The Trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 October 2025.
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, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" 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)".
Feathers Together has two main objectives:
1, For the benefit of the public to relieve the suffering of birds and other animals in need of care and attention and, in particular, to provide and maintain rescue homes or other facilities for the reception, care and treatment of such birds and other animals.
2. To promote humane behaviour towards birds and other animals by providing appropriate care, protection, treatment and security for birds and other animals which are in need of care and attention by reason of sickness, maltreatment, poor circumstances or ill usage. with the objective to also educate the public in matters pertaining to bird and animal welfare in general and the prevention of cruelty and suffering among birds and other animals.
The Trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the Charity should undertake.
Feathers Together has 3 mains aims, Rescue, Support and Educate.
Rescue
Parrots and other exotic pet birds come to Feathers Together for many reasons. A deceased owner, change of personal circumstances, health issues or financial difficulties. We make no judgement; we are here to support birds and their owners whatever their circumstances.
Support
Birds are provided with individual care according to their specific needs. This may include treatment from a specialist avian vet, supportive care such as nebulisation or medication, dietary changes and re-socialisation with other birds and people. Birds stay at Feathers Together for as little as a few days, or for as long as it takes for them to be ready for rehoming. Some birds require ongoing treatment or specialist care and have a home at Feathers Together forever. By getting to know the birds in our care we can find the best adoptive homes for them. With the larger parrots it is often a case of the parrot picking the owner rather than the owner picking the parrot! Support for both bird and owner continues long after the adoption process.
Educate
Feathers Together is about the relationship between people and their pet birds. By educating existing and prospective bird owners we endeavour to equip people with the knowledge and the expertise to keep their birds happy and healthy. We call this "responsible aviculture". Education is a two-way process and we too are constantly learning from our birds and other bird-keepers.
A significant increase in birds taken in from the previous year, this year saw the charity take in 309 rescue birds. The breakdown between types of birds was 57 finches & canaries, 241 parrots and parakeets and 11 quail. Rather than all single rescues, we undertook four larger group rescues this year, one of 40+ cockatiels and finches, two of 20+ budgies each and one of 30+ mixed aviary birds.
In the initial years of the charity most of the people seeking assistance with their birds were from the immediate local area, within perhaps 10-15 miles of the base in Tyne & Wear. This year has seen enquiries from all over the UK, and birds have been collected from up to 150 miles away. Going forward the charity will look to approve a small network of volunteers to help with the collection and assessment of birds from further away.
Adoptions continue to be strong as in previous years, with small passerines and small parakeets usually rehomed within a matter of weeks. Larger parrots take longer to rehome due to the time required to assess them individually and match them to the right people. The policy brought in last year, which requires adoptive families to meet larger parrots a minimum of three times over a three-week period before an adoption can be processed has continued to work very well. It is very successful in weeding out non-serious enquiries as well as improving the outcomes of adoptions.
Two fundraising events were held during the year, the first in November 2024, a similar event to the previous year, as part of a Christmas shopping weekend at Garden Feathers. Donated cakes and drinks were sold alongside bought-in and donated giftware. A tombola was held as part of the and was extremely successful in raising funds.
Following the success of the “Summer Party & Fundraiser” in August 2024, the idea of “The Tropical Bird Show” was born. The first show was held in Temple Park in August 2025. The goal of the event is to raise awareness of parrots in captivity – their variety, requirements and care. Through sales of giftware, a well-stocked tombola, photo booths and children’s activities, the event raised in excess of £1000 for Feathers Together. The event is planned again for August 2026.
Parrots magazine continues to publish an article from Feathers Together each month. This is a mix of updates on the birds and education about parrot ownership. The arrangement is set to continue indefinitely and is helping to raise the profile of Feathers Together as well as achieving the educational aims.
The relationship with local avian veterinary practice “Robson & Prescott” continues, and Feathers Together are grateful for their advice and support over and above the formal consultations booked. They took part in “The Tropical Bird Show”, bringing their knowledge and expertise to the panel discussions on avian health and enrichment.
Volunteers have continued to be a huge asset to the charity. Many are students at one of the three local agricultural colleges, but there are also members of the public that are interested in birds and want to help.
This year, Billy, one of the Trustees, was invited to speak at East Durham (Houghall) College about avian care, taking with him one of the long-term rescues, Jimmy the African grey.
Feathers Together have been able to raise enough funds to cover all of the veterinary costs of the birds through the adoption fees.
Trustees continue to donate their own time and resources. They have put a lot of their own time into the care of the birds which has enabled the charity to retain a large proportion of the donations received.
Garden Feathers Limited donate their resources (cages, staff time, feed).
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.
Furthermore, fund raising continues for the purchase of land and buildings to create a permanent parrot sanctuary and bird gardens, to be open to the public as an educational resource. A pledge of £100.000 was received specifically for this purpose. Additionally, funds in excess of those required for reserves will be nominally allocated to this purpose.
The Charity is a company limited by guarantee and registered with The Charity Commission.
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:
Trustees are sort for both their professional skills/background and also for their will to support the main objectives and aims of the Charity, to enable Feathers Together to move forward and continue with its objects.
Trustees are appointed at the AGM and will offer themselves up for reappointment every three years.
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 was approved by the Board of Trustees.
In order to assist you to fulfil your duties under the Companies Act 2006, we have prepared for your approval the financial statements of Feathers Together Limited for the year ended 31 October 2025, which comprise the statement of financial activities and the related notes from the charity’s accounting records and from information and explanations you have given us.
As a practising member firm of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, we are subject to its ethical and other professional requirements which are detailed at www.accaglobal.com/rulebook.html.
This report is made to the charity's Trustees, as a body, in accordance with the terms of our engagement letter dated 16 October 2020. Our work has been undertaken solely to prepare for your approval the financial statements of Feathers Together Limited and state those matters that we have agreed to state to the charity's Trustees, as a body, in this report in accordance with the requirements of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants as detailed at www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/ACCA_Global/Technical/fact/tf-audit-exempt-companies-jan-24.pdf. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than Feathers Together Limited and the charity's Trustees as a body for our work or for this report.
It is your duty to ensure that Feathers Together Limited has kept adequate accounting records and to prepare statutory financial statements that give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and surplus of Feathers Together Limited. You consider that Feathers Together Limited is exempt from the statutory audit requirement for the year, and is not required to obtain an independent examiner's report.
We have not been instructed to carry out an audit or a review of the financial statements of Feathers Together Limited. For this reason, we have not verified the accuracy or completeness of the accounting records or information and explanations you have given to us and we do not, therefore, express any opinion on the statutory financial statements.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Feathers Together Limited is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Hutton Street, Boldon Colliery, Tyne and Wear, NE35 9LW, England.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" 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)". 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, [modified to include the revaluation of freehold properties and to include investment properties and certain financial instruments at fair value]. 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.
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.
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.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
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).