TAUNTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST TRUSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH 2024 Reglstered Charity Number: 1081565 TAUNTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST TRUSTEES. REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH 2024 CONTENTS Page No Offlcers and professional advisers Trustees. annual report Report of the independent examiner to the trustees Receipts and payments account Statement of assets and liabilltles Notes to Ihe financial statements 10 TAUNTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST CHARITY INFORMATION TRUSTEES: (Executive Committee members) Mrs C Solanki (Chair) Mr H J Clark Ms N Vieira Mr S Burton Mr D Slack Miss L R Darley REGISTERED ADDRESS: 1 Fons George Road Taunton Somerset TA13JU REGISTERED CHARITY: 1081565 INDEPENDENT EXAMINER: Mark Roney Aspen Waite Chartered Certified Accountants Rubis House 1 S Friarn Street Bridgwater Somerset TA6 3LH Trustees Annual Report 2023-24 Taunton Youth for Christ 33 North Street Taunton, TAI ILW Charity Number: 1081568 Chairperson: Mrs Cathrine Solanki Treasurer- Mr David Slack Secretary: Miss Laura Darley Trustees: Mr Harvey Clarke, Miss Nelma Vieira, Mr Sam Burton, Employees Full time Kelly Jones, Centre Dirertor, Appointed Au8USt 2022 Ant Stephens, Youth Worker, Resigned April 2023 Summary of Purpose 'To see young people's lives changed by Jesus,. Main Activlties Detached community work, school mentoring, School Chaplaincy support/ safe space, schools work, support Christian Unions, termly events, support churches, mentoring in the community. School Mentoring Taunton Youth for Christ offer one afternoon of Mentoring at Pyrland School Taunton. Pupils are referred by Welfare and Chaplaincy staff at the school and topics covered are anger management, issues around peer groups, family reconciliation and forgiveness. Sessions are based on biblical principles and cover many topics including the above mentioned. Chaplaincy Kelly assists the Chaplain at Pyrland School, one afternoon a week. These sessions began in a safe space provided by school; however, the demand was so great Kelly now operates in several locations on campus. Kelly continues to attend the Ethos committee meetings at school providing a platform to input Christian values. Kelly also supports the Christian Union run at Pyrland School alongside another run by two students at Huish Episcopi School. Outreach The van continues to be an invaluable resource to the team. We run two outreach sessions weekly throughout the year at Priorswood and Hamilton Park, and plan to offer another in Wellington by the end of 2024. The team regularly see 30-35 young people attend the van depending on the weather. Relationships continue to grow with young people, and local police inform us they have seen a reduction in criminal activity because of Tyfc interaction with several individuals. We continue to work towards creating a culture of honour and respect to model good practice. Local police and PCSO'S visit the van frequently and spend time building relationship with the youth. In addition, the team now have open dialogue with police in the event of concerns or challenging situations arising. Youth Club FNP Due to demand in other areas, it was agreed to finish Friday Night Project, FNP, at the end of the summer term 2023 having felt our greatest impact would be on outreach. We are grateful to all who supported this project and gave of their time. Events We hosted two events, one during the summer holidays at Pyrland School on the playing fields and another at Christmas indoors. Both events were well attended. The summer event consisted of outdoor games, hot dogs, an ice cream van in attendance, worship, and a talk. At Christmas we focused on the nativity, worshiped, played games, and made gingerbread houses. Bible Study We run a weekly bible study at a local church for those seeking to go deeper. Asylum Seekers During the autumn term we began a weekly session with asylum seekers at a local hotel. We regularly see twenty young people and KS2 children attending the van sessions. Each session varies, however craft, singing and Xbox are regular features. After School Revlslon Club The club runs weekly providing a safe quiet space for students to do homework, revision, and job applications with assistance, if necessary, for the work set. We regularly see between 10-15 young people use the facility and hope it grows as the autumn term commences. Several attendees who are no longer in mainstream school attend and work on literary and numeracy skills and several older students us the laptops provided by Taunton Home Tech to complete job applications with support in writing CV'S. Local Churches & Street Pastors Kelly has visited several local churches over the year to speak about youth culture and our role locally and supports churches and Street Pastors with safeguarding training and youth culture workshops. Weekend Away Kelly and Kate joined Gloucester Youth for Christ for a weekend away with two of our young people in November. This was a huge success and both girls enjoyed the opportunity to mix and make new friends. Youth Space We are currently in communication with a local church to develop a youth space. Talks are ongoing and we hope to see progress during the autumn term 2024. Summary of achievements School & Community Mentoring Mentoring sessions take place one afternoon a week with individual young people referred by the welfare unit at Pyrland School. These sessions have proved valuable in enabling young people to overcome fears and anxiety in addition to signposting them to further help if required. Kelly is a qualified THRIVE practitioner, (Trauma informed method of improving mental health and wellbeing in children and young people) so implements this during sessions. Several additional mentoring sessions are held during the week in local cafes for young people who are not attending mainstream school. These sessions have resulted in a marked improvement in mental health and wellbeing, with several of those being mentored, are now attending our after-school revision club to do Maths and English. Chaplaincy We were unable to appoint a new Chaplain for Court Field's School, Wellington before the end of this year, however Kelly assists the Chaplain at Pyrland School one afternoon a week and offers advice and materials including youth bibles for the Christian Union at the school. The safe space became so popular it outgrew its room, so Kelly now patrols the outside areas, corridors, and welfare unit to chat to pupils and offer support if required. Kelly remains an inte8ral part of the Ethos Committee who meet termly at school. Outreach We continue to demonstrate Christian values and encourage the young people we meet during outreach sessions to follow our example in forgiving, showing tolerance towards each other, accepting new members to join us, and respecting the needs of every individual. We have been hugely encouraged by the uptake during the detached sessions and the team have built solid relationships. We continue to engage with young people who have experienced severe trauma, frustration with home arcumstances, confusion, who struggle with school, and those who need encouragement, Our goal is always to accept each young person as they are, demonstrate love and build relationship. This builds trust and in doing so enables us to speak into their lives and work through some of the obstacle they encounter in daily life, We frequently get feedback from local police including visits from PCSO'S and members of the Violence Reduction Unit. They inform us of the positive impact on many of the young people who regularly spend time with us. We run two oytreach sesslons, one at Hamilton Park and a second at Priorswood Park In Taunton. We currently have a vacancy for a full-time youth worker to work with us and a local church. This will enable us to extend our outreach and school sessions when someone is appointed. The van continues to be a safe space and is valued by both young people and parents as it provides a focal point for the young people to gather. Events Several of the young people attended both the summer outdoor and winter indoor events and were hugely impacted by the message 8iven. The summer event was a time to let off steam in a safe environment and mostly have fun. Worship and a message were also part of the afternoons timetable. Christmas saw a large gathering of young people. Worship and a messa8e tied into the nativity was followed up during Other sessions after Christmas. Bible Study We run a weekly bible study for anyone asking questions about faith. This attracts a small number of young people, and we spend an hour discussing topics and themes in the bible. It provides a safe space to ask questions some may find difficult to ask during outreach sessions. Attendance is by invitation and word of mouth as regular attendees sometimes invite friends along. Asylum Seekers We attend 3 local hotel, housing asylum seekers with the outreach van on a weekly basis. Working with Charis Taunton, a local charity who help integrate asylum seekers having arrived in Taunton. We have forged links enabling us to offer the use of the van. Xbox, crafts and somewhere to hang out after school. Attendees enjoy playing Xbox, and music, often dancing and singing thelr national songs whilst enjoying time together. After School Revision Club We have run the after-school club since January '24 and regularly see between 10-15 attendees. Over this period, some use the space to do homework or revision, some are following a KS2 maths programme having missed several years of school due to dysfunctional families and others don't have a quiet place at home to work. The sessions have proved popular, and attendees have requested we continue to meet on an informal basis during the school holidays. Local Churches and Street Pastors Taunton Youth for Christ ran a safeguarding/youth culture training session and forty people attended from a variety of local churches. Kelly is a qualified safeguarding trainer and was able to issue certifi'cates to all attendees. The session also gave us an opportunity to demonstrate the situation many of our young people encounter on a regular basis. The session was offered having received several requests for assistance with safeguarding from local churches and Street Pastors. Financial Review Income Income was £55,435 and expenditure was £45,458 for the year. We gained a considerable increase in giving this year again, and the application to The Willats Trust was successful giving us a grant of £15,000 annually for three years starting from l October 2023 to support our outreach in deprived areas. Surplus for the year was £9,977, which gives us a healthy reserve of £57,916 as we hope to move forward recruiting two further workers and developing a youth centre. Governance Taunton Youth for Christ is affiliated to British Youth for Christ. The constitution is based on the national model and Tyfc seeks to comply with the national charter. However, Tyfc is an independent charity that has trustees appointed by the existing trustees. The Trustees have continued to meet regularly throughout the year bimonthly and are always available in the event of urgent matters arising. The Trustees are aware of the Charities Commission's Guidance on public benefit and are satisfied that the above activities meet the public benefi't requirements for charitable status. Future Plans Having reviewed the Chaplaincy work in local schools we are now able to do more outreach and community mentoring, reaching the young people on the fringe of school and society. We have built relationship with Somerset Children's Services and the local police and now have a joined-up service with other agencies. As we look towards the coming year, we hope to appoint a Chaplain to continue the work in Wellington at Court Field's School and run an outreach session once a week having built relationship with the youth in that area. This will result in the van being out three evenings a week. We currently have an additional post advertised for a youth worker to join us part time, the remainder of the week to be based at a local church, It is our hope this post will further bridge the gap between the local church and the young people we see on outreach, providing further support to them and their families. Kelly is updating her Thrive training to enable her to share material with secondary schools and implement the techniques for trauma related issues they encounter. The schools we engage with have all stated the value of our input into the welfare of pupils and one has offered materials for the homework club as it continues to grow. As we spend time with our local youth and demonstrate love and acceptance to many who have seen very little in their lives it continues to build confidence in the young people and the reward is immeasurable. We are currently working with a local church to develop a youth space in one of the communities we work within and hope to see a permanent base develop where we can host young people in a relaxed environment and provide life skills teaching in a purpose built kitchen. Cathrine Solanki Chair of Trustees Taunton Youth for Christ INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF TAUNTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST This report on the Receipts and Payments account and statement of Assets and Liabilities of Taunton Youth for Christ for the year ended 31 March 2024, set out on pages 6 to 8, is in respecl of an examination carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner As Trustees you are responsible for the preparation of accounts: you consider that there is no requirement for any aud5t of those accounts under section 144{2} of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an indepenent examination is needed. It is my responsibility. under instructions from you, to examlne the accounts under sectlon 145 of the 2011 Act, lo follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commlsslon under sectlon 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act, and to stste whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examlner's report My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Trustees and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as Trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: (1) which glves me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act. and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act. have not been met; or (2) lo which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Mark Roney n Waite Chartered Certified Accountants Rubis House, 15 Friarn Street Brldgwater. Somerset TA6 3LH September 2024 Page 7 TAUNTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Unrestrlcted Funds Restrleted Grant from Avon & S<>merset PollGe 2024 Reslrlcted Gfant from Wlllfjts Trust 2024 Total Funds 2024 2024 2023 RECEIPTS Non Gift donaknons Gift Aid donat￿nS tncorne tax recu￿red on Glft Aid donations Donation re van costs Charitable Trusts Inlerest received 22,793 18,585 4,404 22,793 18,585 4,404 1,300 7,500 853 31,537 11,489 3.781 1,300 7,500 853 211 Totsl Recelpts 46,635 1,300 7,500 55.435 48.017 PAYMENTS Staff salaries Resources Telephone Trairmng Outreach British Youth for Christ Travel Inswance and licences Accounlancy arKI payToII Van cost and equipmenl Van generator Van ruming costs FLmdfaising and pub4city OffiGe costs 22,558 828 28 1.927 1880 1,000 30,058 828 28 1,927 2,880 1,000 234 40,823 294 161 1,355 2.301 500 1,046 871 618 12.500 2,455 2,839 189 1,218 603 603 4,341 1,300 5,641 87 1332 1,232 Total Payments 36,658 1,300 7,500 45,458 67,170 Nel (Deflclt)ISurplus 9,977 9,977 (19,153) Bank and cash funds at 1 Aprll 2023 47.939 47,939 67,092 Bank and Gash funds at 31 March 2024 57,916 57.916 47,939 Pa9e 8 TAUNTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AT 31 MARCH 2024 Unrestricted Restricted Funds Funds 2024 2024 Total Funds 2024 2023 CASH AND CURRENT ASSET FUNDS Bank and cash Bank current account Bank reserve account 35 day liquidity 2.302 25.260 30,354 2.302 25.260 30.354 1,437 46,501 Debtor HMRC 5,852 5,852 2,872 63,768 63,768 50,811 The financial statements were approved by the Trustees in September 2024 and signed on its behalf Chairman Treasurer Paga g TAUNTON YOUTH FOR CHRIST NOTES TO THE RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2024 Accountlng pollcles This Receipts and Payments account has been prepared on the basis that the gross income of the Charity is less than £250,000 in the year. As such it summarises cash movements only and includes a statement listing assets and liabilities. Receipts and Payments accounts, by definition, do rK)t show a 'True and Fair View, of the Charity's financial activities and state of affairs. The Receipts and Payments accounts records Income as received and expenditure when Irrevocably paid. Funds Unrestricted funds represent the funds of the Charity that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application to the general purposes of the Charlty. Restricted funds were given for the purpose of establishing a mentoring project in local schools. The original gifts have been supplemented by fundlng from the Welllngton churches for two day: per week in Ihe Court Fields School. Our youth workers have also provided this service in The Castle School and Bishop Fox's School for up to a further three days per week. Stalement of Assets and Llabllltles The followlng assets are recognlsed In the statemont: 1 . Closing bank balances as shown in the Receipts and Payments account. 2. Amounts owing to the Charity and due at 31 March 2024. and the following liabllitles are recognlsed In tho statement: 1 . Creditors for goods and services where the supply has been received and invoiced by 31 March 2024 Tangible Flxed Assets Fixed assets are rK)t included in Ihe statement of Assets and Liabilities unless the individual cost exceeds £1,500, Ind•pondent oxamlnallon IrKlependent examination is required where gross income exceeds £25,000. Affiliate member The Charity is an affiliate member of British Youth for Christ (Company number 988200 and Charity number 263446> and complies with their charter standards. Page 10