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noahsarkhospice.org.uk

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Contents
Legal and administrative information	3
Message from the Chair	4
Statement from the Chief Executive	5
About us	6
Making the most of every day	8
Our care	16
Our fundraising	22
Our marketing and communications	24
Our people	26
Our volunteers	28
Financial review	30
Cash fow statement	40
Notes to the fnancial statements	40-54

Noah’s Ark has been life changing for my family – I don’t know where we’d be without them.

Faye, Jaida’s Mum, who is currently supported by Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

Legal and administrative information

DIRECTORS

Mr James Tugendhat (Chairperson) Mr Richard Amat (Treasurer) Mr Simon Beresford (appointed 11th January 2024) Baroness Cass OBE Dr Jane Hawdon Dr Heather Mackinnon MBE (resigned 19th February 2024) Mr James Liddy (appointed 11th January 2024) Ms Michelle Mendelsson Dr Sanjiv Patel Ms Jenny Phillips Mr Paul Pomroy Ms Sarah Timms

SECRETARY

Mrs Sophie Andrews OBE (appointed 13th April 2023)

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Mrs Sophie Andrews OBE

COMPANY NUMBER

03901606

CHARITY NUMBER

1081156

REGISTERED OFFICE

The Ark, 101A Byng Road, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN5 4NP

WEB ADDRESS

www.noahsarkhospice.org.uk

AUDITORS

HaysMac LLP 10 Queen St Place, London EC4R 1AG

BANKERS

HSBC 31 Chequer Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3YN

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

A message from our Chair

This is my second year as chair of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, a role I am privileged to hold. I am immensely proud of what the charity has achieved this past year thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our colleagues and volunteers, expertly supported by the leadership of Sophie Andrews OBE and her senior team.

The scale of unmet needs continues to motivate the charity and inform its strategic direction. As a result, we continue to increase the number of clinical and holistic staff in order to provide more hours of care and offer a wider breadth of support. At the same time, we are ever mindful that, as we strive to reach more families, we do not compromise on the outstanding quality of our work.

It is gratifying, too, to watch Noah’s Ark punch above its weight as eminent institutions both in the UK and abroad continue to approach us to work in partnership on research projects on palliative care developments.

It has been a busy year with many highlights, sector awards and much positive feedback from our families and commissioners. Noah’s Ark’s core values of kindness, courage and excellence underpin all its work and external validation means so much to us.

Being a Trustee is a voluntary role and along with the other 150 plus Noah’s Ark volunteers we play our part in delivering on the charity’s mission of helping families make the most of every day. It is no surprise therefore that we have recently been recognised as Investing in Volunteers – the UK quality standard for good practice in volunteer management. Thank you to all our volunteers: those who support families directly in their homes and at events; those who act as Ambassadors in the community; and those whose work supports the functioning of The Ark, both front of house and behind the scenes. Thank you also to my fellow Trustees – your voluntary contribution is greatly appreciated.

James Tugendhat Chair of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

A statement from the Chief Executive

This year has been incredible for many reasons, not least the fact that our awards shelf is groaning under the weight of four new accolades! External validation isn’t

everything, but it is a check and balance for us and is important for us to put our head above the parapet and be assessed by others.

We won the prestigious Third Sector Award in the Best Charity Film category for the moving piece that accompanied our 2022 ‘From that Moment’ campaign. The film was viewed more than 60,000 times and helped raise more than £1.28m in 36 hours.

One of the judges said of the film: “Emotional, heartbreaking and heartwarming – all at the same time! I loved that it was a celebration of life and highlighted the spirit of families involved. The sense of a real community which Noah’s Ark engenders was palpable. The fundraising effort was a clear tribute to that.”

In addition, our Play Team were named Play Team of the Year by Starlight, we won the Clear Channel Outdoor Media Awards in the Gold Community Social Impact category and finally the Purpose Awards for Best Fundraising Campaign.

Over the last year we have had some truly extraordinary events, from the magic of Afternoon Tea at The Ark and The Winter Ball, both delivered by the world-famous Dorchester hotel, one of our partners. And, in December, we transformed The Ark into a magical Winter Wonderland complete with our own Father Christmas.

This year we increased the size of our Care Team and supported more babies, children and young people than ever before. We made good progress against all our strategic objectives and most importantly reached 112 new families who are now accessing our services. There is still an unmet need, and we will be unwavering in our efforts to raise awareness of our services and reach more families.

I wish I could update you with positive news about the future of the Children’s Hospice Grant but unfortunately at the time of writing we have not received any guarantee of this vital government grant. Any reduction or withdrawal of this crucial funding would pose a significant financial risk not only to us but to the entire sector.

We will persist in pressing for the grant to be guaranteed, not only for 2024/2025 but in a multi-year sustainable model that allows for financial planning and security.

Our team are focused on creating special memories and moments and making the unimaginable possible. We are an organisation with people at its heart.

In our recent staff and volunteer survey, 95% of staff said they felt proud to work for Noah’s Ark, with 93% saying they felt like they were making a difference. Of our volunteers, 95% said they felt like they are making a difference, with 97% saying they felt we were committed to making this a great place to volunteer.

Maya Angelou was famous for many quotes, but this one resonates with me and everyone at Noah’s Ark the most: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Our families will always remember how we made them feel at the most important and significant points in their life.

Every success at Noah’s Ark is a true team effort so I’d like to extend my thanks to all Noah’s Ark staff, volunteers, Board of Trustees and our Chair, James Tugendhat for his valuable guidance in his second year. And a final thanks to all our supporters who make everything we do possible. Thank you.

Sophie Andrews OBE Chief Executive

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

ABOUT US

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice is one of the UK’s leading children’s hospices, caring for hundreds of babies, children and young people who are seriously unwell, and their families. We work in partnership with Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital and London’s NHS Trusts, medical professionals and health and social care organisations to provide every child and family with the care, support and expertise they need to enjoy the time they have together.

We provide outstanding care and compassion to the babies, children and young people we support. Our support is carefully adapted for every child and is offered wherever it is required – whether that is in their home, their community or at The Ark, our state-of-the-art hospice building in north London.

Noah’s Ark is a fun and relaxed space where children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions are accepted as they are, safe to play, explore, express themselves and build confidence. We focus on what children can do, rather than their perceived limitations. We celebrate every milestone.

From creating and sharing sounds in Music Therapy, to holding the hands of parents during their child’s final moments, we believe in making the most of every day for the children and families we care for. We are there for families every step of the way, however and whenever they need us. We cannot change the diagnosis, but we can do everything possible to help families do things they never thought possible.

No child or condition is too complex

The palliative care that we provide is not just for children nearing the end of their lives, but part of an integrated approach to care that aims to enhance their entire life. Many of the babies, children and young people we support spend years under our care, before transitioning into adult palliative care.

We are there for families every step of the way, however and whenever they need us.

Hospital and other leading London NHS trusts to reach those in need of our support, including children requiring longterm ventilation and those who are living with conditions too complex to be managed by some other children’s hospices.

In the UK and around the world, many babies, children and young people who are seriously unwell do not have easy access to palliative care services. This is simply unacceptable. We are doing everything we can to tackle misconceptions and our society’s discomfort in talking about these issues – because every child, and family, deserves to make the most of every day.

Across the areas we cover, there are an estimated 2,500 babies, children and young people who have life-threatening or life-limiting conditions.

We are working with Great Ormond Street Children’s

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR VISION

For every baby, child and young person who is seriously unwell, and their loved ones, to have access to expert and compassionate palliative care from the point of diagnosis.

OUR MISSION

We help babies, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and their families, make the most of every day. And we support those who die young to do so in as much comfort as possible, surrounded by family.

We are here to enable those we support to enjoy life as children, rather than as patients; as families, not just as carers.

You have brought me to a place where I have found a home, where I’ve found a family and people that will fight for me.

Asabea, Jannick’s Mum, who is currently supported by Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

This year we cared for more children than ever before, trained over 500 healthcare professionals in the importance of good palliative care and launched a new Perinatal Service.

In 2023/24 we also won industry awards, including Play Team of the Year, contributed to ground-breaking research and welcomed parliamentarians, palliative care experts and 112 new families to The Ark.

Over 94% of children and families this year said that they have been provided with choices they ‘never thought possible’.

In the pages that follow you can read more about the progress we have made against our six strategic objectives and what we need to do next to not just achieve but exceed each of them.

2023/24 was an exciting year at Noah’s Ark – and our future is even brighter.

Vv The Noah’s Ark Play Team being awarded ‘Play Team of the Year’ by Starlight

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY continued

OBJECTIVE 1:

TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EXPERIENCE OF DEATH FOR THE BABIES, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES WE SUPPORT

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

We were overjoyed to be rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC following their inspection last year. Alongside this incredible achievement we are thrilled to have exceeded, for the second year running, two of the other targets within this objective.

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

90% of children and young people, and their families say that our support has improved their quality of life.
90% of children and families say that they have been provided with choices they ‘never thought possible’.

Over 94% of children, young people and

their families say that our support has improved their quality of life

90% of bereaved families whose child we have supported at end-of-life say that they and their child felt supported and their wishes heard.
Noah’s Ark is rated as ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC.

Over 90% of children and families

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

say that they had been provided with choices they ‘never thought possible’

Noah’s Ark is rated as ’Outstanding’

by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)

This year we extended our Bereavement Service to improve the support we offer to families following the death of a child. You can read more about this service in the OUR CARE section.

With demand for our support increasing, we need to make sure that the quality of care we deliver does not decline as a result. We are proud of the difference we make to those we support but we are not complacent. We will continue to develop our services, recruit the very best team and do whatever it takes to help every family make the most of every day.

100% of feedback from families whose child was supported at the end of their life was positive. Common words used by families to describe the support they received were “adaptable”, “flexible” and “comfortable”. Families also praised the positive support provided to siblings during this time.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OBJECTIVE 2:

TO REACH SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BABIES, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

This year we have made some great progress against this objective. For the second year running, we have exceeded one target and taken some important steps towards achieving the others.

378 babies, children and young people,

who are seriously unwell were cared for by Noah’s Ark this year, up from 302 in 2021/22 when our strategy was launched

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

Directly supporting double the number of babies, children and young people who are seriously unwell that we currently care for.
Providing our unique training to 300 other care professionals each year, to ensure more children are getting the care they need.
Have become a primary children’s hospice partner to Great Ormond Street Hospital, with 100 new referrals per annum.

We accepted 112 new referrals this year,

an increase of over 20% on 2022/23

55 of our referrals came from Great Ormond Street Hospital

This clearly shows the impact our shared Clinical Partnerships Manager and new Hospice Midwife are having

Supporting 200 families through our Home Support Volunteer service – double the number supported annually in 2021/22.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

We will continue to seek new opportunities for collaboration with local organisations, charities and healthcare providers. This may include developing more shared positions with Great Ormond Street Hospital and other leading London NHS trusts.

568 healthcare professionals received training

on children’s palliative care and the importance of Noah’s Ark’s work

We have built new partnerships

We have welcomed new volunteers to our Home Support Volunteer Service this year, providing 306 Home Support matches compared to 148 last year. In the year ahead we will continue to actively recruit new volunteers and retain the amazing ones we already have.

and strengthened existing ones. These include playing a key role in Children’s Hospices across London (CHaL)

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY continued

OBJECTIVE 3:

TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN THE BEST MEMBERS OF STAFF

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

In 2022/23 we were thrilled to receive an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, our regulator. This year we have built on that success and made some important progress towards achieving our goals.

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

90% of all Care roles will be filled.
90% of employees and volunteers say they would recommend Noah’s Ark as an employer.

By placing a focus on streamlining our recruitment processes, becoming a disability confident employer and improving staff wellbeing, we are on track to become the employer of choice for everyone seeking a career in children’s palliative care.

Our employee retention rate will be at least 85%.
In our Care Quality Inspection, we will receive an ‘Outstanding’ rating under the ‘well-led’ category.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

Over 86% of Care roles are now flled,

up from 80% in 2022/23

Noah’s Ark staf

are staying with us longer

81% of staf would recommend Noah’s Ark

Across the palliative care sector there is a lack of specialist paediatric nurses and carers, so we will continue to promote Noah’s Ark as a place where nurses and carers have the time to provide outstanding care.

At Noah’s Ark every member of our team is there to help families make the most of every day. We would not have it any other way.

as an employer, over 3% more than in 2022/23

12 Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OBJECTIVE 4:

TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE AMONGST OUR KEY AUDIENCES

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

This year has been a successful year for our Marketing and Communications Team. We have doubled the size of the team to include experts in public relations and media relations, and together we have made some exciting progress toward achieving this objective.

For the second year running, over 90% of families

told us they understood the breadth of services available to them

On average we welcomed over 8,900 visitors

to our website every month, nearly double the number in 2021/22 when we launched Making the Most of Every Day

On over 40 occasions we secured media coverage

in both local and national outlets

We grew our social media following by 7%

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

90% of families we support say they understand the breadth of services available at Noah’s Ark for them and their children.
90% of Noah’s Ark staff say that Noah’s Ark’s Marketing and Communications function helps those we support, are supported by and who work for the charity to have a better Noah’s Ark experience.
Increased awareness of Noah’s Ark through a multichannel marketing programme as demonstrated by the following indicators:
Increase the number of people following Noah’s Ark on social media to 60,000 users
Triple the amount of overall traffic to our website to an average of 13,500 users per month.
Increase our social media engagement rate to 15%.
Gain an average of six pieces of earned media per month. These could include features on TV, radio, in the press or posts from social media influencers.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

We have come a long way this year, but we still need to do more to make Noah’s Ark the children’s hospice of choice for families with children who are seriously unwell and the healthcare professionals in the areas we serve. To that end, we will work to develop our tone of voice and the key messages we use to better serve those audiences. We will also cultivate relationships with local and national press to build opportunities to become an influential voice in the children’s palliative care sector.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY continued

OBJECTIVE 5:

TO SECURE NOAH’S ARK’S FUTURE BY DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING MODEL

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

Despite the continuing cost of living crisis, Noah’s Ark has had a fabulous year in terms of fundraising, with both income from community and corporate fundraising growing.

Over £4.8 million raised

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

Increased the number of individuals making regular monthly donations to the charity ten-fold, from 250 to 2,500.
Eight legacy notifications received per year, which is double the number we currently receive.

£80,000 above target

3,463 individuals

supported our work

93% rise in regular givers

since 2021/22

19% of our care costs

Over 60% of care expenditure will be funded from statutory sources.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

With a larger and more diverse Fundraising Team now in place, we will develop new strategies to significantly grow income from public fundraising and widen our network of major donors, trusts and corporate partners. This will help diversify our income and ensure Noah’s Ark can continue to be there for families in the future.

are covered by statutory funding

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OBJECTIVE 6:

TO CHAMPION DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION ACROSS THE CHARITY

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

Established in 2022/23, our Diversity Council led the way this year in making Noah’s Ark an environment where people feel free to be themselves, respected without discrimination. In the annual family survey, 86% of families state that Noah’s Ark show commitment to diversity and inclusion.

We are now a disability confdent employer

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

Ensuring the diversity of our workforce, including Trustees and volunteers, is reflective of the London working population.
100% of employees and volunteers feel “comfortable being [themselves] at work”.
90% of families we support say we have tailored our services respectfully to their diverse needs.

86% of families

stated that Noah’s Ark show commitment to diversity and inclusion

90% of staf responding to our annual staf survey

said they felt comfortable being themselves at work ~~We launched our new~~ ~~inclusion strategy~~

Reaching communities we have identified as being under-served.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

With a new inclusion strategy now in place, we will seek to build on our progress, ensuring we better reflect the communities we serve and promote the needs of our staff and those we are here to support.

to embed equality, diversity and inclusion into all that we do

95% of staf say they feel proud

to work at Noah’s Ark, a positive improvement on 2022/23

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR CARE

378 We are proud to provide amongst the widest breadth of care of any children’s hospice in the UK.

babies,children and young people who are seriously unwell were cared for this year, over 4% more than in 2022/23

From Specialist Carers and Nurses to Music Therapists, Play Specialists, Home Support Volunteers, and more, our team tailor their support to the babies, children and young people we are here to support.

We are experts in managing complex health conditions, enabling those we support to enjoy life as children – rather than patients.

112 CLINICAL CARE

new families came to The Ark

In 2023/24 we delivered outstanding clinical care to more babies, children and young people who are seriously unwell than ever before. This included regular weekend and school holiday support, step-down care and crisis care whenever required.

Working with Great Ormond Street Hospital

This year we were thrilled to strengthen our relationship with The Louis Dundas Centre for Palliative Care at Great Ormond Street Hospital by appointing a dedicated Clinical Partnerships Manager. This shared nursing role helps us deliver better support and more choice to families seeking palliative care for their child.

The joint specialist nursing role between GOSH and Noah’s Ark is having a huge impact for staff and families. Staff across the hospital are learning so much more about the role of hospices in supporting long term care for families, and families have commented how reassuring it is to see a familiar face when they move from hospital to hospice. Through working together we are all developing our skills and knowledge, leading to much better continuity of care across both settings, as well as in the home. This is definitely a pattern of shared, integrated working that we want to continue.

Finella Craig, Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine at Great Ormond Street Hospital

36 Noah’s Ark babies, children and young people sadly died in 2023/24, of which 16 we supported at the end of their life. 12 children stayed in our butterfly suite enabling their families to spend time with them after their death.

26,695 hours of clinical care were delivered, an increase of one third since 2022/23

This year we refined our Service Level Agreement with Barnet Hospital and strengthened our clinical ties with the palliative care team at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

MAKING TRANSITIONS EASIER

At Noah’s Ark we know how stressful it can be for families as they transition from paediatric palliative care to adult services and that is why we are doing everything possible to make the process as smooth and as stress-free as possible.

In 2023/24 we launched a new Transition Service. Led by a dedicated Transition Lead, the service enables us to support young people up to the age of 25 years old.

And with funds raised at this year’s Winter Ball, plans are in place for a teen lounge offering an age-appropriate space for our older children and young adults.

We also contributed to research on how to improve services for young people. This included our Medical Director, Dr Tagore Charles, being a co-applicant on the transition research project HOPSCOTCH (Helping Optimise Primary Care Support During Transition From Children’s Hospice Care), under the leadership of Professor Lucy Ziegler, Dr. Sarah Mitchell, and Professor Lorna Fraser.

PROVIDING OUTSTANDING PERINATAL CARE

Through our new Perinatal Service, we supported more families in the perinatal period than ever before, including those whose baby died before birth.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

The hospice supports Arthur a lot. He used to be so shy but now he goes to all the sibling groups, which have really helped him with his confidence. Arthur has met Harry Kane, seen Spurs play and been to Chessington World of Adventures, all thanks to Noah’s Ark. 55

Gina, Mum to Ray and Arthur, who are supported by Noah’s Ark

Our Specialist Neonatal and Palliative Care trained Nurses and Hospice Midwife delivered expert care for those transitioning from pregnancy and hospital care into hospice care.

We are Play Team of the Year

Our incredible Play Team was awarded Play Team of the Year at the 2023 Starlight Awards, which recognise organisations that go above and beyond to bring happiness into the lives of children who are seriously unwell. Our team was honoured to attend the award ceremony at BlueBird in Chelsea.

It’s healthcare

professionals like the Noah’s Ark Play Team who are our real-life superheroes. The team have worked hard to ensure play is an integral part of children’s care, particularly with end-of-life care, where they enable families to create positive and long-lasting memories. This Play Team is truly inspirational.

Cathy Gilman, CEO at Starlight

HOLISTIC SERVICES

90 %

of children and families say they have been provided with choices they ‘never thought possible’

95 %

of families have had a very positive experience with Noah’s Ark

317 families were supported by Family Link in 2023/24

Therapies – we offer Music, Drama and Movement, Hydrotherapy, Occupational and Art Therapy to help babies, children and young people at Noah’s Ark have fun and express themselves.

~~BE~~ 1,772 hours of therapy provided

Family Activities – from whole Family Days and trips outt, to parent and carer activities and dedicated sibling groups, our Family Activities Team help those we support do things they never thought possible.

67 events took place, including a fournight break away for children whose brother or sister is seriously unwell

Home Support Volunteers – visiting families at home and in the community, our Home Support Volunteers make life easier for the families they support.
Over 1,000 hours of home support were provided
• Bereavement Support – our team are ~~Bees~~ with families every step of the way after the death of their child.

At Noah’s Ark Holistic Services are:

Family Link – providing emotional and practical support, our Family Link Team are the main contact point for families.

111 people received bereavement counselling, over 54% more than in 2022/23

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR CARE continued

OUR HIGHLIGHTS

In 2023/24 our Holistic Services highlights included:

Launching Creative Saturdays , our new monthly group for children aged four to eight years old. Led by our Music Therapist, this friendly and fun group helps children develop their social and communication skills, as well as improve their emotional wellbeing.
~~OE~~
Helping 35 families have a holiday to remember at our fully accessible holiday lodge on Mersea Island, enjoying time together on the beach, in the swimming pool and visiting nearby Colchester Zoo. Noah’s Ark on Holiday was launched last year and was as popular as ever in 2023/24.

Wow! What a fantastic stay it was! Everything we needed in a great location. Thank you so very much. You made one little girl (and us!) so happy, and we have lots of lovely memories of our stay.

A Winter Wonderland to remember

In December we transformed The Ark into a magical Winter Wonderland. Our Creative Room became a grotto for our very own Father Christmas. The Atrium turned into a forest, and our Teen Den became a sparkly Photo Booth Room.

There were activities galore on the day, such as festive themed carnival games, decorating your own gingerbread cookies and writing a letter to the North Pole.

Elaine, whose daughter Willow is supported by Noah’s Ark

Working with Child Bereavement UK to explore how drama therapy sessions could help school staff better manage the impact of working with children who are supported by Noah’s Ark and their siblings in the wider school community.

Winter Wonderland 2023 was one of our largest Family Days to date and we were thrilled to see so many beaming smiles.

Hosting the launch of The National Association of Health Play Specialists ‘Play in Hospital Week’ .
Launching a brand-new group for dads and grandads , enabling them to make friends and meet people who understand what they are going through.
Holding NoahFest , our very own summer festival for families. Attendees were treated to arcade games, live music, paddling pools, face painting and more. A great time was had by all!

----- Start of picture text -----
• Hosting the launch of The National Association of Health
Play Specialists ‘Play in Hospital Week’ .
----- End of picture text -----

Spotlight on Hydrotherapy

~~The ligh~~ ts and bubbles of our Hydrotherapy pool create a magical experience for the children and families we support.

This year we have grown our Hydrotherapy service, creating a brandnew water and movement playgroup for children under five years ~~old.~~

One of this year’s Hydrotherapy highlights was enabling a one-yearold child, who has spent her life in hospital, to swim in our pool for the first time. She laughed throughout.

Our Hydrotherapy Pool has also been used in end-of-life care, allowing for final wishes to be fulfilled and for memories to be made.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

Supporting bereaved families

We saw a huge increase in the number of bereavement support referrals in 2023/24 compared to previous years.

Creating a Bereaved Siblings group, enabling bereaved children to visit The Ark and play with others in the same situation.

We worked tirelessly to meet this growing need by:

Expanding our Bereavement Support Team.
Establishing our new ‘Butterflies’ groups, which give families who are bereaved the chance to spend time together and share food at The Ark. These groups have been so popular with families that we now plan to run one in every school holiday.
~~rs~~
• Partnering with Child Bereavement UK to enable their bereavement counsellor to hold regular sessions at The Ark.
Developing The Cabin, a new dedicated space for bereavement support, which opens next year.
Launching our Noah’s Ark Memory Book. Designed with the family to include cherished fabrics, photos, drawings and other precious items, each personalised page honours and remembers the baby, child or young person, both as a keepsake for home and within the memory book at Noah’s Ark.

The counselling helped me a lot. Helped me to go through the pain and understand the pain. It’s great we have a community here and we can come here whenever we need to. 55 Andrea and Costel, parents to Nadia who died in 2022

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR CARE continued

IMPROVING PALLIATIVE CARE FOR CHILDREN EVERYWHERE

Although we are based in North London, we are determined to play a leading role in improving the provision and quality of children’s palliative care both within our geographical area and beyond.

RAISING AWARENESS, SHARING SKILLS

In 2023/24 we provided training and information on the importance of hospice care to 568 healthcare professionals.

Leading the way in Music Therapy research

Sessions included:

Our Chief Executive, Sophie Andrews, giving the keynote speech at a training day for paediatric trainees organised by Dr Su Laurent, Director of Medical Education at Barnet Hospital. This initiative aligns with our goal of raising awareness of children’s hospice work among the next generation of paediatricians.
Hosting the second London-wide neonatal palliative care education day, which aimed to advance the development of neonatal services.

The feedback from our training events was overwhelmingly positive:

THE COLLABORATIVE PAEDIATRIC PALLIATIVE

The whole session was incredibly popular with people describing it as “interesting,” “engaging” and “inspiring”. It has really opened up a lot of people’s eyes that had no knowledge about hospice care into what a hospice is and how it can give families support and care outside the hospital environment. It gave delegates a much better idea about what hospice care involves. 55

Feedback received following a training day with the UCLH Palliative Care Foundation

CARE RESEARCH NETWORK

This year, as part of the Collaborative Paediatric Palliative Care Research Network (CoPPAR), we have been able to take part in research discussions and explore the value research brings to the children and families we support.

In 2023/24 colleagues from across Noah’s Ark played key roles in CoPPAR’s steering group as well as in its sub-group. These included our Chief Executive, Medical Directors,

With funding from the National Institute of Health Research, Noah’s Ark Music Therapist, Kirsty-Jane Ormston, began a three-year ground-breaking research project to define what music therapy should look like in a neonatal unit.

Kirsty is leading the way in this field of research, having previously presented her research at international conferences and provided training session for nurses across Europe.

a6 Music Therapy allowed us for the first time since my son’s very difficult start in life to experience a moment of normality as a family. 55

Mother of a child supported by Noah’s Ark

Associate Medical Directors, Nurses and Specialist Therapists. We were thrilled to host a meeting of CoPPAR at The Ark in July.

Our involvement with CoPPAR has reaffirmed our commitment to participating in academic research to drive forward best practice within Noah’s Ark. It has also enabled us to foster connections with colleagues nationwide and globally. These include Dr Debbie Niermann, from the University of Zurich, and Laura Dale-Harris, Chief Executive of the Global Treehouse Foundation, who both visited The Ark to observe our care and support in action.

RESEARCH AT THE ARK

This year we had the opportunity to recruit participants for two research studies. These included the Fathers Study, run by Victoria Fishers at the University of York, which focuses on the health of fathers of children with a life-limiting condition.

We have also been working with Professor Ulrika Kreicbergs, Chair of Palliative Care at University College London

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

and Great Ormond Street Hospital, to develop research examining family perspectives and bereavement care. This research, to be based at The Ark, aims to enhance our understanding in this critical area of care.

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

International collaborations continued to enrich our practice this year. We once again partnered with the Global Treehouse Foundation, an organisation dedicated to improving children’s palliative care worldwide, and we were honoured to welcome a palliative care neonatal consultant from Prague.

They are in the process of establishing the Czech Republic’s first children’s hospice and are as determined as we are to help every child get the very best palliative, no matter of where they live.

PROGRAMME

Our Medical Director, Dr Tagore Charles, embarked on the Westminster Abbey Institute Fellowship Programme this year. The programme is a prestigious initiative designed to deepen insights into public service. Tagore is delighted to be mentored by Sir Paul Nurse, a Nobel Prize laureate and Chief Executive of the Crick Institute.

Thank you

With funding from the National Institute of Health, we are proud to have collaborated with so many organisations and charities this year. Every one of our partners helps us deliver outstanding care to the babies, children and young people we support. Thank you.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY INSTITUTE FELLOWSHIP

Precious, who is supported by Noah’s Ark, enjoying the Sensory Room with our Play Specialist, Anna

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR FUNDRAISING

- We raised over £4.8 million £80,000 over target.

2023/24 was a brilliant year for fundraising. We exceeded our target and saw a significant increase in income from community and corporate fundraising. We cannot thank our supporters enough for their wonderful generosity this year.

Corporate fundraising has grown by

raising over £97,000 on the day. Our thanks to the committee who worked tirelessly to make the event such a success.

20 %

Income from corporate fundraising grew by 20% and income from community groups increased by 44%.
Holding our annual matched giving campaign, From That Moment : 2,022 supporters took part, helping us raise over £1m. More companies and community groups joined our campaign this year. We are thrilled to have them on board. Our supporters are simply brilliant!

Income from

community fundraising increased by over

FUNDRAISING HIGHLIGHTS

Our Fundraising Team did an outstanding job this year, securing new partnerships, creating new fundraising products and working tirelessly to grow our donor base.

40 %

We were also delighted to receive support from The Doctor French Foundation this year. The Foundation has a very proud history of serving the local community and we are honoured to play a part in extending its wonderful legacy.

Highlights included:

A rise in regular donors since 2022/23 of

Growing our Fundraising Team by 50%, to increase our expertise across all areas of fundraising and diversify our income further.

A pilgrimage in memory of Francis

27 %

Launching Moment Makers , our first ever mass regular giving campaign. Moment Makers is a vital step towards achieving our strategic aim to grow our regular giving base ten-fold between 2022-2025. As an organisation we are rooted in our community and so our regular giving recruitment activities are focused on the areas we serve.

This year pupils from Finchley Catholic High School took part in their third and final annual walk in memory of their friend Francis, who was cared for by Noah’s Ark in 2020.

Francis was in Year 9 when he came to The Ark for end-of-life care. After his death, Francis’s teachers and classmates were determined to support our work and fundraise in his memory.

Being the charity partner of The Winter Ball , one of London’s most glittering events. Held in early December at the Dorchester Hotel, guests enjoyed jokes galore thanks to compare Bradley Walsh, as well as a performance by 1980s pop star Rick Astley. A great time was had by all and £375,000 was raised! We would like to express our sincere thanks to the hard-working members of the Winter Ball Committee.

Despite pouring rain and horrendous weather, 60 students and three teachers completed the gruelling 12.6 mile walk in under six hours. The challenge raised over £2,600, bringing the total the school has raised to an incredible £21,000. What a wonderful way to remember Francis.

Thank you to all the intrepid pupils and staff at Finchley Catholic High School. We are so proud of you.

Hosting our 8th annual Golf Day at The Grove, one of the UK’s most prestigious golf courses. Twenty-four teams took part,

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

Over

Carrying a Teddy for Callum

The Mellas Club – Ireland organised a special fundraising walk called ‘Carry a Teddy for Callum’ to honour the memory of 11-month-old Callum, who came to Noah’s Ark at the end of his life.

Supported by Callum’s parents, grandparents, family and friends, as well as their local community, The Mellas Club – Ireland raised over £7,000 for our work. A brilliant achievement.

A special thank you goes to everyone who remembered Callum through this beautiful walk.

500 organisations made financial donations, or gave gifts in kind, over 100 more than 2022/23 Over ~~Fs~~

3,400 individuals supported our work

v This year we were thrilled to have been chosen as charity partner of the world-famous Dorchester Hotel in London. As well as taking part in a wide range of fundraising activities, hotel staff brought the magic of Christmas to The Ark, installing an impressive Christmas tree and treating families to a festive afternoon tea.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

By raising awareness of the care and support Noah’s Ark offers, the Marketing and Communications Team plays a key role in helping us reach even more local children who are seriously unwell and their families.

The team once again went above and beyond to shine a spotlight on our work, winning awards, creating new films and media, and using social media to raise awareness of Noah’s Ark’s inclusivity.

ADVOCATING FOR BETTER HOSPICE FUNDING

This year we took a proactive stance in building relationships with local MPs, urging their support for the Children’s Hospice Grant. First awarded in 2020, this grant has been instrumental, contributing 13.7% of Noah’s Ark’s income this year. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee of continued funding, posing a

Our team has

doubled in size in 2023/24

7 %

more followers on social media

Our From That Moment campaign film was viewed

137,000

times

financial impact not only to our charity but to the entire children’s hospice sector.

In 2023/24 we joined forces with Together for Short Lives to advocate for the protection of this vital grant. We hosted numerous MPs and parliamentary candidates at The Ark, emphasising the urgent need for sustainable funding. Through these visits, we implored them to pledge their support for the sector.

THE WINTER BALL

To support our fundraising activities at the exclusive Winter Ball event, our team created a film about the care a family received from Noah’s Ark after the death of their child. The film explored issues around the grief following the death of a baby. It received overwhelmingly positive feedback on the night, and from the family featured.

We will now use the film to raise wider awareness of the support we provide to bereaved families.

FROM THAT MOMENT

Now in its 4th year, our matched-giving campaign raised just over £1m in October. We were thrilled to work with 10 Group on the appeal film, which was viewed an incredible 137,000 times. We cannot thank 10 Group enough for their pro-bono support.

BE KIND

As part of the From That Moment campaign, we also developed our Be Kind programme to engage children in the work we do. Be Kind can be taught in schools as part of the curriculum and includes our Power of Kindness animation and detailed lesson plans.

Be Kind has been a huge success, with From That Moment income from schools up 49% on 2022/23. A huge achievement.

A Our team created a film about the care a family received from Noah’s Ark after the death of their child

We will now build on Be Kind’s success, using it as an ongoing engagement tool and developing it for use on the annual Random Act of Kindness Day.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

Noah’s Ark won Charity Film of the Year at the prestigious Third Sector Awards

We are award-winning!

This year we won not just one but three awards for our media and communications activities:

Charity Film of the Year for our From That Moment appeal film, awarded by the prestigious Third Sector Awards.

Spotlight on Ramadan 2024

This year we commissioned an illustrator to help us design a social media post to celebrate Ramadan. The third most popular post in March, we were thrilled by the feedback the post received. We will now create posts to celebrate more religious holidays. We are determined to make Noah’s Ark a place where every family feels included.

Best Fundraising Campaign at the PR Week Purpose Awards. This is significant as the win is not just for the creative aspects of the campaign, but for the entire campaign strategy – including our approach to supporter engagement.
An Outdoor Media Awards for our innovative nurse recruitment campaign.

These awards prove once again that Noah’s Ark is leading the way in children’s palliative care communications.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR PEOPLE

We cannot deliver outstanding care without recruiting and retaining outstanding colleagues.

We are a disability confident employer

In 2023/24 we were thrilled to achieve the Disability Confident Employer accreditation. This government-backed scheme will help ensure that disability is no barrier to a successful career at Noah’s Ark.

Highlights this year included:

Recruiting our first apprentice to work alongside our HR Team.
Streamlining our recruitment processes and seeing an increase in applications as a result.

WHAT OUR STAFF SAY

This is the first workplace I’ve been in that lives and breathes its values – I clearly understand the values of the charity and how they are to be carried out. 55

~~ee~~ Introducing a better, simpler and more userfriendly eLearning system .
Launching an inclusion strategy to better reflect the diversity of the families we support and the communities we serve. We cannot wait to see the impact our strategy has in the future.

I feel extremely lucky and grateful to be able to say I have worked and do work for Noah’s Ark. I love my job, and I love Noah’s Ark and everything it stands for and aims to accomplish. This charity is a very special place, and I hope it continues to grow and get the positive attention it deserves. Thank you for the opportunity of being a part of the Noah’s Ark family.

Recruiting two new Education Facilitators and launching a new training platform, Blue Stream , to ensure excellence across the charity.

Over

86 %

of Care roles were filled, up more than 6% in 2022/23

Our retention rate is

77 %

90 %

of staff said they feel comfortable being themselves at work

97 %

of staff said they understand what we want to achieve as an organisation

Spotlight on Wellbeing

This year we put the wellbeing of our team front and centre. Initiatives included menopause training, wellbeing breakfasts, awareness days and mental health first aid training.

We are delighted that 95% of staff responding to our staff survey reported having ‘access to appropriate emotional and mental health support at work’.

95 %

of our team said they are proud to work at Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

I like the never-ending push to keep children and families truly at the centre. And being surrounded by likeminded people, who are passionate about the work we all do.

Thank you

We would like to thank the whole team at Noah’s Ark for their hard work and dedication this year.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

OUR VOLUNTEERS

From gardening and photography to hairdressing, home support, fundraising and more, our volunteers help make Noah’s Ark a place full of happiness and fun.

This year our volunteers have, once again, gone above and beyond to support those we are here to help. We are thrilled to have so many dedicated volunteers on board.

You bring joy and sunshine to our lives… it’s been a real honour having you to visit… you have the unique quality of being able to read to our child, which not a lot of people can do. 55

Parent of a child who is supported by Noah’s Ark

Investing in volunteers

To make sure our volunteers receive the very best support, we have worked tirelessly this year to achieve the Investing in Volunteers accreditation. In 2023/24 this included holding volunteer management training for staff and creating a new Volunteer Forum.

Our volunteers donated a wonderful

6,158

hours of their time this year, representing an additional value to the charity worth over £83,000

Over

new volunteers joined our team

We provided

306

Home Support Matches compared to 148 last year

Thank you

We would like to thank all our volunteers for helping the families we support to make the most of every day.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

Everyone who volunteers at Noah’s OG Ark has a positive impact on the lives of those we support. 55 Sophie Andrews, OBE, CEO of Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

FINANCIAL REVIEW

----- Start of picture text -----
INCOME EXPENDITURE SURPLUS 2024 SURPLUS 2023
£6,131,382 £6,102,114 £218,075 £1,900,182
----- End of picture text -----

The results for the year ended 31 March 2024 are set out on p37.

The overall net surplus for the year amounted to £218,075 (year ended 31 March 2023: £1,900,182).
The company’s memorandum and articles of association strictly prohibit the payment of any dividends.

INCOME

In the financial year ended 31 March 2024 we reported total income of £6.131m compared with £7.363m in the prior year.

Our statutory grants increased in year to £840,000 compared to £509,000, this equates to 13.7% of our overall income.

Additional funds have been invested into our investment portfolio, and this has improved the income by £329,000 compared with £64,000 in the prior year.

Other trading activities in 2023/24, such as Noah’s Ark’s fundraising events, have remained similar to the prior year as the main trading income comes from our annual Winter Ball which happened in both financial years.

EXPENDITURE

In the financial year ended 31 March 2024 we reported total expenditure of £6.102m compared with £5.458m in the prior year. The total cost of charitable activities, i.e. delivering support to the babies, children, young people and their families we care for, as well as running The Ark and Noah’s Ark on Holiday, rose to £4.991m compared to £4.581m in the previous year.

We expected higher total expenditure than in the prior year as we are growing our Clinical Care Team to allow us to increase the number of babies, children, young people and their families we can support in line with our strategy. The result of this planned growth was higher salary costs and higher recruitment costs, as well as increased associated costs.

Total charitable activities account for 82% of total costs

(84% in the prior year).

We maintained a policy of strict cost control across all areas of the charity.

SUMMARY OF RESERVES

The total reserves as at 31 March 2024 were £19,267,028 (2023: £19,048,953).

Of these reserves, £10,097,166 (2023: £10,196,272) was the cost of fixed assets and so designated, £162,469 (2023: 158,988) was restricted by the donors; £2,243,371 designated for special projects by the Trustees (£2,550,780 in prior year), leaving unrestricted reserves of £6,764,022 (2023: £6,142,913).

RESERVES POLICY

It is the policy of the Trustees to maintain at least 9-12 months of unrestricted free reserves to allow the operating activities of the charity to continue. Unrestricted free reserves totalled £6,764,022 as of 31 March 2024.

Future expenditure in the 2024/25 budget (before depreciation) is estimated at £6,394,310, which equates to 12.7 months of cover.

At the time of signing the statutory accounts, the Trustees consider the level of reserves to be adequate for the charity’s needs. Due to our significant expansion plans and the expectation of wider economic challenges in the UK over the coming year such as the cost-of-living crisis, the Trustees consider it is reasonable to hold the current level of unrestricted free reserves at this time.

The Trustees will review the Reserves Policy annually, taking into account the status of our expansion plans and the state of the wider economy at the time. The Trustees remain committed to ensuring the charity can continue to deliver its services and will flex the policy and level of reserves accordingly.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY AND GOING CONCERN

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we ended the financial year with net cash funds of £5.016m (£6.652m at 31 March 2023) and investments of £3.284m (£1.261m at 31

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

March 2023). This was an increase of over £4.6m in cash and investments on the prior period.

With a challenging economic outlook categorised by high inflation and rising costs, we are grateful to NHS England for recently confirming our Hospice Grant for 2024/25. Whilst the future distribution of the grant is still unclear, the extension of the current grant period is a welcome guarantee of funding. We are also grateful to North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group for renewing our contract for another 12 months and are pleased to confirm that we have negotiated an uplift in rates for 2024/25.

We monitor our cash flows regularly and run sensitivity analyses to ensure we have sufficient working capital for our short-term needs.

Based on the above and our fundraising plans for the year ahead, the Trustees believe that we have sufficient financial resources to meet the future operating requirements of the charity and therefore remain a going concern.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Noah’s Ark has developed its formal risk management process through the identification and management of risk by the Senior Leadership Team and the respective subcommittees. The risk process covers strategic and operational risk. The Trustees review all significant risk and mitigation throughout the year and are satisfied that the process and systems developed are in place to manage identified risks to an acceptable level.

The risk register shows two significant risks as at 31 March 2024. The significant risks were as follows:

1. Failure to retain staff and volunteers – we have comprehensive plans to recruit more staff across all areas of the charity. We utilise adverts and recruitment agencies for substantive and agency staff. In terms of retentions and development of staff there are robust engagement and development plans in place. Continued review of staff pay and benefits is conducted by the charity in order to ensure staff fulfilment and retention.

Staff and volunteer surveys are carried out annually and the results discussed, and an action plan agreed. We have established a regular employee forum and reinforced monthly meetings between each staff member and their immediate manager.

We have successfully achieved the ‘Investing in Volunteers’ standard.

2. Nurse recruitment – The shortage of paediatric palliative care nurses across the UK has had an impact on our ability to recruit qualified nurses. We have developed a comprehensive nurse recruitment campaign which includes adverts in strategic locations on the underground, buses and locally in Barnet where The Ark is located, as well as on various social media.

We are using specific nurse recruitment agencies to recruit substantive and agency nurses and specialist carers. We are training our existing nurses in a wide range of competencies to meet the needs of the babies, children and young people we care for.

We have introduced a nurse joining bonus and a refer a friend scheme.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Noah’s Ark – The Children’s Hospice is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

This included regular attendance at Trustee meetings and subcommittees which meet quarterly, led by Trustees and supported by appropriate members of the Senior Leadership Team, and are:

It is a charitable company limited by guarantee with no share capital and it is governed by its Memorandum and Articles which were revised on 31 July 2018. The liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to a maximum of £1.

In accordance with its Articles of Association, there shall be no fewer than three directors at any one time.

Finance, Audit, Non-Clinical Governance, Investment and Non-Clinical Risk Subcommittee
Care and Clinical Governance Subcommittee
People, Rewards and HR Subcommittee
Marketing and Communications Subcommittee
Remuneration Subcommittee

The Directors, who are also the charity Trustees and the Members, are normally appointed by a Board resolution, but may also be appointed by an ordinary resolution passed by the members.

No director received remunerations from the charity.

New Trustees are appointed in accordance with the Trustee Recruitment Policy and after an interview with at least the Chairman, Chief Executive and other Trustees. They are inducted into the charity through a series of briefings by senior management and visits to the organisation, with the opportunity to meet all employees. New Trustees are provided with copies of recent statutory accounts, key internal documents such as board reports, internal structure and governance documents, in addition to marketing and communications brochures and copies of relevant Charity Commission literature, such as “The Essential Trustee”. The Board aims to ensure that there is a good balance of Trustees who are diverse in nature. This facilitates proper discussion and enhances decision-making. Trustees come from different backgrounds and have a wide variety of careers and experience.

Dr. Heather Mackinnon retired throughout this year. We would like to sincerely thank her for her significant contribution.

DELEGATION AND DECISION MAKING

In terms of decision making, operational decisions are taken by the Senior Leadership Team.

The Senior Leadership Team comprises the Chief Executive and the Charity’s five senior directors (Care, Fundraising and Communications, Finance, People and Deputy CEO).

Key decisions may also be taken in conjunction with specific employees where they have specialist knowledge or experience. The Senior Leadership Team has typically met three times per week. Strategic initiatives, approval of the annual budget, management accounts and statutory accounts, as well as senior appointments are some of the key matters discussed at the relevant subcommittees and taken to the Board of Trustees for approval and sign off as appropriate.

The pay of the Senior Leadership Team and staff is reviewed annually by the Remuneration Subcommittee and benchmarked against the mid-range point for similar charities. The Remuneration Committee ensures pay parity for the workforce.

A new pay and reward strategy is currently being developed.

At the time of signing the accounts, two new Trustees have been appointed (Simon Beresford and James Liddy).

Trustees undertake regular training, including attendance at internal meetings, briefings and Trustee away days. Trustees are supplied with the “Charity Governance Code” and the Board ensures that they take their responsibilities towards the governance of the Charity seriously. This includes adherence to relevant legislation and regulations as well as implementing policies to ensure the charity’s objectives are met and the highest standards of governance are maintained.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEEs’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trustees, who are also directors of the charitable company, are responsible for preparing their report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.

Company Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the Trustees have elected to prepare financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice. The financial statements are required by law to give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charitable company and of the surplus or deficit for that period.

In preparing these financial statements the Trustees are required to:

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

So far as the Board of Trustees are aware:

There is no relevant audit information of which the Charity’s auditors are unaware and
They have taken all steps that they ought to have taken as Trustees and in order to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the Charity’s auditors are aware of that information.
Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently.
Observe methods and principles in the Charity SORP.
Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it’s inappropriate to assume that the charitable company will continue in operation.

The Trustees’ Report has been approved and authorised for issue by order of the Board.

Mr James Tugendhat Chairman

Date: 30 September 2024

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE

OPINION

We have audited the financial statements of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice for the year ended 31 March 2024 which comprise Statement of Financial Activities, Balance Sheet, Statement of Cash Flows and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion, the financial statements:

give a true and fair view of the state of the charitable company’s affairs as at 31 March 2024 and of the charitable company’s net movement in funds, including the income and expenditure, for the year then ended;
have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

BASIS FOR OPINION

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

CONCLUSIONS RELATING TO GOING CONCERN

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the

Trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

OTHER INFORMATION

The Trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the Trustees’ Annual Report and Honorary Life Chair’s statement/Chief Executive’s statement. 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. In connection with our audit of the financial statements, 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 audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. 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:

The information given in the Trustees’ Annual Report (which includes the strategic report and the directors’ report prepared for the purposes of company law) for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and the strategic report and the directors’ report included within the Trustees’ Annual Report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

MATTERS ON WHICH WE ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT BY EXCEPTION

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Trustees’ Annual Report (which incorporates the strategic report and the directors’ 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:

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

adequate accounting records have not been kept by the charitable company; or
the charitable company financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
certain disclosures of Trustees’ remuneration specified by law are not made; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit;
the Trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial statements in accordance with the small companies’ regime and take advantage of the small companies’ exemptions in preparing the Trustees’ report and from the requirement to prepare a strategic report.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF Trustees FOR THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

As explained more fully in the Trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 33, the Trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company 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 charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

AUDITOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE AUDIT OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of noncompliance 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: Based on our understanding of the charitable company and the environment in which it operates, we identified that the principal risks of noncompliance with laws and regulations related to Charities Act 2011, Companies Act 2006, Fundraising regulations and Care Quality Commission, and we considered the extent to which non-compliance might have a material effect on the financial statements. We also considered those

laws and regulations that have a direct impact on the preparation of the financial statements such as Companies Act 2006, Charities Act 2011 and payroll tax. We evaluated management’s incentives and opportunities for fraudulent manipulation of the financial statements (including the risk of override of controls), and determined that the principal risks were related to posting inappropriate journal entries to revenue and management bias in accounting estimates. Audit procedures performed by the engagement team included:

Inspecting Trustees’ meeting minutes;
Inspecting correspondence with regulators and tax authorities;
Discussions with management including consideration of known or suspected instances of non-compliance with laws and regulation and fraud;
Evaluating management’s controls designed to prevent and detect irregularities;
Identifying and testing journals, in particular journal entries posted around the year end; and
Challenging assumptions and judgements made by management in their critical accounting estimate.

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation. A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/ auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE continued

USE OF OUR REPORT

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Kathryn Burton (Senior Statutory Auditor) For and on behalf of HaysMac LLP, Statutory Auditor

Date: 2nd December 2024

10 Queen Street Place London EC4R 1AG

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

(including income and expenditure report) for the year ended 31 March 2024

Note Income from Donations & legacies Donations Legacies Gift aid Gifts in kind Investments Other trading activities Statutory grants Income from charitable activities Total Expenditure on Raising funds Costs of generating voluntary income Costs of activities generating income Charitable activities Care services Sustaining The Ark Holiday Lodge Total Unrealised gain / (losses) on investments Net income / (expenditure) Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward 5 3 4 4 4 5 14/15	Year ended 31 March 2024 UNRESTRICTED FUNDS £ 3,428,473 77,338 72,094 135,404 329,032 364,634 – 212,029 4,619,004 831,718 258,059 2,971,327 570,469 40,122 4,671,695 188,807 136,116 78,478 214,594 18,889,965 19,104,559	Year ended 31 March 2024 RESTRICTED FUNDS £ 672,138 – 225 – – – 840,015 1,512,378 21,760 – 1,379,367 27,814 1,478 1,430,419 – 81,959 (78,478) 3,481 158,988 162,469	Year ended 31 March 2024 TOTAL £ 4,100,611 77,338 72,319 135,404 329,032 364,634 840,015 212,029 6,131,382 853,478 258,059 4,350,694 598,283 41,600 6,102,114 188,807 218,075 – 218,075 19,048,953 19,267,028	Year ended 31 March 2023 TOTAL £ 5,567,628 141,914 109,334 374,518 63,883 311,644 508,696 285,815
				7,363,432
				684,554 191,945 4,222,112 337,707 21,329
				5,457,647
				(5,603)
				1,900,182 –
				1,900,182 17,148,771
				19,048,953

The results for the period are derived from continuing operations. There were no recognised gains or losses, other than those passing through the statement of financial activities. The Unrestricted Funds include the Designated Funds (see note 15).

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

BALANCE SHEET

as at 31 March 2024

		As at 31 March 2024	As at 31 March 2024	As at 31 March 2023	As at 31 March 2023
FIXED ASSETS	Note	£	£	£	£
Tangible fixed assets	8		10,097,166		10,196,272
Investments	9		3,283,816		1,261,447
CURRENT ASSETS			13,380,982		11,457,719
Debtors	10	256,188		367,147
Assets held for resale	10	875,000		850,000
Cash	11	5,015,581		6,652,431
CREDITORS: amounts falling due		6,146,769		7,869,578
within one year
Creditors	12	(260,723)		(278,344)
NET CURRENT ASSETS			5,886,046		7,591,234

NET ASSETS			19,267,028		19,048,953
FUNDS
Restricted funds	14		162,469		158,988
Unrestricted funds
General	15		6,764,022		6,142,913
Designated	15		12,340,537		12,747,052
			19,267,028		19,048,953

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Trustees and were signed below on its behalf by:

Mr James Tugendhat Chairman Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice

Date: 30 September 2024

Company Number: 03901606

Accompanying notes form an integral part of these accounts.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

CASH FLOW STATEMENT

for the year ended 31 March 2024

Year ended 31 March 2024 £ £ 228,418 (207,032) (1,734,770) At 1 April 2023 £ 76,534 (1,713,384) (1,636,850) 6,652,431 5,015,581 2024 £ 218,075 306,138 (188,806) (329,032) 1,821 110,959 (25,000) (17,621) – 76,534 Cashfows £	Year ended 31 March 2024 £ £ 228,418 (207,032) (1,734,770) At 1 April 2023 £ 76,534 (1,713,384) (1,636,850) 6,652,431 5,015,581 2024 £ 218,075 306,138 (188,806) (329,032) 1,821 110,959 (25,000) (17,621) – 76,534 Cashfows £	Year ended 31 March 2023 £ £ 63,883 (297,387) (1,267,050) Other non- cash changes £ 2,541,793 (1,500,554) 1,041,239 5,611,192 6,652,431 2023 £ 1,900,182 291,792 5,603 (63,883) - 1,284,061 (850,000) (29,898) 3,936 2,541,793 At 31 March 2024 £	Year ended 31 March 2023 £ £ 63,883 (297,387) (1,267,050) Other non- cash changes £ 2,541,793 (1,500,554) 1,041,239 5,611,192 6,652,431 2023 £ 1,900,182 291,792 5,603 (63,883) - 1,284,061 (850,000) (29,898) 3,936 2,541,793 At 31 March 2024 £
At 1 April 2023 £
6,652,431	(1,636,850)	–	5,015,581
At 1 April 2022	Cashfows	Other non- cash changes	At 31 March 2023
5,611,192	1,041,239	–	6,652,431

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Accounting policies

BASIS OF PREPARATION

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 (FRS102) (Charities SORP Second Edition, effective 1 January 2019), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) and the Companies Act 2006.

Noah’s Ark – The Children’s Hospice meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.

GOING CONCERN

The Trustees have considered the impact of the current cost of living crisis on the Charity. Further information can be found in the Trustee Report section titled Financial Sustainability and Going Concern. The review of our financial position, reserves levels and future plans gives Trustees confidence that the Charity remains a going concern for the foreseeable future. As part of this review budgets for the year to 31 March 2025 have been assessed by the Trustees. The Trustees consider there are no material uncertainties about the Charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING JUDGEMENTS AND ESTIMATES AND KEY SOURCES OF ESTIMATION UNCERTAINTY

In the application of these accounting policies, the Trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying value of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.

Estimates and judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Although these estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of the amount, events or actions, actual results may ultimately differ from those estimates. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects current and future periods. The Trustees consider

the following items to be areas subject to estimation and judgement:

Depreciation: the useful economic lives of tangible fixed assets are based on management’s judgement and experience. When management identifies that actual useful economic lives differ materially from the estimates used to calculate depreciation, that charge is adjusted retrospectively. Although tangible fixed assets are significant, variances between actual and estimated useful economic lives will not have a material impact on the operating results. Historically, no changes have been required.

Income from legacies: when recognising legacy income, entitlement is taken to be the earlier date of when the Charity becomes aware that probate has been granted, when the estate has been finalised and notification made by the executors that a distribution will be made, or when the distribution is received. Certainty of receipt and reliable measurement depend on the individual case, and particularly whether the value of a significant unsold asset (e.g. a house) can be reliably measured.

Gifts in kind: estimates for the value of goods and services donated are included in the financial statements in note 5.

In the view of the Trustees, no assumptions concerning the future or estimated uncertainty affecting assets or liabilities at the balance sheet date are likely to result in a material adjustment to their carrying amounts in the next financial year.

INCOME

All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to income, it is probable that income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.

DONATIONS AND LEGACIES

Donation income is accounted for where there is entitlement, probability and income is measurable.

GENERATING FUNDS

Income is accounted for on a cash received and accruals of known income basis unless related to an event scheduled to take place in a later accounting period in which case it is deferred until after the event has taken place. The main sources of income are analysed in the Notes.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

INVESTMENT INCOME

Investment income reflects the amount receivable for the year.

EXPENDITURE

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Charitable activities relate to the direct provision of care in The Ark and community. Raising funds relate to fundraising costs. Governance costs are those associated with constitutional and statutory requirements and is now apportioned on the same basis as support costs. Salary costs have been allocated based on time spent in each area by each member of staff. All other support costs including support staff salaries not directly attributable to an expenditure category are shown as support costs and have been apportioned on the basis of floor space across each activity. The estimated value of gifts in kind are included in the expenditure category they relate to.

VALUE ADDED TAX

Value added tax not recoverable is included in the relevant costs in the Statement of Financial Activities.

FUND ACCOUNTING

General funds are unrestricted funds which can be used at the discretion of the Trustees in accordance with the objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the Trustees for particular purposes. The aim and use of each designated fund is set out in the notes to the accounts.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in note 14.

PENSIONS

The Charity makes contributions to the National Health Service Pension Scheme for nurses, which is a defined benefit scheme. As the scheme is a multi-employer scheme and the charity is unable to identify its share of the underlying assets and liabilities, this scheme is accounted for by the Charity as a defined contribution scheme. The Charity also makes contributions to the Aviva Stakeholder Pension Scheme for other eligible employees. This is a defined contribution scheme.

LEASES

Payments under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight line basis over the life of the lease.

TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful life as follows:

Leasehold property Fixtures, fttings and computer equipment Buildings Motor vehicles	Over the length of the lease
	10% and 25% straight line depending on equipment
	Environment Centre (‘E-Centre’) 30 years, Hospice 50 years, Holiday Lodge 20 years
	25% straight line

INVESTMENTS

Investments are included in the financial statements at market value at the balance sheet date. Realised and unrealised gains and losses on revaluation and disposals occurring in the year are reported in the Statement of Financial Activities.

DEBTORS

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments.

CREDITORS AND PROVISIONS

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the Charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Short term benefits including holiday pay are recognised as an expense in the period in which the service is received. Termination benefits are accounted for on an accrual basis and in line with FRS 102.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

2. Surplus for the year

Surplus is stated after charging:

3. Investment income Unrestricted funds Auditors remuneration Depreciation Operating lease rentals Bank interest received Investment income	2024 £	2023 £
	18,400	16,725
	306,138	291,792
	13,859	5,782
	2024 £	2023 £
	32,896	59,186
	296,136 329,032	4,697 63,883

4. Other income

Other trading activities

Unrestricted funds

Merchandise sales Sale of donated goods Event income from Noah's Ark events Challenge events registration fee income E-Centre income	2024 £	2023 £
	-	265
	1,255	-
	362,813	310,902
	–-	26
	566	451
	364,634	311,644

Event income was mainly from the Winter Ball 2022 and the Winter Ball 2023 and excludes donation income from these events.

All ‘other trading activity’ income was unrestricted.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

4. Other income continued

Income from grants

Income from grants
Statutory grants Section 64 grant for hospices	2024 £	2023 £
	840,015	508,696
	840,015	508,696

The Children’s Hospice Grant received from NHS England is restricted against the care work of the Hospice. In 2023/24 this grant covered 23.45% of our charitable expenditure.

Income from charitable activities

Care income Income from the Hospice’s Rainbow Café	2024 £	2023 £
	192,670	271,661
	19,359 212,029	14,154 285,815

None of the Care income from the year ended 31 March 2023 was restricted (2023: £76,000).

The Care income is largely income from contracted Care Packages for individuals under the care of Noah’s Ark.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

5. Expenditure

Direct and directly allocated costs £	Support costs £	Total for year ended 31 March 2024
700,316	153,162	853,478
258,059	–	258,059
3,278,558	1,072,136	4,350,694
559,992	38,291	598,283
28,837	12,763	41,600
4,825,762 Direct and directly allocated costs £	1,276,352 Support costs £	6,102,114 Total for year ended 31 March 2023
547,296	137,258	684,554
191,945	–	191,945
3,261,311	960,801	4,222,112
303,393 9,891 4,313,836	34,314 11,438 1,143,811	337,707 21,329 5,457,647

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

5. Expenditure continued

Premises £	Finance and Administration £	IT and Communications £	Total 2024 £
36,058	99,847	17,257	153,162
252,409	698,929	120,798	1,072,136
9,015	24,962	4,314	38,291
3,005 300,487 Premises £	8,320 832,058 Finance and Administration £	1,438 143,807 IT and Communications £	12,763 1,276,352 Total for year ended 2023 £ 137,258 960,801 34,314 11,438 1,143,811
27,622	81,478	28,158
193,356	570,343	197,102
6,906	20,369	7,039
2,302 230,186	6,790 678,980	2,346 234,645

GIFTS IN KIND EXPENDITURE

Expenditure on gifts in kind was allocated to the following:

Fundraising costs Comms costs Nurse recruitment costs Other care costs Other Ark and staf costs	2024 £	2023 £
	86,171	111,176
	5,300	22,500
	–	226,165
	43,075	12,387
	858	2,290
	135,404	374,518

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

6. Governance costs

6. Governance costs
Staf costs Audit fees Trustee expenses	2024 £	2023 £
	70,394	82,230
	18,400	16,725
	16,465	5,897
	105,259	104,852

Governance costs are included within Finance and administration costs and have been allocated in line with support costs as per Note 5 above.

Trustee expenses includes £12,500 in recruitment costs for new Trustees (2022: £nil). The majority of the 2023/24 trustee costs related to a trustee away day and other trustee meetings.

7. Staff costs

Wages and salaries Employer’s NI Employer’s pension costs Redundancy pay	2024 £	2023 £
	3,277,232	2,648,561
	340,046	289,438
	194,439	166,549
	– 3,811,717	1,632 3,106,180

The average number of employees during the year was 108 (2023: 76). On average, 14 (2023: 11) employees were directly employed in fundraising and communications activities and 75 (2023: 48) employees were directly employed in Care. These figures include several bank employees on zero hours contracts. The full time equivalent average number of employees during the year was 74 which included 47 employed directly in Care. The remaining employees were involved in all aspects of running the Charity. The actual number of employees as at 31 March 2024 was 122 (31 March 2023: 85). The full time equivalent employees as at 31 March 2024 was 86.

Redundancy pay above relates to 0 employees (2023: 1) who left the charity during the period.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

7. Staff costs continued

Number of staff with remuneration in excess of £60,000 for the year are as follows:

Employee remuneration	Year ended	Year ended
£	31 March 2024	31 March 2023
£60,000 – £70,000	2	3
£70,000 – £80,000	2	2
£80,000 – £90,000	–	1
£90,000 – £100,000	1	1
£120,000 – £130,000	1	1

All salary information relates to total gross taxable pay in the year. This includes any one-off charity wide awards, plus also the sale of holidays back to the charity. This may mean that some staff members move brackets within the year for these one-off reasons.

Key management personnel of the Charity comprise the Senior Leadership Team. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of Charity for the year ending 31 March 2024 were £588,670 (year ending 31 March 2023: £546,839).

Our medical consultants are seconded from the local acute trusts. We are grateful for this partnership.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

8. Fixed Assets

Hospice and E-Centre £	Fixtures, fttings and equipment £	Motor vehicles £	Total for year ending 31 March 2024 £
10,703,272	599,257	42,043	11,344,572
66,200	140,832	–	207,032
–	–	–	–
10,769,472	740,089	42,043	11,551,604
907,701	234,468	6,131	1,148,300
220,787	74,840	10,511	306,138
–	–	–	–
1,128,488	309,308	16,642	1,454,438
9,640,984	430,781	25,401	10,097,166
9,795,571	364,789	35,912	10,196,272

All assets are for operational and charitable purposes.

9. Investments

CURRENT PERIOD Cost At 1 April 2023 Additions Disposals Income Fees Unrealised investment gains/(losses) Realised investment gains/(losses) At 31 March 2024	Casenove investments £ 1,261,447	Total for year ended 31 March 2024 £ 1,261,447
	1,734,770	1,734,770
	–	–
	100,614	100,614
	(1,821)	(1,821)
	188,806	188,806
	– 3,283,816	- 3,283,816

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

9. Investments continued

10. Debtors Trade debtors Other debtors Prepayments and accrued income Other taxation and social security PRIOR PERIOD Cost At 1 April 2022 Unrealised investment gains/(losses) At 31 March 2023	Casenove investments £ 1,267,050	Total for year ended 31 March 2023 £ 1,267,050
	(5,603)	(5,603)
	As at 31 March 2024 £ 1,261,447	As at 31 March 2023 £ 1,261,447
	83,207	113,278
	8,058	15,225
	107,890	182,330
	57,033 256,188	56,314 367,147

The Legacy Assets held for resale consist of a single property left to Noah’s Ark as part of a legacy. The change in value from 2023 was due to a revaluation at 31 March 2024.

11. Cash

Cash at bank and in hand Cash in investments	As at 31 March 2024 £	As at 31 March 2023 £
	326,555	2,914,784
	4,689,026 5,015,581	3,737,647 6,652,431

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

12. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors Accruals Other creditors Taxation and social security	As at 31 March 2024 £	As at 31 March 2023 £
	96,951	93,230
	49,437	91,824
	15,180	18,232
	99,155 260,723	75,058 278,344

13. Company status

The company is a company limited by guarantee. The members of the company are the Trustees named on page 3. The liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 for each member while he or she is a member or within 12 months after he or she ceases to be a member in the event of the dissolution of the company.

14. Restricted funds

Balance at 1 April 2023 £	Income £	Expenditure Transfers between funds £ £	Expenditure Transfers between funds £ £	Balance at 31 March 2024 £
53,935	154,444	(186,292)	–	22,087
20,970	67,130	(53,455)	–	34,645
29,726	108,779	(103,489)	–	35,016
–-	840,015	(840,015)	–	–
35,365	51,224	(6,194)	(33,500)	46,895
18,379	52,024	(40,036)	(11,892)	18,475
613	238,762	(200,938)	(33,086)	5,351
158,988	1,512,378	(1,430,419)	(78,478)	162,469

50 Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

14. Restricted funds continued

Balance as at 1 April 2022 £	Income £	Expenditure Transfers between funds £ £	Expenditure Transfers between funds £ £	Balance as at 31 March 2023 £
–	13,983	(3,682)	(10,301)	–

94,732	306,947	(347,744)	–	53,935
21,775	59,177	(59,982)	–	20,970
30,689	82,687	(83,650)	–	29,726
–	508,696	(508,696)	–	–
41,280	14,161	(10,893)	(9,183)	35,365
42,342	52,023	(73,177)	(2,809)	18,379
–	255,298	(83,227)	(171,458)	613
230,818	1,292,972	(1,171,051)	(193,751)	158,988

The Sensory Walkway and Nature Reserve Sensory Trail Fund represents funds raised for a sensory garden at the rear of The Ark and a wheelchair accessible sensory nature trail around the nature reserve adjoining The Ark.

The Nursing and Specialist Carers’ Fund was established in 2010. The programme provides respite for parents and family members, allowing full responsibility for the care of the life-limited or life-threatened child to be delegated to a trained nurse and / or specialist carer, both in The Ark and in the community. It also provides more general funding for nurses and specialist carers.

The Creative Therapies Fund is used specifically to provide music, art and drama and movement therapy, for life limited and life threatened children and their siblings.

The Other Care Departments Fund is used to provide funding for Family Link, Family Activities and other Care teams to help fund holistic services.

The Department of Health Fund was established following the receipt of a Children’s Hospice grant (previously called Section 64 grant) to support palliative care.

The Employee Training Fund provides development and training for staff.

The Clinical Equipment Fund provides specific funds for various pieces of equipment for use by the Care Team.

The General Care Fund provides support to the general Care Team to assist them with providing care to children with life threatening or life limiting conditions. It included funding for the Holiday Lodge in the year ending 31 March 2023. It also includes other ad hoc donations such as small capital projects and donations to core funds.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

15. Unrestricted funds

CURRENT PERIOD Balance as at 1 April 2023 £ Designated Funds Fixed Assets Fund 10,196,272 Critical Ark Equipment Fund – Digital Transformation Fund 453,265 Clinical Support Fund 868,822 Ark Repairs and Renewals 281,396 Income Diversity 947,297 12,747,052 Unrestricted General Fund 6,142,913 18,889,965	Income Expenditure Unrealised gain/(loss) on investments £ £ £	Income Expenditure Unrealised gain/(loss) on investments £ £ £	Income Expenditure Unrealised gain/(loss) on investments £ £ £	Transfers between funds Balance as at 31 March 2024 £	Transfers between funds Balance as at 31 March 2024 £
10,196,272	207,032	(306,138)	–	–	10,097,166
–	–	–	–	–	–
453,265	–	(118,518)	–	148,753	483,500
868,822	–	(121,151)	–	(20,700)	726,971
281,396	–	(18,279)	–	(113,117)	150,000
947,297 12,747,052	– 207,032	(139,669) (703,755)	– –	75,272 90,208	882,900 12,340,537
6,142,913	4,411,972	(3,967,940)	188,807	(11,730)	6,764,022
18,889,965	4,619,004	(4,671,695)	188,807	78,478	19,104,559

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

15. Unrestricted funds continued

PRIOR PERIOD Balance as at 1 April 2022 £ Designated Funds Fixed Assets Fund 10,194,613 Critical Ark Equipment Fund 50,000 Digital Transformation Fund 528,000 Clinical Support Fund 959,050 Ark Repairs and Renewals 300,500 Income Diversity 800,000 12,832,163 Unrestricted General Fund 4,085,790 16,917,953	Income Expenditure Unrealised gain/(loss) on investments £ £ £	Income Expenditure Unrealised gain/(loss) on investments £ £ £	Income Expenditure Unrealised gain/(loss) on investments £ £ £	Transfers between funds Balance as at 31 March 2023 £	Transfers between funds Balance as at 31 March 2023 £
10,194,613	297,387	(291,794)	–	(3,934)	10,196,272
50,000	–	–	–	(50,000)	–
528,000	–	(72,407)	–	(2,328)	453,265
959,050	–	(99,704)	–	9,476	868,822
300,500	–	(3,158)	–	(15,946)	281,396
800,000 12,832,163	– 297,387	(7,733) (474,796)	– –	155,030 92,298	947,297 12,747,052
4,085,790	5,773,073	(3,811,800)	(5,603)	101,453	6,142,913
16,917,953	6,070,460	(4,286,596)	(5,603)	193,751	18,889,965

Designated funds

The fixed asset fund represents funds that the Trustees have agreed to set aside as designated funds as these assets are not easily realised into cash and do not form part of the unrestricted general fund. These include all fixed assets relating to The Ark.

The Critical Ark Equipment Fund is to fund specific clinical equipment and adaptations to The Ark.

The Digital Transformation Fund is to fund several specific projects in relation to supporter development and engagement and new IT systems, in line with the new 2022 – 2025 strategy. It included 3 year funds to enhance comms, individual giving and the new CRM database which came to an end at 31 March 2024, a fund for several new IT systems and a couple of new funds at 31 March 2024 to support the comms team expansion and a specific Care comms project over the next year.

The Clinical Support Fund represents funds that the Trustees have set aside for future costs. These funds include specific support from Barnet Hospital including 24/7 paediatric consultant support and pharmacy cover, and also the secondment costs of the Medical Directors, over three years. These funds also include a fund to cover the element of the cost of a new Holiday Lodge that isn’t covered by restricted funds and also a fund to support advertising to support the expansion of the Care Team.

The Ark repairs and renewals fund is a fund to cover the cost of various specific repairs and maintenance projects for The Ark building and equipment expected to be undertaken over the next year.

The income diversity fund is to invest in diversifying Noah’s Ark’s fundraising income in areas such as commercial income and legacy income, in line with the new 2022 – 2025 strategy. This includes funds to cover specific projects planned to be undertaken in the next financial year such as face to face fundraising and legacy development. It also includes a fund to cover the costs of the Fundraising Team expansion for a year, a fund for some specific fundraising-related comms projects planned for the next financial year and a fund for commercial strategy which is being considered in the next financial year.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

16. Analysis of net assets between funds

Unrestricted funds £	Restricted funds £	Total as at 31 March 2024 £
10,097,166	–	10,097,166
3,283,816	–	3,283,816
248,212	7,976	256,188
875,000	–	875,000
4,894,835	120,746	5,015,581
(294,470) 19,104,559 Unrestricted funds £	33,747 162,469 Restricted funds £	(260,723) 19,267,028 Total as at 31 March 2023 £
10,196,272	–	10,196,272
1,261,447	–	1,261,447
289,714	77,433	367,147
850,000	-	850,000
6,557,135	95,296	6,652,431
(264,603) 18,889,965	(13,741) 158,988	(278,344) 19,048,953

17. Financial commitments

At 31 March 2024 the Charity had annual commitments under non-cancellable operating leases as follows:

As Operating leases which expire: Within one year Between two and fve years More than fve years	Equipment at 31 March 2024 As at 31 March 2023 £ £	Equipment at 31 March 2024 As at 31 March 2023 £ £
	16,143	12,388
	22,984	16,351
	4,484	990
	43,611	29,729

18. Related party transactions

The charity received donations from the Trustees totalling £7,180 (2022: £28,745) and received donations from connected parties to Trustees of £1,500 (2023: £nil). There were no other related party transactions in the current or the prior period.

Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice | Trustees’ report and financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024

NOAH'S ARK CHILDREN'S HOSPICE The Ark 101A Byng Road Barnet Hertfordshire EN5 4NP

020 8449 8877

info@noahsarkhospice.org.uk noahsarkhospice.org.uk

Registered Charity No. 1081156

2024-03-31-accounts

NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED 31 MARCH 2024

Contents

Legal and administrative information

DIRECTORS

SECRETARY

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

COMPANY NUMBER

CHARITY NUMBER

REGISTERED OFFICE

WEB ADDRESS

AUDITORS

BANKERS

A message from our Chair

A statement from the Chief Executive

everything, but it is a check and balance for us and is important for us to put our head above the parapet and be assessed by others.

ABOUT US

No child or condition is too complex

We are there for families every step of the way, however and whenever they need us.

OUR VISION

OUR MISSION

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY

Over 94% of children and families this year said that they have been provided with choices they ‘never thought possible’.

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY continued

~~OBJECTIVE 1:~~

~~TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EXPERIENCE OF DEATH FOR THE BABIES, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES WE SUPPORT~~

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

~~Over~~ ~~94% of children, young people and~~

~~Over~~ ~~90% of children and families~~

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

~~Noah’s Ark is rated as~~ ~~’Outstanding’~~

~~OBJECTIVE 2:~~

~~TO REACH SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BABIES, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES~~

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

~~378 babies, children and young people,~~

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

~~We accepted~~ ~~112 new referrals this year,~~

~~55 of our referrals came from Great Ormond Street Hospital~~

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

~~568 healthcare professionals received training~~

~~We have built~~ ~~new partnerships~~

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY continued

~~OBJECTIVE 3:~~

~~TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN THE BEST MEMBERS OF STAFF~~

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

~~Over~~ ~~86% of Care roles are now flled,~~

~~Noah’s Ark staf~~

~~81% of staf would recommend Noah’s Ark~~

~~OBJECTIVE 4:~~

~~TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE AMONGST OUR KEY AUDIENCES~~

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

~~For the second year running, over~~ ~~90% of families~~

~~On average we welcomed over~~ ~~8,900 visitors~~

~~On over~~ ~~40 occasions we secured media coverage~~

~~We grew our social media following by~~ ~~7%~~

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY DAY continued

~~OBJECTIVE 5:~~

~~TO SECURE NOAH’S ARK’S FUTURE BY DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING MODEL~~

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

~~Over~~ ~~£4.8 million raised~~

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

~~3,463 individuals~~

~~93% rise in regular givers~~

~~19% of our care costs~~

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

~~OBJECTIVE 6:~~

~~TO CHAMPION DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION ACROSS THE CHARITY~~

WHERE WE ARE IN 2023/24

~~We are now a~~ ~~disability confdent employer~~

OUR TARGETS FOR 2025

~~86% of families~~

~~90% of staf responding to our annual staf survey~~

WHAT WE NEED TO DO NEXT

~~95% of staf say they feel proud~~

OUR CARE

OBJECTIVE 1:

TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE QUALITY OF LIFE AND EXPERIENCE OF DEATH FOR THE BABIES, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND FAMILIES WE SUPPORT

Over 94% of children, young people and

Over 90% of children and families

Noah’s Ark is rated as ’Outstanding’

OBJECTIVE 2:

TO REACH SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BABIES, CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES

378 babies, children and young people,

We accepted 112 new referrals this year,

55 of our referrals came from Great Ormond Street Hospital

568 healthcare professionals received training

We have built new partnerships

OBJECTIVE 3:

TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN THE BEST MEMBERS OF STAFF

Over 86% of Care roles are now flled,

Noah’s Ark staf

81% of staf would recommend Noah’s Ark

OBJECTIVE 4:

TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE UNDERSTANDING AND AWARENESS OF NOAH’S ARK CHILDREN’S HOSPICE AMONGST OUR KEY AUDIENCES

For the second year running, over 90% of families

On average we welcomed over 8,900 visitors

On over 40 occasions we secured media coverage

We grew our social media following by 7%

OBJECTIVE 5:

TO SECURE NOAH’S ARK’S FUTURE BY DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE FUNDING MODEL

Over £4.8 million raised

3,463 individuals

93% rise in regular givers

19% of our care costs

OBJECTIVE 6:

TO CHAMPION DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION ACROSS THE CHARITY

We are now a disability confdent employer

86% of families

90% of staf responding to our annual staf survey

95% of staf say they feel proud