Confidential
The minutes of an Open Meeting of the Company held on 21st July 2009 at Trunkwell Hotel, Beech
Hill, Reading, Berkshire.
Present:
Mr David Aitchison-Tait
Sir Richard Thompson
Miss Sally Dymott
Mr Howard Symonds
Mrs Nicola Carruthers (NC)
Mr Mike Wells
(MW)
Mr Stephen Barry
Mr Andrew Fisher Tomlin
Ms Philippa Slinger
(DA-T)
(RT)
(SMD)
(HS)
(SB)
(AFT)
(PhS)
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Treasurer
Chief Executive
Company Secretary
Acting Company Secretary
Plus 36 other representatives made up of staff, volunteers and representatives from other organisations.
Apologies:
Mr Felix Fitch
Mr Jeremy Bayliss
Mr Stephen Davies
Mr Brian Donohoe
Mrs Prunella Scarlett
(FF)
(JB)
(StD)
(BD)
(PS)
Action
1.
Welcome from the Chairman.
The Chairman opened the meeting by saying that this meeting was as a result of
Thrive’s ambition to be visible and open to all our staff and stakeholders, including
the publishing of all our minutes on our website.
The Chairman thanked all those that had attended and was impressed and
encouraged by the attendance at this first meeting.
2.
Introduction to the Trustees.
The Chairman introduced the head’s of the sub committees explaining their roles
together with the remaining Trustees to the audience.
3.
Report on Thrives Activities by the Chairman during 2008/09.
The Chairman explained that during the year, Thrive strengthened the Board with
three additional Trustees bringing the total to twelve. The Board has also reviewed
the Memorandum and Articles of Association to update them in accordance with
changes to Charities and Companies Acts.
In a busy year we continued to improve our finances, protect our reserves and
ensure that the correct strategies were in place to move forward. The operational
deficit is down by 172K on the previous year and we are budgeting to reduce this to
near zero in 2009/10. Our capital reserves remain strong. We have also carried out
an internal reorganisation to ensure that we are able to increase our fund raising
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activities to help more people.
Our Vision and Mission have been revisited by the Board with input from the staff
so that it conveys our passion while still retaining the ideas and intentions of our
founder. Our new vision is:
To enable those touched by a disability to transform their lives using
gardening
And our new mission statement is:
Using our passion for the power of gardening to change the lives of people
touched by disability, Thrive will:
1. Teach practical and creative ways to use gardening
2. Learn more about how gardening helps people
3. Talk about what we do and how we help using gardening
4. Work with individuals and organisations
Strategic Direction
As part of the business planning cycle a revised strategy was developed which
forecast annual income of 2.3 million by 2012.
This improved income position is possible by concentrating over the next two years
on changes within specific income streams, building on changes by consistent
development of our cornerstone projects which will continue to support the
restricted income. It will also be critical for our Sales & Marketing team to be
successful.
Meeting our Aims
Improve the skills and knowledge of disabled people so they can benefit from
gardening:
Our Information service has had a 50% uplift in enquiries this year.
NBGC has had an excellent year meeting most of its objectives and Just 30! is
another of our projects that is progressing well.
Our Trunkwell garden project has met 100% of their objectives with an outstanding
year and increased the number of clients. Our Battersea project delivered a 15K
shortfall against a revised forecast but we are still working to increase client no’s
and develop new facilities which will improve this position.
Improve the skills and knowledge of health and education professionals in the use
of gardening and social and therapeutic horticulture:
Our Training and Education programmes continue to attract participants reaching
almost 300 professionals. However professional membership has shown a decline
throughout the year.
Increase the range of evidence related to gardening and disability:
We have started an in-house piece of evidence looking at early onset dementia and
continue to seek participants.
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Promote the benefits of gardening for disabled people:
Our Marketing and Communication have delivered all its objectives including the
delivery of a re-worked carry on gardening website which is an excellent tool for our
beneficiaries, and a platform from which Thrive can build.
Build and effective organisation:
A major restructure of the organisation took place in Dec 08 resulting in a new area
of Sales & Marketing. National projects were merged into Training & Education and
a new Senior Management Team was formed.
Battersea Redevelopment
The Battersea redevelopment has not progressed as we would have liked in the
latter part of the year, however we have raised 43% of the funding required.
Renewed efforts in the coming year will ensure that the project remains on target.
Volunteers
The contribution from all of volunteers is exceptional with them contributing over 12
thousand hours from individual volunteers and corporate teams across both of our
garden projects. We have now set up a volunteer working party in order to
standardise all procedures from recruitment to management.
4.
Questions on Thrives activities during 2008/09.
Elizabeth Cuff who is a volunteer at our Trunkwell project asked what the plans
were to look after our blind, or partially sighted members, beyond the end of NBGC
in Sep 10.
Our CEO explained that we had been working on this project for a number of years
and had introduced and developed our Carry on gardening website which will
continue to be available. Further work with the RNLB will continue this year to
ensure that an exit strategy would be in place to limit the impact on those benefiting
from our NBGC.
5.
Finance Report for the year 2008/09
In 2008-2009 we planned to use our own financial resources to deliver our mission
and meet our objectives. Excluding realised and unrealised gains on investment
assets, expenditure exceeded income by £337,103. The increase in expenditure of
£209, 571 focused on the central aim of Thrive to increase knowledge and skills of
disabled people and deliver public benefit. This was an improved position from the
original approved budget position in March 2008 but has resulted in a decrease in
fund balances from £4.25m to £3.8m.
Total incoming resources for 2008- 2009 increased from 2007-2008 by 13% to
£1.36m. £263, 734 of income was restricted, coming from grants for specific
national projects or those run from the garden sites; all focused on achieving our
aims. Unrestricted income from fundraising totalled £380,218 which represented an
increase of £108,177 on the previous year.
Thrive continues to have a diversified income base with earned income of £545,985
remaining the largest income stream at 40%. It is considered unwise to be
dependent on one particular income stream and the strategy to maintain a
diversified base will continue into the following year.
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The balance of Thrive income is from its investment portfolio which has reduced
from 2007- 2008 as a result of lower interest rates.
Expenditure in 2008 -2009 has increased on the previous year to £1.70m. Of this
£1.40m (82%) was spent directly on charitable activities and £40,584(2.3%) on
governance. The remainder, £256,379 was attributed to the cost of fundraising and
costs related to investment income. The largest element of fundraising expenditure
is the direct marketing campaigns which are reviewed. The charity continues to
invest in direct marketing in 2008- 2009 and now has a loyal base of supporters on
which it can build. Recruiting new supporters remains important for the future.
More financial details and accounts will be published as part of our Annual Report.
6.
Questions on the Finance Report 2008/09
There were no questions on the Finance Report 2008/09.
7.
Any Other Business
The Chairman said that without the hard word and dedication of Thrive’s staff,
volunteers, funding from all supporters and stakeholders, everything we achieve at
Thrive would not be possible. He passed on his gratitude in enabling those who
have benefited with the opportunity to have their lives changed by the power of
gardening.
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