'Business as normal' for Bournemouth's Lower Gardens

Covid impacts have hit the finances of the Bournemouth Lower Central Gardens Trust – but this year is expected to be back to ‘business as normal’.

A full programmes is being planned for the year ahead with the Aviary due to be officially re-opened in May.

The Big Screen will be back for the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations in early June and stay in place for Wimbledon.

Figures due to go before the Gardens Board this/next week (April 29) show that six-figure council subsidies are needed each year to keep Bournemouth’s Lower Central Garden Trust solvent.

Accounts before the Trust show that up until March 2020 the BCP subsidy amounted to £452,400, and to March 2021 £381,300, although running costs were lower due to Covid. The subsidy figure until March 2022 is expected to be £397,600 although the accounts have yet to be finalised.

The brief account summary shows the Garden suffered a big drop in income, of more than £440,000, from commercial trading operations and recreational activity income during the time when Covid restrictions were at their peak – shown in the accounts to the year end March 2021.

Since then income from commercial trading activities has bounced back to £565,600 with £230,700 from recreation activities giving a total income of £796,400, higher than the year ending March 2020 which amounted to £778,200.

Maintenance of the Pavilion remains one of the largest expenses, beyond the cost of running commercial and charitable activities, and is shown as £129,600 for the year ending March 2020, £129,000 to March 21 and £94,300 for the year ending March 22.

Gareth Norris, the audit Director from Grant Thornton confirmed that the audit process of the current accounts had gone well and there were no significant findings.

The Trust Board is legally required to agree the annual financial statements for the Lower Central Gardens and submit them annually to the Charity Commission each year.

A meeting of the Board this week (April 29th) is being asked to further extend CCTV coverage of the area, immediately behind the bandstand on the Pinewalk and to offer a one-year extension to the Westover Kiosk.

Board members will be told that additional bin emptying has started on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to cope with expanding demand with the police asked to monitor anti-social behaviour which has resulted in an increase in broken glass throughout the gardens at the weekends.

Activities in the Gardens are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year with the return of the Big Screen, Arts by the Sea event from October 1-3rd with a mix of art installations and live performances and then events in the Gardens later in the month for Run Bournemouth.