Finance Score: 3
Governance Score: 6
Support Score: 9
  • Low unrestricted reserves: -2
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +9
Overall GiG Score: 18 ?

THE GARDEN CLASSROOM

The Garden Classroom delivers high quality activities in natural environments. Education, recreation and community activities are at the heart of what TGC does. It connects people with nature and with each other, in nature, and cultivates an interest in the natural world. Outdoor learning & recreation in natural environments, countryside projects and camping are at the heart of TGC's service.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

  • Unrestricted reserves appear to be dangerously low at the latest year end

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/08/23£575£571£4£46£127£581.2820
31/08/22£499£556£-57n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/08/21£473£501£-28n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/08/20£431£317£114n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/08/19£347£337£10n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/08/18*£257£239£18n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/08/17£239£194£45n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 8%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 8%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 23%
Liabilities/Income: 7%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 45%
Reserves/Spending: 1.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 3 months
Quick Ratio: 3.9
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 8 years
(15 years as a company)

www.thegardenclassroom.org.uk

info@thegardenclassroom.org.uk

02072880188

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
  • Environment/Conservation/Heritage
  • Recreation
GiG Classification
  • Social clubs and similar
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Throughout England,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years
City Bridge Trust£341,077
Garfield Weston Foundation£110,000
Postcode Society Trust£18,391
Cloudesley£10,000
National Lottery Community Fund£9,994
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
City Bridge Trust - Grant to The Garden Classroom
£2,600 12/04/2024
£2,600 (6.5 days) to provide an eco audit.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (2 Years) award
£60,000 07/07/2023
24
The Garden Classroom: Nature Connection for Urban People
Postcode Society Trust - Project Funding
£18,391 03/04/2023
Funding delivered 60 fun, free, drop-in Little Explorers sessions for under 5s in Islington - for wellbeing, connection and the environment.
City Bridge Trust - Grant to The Garden Classroom
£276,120 01/04/2023
60
£276,120 over five years (£55,766, £52,520, £55,640, £55,354, £56,840) towards a borough wide Community Gardening Project to educate and empower residents whilst improving the biodiversity of green spaces in Islington.
Cloudesley - Grant to The Garden Classroom
£10,000 21/02/2023
Bringing nature to the children at Samuel Rhodes School
National Lottery Community Fund - Little Explorers
£9,994 17/02/2023
The funding will be used to continue delivering weekly outdoor drop in sessions for young children and their parents/carers. The project aims to provide creative activities to support confidence mental and physical health and independence.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£30,000 04/04/2022
The Garden Classroom (TGC) - core costs
City Bridge Trust - Grant to The Garden Classroom
£9,921 08/12/2020
0
Co-Operative Group - Grant to The Garden Classroom
£3,418 24/10/2020
In our very nature-deprived inner city area, we will develop a nature-rich garden to be the focus for family nature discovery sessions.
City Bridge Trust - Grant to The Garden Classroom
£45,186 02/09/2020
towards the cost of adapting outdoor nature connection work including Outdoor Education and Training Service Managers, CEO and new programme director roles, excluding the cost of Brompton bike (£1500) and reducing laptop costs to £1999
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£20,000 22/05/2020
The Garden Classroom: a Growing Organisation
City Bridge Trust - Grant to The Garden Classroom (TGC)
£7,250 09/04/2020
A one-off, unrestricted grant of £7,250, equivalent to one regular quarterly payment for the organisation’s current grant. COVID19
City Bridge Trust - Grant to The Garden Classroom (TGC)
£57,500 21/03/2019
24
£57,500 over two further years (£29,000; £28,500) towards salary costs of the Education & Community Manager and Finance Officer.
National Lottery Community Fund - Growing Together
£9,250 11/01/2019
12
The project aims to improve mental wellbeing and encourage the development of new social relationships by providing a series of nature groups for local families.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£2,500 29/06/2017
Looking to future growth
Woodward Charitable Trust - Towards a summer play scheme
£500 16/06/2017
Towards a summer play scheme.
Cripplegate Foundation - Grant To The Garden Classroom
£5,000 25/10/2016
Towards core costs
National Lottery Community Fund - Mildmay, Naturally (working title)
£10,000 18/08/2016
12
A weekend nature festival will be held in the Mildmay area in May to celebrate green spaces. Sharing the history of Newington Green activities will include gardening workshops, yoga, singing, children’s arts and crafts, a miniature walking ....more
City Bridge Trust - Grant to The Garden Classroom (TGC)
£81,200 28/01/2016
36
£81,200 over 3 years (£26,500; £27,100: £27,600) for 4 days p/w of the Community Education Support Officer’s salary costs; and 1 days p/w of the Finance Officer’s salary costs.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to The Garden Classroom (TGC)
£30,000 12/05/2014
Towards the salary of the chief executive to build the capacity of this organisation which connects urban communities with the natural world.
National Lottery Community Fund - The Garden Classroom: Spreading The Word.
£10,000 29/11/2012
12
This is a project by a community organisation in Islington and Hackney. The group will use the funding to increase the use of green spaces by delivering nature based creative learning experiences. This will increase environmental, health and social ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (10)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 32-61
  • DR TESSA WILLY Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Deputy Programme Lead Primary Pgce
  • GALEEMAH ADAMS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Senior Pricing Analyst
  • JESSICA MARTIN Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Head Of Marketing Operations - Emea
  • KIRSTEN SNELLING Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Project Manager - Financial Services
  • MEHUL DESAI Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Finance Director
  • RAAKESH PATEL (Chair) Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Executive Director
  • RACHEL METCALF Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Lawyer
  • SARAH VICTORIA WHITEHOUSE Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Vice President Legal Counsel
  • STACI NAKAYAMA Appointed: 2024, Occupation: It Professional
  • VIKRAM JAIN Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Management Consultant
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 03/08/2016, number: 1168587
  • Registered at Companies House on 26/11/2008, number: 06759008
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Other Regulators
  • Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education)
Policies in force
  • Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
7 returns made; AR18: 71 days late,
Main office

Newington Green Park Building
2 Newington Green
London
N1 4RF

Objectives

THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE:(A) TO ADVANCE EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY AMONGST CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES FROM INNER CITY AREAS, BY PROVIDING CREATIVE OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES THAT INSPIRE AND EDUCATE WHILE NURTURING A RESPECT FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT;(B) TO PROVIDE FACILITIES IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR RECREATION OR OTHER LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION FOR SUCH CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE AND ENABLING THEM TO ENJOY THE PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL BENEFITS THAT COME FROM HAVING A CONNECTION WITH NATURE.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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