Dingwall Community Woodland Trustees’ Annual Report 27[th] July 2024 – 31[st] July 2025
Charity contact information
Dingwall Community Woodland Scottish Charity Number: SC0 52712
Email address: admin@dingwallwoodland.co.uk Website: https://www.dingwallwoodland.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/DingwallCommunityWoodland https://www.instagram.com/dingwallcommunitywoodland/
Charity Trustees
– Chair
vice Chair
-
Treasurer
-
Secretary
Objectives and activities
Our charitable purposes are to create and manage a new Community Woodland on the edge of the town of Dingwall. The woodland will be created with the following specific objectives:
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Carbon sequestration
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Promotion of biodiversity
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Recreational activity
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Education and learning
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Community gathering place
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Green therapy
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Advancement of citizenship through volunteering opportunities
We achieve our charitable purposes as follows; Carbon sequestration will naturally result from the process of converting farmland into woodland with a much greater biomass per hectare;
The biodiversity of the area will be increased by the range of habitats created;
Recreational activity is already possible on site through volunteer planting and maintenance days, but in the future will increase once the paths are installed- well surfaced and wide enough for prams, wheelchairs, buggies and bikes to ensure social inclusion and eventually joined into the wider Dingwall paths network. The woodland itself will provide recreational possibilities for walking, playing, meeting up and relaxing;
The Community Woodland will also be a space for green therapy, activities carried out outdoors, surrounded by nature provide a boost to mental wellbeing, reduce
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anxiety and provide a holistic treatment which everyone can benefit from in our busy lives;
Education and learning will be achieved through the volunteering opportunities, (which will also promote advancement of citizenship) and through providing the woodland as an outdoor educational space, both formally through curriculum-based teaching and informally through giving people a safe and welcoming space to enjoy the outdoors.
From its very inception, the Community Woodland has provided a focal point for members of the community to meet and come together. The planting days held early in 2023 attracted over 150 volunteers and have resulted in new friendships. The planned activity days around woodland maintenance, path building, habitat creation and then later on holding events which the whole community can access will achieve our charitable aim of providing a community gathering place. We are creating a beautiful, free, safe and accessible space for everyone to connect with our natural world and for all generations, now and future, to enjoy.
Structure, governance and management
Our governing document is our Constitution, which was approved by OSCR when we were accepted as a charity on 27th July 2023. The board trustees comprise the original members of the Steering Committee, established in 2021. No trustees have been recruited in the past year and although we are looking to recruit more committee members, we are not looking to increase the number of trustees.
Achievements and performance
In the past year we have had successful events meeting our charitable objectives, as follows:
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==> picture [330 x 460] intentionally omitted <==
----- Start of picture text -----
2025 — Volunteer Maintenance Day
aintaining the orchard
ree survey
hecking fences
eeding round trees
Open Day and Pollinator Bug Count
Pollinator Bug count with
| Highland Council
Wildlife Warden
Creation of two bug houses
to encourage wildlife
Tour of the woodland
Community day
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In the Community
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----- Start of picture text -----
Attended the Dingwall
Primary Summer Fayre,
Dingwall Gala and the
Feil Maree Street Fayre
— promoting and raising
the awareness of [the]
woodland and
fundraising
----- End of picture text -----
We also put together an end of year newsletter to keep our members up to date with events and the progress of the woodland.
Financial review
2024-2025 was our second year as a charity with fully audited accounts. We took in £2334, the majority of which was as donations from the Co-Op, Scottish Legal Aid and a generous donation from participants in the Open Garden Scheme. We also received over £250 from fundraising activities.
Our outgoings totalled £232, spent on running costs of the charity and small supplies for open days and community events.
Out of the excess we have set up a separate savings account ring-fenced for saving towards building the path. Other monies are held for ongoing activities.
Future plans
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e Continue fundraising and funding applications to create all abilities path
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e School and community engagement
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e More wildflower planting
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e More volunteer maintenance days
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e Woodland ownership — moving land ownership to the community
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e Open up the woodland to the public once the trees are mature enough to withstand disturbance
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Declaration
Date
Signed on behalf of the charity trustees: es ; ; Secretary 23/01/2026
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APPENDIX 2
| Enter charity name below | Enter charity name below | Enter charity name below | Enter charity name below | Enter charity name below | Enter charity name below | Enter charity name below | Enter charity name below | Enter SC No. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| below | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dingwall Community Woodland | SC | ||||||||||||||||||
| 052712 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Receipts andpayments accounts | |||||||||||||||||||
| Period start date | Period end date | Period end date | |||||||||||||||||
| For the period from |
01 | Aug | 2024 | to | 31 | July | 2025 | ||||||||||||
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Expendable | Permanent | Total funds | Total funds | Total funds | |||||||||||||
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||||||||||||
| A1 Receipts | |||||||||||||||||||
| Donations | 2,004 | 2,004 | 2,434 | ||||||||||||||||
| Legacies | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Grants | - | 5,550 | |||||||||||||||||
| Receipts from fundraising activities | 255 | 255 | |||||||||||||||||
| Gross trading receipts | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Income from investments other | |||||||||||||||||||
| than land and buildings | 15 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||
| Rents from land & buildings ~~Gross receipts from other~~ |
60 | - 60 |
|||||||||||||||||
| - | |||||||||||||||||||
| A1 Sub total | A1 Sub total | 2,334 | - | - | - | - | - | 2,334 | 7,984 | ||||||||||
| A2 Receipts from asset & | |||||||||||||||||||
| Proceeds from sale of fixed assets - Proceeds from sale of investments - A2 Sub total - - - - - - Total receipts 2,334 - - - 2,334 7,984 ~~—~~ ~~=~~ ~~—~~ |
|||||||||||||||||||
| A3 Payments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Expenses for fundraising activities | 14 | 14 | 83 | ||||||||||||||||
| Gross trading payments | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Investment management costs | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payments relating directly to | |||||||||||||||||||
| charitable activities | 65 | 65 | 4,922 | ||||||||||||||||
| Grants and donations | |||||||||||||||||||
| - | |||||||||||||||||||
| Governance costs: | |||||||||||||||||||
| - | |||||||||||||||||||
| Audit / independent examination | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Preparation of annual accounts | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Legal costs | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other | Other | Other 153 |
153 | 133 | |||||||||||||||
| - | |||||||||||||||||||
| A3 Sub total | 232 | - | - | - | - | - | 232 | 5,138 | |||||||||||
| A4 Payments relating to asset | |||||||||||||||||||
| Purchases of fixed assets - Purchase of investments - A4 Sub total - - - - - - Total payments 232 - - - 232 5,138 Net receipts / (payments) 2,102 - - - 2,102 2,846 A5 Transfers to / (from) funds - Surplus / (deficit) for year 2,102 - - - 2,102 2,846 ~~-~~ ~~SSSS=~~ ~~——————~~ |
APPENDIX 3
’ Independent examiner s report on the accounts V2
Report to the Dingwall Community Woodland trustees/members of
SC052712
| SC052712 | |
|---|---|
| Registered charity | SC052712 |
| number | |
| On the accounts of the | Period start date Period end date |
| charity for the period | Day Month Year Day Month Year 1st August 2024 to 31st July 2025 |
| Set out on pages | (remember to include the page numbers of additional sheets) |
| Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner |
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the terms of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) 2005 Act and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended). The charity trustees |
| consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 10(1) (d) of the Accounts Regulations | |
| does not apply. It is my responsibility to examine the accounts as required under section | |
| 44(1) (c) of the Act and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. | |
| Basis of independent | My examination is carried out in accordance with Regulation 11 of the 2006 Accounts |
| examiner’s statement | Regulations. 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 seeks | |
| explanations from the 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 viewgiven bythe accounts. | |
| Independent examiner’s | In the course of my examination, no matter has come to my attention [other than that |
| statement | disclosed on the attached page*] |
| 1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the |
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| requirements: | |
| • to keep accounting records in accordance with section 44(1) (a) of the 2005 Act and |
|
| Regulation 4 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations, and | |
| • to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with |
|
| Regulation 9 of the 2006 Accounts Regulations | |
| have not been met, or | |
| 2. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper | |
| understanding of the accounts to be reached. | |
| Signed:** | Date: 5/11/2025 |
| Name: | |
| Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): |
Financial Adviser |
| Address: |
*Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. If the words do apply, set out those matters which have come to your attention on the following page.
** OSCR will accept digital or typed signatures
APPENDIX 3
| Only | complete ifthe examiner needs to highlight material problems. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Give | here brief details of | ||
| any items thatthe | |||
| examiner wishes to | |||
| disclose | |||
| - | N/A |