PLANTNETWORK - Accounts

The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act 2006 and "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).

Public Benefit of the Charity

This remains unchanged for PlantNetwork. The aims of PlantNetwork are for the public benefit, to both members and non-members alike. Supporting gardens and arboreta, and their staff, in managing, maintaining and developing their plant collections and publicising the value of horticulture to all, is a major benefit to the public. Public benefit operates through the provision of resources for education, conservation, biodiversity, and health and wellbeing. Without the existence of the network, this would be much more difficult to do. Membership is open to all, and access to the charity is not unfairly restricted by the membership charges, with many resources open to non-members through the website and non-members welcome to attend all PlantNetwork events. The aim is to continue to offer a range of membership fees to allow horticulturists at different stages of their career to join and making event fees as low as possible. Online delivery has made sharing of content much more accessible. Initiatives like the PlantNetwork podcast, which is free to all to access, helps promote horticulture and the work of horticulturists.

The PlantNetwork Board of Trustees continue to regularly review PlantNetwork activities and communication. The Board consists of a small group of board members led by the Co-Chairs. The aim of the review is to ensure that the charity continues to maximise public benefit, provide good value and varied training to members, and maintains a sustainable business plan.

The Board has complied with the duty in section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.

Statement of Trustees' Responsibilities

Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the Trustees have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities and applicable law (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice Applicable to Smaller Entities). Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the results of the charitable company for that year. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the charitable company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the 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 company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Website & Newsletter

The website continues to provide a single, integrated platform for events bookings, membership subscription and information dissemination, particularly since the launch of the customer relationship management (CRM) platform in June/July 2020 which also integrates the weekly newsletter to members. Much of the information on the website is still freely available and acts as a valuable source of information to the public but the members' resources continued in development over the last year. Social media platforms are used to publicise events and update followers on new resource availability. The weekly newsletter continues and has a steady readership. A twice-yearly news update continues to be sent to non-members who have registered an interest in PlantNetwork.

Membership

Membership in the year 2022/23 totalled 85 institutional members (with each institutional membership representing from 1-200+ horticultural staff) and 188 individuals or personal members (including free membership for trainees on placements in gardens as part of the Historic and Botanic Garden Trainee Programme or the Professional Gardeners’ Guild Traineeship). The newsletter mailing list comprised 1260 people on 31st March 2023. Membership rates were increased with effect from 1 April 2023.

Sponsorship

Dragonfli and Iris BG were our Bronze level sponsors.

Grants

Our Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust funded project PlantNetwork Online (a grant of £3,000 to support the development of PlantNetwork’s online content and training delivery) concluded and reported this year. The successful RHS Bursaries application for Diversity in Gardening project was put to use arranging events in May and June 2023.

The Erasmus+ project, Craft Skills for Garden Conservation, with colleagues across Northern Europe continued with PlantNetwork hosting the Trained Fruit Workshop at Audley End for a two-day practical in August 2022 and then the 2nd Transnational Partnership Meeting. We then hosted a webinar in November 2022.

26th Annual General Meeting

The 26th AGM was held online on Thursday 28th April 2022. Notification had been sent out to all members of PlantNetwork one month ahead of the meeting, as per usual practice. Nominations for Board members were invited. Board members who stood down were: Nick Lightfoot, Sara Redstone, Will Ritchie, Christopher Weddell and Rupert Wilson. Sara Redstone and Rupert Wilson were duly re-elected. New nominations were received: Mark Brent (Oxford University Botanic Garden), Darach Lupton (National Botanic Gardens of Ireland), Dr Suzanne Moss (Royal Horticultural Society) and Nicola Thomas (A La Carte Consulting Ltd) and were elected to the board. Ros Burnley and Stephen Herrington continued as co-chairs.

Critchleys Audit LLP, of Beaver House, Oxford, was appointed as examiner for a further year.

The AGM reviewed activity for the period 2021-2022, a period of continued uncertainty during which PlantNetwork maintained a flexible approach to events and engagement. An online webinar programme was run during the colder months which increased accessibility and information sharing opportunities. Other online provisions to provide support to gardens were also implemented, including the Interpretation Group, online career workshops and mentoring. The ‘in-person’ offer for 2022/23, would be a gradual introduction due to rising costs and pandemic uncertainty. Similarly, PlantNetwork looked to move to a biennial conference format delivered with collaborator/s wherever possible, to increase reach and also provide more dedicated time to programme development.

While some of the gardens lost during the first lockdown had not returned, a small number of new members joined PlantNetwork. As such membership remained very similar to the previous year, with only marginal movement across the different membership categories. No changes were made to the membership fees.

PlantNetwork employees

Rebecca Slack (RS) continued in the coordinator role (part-time) and acted as Company Secretary until 2nd February 2023 when she resigned to take up a position elsewhere. Mercy Morris commenced as Administrator on the 24th October 2022, and then Manager on the 13th March 2023, replacing RS as Company Secretary. Recruitment of a replacement Administrator was put into motion.

Meetings

Board of Trustees: two Board meetings (87th Board Meeting: 29th September 2022; 88th Board Meeting: 2nd February 2023), a strategy day to discuss PlantNetwork strategy and future development post-pandemic (20th June 2022) and three teleconferences (5th April 2022; 14th July 2022; 16th November 2022) were held during the financial year. The coordinator and co-chairs met most fortnights to monitor activity and plan accordingly.

Monthly webinars were held from October to April 2022-23. A variety of topics of interest to horticulturists working in public gardens were featured, including plant health and gardening with wildlife. Many were themed around sustainability to fit with 2022 being badged as the PlantNetwork Year of Sustainability in an effort to raise the importance of this topic. A full list of the webinars, with recordings available for members/participants, is available from the PlantNetwork website under the ‘Meetings’ tab.

Two in-person events were held: the Plant Records Group meeting at Swiss Garden in Bedfordshire and the Tree Forum (held in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, at Yorkshire Arboretum).

While a loss of income from membership and events, PlantNetwork finances have recovered due in part to reduced event overheads, grant income and recovery of the job market (through recruitment notices) as well as continued support of PlantNetwork sponsors.

Income from subscription amounted to £20,023 with total unrestricted income from charitable activities (including conferences and job advertisements) and donations amounting to a total of £44,048. An additional grant income of £11,218 was awarded for the delivery of the Erasmus Project.

Total expenditure was £50,330. A deficit of £381 was generated from unrestricted funds with a surplus of restricted funds of £5,317 meaning an overall surplus of £4,936.

Total funds carried forward at year end March 2023 amounted to £103,566 (of which £29,308 is restricted), which remains above the £60,000 range of reserves sought by the Board.

It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.

PlantNetwork: The Plant Collections Network of Britain & Ireland is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England 3777793; registered charity 1081747. The charity is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:

An open recruitment process is operated by PlantNetwork. Trustees join the board for a period of three years and then either step down or stand for re-election. The recruitment process is outlined in the PlantNetwork Memorandum and Articles of Association and is enacted every year once those trustees whose terms are ending have determined whether they are stepping down or standing for re-election. When places become available on the board, they are advertised via all PlantNetwork channels two months before the AGM. Potential trustees are invited to contact the coordinator and arrange to speak with the co/chair of PlantNetwork prior to completing a nomination form. Trustees are drawn from the PlantNetwork membership although adverts are also placed with trustee recruitment agencies such as Trustees Unlimited to ensure that a range of expertise and experience is obtained for the board. Adverts usually specify particular skills sets but is open to anyone interested in committing at least three years to supporting and developing PlantNetwork. Co-option has also been utilised in the past when it has proven to be difficult to recruit. When more applicants apply than there are places, decisions are made in discussion with the applicants, considering criteria such as geographic location, skills and experience, and willingness to take on specific roles (such as IT support or treasurer). All new trustees are elected at the AGM with nomination papers made available to the membership in advance of the meeting.

The board of trustees is overseen by a chair (or co-chair) who has responsibility for overall governance. A treasurer (or co-treasurer) provides oversight of all financial information from strategy to day-to-day banking. The remaining trustees take responsibility for key areas of PlantNetwork: marketing & communications; technology and website; fundraising and sponsorship; membership; and, activities and engagement. Providing oversight and strategy development in these areas, all trustees direct the activities of the operational staff, currently the coordinator. The coordinator’s role involves the delivery of the strategy across the key areas of activity, acts as the main point of contact for PlantNetwork and ensures effective day-to-day management of all PlantNetwork undertakings.

For 2022/23, the board structure was:

The Charity is administered by an Executive Board of Trustees, comprising 2022-23:

Chair (shared role)    Ros Burnley and Stephen Herrington

Treasurer (shared role)    Phil Esseen, Piers Horry

Board Members        Rupert Wilson, Donald Murray, Sara Redstone, Natalie Chivers, Ann Steele,                 Alison Crook, Heather Birkett, Mark Brent, Darach Lupton, Suzanne Moss,                 Nicola Thomas.

Coordinator        Rebecca Slack (employee, appointed by the Board until 2 February 2023)

Administrator        Mercy Morris (employee, appointed by the Board 24 October 2022)

Honorary President    Matthew Jebb

The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of PlantNetwork (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2023.

As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

the financial statements do not accord with those records; or

the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476.

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

PlantNetwork is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is C/O Critchleys LLP, Beaver House, 23-38 Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX1 2EP.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "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). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.

The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.

At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.

Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, 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 classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.

At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).

Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.

The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.

Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.

Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.

Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.

Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

Unrestricted funds

Unrestricted funds

Subscriptions

Conferences

Workshops and forums

Sponsorship

Miscellaneous (ads & mailing)

Forum work groups and conferences

Office and other costs

Travel, Liaison and meeting

Other professional fees

Other fees to independent examiners

Governance costs includes payments to the independent examiners of £2,500 + VAT (2022- £1,350 + VAT) for independent examination fees.

None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.

The average monthly number of employees during the year was:

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:

Deferred income includes amounts relating to conference & forum income in advance, membership subscriptions and sponsorship income in advance.

All income is released to income in the following financial year.

Income

Expenditure

Income

Expenditure

The balance on the database project represents monies which will be spent on the project in future years.

The Stanley Smith (UK) Horticultural Trust fund is to support the development on PlantNetwork’s online resources including ongoing webinar programme development, podcast and training resources.

RHS Bursaries awarded funding for the development of the Diversity in Gardening (DiG) project which will develop training on equity, equality, diversity and inclusion for PlantNetwork members aimed at creating a more inclusive workforce and providing support across the garden sector.

PlantNetwork is also a partner in the Erasmus+ funded project Craft Skills for Garden Conservation, led by Vea in Norway, which seeks to share training on traditional skills and approaches needed to conserve heritage gardens: the project takes place over a three year period and involves the co-generation of webinars, workshops and learning resources.

No Trustee received any remuneration in the year (2022: £NIL). No Trustees received any reimbursement of

expenses in the year (2022: £NIL).

There were no related party transactions or payments to key management personnel in either year.