## **The Wiltshire Gardens Trust Registered Charity No. 292628**
## **Annual Report and Accounts**
Year ended 31 December 2022
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR 2022**
The trustees present their report along with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2022. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out on page 6 and comply with the charity's trust deed and applicable law.
The membership at the end of the year stood at 247, which is a healthy increase.
The Council saw the following changes during the year:
- Nicholas Hunloke has stood down as President and our deep gratitude and thanks go to Nicky and his wife Lady Kate, for all that they have done over the supreme number of years that they have been involved with the Trust. Lady Lucy Garton has taken on this role. Lucy is a dendrologist and keen gardener.
- Sean Magee has stepped down as Vice Chairman after many, many years both on the Events Committee and the Council. Sean’s unfailing support, knowledge of Wiltshire gardens and his work in relation to the Harris Bequest has been much appreciated by the Trust and our grateful thanks to him for everything that he has done.
- John d’Arcy is due to stand down as Journal Editor, a role he has fulfilled since the outset. He will remain as Botanical Advisor, which is wonderful because his plant knowledge is second to none. We thank John for his enormous contribution thus far to the success of the Journal.
- Gareth Slater has resigned from the Council – citing his age – 93 years – as the reason. The surveys produced by Gareth are testament to the dedication he has shown over many years and again we are deeply grateful for all beautiful drawings, lovingly produced and his in depth knowledge of Wiltshire gardens.
**Projects supported in 2022:** The trust again supported Horatio’s Garden in Salisbury with their Garden Therapy sessions; another Swindon Women’s Aid project and Twigs in relation to the beautiful, long awaited workshop in their therapy garden in Swindon.
**Surveys:** Hazel Fox, a garden designer, has taken on leading the survey team and has helped Gareth Slater collate all papers and surveys into the History Centre in Chippenham. This has been an enormous task but a very worthwhile achievement in securing these records in a safe place for posterity.
**Planning:** There were no major planning issues which required input from the Trust although Patricia Rowell continues to do an excellent job in checking all applications weekly and looking into any that she believes need our attention.
**Events, Lectures and Garden Visits:** The Events Committee, led by Alexandra Gray, once again arranged a very varied and interesting programme. All events have been very well supported and the Committee, with a number of new members, goes from strength to strength.
**The Giving Team:** Victoria Nye and her team have worked at providing an excellent framework for the way forward with regard to donations; seeking out projects that fulfil the aims and objectives of the Trust, within Wiltshire.
**Website.** The website is increasingly being accessed for details of events and general information of the Trust and improvements are continued to be made. We have successfully moved our membership systems online such that it is now easier to join, renew and change member details. We have also successfully used an online booking system for events and garden visits, which has proved very successful and cost effective.
## **The Aims and Objectives of the Wiltshire Gardens Trust**
The objects for which the Trust is established as are follows:
- A. To promote the education of the public, on matters connected with the arts and sciences which relate to garden land.
- B. To preserve enhance and re-create for the education and enjoyment of the public whatever garden land may exist or have existed in and around Wiltshire.
We seek to achieve this in the following ways:
- To survey, record and conserve Wiltshire gardens, and thereby create a wealth of information on Wiltshire gardening.
- To seek to ensure the conservation of important gardens that may be threatened and to help new owners.
- To support Wiltshire garden-owners, and speak for garden owners in public matters that affect their interests.
- To promote the use of gardens as an educational resource.
- To cooperate with and assist in the restoration, re-creation, maintenance or management of garden land by making available advice and information and technical and financial assistance.
- To support the work of Plant Heritage and the National Collections in Wiltshire.
- To support garden or gardening related projects of charities within Wiltshire, including, but not limited to, those with an emphasis on gardening as therapy.
For Members we seek:
- To assist the development of your gardening knowledge and advance the traditional knowledge, experience and skills in both young and old alike, by way of garden visits, lectures and our Journal.
- To provide an information exchange for gardeners: a focus for information and a channel of communication between organisations concerned with gardening in Wiltshire.
- To save and distribute uncommon garden plants, help to secure their propagation and ensure their continued existence.
The WGT is an affiliated member of The Gardens Trusts.
## **Reserves Policy**
The trustees have established a policy under which unrestricted funds held by the charity should be equivalent to between 9 and 12 months expenditure. This will ensure reasonable stability in the Trust’s programme against any likely short term fluctuations in revenue or expenditure commitments.
## **Investment Policy**
The Harris bequest was received in 2022 and was invested in the COIF Ethical Investment Fund, in order to preserve capital and create a return for the Trust to use as appropriate. This policy is kept under review.
## **Risk Review**
The trustees have conducted their own review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed and made provisions to mitigate those risks.
## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements**
Law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the charity’s financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the 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 and statements of recommended practice have been followed subject to any 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 business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping 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 2011. 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.
Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:
Mrs Rhyddian Roper Chairman October 2023
## **Wiltshire Gardens Trust Accounts 1st January 2022 - 31st December 2022**
|**Receipts**
Subscriptions
Donations - (Harris bequest 2021)
Interest & Tax Refunds
Journal Adverts
Events - lectures & day visits
**Payments**
Administration
The Gardens Trust (m'ship + ins.)
Plant Heritage (m'ship + donation)
Journal
Charitable Grants
Events - lectures & day visits
Miscellaneous
Net Income/Deficit
**Balance Sheet**
Reserves 1 Jan
Net Income/Expenditure
Reserves 31 Dec
CAF 60-day deposit
Barclays Premium
COIF Ethical Fund
Current Account Total|**2022**
6,533
£
-
£
1,455
£
30
£
9,039
£
17,057
£
1,173
£
528
£
750
£
1,696
£
3,737
£
5,984
£
-
£
13,868
£
3,189
£
306,161
£
3,189
£
309,350
£
26,000
£
10,094
£
£140,000
133,256
£
309,350
£|**2021**
4,549
£
294,073
£
904
£
441
£
2,800
£|
|---|---|---|
|||302,768
£
547
£
582
£
710
£
1,098
£
4,550
£
1,713
£
-
£|
|||9,199
£|
|||293,569
£|
|||12,593
£
293,569
£|
|||306,161
£|
|||150,000
£
150,000
£
6,161
£|
|||306,161
£|
**Outstanding inc:** None known **Outstanding exp:** Events costs as incurred
Printed 8-Jan-23
Tooding
CCOUNTS
EMPOWERING YOUR FUTURE
www.goodiDga¢¢ount8.co.uk
Report to the membet8 Ot
The Wiltshirc Gxrdens TtU5t
On accounts for the year ended:
31 December 2022
Respective responsibilitie8 of The Treaswer as appointed by Wiltshire Gatdcns
ttustee8 and eXaMir Trust ts tesponsible for the prepgTrtion of the accounts.
The Trust consider that in-depth audit is not required
for this year and that a thotough independent examination
is n¢¢ded.
It is my tesponsibility to:
ex#n)ine the accounts.
confittn that the figutcs ptesent a tmc and f2ir view of
the Position.
to state whether particu]ar MAttS have come ro my
attention.
BasiB of indepetsdent examinerfs My examination was catiied out in ACCOtdance with genenl
statement ditections given by tbe The Wdtshir¢ Gardens 'ITht and
Accountancy Bodies. An cxamination indudes a review of
the accounting records kept by the Trust and a cvmpatison
of thc accounts ptesented with those tceords. It also
indudes consideration of any unusual items ot disdosures
the accounts and seeking cxp12nitions from the
Treasutct conceming any such mattets. The procedures
undertaken do not provAde all the evidertce that would be
requited in an audiL and consequcndy no opinion is given
as to whethet the accounts prcscnt a'true and fairf view 2nd
the teport is Jimitrd to those matters set out in the
statement bclow.
P•rtneTS.' FTFm1FthB kiti (itMidiii¥ BSEFCA
Cpmpafiy No.- Iiihw 1-1.11)
Aegiste0 In ÉDgiind and Wales as-. lyLM?diii4* ArciWiJt4 I
Astred OIIK*. )4 Waniiiii%lci Wesibiiry-. Wili%liir¢. 1SAI.l Jpr.
ICAEW
CHARTERED
ACCOUNTANTS
Independent examinet 8 In connection with my examinatio no rnatt has comc to
statement tny *ttention:
which gives me ieasonable cause to bclicve that in, any
material Icspect. the tequiremeftt$:
to keep accounting reco5 in accordance with regular
accounting ptocedures.
to PrePe accounts which accord with the accounting
tecords and comply with the necessary accounting
tequirements of the The Wiltshite Gardens Tntst.
have not been met. ot
2 to which. in my opinion, attention should bc dtawn in order
to enable a propct understandirAg of d)e accounts to be
reached.
which would give rise to any cortccrn in re]ation the full
disclosutc of all finallci mattcts in rd2tion to the The
Wiltshire Gardens TnL
Signed:
h&c(xU
Date:
12 Aptil 2023
Name:
Relevant professional
qualification(s) or body:
ICAEW
Addre88:
Gooding Accounts Ltd
24 Warminster Road, Westbury
Wiltshitc BA13 3PE