Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Day 14 Month 02 Year 2025
Period end date Day 31 Month 3 Year 2026
From To
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1212155
Penrith Swift Group
n/a
Charity's principal address Stone House, Skelton Wood End,
Penrith Cumbria Postcode CA11 9UB
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Rowlands | Chair | |||
| Veronica Schofield | Treasurer | |||
| Terence Palmer | Secretary | |||
| Anne-Marie Williams |
||||
Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)
Name Dates acted if not for whole year
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser Name Address
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Constitution
Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) Charitable Incorporated Organisation How the charity is constituted
- (eg. trust, association, company)
Appointed by current Trustees Trustee selection methods
- (eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
The objects of the CIO are to promote, for the benefit of the public, the conservation of the Common Swift (Apus apus) in North Cumbria by raising general awareness of the declining status of the species. We will identify, and strive to protect, existing nest sites and encourage the provision of additional nest sites across the county.
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From the 14[th of] February 2025 when we were awarded Charitable status the Trustees have considered and complied with the Charity Commissions guidance at our meetings when planning our work.
Our main activities during the year were as follows:
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Giving talks and attending shows
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Visiting schools
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Distributing and installing swift nest boxes and callers
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
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Putting up swift themed displays and running swift themed activity sessions for children
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Publicising swifts’ decline by writing newspaper articles and posting articles and videos on Facebook.
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Monitoring and reporting swift nest sites
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Organising visits to swift colonies
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Commenting on planning applications recommending swift brick installation
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Fundraising for the group’s activities
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Rescuing and rehabilitating grounded swifts
These activities benefit the public by aiming to conserve swifts, a species on the red list of conservation concern.
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
We are grateful for the many hours of help from volunteers, including Trustees, associate members and others with whom we collaborate. Without their help our group would not have been able to achieve so much.
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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policy on grantmaking;
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policy programme related investment;
-
contribution made by volunteers.
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Section D Achievements and performance
Raising awareness of the decline of the common swift. Summary of the main achievements of the charity During this year we arranged eight swift talks to a variety of adult during the year audiences. We’ve visited schools to talk to children about swifts’ decline and have given swift nest boxes to three of them. The children enjoyed swift themed craft sessions and a short video presentation. We ran stalls at the Stainton farmers’ market, Cold Springs Nature Reserve, the Country Festival in Kendal and Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s members meeting. As well as these events we organised a “Celebrating Swifts” event in the Swifts Nature Reserve, Carlisle. The RSPB local group, Cumbria Wildlife Trust and Carlisle Natural History Society were invited to take part. Volunteers helping to run the event included students from Cumbria University and Carlisle Youth Zone. This event was supported by the Cumberland Council. The chair of our group volunteered to help run a swift stall at the Global Bird Fair in July. In December 2025 benches and interpretation boards describing swifts’ lifestyle and differences between swifts and hirundines were installed in the Swifts Nature Reserve. This was made possible with funding from Cumberland Council, Cumbria Waste Management Environmental Trust, Cumbria Community Foundation and the Cumberland Building Society. During the year we organised visits to the animal rescue centre in Kendal College to learn more about animal rehabilitation and to Tanya Hoare’s swift colony. Our most successful fundraising effort was to arrange a talk by local farmer and celebrated author James Rebanks with 160 attendees. Encouraging the provision of additional nest sites across the county . Two nest boxes, one with a nest box camera and a caller, along with a television were installed in Penrith Library with support from Westmorland and Furness Council. In total we’ve distributed, and in some case installed over four hundred swift nest boxes. Some of these were purchased with funds following a successful Crowdfunding project in the previous year. Other boxes were made by members of Denton Woodcraft which is a Council run facility for adults with learning difficulties. Members of a Men’s Shed at Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Gosling Sike made more boxes as did two local residents and school children. The raw materials for these boxes were funded partly by grants, partly by donations and partly from our own funds. We ran a nest box project in Stainton in spring 2025. This was supported by grants from Penrith Action for Community Transition and Dacre Parish Council. A Stainton resident made 30 nest boxes, and these were installed with swift callers on 15 houses in the village.
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Section D Achievements and performance
A swift walk was arranged to check the nest boxes in July 2025 and to view natural nest sites and previously occupied boxes.
We commented on local planning applications, urging developers to incorporate swift nest bricks in their new houses. We were successful in encouraging one developer to include 194 swift nest bricks in their plans.
Identifying existing nest sites
Following our surveys during the breeding season we identified 56 swift nest sites and have submitted reports to RSPB’s Swiftmapper as well as to Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre.
Swift Rehabilitation
During the swift breeding season, we collected grounded swifts, swallows and house martins and transferred them to carers for rehabilitation. Two members of our group undertook to rehabilitate birds under the mentorship of Louise Bentley.
Swift conference
The chair of our group along with members of Sedbergh Community swifts and Kendal Swifts organised a national swift conference for the Swift Local Network which took place in November 2025 with 120 delegates attending.
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Section E Financial review
We have not yet written our reserves policy
Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves
Details of any funds materially in deficit
n/a
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
| Signature(s) Full name(s)Susan Rowlands Veronica Schofield Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc) Chair Treasurer Date30/06/2026 |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veronica Schofield | |||||
| Chair | Treasurer | ||||
| 30/06/2026 | |||||
| 30/06/2026 |
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| Penrith Swift Group Charity Name |
Penrith Swift Group Charity Name |
Penrith Swift Group Charity Name |
1212155 | 1212155 | 1212155 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the period from |
14.2.25 Period start date |
To | 31.3.26 Period end date |
||||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||||
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 2,260 3,795 - 922 - - - - - 6,977 - - - 6,977 910 3,941 365 100 233 58 40 500 403 6,550 - - 6,550 427 - 3,897 4,324 |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ - 6,765 - - - - - - 6,765 - - - 6,765 - - - - - - - 6,192 - 6,192 - - - 6,192 573 - 573 |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
Total funds to the nearest £ 2,260 3,795 6,765 922 - - - - - 13,742 - - - 13,742 910 3,941 365 100 233 58 40 6,192 500 403 12,742 - - - 12,742 1,000 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
||
| Fundraising from charitable activities |
2,260 | ||||||
| Income from trading activities | 3,795 | ||||||
| Grants | - | ||||||
| Donations | 922 | - | |||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
6,977 | ||||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| - | - | ||||||
| Sub total | - | - | |||||
| Total receipts A3 Payments |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| Venue Hire | 910 | ||||||
| Merchandise/raw materials | 3,941 | ||||||
| Stationery/printing | 365 | ||||||
| Insurance | 100 | - | |||||
| Rehab costs | 233 | ||||||
| Bank Charges | 58 | ||||||
Postage |
40 | - | |||||
| Grant fundedprojects | - | ||||||
| Donation to Kendal College ARC | 500 | ||||||
| Equipmentpurchase | 403 | - | |||||
| **Sub total ** | 6,550 | - | |||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | |||||
| Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end |
|||||||
| - | |||||||
| 427 | 573 | - | 1,000 | - | |||
| - | - | - | - | - | |||
| 3,897 | - | 3,897 | - | ||||
| 4,324 | 573 | - | 4,897 | - |
07/08/2026
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
1
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Signature N/A Details Display board Lloyds Bank Account Details Details Gazebo & furniture Filing cabinet Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) N/A Details N/A |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
Restricted funds to nearest £ |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
||
| 4,324 | 573 | - | ||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| - | - | - | ||||
| 4,324 | 573 | - | ||||
| OK | ||||||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
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| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| Current value (optional) |
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| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| Current value (optional) |
||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| - | ||||||
| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval 24/6/2026 24/6/2026 |
07/08/2026
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
2
CCXX R3 accounts ISSI 0710812026