Viridor Credits Environmental Company Annual Review 2018/19 Needham Market Football Club LCF Fact Our Steering Groups covering the North, South East and the South West awarded more than 3,800,000 £ in funding to 135 Cover Photographs projects – an average (Clockwise from top left) of over 28,000. St Michael and All Angels Church, Blackheath £ Briantspuddle Village Hall Elizabeth Gaskell House, Manchester Springburn Assemblies Erewash Meadows, Ironville of God Church 2 Viridor Credits Annual Review 2018/19 Contents 4 Welcome to the Annual Review 2018/19 5 Message from our Chairman 6 General Manager’s Review 7 Message from our Donor 8 Landfill Communities Fund Introduction 9 Landfill Communities Fund Financial Information 10 – 13 Landfill Communities Fund 32 Pennon Environmental Fund Funded Projects 2018/19 Introduction and Projects Community Community 14 - 15 South West 33 Beaford Green Play Area Westbury Village Hall Newton Saint Cyres Tennis Club 16 – 17 North Biodiversity Moss Valley Woodlands, Sheffield 34 - 35 Teigngrace Meadow 18 – 19 South East Sturry Church, Kent 36 Scottish Landfill Communities Fund Introduction Heritage 37 Scottish Landfill Communities Fund 20 – 21 South West Funded Projects 2018/19 Edithmead Church, Highbridge 22 – 23 North St Peter w. St Andrew Church, Community Manchester 38 – 39 Cambuslang Remembrance Garden 24- 25 South East St George the Martyr, Shirley Heritage 40 – 41 Dunbar Parish Church Biodiversity 26 – 27 South West Biodiversity Holly Hedge Animal Sanctuary, 42 – 43 Balnaguard Glen, Perthshire Barrow Gurney Boughton under Blean 28 – 29 North 44 The Viridor Credits Board Blacktoft Sands, East Yorkshire 45 The Viridor Credits Team Bowls Club 30 – 31 South East 46 – 47 Thank You Chapel Bank Nature Reserve, Croydon Viridor Credits Annual Review 2018/19 3 Welcome to the Don’t forget to follow us on social media Annual Review 2018/19 @ViridorCredits ViridorCredits Viridor Credits Environmental Company has been operating since 2001, funding projects through the length and breadth of England and Scotland, helping communities closer to you than you may realise. From sports clubs to churches, village halls to museums, wildlife trusts and historic buildings, so many communities have benefitted from the funding we have been able to distribute. In total, approximately £139,000,000 has been awarded by Viridor Credits over the past 18 years. Viridor Credits Environmental Company is one of the largest Environmental Bodies in the UK, providing funding opportunities for heritage, biodiversity and community projects in England. We also provide the same in Scotland through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund. Viridor Credits administers funds donated voluntarily to the Landfill Communities Fund by Viridor, a company that is working to give the world’s resources new life. This brochure celebrates some of the achievements of our applicants over the last 12 months. 4 Viridor Credits Annual Review 2018/19 Dunsdon Nature Reserve Message from our Chairman work is underway. This ensures that the Peter Renshaw committed money is spent quickly and compliantly as this remains the focus of HMRC. We have achieved this due to It gives me great pleasure to report the efficient application processing and that 2018-19 has been yet another ongoing hard work of the small team at incredibly successful year for Viridor the office in Taunton. Credits, the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) and the Scottish Landfill The amount of funding for the Landfill Communities Fund (SLCF). Whilst the Communities Fund will, however, downward trend in funding received continue to decrease due to the continues, the contribution received reduction in the amount of waste being proved to be higher than anticipated of projects totalling over £1.3m which consigned to landfill sites across the at the beginning of the year which has is still a considerable amount and country. Viridor is working hard to recycle been great news for us and the local has made a real difference to and reuse as much waste as technology communities we have been able local communities. allows but it has become an accepted to support. opinion that the need for landfill, in As Chairman and on behalf of the some capacity, will continue for the As in previous years, the great majority Trustees, I remain immensely proud of foreseeable future. of these funds have been awarded the achievements of Viridor Credits and to community projects such as sports the difference the LCF and SLCF have As announced by HMRC at the Budget facilities, village halls and community made to the lives of many. On behalf of 2018, the potential value of the LCF for centres, all of which have struggled to the Board I would like to thank the team 2019 – 20 will be maintained at £32.9 find funding elsewhere. This has been for their commitment and hard work. million due an increase in tax rates. achieved with just over 70% of available The percentage credit that landfill funding allocated to these projects. We are all looking forward to a repeat of site operators may claim against their We have also been able to preserve such successes during this coming year. annual Landfill Tax liability for LCF many historic buildings and support contributions will also be maintained various biodiversity projects. at 5.3%. The team continues to focus its efforts In Scotland the amount of funding on ensuring that the funding, once made available in 2018-19 decreased Peter Renshaw received, is allocated to eligible considerably on previous years. Viridor Chairman projects as swiftly as possible and Credits has been able to fund a variety they support those projects whilst the Viridor Credits Annual Review 2018/19 5 General ManagerManager’s Review 211 projects have been allocated funds Our new application and project XXXXXXXXXXXXXAlison Salvador in England and Scotland during 2018/19 management system, which we amounting to almost £7 million. I visited launched in April 2017, has continued our regulator in Scotland, SEPA, in March to help us speed up and streamline I hope you will enjoy reading about all and I was pleased to hear the positive our processes. Despite the reduction the amazing community facilities and comments regarding the scheme and in budget, our priority will always be to organisations which we have been able the work supported. Despite the Scottish ensure Viridor Credits funds the best to fund this year as much as I have. It is Government’s continued policy of Zero quality, eligible and most worthwhile so impressive to consider the number Waste to Landfill and the impact of the projects. Our mission ‘to make a positive of volunteers who ban on Biodegradable Municipal Waste difference to local communities by give up their time going to landfill from January 2021 there providing funding opportunities for so generously remains a strong desire for the scheme projects from the Landfill Communities to manage and to continue in some form or other. Fund’ remains as important today as ever. maintain these sports clubs, halls, During the year I have also had to keep I would also like to formally welcome theatres, churches my focus on the hub of the operation Dan Cooke to our Board of Trustees. As and other facilities here in Taunton. Our regulators, Group Head of Sustainability at Pennon which are so often understandably, continue to strictly and previously Viridor’s Director of the lifeblood of the monitor administration costs and we Regulatory Affairs, he is an expert on the local community. need to ensure that our funds reach environment, waste management and Our regulator in England, ENTRUST, reports those projects swiftly and compliantly our link to our donor, Viridor. Finally I want on the value for money the scheme without exceeding our carefully prepared to take this opportunity to thank everyone represents and this demonstrates that budgets. This year, whilst keeping within else involved in Viridor Credits - not least our projects not only improve the lives of those budgets, my team has managed my small but dedicated team here in the people in these communities through to allocate practically the entire office in Taunton, Michael Cunningham, sport and community cohesion but contribution and our uncommitted fund our consultant in Scotland, the Board of many also achieved environmental has reached an almost record-breaking Trustees for their never-ending support benefits and brought people together low. Once allocated, we continue to work and also of course to the volunteers up from a variety of backgrounds and alongside our successful applicants and down the country who continue cultures. As other sources of local funding to help their projects finish on time to serve on our regional steering groups. decrease so the value of schemes such and achieve their aims. I, the Board, as these becomes even more apparent. Steering Group members and my team take great pride in being able to share I am delighted to report that, despite the these achievements at celebration and ongoing talk of a declining fund, a further Alison Salvador opening events throughout the year. General Manager 6 Viridor Credits Annual Review 2018/19 Livability, Holton Lee Message from our Donor Viridor Community cohesion provides the bedrock for civilised, life-affirming societies. And people and places provide the glue that sticks communities together so they work for the greater good. At Viridor we are acutely conscious of the important role we play in delivering essential services to the communities sustainable society. The number and we serve. range of good causes supported is hugely impressive, as this report testifies, We work hard to be a good, responsible focusing on enhancements to the neighbour and we contribute to the community, heritage and biodiversity. success of our communities in all sorts of ways, including through our operations, Public policy encourages the diversion employment, educational outreach, of waste from landfill and, as landfill charitable and sponsorship support, sites stop receiving waste and are community funds and community put into aftercare, less Fund money engagement programmes.