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! T HE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

AB OUT U S

The P ROSPE CTS F oundatio n is an environmental charity, established i n 1998 by local people livi ng in Hy ndbur n. It aims to b e the key orga nisation in Hyndbur n for environmental action and uses i ts c ollecti ve kn owledge, skills an d ex perie nce to h elp to i mprov e the quality o f life f or all Hyndbur n communities. It ac hi ev es i ts a ims by worki ng in innov ativ e ways with local communi ties an d with a diverse r ange of orga nisations for envir onmental, soci al an d econ omic b enefits.

We f ocus our work on 6 Themes o f S ustain ability, which mean s that o ur action s do not d eplete t he en viro nme nt in such a way as to r educe the capacity of pe ople to l ive well in the fut ure. Our themes take ac cou nt of both the l ocal and globa l environment an d positivel y cont ribu te t o the r eduction of clima te chang e:

BIOD IVERSITY – protecting an d enhanc ing lo cal wildl ife a nd plan t life ENE RGY – promotin g energy c onserv atio n and the us e of ren ewables SU STAI NABLE TRANSPO RT – encouraging cy cling, w alking an d the grea ter us e of public transport WA STE & REC YCLING – reducing, r eu sing an d recycling waste LOCA L FOO D – encouraging the gro wing of lo ca l, orga nic a nd healthy f ood ENVIR ONMENTAL AWAR ENESS – raising aw areness o f environmental is su es

We have a set of va lues which gu ide the way w e work and direc t the work we do:

ü We v alu e our env ironm ent, b oth loc al an d globa l an d respec t its u niqueness a nd fragili ty ü We are committed to the principle o f e nvironm ental sustain ability ü We a ct as a catalyst for positive environmental chang e ü We b elie ve in working co llab orativ ely for our env ironment ü We b elie ve that local people a cting i n t heir o wn right or c ollecti vely can reduc e thei r carbo n fo otpr int by changing their behavi our an d practices ü We are a people b ased orga nisatio n which is rooted in local co mmuni ties ü We s eek to w ork for the be nefit of all com muni ties b oth p resen t and future ü We b elie ve everyone has a posit ive co ntribution to m ake and we are committed to equa lity o f opport unity f or al l ü We believe that a green environment and active participation directly contributes to positive mental health and wellbeing ü We w ork ethicall y THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

FO RE WORD FROM THE CH AIRMAN

In this report we highlight the b rillian t work that the Foun datio n, its staff and trustees a nd the multit ude of com muni ty orga nisations and volun teers have all carri ed o ut over the last year. All are to be co ngratu lated on yet another year of mean ingful – in some cases life-c hanging – action .

On e thin g we tend not to say enough a bout thou gh i s PROSPE CTS’ supp ort f or communi ty b usinesses an d soci al enterp rise. We sh ould say more be cause the value and importan ce of these b usinesses c annot be exagge rated. They a re a v ery resource-effecti ve way i n which PROSPE CTS furth ers its a ims and ac hi ev es p ractic al ac tion .

The F oundation supports thre e community b usinesses i n Hyndbur n by participation at b oard l evel, ma nagemen t assi stance, h elping to a ccess fund ing an d volunteer time.

Hy nd bu rn U sed Furniture Store ( HUFS) was n ot s et up by PROSPE CTS b ut is currently supported b y u s. HU FS is a regist ered c harity that p rovides t he bulky househo ld waste collecti on s fo r Hyndburn an d Rosse ndale Bo rough Coun cils, as w ell as the Care and Urgent Needs Support Service to Lanc ashir e Coun ty Coun cil. The l atter provides econ omical hous ehold applia nces a nd furni ture at n il c ost to f amilies ex perie ncing hardsh ip and who are ref erred b y the County C ouncil. Ma ny of the items are rec overed a nd re con dition ed f rom the collecti on s or are bought in seco nd hand. Coll ected goods which cannot b e reused are deconstru cted and the materi als sent for recycling. HUFS c urrently employs six people a nd pr ov ides oppor tu nities for voluntee rs and people w ho other wise e xperience difficulty i n the employme nt ma rk et. It is th e on ly si gnifican t com munity sect or recycling project in Hyndburn and is one of onl y eight such orga nisations across the c ounty. Throu gh sup port at b oard l evel, assi stanc e with m anagement a nd sour cing fund ing, P ROSPE CTS i s a ble to a chieve levels of recycling and dive rsion from la ndfi ll i n Hy ndbur n that othe rwise w ould simply not o ccur. HUFS services to i ts l ocal authori ty clien ts are prov ided at v ery c ompetitive price s and this is ach ieved throug h a combin atio n of charity status ( with n o shareholde r outgoin gs), payin g fair wages, r elian ce to some extent on volunteers and low premises c osts. In term s of the use o f the Foun datio n’s resources, i t is hard to see how PROSPE CTS c ould achieve an yth ing li ke this le vel o f activity without H UFS or somethin g very s imilar.

The One Pl anet shop o n A bbey S treet i n Accring ton was started u p by PROSPE CTS w orking with a group of com mitted individuals and has n ow been open for fi ve years. Bu t it is not in any sense o wned b y PR OSPE CTS. It is an in dependent communit y co -op (industrial and provi dent soci ety) wh ich is owned b y its membe rship of which there are no w over 140, each with o ne vote at the AGM regardless o f share va lue. The shop, which employs two people, is currently runnin g an outrea ch projec t with l ocal schools to p romote awareness of fair- trade, e nvironm ental and ethical pu rchasing. I am not a ware of any other re tail o utlet i n H yndbur n that i s expressly ethical in its i ntention s. The f act that the shop has thri ved w ith on ly sm al l am ou nts o f extra financial input (grants an d loans) i s a testamen t to the hard w ork and determin atio n of its staff, board and membe rs and the l oyal ty o f its c ustome rs. PR OSPE CTS, by being in stigator and an ongoing membe r, has b een instrum ental in spreadi ng the word abo ut ethical re tailing an d the shop brightens the face of Abbey S treet at a particu larly diffi cult time for Accrington town centre.

Woody i s another community e nterprise instigated by PROSPE CTS. It is a co mmuni ty i nterest c ompany, wh ich mean s that i ts asse ts remain vested i n the communi ty a nd cannot e ver be clai med by its d irectors. It is set up to wi n contracts for woodlan d managem ent work and to sell w oodlan d pr od ucts. It has v ery lo w costs due to the amount of time donated b y i ts volunteer labour force, havi ng no premises a nd minim al equi pmen t. I ts aim s are to prom ote and achiev e eco logically sound woo dla n d management THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

FO RE WORD FROM THE CH AIRMAN and to add value by con ve rtin g thinn ings to u seful p roducts for sale - benches, picnic tables, waymarker posts, bi rd n estboxes and c oppice produ cts suc h as hedge l aying stakes, gardening products and dead hedgin g, as w ell as firew ood. A lthough Woody d oes n ot yet employ any one, accredited training has be en p rovid ed for twelve local people in woodland management skills and machinery use. Through Throu gh the combin ation of inc ome from co ntracts and sales and i ts low c osts, th e business is able to off er w oodland owners an ext remely cost effective and hi gh quality woo dland management service as w ell as kee ping mon ey and ma terials circulating in the loc al economy . B y starting up this c ost efficient enterp rise PR OSPE CTS furthers bio dive rs ity, e nab les bu dge ts to go further, multiplies the value of volunteer effort an d, i n a s ma ll way, stimulates t he lo cal econ om y.

So these thre e ventures p roduce envir onmental, soci al and economic b enefit fo r Hyndbur n and beyond in the form o f waste recy cling and diversion from landfill, habitat e nhancement and woodlan d ma nagemen t, ethical trad ing an d educ ation in ethical re tailing issues, f air- wage employme nt (includ ing opport unities for disadv ant aged p eople), community e ngagement, v olunteering opport unities, traini ng, co st effecti ve pu blic serv ices and sup porting the lo ca l economy. Th roug h its support, P ROS P E C TS achieves practical ac tion that wou ld not othe rwise o ccur if we tried to d o everyth in g ou rselves.

In addition to a ll this of course, it has b een another very good year f or PROSPE CTS. Our ongoing pr esen ce at the PROSPE CTS Environment Centre (P EC) co ntinues to rais e the pr ofi le of the en vironm ent and during the year we gained acc ess to new acc omm od ation in Oak H ill P ark for aware ness ac tivities and a tool store. Furthermore, our Environmental Awareness project received new funding for the next phase of the project. Demand for Windfall grants is unabated which is very encouraging. We have recently received good funding news for nature conservation and habitat work in Accrington and Clayton -le-Moors and for community food gr ow ing sites across the borough.

P R OSPE CTS e ngages w ith gro wing numbeI rs of people and groups from all of Hyndbur n’s communities -wi th out discrimi nation or f avour. If y ou are awa re of a c omm uni ty s uppo rted good ide a for t he en viro nme nt whe re you live or, for that m atter, a ny where in the borough, I wo uld encourage you to g et in touc h with u s. Ou r passio n is to cre ate as m any opport unities as w e can for people to g et i nvolved i n the environment.

Ph il Barwo od MBE Chair man

THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

AC HI EVEMENTS AT A GL AN CE

ü Our Chairman, Ph il Barwood, re ceived an MB E for hi s services to the environmen t and

co mmuni ty

ü Se t up a new trainin g room in Oakhill P ark, A ccrington, w here we c an run trainin g cou rses and

en viro nme ntal activities

ü 24 new local projects r eceived W indfall fun d ing

ü A new Windfall l ogo w as d evelop ed

ü Se cured alm ost £9 0,000 from the He ritage Lottery F und to increase community participation

and awareness at Woodnook Vale and Peel Park and the Coppice and to help with their designation

as oci al Local Nature Reserves (LNRs)

ü The n ew ‘Green Team’ of volunteers c arri ed o ut tasks o n 21 diffe ren t si tes a cross the Boroug h

in clud ing tre e plan ting, co ppicing, f ootpath work an d deadhedging

ü Worke d with CTC, the n atio nal cy cling charity ( now re-branded as C ycling UK) a nd r an B ike Rid e

Leaders a nd C ycle Ma in tenance cl asses an d support ed the establishme nt of the Hyndbur n CTC

ü Se t up a new Hob by, Arts a nd Crafts g roup which utili zes r ecycled/r eclai med materi als

ü Be came an appro ved A QA training Cent re and ran a number of differen t AQA courses i nclud ing

Makin g Or ganic B ath & Beauty Products, Growi ng He rbs a nd Wild life G ardeni ng

ü Se t up a ‘lib rary ’ of Hyn dbur n walks a nd c ycle rides, a vailable to download from our website

ü Continu ed to off er a range of volunteer opport unities a nd ran a series o f traini ng cour ses in First

Ai d, H ealth & Safety , R isk A ssessment a nd Fo od Safety t o upskill and improve confidence of

vo lunteers

ü Ra n a pilot Food Poverty p roject

ü Worke d with 20 s chools thro ug hout the Boro ugh

ü Ra n an ongoing progra mme o f activities includ ing food gro wing, c onservation work, crafts,

ev ents, talks, d emon stratio ns and courses, open to a ll

ü Worke d with ov er 450 differ ent vo lunt eers to w hom we are indebted. This equa tes to 6 ,009

vo lunt eer hours w hich are valued at £ 83,525! THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

HO W W E W ORK

We d eliv er our outcomes t hrough a num ber of fund ed p rojects a nd ini tiatives f ocus ing on our 6 Themes of Su stai nability:

BIOD IVERSITY Th e Na ture Co nse rva tion in H yndburn p rojec t, f unded b y the Windfall F und, has w orked across t he whole Borou gh c arry ing out practica l conservatio n tasks w ith v olu nteers from the Monday Conse rvatio n Group and the Green Team. The p roject Steering Group, lo oking to t he future a nd worki ng with Hy ndbur n Borou gh Coun cil, decid ed to p ursue the proposed Local Nature R eserv e desig natio n of Wood noo k Val e and Peel P ark & the C oppice. This id ea has b een progressed a nd has l ed to a successfu l He rit age Lottery Fund bid wi th a new project to s tart next y ear. Woody ( Hyndburn) CIC h as again had an act ive year. Woody is Hy ndbur n’s woodlan d man age ment soci al enterp rise a nd w as s et up as a Comm unity I nterest Comp any in March 2 012. It is run entirely by vo lunt eers and as w ell as habitat improve ment work it also p roduces l ocally mad e wood products.

ENE RGY The Windfall Fund is a grant for co mmu nity p rojects in Hy ndburn f rom the pr oce eds of the Oswaldtwistle Mo or wind farm. Worki ng in partn ership with E nergieKontorwe ma nage th e Fund whic h cuts across all sustainability themes and s ince 20 12, when the tu rbin es b ecame operational, we hav e awarded 66 gr ants to 45 differ ent gr oups totali ng £3 14,582.

WA STE AND RECYCL ING Hy nd bu rn U sed Furniture Store (HUFS) i s a furniture re-us e charity b ased in the Springhill ward o f Accrington. Set up in 2004 it collects bulky hous ehold w aste wh ich it recovers, recond ition s, re-u ses o r re cyc les an d is th e La ncas hire Coun ty C ouncil’s Care and Urgent Need s Support Scheme for Hyndbur n an d Rosse ndale Borou gh C ouncils. I t also r uns a cardboard shredding project producing fibre beddi ng for horses a nd packagin g.

LOCA L FOO D Cultivate, funded b y Lanc ashir e Coun ty C ouncil, is a co mmuni ty f ood growing projec t wi th the follow ing ai ms: to deliv er training to individuals to d evelop new skills in fo od gr ow ing and nutritio nal cooking; to pr ov ide vo lunteering opportun it ies; to i ncrease physic al activity a nd increase c onsumption of healthy fruit and veg ; and to s upport i mproved m ental health i ssues b y increasin g socia l interactio n and reducing the impact o f soci al isolatio n. We a lso ran a pilot Food P overty p roject.

ENVIR ONMENTAL AWAR ENESS The En vironme ntal Awareness p roje ct a ims to p romote the work of PROSPE CTS a nd raise awaren ess an d understan ding of en vironm ental is su es a mongst the communi ties i n Hyndbur n via newspaper co verage, radio in terv iews, Facebook and thro ugh t he P ROSPECTS E nvironm ent Cent re itself. We a lso off er a rang e of opportun ities for volu nteers and encou rage them to d evelop thei r own skills thro ug h pr actica l experience and tailored training. A ctivities h ave contribu ted to m ost o f our themes f or example, wa lking and cycling events contribute towa rds Sustain able Trans port; the reg ular M ake I t And Mend It an d Hobby Arts an d Craf ts gr ou ps fi t under the Waster & Recycling them e as they use reclai med and do nated materials; n ature themed walks a nd talks o n bees promote improv ing Biodiversity; and the He rbs for He alth course co ntributed to L ocal F ood. One P lanet ( Accrington) L td i s a co-oper ative retail shop selling local, ethical , Fairtra de and orga nic pr od ucts a nd also r uns a n outrea ch programme w ith schools highlighti ng the importanc e of buying ethical ly an d with the e nvironment i n mind. THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

TH E WI ND FALL F UND

Well , it has b een another busy year for the Windfall F und . F our more applic atio n rounds , school vis its t o the wind farm, project vis its by Energie Kontor, desig nin g a new logo a nd o f c ourse, w ritin g the Win dfall An nu al Rep ort.

Al together 24 projects received f unding – 8 Mini Projects (up to £250 ), 7 Small Projects ( £250 to £2,000) an d 9 Larg e Pr ojects ( above £2 ,000) coveri ng all o f PR OSPE CTS 6 Themes o f Sustain ability.

The p rojects r anged f rom a f ree standing solar c anopy attached to B elthorn Academy P rimary School, ne w toil ets usi ng recycled r ainwater at Burn ley R oad Bowling Club, habitat i mprovemen ts at F oxhill Bank, the Boroug h’s o nly recognised Local N ature Reserve, the development of a memorial garden in the sc hool playground at M ount Carmel R C High S chool for a pupil who sadl y passed away, the development of a loc al fo od gr ow ing area at P iggy Park in Rishton and improve ments to the footpath n etwork to link up Oswaldtwistle with J ackhous e Nature Reserve. I n the period covered b y this Annual Report £ 92,898 has b een given as g rants.

He re is a c ollecti on of photos showi ng so me of the inspirin g pro jects w e have fu nded.

Windfall Fund a par tnership between EnergieKontor & The PROSPECTS Foundation THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE

A lot of the work we carry out is with young people, often through schools but also with Scout groups, nurseries and other community organisations such as Growing Wild and Hyndburn Homes. Through work via St Christopher’s Eco-Cluster Group, the Cultivate project, the Nature Conservation in Hyndburn project and the Windfall Fund we have worked with 20 schools, over 80 community groups and involved over 2,000 children.

This is what we have achieved:

THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

INSPIRING YOUNG PEOPLE

Encouraging and inspiring young people about the environment can lead to a life-long love of the outdoors and everything green. Our projects involve all aspects of environmental sustainability from looking at recycling, composting and reusing waste products to food growing, practical nature conservation and looking at where the clothes we buy come from.

THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

IMPROVING WELL-BEING

People with all abilities and from all walks of life take part in our activities. Through our Environmental Awareness project, the Nature Conservation in Hyndburn Project and Cultivate we have helped people improve their mental health and wellbeing. Just by being outside or part of a group people have been stimulated and interested, s pirits have been lifted and the environment has benefited too.

THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

IMPR OVING WELL-BEING

The E nvironm ental Awareness project has had an exciting year a nd run a very diverse rang e of act ivities in clud ing: a series o f N ature an d Photog raphy w alks a roun d Hyn dburn, taking in plac es such as P riestle y Cl ough ( ancien t woodlan d), Bullou gh P ark, Clayton Forest P ark, Gree n Haworth and Jackhouse Nature Reserv es whilst introducing people to birdsong, w ildflowe rs and loc al hi story; an accredited training course on ‘Inv estigatin g H erbal R emedies fo r Illn esses’; a talk on Bee s and Beekeeping; cycle maintenance and bik e ride leader co urses; and various hobby and craft sessions using recycled materials. All these ac tivities c on tribu te to h ealth and we llb eing and aim to ma ke people feel good about themselves. We now off er AQ A Unit Qualifications in a ll manner of subjects an d for some this is starting point on the road to bi gger and bette r things.

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The W indfall F und a nd t he Cultivate project have also w orked w ith a number of groups w orki ng with pe ople w ith m ental health and/or a ddiction is sues i nclud ing Sand y Lane Garden ing Group, I nward H ouse (n ow Acorn Recov ery), Red Rose Recovery and the One Planet P lanters. Accring ton Wome n’s Centre and St Ja mes H ou se Ac orn Recover y b oth won aw ards in the B ritain in Bl oom ‘It’s Yo ur Neighbou rhood Aw ards’ fo r work in thei r gardens . This al so gave people the opportuni ty to sociali se, l earn ne w skills and focus on a ther apeutic activity. Inspir ing work has b een un dertake n and here ar e so me of the results:

THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES

All or our work, in some way or another, supports communities, either in geographical terms or where people come together with a common interest. Two great examples of this involve our work through the Cultivate project with Growing Wild in Baxenden and Harrington Street Community Garden in Clayton- Le-Moors. Growing Wild is a small community group that has gone from strength to strength and with our support has flourished into an active and innovative project. The group has worked tirelessly to improve an old allotment site in Baxenden and now works alongside other organisations including Alternative Futures and Bootstrap to help achieve its aims. As well as community food growing it delivers family Forest School sessions and also carries out practical conservation tasks on the site such as planting a fruity hedgerow, balsam bashing, footpath creation and tree planting.

The Cultivate project has been working with Harrington Street Community Garden for a number of years. Initially residents and volunteers from Red Rose Recovery developed an old play area into a community food growing area. This has made a huge difference to an established community in an area where many of the houses don’t have gardens. A similar project is also just getting under way at Piggy Park in Rishton.

Another way in which we work with different communities is by sharing skills and expertise. In these examples the One Planet Planters, a group of people with different needs who meet fortnightly to carry out gardening activities have used their time to help other groups make progress with their own projects. The One Planet Planters helped the 1st St Oswaldtwistle Scout Group to clear an allotment plot for which they had received Windfall funding to get it in a suitable condition for food growing. They also helped people with physical disabilities prepare their sites for the winter. The Cultivate project as a whole constantly works with different communities, sometimes planting planters with herbs in a particular neighbourhood as they did in the Woodnook area of Accrington or working, for example, with the Asian Men’s community helping with Grow Cook and Eat sessions.

THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

SUPPOR TING COMMUN ITIES

Food Poverty is currently high on the agenda and we were given the opportunity to run a short five month pilo t project to work with p eopl e experien cing food pove rty. The aim was to identify the potential for people to ‘grow their own’ and then for us to help with site development and deliver training and support to ultimately help communities in need. Projects included:

§ supp ort for a gro wer who s upplies f resh f ood to the kitchen at M aundy Relief § yo ung Carers l earn ing how to g row fresh fruit, herbs and veg at a community garden and Me adoway a llotment § a youth group link ed to Rhydd ings M etho dist C hurch g rew food in the church grounds to supply sala ds and veg to thei r fo od b ank § de velopmen t of a commun ity a llotment with R ed R ose r ecovery volunteers a t Meadow ay w ith rais ed b eds for vegetables and fruit such as b lueberri es a nd strawb erries w hich will b e used to co ok soups and make sm oothies to d istribute to those experien cing food pove rty § train ing i n orga nic f ood gr owing f or th e volunteers at Community Solutions North Wes t who manag e the al lotme nts a nd polyt unnel to p rovide food for their f ood bank § plan ting blueberries and othe r fruit at G rowing Wild so they can donate nutritio us food to Ma undy food kitchen

The P ROSPE CTS F oundation c ontinu es to supp ort PR OSPE CTS P anels based in town s thro ughou t Hy ndbur n. Each Panel i s a communi ty g roup made up of local residents, or those w ith a n interest i n a particul ar a rea a nd memb ership is open to a nyone. The panels work to d evelop locally owned p rojects wh ich contribute to e nvir onmental sustainability. These are examples o f what they have been up to re cently: The R ishton Panel t ook part i n the natio nal ‘Cle an for the Queen’ campaig n. They c ollect ed 9 sacks o f ru bbish f rom a s tretch of the Leed s Liverpool Canal and alo ng with thirty p upils from Norden High School co llected ov er 20 sacks o f litter from the streets a round the school. A nother local initiative saw t he co mmuni ty c oming togethe r to clea n the canal and with help from the Canal and Riv er Trust’s cleani ng ba rge an unsightly accumulatio n o f de bris was cleare d from the water.

The Ri shton com muni ty also stepped in to try and save the to wn’s fl oral planters from the pr oposed Council cu ts and have pledg ed to m aintain them for a trial pe riod. The fo od growing area at Rishton train station is still going strong and is pro vin g to be an inter esting l earnin g exper ienc e for those c ultivatin g the raised beds! The em erge nce of Piggy P ark Co mmuni ty Ga rden As soc iation , with the aim o f transforming an old disused playground into a community food growing resource, has been enabled by the PROSPECTS Fo undation taking on the l ease from Hy ndbur n Bo rough Coun cil. The Association has already been succ essf ul in secu ring grant funding from a variety o f sources a nd it really is a case of watch this space!

THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

SUPPOR TING COMMUN ITIES

Me anwhile, H uncoat Forum has c ontinued to func tion robustly with r egular c ommuni ty v olunteering events. The co mmuni ty has r ecently been improvi ng the l ocal bi odive rsity w hilst w orki ng on Hun coat in Bl oom includ ing the Peace Garden and impro ving the surrounds of Hun coat Ra ilway S tatio n. The v olunteers have also i mprov ed the surf ace and draina ge on Cleg gs L ane, a l ocal public fo otpath and carri ed o ut work on the Huncoat Trail. In ad dition the Forum has a lso l ent support to c aret aking Sp out Hou se W oodlands, E nfield Road loca l natur e res erv e an d neighbou rhood litter picking.

Baxen den Comm unity F orum, despite being dogged b y bad weather, have also had a busy year. T heir activities h ave i nclud ed Ba lsam bashin g in Hollins Wood and Woodno ok Vale, secu ring fund ing to r eplac e a length of hedgero w and carry out woodlan d ma nagemen t in Hollins Wood wi th the help o f Lanc ashir e Wi ldlife Trust, The P ROSPECTS F oundatio n and Woody. The Forum also l ed thre e commu nity w alks - in August lo oking in particul ar at the local area , in Septem ber the annual bat w alk a nd in October a fungi f oray i n Woodnook Vale. A gain , due to the cuts in Council b udgets the Forum took o ver the planting and maint ena nc e of the plan ters on th e re creation grou nd near Ho llins School using plan ts d onated b y a local nursery . Volun teers a lso c arri ed o ut work on the rose garden at Haworth Park.

Walking and cycling has b een the order of the day i n Great H arwood. The G reat Harwood PROSPE CTS Pa nel i ntroduced Natu re an d Photography w alks from April to O ctober. This encou raged l ocal pe ople to ge t more in touc h with n ature a nd a n ARROD Walkers F acebook page has n ow been set u p and some wa lkers have gone on to enjoy the monthly East Lanc ashire Coac h Rambles on a Sunday. Cycle maint ena nce and local cycle rides w ere also i ntroduced b y the Panel a nd they were such a success that they have been further developed b y The P ROSPE CTS Fo undatio n itself and have been deliv ered f or the be nefit of the whole of Hyndbur n. The P anel has a lso b een involved i n the campaig n to o pen the Martho lme Viadu ct on the old Great H arwood loop railw ay track. B oth w eb-based and hard c opy pe tit ion s were started and the Martholme Via duct facebook p age was l aunched. As a r esult a new gr oup ‘Mar tholme Greenway ’ has b een formed by support ers w ith i nterests i n cycling, w alking, the environme nt and railw ay and mining hi story whic h w ill take the cam paign forw ard. Thousands of bul bs were plan ted in the au tu mn at t he en tranc es to Gr eat H arwood town and the P anel is maintaining t wo of the plante rs. Sadly, the Pan el is no lo nge r me eting as new c om mi ttee memb ers are nee ded to run the group, howe ver, n ew ideas f or environm ental projects i n the town are al ways being s o ught.

THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT

Improving the environment around us is crucial for the future of wildlife but also provides a natural backdrop which improves the quality of our lives. Whether we are actively involved or not in the conservation and enhancement of the environment it is enjoyed by many as a peaceful landscape, somewhere to have an adventure or somewhere to take a breath or walk the dog. The Nature Conservation in Hyndburn project has lead the way in carrying out environmental improvements across the Borough. The Monday Conservation group and the Green Team worked on 21 different sites and carried out 67 practical work days. The project worked on sites for Hyndburn Borough Council, Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Lancashire County Council, St Mary’s Primary School Clayton and The Beeches SureStart Centre amongst others. The Project Officer also carried out activities for Eco Clubs at St John’s Primary School Baxenden, All Saints Primary School Clayton, St Mary’s Primary School Oswaldtwistle and St James’ Primary School Altham. In total 203 volunteers were involved in practical conservation work to improve the environment.

This is what they did:

THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

IMPR OVING THE ENVIRO NMENT

An other aspect of o ur h abitat i mprovement work is throu gh our close lin ks with the woodlan d ma nagemen t socia l enterprise that PR OSPE CTS helped to set up in March 20 12. Woody (Hyndburn) CIC, is a Communi ty I ntere st Company ru n by vo lunt eers and they carry out work on woodlan d si tes a cross Hy ndbur n nearl y every Fr iday thro ug hout the ye ar. As a c ompany , Woody tend ers f or woodlan d ma nagemen t co ntracts. Tw o such con tracts this year w ere for ma nageme nt works at the Hyndbur n Borou gh C ouncil o wned s ites at Clayton Fores t Park (also k nown as W ilson’s) and off Royds Street in Woodnook Vale in Accrington.

Bo th of these contracts were for th e thinn ing of woo dlands plant ed du ring the 198 0s and ‘90s unde r the co uncil’s Ur ban Fores try P rogr amme. The w ork at C layton invol ved r egenerating a 2 hectare Hazel coppice as w ell as in stalling 10 benc hes, 4 picn ic tabl es and 75 bird b oxes. At R oyds Stre et the wo rk pr imarily i nvol ved thinn ing 3.5 hectares of broadleaf trees.

As a soci al enterp rise, Woody has soci al object ives. These i nclud e: promot ing a sustain able woodlan d econ om y; adding val ue to w oodlan ds th rough the promotio n and protec tion of biodive rsity; managin g, protecting and enhancing the amenity value of woodlands in Hyndburn for healthy lifestyles; and wo rking with v olunteers, the c ommunity a nd partn er agencies to p rotec t enhance and create su stainably ma naged w oodlan ds. Below are a few photos s howing so me of the work:

THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

LI VING SUSTA INA BLY

Li ving sustain ably is somethi ng we do for future generatio ns by trying no t to d eplete the eart h’s re sour ces. Growi ng a nd sourcin g produ cts l ocally, reducing, r eusing and re cyc ling waste and su pporting natur al ecosystems are our way o f promotin g a posit iv e approach to e thical livi ng. W ith this in mind as well as the thinn ing of existin g woodlan ds Wood y was a lso set u p to help c reate a local woodlan d econ om y by ma king products f rom the thinn ing arisings. Through the purchase of two portabl e sawmills this now means the volunteers c an m ake b espoke products such as b enches, picn ic b enches, w aymarke rs, bi rd b oxes , Larch clad ding, w ood stores and also sawn timb er for use in struc tures. As well as sawn ma terial Woody also p roduces n atural products such as hedging stakes, b ean poles a nd yurt p oles. Am azingly, all of this work is carri ed o ut by volunteer s. To help r epay the volun teers efforts W oody pays towa rds chain saw trainin g an d so f ar 12 volunteers n ow have chain saw certific ates.

The O ne P lanet s hop i n Accrington is another soci al enterprise link ed to P ROSPE CTS. I t i s a communi ty ow ned co-ope rativ e wi th 144 membe rs that sells ethica l, Fairtra de, sustain able, orga nic a nd l ocal pr od uce. One Planet w as set u p wi th PR OSPE CTS supp ort in May 20 10 and the shop i s n ow a well- estab lished r etail shop o n A bbey S treet i n Accrington . Living sustain ably is somethi ng we try to p romote as m uch as possib le an d encouraging peopl e to shop with ethica l va lues i n m ind is one way o f doing this. PR OSPE CTS i tself promoted F airtra de Fortn ight thro ugh a window display a nd supports the One Planet Ed ucatio n Liaison Suppor t Officer to d eliv er sustainability w orkshops in local sc hools.

Re cycling and reusing good s that p eople n o l onger want is crucial to sustain able livi ng and Hyndbur n Used Fur niture Store (H UFS) is a gr eat ex am ple o f how this can be ach ieved w ith e nvironm ental, soci al an d econ om ic b enefits. It provides the bulky hous ehold waste c ollecti on s fo r tw o Borou gh Coun cils an d the Care and Urgent Need s Support Service fo r Lanc ashir e Coun ty Coun cil. Many of the items ar e re cov er ed a nd recond ition ed a nd those that ca nnot b e reused are de constru cted and the materi als sent fo r re cycling. H UFS is also able to p rovide opport un ities f or volunteers a nd p eople w ho o therwise ex perie nce diffic ulty gain ing empl oyme nt. A lthough not set u p by PROSPE CTS i t is currently support ed by the Foun datio n at b oard level. Recently HUFS has a lso set u p a recycled c ardboard shredding oper ation to b e able to sell fibr e beddi ng fo r horses o r ma teri al wh ich can be used for packagin g to h elp ma ke th e en terp rise self- sustainin g. THE P RO SPECT S FOUND ATION

TRAIN ING & QUALIFIC ATIO NS

Du ri ng the year we became an appro ved A QA training centre and thro ugh t he E nvir onmental Awareness pr ojec t we ha ve al re ad y aw arde d 59 Un it Achi ev emen t Award c ertific ates to attend ees and written other co urses, such as a Level 1 Unit on cycle maintena nce. The c ourses have been varied and popul ar a nd have in clud ed s ubjects such as W ildlife G ardening, G rowi ng Herbs, Usin g a Fret Saw, Harvesting Willow , Makin g a Willow Product an d Using Herbs fo r Heal th & Nutritio n. The A wards are usually at E ntry Leve l or L evel 1 but very o ften this c an be a massive step for someone buildi ng up their skills an d con fid en ce an d is the first step to future employm ent.

He re ar e some of our co urses:

THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

OUR SUPPORTERS

These are the groups, communities and partners we have worked with during 2015/2016 and who have helped us achieve our aims:

Accrington Academy Growing Wild Accrington Blind Society Hippings Methodist School Accrington and Rossendale College Hollins Technology College Accrington Women’s Centre Hope Church Adelaide House/The Bridge Huncoat Community Forum All Saints Primary School Huncoat Ladies Group Alternative Futures Group Huncoat Moot Altham Primary School Hyndburn Borough Council Asian Men’s Group Hyndburn Homes Baxenden Community Forum Hyndburn & Ribble Valley CVS Belthorn Academy Hyndburn Resource Centre Belthorn Village Committee Hyndburn Tree Wardens Bootstrap Enterprises Hyndburn Used Furniture Store Broadfield Specialist School Incredible Edibles Accrington Burnley Road Bowling Club Inspire Carers Link Inward House (now Acorn Recovery) Churchfield House Ltd Kemple View Clayton with Altham PROSPECTS Panel Lancashire County Council Clean & Green Recovery Lancashire Wildlife Trust Community Restart Lancashire Women’s Centres Community Solutions North West Meadoway Allotment Copperhouse Children’s Centre Mercer House Creative Suppport Moor End Primary School Cycling UK Mount Carmel High School Disability First Network Rail East Lancashire Bee Keeping Association Newground C.I .C . Ernest Street Baptist Chapel NCS Young People’s Group Friends of Jackhouse Nature Reserve One Planet (Accrington) Ltd Friends of St Christopher’s One Planet Planters Friends of White Ash School 1st Oswaldtwistle Scout Group Go Velo Pathways Northwest Great Harwood PROSPECTS Panel Piggy Park Community Garden Association THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

OUR SUPPORTERS

Place First Housing St Mary’s Primary School Oswaldtwistle Red Rose Recovery St Paul’s Barnfield Scout Group Rishton Methodist School St Paul’s Primary School Rishton PROSPECTS Panel Stroke Association Sandy Lane Gardening Group Sure Start Hyndburn St Anne’s & St Joseph’s Primary School The Art Garden St Bartholomew’s Church Great Harwood The Base St Christopher’ School Woodcraft Creations St James’ Primary School Woodnook Residents Community Association St John’s Primary School Woody (Hyndburn) C.I .C . St Mary’s Primary School Clayton-le-Moors Young Carers St Mary’s PTA

Our thanks also go to our funders without whom the work would not take place:

THE P ROSPECT S FOUND ATION

WH O WE ARE

Trustee s:

Ph il Vinc ent-Barwood (Chair person) Pa ul G ott ( Vice -Chair ) (Huncoat Comm unity F orum ) Nicholas C ort (Trea sur er) Wi lliam Matthew s (Ba xenden Comm unity F orum ) St ephe n Hemin gway ( Individual Membe r) Pa ul Worswick (Cl ayton -le-Moors w ith Al tham P ROSPE CTS Pan el ) Coli n Cooper (Rishton PROSPE CTS Pan el) Cat herin e Ho lmes (Chur ch PROSPE CTS P anel) Margaret Worden (Individual Membe r) Neil Mooney ( Individual Membe r) Coun cillor W endy Dw yer (Hyn dbur n Bo rough Coun cil) Coun ty Coun cillor Miles P arki nson (Lancashire County Council)

Office rs:

Mi ke Stapleford/I an Pl ested (Charity M anager Job Share) Roger Pl um (Natu re Conser vation Offic er) Ju lie Liv esey/Ian Hod gson (Communi ty F ood Growing Offic ers) Barbara S harpl es ( Activity Organiser) Alison Silv er (Windfall Fun d Co-o rdinator)

The PR OSPE CTS F oundatio n is a registered c harity a nd a company limi ted b y g uaran tee

Re gistered Charity N umber: 1076541

Re gistered Comp any Number: 03686719

Ba nkers: Triodos B ank, D eanery Road, B ristol, B S1 5 AS

Soli citors : Forbes Solicitors, Ruther ford Hous e, 4 Wellington Street, B lackburn , BB1 8DD

Au ditors: KM A ccou ntants, 4-6 Grimshaw Street, B urnley, Lanc ashir e, BB 11 2AZ

In vestment Advisors: Wrigleys Soli citors, 19 Cookridg e Street, Leed s, LS 29 3 AG

Re gistered O ffic e: 5 4 Broad way, Accrington , Lanc ashi re, BB5 1EW

Telephon e: 0 1254 2303 48

Em ail: in fo@prospectsfo undatio n.o rg.u k

Web site: www.p rospectsfo undatio n.org. uk THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

OUR FINANCES

The following pages are extracted from our Annual accounts for 2014-2015

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 OCTOBER 2015

Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Total Funds Funds Funds 2015 2014

£ £ £ £ Incoming resources Incoming resources from generated funds Voluntary income 2,080 237,981 240,061 300,333 Investment income 1,051 468 1,519 1,628 Other incoming resources 2,780 12,439 15,219 20,272 Total incoming resources 5,911 250,888 256,799 322,233

Resources expended Charitable activities 2,321 239,250 241,571 340,726 Governance costs 255 1,575 1,830 1,776 Total resources expended 2,576 240,825 243,401 342,502

Net income/(expenditure) before transfers 3,335 10,063 13,398 (20,269)

Transfers Gross transfers between funds - - - -

Net movements in funds 3,335 10,063 13,398 (20,269)

Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward 81,035 76,193 157,228 177,497 Total funds carried forward 84,370 86,256 170,626 157,228

THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

OUR FINANCES

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2015

2015 2014

£ £ £ £

Fixed assets Tangible assets 15,000 15,000 Investments 25 25 15,025 15,025

Current assets Cash at bank and in hand 161,215 145,439

Creditors: A mounts falling due within one year (5,614) (3,236)

Net current assets 155,601 142,203

Net assets 170,626 157,228

The funds of the charity: Restricted funds 86,256 76,193

Unrestricted funds Unrestricted income funds 84,370 81,035

Total charity funds 170,626 157,228

For the financial year ended 3 1 October 2015, the charity w as entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the charity to obtain an audit o f its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476. The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements o f the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation o f accounts. These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime and with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective April 2008). Approved by the Board on 23 March 2016.

THE PROSPECTS FOUNDATION

ANNUAL REPORT 2015/2016

HELP US SECURE A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT IN HYNDBURN

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