Lancaster LA1 1SQ **Trustees:** Lucas Introna (Chair) Diane Lamb (Secretary) Dave Brookes (Treasurer) Sue Pope Alan Sandham Bridget Cook (from 29/10/2024) **Bankers:** Lloyds Bank Limited PO Box 1000, Andover, Hampshire, BX1 1LT **Independent Examiner:** Jane Parker, Greenways, Sunnyside Lane, Lancaster, LA1 5ED ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** **Structure:** Friends of the Storey Gardens was registered as a charity on 20 November 2023. **Governing Documents:** Constitution adopted 20 November 2023. **Trustees:** Trustees are elected each year at the Annual General Meeting, and are eligible for re-election at the expiry of their term of office (normally three years). In addition Trustees may be co-opted during the year. ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** ## **Aims and Objects** To restore, preserve, improve and enhance the area known as the Storey Gardens in Lancaster, Lancashire, for the benefit of the local community and the wider public. ## **Public Benefit** The trustees consider that the above aims and objects have been carried out in such a manner throughout the year as to have complied with their duties under s.17 of the Charities Act 2011, having due regard to the Charity Commission public benefit guidance. Further details of activities available is given in the review of the year. ## **Reserves and investment policies** The Trustees consider that in the absence of any contractual obligations, the charity should hold a minimum level of reserves of £1000 to cover any unforeseen urgent expenditure. The Trustees’ investment policy has been to choose the best interest bearing instant access savings account available from the Trustees’ existing bankers. General funds are kept in the current account and restricted funds in the savings account. The Trustees will review these policies on a regular basis. ## **Risk assessment** The Trustees do not believe that they are subjected to any substantial risks beyond the liabilities disclosed in the Report and Accounts. Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 2 **REVIEW OF THE YEAR** ## 1. **Governance** Bridget Cook was co-opted as a trustee to represent the gardening team on the board of trustees. To better guide and focus our work, we have developed a long-term _development plan._ This plan outlines FOSG’s medium- and long-term objectives and will serve as the foundation for our annual planning and fundraising efforts. Additionally, FOSG has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding with Lancaster City Council, the owners of the gardens. ## 2. **Volunteer engagement** Volunteering is central to everything FOSG does, with a dedicated group generously contributing 4607 volunteer hours over the past financial year. These hours are distributed as follows: - Trustee and governance: 305 hours - Gardening: 2566 hours - Fundraising: 320 hours - Special events: 1021 hours - Webpages & Social Media: 190 hours - Special projects: 205 hours Based on the 2024 average volunteer hourly rate in England of £17.76, the total value of FOSG’s volunteer contributions approximately £81 864 for the year. This figure highlights the significant economic and community impact of the volunteers. ## 3. **Gardening** In line with our charitable mission to restore, preserve, improve, and enhance the Storey Gardens for the benefit of the public, a great deal of effort goes into their ongoing care and development. Alongside regular tasks such as garden maintenance, planting, preparing plants for sale, and welcoming visitors, several new initiatives were also introduced. - The project to document the plants in the gardens — including their locations, flowering period and seasonal care — continues to make good progress. - Work on a scale plan of the Bee and Butterfly border is also advancing well. - A new strategy for managing the wildflower meadows is being developed in collaboration with David Redmore. - A hot composting site is being established in partnership with FoodFutures to process food waste from the PrintRoom Café. This site will be overseen by some of the FOSG volunteers. - Funding of £1540 from the National Garden Scheme’s Community Garden Grant has been secured to install two new benches and wheelchair ramps in the Storey Gardens. ## 4. **Recreating and Maintaining the Artwork** A major ongoing project for FOSG is the recreation of _The Tasting Garden_ , an artwork originally created by environmental artist Mark Dion. The following main activities were undertaken: - **Fundraising** : This year’s fundraising efforts focused on the resurfacing of the paths in _The Tasting Garden_ with self-binding gravel. We made a concerted effort to raise funds for this project, resulting in successful bids to the Lancashire Environmental Fund (£25000), The Finnis Scott Foundation (£3000) and the Lancashire County Council Members Grants (£250). - **Recreation activities** : Thanks to the success of last year’s fundraising campaign, we installed seven new fruit sculptures in The Tasting Garden. Each sculpture features a sandstone column engraved with the fruit’s name, topped with a beautifully carved fruit sculpture in Portland stone by local sculptor Alan Ward. The sculptures are positioned near the corresponding fruit trees, creating a meaningful and visually striking connection between art and nature. All work is being carried out in consultation with Mark Dion and his UK representative, Robert Williams, to remain faithful to the original vision of the artwork. Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 3 ## **5. Special Events** The Storey Gardens hosts a variety of special events throughout the year. Recent highlights include: - **Heritage Open Days** : Held on 7 and 14 September 2024, with the theme 'Routes, Networks and Connections,' attracted around 300 visitors. A key feature was the Discovery Trail, available both in-person and virtually, guiding participants on a short walk around the block to explore the connections between commerce, architecture, and philanthropy in the area surrounding The Storey. To mark 200 years of continuous technical education in the local area, FOSG members and friends created a series of new textile designs inspired by the original oilcloth patterns produced by the Storey Brothers’ mills, celebrating both the history of technical education and the spirit of the gardens. - **Light Up Lancaster:** From 7 to 9 November 2024, The Storey Gardens hosted “The Matter of the Heart,” a captivating installation featuring 70 illuminated cubes arranged across the upper and lower levels of the Copper Beech Garden. Each cube pulsed in sync with real-time heartbeats of Lancaster community members, creating an immersive and moving experience. Visitors were invited to explore the installation, moving among the light cubes and reading the names and personal connections to Lancaster that each represented. Over two evenings, thousands of guests attended, reflecting the event’s popularity and impact. FOSG continues to enjoy a strong collaboration with The Dukes and looks forward to working with them again. ## **6. Other Engagement Activities** FOSG collaborates with a variety of charity and community groups that use the gardens to deliver their programmes. This includes, for example: - **Lancaster University Art Department:** _The Tasting Garden_ was again used as a teaching resource for undergraduate students on the Art, Site and Interaction course. Students explored how artistic practice can respond to specific places. The course included the creation of pop-up installations, performances, and other site-specific works within the garden. - **Dallas Road School** _:_ Sixty pupils visited the gardens twice to experience the changing seasons, taking part in a range of activities designed to help them engage with and explore nature firsthand. - **Other organisations:** The gardens were used by groups such as Ludus Dance, wellbeing walking groups, the annual Buddhist meeting, and various parent-and-toddler groups. ## 7. **Web and social media** Engaging with our online audience is an important part of our work as a small charity, and we are encouraged by the positive trends in our engagement analytics. The _FOSG_ website received 3151 unique visits, with 7398 pages viewed and an average of 2.35 pages viewed per unique visitor. Our Facebook account has 634 followers, and our Instagram account has 420 followers. **In summary:** This has been a vibrant and rewarding year for FOSG, filled with activity, growth, and community involvement. We are deeply grateful to our incredible volunteers, whose generosity, time, and dedication have helped make the Storey Gardens a welcoming and inspiring space for everyone to enjoy. Our heartfelt thanks also go to Lancaster City Council for their continued support and partnership—together, we are making a real difference. **Prof. Lucas Introna (Chair) -** April 2025 Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 4 ## **ACCOUNTING AND REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES** The trustees are responsible for preparing financial statement for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the Trustees’ financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to: 1. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently. 2. make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. 3. state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departures and explained in the accounts. 4. prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Trustees will continue on that basis. ## **The Trustees are responsible for** 1. keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable it to ensure that the annual financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. 2. safeguarding the Charity’s assets and hence for taking reasonable steps for preventing and detection of fraud and other irregularities. Approved by the Trustees on 22nd April 2025 and signed on their behalf by: Chair Signature ## **Lucas Introna** Treasurer Signature ## **Dave Brookes** Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 5 ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS** ## **Receipts and Payments (Unrestricted)** |**General Fund**
**Income**
Membership donations
Plant sales
Income via Donate
Open day donations
General donations
Artwork donations
Spacehive campaign
Gift Aid
Grants
Bank interest||**2025**|||**2025**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| ||||**Expenditure**
Artwork restoration
Tools & garden supplies
Publicity materials
Web domain & hosting
Composting project||| |||165
850
427
111
604
4225
11761
2325
3000
148|||13447
391
40
209
1020| ||||||| ||||||| ||||||| ||||||| ||||||| ||||||| |Surplus/(Deficit) of Income
over Expenditure (before
fund transfers)
Balance at 19/11/2023
Net transfers from/(to)
funds
Balance at 28 Feb 2025||23616
8509
4781
(9788)|||15107| ||||||| ||||||| ||||||| |||3502|||| Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 6 ## **RESTRICTED FUNDS** ## **Lancashire County Council Members Grants (2014)** |**Balance b/f 20/11/23**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance c/f 28/02/25**| |---|---|---|---| |990|-|-|0| Lancashire County Council members awarded grants totalling £990 for garden design in 2014. This was not spent at the time due to a change in policy direction. Return of the grant monies was offered but declined. The grant was spent in 2024 on design work for the composting project. ## **Lancaster University Wind Turbine Community Benefit Fund** |**Balance b/f 20/11/23**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance c/f 28/02/25**| |---|---|---|---| |1650|-|1650|0| Lancaster University Wind Turbine Community Benefit Fund awarded a grant of £1650 to contribute to the costs of restoring The Tasting Garden fruit sculptures. ## **Lancashire County Council Members Grants (2023)** |**Balance b/f 20/11/23**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance c/f 28/02/25**| |---|---|---|---| |-|1113|1113|-| Lancashire County Council members awarded grants totalling £1113 to contribute to the costs of restoring The Tasting Garden fruit sculptures. ## **Artwork donations** |**Balance b/f 20/11/23**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance c/f 28/02/25**| |---|---|---|---| |275|4225|-|4500| Donations were received from Lancaster University and a number of private donors totalling £4225 to contribute to the costs of restoring The Tasting Garden artwork. ## **Spacehive crowdfunding campaign** |**Balance b/f 20/11/23**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance c/f 28/02/25**| |---|---|---|---| |-|11761|11761|0| The Spacehive crowdfunding campaign raised £11761 to contribute to the costs of restoring The Tasting Garden artwork. Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 7 ## **Gift Aid** |**Balance b/f 20/11/23**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance c/f 28/02/25**| |---|---|---|---| |-|2325|36|2289| Gift Aid was claimed on eligible artwork and Spacehive donations and treated as restricted funds to contribute to the costs of restoring The Tasting Garden artwork. ## **Finnis Scott Foundation** |**Balance b/f 20/11/23**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance c/f 28/02/25**| |---|---|---|---| |-|3000|0|3000| The Finnis Scott Foundation awarded a grant of £3000 to contribute to the costs of restoring the Tasting Garden paths. Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 8 **STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES** ## **Statement of Assets and Liabilities** ## **Funds** |**Funds**||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |||**2025**||**2025**| |Unrestricted Funds
- General Fund||Bank Accounts
3502
- Current Account
- Savings Account||| |||||3502
9789| |||||| |Restricted Funds
- LCC Members 2014
- LU Wind Turbine
- Artwork donations
- Spacehive campaign
- Gift Aid
- Finnis Scott Foundation||||| |||-
-
4500
-
2289
3000||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||||| ||13291||13291|| Approved by the Trustees on 22 April 2025 and signed on their behalf by: Chair Signature ## **Lucas Introna** Treasurer Signature ## **Dave Brookes** Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 9 ## _Notes to the Accounts:_ ## 1 **Accounting Policies** ## 1.1 **Basis of preparation** These financial statements have been prepared on an income and expenditure basis in accordance with the Charities Act 2011, and the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (Charities SORP March 2005). The Trustees have taken advantage of the provisions not to disclose minor departures from the SORP given that the total income of the Charity is below £100,000. ## 1.2 **Income, grants and donations receivable** A donation or grant to the Friends of the Storey Gardens is recognised when received. ## 1.3 **Bank Interest** Bank interest is recognised when received. All bank interest is treated as unrestricted income to the General Fund. ## 1.4 **Fund accounting** General funds represent the funds of the Trustees that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use, and are available for application on the general purposes of the Trustees. Where income is received for a specified purpose, the amount concerned is treated as a ‘restricted’ and is applied to the appropriate ‘restricted fund’. The Trustees do not hold any capital/endowment funds at the present time, and therefore no figures are shown in these accounts. All transactions have been applied to the appropriate fund. - 2 No Trustee received any remuneration in connection with their activities. Annual report and financial statements – Period ending 28 February 2025 10 Independent Examinef s Report to the Trustees of the Friends of the Storey Gardens Charitsble Incorporated Or9anisation (Xhe CIO I report to the charity tnJstees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO th for the period from 20 November 2023 to 28 February 2025. Responsibilities and basis of the report As the charity trustees of the CIO you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Art 2011 he Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the CIO'S accounts carried out under section 45 of the 20ll Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Dirertions given by the Charity Commission under section 145 (5) (b) of the Act. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed rny examination. I confim that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: a) accounting records were not kept in respect of the CIO as required by section 130 of the Act. or b) the accounts do not accord with these records. I have no concerns and have come across no other rnatters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accountsto be reached. Jane Parker Greenways, Sunnyside Lane, Lancaster LAI SED 24 March 2025