STAFFORDSHIRE WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED A Company Limited by Guarantee REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Looking Afterstoffordshires hlldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Waiesl." 00959609 Wildlife Trust
Contents Page Chairman's annual report Report of the board of management 3-15 Consolidated statement of financial activities 16-17 Consolidated and charity balance sheet 18 Consolidated cash flow statement 19 Notes to the accounts Independent auditors, report 42-44 Non4tatutoryNotes Table of restrirted and designated funds 4S-47 Glossary of terms used 48 Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust PagelL
CHAIR[AN's ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Emerging from the pandemic. the Trust enjoyed a resurgence of interest from supporters and new faces alike,. many people have discovered and enjoyed the life-enriching effects of nature during multiple lockdowns and have made lasting connections. There have, of course, been many challenges since the pandemic first arrived and the Trust has shown its resiLience throughout thanks to the support of its members, volunteers and staff. We now find ourselves in a strong position as fjnally we seem to be leaving the worst effects of Covid behind. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, we have been able to push on with all of our major projects since restrirtions were lifted. We developed plans for large-scale multi-agency projects such as Stafford Brooks (launched in the summer of 1221. Working with National Highways, we secured funding to help deliver £4.2 million worth of habitat improvement around Stafford. We kick started our work on the National Lottery Heritage Fund Landscape Partnership in the Trent Valley, including proposa]s for a new nature reserve in Rugeley (Rugeley Riverside) on the site of the old power station. We launched two further projects to restore habitats. Wilder Churnet, focuses on delivering nature-based solutions at reserves in the Staffordshire Moorlands, as part of the Government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund IGRCFI. Our Sandlands project in the Kinver EdgelHighgate Common area is a partnership with National Trust. In Stoke, the EuropeaTrfunded SUNRISE projert continued the good work of the last few years, while a new Wilder Stoke, Witder Newcastle GRCF project focussed initially on community activities that create lasting connections to local green spaces, wildlife and nature. During Covid. our People Engagement and Trading teams felt the greatest effects from cancellations and closures. Since r&opening, we have had a resurgence of interest in our activities, allowing us to engage with more people right across the county. Our cafes at Wolseley and Westport Lake surpassed our expectations after rhe many restrictions on the hospitality and retail sector, and all three of our charity shops made a strong return once they were allowed to open once more. The return of the Wildchild Festival to The Wolseley Centre was a momentous event in our People Engagement team's summer 2021 calendar, with a turnout of more than 1,600. It was heart-warming to see so many families enjoy the event. The new Learning Hub facitity opened too, providing a fantastic educational resource with high booking rates during the third and fourth quarters of the year. Our two newest reserves. Gun Moor, near Leek, and a rare lowland raised peat bog at Craddocks Moss, near Newcastle, have both enjoyed strengthened protertion under our ownership. We have been working to assess and plan how best to manage Craddocks Moss. a very inaccessible and complex site. Meanwhile, our volunteer teams have been busy helping with a variety of tasks on Gun Moor. including clearance of rubbish and debris, thinning of woodland, blocking gulleys to keep the site wet, and improving the habitat by installing new wader scrapes. In an ever-changing national political landscape. the Trust has also forged new connections with local authorities and been pivotal in shaping a nature recovery strategy for the county. It has been our mission to put nature firndy on the agenda of local leaders. pressing them to commit to doing more to secure the future of a wilder Staffordshire. None of these achievements would be possible without teamwork There is no measurable valuefor the support, dedication, patience and resilience of all those involved with the Trust. My thanks to my fellow Trustees, to our staff, to our valiant volunteers and all of our members for their incredible work The Trust is in a strong financial position and we must now keep the momentum going- there is so much more to do if we are to put nature in recovery for future generations. Richard Higgs Chairman, Staffordshire Witdlife Trust Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."co959609 Wildlife Trust Page12
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 The Trust may by ordinary resolution at an Annual General Meeting appoint as a Trustee any member who is willing to act and who is either a Trustee retiring in accordance with the above mentioned circumstance and who has indicated a wish to be reappointed,- or a member recommended by the Trustees- or a member in respect of whom the Trust has been given a notice, not less than fourteen1141 or more than thirty-five1351 clear days before the date of the meeting, which is signed by two members entitled to vote at the meeting.. states that members, intention to propose the election of the member in respect of whom the notice is given by the Trustee.. is signed by the person who is to be proposed as a Trustee to show his or her willingness to act". contains the details that. if the person were to be appointed, the Trust would have to file at Companies House., The Trustees may at any time appoint a member who is willing to act to be a Trustee but a Trustee so appointed must retire at the next Annual General Meeting. The appointment of a Trustee whether by the Trust in the A[Ual General Meeting or by the Trustees may not cause the number of Trustees to exceed any number fed as the maximum number of Trustees. A retiring Trustee who has been a Trustee for twelve lul or more consecutive years may not be reappointed until at least one year after the date of his or her retiremenL Members of the Board The Trustees of the charity, who are also Members of the Board. who have held office in the year, were- Mr Richard Higgs- Chairman from 21 June 2015 Ir&elected Member from 4 June 20181 Mr Michael Walker IR*elected Member from 24 June 20191 Mr Nicholas Young IR&elected Member from 18 November 2021) Mr lan Downing-Treasurer from i January 2016 IRe-elected member from 24 June 20191 Mr Paul Hackney- Secretary from ll June 2015 (Rfrelected member from June 20191 Mrs tisa Stephenson (Elerted member from 4 June 20181 Mr Philip Shore (Elected member from 4 June 20181 Ms Alison Glaisher (Elected member from 24 June 20191 Mr Elliott Lancaster (Elected member from 24 June 20191 Mr David Rogers (Elected member from 24 June 20191 Miss Alana Wheat (Elected member from 7 December 20201 Mr Stephen Smith (Elected member from 7 December 20201 The Board Meets monthly except for May, August and December to review the work of the Trust. During the Covid- 19 pandemic the board continued to meet monthly, but physical meetings were replaced with ontine conferencing technologywhen restrictions prevented physical meetings. The maintenance of an annual plan with associated reporting of progress by staff will ensure that the Board are appraised of the charity's performance and can manage and control the charitvs activities. Indurtion and training of Board members Trustees, skills are reviewed regularly to ensure that the balance is suitable. New Trustees are inducted into the charity by discussions between themselves and other Trustees, and members of staff, as opportunities arise. They are presented with background information and have access to the Charity Commission's website. Chief Executive The day to day management of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited was delegated on ll May 2015 to Mr Julian Woolford, Chief Executive. Links with other Charities Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, although an entirely independent charity, is part of The Witdlife Trusts, federation and a member of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts IRswfi. itself an independent charity. Together, each of the 46 Wildlife Trusts act as a distributed local network and collective movement to tackle both local and UK-wide conservation issues. The Wlldlife Trusts are one of the largest environmental charitable federations in the UIL Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."co959609 Wildlife Trust Page14
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Share capital The Company does not have a share capital and is limited by guarantee. Strategie report- Review of activities i. Conservation priorities 1.1 Naturereserves The Covid pandemic saw many more visitors to our nature reserves. While it was great to see so many more people, our teams had to contend with additional footpath wear and tear, fly-tipping. wild camping. wildfires and more traffic. To help us overcome these new challenges. we took on three new reserves assistants and employed a new reserves offlcer. On a positive note, and notwithstanding the problems caused by increased visitor numbers, we completed a thre year upland footpath restoration project on our Roaches nature reserve, funded through the South West Peak Landscape Partnership. Most of the ridge path has now been restored and landscaped to stop erosion and ensure our footpaths are in good conditiotL Our volunteers are now experts in footpath building techniques thanks to the project. Another highlight was completing the purchase of our Gun Moor nature reserve. Thanks to generous donations. we were able to pay off our loan from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to secure the 77 hectare mix of woodland. scrub and moorland. At Gentleshaw Common. the second year of National Grid's Landscape Enhancement Initiative grant, we carried out further work to restore the heathland on the southern edge of Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Naturat Beauty. The grant scheme is designed to reduce the visual impact of electricity lines in England and Wale& 1.2 NatureRecovery Network (NRN) The long-awaited Environment Act finally gained Royal Assent in the autumn of 202L The Act contained a number of elements that will help us deliver our core objectives regarding nature's recovery. Two of the most significant elements of the Act include the introdurtion of Biodiversity Net Gain, which becomes mandatory for every local authority from November 2023 and requires a minimum of a io% net increase in biodiversity from planning developments. In additiOLL the Act includes the requirement for the formation of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy ILNRSI in each county and will see the adoption of ecological mapping to identify priorities for nature's recovery. Since 2019 we have worked with local authorities to identify and map their nature conservation priorities in order to have them adopted in their respertive Local Plans. Six of the countys local authorities have now completed their mapping worL These were Stafford Borough Council, South Staffordshire District Council. Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, Lichfield District Council, Cannock Chase Council and Tamworth Borough Council. We hope to complete mapping for the remaining local authorities by the end of 2022 We have also started to build the political will to take action for nature recovery by encouraging local authorities to adopt a Nature Recovery Declaration INRDI. The NRD embeds the key outputs of the Environment Act ina declaration that can be localised for each authority. Newcastle Borough Council was the first authority in Staffordshire to adopt a NRD in autumn 202L Wlth Staffordshire County Council adopting theirs in February 2022. 1.3 Living landscapes The European Regional Development Funded IERDFI SUNRISE partnership project team in Stoke and Newcastle completed major river restoration work at the Victoria Ground and Staffordshire University. Both projects significantly improved the hydrological and biological conditions of two stretches of the River Trent through Stoke-on-Trent, receiving widespread praise and publicity in the process. LookingAfterStaffordshire¥ hlldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page15
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Our Transforming the Trent Valley National Lottery Heritage Landscape Partnership project focused on promotion of the scheme and public engagement with family and community activities back at full capacity. Supporting events, such as the Staffordshire High Sheriffs Tour. gave us excellent publicity. One project to convert Second World Pill Boxes into artificial bat roosts was featured on BBC Countryfile. A natural capital'story map highlighting the natural capital of the Trent Valley was shared widely. Other large, landscape-scale projects progressed through the development and design phase. These include the rewilding of the former golf course at the site of the Power Station at Rugeley. Working with the site's owners, the restoration covers an area of approximately 26 hectares and aims to restore some nationally declining habitat types such as wet woodland and lowland meadow. The site will be accessible to the nearby residents of the new housing development. The restoration will include features such as interpretation panels about the importance of wetlands for climate change and carbon sequestratioll and a boardwalk which will allow access across the restored wetland. 1.4 Priorityspecies conservotion Idre-IntrodU¢tIons Sadly, and misguidedly, the Government's badger cull in Staffordshire increased in scope this year. However, we were also able to expand our badger vaccination programme. We started vaccinating badgers in 2013. and receive no government funding for our worL but rely on donations and core funding to pay for our work We continue to campaign for an urgent ban on further culling. A notable success for species conservation was the Native Black Poplar. The species is dioecious, meaning there are separate male and female trees. The number of female trees in the county was thought to be very low. Following an appeal to Trust members. we have successfully located a number of previously unrecorded female trees. New trees wlll be propagated and planted across the county in locations and project areas such as the Transforming the Trent Valley Irrrvi. stafford Brooks and working with landowners in our Countryside Stewardship Facititation Funds. The organisation's pioneering work to conserve the county s native whit&clawed CraYfh population continued while the ambition of reintroducing beavers to the county remained a priority. A variety of successful funding applications have enabled a feasibility study to be commissioned into the wability of a reintroduction scheme for beavers at the recently acquired Craddocks Moss nature reserve. 2. People Engagement priorities 2.1 Connecting children ondyoung people tonoture We continued to adapt our activities to meet the needs of families and schools constrained by the pandemic lockdowns. Many families explored their local wild spaces with our help, through our self-led activities ranging from Festival at Home downloadable packs, to Nature Packs donated to families via food banks, through to the continued success of our virtual activities. From time to time during the year, we were able to deliver face-to-face events once agairn We were grateful to funders who allowed us to adapt projects to the difficult circumstances we faced. By early2022, schools started to visit our new Learning Hub at the Wolseley Centre. The new facilities were well received by teachers and we expert increasing numbers of school chlldren through the year. We experienced some delays with the creation of the new Rain Garden due to shortages of building materials. but remained on track for a summer 2022 opening. August saw our Wildchild Festival take place at the Wolseley Centre. with more than 1600 people taking part in festival activities over the month. The festival was split into four main events,- Peter Rabbit theatre event, Wildernests theatre event and activities, Festival Wildlings & The Bewonderment Machine and The Mini Festival. We also hosted an art trait created in collaboration with our communities. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Pagels
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 2.2 Eorying links with local groups This year Rswf has started developing a new approach to community organising and community mobilising called Team WiLder. This is an exciting development that we hope will help us to inspire i in 4 people in Staffordshire to take meaningful and visible action for nature- many more p8)ple than we are usually able to work with. We collaborated with Cheshire and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and joined the wider movement in developing, training and increasing our capacity for the launch of Team Wilder in Staffordshire. We have been logging enquiries and information requests that come in to us, so that we can build a comprehensive set of digital resources and toolkits for the future. This work has laid the foundations for us to be able to deliver on our community work through Team Wilder next year. Throughout the year our other conununity engagement activities and funded projects continue Our partnership with Tamworth Borough Council, Wild About Tamworth, continued to engage local communities and ourii friends groups operated when Covid restrictions allowed. The project has expanded its reach to include more work with families and schools on Local Nature Reserves. Forest School training has continued, though there has been a huge impact on portfolio submissions and marking due to the ongoing pressures that schools and teachers are under. The Wilder Stoke Wilder Newcastle project started in the autumn. The programme, which is funded by the UK Government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund, began with new staff reigniting connections in the locaL community and initiating contact with new groups The Green Mentor project, a youth social action project funded by the Ernest Cook Trust, was impacted by the Covid restrictions and uncertain school confidence around closures and outreach visits, but the project still met all of its delivery targets for the year and worked with young people across the county to run their own climate artion projects. 2.3 Improving health ¢ind wellbeing We continued to promote nature as a remedy for physical and mental health issues through our Wild Wellbeing programme. Highlights included wild yoga, wild well-being sketching groups and offering free spaces on our activities at Trentham Gardens to people referred by Mind and NHS Combined Health Trust. We were also commissioned to deliver summer well-being activities for young people with Together Active and Mind, Nature Walks for patients at a Wolstanton GP surgery and a corporate Wild Wellbeing day for Michelin. We have continued to bulld relationships with local health organisations including CAMHS, North Staffs Mind. NHS Combined, Support Staffs and more local GP surgeries. 3. Income generation and marketing 3.1 Genernting income for ourwork In recent years, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has been very successful in generating funds for our conservation and educational worl whether from the National Lottery, local funding bodies, or businesses. One such successful project which started in 2021122 was the Wilder Stoke, Wilder Newcastle project funded by the UK G)vernment's Green Recovery Challenge Fund. But we are also supported by a strong and passionate membership base and have been hugely heartened by their vitat and ongoing support following the pandemic. We feared members, worried about their own finances, would cancel memberships but by the year's end we had actually increased our membership to more than 19,$00 members, a record high for us and clearly shows that our supporters value nature on their doorstep in times of crisis. We continue to be grateful too for legacies that we have received. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl".co959609 Wildlife Trust Page17
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 3.2 Building awareness of the wildlife and climate crisis, and the work of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust We have secured significant local and regional media coverage about our nature restoration work focussing on several of large partnership landscape project& Our coverage in the printed media reached an advertising value equivalent IAVEI of almost £70,000. Throughout the year thousands of people have supported our campaigns, such as successfully protesting against the use of peat by gardeners, damaging neonicotinoid pesticides and the badger cull. During COP26 the Trust maximised the opportunity to raise awareness of the link between the nature and climate crises. We continue to engage with MPS and other key local leaders throughout the year and our campaigns and advocacy work gains momentum. Our social media presence continues to evolve to help us engage with a wider audience- at the end of 20lll22 we had more than 69.000 followers across all our social media platfomis. 4. Running o successful ory¢inisation 2021 saw us settling into new working routines and patterns. using what we learnt during the 2020 lockdowns to trial a new hybrid working model in which staff were able to both work from home and from the office. This involved a r&organisation and upgrade of our office facitities at Wolseley as well as investment in new digital tools to support remote working, such as cloud-based Finance, HR and Intranet software. In 20 we also completed our Carbon Footprint monitoring using data from 2020 and a measurement tool developed by RSWT. Despite measuring additional sources of emissions (such as waste and materials) we still saw a reduction between our baseline year and the current year. We assessed our annual carbon impact to be 451 tonnes C02e. down from a total 478 tonnes in the previous year.. This excludes any impact of our land management work on carbon sequestration During 2021 we received funds from the People's Postcode Lottery to kick start our net zero ambitions and we used this funding to invest in replacing old inefficient light bulbs with LED at the Wolseley centre, a new, more e)Ticient boiler (replacing a 20-year-old gas boilerl, a green waste chipper which allows us to compost instead of bum most of our green waste, three new electric vehicle charging points. and also placed orders for our first hybrid fleet vehicles. Our fantastic volunteer teams were able to get workÉng again out on our nature reserves, in our shops and visitor centres. carrying out vital conservation work. Our volunteers are crucial to our work and we thank them for all their hard work and their patience during restrictions. 5. Cojnmercial priorities Both the Wolseley Centre and Westport Lake cafes performed better than expected during the year. Wolseley, in particular, had a good year, with slighdy higher income in most months than the previous year. Westport did not fare quite so well compared to 2019120, though the largest gap is in relation to the earlier part of the year, and as the year went on it appeared that Westport slowly returned to ppandemIC levels. The Wolseley Shop has not fared so well in terms of performance. The onset of Avian Flu has impacted sales of bird seed which is one of the most popular lines and overall income generated from visitors is lower than previous years. due in part to the reduction in conferences and car park machine donations. Overall, the shops have made a good return from the closures and restrictions earlier in the year and are set up well to continue this in the 2022123 year. LookingAfterStaffordshire¥ hlldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page18
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 remaining three authority areas over the next year, assisted by the establishment and adoption of a Nature Recovery Declaration INRDI for each local authority area. This year we will be looking to expand our team to ensure our work is carried out effectively and effjciently around the county in order to prioritise nature's recovery. Goal 2- Connecting people in Stoffordshire tonoture,. empowering ourcommunities to take positiveaction for wildlife and the climate People are the key to nature's recovery. For many years. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has helped our communities to forge strong relationships with local wildlife and the nature in their neighbourhood. A third of people in the UK regularly report that local nature and wildlife is important to them. But if nature is to recover, more people need to take positive action for wildlife. Our goal is for one in four people in Staffordshire to take meaningful, sustained and visible artion for wildlife by 2030. One in four people taking action is a tipping point., a change that will see wildlife artivism become a social norm whereupon more people will naturally participate. Additionally the more people taking action and talking about taking action, the more their actions become something that local decision-makers cannot ignore. To reach one in four people we will need to evolve our approach. We WILI encourage people to connect with natural spaces, nurturing their sense of belonging within them via improved communications. campaigns, advocacy and community Oan1$1ng. Through this work we will identify and support champions and innovators, develop relationships with community connectors and spokespeople and provide information and toolkits for artions which can be both replicated and personalised. In orderto be sustained, the actions must be independently taken and self-selerted. We will listen to our supporters and connect people, enabling and empowering them to affect real change so that together we can drive better decision-making for nature across the political and corporate space, both at local and national levels. At the same time we wiLI actively build relationships with local and natural decision-makers and influencers to influence key policies, legislatiory organisational behaviour and other priority outputs. Nature needs people but people need nature too. We witl also explore how community organising can facilitate specific work with undeTrresourced communities, those with disabilities, or facing health inequalities or mental health problems. young people, older people and those living in areas with high levels of environmental deprivation. We know that some sectors of society are more at risk than others from the impacts of global challenges and we want everyone to feel included, to experience the benefits of spending time in nature and to feel empowered to spearhead nature's recovery. Goal 2 sets ambitious targets to see people taking action for nature that cover a broad spectrum of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's work. This is going to require bringing together various monitoring tools from across multiple projects and areas of work within the trust to track and report on targets. We currently have processes to record how many children attend events and engage with us via schools, attendees to training events and visitors to The Wolseley Centre. However, there are more ways we are connecting with people that we need to starr measuring, in particular adults that we work with in people engagement events, people that attend other events run by other departments, people engaging in campaign work, and people taking action in many other ways across the county. There are also new targets around taking action and diversity that will require the development of new reporting systems. Both of these areas of work will require input from staff across the whole trust and will involve having to report on aspects of their work they have not reported on before. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page l io
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 This process will need to fit seamlessly with areas of work so as to have as little impact on workloads as possible and would rely on the creation of an internal monitoring group with contributors from multiple team& Goa13-Delivering a step change in fundrng fornature's recovery The Environment Act, Agricultural Act, Green Social Prescribingand new green financial investment instruments have created a range of innovative finance models that can support our vision and we must develop long temi strategies to secure this income. Making the most of this critical opportunity and at the sarne time staying true to our values, will deliver enormous gains for local nature. We are supported by a strong and passionate membership base, which now numbers more than 19.000 members, the highest in our history. So we will continue to invest in recruiting more supporters and members, broadening our reach and including more people in our missiorn And whilst we are extremely grateful for the legacies we've received from our supporters, we cannot be complacent and rely on this income in future. We must ensure a diverse income stream to support our long term growth. Over the next eight years, we can complement our local fundraising programmes with large-scale digital fundraising approaches. in order to reach new audiences and deliver strong additional growth of our membership base. We will continue to invest in retaining and attracting new members and improving our fundraising expertise and activity. In particular strengthening our relationships with Staffordshire businesses and looking for ways in which they can contribute to Nature's Recovery by reinvigorating our corporate partnerships programme. Goal 4-Running o successfvl orgonisotion We can do little for wildlife and for people unless we are a viable and sustainable organisatiOLL we need to be a charitythat is here for the long-term. because nature needs time to recover. Managing our resources effectively is vitaL, as without these enabling systems we could not deliver on Goals i and 2. As the organisation continues to grow, our supporting services must transform and increase in efficiency and capacity. We will therefore ensure we have a diverse. skilled. trained and supported workforce of staff and volunteers. We will also ensure that our staff are happy and satisfied in the workplace. Our people are amazing, and we will make sure that they can continue to carry out great work using their extensive local knowledge of habitats. species, land use and public engagement as well as supporting and enabling skills. But the challenges we face over the next five years will require us to develop staff and volunteer skills in many new and emerging fields such as biodiversity net gain, community action, and wellbeing. We will also need to support our staff to improve the coordination and mobiLisation of our volunteer and supporter networks. increasing the ways in which people and communities can contribute to nature's recovery. We can no longer ignore the fact that the environment sector is amongst the least diverse in the country, and we will take steps to broaden the diversity of our staff, volunteers, Trustees and supporters. We will identify and remove barriers and create a culture where difference is celebrated and all our people can reach their full potential. We will foster an inclusive culture where people feel valued and respected. We will ensure our workforce is more diverse, better representing our communities. As we argue for action on climate change, we must address our own contribution to emissions and environmental impact. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust will not be making an authentic contribution to tackling the climate and ecological emergency unless we get our own house in order. We will continue to target a io% reduction in our carbon emissions each year until 2030. As a major landowner. energy user, water consumer. catering provider. event organiser, venue provider, vehicle fleet operator, educator, retailer, and consultancy (to name just a few of our services), as well as an employer and member of the business community, we recognise that we need to lead by example in how we manage our own environment and community impacts. We will continue to seek funds and opportunities to invest in our estate to reduce emissions and environmental impacts. In 2022123 we will get our first elertric vehides. and look to increase the electricity we can generate through our own solar panels. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page lil
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Financial review This year's accounts have been prepared in accordan with the Companies Act 2006 and the Statement of Recommended Practice-Accounting and Reporting by Charities ISORP 20151. Review of theyear Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's financial position remained broadly stable during the year and the consolidated unrestricted funds decreased to £2,96100012021- £3.21LOOOI at the year end. At 31 March 20a the Trust's free reserves stood at £668.000121nL £954,000). Free reserves are considered to be unrestricted funds that can be readily converted into cash ff required, and as such are calculated as total reserves. less restricted funds. less the net bookvalue of tangible fixed asset& Income YevEnded IS Month¥ InuTa8el 31 March Ended31 IDecTra•e) lozz March zo Total income ceiVed in the year Total income includes the followAng'. Membership income Ioacy income Income from charitable activities. 8fdnts and donation8 147fW)0 s360(x) 198*0001 981000 81,ONJ 4279K 116moI 18180001 36100 Expenditure Year Ended ts Months Increa8el 3IMarch Endedu (Decree) Marchio TotaI resource5expended duringtheyear Total expenditureincludes the followin¥. Costsof raising funds 016.rjxi S,409.000 Iu93,owI 78.000 116&0001 Policy and charitygovernanee Governance The Board should review its governance process on a four-year cycle, and is next due to review it in 2023. The governance was last reviewed in 2019., no recommendations arose that required an update to the governance statement and updated Articles of Association that were approved at the AGM in June 2015. Risk management The Board recognises the risks faced by the Trust. The Board maintains a risk register which is reviewed and updated annually. The current risk register addresses Governance Risks, Operational Risks, Financial Risks, Compliance with taw and Regulation, and External Risk& Executive Remuneration The Chief Executive and the Senior Leadership Team make up the key management personnel of the Trust. In the year ended 31 March 2022 the Senior Leadership Team comprised,. Two Joint Heads of Conservation Delivery, a Head of Income Generatiory a Head of Transforniation and People Engagement and a Head of HR and Support Services. In setting the remuneration of the Chief Executive and the senior leadership team the Board have looked at the remuneration of their peers across The Wildlife Trusts. as well as the skills needed to carry out the roles to the benefit of the Trust. The total executive remuneration paid in the Is months ended 31 March 20WaS £314.000 (£318,000 in the is-month period ended 31 March 20lll. LookingAfterStaffordshire¥ hlldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page112
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Financial reserves The Board aims to maintain sufficient unrestricted general funds to cover six to nine months, of core operating expenses. This is currently considered to be approximately £L300.000. This is a prudent estimate based on the relatively static income from members and the variable income schedule of grants. In 2010 a fjnancial reserve was set up specifically for Highgate Common and this is recorded in designated unrestrirted funds. At 31 March 2022the Board consider the consolidated unrestricted funds of the Trust to be £2.961000, comprising £683,000 of designated funds and £ 2,279,000 of general fund& The designated funds support the Trustees commitment to manage Trust reserves in future years. Investment powers and policy Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited's Articles of Association enables it to invest monies not immediately needed for its purposes in such investments as may be thought fit, subject to conditions and consents required by law. The Trust relies on a professional investment manager for the day-to-day management of the Trust's investment portfolio. On 23rd September 2002 the Board agreed to give the investment manager authority to manage the Trust's portfolio on a discretionary basis subject to the following conditions- Choosing Investments The Trust's policy is to review the portfolio annually and instigate an annual meeting between the investment manager and a committee of trustees. This last occurred in February 2022. The suitability of the investments should not knowingly be in conflict with the Trust's Mission Statement'To protect and enhance the wildlife and wild places of Staffordshire and to promote understanding, enjoyment and involvement in the natural world., In 2019. the trustees went further than this and instrurted the Trust s investment manager to specifically seek out investments that fitted an explicit ethical criteria. By the end of 2019 the majority of investments had been transitioned to fit this criteria. and that transition continued in 2020 and through 202V22. The Trust's policy is to limit the risk attached to investments by requiring the investment manager to invest in a spread of assets including equities, gilts and cash with the aim of achieving the best possible return while safeguarding the capital value. Rate of Return The Trust sets the investment manager no specific rate of return to achieve other than that expected from a duly diligent professional investment manager. The investment performance will be compared with a suitable index on an annual basis. Review The Trust will review the situation annually, or sooner if there is need. At least every three years the Trust will consider whether or not the investment manager has the appropriate knowledge and experience, is carrying out his work competently, and has regard to the suitability of each investment and category of investment. In 2009, a sui committee of trustees received submissions from three investment management firms and decided to remain with the incumbent. Taxation Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited is a registered charity and can claim exemption from Corporation Tax on income and gains which are applied for charitable purposes under section 505. Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988. The subsidiary trading companies are subject to Corporation TaL Whilst most of the surplus is donated to the Charity, the trading companies pay tax on that left to maintain and build up their working capital. Auditors Azets Audit Serviceswere appoInted as the Trust's auditors at the Annual General Meeting on 18th November 202L Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page I
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Public benefit statement The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the dutyin section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit.'Charities and Public Benefit,. The Trust's public benefit is enshrined in its charitable objects as outlined on Page 3. statement as to disclosure of inforniotion to auditors The members of Board who were in office on the date of approval of these financial statements have confirmed, as far as they are aware, that there is no relevant audit information of which the auditors are unaware. Each of the members of Board have confirmed that they have taken all steps that they ought to have taken as members of Board in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that it has been communicated to the auditor. The Report of the Board of Management, which includes the Strategic Report on pages 5 to 15, was approved by the Board on 2&h September 2022 and signed on their behalfr. P Hackney Secretary Date of Signing.. 7th November 2022 LookingAfterStaffordshire¥ hlldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page I
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Ye•rEnded31 YearEnd¢d31 Ye•rEnded31 Ye•rEnd¢d31 March2012 March20ZZ March20Z2 March20Z2 Month perdEnded 31 March2021 Umre8tLlrted Re8tLlrted EndOllent TotalFwnds TotalFwid8 Nrte £'ooo £'ooo £'ooo £'ooo £'ooo Donation5 and Legacies Charitable Activities OtherTrading activities Investment income 982 116 IK)98 21b02 lJ90 $33 169 3568 863 863 io io 14 Other Totallncoe 2J90 1,98S SJ60 27 27 4$0 Raising Funds Charitable activitie$ I0 I0 1578 3031 S,409 1337 1369 1369 2,606 4016 2,747 Net gairtsluossesl on investments 30 30 55 NlOtI(tIpeDdltr¢I Transfers i*tween funds Otherrecogni$ed-gainslllos$esl'. 716 416 4S6 11921 12491 S24 496 Looking Afterstoffordshire's Id[Ire Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number. 259558 Company Number IEngland and Walesl".tX1959609 Wildlife Trust Page116
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 YearEnded31 YearEndedy YeorEnded31 YevEnded Mareh202Z Matth 2022 Mareh2021 March2022 Ismonth PedodEnded 3IMarchzo Totsl Not¢ UnTr•tArted R¢8trkted Endown*rt TOtPUndI £'ooo £'ooo £'ooo £'ooo £'ooo Net tthovèment in funds bLought forwan 141 458 Reconciliation of Funds: Fund balances at i January (brought forwa) 3311 I79 74 8364 7.908 2.962 2,203 780 The statement of financial activities contains all gains and losses forthe year. The notes on poges 20 to o form port of these financial statements Looking Afterstoffordshire's Id[Ire Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 9558 Company Number IEngland and Walesl".crt1959609 Wildlife Trust Page117
CONSOLIDATED AND CFtARITY BALANCE SHEETS AS AT 31 MARCH 2022 Note 2021 2011 202Z rooo rooo rooo Tangible assets Heritage a$$ets Investments 12 3A70 3S05 3398 2ASO 705 681 705 681 6.636 6S39 Stocks DeOr$ Investments Cash at bank and in hand 583 646 16 2K119 l.T87 a.$53 Creditors.. Amounts fallin8 due within one year 17 14761 14431 14ZSI 2,177 2J•7 A,•63 Creditora.. Amounts fallin8 thie in more than oneyear Iizsi 1751 &780 771 Restricted Incorne Funds Endowment 19 2203 1615 5818 1&79 31174 SJ53 3J14 2303 3.615 18 2876 1fj79 3A74 53 77 Unrestricted Funds Revaluation Reserve 97 97 &780 &771 As permitted by s408 Companies Act 2006, the charity has not presented its own SOFA. The charity s net income for the year was £366L These accounts were approved by the Board on 26th September 2022 R Higgs Chairman Date of Signin[. 7th November 2022 P Hackney Secretary Date of Signing.. rh November 2022 The notes on pages 20 to form part of these accounts Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page118
CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Note 2022 202A cooo cooo Investrnent income Proceeds from sale of fixed assets Purchase of fixed assets Purchase of heritaEe assets Proceeds from sale of inve5trnents Purchase of investments 11241 128zI 1781 180 11691 190 lJ7) Repayments of borrowing Net cash inflowE new b)mwing 12331 1333) Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the reporting year 1306 IJ Ca•h#Md¢a•heqnlvthNts#ttheewAl*rttht
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NOTES TO THEACCOUNTS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 FLYe1Id& L••ehohl Fytehold Bwlldlng• Motor Total fooo fooo ¢000 Co•torDottedV•lue At oi April zo Additions Dispc6als At 31 March 2022 321 3.746 69 367 4.61S 321 3Jis Ari Depreoation At oi April 20 Charge for the Year Eliminated on Disposals At 31 March 2022 17 770 88 1,207 18 li (31 129 317 Net Book Value At 31 March 2022 301 2.957 3a98 At 31 March 7J) 304 1976 60 3.408 The Trust acquired a year lease at the Roaches on i May 20. This has been included in freehold and leasehold land rather than as a heritage asset as the land is not owned by the Trust and is to be written off over the temi of the lease. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page128
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NOTES TO THEACCOUNTS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 In addition to the purchased or donated nature reserves, the following are being leased or rented at a nominal rentaL Allimore Green Newstead Wood Doxey Marshes- Castletown Georges Hayes Harston Woods Walkmill Pool Jacksons Coppice Side Farm Swineholes Wood Gentleshaw Common There is a management agreement for Burnt Wood and Bleak House. Public access to the sites is generally unrestricted subject to health and safety. temporary operational or other restrictions such as within leases or conveyance documents. Five year summary of heritage asset transactions 202X 2011 2019 rooo 2018 2017 rooo Cost Bought FoTward Purchases in the Year 2J31 2J21 Jo Cost Carried Forward I50 XJ It is not practical to separately identify the amount spent on maintaining these assets as it is so integral to the general work of the Trust. Investments 31M•Y¢h 31 M•rch zou Quoted Investments Cash Held as Part of Portfolio 667 661 705 Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page130
NOTES TO THEACCOUNTS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 The movement on quoted investments is as follows.. Mareh 31 March 2021 Market value a$ at i January 2020 Addition$ at cost Disposals at Market Value Bought Forward UnrealisedGains I ILossesl 661 612 167 Irj 11761 118zI S9 Market Value at 31 March 2022 70S 661 Historic Cost as 31 Makrh 2022 563 Investments comprise: 31 Mar 2021 Fixed Interest Securities 96 UK Equities Overseas Equities PrortY Funds ITA 264 31 ios 661 The following investments are considered to be material in the context of the value of the portfolio lover £33,000).. 31 Mar¢h 20 Aberdeen Standak)4 UK Ethical Equity Fund BMO R¢Snsible UK Equiue8 Bmwn Advisory US Sustainable Grovrth Edentree Sustainable Global Equity Rlum Sustainable Investments 47 Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited owns the entire share capital12 ordinary shares of £1) in its subsidiary. Staffordshire Wildlife Trading Limited (company no. 033872331, which is incorporated in England. Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited also owns the entire share capital12 ordinary shares of £1) in its subsidiary, Staffordshire Ecological Services Limited (company no. 067755031, which is incorporated in England. Further details concerning the activities and assets of these companies is given in note 22. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page | 31
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NOTES TO THEACCOUNTS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 The statutory incomestatement and statement of financial position of Staffordshire Wildlife Trading Limited were as follows.. Staffordshire Wildlife Trading Limited Income Statement Year ended31 March 2022 March 2011 rooo Revenue 744 Cost of sales 119¥ 16751 Gross pmfit 678 69 Administrative expenses 16061 11421 Owating Ofit Investment Income Profit before taxation Taxation 121 ILo$$llProfit forthe financial year 70 A gift aid payment of £30,000120ll-£Nill was made by the subsidiary to the parent charity. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page136
NOTES TO THEACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Staffordshire Wildlife Trading Limited Statement of Financial Position As at 31 March 2022 X122 202A 2021 rooo rooo ProFeTty, Plant and Equipment 96 Stock and Work in ProgSS Trade and other receivable5 Cash at bartk and Its hand Iz 71 11391 11891 Net curnt liabiliues Called up share capital Retained Earnings 1661 Tot•lEqthy Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page137
NOTES TO THEACCOUNTS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Staffordshire Ecological Services Limited The principat activity of Staffordshire Ecologicat Services Limited was that of providing environmental consultancy services. This company ceased trading on 30 September 2015. Staffordshire Ecologicat Services tirnited entered into no sales or purchases with any of the other members of the group in the year. At the year end Staffordshire Ecological Services Limited owed £Nil1202L £Niti to its parent company. Staffordshire Ecological Services Limited remained dormant throughoutthe year ended 31 March 2022 stsffordshire Ecological Services Limited Statement of fJnan¢ial position As at 31 March 2022 2011 Cooo Cooo Profft. Plant and Equipment Trade and other receivables Cash at bank and in hand Net current assets Called up share capital Retained Earnings TotsIEq Both Staffordshire Wildlife Trading Limited and Staffordshire Ecological Services Limited are wholly owned subsidiaries of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page138
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APPENDIX- DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF RESTRICTED AND DESIGNATED FUNDS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Balanco oiAprzoii Jncomln81 OutgolDgJ Tranofer# 3iMarzozz eooo rooo Action for Invertebrates Badger Vaccinations Barn Owl Action Group Basie Paymént Scheme Beavers Bleak House Branston teas Catchment Based Approach {CaBal Central Rivers initiauve Churnet Valley Area Projects Claymills and Marchington Crayfish in Cri81S Craddock's Moss Cmxall lakes Restor4tion Faciliation Funds Gentleshaw Common Gun Moor L£tal Records Centr High8ate Knotbury Common Mammal Group Naturnl Hood Management Peatland Funds Purple Horizons Rugeley Power Station Scotch Brook Stafford Bmoks Staffordshire Flora Staffordshire Moorlands DC sites Stoke and Urban Newcastle Tame Valley Legacy Trdnsforniing the Trent Valley Trnnt Valley'Livin8 L*gac Tucklesholme Water for Wlldlife Weirwork Wild Al)out Tamworth Wilderchurnet Wildlife Sites Postcodt Climate Challenge 19 141 1161 1681 142) (Tr) 63 36 Is Iz 1511 12 13 loo 13 69 1311 1311 141 liol 143) 1341 161 66 26 81 liol 104 215 123 11241 214 l4 69 14 1681 91 147) 109 1461 1121 230 1141 131 1171 1291 181 1371 1371 141 147 1131 176 36 144) 213 12831 316 181 38 1311 tsi 141 171 6S 151 17 1131 74 18 io 1961 Jo 19 670 9A7 This page does not form part of the statutory accounts on which the auditors have reported LookingAfterStaffordshire¥ hlldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number. 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl." ty)959609 Wildlife Trust Page145
APPENDIX- DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF RESTRICTED AND DESIGNATED FUNDS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Re•trktedFundTncorne andBalancu Contlnued oiApr2021 In¢oThlng¥ Out8olng• Tr£¢1 31Mar2022 Cooo rooo Childw) in Need Gtw) Influencer Strong Roots. Better Futuxts Team Wilder Water for Wtllbting Wildchild Wildchild- South West Peak WAlder Stoke.Wilder Newcastle Is 1241 1161 18 L3 li 161 1531 1181 1381 121 213 9A (llo) L679 {13691 3303 This page does not form part of the statutory accounts on which the auditors have reported. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page146
APPENDIX- DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF RESTRICTED AND DESIGNATED FUNDS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Bolave oIApr2021 Tn¢omlng• OptgolD8• TraDty£er• M•r2012 eooo Allitnore Bateswood Black Brook Black Firs Bleak House BrdDkley Pa$ture5 Brnnston teas Brown End Quarry Castern Wood Cotton Dell & Side Fann Colwich Croxall Doxey Maxshes Gentleshaw Geor8es Hayes Harston Hem Heath Highgate Ipstones Edge Jacksons Cotoice iwtoTh Natural Flood Management Newt#)Id South Parnts Drnmble Pasturefields Radfottl Mea&)ws Roaches Rod Wood Shawside Thot5wood Tucklesholme Weag's Barn 1141 67 14 141 64 L7 17 29 109 171 Isl 17 1141 136) 311 Is 290 li 131 Is li) 14) 18 171 121 1102} 16 7$1 116$) This page does not form part of the statutory accounts on which the auditors have reported. Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number (England and Walesl."00959609 Wildlife Trust Page147
APPENDIX- GLOSSARY OFTERMS FOR THEYEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022 Acronymswhich may have beenusedwithin the financial statements AGM CaBA CEO CIN CVLLP DEFRA FRC FRS GDPR GRCF HLF HS2 ISA LEI NFM NLHF Rswr SAC SER SMDC SOFA SORP sssi SUNLL SUNRISE swp swr TTrv TVWP WEG WSWN Annual General Meeting Catchment Based Approach (Partnership for River Catchments) Chief Executive Officer Children in Need Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Financial Reporting Councit Financial Reporting Standard General Data Protection Regulation Green Recovery Challenge Fund Heritage Lottery Fund INOW National Lottery Heritage Fund) High Speed 2 International Standards on Auditing Landscape Enhancement Initiative Natural Flood Management National Lottery Heritage Fund (formerly Heritage Lottery Fundl The Royal Society of Wildlife Tnt$ Special Area of Conservation Staffordshire Ecological Record Sraffordshire Moorlands District Council Statement of Financial Activities Statement of Recommended Practice (for Charity Reporting) A Site of Special Scientific Interest Stoke and Urban Newcastle Living Landscape Stoke and Urban Newcastle.. Rediscovering its Secret Environments South West Peak Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Transforming the Trent Valley Tame Valley Wetlands Partnership Water Environment Grant Wilder Stoke. Wilder Newcastle This page does not forni part of the statutory accounts on which the auditors have reported Looking AfterStGffordshire's hqldlife Staffordshire Wildlife Trust Limited Registered charity number." 259558 Company Number IEtJgland and Walesl".00959609 Wildlife Trust Page148