Company no. 01409415 Charity no. 277287
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited Report and Audited Financial Statements 31 March 2025**
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Reference and administrative details**
**For the year ended 31 March 2025 Company number** 01409415 **Charity number** 277287 **Registered office and** Windmill Hill City Farm **operational address** Philip Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 4EA **Trustees** Trustees, who are also directors under company law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows: Alice Clarke Jamie Darwen Susanna Dunham Stephen Frost (resigned 11 April 2025) Francesca Inman (resigned 17 April 2024) Gemma Instrall (appointed 13 May 2024) Claire Jeffwitz Sally Jones Jonathan Lund Louisa Mafeld (appointed 19 May 2025) Anne Sharp (Chair) Benjamin Thomas (appointed 19 May 2025) Isobel Wales Elizabeth Warren (resigned 15 May 2025) **Chief executive officer** Stephen Sayers **Company secretary** Stephen Sayers **Key management** Helen Baines - Fundraising Manager **personnel** Montserrat Buitrago - Café Manager Sara Chapple - Health and Social Care Manager (to May 2024) Simone Dougall - Sales, Events and Marketing Manager Angela Farr - Health & Social Care Manager (from April 2024) Isabel Kearney - Fundraising Manager Sarah Mellor - Office/HR Manager Alia O'Callaghan - Finance Manager (to July 2025) Nicky Orr - Outdoor Learning Manager Laura Usher - Children and Family Services Manager
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Reference and administrative details**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
**Bankers** The Co-operative Bank Nationwide Building Society 1 Balloon Street Nationwide House Manchester Pipers Way M60 4EP Swindon SN38 1NW **Auditors** Godfrey Wilson Limited Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD
## **Auditors**
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
Reference and administrative information set out on pages 1 and 2 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (effective from January 2019).
## **Legal status**
Windmill Hill City Farm is a company limited by guarantee (number 01409415) registered as a charity (number 277287). It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association and the Companies Act 2006. The organisation has a subsidiary trading company, Windmill Hill Farm Community Enterprises Ltd (number 02792746), which is wholly owned by the charity.
## **Introduction**
Windmill Hill City Farm (WHCF) is an independent community organisation established in 1976 that provides a wide range of services and facilities focused around a farm and community gardens. The 4.5-acre inner-city site is leased from Bristol City Council with a peppercorn rent. The current lease is for 35 years commencing from 20 July 2017.
The objects of the charity are:
- To advance for the public benefit the education of all people in the neighbourhoods in and around Windmill Hill Bristol, particularly, but not exclusively, in subjects related to food, farming and the environment through provision of information, courses, activities and facilities for learning; to provide education and nursery care for young children; and training for people in any trade, occupation or service, thereby advancing them in life and enabling them to earn their own livelihood.
- To assist in the treatment and care of persons suffering from mental or physical illness of any description or in need of rehabilitation resulting from such illness, by the provision of services and facilities for work, therapy, education and recreation.
- To provide for the benefit of the public in the neighbourhoods in and around Windmill Hill Bristol facilities including, but not limited to a farm and gardens, and services in the interests of social welfare for recreation, volunteering or other leisure time occupation of individuals who have need of such facilities by reason of their youth, age or disability, financial hardship, or social circumstances with the object of improving their conditions of life and wellbeing.
- To develop the capacity and skills of people disadvantaged in any manner in the neighbourhoods in and around Windmill Hill Bristol in such a way that they are better able to identify, and help meet, their needs and to participate more fully in society.
## **Objectives and activities**
## **Vision and Mission: Overview**
The organisation works to a three-year plan. A new three-year strategy was published in March 2023 covering 2023 – 2026.
Our vision is for all local people to live active, healthy, and fulfilled lives in a friendly and sustainable neighbourhood. They have fair access to services, to outdoor spaces and nature, to places to meet each other and celebrate as a community, and to resources that enrich their understanding of food farming, and the environment.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
Our mission is to improve people’s lives by curating community spaces and services.
Our values are:
- Welcoming to all;
- Focused on nature;
- Where people grow;
- Bringing people together; and
- For the long term.
Our aims are focused on five inter-related areas:
- Education – people will have greater knowledge, opportunities, skills, and experience through their engagement with us;
- Developing wellbeing – people will be able to live happier, healthier lives and fulfil their potential through a connection to other people and nature in the city;
- Community spaces – more people will access our spaces and services on them, gaining a greater sense of belonging and pride, making our neighbourhood a better place to live for all;
- Community leadership – people will have greater engagement and power in their community improving the neighbourhood as a place to live and work; and
- Stronger organisation – the organisation will be more resilient, better able to achieve its goals, and be a greater contributor to a wider agenda for change.
Our strategy will inform and guide our future activities and initiatives over the next three years.
The organisation aspires to be:
## An organisation
- That delivers its mission in several places;
- Responsive to, and a leader within, its community;
- Ambitious to grow its reach, influence, and impact;
- Mindful to operate within its values;
- Engaged in issues that local people care about;
- Aiming for excellence in the quality of services and spaces it provides; and
- Financially robust and sustainable providing secure and meaningful employment.
## A place
- A farm for the local community to share;
- A place that inspires, and reaches out to, all people in our community;
- A beacon for sustainable living, where people can experience and learn about animals and plants, their environment, and food production;
- A space for people to visit, enjoy, play, relax and to meet people;
- A place that is safe and accessible to all in our community; and
- A sanctuary for people and nature.
## **Public benefit**
In preparing this report the trustees have complied with the duty under Section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission in relation to meeting the public benefit requirement.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Developments and achievements in 2024-25**
## **Overview**
WHCF occupies a pivotal place in the local community touching many people’s lives. Our children’s activities include a well-regarded nursery, a popular outdoor learning programme working with local schools and of course the experience of visiting the animals and enjoying the green space of our gardens. The whole space is designed to be child friendly from our award-winning café to the children’s play area and the children’s library space.
We also aim to be a welcoming space for our adult visitors as well. Windmill Hill Markets continue to attract visitors from the wider community and moved to weekly markets in the summer of 2025. The Outdoor Theatre holds events for all ages, and the Outdoor Sauna has proved very popular. Our gardens are a welcome green space in the middle of a busy city, and we are one of a very few destinations across the wider city that does not charge an entry fee. Although we obviously welcome donations.
A very important part of our work is our Health and Social Care (H&SC) Programme. We offer supported farm placements for people with multiple complex needs with individual support plans and high staff ratios. We also offer supported volunteering opportunities to people who are often in different stages of recovery from complex mental health needs, working in small supportive groups. Our wellbeing volunteers either self-referred or are referred by their GP. Many are not currently working, and our programme helps to provide structure and increase confidence to enable them to get back into employment. We also appreciate the support of our independent volunteers who do not have any declared support needs but have chosen to give their time to us. The H&SC team also offer a range of short course including NHS Talking Therapies wellbeing sessions.
Our independent volunteers provided nearly 4,000 volunteering hours during the year with more than 5,000 supported volunteer hours.
The trustees recognise the commitment and hard work of all staff throughout the organisation and extend their gratitude and appreciation.
## **Finance and fundraising**
The farm’s finances have improved on the previous year despite an overall loss after depreciation of £77,000. Staff costs continue to be a large part of our expenditure, and we are proud to be an accredited Real Living Wage employer. A 5% increase in the Living Wage was announced in October 24 following 10% increases in the previous two years. The changes to Employer National Insurance announced in the October 24 budget are expected to add further cost pressures.
Recruitment at the nursery has stabilised but continues to be a challenging area. This is an industry wide issue, not one that is specific to our organisation. Capacity levels have been good throughout the year contributing to the improvement in our finances. We continue to adapt our model in response to government driven changes to early years education including the expansion of free places and charging methodologies.
This has been a strong year for the fundraising team with a headline £1,366,000 raised this year compared to £390,000 in 2023-24. However, this includes multi-year bids so not all of this sum is available to the farm in this financial year. In addition, £360,000 of this relates to Platform Places where we are fiscal host and will paying out a large proportion of this sum to other organisations.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
Highlights from our fundraising include a grant of £60,000 to fund an Outdoor Learning Officer for 3 years and a significant grant of £75,000 from Veolia Environmental Trust which a big step forward in our efforts to raise sufficient funding to renovate the Old Dairy to make it a warm and welcoming hub for our volunteers. We were also very pleased to be chose as a partner in a VCSE pilot project to host volunteer placements across WHCF and HCF for people referred to us with mental health and muscular-skeletal issues who need help to become work ready.
The community continues to strongly support the farm, and we are very grateful for this. The Big Give Christmas Challenge raised over £17,000.
The farm continues to adapt, develop and grow. The Windmill Hill markets continue to be popular. A financial review carried out during the year indicated that a weekly model for the markets is more profitable than monthly and that will be the model for 25/26.
Notwithstanding the improved results this year, the financial environment remains challenging and will continue to do so going forward. Energy, food, and employee costs remain high. Recruitment issues have stabilised somewhat so that the nursery is in a better financial position, but this is kept under close review.
Overall, we retain a good balance of income sources with childcare, café and room hire the main sources of our traded income. The nature of the businesses is well within the realm of primary purpose and directly helps to deliver aspects of our charitable aims around education and providing public facilities.
We have good relationships with the charitable funders who contribute large amounts of capital investment and the contracts we undertake with healthcare partners are well established.
We continue to appreciate the benefits of a dedicated fundraising function as demonstrated by the results for the year with some significant wins.
|**Year**|**Won**|**Failed**|
|---|---|---|
|2024-25|36 bids to value of £834,000|24 bids to value £305,000|
|2023-24|28 bids to value £390,049|26 bids to value £1,185,242|
|2022-23|25 bids to value £308,450|11 bids value £82,480|
|2021-22|20 bids value £607,550|10 bids value £856,750|
|2020-21|16 bids value £249,438|14 bids value £486,140|
|2019-20|14 bids value £233,000|9 bids value £504,000|
|2018-19|7 bids value £87,057|10 bids value £407,200|
|2017-18|9 bids value £148,000|11 bids value £225,000|
|2016-17|19 bids value £772,410|5 bids value £141,510|
|2015-16|14 bids value £117,000|19 bids value £1,270,000|
|2014-15|21 bids value £220,000|20 bids value £730,000|
The key financial risks to the organisation are:
- The impact of a challenging economic environment and high inflation with potential to reduce demand for childcare, room hire and café services impacting the income to the organisation and increase its costs faster than its income. This is managed through twice yearly review of forecast and monitoring of management accounts as well as ongoing scrutiny by the Board Finance Subcommittee; and
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
- Attracting and retaining skilled staff in the nursery and café or loss of key personnel resulting in an inability to realise our plans. This is managed through systems that share knowledge and enable cross-working between roles and maintaining a bank of staff who can be called on for ad hoc sessions.
## **Reserves policy**
Windmill Hill City Farm achieves much of its work through grants and donations that help to achieve its mission as earned income alone would not allow the organisation to have the greatest social impact. This means that if there were to be a decrease in funds secured and donations received, the Farm would have to reduce its charitable activities and, in the worst case, close.
To maintain effective operations of the organisation the board of trustees has agreed to work towards a financial reserve of 3 months operating costs. This level of reserve would allow staff to continue working to secure new funding and if necessary to allow time to cut services in a way whereby service users are supported to move on. The board has agreed that a period of 6 months’ reserves should be the longer-term aim. This is an amount it considers prudent in the event of a major business interruption as determined by an analysis of risks to the charity. This target is balanced alongside our aim of remaining a ‘living wage’ employer – another important call on any surplus generated by the organisation.
To establish or maintain this level of reserves Windmill Hill City Farm will:
- Ensure that funding bids adequately cover overheads as well as direct costs;
- Ensure that income generation is maximised through efficient operations and sound management; and
- Ensure that the trading operation is focussed on maximising profit.
If all income were to cease, we have calculated that reserves of £600,000 would be needed to continue running current services for at least 3 months.
This figure is based on operating costs and fixed liabilities at the time of this policy being reviewed. The finance sub-group reviewed the method used to calculate the reserve and is satisfied that this calculation is robust.
The reserves will be built up from the unrestricted income. The level of reserves will be calculated and monitored and reported to the board. At the end of the year the consolidated unrestricted reserves, excluding fixed assets and investments, stood at £247,950 (2023-24 £312,108).
Ongoing financial challenges caused in part by the continued and increased geopolitical environment continue to impact the charity, its staff, and people in its community. The trustees have considered the impact of this issue on the charity’s current and future financial position. Much of the charity’s income is traded through activities where the costs can be scaled to the income. Childcare is its biggest operating area, with healthcare a significant part. Both areas benefit from statutory support making them relatively robust to economic changes. The trustees consider that the charity has sufficient unrestricted reserves and cash flow to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from the date on which these financial statements are approved. For this reason, the accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Education**
The activities of our nursery have stabilised following several testing years although recruitment continues to be challenging. Recruiting and retaining staff takes up a great deal of the time of our senior team and places additional demands on our room-based staff. However, we once again achieved the Bristol Standard quality mark and also hold a rating of Good from Ofsted.
A survey of nursery parents in December 2024 delivered some gratifying results. 89% of respondents rated their child’s room team as excellent and 97% of respondents said they felt listened to and valued.
School visits continued at Windmill Hill City Farm with visits also taking place at Hartcliffe City Farm. The Outdoor Learning team continue to receive excellent feedback from schools who clearly value the work we do with them. We have won funding from the Ernest Cook Trust to support and Outdoor Learning Officer for 3 years.
## **Wellbeing**
A new Health and Social Care Manager was appointed during the year.
We are grateful to have received a further year’s funding from the Henry Smith Foundation and have also receive a welcome grant from Garfield Weston. We continue to seek additional funding, particularly from the NHS, to support the increase in the scale and scope of our mental health programme.
Our WHCF Supported Farm Placement Service is running at full capacity as are our Supported Volunteer groups. We are seeing a noticeable change in the diagnosis and complexities of clients being referred to our service, and we have had to adapt our approach to ensure that all clients receive a positive experience.
Our focus remains a combination of work with people with mental health and learning difficulties, working in supported groups in the farm and gardens.
We were able to source funds for a new NHS Community Anchor exercise class for over 60s focusing on improving balance, stability and strength. These were hugely successful, and we aim to source additional funds to continue and develop this work.
We continue to receive positive feedback from our volunteers such as “The farm has helped me with keeping active and present, I always feel better afterwards”; “Seeing lovely people makes me feel more connected. Being in nature calms me and makes me feel part of a team”; “The farm provides a way of feeling involved in the local community and a chance to get involved with other people and learn new skills”.
## **Community spaces**
Our child-friendly café at Windmill Hill is trading well, particularly at weekends. The Warm Space project continued over the winter. Our sustainability strategy is at the core of our operations and we are proud to have been awarded three stars by the Sustainable Restaurant Association.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
Windmill Hill Markets, the Garden Theatre and the Orchard Sauna, continue to introduce new visitors to the site. The Studio hosts a diverse offer of wellness classes catering to all ages and abilities. The new Makers Shop opened in October. The previous shop has been redesigned as a community space showcasing talented local artisans. Local makers can access our Enterprise Support Scheme, an initiative to help pre-start, start-up and growing businesses thrive.
Trustees had previously agreed to an easement to allow a district heat pipe to pass under the gardens, and work was close to completion by year end. This will deliver heat to the Bedminster Green development. In recompense there are several measures, including full restoration of the space, re-surfacing the accessible path around the gardens, a new perimeter fence, new gates and resurfacing the compound area. In addition, a branch pipeline will bring the heat network close to the barn to allow for future connection to the network. An independent valuation report was commissioned that show that we are receiving good value from the project.
The 2025 Big Listen survey elicited some very positive responses such as ‘it brings people together’, ‘it makes everyone feel included’ and ‘helps low-income families. Moreover, the survey importantly helps us to stay on top of the issues that are most important to people.
## **Community leadership**
We continue be involved in discussions concerning the development of the local area and how this can be used to benefit local people. We were chosen to the ‘fiscal host’ for Bedminster Property Partnership, a new CIC, presenting an opportunity to shape a community hub on or around East Street. This is a new £360,000 three-year grant from The National Lottery via Platform Places. Most of those funds will move to establishing and running a new organisation (Bedminster Works) that will take the project beyond its first year.
Climate change is an important focus for the organisation. We are one of six community organisations in the city to have secured funding for the Community Climate Action Project. In 2024 we launched Bedminster’s Community Climate Action Plan, co-designed with members of the community that live and/or work in BS3 to ensure local voices are heard and local priorities recognised.
## **Stronger organisation**
We have an engaged board who bring a good range of skills and experiences. The board meets bimonthly and board members are also members of various sub-committees including Finance, Personnel and Health and Safety. We also have a designated Safeguarding lead.
Staff wellbeing is a high priority, and we continue to seek the views of our staff through surveys and conversations, respond with new initiatives where we see those opportunities, and to put measures in place to undertake health reviews where staff show high levels of sickness. Mental Health First Aid training has been rolled out with an initial group. We are exploring membership of the WECA driven Good Employment charter which promotes the benefits of good employment.
## **Plans for future periods**
The growth and development of the organisation is likely to focus on building its adaptability and resilience, and its ability to respond to external events and opportunities.
A key focus for the coming year will be the continued development and move to independence of Hartcliffe City Farm (HCF), previously our joint venture with Heart of BS13.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
A new general manager position was created during the year, and this is a key step in building the independence of HCF from its parents. HCF has received approval from the Charity Commission to convert to a CIO, another important step in establishing its independence. We are actively seeking additional trustees who will be drawn from the local area.
Although we had hoped to sign a 35-year lease with Bristol City Council which would have included a significantly larger plot, negotiations stalled between BCC and the owners, and we have decided to move ahead with a 35-year lease on the existing 6 acre plot.
HCF is now open 7 days a week. As with WHCF there are no admission charges. The Playful Barn provides a safe indoor space for Children to play and has been very much welcomed. The Outdoor Learning team welcomed school groups and families in spring with activities including pond dipping, picking vegetables and cooking. Summer family drop-ins where people were involved in harvesting and cooking lunch together were very successful with over 200 meals made and enjoyed.
We will continue to work to build on this progress as HCF moves to an independent organisation.
## **The board of trustees**
The board of trustees, who are directors for the purpose of company law, who served during the year and since the year end, are shown on page 1.
Members aged 18 and over are eligible to stand for election to the board of trustees at the AGM. The trustees have powers to appoint board members between AGMs, with new board members having to stand for election at the next General Meeting.
Trustees are recruited from the membership of the organisation by open advertisement when vacancies arise, or in response to unsolicited enquiries by prospective trustees. New potential trustees have an initial informal meeting with the Chief Executive or Chair to gain a full understanding of the role, its responsibilities, and expectations. Potential trustees are invited to attend a board meeting as an observer. Should they wish to join the board they complete an application form and supply two independent referees. If references are satisfactory their appointment is put to the board at the next scheduled meeting. All trustees appointed in this manner must stand for election at the next AGM.
New trustees are encouraged to attend a training course on ‘being a good trustee’ to ensure that they have a good grasp of their responsibilities and obligations. Trustees are issued with an induction pack that outlines policies and procedures for the organisation and key facts about the organisation (e.g. funding sources, turnover, staff numbers, departments, key risks). New trustees with little board experience may be assigned a ‘buddy’ from among existing trustees who can offer guidance.
Trustees as a group review their own performance and engage periodically in board development and training. This varies in nature according to the circumstances at the time of assessment.
## **Structure, governance, and management**
The organisation is a voluntary one with around 250 registered members and is governed by a board of trustees elected from and by the members. Its area of benefit is geographically determined as ‘Windmill Hill and the neighbourhood thereof’. The practical boundary, used to determine membership classes, is about a 2-mile radius around its South Bristol location (see http://g.co/maps/9uepj for details). The organisation is run on a day-to-day basis by a staff team of around 100 full and part-time people led by a full-time Chief Executive.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
Day-to-day operation of the organisation is delegated to the Chief Executive according to a scheme of delegation. This document sets out which decisions are made by the CEO and which need to be authorised by the trustees.
The organisation has 9 departments, each with a department head : Central Services ; Children & Family Services; Health & Social Care; Café; Facilities, Farm & Gardens; Outdoor Learning, Sales & Marketing and Finance.
Windmill Hill City Farm Ltd has a wholly owned trading subsidiary, Windmill Hill Farm Community Enterprises, through which the financial activity of the café and room hire is accounted. In practical terms, these areas act as part of the whole enterprise with no visible distinction for customers. The articles of association of the trading company were updated in 2016 to make the charity the sole member, and to bring them in line with current standards.
Windmill Hill City Farm Ltd also had a 50% ownership of a joint venture, Hartcliffe City Farm Ltd, with Heart of BS13 as the other member. Hartcliffe City Farm Ltd became Hartcliffe City Farm CIC on 19 August 2022 and became an independent charity (CIO number 1212299) on 26 February 2025, at which point the organisation was no longer considered a joint venture.
The organisation is a member of Social Farms and Gardens (accredited with the care farm code of practice), Bristol Association for Neighbourhood Daycare, Voscur and Locality.
Remuneration for all staff is undertaken in accordance with the pay and grade policy. This assesses job size according to four criteria (broadly communication, planning, responsibility and knowledge) and benchmarks it against similar jobs internally and externally within the appropriate sector. Staff up to the grade of CEO are assessed by their manager. The trustees use the same criteria to determine the salary for the CEO.
## **Members**
Windmill Hill City Farm has around 250 members who have voting rights at the AGM. This number has been stable for several years. The AGM was well attended with 31 voting members (21 in person plus 10 proxies). Membership is free and open to anyone over the age of 18.
## **Risk assessment**
In accordance with its risk management policy, the board of trustees regularly reviewed the risks faced by the organisation during the year for the charity and its trading company, particularly services, trading, financial, operational and governance risks. Actions to minimise and mitigate risks have been implemented.
Key risks to the organisation are typical for an organisation of its size and nature:
- Financial risks – loss of funding; inability to cover costs;
- Staff risks – a reliance on key members of staff; risk of absence of large numbers of staff;
- Reputational risks – outbreak of disease (e.g. zoonoses); accident or injury on site;
- Public order – aggressive behaviour of individual members of public; collective protest; and
- ▪ Disruption to access – site closure or part closure due to unexpected circumstances.
The organisation has a risk policy and business continuity plan to manage such issues and monitors the risks to mitigate against them happening.
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **Volunteers**
The organisation makes extensive use of volunteers across all areas of its work and has a detailed programme of activities for groups, independent individuals, and supported volunteers as well as a programme for corporate groups volunteering on-site.
In the 2024-25 year, on our Windmill Hill site, the organisation worked with 49 independent volunteers (engaging 26 new people to independent volunteers during this period) and 116 supported volunteers (engaging 76 new supported volunteers during this period). Wellbeing volunteers amounted to 68 with 26 engaged during the period and 64people attended the NHS Talking Therapies short course and 19 attended the NHS Community Anchor exercise classes.
The total number of supported volunteering hours in the year was over 5000 with a further 3,800 hours of work by independent and gardening group volunteers.
## **Fundraising**
The organisation is registered with The Fundraising Regulator.
The charity predominantly fundraises from trusts, foundations, and statutory sources, and receives public donations collected on-site and through digital fundraising. The charity employs two part- time Fundraising Managers who lead the fundraising activities with a part-time Individual Giving position created during the year to focus on community fundraising. No professional fundraisers, fundraisers working on the charity’s behalf or commercial participators were used. Aside from registering with the Fundraising Regulator for the first time in 2022, neither the charity nor anyone working on the charity’s behalf has subscribed to any additional fundraising standards.
The charity has complied with the fundraising standards and code of contact. No complaints have been received regarding the charity’s fundraising activities.
The charity is committed to protecting vulnerable people in all areas of work. On-site fundraising uses non-intrusive communication through posters and noticeboards, and staff never place undue pressure on members of the public or volunteers to donate, nor cause an obstruction or nuisance to visitors.
We have enjoyed a strong year for fundraising from grants and we continue to be well supported by the local community. The Big Christmas Challenge run by the fundraising and marketing teams raised over £17,000 to run weekly supper clubs for families in need. An appeal for £23,000 to replace our Dragon Swing was launched during the year and was close to being fulfilled by year end.
## **Statement of responsibilities of the trustees**
The trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and the group and the incoming resources and application of resources, including the net income or expenditure, of the charity and the group for the year. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:
▪ select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
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## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Report of the trustees**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and the group and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and the group and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
In so far as the trustees are aware:
- there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware; and
- the trustees have taken all steps that they ought to have taken to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the auditors are aware of that information.
The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.
Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.
## **Auditors**
Godfrey Wilson Limited were re-appointed as auditors to the group and parent charity during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.
Approved by the trustees on 22 September 2025 and signed on their behalf by
Anne Sharp Chair
Jonathan Lund Trustee
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## **Independent auditors' report**
## **To the members of**
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Windmill Hill City Farm Limited (the 'parent charity') and its subsidiary (the 'group') for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the consolidated statement of financial activities, consolidated and parent charity balance sheets, consolidated statement of cash flows and the related notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
## In our opinion, the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the group and parent charity's affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of the group's incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- ▪have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the group and parent charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in note 9 to the financial statements, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group or parent charity's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the group and parent charity financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the group and parent charity financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.
14
## **Independent auditors' report**
## **To the members of**
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Opinion on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the trustees’ report, which includes the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the parent charity and their environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within the trustees’ report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- adequate accounting records have not been kept by the parent charity, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- the parent charity financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
## **Responsibilities of the trustees**
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out in the trustees’ report, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group and the parent charity's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the parent charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
15
## **Independent auditors' report**
## **To the members of**
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The procedures we carried out and the extent to which they are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, are detailed below:
(1) We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the group and parent charity operates in, and assessed the risk of non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Throughout the audit, we remained alert to possible indications of non-compliance.
(2) We reviewed the group and parent charity’s policies and procedures in relation to:
- Identifying, evaluating and complying with laws and regulations, and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance;
- Detecting and responding to the risk of fraud, and whether they were aware of any actual, suspected or alleged fraud; and
- Designing and implementing internal controls to mitigate the risk of non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud.
(3) We inspected the minutes of trustee meetings.
(4) We enquired about any non-routine communication with regulators and reviewed any reports made to them.
(5) We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and assessed their compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
(6) We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected transactions or balances that may indicate a risk of material fraud or error.
(7) We assessed the risk of fraud through management override of controls and carried out procedures to address this risk. Our procedures included:
▪Testing the appropriateness of journal entries;
▪Assessing judgements and accounting estimates for potential bias;
- ▪Reviewing related party transactions; and
▪Testing transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. Irregularities that arise due to fraud can be even harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.
16
## **Independent auditors' report**
## **To the members of**
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charityʼs members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charityʼs members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditorʼs report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charityʼs members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## Alison Godfrey
Date: 22 September 2025
## **Alison Godfrey FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)**
For and on behalf of:
## **GODFREY WILSON LIMITED**
Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD
17
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
**Consolidated statement of financial activities** _(incorporating an income and expenditure account)_
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
|Note
**Income from:**
Donations
3
Charitable activities
4
Other trading activities
5
Investments
6
**Total income**
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
Running subsidiary
Other fundraising activities
Charitable activities
**Total expenditure**
8
9
**Reconciliation of funds:**
Total funds brought forward
**Total funds carried forward**
**Net expenditure and net movement in**
**funds**|Restricted
Unrestricted
£
£
19,035
75,915
404,365
1,426,368
-
749,265
-
6,754
423,400
2,258,302
-
467,185
-
94,755
423,886
1,773,193
423,886
2,335,133
(486)
(76,831)
1,084,501
345,065
1,084,015
268,234|**2025**
**Total**
**£**
**94,950**
**1,830,733**
**749,265**
**6,754**
**2,681,702**
**467,185**
**94,755**
**2,197,079**
**2,759,019**
**(77,317)**
**1,429,566**
**1,352,249**|Restated
2024
Total
£
113,008
1,496,754
710,516
5,880|
|---|---|---|---|
||||2,326,158|
||||446,339
88,464
2,011,236|
||||2,546,039|
||||(219,881)
1,649,447|
||||1,429,566|
All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 21 to the accounts.
Prior year income has been reclassified to reflect the requirements of the Charities SORP (FRS 102) and to be comparable with the current year. The restatements are purely reclassifications of income and do not affect net income.
18
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Consolidated and parent balance sheets**
## **As at 31 March 2025**
|Note
**Fixed assets**
Tangible assets
12
Investment in joint venture
13
**Current assets**
Stocks
16
Debtors
17
Cash at bank and in hand
**Liabilities**
18
**Net current assets**
**Net assets**
20
**Funds**
21
Restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
General funds
**Total charity funds**
Creditors: amounts falling due within 1
year|**The group**
**2025**
**£**
**904,265**
**-**
**904,265**
**8,631**
**70,527**
**687,241**
**766,399**
**(318,415)**
**447,984**
**1,352,249**
**1,084,015**
**268,234**
**1,352,249**|The group **The charity**
2024
**2025**
£
**£**
1,008,695
**904,265**
2,785
**-**
1,011,480
**904,265**
9,225
**-**
95,303
**161,532**
579,914
**560,778**
684,442
**722,310**
(266,356)
**(274,339)**
418,086
**447,971**
1,429,566
**1,352,236**
1,084,501
**1,084,015**
345,065
**268,221**
1,429,566
**1,352,236**|The charity
2024
£
1,008,695
2,785|
|---|---|---|---|
||||1,011,480|
||||904
213,894
433,027|
||||647,825
(229,752)|
||||418,073|
||||1,429,553|
||||1,084,501
345,052|
||||1,429,553|
These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime.
Approved by the trustees on 22 September 2025 and signed on their behalf by
Anne Sharp, Chair
Jonathan Lund, Trustee
19
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Consolidated statement of cash flows**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**Cash used in operating activities:**
Net movement in funds
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charges
Interest from investments
Loss on the disposal of investments
Loss on the disposal of fixed assets
Decrease in stock
Decrease / (increase) in debtors
Increase in creditors
**Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities**
**Cash flows from investing activities:**
Interest from investments
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
**Net cash provided by / (used in) investing activities**
**Increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents in the year**
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year**|**2025**
**£**
**(77,317)**
**92,350**
**(6,754)**
**2,785**
**12,080**
**594**
**24,776**
**52,059**
**100,573**
**6,754**
**-**
**6,754**
**107,327**
**579,914**
**687,241**|2024
£
(219,881)
93,445
(5,880)
-
-
191
(57,865)
12,963|
|---|---|---|
|||(177,027)|
|||5,880
(22,632)|
|||(16,752)|
|||(193,779)
773,693|
|||579,914|
The charity has not provided an analysis of changes in net debt as it does not have any long term financing arrangements.
20
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1. Accounting policies a) General information and basis of preparation**
- Windmill Hill City Farm Limiteds a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. The registered office address is Windmill Hill City Farm, Philip Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 4EA.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities in preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.
Windmill Hill City Farm Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.
## **b) Group accounts**
These financial statements consolidate the results of the charitable company and its whollyowned subsidiary on a line by line basis. Transactions and balances between the charitable company and its subsidiary have been eliminated from the consolidated financial statements. Balances between the two companies are disclosed in the notes of the charitable company's balance sheet. A separate statement of financial activities, or income and expenditure account, for the charitable company itself is not presented because the charitable company has taken advantage of the exemptions afforded by section 408 of the Companies Act 2006.
## **c) Going concern basis of accounting**
The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the group is able to continue as a going concern. Ongoing financial challenges caused in part by the continued and increased geopolitical environment continue to impact the charity, its staff, and people in its community. The trustees have considered the impact of this issue on the charity’s current and future financial position. Much of the charity’s income is traded through activities where the costs can be scaled to the income. Childcare is its biggest operating area, with healthcare a significant part. Both areas benefit from statutory support making them relatively robust to economic changes. The group holds unrestricted, general reserves of £268,234 and a cash balance of £687,241. The trustees consider that the charity has sufficient reserves and cashflow to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from the date on which these financial statements are approved.
## **d) Income**
Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.
Income from the government and other grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.
21
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
**1. Accounting policies (continued)**
## **d) Income (continued)**
Income received in advance of services being delivered is deferred until criteria for income recognition are met.
Turnover from the sale of goods is recognised when goods are delivered and legal title has passed.
## **e) Donated services and facilities**
Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item, is probable and the economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised.
On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
For Google AdWords, the charity measures the value of the gift at 50% of the market value provided by Google. Where the market value is given in foreign currency, this is translated in line with the charity's foreign exchange policy (note 1r).
## **f) Interest receivable**
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity: this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.
## **g) Funds accounting**
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity's work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.
## **h) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT**
Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and have been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to that activity. Expenditure includes attributable VAT which cannot be recovered. Where costs cannot be directly attributed they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of the resource.
Direct costs, including directly attributable salaries, are allocated on an actual basis to the activities.
22
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1. Accounting policies (continued) i) Allocation of support costs**
Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Governance costs include the cost of governance arrangements which relate to the general running of the charity. These costs are associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and include costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities. These costs have been allocated between charitable activities on the following basis which is an estimate, based on staff time, of the amount attributable to each activity:
|vity:|||
|---|---|---|
||**2025**|**2024**|
|Raising funds: other fundraising activities|**3%**|3%|
|Charitable activities|||
|Children, young people & family services|**16%**|21%|
|Community involvement|**65%**|61%|
|Farming activities|**16%**|15%|
## **j) Tangible fixed assets**
Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:
Leasehold property 3.3% straight line Equipment, furniture and fittings Between 10% and 20% straight line
Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £5,000.
## **k) Investments**
The charitable company had an investment in a joint venture, Hartcliffe City Farm C.I.C. (registered company number 13497886) until 26 February 2025. The investment was valued at cost less any cumulative impairment losses and accounted for using the equity method in the group and parent charitable company's accounts.
## **l) Stock**
Stock is included at the lower of cost or net realisable value.
## **m) Debtors**
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
## **n) Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
## **o) Creditors**
Creditors and provisions are recognised where there is a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.
23
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **1. Accounting policies (continued)**
## **p) Financial instruments**
The charitable company only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.
## **q) Pension costs**
The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for its employees. There are no further liabilities other than that already recognised in the statement of financial activities.
## **r) Foreign currency transactions**
Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. Balances denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange prevailing at the year end.
## **s) Accounting estimates and key judgements**
In the application of the charity's accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.
The key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements are the depreciation rates as described above.
## **t) Operating leases**
Rentals payable under operating leases are charged on a straight-line basis over the lease term.
24
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **2. Prior year comparatives: statement of financial activities (restated)**
|**Income from:**
Donations
Charitable activities
Other trading activities
Investments
**Total income**
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
Running subsidiary
Other fundraising activities
Charitable activities
**Total expenditure**
**Net expenditure**
Transfers between funds
**Net movement in funds**
**3.**
**Income from donations**
Donations
Gifts in kind (Google AdWords and app development)
**Total income from donations**
**Prior year comparative**
Donations
Gifts in kind (Google AdWords)
**Total income from donations**|Restricted
£
£
25,942
87,066
352,743
1,144,011
-
710,516
-
5,880
378,685
1,947,473
-
446,339
-
88,464
423,758
1,587,478
423,758
2,122,281
(45,073)
(174,808)
1,991
(1,991)
(43,082)
(176,799)
Restricted
£
£
19,035
39,869
-
36,046
19,035
75,915
Restricted
£
£
25,942
35,204
-
51,862
25,942
87,066
Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Unrestricted|2024
Total
£
113,008
1,496,754
710,516
5,880|
|---|---|---|
|||2,326,158|
|||446,339
88,464
2,011,236|
|||2,546,039|
|||(219,881)
-|
|||(219,881)|
|||**2025**
**Total**
**£**
**58,904**
**36,046**|
|||**94,950**|
|||Restated
2024
Total
£
61,146
51,862|
|||113,008|
25
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **4. Income from charitable activities**
|Children, young people & family services
Community involvement
Farming activities
**Total income from charitable activities**|Restricted
£
£
-
1,260,750
392,639
160,887
11,726
4,731
404,365
1,426,368
Unrestricted|**2025**
**Total**
**£**
**1,260,750**
**553,526**
**16,457**|
|---|---|---|
|||**1,830,733**|
|**Prior year comparative**
Children, young people & family services
Community involvement
Farming activities
**Total income from charitable activities**
**Income from other trading activities**
Fundraising income
Café income and other income of trading subsidiary
**Total income from other trading activities**|Restricted
£
£
-
950,623
344,965
191,398
7,778
1,990
352,743
1,144,011
**2025**
**£**
**68,393**
**680,872**
**749,265**
Unrestricted|Restated
2024
Total
£
950,623
536,363
9,768|
|---|---|---|
|||1,496,754|
|||2024
£
59,138
651,378|
|||710,516|
**5. Income from other trading activities**
All income from other trading activities in the current and prior year was unrestricted.
## **6. Income from investments**
|Bank interest|**2025**
**£**
**6,754**|2024
£
5,880|
|---|---|---|
All income from investments in the current and prior year was unrestricted.
## **7. Government grants**
The charitable company receives government grants, defined as funding from Bristol City Council, DWP, and National Lottery to fund charitable activities. The total value of such grants in the year ending 31 March 2025 was £609,328 (2024: £414,036). There are no unfulfilled conditions or contingencies attaching to these grants in the current or prior year.
26
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **8. Total expenditure**
|Staff costs (note 10)
Other direct costs
**Support and governance costs**
Premises
Communications and IT
Office costs
Bank charges and interest
Professional fees
Other
Governance
Depreciation of fixed assets
Total expenditure|Cost of
running
subsidiary
£
289,733
177,452
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
467,185|Other
fundraising
activities
£
51,120
36,139
1,251
613
338
62
228
1,850
237
2,917
94,755|Community
involvement
£
250,786
170,489
6,139
3,007
1,660
302
1,122
9,075
1,160
14,309
458,049|Children,
young people
and family
services
£
1,058,872
96,491
25,920
12,698
7,007
1,276
4,736
38,314
4,899
60,417
1,310,630|Farming
activities
£
257,762
132,841
6,310
3,091
1,706
311
1,153
9,327
1,192
14,707
428,400|**2025 Total**
**£**
**1,908,273**
**613,412**
**39,620**
**19,409**
**10,711**
**1,951**
**7,239**
**58,566**
**7,488**
**92,350**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||**2,759,019**|
27
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
**8. Total expenditure (continued) Prior year comparative**
|**Prior year comparative**
Staff costs (note 10)
Other direct costs
**Support and governance costs**
Premises
Communications and IT
Office costs
Bank charges and interest
Professional fees
Other
Governance
Depreciation of fixed assets
Total expenditure|Cost of
running
subsidiary
£
275,680
170,659
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
446,339|Other
fundraising
activities
£
51,089
30,364
771
485
438
65
249
1,589
256
3,158
88,464|Community
involvement
£
323,145
113,514
4,878
3,068
2,772
411
1,574
10,050
1,619
19,973
481,004|Children,
young people
and family
services
£
917,492
85,573
13,850
8,711
7,872
1,167
4,468
28,535
4,596
56,708
1,128,972|Farming
activities
£
220,142
150,908
3,324
2,091
1,889
279
1,072
6,847
1,102
13,606
401,260|2024 Total
£
1,787,548
551,018
22,823
14,355
12,971
1,922
7,363
47,021
7,573
93,445|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||2,546,039|
28
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **9. Net movement in funds** This is stated after charging:
|Depreciation
Operating lease payments
Trustees' remuneration
Trustees' reimbursed expenses
Auditors' remuneration (excluding VAT):
Statutory audit
Other services|**2025**
**£**
**92,350**
**628**
**Nil**
**Nil**
**10,800**
**4,864**|2024
£
93,445
628
Nil
Nil
9,600
4,912|
|---|---|---|
In common with other charities of our size and nature we use our auditors to assist with the preparation of the financial statements and to prepare and submit returns to the tax authorities. Our auditors have also provided payroll services to the charity during the year.
## **10. Staff costs and numbers**
Staff costs were as follows:
|Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Pension costs
Agency staff costs|**2025**
**£**
**1,732,606**
**106,493**
**29,195**
**1,868,294**
**39,979**
**1,908,273**|2024
£
1,624,324
96,464
28,341|
|---|---|---|
|||1,749,129
38,419|
|||1,787,548|
No employee earned more than £60,000 during the current and prior year.
The key management personnel of the charitable company comprise the Trustees, Chief Executive and Senior Management Team. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £305,273 (2024: £324,873).
No redundancy payments were made in the current or prior year.
|Average number of employees (headcount)
Number of charity staff
Number of trading staff|**2025**
**No.**
**101**
**29**
**130**|2024
No.
102
27|
|---|---|---|
|||129|
29
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **11. Taxation**
- The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes. The charity's trading subsidiary, Windmill Hill Farm Community Enterprises Limited, donates its available profits to the parent charity.
## **12. Tangible fixed assets Group and charity**
|**Group and charity**
**Cost**
At 1 April 2024
Disposals in year
At 31 March 2025
**Depreciation**
At 1 April 2024
Charge for the year
Disposals in year
At 31 March 2025
**Net book value**
**At 31 March 2025**
At 31 March 2024
**13.**
**Investments**
**Group and charity**
Investments in joint venture|Leasehold
property
£
2,534,670
(21,820)
2,512,850
1,556,147
83,702
(10,980)
1,628,869
**883,981**
978,523|Furniture &
equipment
£
115,491
(3,812)
111,679
85,319
8,648
(2,572)
91,395
**20,284**
30,172
**2025**
**£**
**-**|**Total**
**£**
**2,650,161**
**(25,632)**|
|---|---|---|---|
||||**2,624,529**|
||||**1,641,466**
**92,350**
**(13,552)**|
||||**1,720,264**|
||||**904,265**|
||||1,008,695|
||||2024
£
2,785|
## **Details of undertakings**
The charity held a 50% shareholding in Hartcliffe City Farm CIC (company no. 13497886).
Hartcliffe City Farm CIC became a CIO (charity no. 1212299) on 26 February 2025 and subsequently no longer met the definition of a joint venture investment. The disposal has been recognised in the SoFA.
30
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **14. Subsidiary undertakings**
_Windmill Hill Farm Community Enterprises Limited_
A summary of the trading company’s profit and loss account is shown below and reflects both external and intercompany sales and purchases.
|Turnover
Cost of sales
Gross profit
Administrative expenses
Operating profit
Tax on profit on ordinary activities
Profit for the financial year after taxation
The aggregate of the assets, liabilities and funds was:
Assets
Liabilities
Net assets|**2025**
**£**
**691,183**
**(153,403)**
**537,780**
**(326,605)**
**211,175**
**-**
**211,175**
**2025**
**£**
**149,553**
**(149,540)**
**13**|2024
£
655,991
(147,298)|
|---|---|---|
|||508,693
(307,419)|
|||201,274
-|
|||201,274|
|||2024
£
169,309
(169,296)|
|||13|
## **15. Parent charity**
The parent charity's gross income and the results for the year are disclosed as follows:
|Gross income
Surplus / (deficit) for the year|**2025**
**£**
**2,224,454**
**(77,317)**|2024
£
1,884,432
(219,881)|
|---|---|---|
31
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
|**16.**
**Stock**
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
Stocks for resale
**8,631**
9,225
**17.**
**Debtors**
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
Trade debtors
**33,089**
53,337
Prepayments
**15,942**
18,150
Accrued income
**21,202**
19,630
Other debtors
**294**
4,186
Owed from subsidiary undertaking
**-**
-
**70,527**
95,303
**18.**
**Creditors : amounts due within 1 year**
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
Trade creditors
**46,582**
33,519
Accruals
**48,453**
52,123
Other taxation and social security
**47,876**
47,297
Other creditors
**140,866**
108,742
Deferred income (see note 19)
**34,638**
24,675
**318,415**
266,356
**19.**
**Deferred income**
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
At 1 April 2024
**24,675**
21,834
Deferred during the year
**34,638**
24,675
Released during the year
**(24,675)**
(21,834)
At 31 March 2025
**34,638**
24,675
**The group**
**The group**
**The group**
**The group**|**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**-**
904
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**21,297**
43,422
**15,942**
18,150
**18,534**
19,630
**294**
-
**105,465**
132,692
**161,532**
213,894
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**32,110**
24,749
**31,543**
41,748
**48,045**
44,380
**128,003**
94,883
**34,638**
23,992
**274,339**
229,752
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**23,992**
21,634
**34,638**
23,992
**(23,992)**
(21,634)
**34,638**
23,992
**The charity**
**The charity**
**The charity**
**The charity**|**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**-**
904
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**21,297**
43,422
**15,942**
18,150
**18,534**
19,630
**294**
-
**105,465**
132,692
**161,532**
213,894
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**32,110**
24,749
**31,543**
41,748
**48,045**
44,380
**128,003**
94,883
**34,638**
23,992
**274,339**
229,752
**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**23,992**
21,634
**34,638**
23,992
**(23,992)**
(21,634)
**34,638**
23,992
**The charity**
**The charity**
**The charity**
**The charity**|
|---|---|---|
|||23,992|
Deferred income relates to income received in advance for contracts relating to the provision of Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies services, school visits and corporate volunteering days.
32
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **20. Analysis of group net assets between funds**
|**Analysis of group net assets between funds**|||
|---|---|---|
|Tangible fixed assets
Current assets
Current liabilities
**Net assets at 31 March 2025**
**Prior year comparative**
Tangible fixed assets
Investment in joint venture
Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets at 31 March 2024|£
£
883,981
20,284
210,885
555,514
(10,851)
(307,564)
**1,084,015**
**268,234**
£
£
978,523
30,172
-
2,785
105,978
578,464
-
(266,356)
1,084,501
345,065
Restricted
funds
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Unrestricted
funds|**Total**
**funds**
**£**
**904,265**
**766,399**
**(318,415)**|
|||**1,352,249**|
|||Total
funds
£
1,008,695
2,785
684,442
(266,356)|
|||1,429,566|
33
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **21. Movements in funds**
|At 1 April
2024
£
**Restricted funds**
Capital funds
978,523
_Other funds_
BCC Bristol Short Breaks
9,589
BCC Holiday Activity Fund
-
Bristol Community Energy Fund
-
Bristol Impact Fund 2
15,430
Children in Need Nurture Groups
192
CIL - Mural
4,450
Climate Action Project
1,750
Community Asset Management
-
Community Asset Manifesto
9,463
Ernest Cook Trust
-
Garfield Weston
-
Nineveh Charitable Trust
2,917
Nisbet Trust
4,583
Llangatock School
-
Plant Power
-
Platform for Places
-
Positive Activities
1,050
Sirona
13,182
Supper Club
6,588
The Big Give
1,000
The Big Give Christmas 2024
-
The Henry Smith Charity
17,171
The Underwood Trust
10,322
WorkWell West
-
YTKO
-
Other restricted projects
8,291
**Total restricted funds**
1,084,501
General funds
345,052
Total charity funds
1,429,553
Non-charitable trading funds
13
Total unrestricted funds
345,065
**Total funds**
1,429,566
**Unrestricted funds**|Income
£
-
-
11,601
7,500
66,474
9,841
-
1,875
21,290
-
20,000
20,000
-
15,000
6,250
20,000
64,333
-
-
-
-
17,089
47,000
-
18,350
15,582
61,215
423,400
1,577,430
2,000,830
680,872
2,258,302
2,681,702|£
(94,542)
(9,589)
(10,938)
(7,500)
(69,673)
(7,313)
(4,450)
(3,625)
(21,290)
(9,463)
-
(3,333)
(2,917)
(9,583)
-
(5,283)
(30,275)
(1,050)
(4,739)
(6,588)
-
(4,272)
(42,442)
(10,322)
-
(15,582)
(49,117)
(423,886)
(1,654,261)
(2,078,147)
(680,872)
(2,335,133)
(2,759,019)
Expenditure|Transfers
between
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|**£**
**883,981**
**-**
**663**
**-**
**12,231**
**2,720**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**-**
**20,000**
**16,667**
**-**
**10,000**
**6,250**
**14,717**
**34,058**
**-**
**8,443**
**-**
**1,000**
**12,817**
**21,729**
**-**
**18,350**
**-**
**20,389**
**At 31**
**March 2025**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||**1,084,015**|
|||||**268,221**|
|||||**1,352,236**|
|||||**13**|
|||||**268,234**|
|||||**1,352,249**|
34
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **21. Movements in funds (continued)**
## **Purposes of restricted funds**
Capital funds represent (i) the leasehold property and improvements which are restricted on the basis that the underlying assets could not be sold by the charity; (ii) the Nursery Expansion to provide additional nursery spaces; (iii) the Visitors Centre which was the redevelopment of an information area, reception, exhibition space and visitors centre; (iv) The log cabin for the outdoor classroom; (v) the café redevelopment and interaction centre; and (vi) the Outdoor Theatre. They have a value in use for the charity but no re-sale value.
BCC Bristol Short Breaks funds activities and support sessions targeted at children ages 8-12 with learning difficulties.
BCC Holiday Activity Fund funds holiday activities and food programmes to support children in receipt of free school meals through holiday periods.
Bristol Community Energy Fund supports our energy project to explore connecting to the Bedminster heat network, aiming to reduce the farm's reliance on gas boilers and lower its carbon footprint.
Bristol Impact Fund 2 is a project to create the infrastructure for a rejuvenated community hub in Hartcliffe that will inspire and connect local people, enable them to develop their own way to tackle the inequality they face, and create a confident community organisation, playing an active role in the city.
Children in Need Nurture Groups is a project focusing on the development of confidence and social skills in children facing hardship.
CIL - Mural is funding for a mural on the wall of Mail Marketing offices and accent to Malago Greenway.
Climate Action Project is funding from Bristol Green Capital Partnership - Learning and Mentoring Programme for participating organisations who wish to build climate confidence and capacity to develop community insights and leadership on climate and nature within Bristol.
Community Asset Management is funding to support the VCSE recovery strategy.
Community Asset Manifesto is funding for promoting the work of Bristol Community Organisations.
Ernest Cook Trust is a grant to fund the Outdoor Learning Officer Role.
Garfield Weston contributed towards general overheads and staff costs related to our Health and Social Care programme.
Nineveh Charitable Trust supported educational activities in the farm and gardens.
Nisbet Trust supported education activities in the farm and gardens.
Llangatock School donated towards our energy project.
35
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **21. Movements in funds (continued)**
## **Purposes of restricted funds (continued)**
Plant Power supports our Growing and Cooking projects which work with families from minoritised ethnic groups in deprived areas with limited outdoor space.
Platform for Places funds are for a cross-sector collaboration and social enterprise with a mission to unlock town centre buildings for amazing ideas that help us live affordably, sustainably and together.
Positive Activities funding would provide unique sessions based on a city farm, with access to fresh produce, animals and cooking, whilst the green space provides a sense of calm and well-being.
Sirona funds Wellbeing Wednesdays Project at Hartcliffe City Farm.
Supper Club represents funding for a weekly Supper Club to provide a safe, warm and welcoming indoor space for local parents and their young children to use from 5.30-8.30pm during the colder, winter months.
The Big Give donations were raised for the supper club.
The Big Give Christmas 2024 donations were raised for the Health & Social Care programmes and the maintennace of the farm and gardens plus animal care.
The Henry Smith Charity funding helped to deliver our ‘supported volunteer programme’ – an ongoing core programme that accepts up to 100 people a year who are close to, or recovering from, mental health crisis.
The Underwood Trust funding supported the development of Hartcliffe City Farm.
WorkWell West grant supports work placements at two city farms helping people to become work ready.
YTKO funds support the creation and running of a retail shop, business networking events and BrisBES programme.
Other restricted projects consists of various smaller restricted projects for funding under £10,000 which includes funding from Bristol Local Food Fund, The 29th May 1961, Bristol City Council, Joan & Walter Trust and others.
36
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **21. Movements in funds (continued)**
|**Prior year comparative**
At 1 April
2023
£
**Restricted funds**
Capital funds
1,047,809
_Other funds_
BCC Bristol Short Breaks
6,928
Bristol Early Years
150
Bristol Impact Fund 2
5,711
Children in Need Nurture Groups
624
CIL - Mural
-
Climate Action Project
-
Community Asset Manifesto
-
Football Foundation
-
Foundation for Children
12,562
Nineveh Charitable Trust
-
Nisbet Trust
-
1,927
NL Platinum Jubilee
-
Positive Activities
-
Sirona
-
-
Supper Club
-
The Big Give
-
The Henry Smith Charity
17,912
The Underwood Trust HCF
9,216
Theatre project grant funding
12,743
Other restricted projects
12,001
**Total restricted funds**
1,127,583
General funds
521,851
Total charity funds
1,649,434
Non-charitable trading funds
13
Total unrestricted funds
521,864
**Total funds**
1,649,447
NL One World Garden
Growing & Cooking
Social Enterprise Food
System (SEFS)
**Unrestricted funds**|Income
£
-
9,590
-
78,077
9,712
6,650
6,250
25,000
13,461
18,800
5,000
11,000
-
19,635
6,200
15,518
10,000
9,993
8,720
46,000
25,000
18,129
35,950
378,685
1,296,095
1,674,780
651,378
1,947,473
2,326,158|£
(83,578)
(6,929)
(150)
(68,577)
(10,144)
(2,200)
(4,500)
(15,537)
(18,083)
(31,362)
(2,083)
(6,417)
(1,927)
(19,635)
(5,150)
(2,336)
(10,000)
(3,405)
(7,720)
(46,741)
(23,894)
(13,730)
(39,660)
(423,758)
(1,470,903)
(1,894,661)
(651,378)
(2,122,281)
(2,546,039)
Expenditure|Transfers
between
funds
£
14,292
-
-
219
-
-
-
-
4,622
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(17,142)
-
1,991
(1,991)
-
-
(1,991)
-|At 31
March
2024
£
978,523
9,589
-
15,430
192
4,450
1,750
9,463
-
-
2,917
4,583
-
-
1,050
13,182
-
6,588
1,000
17,171
10,322
-
8,291|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||1,084,501|
|||||345,052|
|||||1,429,553|
|||||13|
|||||345,065|
|||||1,429,566|
37
## **Windmill Hill City Farm Limited**
## **Notes to the financial statements**
## **For the year ended 31 March 2025**
## **22. Operating lease commitments**
The group and charity had operating leases at the year end with total future minimum lease payments as follows:
|**The group and the charity**
Amount falling due:
Within 1 year
Within 1 - 5 years
Payable after 5 years|**2025**
**£**
**126**
**504**
**2,774**
**3,404**
**Land and**|2024
£
126
504
2,774
3,404
**buildings**|**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**1,348**
502
**3,932**
4,051
**-**
-
**5,280**
4,553
**Equipment**|**2025**
2024
**£**
£
**1,348**
502
**3,932**
4,051
**-**
-
**5,280**
4,553
**Equipment**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||4,553|
## **23. Related party transactions**
Windmill Hill Farm Community Enterprises Limited, a company limited by guarantee, forms the trading arm for the charity. Two of the charity’s trustees, and the Chief Executive, serve on the board of directors of the trading company. During the year, the charity provided goods and services to the trading company amounting to £3,950 (2024: £2,378) and recharged overheads of £8,500 (2024: £6,000). In addition, the charity received goods and services totalling £9,937 (2024: £4,614) from the trading company during the year and the trading company made a gift aid payment to the charity of £211,175 (2024: £201,274). At the balance sheet date the trading company owed Windmill Hill City Farm Limited £105,465 (2024: £132,692).
Stephen Sayers, Chief Executive, is also a Trustee of Locality (company number: 2787912). During the year, the charity purchased membership from Locality for £250 (2024: £250). No amounts were outstanding at year end.
In February 2025, Hartcliffe City Farm transitioned from a CIC to a CIO, at which point the organisation was no longer recognised as a joint venture and instead became a related party by virtue of trustees in common; Stephen Sayers and Sally Jones. During the year, the group provided goods and services amounting to £48,389 (2024: £37,559), of which £7,748 (2024: £7,672) was outstanding at year end. In addition, the group received goods and services totalling £45,732 (2024: £9,473), of which £74 (2024: £1,754) was outstanding at year end.
During the year, the trustees made donations totalling £74 (2024: £54). There were no conditions attached to these.
38