The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The Annual Report serves the purposes of both a Trustees’ report and a directors’ report.
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 governing document, 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).
Mission
Bringing rivers back to life for nature and communities.
The headline KPI achievements for the aims are identified below.
Aim 1: Resilient Rivers | Achievements 2024 - 2025 |
To create and protect healthy, clean, and resilient watercourses by,
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Aim 2: Rivers for Life | Achievements 2024 - 2025 |
To inspire local communities, landowners, businesses, and recreational river-users to act for rivers by,
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Aim 3: Building Collaboration | Achievements 2024 - 2025 |
To advocate the catchment-based approach by facilitating the Welland Valley and Witham Catchment Partnerships. |
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Aim 4: Creating Security | Achievements 2024 - 2025 |
To build organisational stability and relevance by,
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The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Charity should undertake.
Programme Activities Update
There are over 120 watercourses within the Welland and Witham catchments, EMRT is operational in five counties: Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, and Rutland.
Resilient Rivers
The upper catchment headwater programmes aim to increase water storage, slow water flow, and improve the water quality through large-scale restoration works such as reconnecting floodplains, reinstating paleo channels, installing back channels, wetlands, and scrapes or smaller scale natural flood management measures and in-channel installations such as berms.
Upper Witham
The Upper Witham is an important limestone watercourse forming the headwaters of the Witham catchment. Development of a landscape recovery bid is underway to link the many restoration sites and aim to recharge the limestone aquifer.
Following the success of Horncastle and previous greening in Brayford Pool, stakeholder engagement is ongoing to develop wider urban greening and engagement projects in both Lincoln and Sleaford, with Grantham on hold due to recent flooding.
Limestone Becks
On-going partnership with the Environment Agency and Wild Trout Trust was extended to include Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. An Expression of Interest to National Lottery Heritage Fund for accelerating engagement and restoration efforts across the Becks and Fens with support provided by the Environment Agency and Anglian Water for the preparatory work.
Chalk Streams
Anglian Water Get River Positive and UK Shared Prosperity Fund has continued to support community engagement and river restoration measures centred on Horncastle, which sits on the confluence of two chalk streams and a town that has experienced catastrophic flooding.
Upper Welland
The Environment Agency and Anglian Water has supported the preparatory work for the development of a landscape level Welland Vision programme, involving multiple partners and sites around Harborough and Great Bowden.
Lower Welland
Installed floating ecosystems and coir rolls in Spalding town have enhanced a canalised section of the River Welland, as part of a wider National Lottery funded programme aimed at improving the town’s natural heritage and visitor experience.
Invasives
Nationally, Environment Agency funding has been withdrawn for some invasives activities which has led to the cessation of pennywort treatment. Other funding and collaborative working are now being considered with partners to address invasives at scale.
Rivers for life
The programme’s core activities focus on education, skills development, volunteering, and citizen science.
Rivers Academy
Working in partnership with Nene Rivers Trust education team and Lincolnshire Outdoor Learning (for KS4+), repeat and new bookings are being taken for field visits at Belton and further afield in both catchments. Funding is being sought as part of the developing Natural History Hub to enable the employment of a dedicated officer to further develop the Rivers Academy.
Volunteer Activities
Volunteering remains central to project delivery, most recently through the Horncastle and Limestone Becks projects, which have offered training in invasive species management and invertebrate monitoring. Refresher and taster sessions on invertebrate sampling at Sudbrooke and Market Harborough attracted 15 volunteers.
Established EMRT volunteer groups continue to monitor river health through Freshwater Watch and invertebrate surveys around Grantham, Lincoln, and Market Harborough, with a new group forming in Long Bennington.
The Citizen Science Vision is progressing, bringing together survey techniques to monitor river health across catchments, with the first sub-catchment trial planned for the Upper Welland. Through EMRT’s collaboration with the national the Catchment Systems Thinking Cooperative (CaSTCo) project, volunteers have contributed to validation trials shared with catchment partners.
Multi-year funding is being sought to secure equipment, reagents, and a dedicated volunteer coordinator to further support this growing network of Citizen Scientists.
EMRT maintains a minimum of one year’s reserves (unrestricted funds) that are freely available to spend on the charity's purposes.
East Mercia Rivers Trust is a registered charity governed by a Board of Trustees. The charity is controlled by its Articles of Association, and constitutes a company limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The day-to-day operations are led by the Chief Executive Officer with support provided by a Risk and Governance Committee made up of three members of the Board. EMRT remains part of the national Rivers Trust movement, which is growing and to date has around 70 member trusts.
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:
The recruitment of Trustees is by invite from East Mercia Rivers Trust Trustees. Subject to the Articles of Association, selection is based on expertise that is judged to add value to the activities and growth of the Trust.
Induction and training of new trustees
The training and induction provided for new Trustees will depend on their existing experience. Where necessary, induction will be on an informal basis and tailored specially to the individual. Newly appointed Trustees receive a letter of appointment and a copy of EMRT’s Trustee Manual and Policy Manual.
None of the Trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the Trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.
The Trustees report report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the Trustees on my examination of the financial statements of East Mercia Rivers Trust (the Charity) for the year ended 31 March 2025.
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.
Since the Charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of ACCA, which is one of the listed bodies.
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.
K Howitt FCCA
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
East Mercia Rivers Trust is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 22 St. Peter's Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 2PF.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with 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 or grantors 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.
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.
Grants
Donations
Grants
Donations
Grants
Donations
Grants
Donations
Grants
Donations
Grants
Grants
Donations
Habitat contractors and equipment
Professional Fees
Expenses
Habitat contractors and equipment
Professional Fees
Expenses
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:
Independent examination and insurance costs
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the Charity in an independently administered fund.
At the year end there were unpaid contributions due to the fund of £2,019 (2024: £1,585).
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
EN CABA Witham, Welland, Snagging and Volunteers
The catchment hosting payments for the Witham and Welland are awarded by the Environment Agency on an annual basis and support project development work. Snagging is provided by the Environment Agency for restoration remedial works. Funding for volunteers and citizen science is from various sources and built into project delivery.
IN Invasives
Funding for invasives is limited to a few donors and at present much of the funding from the Environment Agency has faced budget cuts. Activity has centred on volunteer activities for this financial year.
EN Schools and Rivers Academy
The Rivers Academy was supported by Anglian Water and UK Shared Prosperity Funding via South Kesteven District Council. EMRT also focused on developing partnerships to build a platform for accelerating education and training across the catchments.
LB Limestone Becks
Funding provided by Anglian Water has progressed numerous projects and supported the development of a National Lottery Heritage Fund for the ‘Spring into Fen’ programme. The national Environment Agency NFM programme contributed to the development of a restoration project on a tributary to the River Slea.
LW Lower Witham and Chalk Streams
Anglian Water Get River Positive programme and UKSPF via East Lindsey District Council continued to support restoration and community engagement in and around Horncastle.
UW Upper Witham
Supported mainly by CaBA funding, the work centred on developing a landscape recovery approach for the Upper Witham, a key limestone river habitat forming the headwaters of the River Witham.
WT Upper and Lower Welland
Multiple funding sources supported the completion of a major restoration on Langton Brook in the Upper Welland, including IFM Investors, Anglian Water, the Environment Agency, and Harborough District Council (via Section 106 contributions). In the Lower Welland, National Lottery Heritage Fund support was secured as part of a wider programme to enhance Spalding town centre, delivering small-scale river habitat improvements within the town.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2024 - none).