2024-08-31-accounts - Glade Trust Nature Reserve

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Trustees' Annual Report: Glade Trust Nature Reserve

Charity Name: The Glade Trust Nature Reserve

Charity Registration Number: 1205851

Reporting Period: 📅 September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2024

Trustees:

ROGER FOREMAN- LEAD TRUSTEE/MANAGER MONIQUE RICHARDS RANULPH RICHARDS , volunteer warden *ALAN LANGTHWAITE

Principal Address:

DOVECOTE COTTAGE KIRKBY HALL KIRKBY FLEETHAM DL7 0SU

Governing Document:

Glade Trust Nature Reserve Constitution

Trustee Recruitment and Appointment:

Trustees are recruited and appointed in accordance with the charity's governing document. Risk Management:
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to mitigate those risks.
Various policies have been drawn up to negate risk, eg. Volunteer policy, complaints policy, Bullying and Harassment Policy, Safeguarding Policy, Financial Reserves Policy, as well as the necessary DBS requirements.

Objectives and Activities

The Glade Trust Nature Reserve's core objectives, as outlined in its governing document, are to promote and further the conservation, maintenance, and protection of wildlife for the benefit of the public. This includes providing educational opportunities for children and adults in natural history and other outdoor activities.

To achieve these objectives, the Trust's main activities for the reporting period included:

Nature Reserve Management , plus a clear management plan: Maintenance and management of the three main areas of the reserve: the Orchard, the Woodland, and the Wildflower Meadow. This includes tasks such as coppicing, tree inspection, and glade clearance to improve habitat conditions, improved pond dipping area
Educational Outreach: Hosting educational and recreational activities for the public, such as the Bird Ringing Demo with the British Trust of Ornithology (BTO), which helps in monitoring local

bird populations and educating the public on conservation. The reserve is also used for educational purposes for children and adults.

Community Engagement: Running events like the Kirkby Fleetham Feast to engage the local community and raise awareness about the reserve's work.

All major work on the Reserve has been done by volunteers, from tree felling, to repairs to the mower and greenhouse.

Achievements and Performance

Public Benefit:

The Trust's activities provide a clear public benefit by creating a haven for local wildlife and offering a space for the public to engage with and learn about nature. The maintenance of diverse habitats like the wildflower meadow, ancient woodland, and orchard contributes directly to biodiversity conservation.
The educational sessions and events help to increase public understanding and appreciation of natural history, which is a key part of the charity's mission.

Key Achievements for the Year:

Continued successful management of the reserve's diverse habitats, contributing to the health of the local ecosystem.
Successful collaboration with the British Trust of Ornithology (BTO) for bird ringing sessions, a key indicator of the health of the local bird population.
Working with local landowners including the local Church where bird boxes were erected and juvenile birds recorded and ringed.
Connection with the local village Feast event where we had a stall promoting the Reserves activities.
Working with the local primary school to make bird boxes/bird feeders/hedgehog home for Fencote Church Yard.

*Created an outreach project putting up Tawny, Barn Owl boxes locally and as far as Hawes, in the Yorkshire Dales national Park, where we work in collaboration on a Barn Owl colour ringing project to monitor movements.

Aims for the 2025/2026 annual report.

To increase awareness of the Reserve
To generate more donations from a sponsor a bird box scheme
Increase talks and walks on the reserve.
More school educational events

Financial Review

Income £5200 Expenditure £3,243

All activities have been on a volunteer setting, apart from an independent ecological report £500, and flower meadow cutting £250 by local contractor, pond dipping educator and adviser £100

Income of £5000 was deposited into a new Co-Op Community Directplus Account

Other Income of £200 was raised via owl box creation and a willow workshop.

Insurance of assets and liability costs were reduced by £550 by opting for a more charitable based insurance with Zurich Insurance Brokers, £276 as opposed to the NFU policy.

Our bird feeders are maintained and filled every day and therefore we are selective and very keen to save money whilst feeding our birds, during winter months bird feed averages at £40 per month dropping to £25 per month , the total feed bill for one year is £390. The initial start up were were paying £100 per month, at a cost of £200 for a young person to daily fill the feeders, but now those feeders are filled by volunteers at no additional cost.

Other major expenditure was legal costs transferring assets to the Glade Trust Nature Reserve from the Glade Trust (MDD) and the upkeep and management of the Website and Blog of which an on going yearly charge of £135 is required.

Reserves Policy:

Together with the Glade Trusts Nature Reserve constitution document, a management plan was created and various policies on Safeguarding, Volunteers, and Risk Management, etc. * The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and UK Accounting Standards.
The trustees are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records, safeguarding the charity's assets, and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Signed on behalf of the Trustees:

ROGER FOREMAN
31/08/2025