Hinckley and District Work-Link Project Accounts Yèar to 31 st March 2024
Yearto 31st M Contents Trustees Report Independent Examiners Report Income and Expenditure Account Balance Sheet 10 Notes to the Accounts
HINCKLEY AND DISTRICT WORK-LINK PROJECT Trusté*•s Annual report for the Year to 31 March 2024 Work-Link Project is registered with the Charlty Commision (No. 1002750) and Governed by the Work-Link Prolect Constitution. It Is located at Abbotts Hous< Trinity Lane, Hinckley, LEI O OBL. A Trustee Board administers the Charity. Between April 2023 and March 2024 the board was served by:" Name Bron Wltherford Office Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Trusoe and Chair Martin Roe John Moore Keith Grlffl¢hs Tim Render In attendan¢e at meetings Mandy Quinn Projert Manager Sue Stanley Finance Manager Tim Render re-eletted as Chairnian at the Annual General Meeting in January 2024. The Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary posts Still remain vacanL as the chariry is reviewing its governance structure. In particular, Work-Link remains committed to becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisatlon as soon as practical. Once the Charity is incorporated, the assets of the Charity wlll be held In the name of the charty and not individual trustee$. The Charity's Bankers are National Westminster Bank Plc, 13 The Borough, Hinckley, Leicestershl LEIO INW. The only area of restrlction contained in the governlng documents is that the activities of Work-Llnk shall be limited to the objects set out in (3) of the governing document as set out bek)w. "The trustses shall invest in the truses name any money that is not required for the immediate purpose of Work-Link in any of the securltles in which trust money maybe by law Invested with power from time to time to transpose such investments. Any property acquired by or for Work-Link shall be verted in the Trustees."
HINCKLEY AND DISTRICT WORK-LINK PROJECT Trustee's Annual report for the Year to 31 March 2024 (Contlnued) Structure, Governance and Management The Charity is governed by a constitution dated I l November 2008 and is registered with The Chariry Cornmission a$ a Charity. The maximum size of the Trustee Board is frfteen members: 4 interested representatives of Churches Together in Hincldey and DistricL 4 persons of appropriate experience and of good standing within the community, 2 from Voluntarylststutory sectors and 2 'Work-Link" volunteers {service users). Additionally. the Committee has the power to Cowept an additional 3 members vtho do not have v¢xlng rhts. CopOPted member5 may be re-co-QPted or seek election to the Tru5tse Board. Officers are nominated prior to AGM and. rf necessary* a vote Its then taken at the AGM. The Trustee Board continues to endeavour to widen and strengthen its membership in the past year, and is considering succession arrangements for Trus¢ee$. Trustee Board members are given an induction and training in their roles and responsibilities. A Manager is appointed by the Trustee Board to manage the day-to-day operations of the Charity. The Charity has a working relationship with variou5 Statutory agencies including the County Council, Leicester City Council and Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. The Trustee Board regularly reviews Its risk management strategy. Health and Safety risk assessment using government guidelines are in place in all areas. with particular attention to the fire risk inherent in running the furniture recycling operation. Work-Link has adopted a Safeguarding Adults Policy and works closety with referrers to ensure risk assessment and risk management strategies are in place for indlvlduals wlthln the Client group. There is also a policy concerning the level of financial reserves and this too is regularly reviewed.
Objertlves and athltles The work of the thariry is entirely focused on providing benefit to the people most In need of practlcal support, and those needing dear and supported routes into fornial educatlon and trnining. This is especialty for those who have a learning disabiliey, who otherwise would be at rlsk of long term unemployment and exclusion from everyday economic activitie& and thus very likely to be Ilvlng In poverty. The practlcal work and tralnlng activities that Workllnk provldes provlde essential preparation for work or further study as well as being "real" businesses that help to make the organi&ition sustainable. The Chariry employed an average of13 members of staff (3 full-tlme and l O part-time ) during 2023124. Work-Link has referrals from the voluntsry and statutory sectors and intends to continue to grow that number. Volunteerslserylce Users attend one or two sessions per week 55 individual$ attendlng per annum. Trdining opprtunitie& support and supervislon are provided by the staff team on a daily basis in the Service Users, chosen arrd(s) of actlvlty. Work-Llnk actlvltles Ilsted below provlde meanlngful work place opporwnities and trdining In the following areas:. Work-Link collects donated fijrniture from residents of Leicester. Leicestershire and beyond that are suitable for supply to others. or for sale. These items are then either sold in our dedicated shop or used to fulfil orders that Leicester City Council or Leicestershire County Council have sent that are then delivered to vulnerable adults and families. To achieve this we have a dedicated tsam of staff and volunteer& r4VO vans to collert and distributs goods and during 2023124. a large Nfdrehouse and workshop spac¢ at our premises In Hinckley. The charity moved to nevi premises in May 2024 - details are shown in the section on Post Balance Sheet events. Volunteerslserrflce Users are taught customer ser¥i¢e. dixribution. manual handling, risk assessment and data inpuL Collections of donated items saved around 120 tonnes of furniture and elecrrical items from landAII In 2023124. Retall sales Town centre retail premises have been used since December 2011. Work-kn'nk had a leased shop close to the centre of retall and commerclal actlvity in Hinckley, to sell its furniture and electrl¢als durlng 2023r24. Volunteers get real work experience withln the shop and learn all aspects of customer service.
Lelcestershlre and Rutland R&use two Work-unk was a founder member of the Leicester. Leicestershire Re-use Network (LRRN) This was a County-wide Community Interest Company. a vehicle for orpnising and planning extsnded re•US¢ and supply acr055 Leicester and Lelcestershlre. This opened some new supply opportunltles for us bur also hosts the contrnct for Lelcestershlre Welfare Provision. and the Community Support Grant in Leicesrer. Work-Link provides furniture and eleccrical appliance5 to those in need who have been referred by Leic¢stershire Distrlct Council& and a similar welfare provision contract within Le1cer City Council. This work has become an increasingly important element of Work-LinWs activities and in¢ome generation. As other members of LRRN have changed the focus of thelr work Work-Link is now the sole member of thi5 Community Interest Company. LRRN remain5 a separate company although Directors of both LRRN and Work-Link are continulng to assess what an appropriate organisational structure should be. Between April 2023 and March 2024 we delivered furnlture to over 1,500 homes in Leicester and Leicescershlre. tr Work-Link Projett provides meaninzful volunteering and training opportunitles for people with mental 111 health and other disabillttes based around the re-use of furniture and electrlcal appliances. This year Work-Link completed 38 years of serving the community of Hinckley and Bosworth. Pre Covld. Work-Link provided 70 training places. We opened up our tralning opportunities progresslvely since the summer of 2021. In 2023124, we had 37 tralnees. We give our service users lots of opporcunities to tell us how they experlence the project. We hold daily infornial meetlngs with servlee users over lunch where we pass on information and sed( thetr ideas and Input. Service users have regular individual reviews and we have volunteer meetings. Leavers and Referral agencies are glven feedback forms so we can continually monltor and improve the service we offer. Work-Link artively encourages and supports our employees to gain the skllls and qualifications that meet the needs of our service users. We also Issue a Service User questionnaire every six months to get feedback on our perforniance. We ensure that staff continually update and extend their skllls through suppor¢ supervision and staff trainin& Staff contlnue to update their trdinlng in Safeguardlng Adults, First Atd and Health and Safety.
Bu$lness develo The loss of public sector gr4nts ntrarly a decade ago left a slgnificant financial chillng• frr Work-Linl4 although the availability offree reserve fvnds has continued to I've Work-Link time to adjust to the new 5itIMtiiy). ent Bu5ine55 planning arrangements were again reviewed during the year to update the lontrstandinz strategy to develop and thdvt In a financilY-sU$r2lnabl• vrdy. Trmthout any slgnificant grant support from public authorityes. A Buslness Development Officer is employed to progress this agend& This is a continuing .ork in progress" as the financial and operdting environment continues to change and become more ¢hallengin& Work-Link Contlnues to develop ks r&use activioes that both prt)vlde tratnlng opportunities for volunteers and nernte a net income to support the organi5ation. We continue to seek ayailable charitable grant fundlng where available that support5 our aim5 for Service Users. increasingly using on-llne channds for sale of good5 (. Facebook and Worklink website). The two $ubsrantlal local authorlty corrtracts wlll run untll 31.03.2025 and 31.03.2027. The gross income for the year tot311ed £52&797 vthilst the expenditure vras £578,668 leaving a defldt of £49.871. The balance of our Income has subxantlally changed in the past four years. with the vast majority of our inc¢xne now arising from our own work and activtties, (principally fulfilling contracts via LRRN for supply of furnishings and equipment to residents of Leicerter Ciry and Leicester$hire County). rather than fram publlc sector grants. The chwty mntaInS resenies to Cover the costs of operating the oryanisatton for at least four month& That minlmum reserve would equate to £191889 for 2023n4. The acwal free reserves amounted to C216.274 at 31 st March 2024.
Future develo ment and sheet events Directors continue to keep a close watch on developments in the op¢rdting envlronment and changes that will affert operavons. There are two specific matters to report: The landlord of 3. Jacknell Road gave a no-fault notice in December 2023 that the lease on the building would not be renewed in May 2024. An extensive search of alternative premi In the Hinckley area wa5 rarried OUL and Trustees Idenufied Abbotts House on Trinity Lane. Hlnckley a$ suitable leased premise& which can house both warehousing and retall space. The tharity moved to these premises in May 2024. The landlord ofjacknell Road served a noti of need to remedy clalmed dllapldatlon* The charity disputed a number of these issues, carri¢d out work to remedy some that were accepted, and in full and final setdement of the landlord daim. released the original renol deposlr of £11500 to the landlord In July 2024. b. The chariry sadly had to record the death of Keith Griffith& a founder trustee of Worklink on May 30th 2024. Keith was a steadfrdSL knowledgeable and hugely committed trustee for all his years yth Worklink and wlll be greatly missed. A memorial service for Keith vns held in June 2024, and a new annual award for service users wa¥ instituted ac the forn)81 opening of the new Workllnk premlseg on 25th September 2024. The Trustees have consldered all the financial informatlon in the ¥counts a5 well as budget and financial prospects for 2024n5. They are satisfied that the accounts thould be prepared on a "golng concern" basis, as the organisation will have funds aydilable to meer costs as they become due for at least the next tsvelve months {as required by accounting prnaice) from the date of signing th¢ ccounts
Hffincldey and Distrirt Work-Link Project Independent Examinerf$ Report to tho Trustees of 'Hinckley & Distrirt Work-Link Proj¢ce. I report to the tntss on my examlnatlon of the accounts of the above Charity ('kne Truse,) for the yvdr ended 31" March 2024. Responslbllltles and basis of report As the charlrfs truttees. you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Art 2011 C'the Ace). I report In respert of my examinatlon of the Trust's accounts carried *)u¢ under sectlon 145 gfthe 201 l Aer and in carrying out my MInatIOn. I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under setti+ 145(5)(b) of the ACL Independent examlnees statement I have coTrWeted my enmination. I confinn that material matters have come to my attention in c¢)nnection with the examinafjon which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respecL' the accountyng records were not kept in accordance wlth secrion 130 of the Charl£les A¢ or the coUnts did not accord with the accounting records; or the accounts did not compty with the applicable requlremenrs concerning the fornb and content of accounts 5¢t out in the Charftles (Accounts and Reports) Regulatlons 2008 other than any requlrement that the accounts give a 'true and falrf vl¢w vkni¢h is not a matter consld¢red as part of an independ¢n¢ •xamlnation. I have no ncernS and have come across no other matters in connecrion with the examination to whith attention should be dr&wn in thls report in order to enable a Prer understanding of the accounts to be reathed. Mrs K L Wright FCCA Integra ACCOUnng Llmlted Chartered Certyfied Accountsnts S Ststlon Road Hinckley LEIO IAW
Hlnckle and Dlstrirt Work-Link Pro ect Flnancial accounts for the earto 31.03.24 Income and Ex ndlture Account 31st March 2023 31.03.2024 31.032023 Income Donations and legacles 152 89 Income from Charltable Artlvltles: Primary purpose and ancilliary trading 471,376 711.213 Charltable income from funders: Reuse credits/grant income 3,158 474.534 19.804 731.017 Other trading activities: Trading artivities to raise funds for the charity Other MISlIaneOuS income 53.145 49.356 53,145 49.356 Bank Interest receivable Totsl Income 966 528.797 1512 781.974 ndlture Expenditure on charltable artlvlties: Direct $pendin8 Gross wages and salaries Employers NIC Defined beneftt pension costs 194,772 8,647 2,849 206,268 8.370 214,638 184,286 7.897 1685 194.868 5,560 200,428 Travel and subsistence - charitable activities Expendlture on charitable artlvltles: CharStsble tradlng Cost of goods for primary purp05etrading Movement in stock for gDod5 made by beneficiaries Costs of ancilliary trading to benefit beneficiaries Movement in stock for ancillarytrading Motor expenses 1477 1.555 264.916 (4.649) 23,603 286.347 484.803 (4,553) 21,675 503.480 Su rt costs for charitable artlvltles: Premises expenses: Rent payable under operating leases Rates and water charges Light, heat and power Cleaning and waste management Premises repairs, renwals and maintenance Insurance 40.691 1,002 4.376 40.783 1,262 921 5,161 6,880 1,386 6.521
Admlnistrative overheads: Telephone. fax and internet Postsge Stationery and printing Hire of equiprnent Software licences and expenses Sundry expenses 1867 3,654 617 990 3.870 3,694 598 943 3,478 1631 Profe55ion¥l fees paid to advlsors other than auditors or examiner: Other le8al and professional Payroll costs Flnanclal costs: Bank ¢har£es Depreciation 1.500 975 30 1.047 1,819 1,453 1301 Total support costs 76,643 70,925 Total charitable expenditure excluding depreciation Depreciation Governance costs 575.809 1.819 7n,532 2.301 950 Loss on disposal of fixed assets 200 578.668 775.583 Net surplus on ordinary activities 49,871 6,391 49,871 6.391 Net funds bld 26&145 259.754 Net funds clfwd 216.274 266,145
Hlnckle and Dlstrict Work-Llnk Prn'ert h20 l March 202 31.03.202 Tangible fixed assets 654 2,473 Current assets Stock 15,490 118.426 121.631 255.547 10,841 198,386 118,930 328.157 Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Credltors: Amounts falllng due in l year {3&192) (63,062) Net current assets 217,355 265.095 Total net assets £ 218.009 £ 267.568 Unrestritted Revenue funds Restricted Funds (roy Appeal) 216.274 1,735 266,145 1,423 Totsl charity funds £ 218.009 £ 267.568 10
inckle an accounts Tanzlble Flxed Assets Office E ul and Fi Cost bthyd Additions Dlsposals Cosc clfwd 45,308 12,500 57.809 45.308 12,500 £ 57,809 Depn blfwd Charge in year Elim on disposals Depn clfiyd 44,293 361 11.042 1.458 55.335 1,819 44,654 11500 £ 57,154 NBV 2024 654 654 NBV 2023 1,015 £ 1,4S8 £ 2,473 Debtors Trdde debtors Prepayments and accrued income Other debtors 96,388 7,136 14,902 168,060 11,691 18.635 £ 118.426 £ 198,386 Credltor&' Amounts falling due In l year Trade creditors Accruals and deferred income Other tsxes and social security costs Other creditors 11823 1,000 23,805 564 24.874 13.911 23,459 818 £ 38,192 £ 63.062