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2024-03-31-accounts

COMPANY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 03783205

CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER: 1077097

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk Company Limited by Guarantee Financial statements

31 March 2024

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Financial statements

Year ended 31 March 2024

Page
Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) 1
Independent auditor's report to the members 21
Statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account) 26
Balance sheet 27
Statement of cash flows 28
Notes to the financial statements 29

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report)

Year ended 31 March 2024

The trustees, who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2024.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in notes to the accounts and comply with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and 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 published in October 2019.

Reference and administrative details

Registered charity name

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Charity registration number 1077097 Company registration number 03783205 Principal office and registered Henderson Business Centre office 51 Ivy Road Norwich Norfolk NR5 8BF

The trustees

The trustees who served during the year and at the date of approval were as follows:

Stephen Drake (Chair) Surjait Singh (Vice Chair) David Stonehouse (Honorary Treasurer) Roy Dickinson (resigned 31 July 2024) Anni Hartley-Walder Graham Robinson (resigned 31 July 2024) Rachel Buxton Meryl Smith Dr Caroline Barry (appointed 5 January 2024) Mark Barry (appointed 31 July 2024) David Evans (appointed 31 July 2024) Cherry West (appointed 31 July 2024)

Senior Management Team Ann Donkin (Interim Chief Executive Officer) Jen Field (Head of Supporting and Enabling) Emma Harkness (Head of Information and Advice) Michelle Jay (Head of Fundraising and Communications) Vanessa Brown (Head of Corporate Services) (from 13 September 23)

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Auditor Lovewell Blake LLP Chartered accountants & statutory auditor Bankside 300 Peachman Way Broadland Business Park Norwich NR7 0LB Solicitor Bates Wells 10 Queens St Place London EC4R 1BE Bank Lloyds Commercial Banking Online Lloyds Bank Plc 25 Gresham Street London EC2V 7HN

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Objectives and activities

Age Concern Norfolk is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated in England and Wales), and governed by its Articles of Association. The organisation has been operating since 2010 as Age UK Norfolk. All references in the accounts stating the company's operating name also infer the company's legal name.

The principal activity of Age UK Norfolk is to support people in later life in Norfolk to enjoy the opportunities and meet the challenges of later life. Our vision is to ensure that people in later life live well in Norfolk.

Age UK Norfolk is brand partner of Age UK (National) and is therefore permitted to use the name, and brand logo, of Age UK to promote and deliver its services. This also enables regional and national collaboration across the much broader network of brand partners. Age UK Norfolk is also a member of the Age England Association (AEA).

Age UK Norfolk is a public benefit entity, and the Trustees have considered the Charity Commission published guidance on the operation of the Public Benefit requirement when reviewing the Charity's aims and objectives and planning current and future activities. The public benefit of the Charity is as set out in our objectives and in our strategic intention to make Norfolk a great place to age. Our key charitable activities - providing information & advice and supporting & enabling people in later life to access services - benefit thousands of individuals and their carers across Norfolk each year. All of these activities continue to be provided free of charge and are available to all people in later life in Norfolk.

The Trustees’ report below outlines the activities the Charity undertakes to further its purpose.

Introduction

Age UK Norfolk is a brand partner of Age UK (National). This means that, whilst the organisation is part of a federation of over 120 UK partners, the Charity is registered independently and responsible for raising its own funds. The Charity supports people aged 50+ living in Norfolk to enjoy the opportunities of and meet the challenges that later life may bring. The Charity is governed by an independent Board of Trustees and is registered with the Charity Commission and Companies House .

We provide vital services for those in later life, including Information and Advice, Welfare Benefit Service, Advocacy, Money Matters, Befriending, Digital Inclusion and Travel Companionship. These services support and complement those delivered by the statutory sector. Our services aim to create enduring and sustainable improvements in people’s economic, welfare, social and health status. We achieve this by working holistically and ensuring our approach is person centered, making every contact count. The interest of each individual is at the heart of the work that we do, which includes:

As a brand partner of Age UK (National), our relationship with other Age UK brand partners across the UK allows us to share knowledge and expertise, and to actively promote the wellbeing of people in later life through collective national and local campaigning work.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Our current area of benefit is the county of Norfolk, which has a population of over 925,000.

Delivery of these services is made possible by the energy and commitment of the Charity’s staff of 38 and over 180 volunteers. Volunteers work across the whole range of the Charity’s services in roles that suit their interests and skills, and based on the amount of time that they can commit. As a result, service users benefit, the Charity benefits and volunteers have an opportunity to play a full part in their communities. These include developing personal skills, meeting new people, and having a sense of satisfaction from providing support to people in the County.

In addition to the services provided for people in later life, the Charity is also strongly committed to campaigning and interacting with the media where possible. Age UK Norfolk campaigns to make life better for individuals and particularly focuses on reducing isolation and enabling people to gain full entitlement to welfare benefits. Strong demand for the range of services has placed significant pressure on the Charity’s services and activities, especially as the statutory sector is more financially constrained and eligibility criteria much stricter. This continued to be the case during 2023-2024 when the demand for our Information and Advice Service increased yet again, with individuals presenting with multiple concerns and issues resulting from the cost-of-living challenges and economic context.

Population context

The demographic and epidemiological context for the Charity’s strategic priorities is set out in the Norfolk Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) – Norfolk Insight . The County featured in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual report 2023: Health in an Ageing Society published 10[th] November 2023 as being of one of the places facing the most significant shift in terms of its demographic changes and an ageing population.

Norfolk is a rural county in the east of England with a population of 916,100 split between seven districts and boroughs. Norfolk has a 90-mile-long coastline and is home to the Broads National Park.

The population of Norfolk is ageing rapidly, with the median average age already above the England average. In the past decade the proportion of people aged 65 and over has increased and more than 25% of the county’s population are now aged over 65 years. This trend is expected to continue with projections suggesting that by 2040 we will see an increase of 55% in people aged 75 and over.

Most of Norfolk’s population increase will be in the older age groups, with those aged over 65 years increasing by 82,000 (Figure 3.26). North Norfolk has an older population compared to other areas in the county with a third of the population aged over 65 years and has the highest proportion of people aged 85 years and over in the country.

Norfolk’s age dependency ratio is well above the England average and is increasing. The old age dependency ratio is the proportion of the population who are above State Pension age, relative to the working-age population. North Norfolk currently has the second highest old age dependency ratio in England. Projections suggest that there will be 49 people aged 65 and over for every 100 people of working age by 2043. The proportion of older adults in Norfolk who are economically active (either in work or actively seeking work) has been increasing. This may reflect the trend towards working beyond the traditional retirement age, as well as financial pressures such as the rising cost of living. As the ages, there will be more people in work managing long term conditions, disability, and sickness.

The County has a place-based approach to improving health and wellbeing for people in later life. Age UK Norfolk is a partner in Norfolk’s Health and Wellbeing Partnerships (H&WPs). Each HW&P has its own priorities based on population need. North Norfolk HW&P has committed to three priorities, one of which includes a focus on the ageing population. The District Council has recently been accredited to join the UK Network of Age- friendly Communities .

An Age-friendly Community is a place that enables people to age well and live a good later life, somewhere that people can stay living in their homes, participate in the activities they value, and contribute to their communities, for as long as possible. The UK Network of Age-friendly Communities is a growing movement, with over 75 places across the country committed to making their community a better place to age in. The UK Network is part of a global movement led by the World Health Organisation, affiliated to the Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Norfolk has a relentless focus on prevention wherever possible, we will play our full part in the collective aim to support people in later life to be healthy, active, socially connected, and safe and well at home for longer.

Strategic framework

Trustees, with the Senior Management Team, review the Charity’s strategic framework annually to ensure that it remains relevant for the needs of beneficiaries and the wider context within which the Charity operates in.

The Charity has recently refreshed and published its strategic plan for the 2024-2027 period. The narrative in this report relates to the period prior to that.

The framework brings together the Charity’s mission values that drive strategic objectives and priorities:

Our Mission is to make Norfolk a great place to grow older.

Our ICARE Values shape everything we do. They are at the heart of our work and visible in every interaction we have with each other, with the people that we help, their carers, other professionals, our stakeholders, and supporters:

Strategic priorities

The Charity’s strategic plan up to 2024 identified four priority areas:

Performance against these priorities is set out in the sections that follow.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Achievements and performance

Informing and Advising

In 2023-2024 the key objectives for this group of services were to:

The Charity dealt with:

The top three enquiry reasons were Benefits, Community Care and Legal issues.

Qualitative feedback about the service is sought through the use of a well-being evaluation survey tool. Quotes from individuals accessing the service include:

“Thank you for your time and effort in helping me, I would not have been able to deal with these matters without your help, thank you.”

“The help on the phone and during home visit has been so excellent as being able to be understood clearly and treated as "myself" has been such a positive experience at this difficult time for me. The information was clear, and I had no idea I could claim. Forever grateful.”

“Very helpful, patient and caring person on the end of the phone.”

“Thank you so much, just talking to you, I feel like a weight’s gone from my shoulders.”

Welfare Benefits

The Welfare Benefits service operates for those aged over 50 years. Age UK Norfolk offers checks via telephone, and a form completion service for certain Benefits.

Benefits advised on include but are not limited to: Attendance Allowance; Personal Independence Payment (PIP); Disability Living Allowance; Carers Allowance; Severe Disability Premium; Pension Credit; Housing Benefit; and Council Tax Support.

The Charity’s staff undertook 1433 Benefit appointments, resulting in the identification of, and securing, £4,826,253.96 million in benefit take-up for older people. 34% of visits were carried out in service users’ own home setting.

In a customer satisfaction survey undertaken to evaluate the Warm Homes project, the Charity’s team scored 9.8 out of 10. Comments included: “I would not have applied without the help and advice;” “The staff were there to help, eased lot of my worries, most helpful’”. 368 sessions were undertaken ensuring income maximisation and delivering support with Welfare Benefit applications.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Lasting Power of Attorney

The Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) service volunteers can assist service users and carers to complete the forms and navigate the process both types of LPA - health & welfare and property and financial affairs.

This is done in complete confidence at a home visit. Volunteers deliver this service, and the Charity relies on donations to cover travelling and any other expenses.

There were 208 new referrals into the service, and an average of 14 home visits per month for 2023-2024, a total of 168 visits.

The Charity continued to work with other key information and advice partners, sub-contracted under the auspices of the principal information and advice contract with Norfolk County Council. The economic context, and enduring cost of living stresses which have not abated, continued to place significant demands on staff and volunteers providing support via the Welfare Benefits team to support people struggling to make ends meet.

Supporting and Enabling

In 2023-2024 the key objectives for this group of services were to:

General Advocacy

Age UK Norfolk has been offering a Money Matters service since 1998. The service helps people aged 65 and over to take control by assisting them to manage their household finances, administrative paperwork, and online transactions.

The Charity’s Community Advocacy service started in 2007. Independent advocates support people over 50 who are most vulnerable or in vulnerable situations. The advocates ensure that individuals have a voice that other people listen to, and that they do not suffer from any inequality or discrimination and remain independent.

372 new referrals were made to the General Advocacy service during the 23/24 financial year, with 1400 home visits made by 39 volunteers and 2999 hours of support provided to service users. During this period, the Charity supported individuals to repay £126,743.00 of Norfolk County Council care fees, £249,452.00 of Norfolk County Council debt, £91,696.00 of personal debt and helped make savings of £74,597.00.

Statutory Advocacy

Age UK Norfolk can support anyone over 60 who is making, or thinking of making, a complaint about NHS services or treatment. This service is completely independent of the NHS.

Independent advocates have supported 37 clients to make NHS complaints through the Charity’s NHS Complaints Advocacy service.

Befriending

The Charity has provided a Befriending service for over 17 years. The service connects people aged 65+ with a volunteer or Befriending coordinator who call weekly for a friendly chat. As well as providing companionship, the calls bring security to people knowing that someone is going to contact them on a regular basis.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

143 referrals were made into the service during 2023-2024. A total of 12,095 calls were made, equating to 25,4856 minutes (4,248 hours).

At the end of the reporting period, the Befriending service had a total of 256 members.

Digital Inclusion

The L e t’s Get Digital service is a more recently established programme, set up in 2021 in response to the need to get people online for their daily needs during the COVID pandemic.

The service offers one-to-one support for people aged 50+ on how to use a digital device, either their own or one that Age UK Norfolk lends to them for a 12-week period. Sessions focus on a range of skills, from setting up messaging apps and making / answering video calls, to more advanced support like online shopping and setting up an email account.

The number of active users in the Let’s Get Digital service increased from 29 to 110 with 119 hours of direct support given to service users by staff.

Age UK Norfolk has also actively campaigned for a delay to the roll out of the Voice Over Internet Protocol ( VOIP ) programme given the concerns expressed by those reliant on technology as a lifeline, with risks to services such as telecare and telemedicine and its resilience via a digitally delivered infrastructure.

Travelling Companionship

Age UK Norfolk helps people to feel more confident and comfortable making trips around their local area. Support sessions for those aged 50+ are delivered safely from home and beyond to promote engagement in local life. Individuals are matched with their own Travelling Companion who can accompany them on any kind of journey - whether it is on foot, public transport, taxi, or even bike to help build the confidence they need to travel independently.

81 new referrals were made into the service and 188 sessions in total were delivered during 2023-2024 (both by telephone and in person). This resulted in 61 individuals being supported.

Activities, talks and events

The Charity continued to add to the range of activities and events for people in later life held on its on-line resource for people in later life across Norfolk.

Maintaining and Developing

In 2023-2024 the key objectives for the organisation were to:

Points a), b) and c) are covered later in the Finance and Governance sections of this report.

Recognising volunteers

As one of the County’s leading voluntary sector organisations focused on later life, our experienced volunteers have a proven track record of helping people to maintain their wellbeing, whilst keeping individuals’ needs at the heart of what Age UK Norfolk does. Several of our services are delivered exclusively by volunteers.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

The Charity is fortunate to have a long-standing group of volunteers but recruitment across the sector is becoming a challenge. Some volunteers have not re-engaged with Charities post COVID, and there is also an ageing demographic. There is an open campaign to recruit and attract more volunteers and to offer greater flexibility about how and when to engage in volunteering. The Charity has, for example, attracted several University of East Anglia students, during their term breaks, to volunteer in the business administration team, where training needs are less onerous than those required in service delivery.

Volunteers give their time willingly and freely and are very modest about their commitment to the Charity. Age UK Norfolk has allocated a sum in its budget for the coming year (2024-2025) to develop a reward and recognition scheme for its volunteers to highlight their contribution and reward long service.

Ensure a commitment to quality

Age UK Norfolk is externally accredited by Age UK (National) under the Charity Quality Standard (CQS) Quality of Advice Assessment (QAA) and Quality of Information and Signposting Standard (QISS).

The Charity was successfully certified to hold the Charity Quality Standard (CQS) accreditation in Autumn 2023. This rigorous reaccreditation process is undertaken every 3 years by external assessment specialists. It audits performance against a range of domains including strategy & planning, governance & leadership, and financial and risk management.

The Information & Advice service retained the following accreditations: -

Consulting and Involving

In 2023-2024 the key objectives were to:

In late 2023 and early 2024, Age UK Norfolk asked people in later life, staff, and volunteers to help shape our 2024-2027 strategic plan. Over 100 people contributed by completing questionnaires or in focus groups.

Service users said that:

Staff and volunteers felt that Age UK Norfolk:

The Charity’s forward plan has been developed around these findings.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Norfolk Older People’s Strategic Partnership (NOPSP)

Age UK Norfolk also listens carefully to, and takes account of, the views expressed by community and organisational members of the NOPSP. This is a long-standing partnership group, formed around the early 2000s, to be the voice of older people in Norfolk. The Partnership is chaired by a well-known advocate for older people in the Norfolk community who is also a Trustee on the Healthwatch Norfolk Board.

PARTNERSHIPS IN THE WIDER STATUTORY AND THIRD SECTORS

Partnerships with the wider statutory sector were reinvigorated partnerships with external organisations following the period of uncertainty and a falling away of face-to-face relationships during and following the COVID pandemic.

County, Borough & District Councils and Health & Wellbeing Partnerships

Charity staff actively engage with events, and colleagues, at both County, Borough, and District Council level. Given that the Charity has limited capacity to interface with every part of the public services governance system across the statutory sector in Norfolk, priorities have been set as to how best to connect.

North Norfolk District Council

North Norfolk District Council became the first Council partner to adopt the concept of Age - friendly Communities to align with the values and approach of the UK and global networks of age friendly cities and communities. An Age-friendly Community is a place that enables people to age well and live a good later life. This programme is being taken forward under the auspices of the Older People’s Working Group, a subgroup of the North Norfolk Health & Wellbeing Partnership. Given the scale of the challenge in the District, the Council leads the work programme , supported by Age UK Norfolk. Age UK Norfolk contributed the sum of £10,000 during 2023-2024 to start up the programme.

The CEO also actively engages with the national Age Friendly Community network spanning the whole of the United Kingdom & Northern Ireland weekly to learn about best practise from other organisations particularly those in rural settings.

Breckland District Council

Breckland Community Network is a growing network of community groups and offers such things as:  Free training opportunities, such as Mindful Towns mental health training  Information on funding opportunities & grant schemes  New initiatives for community groups  Local information relevant to community groups  Invites to upcoming forums & events

Age UK Norfolk joined this Network in October 2023 and contributes to the web-based bank of resources for members to draw upon.

Breckland’s population is different to that of North Norfolk. They have adopted the concept of Compassionate Communities . Age UK Norfolk’s new Trustee, Dr Caroline Barry, who is also a Palliative Care Consultant, Norfolk & Norwich Hospitals NHS Trust, and the Trust’s lead clinician for Palliative Care in addition to providing clinical advice to the Norfolk & Waveney Integrated Care System, is an advocate of this approach.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Broadland & South Norfolk District Councils

Staff stay connected with the Broadland & South Norfolk Health & Wellbeing Partnership team and engage as appropriate where there where initiatives that were relevant to the organisation’s key priorities. Age UK Norfolk volunteered to join their staff shadowing programme, and one member of staff has trained in the technique of World Cafés , a method of consulting with and listening to local communities.

West Norfolk Borough Council

Around 14% of referrals to the Information & Advice team came from the West of the County, the busiest locality for demand. The Charity maintains a close interface with partners, and the community’s needs in the Borough, via the West Norfolk Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise ( VCSE) Hub, and the West Norfolk Community Forum.

Great Yarmouth & Waveney Borough Council

Age UK Norfolk has a close partnership with DIAL under the principal contract for Information & Advice. DIAL has been providing advice and information to disabled and vulnerable residents of Great Yarmouth since 1985.

Later Life Providers Network

This group brings together all third sector providers across Norfolk and Waveney that deliver services to people in later life. It is a collaboration of providers who specialise in delivering services for people aged 50+. It offers a platform for collaboration, best practice learning, and an opportunity for our collective voices to be heard.

Age UK Norfolk is a standing member of this Network.

Norfolk & Waveney VCSE Assembly

Age UK Norfolk is a member of the VCSE Assembly, part of the infrastructure of the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care System (ICS). The Assembly is intended to be a shared space, a space where any and every VCSE organisation can work with colleagues from the Norfolk Integrated Care System (ICS), to learn together and build shared strategies for the early and preventive interventions that will empower local communities.

Other key local relationships

The Charity has other key relationships including that with NCAN mentioned elsewhere in this report. These include:

The relationship with Norfolk Community Foundation, a Charity dedicated to building stronger communities and improving the lives of people in Norfolk, is particularly important as their team has supported Age UK Norfolk to secure access to grants to pursue this Charity’s objectives.

Age UK (National)

Age UK (National) launched Our Shared Future in March 2023, to develop, with Brand Partners, a new Shared Strategy and Network Agreement by April 2024 for all members of the Age UK Network.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

The final Shared Strategy and Network Agreement were published in October 2024 following extensive consultation with all brand partners. The current Brand Partner Agreement (BPA) remains in place until 31 December 2024.

Financial review

Principal funding sources

In the year ended 31 March 2024, the Charity's total income amounted to £1,438,195, a decrease of £40,236 on the previous year's income. Income from charitable activities increased to £773,285 (2023: £754,122), which was due to new contracts and grants being agreed and received during the year. The main components of the income was service contract income of £474,771 (33%); grant income of £298,514 (20.8%) and retail trading income of £148,414 (10.3%).

Donations and legacies income reduced by £20,779 on the previous year to £498,798. The decrease in income is due to the number and value of legacies received or notified in the year being reduced.

Due to the stable cash position and the ongoing receipt of legacies, funds were transferred to higher interest-bearing accounts. As a result, £7,698 was received in interest.

Total expenditure amounted to £1,274,445 which was an overall increase of £81,759 compared with the previous year. The cost of charitable activities of £1,078,291 increased compared with the previous year largely as a result of increased workload due to the new contracts in place and additional inflationary pressures during the year.

Further information on the staffing and other costs incurred in the year are set out in the notes of the financial statements.

The Board of Trustees approved a budgeted operating deficit of £56,948 for the year ending 31 March 2024. The Board agreed to this given that the level of reserves held was more than sufficient to underwrite any risk in a negative 2023-24 outturn. This approach reflected the continued changes to normal delivery and service levels as a result of the cost-of-living pressures.

In 2023-24 the organisation is reporting a surplus of £163,750 (2023: £285,745), which is £220,698 better than the approved budgeted operating deficit.

The strong financial result for 2023-234 is driven by the following:

However, without the legacy income of £456,287 the organisation would have on operating deficit of £292,537 and therefore remains focused on moving to a sustainable position given that legacy income is highly variable from one year to the next and cannot be reliably planned for as demonstrated by the swing on this income from the previous financial year.

Income generation – retail

The Charity took the reluctant decision to close its remaining retail outlet, the Dereham Furniture and More Store, which had a large warehouse for stock, and sold a wide variety of furniture, white goods, electricals and more. Retail outlets in Kings Lynn and Sheringham had already been closed due to a serious reduction in footfall which failed to recover post the COVID pandemic.

The outlet achieved £155,112 in retail sales income and donations, including £10,987 from the eBay on-line store which contributed to supporting people in later life across Norfolk, as well as supporting the edge out of town retail economy in the mid Norfolk market town of Dereham.

Pay and non-pay expenditure amounted to £189,172 resulting in an overall operating loss of £34,760.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Despite valiant attempts to improve footfall, and an option appraisal including discussion with Age UK (National) as to whether they would wish to operate the store which they declined, it continued to run at an operating loss and closed in February 2024. There were non-recurrent costs of closure amounting to c.£30,000 that were related to staff redundancy costs. There were no building dilapidations charges. One issue remains unresolved for which a provision of £5,660 has been made to sever the vehicle lease.

Reserves policy

The Board of Trustees routinely reviews the charity's Reserves Policy and considers both the main risks to the charity and the amount, and type, of reserves needed to support the variety of services it delivers, as well as their various working capital requirements.

The policy also ensures that any unspent restricted funding remaining at the year-end is ring-fenced in a separate restricted fund (as this may have to be returned to funders if not used for the explicit purposes outlined in the funding agreement).

Restricted funds

Restricted funds include unspent grant and contract income that can only be used on specific activities (in line with the requirements set out in funding agreements) and therefore has been ring-fenced separately in the accounts. These funds will be utilised in future periods and include amounts ring-fenced specifically for restricted projects. £133,481 of reserves are held as restricted funds as at 31 March 2024 (2023: £110,629) as shown in the notes to the financial statements.

Unrestricted general funds

The Charity's Reserves Policy is that an amount of unrestricted reserves should also be held to cover the general working capital needs of the organisation and to cover ongoing regular expenditure. As cash-flow requirements vary, depending on the number of current projects and payment processing timetables, a target range of unrestricted general funds is considered appropriate to ensure sufficient finances for the future. The Charity continues to hold sufficient operating cash at bank and in hand as unrestricted funds.

The Charity wishes to hold unrestricted funds (excluding those funds represented by fixed assets) of £300,000 sufficient to cover 3 months of current operating expenses, long-term liabilities, and the cost of potential redundancy payments in the event that the Charity was to be wound up.

The balance of the Charity's unrestricted general funds as at 31 March 2024 amounted to £933,644 (2023: £810,925) and is shown in the notes of the financial statements. This equates to 9 months of operational expenditure, which is at the higher end of the reserves policy. The Charity is constantly looking at opportunities to invest surplus reserves in areas that will expand the Charity's activities to further improve the lives of older people in Norfolk.

Going Concern

At year end the Trustees consider that the Charity has adequate reserves to continue to develop and provide services during this period of uncertainty, now and also for the near future. The financial statements have therefore been prepared on the basis that the Charity is a going concern, as described in the statement of accounting policies.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Plans for future periods

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis and economic context did not abate during 2023-2024. Services continued to be under significant pressure in terms of the volume of enquiries and responding to the needs of people in later life.

Service provision was monitored very closely to ensure that the Charity was able to deliver services in the most efficient and effective way. There were occasions when some services were paused to enable catch up, waiting lists and response times grew. This tends to be seasonal or when key local or national policy decisions impact upon the needs of people in later life, e.g. Government announcements about the cessation of the Household Support Fund (albeit now extended in 2025-2026) and universal Winter Fuel Payments .

Non-service delivery costs were reviewed and redeployed to the front line. The loss-making retail outlet was closed. The action plan resulting from the external review of governance arrangements has been implemented. The organisation is now in a more sustainable position and fit for the future.

During 2024-25, the Charity will be refreshing its strategic plan and raising its focus on income generation to reduce the economic uncertainty and impact on future income streams. Whilst the Board again acknowledges the significant and generous contribution that legacies are to the Charity, there is a wish to reduce dependency on this variable source of income to cover day-to-day running costs.

Action commenced to engage with service users, volunteers, and staff to seek views about the future service portfolio of the organisation. The Board remains committed to providing services free of charge to people in later life and the most vulnerable in our community at no cost. This is not without its challenges and will require imagination and ingenuity to sustain.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Structure, governance and management

Constitution

The company is limited by guarantee and is a registered charity. The Charity was established in May 1947 and in 1999 became a charitable company. The Memorandum of Association establishes the objects and powers of the charitable company, and the Charity is governed under its Articles of Association. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £1.

Board of Trustees

Trustees (who also act as Directors for the purposes of the Companies Act) are appointed based on their commitment, expertise, and experience in leading a Charity aiming to support the needs of older people.

Under the requirements of the Articles of Association no more than nine persons can be appointed as Trustees. Appointed Trustees are permitted to serve two three-year terms. Only in exceptional circumstances, and by a resolution passed by three-quarters of the Trustees, can the maximum term of office requirement for a particular Trustee be amended. Additional Trustees can be co-opted to bring specific skills and experience as required, provided that co-opted Trustees total no more than one third of Trustees at any one time. The Chair is elected by the Trustee body.

The Trustees who served during the year are shown on page 1.

In accordance with the Articles, an Annual Retirement Meeting (ARM) was held in September 2023 to review Trustees' terms of office, along with the terms of Honorary Officers. The ARM is defined in the Articles as being the meeting of Trustees at which the accounts of the Charity are also adopted.

Board Sub Committees

The Board has delegated authority to two Sub Committees to undertake more detailed scrutiny and assurance on behalf of the Board. Each Sub Committee meets 3 times per annum, prior to Board meetings, as part of the governance business cycle.

There is a further Sub Committee which meets on an ad hoc basis to review matters in relation to the appointment, performance, and reward of the Chief Executive Officer.

The Finance Sub Committee reviewed the Checklist for reviewing your charity’s internal financial controls to check the Charity’s internal finance controls, against the legal requirements and good practice recommendations in the Charity Commission’s Internal financial controls for charities (CC8) , at its meeting on 27[th] October 2023. The Committee also approved, at the same meeting, the revised Financial Policy & Procedures which had been reviewed and aligned with the scheme of delegation.

The Governance Sub-Committee has specific terms of reference and functions delegated by the Board. It has a Chair appointed by the Board, currently also the Board’s Vice Chair. The Sub-Committee is responsible for advising the Board of Trustees on governance of the Charity including policies and procedures, risk management, human resources, health and safety, quality standards and legal compliance. The Chief Executive Officer and other members of the management team attend as required.

Age UK Norfolk commissioned a review of the governance, leadership, and management of the organisation in quarter 4 of 2022-2023. The Board received a report on the review outcome at its meeting on 10[th] February 2023. In light of the recommendations in the report, the Board considered the appropriateness of its Sub Committee arrangements, which were set up when the Charity was operating on a much larger scale and delivering regulated services.

The Governance Sub Committee met on two occasions during this reporting period, on 20[th] April 2023 and 20[th ] July 2023. The outcome of the organisation review, and a detailed action plan, were considered at both meetings. At the July meeting, the Committee audited its role and functions against the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) Compliance checklist for boards of charities and other voluntary organisations .

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

It was concluded that a number of the functions that the Committee carried out were more appropriately dealt with at either Board or Senior Management Team level. The Board therefore agreed at its meeting on 10[th] November 2023 that meetings of the Committee should be suspended but that this should be kept under review if it presented an undue burden on Board agendas.

Appointment and induction of Trustees

New Trustees are recruited via external recruitment campaigns, which include advertising on the organisation's website, using social media and using third party recruitment sites. An interview process is carried out by the Board.

A Trustee skills audit was undertaken in quarter 3 of 2023-2024 to identify the gaps in the Board in order to inform the recruitment campaign for new Trustees. A new Trustee Recruitment pack was produced as a result of this. One new Trustee, Dr Caroline Barry, was recruited during this reporting period who was appointed on 5[th] January 2024.

The organisation has a Volunteers’ Policy and inducts all new volunteers into the organisation. In addition, new Trustees are given suitable training and a more detailed induction to the organisation and its services to enable them to fulfil their voluntary role. New Trustees are directed to the Charity Commission ’s excellent resources to support their learning.

Trustees do not receive any remuneration for their role but are entitled to claim reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses incurred during their tenure.

Management Structure

The Board is responsible for the strategic direction of the Charity. The day-to-day management of Age UK Norfolk is delegated to the CEO who reports to the Board of Trustees through the governance structure and the Board meetings. The CEO reports to the Chair and leads a Senior Management Team, who are responsible for the day-to-day management of the Charity.

The CEO reviewed the management structure in quarter 1 of 2023. The Board approved the structure at its meeting on 30[th] May 2023. The new structure was based on the following principles that it would:

The new structure took effect from 1[st] July 2024, the headcount in the organisation remained the same (39 staff on that date).

Pay Policy

The Charity has a policy of reviewing pay once per year. Pay scales are in place that take into consideration the skills and experience required of the roles, the structure of the organisation and the organisation's financial position. Pay scales are reviewed periodically as part of the strategic, financial and resource planning.

The remuneration of the Chief Executive Officer is reviewed by the Board of Trustees.

The Board considered its reward strategy for staff at its extraordinary meeting on Wednesday 5th April 2023, alongside the budget for 2023-2024. Whilst pay alone is not a motivating factor to work for Age UK Norfolk, the organisation had fallen behind in terms of pay relative to other similarly sized organisations across the Charity sector. The organisation lost a number of key staff recently to local organisations in both the Charitable and Statutory sectors. Local employers including Norwich City Council secured ‘real’ Living Wage accreditation from the national Living Wage Foundation , and campaigns to make low pay in Norwich a thing of the past.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

In addition to this, many funding bodies are becoming advocates for the ‘real’ Living Wage movement and will only work with organisations that are committed to this cause.

The Charity is now accredited by the Living Wage Foundation given its commitment to paying staff the ‘real’ living wage.

The Board agreed that the Charity should endeavour to maintain its commitment to the ‘real’ Living Wage from now on. Age UK Norfolk has also signed the Centre for Ageing Better age-friendly Employer Pledge demonstrating a commitment to employing people in later life.

Risk Management

The Board oversees the risk management assurance process. During the year, Trustees monitor and review the risks to which the Charity is exposed. The Board, and Finance Sub-Committee, are assigned risks from the risk register to monitor throughout the year.

The organisation has a range of policies and procedures, covering all aspects of the management of the organisation, to minimise risk. The Charity's operating systems, policies, financial position, and forecasts are reviewed on a regular basis. The level and scope of the Charity's insurance cover is reviewed each year before renewal.

The Charity’s risk register was comprehensively refreshed during 2023-2024. It now follows the framework and format set out by the Charity Commission . The register is extensive and highlights / changes in key risks are reported to the Board and its Sub Committee / s to ensure focus on those that matter. The top 3 current risks are summarised below:

OPERATIONAL

Capacity and use of resources – a RED risk given continued rising demand caused by demographic shift, increased need, and deprivation.

FINANCIAL

Dependency on income sources- a RED risk given scale of 2024-2025 fundraising / income generation target.

ENVIRONMENTAL / EXTERNAL

Government policy - a RED risk given financial distress in the Statutory sector.

Related Parties and collaboration with other organisations

Apart from those transactions mentioned in the related parties note within the accounts, no related party transactions were reported in the current year.

The Charity continued to be a subscriber member of the advice network in Norfolk, the Norfolk Community Advice Network ( NCAN ), and the CEO is a Steering Group member. This group is made up of various Charities across the region who work together to ensure advice is available to the right people at the right time. The network members use a common referral system, collaborate on funding bids when appropriate, and promote the wellbeing of people in later life across Norfolk through joint campaigning.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Age UK Norfolk is also the lead provider for the information & advice contract in Norfolk. As part of the delivery of this contract, awarded by Norfolk County Council, Age UK Norfolk sub-contracts with six Norfolk Charities who all play a unique role for certain population segments who need information and advice. The subcontracted partners are Age UK Norwich , Equal Lives , MAP , Norfolk Community Law Service , Norfolk Citizens Advice , and DIAL .

The Charity also works in partnership with Equal Lives to deliver Advocacy services across Norfolk under the Norfolk Advocacy Partnership ( NAP ). NAP aims to remove barriers to access services for people of protected characteristics, from disability to age and race.

Other fundraising

The Charity’s fundraising strategy is to maximise funds from grants, trusts, and legacies, and to develop community and event fundraising. Fundraising activities were primarily focused on trust and grant applications. In addition to successful grant applications, the Charity was fortunate to receive individual donations as well as legacies of over £450,000 during the period which helped us to support the services and older people as a result.

In addition, the Charity was delighted to be supported by separate groups of fundraisers, including two who raised over £1,000 with a sponsored sky dive, and by two of its Trustees running the Blickling Spring Half Marathon which raised over £1,300. The Charity is incredibly grateful to all individuals for their support.

The Charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and is committed to following the Code of Fundraising Practice and the Fundraising Promise . Age UK Norfolk publishes clear information about its complaints’ procedure on its website, which members of the public can access. During the reporting period, no fundraising complaints were received.

To ensure that Age UK Norfolk does not carry out any fundraising which involves unreasonable intrusion on a person's privacy, is unreasonably persistent or places undue pressure on a person to give money or other property the Charity ensures all staff and volunteers involved in fundraising are trained and undergo full induction to carry out the Charity's fundraising activities in line with the Fundraising Promise .

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Trustees' responsibilities statement

The trustees (who are also directors for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' annual 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 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 for that period.

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

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

In so far as the trustees are aware:

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Trustees' annual report (incorporating the directors' report) (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Auditor

Each of the persons who is a trustee at the date of approval of this report confirms that:

This report has been prepared taking advantage of the small companies' exemption of section 415A of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees' annual report was approved on 19 December 2024 and signed on behalf of the board of trustees by:

Stephen Drake Chair

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent auditor's report to the members of Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Year ended 31 March 2024

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk (the 'charity') for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise the statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account), balance sheet, statement of cash flows and the related notes, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 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:

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 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.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent auditor's report to the members of Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the trustees' annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. 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 the audit:

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:

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent auditor's report to the members of Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees' responsibilities statement (set out on pages 19 to 20), the trustees (who are also the directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the 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 charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

- 23 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent auditor's report to the members of Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

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. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

In addition to discussions with the client regarding the potential areas for irregularities and non compliance the following tests were also performed;

 Reviewing financial statement disclosures and testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 Performing audit work over the risk of management override of controls, testing of journal entries and other adjustments for appropriateness, evaluation the rational of significant transactions outside the normal course of activities and reviewing accounting estimates for bias.

In common with all audits under ISAs (UK), we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond to the risk of management override. We also obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the company operates in, focusing on provisions of those laws and regulations that had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. The key laws and regulations we considered in this context included the UK Companies Act and Employment law.

As a result of performing the above, we did not identify any key audit matters related to the potential risk of fraud or non-compliance with laws and regulations.

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.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Independent auditor's report to the members of Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the FRC’s website at 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 charity'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 charity'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 charity and the charity's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Mark Proctor FCA DChA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of Lovewell Blake LLP Chartered accountants & statutory auditor Bankside 300 Peachman Way Broadland Business Park Norwich NR7 0LB

23 December 2024

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of financial activities (including income and expenditure account)

Year ended 31 March 2024

2024 2023
Unrestricted Restricted
funds funds Total funds Total funds
Note £ £ £ £
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies 5 498,798 – 498,798 519,577
Charitable activities 6 561,637 211,648 773,285 754,122
Other trading activities 7 158,414 – 158,414 201,895
Investment income 8 7,698 – 7,698 2,837
─────────── ───────── ─────────── ───────────
Total income 1,226,547 211,648 1,438,195 1,478,431
═══════════ ═════════ ═══════════ ═══════════
Expenditure
Raising funds
Costs of raising donations and
legacies 9 622 – 622 1,080
Costs of other trading activities 10 195,532 – 195,532 173,793
Charitable activities 11 883,768 194,523 1,078,291 1,017,813
─────────── ───────── ─────────── ───────────
Total expenditure 1,079,922 194,523 1,274,445 1,192,686
═══════════ ═════════ ═══════════ ═══════════
Net income before transfer of funds 146,625 17,125 163,750 285,745
Transfers between funds (5,727) 5,727 – –
─────────── ───────── ─────────── ───────────
Net movement in funds 140,898 22,852 163,750 285,745
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 743,099 110,629 853,728 567,983
─────────── ───────── ─────────── ───────────
Total funds carried forward 883,997 133,481 1,017,478 853,728
═══════════ ═════════ ═══════════ ═══════════

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

The notes on pages 29 to 41 form part of these financial statements.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Balance sheet

31 March 2024

2024 2023
Note £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets 15 14,060 21,386
Current assets
Debtors 16 612,483 510,244
Cash at bank and in hand 556,305 565,073
─────────── ───────────
1,168,788 1,075,317
Creditors: Amounts falling due within
one year 17 (101,663) (153,763)
─────────── ───────────
Net current assets 1,067,125 921,554
─────────── ─────────
Total assets less current liabilities 1,081,185 942,940
Creditors: Amounts falling due after
more than one year 18 (63,707) (89,212)
─────────── ─────────
Net assets 1,017,478 853,728
═══════════ ═════════
Funds of the charity
Restricted funds 133,481 110,629
Unrestricted funds 883,997 743,099
─────────── ─────────
Total charity funds 21 1,017,478
═══════════		 853,728
═════════

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies' regime.

These financial statements were approved by the board of trustees and authorised for issue on 19 December 2024, and are signed on behalf of the board by:

Stephen Drake Chair

Company registration number: 03783205

The notes on pages 29 to 41 form part of these financial statements.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Statement of cash flows

Year ended 31 March 2024

2024 2023
£ £
Cash flows from operating activities
Net income 163,750 285,745
Adjustments for:
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 7,057 9,802
Other interest receivable and similar income (7,698) (2,837)
Interest payable and similar charges 3,654 284
Loss on disposal of fixed assets 269 –
Changes in:
Trade and other debtors (102,239) (306,240)
Trade and other creditors (51,259) 45,806
───────── ─────────
Cash generated from operations 13,534 32,560
Interest paid (3,654) (284)
Interest received 7,698 2,837
─────── ───────
Net cash (used in)/from operating activities 17,578 35,113
═══════ ═══════
Cash flows from investing activities
Purchase of tangible assets – (7,073)
─────── ───────
Net cash from/(used in) investing activities – (7,073)
═══════ ═══════
Cash flows from financing activities
Repayments of borrowings (26,346) (27,500)
─────── ───────
Net cash used in financing activities (26,346) (27,500)
═══════ ═══════
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents (8,768) 540
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 565,073 564,533
───────── ─────────
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 556,305
═════════		 565,073
═════════

The notes on pages 29 to 41 form part of these financial statements.

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements

Year ended 31 March 2024

1. General information

The charity is a public benefit entity and a private company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in England and Wales. The address of the registered office is Henderson Business Centre, 51 Ivy Road, Norwich, Norfolk, NR5 8BF.

2. Statement of compliance

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland issued in October 2019, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

3. Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis.

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.

Going concern

The accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis as the trustees believe that no material uncertainties exist. The trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements. The budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees to further any of the charity's purposes.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal.

Income

All income is included in the statement of financial activities when entitlement has passed to the charity, it is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the charity and the amount can be reliably measured. The following specific policies are applied to particular categories of income:

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Income (continued)

Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, and is classified under headings of the statement of financial activities to which it relates:

All costs are allocated to expenditure categories reflecting the use of the resource. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs are apportioned between the activities they contribute to on a reasonable, justifiable and consistent basis.

Operating leases

Lease payments are recognised as an expense over the lease term on a straight-line basis. The aggregate benefit of lease incentives is recognised as a reduction to expense over the lease term, on a straight-line basis.

Tangible assets

Tangible assets are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated depreciation and impairment losses.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost or valuation of an asset, less its residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset as follows:

Leasehold improvements - Depreciated over the lease term Equipment and fittings - 33% reducing balance Computer equipment - 33% reducing balance

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

3. Accounting policies (continued)

Redundancy

Redundancy and termination costs are recognised as an expense in the Statements of Financial Activities and a liability on the Balance Sheet immediately at the point the charity is demonstrably committed to either:

The charity is considered to be demonstrably committed only when it has a detailed formal plan for the termination and is without realistic possibility of withdrawal from the plan.

Financial instruments

A financial asset or a financial liability is recognised only when the entity becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.

Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at the amount receivable or payable including any related transaction costs, unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where it is recognised at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest for a similar debt instrument.

Current assets and current liabilities are subsequently measured at the cash or other consideration expected to be paid or received and not discounted.

Debt instruments are subsequently measured at amortised cost.

Defined contribution plans

Contributions to defined contribution plans are recognised as an expense in the period in which the related service is provided. Prepaid contributions are recognised as an asset to the extent that the prepayment will lead to a reduction in future payments or a cash refund.

4. Limited by guarantee

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and does not have share capital. Every member of the charity undertakes to contribute such amounts (not exceeding £1) as may be required in the event of a winding up.

5. Donations and legacies

Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Donations
Donations and gifts 42,511 42,511 54,092 54,092

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Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

5. Donations and legacies (continued)

Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Legacies
Legacies 456,287 456,287 465,485 465,485
───────── ───────── ───────── ─────────
498,798 498,798 519,577 519,577
═════════ ═════════ ═════════ ═════════
6. Charitable activities
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2024
£ £ £
Goods and Services – – –
Service contracts 385,797 88,974 474,771
Grants 175,840 122,674 298,514
───────── ───────── ─────────
561,637 211,648 773,285
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds
Funds Funds 2023
£ £ £
Goods and Services 779 – 779
Service contracts 374,996 73,548 448,544
Grants 155,859 148,940 304,799
───────── ───────── ─────────
531,634 222,488 754,122
═════════ ═════════ ═════════
7. Other trading activities
Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Fundraising 10,000 10,000 22,406 22,406
Shop income 148,414 148,414 179,489 179,489
───────── ───────── ───────── ─────────
158,414 158,414 201,895 201,895
═════════ ═════════ ═════════ ═════════
8. Investment income
Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Interest receivable 7,698 7,698 2,837 2,837
══════ ══════ ══════ ══════
9. Costs of raising donations and legacies
Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Other costs 622 622 1,080 1,080
════ ════ ══════ ══════

- 32 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

10. Costs of other trading activities

Unrestricted Total Funds Unrestricted Total Funds
Funds 2024 Funds 2023
£ £ £ £
Shop costs 195,532 195,532 173,793 173,793
═════════ ═════════ ═════════ ═════════
11. Expenditure on charitable activities
Activities
undertaken Grant funding Total funds Total fund
directly of activities Support costs 2024 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Informing and Advising 478,562 5,903 48,235 532,700 532,930
Supporting and Enabling 214,698 – 40,499 255,197 198,940
Listening and Involving – 10,000 – 10,000 –
Maintaining and
Developing 215,766 – 64,628 280,394 285,943
───────── ─────── ───────── ─────────── ───────────
909,026 15,903 153,362 1,078,291 1,017,813
═════════ ═══════ ═════════ ═══════════ ═══════════
Analysis of Support costs
2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries – 15,754
Rent, rates, light and heat 24,151 32,683
Insurance 14,413 14,658
Legal and professional 28,065 27,026
Telephone costs 6,571 8,741
Computer costs 49,047 37,418
Depreciation 6,016 9,697
Loss on disposal of fixed assets 129 –
Interest payable 3,646 284
Other office costs 21,324 75,701
───────── ─────────
153,362 221,692
═════════ ═════════
Auditor remuneration
Auditor remuneration 10,560 6,250
───────── ─────────
10,560 6,250
═════════ ═════════
12. Net income
Net income is stated after charging/(crediting):
2024 2023
£ £
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets 7,057 9,802
Loss on disposal of fixed assets 269 –
Operating lease costs for land and buildings 43,390 38,500
Operating lease costs for other leases 4,903 8,019
Pension costs 9,167 10,330
═══════ ═══════

- 33 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

13. Staff costs

The total staff costs and employee benefits for the reporting period are analysed as follows:

2024 2023
£ £
Wages and salaries 667,156 579,198
Social security costs 37,895 27,926
Employer contributions to pension plans 9,167 10,330
───────── ─────────
714,218 617,454
═════════ ═════════

Included within wages and salaries costs are redundancy and termination payments totalling £28,204 (2023: £12,500). These payments were made in line with contractual agreements and have been accounted for in line with the accounting policy noted above.

The average head count of employees during the year was 41 (2023: 41).

Key Management Personnel

Key management personnel include all persons that have authority and responsibility for planning, directing, and controlling the activities of the Charity. The roles included in key management personnel are the Chief Executive Officer, Head of Supporting and Enabling, Head of Information and Advice, Head of Fundraising and Communications and Head of Corporate Services. The total compensation paid to key management personnel for services provided to the Charity was £160,139 (2023: Chief Executive Officer (6 months part year effect and Head of Operations: £100,756).

No employee received employee benefits of more than £60,000 during the year (2023: Nil).

14. Trustee remuneration and expenses

No remuneration or other benefits were received from the Charity or a related entity by the trustees during the year (2023: £Nil).

During the year, no trustee (2023: nil) received reimbursement of expenses (2023: £nil).

- 34 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

15. Tangible fixed assets

Leasehold Equipment Computer
improvement and fittings equipment Total
£ £ £ £
Cost
At 1 April 2023 1,736 12,860 51,063 65,659
Disposals (1,736) (12,860) – (14,596)
────── ─────── ─────── ───────
At 31 March 2024 – – 51,063 51,063
══════ ═══════ ═══════ ═══════
Depreciation
At 1 April 2023 1,736 12,458 30,079 44,273
Charge for the year – 133 6,924 7,057
Disposals (1,736) (12,591) – (14,327)
────── ─────── ─────── ───────
At 31 March 2024 – – 37,003 37,003
══════ ═══════ ═══════ ═══════
Carrying amount
At 31 March 2024 – – 14,060 14,060
══════ ═══════ ═══════ ═══════
At 31 March 2023 – 403 20,983 21,386
══════ ═══════ ═══════ ═══════
16. Debtors
2024 2023
£ £
Trade debtors 69,894 9,077
Prepayments and accrued income 542,589 500,542
Other debtors – 625
───────── ─────────
612,483 510,244
═════════ ═════════

The charity has been notified of additional legacies which have not been accrued for within the accounts as there is ongoing uncertainty over the value to be received.

17. Creditors: Amounts falling due within one year

2024 2023
£ £
Trade creditors 20,387 47,108
Accruals and deferred income 50,723 78,357
Social security and other taxes 3,469 –
Amount due to Norfolk County Council 25,505 26,346
Other creditors 1,579 1,952
───────── ─────────
101,663 153,763
═════════ ═════════

- 35 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

18. Creditors: Amounts falling due after more than one year

2023 2022
£ £
Amount due to Norfolk County Council repayable in instalments:
1-2 years 24,690 25,505
2-5 years 39,017 63,707
─────── ─────────
63,707 89,212
═══════ ═════════

Age UK Norfolk had a Local Authority Pension Scheme which was a funded defined benefit pension scheme, with the assets held in separate trustee-administered funds. On 18 December 2017, the trustees of Age UK Norfolk took the decision to close the scheme and it was closed with effect from 31 December 2017.

Age UK Norfolk entered into a settlement agreement with Norfolk County Council (being the administering authority of the pension scheme) on 30 March 2019.

In summary, the total amount due of £1,045,000 will be settled as follows:

The long term loan has been discounted to the net present value and therefore is less than the actual payments due at that time.

19. Deferred income

2024 2023
£ £
At 1 April 2023 4,952 –
Released in year (4,952) –
Amount deferred in year 25,000 4,952
─────── ───────
At 31 March 2024 25,000 4,952
═══════ ══════

Deferred income includes grant income which does not relate to the period of these accounts.

20. Pensions and other post-retirement benefits

Defined contribution plans

The amount recognised in income or expenditure as an expense in relation to defined contribution plans was £7,357 (2023: £10,330).

- 36 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

20. Pensions and other post-retirement benefits (continued)

At the end of the year there were no outstanding or prepaid contributions owed.

Local authority scheme

Age UK Norfolk had a Local Authority Scheme which was a funded defined benefit pension scheme, with the assets held in separate trustee-administered funds. On 18 December 2017, the trustees of Age UK Norfolk took the decision to close the scheme and it was closed with effect from 31 December 2017.

Age UK Norfolk entered into a settlement agreement with Norfolk County Council (being administering authority of the pension scheme) on 30 March 2019. See the creditor note for further details.

- 37 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

21. Analysis of charitable funds

2024
General funds
Balance at 1 Balance at 31
April 2023 Income Expenditure Transfer March 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds 853,099 1,226,547 (1,079,922) (35,727) 963,997
Amount due to NCC (110,000) – – 30,000 (80,000)
───────── ─────────── ─────────── ────── ───────────
743,099 1,226,547 (1,079,922) (5,727) 883,997
═════════ ═══════════ ═══════════ ══════ ═══════════
Restricted funds
Balance at 1 Balance at 31
April 2023 Income Expenditure Transfer March 2024
£ £ £ £ £
Care navigator west 78,562 17,010 (15,007) – 80,565
NHS complaints service 59 – – (59) –
Lottery grant 140 – – (140) –
Digital inclusion 12,378 35,559 (61,363) 13,426 –
Winter project 11,990 – – – 11,990
IAA contract – 159,079 (118,153) – 40,926
Other restricted funds 7,500 – – (7,500) –
───────── ───────── ───────── ────── ───────
110,629 211,648 (194,523) 5,727 133,481
═════════ ═════════ ═════════ ══════ ═══════
───────── ─────────── ─────────── ──── ───────────
Total funds 2024 853,728 1,438,195 (1,274,445) – 1,017,478
═════════ ═══════════ ═══════════ ════ ═══════════
2023
Designated funds
Balance at 1 Balance at 31
April 2022 Income Expenditure Transfer March 2023
£ £ £ £ £
North Norfolk Advice 1,000 – – (1,000) –
───────── ─────────── ─────────── ────── ───────────
1,000 – – (1,000) –
═════════ ═══════════ ═══════════ ══════ ═══════════
General funds
Balance at 1 Balance at 31
April 2022 Income Expenditure Transfer March 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Unrestricted funds 602,804 1,255,943 (955,167) (50,481) 853,099
Amount due to NCC (140,000) – – 30,000 (110,000)
───────── ─────────── ───────── ─────── ─────────
462,804 1,255,943 (955,167) (20,481) 743,099
═════════ ═══════════ ═════════ ═══════ ═════════

- 38 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

Restricted funds

Restricted funds
Balance at 1 Balance at 31
April 2022 Income Expenditure Transfer March 2023
£ £ £ £ £
Care navigator west 48,182 68,039 (37,659) – 78,562
Thetford 2,728 – – (2,728) –
NHS complaints service 59 – – – 59
Lottery grant 140 – – – 140
Digital inclusion 3,817 45,068 (36,507) – 12,378
Winter project 17,690 – (5,700) – 11,990
IAA contract 15,045 109,381 (157,653) 33,227 –
Other restricted funds 16,518 – – (9,018) 7,500
───────── ───────── ───────── ─────── ─────────
104,179 222,488 (237,519) 21,481 110,629
═════════ ═════════ ═════════ ═══════ ═════════
───────── ─────────── ─────────── ──── ─────────
Total funds 2023 567,983
═════════		 1,478,431
═══════════		 (1,192,686)
═══════════		 –
════		 853,728
═════════

Designated funds

North Norfolk Advice

This designated fund relate to a partial legacy which was to be spent on North Norfolk Advice provision. This was expended some years ago and thus a transfer was made in the year ended 31 March 2023 to reimburse the unrestricted funds.

Restricted funds

Care navigator west

Norfolk & Waveney ICS (part predecessor body West Norfolk Clinical Commissioning Group) provided funds to provide a care navigation service for people aged over 75 (and/or their carers) who had been identified as either having or at significant risk of developing, high health, and/or social care needs. This was a non-clinical service that augmented the existing ICO Model in West Norfolk. The service was decommissioned in 2023-2024.

NHS complaints service

In conjunction with POhWER the charity delivers advocacy on behalf of people aged over 60 in Norfolk who have a dispute regarding the NHS. This can take many forms and supports older people to have their voices heard and empower them to seek restitution in cases where there has been unfair treatment or negligence.

Lottery grant

Age UK National provides Brand Partners with funding from their Lottery fund. Age UK Norfolk uses this fund to support the work of the Outreach Benefit Take-Up service. This outreach enables older people to be aware that they can apply for Benefits that they are entitled to where they may have previously been unaware and / or unable to complete the complex administrative form filling process.

Digital inclusion

Age UK Norfolk and Age UK Norwich worked in partnership to deliver Digital Inclusion activities provided for by Barclays via Age UK National.

Winter project

Age UK Norfolk delivered part of Norfolk Community Foundations Surviving Winter project. This funding was to be used to make direct grants to older people in need of improvements to the home to achieve a sustainable improvement in Winter wellness.

- 39 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

I&A contract

Age UK Norfolk deliver specialist Information and Advice to older people across Norfolk on behalf of NCC. This project facilitates our Advice Line, advisors and advocates who work across Norfolk on a range of issues affecting older people.

Other restricted funds

These represent other amalgamated small funds which must be spent on particular projects being undertaken by the Charity.

Transfers between funds

Transfers between funds have been made from the unrestricted funds in order to eliminate overspends within the restricted funds and also to reflect the payment made in the year toward the pension liability.

22. Analysis of net assets between funds

Year ended 31 March 2024

Restricted Unrestricted
funds funds Total
£ £ £
Tangible fixed assets – 14,060 14,060
Current assets 133,481 1,035,307 1,168,788
Current liabilities – (101,663) (101,663)
Non-current liabilities – (63,707) (63,707)
─────── ─────────── ───────────
133,481 883,997 1,017,478
═══════ ═══════════ ═══════════
Year ended 31 March 2023
Restricted Unrestricted
funds funds Total
£ £ £
Tangible fixed assets – 21,386 21,386
Current assets 110,629 964,688 1,075,317
Current liabilities – (153,763) (153,763)
Non-current liabilities – (89,212) (89,212)
───────── ───────── ───────────
110,629 743,099 853,728
═════════ ═════════ ═══════════

Year ended 31 March 2023

23. Analysis of changes in net debt

At
At 1 Apr 2023 Cash flows 31 Mar 2024
£ £ £
Cash at bank and in hand 565,073 (8,768) 556,305
═════════ ══════ ═════════

- 40 -

Age Concern Norfolk Operating as Age UK Norfolk

Company Limited by Guarantee

Notes to the financial statements (continued)

Year ended 31 March 2024

24. Operating lease commitments

The total future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:

2024 2023
£ £
Not later than 1 year 24,784 44,682
Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years 15,814 40,671
─────── ───────
40,598 85,353
═══════ ═══════

25. Related parties

During the year the charity paid £Nil (2023: £1,000) to Adeva Consulting Limited, a company that is owned by and has a director of Ann Donkin, the interim CEO. This payment was made before Ann Donkin was employed at the Charity for consultancy services.

- 41 -