(charity no. 1018853)
RIVERSIDE COUNSELLING SERVICE
Report and Accounts for the year 1st March 2023 to 29th February 2024
Chair’s Introduction
Last year’s report described how Riverside had started the year in a state of flux and ended with the hope that we would experience a more settled year. However, 2023-24 has once again brought with it its own mix of excitements and challenges.
Organisational Leadership
During the year, we appointed Thalia Jervis as our interim CEO. The Board of Trustees decided to go down the interim route mindful that having a non-clinical leader for the service would be a first for Riverside, and like any big change, was likely to be met with a degree of uncertainty in some quarters. I’m very pleased to say that the “experiment” of having a CEO as leader is now generally regarded across the service as the most appropriate model, testament to Thalia’s success in the role and inclusive management style. As I write, we are now actively recruiting for a permanent appointee to take on the CEO mantle going forward.
Fundraising and Finances
Despite the overall success of Thalia’s leadership, 2023 / 2024 proved nevertheless to be a very challenging year, particularly on the fundraising side of the organisation. Due to churn during the year in the fundraising manager position, we experienced several months where our grant application capacity was severely depleted, which had a serious knock-on effect towards the end of the financial year. Our reserves fell below our policy level, and we had to take some hard decisions to minimise the running costs of the organisation to ensure our financial viability in the short term whilst ensuring we were acting prudently and ethically with regard to the clinical work and the commitments made to our volunteer counsellors. These measures included postponing volunteer counsellor recruitment and curtailing longer-term therapy activities.
To restore the organisation to a healthier financial position, in March 2024 we launched a highprofile fundraising campaign, “Be a Friend, Tell A Friend”, which I’m delighted to report has got off to a fantastic start, significantly boosting our profile within the local community as well as helping us to secure significant additional funding. The flying start achieved by this campaign meant that we quickly returned to compliance with our reserves policy and enabled us also to return to “business as usual”, lifting the self-imposed financial restrictions.
Service Delivery and Organisation
Our service delivery has remained very strong with 378 clients served with 5897 sessions via our initial consultation, ongoing counselling, group and drop-in sessions. However, our delivery to Young People has reduced over the year as our capacity has been impacted by changes in guidelines around delivery to clients in this area and we would like to build this back up. Our client base has continued to evolve and in common with other mental health services we are seeing an increase in the complexity of our clients in particular in the area of neurodivergence. Given the cost of living crisis, our clients have increasingly struggled to contribute to the cost of their sessions and 2023-24 saw our fee income reduce from an average of £22.49 in March 2023 to an average of
£19.14 in February 2024 which contributed to the funding challenges for the organisation. Our clients continue to benefit hugely from our service and levels of client satisfaction are exceptional, 100% of our clients who fed back would recommend Riverside, and client feedback continues to be excellent:
“It was incredibly helpful to work through historic and current issues which were having a detrimental effect on my mental health and physical wellbeing. With the help and support of Riverside Counselling I eventually experienced a shift in perception which means a more promising and full-filled future for myself and my family. Thank you so much for giving me hope”
During 2023 / 2024, we onboarded seven new counsellors to enable us to maintain our client numbers. We have also implemented a new online payment system for clients which is helping us and them ensure prompt and easy payment of client fees. We have appointed a new Head of Counselling alongside a new (interim) Young Person’s Clinical Lead and a new Fundraising Manager. We have also created our first Equity and Diversity Strategy and plan which reflects our commitment as an organisation to inclusivity and accessibility.
Our ambitions for next year are, to maintain our outstanding delivery to clients, to expand our Young People’s service with the delivery of training, and to increase the sustainability of our funding in part through a focussed fundraising campaign.
Board of Trustees
We have again retained the services of all our Trustees during the past financial year, providing a much-needed element of stability to the organisation. The response of the Trustees to the financial challenges presented this year was nothing short of superb – their generosity of spirit in freely giving significant time, and resources was humbling, and the quality and range of ideas generated was fantastic. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for the way in which as a group they rose to the particular challenges we experienced this year. We will continue to look to strengthen and diversify the Trustee board – a particular priority over the coming months will be to recruit a Trustee with a clinical background.
Independent Examiner’s Report
I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 29th February 2024, which are set out on the following page and prepared on an accruals basis.
Respective Responsibilities of Trustees & Examiner:
The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an Independent Examination is needed. It is my responsibility to:
-examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
-to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's Report:
I am qualified to perform this examination as I am a retired member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent Examiner's Statement:
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
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accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act;
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the accounts do not accord with those records;
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the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a “true and fair” view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent investigation.
Peter Goddard Staplers Cottage Shepherds Green Henley on Thames Oxon
Accounts for the year to 29[th] February 2024
| Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Restricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Unrestricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Total Year to 28~~th~~ February 2023 Total ~~ee~~ |
Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Restricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Unrestricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Total Year to 28~~th~~ February 2023 Total ~~ee~~ |
Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Restricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Unrestricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Total Year to 28~~th~~ February 2023 Total ~~ee~~ |
Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Restricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Unrestricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Total Year to 28~~th~~ February 2023 Total ~~ee~~ |
Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Restricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Unrestricted Year to 29~~th~~ February 2024 Total Year to 28~~th~~ February 2023 Total ~~ee~~ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES ~~es~~ ~~ee~~ |
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| ~~es~~ ~~ee~~ ~~es~~ |
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| Income: ~~es~~ ~~es~~ |
||||
| Fees Received from Clients 120,137 120,137 141,007 ~~es~~ ~~es~~ |
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| Fundraisingand donations 11,316 11,316 10,280 ~~es~~ ~~es~~ |
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| Grants 46,396 70,089 116,485 170,261 ~~es~~ ~~es~~ |
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| Bank interest 640 640 87 ~~GO~~ |
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| Total Income 46,396 202,182 248,578 321,635 ~~GO~~ |
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| ~~GO~~ | ||||
| Expenditure: ~~GO~~ |
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| Clinical Management & Counselling 57,331 81,999 139,330 128,150 ~~GO~~ |
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| Supervision 8,124 17,759 25,883 30,355 ~~GO~~ |
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| Administrative Support 7,311 30,998 38,309 30,765 ~~GO~~ |
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| Room Hire 9,629 22,139 31,768 28,118 ~~GO~~ |
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| Assessment Support 3,071 18,309 21,380 23,638 ~~GO~~ |
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| FundraisingStaff Costs 13,856 13,856 22,798 ~~GO~~ |
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| Insurance 205 584 789 779 ~~GO~~ |
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| Stationery& Postage 75 214 289 173 ~~GO~~ |
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| Travel 96 795 891 1,897 ~~GO~~ |
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| Subscriptions 87 488 575 469 ~~GO~~ |
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| Equipment,IT & consulting 3,133 11,002 14,135 11,292 ~~GO~~ |
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| Telephone 0 30 30 43 ~~es~~ |
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| Professional fees 3,749 3,749 ~~es~~ |
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| Misc office costs 1,045 1,515 2,560 2,145 ~~es~~ |
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| Training 73 417 490 1,720 ~~es~~ |
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| Collection fees 1,203 1,203 ~~es~~ |
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| Total Expenditure 90,180 205,057 295,237 282,342 ~~es~~ |
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| ~~es~~ | ||||
| Net result for theyear (43,784) (2,875) (46,659) 39,293 ~~es~~ |
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| Funds brought forward 55,949 29,420 85,369 46,076 ~~es~~ |
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| Funds carried forward 12,165 26,545 38,710 85,369 ~~es~~ |
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| ~~es~~ | ||||
| BALANCE SHEET | ||||
| Cash in bank 17,150 33,787 50,937 95,408 ~~es~~ |
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| Accounts Receivable 6,641 6,641 9,440 ~~es~~ |
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| Accounts Payable (4,985 (13,883) (18,868) (19,479) ~~es~~ |
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| ~~ss~~ | ||||
| Current and Total Assets 12,165 26,545 38,710 85,369 ~~GO~~ |
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| ~~ss~~ | ~~ss~~ | ~~ss~~ | ~~ss~~ | ~~ss~~ |
Approved on 8[th] July 2024
Adrian Marsh
John Morrow
Chair
Treasurer
Treasurer’s Report
The disappointing financial result for the year was partly due to the reduced fee income mentioned above but mainly down to the drop in charitable funding as a result of staffing difficulties in the earlier part of the year. The effect of this was to create a hiatus in our bid applications which caused a drop in charitable receipts. This situation has now been resolved. Our reserves have fallen below the level we would like to see but we are confident that this will be rectified in the new year as a new fundraising campaign will reap rich results.
As ever we are hugely grateful to those individuals and organisations who so generously support us and without whom Riverside Counselling would not exist.
Analysis of Restricted Funds
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Donor b/fwd Income Expenditure c/fwd
Thamesfield YA 11,249 20,000 24,980 6,269
Coopers Charitable Trust 385 385 0
SODC 4,327 5,896 4,327 5,896
Albert Hunt 190 190
OCC Councillor Bennett 2,500 2,500 0
Oxfordshire Community Foundation 3,195 10,000 13,195 0
Tambour 33,501 33,501
John Hodges Trust 602 602 0
Berinsfield PC 500 500 0
St James Place 10,000 10,000 0
0
TOTAL 55,949 46,396 90,180 12,165
----- End of picture text -----
Trustees
Trustees who served during the year were:
----- Start of picture text -----
Year appointed
Adrian Marsh Chair 2018
John Morrow Treasurer 2014
Nicki Williams-Gray 2017
Phil Bridge 2019
Jayson Jaurique 2022
Umbreen Lenoire 2022
Suzy Hobbs 2022
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Notes to the accounts
Note 1: Basis of preparation
1.1 Basis of accounting
These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and with the Charities Act 2011.
1.2 Going concern
The accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis and the trustees are not aware of any events or conditions that cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern
1.3 Change of accounting policies or estimates
The accounts present a true and fair view and the accounting policies adopted are those outlined in note 2. There have been no changes in accounting policies during the year. There have been no changes in accounting estimates and there are no prior year adjustments.
Note 2: Accounting Policies
This standard list of accounting policies has been applied by the charity:
Recognition of income
These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when:
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the charity becomes entitled to the resources;
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it is more likely than not that the trustees will receive the resources; and
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the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.
Grants and donations
Grants and donations are only included in the SoFA when the general income recognition criteria are met (5.10 to 5.12 FRS 102 SORP). Where a donor puts stipulations on the use to which a grant or donation can be put the amount received is designated as a restricted fund and expenditure relevant to it is accounted for accordingly.
Tax reclaims on donations and gifts
Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise.
Support, trustee and employee costs
The charity has incurred expenditure on support costs during the year, had 3 employees who were paid £49,699 in total but made no payments to trustees or related parties.
Balance Sheet
All amounts are due within one year.
Creditors
The charity has creditors which are measured at settlement amounts less any trade discounts.
Debtors
Debtors are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount, subsequently they are measured at the cash amount expected to be received.