|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Trustees' Annual Report**|||||**for theperiod**|||
|**From **|Period start date|||_To_|Period end date|||
||01|01|2024||31|12|2024|
_**Section A Reference and administration details**_
**Charity name The Friends of Upton Country Park Other names charity is known by** FUCP **Registered charity number (if any) 272450**
**Charity's principal address Upton Country Park Poole Dorset** Postcode **BH17 7BJ**
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Mr M. Yeomans|President|||
||Vacant|Chair|||
||Mrs L. Mumford|Treasurer|||
||Ms K. Dinmore|Secretary|||
||Mrs D. Butler|PublicityOfficer|||
||Mrs M. Carr||||
||Mr R. Griffin||12/06/24 to 31/12/24||
||Mrs C. Hall||||
||Mrs C. Leppan||||
||Mrs M. Wood||||
||Mr N. Woods||||
||||||
|||**Additional Executive Committee Members - Non Trustee**|||
||Mrs B. Baggs|Membership Secretary|||
||||||
|||**Group Nominated Representatives - Non Trustee**|||
||Mr P. Wemyss|Creekmoor CommunityAssociation|||
||Mr J. Biggs|Poole and East Dorset Art Society|||
||Mrs S. Preston|Lytchett Minster and Upton Floral Club|||
||||||
**Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)**
|Type||**Name**|**Name**|**Name**|**Dates acted if not for whole year**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||
|Bankers|||Barclays Bank plc|||
|Insurers|||Markel International
Insurance Company
Limited|20 Fenchurch Street, London. EC3M 3AZ||
|Independent Examiner|||Mr Sau Kee Li CTA ATT|87 North Road, Poole, Dorset. BH14 0LT||
|||||||
## Section B Structure, governance and management
## **Description of the charity’s trusts**
Constitution Type of governing document Adopted 29[th] March 1999 (eg. trust deed, constitution) Amended: 4[th] April 2005, 3[rd] April 2006, 8[th] April 2013, 30[th] March 2015, 20[th] June 2022 How the charity is constituted Independent Association of Members (eg. trust, association, company) Elected and nominated from the membership annually and approved at Trustee selection methods the AGM. Co-opted during year by Executive Committee if required. (eg. appointed by, elected by)
## **Additional governance issues (Optional information)**
|You**may choose**to include
additional information, where
relevant, about:
•policies and procedures
adopted for the induction and
training of trustees;
•the charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the charity
works;
•relationship with any related
parties;
•trustees’ consideration of
major risks and the system
and procedures to manage
them.|Membership of the Charity is open to individuals and organisations
interested in Upton Country Park and Upton House.
The FUCP activities are managed through an Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee met on 3 occasions during the year.
(owing to the vacancy of the Chair position, the President has acted as
Chair and will do so until a new Chair has been elected)
All members of the Executive Committee give their time voluntarily and
receive no remuneration or other benefits.|
|---|---|
## **Section C Objectives and activities**
|**Summary of the objects of the**
**charity set out in its**
**governing document**
**Summary of the main**
**activities undertaken for the**
**public benefit in relation to**
**these objects (include within**
**this section the statutory**
**declaration that trustees have**
**had regard to the guidance**
**issued by the Charity**
**Commission on public**
**benefit)**|To promote the educational and physical recreational aspects of Upton
Country Park.
To improve the area and facilities and amenities within it.|
|---|---|
||•
Liaison with BCP council, regarding refurbishments,
improvements and upgrades in the Park and House.
•
Raise, or assist in raising of funds for Upton Country Park
•
Represent collectively all persons and organisations interested in
Upton Country Park and to encourage the use of Upton Country
Park.
•
Operating the Kiosk at the rear of Upton House.
•
Providing stewards to enable the public to view parts of Upton
House and generate not only local interest, but also the interest
from holiday visitors.
In all these activities, the Trustees have given consideration to the
Charity Commission guidelines on public benefit. These main activities
have contributed finances and support to enhance the facilities within
Upton Country Park. The final element of the Welcome Centre project
was completed in 2024 with opening of a new volunteer area.
Volunteers interface with the Public whilst undertaking their roles,
providing invaluable help and information about Upton Country Park.|
## **Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)**
|You**may choose**to include
further statements, where
relevant, about:
•policy on grantmaking;
•policy programme related
investment;
•contribution made by
volunteers.|Volunteers have been instrumental in fund raising and ensuring that
visitors have been kept informed about Upton Country Park and FUCP.|
|---|---|
Section D Achievements and performance
|**Summary of the main**
**achievements of the charity**
**during the year**|FUCP and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) have
met during the year to cooperate on fundraising schemes in support of
enhancements to the Park and House.
In 2023 FUCP successfully obtained a grant of £780 from the
International Tree Foundation, for some hedgerow trees. This grant was
used in 2024 purchasing 700 Whips (one year old trees) to restore the
hedge lines.
In 2023 FUCP had agreed to fund £3,500 for the acquisition of some
wildlife monitoring and surveillance equipment for use in the Park by our
volunteer group. During 2024, £3,004.93 was used to acquire the
equipment.
£840 was donated for the Walled Gardens box hedging.
The FUCP Refreshment Kiosk was open by our volunteers on 127 days
during the year, between February and December. This generated a
sales income of £22,780. This is down approximately 2.5% on previous
year. The kiosk also decided to open during the UCP Christmas Fayre in
late November/December for two days. This proved to be successful
raising over £500.
Upton House was opened to the public by FUCP volunteers on 17
occasions for house tours and sales of books and souvenirs. This
generated £1,064 in income, a decrease of 27.5% over last year.
7 new members joined FUCP during the year, and membership as at 31st
December 2024 comprised 128 of which 3 are Honorary Members.
As Treasurer, I wish to acknowledge the support and help of the charity's
invaluable volunteers and trustees without whom the achievements
during this period would not have been possible.|
|---|---|
|||
|**Section E Financial review**||
|**Brief statement of the**
**charity’s policy on reserves**||
||Cash at bank at 31/12/2023 was £84,868comprising £83,911in
unrestricted funds.
£160,000 was again re-invested in 2 separate interest bearing 1 year
bonds. (£80,000 each)|
## **Details of any funds materially** None **in deficit**
## **Further financial review details (Optional information)**
Summary of Project Funding 2024:You **may choose** to include additional information, where **Projects completed by FUCP:-** relevant about:
**Projects completed by FUCP:-** Moth Traps & Surveillance to date £3,005 Walled Gardens Box Hedging £840.00
- the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising); **Donations to the Borough of Poole for Projects:-**
- • how expenditure has Library & Dining Room Restoration £3,800 Glass on Cabinet in Dining Room £190.00
- supported the key objectives of the charity; **Total £ 7,835**
- • investment policy and objectives including any **Contingent Liabilities Allocated:-**
- ethical investment policy Moth Traps and Surveillance Equipment £957
- adopted. **Total £957**
## Section F Other optional information
## **Section G Declaration**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report, prepared by Lindsey Mumford (Treasurer and Trustee 01/01/24 to 31/12/24), above.**
## **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
|**Signature(s)**|||
|---|---|---|
|**Full name(s)**|Mike Yeomans|Lindsey Mumford|
|**Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)**|President|Treasurer and Trustee|
||||
|**Date**|30/04/25|30/04/25|