ELDER STUBBS
CHARITY
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Registered Charity Number 202497
Elder Stubbs Charity Annual Report 2020
Chairman’s Foreword
2020 proved to be a most challenging year with the sudden emergence of the Coronavirus – Covid 19 – in January and the subsequent national lockdowns from mid-March onward. Like many organisations our plans and schedule of meetings were severely disrupted but – like others – we adapted and, where necessary, conducted business online. Our body of Trustees remained unchanged from the previous year mainly because local Council Elections across the country were postponed from 2020 to 2021. Five of our Trustees for 2020 were Councilnominated local City councillors, and this had the potential to change with election results.
Our two Estates Managers, Phil Crème and Edmund Faria, continued with their joint working arrangement to ensure that the running and maintenance of the allotments went as smoothly as ever. As an outdoor establishment the allotments stayed open for tenants throughout, following Government guidance on social distancing and Covid security, with outdoor activities being beneficial for both physical and mental health. This entailed extra work for Phil and Edmund who provided site notices with Covid guidance and advice, ensured that site gates remained locked with access for tenants only, and increased e-mail correspondence with tenants. The Trustees and tenants are most grateful to both Phil and Edmund for their efforts in keeping the allotments open and safe throughout the pandemic.
During lockdown periods some tenants were unable to attend their plots, and this included members of two charities supported by Elder Stubbs, The Porch and Restore. Covid restrictions resulted in cancellation of the annual August Elder Stubbs festival, probably for the first time since its inception, which is organised by Restore and held on the Elder Stubbs site. This is a popular event for tenants, local residents, and their families, and we look forward to its restoration as soon as circumstances permit. With the guidance of Phil and Edmund it was still possible to view and judge the allotments in August in order to award the Clerk’s Cup to the most commendable plot.
Our annual financial review was conducted in April 2020 via e-mail thanks to material supplied by our stockbroker Dominic Drozd, who always provides wise advice and diligently oversees our investment returns to balance carefully both capital and income. Our AGM was held in November 2020 and conducted via Zoom – the first online meeting for Elder Stubbs Trustees, staff, and associates. This proved a success and it is anticipated that further Trustee meetings will be conducted in this way until it is safe to meet again in person. Our annual meeting with tenants, usually held in September, was postponed and will also be resumed when safe to meet in person.
Other events during 2020 included the introduction of Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) in Rymers Lane and Bhandari Close, both adjoining the allotments, which reduced the number of roadside parking spaces for tenants and staff, so additional parking spaces were created inside the main Elder Stubbs gate to compensate for this. Site security was improved in the autumn by replacing site padlocks and keys with security padlocks and individually numbered keys. By the
end of the year our waiting list for available plots had increased to around forty, with extra interest and demand generated by the Covid lockdowns and residents seeking beneficial and productive outdoor activities.
As ever, I wish to record my appreciation and thanks to the Trustees who have served during this year, for their thoughtful comments and advice; to our Solicitor to the Trustees, Ms. Kathryn Woodward, for her wise guidance; and to our stockbroker Dominic Drozd for his careful stewardship of our portfolio. The same appreciation and thanks are due to our parttime staff – our Estates Managers Phil and Edmund and our Charity Manager Ian Honeyman – who are most dedicated and industrious, and who contribute above and beyond their paid remit.
If you wish to contact us our e-mail address is: info@elderstubbscharityallotments.org
Our website, developed by Phil, is www.elderstubbscharityallotments.org . Do view and enjoy!
Judith Harley
Report of the Trustees for 2020
For a further year the Trustees felt obliged, in order to stay within budget, to reduce charitable giving by a substantial amount as shown in the Accounts for the year which follow. They did so with considerable regret, but investment income, already depressed, was further affected by the pandemic. It remains their hope that they will be able to return to previous levels in the future.
Few aspects of life have been unaffected by the pandemic, but, in a way, allotment activity has fared better than much else. Tending an allotment is, by necessity, an outdoor activity. Those doing the tending are by and large socially distanced by virtue of the separation of their plots from other plots. Much of the estate management is also carried out in the fresh air. But the meeting of Trustees was severely disrupted and, as mentioned above, income was greatly reduced.
The Trustees met only once in the course of the year, via zoom. The Trustees who served in the year were:
Ex Officio Fr. Philip Ritchie, Vicar of Cowley St. John Rev. Geoffrey Bayliss, Team Rector of Cowley.
Nominated by Oxford City Council Mr. Bryan Keen (until 1.7.20) Cllr. Richard Tarver Cllr. Steven Curran Cllr. Lubna Arshad Cllr. Christine Simm (from 13.07.20) Cllr. Sian Taylor (from 12.6.20)
Co-opted Mrs. Lis Agulnik Ms. Judith Harley - Chairman Mr. Herman Huyg Mr. Brian Keen (from 1.7.20)
Charity Manager, Mr Ian Honeyman Estate Manager, Mr. Phillip Crème Assistant Estate Manager, Mr Edmund Faria Solicitor to the Trustees, Ms. Kathryn Woodward
Elder Stubbs Charity Trustees
Elder Stubbs Charity Allotments Annual Report 2020
Overview: It was noteworthy during 2020 that our waiting list started with about 5 people waiting for a plot and finished with nearer 40. A testament to people realising what an incredibly beneficial asset an allotment site provides for the local community particularly when confronted by the extraordinary situation wrought by Covid.
When lockdown was rolled out and restrictions were placed on people's movements and the closure of businesses because of the risk of spreading the virus, we felt it was important to keep the allotments open for Tenants. Allotments provide an ideal environment for engaging in socially distanced activity and many of our tenants told us how much they felt having an allotment plot felt like a life saver!
We endeavoured to make the site as Covid safe as possible with notices put on the gates announcing Government recommendations.
The Estate: We continued throughout the year to maintain the site doing the majority of the work ourselves with some invaluable volunteer assistance. Where necessary we called in outside contractors which included some necessary tree surgery.
The Allotments : As would be expected during this exceptional year, some of our tenants plots had the benefit of a lot of attention during lockdown and looked really impressive. Similarly because of Covid circumstances other plots were neglected because of necessary safeguarding or other associated Covid problems which prevented some tenants attending
to their plots. We tried to be supportive where this was possible to keep those plots strimmed when weedy..
Supported Charities and Community Groups: Our main supported charities - Restore and The Porch both had prolonged periods during lockdown when their members were unable to attend. Both maintained their growing area with staff input and volunteers working in a Covid secure way. Our other Community Groups continued to maintain their plots in a similarly restricted way.
Estate Manager
Phil Creme
Elder Stubbs Charity
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 1st January to 31st December 2020
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts | funds | funds | 2020 | Notes | 2019 | |
| Interest & Dividends | 36,828 | 36,828 | 46,930 | |||
| Rents & Maintenance | 3,597 | 3,597 | 3,590 | |||
| Trading | 1,728 | 1,728 | 2,661 | |||
| Other | 0 | 0 | 1,795 | |||
| Total receipts | 42,153 | 42,153 | 54,976 | |||
| Payments | ||||||
| Grants | 8,000 | 8,000 | 20,500 | |||
| Management & Admin | 35,180 | 35,180 | 1 | 31,001 | ||
| Trading | 1,073 | 1,073 | 867 | |||
| Other expenses | 34 | 34 | 91 | |||
| Total Paymants | 44,287 | 44,287 | 52,459 | |||
| Cash last year end | 23,926 | |||||
| Cash this year end | 23,413 | |||||
| Funds to | ||||||
| which asset | 2020 | |||||
| Investment Assets | Type | belongs | value | |||
| Stocks & Shares | Unrestricted | 1,354,842 | ||||
| Cash on deposit | Unrestricted | 0 | ||||
| Assets retained for charity's own use | ||||||
| Land | Unrestricted | 2 | 150,000 | |||
| Equipment & | ||||||
| stores | Unrestricted | 3 | 4,109 | |||
| Total assets including cash | 1,532,364 |
Notes 1. includes salaries, professional site work, volunteers' expenses, office costs
-
12 acres of grade 1 agricultural land valued by Oxford City Council
-
equipment at depreciaterd value - straight line over anticipated life of item
Ms. Judith Harley Chairman Mr. Bryan Keen Chairman, Finance Committee
Elder Stubbs Charity
Receipts and Payments Accounts for the period 1st January to 31st December 2020
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Total | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts | funds | funds | 2020 | Notes | 2019 | |
| Interest & Dividends | 36,828 | 36,828 | 46,930 | |||
| Rents & Maintenance | 3,597 | 3,597 | 3,590 | |||
| Trading | 1,728 | 1,728 | 2,661 | |||
| Other | 0 | 0 | 1,795 | |||
| Total receipts | 42,153 | 42,153 | 54,976 | |||
| Payments | ||||||
| Grants | 8,000 | 8,000 | 20,500 | |||
| Management & Admin | 35,180 | 35,180 | 1 | 31,001 | ||
| Trading | 1,073 | 1,073 | 867 | |||
| Other expenses | 34 | 34 | 91 | |||
| Total Paymants | 44,287 | 44,287 | 52,459 | |||
| Cash last year end | 23,926 | |||||
| Cash this year end | 23,413 | |||||
| Funds to | ||||||
| which asset | 2020 | |||||
| Investment Assets | Type | belongs | value | |||
| Stocks & Shares | Unrestricted | 1,354,842 | ||||
| Cash on deposit | Unrestricted | 0 | ||||
| Assets retained for charity's own use | ||||||
| Land | Unrestricted | 2 | 150,000 | |||
| Equipment & | ||||||
| stores | Unrestricted | 3 | 4,109 | |||
| Total assets including cash | 1,532,364 |
Total assets including cash
-
Notes 1. includes salaries, professional site work, volunteers' expenses, office costs
-
12 acres of grade 1 agricultural land valued by Oxford City Council
-
equipment at depreciaterd value - straight line over anticipated life of item
Ms. Judith Harley Chairman Mr. Bryan Keen Chairman, Finance Committee
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trustee¥l rnembers of n fr (/6 C44 A Kl-<g On accounts for the year ended 3J )£&£ 20 Charlty no Ilf any) Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above harity {"Ih8 Tru81"I for the ygar ended As the charity's trustees, you are responslble for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wSlh the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {"the Act.). I report in respect of my examlnation of the Trust's accounts carried out under s8clion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrylng out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llb} of the Act. Responsibllltles and basls of report Independent fv charitr$ exo98ded £25fr8wa[ aLN q¥elffied-k) examlner'5 Statement URdert8kelhe examujthn bybgiAg FnembeFef linsert name of appllcable listed bodyll. Deleté I l if not applicable. I have completed my examinatlon. I confirm that no materlal matt8rs have come to my attention irn connection with the examination (other than that disclosed below ') whi¢h gives m6 cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting reGords were not kept in accordance with secllon 130 of the Charities Act., or the aCUnIS did not accord wlth Ihe accounting records-, or the accounts did not comply with the appli¢able requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounls and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requlrement that the accounts give a 'true and faiT' view which Is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no conGerns and have como across no olher matters in connectlon with the ex8mirnation to which attention should be drawn in Ihls report In order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the br8ckets rf Ihey do not apply. Dat8,. Slgned: 2&•Z Name: Relevant profe8slonal qualiflcatlonls) or body IER Oct 2018
(If any}: Address: 3( Section B Disclosure Only complete il the examiner need5 to highlight material mallers of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: d1CtiOnS and guidance for examineisl. Glvo herg brlof dfrtails of any Items that the examlnèr wishes to dls¢lose. IER Oct 2018