**Charity registration number 1069957 (England and Wales) Company registration number 03562830**
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
# **ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
|**Trustees**|C Leyshon||
|---|---|---|
||J Popham||
||N Hughes||
||J Price||
||M Leyshon||
||R Magill||
||K Price|(Appointed 16 October|
|||2024)|
|**Secretary**|L Crook||
|**Charity number**|1069957||
|**Company number**|03562830||
|**Principal address and registered office**|Acorn House||
||Heron Way||
||Newham||
||TRURO||
||Cornwall||
||TR1 2XN||
|**Auditor**|RRL LLP||
||Peat House||
||Newham Road||
||TRURO||
||Cornwall||
||TR1 2DP||
|**Bankers**|The Co-Operative Bank||
||PO Box 250||
||Delf House||
||Southway||
||Skelmersdale||
||WN8 6WT||
||Scottish Widows Bank||
||67 Morrison Street||
||Edinburgh||
||EH3 8YJ||
||CAF Bank Ltd||
||25 Kings Hall Avenue||
||Kings Hill||
||West Malling||
||Kent||
||ME19 4JQ||
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
## **Solicitors**
Foot Anstey LLP High Water House Malpas Road TRURO Cornwall TR1 1QH
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **CONTENTS**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' report|1 - 16|
|Statement of trustees' responsibilities|17|
|Independent auditor's report|18 - 20|
|Statement of financial activities|21|
|Balance sheet|22|
|Statement of cash flows|23|
|Notes to the financial statements|24 - 44|
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "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)" (effective 1 January 2019).
## **Objectives and activities**
Volunteer Cornwall is a charity dedicated to building social capital and developing the wellbeing of the individuals and communities in Cornwall. It does this by working in partnership with a wide range of organisations to promote and support active citizenship and voluntary action covering the emotional, social, environmental, and economic needs and opportunities in Cornwall.
Volunteer Cornwall’s objectives are to undertake voluntary work in health, social services, and other similar charitable activities amongst those in need.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission with regards to public benefit and in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
## **Climate Emergency**
In 2019 Volunteer Cornwall declared a “Climate Change Emergency”, in recognition of the intergovernmental panel of Climate Change (IPCC) report findings and the need to reduce global emissions by 2030.
Throughout our work, we consider our position in relation to our climate declaration.
## **Connecting and Supporting**
We continue to strive to cultivate strong ties between individuals, organisations, sectors, and places. Currently we are working with organisations to create a structure which allows the community to determine their own needs and identify their aspiration rather than be significantly dependent on external organisations.
With these groups we can maximise the resources available to each place to ensure that money is spent where the community feel there is a greater need.
Our support will help to assist people to access and participate in their community. As well as individuals, we encourage organisations to engage more local people in volunteering, to support the design and delivery services and to increase activities in communities to meet their local needs.
## **Strengthening**
Through the work undertaken, we aim to strengthen and enhance the ability of organisations to maintain and optimise the delivery of services and activities. This, in turn, will help to increase the resilience of people and the sustainability of communities.
## **Improving**
Volunteer Cornwall aims to support the development of the volunteers’ experience for the individual, and the opportunities provided by organisations and community groups.
Through our work, it is hoped that we can inspire people to achieve their potential and strengthen their physical and emotional wellbeing.
## **Values**
The values set by Volunteer Cornwall as detailed below, are the way we behave to each other, our partners, our communities and within our environment. The focus of these values is directly related to our hope of achieving lasting outcomes for people and having a positive impact on communities:
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **Creative**
Being creative and always exploring the “art of the possible”, to find solutions to the challenges Cornwall faces. Thinking ahead about potential issues that could impact on the resilience and wellbeing of people and the sustainability of communities. We want to be “doing” not just “talking”.
## **Caring**
Being kind and having compassion for people we work with, both inside and outside our organisation. Seeking to understand the issues that may cause people to worry. Having respect and empathy for all people, living creatures and the world in which we live.
## **Collaborative**
Looking for every opportunity to improve outcomes and impacts by cooperating with people and organisations. Understanding the connections within the system and the positive impact collaboration can have on people and communities. Act with honesty and integrity when working with local people and partner organisations. Build trusted relationships with people and organisations.
## **Challenging**
Be passionate and bold about the work that we do and open to new possibilities. Challenge ourselves, and other to do better and work positively with people and partners to identify ways to improve services. Focus on the mission of the organisation challenging established practices to achieve a sustained outcome.
## **Working in Partnership**
Volunteer Cornwall will always try and respond to new challenges in society, whether it being working with vulnerable groups or building community capacity, this is always achieved in partnership with other organisations.
We see it as important to support the community response to crisis, such as severe weather, or addressing the cost
of living and economic crisis.
Our work around the cost-of-living crisis has seen us working with both the NHS and local government to ensure that much needed funds are placed in the communities of those most in need, or to the individuals themselves. Not just by offering financial aid, but also through offering help and support through community groups to try and alleviate problems reoccurring.
## **Achievements and performance**
## **Introduction**
Our operational teams work closely together under the strategic direction of the Support and Development Manager and the Participation and Development Manager, a new addition to the team. Collaboration is one of our values and this starts from the centre of the organisation with teams and projects supporting each other’s work.
For the last three years, we have been working under a place-based delivery model, focused on the requirements of the community and the location’s needs rather than organisational or top-down system targets.
We operate as three location-based teams, covering East, Central and West Cornwall, this is to align with the Integrated Care Areas (ICAs), of the Integrated Care System (ICS).
Our teams consist of two Community Makers (developing social capital in the localities), a Community Care Maker (supporting individuals with health or care needs) and a Community Volunteer Co-Ordinator (increasing the number of volunteers and building capacity in communities).
The teams have continued to support the development of the now 55 Community Hubs throughout the year. The hubs provide a non-medicalised model of support and advice around health and wellbeing and, with our support, continue to expand the range and scope of services they provide to their communities in partnership with the wider health & care system.
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
A key part of what we do is based around personalisation to address needs and aspiration of individuals and families in the context of the community in which they live. So, we always start from the perspective of the person we are supporting, taking a holistic approach to identify their issues, and developing solutions for them, with which they will be happy to engage.
## **Volunteer Cornwall’s East Team**
Hayley Bentley Community Volunteer Co-Ordinator Jayne Roycroft Community Maker (part-time) Carolyn Trevethick Community Maker Penny Stevenson Community Maker Sarah Gray (part year) Community Care Maker
## **Volunteer Cornwall’s Central Team**
Vacant Community Volunteer Co-Ordinator Bill Davies Community Maker Jeremy Rowe Community Maker Sarah Gray (part-year) Community Care Maker
## **Volunteer Cornwall’s West Team**
Judy Thomas Community Volunteer Co-Ordinator Josh Clark Community Maker Jayne Devlin Community Maker (job share) Philippa Macmeikan Community Maker (job share) Sarah Jenner Community Care Maker
Each role is unique within the team and together they provide help and support to not only our clients, communities and partners but also to each other.
## **Volunteer Brokerage**
Supporting the voluntary and community sector through volunteer brokerage remains a key function for Volunteer Cornwall, as does working with individuals and communities to take responsibility for the issues they face locally and globally and to take action. We joined forces with our colleagues at Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum to launch a major and ongoing volunteer recruitment campaign.
Most of the brokerage is now automated online through the volunteer recruitment pages on our website - https:// opportunities.volunteercornwall.org.uk/ - with a single member of staff looking after the content and responding to queries or supporting people who are unable to access the internet for whatever reason.
Over the last 12 months, we have had 131 new organisations, with a wide range of interests come to us to advertise volunteering opportunities and posted 322 new opportunities to the site.
**The Community Volunteer Co-Ordinator's** role is to recruit, support and deploy volunteers across the whole of Cornwall. In addition to the recruitment of volunteers for Volunteer Cornwall, they have a wider role in supporting recruitment across the sector and offering advice and support to smaller grass-roots organisations looking to recruit and deploy volunteers.
Volunteers are used by several of our wellbeing projects to deliver non-clinical outcomes, be it supporting stroke survivors to relearn skills or being a regular visitor to someone to make a cup of tea and have a chat to help mitigate loneliness and isolation. The skills of the individual volunteers, and their personal interests are put to good use within their own community and with the individuals they support.
These actions and the services provided by Volunteer Cornwall are tailored for the individual and can reduce the demands on the NHS and social care services, which frees these services up to focus on the more acute cases.
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
For last year the Community Volunteer Co-Ordinator's achieved the following:
||East|Central|West|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||
|Volunteers Recruited|48|35|25|108|
|Volunteers Retained|473|832|466|1,771|
||||||
**The Community Maker** role is about developing connections with people, organisations and communities, building strong supportive networks across communities and between localities. They are there to support people to build their confidence and connections with others, as well as building resilience in the community around them.
They support organisations to understand, develop and strengthen the links that exist within the networks in communities, gather and disseminate intelligence about what is happening in their locality and to assist the communities to build social capital, to be more supportive and resilient.
For the North & East area, the main achievements this year are:
- Development of 16 community hubs through the area
- Supporting community hubs to develop 73 new health & wellbeing services to offer their users
- Working closely with 112 other community groups outside of the community hub network
Within the Central area, the main achievements this year are:
- Development of 18 community hubs through the area
- Supporting community hubs to develop 111 new health & wellbeing services to offer their users
- Working closely with 121 other community groups outside of the community hub network
For the West area, the main achievements this year are:
- Development of 20 community hubs through the area
- Supporting community hubs to develop 89 new health & wellbeing services to offer their users
- Working closely with 100 other community groups outside of the community hub network
## **Training and Development Team**
Our training team works with four main awarding bodies: ILM, NOCN, NUCO and AQA. Courses are designed to support the unique relationship between volunteer and host organisation (rather than the more traditional employer/ employee approach) and to support our wider work as an organisation. We offer flexible delivery of courses including Information, Advice and Guidance, Quality Assurance, Safeguarding, and Volunteer Management.
We have again spent time offering Mental Health First Aid and the Assist Suicide Awareness training to staff and volunteers across the community hub network to upskill them in supporting people using their services as poor mental health is on the rise locally and nationally and we are building in a first line of support at community level.
Another offer we have tailored to support the community hubs is the HOPE course which helps people build personal resilience and work towards their own goals and aspirations.
During this financial year, we have achieved overall:
- 527 learners
- 54 workshops or courses
## **Health Inequalities**
Launched last year, the health inequalities work is a partnership with NHS Cornwall & Isles of Scilly, and Cornwall Council Public Health providing the funding and Volunteer Cornwall providing a co-ordination and support role to the place-based partners delivering on the ground in targeted areas.
The work is a genuine collaboration with all the Integrated Care Area partners for each area providing overview and strategic direction.
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
The areas were chosen because of the poorer health outcomes faced by people living there and are:
- Newquay, St Austell, Truro and Falmouth in the Central ICA area
- Camborne Pool & Redruth, Penzance and Newlyn in the West ICA area
- Bodmin & Liskeard in the North & East ICA area
We worked hard to ensure that almost all the delivery sits within the voluntary and community sector, usually in the same organisations delivering community hubs in those areas. As of 31[st] March, we were supporting 2,246 residents.
The service aims to get alongside people and families in the area, building trusted relationships and supporting them to make better-informed decisions about their health and wellbeing and access the full range of services and support available to them.
We have had considerable coverage at local, regional and national levels and picked up an award in the South West Regional Care Awards.
If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact Julie Pollard:
## juliep@volunteercornwall.org.uk
## **Volunteering for Health**
Officially launching on 1[st] January 2025, Volunteering for Health (VfH) is a £10million national programme to demonstrate how volunteering can be a vital part of delivering health and social care now and in the future. The three-year programme is a partnership between NHS England, NHS Charities Together and CW+ (the official charity of Chealsea & Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation trust). In Cornwall, one of 30 sites chosen, Volunteer Cornwall is the lead partner.
Our focus in Cornwall is to connect people in hospital with the communities around them to help shorten their stay and make it a more ‘engaged’ experience. We want to challenge the notion that hospital discharges have to be driven by the hospital and instead test a community-led approach where discharge is planned and prepared for from the moment someone enters hospital.
We also want to ensure that whilst in hospital, people are given every opportunity to engage in meaningful activities that get them up and out of bed, which benefits physical and mental health and wellbeing.
We have formed a partnership locally which includes the NSH Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust, Royal Cornwall NHS Hospitals Trust and Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum. We have begun working at sites in Bude and Camborne/Redruth and hope to see early results by the middle of 2025.
If you would like to know more about this project, please contact the team:
## vfh@volunteercornwall.org.uk
## **Community Hubs and Community Gateway**
Central to much of our work, and mentioned several times in this report, is the Community Hub and Community Gateway model. This is a partnership of key voluntary sector organisations coming together to build and deliver an approach which features a simple point of access to the range of services and support offered in the voluntary sector (Community Gateway) linked to a network of place-based delivery partners (Community Hubs) now standing at 55.
Volunteer Cornwall supports the network of Community Hubs, principally through the Community Maker Team. We distribute funds received from NHS Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board, and co-ordinate the reporting and evaluation functions.
We also employ a post to act as Quality Assurance, Learning and Development lead for the Community Hubs and Community Gateway partnership. This role is constantly looking at what we are providing and asking, “how could we do this better?”
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
During 2024/25, the Hubs had a combined footfall of over 324,000. Whilst it is not possible to identify how many individuals this represents, we do know that the users span all age groups – from parents with children and toddlers, through young people and working age people to older and retired residents.
Importantly, our evaluation also reveals that those using the Community Hubs would otherwise have accessed other, often more acute and expensive, services.
- 24% tell us they would have gone to their GP if the hub wasn’t available
- 15% would have accessed secondary mental health services
- 13% would have accessed Adult Social Care services
- 8% would have gone to a local hospital
- 6% would have called 999
The hub network is clearly playing a crucial role in the prevention and early intervention arena.
## **Stroke Befriending Service:**
Volunteer Cornwall is excited to announce the launch of a new campaign aimed at recruiting more volunteers across the North, East, and South regions. To enhance our outreach efforts, we are partnering with the transport company ‘Go,’ which has generously agreed to assist in promoting our initiative. They will feature our campaign on their media platforms within local buses and display recruitment posters at their stations, significantly increasing our visibility in the community.
Our Stroke Befriending Service Co-Ordinator is actively involved with the Bodmin Stroke peer support group, which meets in early December and February. This group has received assistance from another community initiative at the hub known as ‘the wellness group.’ Both the community volunteer coordinator and the community hub manager are dedicated to facilitating the integration of the Stroke group within the hub, while also nurturing their vital connections as Stroke survivors.
This quarter, we saw a significant focus on the dedication of our peer volunteers. One of our most passionate and impactful volunteers experienced another TIA during this period, which temporarily prevented him from visiting clients for four weeks due to driving restrictions. Although this interruption affected his client visits, his remarkably positive outlook allowed him to return to volunteering as soon as he received clearance from his GP. We also witnessed a strong engagement from our volunteers this quarter, particularly one who consistently visits two clients each week.
“ X has truly excelled in her commitment to the project, so much so that we have nominated her for the BBC Volunteer Awards 2025. We are hopeful that she will receive the recognition she truly deserves. “
For more information on this project, please contact leah@volunteercornwall.org.uk
## **High Intensity User Service (HIU)**
Volunteer Cornwall co-ordinates the delivery of this project with our partner, Pentreath Ltd which focuses solely on referrals from the acute end of the system (ED and 999 Ambulance calls).
The aim of this project is to work closely with the most frequent users of acute services to explore the factors driving their behaviour and then meet individual needs and aspirations which then reduces ambulance usage, emergency department attendances, non-elective admissions and bed days whilst the lasting outcome is that we help people change their lives for the better.
Clients of this project can be anyone living in Cornwall, as anyone can become an intensive user of services for any number of reasons, either physical or emotional or indeed both.
The support provided for each client is very different and is tailored for their needs and wants and abilities at the time.
Across 2024-25, the project focused on its long-term clients. The High Intensity User Service is designed to provide short-term, intensive support. Our goal is to deliver targeted assistance that promotes meaningful changes in key areas of clients' lives, ultimately reducing their reliance on emergency services.
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
However, due to the complex needs of some individuals, certain clients have remained on the HIU caseload for longer than anticipated. In these cases, the assigned High Intensity User Advisor has become an integral part of their support network. To address this, we have begun identifying and reviewing long-term clients who have been on the HIU caseload for 18 months or more. So far, we have identified nine clients in this category.
Over the past year, the HIU team has received approximately 101 referrals for clients identified as "frequent users" from Southwestern Ambulance Service Trust, 111 Kernow Healthcare, and Cornwall Partnership Foundation Trust, which supports discharges from the county's Psychiatric Hospitals.
For additional information on this project, please contact Nehemiah Smithson:
## nehemiahs@volunteercornwall.org.uk
## **Early Help Hub**
The project enables the team to support groups and organizations by providing information, locating funding, and facilitating introductions between VCS organizations to foster collaborations.
Following are some of the highlights of this year:
- Signposted 312 individuals to support – Impacting on each persons whole family network.
- Supported 34 community groups to open, re-open, expand or survive.
Any question about this project can be directed to the senior manager for the post holder:
## leah@volunteercornwall.org.uk
## **Climate and Ecological Emergency**
The work of the team has continued apace, with continuing new developments:
Key achievements:
- Team has developed across all areas of activity, securing a further award at the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards, as winner of the CIOS Carbon Positive Award.
- Development of the network of almost 500 contacts across Cornwall and the UK continues.
- Supported our network of over 40 Climate and Nature Pioneers practices taking action on climate and ecological resilience and drawing down over £80,000 from Public Health for over 50 practical projects on the ground within primary care including bike racks and storage, electric bikes, community art works on human and planetary health, community and practice gardens and reusable menstrual products, meds storage and drinks canteens with wide community outreach and collaboration.
- Support for launch of VCSE Climate and Environment Alliance Green Footsteps Guide.
- Cornwall Greener Practice Online sessions have continued, and we now have a range of sister networks: String of Green Pearls (Green Spaces for Health pioneers); Waste Watchers (waste reduction pioneers); Good Move Network (active travel pioneers); Bright Sparks Network (energy and carbon pioneers); and WellFed (see below).
- Talks, workshops, and participation in a range of research partnerships operating across Cornwall and the UK.
- Total of over £8,800 recurrent annual savings identified savings via the primary care energy audit and more expected.
- Multiple presentations local and regional level.
- Our work on banking has seen our first practice shift banks from a fossil fuel bank to a clean bank, inspiring others to consider the same.
- Over £32,000 secured for active travel equipment across the ICS.
- Further engagement across SW regional network of practitioners sharing models across the region, including support for Bristol based model.
- Contribution to what has become a significant health creation programme with VSF, as part of new engagement with ICB Channel Shift using diabetes as pilot programme for health creation (see WellFed).
- SBRI Green Practice Network bid has made excellent progress on the green quality improvement platform and expects launch in April 2025.
- Total of over 90 hours of online training support on a wide range of issues provided.
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
- Successful development of Green Trails map and large scale illustrated boards for RCHT actively encouraging access to and use green spaces for health, contributing to the county-wide Green String of Pearls network, being installed March 2025.
- Further funding for 2025-2026 from ICB secured with wider remit across all areas of primary care including community pharmacy, ophthalmology, dentistry and community hubs.
For more information, please contact: ianj@volunteercornwall.org.uk
## **Community Transport**
Without our volunteer drivers, we would not be able to achieve all that we do, for which we are very grateful because without them, our community support would not exist. They work tirelessly to get people to appointments, and events both in their local communities, but also travelling further afield.
In recent years, all volunteer driver schemes throughout the country are finding the recruitment of new volunteers is the main issue to doing more journeys, and while we have tried several different events and activities to recruit drivers, but they are not quite yielding the numbers we need. This is leading to us not being able to do all the journeys that people need to attend all their appointments and events.
However, on a positive note, we still undertook over 237,000 miles of travel on behalf of 11,788 passengers, which although a decrease on last year, still helped members of our communities reach their appointments. The average mileage per passenger is currently 20 miles, this is a decrease on last year.
The types of journeys undertaken are shown below:
||**Starting from ICA Area**|**Starting from ICA Area**|**Starting from ICA Area**|**Starting from ICA Area**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Central**|**Devon**|**N&E**|**West**|**Total**|
|Adult Social Care/Education|1,514|7|1,284|1,405|4,210|
|Domestic|664|0|76|132|872|
|Medical|604|4|477|827|1,912|
|Youth Services|562|7|317|428|1,314|
|Internal/Staff|40|2|0|5|47|
|||||||
|Total|3,384|20|2,154|2,797|8,355|
|||||||
As the role of a volunteer drivers, there is also an element of concern and empathy when dealing with people, especially those who are going through a tough time.
One incident which occurred was that our office received a call from one of the drivers around the welfare of one of his passengers. The passenger concerned was undergoing treatment for a broken wrist and when speaking to the driver, they disclosed that they were struggling to sleep properly or eat because of the injury.
This passenger was in their late 90’s and had no family around to support them, so the driver contacted our offices in trying to obtain support for this person. We in turn, contacted the Gateway, who contacted the passenger and ascertained what support they both wanted or needed, and arranged for support to be provided, along with additional reviews in the community where they live to see what other support can be provided.
This is not an isolated incident, there are many occasions where the drivers do more than just take people to appointments, but they also help to care and support those in their own communities and beyond in other ways.
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **Chair and Chief Executive’s Report**
The broad range of programmes that Volunteer Cornwall undertakes to develop social capital goes from strength to strength. The board of trustees are proud to oversee the work of this wonderful organisation. In 2024/25 the teams of staff and volunteers have delivered another outstanding year of activities supporting individuals, families, communities, and the wider environment across Cornwall.
The organisation is a values driven organisation and holds five key ideals close to its heart. The values are to be creative, caring collaborative and challenging. Volunteer Cornwall works closely with other Voluntary, Community Social Enterprise Sector organisations, and the public sector, primarily the NHS to support the most vulnerable members of Cornwall’s communities. Managers are always questioning the use of these values and how working with partners organisations adheres to them.
Sometimes relationships do not run smoothly, and the organisations then works on rectifying problems or if the issues are intractable and damaging then the organisation questions its ability to work in such partnerships. I am pleased to say that this rarely happens. Of course, working with hundreds of community groups and thousands of volunteers is never plain sailing but the challenges are overcome as the vast majority of organisations Volunteer Cornwall works with have the wellbeing and resilience of Cornwall at the centre of their thinking and operations.
Volunteer Cornwall believes that pushing down funding and activities into communities is crucial to the long-term resilience of grass-roots groups and the wellbeing of people in general. The Community Hub Network is vital in this respect, and during the year the footfall at the hubs was nearly 440,000 with 44,000 new attendees. The hubs are expanding their activities supporting people and working NHS colleagues to delivering more services. This model continues to be a vital part of Cornwall’s infrastructure to develop strong and inclusive communities.
Volunteer Cornwall’s Climate Emergency Team have secured funding from the ICB to continue its vital work across Cornwall working with Primary Care Networks. In the forthcoming year they will be working with communities on food projects to address diabetes and keeping people active as well as working with pharmacies and dentistry on reducing their environmental impact.
Other highlights of the year include working with partners to address health inequalities through the Community Health and Wellbeing Programme where over 8,000 contacts were made, and 2,246 residents supported and encouraged to become engaged and active in their community. This activity is targeted at neighbourhoods with the highest indices of deprivation.
The transport department undertook 8,355 journeys with volunteer drivers to assist 11,788 people with limited access to services. With broader volunteering the team coordinated 2,923 volunteering opportunities for 323 host organisations and have a database of 1,735 volunteers that can be called upon to address identifiable needs that need address. The training department delivered 64 courses, 32 of which were accredited, to 527 individuals working across a broad spectrum of organisations.
Finally, we would like to thank the Chief Executive, Ian Jones for his nineteen years of work in Volunteer Cornwall as he is stepping down from his role in the summer. He has established a strong vibrant organisation and his tremendous work with partners has established programmes of activities that will benefit the population of Cornwall in the years ahead.
Jonathan Price, Chair
Ian Jones, Chief Executive
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **Financial review**
The detailed results are set out on pages 21 - 44. Volunteer Cornwall’s main sources of income are:
- Service charges levied on certain activities.
- Projects
- Training
As with all charities, income is not guaranteed and as such Volunteer Cornwall always operates against a background of uncertainty.
Much of our project income is on a short-term contract basis, which generally is reviewed year on year. This can lead to projects being stopped with relevantly short or no notice.
Training income is very much based on ensuring that the courses provided are what the market is looking for and are costed at an affordable rate as many of our participants are charities and charity workers themselves.
## **Fundraising Policy**
As an organisation, Volunteer Cornwall receives its funding from public sector bodies, and other local and national organisations. There is also trading income from our training and transport departments, however Volunteer Cornwall does not fundraise directly or indirectly with the public.
Therefore, we make no use of professional fundraisers, nor directly approach individuals or organisations for funding.
## **Grant Making Policy**
All grants distributed by Volunteer Cornwall comply with the guidance issued by third party funders, as Volunteer Cornwall does not pay grants in their own right.
## **Reserves Surplus**
After transfers, the unrestricted reserves show a surplus for the year of £84,260 (2024 £213.395)
After transfers, the restricted reserves show a surplus for the year of £297,882 (2024 £67,444)
## **Going Concern Assessment**
At the end of the financial year, there were no issues which would affect the operations of the organisation. Whilst, as with most charities, funding is a general area of concern, the budgeting and risk management strategies of the organisation has led the trustees to confirm that there are no issues, of which they are aware, which may affect the continuation of Volunteer Cornwall for the foreseeable future.
## **Related Parties**
Trustees and key staff have confirmed, in writing, that there are no related party transactions for this financial year.
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## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **Reserve Policy**
The Directors/Trustees understand that they have a duty to ensure that all resources available to them are used as effectively as possible for the furtherance of Volunteer Cornwall’s objectives and to comply with any guidance issued by the funding body for the use of the funds.
Volunteer Cornwall has a formal reserves policy, and the Directors/Trustees consider that the current level of reserves is adequate to ensure the following:
- To ensure the long-term stability of Volunteer Cornwall.
- To meet monthly cashflow requirements.
- To support the liabilities of the charity.
- To sustain the organisation and pay its employees over a reasonable period should income be substantially reduced.
- To manage the upkeep, maintenance and depreciation of Acorn House.
## **Future Activities**
The Chief Executive, Support and Development Manager, Participation and Development Manager and the Board of Directors are constantly exploring new opportunities to ensure the viability of Volunteer Cornwall meeting is charitable objectives.
Using this strategy has been successful and has led to new contracts being secured, although their duration is sometimes for one year initially.
The Transport team is self-financing but has experienced a downturn in activity, partly due to a reduced number of people wishing to volunteer, which is a national problem.
## **Levels of Reserves**
## **Volunteer Cornwall Development/Information Technology**
In 2023/2024 we moved from a physical server to a cloud based, this left funds unspent as there were no capital costs to pay for the purchase of equipment.
This designated reserve fell slightly to £28,635 from £28,650.
## **Changes in Activity and Exit and Downturn Strategy**
This fund was created to cover the possibility of Covid creating the need for a serious reduction of our staffing levels due to the cessation or reduction of any of our projects. The aim of this fund was to cover redundancy costs if the need arose.
Whilst the threat from Covid has diminished, it has been replaced with a cost-of-living crisis which has led to some funders looking more closely at the projects they are undertaking and how they are funding them.
This fund is in place to cover any decisions which are taken by funders to reduce or stop projects due to financial pressures to allow us to either continue employment for a short period until other funding is found or to cover redundancy costs.
This fund has remained at £124,252 at the year-end.
## **Climate Emergency**
In 2019, the Board took the decision to declare a climate emergency and allocated £30,000 from Volunteer Cornwall reserves as our commitment to this.
Work started on this project through the education of our own staff and reviewing our current environment. In addition, work is underway to share knowledge and practice with VCSE partners locally and national.
Whilst not a great deal of direct work has been undertaken for Volunteer Cornwall this year, the team has grown four-fold and is now working closely with the NHS to help with tacking their climate responsibilities.
- 11 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
This designated reserve fell slightly to £19,550 from £19,850
## **Premises**
Volunteer Cornwall owns its offices at Acorn House.
This fund has been allocated to cover all expenses incurred in the upkeep and maintenance of the building and to ensure that funds are available for any “unexpected” expenses.
It has been agreed to keep this fund at a level of £10,000 to ensure that most costs which are not anticipated can be covered through reserves.
## **Property**
The capital cost of Acorn House and its fixtures and fitting are held in this fund. A total of £432,347 is held in this designated reserve for this purpose.
This is not a cash balance.
## **Volunteer Infrastructure Support**
In the past, Volunteer Cornwall has always supported the Volunteer Infrastructure from unrestricted reserves.
Funds have been allocated from this fund, leaving a designated reserve value of £50,000.
## **Review of Reserves**
The Directors/Trustees will review the allocation of the reserves and their specific purposes on an annual basis. This is in line with Volunteer Cornwall’s ongoing long-term plans and development.
This review is to ensure that the organisation maximises the safe returns available on its monies. It will also confirm that the level of reserves held are justified and sufficient for the organisations’ purposes.
|Restricted Reserves
Designated Reserves
Unrestricted Reserves|2024/2025
£1,587,021
£726,420
£496,971|2023/2024
£1,289,139
£ 741,582
£ 397,549|
|---|---|---|
The level of free reserves held by the charity as at 31[st] March 2025 was £489,649.
The Directors/Trustees have reviewed these reserves and confirm that the levels are acceptable to meet the longterm objectives of the organisation.
There are no events which have occurred since the end of the financial year, that would materially affect the position of the organisation.
- 12 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **Funds received as Agent.**
Volunteer Cornwall has no discretion regarding the use of these funds and very strict criteria has been specified as to what the funds are to be use for and how they are to be allocated and spent. On this basis the income and expenditure in the table below is not recognised within the charity's own Statement of Financial Activities, in line with the relevant accounting policy (see note 1.15).
The current funds held are:
||Action for
Children|
Clay
TAWC|Cleaner
Seas|The
Hubs
-
ICB
Funding|
Watergate
PCN
Green
Impact|West
ICA|West ICA
Personal
Health|
Inequalities
Funding
ICB|Inequalities
-
West
Public
Health
Funding|
Total
Funds
held
on
behalf
of
third
parties|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||£|£|£|£|£|£|£|£|£|£|
||||||||||||
|Brought
Forward
from 2023/
2024|-|1,152|-|16,000|3,500|155,425|97,000|12,619|-|285,696|
||||||||||||
||||||||||||
|Income
2024/2025|624|-|2,500|770,000|-|-|-|1,508,497|200,000|2,481,621|
||||||||||||
||||||||||||
|Expenses
2024/2025|474|251|2,044|772,532|-|29,819|97,000|990,273|152,129|2,044,522|
||||||||||||
||||||||||||
|Carried
Forward|150|901|456|13,468|3,500|125,606|-|530,843|47,871|722,795|
||||||||||||
## **Investment Policy**
The charity sometimes needs to react quickly to its funding requirements and has a policy of keeping any surplus liquidity in short-term deposits that can be accessed readily.
## **Information Technology**
Volunteer Cornwall continues to endeavour to obtain the maximum benefit and effectiveness from Information Technology.
## **Quality Standards**
It is the ongoing aim of the Directors and staff to work together in developing and refining systems and procedures which will enable the delivery and management of our services to a standard that exceeds the expectations of our clients.
Our plans in 2024/2025 were to achieve the National Association of Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) Local Infrastructure Quality Accreditation, which was successfully accomplished in January 2025.
## **Data Security and Protection**
In compliance with our NHS contracts and as a measure of good practice, Volunteer Cornwall has submitted its NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit at the end of March 2025.
This has led to us achieving the annual accreditation needed for these contracts.
- 13 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **Plans for future periods**
Volunteer Cornwall’s Chair and Trustees discuss the future direction of the charity at scheduled formal board meetings as well as having regular meetings with the management team.
The trustees have been pleased with the exceptional work to date and the progress made on all fronts, particularly with collaboration across the VCSE and with public partners. Of note, has been the developments dealing with the Climate Emergency and the embedding of this work in communities and with NHS partners. The lessons learnt from all this activity will enable us to influence our own activities and those of our partners.
Dealing with the Climate Emergency and Biodiversity loss remains an important objective for the forthcoming years and work will continue around the four key principles of Connecting, Supporting, Strengthening, and Improving the work we do with and across Cornwall’s communities.
Other exceptional work that will be further developed is that of addressing inequalities, particularly supporting those furthest from fully engaging in community life. We will do this working with the Integrated Neighbourhood Teams that are currently being developed across Cornwall.
Over the next three years Volunteer Cornwall will:
- Reach out into all Cornwall’s communities to develop social and voluntary action to improve individual resilience and allow communities to flourish.
- Continue to work with partners on developing and strengthening the role of Cornwall’s Community Hubs.
- Continue to work with partners on the Community Gateway making it as easy as possible for people to identify and access support as necessary.
- Increase the social capital in Cornwall’s communities supporting people to become involved in the social, environmental, and economic aspects of community life.
- Work with individuals, groups, and communities to address the Climate Change Emergency and reduce Biodiversity loss and improving access to health food.
- Support individuals to become active, building confidence, self-esteem, new skills, and new friendships.
- Support individuals to build engaged, inclusive and supportive communities.
- Championing and delivering of collaborative approaches to service development and delivery underpinned by the Changing Lives principles.
- Enhance the delivery of public service by increasing community involvement in the design, development, and delivery of services.
- Work with public sector partners to embed Volunteer Cornwall’s core activity across Cornwall’s changing health and wellbeing structures, particularly through Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Health and Care System, Integrated Care Areas, and Primary Care Networks:
- Support host organisations by increasing the availability of volunteers.
- Work with host organisations in developing and accrediting training for volunteers.
- Work with volunteers and host organisations to share capacity to meet the needs of the most vulnerable members of Cornwall’s communities.
- Actively link research and practice working with academic institutions to improve service delivery.
- Look at opportunities to increase employer supported volunteering.
- Work with public, private, and voluntary sector partners to develop secure, inclusive, sustainable and resilient communities.
## **Structure, governance and management**
Volunteer Cornwall is a company, limited by guarantee and is governed by our Memorandum and Articles of Association dated 13[th] May 1998.
In addition, Volunteer Cornwall is also a registered charity with the Charities Commission. This registration has been in place since 8[th] June 1998.
- 14 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
C Leyshon L Emmett (Resigned 16 October 2024) R Hall (Resigned 16 April 2025) J Popham N Hughes J Price M Leyshon R Magill K Price (Appointed 16 October 2024)
## **Recruitment and appointment of Trustees**
The Board of Directors must ensure that the members of the Board hold the relevant skills needed to allow Volunteer Cornwall to continue to carry out its mission statement, aims and objectives.
Individual directors and staff identify potential Board Members mainly by word-of-mouth recommendations. Details of vacancies are also posted on our website: www.volunteercornwall.org.uk
All new trustees are elected and appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
## **Organisation**
The Board of Trustees meets on a quarterly basis, dates are provided for the following year at the Annual General Meeting.
In addition to the quarterly Board meetings, meetings are held by the Risk and Finance Committee, Data Security and Protection Committee and Safeguarding Committee on a regular basis and the findings of these committees are submitted to the Board for approval.
The day-to-day management of Volunteer Cornwall is delegated to the Chief Executive and paid staff.
Board Post holders are available to paid staff at any time to discuss issues as and when they occur.
## **Current Organisational Structure**
Chief Executive Ian Jones Accounts and Administration Manager Lisa Crook Support & Development Manager Andy Brelsford Participation & Development Manager Lea Hill HR Manager and PA to CE Mary Baldwin
- 15 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **Induction of Trustees**
The induction of all new members of the Board of Directors is the collective responsibility of the Board of Directors with the assistance of the Chief Executive Officer.
At the first Board meeting, a director is nominated to mentor the new director for as long as is necessary and all new Board members are expected to complete the following activities during their first year in office.
- Meet with the Chair of the Board of Directors to discuss Volunteer Cornwall’s mission statement and its aims and objectives.
- Meet with the Treasurer to got through Volunteer Cornwall’s financial arrangements.
- Meet with the Chief Executive to discuss Volunteer Cornwall’s business plan.
At the end of the first year, an informal meeting with the Chair and Chief Executive is arranged to discuss the induction process. Emphasis is given to the main skill areas that the new director wishes to offer Volunteer Cornwall and identify any support or training that may be required.
## **Pay Policy for Senior Staff**
The pay of all staff, including senior staff, is linked to the National Joint Council (NJC) for Local Government Services pay scales. The pay of senior staff is therefore reviewed annually, and if applicable, increased in accordance with the recommendations for these scales.
The remuneration level of senior staff within the NJC scales is determined by the Board of Directors.
## **Risk Management**
The Volunteer Cornwall risk management policy and register are reviewed regularly and presented on a quarterly basis to the Board as a standing item on the agenda to detail any variations or adjustments.
As with all Charities, funding is one of our major risks, which Volunteer Cornwall tries to mitigate with robust future planning and creating positive relationships with funders and other partner organisations.
## **Auditor**
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that RRL LLP be reappointed as auditor of the charity will be put at a General Meeting.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provision of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.
## **Disclosure of information to auditor**
In so far as the directors are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the Company’s Auditors are unaware, and they have taken all the steps that they ought to have taken as directors in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Company’s Auditors are aware of that information.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
J Price
## **Trustee**
17 December 2025
- 16 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
The trustees, who are also the directors of Volunteer Cornwall for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company law requires the trustees to prepare the financial statements for each financial year. Under company law the trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company, of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company 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 the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards 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 operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The 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 regularities.
- 17 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of Volunteer Cornwall (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. 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 charitable company's affairs as at 31 March 2025 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- 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 charity 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 charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve 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 other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. 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. 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 course of 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 this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. 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.
## **Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006**
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:
- the information given in the trustees' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared, which includes the directors' report prepared for the purposes of company law, is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the directors' report included within the trustees' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
- 18 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE MEMBERS OF VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charity and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the trustees' 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, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- certain disclosures of trustees' remuneration specified by law are not made; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit; or
- the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies' exemptions in preparing the trustees' report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the statement of trustees' responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose 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 charity’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 charitable 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 non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.
As part of our audit work, we obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to the charity and the sector in which they operate. We determined that the laws and regulations surrounding the safeguarding of vulnerable groups, health & safety, driver training and data security were most significant to the charity as well as the laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and compliance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice.
The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
- Review of the disclosures in the financial statements and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial statements;
- Discussion with management as to how compliance with these laws and regulations is monitored;
- Enquiries of management concerning actual and potential litigation and claims;
- Performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatement due to fraud;
- 19 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT (CONTINUED) TO THE MEMBERS OF VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
- Reviewing minutes of trustee meetings and correspondence with regulators;
- Performing audit work in connection with the risk of management override of controls, including testing journal entries for reasonableness and evaluating the business rationale of significant transactions outside the normal course of business.
We also communicate relevant identified laws and regulations and potential fraud risk to all engagement team members and remain alert to any indications of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations throughout the audit.
Our audit approach also considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the charitable company for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud being in respect of cut off and completion risk around revenue recognition. Under ISA (UK) we are also required to undertake procedures to respond to the risk of management override of controls. Our procedures included the following:
- Undertaking transactional testing on revenue
- Performing cut off testing on income
- Auditing the risk of management override of controls, including through testing journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, and evaluating the business rationale for significant transactions outside the normal course of business
- Reviewing estimates and judgements made in the accounts for any indication of bias and challenged assumptions used by management in making estimates.
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https:// www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
## **Use of our report**
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.
## **Josh Stevens ACA (Senior Statutory Auditor)**
For and on behalf of RRL LLP, Statutory Auditor Chartered Accountants Peat House Newham Road TRURO Cornwall TR1 2DP 19 January 2026
- 20 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2025**
**2025**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**Income from:**
Donations and legacies
**3**
103
12,706
Charitable activities
**4**
449,796
1,968,443
Other trading activities
**5**
5,913
-
Investments
**6**
1,813
-
**Total income**
457,625
1,981,149
**Expenditure on:**
Charitable activities
Transport
**8**
265,672
-
Training
**8**
55,273
-
Projects
**8**
291,365
1,444,322
**Total charitable**
**expenditure**
612,310
1,444,322
**Net income/(expenditure)**
(154,685)
536,827
Transfers between
funds
238,945
(238,945)
**Net movement in**
**funds**
**7**
84,260
297,882
**Reconciliation of funds:**
Fund balances at 1 April 2024
1,139,131
1,289,139
**Fund balances at 31 March**
**2025**
1,223,391
1,587,021|**Total**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2025**
**2024**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**£**
12,809
5,129
-
2,418,239
686,792
1,586,788
5,913
3,342
-
1,813
1,673
-
2,438,774
696,936
1,586,788
265,672
292,335
-
55,273
84,177
-
1,735,687
267,578
1,358,795
2,056,632
644,090
1,358,795
382,142
52,846
227,993
-
160,549
(160,549)
382,142
213,395
67,444
2,428,270
925,736
1,221,695
2,810,412
1,139,131
1,289,139|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
5,129
2,273,580
3,342
1,673|
|---|---|---|
|||2,283,724|
|||292,335
84,177
1,626,373|
|||2,002,885|
||||
|||280,839
-|
|||280,839
2,147,431|
|||2,428,270|
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
- 21 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **BALANCE SHEET**
## _**AS AT 31 MARCH 2025**_
|**2025**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**Fixed assets**
Intangible assets
**13**
2,371
Tangible assets
**14**
480,950
Investments
**15**
500
483,821
**Current assets**
Debtors
**16**
314,174
Cash at bank and in hand
3,194,989
3,509,163
**Creditors: amounts falling due within**
**one year**
**18**
(1,182,572)
Net current assets
2,326,591
**Total assets less current liabilities**
2,810,412
**Income funds**
Restricted funds
**22**
1,587,021
Unrestricted funds
Designated funds
**21**
726,420
General unrestricted funds
496,971
1,223,391
2,810,412|**2024**
**£**
**£**
3,161
455,476
500
459,137
666,812
2,097,258
2,764,070
(794,937)
1,969,133
2,428,270
1,289,139
741,582
397,549
1,139,131
2,428,270|**2024**
**£**
**£**
3,161
455,476
500
459,137
666,812
2,097,258
2,764,070
(794,937)
1,969,133
2,428,270
1,289,139
741,582
397,549
1,139,131
2,428,270|
|---|---|---|
|||459,137
1,969,133|
|||2,428,270|
|||1,289,139
1,139,131|
|||2,428,270|
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime.
The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 17 December 2025
J Price **Trustee**
## **Company registration number 03562830**
- 22 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
|**Notes**
**Cash flows from operating activities**
Cash generated from/(absorbed by)
operations
**27**
**Investing activities**
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Investment income received
**Net cash used in investing activities**
**Net cash used in financing activities**
**Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash**
**equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
**Cash and cash equivalents at end of year**|**2025**
**£**
**£**
1,144,435
(48,517)
1,813
(46,704)
-
1,097,731
2,097,258
3,194,989|**2024**
**£**
**£**
(591,615)
(14,661)
1,673
(12,988)
-
(604,603)
2,701,861
2,097,258|
|---|---|---|
- 23 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Charity information**
The Company is incorporated as a limited by guarantee company under the Companies Act 2006. In the event of winding up, every member is liable to contribute a sum not exceeding £1 per member towards the debts and liabilities of the company and the costs, charges and expenses of winding up. At 31 March 2025, there were 8 members (2024: 8).
## **1.1 Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "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)" (effective 1 January 2019). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
## **1.2 Going concern**
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
## **1.3 Charitable funds**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Endowment funds are subject to specific conditions by donors that the capital must be maintained by the charity.
## **1.4 Income**
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
Grant income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable unless the donor imposes performance conditions to be met before entitlement is confirmed.
- 24 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
**(Continued)**
## **1.5 Expenditure**
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit 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.
Costs are directly attributable to specific activities or projects. Where this is not possible costs are apportioned. This apportionment will vary depending on the practicality and the type of activity or project involved. With project support costs this apportionment will not normally exceed 15% of the total value of the project or activity. Office costs and property related costs are apportioned based on agreed amounts per funding contracts and any further negotiations to reflect staff time and resource consumption for the project. Staff costs are apportioned based on an estimate of the proportion of time spent by staff on particular activities or projects.
## **1.6 Intangible fixed assets other than goodwill**
Intangible assets acquired separately from a business are recognised at cost and are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.
Intangible assets acquired on business combinations are recognised separately from goodwill at the acquisition date where it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity and the fair value of the asset can be measured reliably; the intangible asset arises from contractual or other legal rights; and the intangible asset is separable from the entity.
Amortisation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
Website 25% reducing balance
## **1.7 Tangible fixed assets**
Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
Freehold buildings 50 years straight line basis Leasehold improvements Over the term of the lease Fixtures and fittings 15 years straight line basis Office Equipment 5 years straight line basis IT Equipment 25% reducing balance
Land is not depreciated.
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities.
Equipment purchased for restricted projects is charged to resources expended in the year of acquisition on the basis that the assets concerned will need to be returned at the end of the project.
## **1.8 Fixed asset investments**
Fixed asset investments are initially measured at transaction price excluding transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at fair value at each reporting date. Changes in fair value are recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year. Transaction costs are expensed as incurred.
- 25 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **(Continued)**
## **1.9 Impairment of fixed assets**
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
## **1.10 Cash and cash equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
## **1.11 Financial instruments**
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
## _**Basic financial assets**_
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
## _**Basic financial liabilities**_
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## _**Derecognition of financial liabilities**_
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
## **1.12 Taxation**
The charity is entitled to the tax exemptions available to charities under UK tax law, including exemptions on income and gains, provided these are applied solely for charitable purposes.
The charity is partially exempt for VAT purposes. The charity's activities are a mixture of standard rate, exempt and non-business for VAT purposes. A large number of activities are classified as non-business and therefore outside the scope of VAT. This means that the input tax incurred on the purchases for these projects cannot be reclaimed and has been absorbed within the activities.
- 26 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **(Continued)**
## **1.13 Employee benefits**
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
## **1.14 Retirement benefits**
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
## **1.15 Funds held as agent**
The charity acts as an agent in certain arrangements where it holds and disburses funds on behalf of third parties. These agency arrangements are not recognised as income or expenditure in the Statement of Financial Activities.
Where the charity acts as an agent, the following treatment is applied:
1. Amounts received from the principal are recognised as liabilities on the balance sheet;
2. Corresponding disbursements made on behalf of the principal reduce this liability accordingly.
3. Any fees or charges earned by the charity for administering these funds are recognised as income in the Statement of Financial Activities in accordance with the charity's income recognition policy.
Distributions of funds held as agent is made in the notes to the financial statements, including the amounts received, paid and held at year end.
## **2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements**
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The key judgement made by the trustees in preparing these financial statements is the consideration of whether an agency relationship exists for funds received as these then do not form part of the charity's Statement of Financial Activities. The trustees determine whether the charity is acting as a principal or agent in accordance with the guidance set out in the Charities SORP (FRS 102), including consideration of the substance of the arrangement and the charity's level of control and decision-making authority over the funds.
- 27 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **3 Donations and legacies**
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2025**
**2025**
**£**
**£**
Donations and gifts
103
2,706
Legacies receivable
-
-
Grants receivable
-
10,000
103
12,706|**Total Unrestricted**
**funds**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
2,809
129
-
5,000
10,000
-
12,809
5,129|**Total Unrestricted**
**funds**
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
2,809
129
-
5,000
10,000
-
12,809
5,129|
|---|---|---|
|||5,129|
## **4 Income from charitable activities**
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2025**
**2025**
**£**
**£**
**Transport**
Services provided under
contract
338,181
-
**Training**
Services provided under
contract
49,990
4,000
**Projects**
Services provided under
contract
61,625
1,964,443
449,796
1,968,443|**Total**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2025**
**2024**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**£**
338,181
405,265
-
53,990
114,816
202
2,026,068
166,711
1,586,586
2,418,239
686,792
1,586,788|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
405,265
115,018
1,753,297|
|---|---|---|
|||2,273,580|
## **Government grants**
Cornwall Council - £176,223 (2024: £244,520) was received to help support the following projects: Early Help Hub, Green Impact for Health GP Practises, Inequalities and Launceston Medical Hub.
NHS - £1,329,174 (2024; £1,132,722) was received to help support the following projects: Community Makers, Exeter University Project, Gaitsmart, HIU - Acute, Inequalities, Launceston Medical Hub, Peer Support Project, Stroke Befriending and Volunteering for Health.
- 28 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **5 Income from other trading activities**
||**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|
|---|---|---|
||**funds**|**funds**|
||**2025**|**2024**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Staff secondment income|2,108|-|
|Feed in Tariff income|3,805|3,342|
|Other trading activities|5,913|3,342|
## **6 Income from investments**
|||**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**funds**|
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Interest receivable|1,813|1,673|
|**7**|**Net movement in funds**|**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||The net movement in funds is stated after charging/(crediting):|||
||Fees payable for the audit of the charity's financial statements|6,650|5,750|
||Depreciation of owned tangible fixed assets|23,043|16,843|
||Amortisation of intangible assets|790|1,054|
||Operating lease charges|-|576|
- 29 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **8 Charitable activities**
|Staff costs
Repairs, renewals and maintenance
Stationery, computer supplies and promotion
Rent and rates
Light, power and heat
Insurance
Telephone
Postage
Subscriptions
Legal and professional
Other staff costs
Sundry expenses
Volunteer expenses
Travel and driver expenses
Irrecoverable VAT
Project costs
Share of support costs (see note 9)
Share of governance costs (see note 9)|**Transport**
**2025**
**£**
90,916
1,661
4,926
194
260
524
889
140
1,016
664
-
992
-
163,490
-
-
265,672
-
-
265,672|**Training**
**2025**
**£**
37,915
3,615
524
195
65
148
339
104
273
127
9,020
399
2,282
267
-
-
55,273
-
-
55,273|**Projects**
**2025**
**£**
910,788
17,368
24,727
12,400
3,712
5,253
10,061
168
4,544
6,441
11,600
103
3,145
22,874
20,067
440,454
1,493,705
231,682
10,300
1,735,687|**Total**
**2025**
**£**
1,039,619
22,644
30,177
12,789
4,037
5,925
11,289
412
5,833
7,232
20,620
1,494
5,427
186,631
20,067
440,454
1,814,650
231,682
10,300
2,056,632|**Transport**
**2024**
**£**
84,700
1,495
6,267
333
627
437
831
246
627
727
-
44
-
196,001
-
-
292,335
-
-
292,335|**Training**
**2024**
**£**
63,891
1,321
1,075
312
313
212
615
193
331
(449)
14,999
222
875
267
-
-
84,177
-
-
84,177|**Projects**
**2024**
**£**
774,930
11,175
16,507
2,443
4,749
3,372
8,326
813
3,820
2,029
21,974
5,312
16,058
38,536
12,114
479,691
1,401,849
215,774
8,750
1,626,373|**Total**
**2024**
**£**
923,521
13,991
23,849
3,088
5,689
4,021
9,772
1,252
4,778
2,307
36,973
5,578
16,933
234,804
12,114
479,691|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||||1,778,361
215,774
8,750|
|||||||||2,002,885|
- 30 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **8 Charitable activities**
|**Charitable activities**
**Analysis by fund**
Unrestricted funds
Restricted funds|265,672
-
265,672|55,273
-
55,273|291,365
1,444,322
1,735,687|612,310
1,444,322
2,056,632|292,335
-
292,335|84,177
-
84,177|**(Continued)**
267,578
644,090
1,358,795
1,358,795
1,626,373
2,002,885|**(Continued)**
267,578
644,090
1,358,795
1,358,795
1,626,373
2,002,885|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||||2,002,885|
- 31 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **9 Support costs**
|**Support costs**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Staff costs
Depreciation and amortisation
Other staff costs
Travel
Stationery, computer supplies and promotion
Rent and rates
Light, heat and power
Repairs, renewals and maintenance
Insurance
Telephone
Postage
Subscriptions
Legal and professional
Audit fees
Accountancy
Analysed between
Charitable activities|**Support**
**costs**
**Governance**
**costs**
**£**
**£**
197,469
-
23,833
-
1,264
-
73
-
3,087
-
510
-
286
-
1,245
-
576
-
1,313
-
85
-
1,357
-
584
-
-
6,650
-
3,650
231,682
10,300
231,682
10,300|**2025**
**£**
197,469
23,833
1,264
73
3,087
510
286
1,245
576
1,313
85
1,357
584
6,650
3,650
241,982
241,982|**Support**
**costs**
**Governance**
**costs**
**£**
**£**
180,257
-
17,897
-
576
-
8,099
-
3,646
-
406
-
627
-
501
-
449
-
1,219
-
316
-
1,157
-
624
-
-
5,750
-
3,000
215,774
8,750
215,774
8,750|**2024**
**£**
180,257
17,897
576
8,099
3,646
406
627
501
449
1,219
316
1,157
624
5,750
3,000|
|||||224,524|
|||||224,524|
- 32 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **9 Support costs**
**(Continued)**
Governance costs includes payments to the auditors of £6,650 (2024: £5,750) for audit fees and £3,650 (2024: £3,000) for non-audit fees.
Details of the total support costs incurred are as itemised above by cost item and relate to central office functions required to support Volunteer Cornwall's activities and projects. The resources expended on charitable activities include the apportionment of support costs by project or activity. Where appropriate, costs are always allocated directly to an activity or project. Where this is not possible, costs are apportioned. The apportionment will vary slightly depending on the type of activity or project involved.
Regarding project support costs, this apportionment will not normally exceed 15% of the total value of the project or activity income, although this can vary. All support costs are normally apportioned on staff numbers based on an estimate of the proportion of time spent by staff on particular activities or projects.
- 33 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **10 Taxation**
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
## **11 Trustees**
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
## **12 Employees**
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
|The average monthly number of employees during the year was:|||
|---|---|---|
|**Employment costs**
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs|**2025**
**Number**
38
**2025**
**£**
1,113,512
93,404
30,172
1,237,088|**2024**
**Number**
37|
|||**2024**
**£**
999,211
78,088
26,479|
|||1,103,778|
During the year, the Charity made statutory redundancy payments totalling £1,548 (2024: £Nil) and nonstatutory payments of £5,711 (2024: £Nil). There was £5,711 (2024: £nil) outstanding at year end.
The cost of temporary staff included in the above totalled £40,429 (2024: £57,300).
There were no employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000.
## **Remuneration of key management personnel**
The key management personnel of the charity are the trustees, Chief Executive, Accounts and Administration Manager/Company Secretary, Support and Development Manager, HR Manager and PA to the Chief Executive and Participation Manager. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were:
||**2025**|**2024**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
|Aggregate compensation|232,280|192,034|
- 34 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **13 Intangible fixed assets**
|**Cost**
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
**Amortisation and impairment**
At 1 April 2024
Amortisation charged for the year
At 31 March 2025
**Carrying amount**
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024|**Website**
**£**
6,500|
|---|---|
||3,339
790|
||4,129|
||2,371|
||3,161|
## **14 Tangible fixed assets**
|**Tangible fixed assets**|||
|---|---|---|
|**Cost**
At 1 April 2024
Additions
At 31 March 2025
**Depreciation and impairment**
At 1 April 2024
Depreciation charged in the year
At 31 March 2025
**Carrying amount**
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024|**Freehold**
**buildings**
**Leasehold**
**improvements**
**Fixtures and**
**fittings**
**Office**
**Equipment**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
532,184
-
48,478
111,858
-
39,862
3,876
4,779
532,184
39,862
52,354
116,637
102,000
-
39,172
95,872
8,500
6,644
2,519
5,380
110,500
6,644
41,691
101,252
421,684
33,218
10,663
15,385
430,184
-
9,306
15,986|**Total**
**£**
692,520
48,517|
|||741,037|
|||237,044
23,043|
|||260,087|
|||480,950|
|||455,476|
Included within freehold buildings is land valued at £107,184 (2024: £107,184) not being depreciated.
- 35 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **15 Fixed asset investments**
|**Cost or valuation**
At 1 April 2024 & 31 March 2025
**Carrying amount**
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2024
**16**
**Debtors**
**Amounts falling due within one year:**
Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income|**Unlisted**
**investments**
**£**
500
500
500
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
249,225
625,814
64,949
40,998
314,174
666,812|**Unlisted**
**investments**
**£**
500
500
500
**2025**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
249,225
625,814
64,949
40,998
314,174
666,812|
|---|---|---|
|||500|
|||500|
|||**2024**
**£**
625,814
40,998|
|||666,812|
## **17 Cash not available for charity's use**
As at 31 March 2025, the charity held cash at bank and hand totalling £3,194,999 (2024: £2,097,258). Of this balance, £722,795 (2024: £285,696) was not available for use by the charity as it was held on behalf of others. See note 18 for further details.
## **18 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
|**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**|||
|---|---|---|
|**Notes**
Other taxation and social security
Deferred income
**19**
Payments received on account
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Accruals|**2025**
**£**
54,258
149,968
(336)
97,013
722,795
158,874
1,182,572|**2024**
**£**
42,074
202,764
200
78,189
285,696
186,014|
|||794,937|
Included within the other creditors balance is £722,795 (2024: £285,696) which relates to funds held on behalf of third parties where the charity acts as an agent with regards to distribution of funds. During the year, the charity received £2,481,621 of funds in relation to these third parties and distributed £2,044,522 on their behalf. Details of the balances held as at 31 March 2025 are included within the Trustees' Report.
- 36 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
|**19**|**Deferred income**|||
|---|---|---|---|
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Other deferred income|149,968|202,764|
||Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:|||
|||**2025**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Deferred income is included within:|||
||Current liabilities|149,968|202,764|
||Movements in the year:|||
||Deferred income at 1 April 2024|202,764|165,250|
||Released from previous periods|(152,764)|(165,250)|
||Resources deferred in the year|99,968|202,764|
||Deferred income at 31 March 2025|149,968|202,764|
Deferred income relates to funding received in advance for activities due to commence during 2025/26.
|**20**|**Retirement benefit schemes**|||
|---|---|---|---|
|||**2025**|**2024**|
||**Defined contribution schemes**|**£**|**£**|
||Charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes|30,172|26,479|
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
- 37 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **21 Unrestricted funds**
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
|Centre Development/IT
Changes in Activity and Centre
Exit/Downturn Strategy
Climate Emergency
Premises
Property Fund
Volunteer Infrastructure Support
Social Capital Fund
General funds
**Previous year:**
Centre Development/IT
Changes in Activity and Centre
Exit/Downturn Strategy
Climate Emergency
Premises
Property Fund
Volunteer Infrastructure Support
Staff Training
General funds|**At 1 April**
**2024**
**Incoming**
**resources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**£**
**£**
**£**
28,650
-
(15)
124,252
-
-
19,850
-
(300)
10,000
-
(305)
439,490
-
-
50,000
-
-
69,340
-
(7,704)
397,549
457,625
(603,986)
1,139,131
457,625
(612,310)
**At 1 April**
**2023**
**Incoming**
**resources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**£**
**£**
**£**
28,984
-
(334)
124,252
-
-
20,323
825
(1,298)
10,000
-
(3,108)
448,878
-
-
39,567
-
-
-
-
-
253,732
696,111
(639,350)
925,736
696,936
(644,090)|**Transfers**
**At 31 March**
**2025**
**£**
**£**
-
28,635
-
124,252
-
19,550
305
10,000
(7,143)
432,347
-
50,000
-
61,636
245,783
496,971
238,945
1,223,391
**Transfers**
**At 31 March**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
-
28,650
-
124,252
-
19,850
3,108
10,000
(9,388)
439,490
10,433
50,000
69,340
69,340
87,056
397,549
160,549
1,139,131|
|---|---|---|
- 38 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **21 Unrestricted funds**
**(Continued)**
## **Description, nature and purpose of designated funds**
Centre Development / IT - Funding to cover major updates to IT systems.
Changes in Activity and Centre Exit / Downturn Strategy - To cover unexpected costs due to cancellation of projects, such as unexpected redundancies.
Climate Emergency - To cover costs incurred with the Volunteer Cornwall declared climate emergency.
Premises - To cover premises expenses.
Property Fund - Represents Acorn House that is financed through unrestricted funds.
Volunteer Infrastructure Support - Funding to help create and upkeep the volunteer infrastructure support.
Social Capital Fund - Provision of training to our own staff, covering management skills, legal requirements of charities, safeguarding, and any other area requested by organisations.
- 39 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **22 Restricted funds**
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
|Climate Health -
NHS
Climate Health -
Public Health
Community
Care Makers
Community
Makers
Early Help Hub
Hospital to
Home
Health
Inequalities
Funding
NHS
Peer Support
Project
Social
Prescribing
Community
Development
Stroke
Befriending
The Hubs
Training
Transport
Vaccination
Volunteering for
Health
Vulnerable
Support Hub
Other Funds|**At 1 April**
**2024**
**Incoming**
**resources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**£**
**£**
**£**
126,517
215,651
(147,533)
-
5,000
(5,387)
129,528
-
(35,752)
16,224
229,452
(220,240)
5,719
40,326
(40,742)
-
101,935
(89,830)
342,471
238,073
(135,160)
398,144
219,004
(175,575)
87,628
275,000
(247,113)
13,504
3,200
19,702
8,381
38,221
(14,697)
14,346
133,250
(95,044)
-
54,000
(20,884)
23,826
-
(330)
-
170,000
(107,522)
63,029
452
(147)
59,822
257,585
(128,068)
1,289,139
1,981,149
(1,444,322)|**Transfers**
**Gains and**
**losses**
**At 31 March**
**2025**
**£**
**£**
**£**
(35,820)
-
158,815
5,387
-
5,000
(18,229)
-
75,547
(16,207)
-
9,229
(5,303)
-
-
(12,105)
-
-
(57,252)
-
388,132
(5,551)
-
436,022
(6,234)
-
109,281
-
-
36,406
(6,167)
-
25,738
(28,367)
-
24,185
(33,116)
-
-
-
-
23,496
(19,256)
-
43,222
-
-
63,334
(725)
-
188,614
(238,945)
-
1,587,021|
|---|---|---|
- 40 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
|**22**|**Restricted funds**||||||**(Continued)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Previous year:**|**At 1 April**|**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Transfers**|**Gains and**|**At 31 March**|
|||**2023**|**resources**|**expended**||**losses**|**2024**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
||Clinically|||||||
||Extremely|||||||
||Vulnerable|||||||
||(CEV)|11,206|-|-|(11,206)|-|-|
||Community|||||||
||Care Makers|68,389|60,000|616|523|-|129,528|
||Community|||||||
||Makers|6,730|237,675|(184,588)|(43,593)|-|16,224|
||Social|||||||
||Prescribing|||||||
||Community|||||||
||Development|32,351|-|(19,021)|174|-|13,504|
||Climate Health -|||||||
||NHS|243,987|52,831|(157,887)|(24,487)|12,073|126,517|
||Early Help Hub|5,488|39,535|(39,091)|(213)|-|5,719|
||Community|||||||
||Health and|||||||
||Wellbeing|||||||
||Workers|150,778|-|(69,587)|(81,191)|-|-|
||Hospital to|||||||
||Home|-|120,000|(99,221)|(20,779)|-|-|
||Locality ICA|||||||
||Inequalities|||||||
||West|113,647|136,350|(42,557)|(207,440)|-|-|
||The Hubs|33,717|50,000|(75,683)|6,312|-|14,346|
||Warmth Banks|||||||
||Service|34,107|-|(23,488)|(10,619)|-|-|
||NHS|144,279|327,004|(219,443)|(19,864)|166,168|398,144|
||Personal Health|71,381|-|(69,802)|(1,579)|-|-|
||Smartline|15,244|3,922|-|(19,166)|-|-|
||Stroke|||||||
||Befriending|6,674|38,221|(27,820)|(8,694)|-|8,381|
||Transport|||||||
||Vaccination|24,491|-|(665)|-|-|23,826|
||Vulnerable|||||||
||Support Fund|50,560|1,132|(45)|11,382|-|63,029|
||Peer Support|||||||
||Project|14,097|275,000|(199,456)|(2,013)|-|87,628|
||Health|||||||
||Inequalities|||||||
||Funding|-|86,318|-|256,153|-|342,471|
||Training|-|-|(19,933)|19,933|-|-|
||Welcome|||||||
||Home/Mental|||||||
||Health Winter|||||||
||Pressures|169,905|-|-|-|(169,905)|-|
- 41 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
|**22**
**Restricted funds**
Other Funds|24,664
1,221,695|158,800
(111,124)
1,586,788
(1,358,795)|(4,182)
(160,549)|**(Continued)**
(8,336)
59,822
-
1,289,139|**(Continued)**
(8,336)
59,822
-
1,289,139|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||1,289,139|
## **Description, nature and purpose of restricted funds**
Climate Health - NHS - NHS Funding to look at ways that peoples environment affects both their physical and mental health, and ways to improve this, be it with ensuring open spaces for people to enjoy the out doors, or reducing people’s carbon footprint to help reduce the affects of global warning and its affects on health.
Climate Health - Public Health - In collaboration with Public Health, this project aims to help those with certain health conditions, who would benefit from better nutrition, to understand the links between their conditions and food. The fund will run educational courses for those with relevant conditions, and will provide fresh, locally sourced raw ingredients to those people for a period, to show the benefits in a practical way. The results from this project are being monitored and fed into a possible national NHS strategy.
Community Care Makers - Support of people leaving hospital or support which will remove the need for someone to be an inpatient within the hospital system.
Community Makers - Signposting of people to support within their local community developing social capital and resilience.
Early Help Hub - Working with Cornwall Council to signpost families to help and support in their area.
Hospital to Home - Part of the NHS Discharge and Prevention programme, enabling people to leave hospital sooner, by undertaking tasks which are needed to make the patients return home more comfortable and better for recovery.
Health Inequalities Funding - This fund is an amalgamation of the Community Health and Wellbeing Workers and Locality ICA Inequalities West funds. The NHS provide funding to help and support patients and other organisations dealing with health inequalities in Cornwall.
NHS - NHS funded projects.
Peer Support Project - Mental health support funded through the NHS.
Social Prescribing Community Development - Local authority funding to provide help and support to patients through the NHS and other organisations.
Stroke Befriending - NHS funded service to help and support stroke survivors.
The Hubs - Hubs for community groups and organisations to be available to the local community.
Training - Provision of training to other third sector organisations, covering management skills, legal requirements of charities, safeguarding, and any other area requested by organisations.
Transport Vaccination - Local authority funding to provide free transportation to people to obtain their COVID vaccination.
Volunteering for Health - this is a national programme to show how volunteering can be a vital part of delivering health and social care and supporting people in need now and in the future. Volunteering for Health looks to link volunteers with their local hospital, assist people in their hospital stay and with their return home. The goal of volunteering for health is to innovate ways In which volunteers can be used to bring support in the community in to the hospital. What this means in Cornwall is creating agreements between organisations and hospital trusts to allow volunteers from the community to support people on the wards.
Vulnerable Support Fund - Financial support to those in a financial need.
Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) - Support of CEV people to support them accessing help and support post-COVID.
- 42 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **22 Restricted funds**
**(Continued)**
Community Health and Wellbeing Workers - Providing help and support to the patients throughout the NHS and other organisations dealing with health inequalities.
Warmth Banks Service - NHS grant to other organisations to provide warmth spaces and other services throughout winter.
Personal Health - Funding to individuals to provide help and support to try and reduce hospital admissions.
Smartline - Funding held for the Smartline project - working within social housing.
## **23 Analysis of net assets between funds**
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2025**
**2025**
**£**
**£**
**At 31 March 2025:**
Intangible fixed assets
2,371
-
Tangible assets
436,798
44,152
Investments
500
-
Current assets/(liabilities)
783,722
1,542,869
1,223,391
1,587,021
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2024**
**2024**
**£**
**£**
**At 31 March 2024:**
Intangible fixed assets
3,161
-
Tangible assets
444,914
10,562
Investments
500
-
Current assets/(liabilities)
690,556
1,278,577
1,139,131
1,289,139|**Total**
**2025**
**£**
2,371
480,950
500
2,326,591|
|---|---|
||2,810,412|
||**Total**
**2024**
**£**
3,161
455,476
500
1,969,133|
||2,428,270|
## **24 Operating lease commitments**
## **Lessee**
At the reporting end date the charity had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
|Within one year
Between two and five years|**2025**
**£**
17,000
68,792
85,792|**2024**
**£**
-
-|
|---|---|---|
|||-|
- 43 -
## **VOLUNTEER CORNWALL**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025**_
## **25 Related party transactions**
Truro Cricket Club - an organisation in which I Jones, Chief Executive is the Chair received £Nil (2024: £700) from the charity in respect of room hire and advertising in the year. £Nil (2024: £600) remained outstanding as at the year end.
## **26 Analysis of changes in net funds**
The charity had no material debt during the year.
|**27**
**Cash generated from operations**
Surplus for the year
Adjustments for:
Investment income recognised in statement of financial activities
Depreciation and impairment of tangible fixed assets
Movements in working capital:
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
(Decrease)/increase in deferred income
**Cash generated from/(absorbed by) operations**|**2025**
**£**
382,142
(1,813)
23,833
352,638
440,431
(52,796)
1,144,435|**2024**
**£**
280,839
(1,673)
17,897
(389,741)
(536,451)
37,514
(591,615)|
|---|---|---|
## **28 Auditor's liability limitation agreement**
For the year ended 31 March 2025, the charity entered into a liability limitation agreement with its auditors, the principal terms of which limit the liability of the auditors to £4,000,000 in relation to their responsibilities as auditors of the charity. The date of the charity agreed this was 1 December 2025.
- 44 -