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2021-03-31-accounts

Charity Registration No. 1085218 Company Registration No. 4133566 (England and Wales)

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

DIRECTORS’ REPORT AND UNAUDITED ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Directors Amit Bhagwat
Jef Thompson
David Pringle
Rowena Herbert
Habad Mahmood Khan
Company Secretary Stephen Blackman
Charity number 1085218
Company number 4133566
Registered office Perkin House
Grattan Road
Bradford
West Yorkshire
BD1 2LU
Independent examiner Kevin J Meddings MAAT
Stuart B Lodge & Co
Chartered Accountants
44 Bradford Road
Idle
Bradford
West Yorkshire
BD10 9PE
Bankers Unity Trust Bank
Nine Brindleyplace
Birmingham
B1 2HB

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

CONTENTS

Page
Directors’ report 1 – 4
Independent examiners’ report 5
Statement of financial activities 6
Balance sheet 7
Statement of cashflows 8
Notes to the accounts 9 – 14

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

DIRECTORS’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

The directors present their report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2021.

The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the accounts and comply with the charity’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and the Charities Act 2011.

Structure, governance and management

The company is a company limited by guarantee and was registered as a charity on 1 April 2001.

The directors who served during the year were:-

Amit Bhagwat Jef Thompson David Pringle Rowena Herbert Habad Mahmood Khan

None of the directors has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the directors are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £1 in the event of a winding up.

The directors have examined the major strategic business and operational risks which the charity faces and confirm that systems have been established to enable regular reports to be produced so that the necessary steps can be taken to lessen these risks.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purpose of charity law. They are responsible for the overall governance of the organisation, for determining policy and ensuring that policy is implemented by its staff and volunteers.

The Board is made up of between 3 and 14 members for a term of three years. They can be reappointed at the end of the term. The skills mix and needs of the Board are kept under review on an annual cycle and the cycle of board appointments is run with due regard to these needs. Board members may claim reasonable expenses incurred in attending meetings and carrying out duties but receive no remuneration. The Board usually includes three designated honorary officers – Chair, Deputy Chair and Treasurer. The charity makes every effort to identify its trustees, including these honorary officers, through a skills/merit based open process. The role of a designated Treasurer has been vacant since resignation of previous treasurer in early 2020. Following discussions at the next board meeting and subsequent Covid-19 lockdown, we are engaged in a treasurer appointment process.

Objectives and activities

The charity’s objects are “to promote voluntary work and to advance the education of the volunteers by providing advice, information and assistance where appropriate”, and its activities include:-

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

DIRECTORS’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

The work is primarily carried out in Bradford North, Bradford South, Bradford West and Shipley Constituencies of the Bradford Metropolitan District. We work in partnership with Action Point (previously known as Keighley Volunteer Centre) that covers the Keighley constituencies.

In setting our objectives and planning our activities the trustees have given serious consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular the advancement of health, well-being, education and citizenship.

Achievements and performance

Volunteer Centres are charities that provide support and expertise within the local community, to potential volunteers, existing volunteers and organisations that involve volunteers. Volunteer Centres also provide brokerage services to help the general public find volunteer roles. Our charity Volunteering Bradford is successfully quality accredited as a Volunteer Centre which demonstrates the high quality of the service provided. We deliver our services under the “Volunteer Centre” branding. The success of Volunteer Centres can be measured in a number of ways but in particular by the number of people going on to volunteer in local community groups. We use our new bespoke digital volunteering platform to broker volunteers through online as well as face to face methods. The Volunteer Centre in Bradford works to promote volunteering to the general public and to support local voluntary and community organisations in the district. It is both a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. The Charity’s objects are "to promote voluntary work and to advance the education of the volunteers by providing advice, information and assistance where appropriate."

The Volunteer Centre provides information to encourage as many people as possible to volunteer. It acts as a central recruiting agency to help volunteers to find appropriate placements in voluntary, charitable and statutory agencies. It promotes good practice amongst those working with volunteers, and advocates the rights and responsibilities of volunteers. It promotes volunteering as a valuable and integral part of society that deserves support and recognition. It provides advice, information, support and training to volunteers; develops and supports others in the development of appropriate new voluntary opportunities which can help fulfill local and community needs.

To recruit volunteers the Bradford Volunteer Centre uses several methods including our new digital platform www.volunteerbradforddistrict.org, face to face brokerage weekly at the Volunteer Centre and at outreach and community events, weekly eBulletins to our mailing list members and extensively via our social media channels. We change lives by supporting people into volunteering roles. Our new digital platform is a joint initiative with our partners at Action Point Community Services (formerly Keighley Volunteer Centre).

During the pandemic and subsequent lockdown we worked in partnership with the local authority and our infrastructure partners to recruit over 2000 volunteers to support community initiatives, provide services to isolated individuals and communities, facilitate food/school meal distribution; developed a letter-based pen-friend scheme to offer support to residents of care homes (Link Up Letters); recruited and trained 100’s of community support volunteers to encourage home-testing and promote key safety messages around COVID-19. We have developed a COVID-19 handbook for volunteer managers and volunteers which was recognised by the national council (NCVO) as being an exemplar of good practice when volunteering under pandemic restrictions.

In February we promoted the 10[th] Annual Community Stars Awards. The honours are organised by the local newspaper (Telegraph & Argus), the Volunteer Centre and Bradford Council to ensure hard-working volunteers are rewarded for their efforts in their neighbourhoods. Sadly this year for the first time this was a purely virtual event. We are also the Voluntary Sector lead for the District’s People Can Make a Difference campaign that recognises the fantastic voluntary work already being carried out and through events and activities encourages people to take part, help others and make a difference. We do this through our workshops and Drop In’s at a variety of community settings across the district. However, this work has been entirely virtual over the past year.

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

DIRECTORS’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

We have developed an ‘assisted volunteering project’ to support adults with additional needs to access volunteer opportunities via a tailored support package. This is a pilot project (initially for 18 months) funded via our reserves. A member of staff has been recruited, processes and publicity have been developed and produced. However, the launch and development of this new project have been curtailed by the ongoing pandemic.

We are working in partnership with our local Clinical Commissioning Group to support and train a group of young people to access volunteer roles within healthcare settings. The development of this project has been initially curtailed by the ongoing pandemic. However, the project developed a health champion remit and the young people were supported to develop and design key messages/social media content relevant to young people around COVID-19 and maintain good mental health.

We remain a Community Beacon, from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), one of 26 Beacons in England and Wales. We achieved this through our progressive work in engaging volunteers. Having gained this status, we will progress the ethos of engaged social action through becoming a Community Beacon. This status represents a new movement in the charity sector- a move away from the asset based community engagement in which our role is to empower organisations and groups to be agents for change.

Our volunteering quality mark was launched to acknowledge the work of community organisations in the District. It has been developed by the Volunteer Managers Forum and is linked to the People Can Make A Difference Campaign. To date 29 organisations have successfully completed the quality assured process and been awarded the mark/certificate.

We have always been supporters of inclusion and promoters of diversity and have included protected characteristics among both our staff and board members, including disabled people. In May 2017 we also became a “Disability Confident Employer”. We renew this commitment annually.

We have successfully relocated to an alternative, accessible city-centre location after vacating our longstanding offices at Sunbridge Road due to the impending sale of the building.

Financial Review

In this financial year the Centre incurred a deficit of £10,962 (2020: surplus of £11,561). There was a deficit of £18,075 in respect of the core activities of the Centre. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we were unable to run our ‘CHOICE’ Supported Volunteering Service and it was decided that the money that had been set aside for this project could be utilised to maintain existing services following the reduction in our funding from the local council. As a result a transfer of £18,269 was made which has protected our unrestricted reserves.

Two restricted funds were run in the year and these are referenced in detail on pages 13 and 14 of these accounts. There remains £7,113 in respect of these projects which is committed to be spent in the 2021/22 financial year.

Total reserves of the Centre at 31 March 2021 amounted to £221,664 (2020: £236,226). Of this £214,551 is unrestricted and can be spent on any charitable aspect of the Centre.

Reserves Policy

Our reserves policy remains at maintaining at least a minimum of three months running costs. Which given the expected and continued cuts in public funding is considered by the directors to be prudent.

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

DIRECTORS’ REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Public Benefit

Over 2000 local people have been recruited and supported into volunteering roles to combat the effects of the pandemic across the Bradford District. We have coordinated the work of the 5 volunteering hubs across the district ensuring that volunteers can volunteer safely and effectively and make a real difference to their communities.

Plans for the future

As we move out of lock-down we will relaunch our assisted volunteering service: continue to develop our innovative work with Bradford City of Sanctuary encouraging refugees and asylum seekers to volunteer;

seek funding for the continued development of our ‘Link-Up Letters’ project – offering much needed support to care home residents;

seek to re-establish ourselves in the community by offering accessible outreach sessions; continue to develop our young people’s participation project in partnership with the CCG providing a pathway into volunteering in healthcare settings for young people;

develop and promote our new online database of volunteer opportunities to increase the profile of volunteering across the district.

Statement of Trustees Responsibilities

The directors of Volunteering Bradford are responsible for preparing the Directors’ Annual report and accounts in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the directors to prepare accounts for each financial year. Under company law the directors must not approve the accounts unless they are satisfied that they 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 accounts the directors are required to:-

The directors are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and disseminator of accounts may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

The directors are responsible for maintaining proper accounting records which disclose at anytime the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the accounts 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.

On behalf of the board of directors

Director Jef Thompson

Dated: 30 July 2021

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE DIRECTORS OF VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2021, which are set out on pages 6 to 14.

Respective responsibilities of Directors and Examiner

The directors, who also act as trustees for the charitable activities of Volunteering Bradford are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The directors consider that an audit is not required for this year under Section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011, (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination it is my responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiner’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 charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of 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:

Kevin J Meddings MAAT Stuart B Lodge & Co Chartered Accountants 44 Bradford Road Idle Bradford West Yorkshire

BD10 9PE

Dated: 30 July 2021

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
Notes
£
£
Income
Incoming resources from charitable activities
2
68,068
8,922
Total income
68,068
8,922
Expenditure
Charitable activities
3
86,143
1,809
Total expenditure
86,143
1,809
Net (expenditure)/income for the year/
Net movement in funds before transfers
(18,075)
7,113
Transfers between funds
18,269
(18,269)
Net (expenditure)/income for the year/
Net amendments in funds after transfers
194
(11,156)
Total funds brought forward
214,357
18,269
Total funds carried forward
214,551
7,113		 Total
2021
£
76,990
76,990
87,952
87,952
(10,962)
-
(10,962)
232,626
221,664		 Total
2020
£
87,894
87,894
76,333
76,333
11,561
-
11,561
221,065
232,626

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 MARCH 2021

Unrestricted
Restricted
funds
funds
Notes
£
£
Fixed Assets
Tangible assets
6
762
-
Current Assets
Debtors
7
-
-
Cash at bank and in hand
219,021
7,113
Total Current Assets
219,021
7,113
Total Assets
219,783
7,113
Creditors: Amounts Falling Due
Within One Year
8
(5,232)
-
Total Assets less Current Liabilities
214,551
7,113
The Funds of the Charity
Unrestricted funds
214,551
-
Restricted funds
10
-
7,113
Total Charity Funds
214,551
7,113		 2021
Total
funds
£
762
-
226,134
226,134
226,896
(5,232)
221,664
214,551
7,113
221,664		 2020
Total
funds
£
1,016
26,739
211,852
238,591
239,607
(6,981)
232,626
214,357
18,269
232,626

The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 March 2021. No member of the company has deposited a notice, pursuant to section 476, requiring an audit of those accounts.

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for ensuring that the company keeps accounting records which comply with section 386 of the Act and for preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company as at the end of the financial year and of its incoming resources and application of resources , including its income and expenditure, for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of section 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to accounts, so far as applicable to the company.

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

The accounts were approved by the Board on 30 July 2021

Director Jef Thompson

Company Registration No. 4133566

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

STATEMENT OF CASHFLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Notes
Cash used in operating activities
11
Cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Total cash equivalents at the end of the year		 2021
£
14,282
211,852
226,134		 2020
£
(6,961)
218,813
211,852

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

1. Accounting policies

1.1 Basis of preparation

The accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

The accounts are prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities; Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) published on 16 July 2014, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS102) the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 1 January 2015.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS102.

Having considered future planned activities and the reserves available to the charity, the trustees are satisfied that the financial statements should continue to be prepared on the going concern basis.

1.2 Incoming resources

Core funding grants are credited to the income and expenditure account as and when receivable.

Revenue grants for specific projects are credited to the income and expenditure account as and when receivable and unspent amounts are carried forward as part of the restricted funds in the balance sheet. Income may be deferred if it is received in advance of the period to which it relates.

Donations and other income are credited to the income and expenditure account as and when receivable.

1.3 Resources expended

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be recovered and is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates.

Charitable expenditure comprises, those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for beneficiaries. These include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity.

All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories on the Statement of Financial Activities on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource.

1.4 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

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

Office equipment 25% reducing balance Fixtures and fittings 25% reducing balance

It is the policy of the charity to only capitalise individual items costing £1,000 or more.

1.5 Accumulated funds

Restricted funds subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and use of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the accounts. Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees.

1.6 Pensions

The pension costs charged in the accounts represents contributions payable by the company.

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

2. Incoming resources from charitable activities

Grant receivable from Bradford MDC
Give Bradford Grant
NHS Bradford District CCG – Youth Volunteering Support
National Association for Voluntary and Community Action – VCSEP Grant
Miscellaneous donations
Other income
Integrated Volunteer Project interview
Training		 2021
£
63,942
5,322
3,600
3,000
130
996
-
-
76,990		 2020
£
83,965
-
-
-
440
739
1,650
1,100
87,894

3. Charitable activities

Salaries
Recruitment costs
Secondment costs
Payroll charges
Pension costs
Insurances
Repairs and equipment
Removal costs
Rent and rates
Training costs
Travelling costs
Telephones, mobiles and related systems
Information technology
Website incentive
Postage and stationery
Miscellaneous
Independent examination fees
Management committee expenses
Legal and professional fees
Depreciation – office equipment
Events/recognition
Volunteer recruitment
Volunteer expenses
Publicity
Bank charges
 2021
£
61,442
12
3,553
412
2,867
617
4,355
-
8,250
25
-
2,158
-
350
205
81
996
347
377
254
337
-
1,242
-
72
87,952		 2020
£
49,211
60
6,146
361
2,124
595
175
756
4,946
20
158
2,112
650
-
1,113
60
972
304
103
339
2,319
325
-
3,412
72
76,333

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

4. Directors

None of the directors (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration during the year (2020 £nil). Payments made in respect of expenses incurred by or on behalf of the directors amounted to £347 (2020 - £304).

We can confirm that there are no related party transactions that require disclosure in the accounts (2020: none).

5. Employees

Number of employees

The average number of employees during the year was:

Staff
Employment costs
Wages and salaries
Employers national insurance
Other pension costs
Secondment costs

 2021
4
2021
£
61,058
384
2,867
3,553
67,862		 2020
3
2020
£
48,328
883
2,124
6,146
57,481

There were no employees whose annual emoluments were £60,000 or more.

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

6.
Tangible fixed assets
Office
equipment
£
Cost
At 1 April 2020 and 31 March 2021
40,395
Depreciation
At 1 April 2020
39,379
Charge for the year
254
At 31 March 2021
39,633
Net Book Value
At 31 March 2021
762
At 31 March 2020
1,016
7.
Debtors
2021
£
Trade debtors
-
8.
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2021
£
Creditors and Accruals
5,232
PAYE/national insurance
-
Deferred income
-
5,232
9.
Pension and other post-retirement benefit commitments
2021
£
Defined contribution
Contributions payable by the company for the year
2,867		 Total
£
40,395
39,379
254
39,633
762
1,016
2020
£
26,739
2020
£
2,378
1,003
3,600
6,981
2020
£
2,124

At the end of the financial year 4 employees were in the scheme (2020: 3).

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

10. Restricted funds

Movement in funds Movement in funds
Balance at Income Resources Transfer Balance at
1 April 2020 Resources Expended between 31 March 2021
funds
£ £ £ £
“CHOICE” Supported
Volunteering Service 18,269 - - (18,269) -
Give Bradford Grant - 5,322 (350) - 4,972
NHS Bradford District CCG –
Youth Volunteering Support
-		 3,600 (1,459) - 2,141
18,269 8,922 (1,809) (18,269) 7,113

“Choice” Supported Volunteering Service

Funding to enable people with support needs (mental health/physical impairments) to access/maintain quality, meaningful volunteering through the recruitment and training of volunteer support assistants (VSAs)

The core objectives are:

Give Bradford Grant

Currently Bradford’s volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations use several different methods to access information in relation to volunteering, some of which is out-of-date or inaccurate.

We are seeking to develop a ‘public-facing’ integrated volunteering database which serves the needs of Bradford’s diverse communities and volunteer-involving organisations. We would offer functionality enabling members of the public to quickly/easily identify their ideal volunteer role; enable volunteers with specialist skills to link up with organisations who have those specific needs; offer a simple registration process so that people can register to support volunteer efforts in future emergency situations (building on our experience of recruiting volunteers during the pandemic); provide a sophisticated, intuitive search function which would allow local volunteers and organisations to easily find appropriate roles / volunteers whilst working within GDPR guidelines.

The database will allow social action groups to quickly and easily arrange/promote and recruit volunteers for events; have a noticeboard function allowing administrators for example, to highlight organisations who had urgent and immediate needs or focus on volunteers who have specialist, sought-after skills.

The database will have a reminder update, quality checking function enabling volunteers to be assured that the roles they are applying for are genuine volunteer opportunities that are relevant, current, safe and comply with current legislation in relation to volunteering.

NHS Bradford District CCG – Youth Volunteering Support

CCGs have hosted an internship over the last few months to establish a youth volunteering hub, to encourage young people into NHS volunteering roles. Volunteering Bradford will provide ongoing support and development for the Young People Can group on behalf of the CCGs.

VOLUNTEERING BRADFORD

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS (CONTINUED) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2021

Funding of £3,600 has been agreed based on estimated costs and planned activity for the first year, this will be paid to Volunteering Bradford on receipt of invoice. Any additional or future resource requirement will be agreed between Volunteering Bradford and the CCG as required.

Objectives:

Promote volunteering in health to young people from a range of diverse backgrounds, particularly those who might not have considered volunteering before.

Keep young people actively engaged in the sessions and conduct meaningful sessions that are shaped to support the young people’s needs.

Develop the skills and confidence of young people, to help them into other opportunities.

Activity:

Arrange and run monthly meetings of the Young People Can group.

Promote the Young People Can group in partnership with CCG colleagues.

Liaise with CCG and other health colleagues to identify short and long term volunteering opportunities.

Manage contact details, reference and other checks, and maintain appropriate records in line with Volunteering Bradford policy & practice.

Ensure young people are given appropriate training and development opportunities, and where necessary comply with CCG policy and practice.

Provide individual and group support and supervision to volunteers.

Reimburse young people for out of pocket expenses.

11. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cashflow from operating activities

2021 2020
£ £
Net movement in funds (10,962) 11,561
Add back depreciation charge 254 339
Decrease/(increase) in debtors 26,739 (21,939)
(Decrease)/increase in creditors (1,749) 3,078
14,282 (6,961)