Hereford Open Door Trustees Report (1/10/23 to 30/9/24)
Trustees
Peter Cole - Chair Ian Roberts - Treasurer Mary Roberts Adele Marie Llewellin Caroline Suzanne Bennett Hazel Misselbrook
Annual Report
Our breakfast service closed in March 2020 due to the Covid lockdown and as a result we lost most of our volunteers. Furthermore, the subsequent loss of our premises meant re-opening the hot food provision was impractical. Therefore, the trustees opted to redirect our efforts and finances to local organisations that share our charitable aims and objectives concerning homelessness in Herefordshire.
This is the first time we have provided an annual report to the Charities Commission because our annual income has always been less than £25K. However, during this financial year (1/10/23 to 30/9/24), Hereford Open Door received a legacy of £10K from Marlie Mace who was instrumental in setting up the charity back in 1996. Corporate and individual donations amounted to just under £14.5K and there was bank interest (investment income) of £760. We expect future income streams to revert back to around £15K per annum.
Expenditure was just over £15K of which the majority (£13K) was spent on Greggs’ Gift Cards. These were donated to the Winter Homeless Shelter (run by Herefordshire Council) and to the Council’s Street Outreach Team. The gift cards were distributed by Herefordshire Council representatives to homeless men and women where alternative hot food options were impractical or unavailable. Greggs’ outlets are open every day, apart from Christmas Day, and have shops throughout the County.
Additional support (£1.2K) was given to the Winter Homeless Shelter in the form of goods (e.g. pillows, sleeping bags, cleaning materials) and food/drink (e.g. pot cooking noodles, cup-a-soups, biscuits, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, squash).
Hereford Open Door also supported a local group (The Living Hope Hub) who provided hot food in the evenings when the Winter Homeless Shelter was open (December to May). We provided operational advice and volunteers as well as some financial aid (£700) to help with the purchase of cooking utensils and food/drink.
Administrative costs (including rent, insurance and bank charges) were about £650 or 4% of expenditure. Hereford Open Door has no paid staff and is 100% volunteer-run.
The future direction and purpose of Hereford Open Door is under review by the trustees. Originally set up to provide hot food provision in 1996, there have been many societal changes in the meantime (e.g. Covid-19). Having lost our strong volunteer base during and after the pandemic, the trustees need to re-assess how the charity might function in the future. One option might be to merge with another local charity. Another option would be to become a grant donor. Whatever is decided, resources will only be used to alleviate homelessness in Herefordshire.
Hereford Open Door Accounts - 1/10/23 to 30/9/24
Assets
| Opening Balance (1/10/23) | 40921.21 |
|---|---|
| Closing Balance (30/9/24) | 50542.54 |
Income
| SOURCE | AMOUNT |
|---|---|
| Donations (corporate/individual) Legacy (Marlie Mace) |
14457.84 10000.00 |
| Bank Interest | 760.34 |
| TOTAL | 25218.18 |
Expenditure
| ITEM | COST |
|---|---|
| Greggs’ Gift Cards | 13004.00 |
| Winter Homeless Shelter (excluding Greggs) |
1199.58 |
| The Living hope Hub (Hot Food Provision) | 679.32 |
| Rent/Insurance/Bank Charges | 615.65 |
| Miscellaneous | 19.60 |
| TOTAL | 15518.15 |