Wildlife Trust For B'ham & The Black Cou - Charities report

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 01650938 (England and Wales)

REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 513615

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES AND

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

FOR

THE WILDLIFE TRUST FOR BIRMINGHAM

AND THE BLACK COUNTRY

Luckmans Duckett Parker Limited

Chartered Accountants

Statutory Auditors

1110 Elliott Court

Herald Avenue

Coventry Business Park

Coventry

West Midlands

CV5 6UB

Page

Chair's Report

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CEO report

2

Report of the Trustees

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16

Report of the Independent Auditors

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20

Statement of Financial Activities

21

Balance Sheet

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Cash Flow Statement

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Notes to the Cash Flow Statement

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Notes to the Financial Statements

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37

I am delighted to have been appointed as Chair of the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country and to be writing my first foreword for this Annual Report. The story of last year is dominated by the pandemic, which has impacted our lives in so many ways. So I want to start by thanking all of our members and supporters for their hugely valued and continuing support over this very difficult period. I also want to express my appreciation and sincere thanks to the staff for their dedication, commitment and resilience, as well as their ability and willingness to accept and adjust to new ways of working. In spite of the challenging year, the Trust has made progress against its charitable objectives, protecting and restoring wildlife and wild spaces across Birmingham and the Black Country, as well as providing outstanding education and training opportunities for residents of the region.

In this, the Trust's 40th anniversary year we have been reminded sharply that maintaining a connection with the natural world is more important than ever. One legacy of the pandemic has been to make us all realise just how vital it is to ensure that people have access to green, wildlife rich spaces wherever they live. The Trust is committed to tackling inequality of access through its programmes such as the Natural Prospects traineeships and by ensuring that the Trust becomes even more representative of the communities that it serves

.

I want to express my thanks to those Trustees that stepped down at the last AGM, including outgoing Chair Simon Needle. I am proud to be supporting the Trust alongside new and existing Trustees, and to be working with a strong team across the entire Trust all of whom have the necessary ambition and determination to tackle the urgent nature and climate crisis and to ensure nature's recovery.

Lisa Pinney MBE

Chair of Trustees

In its fortieth year, the Trust has faced a year like no other. We have been tested on all fronts. I am very proud of the way that staff and volunteers have responded and adapted helping us to navigate the challenging times and enabling us to deliver despite the challenges. We can only deliver what we do because of our great people. We are committed to learning from the ways of working over the past year to become even more flexible and dynamic in the future.

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our members and supporters, as well as for the emergency funds received which enabled us to navigate this challenging year.

Highlights this year have included a move to increased digital engagement including the Wildlife Heroes event which celebrated the contributions of people such as Mike Bloxham, Alison Millward, Chris Baines and Peter Shirley - some of the people who helped form the Trust 40 years ago. We held our first ever digital AGM, and we also trialled digital fundraising through crowdfunding initiatives such as that for Dawberry Fields.

We continued to deliver our engagement and training work such the Natural Prospects Traineeship programme, as well as work with Primary Schools across the region through the Nature Friendly Schools programme. We also became a key partner in The Love Your River Cole project, led by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust supported by the Nature Recovery Challenge Fund. The project sees us provide training for local people to look after this natural river corridor.

We took some significant steps in our work towards a Local Nature Recovery Strategy for Birmingham and the Black Country. EcoRecord and partners developed an approach to satellite-derived habitat mapping, creating the first ever habitat map for the whole of the conurbation. Our Ecological Evaluation of the Black Country Green Belt was also published as evidence informing the Draft Black Country Plan. This method of mapping the ecological network will form the basis of a Birmingham and Black Country-wide approach in 2021-22.

It was also a great pleasure to look back at the history of the Trust in the special edition Autumn magazine and to recognise all that has been achieved for nature during this time.

Dr. Delia Garratt

CEO

Council has pleasure in presenting its report together with the audited accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021. Council has adopted the provisions of the Charities SORP (FRS102) - 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 (effective 1 January 2019) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity. The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006.

OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

Objectives and aims

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country Limited is required by charity and company law to act within the objects of its Memorandum of Association, which are as follows:

2.1 Objectives

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country's objectives are:

1. For the benefit of the public, to advance, promote and further the conservation maintenance study and protection of:

i. wildlife and its habitats;

ii. places of natural beauty;

iii. places of zoological, botanical, geographical, archaeological or scientific interest;

iv. features of landscape with geological, physiographical, or amenity value; in particular, but not exclusively, in ways that further biodiversity.

2. To advance the education of the public in:

v. the principles and practice of sustainable development;

vi. the principles and practice of biodiversity conservation; in particular, but not exclusively, in urban areas.

We launched our five year strategy for 2017 - 2022, A Greener Future, in November 2016.

Our Vision is for Birmingham and the Black Country to have more wildlife, more wild places and more people with a strong connection to the natural world every year.

Our Strategic Goals are:

1. Space for nature is protected, restored, created and valued.

2. Everyone is connected to nature.

3. The natural environment is at the heart of planning, policy and decision-making.

4. We are an effective organisation.

Public benefit

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country exists to promote the care and protection of the environment and therefore provides a clear public benefit. The Trust's philosophy is based on the belief that the natural world deserves conserving for its own sake and, since this is widely perceived to be a worthy aim of public policy, it may fairly be regarded as a benefit to the public at large. However, the public benefits provided by The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country go much further.

Firstly, our nature reserves are used by the public. At most sites information and interpretation is provided to visitors.

Secondly, our education programmes are aimed at schools, colleges, adult groups and the wider public.

Thirdly, our information gathering and provision of expert advice and opinion to local authorities and others helps to ensure that planning decisions are made on a rational basis taking full account of the public benefit of wildlife.

Fourthly the involvement of many volunteers in our work provides an outlet for altruistic endeavour, which is of special benefit to those involved as well as delivering benefits to the wider public.

In shaping our objectives for the year and planning our activities, the trustees have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit, including the guidance 'public benefit: running a charity' (PB2).

STRATEGIC REPORT

Achievement and performance

Charitable activities

Summary of the Year

Each year the Trust produces a detailed Business Plan which determines the activities to be carried out during the year. Results are monitored throughout the year with regular reports being produced for Trust Council. The pandemic has had a significant impact on achievements and performance throughout the year. As it became apparent that many of our plans would be difficult to deliver, the annual plan was revised accordingly.

The main impacts of the pandemic have been:

- Several funded projects were paused or delayed

- Face to face recruitment of new members was not possible

- Face to face engagement with our audiences was only possible for limited periods during the year

- The funding environment became harder resulting in fewer new projects

Despite these challenges, the Trust has achieved a good proportion of the objectives as set out in the revised business plan.

Goal 1: Space for nature is protected, restored, created and valued nature

Landscape-scale nature conservation

Despite the challenges of lockdown and colleagues being on furlough we continued to look after and manage 6 nature reserves and 2 education centres, and delivered 22 biodiversity improvement projects including hedgerow restoration at Smestow Valley in Wolverhampton, river naturalisation on the River Cole and building a wildlife pond at Riverside House in Stourbridge. Our Growing Local Flora project also continued to expand and provide thousands of native wildflowers for our woodland diversification projects.

The River Cole improvement project was set up in partnership with Birmingham City Council and the Environment Agency to improve habitat quality and resilience of the river through habitat re-naturalisation in three distinct areas; Stechford Ponds, Burbury Brickworks Nature Reserve and Bordseley Green Recreation Ground.

The Love Your River Cole project, led by Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, was awarded funding from the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund. As a key partner, training local people to look after this natural river corridor, the project will see us deliver a significant biodiversity enhancement project at Glebe Farm Recreation Ground in 2021-22

We were commissioned by Bournville Village Trust to produce an Ecological Management Plan for their green spaces and undertook a survey as part of a public consultation. 92% of respondents stated they wanted public green space to be managed for people and wildlife.

On 10th July 2020 the Black Country became a UNESCO Global Geopark; a uniquely urban Geopark including our Portway Hill site on the Rowley Hills. Graham Worton, Keeper of Geology, Dudley MBC shared the fascinating insights of the geology of the Black Country in an article in our winter 2020 magazine and also via a presentation at our January 2021 AGM.

In December, our Salmon in the Stour project was chosen as one of 21 finalists from more than 750 projects across Europe to potentially win £150,000 of funding from Ecover's Fertilise the Future initiative. Although we did not win, we were delighted to finish in second place, with our #BBCWildlifexEcover hashtag being shared 2,217 times, reaching over 350,000 people (despite having a significantly smaller social media audience than other applicants). A huge thank you to everyone who voted for us.

Esmee Fairbairn Funding

The continued funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation has enabled us to deliver 20 biodiversity improvement projects across Birmingham and the Black Country, as well as supporting our planning work, our Volunteer Coordinator post and digital engagement. During 2020 we secured additional funding from the foundation through their Funding Plus programme for an Ecological Services Development Strategy.

Goal 2: Everyone is connected to nature

Volunteers

We would like to thank the volunteers who embraced the challenges of lock-down and continued to support us remotely with membership processing, communications and marketing. Despite all in-person activity being postponed we received 335 new volunteer registrations and volunteers committed 5,304 hours to support our work.

At our January 2021 AGM we welcomed 8 new voluntary trustees including Treasurer, Secretary and Chair and said goodbye to former Treasurer Martin Smith and Chairperson Simon Needle whose terms came to an end.

Education and Engagement

Our Nature Friendly Schools programme, funded by Defra, continued after 31 primary schools registered. The programme supports primary schools to embed outdoor leaning across the curriculum, increases their pupils' access to local wild spaces and improves school grounds to make them better places for wildlife.

We secured funding from the National Express and Cadent Foundations to develop and deliver a range of training courses for 16-25 year olds. These were prepared but all delivery was suspended due to covid-19 restrictions

.

Our second cohort of Natural Prospects trainees completed their Level 2 Diplomas in summer 2020, with 6 going on to find jobs in the sector or to secure places at University. We recruited a third cohort of 5 Natural Prospects trainees, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and a further 6 trainees on the Love Your River Cole project funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

Thanks to funding from People's Postcode Lottery, we created four educational films on bats, pollinators, badgers and hedgehogs. We also shared three films on nature-based craft that can all be viewed on YouTube!

Communications

Despite the challenges of furlough, social distancing and home-working, we maintained external communications with supporters and members through e-newsletters, social media and quarterly magazines.

We invited guest writers to share their stories for articles in Wildlife magazine including an article on Overlooked urban spaces at Woodthorpe Road Allotments and the Geology of the Black Country.

We also delivered a range of digital events to help us connect with audiences who may have been missing out on physical events, these included a Spotlight on Urban Wildlife with guests David Lindo and Kate Bradbury and Wildlife Heroes - celebrating people such as Mike Bloxham, Alison Millward, Chris Baines and Peter Shirley, just some of the people who helped form the Trust 40 years ago. We also held our first ever digital AGM and a photography workshop.

Our social media and e-newsletter audiences grew as people found solace in nature and pleasure in connecting with nature on their doorsteps. The number of local registrations for 30 Days Wild rose from 1,688 in 2019 to 2,700 in 2020!

We led Birmingham and the Black Country's first ever entry in the global citizen science challenge, City Nature Challenge and 377 residents took part recording over 1,300 species between 24 - 27 April 2020 - more than any other European city area. The area ranked 13th out of 244 city areas that took part demonstrating the biodiversity value of our urban area.

Award-winning photographer Verity Milligan joined, CEO Delia Garratt and trustee Sandy Taylor in judging the 55 entries into our 2020 Photography Competition with 6 lucky winners receiving vouchers donated by WEX Photo Video.

We were interviewed on Radio WM about City Nature Challenge and Wild Walk Week and on Black Country Radio about the Dawberry Fields Reptile Project.

Goal 3: The natural environment is at the heart of planning, policy and decision-making

Alongside Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Woodland Trust and Friends of the Earth, the Trust called on Mayoral Candidates to support our Manifesto for Green Recovery across the West Midlands. Over 200 people took the e-action and 150 people joined the hustings event where questions from the public were put to the candidates.

Our work to influence where and how new homes are built is critical to our vision of a future Birmingham and the Black Country which has more wildlife, more wild spaces and more people with a strong connection to the natural world. We believe that strategic planning must be informed by evidence which identifies where the most valuable sites for wildlife are, which is why in 2020 we provided evidence to the four Black Country local authorities for the Black Country Plan. The Government require every local planning authority to produce a plan to steer future development, and over a 15-year period the Black Country Plan needs to allocate land for 76,000 new homes and 560 hectares of land for new places of employment. We were commissioned by the local authorities to undertake an Ecological Evaluation of the Black Country Green Belt. This identifies areas of high ecological value and demonstrates how damaging developments in the wrong places would be.

The Wildlife Trust are advocating for the Black Country Plan to include a Nature Recovery Network map and strong environmental policies, to recognise the value of brownfield sites to wildlife and to take account of our evidence when allocating sites for development.

We provided advice to over 70 landowners and managers on how to protect existing wildlife and enhance habitats for the benefit of a wide range of species. We continue to respond to planning applications and 37 of these with a combined area of over 50 hectares were either refused or improved for wildlife.

Goal 4: We are an effective organisation

The beginning of the pandemic brought great uncertainty and pressure to make swift decisions balancing the need to meet our charitable objects while ensuring staff safety. In March and April, immediate risk management measures were put in place including closing our offices and ceasing work undertaken by volunteers. The Trust was able to draw support from the Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, with the number of staff on furlough peaking in July and August. Despite being successful in securing emergency support from the National Lottery Heritage Emergency Fund, receiving support from the Esmee Fairburn Foundation, halting certain projects and reviewing the necessity of other operations, the Trust had to make two people redundant following consultation. We also froze recruitment of a number of vacancies until later in the year when we were sure of our finances.

The planned termination of our contract with face-to-face membership recruitment agency Wildlife Fundraising Central effectively ended a little earlier than anticipated due to the national lockdown in March 2020, and with all other face-to-face recruitment suspended for much of the year we recruited just 6% of new memberships via these methods compared to the previous year. However, we carried out planned pilots in digital membership recruitment which proved to be both efficient and more cost effective, and we almost doubled the number of new memberships recruited online. The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts also piloted a successful national membership recruitment programme which boosted new memberships to the Trust.

We anticipated a loss in membership income and a rise in cancellations due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic, however we are pleased to report that membership income remained stable and we had 21% less memberships cancelled than in the previous year. We are grateful to our members who have continued to support us, some of whom increased their regular donation value, during this challenging year.

In response to the suspension of in-person events and activities, we switched our fundraising onto digital platforms where possible, with crowd funding via text to donate and Just Giving. Over 77 donors raised £2,360 via JustGiving for the Dawberry Fields Reptile Project on Brandwood End in Birmingham to improve habitats for slow worm and common lizard in partnership with Naturally Birmingham Future Parks Accelerator Programme.

Over £20,000 was raised by over 300 donors through our 40-year appeal including £11,965 through a range of fundraising initiatives organised by the Mayor of Dudley's Charity appeal.

Our corporate partners continue to support us despite the challenges they face due to COVID-19. We are extremely grateful for their support. Bronze business members Wienerberger renewed their membership for a 2nd year and Schofield Lothian joined as silver business members. Bird seed producer Vine House Farm donated 4% of sales from customers within the Birmingham and Black Country totalling £2,615. Property company IM Properties donated £1,000 to the Dawberry Fields Reptile Project. Legal firm Hogan Lovells chose the Wildlife Trusts as their charity partner for a 3-year period and successfully raised £19,000 in 2020 through employee fundraising initiatives. WEX Photo Video donated £1,000 in vouchers for the photography competition.

Financial review

Financial Position

Trust income is split between unrestricted and restricted funds. Unrestricted income represents money raised or given to support the Trust's achievement of core charitable aims. Membership, donations, general fundraising, and some charitable trust donations were given as unrestricted income.

Restricted income is given for a specific purpose with clear outputs to be achieved. Restricted income for this period includes National Prospects funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Nature Friendly Schools Funding EcoRecord Service Level Agreements with local authorities and several Environmental Projects.

Total income has decreased to £1,322,182 (2020: £1,499,483). The Trust has invested in membership as an essential income stream that enables us to deliver core charitable aims that are not always possible to fund through restricted income such as our work to protect nature through the planning system.

Membership accounts for 18% (2020: 16%) of the Trust's income and the Business Plan sets out how this will grow in coming years. Unrestricted income (including membership) is 59% (2020: 56%) of total income. The Trust aims for this to be 70% to represent a sustainable financial position.

Principal funding sources

Income

The Trust's income decreased to £1,322,182 (2020: £1,499,483), major headings are explained below:

Membership, donations, legacies - Contains income from our members, donations given at events and through our presence in the community and legacies (we have had one legacy in 2019/20)

Charitable activities - Projects and services delivered in Birmingham & Black Country in line with the Trusts aims and objectives.

Trading & Other income - Includes Royalties received, interest income, hire income and rental income.

One of the biggest challenges for the Trust over the next few years will be to diversify our unrestricted income sources to provide resilience to the organisation. As mentioned, our aim is to ensure that 70% of our total income is unrestricted. The other focus will be to increase the donations and legacies received by the Trust. Compared to other Wildlife Trusts nationally we achieve similar levels of funding through grants but are not performing as well in encouraging corporate partners and legacy donations. We will learn from our sister Trusts to improve our performance in these areas. We know we need to do more to secure our membership which is explained below.

Expenditure

The Trust's expenditure increased to £1,049,085 (2020: £1,025,600), major headings are explained below:

Charitable Activity - This covers our staffing costs and direct project costs to deliver projects and services so as to meet our charitable aims and objectives.

Fundraising costs - Our agreement with WFC came to an end in March 2020 with the loan repaid. We are now responsible for our own membership recruitment. Other costs include recruitment through the Join Anywhere scheme via other Wildlife Trusts, online membership recruitment as well as production of membership magazines throughout the year. The trust uses a part-time Door to Door membership recruiter to help diversify membership recruitment methods

Overheads - These are the running costs to maintain our sites and headquarters covering areas such as rent, rates, gas, electric, telephones and insurance.

Pensions - Royal London manage all pension funds on behalf of the staff members. The Trust contributes 7% in addition to staff contributions.

Every penny we receive is spent on achieving our charitable aims. Overheads include rents for our sites, running our office and insurance to ensure we are a responsible and sustainable organisation.

Reserves policy

Trustees keep the reserves of the Trust under regular review. In previous years, these have been limited by the Charity's funds available. Having regard to the increasing scale of the Trust's operations and Covid uncertainties, in 2020 the Trustees set a reserves policy to aim at reserves equivalent to nine month's core operating costs, equating to approximately £500,000. Such reserves would be held in case of any sudden decline in income or unexpected cost or risk exposure, and to ensure that the commitments to meet contractual obligations to staff, premises and funding partners can be met.

After designated funds of £504,452 (2020: £323,550) and the revaluation reserve of £59,239 (2020: £59,239), the Trustees have met this aim with current unrestricted reserves standing at £511,605 at 31 March 2021 (2020: £498,461). The Trustees continue to be mindful of the requirement to operate within tight financial constraints.

Whilst there can be uncertainty in relation to the timing and amount of charitable grants and receipts, the Trustee Directors believe that the Trust's record of obtaining further funding will continue, albeit, with uncertainties as to when cash actually becomes available.

The amount of restricted reserves at 31 March 2021 is £344,902 (2020: £255,851).

Principal risks and uncertainties

The Trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.

Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of a Risk Register and Risk Management Policy, reviewed annually by Trustees. Procedures are also in place to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation, policies and procedures including frequent audit of health and safety protocol. We take every effort to minimise our environmental impacts and intend to work towards full environmental impact assessments and audits.

External risks are analysed, and attempts made to mitigate or plan for them where possible. Currently identified external risks include (in no order) the impact of public sector funding cuts, recent negative fundraising media stories, climate change and globalisation, and the increasing pressures and competing demands for land use for housing, transportation and economic regeneration purposes.

The Trustees have examined the principal areas of the charity's operations and considered the major risks which may arise in each of these areas. In the opinion of the trustees the charity has established resources and review systems which under normal conditions, should allow the risks identified by them to be mitigated to an acceptable level in its day to day operations.

Looking ahead

Goal 1: Space for nature is protected, restored, created and valued nature

Our Salmon in the Stour project has already demonstrated the impact we can have for the ecology of this key wildlife corridor. In 2021 we will be applying to the government's Green Recovery Challenge Fund for the resources to employ a dedicated team, undertake a wide-range of engagement activity and deliver habitat restoration and creation projects in the green spaces along the river's banks.

We will be working with partner's including Walsall Council, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Natural England to develop a large-scale project in another one of our key landscapes, namely the north Walsall heathlands. Historically a key area of heathland that linked Sutton Park to Cannock Chase, most of the heathland has been lost since the 18th century. We will be following the evidence that EcoRecord have led on producing to target where heathland associated habitat creation will have the most impact, aiming to create a stepping-stone corridor for wildlife.

Our nature reserves remain a priority for the Wildlife Trust and we will continue to raise funds for habitat enhancements and infrastructure for our visitors such as paths and signage. 2020 saw our sites used more than ever before, and Moseley Bog & Joy's Wood has been identified as our site which is most in need of investment.

Early in the new financial year we plan to work with the Friends of Moseley Bog & Joy's Wood on a public fundraiser to repair the boardwalk, construct a new path and replace damaged signage.

At the beginning of 2021 we successfully ran our first ever crowdfunder campaign, raising funds for a reptile project at Dawberry Fields in Birmingham. In 2021, with the support of the local community, we will be installing reptile refugia as well as creating flower-rich grassland for the benefit of pollinating insects.

Goal 2: Everyone is connected to nature

Our in-person volunteering and activities will re-commence in line with Covid-19 restrictions easing. We will continue to deliver online events as well as explore other forms of digital engagement such as the creation of 'virtual tours' of some of our nature reserves.

We will build our new classroom/community space at EcoPark, providing indoor facilities for nature-based education and engagement programmes and improving the facility for local residents looking to connect with the nature on their doorstep.

In 2021 we will begin running our Level 1 training courses in Tools Use, Surveying, Woodwork and Coppicing. Thanks to funding from the Cadent Foundation, National Express Foundation and the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, up to 120 young people will learn valuable skills to help conserve our local natural environment.

Nature Friendly Schools will enter its final year, and we will seek to build on the great success of this project by signing up more schools to embrace outdoor learning. We also look forward to re-engaging with the local schools around EcoPark and Centre of the Earth after a year of disruption.

In April 2021, we will be entering the City Nature Challenge for the second year with a view to inspiring even more people to take part and support our biological records database growth to monitor species populations.

Goal 3: The natural environment is at the heart of planning, policy and decision-making

We will play a leading role in producing the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and in the partnerships that will implement it. Building on the approach that has been developed to undertake the ecological evaluation of the Black Country green belt, we will continue to both map the ecological network and identify where investment in nature will have the biggest impact for wildlife and people. Our ecological network mapping to date has already helped us to identify two priority landscapes where we will seek to secure funding for investment in nature's recovery - the River Stour catchment and the heathlands of north Walsall.

We will seek to further develop our ecological services offer in response to a number of developing areas in nature conservation. These include the requirement for biodiversity net-gain in all new developments as proposed in the Environment Bill, emerging techniques for measuring environmental value and impact (ecosystem services), and an awareness amongst businesses and developers of their need to provide natural solutions to environmental problems. The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation funding which we secured in 2020 will fund the development of the ecological services strategy.

Following the Mayoral Elections on 4 May 2021, we will work closely with the elected West Midlands Mayor to continue to urge priorities around the ecological and climate crises, and influence the West Midlands Combined Authority's emerging plans and strategies

Goal 4: We are an effective organisation

We will be developing the Trust's Organisational Strategy, setting out our ambitions up to 2030. We will launch this in early 2022.

We will learn from digital recruitment pilots in the previous year to inspire and encourage more members of the public to connect with us digitally, as well as raise vital funds through digital channels. For example, a crowd funder will be launched to raise funds for infrastructure repairs at flagship nature reserve Moseley Bog & Joy's Wood alongside grant applications.

Donations from gifts left in wills are a vital source of unrestricted income to support the Trust's strategic objectives and to support this, we will launch a legacy campaign to encourage supporters to pledge a gift in their will.

To ensure that we communicate with our members and supporters about the things they want, in the ways they want, we will carry out a marketing preferences project - offering all members and supports the opportunity to update their marketing preferences including exploring the potential to provide a digital version of the quarterly membership magazine.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Governing document

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is one of 46 independent charities, which form a national partnership - The Wildlife Trusts through the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. Collectively we manage 2,300 nature reserves covering 102,500 hectares of land for wildlife and for people, inspiring 13 million visits to wildlife sites. Together we have 849,584 members. The Trust's family membership is also part of the national environment club, Wildlife Watch, which provides projects for members and affiliated schools, involving them directly with environmental Issues.

The Trust is a registered charity (No. 513615) and a company limited by guarantee (No. 1650938).

The Trust was established in 1980 to protect our local natural heritage and encourage people to engage, enjoy and get involved with the natural environment. We are a membership organisation, governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association.

Work is carried out by a staff team total of 20 individuals (at 31 March 2021) 16 full time equivalent posts. During the year the Trust had 7 trainees funded through Heritage Lottery Fund's Natural Prospects programme who will complete their traineeship in August 2020.. The Trust could not achieve the impacts we do without the commitment and hard work of a large number of volunteers.

In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding 50p.

Recruitment and appointment of new trustees

A Council of voluntary Trustees is responsible for the overall governance of the Trust. The Trust's Council is elected from the membership in accordance with its governing documents at the Annual General Meeting: Trustees are either co-opted during the year or elected at the Annual General Meeting. Co-opted Trustees must stand for election at the Annual General Meeting immediately following their appointment. Council may co-opt additional members from time to time as it sees fit. Trustees are also Directors of the Company limited by guarantee.

Organisational structure

The overall responsibility for the charity lies with the Trustee Directors who have delegated the day to day management of the charity to the Chief Executive. The Trustee Directors meet regularly to agree strategy, review progress, review financial information, and discuss policy issues. To facilitate effective operation, the Chief Executive has delegated authority within terms of reference approved by the Trustees for some operational matters, including finance.

The Wildlife Trust is governed by an elected Council and is therefore directly accountable to the members of the charity. The Articles of Association gives Council the powers to: (i) Administer the affairs of the Charity (ii) Exercise all the powers of the Charity

(iii) Determine the policy of the Charity Council formally delegates certain functions and responsibilities to several committees which deal with specific policy and organisational issues. The day to day management of the Charity's affairs is the responsibility of the Chief Executive who is accountable exclusively to the Council for achieving, via the Business Plan, the Wildlife Trust's aims and for complying with Council policies. A team of professionally trained staff report to the Chief Executive.

Induction and training of new trustees

The Trustee is provided with copies of the charity's key documents, including its memorandum and Articles of Association, Governance Handbook, latest Annual Report and Accounts, minutes of recent Council meetings, policy documents and further information on the role and responsibilities of charity trustees. New Trustees are required to confirm that they have studied these documents and raised any queries or obtained further information which they may need.

Following election or co-option of a Trustee, the Chair will introduce a new Trustee at their first meeting of Council. They will also participate in a formal induction process to familiarise them with the extent and nature of the Trust's operations. After election at the Annual General Meeting Trustees serve for a period of 3 years and may be elected for a further period of 3 years. .

Developments in Charity Law and Practice are monitored and important developments are brought to the notice of Trustees by the Executive.

The relationship between staff and trustees is crucial to the Trust's continuing success. Trustees bring a range of skills and experience to the responsibilities of the role which requires them to have an understanding of all aspects of the Trust's work. Trustees meet four times a year where they review strategy and operational performance, set policies and agree budgets.

Key management remuneration

None of the Trustees receive remuneration or benefit for their work with the group and charity. Any connection between Trustees and any company the Trust works with is disclosed to the board. Financial details of which are disclosed in note 9 to the accounts.

Wider network

The Trust is affiliated to The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), a registered charity that acts as

an umbrella group for county wildlife trusts, and provides assistance and co-ordination of activities and

campaigning at a UK level.

Related parties

The Trust is affiliated to The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), a registered charity that acts as an umbrella group for county Wildlife trusts and provides assistance and co-ordination of activities and campaigning at a UK Level.

Risk management

The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.

Internal risks are minimised by the implementation of a Risk Register and Risk Management Policy, reviewed annually by Trustees. Procedures are also in place to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation, policies and procedures including frequent audit of health and safety protocol. We take every effort to minimise our environmental impacts and intend to work towards full environmental impact assessments and audits.

External risks are analysed and attempts made to mitigate or plan for them where possible. Currently identified external risks include (in no particular order) the impact of public sector funding cuts, recent negative fundraising media stories, climate change and globalisation, and the increasing pressures and competing demands for land use for housing, transportation and economic regeneration purposes.

The Trustees have examined the principal areas of the charity's operations and considered the major risks which may arise in each of these areas. In the opinion of the trustees the charity has established resources and review systems which under normal conditions, should allow the risks identified by them to be mitigated to an acceptable level in its day to day operations.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

01650938 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

513615

Registered office

Centre Of The Earth

42 Norman Street

Winson Green

Birmingham

West Midlands

B18 7EP

Trustees

N Crombie

M Knight

S J Needle (resigned 16.1.21)

M C G Smith (resigned 16.1.21)

A Taylor

I C Trueman

P W Beardmore

A Bright

L C Pinney MBE (appointed 21.7.20)

J D Larner (appointed 16.1.21)

R J Mallender (appointed 16.1.21)

D H Mclellan (appointed 16.1.21)

E F Mooney (appointed 16.1.21)

A Wayro (appointed 16.1.21)

D P Green (appointed 16.1.21)

L Besenyei

Company Secretary

E F Mooney

Auditors

Luckmans Duckett Parker Limited

Chartered Accountants

Statutory Auditors

1110 Elliott Court

Herald Avenue

Coventry Business Park

Coventry

West Midlands

CV5 6UB

BANKERS

Nat West Plc

Chamber of Commerce House

36 Highfield Road, Edgbaston

Birmingham B15 3BJ

Key management personnel

Chief Executive

Dr Delia Garratt

Simon Atkinson- Head of Conservation

Gareth Morgan - Head of Education and Engagement

Emma Thompson - Head of Fundraising and Communication

Atul Thaker - Head of Finance and Resources

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES

The trustees (who are also the directors of The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and The Black Country for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to

-	select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

-	observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP;

-	make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

-	prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

STATEMENT AS TO DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION TO AUDITORS

So far as the trustees are aware, there is no relevant information (as defined by Section 418 of the Companies Act 2006) of which the charitable company's auditors are unaware, and each trustee has taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as a trustee in order to make them aware of any audit information and to establish that the charitable company's auditors are aware of that information.

AUDITORS

The auditors, Luckmans Duckett Parker Limited, will be proposed for re-appointment at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.

Report of the trustees, incorporating a strategic report, approved by order of the board of trustees, as the company directors, on 9 November 2021 and signed on the board's behalf by:

J D Larner - Trustee

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and The Black Country (the 'charitable company') for the year ended 31 March 2021 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

-	give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2021 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;

-	have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and

-	have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors' responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC's Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our Report of the Independent Auditors thereon.

Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

-	the information given in the Report of the Trustees for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and

-	the Report of the Trustees has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Report of the Trustees.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

-	adequate accounting records have not been kept or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or

-	the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or

-	certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or

-	we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or

-	the trustees were not entitled to take advantage of the small companies exemption from the requirement to prepare a Strategic Report or in preparing the Report of the Trustees.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue a Report of the Independent Auditors that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Enquiring of management and employees, including obtaining and reviewing supporting documentation, concerning the charity's policies and procedures relating to:-

- Identifying, evaluating, and complying with laws and regulations and whether they were aware of any instances of non-compliance.

- Detecting and responding to the risks of fraud and whether they were aware of any actual, suspected, or alleged fraud and.

- The internal controls established to mitigate risk relating to fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.

We identified areas of law and regulation that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the financial statements from our general commercial and sector experience, discussions with management (as required by auditing standards) and discussed with management the policies and procedures regarding compliance with laws and regulations.

All identified laws and regulations were communicated throughout the audit team, and they remained alert to any indications of non-compliance throughout the audit.

The most significant considerations for the charitable company were as follows:-

- The Charity is subject to laws and regulations that affect the financial statements which include financial reporting legislation (namely The Companies Act 2006), taxation legislation and the Charities Act. We assessed the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our audit procedures concerning items recorded in the financial statements.

- The charity is also subject to other operational laws and regulations where the consequences of non-compliance could have material effect on the amounts or disclosures in the financial statements through imposing fines or withdrawal of funding contracts. Areas where this would have an effect include health and safety, Bribery Act 2010, employment law, data protections and child protection legislation (DBS checks for staff and volunteers).

Auditing standards limit the audit procedures to identifying non-compliance of these laws and regulations to enquiry of management and inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if there is any. Therefore, if a breach of operational regulations is not disclosed to us or evident from relevant correspondence, and audit will not detect the breach.

To identify risk of material misstatement due to fraud, we carried out discussions amongst the audit team to assess areas where and how fraud might occur in the financial statements and any potential indicators. The following areas were identified :-

- Management override of controls through the posting of inappropriate accounting entries or journals

- We do not believe there is a fraud risk relating the revenue recognition as the revenue is straightforward, with limited opportunity for manipulation.

We did not identify any additional fraud risks.

We tested the appropriateness of accounting journals and other adjustments made in the accounts preparation based on a risk criteria.

Owing to the inherent limitation of the audit , there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements, even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. For example, the further removed non-compliance with laws and regulation is from the events and transaction reflected in the financial statement, the less likely in the inherently limited procedure required by auditing standards would identify it. In addition, as with any audit, there remained a higher risk of non-detection of fraud, as these may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal controls. Our audit procedures are designed to detect material misstatement. We are not responsible for preventing non-compliance or fraud and cannot be expected to detect non-compliance with all laws and regulations

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Report of the Independent Auditors.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Mark Spafford FCCA ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

for and on behalf of Luckmans Duckett Parker Limited

Chartered Accountants

Statutory Auditors

1110 Elliott Court

Herald Avenue

Coventry Business Park

Coventry

West Midlands

CV5 6UB

22 December 2021

2021

2020

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

funds

Notes

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

2

281,571

-

281,571

457,838

Charitable activities

3

Conservation, Engagement and Influence

431,254

542,662

973,916

1,035,238

Other income

76,695

-

76,695

6,407

Total

789,520

542,662

1,332,182

1,499,483

EXPENDITURE ON

Raising funds

4

24,324

-

24,324

37,324

Charitable activities

5

Conservation, Engagement and Influence

571,150

453,611

1,024,761

988,276

Total

595,474

453,611

1,049,085

1,025,600

NET INCOME

194,046

89,051

283,097

473,883

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

881,250

255,851

1,137,101

663,218

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

1,075,296

344,902

1,420,198

1,137,101

2021

2020

Notes

£

FIXED ASSETS

Tangible assets

11

42,402

59,670

Heritage assets

12

79,762

122,164

139,432

CURRENT ASSETS

Debtors

13

492,979

512,547

Cash at bank and in hand

1,009,134

671,651

1,502,113

1,184,198

CREDITORS

Amounts falling due within one year

14

(204,079

)

(186,529

)

NET CURRENT ASSETS

1,298,034

997,669

TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT
LIABILITIES

1,420,198

1,137,101

NET ASSETS

1,420,198

1,137,101

FUNDS

18

Unrestricted funds

1,075,296

881,250

Restricted funds

344,902

255,851

TOTAL FUNDS

1,420,198

1,137,101

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime.

The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on 9 November 2021 and were signed on its behalf by:

J D Larner - Trustee

Cash flows from operating activities

Cash generated from operations

1

349,490

157,085

Net cash provided by operating activities

349,490

157,085

Cash flows from investing activities

Purchase of tangible fixed assets

(4,089

)

(1,274

)

Net cash used in investing activities

(4,089

)

(1,274

)

Cash flows from financing activities

Loan repayments in year

(7,918

)

(24,000

)

Net cash used in financing activities

(7,918

)

(24,000

)

Change in cash and cash equivalents
in the reporting period

337,483

131,811

Cash and cash equivalents at the
beginning of the reporting period

671,651

539,840

Cash and cash equivalents at the end
of the reporting period

1,009,134

671,651

1.	RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES

2021

2020

£

Net income for the reporting period (as per the Statement of
Financial Activities)

283,097

473,883

Adjustments for:

Depreciation charges

21,357

21,151

Decrease/(increase) in debtors

19,568

(361,684

)

Increase in creditors

25,468

23,735

Net cash provided by operations

349,490

157,085

2.	ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET FUNDS

At 1.4.20

Cash flow

At 31.3.21

£

Net cash

Cash at bank and in hand

671,651

337,483

1,009,134

671,651

337,483

1,009,134

Debt

Debts falling due within 1 year

(7,918

)

7,918

-

(7,918

)

7,918

-

Total

663,733

345,401

1,009,134

1.	ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of certain assets.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income is generally recognised on a receivable basis, being when the charity is entitled to receive the money and is reported gross of related expenditure, where the amount is reasonably certain and when there is adequate certainty of receipt of monies. The specific bases used are as follows:

- Voluntary income includes members subscriptions, donations (including related gift aid tax) legacies and grants of a general nature.

- Income from trading activities includes income earned from fundraising events and trading activities to raise funds for the charity

- Contractual income is recorded when receivable.

- Grants received during the year which relate to the following financial year are carried forward in creditors.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis, meaning that the cost is identified as a liability awaiting payment, based on the date of the event, rather than the point that cash is paid. The expenditure is allocated to the appropriate cost heading in the financial statements.

- Costs of generating funds relate to expenditure incurred in raising voluntary income and fundraising trading costs.

- Charitable activities' expenditure relates to expenditure on meeting the charitable objects. This includes materials and bought in services, staff costs, information systems, communications, rented accommodation and general management directly chargeable to projects, thereby covering both internal costs and external charges for such costs. Such costs incurred internally are apportioned to projects based on direct staffing levels.

- Governance costs are associated with the governance arrangements of the charitable company and relate to the professional costs of running the charity.

- Support costs including staff costs, information systems, communications, office accommodation and general management, are fully apportioned to other cost categories, and are primarily based on direct staffing levels.

- Membership recruitment costs, where an agency charges the trust a fee based on the first years membership income for recruitment of new members, are charged to the accounts over a period of 10 months. Surplus new income is therefore only recognised in the accounts after this period has ended and this policy is viewed as being prudent.

Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life.

Short leasehold property

-

4% on cost

Fixtures and fittings

-

25% straight line

Expenditure on fixtures, fittings and general office equipment purchased by the charity for projects is currently written off in the year in which the expenditure is incurred, expenditure incurred for administration purposes is capitalised and depreciated as stated above.

Heritage assets

Land, classified as heritage assets, had previously been included in the accounts at cost. The trustees value the assets every 5 years (a change from the previous annual approach) as this provides more relevant information on the activities and assets held by the charity.

Where information on the cost or valuation of heritage assets is not available or the cost of providing such information significantly outweighs any benefit to the users of the accounts then heritage assets are not recognised on the balance sheet.

Acquisitions only arise when donated to the charity or if it is believed that they will further the charity’s objectives.

Full details of original cost can be found in note 8 to the accounts.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

The charity is partially exempt for VAT. VAT that is irrecoverable due to the partial exemption are allocated to the appropriate cost categories and funds.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees.

Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the trustees for particular purposes or as suggested in a letter of wishes.

The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements.

Hire purchase and leasing commitments

Payments under an arrangement which is in substance of a rental nature (operating leases) are charged in the financial statements as incurred.

Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits

The trust makes payments of employers contributions into independently administered money purchase pension policies for qualifying employees. Pension costs are charged in the financial statements on an accruals basis.

Basic financial instruments

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

2.	DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

2021

2020

£

Donations

280,571

277,259

Legacies

1,000

180,579

281,571

457,838

3.	INCOME FROM CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES

2021

2020

Conservation,

Engagement

and

Total

Influence

activities

£

Conservation & Wildlife

973,916

1,035,238

4.	RAISING FUNDS

Raising donations and legacies

2021

2020

£

Raising voluntary income costs

24,324

37,324

5.	CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS

Support

Direct

costs (see

Costs

note 6)

Totals

£

Conservation, Engagement and
Influence

916,725

108,036

1,024,761

6.	SUPPORT COSTS

Governance

Management

costs

Totals

£

Conservation, Engagement and
Influence

90,890

17,146

108,036

7.	NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)

Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting):

2021

2020

£

Auditing of accounts

7,850

5,400

Depreciation - owned assets

21,357

21,151

Hire of plant and machinery

1,468

1,381

Other operating leases

2,254

7,898

8.	TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2021 nor for the year ended 31 March 2020.

Trustees' expenses

There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2021 nor for the year ended 31 March 2020.

9.	STAFF COSTS

2021

2020

£

Wages and salaries

515,010

636,413

Social security costs

43,141

44,298

Other pension costs

32,151

35,416

590,302

716,127

The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:

2021

2020

Direct charitable work

20

31

Administrative

2

22

33

No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.

The key management personnel, the senior management team, received total employee benefits in the year of £222,983 (2020 - £177,251). The key management personnel comprise the Chief Executive Officer, Head of Finance & Resources, Head of Education & Education, Head of Conservation and Head of Fundraising & Communications.

Redundancy payments of £20,861 were paid in the year (2020: £nil). These payments represent the statutory, contractual payments due to any employee if redundancy is necessary.

10.	COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

funds

£

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM

Donations and legacies

457,838

-

457,838

Charitable activities

Conservation, Engagement and Influence

538,315

496,923

1,035,238

Other income

6,407

-

6,407

Total

1,002,560

496,923

1,499,483

EXPENDITURE ON

Raising funds

37,324

-

37,324

Charitable activities

Conservation, Engagement and Influence

581,240

407,036

988,276

Total

618,564

407,036

1,025,600

NET INCOME

383,996

89,887

473,883

RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS

Total funds brought forward

497,254

165,964

663,218

TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD

881,250

255,851

1,137,101

11.	TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Short

Fixtures

leasehold

and

property

fittings

Totals

£

COST

At 1 April 2020

195,038

77,980

273,018

Additions

-

4,089

At 31 March 2021

195,038

82,069

277,107

DEPRECIATION

At 1 April 2020

151,081

62,267

213,348

Charge for year

12,964

8,393

21,357

At 31 March 2021

164,045

70,660

234,705

NET BOOK VALUE

At 31 March 2021

30,993

11,409

42,402

At 31 March 2020

43,957

15,713

59,670

The Centre Of The Earth is built on land which is leased from Birmingham City Council on a twenty five year lease from 24 March 1998. The net book value as at 31 December 1997 is being written off over the term of the lease by equal annual instalments.

12.	HERITAGE ASSETS

Total

£

MARKET VALUE

At 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021

79,762

NET BOOK VALUE

At 31 March 2021

79,762

At 31 March 2020

79,762

If the Land had not been revalued it would have been included in the accounts at the following historical cost totally £20,523. This is broken down to £10,523 being the amount paid for land and £10,000 being the value of land donated. There has been no change to these values in the last five years.

Heritage assets consist of land at Portway Hill, Pelsall Common Spinney (Turner's Wood) and Deer's Leap Wood. The land has been valued by the trustees at the year end using standard prices based on the current value in the area for woodlands (14 acres or less) of £6,000 per acre.

Such land that has been acquired or donated to the charity is managed and preserved in accordance with the charity's objectives for wildlife and their habitat. Access to such land is available to the general public.

Other heritage assets may be purchased by, or donated to the charity, as and when circumstances permit.

The number of acquisitions in the last 5 years is nil.

The Trustees are aware that the valuation of the heritage assets has been increasing in recent years, and this has not been reflected in the financial statements. Due to the current Covid restrictions, assessing a fair value at this time has its difficulties and uncertainties. The Trustees will conduct a full valuation exercise to provide a fully updated valuation for the 2022 accounts

13.	DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2021

2020

£

Trade debtors

468,562

466,158

Prepayments

24,417

46,389

492,979

512,547

14.	CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2021

2020

£

Other loans (see note 15)

-

7,918

Trade creditors

127,521

62,637

Social security and other taxes

29,998

82,071

Other creditors

16,751

6,483

Deferred income

12,546

19,500

Accrued expenses

17,263

7,920

204,079

186,529

The bank overdraft is secured by a legal mortgage over the Centre Of The Earth and a debenture charge over all other assets of the charity.

15.

LOANS

An analysis of the maturity of loans is given below:

2021

2020

£

Amounts falling due within one year on demand:

Other loans

-

7,918

16.	LEASING AGREEMENTS

Minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases fall due as follows:

2021

2020

£

Within one year

7,976

Between one and five years

10,761

14,006

In more than five years

12,900

15,050

31,637

37,032

17.	ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BETWEEN FUNDS

2021

2020

Unrestricted

Restricted

Total

funds

£

Fixed assets

122,164

-

122,164

139,432

Current assets

1,157,211

344,902

1,502,113

1,184,198

Current liabilities

(204,079

)

-

(204,079

)

(186,529

)

1,075,296

344,902

1,420,198

1,137,101

18.	MOVEMENT IN FUNDS

Net

movement

At

At 1.4.20

in funds

31.3.21

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

498,461

13,144

511,605

Designated Fund

323,550

180,902

504,452

Revaluation Reserve

59,239

-

59,239

881,250

194,046

1,075,296

Restricted funds

Catchment (Western Park)

23,400

(5,000

)

18,400

Salmon in the Stour (18-19)

6,528

(6,528

)

-

River Cole

69,000

(69,000

)

-

Natural Prospects HLF

-

1,423

Other awards

15,250

829

16,079

Veolia Grant

57,785

2,000

59,785

Birmingham LNP

-

4,442

South Staffordshire Water

13,594

-

13,594

National Express

15,000

-

15,000

Reaching Communities

33,794

26,949

60,743

Salmon in the Stour (19-20 - Dunelm
Weir)

21,500

(18,675

)

2,825

River Cole Collaboration

-

34,941

Severn Trent Resilience Funding

-

25,000

Carbon Reduction Strategy

-

20,000

Nature Friendly Schools

-

40,000

Cadent Foundation - Natural
Connections

-

32,670

255,851

89,051

344,902

TOTAL FUNDS

1,137,101

283,097

1,420,198

Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Incoming

Resources

Movement

resources

expended

in funds

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

608,618

(595,474

)

13,144

Designated Fund

180,902

-

180,902

789,520

(595,474

)

194,046

Restricted funds

Catchment (Western Park)

-

(5,000

)

(5,000

)

Salmon in the Stour (18-19)

-

(6,528

)

(6,528

)

Natural Rivers & Green Corridors

10,779

(10,779

)

-

River Cole

-

(69,000

)

(69,000

)

Natural Prospects HLF

69,038

(67,615

)

1,423

Other awards

31,000

(30,171

)

829

Veolia Grant

2,000

-

2,000

Birmingham LNP

21,000

(16,558

)

4,442

Reaching Communities

34,440

(7,491

)

26,949

Salmon in the Stour (19-20 - Dunelm
Weir)

-

(18,675

)

(18,675

)

River Cole Collaboration

56,000

(21,059

)

34,941

Biodiversity SLAs

25,000

(25,000

)

-

Severn Trent Resilience Funding

25,000

-

25,000

EcoRecord

42,001

(42,001

)

-

Carbon Reduction Strategy

20,000

-

20,000

Nature Friendly Schools

173,734

(133,734

)

40,000

Cadent Foundation - Natural
Connections

32,670

-

32,670

542,662

(453,611

)

89,051

TOTAL FUNDS

1,332,182

(1,049,085

)

283,097

Comparatives for movement in funds

Net

movement

At

At 1.4.19

in funds

31.3.20

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

278,256

220,205

498,461

Designated Fund

159,759

163,791

323,550

Revaluation Reserve

59,239

-

59,239

497,254

383,996

881,250

Restricted funds

Catchment (Western Park)

23,400

-

23,400

Salmon in the Stour (17-18)

14,664

(14,664

)

-

Salmon in the Stour (18-19)

40,000

(33,472

)

6,528

River Cole

75,000

(6,000

)

69,000

Other awards

12,900

2,350

15,250

South Staffordshire Water

-

13,594

National Express

-

15,000

Reaching Communities

-

33,794

Veolia Capital Funding

-

57,785

Salmon in the Stour (19-20 - Dunelm
Weir)

-

21,500

165,964

89,887

255,851

TOTAL FUNDS

663,218

473,883

1,137,101

Comparative net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:

Incoming

Resources

Movement

resources

expended

in funds

£

Unrestricted funds

General fund

577,711

(357,506

)

220,205

Designated Fund

424,848

(261,057

)

163,791

1,002,559

(618,563

)

383,996

Restricted funds

Salmon in the Stour (17-18)

-

(14,664

)

(14,664

)

Salmon in the Stour (18-19)

-

(33,472

)

(33,472

)

Natural Rivers & Green Corridors

40,464

(40,464

)

-

River Cole

-

(6,000

)

(6,000

)

Natural Prospects HLF

135,221

(135,221

)

-

Birmingham City Council - EcoRecord

20,500

(20,500

)

-

Other awards

79,543

(77,193

)

2,350

Birmingham LNP

12,000

(12,000

)

-

South Staffordshire Water

13,594

-

13,594

National Express

20,000

(5,000

)

15,000

Reaching Communities

34,440

(646

)

33,794

Veolia Capital Funding

60,000

(2,215

)

57,785

Salmon in the Stour (19-20 - Dunelm
Weir)

27,500

(6,000

)

21,500

People Postcode Lottery (Nature
Schools)

53,662

(53,662

)

-

496,924

(407,037

)

89,887

TOTAL FUNDS

1,499,483

(1,025,600

)

473,883

Transfers are made between Restricted and Unrestricted Funds at the time the specific restrictions have been fulfilled.

The designated fund of £504,452 (2020: £323,550) relates to the balance of funds received in the accounts for the year to 31 March 2021 remaining unspent designated by the Trustees for use on our commitments post year end. £185,472 relates to the EcoPark Capital Fund and £318,980 to the Project Completion Fund.

The restricted fund represents monies receivable for projects which can only be spent on their respective activities as imposed by the donor or grant making body.

The Trustees confirm that all restricted fund balances at the year end have subsequently been spent or will be spent in the forthcoming financial year.

More detailed disclosure on description nature and purpose of the funds, reasons for restrictions etc are listed below:-

Conservation

Restricted Funds for the Trust's conservation work delivery against Goal 1 and includes

- managing our Nature Reserves (many smaller awards)

- Improving spaces for nature through the Nature Improvement Area

- Ecological surveys (Environment agency and other smaller awards)

- Development of water catchment improvement works along the River Stour (Salmon in the Stour and Severn Trent Resilience Project)

- Natural Rivers project will improve woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and watercourses along the River Rea and its tributaries in south-west Birmingham and the River Tame in west Birmingham. (Natural Rivers)

- River Cole Partnership with the Environment Agency for the restoration and naturalisation 940 m of urban river catchments(River Cole and River Cole Collaboration Funds)

Planning and Advocacy

- Biodiversity - service level agreements with local authorities supporting biodiversity improvement activities including surveying sites and advising planners

EcoRecord

- Service Level agreements or provide ecological records and services from the biological record centre for Birmingham and the Black Country

People and Wildlife

- HLF skills for the Future - delivery of the Natural Prospects trainee programme

- Nature Friendly Schools - Nature England Funding delivered by RSWT to help teachers run outdoor learning classes.

- Funding from "Reaching Communities" Community Lottery Fund to help build a community hub at EcoPark

- Cadent Foundation - Natural Connections - to delivery nature wellbeing courses to people at risk of isolation.

Resources

- Carbon Reductions Strategy Funding - to complete a Carbon reduction and activity plan.

19.	RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES

The Trust is affiliated to The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT), a registered charity that acts as an umbrella group for county wildlife trusts, and provides assistance and co-ordination of activities and campaigning at a UK level. An annual contribution is payable to RSWT amounting to £9,740 (2020: £10,000). The trust also purchased publications and other sundries from RSWT amounting to £7,322 (2020 - £9,195), with £nil (2020 - £1,696) owed to RSWT at the year end. Sales made to RSWT were £4,595 (2020: £4,511) and amounts owed by RSWT were £nil at the year end (2020: £1,380).

Donations of £nil (2020: £20,000) were received without conditions from charitable trusts in which trustees of this charity are also trustees of the donor charitable trusts.

Wildlife Trust For B'ham & The Black Cou - Charities report - 21.2

Wildlife Trust For B'ham & The Black Cou - Charities report - 21.2