2022-12-31-accounts

The Friends of Holland Park

Report and Accounts – Year to 31 December 2022

Charity number 281348

The Friends of Holland Park Accounts for the Year to 31 December 2022

Report of the Trustees

Legal Structure

The Friends of Holland Park (“The Friends”) is a registered Charity (registration number 281348), governed by its constitution and rules. The constitution (with the exception of the clauses relating to Objects, Dissolution and Amendments) can only be amended in relation to the Charity’s name and application of income and property by the assent of not less than two thirds of the members present at a general meeting and in relation to the remainder of the constitution by the assent of a majority of members present at a general meeting.

On 1 October 2022 Sir Angus Stirling retired as President and Eric Ellul was appointed to take on the role.

The trustees who held office since 1 January 2022 were:

NJW Brockmann GGR Franklin SA French RDN Hopkins JA Kettlewell, Chairman JE Puritz SP Spassov, Treasurer AM Walker – Resigned on 24 January 2023 RM Wood, Secretary

Objects and Policies

The objects of the Charity are for the public benefit to secure the preservation, protection and improvement of Holland Park as a place of historical and ecological interest and beauty; to promote the conservation of the natural plant, animal and bird life of the park, in particular, its retention as a natural woodland habitat for wildlife; and to educate the public in the history, natural history and other aspects of the park.

Management and Organisation

The officers of the Charity are the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. The officers and committee are elected by members at the AGM. The trustees do not receive any remuneration or benefits from the organisation and no staff are employed by the Charity.

Review of Activities and Achievements during the Year 2022

Work to carry out The Friends’ charitable purposes for the public benefit is in four main areas:

• Monitoring the condition of the historic assets of the park and working with the council to create and implement acceptable conservation solutions

• Donations and sponsorship for park projects in accordance with our charitable objects

• Raising funds through events and sale of merchandise

• Education of the local community on the history and natural history of the park.

Lifting of Covid-19 restrictions allowed The Friends to run events again, including the Art Exhibition. This resulted in increased income from ticket sales, from sales of merchandise at those events and from members joining as a result of attending events.

Conservation of historic assets:

Phase 2 of the conservation of Grade 1-listed Holland House was completed, prior to Opera Holland Park taking over the site on 7 March 2022. The work, supervised by conservation architects, Allies & Morrison, and implemented by Borras, was carried out to a high standard, such that the case history will be included in an architects’ guidebook on brick conservation. The work was finished on time and within budget. The Friends were consulted throughout.

Donations and sponsorship to fund Holland Park projects:

Having worked closely with RBKC on a ten-year Management Plan for Holland Park, The Friends regularly discuss progress on implementation of the plan with Park Management. Priorities were agreed and provided a focus for grants and sponsorship during the year:

• Completion of the sensory garden, a quiet space for those who find busy areas of the park challenging. Leaders of SEND groups visited to check the safety of the garden, and the first group of children with autism enjoyed a sensory experience. The garden was fully funded by private donors, with the funds being donated to The Friends for payment of each stage of the project when satisfactorily completed. The Friends produced a leaflet for distribution to SEND leaders in the local community.

• Proactive tree care work continued with two grants of £5,000 and £7,250. The Friends organised demonstrations of a fluorometer which analyses the underlying health of trees, so that the effect of treatments can be assessed and tests can be used to establish which trees should be selected for treatment each year.

• A wildflower survey was carried out (£350) as a precursor to planning the management of two pollinator meadows, in the context of the Biodiversity Action Plan, approved by the council.

• Two information boards were created and installed at the front and rear of Grade 1-listed Holland House (£2,175).

• Funding of on-line wildlife talks, organised by the Ecology Centre, so that there was no charge to participants (£850).

Fundraising through events and sale of merchandise:

The first post-Covid art exhibition was successful, both in terms of income (£18,782) and surplus, once artists and expenses had been paid (£6,627). A ticketed concert in April was well attended, as were the summer members’ party and the Christmas concert. Sale of merchandise increased from £3,437 in 2021 to £6,675 in 2022, due to new merchandise and increased opportunities for sales.

Education:

The programme of Blue Badge guided History and Decorative Art tours was run throughout the year, two guided walks on the identification of the birds in Holland Park, and one on tree identification took place. Regular Friends’ pop-up stalls in Holland Park served to inform visitors about the park, generate funds through sales of merchandise and sign up new members, culminating in a highly popular Festive Event on 17 December. Three telephone talks were given to Open Age housebound groups and two talks were given to members of the Kensington and Chelsea Forum.

Building relationships : The Friends continue to work closely with council officers, the Parks Police and elected councillors, who all involve The Friends in decisions concerning Holland Park. The Friends also maintain productive contact with Opera Holland Park and other stakeholders in the park.

Gift Aid : Repayments from HMRC Charities received in 2022 were:

• £1,631.56 for Membership Subscriptions

• £789.15 for Donations.

The number of members increased over 2021.

The AGM was held in person on 6 April 2022 with a quorum of over 30 members being present. All trustees were re-elected.

The trustees have complied with their duty to have regard to the guidance of public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their powers and duties.

2023 – achievements to date and plans for the remainder of the year

The Friends continue to work with Opera Holland Park to ensure commitment to reduce the build and remove time for the temporary opera buildings, so that the re-landscaped Holland House terrace can be open to the public for a longer period each year. Opera Holland Park sought input to their planning application for 2022-24.

The Friends have asked the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to act to prevent water ingress above and behind the 11 large murals that depict life in Holland Park in bygone times. The murals, donated by The Friends, are suffering water damage and the council has commissioned an investigation by a conservation expert, to establish what action must be taken for the paintings to survive.

The Friends are working with the council to conserve the mid-19[th] century terra cotta bricks, installed around Holland House, which have been damaged by vandalism.

Donations and sponsorship to fund Holland Park projects:

The Friends are working with RBKC officers to deliver the actions set out in the ten-year Holland Park Management Plan. The borough’s Biodiversity Action Plan has been approved by the council and the action plans for the woodland enclosures and pathways are currently being written. The Friends are being consulted, with the possibility of funding further species surveys. The Friends have committed to funding the proactive tree health programme, and funding of many of the Ecology Service events for the public.

Fundraising and ticketed events:

A talk, ‘Design Matters’ was given by the director of the neighbouring Design Museum, on 22 February with 76 tickets sold. The Art Exhibition will run from 15-23 April 2023, the members’ summer party will be on 18 July, and the Christmas Concert is scheduled to take place in The Orangery in December.

Education:

A full schedule of Blue Badge guided History and Decorative Art tours is planned, including two tours for people with walking difficulties and a new subject of the history of the gardens. Two guided tree identification walks are planned. One bird walk took place in February and two more are scheduled. Regular pop-up stalls in the park will provide information to all, at which activities for children will encourage their interest in the park. The Friends are commissioning a permanent display on the history of Holland House, to be installed inside the café. Once the

butterfly survey has been completed, The Friends will produce a guide to the butterflies of Holland Park.

The Trustees consider that the present resources of the Charity are adequate to meet its obligations.

Risk Management

The trustees have given consideration to the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, reviewed and revised the Risk Register and satisfied themselves that systems or procedures are established in order to manage those risks. The trustees will continue to monitor risks and to carry out an annual review. The charity has a Privacy Statement on its website and manages data in line with its Privacy Policy and the General Data Protection Regulation.

Reserves Policy

The trustees consider that the Charity should hold a minimum reserve equivalent to 50% of annual expenditure, to ensure that the quarterly newsletter can continue and other necessary expenditure can be paid if, due to unforeseen circumstances, the projected income is not received. Any reserves in excess of this are held pending expenditure on, or donations towards, projects related to the park in accordance with the Charity’s objects.

The Friends made donations of £62,244 to the park in 2022, an increase from £30,535 in 2021. This increase was made possible due to generous donations from private donors, facilitated by the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation, and tied to the project of a quiet, sensory garden for those who find the noise and bustle of the main park too challenging. This was gratifying after several years during which project implementation was limited, due to the pandemic. The Charity continues to have substantial reserves and hopes to achieve a high level of project funding in 2023.

Trustees’ Responsibilities

Charity Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently

• Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent

• State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any

• material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose, with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Jennie Kettlewell (Chairman) 8 March 2023

The Friends of Holland Park Statement of Flnanclal Actlvltlos for th8 yoar endod 31 D•¢omber 2022 2022 2021 Income from: Donations &1ogacies.' Donations Legacies Charitable a¢tlvities: Subscriptions 16,938 78.770 16.938 74no 13.268 12,546 Other tradlng income.. Events Sale of rnerchandise Advertising Interest Total incoming rosources 20,391 6,675 2,313 3.437 7,810 28.632 716 7,560 88 98.964 Expenditure on: Raistng funds.. Fundraising Event expenses Cost of merchandise Charltable activities: Newslelter Grants & aims expenditure Govemance 2.490 16,983 1.660 2,775 1, 765 23.304 6,2(K) 8,225 62,244 6,934 30,535 1,215 71.866 38,744 Total resources axpended 95,170 Net incomellexpendlture) Total funds brought forward (35,616) 207,433 54,020 153,413 Total funds carried forward 171,817 207,433 Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2022 Current assets: Debtors & prepayments Deposit & curront account$ Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 433 171,972 2,756 206 350 208,506 172.405 588 I.OT3 Net assets 171 817 207,433

Notes to the accounts for 2022

• The 2022 accounts have been independently examined.

• Income for 2022 was lower than in 2021 (£59,554 v. £98,964) as, in 2021, the charity received substantial and much-appreciated one-off donations, to be spent on specific projects, as well as many other donations from generous members.

• Subscriptions have increased from £12,546 in 2021, to £13,268 in 2022.

• Event income, at £20,391, returned to pre-Covid levels, with profit on events at £3,408.

• Sale of merchandise increased from £3,437 to £6,675..

• Grants to the park, at £62,244, were up significantly from £30,535 in 2021. This was the result of the high income from donations in 2021.

• The Gift Aid refund for 2022 was £2,420.71.

• Net income was -£35,616 v. £54,020 in 2021. This is due to donations being received in 2021 but not being spent on grants until 2022.

• Total funds carried forward stood at £171,817. This is a decrease on £207,433 in 2021 but shows money is being spent according to our charitable objects.

The financial statements are prepared under the historical cost convention, in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS102) and applicable accounting standards.

Cost of generating funds represents expenditure on membership, events and merchandise for sale. Charitable expenditure includes all expenditure directly related to the objects of the charity and comprises grants paid, the production of the newsletter and the cost of administration. Governance costs represent expenditure incurred in the organisational administration and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

Report of the Independent Examiner

I report on the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2022.

This report is made solely to the Charity's trustees, as a body, in accordance with section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. My work has been undertaken so that I might state to the Charity's trustees those matters I am required to state to them in this report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Charity's trustees as a body, for my work, for this report or for the opinions I have formed.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner

The Charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. They consider that an audit is not required under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

• examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 act;

• follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioner under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 act; and

• state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner's Report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent Examiner's Statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

• a) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

• to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 act; and

• to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 act; have not been met; or

• b) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

R Foreman FCA 2, Dalrymple Close Chelmsford, CM1 7RF

Date: 14 March 2023