2025-10-31-accounts - From The Brink

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Trustees' Annual Report

For the Year Ended 31.10.2025

Reference and Administrative Information

Charity Name: From The Brink

Charity Registration Number: 1209609

Principal Address: 28 Clarendon Street, Cambridge, CB1 1JX

Trustees

who served during the year were:

Patrick von Heimendahl (Chairperson)

Sue Hewitt

Bruce Pearson

Anne Page

Treasurer

Luke Brereton

Independent Examiner/Auditor

Janine Barber

Bankers

Metro Bank, One Southampton Row, London, C1B 5HA

The Trustees present their annual report and financial statement of the charity for the year ended 31.10.2025. The financial statement has been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies, the Charities Act 1993 and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities published in 2005.

Structure, Governance and Management

The charity ‘From The Brink’ is registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and is governed by a constitution adopted on 13.08.2024. The Charity was established as a small conservation charity by Patrick von Heimendahl. The charity seeks to raise funds for small conservation projects.

Trustees are appointed in accordance with the charity's constitution. However, this being the first year after registration no new trustees have been appointed. New trustees would receive an induction covering:

The charity's objectives and activities
Trustee duties and responsibilities
Financial management and reporting
Charity Commission guidance
Safeguarding and other key policies

At biannual trustees meetings, the trustees agree the broad strategy and areas of activity for the charity. The Trustees look in particular at grant making, performance and the few charitable activities the trustees and volunteers have undertaken. The Trustees consider the strategic direction of the charity. The day-to-day management and running of is overseen by the chairperson who is supported by the trustees and volunteers where applicable.

Assisting and advising the trustees are four distinguished conservation scientists. They counsel on grant applications and monitoring performance.

This being the charity’s first year the trustees found it helpful to link up with the UK charity, ‘Synchronicity Earth’ for occasional advice, guidance and help.

All Trustees give their time freely and no Trustee remuneration was paid in the year. No Trustee has received expenses. Trustees are required to disclose all relevant interests and register them at Trustee meetings. No relevant interests were registered.

Risk Management

The Trustees have considered the major risks to which the charity is exposed and have established systems and procedures to manage those risks. Areas reviewed include, financial sustainability, governance compliance, safeguarding, data protection and operational and reputational risks. The Trustees are satisfied that appropriate controls are in place to mitigate identified risks.

Objectives and Activities for the public benefit

The object of the CIO is: To advance the conservation of wildlife for the public benefit in Ghana and such other parts of the world as the trustees shall determine, including but not limited to the giant squeaker frog ( Arthroleptis krokosua ) and such rare or endangered species at risk of extinction, by providing grants of financial assistance to individuals and organisations to support research, the useful results of which will be published, and sustainable conservation work undertaken to protect such species and their habitats.

The Trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the charity’s aims

and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the grant making policy for the year..

The charity delivered public benefit through:

Supporting the reintroduction of the Large Marsh Grasshopper ( Stethophyma grosssum ) to East Anglia (Grant: £2000)

and

aiding the habitat restoration of the Sui Forest River Reserve to save the Giant Squeaker Frog ( Arthroleptis krokosua ) from extinction (Grant £3700).

The charity carries out its programme through the partnership with other well established conservation organisations, in particular, Synchronicity Earth, Save Ghana Frogs and Citizen Zoo.

Services are provided to beneficiaries without discrimination and are designed to advance the charity's charitable purposes.

Volunteers

The charity occasional draws on and benefits from a handful of unpaid volunteers. During the year volunteers supported the charity through

Fundraising activities
Administrative social media support

The Trustees would like to thank all volunteers for their commitment and contribution.

Achievements and Performance

Overview

The Trustees are pleased to report a first year of progress towards the charity's objectives.

Key achievements during the year included:

setting up the charity
opening a bank account with Metro Bank
first steps into social media presence
supporting two conservation projects

Impact

During the year the charity:

Supported two beneficiaries
Recruited two regular volunteers
Formed partnerships with the conservation organisations

Feedback from beneficiaries demonstrates the positive impact of the charity's work, including improvements in habitat restoration and species reintroduction

Case Study

We provided a grant to Citizen Zoo supporting the project to reintroduce the Large Marsh Grasshopper (LMG) to Cambridgeshire. In fact volunteers of ‘From The Brink’ participated in hatching the eggs, raising the juvenile and releasing the adult LMG gaining first eye insight into the working and success of the supported project. Our grant to Citizen Zoo:

Supported wildlife surveys and collections, which are vital for maintaining genetic diversity of animals released into Cambridgeshire.
Contributed to staff time for training and managing volunteer Citizen Keepers.
Helped to engage with landowners and stakeholders in Cambridgeshire to secure permissions for new and existing release sites.
Covered travel and expenses for site visits, releases, and surveys in Cambridgeshire.
Supported the repair and maintenance of captive breeding cages and infrastructure to ensure animal welfare and biosecurity.
Contributed towards equipment and rearing materials, such as UV bulbs, pooters, petri dishes, and mesh.

Fundraising Performance

The charity raised funds through:

Individual donations
Community fundraising
Corporate partnership with CamVet Ltd

Total fundraising income for the year was £35,162.18

The Trustees acknowledge that the main source of fundings are through the corporate partnership with CamVet Ltd. CamVet Ltd directors have pledged a donation of £15,000/annum. However, the charity received a total of £33,100 from CamVet Ltd due to back payments which had been promised before the trustees were able to establish and register ‘From The Brink’ with the Charity Commission. This donation constitutes a restricted and an unrestricted fund.

The Trustees understand the wish of the benefactor that the restricted donations have the purpose to add up to fund of £70,000 over the next years. The interests shall be re- invested.

The Trustees acknowledge that future corporate donations will be in the region of £15,000/annum and the total funds raised for ‘From The Brink’ a likely to be less than £25,000/annum.

The charity does not undertake intrusive fundraising practices and complies with applicable fundraising regulations.

Financial Review

Financial Results

Total income for the year amounted to £35,162.18

of which £25,000 are restricted and £10,162.18 are unrestricted

Total expenditure for the year amounted to £5,700.61

At the year end, total unrestricted funds stood at £4,461.57.

Reserves Policy

The charity has presently of £4,461.57 reserve funds.

The future expenditure of £5,700.00 grant giving and bank fees are covered by the this reserve fund and the pledge of corporate donations. Together this will provide financial stability and ensure the continuation of charitable activities during periods of reduced income.

The Trustees consider this level of secure reserve to be adequate in relation to the charity's needs and the long term support of chosen conservation projects

Investment Policy

The restricted fund is presently deposited in it its Metro bank account. In accordance with our main benefactor’s request the Trustees have ring fenced the restricted funds. In future the Trustees will invest the restricted funds with reputable financial institutions. The charity does not currently hold significant investment assets.

Going Concern

The trustees have reviewed the charity's financial position, forecasts and cash flow projections and consider it appropriate to prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis.

Plans for Future Periods

During the coming year the trustees intend to:

Continue support of the current conservation initiatives
Strengthen governance and operational capacity
Increase social media presence
Approach a possible patron
Chairperson to visit the Sui River Reserve to personally inform trustees about support given to habitat restoration. He will do so at own cost.
Continue monitoring and evaluating progress of current projects
Apply for membership of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
Acknowledge that our main donor CamVet Ltd has pledged to support the charity for another three years with the amount of £15,000/annum of which £10,000/annum are currently restricted.

The trustees remain committed to ensuring the charity achieves its charitable objectives and delivers meaningful public benefit.

Trustee Responsibilities Statement

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application for

resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
observe the methods and principals of the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records, safeguarding the assets of the charity and taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for raking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information on the charity’s website.

The trustees approve the report and confirm that, in their opinion, it presents a fair and balanced review of the charity's activities and performance during the year.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on: 25.08.2026

Signed on behalf of the Trustees

Patrick von Heimendahl

Chair of Trustees

Section B Statementof assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestri¢i8d funds R¢siiicted funds Endowmtrnt funds to rn4re5t £ Detail$ B1 Cash fvnds 4,462 Total cash funds 4,462 2S,000 Unrtstrided funds to r•arp$i £ Restricted funds EndLvimgnt funds to rwr•st £ t¢ whlch ¥$Sèt Colt lopU(wll c¢1 Yal l(w<JMII Details rAYfJrt B4 A$sets retained lor the charity's own use wli¢h onall t031) B5 Liabilities Spaned by Qf two iNSt&es on aiure Print Na Date of approval Patnd¢ Von H¢imfrndahl 1ts10812026 CCXX R2 accr)unts ISSI 2510812026

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Receipts and payments accounts CC16a Forthe period from To Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Rest¥i¢ièd funds Endowrnent funds 10 Ihè r*4r¢$t g Total funds Last ytar nAar•s1 É to np)t¢si to Ihe £ Al Rècei sh dtyWlIOI)S Inlethwl Iransfen £10,Q54 79 £107.39 000 35,055 Sub totslfGross Income fforAR) 10.162 25,000 JS.162 A2 Assèt and Investrnent $al•s, see table . Sub total Tot8lreceipt$ 10,162 25.000 35.182 A3 Pa mont$ Syllchran1cily Earth (UK tranl I Glizen Zoo UK £2 000.OD £3 700.00 Sub total S.700 S,7DD A4 Asset and inve3tm8nt purchasa$, Iseo tsbl•l Sub total Totalp8ym•nts 5.70 5.700 Ntrtof receiptsl{paymentsl AS Transfers btrtweèn funds A6 Cash funds last yearend Cash funds thls year end 4,462 23,000 29.46Z 4.462 25.000 29,462 XX Rl accounts ISSI 2510812026

I CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Report to the trustees f6 kkne Eci Q015 On accounts for the year ended Charity no (rf any) 1 £09 609 Set out on pagos I report to the trustees on my examination of the ac¢ounts of the above charity (kne Trusf) for the year ended As the charilrfs trustees. you 8re responsible for the preparation of th8 accounts in accordance with the requiremènts of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act-). I report in Tespect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried oul under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followe(l all the applicable Directions given by thè Charity Commission under section 145(51(b) of the Act. Responslbilltlos and basls of report Independent examlnerfs tThe charity's statement undertake the e applicable listed oss income exceede mination by being a ]]. Delete I l if not a £250,000 and l am q alified member of lin licable. lified to rt name of I have completed my examinatlon. I confimi I al no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination lolher than that disclosed below") which gives me cause to believe Ihat in. any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in a¢cordan¢e with sectson 130 of the Charities Act; or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records., or the accounts did not comply with the appllcable requirements conceming the form antl Gontent of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulallons 2008 other than any requlrement that the accounts gNe a 'true 8nd fair, view which is not a matter onsidered as part of an independenl examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please deleJt the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Date: Slgned: Name: fy)É Relevant professlonal qualification(s) or body {if any): 15 Pét IER Oct 2018

Address: Only complete if the examiner needs to hi9hlighl material matters of concern (see CC32, Independent eXathInati of Gharity aGwunts.. diredion5 and guidance for examiners). Glve here brlef detalls of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclose. IER Oct 2018