WOODSIDE BEREAVEMENT SERVICE – THE LISTENING EAR
TRUSTEES’ REPORT 2022
Registered charity number: 1041666
Charity's principal address: Waterside Centre, 26 Avenue Rd, London SE25 4DX
Aims and purposes
Woodside Bereavement Service (WBS) is established to relieve persons resident in the London Borough of Croydon experiencing severe or prolonged shock or depression, arising from bereavement and loss.
Objectives and Activities
WBS is committed to providing free support to bereaved people through one-to-one counselling with selected and trained Christian counsellors. It assists them through their period of mourning and encourages acceptance of loss and re-adjustment. It also aims to educate and increase awareness of the nature of grief and bereavement. The Service is available to all those residing in the Borough of Croydon, regardless of race, colour, nationality, belief, age, gender, sexual orientation or physical disability.
Achievements and Performance
During 2022 the adult service received 131 referrals, the same as the previous year. Counselling is provided both on 1-1 basis and group sessions in 2 locations in Croydon. These came from clients visiting their GP, Croydon’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Service or Social Services. Following the Initial Assessment stage, 90 clients were placed on the waiting list. Ages of clients seen ranged from 18 years to over 70 years, the latter being seen thorough the GERAS arm of the Service which focuses on the over-70s. Clients represent a wide range of ethnicity, covering White and Black British, White Irish, Black African and Caribbean, Asian and Other categories.
The Service commenced the year with 15 trained volunteer counsellors and 3 transferred to the Young People Team (YPT) during the year.
The Children and Young People Team received 59 referrals including first-time referrals from 2 Schools. The Team liaises closely with parents, guardians, School staff and any other organisations that may be involved to agree a cohesive and co-ordinated service that delivers the optimum support for the young person through 1-1 counselling as well as responding to schools requests for support for both pupils and staff. There are 3 counsellors in the Team, supported by other volunteers where required for family or group sessions.
The yearly training started mid-January 2022 with a group size of 6 , the minimum number we will deliver the course to. We were able to start with a team of three facilitators for the first time thanks to 2 of our volunteers both of whom are qualified counsellors. We include a maximum of two counselling trainees each year who, having qualified, are remaining as committed volunteers which means we now have at least six qualified counselling practitioners at WBS.
The Service received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2022. The logo now forms part of all publicity material and correspondence which can only serve to raise our profile further and attract more interest, support and funding from the local community and beyond.
Demand for our services in 2022 continued at high levels with referrals exceeding the 2021 numbers. This generated a need for increased resources for administration and counselling capability in order to keep waiting lists to a minimum and to maintain the high standards that, Woodside Bereavement Service has been our trademark over the past 30 years.
Financial Review
At the beginning of 2022, we received notification from the National Lottery Community Fund that we had been successful in our bid for funding of £77,600 for three years to March 2025, comprising annual grant income of £24,600 in 2022/23 and £26,500 in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This gave us a breathing space to meet increases in running costs and allows us to consider the future and the sustainability of the Service after the expiry of the grant in 2025.
We are grateful to the Fund for this opportunity to continue our delivery with a degree of certainty at a very uncertain time for all organisations. We also remain grateful to our regular supporters in the local community for their continued support. Thanks to them, in 2022 we were able to transfer just under £10,000 to our reserves for future years to replenish those following the drawing on resources in 2021.
During 2022, the impact of the financial crisis both nationally and locally led to cost uncertainty , especially with relation to potential changes to core costs of premises rentals, insurances, office costs and staffing. We were relieved to be informed by our landlord , Croydon Voluntary Action, that our rentals would not be increased until April 2023 . We were therefore able to finish the year with an increase in our reserves which stood at £36,400 at the end of 2022 (£28,600 unrestricted & £7,800 restricted). The charity’s reserves policy is to maintain a balance of at least three months unrestricted payments and this balance exceeds that target.
Volunteers
The Service would not be able to operate its current model without the time and input given freely by the volunteers both as counsellors and in the administration and management functions. Heartfelt thanks go to all the volunteers and friends in the community who help the Service to deliver its aims and objectives. Altogether around 1300 volunteer hours were delivered across the service.
Structure, governance and management
The service is constituted in accordance with its Constitution which is agreed in consultation with Trustees, Management Team and members.
The Service is overseen by the Trustees, who receive reports from the Management Team and consider any issues raised at their quarterly meetings.
Trustees are nominated and selected by vote at the annual general meeting. Where there is a need to recruit new trustees following resignations, advertisements are placed in the service Newsletter and local churches so as to attract and retain suitable candidates committed to our values.
The day-to day management of the Service is carried out by the Management Team comprising representatives of the main operating areas. Their role consists of assessment of service performance, issues affecting delivery, following up fundraising possibilities and taking decisions on service amendments where necessary.
Administrative information.
During 2022, the Service operated from a Counselling Room and a shared office in the Croydon Voluntary Action premises at 26 Waterside , South Norwood . Some Group Sessions were provided at Selsdon Baptist Church in South Croydon. The correspondence address is Waterside Centre, 26 Avenue Road, London SE25 4DX.
Trustees/ Officers who are serving at the time this report was approved are as follows:
1. Linda Nicholas - Chair
2. Charles Thomas King
3. Vincent Kpodo Atigla
4. Anne Barcellos
It is the view of the Trustees that the Aims, as implemented through the activities detailed above, fall within the descriptions of charitable purposes that are for the public benefit, as set out in the Charities Act 2011
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees.
Linda Nicholas – Chair, Board of Trustees June 2023
charity number: 1041666
Woodside Bereavement Service
Receipts and Payments Account for the year ended 31.12.2022
----- Start of picture text -----
General Fund Restricted Funds Total
2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 2021
£.p £.p £.p £.p £.p £.p
RECEIPTS
Grants
National Lottery Grant 0.00 24,600.00 24,600.00 0.00
0.00 0.00 24,600.00 0.00 24,600.00 0.00
Donations
General Donations 7,454.55 5,086.33 7,454.55 5,086.33
Rowland Brothers 0.00 600.00 0.00 600.00
Woodside Baptist 338.65 50.00 338.65 50.00
Selsdon Baptist Church 0.00 500.00 0.00 500.00
Addiscombe Catholic Church 3,246.50 2,200.00 3,246.50 2,200.00
11,039.70 8,436.33 0.00 0.00 11,039.70 8,436.33
Gift Aid giving
Regular Giving 340.00 360.00 340.00 360.00
One-off Giving 440.00 4,750.00 440.00 4,750.00
Gift Aid reimbursed 0.00 732.01 0.00 732.01
780.00 5,842.01 0.00 0.00 780.00 5,842.01
Fundraising
Fundraising activities 1,094.00 23.70 1,094.00 23.70
1,094.00 23.70 1,094.00 23.70
Training Income 1,770.00 0.00 1,770.00 0.00
Interest Received 28.04 6.33 28.04 6.33
Other Income 65.00 84.00 65.00 84.00
TOTAL RECEIPTS 14,776.74 14,392.37 24,600.00 0.00 39,376.74 14,392.37
PAYMENTS
Salaries Pay, Tax, NI 1,999.50 7,998.50 6,485.40 8,484.90 7,998.50
Travel expenses 40.40 178.10 138.60 179.00 178.10
Insurance 351.24 1,186.03 529.98 881.22 1,186.03
Office Expenses Telephone 191.16 482.40 534.41 725.57 482.40
Computer/Internet 807.99 63.17 63.17 807.99
Stationery 30.55 0.00 201.99 232.54 0.00
Printing & Postage 61.89 424.93 134.68 196.57 424.93
283.60 1,715.32 934.25 0.00 1,217.85 1,715.32
Property Exp. Rent/room hire 1,830.00 7,420.00 6,345.00 8,175.00 7,420.00
Equipment/Resources 370.85 155.51 292.38 663.23 155.51
Supplies & Services Supervision costs 0.00 355.00 745.00 745.00 355.00
Training 0.00 1,322.90 1,322.90 0.00
TOTAL PAYMENTS 4,875.59 19,008.46 16,793.51 0.00 21,669.10 19,008.46
NET : RECEIPTS-PAYMENTS 9,901.15 -4,616.09 7,806.49 0.00 17,707.64 -4,616.09
Cash & Bank Balances @ 1st January 18,707.33 23,323.42 0.00 18,707.33 23,323.42
Receipts - Payments 2022 9,901.15 -4,616.09 7,806.49 0.00 17,707.64 -4,616.09
Transfers between Funds 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
Cash & Bank Balances @ 31st December 28,608.48 18,707.33 7,806.49 0.00 36,414.97 18,707.33
----- End of picture text -----
Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the | period |
|---|---|
| Cash Funds: Bank Current account Bank Deposit account Petty cash Total cash funds Other monetary assets: Gift aid receivable Date of approval 22-Jun-23 Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees. |
2022 £.p 4,561.28 31,841.69 12.00 |
| 36,414.97 1,618.00 |
Linda Nicholas – Chair, Board of Trustees
Independent Examiner’s report to the Trustees of Woodside Bereavement Service
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31st December 2022
As the charity’s trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Gordon Cowie 134 Foxberry Road London SE4 2SH
Date: 6 October 2023