The Squad Trustees Annual Report 2024-2025
This report is designed to supplement the legal and financial information contained in the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2025 by providing a summary of the activities and achievements of The Squad Club during this period.
Vision and Mission
The Squad’s vision is to create a member-first community that provides empowering social opportunities to enable adults and young people with learning disabilities to live their lives, be included, to have their voice heard and make their own choices. We consistently strive for this by offering inclusive, informal educational and fun social activities for adults and young people with learning disabilities in Merton, where our Members, Volunteers, and Club Leaders together experience opportunities, learn new skills, build confidence and improve mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.
Overview for the year
In 2024, we entered our 31st year of making a difference in the lives of people with learning disabilities. For over three decades, we have provided a fun and social environment where our beneficiaries (known as our ‘Members’) can thrive, learn new skills, and build confidence to reach their full potential. Our commitment to social inclusion and choice has remained at the heart of everything we do, empowering our Members to have a voice and play an active role in both The Squad and their wider communities.
This year, we settled into our new venue in the heart of the local community in Wimbledon, made possible by a transformational grant from Wimbledon Community Foundation. This venue has allowed us to provide a greater breadth of activities, and supported easier outings in the local area, which has had a significant positive impact on our Members and volunteers. The move has not only enhanced our day ‑ to ‑ day delivery but has also opened the door to new partnerships, greater visibility, and a stronger sense of belonging within the community.
This donation also enabled us to recruit an Operations Manager role for the first time in The Squad’s history. As the financial year comes to an end, we have recruited for this role and look forward to our new Operations Manager starting with us in the near future. This donation will transform our work, and provide real sustainability for the organisation and our beneficiaries, so we give our heartfelt thanks to the Wimbledon Community Foundation for providing such pivotal support to us this year.
During this transitional time for The Squad, we have remained focused on generating fundraising revenue through various channels. This has enabled the charity to operate with a stable financial platform for the immediate term, while continuing to deliver valuable services to our members. The Trustees and all of our team continue to work hard to ensure that this can continue and we are looking forward to many successful years ahead.
The charity would not be able to operate without our incredible staff and volunteers, who go above and beyond to ensure our members have a consistently beneficial experience and enjoy every moment of their time with The Squad, and this year has been no exception in this.
2024-25 Activity Report
This year we supported 28 Members in 76 sessions across the year. These sessions were supported by a group of 19 volunteers, who together contributed a total of 1,200 hours to plan and deliver the sessions. We run The Squad through two clubs, the Juniors and the Vets Club that both meet weekly.
Squad Juniors Club
Our Juniors Club is aimed at young people aged 13-25. During this year we ran 38 sessions , with an average of 14 young people attending each session , supported by our Club Leader and a core group of volunteers.
The purpose of the club is to meet the needs of young people and ensure there are activities that they want to be involved and engage with. Sense Charity found that 7 in 10 young people with disabilities suffer from loneliness. The importance of our club nights is seen in the relationships that are developed during our youth club. It extends beyond our Thursday evenings, to friendships in school, meeting on the weekends with parents and having someone to speak to. Knowing they have a strong friendship group at the club is extremely important. Alongside this, it also provides respite support for carers and parents.
This year, Junior Club activities have included a strong focus on Life Skills, Team Building and Health and Wellbeing. Examples include sports and drama workshops, smoothie making and healthy baking, as well as meals and trips out in Wimbledon (including carol singing at Christmas!). These were supported by planning sessions where members set the next term’s agenda, budgeted for the activities and purchased the materials needed. The impact of this has been felt by both Members and volunteers:
“I like the people, I think they are really nice and there’s a wide variety of personality and interests, and I think it does make it more enjoyable that way because it's not multiple versions of myself talking to each other, I get to learn about other people that I probably wouldn't have met or know at all if I didn't come to Squad.” Juniors Club Member, 2024
“I’ve volunteered at The Squad for over 7 years, which is a testament to how much I love it and how important the charity is to me. The best part of The Squad is getting to know the members, their talents, and what they’re passionate about. Volunteering means I’m part of providing a space where they get to decide what they want to do, and where we can hang out and chat about our days, what we’re looking forward to or what we might feel worried about. I’ve learnt so much from The Squad and our members; they have regularly dragged me out of my comfort zone and are the only people who could get me singing Christmas carols loudly and out of tune at a train station!” Volunteer, 2024
Squad Vets Club
The Vets Club is for members aged 25+ and is a well-established and supportive service for its members, which aims to create opportunities for members to socialise in the community and with their peers. The Vets Club had an average of 12 members per session this year, and the activities were tailored to provide a balance of recreational, but also educational and culturally enriching activities, including lots of trips out. These trips included theatre shows, museum trips, music nights and concerts, as well as walks and sessions with local artists!
“Volunteering is, of course, incredibly empowering. It really has broadened my outlook and taught me a lot about myself. I’m naturally quite a reserved person and can feel very nervous in new situations or talking to people I don’t know. In these situations, I now try to channel how I feel at Squad, which helps give me perspective and confidence. When other times of life have felt like a struggle, Squad has been a constant source of energy and positivity. It’s been my London family, where I belong.” Sally - Volunteer
Finances and Governance
The Board of Trustees takes its obligations to responsibly manage our finances very seriously.
During the 2024-25 financial year, our individual donations and event fundraising opportunities continued to perform well. We were less successful in grant fundraising but this will continue to be our focus for 2024-25 as we seek grants to contribute to the long-term financial security of our organisation to help us continue to develop and grow to meet the need for our services within our local community and borough.
Conclusion
The Trustees would also like to formally acknowledge the outstanding contribution of the Club Leaders of the Juniors and Vets Clubs. The Squad simply could not operate without their commitment, energy, and generosity. Our volunteers also play a central role in shaping the welcoming, supportive, and empowering environment that defines The Squad. Through their ‑ dedication, they ensure that every Member enjoys a high quality experience and has opportunities to build confidence, independence, and meaningful connections.
Finally, we would like to thank our Members, whose ideas and energy continue to innovate and improve The Squad each year.
| Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts 1094398 The Squad Club Receipts and payments accounts 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 To For the period from ~~a~~ |
Last year to the nearest £ CC16a _ |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants - Manager & Venue Restricted | - | 17,500 | - | - | - | 17,500 | 17,500 | - | ||||||
| Grants - Junior Restricted | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 14,500 | ||||||
| Grants - Vets Restricted | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Grants - Unrestricted | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1,500 | ||||||
| Membership Subscriptions | 1,900 | - | - | - | - | 1,900 | 1,900 | 1,930 | ||||||
| Donations | 5,656 | - | - | - | - | 5,656 | 5,656 | 3,880 | ||||||
| Giftaid | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Interest Income | 1,054 | 1,054 | 1,054 | 886 | ||||||||||
| Other | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 50 | ||||||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) |
(Gross income for AR)8,610 |
17,500 | - | - | - | 26,110 | 26,110 | 22,746 | ||||||
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). - - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - Total receipts 8,610 17,500 - 26,110 22,746 A3 Payments —__——~~——~~ |
||||||||||||||
| Overheads (Legal, accounting & insurance) |
2,593 | - | - | - | - | 2,593 | 2,593 | 2,650 | ||||||
| Membership & Marketing | 307 | 599 | - | - | - | 906 | 906 | 185 | ||||||
| Rent | - | 4,981 | - | - | - | 4,981 | 4,981 | 2,592 | ||||||
| Salaries - Manager | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Salaries - Vets Club | 7,112 | - | - | - | - | 7,112 | 7,112 | 6,606 | ||||||
| Salaries - Junior Club | 7,112 | - | - | - | 7,112 | 7,112 | 6,605 | |||||||
| Junior Club expenses (incl bus) | - | 3,107 | - | - | - | 3,107 | 3,107 | 2,571 | ||||||
| Vets Club Expenses | 1,256 | - | - | - | - | 1,256 | 1,256 | 1,443 | ||||||
| Other Expenses | 625 | - | - | - | - | 625 | 625 | 720 | ||||||
| **Sub total ** | 11,892 | 15,799 | - | - | - | 27,691 | 27,691 | 23,372 | ||||||
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) - - - - - - - - Sub total - - - - - Total payments 11,892 15,799 - 27,691 23,372 Net of receipts/(payments) - 3,282 1,701 - - 1,581 - 626 A5 Transfers between funds - - - - - A6 Cash funds last year end 29,657 15,840 - 45,497 46,123 Cash funds this year end 26,375 17,541 - 43,916 45,497 ———~~——~~ === — |
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
28/01/2026
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
Renaud Isman Signature Charlotte Peck PAYE/NIC payable CAF Accounts Paypal Petty Cash Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Gift Aid unclaimed Details Details None Details Details None |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 26,275 17,541 100 - - - 26,375 17,541 OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) 714 - - - - Print Name Charlotte Peck Renaud Isman |
Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ - - - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - Current value (optional) - - - - - - - - When due (optional) Date of approval 28-Jan-26 28-Jan-26 |
Guarantees and debt
No guarantees have been given by the Squad Club (CIO), where any potential liability under the guarantee is outstanding at the year end date of 31 March 2025.
No debt is outstanding at the year end date, 31 March 2025, which is owed by The Squad Club (CIO) and which is secured by an express charge on any assets of the CIO.
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
28/01/2026
2