The Arnside/Silverdale AONB Landscape Trust

Transcription

1 The Arnside/Silverdale AONB Landscape Trust Annual Report and Financial Statements For the year ended 31 March 2015 Registered Charity in England and Wales Charity Number Contents Page Trustees Annual Report 25 Financial Report 69 Independent Examiners Report 10

2 Reference and Administrative Information Name of Charity: The Arnside/Silverdale AONB Landscape Trust Registered Charity Number: Contact details: Address: The Old Station Building, Arnside, Carnforth LA5 0HG Telephone: Web: Trustees: Date of election Date of reelection Date of resignation Fiona Allen 07/06/ /06/2016 Ray Anslow (Treasurer) 07/06/ /06/2015 Leslie Edkins 07/06/ /06/ /01/2015 Andrew Greenwood 01/06/ /06/2016 Gary Marsh 01/06/ /06/2015 Robert Pickup 07/06/ /06/ /01/2015 Colin Peacock (Chairman) 01/06/ /06/2015 Michael Smith 01/06/ /06/ /06/2015 Michael Warren (Secretary) 01/06/ /06/2015 Bankers: Cumberland Building Society, Cumberland House, Castle Street, Carlisle, CA3 8RX National Westminster Bank plc. 44, Market Street, Carnforth, Lancs, LA5 9WY Santander UK, Bridle Road, Bootle, Merseyside LG30 4GB Independent Examiner: Mr Peter Bates ACMA, CGMA Structure, Governance and Management Governing Documents: Constitution Amended at the AGMs in 1989, 1991, 1997, 2012, 2013 and Trustees/Management Committee The Trustees/Management Committee met six times during the year. Objectives and Activities for the Public Benefit The objects of the Landscape Trust are: To work for the public benefit of both residents and visitors within the Arnside/Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (hereinafter called "the AONB") by stimulating and encouraging both understanding of and active involvement in the protection, conservation and practical improvement of features of general public amenity or historical interest within the landscape. Payments to Trustees There were no payments to Trustees apart from authorised expenses and reimbursements for expenditure made on behalf of the Trust. Serious Incidents No serious incidents occurred during the year. Page 2 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

3 Funds The Landscape Trust holds the following funds. (i) A general unrestricted fund used for normal daytoday transactions using National Westminster Bank plc. and Santander Bank (ii) The restricted funds relate to funds held for a partner in the Higher Stewardship Agreement and a couple of items relating to funds which are designated for a specific purpose. (iii) The Higher Level Stewardship agreement began on 1 st December The Agreement allows for an annual land management payment payable in November annually. It also includes payments for Capital Projects payable on completion of the works in a programme up to November The Landscape Trust is providing the link with Natural England and acting as agent for the submission of claims, and receiver and distributor of payments under the Scheme for the eight landowners involved. (iv) A Woodland Improvement Grant has been awarded for work at Teddy Heights. Budgets Budgets have been approved for Events of 1,018 and Reserves of 4,000 for 2014/2015. The Budget for 2015/2016 suggests a possible loss of under 1,000 after including 2,500 for the new Grant Scheme. Report The Trust made a surplus of for the year 1 st April 2014 to 31 st March This was mainly due to increased Subscriptions, Donations and Gift Aid (+ 2,500) as well as increased Building Society interest (+ 1,000), and greater Designated Funds (+ 900). Additionally expenditure was down by 2,800 with the Administration duties being undertaken voluntarily. During the year the Trust undertook a review to ensure compliance with the Financial Controls for Charities. As a result a Purchasing Procedure was formalised. No further action was required. The Management Committee decided during the year that net income from Refreshments at Events should be paid over as a Donation to the Trust. A Woodland Improvement Grant has been awarded for 80% of the total cost of a project at Teddy Heights. It is anticipated that Volunteers will contribute the Trust s 20%, about 5,000 in value. The Trust has a holding in the Bittern Countryside Community Interest Company of 1,020 ordinary 1 shares following a donated transfer of 20 shares. No dividend was paid during the past twelve months. Gift Aid claimable for subscriptions and donations paid between 6 April 2014 and 5 April 2015 will be received during the 2015/16 financial year. It is anticipated that this will amount to approximately 2,000 (2014/2015 2,430). A bequest of 250 from the estate of the late A J Moon was received and will be utilised as part of the costs of the signpost renovation on the shore at Arnside. There is a provision for an outstanding liability of approx. 1,000 for Room Hire for which the Trust had not been invoiced. At the year end the Trust had debtors of 564 (Advertising fees invoiced March 2015) and Creditors of 3 (owed to AONB Unit for book sales). Page 3 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

4 ARNSIDE AND SILVERDALE AONB Landscape trust This year has really been one of building on what has gone before. We passed the milestone of 1000 members, helped by having an active database of members, maintained by our membership secretary Liz Anslow, so we really knew we had reached four figures. Events, Keer to Kent and reserves management have all continued with improvements and more success. The Managing Committee has, under the careful guidance of Fiona Allen, completed its review of the way the Trust is run and agreed a business plan to guide us for the next few years. The AONB team have set up a new website and we are working on the Trust's pages, which they kindly host. We should soon be able to put the business plan on the site for members to read (if you really wish!). Keer to Kent, under the editorship of Sheila May, has now gone full colour and been able to increase the advertising revenue to help with the production. Over 500 are delivered locally to members by volunteers, whilst the rest go out by post. Copies are also sold at events and in local shops so about 1100 are distributed each edition. Sheila has maintained the standard of having meaty articles to continue the tradition of it being the Journal of the Trust not a newsletter. But the need for a newsletter is now met by the Secretary, Mike Warren, who produces an insert with each edition which can be more timely as its production process is far simpler. Another aspiration for the website is to have an uptodate news page. We had a full programme of events dreamt up by our Events organiser, Peter Standing, with two complete weekend programmes plus walks and talks spread over the year. The Spring Study weekend was a fascinating series of lectures and field trips on the subject of landscape history. The term "palimpsest" was much used how each generation partially erases what was before and writes afresh on our landscape but if you look carefully (or with new scientific techniques) you can still see what has been and how the before has influenced the later. Our area has all the ages on display: ice, bronze, iron, dark, middle, industrial and, even, postindustrial. In the autumn was a continuation of the "Villages of the AONB" series with a weekend of talks, exhibition and walks about Storth and Sandside. Members have also been out to about the AONB and the Trust, into schools, to other local groups and to the holiday parks. Peter has also brought together all his experience of running events into a revised Events Handbook. His activities tap into the expertise and enthusiasm of many of our members who volunteer to lead or steward walks, look after the refreshments at and the running of the talks and exhibitions. To all these I give my grateful thanks. On our reserves we have been busy using the resources unlocked by the agrienvironment agreements we have been awarded. We now have a new management Plan for the Teddy Heights woodland which incorporates all the factors we have agreed with the Forestry Commission as part of its English Woodland Grant Scheme. Under the watchful eye of our Reserves Officer, Bob Pickup, a new clearing (ride) has been created linking the main footpath ride to the meadow to allow these habitats to connect. Five coppice blocks have been set out on the streamside bank and these will be cut in rotation. Block one was coppiced a year ago and block three was finished this year. The others will follow in the order five, two and four. The two completed blocks have been fenced off with temporary deerfencing so that regrowth will be encouraged. Most of the brash (twiggy bits that have been cut down) has been used to create habitat piles or rows, especially along the lines of the fences. The larger wood has been made available for firewood to the volunteers who have done the work and also donated to the Silverdale and District Community Wood bank. It is true, however, that firewood warms you four times over: cutting it down, carting it away, chopping it up and, finally, burning it! We have also commissioned management plans for our grassland sites to incorporate the Higher Level Stewardship agreement we have with Natural England. Coldwell Parrock is already really good limestone grassland, very herbrich with cowslip and primrose, early purple and northern marsh orchids, hay rattle and red bartsia. We took hay from there last year Page 4 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

5 and spread it on our new reserve, Coldwell Meadow. We were rewarded by a much richer flora. So this year we have repeated this and, as I write this, we can see much more diversity in the sward. We have also, at last, completed the entrance gateway so access to the meadow is now unfettered. All we ask is, as we are growing it as a haymeadow that people (and dogs) do not roam at will as that would disturb the groundnesting birds it provides sanctuary to, as well as the young deer that lay up there during the day. We are in discussion with the RSPB to open a route from our meadow into their Back Wood/Challen Hall Allotment reserve which would make a good circular walk where you can experience herbrich grassland, dry and wet limestone woodland, the waterfall on Leighton Beck, a limestone cliff and pavement with iconic yew and smallleaved lime trees. Thanks to the two large bequests we received last year the Trust's finances are healthy and Ray Anslow, our treasurer makes sure that they stay so. We have used some to give a small grant to a local project to conserve swifts in the AONB and also to restore the historic castiron finger post on the shore near the Coast Guard station at Arnside. Finally a sad note. We lost this year several longstanding members, including two stalwarts of the Trust. Barry Ayre, amongst whose myriad of contributions to the AONB and the local community was his editorship of Keer to Kent. His term was really when our journal entered the modern age. Angela Walton had also helped us in many ways, from the teas at our meetings to practical work outside. She had been a skilled drystone waller and a principal firesetter with the Countryside Management volunteers. In her memory we carefully burnt some of the brash on Teddy Heights trying to keep to her high standards and then toasted her memory with damson gin! So 2014/15 has been a very productive year. We've built on the foundations laid over the past couple of years and look forward to 2015 with eagerness. Colin Peacock (Chairman) Page 5 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

6 ARNSIDE AND SILVERDALE AONB LANDSCAPE TRUST RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH / /2014 General Designated Nature LT A/S Total Total Purposes Funds Reserves ELS/HLS ELS/HLS Income 2014 Fund Fund & EWGS Funds RECEIPTS Grants and donations Membership subscriptions 8,553 8, Prepayments 2014/15 (2,,615) (2,615) Donations 4,065 4, Prepayments 2014/15 (787) (787) MyDonate receipts Grants Gift Aid 2,431 2,431 1,891 Designated Funds Booths Bluebell Grant Restricted Funds (Steele and others) Lancaster City Council (Cleaning) Sundry items Other Income 10 Keer to Kent sales/sponsorship Keer to Kent adverts 1,290 1,290 1,642 Trading activities Sales of stock items Events TK Book BA Book Entry Level and Higher Level Stewardship Agreement 4,432 20,627 25, Interest received 1,879 1, SUBTOTAL 20,044 1,595 4,432 20,627 46,698 18,784 Land Sales Parts of Plot 5 Coldwell Parrock 39,701 Loans 25,000 Legacies ,000 TOTAL RECEIPTS 20,294 1,595 4,432 20,627 46, ,485 Page 6 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

7 ARNSIDE AND SILVERDALE AONB LANDSCAPE TRUST RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH / General Designated Nature LT A/S Total Total Purposes Funds Reserves ELS/HLS ELS/HLS Expenditure Exps Fund Fund & EWGS Funds PAYMENTS General charitable expenditure Costs Keer to Kent 5,531 5,531 5,430 Postage Keer to Kent 1,028 1, Site management ,013 1,395 Grants 500 BCCIC share Purchase Promotions and capital expenditure Events costs ,063 Storth Geotrail, 1,051 Weather station 1,306 Computer expenditure 1,597 1,597 Management and administration Administrative costs 2,790 Printing,stationery and postage Conference fees and Subscriptions Insurance Sundries Cleaning Entry Level and Higher Level Stewardship Agreement exp. 3,733 20,627 24,360 1,362 Governance Costs Costs of AGM, AGM printing 56 Hire of rooms for AGM + Trustee meetings and Provision Independent Examiners Fee SUBTOTAL 12, ,813 3,733 20,627 39,968 20,031 Purchase Cost 81,034 Loans repaid 25,000 Solicitors fees and expenses 3,667 TOTAL PAYMENTS 12, ,813 3,733 20,627 39, ,722 Page 7 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

8 NET SURPLUS/(DEFICIT) FOR THE YEAR 8, , ,980 51,763 CASH AND BANK BALANCES AT 31 MARCH , , CASH AND BANK BALANCES AT 31 MARCH ,738 1,169 2, , ,223 ARNSIDE AND SILVERDALE AONB LANDSCAPE TRUST STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31 MARCH General Designated Nature LT A/S Total Purposes Funds Reserves ELS/HLS ELS/HLS 2014 Fund Fund & EWGS MONETARY ASSETS General purposes fund 113,738 1,169 2, , ,226 Coldwell Parrock fund Nature Reserves Fund capitalised 2, , ,063 1, , ,226 Represented by: Petty cash Santander current account 2,355 2,355 2,747 Nat West current account 15,183 15,183 8,289 Cumberland Building Society 98,954 98,954 97,075 Provision for Room Hire Prepayments Subscriptions 2,615 2,615 2,165 Prepayments Donations , , ,226 Page 8 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

9 FIXED ASSETS USED BY THE CHARITY EST'D VALUE Land Coldwell Parrock purchased 2000/ ,044 15,044 Land Teddy Heights purchased 2003/ ,213 15,213 Land Coldwell Meadow purchased 2013/ ,334 41,334 Photo quality printer purchased 2003/2004 Computer equipment purchased 2005/2006 Projector purchased 2006/2007 Cupboards Cemetery Chapel purchased 2008/2009 Laptop computer and software purchased 2009/2010 Laptop computer and software purchased Laptop computer and software purchased Weather station 1, Mac Computer ( Keer to Kent) 1, Reserve Equipment 6,135 2,020 80,537 75,011 Stock holding Terry O Keefe s & Barry Ayre's 2 per copy FIXED ASSETS OWNED BY THE CHARITY Bittern Countryside Community Interest Company 1,020 1,020 DEBTORS Amounts due for 2015 Advertising in Keer to Kent Approved by the Trustees Signed C Peacock. Arnside/Silverdale AONB Landscape Trust Chairman Date: 19 May 2015 Page 9 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015

10 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Arnside and Silverdale AONB Landscape Trust I report on the financial statements of Arnside and Silverdale AONB Landscape Trust for the year ended 31 st March 2015, which are set out on pages 6 to 9. Respective responsibilities of trustees and independent examiner As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. The charity s trustees consider that the audit is not required for this year (under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008, and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the financial statements under section 145 of the 2011 Act; to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 45(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of the examiner s statement My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the financial statements presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the financial statements present a true and fair view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached. 25 April 2015 Page 10 Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31 st March 2015