NORTHERN IRELAND FOREST SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2022
The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2019. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2015).
OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES Significant activities
The Company develops and delivers sustainable environmental education programmes to schools and youth organisations across Northern Ireland. We also advise on conservation issues and help organisations create or enhance wildlife areas, for example, local authority parks or school grounds.
ACHIEVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE
All of the programmes run by NIFSA come under the heading "Learning Without Walls". The specific programmes can be broken down as follows:
Forest School Awards: this is the outreach programme to deliver Learning Without Walls to local communities. NIFSA currently work with 180 qualified Forest Schools and are training a further 350 schools to become qualified. The Forest School Awards are supported by Mid-Ulster Council, Lisburn And Castlereagh Council, Mid and East Antrim Council, Fermanagh and Omagh Council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Council.
They are also financially supported by the Dufferin Foundation, Public Health Agency and the Drumlin Wind CoOperative.
NIFSA currently support an average of 5,000 pupils being taught outside every month.
Covid19: the effects of Covid19 are diminishing and not having a major impact now.
Clandeboye Nature Rangers: this is primarily an after-school Forest School serving the Bangor area. It is based in Lady Dufferin's estate - Clandeboye Estate. An average of 21 children are picked up from 10 schools in North Down. Mid Term and Summer Holiday programmes are also run annually. These all prove very popular with waiting lists now in operation. In addition, school groups and nurseries visit Clandeboye to have a forest school experience. Usually, 2 or 3 groups attend weekly.
The successful building contractor MCC Builds (trading as Koolcabins) has proved to be disastrous. No progress has been made on the building since their appointment in January 2022.
Development of other Nature Ranger Centres
After the opening of the Centres in 2021, they have both had to be closed down. People’s Park due to lack of customers. Moira had to close as 2 part-time members of staff left at the same time and it proved impossible to hire new staff.
Looking at how to support existing Forest Schools to become Nature Ranger Clubs – after-school clubs. Will pilot with Fairvew and Hazelwood Primary Schools.
Forest School Awards
Brian and Danielle continue to deliver the outreach Forest School Awards programme. Caoimhe Suitor will now also help as demand is there. Over the last year NIFSA has worked with 60 new schools wanting to become Forest Schools.
Staffing issues
Pamela Brown and Chrissie have both had to be made redundant due to not enough income being generated to support the posts.
Caoimhe Suitor will move across to help Danielle and Brian deliver Forest School Awards. Jordan Galway and Natasha Vance both left to become full-time classroom assistants.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Principal funding sources:
The principal funding sources of the charity is through Local Authority training and development, Club fees, Memberships and Donations.
NORTHERN IRELAND FOREST SCHOOL ASSOCIATION
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021 STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The charity is controlled by its governing documents, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.
The Company is established to promote the benefit of the public, and in particular children (hereinafter referred to as 'beneficiaries') by providing facilities for education and recreation in the context of the natural woodland environment across Northern Ireland (hereinafter called the "area of benefit") without distinction of age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, ethnic identity, political or religious opinion, by associating the statutory authorities, community and voluntary organizations and the inhabitants in a common effort, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said beneficiaries and in particular:
a) to advance the education of children, young people, and the general public in issues relating to conservation, biodiversity, ecology and the environments, and in particular as these relate to woodland and forestry environments
b) to maintain and manage or co-operate with any local authority in the maintenance of a centre or centres in the area of benefits for activities promoted by the association (hereinafter called "the Centre").
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number
NI070571 (Northern Ireland) Registered Charity number 100975
Registered office 102 Lansdown Road Belfast BT15 4AB
Trustees
G Lyttle Miss L Matthews J McDaid P M O'Kane Independent Examiner Seamus McLernon FCA M.B.McGrady & Co Chartered Accountants Suite 2B Cadogan House 322 Lisburn Road Belfast Co. Antrim BT9 6GH
Approved by order of the board of trustees on -------- and signed on its behalf by:
Trustee