2024-12-31-accounts - The Friends Of Holland Park

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

The Friends of Holland Park

Report and Accounts – Year to 31 December 2024

Charity number 281348

The Friends of Holland Park Accounts for the Year to 31 December 2024

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.

The trustees who held office since 1 January 2024 were:

NJW Brockmann GGR Franklin SA French RDN Hopkins PF Hou was co-opted as a trustee on 22 April 2024 JA Kettlewell, Chairman JE Puritz SP Spassov, Treasurer RM Wood, Secretary AI Beaumont was co-opted as a trustee on 4 March 2025.

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 2024

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.

Conservation of historic assets:

The Friends worked with RBKC Project Management to plan conservation of the old Holland Estate Dairy, sourced specialists with appropriate skills, and funded £20,000 to cover the early stages of the scoping and costing work.

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 discussed progress on implementation of the plan with Park Management. Priorities for 2024 were agreed and provided a focus for grants and sponsorship during the year:

The Friends funded the installation of bird nest boxes (£1,080), to help maintain a healthy wild bird population in the park.
Proactive tree healthcare work continued with grants totalling £5,675.
Whips were planted round the margins of the woodland enclosures, being native species with nuts or berries as food for wildlife. The Friends paid the cost of £3,145.
The Friends paid £6,165 for replacement picnic benches on the south side of the sports field.
A programme of wildlife talks to the local community, organised by the Ecology Centre, was funded by The Friends, so that there was no charge to participants. Cost £1,100.

Fundraising through events and sale of merchandise:

The annual art exhibition was the most successful ever, both in terms of income (£20,011) and surplus (£6,247). The summer members’ party was well attended (ticket sales £1,550) and the Christmas Concert attracted ticket sales of £2,133. Sale of guides to the park and other merchandise produced an income of £3,139.

Education:

The Guide to the Butterflies of Holland Park was completed (£1,490). The Friends commissioned information panels on the history of Holland House which were installed inside the Holland Park Café. The programme of Blue Badge tours was run throughout the year, including two tours for groups who had difficulty walking. Three guided walks on the identification of the birds in Holland Park, and two tree identification walks 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 30 November. Quarterly issues of the 16-page, full-colour newsletter were produced and distributed to all members and to stakeholders in Holland Park. The Friends’ two notice boards in the park were kept updated.

Building relationships : The Friends continue to work closely with council officers, the Parks Police and elected councillors, all of whom 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 2024 were:

£1,718.62 for Membership Subscriptions
£892.07 for Donations.

The number of members continued to increase and stood at 1,143 paid-up members at the start of November 2024. This was in part due to new members and in part to the concerted effort to encourage members to renew at the start of 2024.

The AGM was held in the Holand Park Orangery on 10 April 2024 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.

2025 – achievements to date and outlook for the remainder of the year

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 Friends initiated the project to conserve the exquisite historic tiles in the Old Dairy building that served the Holland Park estate and will work with RBKC Project Management as the conservation is implemented during 2025. The Friends will work to attract external funding.
Action plans for the woodland enclosures and pathways are being implemented with input from The Friends. Woven hazel teaching circles have been funded by The Friends (£7,000).
The Friends continue to work with Parks Management to find a solution to areas suffering from heavy foot traffic, causing grass erosion and soil compaction.
The Friends continue to work with the council flood prevention officer and the Ecology Service to plan interventions that will encourage retention of rainwater in the park and prevent damaging runoff. The work has been delayed due to slim council officer resource, but is planned for 2025.
After much lobbying of the Council, work has still not been carried out to prevent water ingress above the wall paintings. The Friends continue to press for this work to be done so that the paintings are safe from water damage.
Once again, The Friends have committed to funding the proactive tree health programme, starting with treatment of Horse Chestnuts suffering from canker or leaf miner.
The Friends have committed to funding a further year of the Ecology Service educational walks and talks for the community.

Fundraising and ticketed events:

The Art Exhibition will run from 5-13 April 2025, the members’ summer party will be on 21 July, and the Christmas Concert is scheduled to take place in The Orangery on 7 December.

Education:

A full schedule of Blue Badge guided tours is planned, including two tours for people with
walking difficulties. 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. A sensory tree walk will be funded for people with little or no sight, working with the Ecology Service and Age UK.
The Friends give talks on Holland Park and undertake general guided tours of the park when the
opportunity arises.

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.

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.

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

The Friends of Holland Park

Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 December 2024

2024 £ Income from: Donations & legacies: Donations 12,298 Legacies 10,000 22,298 Charitable activities: Subscriptions 14,124 Other trading income: Events 21,265 Sale of merchandise 3,139 Advertising 1,975 26,379 Interest 4,217 Total incoming resources 67,018 Expenditure on: Raising funds: Fundraising 2,439 Event expenses 18,555 Cost of merchandise 2,013 23,007 Charitable activities: Newsletter 9,498 Grants & aims expenditure 38,188 Governance 1,703 49,389 Total resources expended 72,396 Net income/(expenditure) -5,378 Total funds brought forward 183,530 Total funds carried forward 178,152 Balance Sheet as at 31 December 2024 £ Current assets: Debtors & prepayments 1,012 Deposit & current accounts 177,590 178,602 Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year 450 Net assets 178,152	2023 £ 32,023 - 32,023 13,625 17,397 3,589 1,655 22,641 2,797 71,086 2,924 14,667 1,540 19,131 8,538 30,314 1,390 40,242 59,373 11,713 171,817 183,530 £ 808 183,097 183,905 375 183,530	2023 £ 32,023 - 32,023 13,625 17,397 3,589 1,655 22,641 2,797 71,086 2,924 14,667 1,540 19,131 8,538 30,314 1,390 40,242 59,373 11,713 171,817 183,530 £ 808 183,097 183,905 375 183,530
	17,397 3,589 1,655
	2,924 14,667 1,540
		71,086
		19,131 40,242
	8,538 30,314 1,390
	808 _183,097 _
		59,373
		11,713 171,817
		183,530
		£ 183,905 375

		183,530

Notes to accounts for 2024

Donations decreased in 2024 over 2023, due to an exceptional £25,000 donation in 2023.
A legacy of £10k, increased subscriptions and event income, resulted in the total income being only £4,068 less than in 2023.
An increase in the cost of newsletters was due to the rise in paper costs.
Event costs increased over 2023, largely due to a successful art exhibition. The more artworks sold, the more income we receive, but it means a higher total sum is paid to artists. Surplus on events in 2024 was £2,710, against £2,730 in 2023.
Grants to fund park projects increased satisfactorily from £30,314 in 2023 to £38,188 in 2024.
Unlike most organisations, the fact that costs exceeded income (by £5,378) is an achievement and is in line with our aim to increase spending on grants for park projects

Jennie Kettlewell (Chairman) 14 March 2025

Report of the Independent Examiner

I report on the financial statements of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2024.

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 Commis-
sooner 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 2, Dalrymple Close Chelmsford, CM1 7RF

Date: 5 April 2025