Lakeland Horticultural Society
ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the 16 months ended 31" December 2025
Registered Charity No. 259847

THE LAKELAND HORTICULTURAL SOCIErY
Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the 16 months ended 31st December 2025
CONTENTS
Page
Trustees, Annual Report=
Officer5 and Trustees of the Society
Report from the ChaI￿nan of Trustees
Financial Report
Strurture, Governance and Management
Activities
Achievements and Perfonnance
Independent Examinerfs Report
13
Statement of Financial Activities
14
Balance Sheet
15
Notes to the Financial Statements
16-21
Address:
Holehird Garden5
Patterdale Road
Windermere
LA23 INP
Registered Charity No. 259847

President
Peter Hoggarth
Vice-Pre5idents
John Ashley
Christopher Brickell CBE VMH
Lord Cavendish of Furness DL
John Davenport
Lady Cressida Inglewood. Countess of Lonsdale
John D Main NDH DHE FIHort
Shelagh Newman
MarBaretThomas
Shelagh Todd
Council of Trustees
Offi￿r$.
Chairman=
Alan Gerrard
Victrchairman:
vacant
Garden Coordinator:
vucant
Hon Secretary:
Sue Buckingham
Hon Treasurer:
Tony Willey
Members:
Pauline Aldous
Charles Bulman
Sarah Burgess
Hayley Davidson
Alan Dickinson
Loma Hillmann
Alison Sanford
Stephen Sharp
Registered Charity No. 259847

Report from the Chairman of Trustees- Alan Gerrard
Walking into the walled garden mid-January and already signs of plant growth,. on the East
bed (where I garden less frequently nowl) the reliable Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation,
has colour although not quite fully out and a few flowers have been spotted on our Daphne
odora aureomarginata. It's been a waiting game with this Daphne. Already in the soil for 4
years there was great excitement when we spotted a few flowers hidden away last year.
Let's hope this year will be the one when we finally get a show to talk about.
Council meetings have been focussing on activities with less of a horticultural theme, and
more on significant projects that will support our members and our visitors over a long time
period. We are going through a period where there will be significant change.
I wrote in my last update that Members and Council had agreed to submit our new
Constitution to the Charity Commission. I'm pleased to let you know the Charity
Commission confirmed the registration of the Lakeland Horticultural Society as a Charitable
Incorporated Organisation on the 15th De￿mber 2025. The two LHS Charities will run in
parallel until all the actions post registration are completed which include amongst others..
informing external parties of the change in our status., re-registering for Gift Aid,. updating
our standing orders., and the transfer of assets to the CIO_ The final step will take place at
the AGM on Saturday 11th April when we will complete all the activities for the last financial
year of the original Charity and then close it down. We wll continue with our current
Trustees in the new CIO until we hold the first AGM in April 2027, when we are required to
start the three-year cycle of one third of Trustees resigning.
IT has featured heavily in Council meetings too. An audit of programmes and equipment
related to the use of IT has been completed and the recommendations from the audit are
now being implemented. Priority has been given to resolving email issues. Council is aware
that Members using Gmail have not b￿n getting emails from the LHS., it is now clear that
this has been triggered by email providers using filters to prevent bulk emails (spam)
arriving in their customers Inboxes. I hope in the near future (if not by the time you read
this) we will have resolved this issue. Council acknowledges it is not ac￿ptable for
Members to miss out on regular communication from the LHS.
On a different note, and more directly related to the Journal, Council asked the Publications
team to investigate publishing the Journal electronically. This is in response to rising
printing and postal costs which are now a high proportion of the cost of services to
Members. In January's Council meeting we were able to see and use the proposed
solution. I was very pleased with the look and ease of use of the e-Journal', searching,
scrolling and using the App was very easy. Trustees also commented on the clarity of the
text and images. We would like to let Members see what it would look like and how easy it
is to use over the next few months and get any feedback from them. We'll do that by
providing a laptop in the social area during tealcoffee breaks whenever we can. I know
some of you may still want to receive a paper copy and we'll do our best to continue that
service as long as we can. We are still discussing how to archive and make the E-Journal
available after publication.
Regular visitors and users of the LHS social facilities will know that the existing building is
showing its age. Built to replace a temporary structure in 1981, this building is well past its
sell-buy date and probably past its use-by date! Much as we may love this building, we
Registered Charity No. 259847

must recognise that it's draughty, under insulated and letting in water in places. It must
come down and be replaced by a more modern structure capable of supporting solar
panels and reducing the heating costs. It will be no simple matter to identify a solution that
satisfies our needs and comes in within budget. The project team is busy looking at
possible solutions, one of which was presented to Council in January. The team is now in
the iterative phase of reducing costs to meet our budget. on￿ we have an outline design
that meets all our requirements, the project team will display drawings for Members to see.
Should everything go to plan, the demolition and rebuild will take place over the winter
months when visitor numbers and active gardening are at their lowest. There are proposals
to provide aC￿sS to the labelling room and library during the build, and temporary social
facilities will be made available for Members. This is no small undertaking for the Society
and l ask that you remain patient when your nomial aC￿S to the garden and facilities are
being impeded.
The keen eyed amongst you will have seen a second visit to Holehird by the BBC last year.
This time Roger Johnson from BBC North West Tonight visited the gardens under the
theme of Autumn colour. The garden shots were largely done with a drone camera, and I
was struck by the quality of the pictures from such a small piece of equipment, which was
casually taken out of the camerawoman's pocket, unfolded and flown in secondsl Despite Ft
being 'driech' weather the garden looked great. We were able to land all the key messages
about the Society in the short time we had. We had expected to only be on air locally but
few days later it was shown on national BBC breakfast and lunchtime shows. More very
welcome exposure of our wonderful gardens.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the death of our President Peter Hogarth last year. Many of
you will know this already but I wanted to record this in my Annual Report in recognition of
his contribution to the Society.
Treasurer's Report- Tony Willey
As other have mentioned, 2025 was a record year for visitor donations thanks to publicity
and the fine spring weather. Unfortunately. this has not translated into a large surplus as
inflation and the cost of maintaining our ageing infrastructure has resulted in a modest
surplus of £29,000. Maintenance costs have doubled Sin￿ 2020 despite much of the work
being carried out by our volunteers.
We are fortunate to have substantial cash reserves. These reserves have mostly come
from generous legacies and donations by members and others, around £700,000 since the
Millennium. The first stage of work on the main building cost £180,000, leaving £570,000
cash reserves at the year end and further substantial inroads will be made with the planned
second phase. It is to be hoped that members will be equally generous in future. The
possibility of grant funding for major projects will also be investigated.
The increasing cost of producing our ex￿lIent members, journal has been a concern for
some time. The proportion of membership subscriptions available to help fund the gardens
has halved since 2019, largely due to escalating postage costs. A single copy of the journal
currently costs £6 to £8 to print, assemble and post depending on content. The introduction
of a digital version as part of a general move to electronic communication is an obvious
answer.
Registered Charity No. 259847

The requested donation from visitors was increased from £5 to £6 in 2025 and will increase
again to £7 in 2027. The insidious effect of inflation means that £7 next year will only have
the same real value as £5 had when it was introduced in 2018. That £5 was a convenient
figure when most donations were in cash and with hindsight we held onto it for too long.
Almost 50 % of visrtor income is by contactless card these days and there is less need to
aim for a round figure.
Please note that due to the change in year end. the reported financial figures cover a period
of 16 months.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Society is a registered charity governed by a constitution approved by the membership,
and last modified by the AGM of De￿rnber 2021. Its objects are to promote and develop
the science, practice and art of horticulture, with special referen￿ to the conditions
prevailing in the Lake District, and within that area to promote and facilitate cooperation
between all horticultural organisations and to serve the interests of all horticulturalists.
The management and administration of the Society is conducted by its Council, whose
members are Trustees of the Charity. The Council comprises five Honorary Offi￿rS of the
Society, and up to twelve elected Members. The offi￿rS consist of the Chairman, the Vice-
Chairman, the Garden Coordinator, the Secretary and the Treasurer. The current members
of the Council are set out on page 3.
Day-to-day management is devolved to five sub-committees.. Garden, Estates, Education,
Publications, and Public Relations. These are govemed by Standing Orders which are
reviewed regularly, and were last approved in January 2024.
Offi￿rS are elected at each Annual General Meeting (AGM) having, with their consent,
been nominated and seconded in writing by members of the Society. They hold Offi￿ until
the end of the next AGM. They may be nominated for re-election but may not serve for
more than six consecutive years in any one offi￿. Elected Members having, with their
consent, been nominated and seconded in writing by members, are elected at an AGM to
seNe a three-year term. They may be nominated for re-election, but may not serve for more
than consecutive terms. Members of Council do not receive any payment in connection
with their position.
The Society operates an informal system of Trustee induction, tailored to fit the experien
of the trustee. All new trustees are given a copy of all the relevant Charity Commission
documents, as well as the names and contact details of their fellow trustees.
All the work of the Society is carried out by volunteers and is funded through members,
subscriptions, legacies, donations, the sale of plants from the garden, and the sale of
refreshments and publications wrrtten and designed by members.
Financial Review
On the basis of their review of future years. activities, and a detailed budget for the following
year, Council are satisfied with the financial position at 31 August 2024. The policy on
Registered Charity No. 259847

Reserves, the reason why they are held and their intended use, is set out in Note 10 to the
Accounts.
Activities
Garden
The Society manages the renowned garden at Holehird which is open to the public every
day of the year. This is a 10-acre garden on a hillside site near Windermere, 600 feet above
sea level. The garden regularly re￿iVeS up to 30,000 visitors each year, and although no
formal charge is made for aC￿ss, visitors are invited to make a donation. The gardens are
developed and maintained to the highest standards, providing the public with practical
examples of design, propagation, plant Maintenan￿ and horticultural practice in relation to
specific Lake District location and climatic condrtions. In various parts of the garden trees,
shrubs, herbaceous perennials, bulbs and alpines are grown.
The Society also acts as the International Registration Authorty for Astilbe on behalf of the
International Society for Horticultural Scien￿, and hosts the National plant collections of
Astilbe, Daboecia (heathers}, Hosta 'Mouse' Series, Meconopsis (the blue poppy),
Polystichum (ferns) and Tana￿tuM coccineum (painted daisies).
Education
Gardening courses and lectures are held throughout the year, given by members of the
Society and outside experts. Our volunteers act as garden guides for the many tour groups
that visit Holehird, and also give a considerable number of horticultural lectures to other
groups. A well-stocked library and reading room. equipped with PCS and several
microscopes, including a new high-powered model, is also available to all members, and a
series of horticultural leaflets is available to the public on particular species that are grown
in the garden, including the National Collections. We also have our own weather station
which helps us understand the effect of varying climate on the performan￿ of the plants in
the garden. The weather records are available online to individuals and other organisations.
Media
The website, www.holehirdgardens.org.uk, shares the Society's knowledge and activities
online, while "The Lakeland Gardenerf, the Joumal of the Lakeland Horticultural Society,
serves the same purpose in print. The Society also publishes a regular Newsletterfor its
members. The Society has a growing presen￿ on social media.
Access for all
Within the inevitable constraints imposed by a fellside garden, the Society aims to ensure
that anyone with an interest in horticulture and gardening can benefit from its work,
whatever their means and limitations. Wardens are on dLrty daily from April to October in
the Visitor Information area to welcome the public and answer questions regarding the
gardens, either directly or by introducing visitors to other members of the Society.
Registered Charity No. 259847

The Trustees confimi that they have complied w¢th the duty in s17 of the Charities Act 2011
to have regards to the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit.
Achievements and Performance
Overall, it has been a successful year for the garden and the gardeners. The winter storms
did not do as much damage as in the previous 2 years. However, a Pinus Am7andii had to
be felled as it had been struck by the wind and left at an alarming angle. Two other trees
had to be felled as they showed signs of disease (a Sycamore in the Coach car Park and
an Ash tree in the Shetter belt) and one of the trunks of an ancient ￿1n-trUnked Japanese
Umbrella Pine tree (Sciadopitys verticillata) also had to be felled, as it had died: the other
half of the tree should survive for a several more years. Otherwise, Maintenan￿ work on
the trees in the gardens amounted to removing lower branches of several trees, to improve
light to the beds below or to improve conditions for mowing the lawns.
Spring arrived earlier than expected. The garden (and gardeners) enjoyed unusually warm
and dry conditions for most of March and April. The display of spring flowering shrubs and
bulbs was spectacular and greatly appreciated by our visitors- especially those that had
seen Holehird gardens featured in the April edition of 'Gardeners World, on the BBC. The
summer and autumn planting also lived up to expectations, providing colour and interest
well into the later part of the year, both in the Walled Garden, the Lower Drive and the
Fellside beds. The wide range of plants clearly demonstrating what can thrive in the Lake
District conditions.
In addition to the general Maintenan￿ of the gardens, a couple of areas are being
renovated. One of the beds on the upper fellside, which used to house a National
Collection of Polysthicum, is being redesigned as a woodland area. The rose arbour on the
lower terrace has been cleared and replanted with climbing roses, the Fuchsia bed has
been extended, and work has been started on renovating the area around the Cascade.
Other achievements including planting 3 new trees to repla￿ ones lost over the last couple
of years: a young Japanese Umbrella Pine tr& has been planted on the fellside, a
Magnolia 'Wada's Memory, has been planted in the Magnolia bed, and a Comus altemifolia
'Argentea' AGM has been planted in the Walled Garden.
All of the work in the gardens is carried out by our teams of volunteers. We were very
pleased to welcome 25 new gardeners this year, a great addition to the gardens but more
would still be welcome. We are very lucky to have such a large group of willing volunteers,
their efforts are greatly appreciated both by the Society and our visitors.
Maintaining and restoring the garden's old buildings and infrastructure remains challenging
for the Estates Team, especially due to a shortage of new and young volunteers. The
current team members are getting older and increasingly unable to perfomi the physical
tasks we ask them to do.
The works to enlarge and upgrade the visitors. toilets and to add an internal members,
disabled toilet were completed and opened to the public in March. Despite the many
problems of renovating a Victorian building the scheme was complete on time and within
our budget. Con￿ptUal designs associated with the renovation of the members, area are
currently being evaluated.
Registered Charity No. 259847

Over the winter, in addition to the annual collection of leaves and the clearing of drains, the
estates volunteers undertook several projects. Work to improve and restore the paths and
walls in the Hydrangea beds was completed by the end of March. The Surfa￿ to the
woodland walkway path has been restored with hardwood chips and new timber edgings to
retain this material. The fencing around the Astilbe propagation area at the farm has been
replaced. New aluminium benches have been erected to replace the rotten timber trestles.
The retaining wall that supports the fuchsia bed in the small car park was in a poor state.
Our volunteers have completely rebuilt this wall, and a new coping was added using
imported stone.
Our volunteers continue to restore the Tufa House. wtth new roof frames being installed
and 3D-printed components replacing the stuck ventilation mechanism. However, work has
paused due to a roof panel collapse in the Fuchsia House and the discovery of further
structural issues, prompting closure for safety. Repla￿ment wooden window frames and
CUNed toughened glass to match the existing panes have been produced and delivered to
Holehird.
Specialist contractors have patched the surfacing to the lower drive, and the upper drive
has been resurfaced. Electricians have upgraded the lighting and electrical sockets in the
Tool Shed.
As would be expected with a fellside garden in the Lake District, flooding is a headache for
the estates team. Substantial flows of water come off the farmer's field just inside the main
electric gates. Over the winter this had flooded both our drive and the Patterdale Road. We
have installed a temporary solution that appears to be providing some flood relief. A new
drainage system has been built to collect the storm water that flowed over the magnolia
bed. The path that runs from the Viewing Platform to the mansion is now frequently
flooding. We have undertaken a survey of the drainage in the area and have found that the
Victorian cast-iron drainage has collapsed. We have asked the Holehird Trust to resolve
this problem.
Following a major breakdown of the irrigation system, the fault was found to be a broken
timer clock and a burnt-out pump. Both components have been replaced. To guard
against future failures a spare pump has been purchased and the heavily corroded air
receiver (which regulates the water pressure in the pipes) has been replaced. In what has
been a dry and warm summer the system has subsequently performed well.
I'm consistently impressed by the skills and accomplishments of our small, dedicated
estates team, much of their work going unnoticed by visitors and fellow volunteers.
The Education team has been busy working on a wide range of projects since our last
AGM.
Holehird's social media presence continues to grow across all plafforms and raises the
profile of Holehird Gardens across the worldl Our visitors love sharing their photos and
collaborating with us on posts. We view social media as an exciting new way of keeping
members and followers engaged and connected to the gardens in the most up to date way.
We post educational content several times a week which is well re￿ived.
Registered Charity No. 259847

The library continues to be highly regarded due to its huge range of topics linked to
horticulture and usage has continued to increase.
A range of plants have been propagated and provided for the Garden Trails. It's been a
popular period for garden trails Sin￿ our feature on Gardeners World and Local News. We
are hoping to use the winter as an opportunty to update and modernise some of the trails
as well as introducing new ones.
Our extemal information boards continue to give visitors infomiation about our soil and
weather as well as our National Collections and Plant of the Month, though some updating
is now necessary.
The audio-visual team have been trialling recording our lectures where the speaker has
given permission. These are posted to the members, area On￿ checked for quality.
Courses at Holehird on Designing with Plants and Pruning have been provided by Shelagh
Todd and Louise Stoddart and continuing plans to work with them are in place. In house
courses have included using electric strimmers, seed cleaning and quarterly floral
demonstrations. LHS members willing to share their expertise are much appreciated.
There have been several public lectures Back in October 2024 the Head Gardener from
the NT Acorn Bank talked about the garden. Then TJ Maher. a plantsman from county
Wicklow, Ireland, gave a very popular talk on his garden. In January and February 2025 we
had Pat Murphy. who gave a talk on Galanthus, then Liz Mooney from RHS Wisley. World
Health garden, who talked about edible plants. March saw Andrew Ward from Norwell
Nurseries lecture on planting in sand.
This winter we took the decision to move our lectures from the Marchesi back to Holehird.
Kevin Hughes from Cally gardens in Dumfries started the lecture season to a full house.
Diane Clement from the Alpine Garden Society and Jack Ogg from York Gate Gardens
have both shared their knowledge and enthusiasm.
Our mini lectures through the summer start wff(h a garden update and have been followed
by talks on Holehird's history amongst other topics.
Our tour of Scottish gardens was well attended by members but unfortunately our planned
tour of Dutch gardens proved to be not as popular.
The Holehird Gardens website shows the wide range of work done by members of the
Education Committee at Holehird and beyond.
It has been a busy year for Public Relations Committee. The combined effect of national
publicity in the fonn of an item on BBC Gardeners World. an article in the RHS magazine
and coverage on BBC North West, led to a 20.￿ increase in visitor numbers to a total of
-20,000 recorded visitors. Of these, 970 were recorded as RHS members. There were
also 45 Group visits that covered some 866 visitors.
Reception opening from April to the end of October was covered with the ex￿ptIOn of 70
half-day sessions. This was a considerable achievement for a team of about 60 volunteers,
many of whom undertook multiple sessions. As well as welcoming visitors and seeking and
Registered Charity No. 259847
io

dealing with donations, they served some 3300 hot drinks and dealt wtth plant and
publication sales. There was no doubt that the pressure was intense in the earlier part of
the year.
I would like should record my thanks on behalf of the Society to our retiring Retsption
Team leaders who coordinated Re￿ption activity, to the drinks machine organiser who
kept the machines stocked, to our Group Viswt Coordinator who completed her first year as
and to out Publicity Officer managed our public relations.
The Committee has also been l¢)oking fotward and planning for life after the retirement of
our current Reception Coordinators. Unfortunately, no-one has volunteered to succeed
them and work-rounds are being investigated. We are also aware that a number of our
Reception volunteers are also retiring at the end of the season and thank them for their
service. However, this will further limit our ability to cover opening hours. New volunteers for
this pleasurable duty will be very welcome.
Bearing in mind that Reception is not staffed at all the hours that people visit the garden, we
have investigated outside contactless payment methods for donations and have made
recommendations to Council that are now being taken fotward by a technically competent
group.
The year has been busy for the membership team as well. LHS faced a problem wtth the
withdrawal of Direct Debtt facilities by Barclays and have had to migrate to a new provider,
Gocardless. This was far from straightforward, and we thank John Davenport and lan
Jones for their efforts. We have also moved membership records to the Beacon
management system. It has required intensive work but. in the longer run, will provide
benefits for the administration of membership matters. We are grateful for the help of Peter
Halfpenny and Heather Stevenson in getting us up and running.
The membership year for LHS has also changed and will run on a calendar year, going
fomard. At the end of December, membership numbers were broadly comparable to
previous years with 1386 members. However, there is some uncertainty about whether a
number will fail to renew because of the disruption to some direct debit payments so that
number could fall.
Finally, I would like to thank the Catering team. They keep members and gardeners
supplied with coffee and also provide for a number of internal events.
Membership numbers are broadly steady at 1359 at the beginning of September 2024,
compared with 1376 at the beginning of September 2023. 88 new members were recruited
although we sadly lost a number of long standing older members. A New Members
Afternoon was held in April 2024. The membership team are standing by to work through
the possible change to the membership year following the AGM
sin￿ the last AGM. there have been two Joumals, Springlsummer 2025 and
Autumnwinter 2025, encompassing a wide range of subjects of interest to members. By
the time you read this, the Spring/Summer 2026 issue will be available. This is the first
issue to be prepared in time for the rescheduled April AGM. It looks different in that it has
no advertisements. This is because we are without an Advertising Secretary. We do hope
to reintroduce a selected number of adverts in future editions as they do make a financial
Registered Charity No. 259847
li

contribution to the Society. It is the Society's intention to offer an electronic version of the
Journal to those who request it. In order to see what that might be like, we asked our
printers to prepare an electronic version of the Autumn 2025. The link can be supplied on
request. Full roll-out of the eJoumal will not happen immediately as there are numerous
issues to be resolved before it can happen.
Two issues of the Newsletter were produced during the year. Following the changes to the
membership year and the date of the Annual General Meeting, there is no longer any need
for a third mailing in the summer. The new membership card has been well received and
will be produced annually.
Work is ongoing to produce a new guide to the garden. It has been decided due to
reduction in sales to not continue with producing postcards. New greetings cards are under
review.
The Trustees, Annual report was adopted by Council at its meeting on 31st March 2026
and signed on its behalf by
Alan Gerrard - Chairman
Tony Willey - Treasurer
i[_o¢-
Registered Charity No. 259847
12

Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of the Lakeland Horticultural Society
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charty for the year
ended 31 December 2025 which are set out on pages 14 to 21.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in
accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act.).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145
of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions
given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examinerfs statement
I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my
attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material
respect".
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by
section 130 of the Act: or
the accounts do not comply with these records., or
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the
form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports)
Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and
fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent
examination.
I hav
exa
und
no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the
ation to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper
tanding of the accounts to be reached.
D S J Sissons
Chartered Accountant
Waters and Atkinson
The Old Court House
Clark Street
Morecambe
LA4 SHR
Date .
Registered Charity No. 259847
13

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTivmES
2025
2024
Incoming resources
Voluntary Income
Other Chartsble Inco￿
167.736
123,296
19,861
27.868
Investment Income
Totsl income resources
33,423
229.027
30.291
173,448
Resources expended
Garden & Estate maintenance
Other charitable expenditure
Administration costs
120.159
15,858
33,345
27,995
2,491
199,848
95,310
9907
27,397
13,460
3171
149.245
Depreciation
Governance cost5
Total resources expended
Not resources expended
29,179
24.203
Accumulaled funds bm
838.393
814.190
ACCUMULATED FUNDS
CIF
867.572
838,393
There are no other gains & losses other than those disck)sed above. All transactions are derived from
continuing activities.
Registered Charity No. 259847
14

BALANCE sHE￿- As at 31st December 2025 - Flgures in £s
December 2025
August 2024
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets
295.271
145.111
CURRENT ASSETS
Stocks
Debtors & accrued interest
Cash at bank
774
10.5
569.570
580.850
1,961
20.633
681,809
704,403
CREDITORS amounts
falling due within one year
-8.549
-11.121
NET CURRENT ASSETS
NET ASSETS
572,301
867,572
693,282
838,393
CAPITAL FUNDS
Restricted funds
Unre5tricled funds
TOTAL ACCUMULATED
FUNDS
4,000
863.572
4,000
834,393
867,572
838,393
BALANCE SHEET As at 31 December 2025
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard
applicable in the UK {FRS 1021 and the Accounting and Reporting by Charities.. Statement of Recommended
Practice applicable to charities (Charities SORP IFRS 10211. They were approved by Council on 31 St March
2026 and are signed on their behalf by
11 Ldooj.
Alan Gerrard- Chairman
Tony Willey-Treas
The Notes on pages 17to 21 form part of these financial statements.
Registered Charity No. 259847
15

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Accounting Policies
Basis of preparation
The financial statements of the Charity are prepared under the historical cost convention with the
exception of investments, which are included at market value. They have been prepared in
accordance with the Charities Act 2011, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK
(FRS 102), and the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice
applicable to charities (Charities SORP {FRS 102)). The Charity is a public benefit entity under FRS
102, its presentation currency is Slerling (rounded lo the nearest £1). The Trustees believe the
Society is a going-concem, and have prepared the financial statements on that basis.
Incoming resources
Incoming resources represent tolal income receivable during ihe year, and comprise membership
subsGriptions, donations, legacies. income from educational activities, investment income and
sundry other income.
Resources expended
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. Charitable expenditure represents the cost of
maintaining the estate and garden, scientific, education and edttorial activities. Support services
represent membership costs, and costs relating to the general running of the Society. Governance
costs include those incurred in meeting constrtutional and stabjiory requirements, and the
preparation of the financial statements.
iv)
Tangible fixed assets and dep￿CiatIon
Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost. Depreciation is calculated to wnte off that cost over the
expected useful life of each asset, as follows-
Leasehold land and building costs prior to 31st May 2020, the expiry date of the previous
lease, have been fully depreciated. Additions Sin￿ that date are depreciated on a straight
line basis to 31st March 2046, the expiry date ofthe current lease.
Fixtures and fittings are written down to a nominal value in the year of acquisilion-,
Glasshouses are depreciated on a linear basis over ten years- and
Machinery.. vehicles and equipmenl are depreciated on a linear basis over five years.
Stock
Stock is valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value. It relates to books and publications
held for sale to members and visitors. It does not include plants or any work in progress.
vi)
Creditors
Short-tem creditors are valued at their transaction price.
vii)
Taxation
The Society is exempt from corporation tax.
viiil Resep4es
The policy on Accumulaled Funds held as Reserves is set OLrt in Note 10 to the Financial
Statements.
Re8lStered Charity No. 259847
16

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (conL)
Restricted and Unrestricted Funds
The Society has entered into an agreement wlth the Holehird Trust for the upkeep of those parts of
the gafdens outside its lease. This income of £42,775 can only be spent on these activities.
The Mary Miles endowment of £4,000 can be spent only in extremis. This is disclosed separately on
the Balance Sheet as Restricted Funds.
There are no restrictions on any other income.
Voluntary income
2025
2024
Restricted donation (the Holehird Trust- Note 21
other donations
42775
32,664
98567
59,269
Mernbership subscriptions
Gift aid reclaimed
22434
22,627
3960
8,736
167736
123,296
Other charitable income
Plant sales
19744
14,338
Vending machine sales
6710
4,002
Less.. Cost of vending machine supplies
-2492
11,5151
23962
2,487
Sales of stabonery. guides and
1661
1,576
Advertising sales in Society Joumal
Income from educational courses
2025
950
220
510
27868
19,861
Investment income
Interest on bank deposits
33423
30,291
Registered Charity No. 259847
17

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (conL}
Garden and Estate maintenance
2025
2024
Garden maintenance
19099
26,790
Plants purchased
10654
8,599
Estate maintenance
90406
59,921
120159
95,310
Other charitable expenditure
Costs of publishing Joumal and Newsletters
9349
5,858
Cost of guides and b(x)ks
1187
1,476
Courses, bursaries and lectures
5322
2,573
15858
9,907
Admlnistration costs
Membership administration
14033
9,017
Insurance
8120
7,468
Publicity and Open Day
745
407
Website and IT costs
1324
1,839
Other
9123
8,666
33345
27,397
Govemance costs
Independent Examination costs
AGM costs
1836
2,000
655
1,171
2491
3,171
Registered Charity No. 259847
18

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS IconL)
10.
Accumulated Funds
In accordance with guidance issued by the Charities Commission, the Tnjslees have considered whether it is
appropriate for the Society to retain funds for future chatrtable activities. Plans are in development for
significant capital expenditure (see note 14). This will result in a substanb'al reductson in cash reserves. A
fvrther review will take place when these capital projects are complete.
11.
Tangible fixed assets
Leasehold
Fixtures &
Machinery,
Glasshouse
Total
Land &
Fittings
Vehicles &
Buildings
Equipment
Cost
Al 31 August 2024
508834
20,539
112514
175,557
817444
Additions
160819
17336
178155
At 31 December 2025
669653
20,539
129850
175,557
995599
Depreciation
At 31 August 2024
377952
20.539
98285
175,557
672333
Charge for the year
18(￿0
9935
27995
At 31 December 2025
396012
20,539
108220
175.557
700328
Nel Book Value
At 31 December 2025
273641
21630
295271
Al 31 August 2024
130882
14229
145111
Registered Charity No. 259847
19

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS {conL)
12.
Cash at bank
The Trustees, investment policy is, as far as possible. to maximise the retum on the Society's investments.
Within thi5. the Govemment guarantee of £120,000 acts as a ceiling for funds invested in any one financial
institution. This policy, and the actual investments with each inslilub.on is reviewed every tsvelve months.
Cash at bank includes deposits with Building Societies regulated under the Prudential Regulation Authority
(part of the Bank of England) and the Financial Conduct Authority. Deposits have been pla￿d with a maturity
of be￿een six months and hvo years.
13.
Creditors and Receipts in Advance
2025
2024
Examiner's Fee
2000
2,000
Trade creditors
4109
9,121
Subscription received in advance
2440
8549
11,121
All amounts are payable within one year.
Registered Charity No. 259847
20

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont
14.
Commitments
2025
2024
Building improvements
190.569
190,569
15.
Trustee Remuneration
No remuneration was paid to Trustees (2023_' nil) and there were no expenses incurred in their roles as
trustee$12023.' nil)
16.
Related Party Transactions
There were no transactions with related parties {2023.' none)
Registered Charity No. 259847
21