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2023-03-31-accounts

REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 04186674 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER:

Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

for

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Page
Report of the Trustees
 1 to 7
Examiners Report
 8
Statement of Financial Statements
 9
Balance Sheet
 10
Notes to the Financial Statements
 11 to 12
Detailed Statement of Financial Activities
 13

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of 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) (effective 1 January 2019).

Governing document

The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Registered Company number

04186674 (England and Wales)

Registered Charity number

1093006

Registered office

The Iona School, 310 Sneinton Dale, Nottingham, NG3 7DN

Trustees

Richard Andrews David Allum Robert Evans Nicholas Jepson Jenny Byrne Carole Luckwell Rebecca Brooksbank (Resigned 31[st] December 2022) James Jones (Resigned 20[th] July 2022)

Company Secretary

Rebecca Brooksbank

Our Vision

Footprints is a Conductive Education Centre based in Nottingham and our purpose is to empower families with disabled children across the East Midlands – our children and families are at the heart of everything we do.

We transform the lives of children and their families through Conductive Education, a holistic education approach developed to help children living with disabilities consciously learn the life skills that come more naturally to others. We create a safe, positive, supportive and fun environment and our skilled team work together with children and families to develop physical, communication, social, self-help and thinking skills.

We have ambitious plans for our charity to grow, to increase and develop the services we provide to children and families, furthering our support and enabling more children to fulfil their potential.

In July 2022, we celebrated our 20-year anniversary of being a charity – we celebrated with our past and present families and reflected on our long history of supporting children living with disabilities and looked ahead to our exciting future.

Page 1

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Structure, Governance and Management

Nature of governing document

The charity is a company limited by guarantee and registered charity. It is operated under the rules of its memorandum and articles of association dated 26 March 2001. As amended by certificate of incorporated on change of name dated 25 April 2018. It has no share capital, and the liability of each member in the event of winding up is limited to £1.

Recruitment and appointment of trustees

Trustee vacancies are advertised on our website and social media platforms, including LinkedIn. Interested parties are asked to complete an application form and provide contact details for references.

Following receipt of the forms, Senior Management meets with the prospective trustee to talk about the organisation and the role they will undertake as a trustee of the charity. They are then invited to observe a Conductive Education session and to meet the team at Footprints.

If the candidate remains interested and has the right skills and attributes to support the charity, one of the current trustees undertakes an informal interview and provides an update to the wider Board of trustees as to their suitability at the next meeting.

The final stage of recruitment of trustees involves the candidate completing a confidentiality agreement and will be invited to observe the next meeting of the Board of Trustees where a formal vote is then taken for the appointment.

Senior Management

The day-to-day operation of the charity is delegated by the trustees to the Business and Charity Manager and the Senior Management Team. During the year ended 31 March 2023, following a comprehensive recruitment process, Stephen Frew was appointed as the Business and Charity Manager in August 2022. Prior to this, Nathalie Bailey-Flitter and Andrea Kelly were employed as the job share manager until April 2022, after which the process to recruit a full-time business manager began.

Our Senior Management Team consists of Erika Juhasz as Head of Service, Josie Park as Head of Income (recruited January 2023) and Claire Clarkson as Head of Communications and PR.

Strengthening our Team

In January 2023, we recruited a Multi-Disciplinary Conductor to our team, someone who previously spent time at our centre as part of their training. This appointment strengthened our Education Team and also provided us with additional resource for our sessions, increasing the number of families we’re able to support.

We also strengthened our fundraising team in January 2023, recruiting for a newly created role, Head of Income and also a Fundraising Manager, to the support side of our team. This investment reflected our need to increase our resource in income generation, supporting our ambition to diversify our fundraising activities and raise funds, to enable us to provide more services.

Placements and Work Experience

We continued to be very open to welcome students to our charity for their placements and work experience, ensuring we followed all relevant processes and due diligence checks beforehand. A placement at our centre provides students with crucial and wide ranging, hands on work experience, and also provides additional resource within our team. One such placement during this period included a Nottingham Trent University student who spent a month with us in March 2023 as part of her Childhood Psychology degree.

Page 2

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Finance Team

In December 2022, we appointed Amos Accounting to manage our day to day financial activity. This change was made to provide more stringent processes and management of our financial accounts, including year-end reporting. This finance team work hand in hand with the charity team and especially our Business and Support Manager.

Our Families and Children

We work with children living with mobility and communication difficulties, supporting babies and children up to the age of 11 years old, with conditions including cerebral palsy and Down Syndrome.

Our services include -

Our Education Team, together with children and families in group sessions, ensure a collaborative partnership working approach, giving families the knowledge, confidence and strength to cope with the disabilities their child lives with and understand how they can help.

During the period of April 2022 to March 2023 we supported an average of 60 children and their families, both in a classroom setting on a weekly basis but also in other crucial ways, including a dedicated key worker, online support group, social events including a Christmas party, and specialised communication channels.

In summer 2022 our BBC Children in Need annual Families survey found that as a result of attending Footprints Conductive Education Centre –

Public Benefit

Parents or carers of children who live with physical disabilities (and who may also have associated difficulties that affect their learning) frequently find it hard to find and are disappointed with the range of treatment, support and educational options available. We provide regular, early intervention support at a time when families may be struggling, feeling isolated or finding it difficult to come to terms with their child’s diagnosis (or often where there is no formal diagnosis).

Page 3

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

At Footprints our families are full participants in the teaching process and are therefore empowered to support their child. Their input is recognised as the most important influence in their child’s development and with our support, helps them feel focused, confident and in control of how they can help their child further to fulfill their potential, improving wellbeing and reducing anxiety and isolation.

We also collaborate and work in liaison with other third parties that the families may need support with. One example of this is supporting the transition to school placements, to both mainstream and special schools. With the ever-growing demand on the Special Educational Needs support in these settings, these connections are hugely important for the continued development of child.

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Grants and Trusts

As a charity, Footprints is funded entirely from Grants and Trusts, fundraising and charity partners.

During this period, we are in the middle of a three-year grant from BBC Children in Need, which provided £34,313 a year. This helps to fund our pre school Conductive Education services, which we provide for babies from six months of age, up until school age. The grant also helps fund our ‘gym club’, for children of school age living with mobility difficulties. These after school sessions enable children to continue to practice their movement and co-ordination skills, socialise and grow in confidence during the oftendifficult transition to mainstream education.

We continue to be supported by the Samworth Trust, a relationship which has been in place for a number of years, and we’re very lucky to have one of the Samworth family as one of our supporters. During this period the Samworth Trust donated £5,000 for the redevelopment and launch of our new website

(launched in April 2023), crucial for the development and growth of our charity to reach new supporters and families in need of our help.

The Jones (1986) Charitable Trust has formed a vital part of our core funding for many years. The £33,750 we received this year was used to support our pre school Conductive Education service, one of our core services.

We received £3,261 in summer 2022 from The National Lottery Community Fund, following a successful grant application for our Transition to School project. This involved creating a transition plan for those reaching school age in September 2023, in conjunction with parents and schools, ensuring all relevant information is transferred about the child's progress and achievement. This project included a transition plan, report, family and school visits.

In July 2022, we were thrilled to be nominated and receive £1,000 from Benefact Group’s Movement for Good awards. This required our supporters to nominate our charity to receive the award.

We are hugely grateful for all of the grants, trusts and donations we received and would like to thank all of our supporters, who enable us to transform the lives and children living with disabilities, and their families.

Patron and Ambassador Network

Richard Whitehead MBE has been Footprints charity patron since 2018 and is a highly engaged advocate of the charity, fully aligned with our purpose and ambition. In Autumn 2021 Richard launched his own charity, The Richard Whitehead Foundation, who we work closely and collaborate with.

We also have a strong and committed network of Champion Ambassadors. These are people who champion our charity and represent us in their daily lives. This includes fundraising activities, making connections, volunteering time and representing Footprints at different events.

Page 4

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

In March 2023, we announced Lucie Gregory as our newest Champion Ambassador. Lucie is one of the parents, who attends our service, so as well as fundraising support, she provides a vital connection to the Footprints Families.

This together with our Support and Education Team, and Board of Trustees, means we have a highly effective network working together towards a common purpose. And in the future, we will look to expand our ambassador network to include Celebrity Ambassadors, increasing our reach, networking and supporter potential.

Charity and Support Partnerships

We work alongside support and charity partners, big and small, to grow and develop our service and every penny contributed to our charity is utilised to transforming our childrens and families lives.

Charity partners during this period included –

In addition, we work in partnership with local support groups, including the Nottinghamshire Down Syndrome Support Group. These types of collaborations mean we are able to support each other, share resources when applicable and are also an important source of referrals to our service.

Fundraising Activities

We continue to be supported by a number of volunteers and fundraisers and we provide charity guidelines to everyone representing us, which ensures they are appropriately supported and in turn follow fundraising guidelines.

During this period, supporters held traditional fundraising activities for us, including bake sales, markets, school fundraising, walking/running challenges and donations.

One of the highlights of our fundraising calendar was in September 2022, when we brought together a team of runners for the Robin Hood Half and Mini Marathon. Based in Nottingham, this event raised just over £9,000, and also saw our Patron Richard Whitehead MBE officially start the race and then run the half marathon, all to support Footprints, increasing our awareness and visibility across our region.

During this period, we also diversified our fundraising activities, launching two new events in March 2023, skydiving at a local airfield and Tough Mudder at Belvoir Castle. These have both proven to be popular and exciting activities and have helped us to reach new supporters.

In June 2022 one of our parents organised and held the annual ‘Footprints Cup’ at a local football club. This event brought together sports people, the Down Syndrome support group and our supporters and raised over £6,000.

Page 5

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

We were thrilled to recruit a team of runners for the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April 2022, a popular event in our fundraising calendar. We supported our team before, during and after the event and the day raised over £7,000 for us.

Finally, we continued to utilise online methods of fundraising which provided a regular source of income. These include the Lotteries (text based launched in March 2023 and traditional online lottery), Amazon Smile (until February 2023) and Give as You Live.

Education and Research

We strive to continue to grow our network and reach our objective of being at the forefront of Conductive Education in the UK. We took part in the worldwide Conductive Education Conference in March 2023 and made the event available to all of the team, either online and in person. One of our Conductors and trained Sleep Practitioner also presented a workshop on sleep hygiene, a muchneeded service which we hope to provide to our families in future months.

We also recognised other events which we are proud to support, including Conductive Education Awareness Week, Down Syndrome Awareness week, Carers Week, World Mental Health Day and Volunteers Week. This enables us to show our support to our families and also strengthens our network, of both supporters, connected organisations and families looking for support.

We proactively support education and research into Conductive Education and childrens’ disabilities and needs. We have close links with the Universities in Nottingham and ensure we support related research and provide relevant information to our families.

In August 2022, we were proud to be registered as a Disability Confident Committed employer, one of the first registrations and partnerships we hope to make.

Major risks and management of those risks

Impact of Covid-19

We were again affected by the post Covid–19 environment in this period, like all charities and businesses.

During the post pandemic period, families found it increasingly hard to access services and found long waiting lists. Importantly our service remained consistent, even throughout lockdown periods.

The pandemic period also continued to affect our fundraising abilities, with initially no face to face events allowed during the lockdown and then a subsequent general unease from the public about attending in person events. Again, we adapted and developed online fundraising platforms, such as raffles and encouraged the use of JustGiving for personal fundraising activities.

Once we were able to return to face to face sessions and events, we worked to and provided stringent covid measures to ensure the safety of our team, volunteers and most importantly our children and families.

Income Generation

As with many charities, we are reliant on income generated from fundraising, public donations and grants and trusts. In light of the continued financial climate and cost of living challenges, we are acutely aware of the reliance on these income streams. The most significant financial risk that we face is that some of the funding ends, putting significant financial pressure on the organisation.

To ensure that this financial risk is mitigated as far as possible, diversifying income streams is one of the main operational objectives within our 2020 – 2025 business plan. We have recently restructured our office team, including recruiting a full time Charity and Business Manager and strengthening and simplifying our Fundraising and Communication team.

We also diversified our fundraising activities and developed plans to make it easier to donate online to us, as one offs, but also encouraging donations on a regular basis, weekly, monthly and annually, providing guaranteed income streams.

Page 6

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Report of the Trustees

for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Covering Base Costs

With the current increase in cost of living for employees, increased gas and electricity and food prices, and the general increase of equipment and resources needed to run the organisation, there is a constant pressure to find more to cover even the basic costs.

To ensure this financial risk is mitigated as far as possible we continuously monitor the actual spend against budget and on a monthly basis we reforecast to the end of the year to allow us to make real time decisions in response to the ever-changing financial situation. This is done in conjunction with our Finance Team, Business and Charity Manager and Board of Trustees.

Personnel Resourcing

We operate in the very specialised and niche area of Conductive Education, which has its roots in a Hungarian practice, with some Conductors therefore studying and qualifying in Hungary and wider Europe. Currently Birmingham City University is the only place you can complete a BA Honours Degree in Conductive Education in the UK, in addition to NICE Conductive College in Birmingham where you can also complete the Multidisciplinary Conductor Course if you already have an Undergraduate degree.

The unique training and profession poses a risk of a skills shortage across all Conductive Education Centres, not just presently but for the future generation of Conductors. This is one of the reasons why we encourage and support placements and work experience at our centre, as we expose new people to the highly effective and fulfilling profession of Conductive Education.

In terms of general team recruitment, as a charity there are always budgetary restraints on the salary or wage for positions, but we continue to invest in our team, both in the Education Team and in our Support Team.

We are committed to provide and support ongoing opportunities for training, skills and professional development. Examples include access to on the job training and workshops, Chartered Institute of Marketing accredited university courses and also supported Masters Degrees. We hope in the near future to provide our charity team and wider access to a suite of online learning and training.

Looking Forward

We are excited for our future, the growth of our charity and in turn the services we provide to children and families across the East Midlands. Our aspirations include -

Approved by order of the board of trustees on ............................................. and signed on its behalf by:

........................................................................ Trustee

Page 7

Footprints Conductive Education Centre Ltd

Independent Examiners Report to the trustees of Footprints Conductive Educations Centre Ltd

The charities trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charities trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the charities act 2011 and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to

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 accounts presented within 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.

In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention;

This gives me reasonable cause to believe that all material respects the requirements below:

Full Name – Lisa Amos

Signature –

Professional Body or qualification – MAAT

Address – 31 West Street, Swadlincote, DE11 9DN

Date - 31/01/2024

Page 8

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM
Donations and legacies 2
43,011
Charitable activities
Charitable Activities 3
21,511
Other trading activities
4
100,026
Investment income
-
Total
164,548
EXPENDITURE ON
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Unrestricted 5
252,682
Restricted
-
Total
252,682
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
(88,134)
RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
348,607
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD
260,473		 Restricted
funds
£
5,000
34,313
-
-
39,313
-
39,313
39,313
-
-
-		 31.3.23
Total
funds
£
48,011
55,824
100,026
-
203,861
252,682
39,313
291,995
(88,134)
348,607
260,473		 31.3.22
Total
funds
£
40,613
62,221
93,020
516
196,370
212,265
29,605
241,870
(45,500)
394,107
348,607

Page 9

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Balance Sheet 31 March 2023

Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
Shawbrook Bank - Building
6
896
-
Cash at bank and in hand
152,328
153,224
CREDITORS
Amounts falling due within one year
7
(13,133)
NET CURRENT ASSETS
140,091
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT
LIABILITIES
140,091
NET ASSETS
140,091
FUNDS
Funds
TOTAL FUNDS		 Restricted
funds
£
-
120,382
-
120,382
-
120,382
120,382
120,382		 31.3.23
Total
funds
£
896
120,382
152,328
273,606
(13,133)
260,473
260,473
260,473
260,473
260,473		 31.3.22
Total
funds
£
2,474
-
369,583
372,057
(23,450)
348,607
348,607
348,607
348,607
348,607

The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 March 2023.

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2023 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for

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

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

............................................. Trustee

Page 10

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of preparing the financial statements

The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) '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) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Income

All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received, and the amount can be measured reliably.

Expenditure

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources.

Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities.

Hire purchase and leasing commitments.

Rentals paid under operating leases are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities on a straight-line basis over the period of the lease.

2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES - Income

DONATIONS AND LEGACIES - Income
Unrestricted Restricted
£ £
Samworth
-		 5,000
The Lady Hind Trust 5,000 -
The Jones 1986 Charitable Trust 33,750 -
Boots Charitable Trust 1,000 -
Lottery 3,261 -

3. CHARITABLE ACTIVIES - Income

CHARITABLE ACTIVIES - Income
Unrestricted Restricted
£ £
BBC Children in Need - 34,313
Activities contributions 21,511 -

Page 11

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 31 March 2023

4. OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES - Income

Unrestricted Restricted Restricted
£ £
Local fundraising and street collection income 100,026
5. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES
Unrestricted Restricted
£ £
Staff Costs 183,395 39,313
Fundraising & communications 8,603 -
IT Costs - 5,357
Office costs 4,456 -
Premises cost 36,591 -
Professional fees 12,064 -
Staff expense 2,215 -
Bank Charges
 1 -
6. DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
31.3.23 31.3.22
£ £
Other debtors - 150
Prepayments 896 2,324
896 2,474
7. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR
31.3.23 31.3.22
£ £
Trade creditors 2,044 1,838
Social security and other taxes 4,964 2,968
Other creditors 6,125 1,794
Accrued expenses - 16,850
13,133 23,450

8. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS

There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 31 March 2023 nor for the year ended 31 March 2022.

Trustees' expenses

There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 31 March 2023 nor for the year ended 31 March 2022.

Page 12

Footprints Conductive Education Centre

Detailed Statement of Financial Activities
for the Year Ended 31 March 2023
31.3.23 31.3.22
£ £
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS
Donations and legacies
Donations 34,313 42,099
Government Grants - 363
Grants from other charities 48,011 39,250
82,324 81,712
Other trading activities
Local Fundraising and street collection income 100,026 93,020
Investment income
Interest Receivable - 516
Charitable activities
Activities contributions 21,511 20,972
Sundry Income - 150
21,511 21,122
Total incoming resources 203,861 196,370
EXPENDITURE
Investment management costs
Wages 222,708 192,604
Charitable activities
Fundraising & Communications 8,603 3,050
IT Costs 5,357 558
Premises Costs 36,591 30,616
Professional Fees 12,064 9,121
Staff Expenses and Training 2,215 169
Office Costs
4,456		 5,751
69,286 49,265
Support costs
Finance
Bank charges 1 1
Total resources expended 291,995 241,870
Net expenditure (88,134) (45,500)

Page 13