2024-03-31-accounts - Shooting Star Children's Hospices

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tie hake : Aligning Le ° aa the stars * Annual report and Re financial statements es 8 ee for the year ended March 2024 Registered Charity No. 1042495 Company Registration No. 02927688 (England and Wales)

Chair and Chief Executive introductions 3-4 Trustees’ report (including strategic report) 5-30 Independent auditor’s report 31-33 Consolidated statement of financial activities 34-35 Group and charity balance sheets 36 Consolidated statement of cashflows 37 Notes to the financial statements 38-62 Reference and administrative details 63-64 ~~7~~

Make every moment count

children’s hospices Aligning the stars

Thank you from our Chair of Trustees

It is with immense pride and gratitude that I present to you this year’s annual report, which highlights our outstanding performance and ongoing progress with our 2023-2026 strategy, For Every Family. The commitment of our multidisciplinary team has ensured that we are there for the children and families who need us, providing vital wrap-around, tailored care.

Through our expanded bereavement service, families of babies or children, who have died suddenly, now have access to our expert and comprehensive bereavement care. The feedback received from families using the service has been uplifting and it is heartening to learn how much of an impact the dedicated team has made in guiding family members through their darkest moments. Since its launch, 51 families have been referred to us. These are mothers, fathers, siblings and grandparents who would previously not have had access to bespoke bereavement support to help them cope.

In January, our purpose-built children’s hospice, Christopher’s, opened its sixth bed, signifying a substantial expansion in our capacity to support more children and their families with planned and emergency respite and end-of-life care. The number of beds we can open is closely tied to funding, as well as being able to ensure that there are safe staffing levels in place. Thanks to the drive and determination of our teams, the bed was opened and we now have more nights available for the coming year.

We have continued to strengthen our partnerships and forged new and significant connections within the health, local authority and political environment. By collaborating and working alongside others, we can ensure we are there for families across Surrey, northwest and south-west London. This effort has increased awareness of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, leading to an increase in the number of family referrals we have received.

These are families who will meet others going through similar circumstances, like Praveen, Vanessa’s dad. Reflecting on their journey with us, he said, “The support is ongoing. Without them, we would not be where we are now. We look at Shooting Star as family .’‘

This sentiment is often shared by many of our families, reflecting all the services they have been able to access which evidently provide a lifeline. We have a multitude of projects and initiatives underway to increase and improve the support we offer to families, which you will read more about in this annual report, aptly named Aligning the stars . This title reflects the pivotal year which 2023/4 has been for Shooting Star, as we mapped out our new future and aligned workstreams to set a robust foundation for our strategy going forward.

Care, of course, for our children and their families is the critical activity which we seek to perform every day at an increasingly high level. The other key activity of Shooting Star is the raising of funds from our supporters and government bodies, centrally and locally, to enable us to deliver on our mission. This is an increasingly competitive task, but our team is becoming more adept in marketing to grow awareness and identify new sources of support. I am hugely pleased with what we have achieved in this key area.

As always, thank you to our incredible team of staff, led by our CEO, our volunteers and trustees for the remarkable achievements made this year, and to our supporters, without whom we could not make such outstanding progress.

Andrew M Coppel CBE

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A message from our Chief Executive

As we reflect on the past year, I am incredibly proud and deeply moved by the strides Shooting Star Children’s Hospices has made in supporting babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions and their families. Our commitment to delivering exceptional care and building a sustainable future has been unwavering, thanks to the dedication of our trustees, staff, volunteers and supporters.

The pivotal decision to extend our specialist bereavement support to families who have lost a child suddenly, as outlined in our 2023-2026 strategy For Every Family , has had a profound impact on the families we are now supporting. Our bereavement support has increased from reaching just 30% of families in our catchment area in 2022/23, to almost 50% in 2023/24. This is a testament to our collective effort to help more families and ensure they are not alone in their grief.

Along with the launch of our extended bereavement service, we have made significant inroads on each of the five goals within our strategy (see page 5) and exceeded expectations for some of the initiatives we promised to deliver this year. As we expand our services in the coming years, delivering high-quality care and support to all families will continue to remain front of mind. Striking this balance is crucial to us. As we prioritise improvements alongside expansion, we want to ensure that our efforts are focused on both increasing our impact and enhancing the excellence of our services for those we currently support.

This is our continued focus as we head into the next financial year, along with developing the skills of our staff. Investing in our team, including volunteers, is paramount to our success. By enhancing their expertise, providing training and fostering a supportive learning environment, we will be laying solid foundations as we move through our strategy, embracing the opportunities and taking on the challenges we face.

We also see opportunities to leverage digital technologies to reach more families effectively. Additionally, Shooting Star is looking at how we can better serve and provide support to communities right across our area, including north-west London. Collaborating closely with Integrated Care Boards and with local authorities will be essential as we face the tough funding environment together.

In January, our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Edinburgh very kindly hosted a wonderful reception at St. James’s Palace to celebrate our achievements and say thank you to many of our supporters and corporate partners. It is in that spirit that I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all our trustees, staff, volunteers, partners, supporters and families, who have been instrumental in our achievements. Together, we are a unified team with a shared purpose: to make every moment count. As we move into the next year of our strategy, we remain resolute on providing the very best support we can to children with life-limited conditions and their families, and to those families whose child has sadly died.

Paul Farthing

Aligning the stars

Our purpose and ambition

We provide specialist care and support to families who have a baby, child or young person with a lifelimiting condition, or who have been bereaved.

We help families make every moment count by supporting them from diagnosis to end of life with a range of specialist nursing, practical and emotional care. Our bespoke support is free of charge to families and available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It includes specialist nursing in the community, symptom management and pain relief, overnight respite stays, end-of-life care and a comprehensive range of therapies, groups and clinics for the whole family including mums, dads, siblings and grandparents.

We also provide specialist bereavement care. Whether a child dies from a life-limiting condition or dies suddenly, every family faces the immensity of grief that follows; our specialist care helps support families through the unimaginable.

Care is provided at our CQC-rated Outstanding hospice in Guildford, Christopher’s, at our Outreach, Therapy and Family Support Centre in Hampton, Shooting Star House, in the family home and in hospital.

Our strategy

Our 2023-2026 strategy, For Every Family , sets out our purpose, ambition and path to deliver outstanding care over the next three years. It embraces two important principles: providing the best care to children and families across Surrey, north-west London and south-west London, and recognising that many families are not getting the support they need.

Our purpose

We believe every life-limited or dying child and their family should have the opportunity to make every moment count and get the support they need.

Our ambition

We will support every family with a life-limited child or whose child has died, when they need us.

Our goals

Do more: Help more children and families Do better: Be seen as outstanding

Co-create: Build partnerships that add value Grow income: Ensure our work is sustainable Grow people: Be proudly chosen by staff and volunteers

Public benefit

In accordance with the Charities Act 2011, the trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when deciding and planning Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’ activities. The following sections demonstrate how Shooting Star Children’s Hospices met its charitable purpose in 2023/24 and its principal achievements under its respective strategic priority areas.

Aligning the stars

The difference we made in 2023/24

151 new referrals were accepted (a 45% increase on 2022/23)

544 children 1,767 family members with life-limiting received support conditions were (a 15% increase supported (a on 2022/23) 1% increase on 2022/23)

117 events were held for children and their families with 1,337 attendees (a 10% increase on the number of events in 2022/23)

258 bereaved families accessed our specialist bereavement care (a 47% increase on 2022/23)

47% of all newly bereaved families 1,474 care nights were offered were provided our specialist (a 12% decrease bereavement from 2022/23) care

15,134 face-toface and telephone contacts were made to families (a 30% increase on 2022/23)

Our bereavement suites were in use 87 nights of the year (a 5% decrease from 2022/23)

5,413.68 kg of Co2 62% of the waste emissions were saved, across our sites was the equivalent of planting recycled (60% at 327.54 trees, thanks Christopher’s, 50% to solar panels at our at Shooting Star Guildford hospice, House, 75% at our Christopher’s distribution unit)

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices | Annual report and financial statements for the year ended March 2024

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices | Annual report and financial statements for the year ended March 2024 Shooting Star Children’s Hospices | Annual report and financial statements for the year ended 2024

Aligning the stars

How we supported children and families in 2023/24

Our dedicated team work together to deliver outstanding care to children and their families. They include:

Nurses and carers who ensure each child’s complex care needs are met during a respite stay whilst also enabling the child to access a range of fun, sensory and therapeutic activities;
Community nurses who provide emotional and practical support and nursing care to families in their homes during the last six months of a child’s life;
A Specialist Paediatric pAlliative CarE (SPACE) team who provide care and advice in end-of-life care and symptom management to help improve a child’s quality of life;
A Family Support Team consisting of family support workers, therapists, counsellors, social workers, and transition coordinators who ensure that support is provided holistically to the whole family from diagnosis to end of life and through the early years of bereavement.

Supporting more life-limited children

Our purpose-built children’s hospice, Christopher’s, opened its sixth bed in January marking a significant expansion in our capacity to support as many families as possible with planned and emergency respite, and end-of-life care. Despite the national nursing shortage, a successful nurse recruitment campaign utilising our digital platforms resulted in us recruiting enough nurses to safely open an additional bed. Having an additional bed open round the clock allows us more flexibility in offering care to babies, children, and young people at the time they need it and will reduce the risk of having to cancel much-needed respite stays.

1,136 planned respite stays

82 symptom management care stays

Improving palliative care in the community

We were there when families with a life-limited child needed us the most. Our on-call rota ensured a children’s palliative care nurse was available to provide medical support for an end of life child either over the phone, in the family home or in hospital, no matter what time of day it was. To ensure the rota is fully staffed, we partnered with 13 Community Nursing Teams in our catchment area; in total, our team undertook 124 end of life visits in the community. So that families and experts have advice and support when needed, we also worked with The Royal Marsden to offer a telephone helpline, open 24-hours a day, seven days a week, for children and families with specialist palliative care needs.

We have also provided expert care and support to babies needing palliative care. Our perinatal clinical nurse specialist (CNS) has started working with two neonatal intensive care units (NICU) – by attending ward rounds at each hospital, it has been possible to identify babies who could benefit from the services we provide, facilitate referrals and support NICU teams with symptom control and advanced care planning. Our SPACE team have also been able to provide end-of-life care in person in NICUs. We have connected with teams in all the other neonatal units in south-west London and Surrey and we are about to start working with Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NICU which services north-west London.

To improve access to symptom management medicines in paediatric intensive care units (PICU) and to support the rapid transfer of patients who require these medicines from PICU to a different setting, our SPACE team worked collaboratively with the PICU team at St George’s Hospital. A team consisting of a pharmacist, medical leaders, PICU lead nurses and SPACE team members have developed a Service Operational Policy to ensure safe governance is in place as well as access to equipment. Once this work is fully embedded, it will mean that palliative and end-of-life care needs can be responded to rapidly and different routes to administer medicines can be accommodated if required.

256 end of life and emergency care stays

Aligning the stars

Expanding our specialist bereavement care

Families of babies or children who have died suddenly, and not just those previously known to the charity, can now access our expert and comprehensive bereavement care to help cope with the death of a child. This service provides a new pathway of care which includes a rapid-response referral system and specialist trauma therapies. Our specialist bereavement care is available for three years and three months after a child has died.

Since November, when we launched the expansion of our bereavement service, 51 families of children who have died suddenly have been referred to us. These are families who would otherwise not have access to bereavement care and support.

To reach families in north-west London, an area of our catchment that experiences the highest number of infant and child deaths, the greatest level of deprivation and limited or no local support for bereaved families, we have forged partnerships with the team that reviews the deaths of all children in the area (Child Death Overview Panel – CDOP). We have also built relationships with hospital liaison teams across south-west London as well as Surrey’s CDOP to ensure we are there for families during their darkest moments.

Our bereavement support has increased from reaching just 30% of families who have a child that dies in 2022/23, to almost 50% in 2023/24.

Improving the transition into adult services

We are working hard to improve the support for young people transitioning from our care into adult services. Our transition expert, with the support of our young people and their families, designed ‘My Transition’, an interactive, live communication tool that ensures all aspects of a young person’s medical, educational, legal and social care needs are considered when entering adult services. It has been successfully piloted with great feedback and has now been introduced to all our young people entering transition under our care.

Creating moments to connect

We know that the real experts are other families who have experienced the diagnosis of a life-limiting condition or the death of their child. To give families the opportunity to meet each other and develop personal support networks, our care events team hosted 117 events. Events varied from pamper days for supported and bereaved mums to launching our bereavement café at Shooting Star House where our team of family support workers and counsellors are there to chat and listen. Event highlights include our Royal Patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh GCVO meeting some of the children and families we support at Christopher’s; Patron and presenter Joel Dommett visiting Shooting Star House to spend time with families; supported and bereaved siblings learning bushcraft at Rugged Earth Adventure centre; and our Youth Group enjoying a sailing session with Frensham Pond Sailing Club as part of their Sailability programme.

Our event attendance and engagement increased by 47% this year with 1,337 mums, dads, brothers, sisters and grandparents attending events.

Transforming our spaces

As demand on our care and support increases, it is crucial that we evolve and create additional spaces to deliver our therapy and counselling services. In February, we created two new consultation rooms at Christopher’s by refurbishing a family flat in collaboration with Burbeck Interiors, who kindly designed, procured and installed a range of donated furniture. We also re-configured our care floor creating additional clinical spaces. At Shooting Star House, two new counselling rooms were created as well as additional office space.

Our bespoke music studio, where children with lifelimiting conditions and their siblings can enjoy the benefits of music therapy, was officially opened by our Vice-President and music icon, Tony Hadley MBE. It is complete with soundproofed walls, double glazed windows and underfloor heating, made possible thanks to the generosity of corporate supporters Osborne Construction and the Smyth family, who helped fund the build and materials.

Aligning the stars

We also upgraded our specialist sensory technology thanks to a kind donation from children’s charity Lifelites. The technology, which gives children the opportunity to have fun, play, relax and be stimulated, was donated along with training and technical support services.

Fostering a research culture

Over the year we took steps towards fostering a stronger research culture across Shooting Star. Journal clubs ran on a bi-monthly basis, encouraging staff to identify and present research papers, staff have been supported to attend conferences to present their work in differing formats and three members of the care team have completed their master’s level study and will seek to publish their work in 2024/25. We have also worked in collaboration with other centres to recruit participants for small and large-scale studies and have a series of stakeholder events to feed into a new research strategy planned for the coming financial year.

Sharing our knowledge

We know that collaboration is crucial to providing the best possible care to children with life-limiting conditions and their families. That is why we codesigned and co-delivered a week-long innovative virtual e-learning placement with Kingston University, the first collaboration of its kind in the UK. This provided second year children’s nursing students and learning disabilities students with a better understanding of children’s hospice services. It included access to a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting and journal club, in-depth information on advance care planning and paediatric care pathways, and a day at Shooting Star House.

Alongside the Surrey and south-west London Paediatric Palliative Care Area Network (SPAN), we also created educational courses suitable for health and social care practitioners with experience of, or interest in, paediatric palliative care. With face-to-face, virtual and webinar options, the training focuses on a mix of topics to provide a diverse and robust programme.

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Our families

Toby’s story

In the weeks leading up to Christmas in 2022, a devastating diagnosis changed life forever for Toby and his family. At the age of eight, doctors discovered Toby had adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare brain disease that irreversibly damages the brain and spinal cord.

“During what should have been a time of joy, we were told that our happy and bright little boy would become totally dependent on us and would die from the condition. It was devastating,” Toby’s mum, Fleur said.

Toby was diagnosed after his mobility started to fail. Within the space of a year, he had gone from walking, to being in a wheelchair. He had also lost his speech, swallow, continence and was having numerous absent seizures in a day.

tailored services the charity provides. In the year following his diagnosis, Toby had numerous sessions in the hydrotherapy pool and his siblings accessed a range of creative therapies including art and music. Fleur’s parents also attended grandparents’ days at Christopher’s.

In May 2024, just 17 months after being diagnosed, Toby sadly died. His family were able to spend time with him at our Guildford hospice, Christopher’s, saying goodbye and making precious memories.

“Coming here has been huge for us. I think the predominant reason was to support our children, but in doing so, we have also met other parents. You are in the same situation, everyone is in this together. Without Shooting Star, I think we would honestly be a little bit lost,” said Fleur.

Fleur and her husband, Matthew, wanted to ensure their family had the wrap around support they needed and contacted Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, knowing they could all benefit from many of the bespoke and

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Vanessa’s story

While laying on her mother’s lap, just a month after she was born, Vanessa started foaming at the mouth and shaking. Her parents, Praveen and Natalja, immediately called 999.

“I was terrified at what was happening,” Vanessa’s dad, Praveen, reflected.

Vanessa was later diagnosed with epilepsy, triggered by a FGF 12 gene mutation. Praveen said, “Vanessa is wheelchair bound and she has several medical conditions, but she is a very cheerful, happy girl.”

When the family were first introduced to Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, they were apprehensive. “After doing some research, I understood Shooting

Star was a place where they provide palliative care, and this honestly scared me,” explains Natalja, “but when I came here, it was completely different.” Praveen added, “It was the first time someone, in all this time, asked, ‘how are we?’”

Since 2015, Vanessa and her family, including siblings, Trisha, ten, and Tristan, five, have been supported by our bespoke wraparound care service. “The support is ongoing. Without them, we would not be where we are now. Vanessa also goes to Shooting Star for overnight care; when she is there we are confident she is going to have a great time. We look at Shooting Star as family,” Praveen said.

To read more about the families we support, visit shootingstar.org.uk/family-stories

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices | Annual report and financial statements for the year ended March 2024

Aligning the stars

Income generation

Our donors, supporters, lottery players and funding partners collectively helped us raise more than £11.9m in 2023/24. Without their incredible generosity, we simply could not do what we do.

Fundraising highlights

Over the past year, our supporters have gone above and beyond to raise money for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices; from daring endeavours like skydiving and trekking the heights of Snowdon, to generously supporting us with a monthly donation or a gift in their will. Here are some highlights from the year:

Pupils and parents from the Hampton School Boat Club and Lady Eleanor Holles School Boat Club accomplished a remarkable feat, raising over £80,000 for us through an impressive 80-mile sponsored row on the River Thames.
We received many wonderful legacies including Maureen Mulvany who generously left one third of her estate to us in her will, potentially worth a phenomenal £550,000.
Our Vice-Presidents, Dame Joan Collins DBE and Simon Cowell, Patron Philip Glenister and celebrity supporter Leigh Francis joined the London trading floor at the annual ICAP Charity Day, where brokers donate 100% of their revenues and commissions from deals to charities; we received an incredible £100,000 from the day.
For a second year in a row, we benefited from The Big Give Christmas Challenge. Thanks to incredible pledges from supporters, matched funding from The Childhood Trust and a number of donations during the campaign week, we almost doubled last year’s total raising £98,230.
Corporate partner, Stirling Ackroyd, took on running challenges and Tough Mudder events, went head-to-head in an Apprentice Challenge at our shops and sponsored our Christmas tree collection which raised over £18,000.

“You are changing the world without even knowing it and you guys are the true inspiration. I have had an amazing time running for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and would do it all over again. This whole experience has, hands down, been one of the best of my life.” London Marathon runner

Retail and eCommerce

Our retail operation has continued to flourish, performing above budget and 14% above last year. This accomplishment can be attributed to the milestone achievement of opening all our shops seven days a week. We also increased our Gift Aid conversion rate, with 51% of our donors now signed up.

Our stores in Hampton Hill, Shepperton and Teddington received a makeover; better lighting was installed, new flooring was laid, new display spaces were added and a fresh coat of paint was applied, and in late November we held our first pop-up shop joining forces with nine other charities as part of CharitySuper.MKT in Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush.

We also hosted our first ever Winter Warehouse Sale giving us a chance to sell items that had previously been rotated between various shops and reduced as much as possible; doors opened at 10am, but people were arriving and queuing an hour before.

The Care Database

Four new hospices signed license agreements to use our specialist database software, The Care Database. This included our first adult hospice, as well as our first children’s hospice in Europe. Total net profit from The Care Database was £488,055.

“The support provided by the Care Database Team has been amazing. With a lot of system and process transitions after the inception, nothing has been a problem and the team always delivered the best possible support and training with documents to support. This all helps with the amazing service we can then provide to our special babies.” Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice

Aligning the stars

Statutory partnerships

Our work this year with external stakeholders has taught us much about how to engage with an everchanging Integrated Care Systems (ICS) landscape, and relationships at Director and CEO level as well as at grass roots level with individual funding managers have grown. These relationships, as well as those built with key political stakeholders, will be crucial to conversations in the next financial year around statutory funding; particularly given the devolution of the Children’s Hospice Grant from NHS England to Integrated Care Boards (ICBs).

Our logo refresh and brand activation work

In early 2023 we surveyed over 5,000 adults living across Surrey, south-west London and north-west London to better understand how our brand was perceived and whether it was recognised locally. We also ran focus groups with our local community as well as supporters. Through this research we found that whilst our brand had strong foundations, our logo was causing confusion and awareness of who we were was only just over 50%. We have an ambitious three-year strategy to support every life-limited child or family whose child has died when they need us, so we have to ensure the local community know who we are and what we do, and reduce any barriers there are to accessing our specialist care. We also need a brand that resonates with supporters and helps to drive income.

With input from staff, families and volunteers, we refreshed our logo and ran a brand activation campaign across Surrey in September. This included print advertising in local newspapers and magazines, a radio advert, out of home adverts at train stations and supermarkets, and digital adverts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and across Google Display Network.

In March 2024 we re-surveyed the general public and found that awareness had shifted significantly with 67% stating they had heard of us prior to taking the survey. To build on this, we plan to run a similar campaign in 2024/25.

Joel Dommett took on the London Marathon dressed in the winning costume from The Masked Singer, Piranha.

Aligning the stars

Our income and expenditure in 2023/24

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Donations and legacies
£4,378,634
Investment
income
£425,440 Charitable
activities
Total income £3,257,708
£12,354,437
Events and
other income
£783,861
Retail and other
Lotteries trading income
income £2,022,589
£1,486,205
Hospice care
£4,067,083
Managing
investments
£30,033
Lottery
£244,212
Family support
Practice
and therapies
education
£1,168,707
Total expenditure £274,144
£10,604,638 Community
nursing
£354,547
Care
support
Raising funds
£720,288
£1,595,211
SPACE (symptom
Trading costs management)
£1,341,631 £808,782
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Aligning the stars

Our approach to raising voluntary income

From bake sales to buying pre-loved items in one of our shops, corporate partnerships to gifts in wills, fundraising continues to be an incredibly important source of income for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

Our fundraising focuses on:

4 Individuals giving donations, either one-off gifts or regularly
Gifts in wills
The solicitation and stewardship of entries to a lottery being paid by Direct Debit or cash gifts
Running events and entering individuals into challenge events like the London Marathon
Partnerships with businesses, schools, community groups and other organisations
Gifts from trusts and foundations
Supporting members of the public to conduct fundraising activities
Selling donated goods via shops and online

We also received Gift Aid on monetary donations, event sponsorship and donations to our shops which totalled £263,500 (£236,922 in 2022/23).

Positive fundraising

We are committed to being accountable and transparent. We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator and comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice, and we’re an organisational member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. Our fundraising programmes also comply with our Vulnerable Person’s Policy, which aligns with the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 and reflects guidance from the Fundraising Regulator and the Chartered Institute of Fundraising. The fundamental tenets of the policy are incorporated into our training programmes.

Addressing concerns

Last year we issued 491,509 marketing emails, over 28,474 direct mail letters, 1,193 people took part in our challenge events and we engaged with 364 businesses. Our seven shops took 99,002 customer transactions.

Any complaints are taken seriously and we have a robust approach to handling issues raised. During 2023/24 we received two complaints related to inhouse fundraising activity (three in 2022/23), nine complaints related to Tuckwell Chase Lottery (TCL) (ten in 2022/23), and no complaints related to our retail operations (four in 2022/23). These complaints were thoroughly investigated, and none required referral to the Fundraising Regulator, Ofcom, the Information Commissioner’s Office or any other regulatory body.

On behalf of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, TCL engages two companies as commercial participators. There are commercial contracts in place with each that sets out responsibilities and oversight arrangements. These companies undertake face-to-face fundraising to recruit new members to the lottery. TCL provide appropriate training to all companies and Shooting Star Children’s Hospices has oversight of the training material. We also monitor any complaints raised. TCL ensures compliance with the Code of Fundraising Practice and with Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’ Vulnerable Person’s Policy. TCL reports its activities to a board that includes representatives from Shooting Star Children’s Hospices.

Our Supporter Promise, available on our website, confirms our commitment to abiding by the Fundraising Preference Service and the Mail and Telephone Preference Services. We operate a whistleblowing policy and a complaints policy and process, as required by the Code of Fundraising Practice. We are also registered with the Gambling Commission to run a lottery, conduct a supporter raffle and hold draws at local events.

Aligning the stars

Celebrating our people

Our dedicated staff and volunteers are integral to fulfilling our purpose of helping every child with a life-limiting condition have the opportunity to make every moment count.

coping with grief or who have caring responsibilities, we launched a menopause awareness programme and we developed a neurodiversity policy. A notable milestone this year was our accreditation as a Disability Confident Employer, which represents our ongoing commitment to supporting and empowering employees with disabilities.

92% of staff are proud to work at Shooting Star

97% of staff enjoy the work they do

97% of staff would be happy with the standard of care provided if a friend or relative needed treatment

Recognising our incredible volunteers

Tracie Lewin-Taylor, Nurse Consultant, receiving her Queen’s Nurse award

Nurturing a high-performing team

We implemented a new development initiative, Starlight Academy, to offer a wide range of learning opportunities to staff across the organisation to support their career progression and personal development. Meanwhile, the first stage of the Future Engage Deliver (FED) Leadership Development Programme concluded, marking a significant milestone in our journey to strengthen the leadership capabilities and skills of directors and heads of departments.

To ensure we continue to provide a high level of care to the children we support, we undertook a training needs analysis with our in-house care team, to identify any skills and knowledge gaps. Staff were then provided with a bespoke personal development plan and we tailored our training programme to address any skills or knowledge gaps.

Our commitment to fostering a positive and dynamic workplace culture is demonstrated through our proactive approach to employee engagement; in May we ran a Birdsong staff opinion survey with the results being used to inform continuous organisational improvement and employee satisfaction. We also made significant progress in our wellbeing initiatives; we joined the Hospice UK Compassionate Employers programme to enhance our support to employees

Our charity thrives thanks to the unwavering support from volunteers who devote their time, knowledge and expertise to help us achieve our purpose. Their roles are varied, ranging from supporting our care team, caring for our two sites, stewarding at our fundraising events and helping in our charity shops.

With a big increase in the number of events organised by the Family Support team, we have expanded our cohort of sibling and family event volunteers to support our Pamper Days, Siblings Days, Memory Days, trips and outings, and a wide range of other activity days at our hospices. We even recruited a volunteer hairdresser to help at our new Bereavement Café.

A breakdown of our volunteers:

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17% Care 62% Retail
SALE
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21% Fundraising and admin support

Aligning the stars

To keep in touch with volunteers who are no longer able to volunteer but wish to remain connected, we launched our Volunteer Connect group. The 55 volunteers in the group receive two newsletters per year and an invite to our Volunteer Thank You event.

At a recent Parent Forum, supported parents were asked about their experiences of our volunteers. Parents described the “incredible, empathetic and loving way” the care volunteers support families. They described the importance of volunteer receptionists, how the children love to see them and the “tight bond” that is often created with those who attend on regular days. They value the way our volunteers demonstrate “no judgement or assumptions” and one dad talked about how he thought it is “brave” for someone to choose to volunteer at a children’s hospice.

Throughout 2023/24, there were 52 corporate volunteering sessions which incorporated a range of tasks from gardening at the hospices, volunteering at the distribution unit or taking over our charity shops in Apprentice Challenges; more than 310 individuals joined us from 36 different companies. This equates to 1,916 hours and 255 working days’ worth of free support.

We are grateful to the businesses that have given us their expertise pro-bono. Here are a few incredible examples:

Fourfront Group completed a space utilisation study and created design plans for our two sites, and produced a 3D tour of Christopher’s.
Burbeck Interiors transformed one of our family flats into two consultation rooms to deliver our therapy and counselling services.
Taylor Wimpey, Southwest, painted our store frontages to freshen them up.
Fairland carried out vital works on the first-floor terrace at Shooting Star House.
Gartner Group provided consultancy support on our strategy development and sustainability plans.
Beard Construction, in collaboration with Guildford College, constructed a large storage area for our Guildford shop.
Amazon Fresh provided items for the care packages we sent to our London Marathon runners.

Aligning the stars

What we promised and what we delivered

----- Start of picture text -----
What we promised What we delivered
Do more
Offer bereavement support to 40% of families whose child 119 newly bereaved families (47%) accessed our specialist
has died (from 74 families to 102). bereavement care.
Offer palliative care to 25% of babies, children and young 77 babies, children and young people (31%) received
people who are dying (from 47 children to 57). palliative care at our hospice, in their home or in hospital.
Provide 90% occupancy of open bed nights (from 1,687 Our hospice beds were occupied for 1,475 nights of the
nights to 1,912). year (78% occupancy) – this is lower than target, but with a
sixth bed at Christopher’s opening in Q4 our bed nights will
increase in 2024/25.
Do better
Deliver a programme of ongoing quality improvement across 33% of bereaved families and 48% of families with a
the whole organisation. life-limited child accessed our services quarterly.
This measure changed in-year to: Ensure that all children
and young people, and their families, have access to
appropriate service provision – 33% of bereaved families
and 50% open families accessing our services quarterly.
Become a ‘research active’ hospice. Three research papers were authored.
Be the ‘go to’ expert for child death in our area – increase 58 end of life referrals were made across the year.
end of life referrals by 20% (47 referrals).
Co-create
Increase the number of life-limited children, and their 72 children living with a life-limiting condition, and their
families, who use Shooting Star Children’s Hospices by 10% families, were referred to us.
(from 65 children to 72).
Build strong health, local authority and political partnerships We have representatives on the advisory councils for
– be at the table. Together for Short Lives and Hospice UK, as well as the
Health and Wellbeing Board in Surrey. We have also set up a
VCSE Bereavement Network and are leveraging the support
of local MPs.
Measure our reputation across all stakeholders. The average “Likely to Recommend” score was established as
8 (out of 10) and will inform our success measure in 2024/25.
Grow people
Every member of staff has the opportunity for relevant A new learning and development academy, Starlight
training and growth. Academy, was launched and a new success measure
will be established in 2024/25.
Increase volunteering hours by 10%. We were not able to measure this – in Q2 2024/25 we plan
to implement a new volunteering database to better track
volunteering impact.
Survey staff and volunteers on attitudes and concerns An all-staff Birdsong survey ran with 92% of staff stating
regularly. they were proud to work at Shooting Star and 97% happy
to recommend Shooting Star to friends or family should
This measure changed in-year to: Average “Likely to they need to.
Recommend” score improves.
Staff turnover decreases by 5% (from 26%). Staff turnover has decreased to 18.5%.
Grow income
Increase voluntary income to £5.62m (from £4.94m). Our voluntary income increased to £6.6m.
Increase statutory income to £3.3m (from £2.94m). Statutory funding increased to £3.3m.
Increase retail income year-on-year by 10% (from £1.01m to Retail income increased to £1.2m.
£1.13m).
Increase The Care Database income year-on-year by 10% The Care Database income increased to £0.9m.
(from £0.69m gross to £0.75m gross).
----- End of picture text -----

Aligning the stars

Our priorities for 2024/25

Do more Offer bereavement support to 70% of families whose child has died (from 119 families to 178)
%

Do more

Offer palliative care to 45% of babies, children and young people who are expected to die (from 77 children to 86)
Provide 90% occupancy of open bed nights (from 1,475 to 1,971 nights)

Do better

Ensure that all children, young people and families have access to appropriate service provision – 33% of bereaved families and 50% open families accessing our services quarterly.
Become a ‘research active’ hospice – five research papers authored
Be the ‘go to’ expert for child death in our area – increase end of life referrals year-on-year by 25% (from 58 referrals to 72)

Co-create

Increase the number of life-limited children, and their families, who use Shooting Star Children’s Hospices year-on-year by 10% (from 72 children to 79)
Build strong health, local authority and political partnerships – be leading discussions
% Average ‘likely to recommend’ score across stakeholders is 8.5
Grow people Every member of staff has the opportunity for
$ relevant training and growth – 75% of staff achieving at least ten Starlight Academy points

Grow people

Number of volunteering roles increased year on year
Average ‘pride in working’ score remains over 90%
Decrease staff turnover to 17.5%

Grow income

Sustain voluntary income at £6.4m
Deliver £3.2m in statutory income
Increase retail income year-on-year by 15%
Increase The Care Database income year-on-year by 15%

Please note: Bereavement figures are based on current mortality rates for children under the age of 18 in our area.

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Our structure

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices is a registered charity incorporated as a charitable company limited by guarantee. It is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association and controlled by the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees meets at least five times a year to monitor progress and make decisions concerning the charity’s strategic direction. The Chief Executive and Directors’ team attend board meetings.

Trustee selection

New trustees are recruited via an open selection process, which includes an application and interview, to ensure the Board has the desired range of skills and competencies. Induction and training procedures for new trustees include individual briefings by other trustees and senior management.

Management

The registered name of the company is Shooting Star Children’s Hospices. Following Section 60 of the Companies Act 2006, the company is exempt from the requirements of that Act to include “Limited” as part of its name.

During the year, five sub-committees of the Board work to link governance closer to the charity’s clinical services and enhance risk management and audit across the organisation. These are the Finance and Resources Committee, Care Strategy Committee, Quality Governance and Risk Committee and Income Generation Committee each meeting four times a year, and a new Remuneration, People and Governance Committee which meets twice a year. Individual trustees are appointed as lead trustees in each of these areas. Responsibility for overseeing each item in the charity’s risk register has been devolved to the appropriate committee, ensuring systems and procedures are in place and up to date to monitor and mitigate exposure to risks. We have a dedicated safeguarding lead who has overall responsibility for all matters relating to safeguarding and child protection.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices has two subsidiary companies. Shooting Star Marketing Limited is engaged in the sale of merchandise and donated goods via the charity’s own managed charity shops and online. Chase Hospice Trading Limited oversees the development and service delivery of The Care Database.

The key management personnel of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, responsible for directing and controlling the charity operations, comprise the trustees and members of the Directors’ team, as detailed on page 63.

The Board of Trustees appoints the Chief Executive to oversee the charity’s strategic direction, manage dayto-day operations, and report to the Board on progress. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefit or remuneration from the charity.

The Board approves the annual operational plan and a detailed budget, following initial scrutiny by the Finance and Resources Committee. The charity staff are authorised to work within the framework of the operational plan and budget under the direction of the Chief Executive, and with guidance from the relevant committee. All operational plans feed into the overarching organisational strategy, For Every Family . The trustees receive regular reports from the Chief Executive and Directors’ team, comprising a range of service-related, financial and other written information to measure the charity’s performance against specific budgets, targets, and strategic objectives. The Chief Executive meets collectively with operational directors weekly as members of the Directors’ team.

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices also owns 50% of Tuckwell Chase Lottery Limited under a joint venture agreement with Phyllis Tuckwell Memorial Hospice Limited. Each charity has three seats on the Board, and the role of Chair is rotated between the two organisations.

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Internal controls

The systems of internal controls are designed to provide reasonable, but not absolute, assurance against material misstatement or loss. They include:

Our three-year strategy and a business plan each year
An annual budget approved by the Board of Trustees
Regular forecasts to predict the likely outcome for the financial year
Regular monitoring of actual performance against budgets, forecasts and KPIs via a monthly dashboard
Delegation of authority to managers for expenditure within budget limits
Segregation of duties
Identification and management of risk
Assets are safeguarded against unauthorised use or disposition
Proper records are maintained, and financial information used within the charity or for publication is reliable
The charity complies with relevant laws and regulations
A system of effective clinical governance is in place

Key management remuneration

The remuneration of the Directors’ team is benchmarked to roles within other organisations of similar scope and size, taking into account differing levels of responsibility. Benchmark comparisons have been made against a group of similar-sized children’s hospices, together with information provided by Croner, an external pay benchmarking provider.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We promote equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) by living our PRIDE values (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence) in everything we say and do in our work and culture.

As part of our ongoing commitment to EDI, in 2023/24 we became accredited as a Disability Confident Employer. This accreditation is a testament to our proactive approach to creating an accessible and

supportive work environment, ensuring we are equipped to identify, attract, and retain talented individuals with diverse abilities. Building on this achievement, we are now striving to attain the Investors in Diversity (IiD) accreditation, facilitated by the National Centre for Diversity (NCFD). This decision is driven by our recognition of the need for a cohesive and effective EDI plan that is underpinned by the FREDIE Framework of fairness, respect, equality, diversity, inclusion, and engagement. This framework is essential for cultivating an organisational culture that is truly inclusive and reflective of the diverse society in which we operate.

We also collect EDI data submitted by our staff and volunteers to monitor recruitment, progression and opportunities for all; staff and volunteers from diverse backgrounds help us understand the needs of the children and families we support and how we can best represent their interests.

Our EDI Steering Group, with representation from across the charity, promotes diversity and inclusion in all its forms, and its importance and benefits beyond the legal minimum; the core basics of fairness and respect for difference, equality of opportunity and treatment across all races, age, sex, gender identity, religious belief, sexual orientation, disability, social background or civil status, championing those with caring responsibilities, part-time workers and more. It includes:

Modelling an inclusive environment
A focus on inclusion to build our culture and reputation as a place that attracts, develops, retains and fully engages diverse talent across our organisation
Improving diversity
Ensuring we are outward looking, understanding and appreciating the diversity of the sector we operate within, and having an inclusive and diverse workforce (staff and volunteers) that fully represents and understands the needs of the children and families we care for.

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Financial review

Overall, fundraising income performed well in 2023/24, with donations and legacy income up by £889,289 (25%) thanks to an increase in legacy income of £669,295. Statutory income also increased in the year by £240,704 (8%), mainly due to an increase in the NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant of £289,268.

Chase Hospice Trading Limited, the subsidiary which licenses The Care Database software, made a profit of £488,055 (£231,762 in 2022/2023) which was donated to the charity by way of a Gift Aid donation.

Our seven shops generated sales of £1,100,296 (£964,505 in 2022/23). Our retail company, Shooting Star Marketing Limited, generated £283,802 in profit, of which £222,484 was donated up to the charity by way of a Gift Aid donation. This was in addition to retail Gift Aid of £126,500 (2022/23 £88,725) which was also transferred to the charity.

Lower canvassing costs meant the joint venture lottery net income increased by £88,589 (17%).

Overall, total income increased by 16% from £10,626,338 in 2022/23 to £12,354,437 in 2023/24. Total expenditure increased by 8% from £9,796,223 in 2022/22 to £10,604,638 in 2023/24. Costs of generating funds increased by 19% from £1,338,898 in 2022/23 to £1,595,211 in 2023/24 as the team was fully staffed for most of the year.

Care expenditure increased by 13% from £6,524,924 to £7,393,551 due to the expansion of our bereavement service in November 2023 and staff vacancies being filled.

Other support costs increased by 30% from £1,907,264 to £2,477,435. The charity aims to keep support costs efficient and appropriate while retaining a safe environment for care delivery.

In the year under review group capital expenditure of £258,010 was spent on key projects including £80,000 on continued development of The Care Database software, £41,014 on solar panels at Christopher’s, £15,152 on the implementation of SAGE Intacct financial accounting software and £17,177 on a new nurse call system at Christopher’s.

Net unrestricted income (before transfers and movements on investments) amounted to £1,780,268 (net unrestricted income £653,956 in 2022/23). Excluding unrestricted depreciation and amortisation of £587,029 (£639,582 in 2022/23), the charity made an unrestricted surplus of £2,367,297 (£1,293,538 in 2022/23).

A deficit budget of £498,000 (cash surplus of £143,000) has been set for 2024/25. This includes some additional investments made to headcount within care to strengthen and develop our services, as well as investments in marketing and income generation to support the ongoing implementation of the new strategy.

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Investment policy, objectives and monitoring

The investment objectives are to ensure that the charity’s surplus funds are invested to produce a market rate of return consistent with the obligation to meet immediate financial needs and to take account of future spending commitments, possible unplanned changes in activities and the general economic outlook. Any additional funds are invested to provide income and long-term growth within the charity’s risk profile.

The attitude to risk is formally described as being a low to medium risk profile, recognising the need to diversify risk across institutions and asset classes. The investment managers are targeted with delivering a total return on investment of the long-term of CPI rate +3%.

Although the charity will have some higher risk investments within its overall portfolio, high risk investments such as traded options and futures are prohibited.

Investment decisions are the responsibility of the Board who also agree the Investment Policy. However, the Board delegates management of part of the investments to an approved investment adviser, in accordance with an agreement approved by the Board, and delegates to the Finance and Resources Committee the monitoring of investment performance and the management of the remaining part of the portfolio, which is held in cash and near cash deposits with financial institutions approved by the Board. The Committee meets with the Fund Managers twice a year to review performance and investment objectives.

In order to manage overall investment risk, the charity invests in two portfolios of listed securities: a low-level risk portfolio with a maximum exposure to equities of 51% and a medium-level risk portfolio with a maximum exposure to equities of 83.5%.

The amount available for investment will be as determined in the Reserves Policy. To account for ethical considerations the charity will not invest in any organisation where there is a practical conflict with our aims and activities and will avoid investments which may hamper our work by making potential beneficiaries unwilling to use the services of the charity, or that would alienate significant support.

The charity does not make any direct investments in the armaments, tobacco or pornography industries.

As regards investment income from the portfolios, the general principle is to reinvest income but to keep open the option for the Finance and Resources Committee to decide to draw down the income if required to meet budgetary requirements in a particular year.

The return on the portfolios during the year were measured at 9.8% (medium risk) and 6.4% (low risk) which is in line with the peer group, as measured by the ARC Steady Growth Index which measured at 9.4% and 7.2% respectively.

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Reserves policy

The group’s reserves are made up of five elements:

1. Restricted funds

Restricted funds amount to £366,512 and represent unspent funds at the end of the year. Each restricted fund is utilised as quickly as possible in compliance with the restrictions under which it has been given.

2. Endowed funds

This related to funds donated for investment under the understanding that income is used to support our services. These amounted to £226,089 at the year-end.

3. Fixed Asset funds

Fixed Asset funds are used to record the properties and functional fixed assets owned and used by the charity. These properties related to the two hospice sites owned by the charity (Christopher’s and Shooting Star House). These funds amounted to £3,283,444 at the year-end.

4. Share capital and reserves of subsidiaries

These amount to £1,105,499 which is held in Chase Hospice Trading Ltd as capital for the operation of marketing and selling The Care Database.

5. General funds

General funds are the funds of the charity that can be used to maintain stability of the operations allowing for increases or decreases in income. The policy for holding general reserves has been established by the trustees taking account of the following long-term considerations:

The long-term commitment to care that we undertake to our beneficiaries, which can extend over a period of 21 years;
The commitment we have as an employer, for the job security of our staff, bearing in mind the large proportion of our expenditure that is in staff costs;
The substantial fluctuations in annual income from supporters;
The need to fund increases in demand from children and families; and
The objectives set as part of the strategic review.

The general reserves of the charity are regarded as having three layers, each set at approximately three months of planned gross operating expenditure (so before any account is taken of incoming revenues):

The first layer is intended to smooth out limited and temporary shortfalls in income to provide funds to protect services at current levels and/or to make further investment in fundraising. The funds for this layer are held in bank current accounts and shortterm cash deposits (up to six months).
The second layer would allow the charity to conduct a measured reduction in expenditure if a fall in income appeared to be of a substantial or longer-term nature. The funds for this layer are held in the low-risk investment portfolio.
The third layer is held to avoid the need to take an excessively cautious stance whilst rebuilding reserve levels following expenditure cuts and provides a strategic minimum reserve fund. The funds for this layer are invested in the medium risk investment portfolio.

The target level of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’ reserves is thus set at between six and nine months of cash operating expenditure (excluding depreciation). Actual free (general fund on the balance sheet) reserves at the year-end stood at £13,389,041 (£10,919,646 in 2022/23). This represents 13.1 months (12.6 months in 2022/23) of cash operating expenditure which means that reserves are above the six-to-nine-month target.

As our strategy For Every Family , enters its second year, the Board continues its programme of investment in income generation, service development and organisational capability. The programme will help ensure that the charity both meets its strategic objectives and remains sustainable in the longer term. The investment strategy will draw on unrestricted reserves, such that over time the sums involved and the growth in the organisation will mean that by March 2026 the charity should be operating closer towards the stated reserves policy. The Trustees have considered ongoing levels of inflation and its impact on income and reserves and are satisfied that the current reserves policies are appropriate and can be achieved by the charity.

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Risk management

The trustees are responsible for managing effectively the risks that apply to the charity’s operation, including ensuring internal controls are in place and operating as intended. Risks are evaluated based on their probability and potential impact, and mitigation strategies are in place to manage them.

We maintain a clinical risk register as part of our clinical governance processes, which the Clinical Governance Committee reviews. A comprehensive risk register includes all risks, which are reviewed by the Finance and Resources Committee and periodically by the Board. The overall risk register undergoes operational review and updates regularly, taking mitigating action as required to reduce and control the risks.

The most significant risks for the year 2023/24 were:

Loss of statutory funding for SPACE which was contracted to 31 March 2024

We are proud to deliver our SPACE service, which has historically relied on a funding model where Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and the NHSE each contribute 50%. However, from April 2024, that arrangement ends. We are working to secure new long-term funding for the service from Surrey Heartlands ICB, South-West London ICB and Frimley ICB.

With the launch of a more enhanced bereavement service the complexity and risks of service users is difcult to quantify and manage properly We provide comprehensive mental health training to those involved in delivering our extended bereavement service and are conducting thorough risk assessments. Safety plans have been crafted by registered therapists and counsellors whenever risks are identified, while clear pathways of escalation, both internal and external, have been established to address concerns. We have bolstered our support by providing safeguarding training, updated policies and streamlined processes, supported by our team of social workers. Our commitment to the team’s mental health is evident in our low threshold for reporting concerns. We have monthly quality and risk reporting debriefs, morbidity and mortality meetings, and work closely with local Care Death Overview Panels (CDOP).

The loss of key individual staf or the inability to recruit the right people to key roles

Recruitment and the retention of our highly skilled workforce is a central focus for the charity. We have invested in our staff’s personal development by implementing the Starlight Academy, provided leadership training to senior managers and are part way through an extensive management training programme for all managers. Additional training opportunities have also been identified by conducting a gap analysis review in each team and there is an ongoing review of terms and benefits.

A signifcant IT outage impacts on operations and/or The Care Database

We have transitioned to a cloud-based application to mitigate the risk of a significant IT outage, which would greatly affect our operations. However, one of our key systems, Raisers Edge, currently remains server-based, leaving it vulnerable. The system is on more than one server at both locations, so if there is an outage at one location, the other site would service both systems. The Care Database, hosted in the cloud by a third party, boasts robust disaster recovery protocols. To protect our connectivity, each site has a backup internet line. In the event both lines fail, we can rely on the use of work mobile phones as Wi-Fi hot spots to facilitate internet connectivity for tablets, providing access to The Care Database. Lead nurses are provided with work mobile phones and on-site tablets use Wi-Fi. Care staff working in the community a 4G enabled tablet.

The views or actions of a patron, supporter, family member, volunteer or employee bring the charity into disrepute.

We have a robust due diligence process for managing honorary members and key supporters. This, with effective relationship management, ensures we address issues promptly and manage conflicts of interest. Our framework also includes corporate agreements and a complaint management process to ensure grievances are handled efficiently.

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To further mitigate risks, we have a range of policies, including the Acceptance and Refusal of Donations Policy, Patrons and Vice-Presidents Policy, Media Crisis Management Policy, Media Spokesperson Selection Policy, Social Media Policy and Recruitment and Selection for Volunteers Policy. These measures collectively safeguard our organisational integrity.

Loss of a major funder or income stream worth £250k or more

Our fundraising approach includes seeking a balanced income portfolio. This minimises overreliance on specific income sources and mitigates the impact of losing a major funder or strong income stream. We also focus on robust pipeline development as business-as-usual across major income areas, underpinned by effective budget and reforecast processes. Also, as part of our income generation efforts, we conduct ongoing assessments to manage significant shifts and, additionally, we continuously develop new opportunities to ensure financial stability.

There is a resurgence of COVID-19 or some other infectious condition that impacts all aspects of our work We have a range of measures in place to reduce the impact of a health event on our services. To help us operate in a potentially volatile health environment, we have adapted our policies and procedures, while our internal decision-making processes are flexible to make key adjustments quickly in response to various risks with urgency. We have completed a review of our disaster recovery and continuity planning arrangements.

There is a data breach or loss of data due to cyber crime, human or system error or deliberate act Data protection is paramount due to the nature of our work. We have robust GDPR and Data Protection policies and procedures in place to properly handle personal data, as well as an Information Governance Group that meets four times a year. Data retention policies have been updated. Furthermore, we have moved our systems across to Office 365, enabling extra security measures in place including a system of two-stage authentication, and we have system software that filters emails, catches spam and potentially dangerous emails. The Care Database has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) in place which outlines its response to breaches, and this is in its contractual agreements with customers. They conduct annual data penetration tests and security reviews with their hosting providers.

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Trustees’ responsibilities

The trustees, who act as directors for the purposes of company law, present their annual report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024.

The accounts have been prepared following the accounting policies set out on pages 38 to 42 and comply with the Articles of Association, the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts following the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

The trustees are responsible for preparing the trustees’ report and financial statements per applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which give an accurate and fair view of the charitable company and group’s state of affairs and the charitable company and group’s income and expenditure for that period.

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently
Observe the methods and principles in Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing the accounts following the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102)
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent
State whether applicable United Kingdom Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements
Prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the corporate and financial information on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Each of the trustees confirms that:

To their knowledge, there is no relevant audit information of which the charitable company’s auditor is unaware.
The trustee has taken all the steps they should have taken to make them aware of any relevant audit information and establish that the charitable company’s auditor is aware of that information.

This confirmation is given and should be interpreted following the provisions of s418 of the Companies Act 2006. Approved by the trustees on 8 July 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Andrew M Coppel CBE, Chair

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Independent auditor’s report to the members of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Shooting Star Children’s Hospices (the ‘charitable parent company’) and its subsidiaries (the ‘group’) for the year ended 31 March 2024, which comprise the group statement of financial activities, group and charitable parent company balance sheets and statement of cash flows, the principal accounting policies and the notes to the financial statements. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Give a true and fair view of the state of the group’s and of the charitable parent company’s affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of the group’s income and expenditure for the year then ended
Have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice
Have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report.

We are independent of the group in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the group and charitable parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the annual report and financial statements, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

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Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

The information given in the trustees’ report, which is also the directors’ report for the purposes of company law and includes the strategic report, for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, is consistent with the financial statements.
The trustees’ report, which is also the directors’ report for the purposes of company law and includes the strategic report, has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the group and the charitable parent company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ report including the strategic report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Adequate accounting records have not been kept by the charitable parent company, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us.
The charitable parent company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns.
Certain disclosures of trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made.
We have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’

responsibilities statement, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the group’s and the charitable parent company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the group or the charitable parent company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements, as a whole, are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users, taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:

The engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
We identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charity through discussions with management and trustees and from our knowledge and experience of the charity sector.
We focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the accounts or the activities of the charity. These included but were not limited to the Companies Act 2006; the Charities Act 2011; Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement

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of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), legislation and regulations specific to Hospices (including the Care Quality Commission), Safeguarding Regulations, GDPR, fundraising regulations.

We assessed the extent of compliance with laws and regulations identified above by making enquiries of management and representatives of the trustees and review of the minutes of trustees’ meetings.

We assessed the susceptibility of the charity’s financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur by:

Making enquiries of management and representatives of the trustees as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud.
Considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.

To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:

Performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;

In response to the risk of irregularities and noncompliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

Agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;
Reading the minutes of meetings of trustees;
Enquiring as to actual and potential litigation and claims.

There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of noncompliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the trustees and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.

Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc. org. uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

Tested and reviewed journal entries to identify unusual transactions;
Tested the authorisation of expenditure;
Verified the implementation of financial controls;
Assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and
Investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Edward Finch (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of Buzzacott LLP Statutory Auditor 130 Wood Street, London, EC2V 6DL 11 July 2024

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Consolidated statement of financial activities

(Including income and expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2024

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Notes|Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowed|Total|Total| |funds|funds|funds|2024|2023| |£|£|£|£|£| |Income and endowments| |from| |Donations and legacies|2|3,987,299|391,335|-|4,378,634|3,489,345| |Other trading activities| |Retail and other trading|2,022,589|-|-|2,022,589|1,683,961| |income| |Lottery income|875,831|-|-|875,831|817,850| |Events and other income|783,861|-|-|783,861|956,408| |──────|──────|──────|────────|───────| |3|3,682,281|-|-|3,682,281|3,458,219| |Investment income|5|414,077|11,363|-|425,440|139,985| |Charitable activities| |NHS England Children’s|4|-|1,792,076|-|1,792,076|1,502,808| |Hospice Grant| |Other grants|4|70,704|646,000|-|716,704|739,020| |Other charitable assessed|4|748,928|-|-|748,928|775,176| |income| |──────|──────|──────|────────|───────| |819,632|2,438,076|-|3,257,708|3,017,004| |Other income:| |Net interest in the results of|610,374|-|-|610,374|521,785| |the joint venture lottery| |Total income and| |endowments|9,513,663|2,840,774|-|12,354,437|10,626,338| |──────|──────|──────|────────|───────|

----- End of picture text -----

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Notes Unrestricted Restricted Endowed Total Total
funds funds funds 2024 2023
Expenditure on: £ £ £ £ £
Raising funds
Costs of generating donations 1,590,141 5,070 - 1,595,211 1,338,898
Costs of managing investments 30,033 - - 30,033 17,482
Trading activities 1,341,631 - - 1,341,631 1,348,047
Lottery costs 244,212 - - 244,212 566,872
──────── ───── ──── ─────── ───────
3,206,017 5,070 - 3,211,087 3,271,299
──────── ───── ──── ─────── ──────
Expenditure on charitable
activities
Hospice care 2,208,934 1,858,149 - 4,067,083 3,692,547
Community 150,647 203,900 - 354,547 303,112
SPACE 162,782 646,000 - 808,782 660,686
Psychosocial services 1,010,935 157,772 - 1,168,707 925,974
Practice education & quality 273,792 352 - 274,144 258,581
Care support costs 720,288 - - 720,288 684,024
──────── ────── ──── ─────── ───────
Total charitable expenditure 4,527,378 2,866,173 - 7,393,551 6,524,924
──────── ────── ──── ─────── ───────
Total expenditure 6 7,733,395 2,871,243 - 10,604,638 9,796,223
──────── ────── ──── ─────── ──────
Net income/(expenditure)
before transfers and investment 7 1,780,268 (30,469) - 1,749,799 830,115
gains/(losses)
Net gains/ (losses) on 12 422,485 - - 422,485 (246,476)
investment assets
──────── ────── ──── ─────── ───────
Net income and net movement 2,202,753 (30,469) - 2,172,284 583,639
in funds
Fund balances at 1 April 2023 15,575,231 396,981 226,089 16,198,301 15,614,662
──────── ────── ───── ──────── ───────
Fund balances at 31 March 2024 20 £17,777,984 £366,512 £226,089 £18,370,585 £16,198,301
════════ ══════ ═════ ════════ ════════
----- End of picture text -----

The notes form part of these financial statements. All of the company’s charitable activities during the above two financial periods were derived from continuing operations. The charitable company has no recognised gains and losses other than those shown above.

The full consolidated statement of financial activities for 2023 is shown in note 27.

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Group and charity balance sheets at 31 March 2024

			Group		Charity
	Notes	2024	2023	2024	2023 (restated)
		£	£	£	£
Fixed Assets Intangible assets	10	660,619	661,678	13,203	17,542
Tangible assets	11	3,283,444	3,611,404	3,245,092	3,550,606
Fixed asset investments	12	7,314,648	5,726,762	7,314,648	5,726,762
Investment in subsidiary		-	-	1,063,407	1,063,407
		────────	────────	────────	────────
		11,258,711	9,999,844	11,636,350	10,358,317
Current Assets
Debtors	13	1,841,075	1,154,211	2,296,427	1,570,821
Cash at bank		6,596,753	6,129,009	6,332,945	5,975,173
		────────	────────	────────	────────
		8,437,828	7,283,220	8,629,372	7,545,994
Creditors - Amounts Falling
Due Within One Year	14	(1,325,954)	(1,084,763)	(1,937,227)	(1,686,781)
		────────	────────	────────	────────
Net Current Assets		7,111,874	6,198,457	6,692,145	5,859,213
		────────	────────	────────	────────
Net Assets		£18,370,585	£16,198,301	£18,328,495	£16,217,530
		════════	════════	════════	════════
Funds of the Group/Charity
Restricted funds	16	366,512	396,981	366,512	396,981
Endowment funds	17	226,089	226,089	226,089	226,089
Tangible Fixed Asset fund	18	3,283,444	3,611,404	3,245,092	3,550,606
General funds	20	13,389,041	10,919,646	14,490,802	12,043,854
Trading subsidiary reserves	9	1,105,499	1,044,181	-	-
		────────	────────	────────	────────
		£18,370,585	£16,198,301	£18,328,495	£16,217,530
		════════	════════	════════	════════

The notes form part of these financial statements.

These financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees on 8 July 2024 and were signed on their behalf by:

…………………………………………. [lav 1. Op. …………………………………………. CA baneie Andrew M Coppel CBE – Chair Christopher Lewin

Registered Charity Number 1042495

Company Registration Number 02927688 (England and Wales)

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Consolidated statement of cashflows

For the year ended 31 March 2024

			2024		2023
Net cash flows from operating activities	Notes	£	£	£	£
Net cash generated by operating activities	21		1,465,715		2,205,697
Cash flows from investing activities
Dividends, interest and rents from investments	5	425,440		139,985
Payments to acquire intangible assets	10	(80,000)		(109,885)
Payments to acquire tangible fixed assets	11	(178,010)		(218,810)
Payments to acquire investments	12	(3,162,952)		(4,534,685)
Receipts from disposals of investments	12	2,082,972		2,548,388
		────────		────────
Net cash used in investing activities			(912,550)		(2,175,007)
			───────		───────
Change in cash and cash equivalents in the			553,165		30,690
year
Cash & cash equivalents at 1 April 2023	22		6,202,663		6,171,973
			───────		───────
Cash & cash equivalents at 31 March 2024	22		£6,755,828		£6,202,663
			═══════		═══════

The notes form part of these financial statements.

No separate reconciliation of net debt has been prepared as there is no difference between the net cash (debt) of the charity and the above cash and cash equivalents.

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Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Accounting policies

The following accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation and uncertainty in the preparation of the group financial statements are set out below.

Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items initially recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s).

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (‘Charities FRS 102 SORP 2015’), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The financial statements are presented in sterling and are rounded to the nearest pound.

Basis of consolidation

The group financial statements consolidate the financial statements of the parent company and its subsidiary undertakings for the year ended 31 March 2024. Investments in joint ventures (where the group holds an interest on a long-term basis and is jointly controlled by the charitable company and one or more other ventures under a contractual arrangement) are included in the group financial statements using the ‘equity’ method. The group discloses its share of joint ventures’ operating result in the consolidated statement of financial activities and its share of the gross assets and liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet.

In the charitable company’s financial statements, investments in subsidiary undertakings are stated at cost.

No separate Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) has been presented for the charity alone as permitted by Section 408 of the Companies Act 2006. All amounts within these financial statements relate to the group unless otherwise stated. The charity has taken advantage of the exemption under FRS 102 section 33.1 not to disclose transactions between group companies.

Critical accounting estimates and areas of judgement

The most significant area of judgement that affects items in the accounts are the estimates involved in the recognition of legacy income, analysing revenue and expenditure between restricted and unrestricted funds. The methods of valuation are outlined below.

The items in the accounts where these judgements and estimates have been made include:

estimating the useful economic life of intangible fixed assets;
estimating the useful economic life of tangible fixed assets;
determining the basis for allocating support costs;
accounting for legacy income; and
estimating future income and expenditure for the purpose of assessing going concern.

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Going concern

The trustees have reviewed the charity’s cashflow and reserves position in relation to operating overheads and have assessed whether the use of the going concern assumption is appropriate in preparing these financial statements. The trustees have made this assessment with respect to a period of at least one year from the date of approval of these financial statements, to July 2025.

The trustees have concluded that there are no material uncertainties related to events or conditions that may cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The trustees are of the opinion that the charity will have sufficient resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due.

The most significant areas of judgement that affect items in the accounts are detailed above. With regard to the next accounting period, the year ending 31 March 2025, the most significant areas that affect the carrying value of the assets held by the charity are legacy recognition, the level of investment return and the performance of the investment markets, together with the ongoing impact of the increase in inflation and cost of living.

Income

Income is recognised in the period in which the charity is entitled to receipt and the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received. Income is deferred only when the charity has to fulfil conditions before becoming entitled to it or where the donor or funder has specified that the income is to be expended in a future accounting period. Income comprises donations, legacies, grants, interest receivable and investment income.

Grants and donations from government and other agencies and charitable foundations are included as income from activities in furtherance of the charity’s objectives where these amount to a contract for services, but as voluntary income where the money is given in response to an appeal or with greater freedom of use, for example monies for core funding.

Legacies are included in the statement of financial activities when the charity is entitled to the legacy, the executors have established that there are sufficient surplus assets in the estate to pay the legacy, and any conditions attached to the legacy are within the control of the charity.

Entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor to the charity that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably, and the charity has been notified of the executor’s intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, but the criteria for income recognition has not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material. In the event that the gift is in the form of an asset other than cash, or a financial asset traded on a recognised stock exchange, recognition is subject to the value of the gift being reliably measurable with a degree of reasonable accuracy and the title of the asset having been transferred to the charity.

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.

Joint venture

The basis on which the group’s 50% interest in Tuckwell Chase Lottery Limited is included within the group financial statements is described under basis of consolidation above.

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Expenditure and the basis of apportioning costs

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals’ basis. Expenditure comprises direct costs and support costs. All expenses, including support costs, are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditure headings. The classification between activities is as follows:

Expenditure on raising funds includes the salaries, direct costs, trading and lottery costs, and support costs associated with generating donated income, together with the fees paid to investment managers in connection with the management of the charity’s listed investments.
Expenditure on charitable activities includes all costs associated with furthering the charitable purposes of the charity through the provision of its charitable activities. Such costs include charitable grants and donations, direct and support costs including governance costs.

Support costs represent indirect charitable expenditure. In order to carry out the primary purposes of the charity it is necessary to provide support in the form of personnel development, financial procedures, provision of office services and equipment and a suitable working environment.

Governance costs

Governance costs comprise the costs involving the public accountability of the charity (including audit costs) and costs in respect of compliance with regulation and good practice.

Support costs and governance costs are apportioned using percentages based on the time spent on the activities by the employees of the charity. Retail and Care Database support costs are calculated with reference to the annual management charge determined as reasonable made by the charity to the two trading operations for reimbursement of central costs.

Pension costs

Contributions in respect of the charity’s defined contribution pension scheme are charged to the statement of financial activities when they are payable to the scheme. The charity’s contributions are restricted to the contributions disclosed in note 8. The charity has no liability beyond making its contributions and paying across the deductions for the employees’ contributions. Outstanding contributions at the year-end were £61,785 (2023: £53,993).

Taxation

Shooting Star Children's Hospices is a registered charity and therefore is not liable to income tax or corporation tax on income derived from its charitable activities, as it falls within the various exemptions available to registered charities.

Intangible fixed assets and amortisation

Intangible fixed assets are capitalised when it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable will flow to the company, the cost can be measured reliably (including internally generated costs) and the intention is to use and/or sell it. Intangible fixed assets are stated at cost or valuation less amortisation. Amortisation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful life.

At the start of the financial year the useful expected life of the intangible asset was extended for a further five years so that the value will be written off over 10 years from 1 April 2024. Management revisited the estimated useful economic life as new customer contracts had been signed for 5 years, taking the life of the asset past the original 10 year write off period.

The amortisation rates in use are as follows: Database costs Up to 10 years straight line

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Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost or valuation less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of each asset over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:

Freehold land is not depreciated Freehold property 4% per annum straight line Leasehold property Straight line over period of lease Furnishings, fixtures and fittings and building improvements 10% per annum straight line IT systems and equipment 33% per annum straight line Motor vehicles 25% per annum straight line

Assets costing less than £2,000 are written off to expenditure in the year of acquisition. Assets under construction are not depreciated until the asset is brought into use.

Investments

Listed investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. Realised and unrealised gains (or losses) are credited (or debited) to the statement of financial activities in the year in which they arise.

Dividends are recognised once the dividend has been declared and notification has been received of the dividend due, and they are then reinvested into the investment portfolio.

The charity does not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial instruments.

As noted above, the main form of financial risk faced by the charity is that of volatility in equity markets and investment markets due to wider economic conditions, the attitude of investors to investment risk, and changes in sentiment concerning equities and within particular sectors or sub sectors.

Debtors

Debtors are recognised at their settlement amount, less any provision for non-recoverability. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid. Debtors have been discounted to the present value of the future cash receipt where such discounting is material.

Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand represents such accounts and instruments that are available on demand or have a maturity of less than three months from the date of acquisition. Deposits for more than three months but less than one year will be disclosed as short-term deposits. Cash placed on deposit for more than one year is disclosed as a fixed asset investment.

Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at the amount the charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt. They have been discounted to the present value of the future cash payment where such discounting is material.

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Fund accounting

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund.

Endowed funds are given to be held for the longer term and the income be used to fund the activities of the charity. Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources receivable or generated for the objects of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the trustees for particular purposes.

Leased assets

Rentals applicable to operating leases where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged to the statement of financial activities on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

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2 Donations and legacies

----- Start of picture text -----
|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowed|Total| |2024|2024|2024|2024| |£|£|£|£| |Donations and gifts|2,543,183|391,335|-|2,900,518| |Legacies|1,478,116|-|-|1,478,116| |───────|───────|───────|───────| |£4,021,299|£391,335|£-|£4,378,634| |═══════|═══════|═══════|═══════| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowed|Total| |2023|2023|2023|2023| |£|£|£|£| |Donations and gifts|2,384,980|295,544|-|2,680,524| |Legacies|742,166|-|66,655|808,821| |───────|───────|───────|───────| |£3,127,146|£295,544|£66,655|£3,489,345| |═══════|═══════|═══════|═══════| |3|Other trading activities| |2024|2023| |£|£| |Challenge events/marathon|503,189|413,642| |Other events|265,124|528,773| |Other income|15,548|13,993| |──────|──────| |Events and other income|783,861|956,408| |Lottery income|875,831|817,850| |Retail and trading income|2,022,589|1,683,961| |───────|───────| |£3,682,281|£3,458,219| |═══════|═══════|

----- End of picture text -----

All income from this source was unrestricted in both years.

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4 Charitable activities

----- Start of picture text -----
||||| |---|---|---|---| |2024|2024|2024| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total| |£|£|£| |NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant|-|1,792,076|1,792,076| |Other grants|70,704|646,000|716,704| |Other charitable assessed income|748,928|-|748,928| |───────|───────|───────| |£819,632|£2,438,076|£3,257,708| |═══════|═══════|═══════| |2023|2023|2023| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total| |£|£|£| |NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant|-|1,502,808|1,502,808| |Other grants|77,898|661,122|739,020| |Other charitable assessed income|775,176|-|775,176| |───────|───────|───────| |£853,074|£2,163,930|£3,017,004| |═══════|═══════|═══════| |5|Investment income| |2024|2024|2024| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total| |£|£|£| |Income from listed investments|198,127|-|198,127| |Interest receivable|215,950|11,363|227,313| |───────|───────|───────| |£414,077|£11,363|£425,440| |═══════|═══════|═══════| |Income from listed investments was reinvested into the portfolio from 1 April 2023.| |2023|2023|2023| |Unrestricted|Restricted|Total| |£|£|£| |Income from listed investments|98,632|-|98,632| |Interest receivable|41,353|-|41,353| |──────|───────|──────| |£139,985|£-|£139,985| |═══════|═══════|═══════|

----- End of picture text -----

Income from listed investments was reinvested into the portfolio from 1 April 2023.

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6 Cost analysis

6 Cost analysis
	Staff costs	Premises	Other	Depre-	Allocation of	2024
				ciation	support	Total
					costs*
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Hospice care	2,231,981	264,268	254,526	400,438	915,870	4,067,083
Community nursing	229,699	-	10,754	-	114,094	354,547
SPACE	530,874	-	98,969	-	178,939	808,782
Psychosocial services	702,606	-	86,292	-	379,809	1,168,707
Practice education & quality	154,959	-	55,468	1,916	61,801	274,144
Care support costs	412,435	-	1,572	-	306,281	720,288
Costs of generating voluntary	827,111	-	373,459	-	394,641	1,595,211
income
Trading activities	605,448	300,519	239,348	100,316	96,000	1,341,631
Lottery expenditure	-	-	244,212	-	-	244,212
Management of investments	-	-	30,033	-	-	30,033
	───────	──────	───────	──────	───────	───────
	£5,695,113	£564,787	£1,394,633	£502,670	£2,477,435	10,604,638
	═══════	══════	═══════	══════	═══════	═══════

Included in support costs are £1,570,599 of salaries costs and governance costs of £26,211. Governance costs comprise trustee indemnity insurance and audit fees.

	Staff costs	Premises	Other	Depre-	Allocation of	2023
				ciation	support costs*	Total
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Hospice care	2,067,418	177,910	274,017	417,654	755,548	3,692,547
Community nursing	210,028	-	9,146	-	83,938	303,112
SPACE	433,398	-	96,878	-	130,410	660,686
Psychosocial services	590,751	1,423	58,270	-	275,530	925,974
Practice education & quality	157,245	-	49,375	-	51,961	258,581
Care support costs	437,518	8,549	-	-	237,957	684,024
Costs of generating voluntary	701,739	-	330,239	-	306,920	1,338,898
income
Trading activities	584,743	303,617	222,240	172,447	65,000	1,348,047
Lottery expenditure	-	-	566,872	-	-	566,872
Management of investments	-	-	17,482	-	-	17,482
	───────	──────	───────	──────	───────	───────
	£5,182,840	£491,499	£1,624,519	£590,101	£1,907,264	£9,796,223
	═══════	══════	═══════	══════	═══════	═══════

Included in support costs are £1,206,248 of salaries costs and governance costs of £25,835. Governance costs comprise trustee indemnity insurance and audit fees.

Aligning the stars

6 Cost analysis (cont’d)

Analysis of expenditure between unrestricted and restricted funds:

	2024	2024	2024	2023	2023	2023
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total funds	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total funds
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Raising funds Costs of generating donations	1,590,141	5,070	1,595,211	1,338,898	-	1,338,898
Costs of managing	30,033	-	30,033	17,482	-	17,482
investments Trading activities	1,341,631	-	1,341,631	1,348,047	-	1,348,047
Lottery expenditure	244,212	-	244,212	566,872	-	566,872
Charitable activities
Hospice care	2,208,934	1,858,149	4,067,083	2,115,744	1,576,803	3,692,547
Community nursing	150,647	203,900	354,547	201,813	101,299	303,112
SPACE	162,782	646,000	808,782	32,686	628,000	660,686
Family support incl
therapy	1,010,935	157,772	1,168,707	882,436	43,538	925,974
Practice education &
quality	273,792	352	274,144	258,251	330	258,581
Care support costs	720,288	-	720,288	684,024	-	684,024
	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────	───────
Total expenditure	£7,733,395	£2,871,243	£10,604,638	£7,446,253	£2,349,970	£9,796,223
	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════

7 Net income before transfers and investment gains

	2024	2023
	£	£
Net income is stated after charging:
Amortisation of intangible assets	81,059	149,837
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets	505,970	489,745
Operating lease rentals – land and buildings	239,157	253,895
Operating lease rentals – other	7,820	11,313
Auditor’s remuneration	25,250	24,025
Auditor’s – other fees	9,830	6,360

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8 Employees

The average monthly number of total employees and full-time equivalent employees during the year was:

	2024	2024	2023	2023
	Headcount	FTE	Headcount	FTE
Hospice care	62	38	63	38
Community nursing	5	5	5	4
SPACE	9	7	8	6
Therapy	22	16	19	14
Practice education & quality	3	3	3	3
Care support	14	13	12	12
Activities for generating donations	19	17	17	15
Retail and Care Database	27	17	23	17
Administration	28	26	25	23
	───	───	───	───
	189	142	175	132
	═══	═══	═══	═══
Employment costs			2024	2023
			£	£
Wages and salaries			6,035,352	5,331,446
Social security costs			587,138	569,101
Other pension costs			382,690	323,555
Agency costs			192,311	165,699
Termination costs			53,280	-
Other staff costs			14,941	15,687
			───────	───────
			£7,265,712	£6,405,488
			═══════	═══════

The number of employees whose emoluments in the year were £60,000 or more, were:

	2024	2023
	Number	Number
£60,001 - £70,000	2	2
£70,001 - £80,000	3	4
£80,001 - £90,000	5	2
£90,001 - £100,000	1	-
£120,001 - £130,000	1	1

Aligning the stars

8 Employees (cont’d)

The aggregate pension contribution made by the charity on behalf of higher paid staff was £78,066 (2023: £50,907). Ten (2023: eight) higher paid staff accrued benefits in defined contribution pension schemes and two (2023: one) accrued benefits in the NHS defined benefit scheme.

Key management personnel are defined as the trustees and the eight members of the Directors’ Team, together with one of the directors of the subsidiary company Chase Hospice Trading Limited. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £895,486 (2023: £778,946).

During the year redundancy and termination payments made or payable by the charity were £53,280 (2023: £nil).

None of the trustees received any remuneration or expenses in respect of their services during the year (2023: £nil). Trustees’ indemnity insurance is included in the overall insurance paid by the charity and the cost to the charity was £961 (2023: £835).

The total amount of donations received from the trustees during the year was £3,240 (2023: £6,213).

9 Subsidiary undertakings and joint ventures

During the year the charity had three wholly owned subsidiaries: Chase Hospice Trading Limited (Trading) (Company No. 03379287), Shooting Star Trust Limited (Dormant Charitable Company) (Company No: 04383311) and Shooting Star Marketing Limited (Marketing) (Company No. 03123517) all of which are incorporated in Great Britain. The registered office of all the entities is Shooting Star House, The Avenue, Hampton, TW12 3RA.

Chase Hospice Trading Limited (share capital of £1,063,407) is the entity which accounts for the software for The Care Database, which has been recognised as an intangible asset.

Shooting Star Marketing Limited (limited by guarantee) undertakes the sale of donated and other goods at seven shops.

A summary of the results of the subsidiary companies is shown below. Audited financial statements have been filed with the Registrar of Companies in respect of Shooting Star Marketing Limited and Chase Hospice Trading Limited. Shooting Star Trust Limited was dormant throughout the year and the accounts have therefore not been audited.

In addition to the above the charity also participates in the joint venture, Tuckwell Chase Lottery Limited which is jointly controlled by Shooting Star Children’s Hospices and Phyllis Tuckwell Memorial Hospice Limited under a joint venture agreement, the terms of which are that the joint venture will promote a commercial lottery game which aims to generate profits for the benefit of its affiliated charities.

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9 Subsidiary undertakings and joint ventures (cont'd)

	Shooting Star Marketing Ltd	Shooting Star Marketing Ltd
	2024	2023
	£	£
Turnover	1,100,296	964,505
Cost of sales	(27,299)	(18,558)
	────────	────────
Gross profit	1,072,997	945,947
Other income	100,000	-
Administrative expenses	(889,195)	(866,361)
	────────	────────
Operating profit	283,802	79,586
Gift Aid	(222,484)	-
	────────	────────
Profit	£61,318	£79,586
	════════	════════
	2024	2023
	£	£
Net liabilities	-	(£61,318)
	════════	════════
	Chase Hospice Trading Ltd
	2024	2023
	£	£
Turnover	857,293	686,442
Cost of sales	(191,306)	(255,532)
	────────	────────
Gross profit	665,987	430,910
Administrative expenses	(233,830)	(207,814)
	────────	────────
Operating profit	432,157	223,096
Interest receivable	55,898	10,666
Corporation tax	-	(2,000)
Gift Aid donation	(488,055)	(231,762)
	────────	────────
Profit	-	-
	════════	════════
	2024	2023
	£	£
Net assets	£1,105,499	£1,105,499
	════════	════════

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10 Intangible fixed assets

10 Intangible fixed assets
GROUP	2024	2023
	Intangible asset	Intangible asset
	£	£
COST OR VALUATION At 1 April 2023	1,353,830	1,243,945
Additions	80,000	109,885
	───────	───────
At 31 March 2024	£1,433,830	£1,353,830
	═══════	═══════
AMORTISATION At 1 April 2023	692,152	542,315
Charged in year	81,059	149,837
	───────	───────
At 31 March 2024	£773,211	£692,152
	═══════	═══════
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2024	£660,619	£661,678
	═══════	═══════

The intangible asset represents software development costs, incurred in the development and build of The Care Database. The database was implemented in April 2017.

	2024	2023
CHARITY	Intangible asset	Intangible asset
	£	£
COST OR VALUATION
At 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024	44,162	44,162
	═══════	═══════
AMORTISATION
At 1 April 2023	26,620	22,234
Charged in year	4,339	4,386
	───────	───────
At 31 March 2024	£30,959	£26,620
	═══════	═══════
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2024	£13,203	£17,542
	═══════	═══════

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11 Tangible fixed assets

GROUP	Freehold land	Leasehold	Furnishings	IT systems	Motor	2023
	and buildings	property	fittings and		vehicles	Total
	£		equipment
		£	£	£	£	£
COST OR VALUATION At 1 April 2023	9,379,426	142,670	923,327	26,411	110,006	10,581,840
Additions	58,437	1,150	103,271	15,152	-	178,010
	────────	───────	───────	───────	─────	────────
At 31 March 2024	£9,437,863	£143,820	£1,026,598	£41,563	£110,006	£10,759,850
ACCUMULATED	════════	═══════	═══════	═══════	══════	════════
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2023	6,195,708	119,408	531,625	16,323	107,372	6,970,436
Charge for year	357,451	6,792	127,322	11,771	2,634	505,970
	────────	───────	───────	───────	──────	────────
At 31 March 2024	£6,553,159	£126,200	£658,947	£28,094	£110,006	£7,476,406
	════════	═══════	═══════	═══════	══════	════════
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2024	£2,884,704	£17,620	£367,651	£13,469	-	£3,283,444
	════════	═══════	═══════	═══════	══════	════════
At 31 March 2023	£3,183,718	£23,262	£391,702	£10,088	£2,634	£3,611,404
	════════	═══════	═══════	═══════	══════	════════
CHARITY	Freehold land	Leasehold	Furnishings	IT systems	Motor	Total
	and buildings	property	fittings and		vehicles
			equipment
	£	£	£	£	£	£
COST OR VALUATION
At 1 April 2023	9,379,426	45,973	768,294	26,411	75,890	10,295,994
Additions	58,437	-	103,271	15,152	-	176,860
	────────	───────	───────	──────	──────	────────
At 31 March 2024	£9,437,863	£45,973	£871,565	£41,563	£75,890	£10,472,854
	════════	═══════	═══════	══════	══════	════════
ACCUMULATED
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2023	6,195,708	45,973	411,494	16,323	75,890	6,745,388
Charge for year	357,451	-	113,152	11,771	-	482,374
	────────	───────	───────	──────	──────	────────
At 31 March 2024	£6,553,159	£45,973	£524,646	£28,094	£75,890	£7,227,762
	════════	═══════	═══════	══════	══════	════════
NET BOOK VALUE
At 31 March 2024	£2,884,704	-	£346,919	£13,469	-	£3,245,092
	════════	═══════	═══════	══════	══════	════════
At 31 March 2023	£3,183,718	-	£356,800	£10,088	-	£3,550,606
	════════	═══════	═══════	══════	══════	════════

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12 Fixed asset investments

Fixed asset investments comprise:		Group		Charity
	2024	2023	2024	2023
	£	£	£	£
Listed investments	7,155,573	5,653,108	7,155,573	5,653,108
Cash held by investment managers	159,075	73,654	159,075	73,654
	───────	───────	───────	───────
	£7,314,648	£5,726,762	£7,314,648	£5,726,762
	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════
			2023	2022
Listed investments			£	£
Market value 1 April 2023			5,653,108	3,913,287
Proceeds			(2,082,972)	(2,548,388)
Acquisitions			3,162,952	4,534,685
Gains/(losses) on listed investments			422,485	(246,476)
			────────	────────
Market value 31 March 2024			7,155,573	5,653,108
Cash held with investment managers			159,075	73,654
			────────	────────
			£7,314,648	£5,726,762
			════════	════════
Historic cost 31 March 2024			£6,553,052	£5,634,459
			════════	════════
At 31 March 2024, the listed investments	comprised the following:
			2024	2023
			£	£
Fixed interest			1,653,067	1,159,059
UK equities			1,139,460	960,702
Overseas equities			3,079,472	2,246,897
Alternatives			1,283,574	1,286,450
			────────	────────
			£7,155,573	£5,653,108
			════════	════════

At 31 March 2024, no investment represented in excess of 5% of the market value of the two combined portfolios.

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13 Debtors

13 Debtors
		Group	Charity
	2024	2023	2024	2023
	£	£	£	(restated)
				£
DUE GREATER THAN ONE YEAR Rent deposits	15,163	15,163	-	-
DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR Trade debtors	225,981	84,684	40,479	81,683
Gift Aid receivable from subsidiary	-	-	710,539	231,762
undertakings Amounts receivable from subsidiary	-	-	-	272,399
undertakings
Amounts receivable from Joint Venture	49,178	51,866	49,178	51,866
Other debtors	339,321	185,662	351,979	206,036
Prepayments and accrued income	1,211,432	816,836	1,144,252	727,075
	───────	───────	───────	───────
	£1,841,075	£1,154,211	£2,296,427	£1,570,821
	═══════	═══════	═══════	═══════

Charity debtors have been restated for 2023 to include gift aid of £231,762 due from the subsidiary undertakings.

14 Creditors

14 Creditors
		Group		Charity
	2024		2023	2024	2023
	£		£	£	£
DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
Trade creditors	82,465		103,575	64,344	50,856
Other creditors	20,071		15,964	12,593	3,520
Amounts payable to subsidiary	-		-	31,618	-
undertakings
Loan from subsidiary undertaking	-		-	1,100,000	1,208,000
Employer’s pension contributions	61,785		53,993	61,785	53,993
Accruals and deferred income	1,004,748		758,145	510,002	217,326
Other taxes and social security	156,885		153,086	156,885	153,086
	──────		──────	───────	───────
	£1,325,954		£1,084,763	£1,937,227	£1,686,781
	══════		══════	═══════	═══════

Included above is deferred income which relates to income receivable in 2023/24, which can be analysed as follows:

ollows:
		Group	Charity
	2024	2023	2024	2023
	£	£	£	£
Deferred income b/f	519,168	410,472	-	-
Deferred in the year	743,850	777,440	-	-
Released in the year	(795,091)	(668,744)	-	-
	──────	──────	───────	──────
Deferred income c/f	£467,927	£519,168	£-	£-
	══════	══════	═══════	══════

Aligning the stars

15 Pension costs

Contributions to the pension schemes are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the year to which they relate and amounted to £382,690 (2023: £323,555). At the balance sheet date, the amount outstanding to the schemes was £61,785 (2023: £53,993).

16 Restricted funds

Restricted income received from charitable activities was £1,792,076 from the NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant (2023: £1,502,808), £310,000 from Surrey Heartlands ICB (2023: £292,000) and £336,000 from SouthWest London ICBs (2023: £336,000) and £nil from other grants (2023: NIL).

	1 April 2023	Income	Expenditure	31 March 2024
Donor and purpose of each fund	£	£	£	£
NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant •Children's Hospices Programme	-	1,792,076	(1,792,076)	-
Surrey Heartlands ICB •Symptom management	-	310,000	(310,000)	-
South-West London ICBs •Symptom management	-	336,000	(336,000)	-
Wish List Fund •Stained glass window	2,967	-	(2,967)	-
Dr. N Saunders •Medical equipment and activities	4,583	-	(4,583)	-
In Memory of Olivia Lee •Little Chasers and Sparklers	1,438	-	(1,438)	-
Katcando •Christopher’s equipment	993	-	(993)	-
Max Galleni •Project	16,236	-	(6,554)	9,682
Paul Strank Roofing •Christopher’s refurb & hoists	7,710	-	(7,710)	-
Frankie Biggs IMO •Christopher’s use	2,467	-	(2,467)	-
Screwfix •Shooting Star House refurb	5,413	-	-	5,413
Phelan Family
•Hospice care at Christopher’s	1,120	-	(1,120)	-
Richmond Friends Group •Shooting Star House garden	9,400	-	(1,729)	7,671
Cranleigh Golf Club •Art Room at Shooting Star House	14,349	-	-	14,349
G Best •Children’s Activities	-	20,000	(2,989)	17,011
Apira •Bereavement packs	-	5,000	(5,000)	-
Tides
•Memory Days	-	6,892	-	6,892
Wolfson Foundation • Solar panels at Christopher’s	-	35,000	(35,000)	-

Aligning the stars

16 Restricted funds (cont’d)

	1 April 2023	Income	Expenditure	31 March 2024
Donor and purpose of each fund	£	£	£	£
Cloudshift •London Marathon reception	5,000	-	(5,000)	-
Farnham Lions •Sensory walkway	6,771	-	-	6,771
Guildford crematorium •Virtual hospice	9,326	-	(9,326)	-
The Annette Duvollet Trust • Transition	30,000	-	(30,000)	-
Banham Security
• IT equipment	8,080	-	(8,080)	-
S Cowell
•Community nurses	-	100,000	(100,000)	-
ICAP
•Community nurses	75,000	100,000	(100,000)	75,000
BUPA
• Bereaved siblings days	9,750	-	-	9,750
The Big Give
•Bereavement	61,217	96,594	(61,217)	96,594
Leus Family
•Shower trolley	7,000	-	(7,000)	-
Michael Ball concert
•Vehicles	90,482	-	-	90,482
Endowed fund
•Music therapy	-	11,363	(11,363)	-
Sundry < £5,000 •Various	27,679	27,849	(28,631)	26,897
	───────	───────	────────	────────
	£396,981	£2,840,774	(£2,871,243)	£366,512
	═══════	═══════	════════	════════

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16 Restricted funds (cont’d)

The table of restricted funds for 2022/23 is shown below:

	1 April 2022	Income	Expenditure	31 March 2023
Donor and purpose of each fund	£	£	£	£
NHS England Children’s Hospice Grant •Children's Hospices Programme	-	1,502,808	(1,502,808)	-
NHS England COVID-19 funding •Children's Hospices COVID-19	-	33,477	(33,477)	-
funding Surrey Heartlands ICB •Symptom management	-	292,000	(292,000)	-
South West London ICBs •Symptom management	-	336,000	(336,000)	-
Wish List Fund •Stained glass window	2,967	-	-	2,967
Dr. N Saunders •Medical equipment and activities	5,838	-	(1,255)	4,583
In Memory of Olivia Lee •Little Chasers and Sparklers	2,060	250	(872)	1,438
MariaMarina Foundation •Music festival and family support	21,751	-	(21,751)	-
Katcando •Christopher’s equipment	1,270	7,650	(7,927)	993
Max Galleni •Project	20,500	3,000	(7,264)	16,236
Paul Strank Roofing •Christopher’s refurb & hoists	9,592	-	(1,882)	7,710
Frankie Biggs IMO •Christopher’s use	2,480	-	(13)	2,467
Screwfix •Shooting Star House refurb	5,413	-	-	5,413
Phelan Family
•Hospice care at Christopher’s	1,120	-	-	1,120
Hindhead Golf Club
•Sensory walkway	323	-	(323)	-
Richmond Friends Group •Shooting Star House garden	9,400	-	-	9,400
Cranleigh Golf Club •Art Room at Shooting Star House	14,349	-	-	14,349
Cloudshift	5,000	-	-	5,000
•London Marathon reception
Farnham Lions	6,771	-	-	6,771
•Sensory walkway
Guildford crematorium	15,000	1,680	(7,354)	9,326
•Virtual hospice
The Annette Duvollet Trust
• Transition	30,000	-	-	30,000
Banham Security
• IT equipment	8,080	-	-	8,080
GoHenry
•Sensory courtyard	7,700	-	(7,700)	-

Aligning the stars

16 Restricted funds (cont’d)

	1 April 2022	Income	Expenditure	31 March 2023	31 March 2023
Donor and purpose of each fund	£	£	£		£
ICAP •Community nurses	75,000	100,000	(100,000)		75,000
BUPA • Bereaved siblings days	-	9,750	-		9,750
The Big Give •Bereavement	-	61,217	-		61,217
Leus Family •Shower trolley Michael Ball concert	-	7,000	-		7,000
•Vehicles	-	90,482	-		90,482
Sundry < £5,000 •Various	42,863	14,160	(29,344)		27,679
	───────	───────	────────		────────
	£287,477	£2,459,474	(£2,350,325)		£396,981
	═══════	═══════	════════		════════
17 Endowed funds
	Group and Charity
	1 April 2023	Income	Expenditure		31 March 2024
	£	£		£	£
The Robina Endowment fund	£226,089	-		-	£226,089
	══════	═══════	═══════		═══════
	1 April 2022	Income	Expenditure		31 March 2023
	£	£		£	£
The Robina Endowment fund	£159,434	66,655		-	£226,089
	══════	═══════	═══════		═══════

Endowed funds represent a donation received where income would support music therapy. A further legacy of £66,655 was received in 2023.

18 Tangible fixed asset fund

The tangible fixed asset fund represents charitable funds invested in operational fixed assets. This fund is maintained, so as to be able to clearly identify the free (general) reserves on the balance sheet in the context of the charity’s reserve policy. The balance of the fund is equal to the net book value of tangible fixed assets.

Aligning the stars

19 Unrealised investment gains

Included within the total funds of the group and charity, the cumulative unrealised gains are as follows:

Unrealised gains:	2024	2023
	£	£
On listed investments	602,524	92,303
	────────	────────
Total unrealised gains at 31 March 2024	£602,524	£92,303
Reconciliation of movements in unrealised gains	════════	════════
Total unrealised gains at 1 April 2023	92,303	579,652
Less: in respect of disposals in the year	87,736	(240,873)
Add: net gains /(losses) arising on revaluation in the year	422,485	(246,476)
	────────	────────
Total unrealised gains at 31 March 2024	£602,524	£92,303
	════════	════════

20 Analysis of net assets between funds

Group	Tangible	Intangible	Investments	Net	2024
	fixed	fixed		current	Total
	assets	assets		assets
	£	£	£	£	£
General funds	-	13,203	7,314,648	6,061,190	13,389,041
Tangible fixed asset	3,283,444	-	-	-	3,283,444
fund
Restricted funds	-	-	-	366,512	366,512
Endowed funds	-	-	-	226,089	226,089
Trading subsidiary	-	647,416	-	458,083	1,105,499
reserves
	───────	───────	────────	───────	───────
Total funds	£3,283,444	£660,619	£7,314,648	£7,111,874	£18,370,585
	═══════	═══════	════════	═══════	═══════
Group	Tangible	Intangible	Investments	Net	2023
	fixed	fixed		current	Total
	assets	assets		assets
	£	£	£	£	£
General funds	-	17,542	5,726,762	5,175,342	10,919,646
Tangible fixed asset	3,611,404	-	-	-	3,611,404
fund
Restricted funds	-	-	-	396,981	396,981
Endowed funds	-	-	-	226,089	226,089
Trading subsidiary	-	644,136	-	400,045	1,044,181
reserves
	───────	───────	────────	───────	───────
Total funds	£3,611,404	£661,678	£5,726,762	£6,198,457	£16,198,301
	═══════	═══════	════════	═══════	═══════

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20 Analysis of net assets between funds (cont’d)

Charity	Tangible	Intangible	Investments	Net	2024
	fixed	fixed		current	Total
	assets	assets		assets
	£	£	£	£	£
General funds	-	13,203	7,314,648	7,162,951	14,490,802
Tangible fixed asset	3,245,092	-	-	-	3,245,092
fund Restricted funds	-	-	-	366,512	366,512
Endowed funds	-	-	-	226,089	226,089
	───────	───────	────────	───────	───────
Total funds	£3,245,092	£13,203	£7,314,648	£7,755,552	£18,328,495
	═══════	═══════	════════	═══════	═══════
	Tangible	Intangible	Investments	Net	2023
Charity	fixed	fixed		current	Total
	assets	assets		assets
	£	£	£	£	£
General funds	-	17,542	5,726,762	6,299,550	12,043,854
Tangible fixed asset	3,550,606	-	-	-	3,550,606
fund
Restricted funds	-	-	-	396,981	396,981
Endowed funds	-	-	-	226,089	226,089
	───────	───────	────────	───────	───────
Total funds	£3,550,606	£17,542	£5,726,762	£6,922,620	£16,217,530
	═══════	═══════	════════	═══════	═══════

Charity general funds have been restated for 2023 to include gift aid of £231,762 due from the subsidiary undertakings.

21 Cash flows from operating activities

Reconciliation of net income to net cash flow from operating activities

	2024	2023
	£	£
Net income for the reporting period	2,172,284	583,639
Adjustments for:
Amortisation charge	81,059	149,837
Depreciation charges	505,970	489,745
Loss on disposal of fixed assets	-	8,982
(Gains)/Losses on investments	(422,485)	246,476
Dividends and interest	(425,440)	(139,985)
(Increase)/Decrease in debtors	(686,864)	705,284
Increase in creditors	241,191	161,719
	────────	────────
Net cash generated by operating activities	£1,465,715	£2,205,697
	════════	════════

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22 Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

Analysis of cash and cash equivalents

nalysis of cash and cash equivalents
	2024	2023
	£	£
Cash in hand	6,596,753	6,129,009
Cash held with investment managers	159,075	73,654
	────────	────────
Total cash and cash equivalents	£6,755,828	£6,202,663
	════════	════════

23 Commitments under operating leases

At 31 March 2024 the group had total commitments under non-cancellable operating leases as follows:

	2024	2023
Land and buildings	£	£
Within one year	111,660	149,000
Between two and five years	27,978	95,627
After five years	-	-
	────────	────────
	£139,638	£244,627
Other	════════	════════
Within one year	7,760	7,760
Between two and five years	18,187	25,947
Over five years	-	-
	───────	───────
	£25,947	£33,707
	═══════	═══════

24 Post balance sheet events

There are no post balance sheet events to report.

25 Capital commitments

At the year-end there were no capital commitments (2023: £41,014).

26 NHS Pension Scheme

Some past and present employees are covered by the provisions of the NHS Pension Scheme. Details of the benefits payable under these provisions can be found on the NHS Pensions website at www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/pensions. The scheme is an unfunded, defined benefit scheme that covers NHS employers, GP practices and other bodies, allowed under the direction of the Secretary of State, in England and Wales. The scheme is not designed to be run in a way that would enable NHS bodies to identify their share of the underlying scheme assets and liabilities. Therefore, the scheme is accounted for as if it were a defined contribution scheme: the cost to the charity of participating in the scheme is taken as equal to the contributions payable to the scheme for the accounting period.

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27 Consolidated statement of financial activities for 2023

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|||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Notes|Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowed|Total|Total| |funds|funds|funds|2023|2022| |£|£|£|£|£| |Income and endowments| |from| |Donations and legacies|2|3,127,146|295,544|66,655|3,489,345|3,945,134| |Other trading activities| |Retail and other trading|1,683,961|-|-|1,683,961|1,420,884| |income| |Lottery income|817,850|-|-|817,850|573,073| |Events and other income|956,408|-|-|956,408|868,106| |──────|──────|──────|────────|───────| |3|3,458,219|-|-|3,458,219|2,862,063| |Investment income|5|139,985|-|-|139,985|89,686| |Charitable activities| |NHS England Children’s|4|-|1,502,808|-|1,502,808|952,351| |Hospice Grant| |HM Treasury COVID-19|4|-|-|-|-|280,059| |emergency funding| |Other grants|4|77,898|661,122|-|739,020|572,511| |Other charitable assessed|4|775,176|-|-|775,176|802,359| |income| |──────|──────|──────|────────|───────| |-| |853,074|2,163,930|3,017,004|2,607,280| |Other income:| |Net interest in the results of|521,785|-|-|521,785|487,398| |the joint venture lottery| |Other income|6|-|-|-|-|23,985| |Total income and| |endowments|8,100,209|2,459,474|66,655|10,626,338|10,015,546| |──────|──────|──────|────────|──────|

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27 Consolidated statement of financial activities for 2023 (cont’d)

	Notes	Unrestricted	Restricted	Endowed	Total	Total
		funds	funds	funds	2023	2022
Expenditure on:		£	£	£	£	£
Raising funds Costs of generating donations		1,338,898	-	-	1,338,898	1,157,981
Costs of managing investments		17,482	-	-	17,482	20,577
Trading activities		1,348,047	-	-	1,348,047	1,190,584
Lottery costs		566,872	-	-	566,872	406,243
		────────	─────	────	───────	───────
		3,271,299	-	-	3,271,299	2,775,385
		────────	─────	────	───────	──────
Expenditure on charitable
activities
Hospice care		2,115,744	1,576,803	-	3,692,547	3,304,553
Community		201,813	101,299	-	303,112	280,812
SPACE		32,686	628,000	-	660,686	395,543
Family Support incl therapy		882,436	43,538	-	925,974	604,553
Practice education & quality		258,251	330	-	258,581	196,330
Care support costs		684,024	-	-	684,024	525,820
		────────	──────	────	───────	───────
Total charitable expenditure		4,174,954	2,349,970	-	6,524,924	5,307,611
		────────	──────	────	───────	───────
Total expenditure	7	7,446,253	2,349,970	-	9,796,223	8,082,996
		────────	──────	────	───────	──────
Net income before transfers and
investment (losses) / gains	8	653,956	109,504	66,655	830,115	1,932,550
Net (losses) / gains on	13	(246,476)	-	-	(246,476)	159,957
investment assets
		────────	──────	────	───────	──────
Net income and net movement		407,480	109,504	66,655	583,639	2,092,507
in funds
Fund balances at 1 April 2022		15,167,751	287,477	159,434	15,614,662	13,522,155
		────────	──────	─────	────────	───────
Fund balances at 31 March 2023	21	£15,575,231	£396,981	£226,089	£16,198,301	£15,614,662
		════════	══════	═════	════════	════════

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Reference and administrative details

Registered office

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, Shooting Star House, The Avenue, Hampton TW12 3RA

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||| |---|---| |Trustees| |Andrew M Coppel CBE|Chair of Trustees; Chair of Remuneration, People and Governance Committee| |Simon Barker|Chair of Chase Hospice Trading Limited| |Dr. Kheelna Bavalia|(appointed 1 June 2023)| |Dr. Jon Craig|Chair of Care Advisory Committee (resigned 3 April 2023)| |Andrew Edge| |Mark Garraway|Chair of Income Generation Committee (resigned 19 June 2024)| |Dr. Sally Johnson|Chair of Care Strategy Committee (appointed 3 April 2023)| |Christopher Lewin|Chair of Finance and Resources Committee| |Catherine van’t Riet|(resigned 3 April 2023)| |Alison Robertson|Chair of Quality, Governance and Risk Committee (appointed 3 April 2023)| |Swati Suri| |Katherine Theobald|Chair of Shooting Star Marketing Limited|

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To find out more about our trustees, please visit shootingstar.org.uk/trustees

Directors’ Team

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||| |---|---| |Paul Farthing|Chief Executive| |Jo Cohen|Director of Strategy and Partnerships| |Lisa Dennis|Director of Care| |Nicholas Dobson|Director of Digital and Marketing (appointed 5 October 2023)| |Jennifer Johnson|Director of Finance and Resources| |Karen Sugarman MBE|Executive Vice-President| |Sally Wells|Director of Fundraising| |Nadia Zerroud|Director of People and Culture| |Dr. Anna-Karenia Anderson|Medical Director|

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Chase Hospice Trading Limited Directors

Simon Barker Ian Bowen Polly Esplen Paul Farthing Jennifer Johnson Christopher Lewin

Shooting Star Marketing Limited Directors

Suzanne Brown Paul Farthing Beth Langdon (appointed 1 June 2023) Jennifer Johnson Katherine Theobald

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Tuckwell Chase Lottery Limited Directors

Paul Farthing Jennifer Johnson Christopher Lewin

Note: Joint partnership with Phyllis Tuckwell, above lists Shooting Star Children’s Hospices’ directors only.

Bankers

Barclays Bank PLC

Investment Managers Brewin Dolphin Limited 12 Smithfield Street London EC1A 9BD

Auditors

Buzzacott LLP 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL

Town Gate House Church Street East Surrey GU7 1AT

Solicitors

Moore Barlow LLP

The Oriel Sydenham Road Guildford Surrey GU1 3SR

Thank you

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to our Patrons for their incredible support

Royal Patron

HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh

Vice-Presidents

Dame Joan Collins DBE, Simon Cowell, Tony Hadley MBE, Julia Lever MBE, Michael More-Molyneux, Tim Oliver OBE, Kate Turner MBE

Patrons

Michael Ball OBE, Alison Davies, Joel Dommett, Philip Glenister, Laurence and Jackie Llewelyn-Bowen, Sarah More-Molyneux, Sir Cliff Richard OBE, Lauren Silverman

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices Shooting Star House, The Avenue, Hampton, TW12 3RA t 020 8783 2000

Shooting Star Children’s Hospices w shootingstar.org.uk Shooting Star House, The Avenue, sschospices Hampton, TW12 3RA @sschospices t 020 8783 2000 @sschospices Shooting Star Children’s Hospices | Annual report and financial statements for the year ended March 2024 e hello@shootingstar.org.uk