OpenCharities

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

← Voluntary Sector North West

2025-03-31-accounts

Company number: 3988903 Charity Number: 1081654

Voluntary Sector North West

Report and financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025

Voluntary Sector North West

Reference and administrative information

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Company number 3988903 Charity number 1081654 Registered office and operational address VSNW, St Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester. M12 6FZ

Trustees Trustees, who are also directors under company law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:

Sally Yeoman Chair Gill Bainbridge Treasurer Circle Steele Margaret Cheshire Yakub Patel Jeremy Hodgkinson Duncan Craig (appointed 18[th] February 2025) Ben Whalley (appointed 16[th] September 2025) Key management Warren Escadale Chief Executive personnel Yen Siang Tan Operations Director Bankers The Co-operative Bank plc P.O. Box 250, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT Unity Trust Bank PO Box 7193, Planetary Road, Willenhall, WV1 9DG Charity Bank Fosse House, 182 High Street, Tonbridge, TN9 1BE Auditors Slade & Cooper Limited Beehive Mill, Jersey St, Manchester, M4 6JG

1

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

The trustees present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025. Included within the trustees’ report is the directors’ report as required by company law.

Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

Objectives and activities

The Charity's objects ("the Objects") were updated on 26 September 2000. They are: To promote such purposes as are charitable according to the law of England and Wales for the benefit of the public in the North West of England by:

(a) Providing a channel of information between voluntary organisations and local and central government agencies or other organisations in the region.

(b) Providing a network of communication for voluntary organisations and agencies in the region. (c) Bringing together representatives from voluntary organisations, statutory authorities and other agencies in the region to identify the funding and policy needs of voluntary organisations.

The area of benefit, the North West of England is defined as the ceremonial counties of Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria and Merseyside.

Ensuring our work delivers our object & aims

The Trustee Board of VSNW reviews the aims, objectives and activities of the charity each year to ensure activities remain focused on our stated purposes. The trustees established in consultation with member organisations, a strategic plan for 2022-2025. The following four strategic aims were established:

Underpinning this is our annual delivery plan, high level KPIs, and work to ensure VSNW is a well governed and financially sound organisation. This report looks at what the Charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. The Trustees report the success of each key activity and the benefits the Charity has brought to those groups of people that it is set up to help. The Trustees have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Charity’s aims and objectives and in planning its future activities. In particular, the Trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set.

Achievements and performance

The Charity’s principal activities and target beneficiaries are outlined below. All charitable activities are carried out to advance public benefit in line with Voluntary Sector North West’s (VSNW) charitable objectives.

During the year, we continued to deliver on VSNW’s mission, strategic aims, and the priorities set for 2022-2025. This ensured that our efforts remained aligned with the needs of the North West’s voluntary and community sector while reflecting the broader priorities of the region.

2

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Core Activities

The North West is a diverse region, consisting of five sub-regions (Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Lancashire) with a mixture of economic success and areas of marginalisation. Through our members and networks, we maintain connections with over 50,000 organisations and groups working across the region's communities. VSNW’s work is centred around three core elements:

This work ensures that we remain at the forefront of supporting the voluntary sector in driving social and economic progress across the North West.

The report illustrates our performance in delivering VSNW’s strategic priorities and our high-level metrics.

Strategic priority: Increase connectivity within the VCFSE Sector

Our vision is: “Through the strengths of the VCFSE sector, put communities in charge of driving change.” To fulfil this vision, we continue to foster and support healthy, connected partnerships that bring value to the sector in each sub-region. By leveraging local networks and relationships, we focus on maximising positive impact. Supporting strong partnerships across the North West’s VCFSE sector remains at the core of our operating model.

In 2024/25, VSNW provided support to VCFSE partnerships in Cheshire and Warrington, Liverpool City Region, Lancashire, and Greater Manchester. In Cumbria, where Cumbria CVS leads this work, we complemented their efforts by building connections and offering alternative support.

In Liverpool City Region (LCR), VSNW, through Laura Tilston (Research and Policy Manager), Emma Newman (Communications Officer), Yoaby Tsang (Events, Admin and Membership Officer) and Niamh Shaw (Office Co-ordinator), provides support to the VS6 Partnership, which is connected to the 11,500 groups operating across the City Region and champions VCFSE-led models of delivery to address social, economic and health inequalities.

During the year, VS6 developed VCFSE networks to tackle child poverty, housing and homelessness, and influencing the development of public service innovation work with the Combined Authority. We also supported VS6 in the launch of their “Beyond Innovation” campaign which seeks to foster lasting, durable change in the VCFSE sector by prioritising sustainability and stability rather than perpetual innovation, to develop a balance between innovative ideas and proven methods. VS6 has driven work on tackling racial inequalities with the VCFSE sector in LCR, with VS6 and VSNW supporting One Knowsley’s CEO Racheal Jones to continue to build the Phoenix Way Cheshire and Merseyside Ethnic Communities Network, which now includes over 115 groups.

3

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

In Greater Manchester , VSNW, through the work of Anna Cooper (Greater Manchester Programme Manager), Kassandra Banks (Partnerships Officer), Lucy North (Communications Officer), Ayisatu Emore (GM=EqAl Partnership Coordinator) and John Hannen (Work and Skills Lead), continues to provide secretariat support to the Greater Manchester VCFSE Leadership Group. Our Chief Executive, Warren Escadale, serves as the Chair.

The Leadership Group connects with and supports collaboration across a wide range of VCFSE networks, representing diverse communities such as Black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups, older people, young people, LGBTQ+, disability, faith communities, carers, mental health advocates, sports organisations, refugees and women. This partnership model includes 10GM, GMCVO (until their closure on 27[th] November 2025), local infrastructure organisations, social enterprises, and VCFSE service providers including the groundbreaking GM Alternative Provider Collaborative. The Leadership Group has a direct mailing list of over 1,500 sector leaders and, collectively, through infrastructure bodies and equalities networks, the group is linked to 17,400 plus VCFSE organisations and groups working for Greater Manchester’s communities.

In Cheshire and Warrington , Warren Escadale, Lyn Cooke (Chesire & Merseyside Programme Manager), Alison Cullen (CWIP’s lead for health and care work), Yoaby Tsang and Niamh Shaw have been key parts of our support for the Cheshire and Warrington Infrastructure Partnership (CWIP) which links to 8,000 local VCFSE organisations.

CWIP is preparing the sector for devolution in Cheshire and Warrington, with work progressing on a codesigned VCFSE manifesto ahead of the new Combined Authority starting in 2026, with the sector being seen as an essential partner. CWIP also launched a single portal Volunteering Hub in March 2025, giving people easy access to a wide range of opportunities across the area, whilst providing a shared space for volunteer-involving organisations.

Through VS6, CWIP and the Cheshire and Merseyside (C&M) VCFSE Health and Care Leaders Group (HCLG) we have looked to link the sector into a rapidly change health and care environment, supporting mechanisms and connections for sector voice and accountability. The HCLG connects to local infrastructure, equalities networks, thematic VCFSE networks and VCFSE providers across Cheshire and Merseyside.

A central part of this work are the roles that five external VCFSE leads play, alongside their day-jobs, in building connections and influence for the sector in C&M: Ellen Loudon, Vice-Chair of the Health & Care Partnership, Dave Packwood, C&M VCFSE Children & Young People Network Manager; Racheal Jones, Merseyside Health & Care Lead (VS6); Alison Cullen, Cheshire and Warrington Health & Care Lead (CWIP), and Jan Campbell, Social Prescribing and Primary Care Lead. This team works closely with Dave Sweeney, Associate Director of Sustainability and Partnerships, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.

In Lancashire , we connect to two partnerships: firstly, working in support of the VCFSE Lancashire & South Cumbria Alliance; secondly, following our development work on the Locally Organised Communities Across Lancashire (LOCAL) VCFSE Manifesto, the movement being created behind this headed by the Lancashire Association of CVS. Through this work we look to connect with as many of the 10,000 local groups as possible.

Fiona Chow (Database and Admin Officer) ensures we maintain a robust stakeholder contact list that includes VCFSE chief executives and senior staff from across the region. Through our improved communications work , we circulate a range of bulletins, including updates from GM VCFSE Leadership, VS6 Partnership, C&M Health Care Leadership Group and GM Cancer Champions. In 2024, Emma Newman (Communications Officer) launched VSNW’s quarterly newsletter, VSNW Regional

4

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Round-up , which provides members with updates on key projects, events and opportunities to get involved in VSNW’s work.

VSNW website upgrade : Emma Newman led this work with the support of Frankie McIntosh (Senior Research Engagement Coordinator) and Niamh Shaw (Office Co-ordinator). The website is designed to make it easier to explore our work, access resources, and better keep the sector connected. This represents one of many elements of operational improvement instigated and implemented by Yen Siang Tan (Operations Director) who also manages our Lottery-funded Policy & Influencing Team which has contributed to communications through a series of blogs, think pieces and briefings reflecting on national policy announcements and highlighting key information relevant to the VCFSE sector.

As of 31[st] March 2025, VSNW has 201 members : 134 full members and 67 associate members. In 2024-25, VSNW supported 22 strategic VCFSE networks and 148 network meetings , roundtables, workshops, conferences and other events, engaging over 1,500 different North West VCFSE leaders to ensure we have a vibrant, influential and connected North West VCFSE sector. Thanks to Yen Tan and Yoaby Tsang (Events, Admin and Membership Officer), we continue to see VSNW’s membership and our support offer grow.

Going forward the VSNW continues to invest in internal capacity from reserves to ensure we can reach across the North West, and engage larger numbers of VCFSE leaders and organisations.

Strategic priority: Enable influence and be an effective voice for the sector

VSNW continues to support sub-regional partnerships to develop and deliver their collective, sectorled strategies, manifestos and implementation plans across the North West. This includes: VS6’s VCFSE Manifesto for Liverpool City Region 2024-28; Greater Manchester VCFSE Leadership Group’s Manifesto and Greater Manchester Accord; Cheshire & Warrington VCFSE Sector Devolution Manifesto; Lancashire LOCAL Manifesto, while sharing learning with Cumbria CVS as their Strategic Authority takes shape, following significant local government reorganisation already. At our series of Metro-Mayor hustings, held with just under two hundred sector leaders, Steve Rotheram and Andy Burnham signed their respective VCFSE manifesto, and confirmed their continued commitment to working with us as a sector and as a partner.

From April 2022 to March 2025, our work – with and via partners – to influence and demonstrate the value of the VCFSE sector has secured £34.3 million of investment into the sector. This includes £15.9 million investment in the VCFSE sector in 2024/25 , significantly exceeding our Board’s KPI of £5 million. This investment has strengthened the sector’s contribution across a range of priority areas, including skills and employment, health and social care, community research, tackling poverty, community-led economic development and wellbeing and prevention.

Campaigning has been a big part of 2024/25. Through our work and our partnerships, we have been able to champion the VCFSE role in essential, community-centred delivery and look to be an effective voice for the sector: supporting people out of hospital to stay healthy and home, championing community ownership, advancing food strategies beyond foodbanks, provision of warm hubs, tackling digital exclusion, supporting the sector role in the criminal justice system, ensuring the sector role in the skills and employment pipeline, influencing public sector commissioning, procurement and fair funding for groups, supporting sector workforce initiatives, championing new partnerships with NHS Providers through place-partnerships (e.g. across Merseyside) and the Alternative Provider Collaboration (Greater Manchester), advancing the sector role in mental health and wellbeing,

5

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

supporting volunteering and access to volunteering, building large-scale grass-roots and sector-led initiatives around cancer prevention and other health conditions, championing VCFSE partnerships with primary care including and beyond social prescribing, developing VCFSE children and young people services and models, pushing for VCFSE good employment models, sector role in and needs around net zero, sector intelligence and models of coproduction, sector access to data and research, sector role in tackling homelessness, in local regeneration and in creating welcoming communities for refugees and asylum seekers.

The Beyond Innovation campaign was launched by the VS6 partnership to tackle perceptions that public services must always innovate to be successful which can create a perpetual cycle of innovation, and instead focus on lasting, durable change where innovation and adaptation is needed and appropriate, and not for innovations sake. To balance the need for innovation and building upon what works, a series of blogs to showcase the sector’s innate innovative working, as well as several events to understand the sector’s role and best practice in particular areas of work. So far, these events have included an assembly in collaboration with YMCA on Housing and Homelessness, and an assembly in collaboration with CHAMPS and Youth Focus NW on Child Poverty.

The award-winning Bee Seen, Get Screened campaign, part of VSNW’s Answer Cancer work, asks employers to pledge to allow paid time off, or flexible working, for staff to attend NHS Cancer Screening appointments. As of 31[st] March 2025, over 143,190 employees in Greater Manchester (one in ten working people) can take time off work, with their employer’s support, to attend cancer screenings.

The Cheshire & Merseyside VCFSE Health and Care transformation programme is delivered in partnership with the C&M Health and Care Leaders Group, VS6 and CWIP. It is led by a small core team made up of VCFSE leaders, and co-ordinated by Lyn Cooke, C&M Programme Manager. The programme aims to embed VCFSE voice and delivery in health and care across Cheshire and Merseyside. Highlights from 2024/25 include: the sector was represented in over 200 system meetings in 2024/25, actively influencing decisions in boards, forums and working groups; championed better use of social value in procurement to strengthen the VCFSE sector and build a “Social Value Economy”; increasing the sector’s role in hospital discharge and readmission prevention; development of a longer-term, placebased partnership model to improve community mental health services, with genuine co-design at its core; improving neurodivergent delivery of services for children and young people and an awardwinning VCFSE cancer prevention programme in partnership with the Cancer Alliance (Community Care Initiative of the Year 2024, Health Service Journal Awards).

In Greater Manchester, 10GM and the Leadership Group have helped to create Live Well , a partnership between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), NHS Greater Manchester, and the VCFSE sector to shift power and decision-making to communities and build on VCFSE strength and expertise.

We are supporting the sector’s role in the Greater Manchester Trailblazer , which aims to strengthen local collaboration, test innovative approaches to supporting economically inactive people into work, and contribute to longer term system reform across work, health and skills.

Following the publication of the government’s English Devolution White Paper published in December 2024, VSNW and Network for Europe published an analysis outlining how new Strategic Authorities will work. Devolution and the new strategic authorities will potentially be an important change in sector relationships in Lancashire, Cumbria and Cheshire & Warrington. We have also been working closely with infrastructure partnerships in Lancashire and Cheshire & Warrington to develop their devolution asks for the VCFSE sector to influence the emerging strategic authorities. Our work supporting our partners at CWIP in helping them identify core priorities in Cheshire and Warrington has

6

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

led to the development of the new Cheshire & Warrington VCFSE Manifesto , which complements previous work developing the Local Lancashire VCFSE Manifesto.

Through the GM Leadership Group’s strategic advice roles, the sector is seen as a core partner and is well placed to champion the sector’s role in Greater Manchester ’s Integrated Single Settlement devolution deal.

Office for Public Service Innovation (OPSI) is the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s (LCR CA) vehicle for designing and delivering innovative solutions to break the cycle of entrenched deprivation to improve life chances and enhance community cohesion. Through this programme, the VCFSE sector via VS6 is helping to shape the design of the City Region’s integrated settlement ask of central government.

VSNW has led the Cheshire and Merseyside Research Engagement Network (REN) programme to increase VCFSE awareness, involvement, and capacity in health and care research projects. We have launched a range of resources to support awareness and participation, including a new online platform – BRIDGE Research Network – to build connections between researchers, academics and VCFSE sector at scale.

Other examples of work to champion the voice of communities in research include:

VSNW, following the closure of GMCVO, has been an interim host for GM=EqAl since January 2025. Through a member network of VCFSE equalities organisations and equalities champions, GM=EqAl continues to provide expert and lived experience insight, including publishing a set of clear principles and guidance around remuneration for the voice of lived experience. This work aims to counter tokenistic engagement and power imbalances by ensuring that lived experience is valued equally in policymaking. GM=EqAl led a process to develop a collection of best practice, information and resources on equitable involvement and fair remuneration for those with lived experience taking part in the coproduction of policy. GM=EqAl and VSNW are asking public sector bodies to adopt the Lived Experience Framework , embed inclusion in policy design, and structured payment processes through a socialisation and implementation plan. The aim is to embed community-led policymaking in Greater Manchester.

Increases to the employer’s national insurance contribution (NIC) outlined in the 2024 budget added to other financial pressures on the sector, including systemic and historical issues with commissioning processes. This led to widespread NIC campaigns supported by VSNW and a Sector Instability Campaign in Greater Manchester . We saw a range of responses, including commitments, letters and discussions of support from local councils, NHS partners, and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) which highlighted commissioner’s desires to work more closely with our sector to improve support and care for Greater Manchester residents.

7

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Nationally, we have good links to NHS England’s voluntary sector team. Over the past eight years, we have successfully lobbied for a VCSE Partnership programme, aligned with the NHS’s 42 Integrated Care Systems (ICS), and modelled on our work in Greater Manchester This has led to the establishment of VCSE Partnerships or Alliances across all ICS areas in England, including all four areas in the North West: Cheshire & Merseyside, Lancashire and South Cumbria, Greater Manchester, North East and North Cumbria. This development has led to the formation of Alliance42 , a national network of local VCSE Alliances with links to over 400,000 local VCFSE groups across England.

Strategic Priority: Demonstrate the value of VSNW and the sector as a whole

In 2024 we launched the first VSNW Funding and Commissioning Awards , shining a light on the commissioners and funders who go the extra mile to recognise the value and values of our sector. The awards help VSNW collate information and case studies on good funding and commissioning. This informs our North West Lottery project work to implement Fair Funding Principles, develop a North West Commissioning Review Panel and a Co-Design and Co-Production Framework.

In November 2024 we published Towards a Social Value Economy with partners at NHS C&M in 2024. The report sets out recommendations for all system partners to make the shift towards a social value economy, to realise the transformative potential of the Public Services Act 2012. In 2024 NHS C&M ICB published an overview of their Social Value reporting for 2022-2024, produced by Social Value Portal, including measurements of spending with the VCFSE sector as recommended by our report.

Following the publication of the GM Commissioning Framework in 2019, and the development of the GMCA Fair Funding Protocol in 2023, NHS GM commissioners and VCFSE colleagues recognised the need for a more practical tool which would help to embed key elements of the Framework, with the aims of addressing inconsistent practice and addressing risks to sustainability in the Sector.

At a North West level, our Policy and Influencing Team have developed a set of Fair Funding Principles for managing contracts with the VCFSE sector across the North West and will launch a regional Fair Funding Campaign.

Demonstrating the impact of the VCFSE sector in population health through prevention demonstrator programmes like the Greater Manchester Answer Cancer Programme . This once pilot programme, which has now been running for 7 years, demonstrates the sector’s ingenuity in driving prevention. Using campaign tools, training and grants, over 250 actively involved community organisations, and thousands of community champions, have taken part and delivered meaningful engagement in their community.

The contributions of the VSNW team, Yen Siang Tan (Operations Director), Jacqui Naraynsingh (VSNW Project Coordinator), Fiona Chow (Database and Admin Officer) and Yoaby Tsang (Events, Admin and Membership Officer) have been instrumental in the programme’s success, delivered in partnership with Salford CVS (Programme Lead), BHA for Equality and Unique Improvements.

Key outcomes from the Answer Cancer programme for 2024/25 include:

8

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Additionally, Answer Cancer Champion Rona Barbour won the Greater Manchester Health and Care Volunteer Champion Award 2024 . The awards attracted c.700 nominations from 140 organisations.

VSNW teams have supported our regional infrastructure partnerships to draft impact reports showcasing the work of the VCFSE sector and VCFSE partnerships. These include:

Priority: Effective NW VCFSE Leadership Organisation

The Board works to ensure that VSNW is a fit-for-purpose organisation with the capacity to connect, influence, and drive positive change in the sector. Our organisational development has progressed steadily, increasing from 12 to 15 staff roles as of March 2025.

Our development supports new projects, including the VCFSE Sector influencing the Future of the North West, funded by the National Lottery, and the ICS Research Engagement Network Development Programme, broadening our reach and influence.

Income generation is strong, with funding secured for projects in Greater Manchester and Cheshire & Merseyside until 2026. Four-year funding was secured from the Lottery to deliver the VCFSE Sector influencing the Future of the North West project, which offers opportunities and capacity to do more across the North West, the North and nationally. Yen Siang Tan, Operations Director, working with the Chief Executive, Board and colleagues, continues to play a key role in VSNW’s operations and ongoing development. In terms of leadership, the Board continues to work effectively in guiding and supporting VSNW's strategic direction.

Plans for the Future

Whilst we continue to deliver against our 2022-2025 strategic plan, we are currently in the process of developing our new strategic plan for 2026-2030. The plan builds upon our work so far with 5 areas of focus with equalities as a golden thread throughout:

  1. Every Subregion Connected and Influential

  2. A Stronger Voice for the Sector

  3. The VCFSE Sector Championed and Celebrated

  4. A Thriving, Supported VCFSE Workforce

  5. A Resilient, Sustainable VCFSE Ecosystem

We have been building the groundwork for the delivery of our North West Lottery Programme over the past 18 months, and 2025/26 will see the fruits of this labour with projects such as the Fair Funding Campaign, North West Commissioning Panel and Centre of Excellence for VCFSE-led Health Creation being launched. Our new VSNW website will also be ready and will help us deliver against our Lottery

9

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

programme providing clear updates and easy to find resources for members and the wider VCFSE sector to support our work.

We will also see the launch of the BRIDGE Research Network Platform, in collaboration with NHS England and NIHR, which will improve VCFSE and community access and inclusion in health research.

As devolution is fast-tracked nationally, we will continue to support our sub-regional infrastructure partnerships to advocate on behalf of the VCFSE sector as investment and decision-making powers are gradually decentralised.

Financial review

The charity held reserves of £646,555 at the year end (2024: £564,885) of which £45,706 (2024: £74,511) were restricted and £179,643 (2024: £107,036) designated leaving a general reserve of £421,206 (2024: £383,338). VSNW is in a reasonable financial position at this point. A review of our financial position is conducted quarterly by the Resources Group and is then considered by the Trustee Board. This review is ongoing.

The reserves include a designated contingency to support funding sustainability. This provides the charity with the ability to continue delivering key projects and services during periods when existing funding ends or while awaiting confirmation or receipt of new funding. We are conscious that core capacity is dependent on a time-limited Lottery investment and that going forward, VSNW's board will develop a 5 year sustainability plan.

Reserves policy

The VSNW reserves policy is to maintain sufficient levels of reserves to ensure the delivery of existing programmes of work or their orderly transfer to alternative providers should a shortfall in income occur.

The reserves level reflects approximately three months of project staff costs, six months of core staff costs, and an allowance for redundancy payments, requiring a minimum reserve of £260,835.

The general reserve is currently above this level; however, given the short-term funding environment and reliance on project-based income, reserves will be reviewed periodically to ensure they remain appropriate.

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 10 April 2000 and registered as a charity on 19 February 1998.

The company was established under a memorandum of association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its articles of association.

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 March 2025 was 128 full members. The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 10 to the accounts.

10

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Trustee selection methods

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the company’s Articles. Under the requirements of the Memorandum and Articles of Association half the members of the Trustee Board elected to serve must be re-elected at the Annual General Meeting.

Both business and strategic skills are required on the Trustee Board and the Board has made a firm commitment to appoint trustees with strong strategic connections to the VCSE sector in each subregion whilst also being sensitive to inclusion and diversity. An annual skills audit is conducted to identify any skills gaps.

Trustees are appointed via an electoral process at the Annual General Meeting elections. Other Trustees can be co-opted by the Trustee Board throughout the year, in accordance with the constitution. The Trustee Board meets every quarter.

Induction and training of trustees

New Trustees meet with the Chair and Chief Executive where the current financial position and the governing framework are presented, and the obligations of Board members and future plans and objectives are outlined. The NCVO booklet Trustees and Trustees Members National Occupational Standards is given to all new trustees.

Organisational structure

VSNW has a Trustee Board of up to 12 members who are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. As at 31st March 2025 the Board has six members from a variety of backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity.

VSNW’s decision making process rests with the Trustee Board. Decisions regarding implementation of the charity’s work and staff supervision are delegated to the Chief Executive, who has one-to-ones with the Chair.

Sub groups are established and agreed by the Trustees to meet between Trustee Board meetings to address any issues that require immediate attention and report any actions for agreement to the full Trustee Board.

The Board delegates day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive, Warren Escadale. The Board takes advice from VSNW staff, in particular the Chief Executive and the Operations Director, Yen Siang Tan, and are informed by their relationships with VSNW's subregional VCFSE partnerships and their own VCFSE organisations, networks and partnerships operating in VSNW's area of benefit, North West England.

Related parties and relationships with other organisations

In so far as it is complementary to the charity’s objectives, VSNW is guided by local, regional and national policy. Sub regional partnerships ensure engagement with thematic, geographic and specialist VCSE infrastructure and provides VSNW with a wide reach into the VCSE sector across the region.

Remuneration policy for key management personnel

A subgroup of the board reviews remuneration with advice from our HR consultant, using comparable pay rates within and beyond the sector, including equivalent relationships.

Risk management

The Trustee Board conducts a risk analysis with its budget at outset each year. There is a Risk Register and Policy in place and the register is reviewed on a regular basis. Procedures are implemented internally

11

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

to ensure proper authorisation for all transactions and projects. Procedures are in place to ensure Health and Safety compliance. These are currently under review for future improvement.

Fundraising

VSNW did not conduct public fundraising activities in 2024/25.

12

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The trustees (who are also directors of Voluntary Sector North West for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

The trustees are 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 also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

13

Voluntary Sector North West

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31 March 2025

Auditors

Slade & Cooper Ltd were re-appointed as the charitable company's auditors during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees’ annual report has been approved by the trustees on 27/11/2025 and signed on their behalf by

Sally Yeoman (Chair)

Gill Bainbridge (Treasurer)

14

Independent auditor’s report

to the members of Voluntary Sector North West

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Voluntary Sector North West (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2025, which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (including the income and expenditure account), the Balance Sheet, the Statement of Cash Flows and the related notes. 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:

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 charitable company 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, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. 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

15

Independent auditor’s report

to the members of Voluntary Sector North West

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:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of our 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’ 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:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 15, 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

16

Independent auditor’s report

to the members of Voluntary Sector North West

aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

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

Christy Yun Hing Lau FCCA DChA CTA Senior Statutory Auditor

for and on behalf of Slade & Cooper Limited Statutory Auditors Beehive Mill Jersey Street Manchester M4 6JG Date: 22/12/2025

17

Voluntary Sector North West

Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure account) for the year ended 31 March 2025

Unrestricted
funds
Note
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
3
465
Charitable activities:
4
646,436
Investments
5,476
Total income
652,377
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities:
5
541,902
Total expenditure
541,902
110,475
8
110,475
Transfer between funds
-
Net movement in funds for the year
110,475
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
490,374
Total funds carried forward
600,849
Net income/(expenditure) before
net gains/(losses) on
investments
Net income/(expenditure) for the
year		 Restricted
funds
£
-
562,252
-
562,252
591,057
591,057
(28,805)
(28,805)
-
(28,805)
74,511
45,706		 Total funds
2025
£
465
1,208,688
5,476
1,214,629
1,132,959
1,132,959
81,670
81,670
-
81,670
564,885
646,555		 Total funds
2024
£
-
1,328,240
-
1,328,240
1,192,595
1,192,595
135,645
135,645
-
135,645
429,240
564,885

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

A full comparative SOFA is available on the last page of the financial statements.

18

Voluntary Sector North West Company number 3988903

Balance sheet as at 31 March 2025

Note
£
£
Fixed assets
Tangible assets
13
184
Total fixed assets
184
Current assets
Debtors
14
14,710
Cash at bank and in hand
15
881,770
Total current assets
896,480
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling
due in less than one year
16
(250,109)
Net current assets
646,371
Total assets less current liabilities
646,555
Net assets
646,555
The funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds
18
45,706
Unrestricted income funds
19
600,849
Total charity funds
646,555
2025		 £
£
843
843
18,782
658,852
677,634
(113,592)
564,042
564,885
564,885
74,511
490,374
564,885
2024		 £
£
843
843
18,782
658,852
677,634
(113,592)
564,042
564,885
564,885
74,511
490,374
564,885
2024
843
564,042
564,885
564,885
74,511
490,374
564,885

These accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies and constitute the annual accounts required by the Companies Act 2006 and are for circulation to members of the company.

The notes on pages 21 to 36 form part of these accounts.

Approved by the trustees on 27/11/2025 and signed on their behalf by:

Sally Yeoman (Chair)

Gill Bainbridge (Treasurer)

19

Voluntary Sector North West

Statement of Cash Flows for the year ending 31 March 2025

Note
Cash provided by/(used in) operating activities
21
Cash flows from investing activities:
Dividends, interest, and rents from investments
Cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents in the year		 2025
£
217,442
5,476
5,476
222,918
658,852
881,770		 2024
£
383,709
-
-
383,709
275,143
658,852

20

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025

1 Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

a 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 (FRS 102), second edition - October 2019 (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

Voluntary Sector North West 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 note.

b Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern.

The trustees have made no key judgments which have a significant effect on the accounts.

The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

c Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of a provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

21

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

d Donated services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised; refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

e Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.

f Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose.

Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.

g Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

h Tangible fixed assets

Individual fixed assets costing £1,000 or more are capitalised at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful economic lives on a straight line basis as follows:

Fixtures & fittings 5 years Computer equipment 3, 4 or 5 years

22

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

i 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.

j Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash balances and deposits held on short-term and fixedterm accounts that are readily convertible to known amounts of cash, and which the charity holds for treasury and liquidity management rather than investment purposes. Fixed-term deposit accounts with longer original maturities are included within cash where the funds are not held for long-term investment and the charity intends to use them in the short to medium term.

k 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.

l Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

m Pensions

Employees of the charity are opted into a Pension Scheme (defined contribution ‘money purchase’ schemes) with an employer’s contribution. The charity’s contribution is restricted to the contributions disclosed in note 9.

There were outstanding contributions of £4,498 (2024: £2,745) at the year end.

2 Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The registered office address is disclosed on page 1.

3 Income from donations and legacies

Donated services
Total		 Total 2025
£
465
465		 Total 2024
£
-
-

All donations and legacies income is unrestricted.

23

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

4 Income from charitable activities

NHS England
Salford CVS
VS6 (Reaching Community Fund)
GMCA (Accord)
National Lottery
NAVCA
Total
Social Prescribing Network NW
NHS England
Salford CVS
VS6 (Reaching Community Fund)
GMCA (Accord)
Total
National Lottery
Burnley Pendle & Rossendale
CVS (400 Voices)
Community Futures
VCFSE Change Engagement
Workshops
Current reporting
period
Previous
reporting period
Sefton CVS
VCFSE Transformation
Programme (Cheshire &
Merseyside)
C&M Research
VCFSE Transformation
Programme (Cheshire &
Merseyside)
(GM Cancer Screening
Engagement Project)
C&M Research
ICB Engagement Strategy
(GM Cancer Screening
Engagement Project)		 Unrestricted
£
-
-
-
10,000
-
-
630,209
-
5,500
727
646,436
Unrestricted
£
-
-
-
-
526,826
-
4,280
4,500
535,606		 Restricted
£
238,758
7,080
73,500
-
101,557
23,650
-
117,707
-
-
562,252
Restricted
£
15,120
438,758
56,461
101,001
123,303
-
57,991
-
-
792,634		 Total 2025
£
238,758
7,080
73,500
10,000
101,557
23,650
630,209
117,707
5,500
727
1,208,688
Total 2024
£
15,120
438,758
56,461
101,001
123,303
526,826
57,991
4,280
4,500
1,328,240

24

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

5 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Staff costs
Other Staff costs
Administration
Accommodation
Associates/Sub-contractors
Conferences & events
Other project costs
Grants to institutions (see note 7)
Depreciation
Bad debt
Governance costs (see note 6)
Restricted expenditure
Unrestricted expenditure		 Total 2025
£
490,940
2,784
31,279
10,876
162,710
19,408
63,164
324,235
659
-
26,904
1,132,959
2025
£
591,057
541,902
1,132,959		 Total 2024
£
426,657
4,794
18,282
10,831
163,486
9,965
29,981
495,024
938
10,000
22,637
1,192,595
2024
£
726,963
465,632
1,192,595

25

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

6 Analysis of governance and support costs

Basis of
apportionment
Auditor fees
Governance
Professional fees
Governance
AGM and trustee costs
Governance
Basis of
apportionment
Governance
Professional fees
Governance
AGM and trustee costs
Governance
Auditor fees
Current reporting
period
Previous
reporting period		 Governance
£
4,020
21,547
1,337
26,904
Governance
£
3,816
18,391
430
22,637		 Total 2025
£
4,020
21,547
1,337
26,904
Total 2024
£
3,816
18,391
430
22,637

7 Grants to institutions

Analysis of total grants paid:

10GM
Action Together
Cheshire West Voluntary Action
Community & Voluntary Services Cheshire East
GMCVO
Halton & St Helens VCA
Liverpool Charity & Voluntary Services
Macc
One Knowsley
Sefton CVS
Warrington Voluntary Action
Wirral CVS
*
Other local community organisations		 2025
£
213,113
25,875
-
-
88,247
-
-
11,000
1,000
1,000
-
(20,000)
4,000
324,235		 2024
£
202,965
-
20,000
20,000
112,059
40,000
20,000
-
20,000
20,000
20,000
20,000
-
495,024

26

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

8 Net income/(expenditure) for the year

This is stated after charging/(crediting): 2025 2024
£ £
Depreciation 659 938
Operating lease rentals:
Property 10,876 10,831
Auditor's fees:
Accountancy 1,250 1,180
Audit 2,100 2,000
Bookkeeping - 1,100
Payroll bureau - 394

9 Staff costs

Staff costs during the year were as follows:

ff costs during the year were as follows:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs		 2025
£
424,402
37,365
29,173
490,940		 2024
£
378,975
21,833
25,849
426,657

One employee has employee benefits within the £60,000 – £70,000 band during the year. (2024: None).

The average number of staff employed during the period was 12 (2024: 12).

The average full time equivalent number of staff employed during the period was 13 (2024: 11).

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Chief Executive and the Operations Director. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £128,495 (2024: £122,531).

27

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

10 Trustee remuneration and expenses, and related party transactions

Neither the trustees nor any persons connected with them received any remuneration during the year (2024: Nil).

Three (2024: one) members of the board of trustees received travel and subsistence expenses of £143 during the year (2024: £18).

GM Cancer Screening Engagement Project

In December 2018 VSNW worked in partnership with Salford CVS, BHA for Equality and Unique Improvements to secure a contract with NHS England (on behalf of GM Health and Social Care Partnership) in response to an OJEU tender to deliver the GM Cancer Screening Engagement Project. Salford CVS were the named lead provider within this partnership, on behalf of 10GM. The contract was awarded to this VCSE partnership (now known as Answer Cancer), with Salford CVS as the accountable body. Delivery commenced in the year 2019/20 and during 2024/25 Salford CVS made payments of £127,862 to VSNW (2024: £101,001) in relation to delivery of this project (as per the partnership’s revised budget submission). Please note that our new Trustee, Ben Whalley (appointed 16th September 2025), is also the Chair of Salford CVS.

Cheshire and Merseyside NHS VCFSE Transformation Programme

This programme aims to drive better VCFSE integration and partnership with health and social care at system, local authority-level ('Place'), and health neighbourhood. Accordingly, the programme included £180,000 to support better Place-VCFSE partnership working. In 2024, £20,000 was allocated for each of the nine Places (or boroughs) in Cheshire and Merseyside. The fund was open to VCFSE Strategic Place lead organisations, who had to complete an application form proposing how they would develop local sector-wide working relationships across their Place. Each proposal had to be signed and endorsed by their NHS Place Director and then reviewed by a cross-sector Cheshire and Merseyside panel. As part of this process, Halton and St Helens VCA, the VCFSE Strategic Place lead organisation for both Halton and St Helens was awarded funding to develop improved sector-wide Place-VCFSE partnerships. The Principles of Good Grant Making (Directory of Social Change) were followed throughout the process which included a number of additional checks and balances to ensure accountability. It should be noted that the Chair of VSNW, Sally Yeoman, is the Chief Executive of Halton and St Helens VCA.

GM Accord

The GM VCFSE Accord is a collaboration agreement between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), NHS Greater Manchester, and the Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector, represented by the GM VCFSE Leadership Group. Its purpose is to strengthen partnerships between these sectors to improve outcomes for the communities in Greater Manchester. It should be noted that Duncan Craig, the newly appointed Trustee of VSNW, is also the Chief Executive of We Are Survivors, which has been the recipient of a small grant from the GM Accord project on behalf of the Victims and Justice workstream.

28

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

11 Government grants

The government grants recognised in the accounts were as follows:

GMCA
Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care
Partnership (via Liverpool CCG)		 2025
£
329,338
630,209
959,547		 2024
£
495,219
526,826
1,022,045

See note 18 for restricted funds carried forward. Conditions attached are to complete the project, which we expect to do in the forthcoming financial years.

12 Corporation tax

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the charity.

13 Fixed assets: tangible assets

Cost
Disposals
Depreciation
Charge for the year
Net book value
At 31 March 2024
At 31 March 2025
At 31 March 2025
At 1 April 2024
At 31 March 2025
At 1 April 2024		 Fixtures &
fittings
£
500
-
500
500
-
500
-
-		 Computer
equipment
£
5,772
-
5,772
4,929
659
5,588
184
843		 £
6,272
-
Total
6,272
5,429
659
6,088
184
843

29

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

14 Debtors

2025
£
Grants and fees receivable
-
Bad debt provision
-
Prepayments and accrued income
14,710
14,710
15
Cash at bank and in hand
2025
£
Fixed-term deposit accounts
185,000
Deposit accounts
85,435
Cash at bank and on hand
611,335
881,770
16
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2025
£
Trade creditors
1,218
Short term compensated absences (holiday pay)
7,100
Other creditors and accruals
18,122
*
200,000
Deferred income (see note 17)
21,502
Taxation and social security costs
2,167
250,109
Funds repayable to funder		 2024
£
15,000
(10,000)
13,782
18,782
2024
£
100,000
-
558,852
658,852
2024
£
7,456
5,714
59,800
-
37,250
3,372
113,592

17 Deferred income

Deferred income
Deferred grant brought forward
Grant received
Released to income from charitable activities
Deferred grant carried forward		 2025
£
37,250
12,902
(28,650)
21,502		 2024
£
-
37,250
-
37,250

30

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

18 Analysis of movements in restricted funds

Total
Total
Previous
reporting period
Social Prescribing
Network NW
GMCSE Answer
Cancer
VCFSE
Transformation
Programme
VCFSE
Transformation
Programme
VS6
VS6
GMCSE Answer
Cancer
National Lottery
National Lottery
C&M Research
VCFSE Change
Engagement
Workshops
Current reporting
period
C&M Research		 Balance at
1 April
2024
£
629
8,040
-
30,056
18,149
17,637
74,511
Balance
at 1 April
2023
£
-
-
-
-
8,840
-
8,840
 Income
£
101,557
238,758
7,080
73,500
23,650
117,707
562,252
Income
£
15,120
101,001
438,758
56,461
123,303
57,991
792,634		 Expenditure
£
(96,900)
(225,199)
(7,080)
(99,223)
(41,799)
(120,856)
(591,057)
Expenditure
£
(15,120)
(100,372)
(430,718)
(26,405)
(113,994)
(40,354)
(726,963)		 Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Balance at
31 March
2025
£
5,286
21,599
-
4,333
-
14,488
45,706
Balance at
31 March
2024
£
-
629
8,040
30,056
18,149
17,637
74,511

31

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

18 Analysis of movements in restricted funds (cont.)

Name of Description, nature and purposes of the fund
restricted fund
GMCSE Answer Subcontracted from Salford CVS delivery of the GM Cancer Screening
Cancer Engagement service
VCFSE To support the VCFSE role in the transformation of health and care across
Transformation Cheshire and Merseyside
Programme
C&M Research To support VCFSE sector to engage in health and care research, funded
via C&M NHS
VS6 Reaching Communities Lottery Funds held on behalf of the VS6
Partnership in order to support the VCFSE role in shaping the future of
Liverpool City Region
National Lottery Four year funding from the National Lottery Communities Fund to enable
the “VCFSE Sector to influence the Future of the North West" project
Social Prescribing Funding from National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP), via
Network NW Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale CVS, to support VCSE role in Social
Prescribing in North West England

32

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

19 Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds

General fund
Previous
reporting period
Organisational
Development
Designated Funds:
Designated Funds:
Current reporting
period
Organisational
Development
GM Accord
GM Accord
General fund		 Balance
at 1 April
2024
£
383,338
44,453
62,583
490,374
Balance
at 1 April
2023
£
408,430
11,970
-
420,400
 Income
£
22,168
630,209
-
652,377
Income
£
8,780
526,826
-
535,606		 Expenditure
£
65,159
(593,565)
(13,496)
(541,902)
Expenditure
£
28,711
(494,343)
-
(465,632)		 Transfers
£
(49,459)
-
49,459
-
Transfers
£
(62,583)
-
62,583
-		 As at 31
March 2025
£
421,206
81,097
98,546
600,849
As at 31
March
2024
£
383,338
44,453
62,583
490,374

33

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

19 Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds (cont.)

Name of Description, nature and purposes of the fund unrestricted fund

General fund

The free reserves after allowing for all designated funds

Designated Funds: GM Accord The GM VCFSE Accord is a collaboration agreement between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), NHS Greater Manchester, and the Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector, represented by the GM VCFSE Leadership Group. Its purpose is to strengthen partnerships between these sectors to improve outcomes for the communities in Greater Manchester.

Organisational Funding designated by VSNW’s Board for future development and Development sustainability and to support delivery, in line with our priorities, across the North West and the five subregions

20 Analysis of net assets between funds

Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total
Tangible fixed assets
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total
Previous
reporting period
Current reporting
period		 General
fund
£
184
421,022
421,206
General
fund
£
843
445,078
445,921		 Designated
funds
£
-
179,643
179,643
Designated
funds
£
-
44,453
107,036		 Restricted
funds
£
-
45,706
45,706
Restricted
funds
£
-
74,511
74,511		 Total
£
184
646,371
646,555
Total
£
843
564,042
564,885

34

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

21 Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities

Net income/(expenditure) for the year
Adjustments for:
Depreciation charge
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Decrease/(increase) in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Net cash provided by/(used in) operating		 2025
£
81,670
659
(5,476)
4,072
136,517
217,442		 2024
£
135,645
938
-
199,978
47,148
383,709

35

Voluntary Sector North West

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2025 (continued)

22 Prior year Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure account)

Income from:
Charitable activities:
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities:
Total expenditure
Transfer between funds
Net movement in funds for the year
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Net income/(expenditure) for the
year
Net income/(expenditure) before
net gains/(losses) on
investments		 Unrestricted
funds
£
535,606
535,606
465,632
465,632
69,974
69,974
-
69,974
420,400
490,374		 Restricted
funds
£
792,634
792,634
726,963
726,963
65,671
65,671
-
65,671
8,840
74,511		 Total funds
2024
£
1,328,240
1,328,240
1,192,595
1,192,595
135,645
135,645
-
135,645
429,240
564,885		 Total funds
2023
£
600,178
600,178
603,080
603,080
(2,902)
(2,902)
-
(2,902)
432,142
429,240

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

36