Overall Score: 11 based on 19 data points
Finance: 5
Governance: -4
Support: 10
Strong growth: +2, Fundraising costs low: +3,
Narrow trustee age band: -2, Dynamic board: +3, No Gift Aid: -5,
Supporters: +10

GREEN SYNERGY 

Mission:

Green Synergy’s mission to use community gardening, city farming and eco-therapies to help people come together to socialise, learn and thrive
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers
  • The Board appears to be dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • This charity raises funds from the public but is not recognised by HMRC for Gift Aid according to its latest published return
  • The Board has little diversity in terms of age

How you can help

Established: 10 years

www.greensynergy.org.uk

info@greensynergy.org.uk

01522533077

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/22£743£216£527£2£632£744.1925
31/03/21£211£148£63n/an/an/an/an/a10
31/03/20£158£148£10n/an/an/an/an/a5
31/03/19£123£133£-10n/an/an/an/an/a11
31/03/18£115£105£10n/an/an/an/an/a7
31/03/17£103£125£-21n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/16£108£94£14n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/15£92£66£26n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/14£58£44£14n/an/an/an/an/a0

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0.3%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 1.2%
Liabilities/Assets: 15%
Liabilities/Income: 15%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 12%
Reserves/Spending: 4.1301704347826 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 34 months
Quick Ratio: 1.7
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Economic/Community Development/Employment
  • Education/Training
  • Environment/Conservation/Heritage
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Green Synergy is a Lincoln based charity, which uses the positive medium of gardening to help people come together to socialise, learn and thrive. Our work is focused in Lincoln's most disadvantaged communities and with isolated and vulnerable groups.
Who works here?
  • 9 employees
  • 25 volunteers
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind
How it operates
  • Provides buildings/facilities/open space
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Lincolnshire,

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years:
The National Lottery Community Fund£342,843
BBC Children in Need£100,150
Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales£72,160

Specific Donations

Amount When
Months
To be used for
Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales
£2,250 14/12/2022
One off gift to support with the cost of living crisis
Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales
£50,000 02/12/2021
24
Unrestricted grant over two years towards the core costs of Green Synergy
BBC Children in Need
£100,150 10/08/2021
This project will deliver nature based afterschool and holiday activities to children and young people experiencing local deprivation. The activities will result in improved mental wellbeing, better ....more
The National Lottery Community Fund
£322,847 29/04/2021
The group will use the funding to support organisational development and the delivery of mental health and environmental projects at their community garden on Lincoln’s Tower Estate. The funding ....more
The National Lottery Community Fund
£10,000 22/01/2021
11
The funding will be used by the project to contribute toward its core costs including: management administration and overheard to ensure it can run to full capacity. The funding will allow the ....more
Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales
£5,000 23/07/2020
Grant to Green Synergy meeting the additional costs of adapting services, premises or implementing other safety measures in response to the Covid pandemic.
Lincolnshire Community Foundation
£3,000 09/05/2020
Ongoing support/family packs/befriending
Lincolnshire Community Foundation
£3,000 09/05/2020
Ongoing support/family packs/befriending
Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales
£14,910 20/11/2019
12
The grant will support backfill and consultancy costs to enable this mental health charity to develop its business plan, theory of change and communications strategy.
The National Lottery Community Fund
£9,996 05/09/2019
12
The funding will be used to improve this charity's infrastructure. The project aims to improve service delivery and enhance the way in which it supports people who are experiencing mental health ....more
BBC Children in Need
£55,102 27/06/2018
36
This project will contribute to a community children's garden and provide weekly activities for children living in an area of poverty. The aims are to raise aspirations and improve confidence and ....more
Power to Change Trust
£14,965 01/03/2017
16
Grant to Green Synergy
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How do they operate?

Tower Power

Intervention period: The project uses outdoor and gardening activities to enable children to have more fun, develop pride in themselves and their neighbourhood and engage positively in groups

Beneficiaries: Children and young people aged 8-16

Location: City of Lincoln

Description: The project is based from the Tower Estate, Lincoln and uses outdoor and gardening activities to enable children to have more fun, develop pride in themselves and their neighbourhood and engage positively in groups. This helps with improving their connectedness to the community and nature around them while supporting their development, mental and physical health and giving them a wider experience of the world.

Each week has a set of different activities that range from arts and crafts, gardening, foraging and games.

Green WRAP

Objectives: Green WRAP aims to support adults to improve their mental health and wellbeing through gardening and therapeutic horticulture activities.

Intervention period: 6 months

Beneficiaries: Male and Female Adults 18+ years

Location: City of Lincoln

Description: Our Green Wrap (Wellbeing Recovery Action Planning) project aims to support people experiencing mental health issues and to enable and empower them to improve their mental health and wellbeing through gardening, therapeutic horticulture and wellness activities through self-care.

At the heart of the programme is a gardening and therapeutic horticulture programme shaped to provide a safe space and utilising person-centred WRAP as a structured personal recovery programme that is used to promote, enable and sustain recovery.

Our Green WRAP programme sessions run on Wednesdays between 11.00am to 12.30pm. Individuals can be referred into the programme through their professional supporting them or self refer by emailing info@greensynergy.org.uk

Green Shoots of Wellness

Objectives: Our programme aims to support those men suffering from mental health issues and people with physical long-term conditions and disabilities and their carers.

Intervention period: 3-6 months

Beneficiaries: Males aged 18 + years

Location: City of Lincoln

Description: Green Shoots of Wellness is Green’s Synergy men’s mental health project to support people who may be struggling. The project is funded for one year by the Suicide Prevention in Lincolnshire -Wave 3 Fund managed by Shine Lincolnshire.

Green Synergy’s Green Shoots of Wellness project will focus on supporting men aged 18+ living in Lincoln and Lincolnshire and in particular living in the most under-served communities in Lincoln. the activities will de delivered on our Hillside Community Garden is situated in one of the most deprived wards in Lincoln – the Abbey Ward.
The project will deliver a programme of weekly gardening and horticulture sessions in the peaceful surrounding of our Hillside Community Garden behind the Lincoln County Hospital in the Tower Estate

....more
Green Nature and Nurture

Objectives: To support young people with neuro diverse needs to improve their mental health and wellbeing through gardening and social therapeutic horticulture activities.

Beneficiaries: young adults aged 18-30 years old with neurodiverse needs

Location: City of Lincoln

Description: Green Nature and Nurture is our Mental Health and Wellbeing Investment Fund project that support young people with neuro diverse needs to improve their mental health and wellbeing through gardening and social therapeutic horticulture activities.

Green Synergy’s Green Nature and Nurture project aims to support 20 young adults aged 18-30 years old with neurodiverse needs to improve their health and wellbeing through a dedicated six month programme of social and therapeutic horticulture.

Social and therapeutic horticulture (STH) is the process of using plants and gardens to improve physical and mental health, as well as communication and thinking skills. Green Nature and Nurture would deploy STH activities using our Hillside Community Garden as a safe, peaceful and secure place to develop young adults’ ability to mix

....more
Better Together

Objectives: Better Together will support and enable people who are experiencing mental health conditions to come together to improve their personal health and well-being.

Intervention period: 6-12 months

Beneficiaries: Male and Females - aged 18+ years

Location: City of Lincoln

Description: Better Together project is grant funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, in partnership with Abbey Access Training and Development Plus.

The Better Together project brings together three Lincoln charities: developmentplus, Abbey Access Training and Green Synergy.

Green synergy delivers 2 weekly sessions on Hillside Garden offering a range of activities for people including horticulture, crafts, and fire pit cooking. Other partners offer different learning and wellbeing opportunities. All partners offer skilled mentoring.

Better Together will support and enable people who are experiencing mental health conditions to come together to improve their personal health and well-being.

It will provide mentoring, therapy and training opportunities as the first

....more
See How Our Garden Grows

Objectives: The See How Our Garden Grows project aims to strengthen Green Synergy as a charity by building our organisational development through work streams on governance development, policies and procedures reviews, income, resilience and organisational sustainability as a charity.

Intervention period: 3 years

Beneficiaries: Adults, children, young people and older people living on the Tower Estate and in Lincoln

Location: City of Lincoln

Description: See How our Garden Grows (SHOGG) is a three year community and organisational development project enabling Green Synergy to develop organisationally, deliver a range of community engagement events and programmes and to build our sustainability. Our SHOGG project is kindly supported by the National Lottery Community Fund to increase access to gardening, horticultural and community activities.

The See How Our Garden Grows project aims to strengthen Green Synergy as a charity by building our organisational development through work streams on governance development, policies and procedures reviews, income, resilience and organisational sustainability as a charity. The project is enabling the charity to increase our capacity for managing and coordinating events, activities and projects to increase reach. The project importantly seeks to increase our reach, visitors, networking, partnerships and engagement with our local communities in Lincoln through the development of our community gardens. See How Our Garden Grows also aims to increase community cohesion, support under-served communities, reduce isolation and improve people’s mental

....more
Community Matters – Green Spaces

Objectives: The project will enable the development a new and improved green space by creating a wildlife-rich new habitat from a brown field site area

Intervention period: 8 months

Beneficiaries: Visitors to the garden, wildlife.

Location: City of Lincoln

Description: Green Synergy is proud to be supported by the Community Matters Green Spaces Fund which is supporting us to develop a Willow and Hazel Grove on Hillside garden.

the project will enable the development a new and improved green space by creating a wildlife-rich new habitat from a brown field site area. Hillside garden currently lacks native species such as willows, birch and hazel so the proposed project would site clear and create a new coppice grove and hedgerow along the east side of the garden and hence also creating an island for native wildlife, insects and fauna to thrive with a steppingstone for native species with a new coppice grove for wildlife.

Who works here?

  • ALI TALBOT
    Chief Executive
Ali has worked in the public, private and third sectors at senior management level for the past 25 years. She specialised in strategic, operational, marketing and communications, project and resource management of charities, youth, sports, leisure and cultural services including sport, leisure, tourism, visual and performing arts services. In her career, Ali was previously Chief Executive of Headliners (UK) a national youth multi-media charity. ....more
  • TIWONGE SIMKONDA
    Community Development & Delivery Manager
My name is Tiwonge Simkonda, My name means “we should be grateful” . As per my name, I am very grateful to be part of the Green Synergy Team. I am an avid advocate for social justice and human rights and my previous work experience with WaterAid, ActionAid and Trocaire has provided me immense opportunities to influence positive and transformative change in the lives of vulnerable people and communities. My role in Green Synergy will involve ....more
  • ANA OLIVEIRA
    Gardens Manager
Ana studied botanical horticulture at Kew and wrote her dissertation on why and how nature benefits us. Ana has worked in garden management, horticulture and teaching garden design.
  • KATIE RAYNER
    Finance and Office Manager
I was merchandise manager, marketing and communications departmental lead, and departmental finance officer for the past four years at the University of Lincoln Sports Centre and Shop. Prior to this, I worked as a veterinary assistant for 9 years at a village, first opinion small animal veterinary practice, and towards the latter end of my veterinary career, I decided to return to university to pursue a degree in business and management. After ....more
  • LIZZIE MCFARLANE
    Projects Officer
Following on from struggles with my own mental health, I rediscovered my affinity for growing and started volunteering with Green Synergy in September 2015. This affirmed to me my love of people and my passion to work with communities to improve people’s lives and support them in a positive way. After 12 months as a volunteer, I successfully applied for a role as a Trainee Project Officer with an apprenticeship in Horticulture. I am now a ....more
  • WENDY SLATER
    Community Engagement Co-ordinator
I come to Green Synergy with a long and varied background of experience gained from being a volunteer, and from working for and with Charities, Trusts, Communities, Partnerships and Authorities. I also have the experience of life, dealing with adversity and pushing through barriers. Personally, I feel my life has been a journey of me having to prove myself, until I started to ask why and who am I proving myself too? The skills I learnt on that ....more
  • BRODI WYMAN
    Projects Officer
I initially started as an apprentice at Green Synergy and over the past 3 years I have built up my skills and confidence working throughout all areas of the charity. I enjoy this role because of the variety of work and the ability to incorporate my different passions and share them with young minds. Using gardening, craft and games to educate and support our community has made such a difference to my own life. I have always wanted to work with ....more
  • KATIE ROOKER
    Children and Young People\'s Projects Assistant & Garden Assistant
Through volunteering with Green Synergy I’ve seen first-hand the benefits therapeutic horticulture and community gardening can have. After completing an employability project ran by Green Synergy I was successful in becoming a member of the team. My role is Garden Projects Assistant, I help the Garden Manager and Projects Team to support volunteers and beneficiaries through different projects and sessions we run at Hillside Garden. I really ....more
  • TANYA AKROFI
    Freelance Project Officer
Tanya is a storyteller and trainee counsellor. She believes whole-heartedly in the medicinal benefits of connecting with the natural world around us. We all have a story to tell and by empowering people to find their voice, we can encourage them to celebrate their experiences and honour their challenges. This is what Tanya hopes to do. She is honoured to join the wonderful team at Green Synergy.

How is it governed?

Trustees (5)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 52-66
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 20/09/2013, number: 1153883
  • Registered at Companies House on 12/02/2013, number: 08399741
  • NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Volunteer management
Main office

49 Roman Pavement
LINCOLN
LN2 5RD

Objectives

1)TO DEVELOP THE CAPACITY AND SKILLS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES OF LINCOLN IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO IDENTIFY, AND HELP MEET, THEIR NEEDS AND TO PARTICIPATE MORE FULLY IN SOCIETY. 2)TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC IN LINCOLN BY:(A) THE PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION AND THE PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE PRUDENT USE OF RESOURCES;(B) THE RELIEF OF POVERTY AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE IN SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES;(C) THE PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE MEANS OF ACHIEVING ECONOMIC GROWTH AND REGENERATION.SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEANS “DEVELOPMENT WHICH MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS. 3)TO PROMOTE SOCIAL INCLUSION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT IN LINCOLN BY PREVENTING PEOPLE FROM BECOMING SOCIALLY EXCLUDED, RELIEVING THE NEEDS OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE SOCIALLY EXCLUDED AND ASSISTING THEM TO INTEGRATE INTO SOCIETY. FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS CLAUSE ‘SOCIALLY EXCLUDED’ MEANS BEING EXCLUDED FROM SOCIETY, OR PARTS OF SOCIETY, AS A RESULT OF ONE OF MORE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: UNEMPLOYMENT; FINANCIAL HARDSHIP; YOUTH OR OLD AGE; ILL HEALTH (PHYSICAL OR MENTAL); SUBSTANCE ABUSE OR DEPENDENCY INCLUDING ALCOHOL AND DRUGS; DISCRIMINATION ON THE GROUNDS OF SEX, RACE, DISABILITY, ETHNIC ORIGIN, RELIGION, BELIEF, CREED, SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER RE-ASSIGNMENT; POOR EDUCATIONAL OR SKILLS ATTAINMENT; RELATIONSHIP AND FAMILY BREAKDOWN; POOR HOUSING (THAT IS HOUSING THAT DOES NOT MEET BASIC HABITABLE STANDARDS; CRIME (EITHER AS A VICTIM OF CRIME OR AS AN OFFENDER REHABILITATING INTO SOCIETY). 4)THE PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF GOOD HEALTH IN LINCOLN IN PARTICULAR BY THE PROVISION OF OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE. 5)TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN LINCOLN IN HORTICULTURE, AGRICULTURE AND CONSERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT. 6)TO PROVIDE OR ASSIST IN THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR RECREATION OR OTHER LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION OF INDIVIDUALS IN LINCOLN WHO HAVE NEED OF SUCH FACILITIES BY REASON OF THEIR YOUTH, AGE INFIRMITY OR DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE.WHILE OUR PRIMARY TARGET AREA IS CITY OF LINCOLN WE WILL DELIVER THESE OBJECTIVES OUTSIDE OF THIS AREA WHERE AND WHEN REQUIRED.

Defined Area of Benefit: LOCAL

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase

Tips for Selecting Charities

Which areas of philanthropy are most effective?
The text of this post is taken from an article on the Effective Altruism forum. It suggests that you can achieve the most impact by supporting causes that fight extreme poverty, improving animal welfare....more

Our Top Tips for Philanthropy
Here are some ideas to help you gain more satisfaction from your philanthropy and confidence that the causes you have selected are impactful. Engage your brain, as well as your heart You....more
How to become a Philanthropist
In this Blog we outline a strategy to help people who are new to philanthropy and for those who feel dissatisfied with the impact they are having. Effective philanthropy is immensely rewarding for donors,....more

Giving is Great