Company no. 6238115 Charity no. 1119286 BBC Wildlife Fund Report and Financial Statements 31 March 2012 BBC Wildlife Fund Reference and administrative details For the year ended 31 March 2012 Company number 6238115 Charity number 1119286 Registered office and BBC White City operational address Room 4171 201 Wood Lane London W12 7TS Trustees Trustees, who are also directors under company law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows: Chairman Alec McGivan (appointed April 2012) Bernard Mercer (resigned 13 April 2011) Helen Kellie (Chair from 13 April 2011, resigned 8 December 2011) Deputy Chairman Neil Nightingale Treasurer Andrew Sykes Toby Aykroyd Yogesh Chauhan (acting chair April 2011-March 2012, resigned 23 April 2012) Sarah Ridley Shyam Parekh Georgina Domberger (nee Ponder) Lynsey Tweddle Tom Archer (resigned 8 December 2011) Company Secretary Melissa Price Principal staff Amy Coyte Director (left 31 December 2011) Advisers Nick Forster (appointed 1 January 2012) Victoria Secretan (appointed 1 January 2012) Bankers HSBC Regional Services Centre Europe PO Box 125 2nd Floor, 62-76 Park Street London SE1 9DZ Solicitors Farrer & Co 66 Lincoln's Inn Fields London WC2A 3LH Auditors Sayer Vincent Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 8 Angel Gate City Road London EC1V 2SJ 1 BBC Wildlife Fund Report of the trustees For the year ended 31 March 2012 The trustees present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2012. Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP 2005). Chairman's Report – Alec McGivan I write this report as the current Chair of the BBC Wildlife Fund, having been appointed as a Trustee and Chair on 23 April 2012, following the resignation of Yogesh Chauhan. Yogesh, who stood down as a Trustee and Acting Chair on leaving the BBC, has been a driving force in the establishment and success of the Fund and we are most grateful for his contribution and resolute commitment to its aims. At the AGM in December 2011, Helen Kellie resigned as chair and Tom Archer as a trustee, both having given much to the direction of the fund’s activities. The remaining Trustees have reaffirmed their intention to continue to direct and support the Fund through the remaining life of the Fund. 2011-12 has been a year of both achievement and disappointment. In July 2011, we learnt that the BBC would no longer support the BBC Wildlife Fund. However, the BBC would continue its commitment to raising awareness of wildlife issues through the production of natural history output. In addition, the Chief Executive of Plantlife, Victoria Chester, was appointed as a member of the BBC’s Appeals Advisory Committee to advise on the wildlife and conservation sector. The BBC Wildlife Fund Trustees developed and considered carefully a range of potential formats through which the Fund might continue to raise awareness and funds to help save threatened wildlife and places. These included a digital model and the potential for a Wild Week fundraising event. Despite their very best efforts, none proved feasible and at a meeting in August 2011, the Trustees reluctantly concluded that the Fund would have to close. The following statement was issued to stakeholders: In light of the decision by the BBC to no longer support the BBCWF, with great reluctance the Board of Trustees has no choice but to implement a wind down plan for the charity. It is with sadness that the Trustees have had to make this decision for they agree the potential of the charity to make a great and lasting difference to threatened wildlife throughout the world is clear. Helen Kellie former chair of the BBC Wildlife Fund says, "We are proud to have generated funds enabling us to support vital conservation work for a variety of wildlife. This includes bringing species back from the brink of extinction." The BBCWF would like to thank all those in the wildlife sector who have dedicated much time and expertise to ensuring audience donations are placed to maximum effect to improve the desperate plight of wildlife. The unique nature of the fund has brought together the creative skills of the BBC with the expertise of the wildlife sector to deliver for wildlife and their habitats. The BBCWF recognises how important this has been at a time when the on-going pressures on the sector to address the growing declines in biodiversity are increasing. The Trustees will continue to show commitment to the existing projects supported by the charity, ensuring monitoring and evaluation of the work and all governance obligations are delivered before the closure of the charity in 2012. 2 BBC Wildlife Fund Report of the trustees For the year ended 31 March 2012 Having reached this conclusion, the Trustees and Director developed a wind-down plan and spend out policy which would ensure that the Fund’s commitments to donors and organisations awarded grants were well met. The transparent grant making system established in 2010-11 continued, with the “golden pound” pledge meaning that every pound raised would go directly to vital conservation projects. Profound thanks are due to all those who have played a part in the Fund since its inception in 2007, be they Trustees, staff, celebrities who have lent their support, the specialists who assessed grant applications, partner organisations, all those who submitted applications and those who have reported so thoroughly on how grants have been used to benefit wildlife and habitats. Of course nothing could have been achieved without the generosity of all those who gave financial donations large and small through the lifetime of the Fund. Its timespan may have been short but its impact will be wonderfully long lasting. Alec McGivan Chair since April 2012 3 BBC Wildlife Fund Report of the trustees For the year ended 31 March 2012 The Fund’s purpose The BBCWF has made a substantial contribution to wildlife conservation. While there are several well-known conservation charities, many, including small but vital organisations in the sector, struggle to secure the funding they need. The BBCWF helped bridge the gap, raising funds through public, broadcast-led appeals, to be passed on to organisations meeting strict criteria and after thorough assessment, calling on some of the best conservation expertise in the UK. Structure, governance and management The charity is a company limited by guarantee and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. Its overall purpose is to support UK registered charities that make measurable and significant contributions to the conservation of threatened wildlife and places. The BBC Wildlife Fund was set up by the BBC to distribute funds raised first through Saving Planet Earth and then through A Wild Night In and the fundraising efforts of, among others, individual viewers, schools and workplaces. At the same time, its purpose was to raise awareness of the need to protect not only the most endangered animals on the planet but also less well known species for which there is little or no public profile. Trustees The Constitution provides that half of the Trustees are nominated by the BBC and half are elected by the members of the BBC Wildlife Fund. On appointment, Trustees agreed to be bound by a Code of Conduct. They received an induction pack and were invited to meet with the Chair and Director. These measures aimed to ensure that all those appointed have an appropriate working knowledge of the organisation and of their responsibilities. The Trustees are responsible for the charity’s management of risk, endeavouring to identify major risks to which the charity is exposed and to mitigate those risks as far as possible. The Trustees maintain a risk register which is reviewed regularly. A Finance, Audit and Risk Committee was also in place through the year. Staffing In December 2011, Amy Coyte, who had directed the work of the Fund with skill and commitment since July 2009, left to take up a new, senior role in the field of wildlife conservation. She was assisted with the administration of the Fund through the year by David Sharman who, on leaving at the end of March 2012, has also continued to develop his career in the field. To assist in ensuring a responsible wind-down of the charity, the Trustees appointed independent advisers, Nick Forster and Victoria Secretan until its closure. The future Though the decision was taken in August 2011 to close the Fund, there remain commitments to be fulfilled. Final agreed grants are to be paid and any remaining funds dispersed. Through 2012, reports are due from those organisations that have received grants in the final rounds and these will be carefully reviewed and reported to Trustees. Formalities on the closure of the charity and company remain to be completed and a closing financial statement will be prepared. At the closure of the Fund, there will be communication with the range of stakeholders who have participated through its operation and a legacy website will be retained by the BBC for three years to inform anyone interested in learning of the achievements its grants have enabled. The BBC Outreach team will offer signposting for any enquiries and Trustees have volunteered their guidance to individuals and organisations working to meet the objectives of the Wildlife Fund. 4 BBC Wildlife Fund Report of the trustees For the year ended 31 March 2012 Grants Disbursed 2011/2012 We were supported by a volunteer bank of specialist assessors, which enabled us to ensure all grant applications were assessed rigorously.