People very often ask....'What sort of Charity are you and how do I know what my money is being used for'

Lets see if we can help you with some answers.

What sort of  Charity are we:

Basically we are a non profit making organisation. Our Objectives are to 'Advance the education of the public in the field of horticulture and other gardening skills, primarily but not exclusively to promote the education and training of individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and individuals with learning difficulties and physical or other disabilities.

The Charity is governed by four Trustees which meet four times a year to review the activities of the Charity and authorise future developments as proposed by the employed Manager. The day-to-day running of the Charity is in the hands of the Manager and the unpaid Secretary who is responsible for maintaining the records of the Charity and the general governance. The Trustees present their report together with the financial statements of the Charity for each year end. The financial statements are prepared in accordance with the accounting policies and comply with the Charities Memorandum and Articles of Association and applicable law. All of which can be viewed on the Charity Commission web site.

How do you know what your donation will be spent on:

As Manager of The Walled Garden Project, part of my job role is to research possible funding routes.

We will only apply for funding assistance when there is a need; this may be for a particular item (capital) for ongoing costs, such as salaries (revenue). Or for a complete development project (capital and revenue)  When we are successful in securing a funding bid this money is then 'ringfenced' and CANNOT be spent on anything other than its intended purpose as per the application. Most large grant making charities will want to see evidence of the spending and to this end  we may compile a photographic diary as proof or invite them to visit us and see first hand where their money has been spent.  The Walled Garden Project team of Trustees, Staff, Volunteers and friends are very proactive in organising a variety of fund raising events throughout the year. People can also donate through our 'Virgin Money Giving' link that is available on all our web pages (NB Virgin retain 2% of the total donated to cover administration) they also claim on our behalf any gift aid. The money raised in these instances are classed as 'Unringfenced' which enables us to spend the money at the discretion of The Manager and Trustees.

As you can imagine the search is on most of the time. We are always grateful for any donations large  or small and we can assure you all monies will be used for the good of the public who use the Walled Garden Project. We strongly believe in transparency, promoting public trust and confidence and meeting our legal requirements.

If you would like to find out more about The Walled Garden Project and perhaps pay us a visit, then please do get in touch through our contact page. We would be happy to show you around and answer any further questions you may have.