2025-03-31-accounts - Filwood Hope Ltd

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FILWOOD HOPE LTD

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

31 MARCH 2025

Company Registration Number 03487393 Charity Number 1067441

Filwood Hope Ltd

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 March 2025

CONTENTS	PAGE
Reference and administrative details of the charity and its
advisors	1
Trustees’ annual report	2 to 5
Independent Examiners report	6
Statement of financial activities (including income and
expenditure account)	7
Balance sheet	8
Notes to the financial statements	9 to 17

Filwood Hope Ltd

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY AND ITS ADVISORS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Charity Name	Filwood Hope Limited
Company number	03487393
Charity number	1067441
Registered office	Filwood Hope Centre, 11 & 13 Filwood	Broadway, Knowle West
	Bristol, BS4 1JL
Trustees	Trustees, who are also directors under	company law, who
	served during the year and up to the date of this report were as
	follows:
	Bernard Morris
	Neil Piggot	Resigned Nov 2024
	Tilly Marston
	Clive Hamilton	Appointed Nov 2024
	Iain Pope	Appointed Nov 2024
Key Management
Personnel	Laura Hathway & Anne Marie Capstick
Bankers	Bank of Scotland, 33 Old Broad Street,	London
Independent	Geoff Archer
Examiner	Bristol Community Accountants CIC
	The Park, Daventry Road, Bristol, BS4 1DQ

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Filwood Hope Ltd

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Structure, governance and management

The charity is constituted as a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 30th December 1997, registered under the Companies Acts (registration number 03487393) and its governing document is a Memorandum and Articles of Association. It was granted charitable status by the Charity Commission under number 1067441.

By operation of law all trustees are directors under the Companies Act 2006 and all directors are trustees under Charities legislation and have responsibilities, as such, under both company and charity legislation.

Trustees

The directors of the charitable company (“the charity”) are its trustees for the purposes of the charity law and throughout this report are collectively referred to as the trustees.

The Trustees who served during the year and since the year end are listed on page 1.

Objectives and activities

The objects for which the charity is established are:

(1) the prevention or relief of emotional, spiritual or financial hardship in Filwood ward and surrounding area by providing access to advice and services which might not otherwise be accessed through lack of means.

(2) to promote social inclusion* for the public benefit through developing the capacity and skills of individuals in Filwood ward and surrounding area to enable people to identify and help meet their own needs and to participate more fully in society.

*i.e. feel part of; where all people feel valued, their differences are respected, and their basic needs are met so they can live in dignity. These relate to the importance of the links between the individual members of our society and the role of each person as a member of this group.

These are achieved by:

• Providing a drop-in advice centre, offering a friendly, relaxed atmosphere where clients can talk through their issues in a safe and confidential setting. We handle any enquiry, seeking to help the client resolve their difficulty. To support clients our activities include making telephone calls, writing letters, filling forms, contacting local and statutory bodies.

• Specialist advisors being available during the week to give confidential advice.

This is made possible by employing 3 part-time members of staff, and having a team of 8 volunteers.

In planning our objectives and activities we have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

Strategic report

The following sections for achievements and performance and financial review form the strategic report of the charity.

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Filwood Hope Ltd

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Introduction: A Year of Deepening Impact and Structural Resilience

As the Vice Chair of the Trustees, it gives me immense pride to present this report for the financial year April 2024 to March 2025. This year has been defined by proactive resilience and a tangible deepening of our commitment to the communities of Knowle West, South Bristol and beyond. In a climate where the cost-of-living crisis continued to place unrelenting pressure on vulnerable households, Filwood Hope stood firm as a vital anchor, delivering an outstanding level of support while simultaneously strengthening our own foundations for the future.

This report celebrates the immense achievements of our dedicated staff, the selfless commitment of our volunteers, and the strong governance that guides our mission. We continue to see the fruits of our work not just in financial metrics, but in the renewed hope, dignity, and stability we help to foster for over 2,600 people this year.

Achievements and performance

Community Reach and Case Work

Filwood Hope continued to be a critical lifeline, with a clear rise in face-to-face contact due to persistent economic hardship. Our team's expertise ensured we maximised our reach and effect:

Sustained Footfall: We saw a remarkable level of engagement, with between 200 and 250 clients routinely seen each month, totalling 2,604 people coming to the drop-in over the year. The team provided comprehensive support, with 2,223 cases formally opened by an advisor.
Targeted Outreach: Our new Pensioner Drop-in on Monday afternoons successfully helped those of pension age apply for Pension Credit and access warm homes funding.
New Innovative Service: A fantastic development was the launch of a new session on Fridays supporting those with HMCTS (Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals) online applications. This generated £1,581 in income for the centre and helped 49 people with their vital legal applications.
Core Enquiries: The high-need focus remains consistent, with 49% of enquiries related to welfare benefits and 21% related to grant applications, directly tackling the root causes of financial instability.

Direct Financial Gain

The direct, measurable financial relief secured for our beneficiaries is the clearest testament to our effectiveness and impact on poverty in South Bristol.

Financial Gain for Clients DWP Benefits Secured £406,398.99 Grants Applied For £1,190.00 Money MOT Bill Reduction £612.00 Total Financial Gain £408,200.99

This total of £408,200.99 represents an excellent increase of over £18,799 on the previous year, directly supporting families and individuals to manage crisis and move toward financial stability.

Crisis Support and Dignity

Our support went beyond advice to meet immediate needs, confirming our role as a comprehensive community anchor:

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Filwood Hope Ltd

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

The centre operated as a crucial ‘Warm Hub’ during the winter months, offering a warm space and the ability to charge phones.
We distributed warm packs for adults and children (thermal hats, gloves, blankets, etc.) and provided vital toiletries to help combat hygiene poverty.
We maintained our food pantry and issued £25 Aldi shopping vouchers to families during school holidays, helping to ease the cost pressures during these times.
We provided essential food hampers and utilised Lords’ Mayor vouchers for toys for the most poverty-stricken families, providing much-needed relief and a sense of dignity.

Financial review and reserves

Strengthening Our Foundations

A significant focus this year was on ensuring the charity’s long-term sustainability and operational excellence:

Infrastructure: Key improvements included the upgrade of windows and the front door for energy efficiency, and the installation of two sets of new fire doors to ensure the building is fully compliant and safe.
IT Modernisation: A major upgrade was completed on our IT equipment for staff, volunteers, and clients, with new support from ‘Dan Tech repairs’ ensuring greater system security and reliability.

The Heart of Hope: Our Team

The success of this year rests entirely on the commitment of our people:

Staff Commitment: We celebrated Laura’s 10th anniversary at Filwood Hope. We are incredibly grateful for her dedication to clients and her essential support with our accounts. Anne marie, our Centre Manager, also deserves profound thanks for her flexibility and combined support to the team.
Volunteers: Our 6 active volunteers continued to be the welcoming face of Filwood Hope. Our regular quarterly meetings ensured ongoing policy review, training, and development to support their vital roles.

Income for the year was £106,786 (2024: £58,482), expenses were £85,640 (2024: £70,354), bringing total funds carried forward to £48,516 (2024: £27,370) of which £40,158 were freely available unrestricted reserves.

This means a surplus of £21,146 (2024: £11,872 deficit).

Public Benefit

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales

Funds received as agent or funds held as custodian trustee

There are no assets, classes of assets or categories of assets held on behalf of other entities.

Conclusion and Acknowledgements

This year demonstrated the exceptional professionalism and enduring compassion of everyone connected with Filwood Hope.

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Filwood Hope Ltd

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

We extend our sincere thanks to Revd Bernard Morris for his essential service as interim Chair for a few months. We are delighted to welcome our new trustees, Iain Pope, Ian Watt, and Clive Hamilton. The commitment of the entire Board ensures robust governance.

The team achieved an outstanding total financial gain of £408,200.99 for the community while successfully completing crucial infrastructure and IT upgrades. We look forward to building on this stability and growing our impact in the next financial year.

Statement of responsibilities of the Management Committee

The trustees who are also the charity trustees have prepared financial statements for the financial year, which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and the incoming resources and application of resources, including the net income or expenditure, of the charitable company for the year. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:

select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The trustees 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 any other irregularities.

The trustees confirm that to the best of their knowledge there is no information relevant to the independent examination of which the examiners are unaware. The trustees also confirm that they have taken all necessary steps to ensure that they themselves are aware of all relevant examination information and that this information has been communicated to the examiners.

Independent examiners

Geoff Archer of Bristol Community Accountants CIC was appointed as the charitable company’s independent examiner during the year.

Approved by the trustees on ………………………. and signed on its behalf by

…………………………………………………..

Tilly Marston Vice Chair of Trustees, Filwood Hope

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Filwood Hope Ltd

INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

I report on the accounts of the company for the year ended 31st March 2025 which are set out on pages 7 to 17.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities [applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)].

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Geoff Archer Date……………………. Bristol Community Accountants CIC The Park Daventry Road Knowle Bristol BS4 1DQ

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Filwood Hope Ltd

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (Including Income and Expenditure Account)

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Unrestricted Funds £ 47,527 1,015 684	Restricted Funds £ 57,560 - -	Total Funds 2025 £ 105,087 1,015 684	Total Funds 2024 £ 57,294 35 1,153
49,226	57,560	106,786	58,482
33,523	52,117	85,640	70,354
33,523	52,117	85,640	70,354
15,703 4,416 20,119 23,351	5,443 (4,416) 1,027 4,019	21,146 - 21,146 27,370	(11,872) - (11,872) 39,242
43,470	5,046	48,516	27,370

All of the activities of the charity are classed as continuing

The notes on pages 9 to 17 form part of these financial statements

As required by paragraph 4.67 of the SORP, the brought forward and carried forward funds above have been agreed to the Balance Sheet.

Details of the allocation of 2024 total funds between unrestricted and restricted are shown in note 16

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Filwood Hope Ltd

BALANCE SHEET

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

46,463	2025 £ 3,312 45,204	2024 £ 412 27,859
46,463 (1,259)		27,859 (901)
5,046 43,470
		26,958
	48,516	27,370
		4,019 23,351

	48,516	27,370

The directors are satisfied that the company is entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

Directors' responsibilities:

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts.

These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to small companies subject to the small companies' regime and in accordance with FRS102 SORP.

These financial statements were approved by the trustees on ……..................... and are signed on their behalf by:

Tilly Marston Vice Chair of Trustees

The notes on pages 9 to 17 form part of these financial statements

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

1 Basis of Preparation

a) These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts.

The 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) (issued on 16 July 2014), as amended by Update Bulletin 2 published in October 2018, effective for accounting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

b) The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charitable company is able to continue as a going concern, which the trustees consider appropriate having regard to the current level of unrestricted reserves. There are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern.
c) The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

2 Accounting Policies

a) Income from donations/grants is included in income when these are receivable, except as follows:

i) When donors specify that donations given to the charity must be used in future accounting periods, the income is deferred until those periods.

ii) When donors impose conditions which have to be fulfilled before the charity becomes entitled to use such income, the income is deferred until the pre-condition have been met.

b) Expenditure is recognised in the period in which it is incurred. Expenditure includes attributable VAT which cannot be recovered.
c) Most expenditure is directly attributable to specific activities, and has been included in those cost categories. Support cost have been allocated 100% towards the charitable activities of the charity.
d) Rentals applicable to operating lease agreements where substantially all of the benefits and risks of ownership remain with the lessor are charged against profits on a straight-line basis over the period of the lease.
e) Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees.
f) Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.
g) Individual assets costing £1,000 or more are capitalised at cost. Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of an asset over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Equipment - 25% straight line

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

h) The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently recognised at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
i) The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charitable company in an independently administered fund. Pension costs charged in the financial statements represent the contribution payable by the charitable company during the year.
k) Pensions: The charity operates a defined contribution plan for its employees. A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which the company pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. Once the contributions have been paid the company has no further payments obligations. The contributions are recognised as expenses when they fall due. Amounts not paid are shown in accruals in the balance sheet. The assets of the plan are held separately from the company in independently administered funds.

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Income and Endowments From:

Unrestricted Funds £ 4,912 1,202 1,709 10,934 28,770	Restricted Funds £ 90 - - 54,940 2,530	Total Funds 2025 £ 5,002 1,202 1,709 65,874 31,300	Total Funds 2024 £ 3,670 425 2,478 17,000 33,721
47,527	57,560	105,087	57,294
Unrestricted Funds £ 3,610 425 2,478 17000 22600	Restricted Funds £ 60 - - - 11121	Total Funds 2024 £ 3,670 425 2,478 17,000 33,721
46,113	11,181	57,294

4 Charitable Activities Café Sales Room Hire	Unrestricted Funds £ 15 1,000	Restricted Total Funds Funds 2025 £ £ - 15 - 1,000	Total Funds 2024 £ 35 -
	1,015	- 1,015	35

Charitable Activities prior year - all unrestricted

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

5 Investments

Investments
Investment Interest	Unrestricted Funds £	Restricted Funds £	Total Funds Total Funds 2025 2024 £ £
	684	-	684 1,153

Investment income prior year - all unrestricted

6 Government grants

The charitable company receives government grants. The total value of such grants in the period ending 31 March 2025 was £65,033 (2024:17,000). There are no unfulfilled conditions or contingencies attaching to these grants in the year ended 31 March 2025.

Expenditure on:

Costs of other trading activities prior year - all unrestricted

7 Charitable activities

Café Supplies Insurance Other Direct Costs: Accountants Fees Other Direct Costs: Sundry Other Direct Costs: Advertising Pension costs Printing & Photocopy Salaries Service Charges Software Service Contract Telephones-Fax-Postage Other Travel Utilities: Heat, Light & Power Maintenance Equipment under £1,000 Depreciation	Unrestricted Funds £ 66 1,768 1,259 879 73 1,967 344 21,015 2,604 1,575 - - - - 422 35 1,516	Restricted Funds £ - - - 2,269 - - - 18,105 - - 2,091 948 - 3,567 11,496 13,641 -	Total Funds Total Funds 2025 2024 £ £ 66 187 1,768 1,092 1,259 901 3,148 3,895 73 55 1,967 2,522 344 313 39,120 45,264 2,604 2,915 1,575 1,732 2,091 1,966 948 - - 68 3,567 3,398 11,918 5,596 13,676 - 1,516 450
	33,523	52,117	85,640 70,354

continued…

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

Charitable Activities prior year Café Supplies Insurance Other Direct Costs: Accountants Fees Other Direct Costs: Sundry Other Direct Costs: Advertising Pension costs Printing & Photocopy Salaries Service Charges Software Service Contract Telephones-Fax-Postage Travel Utilities: Heat, Light & Power Maintenance Depreciation	Unrestricted Funds £ 32 1,092 901 1,481 - 2,522 210 42,804 2,915 1,732 1,966 68 2,514 1,466 450	Restricted Funds £ 155 - - 2,414 55 - 103 2,460 - - - - 884 4,130 -	Total Funds 2024 £ 187 1,092 901 3,895 55 2,522 313 45,264 2,915 1,732 1,966 68 3,398 5,596 450
	60,153	10,201	70,354

8 Net incoming resources for the year

This is stated after charging:

This is stated after charging:
	2025	2024
	£	£
Depreciation	1,516		450
Independent Examination Fees	850		751

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

9 Staff costs and numbers

The aggregate payroll costs were:

Wages and Salaries Pension Costs	2025 2024 £ £ 39,120 45,264 1,967 2,522
	41,087 47,786

No employee received emoluments of more than £60,000.

The average head count of employees during the year was as follows:

	2025	2024
	No.	No.
Employees	2	3

Total employee benefits paid to key management personnel during the year were £41,087 (2024: £47,401)

The charity trustees were not paid or received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the year (2024: £nil) No trustees received reimbursement for board expenses incurred throughout the year (2024: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the charity (2024: £nil).

There were no other related party transactions during the year (2024: £nil).

10 Taxation

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.

11 Company limited by guarantee

The company is limited by guarantee and as such has no issued share capital. In the event of the company being wound up the liability of the members is limited to £1 each.

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Filwood Hope Ltd NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

12 Tangible fixed assets

Equipment £ 6,224 4,416	2025 £ 1,259	Total £ 6,224 4,416
10,640		10,640
5,812 1,516		5,812 1,516
7,328		7,328
3,312		3,312
412		412
		2024 £ 901
	1,259	901

13 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

At 01-Apr 2024 £ 870 1,725 - 22 115 600 687 - -	Incoming resources £ - 90 3,371 - - - - 30,165 23,934	Outgoing resources £ - (320) (2,088) - - (596) - (25,179) (23,934)	Transfers £ - - - - - - - (4,416) -	At 31-Mar 2025 £ 870 1,495 1,283 22 115 4 687 570 -
4,019	57,560	(52,117)	(4,416)	5,046
22,939 412	49,226 -	(32,007) (1,516)	- 4,416	40,158 3,312
23,351	49,226	(33,523)	4,416	43,470

27,370	106,786	(85,640)	-	48,516

Purpose of funds

Screwfix - to support projects that will fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities specifically for those in need within the UK.

Food fund – Individual gifts earmarked for food fund enables us to respond to fuel and food poverty

Feeding Bristol - To supply emergency food to beneficiaries

Bristol Churches City Fund - A grant to support individuals suffering from food poverty

National Grid - Money MOT and community warm bank: advice and support for energy saving at home

Asda Community fund - to Supply clients with hygiene packs - cleaning products and personal grooming products

Telephone Room - To provide access of our telephones and comms equipment to our users

Community Resilience - Capital grant for IT equipment

BCC Drop in - Funding to support the drop in services

15 Analysis of net assets between funds

Fixed Assets Cash at Bank and In Hand Other Net Current Assets/Liabilities) Total	General Funds £ - 41,417 (1,259)	Restricted Funds £ - 5,046 -	Designated Funds £ 3,312 - -	Total Funds £ 3,312 46,463 (1,259)
	40,158	5,046	3,312	48,516

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Filwood Hope Ltd

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025

16 Analysis of prior year funds, as required by paragraph 4.2. of the SORP

Prior Year Unrestricted Funds 2024 £ 46,113 35 1,153	Prior Year Restricted Funds 2024 £ 11,181 - -	Prior Year Total Funds 2024 £ 57,294 35 1,153
47,301	11,181	58,482
60,153	10,201	70,354
60,153	10,201	70,354
(12,852) -	980 -	(11,872) -
(12,852) 36,203	980 3,039	(11,872) 39,242
23,351	4,019	27,370
TRUE	TRUE	TRUE

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