Lagan Valley Regional Park Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) Year ended 31 March 2023 The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the unaudited financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. Reference and administrative details Registered charlty name Lagan Valley Regional Park Limited Charity registration number 1572 Company registration number N1063910 Principal office and registered 3 Lock Keeper's Lane office Milltown Road Belfast BT87 The trustees Mr M Murray Mr D Hughes Mr J Jackson Mr C Somerville Mr S Pollock Councillor G McAteer Ms U McKernan Chi Ting Yip Councillor J Palmer Councillor A Swan Councillor U Mackin Councillor G Spratt Ms G Daly Mr T Duffy Dr B Simon Councillor K Nicholl Mr C Kinney Ms S Mcclintock (Appointed 19 December 2022) (Retired 27 June 2022) (Retired 27 June 2022) (Appointed 27 June 2022) (Appointed 27 June 20221 (Retired 16 April 2023) Company secretary Dr Andy Bridge Independent examiner John Magee Aubrey Campbell & Company 631 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7GT Lagan Valley Regional Park Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (condnued) Year ended 31 March 2023 structure. govemance and management The Board is made up of public representatives from Belfast City Council (BCC), and Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC}, and individuals with a particular interest in the environment and conservation. Under the guidance of a Chairman and Vice Chairman, each Director is charged with governance over the operation of the Regional Park, maintenance of its assets and welfare of its staff. There are four Board Subcommittees= Audit and Risk. Finance and Strategy; Selection and Planning. A Company Secretary is responsible for charities regulations, Companies House administration and all aspects of financial compliance. The Board meet regularly throughout the year. An effective structure runs the Park on a day to day basis. The Management Committee (including related stakeholder representatives) and Park Manager are supported by the relevant functional heads in LCCC and BCC. The Park Manager in lum manages the operational and administrative staff. Objectives and aGtivities All of the Park's objectives and activities are underpinned by Ihe Board and staffs desire to promote the Park to visitors. thus ensuring its long tenm future. Their strategy document and management plan outline the long term sustainability of the Regional Park and AONB. The key long term strategic focus areas are Biodiversity. Heritage, Visitors, Community, Landscape. and Health and Recreation. These themes are reflected in the five year management plan, covering the period 2017 to 2022 and will be be reviewed in developing the next five year management plan 2023 to 2028. The plan focuses on tasks such as biodiversity monitoring, enhancement and protection through practical conservation of woodland. wetland. wildflower meadow and hedgerow, to extensive survey work of key fauna including bees, butterflies. wildfowl and small mammals. The Park actively promotes and protects the buill and cultural heritage of the area and is exploring the potential to uncovering the archaeological aspects of the area with a proposed audit of archaeological features in the park from which a a larger project may develop. The team also cover aspects of recreational planning and support for a range of diverse park users and visitors. In built planning. the regional park ensures that planning policy plays its part in preserving the Park's character, landscapes and biodiversity and this year responded to 14 planning consultations. as well as contributing to several strategic consultations affecting the Park and the wider countryside. The Park continues to maintain over 47km of paths to make the Park accessible to the general public, to investigate the possibility of physical links to other conservation areas, and to further enhance the existing towpath. Park management are also working on ongoing practical works. aimed at the conservation of rare species and habitats, whilst sympathetically improving the aesthetics of the Park. This includes developing biodiversity by way of promoting and protecting priority species, through tackling invasive species via a separate initiative, and by protecting and creating existing and new habitats. Lagan Valley Regional Park Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (¢ofttlnu8d) Year ended 31 March 2023 Achievements and perfomiance The Regional Park continues to welcome large numbers of visitor with 1.8 million visitors recorded during 2021 and 2022 stabilising to a higher level than before the Covid peak of 1.97 million users. This makes it the most visited outdoor visitor attraction in Northem Ireland and continues to present challenges both in terms of pressure on resources and user needs. Financlal review Core funding for the Park comes from Lisbum and Castlereagh City Council. Belfast City Council, the Department for Infrastructure. Despite continuing difficulties as a result of austerity and the political impasse on the not-for-profit sector in Northern Ireland, we successfully secured £220.191 of funding during the 2022123 financial year. This is higher than the previous year. As expected, core costs are almost entirely consistent with the previous year. As with the prior two years, careful financial planning and management means that the company was in surplus. This has an effect of leaving an overall underspend of approximately £8,500. Small company provisions This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies entitled to the small companies exemption. Lagan Valley Regional Park Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report {Incorporating the Directorfs Report) (Gontlnued) Year ended 31 March 2023 The trustees, annual report was approved on . trustees by: 11 /.g.l.zp..£Q and signed on behalf of the board of Mr M Murray Trustee Mr D Hughes Trustee Mr C Somerville Trustee Mr S Pollock Trustee Councillor G McAteer Trustee Chi Ting Yip Trustee Councillor J Palmer Trustee Councillor A Swan Twstee Councillor U Mackin Trustee Councillor G Spratt Trustee Ms G Daly Trustee MrTDufy Trustee Dr B Simon Trustee Councillor K Nicholl Trustee Lagan Valley Regional Park Limited Company Limited by Guarantee Trustees. Annual Report (Incorporating the Director's Report) (contlnued) Year ended 31 March 2023 Mr C Kinney Trustee Ms S Mcclintoc Trustee Dr Andy Bridge Charity Secretary