Castle Howard Arboretum Trust

The Trustees present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 January 2025. The trustees have adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) “Accounting and Reporting by Charities” (FRS 102) in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity’s governing document, the Charities Act 2011 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 published in October 2019. Since the charity qualifies as small under section 383, the strategic report required of medium and large companies under The Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Director's Report) Regulations 2013 is not required. Objectives and Activities a. Policies and objectives The Trust was founded in 1997. Its prime purpose is the curation of its extensive botanical collections for the purpose of dendrology, botanical science, education and conservation. In 2017 a Strategic Plan 2018 22 was adopted that sets out the vision for the Trust’s work and activities over a five year period. It states that: Our mission is to grow the widest possible range of trees for conservation, for education, for people and for inspiration. The mission is encapsulated in our motto: Inspiration, Education, Conservation. Our vision is to be one of the finest collections of temperate trees set in a rich and attractive landscape. A new Strategic Plan is being developed. The tree collection in the Yorkshire Arboretum and the garden in Ray Wood is overseen by the Director. In 2023 24 the collection was maintained by two full time Operations Team employees and a part time Plant Records Officer. The Trust maintains an electronic catalogue of its collection, which is available to search online in conjunction with an interactive map. Further information on the Trust can be found at www.yorkshirearboretum.org. Achievements and performance a. Financial review Income for the year totalled £590,289 (2024 £535,913), after expenditure of £523,455 (2024: £515,463) the surplus before revaluations was £66,834 (2024: £20,450), after gains/(losses) on investments of £4,078 (2024: (£3,816)) there was an overall surplus for the year of £70,912 (2024: £16,634), resulting in total funds carried forward of £1,753,295 (2024: £1,682,383). Unrestricted funds carried forward were £1,738,295(2024: £1,531,200). Restricted funds carried forward were £15,000 (2024: £13,750). Endowment funds carried forward were £nil (2024: £137,433). Achievements and performance - continued b. Achievements and performance In 2024-25 the Trust continued to manage and improve the grounds and collection in both the Yorkshire Arboretum and Ray Wood and pursued an active programme of education for all ages. Visitor numbers held steady, and membership recruitment and retention were good. The Tree Health Centre has started to thrive, and a wide range of work has been completed working with several partners across the sector. This has included delivering projects for Biosecurity Pest Risk Analysis, National Biosurveillance Network and International Plant Sentinel Network. A research project was undertaken to establish the suitability of using virtual reality to train people in the industry about pests and diseases and tree health. This proved extremely successful, and funding is being sought to take this project through to development. Formal training in the Tree Health Centre is delivered to plant health inspectors at the Animal and Plant Health Authority and a range of informal activities were delivered for visitors concentrating around various citizen science initiatives. Volunteering effort remained strong, with (voluntary) Volunteer Coordinators being a great assistance. Volunteering covers all aspects of the Trust’s activities, from furniture renovation to administration, but is especially important in the curatorial side of our work. School visits have grown to pre-pandemic levels despite our Education Officer being employed for only one day a week. A restricted donation to help cover the costs of the coach hire for the schools assisted in bringing schools to the arboretum from areas who might not have been able to afford to visit previously. During the year we welcomed a number of professional colleagues to the arboretum. The Fellows of The RHS had a tour of the arboretum, the EPPO panel visited, and the UK Squirrel Accord held its AGM here. The Director continued to work one day/week on the International Dendrology Society’s Trees and Shrubs Online, making reliable information on woody plants available worldwide until his departure at the end of September. A number of art exhibitions were held. Art classes and nature walks were well attended, and garden talks were given in person and virtually. Curatorial notes After a very wet spring, a mild summer and autumn the trees and shrubs in the collection showed steady growth, though wet ground made some curatorial tasks difficult early in the year. A mixed winter allowed a range of activities to continue across the arboretum. To prevent an outbreak of Phytophthora ramorum within the arboretum the larch in Paddock Wood will be felled over the next 5 years. This was started during the winter. Whilst the felling continues a plan will be created for the new planting through that area. Sata pond and the Dew Pond underwent restoration work over the winter to encourage Great Crested Newts and other species to return to the area. This work will be monitored over the next few years. c. Plans for future periods A new Chief Operating Officer was appointed and started in April 2024. This has allowed for a consolidation of various areas of work and the ongoing development of a future strategy. Dr John Grimshaw, the Director of the arboretum for the previous 12 years departed in early Autumn and time will now be taken to explore the role and operating model of the trust going forward before an appointment is made.