Report of the Trustees and Financial statements Forth•ygargnded 28 February2025 For Forfar Open Garden
Forfar
Forfar Open Garden 2024/2025 Purpose Forfar Open Garden IFOGI chartty was set up to provide the Forfar and surrounding area in Angus. with a community garden. Our aim is to positively Impact socially isolated individua15, those with a physical, mental health disability, those with special needs or conditions such a5 neurodiversity and dementla, through involvement in the therapeutic benefits of gardening and nature-based activities. Anyone with a passion frjr Gardening and supporting those les5 fortunate are encouraged to get involved, Chairpersons Report 2024-2025 FOG is a small therapeutic gardening charity, founded 11 years ago by Eleanor Glèdhill. Over those years our garden was created, originating from a bare plot of land made freely available by a supportÈrof the project, and transformed to provide a peaceful and productivegarden environmentto support our community- Following noti terminating the lease of our current Site, the trustees pulled together with our volunteers to form Project Keep FOG to secure a newsite, fundlng and local support for the move and to relocate the garden so we could save our much- loved community garden and grow our servicesto Forfor and the surrounding area in Angus. This year has been a year where we have been running Project Keep FOG in parallel with managing and delivering services through our current garden site. FOG continues to thrive within the community, and this year in May we welcomed the Adult Autism Social Group to the garden who now meet with us ovory Friday. Visiting groups have included U3Ala local women's support group), Arbroath Flower Club, Forfar Horticultural Society, Kilry Gardening Club as well as the local Guide and Scout groups. We are delighted to continue to support regular visit5 from local primary schools, nurseries, care homes, a home-schooling group and the Change Mental Health support group. Forfar Academy has joined the regular visltor groups this year with pupils undertaking projects with us such as photographs for creative card making and drone footage to create a time lapse Mdeo of our new site transformation. We are delighted to have been awarded outstanding rating from Scotland's 'lts your neighbourhood, and we are registered with the Young Per50n'5 Guarantee Scheme IDYW). A quick thank you to the Northwood Charitable trust for their support for increasing ourcommunity engagement and funding our new1080 seen above. Following last year's success. we opened 2 days for Scotland'5 Garden Scherne which helped boost our plant sales along with our continued partnership with Murton Trust and Alba Explorers who use our plants to supporttheirprojerts at local schools. We are verypleased to produce most of our plant sales ourselves either from seed, cutting5 or plan division. Fruit and Vegetable sales have also continued to be a great source of incorne, with many complements on the quality of our produce. Fun days held with examples including Chocolatia recording a podcast from our garden and letting our lucky volunteer's sample their chocolates, Apple pressing and juice consumption along with Pumpkin Carving, grown from last years seed. and of course our annual Volunteers picnic which was a lovely sunny day made special by all the volunteers and their individual contributions.
Forfar Open Garden 202412025 Latterlyi our focus turned to preparing forthe Garden move with bulbs being lifted and dried and plants being dug up and potted and placed back in the 5011 to keep our garden presentable. Our volunteers have been engaged providing ideas for the new garden a5 well as completing the 2en Den, which is already a much-loved pla of tranquillity and will be incorporated to our new site. ha5 been training to take on the project management for Keep FOG and to rt&p up to take on overall lead for the new rden as Jen 5tep5 back to focu5 on her health and support fundin8 and community engagement. We continue to support our apprentice Lewis Torrie who has really grown with his role and have taken on 2 temporary project workers on a 6-month contract to help us manage the cuent garden while preparingthe new site for with the move. Pfoject Keep FOG- The team worked with Angus council to firstly identify then, thanks to our trustee Liz, secure a lease for a suitable new site for our garden. After nearly a year of discussions and negotiatlon our new site, approx. 400m from our current location was secured with Angus councll on 30 January. In parallel we secured a ropriate planning permissions. one of our trustees worked with a local architect, ho volunteered, to help secure both permissions The move funding initially proved very challenging however in early October our luck turned when firstly we secured a postcode lottery grant to cover staff costs to support the move, then a capital grant from the National Lottery to cover demolition, site clearance and a UK Government grarrt through Angus Council to cover security fencln& gates and disability pathway materials. Work started the day after we secured our leaseto clear, secure and prepare our new site. Dueto the knock-on impart of getting utllitie5 into our newsitewe have managed to get agreementto delay our existin8 Slte exit until 5 September 2025. Currentlyour aim isto move bulldlngs overthe summer and start the journey to plant and re-create our much-loved garden late summer 2025. Progres5 can be followed on social medial and on our website: h www.forfaro en rden.co.uk A specla1 thank you to the 5UPPOrt from our amazing trustees, volunteers and gardening team they have worked incredibly hard this year to make such fabulous progress. The donations and offers of help from the local community have beÈn amazing and we look forward working with them overthe coming months. Our garden is 5ustsined through the generosity of numerous individuals (you know who you are l and local donors (The original Factory Shop, A5da). Core Grant funding has been secured again from the Mental Health and Wellbeing fund, Bail1& Gifftird and project support from the Essentia Foundation. urTrea5urer stspped down atourAGM in August. We welcomed regularvolunteer atourgarden as our new treasurer, she had been shadowing and supporting since the beginning of the financial year. I'd like to thank r her 5UPPOrt, for Simplifying the way in which dayto day cash payments were recorded and to welcome Helen to her new role. I would also like to thank everyone who funds, donats5 and ntributeS to our Forfar Open Garden for thelr generoslty and contlnued support. Thank you.
Income Expendthre Balan Keep FOG £32,6 £13.980 £18,620 Cor& É49.533 £55A14 451 LeaNlng a tolal surplus of £11739 Bank balan a5 at 2810212025 É33.162 Annual staff ¥A8eswa5£52.022 Indu LTIJ for Le•As £4.972 was dalmed bxk from Aw Councll. Wages has incrnised ty£5A16 wilh £L380 overtime for KeepFCG. The increase of just over Il% is Main due to increased hoursworked and IwETwm $dme foY•nded in October 2024. C4YefundlThi Montrose communlty hub £1.( Pctstfnde lottery trust £8.1 Tade health board £6.240 essen?1 foundatlon £3.LKN) Mentsl heath & wellbeing £20.(KKJ NorthwiKd tharttsble trust£5X would like to thank thè fOlkn1 r0e$ ft thÈtr 8rnntfvrbdhwItholltwthlch wewuld rt achieve project Keep FOG. Merrtal Health & well11n8 £5.(XX) ChanBe for Good £LIIXI National Lottery £1,4LN) An8U5 Council £10.2 P05tc(Mle lrttwy £io.rJxi lallocated adthtlonal T4¥a for KÈopFOG I Aiy Councl CthiinM#C4ylul Fund-thlsfvnd wa5 recew fDr Project Keep FCE Secweand and has received £35.000 ¢apTlal Érant from the UK Gcwernnrt through theAn85 Counol Comnwnity Capitsl Fund ènd wlll largdy coverthe materials and rnntrattotsto SUFWt Seri our premw and (Teatiryg dlsablllry pathways. Fundlr8 to be resed on receipt of irNoi¢eand evFdence of paymenL £10,2 wa5 pald In respect Offend for premises. The remalnderwlll be Tekned 25126 pernlingfurther in)1. Natlonal Lrttery-comrnunlty ( £45.(NXI Cawtsl and £65.(W Rnue l this 5wificant 8rnnt will cover the main Cont cost on Prryect Keep FOG- Iyewe pr(y4ide fund5for materials and speclallst cixrtrnthal ser¥kes duth Proled Keep FoG-M Funthruto be oleased on reL¥lpt of Invol with £lJ(X) P31d In respect of Eco comFtt6 toilet. A deposlt of £l.LVJ2 has been paid for the n&¥ Wekon* bullthn8 and the relmbursementfrorn the Natlonal will be ind4Hled ye4rfs accwnt
I tock oftlTerAl 2024and TAY11t0 than hand(Ner ofaccourt Onechange I made Rkhard15 to devlse an exel 5prea(Èhe of the hTS worked1holldaCkneSS etc and ihis is n¢Jv used to be sent to VAAIVoluntsry Artion Ar8vsl to prfxess wages and stored electronically. Helen Robble
Forfar Open Garden Scottish Charity sc045844 Receipts and payments account for the year ended 28 February 2025 Total Funds 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds 2025 Note Receipts Donations Gr3ntS Fundraising Charitable Trèding Bank interest 1,345 25,240 17 4.929 31 1,345 75,812 17 4,929 31 1,888 51.155 50 3105 50,572 Total Rrfeipts 31,561 50.572 82,133 56,198 Payments Charitable Activities Trading Activities Staff Costs Expenses Misc 1,607 195 27.061 1,177 1,607 195 52,022 15.570 1.882 24,961 14.392 46,606 2,704 Total Payments 39.353 69.394 51,192 Excess of receipts/lpaymentsl over Ipaymentslreceipts in the year I20 11,219 12,739 5,006
Forfar Open Garden Scottlsh Charlty SC045844 Statement of Balances as at 28 February 2025 Total Funds Totsl Funds 2025 2024 Cash at Bankand in hand Bank and Deposit balanS brought forward 9,365 11.058 20,4Z3 15,417 Movement in year Excess of receipt5 over payments for the year 1,520 11,219 12,739 5,006 Bank and Deposit balances carried forward 10.886 22.277 33,162 20.423 Represented By: Bank Petty Cash 33,162 20,423 33,16Z 20,423 The financial statements were approved by the Trustee5 on 3+5
Forfar Open Garden Scottish Charity SC045844 Notes to the flnanclal statements l Accounting policies Ba$15 of accountlng These financial Statements have been prepared on the receipts and payments basls In accordance with the Charities & Trustees Investment (Scotlandl Art 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotlandl Regulations 2006 las amended). Balance Brought Forward at Balance at 2812125 2 Grants and Oonations Received 113124 Income Expenditure Restrlrted Angu5 Council Northwood VAA- MH&WF Essentia Foundation National Lottery Fund Change for Good 15,172 15,172 5,000 3,800 2,511 1.092 1,000 25,&XI 3,OCX) 21.200 489 2,492 1,0 Unrestricted Postcode Lottery Foundation Scotland Co-op MontrDse Community Hub Tayside Health Board Asda ba Explorers 6,329 2,500 2.229 18,tKKJ 11,004 2,500 2,229 13,325 1.000 6,240 500 117 6,240 500 117 11,058 76.429 56.704 30,783 3 Transactions with Related & Connected Persons During the year no tru5tee512024 21 reiVed renumeration or expenses12024 £581
Independent Examiner5 Report to the TteeS of Forfar Open Garden Scottish Charitsble Incorporat•d Or8arnlsatlott SC045844 I repprt on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 28 February 2025. which are set out on the accompanying pages. Respective responsibillties of trustee5 and examlner The charlS trustee5 are responsible for the preparatlon of the accounts in accordance wlth the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotlandl 25 Art and the Charities Accounts (Scotlandl Regulations 2C06. The charity trustee5 consider that the audit requirement cf Regulation 10111 Idl of the Account Regulations does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the actountS as required unéer section 4411) Icl of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent Examinerf5 5tstement My examination is carried OLrt in accordan with Regulation 11 of the Charities Accounts (Scotlandl Regulations 2006. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accouftts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeks explanations from the trustee5 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 accounts. Independent examlnerfs statement In the course of my examination. no matter has come to rny attention which gives me reasonable cause to belleve that in any material respect the requirements: To keep 3ccounting records in accordance with section 4411} la} of the 2005 Ad 2nd Regulation 4 of the 2(X)6 Accounts Regulations, and o To prepare occounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with Regulation 9 of the 2C(16 Accounts Regulations have not been met, or to which. in rny opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper nderstsnding of the accounts to be athed.