BRAMBLES THORNS COMMUNITY TRUST ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 CHARITY NUMBER 1071096 www.brambles-kenilworth.com
INDEX Trustees, Annual Report 14 Independent Examlnerfs Report Statement of Flnancial Affalrs Balance Sheet
THORNS COMMUNITY TRUST TRUSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 R•ler¢n¢e and admlnlgtratl¥e Informatlon Thoms Communlty Trust ITcf)15 a reglstered charlty, no. 1071096. Tcftrades under the name 8rambles Pre-khool and Out of School Club (Brambles). Brambles Is located on the slts of Thoms Community Infant School (Thorns). and ¢ontlnues to maintain clt)5e Ilnks wlth the school. Its prlndpal locatlonls cloThorns Communlty Infant khool. Blackthorn Road. Kenllworth. LV8 2 Tcf Is overseen by a commlttee of Trustees. There are three types of trustee: Ex-officlo- the head teacher ofThorns Communlty Infant School Nomlnated- Trustees who are appolnted by the 8overnln8 body of Thorns Communlty Infant School. and opted-Trustees who have been appolnted by th¢T commlttee of Trustees as a consequence of thelr partlcular profe$51onal 5klll TRUSTEES WHO SERVED DURING THE YEAR N•m• Reg1gn•d Posltlon Typ• ofTrurt Jonathan Wrl Uz Bradb Slmon Morrls Mlchelle Andrews Vlctorl? Lancaster Chalr EXffle10 Trustee Trustee Trustee Cfro ted Exwofflclo Nornlnated Nornlnated Nornlnated 31 Au 2025 13 March 2025 TRUSTEES MANAGING TCT AT THE TIME THIS REPORT IS SIGNED Nam• Pwlllon Typ• of Truit•• Jonathan Wrl Mlchelle Andrews Vlctorl? L8ncaster Chalr Trustee Trustee Nomlnated Nomlnated Struciurn, Gov•manc• and M*wq•m•nt TCT 1$ 8overned by a constltutlon, whlch was wrltten In January 1998 and supplemented by a fvrther deed of the same year. An amendment to the constltutlon was made by way of Deed of Varlatlon dated 23rd March 2011. In 2024-25. the Trustees metas a formal Board on four ocus1on on 18 Septsmber 2024, 3 Decefflber 2024. 13 March 2025 and 19 June 2025. Durln8 trust meetlngs all Trustees had the rl8ht to speak and to be heard. Oeclslons were made by consensus. The day-ttrday mana8ement of Bramble5 Is dele8atsd to the manager of Brambl, who Is supported by a deputy manager. T also contracts a dlrect employee who Is responslble for day to day admlnbstratlon and buslne management. Operatlonal reports a made by the Brambles manager and the buslness manager (who Is responslble for flnancel at most Trnstee meetln8s.
Obl•cll¥es, actl¥ltlo$ and perfomi* The maln alm of TCT Is to provlde hlgh quallty chlld care to young chlldren between the a8e5 of 3 years and eleven years throu8h the provlslon of a Pre-school. Out of School Club and Hollday Club. The Trusiees have now agreed that ¢hlld¢are can be most effectfvely provlded from 3 years. In effecL Brambles fulfll$ the obllgatlon of Thom5 Communty Infant School by way of Its extended hours pro¥lslon. Publk beneflt Brambles Is a pre4¢hool, out of school club and hollday club setting that provldes reasonably prlced thlldcare and educatlonal beneflts to the10¢81 ¢LMnmunlty. The Trustees always seek to bear In mlnd that T Is a charlty and that they have a responslblllty to art In the wbll¢ Interest. At the tlme of s18nln8 thls report all servln8 Trustees had read the 8uldance publlshed by the Charltles Cixnmbs51on on publk benefit. The Trustees belleve that the alm$ and resultln8 benefits of Tcf are clear and ihat the beneflts obtalnedfrom Tcfs artlvltles are derlved from Its alms. In addltlon. the benefits are focused on a sectlon of the publ1¢, namely pre. school and prlmary age chlldren and thelr parentslcarers. and wlthln thLs ran4e. no se¢tlon of the publlc Is unreasonably restrlrted. Due to its locatlon the Chlldren twho attend Brambles tend to Ilve wlthln the Thoms. catchment area. The admlsslons pollcy does not however exclude chlldren from attendln8 who Ibve outslde ol thls area. The Trustees stlll onslder that the prlces are competltlve Ind would not re8ard the Inablllty to pay fees as a barrler to entry. Pre-school Durln8 the financlal year, the Brambles Pre-school was open for IJ¥e mornln8 and lunchtlme sesslons as well as number of afternoon sesslons per week durln8 term tlrne. Brambles Otsted re8lstratlon allows 30 Chlldren to attend per sesslon. It Is TCT pollcy to not flll eath Selon so that the educailonal txperlence for each chlld bs optlmlsed. The vast malorlty of the prh0o1 chlldren moved from Br•mbles Pre.School up to Thoms at the end of thelr pre- hool year, Out of Sthool Club Durln8 the flnandal year, the Out of Sthool Club was also only open durfn8 term tbme, wlth a Bood number of chlldren re81stered, $pllt across ihe ihree year groups at Thoms. The Out of School Club opened both before xhool. from 8am, and ihen alaln after school. from 3pm to6pm. aub Durlng the flnandal yéar, the Hollday aubwas open durlng a iotsd number of scfrwl holldays and offered a varlety of sesslons wbthln the tlmeframe of 8am to 6pm. The number of Chlldren attendln8 Hollday Club varled between hollday5. In common wlth prevlou5 years. a 8ood proportlon of the chlldren who attended hollday dub were pup115 at Thoms or Park Hlll. These were supplementsd by chIldn that attended other schools In Kenllworth.
Rlsk Re¥lew The Trtee$ regularly consider the risks to which T is exp¢)sed at the Tnjsteg meetlngs and, where appropriate. meayjres are taken to ensure exISn8 Systems and prLKedures are strengthened to mitlBate these rlsks as far as p0$5ible. Durin8 the year, some new polrcies were approved and other Improvements were made. This is necessarv to ensure qood eo¥ernaft and manaue rlsk so as to malntsin the hiqh standards for thè settlno. The Trustees are mindful that changes In Government Pollcy as far a5 the free provLsion of childcare for nursery age chlldren could alter the rSsk profile forthe settin& In order to further mitlBate ri5L the Trustees have established a Charltsble Incorporated Or8anisation ICIOI and Intend to transfer the undertakln8 of the Charity to that CIO. The fa¢tor that had hlstorfcaljy prevented this from happenlng was an OFSTED relnspectlon whith took place subsequent to thls period of financial.reporting. A good OFSTED ratln2 was restored. clearina the wav forthe CIO to be Inceotsd. Flnandal Re¥lew Forthe year endlng 31 August 2025. Tcf Made a surplu5 of £19.064. Thls Increased the overall level of reserves to £167.727 at the ènd of the financlal year. The continued challenge faced by Tcf Is In ensurlng that the Preschool is kept full and that numbers at the Out of School aub are sustalned las the latter largely cr05S-subsldlses the first). The flnandal perf0rrnan depends to a large extent on these factors belng malntslned. There are no $trIcted or desl8nated funds held by the Trust. From time to time the Trustees may bud8et to spend certain monies on certaln projects, but these funds remaln at all Umes part of the general x¢umulated fund of the Trust. H¢)wever, the Tru5tee5 belleve that an adequate level of reserves of four to slx monthg rut)nlng cosrs sh¢)uld be maintalned at all tlmes to enable T to continue operatln8 for a term should all external fundin8 cease. The Trustee5 observe that the present ¢ash balance hekl Is materially In excess of the stlpulated four to slx months, runnlng costs. Given the age of the temporary bulldln8 and the malntenano liabilitie5 that accrue annuallyi It remalns the stated Intentlon of the Trustees to look to those surplu5 funds Iwlth the addon of 8rant monies) to elther refvrbish or replace the currenttemporary bulldlng.
Fees ¢ontinue to be reviewed annualty. The Trustees wll c(mllnue to keep both fee5 and eypendSture under c105e revlew $0 as to that the Trust axrtinue5 to generate a surplus and therèfore maintsln adequats levels of reserve5 to remaln vlable Into the future. With the impendlng transfer to a ao, this will prtyAde the platform to look * a longer term upgrade tothe Bulldln8 In whlch the settin8 is housed. Awtirkin88roup amon8St trustees is alre• l(xWr6 at thi> Charlty law requlres the Tn to prepare financial Ststemts for each financial year whith gfve a true and falr eW of the state of affairs of the thaftty and the Incomi resources and applicabon of re50ur¢e8 in¢ludinB the income and expendlture. of the tharity fcf that perio(L In prewirva these financi stMen the Trustees are required to. • selectsuitsble accountlr pollcles then apththem consiknty. observe the method5 and principles of the tharities SORP. • make judgements and estimate5 that are r&isonable and wuden¢ State whether applicable UK ACCotIng Stsndards been foll(ywed. yjbiert to any matwial departures dls¢losed and explalned In the financial smements: prepa the financial ststements on the 8olng ¢(XKern IHsis unless it b Inapprwlate to assume that the charitvwill contlnue in bus1rS The Trustees are respmslble tor keepsn8 proper accofflting records that dlsdose with reasonable accuracy at any time the flnancial p05itlon of the charity. and enable them to enwre that the financial statements comply wlth the Charltles Act 2011. They are also responsible gfe8uafd1 the assets of the drIty and hence for tsking reasonable step5 for the prevention and detecdon of fraud and other Irre8uLNiiie TheTrustees dedare that they have appr¢4d theTnsree< Reixyt abth. Si8ned on behalf of the TcfsTrustees: Jonathan Wllllam Emlyn Wrlght 29 June 2Q8
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRusfEES OF THORNS COMMUNrrY TRusr I report on the accounts ofThorns CommunltyTrust IlheTrust'l for the year ended 31 Augurt 2025 whlth comprlse the Statement of Hnanclal Actlvitle5, the Balan Sheet, and the related notes. RespOnbIlItI1$¥nd $1$ of the report As the Trustees of the Trust you are responslble for the preparatlon of the accounts In accordance wlth the requirements of the Charltles Act 20111.the 2011 ACVI. You are sat15fled th* the accounts of the Trust are not requlred by charlty lawto be audlted and have chosen Instead to have an Sndependent examlnatlon. I rtrport In respett of my examlnatlon of the Trusts accounts carrled out under settion 145 of the 2011 Act. In ¢arryln8 Out my examlnatlon I have followed the general Olrectlons glven by the Charlty Comml551on for England and Wales under sectlon 14515llbl of the 2011 Act. Independent •Mamlner's statement I have completed my examlnatlon. I confirm that no matters have come to my attentlon In connectlon wlth my examlnatlon 8lvln8 me cause to belleve that In any materlal $pert.. accountln8 records were not kept In accordance wlth sertlon 130 of the 2011 Act; or the accounts dld not accord w5th those records; or the accounts dld not comply wfth the appllcable requlrements concernln8 thg fomi and content of accounts sèt out In the Charltl•s IAc¢ounts gnd Reports) Re8ulotlon5 2008 otherthjn any requlrementthat the accounts 8lve a true Ind falrf vlew whlch Is not • m4tt1r consldered as part of Jn Independent examlnatlon. I have no concems and have come across no other matters In connectlon wlth the examlnatlon to whlch attentlon should be drawn In thls report In order to enable a proper UDderstandlng of the Kc4)unts to be Te•ched. Mlchelle Larkln Chartered A¢¢ountant FILAN Accountants 57 Ely Street Wafwlckshlre CV37 6LN 29 June 2026
THORNS COMMUNrrY TRusr srATEMENT OF FINANCIAL AcnvmES YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 2024 Fund nds ftd5 Income from: Donations Charltable actfvltles Other trading adiwties Imiestments Other 192A30 177.295 196 2.110 177.295 2.110 671 671 195.192 7m 203.021 179.601 671 180.2T2 ExPendIre (m: Charitable actthties 7W 183.957 17L319 671 17L990 176.128 183.9S7 17 671 17 Net leMpenthreMln¢ome Re¢ohdllatlon otfund Furmts br4)ught f(xw 148.663 140,381 140.381 167.727 167.727 148,663 148.663
THORNS COMMUNITYTRUST BALANCE SHEEr AS AT 31 AUGUST 2025 Flxed assets Tangible fixed assets li S.672 6,598 CufreTrt assets Debtors Cash at bankand In hènd 3,833 161.806 165,639 4,669 144.025 148,694 Credltors: amounts falllr due wlthln one year Net current assets 13.S84 {6.629 162,055 142,065 N•t oss•ts 167,727 148,663 Represented bv: Accumulat•d funds: General fund 14 167 727 148 663 These accounts were approved by the Tnee5 on 29 June 2026 and are sl8ned on thelr behalf by: JWE WrlBht Chalr
THORNS COMMUNrrYTRUST NOTES TO THE FINANaAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 l. Status Thorns Community Trust 15 an unincorporated assoclatlon; it is also a registered charity Iregistration number 1071096} whose actlvitles are intended to be for the public benefiL Its prinopal location is clo Thoms Communlty Infant School. Blackthorn Road. Kenilworth, CV8 2DS. Z Accountln8 Poli¢les Basls of preparatlon The accounts (financial ststementsl have been prepared in accordan wlth the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charlts pparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reportlng Standaril applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland {FRS 1021 issued on 16 Juty 2014 and the Financial Reportin8 Standard applicable in the United Kin8dom and Republic of Ireland IFRS 1021 and the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generalty Accepted Practice as It applles from l January 2015. The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared to gTve a 't and fairf view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 onty to the extent reqUId to provide a 'true and falr vie. This departure has involved following Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Stsndard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland {FRS 1021 issued on 16 Jufy 2014 rather than the Accountin8 and Reporting by Charitie& Statement of Recommended Prdctice effective from l April 2(K15 whKh has SIn been withdrdwn. Golng concern After makin8 enquiries, the trustees a not aware of any material uncertainties that cast doubt on going concern and have a asonable expectstion that the Charity will be able to contlnue Its activities for the foreseeable future. and at least twelve months from the date of approval of these accounts. Accordingly, they have continued to adopt the going cOnM basis in the flnanual statements. Income is recognised as Incomi resources to the extent that the d)arity has provided the services In question. Expendlture Costs of actlvltles in furtherance of the objects comprlse those costs Incurred by the charity as a sult of the delivery of its seNice. Govemano costs comprtse those costs Incurred by the chartty In meeting its constitutional and ststutory requirement& Tanzlble flxed assets Tangible fwed assets a induded In the balan sPet at cost less depredation. Depredatlon Is generally calculated $0 that the cost of tsnglble fixed assets less thelr resldual Value a written off over thelr estimated useful lives. The foltowlng depreciation rates appty: • Flxtures, fittiw and equipment- 25% redUd balano.
ThORNSCOMMUNITY TRusr NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL sfATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 AUGLIST 2025 lconnUj 3. Donatlons 2025 Unrestrictsd Totsl Totsl Donations 4. Incomefrom ¢h?rltal)le acllvllles 2024 Out of school dub fees HOdaY club fees Preschool Brant Preschool fees 93.070 22,501 56,732 4,992 177,295 22,116 29,898 12,473 192,830 S. Othertr•dlng artlvftles 2024 Contdbuttons from Public 196 . In¥estsMnt In¢ome UDr•strlrted funds Llnrestrl¢ted funds 2025 2024 Interest recelvable on bank deposlts 2,362 2.110 2,110 7. Other Inme 2025 Best Practice Network Grant Received from WCC County Fund 6.329 1.500 7.829 671 671
THORNS COMMUNrrY TRiisr NOTESTO THE FIP4ANCIAL sfATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 AUGusf 2025 (contlnuedl . ExPendIre on tharftable artl 20 2024 Staff costs Insurance Materla15 Electrlclty Tralnlng Prlntln8 POSta8e and telephone Dep¢Iatk>n Rent Rates Repalrs Cleanlng Professlonal fees Nursery IT and software Bank char8es Storage & Archlvln8 Sundry Grant Expendlture- Restrlcted 134,748 2,760 17,711 6,542 141.290 2,760 17,711 2.800 1,007 1.088 1.890 4,000 254 49 1.520 839 42 142.601 2,500 4,278 3.120 936 1,068 2.199 4.000 155 1,007 1,088 1,890 4.000 254 49 1,520 839 42 1.760 1,091 61 1,854 4,157 671 170.934 2,013 3,691 2,013 3.691 1,287 182.301 1.287 7,829 174,4n Governan Costs: Trustees, remuneratlon and expenses Independent Examlner's fees 1.656 176.128 1,656 183,957 1,056 171,990 7,829 9. Trustees remun•r•tlon expens•s There were no Trustees remuneratlon or expenses In the year. 10. stsff remuner•tlon and numbers 2025 2024 Wa8es and larIeS Employers National Insuran¢e Pension contrlbutlons 135,737 2.724 2,829 141.290 138.117 2.177 2,308 142.601 The average monthfy number of employees pald durlng the year was I full tlme12024:2) and 10 part-tlme 12024: 101 who worked between 3 and 25 hours per week. 10
THORNS COMMUNITYTRusr NOTES TO THE HNANCIAL STATEMENrs YEAR ENDEO YI AUGusf 2025 l¢ontlnued) 11. Tan8lble blxed assets FIMtures & operty Equlpment Improv•m•nts Totsl As ai 31 August 2024 Addltlons A5 at 31 August 2025 26537 11,614 45,154 964 46,118 27,017 12,098 7,003 Depr•¢l•tlon As at 31 Au8USt 2024 Provlded In year As at 31 Au8USt 2025 24,741 569 25,310 10,137 490 10,627 3,678 831 4,509 38,556 1,890 40,446 Net b¢1[ v*ly• As at 31 Au8USt 2025 1.707 1,471 2,494 5,672 s at 31 Au8USt 2024 1.796 1,477 3.325 6.598 11 O•bto 2025 2024 Trade debtors Prepayments 2.713 1,120 3.833 3,267 1,402 4,669 13, CrltOrs. amounts f•llln8 du• wlthln on• year 2025 2024 Tr•de credltor5 Taxatlon and soclal securlty Other credltors and 4c¢ruals 1,778 850 5,710 6,629 1,806 3,584 Included wlthln Other CredltQTS Is £nll12024: £5,162) whlch Is a Grant recelved from Best Practlce Network. 11
THORNS COMMUNITY TRusr NOTES TO THE FINANaAL STATEMENTS YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025 1c0ntlmd) l& Movement In fvnds Name of fund Open1 Incomlw Outyol Closl 6,329 {6,329) (1,500) Re5Cted fund: WCC EY Unrestrlcted fvnd: Generdl fund 148,663 195,192 1176,128) 167,727 Totsl of all funds 203 021 183 957 167 727 15, F••s for eM•mlnatlon of th• accounts 2024 Indep•nd•nt •xamlnerf$ f• Fees pald to the Independent eM4mln•r- pwoll costs Fees pald to th• Ind•p•nd•nt wimln•r. bookk••plry easts 1,656 1,056 871 204 2.664 2,107 FILAN Accountants carrfed out payroll dutles at a cost of £80412024 &8711 In the year. Fllan also provlded bookkeeper tralnln8 of £204 {2024". £180)whlch Is Included wlthln Trdlnln8. A separate department carrled out thls work to ensure Independence was maintalned. 12