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← ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

2025-03-31-accounts

Company no. 04475254 Charity no. 1096449

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report and Audited Financial Statements 31 March 2025

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Reference and administrative details

For the year ended 31 March 2025 For the year ended 31 March 2025
Company number 04475254
Charity number 1096449
Registered office and 40-42 West Street
operational address Leominster
Herefordshire
HR6 8ES
Secretary Mike Cook
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:
Caroline Arthur Chair
John Bradford
Clare Cathcart
Beverlie Davies Resigned 23 January 2025
Jeremy Gray
Judith Haines
Amanda Hamblin
Joy House
Matthew Jones
Paul Scott Appointed 10 October 2024
Jason Stuchbery
Blaise White Treasurer
Johanna Woodall Resigned 5 December 2024
Chief executive officer Mike Cook
Bankers CAF Bank Lloyds bank
25 Kings Hill Avenue Commercial Banking
Kings Hill PO Box 1000
West Malling BX1 1LT
Kent
ME19 4JQ
Auditors Godfrey Wilson Limited
Chartered accountants and statutory auditors
5th Floor Mariner House
62 Prince Street
Bristol
BS1 4QD

1

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

The Trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act) present their annual report together with the financial statements of ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited (the company) for the year ended 31 March 2025.

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 (effective from January 2019).

Since the company qualifies as small under section 383, the strategic report required of medium and large companies under The Companies Act 2006 (Strategic Report and Director's Report) Regulations 2013 is not required.

Objectives and activities

Purposes and aims

Our charity’s purposes as set out in the objects contained in the company’s memorandum of association are:

We want to make a positive difference to the lives of people with disabilities in Herefordshire, supporting them to both feel and be valued members of the community. Our aims fully reflect the purposes that the charity was set up to further.

Ensuring our work delivers our aims

We review our aims, objectives and activities regularly. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help. The review also helps us ensure our aims, objectives and activities remained focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.

The focus of our work

ECHO is a forward-thinking organisation that promotes and delivers services for disabled people in Herefordshire and surrounding areas.

2

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

We have a vision of a society where all people with disabilities are heard, valued, respected and supported to make choices and flourish. To achieve this we have created 7 strategic aims:

How our activities deliver public benefit

Our main activities and whom we try to help are described below. All our charitable activities focus on improving the lives of disabled people in Herefordshire and are undertaken to further our charitable purposes for the public benefit.

Who used and benefited from our services?

Our objects and funding allow us to provide services to residents in Herefordshire and the surrounding area. We currently have 84 members and 110 people attending our day services. In addition, approximately 100 other people access our services on an ad hoc basis. The majority of those who access our day services are funded via Council’s Adult Social Care services either through commissioned service or direct payments. A much smaller group fund their place from their own income or purchase additional services above what the Council support. Leisure and social activities are charged on attendance and fees are set to keep them accessible to those with modest income.

Equal access to our services is an important issue for us. We monitor use of our services by gender, disability, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We believe equal access to our services is vital to our success and that successful outcomes must be shared by all communities that use our services.

3

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

The main areas of our charitable activity and services are separated into four areas:

1. Community activities

Community activities are those where people are receiving a regular service and have a contract in place. These services are funded through personal budgets, social care spot purchases and selffunders. In 2024 we were again successful in tendering to be on the Council community activities framework which runs for four years.

Community Activities continue to be the main area of our business and we run activities 5 days a week. 110 people currently attend our day services, which is the major source of our funding. In total, we provided over 54,264 hours of service during the year. Our contractual services are supported by 46 salaried and 9 relief staff and 146 active volunteers, of whom 43 are supported volunteers.

All our day services aim to support participants to learn new skills, grow in self-confidence and be seen to be actively contributing to the local community. Being seen positively in the community supports individuals to get involved and engage in local community life. By giving back to their community our participants feel valued and grow in confidence.

We are always looking to develop new activities to meet the needs of our participants and 2024 saw the development of our Youth Theatre in Hereford and Sound and Vision Hub in Leominster. Both activities are looking to attract new participants, especially younger people.

2. Leisure and social activities

Leisure, social and other activities are drop in, pay as you go activities, which we support from fees, organisational funds or small grants. Our leisure and social activities are wide ranging, run at a variety of times and priced competitively. We even run a programme of online activities. Through taking part, participants can improve their mental and physical well-being, build friendships and access community activities.

In the last year we have had to increase our leisure and social activity fees to reflect the rises in cost of living and wages, but we have tried to keep prices to a minimum.

3. Volunteer recruitment and support

Volunteers are a vital part of our organisation. Without them, we would not be able to deliver the range and quality of services that we do. Volunteers allow us to work more flexibly, and bring a depth of experiences and backgrounds, which enrich our organisation.

Volunteering benefits everyone. Our participants get to work with a variety of individuals and widen their horizons through the experience and knowledge our volunteers bring. Volunteers working with ECHO have the opportunity to build their own skills and experience and support others, which can help prepare them for employment or other opportunities.

Our Steps to Employment Project has been working hard to assist those with additional needs who are looking for employment to meet their aspirations. We recognise that to be successful in employment support needs to start before a job is applied for and continue after it starts to give people the best chance to succeed. This includes work on CVs and applications and interview skills as well as support to find work placements and employment.

4

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

4. Participant involvement

ECHO believes that disabled people should be able to play an active part in decisions that affect their lives. We therefore have a strong commitment to participant involvement in all aspects of our work.

This commitment is demonstrated throughout the organisation:

Financial review

Principal funding sources

The principal funding sources for the charity are currently grants income (£246,648) and fees income in the form of Commissioned funding from Herefordshire Council, Direct Payments and individual self-funders (£669,087).

ECHO has continued its efforts to diversify income, developing and implementing a fundraising strategy.

Investment policy

ECHO has invested £250,000 of its cash assets to provide income for expenditure on our charitable objectives. The trustees are governed by the memorandum, amended on 10th December 2021, which sets out a general power of investment (section 4(h)). ECHO’s assets are invested in short to medium term deposit accounts.

ECHO seeks to produce the best financial return within an acceptable level of risk. ECHO's investment objective is to maximise investment income for expenditure on its running costs.

No single deposit will exceed the value covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to mitigate risk and protect the investment. The value and income generated from investments is monitored by the finance officer and reviewed annually by the finance subcommittee of the Board of Trustees.

Reserves policy

ECHO reserves are held to help protect the organisation’s sustainability and facilitate development. Our target level of reserves is £338,147. This is the amount needed to meet 6 months’ core salaries and running costs needed to wind the organisation down in a controlled manner as a responsible charity, and non-cancellable debt.

5

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

In 2025/26 we will have the following factors to navigate:

Free reserves stand at £436,000 (2024: £531,481), calculated as the unrestricted funds, less the designated funds and the tangible fixed assets. This is above the current target level, mostly due to the legacy that received later in the year.

The Trustees have agreed that reserves can be spent in 2025 to help secure the purchase of a property for ECHO. Buying a building is a big decision we have been carefully considering for a while. We have however also been successful in securing a significant grant from the Eveson Trust to support the purchase. Reasons we decided to purchase rather than rent included:

It gives more flexibility to adapt and change as we need to.

Due to the current pressures on funding and the wider increases in prices such as utilities, holding increased reserves helps us to ride out this volatile period whilst we look at the longer-term solutions. This includes reviewing structure, costs and income.

The Trustees are committed to reviewing reserve levels alongside the budget for 2025/26 to ensure that they are held at an appropriate level to meet future commitments and that any excess is used to develop the organisation and services.

Fundraising statement

Fundraising is a key to the running and sustainability of ECHO, but we must ensure that this is carried out appropriately. This means transparency in what we do and ensuring that best practice is employed to ensure it is done in a way that protects vulnerable individuals and meets legal requirements.

The majority of our fundraising income is through grants, though we do undertake work to gather donations from businesses and individuals. Calls for donations are predominantly carried out via our web and social media presence. We also undertake a limited amount of community collections which are registered with the appropriate body. The use of any donations are clearly stated in the promotional material , whether this is to support ECHO as a whole or for a particular cause. We also run community fundraising events usually based on ticket sales to take part in an activity. Raffles are registered and run within local authority rules.

ECHO is registered with the fundraising regulator and follows its code of practice as industry standard in all the fundraising that we do. ECHO does not use any external contractors to undertake our fundraising work but work through our own fundraising to team to ensure standards, monitoring their work through supervisions and staffing procedures. Where we use platforms to assist our fundraising activities, we ensure that they meet the standards needed regarding security

6

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

ECHO has received no complaints regarding our fundraising. Any complaints raised would be dealt with via our complaints procedure (available on our website or on request) and reported as necessary.

As a charity working with people with disabilities, we are very careful to ensure that any fundraising we do is designed to protect vulnerable people. This includes the messaging that we use and how and where we advertise our fundraising streams. All our staff are trained in safeguarding and as such have a duty to ensure that they are aware of the risks and signs of financial abuse and report any incidents where there is, or appears to be, any risk of this.

Going concern basis of accounting

The Trustees have considered the impact of this issue on the charity’s current and future financial position. The charity holds unrestricted general reserves of £436,000.

The trustees consider that the charity has sufficient unrestricted reserves and cash flow to continue as a going concern for a period of at least 12 months from the date on which these financial statements are approved. For this reason, the accounts have been prepared on the going concern basis.

Plans for future periods

With a significant deficit last year, the focus in 2025/26 is to move us towards sustainability. The board has therefore agreed a programme of savings and developments to help us do this. This includes reviewing the areas of biggest risk and reducing these.

The key words in 2025 will be Sustainability, Development and Fun. To survive as an organisation, we cannot stay still but need to continue to review and develop activities to keep current and meet the needs of participants now and in the future. Whatever we do, we must maintain the fun and joy that marks out our activities as this is what keeps the organisation fresh and vibrant.

Property will be a key area for ECHO in 2025 with the new building purchase and a need to find a new venue for our Eaton Barn community garden. Both changes offer good opportunities to review how and what we do to make services sustainable now and into the future.

Structure, governance and management

Governing document

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee. 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. In the event of the company being wound up members are required to contribute an amount not exceeding £10.

Recruitment and appointment of board of trustees

The directors of the company are also charity trustees for the purposes of charity law and under the company’s Articles are known as members of the Management Committee. ECHO is required to have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 15 Trustees. Trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting. One third of the Trustees retire each year. The Trustees to retire each year are those who have been Trustees the longest (since their last election). If a Trustee retires by rotation, they may be put forward for re-election.

7

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

All Trustees must be members of ECHO. A member may be appointed Trustee if they are an existing Trustee retiring by rotation; or they are recommended by the other Trustees; or they are nominated in writing by another member. The nomination must be sent to ECHO not less than 14 days, nor more than 35 days before the date of the meeting. The nominated Trustee must also sign to say they are willing to be elected.

The Board seeks to ensure that the participant group is appropriately reflected in the diversity of the Trustee body. The Board actively encourages ECHO participants to consider standing for election and provides a range of advocacy support to meet the needs of individuals putting themselves forward.

Trustee induction and training

All Trustees are given a full induction pack outlining their roles and responsibilities as Trustees and Directors of the company. All Trustees are offered the opportunity to attend external trustee training sessions. Every week we run a Trustee support meeting for participant Trustees or any other Trustees with additional support needs.

To help ensure our board has the skills it needs to guide the organisation we have set up a Trustee Development group to look at issues like recruitment and skills gaps.

Risk management

The Trustees have conducted a review of the major risks to which the charity is exposed. A risk register has been established and is updated regularly and reviewed at least annually. Where appropriate, systems or procedures have been established to mitigate the risks the charity faces.

Internal control risks are minimised by the implementation of procedures for authorisation of all transactions and projects. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with health and safety of staff, volunteers, beneficiaries and visitors. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure that they continue to meet the needs of the charity.

Organisational structure

ECHO has a Board of Trustees who meet every at least every 3 months and are responsible for the strategic direction and policy of the charity. At present, the Board has eleven members from a variety of backgrounds relevant to the work of the charity. The Chief Officer/ Company Secretary also sits on the Committee but has no voting rights. There are currently 4 sub-groups of the board (Finance, HR, Trustee Development, and Quality). All have their own terms of reference and delegated powers.

Day to day responsibility for the running of the charity and its services rests with the Chief Officer and the staff team. The Chief Officer is responsible for ensuring that the charity delivers the services specified and that key outcomes are met.

8

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Report of the trustees

For the year ended 31 March 2025

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The trustees (who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees' report and the financial statements in accordance with 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).

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 charity and of the income and expenditure of the charity for that period. In preparing those financial statements the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and which enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

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.

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £10 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

Independent Examiners

Godfrey Wilson Limited were re-appointed as independent examiners to the charitable company during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

Approved by the trustees on 15 October 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Blaise White - Treasurer

9

Independent auditors' report

To the members of

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited (the 'charity') for the year ended 31 March 2025 which comprise the statement of financial activities, balance sheet, statement of cashflows and the related notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. 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:

have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.

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 charity 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 the provisions available for small entities, in the circumstances set out in note 8 to the financial statements, 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 charity'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 other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information. 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.

10

Independent auditors' report

To the members of

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

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 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.

Opinion 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 the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors’ report included within 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 the trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out in the trustees’ report, 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 charity’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 charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

11

Independent auditors' report

To the members of

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Our 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 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 procedures we carried out and the extent to which they are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, are detailed below:

(1) We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory framework that the charity operates in, and assessed the risk of non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Throughout the audit, we remained alert to possible indications of non-compliance.

(2) We reviewed the charity’s policies and procedures in relation to:

(3) We inspected the minutes of trustee meetings.

(4) We enquired about any non-routine communication with regulators and reviewed any reports made to them.

(5) We reviewed the financial statement disclosures and assessed their compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

(6) We performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected transactions or balances that may indicate a risk of material fraud or error.

(7) We assessed the risk of fraud through management override of controls and carried out procedures to address this risk. Our procedures included: Testing the appropriateness of journal entries;

Testing transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business.

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. Irregularities that arise due to fraud can be even harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.

12

Independent auditors' report

To the members of

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: 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 charity'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 charity'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 charity's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Date: 17 October 2025

Robert Wilson FCA (Senior Statutory Auditor)

For and on behalf of:

GODFREY WILSON LIMITED

Chartered accountants and statutory auditors 5th Floor Mariner House 62 Prince Street Bristol BS1 4QD

13

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Statement of financial activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account)

For the year ended 31 March 2025

Note
Income from:
Donations
3
Charitable activities
4
Other trading activities
5
Investments
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
7
8
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Net income / (expenditure)
Net movement in funds		 Restricted
£
-
246,648
-
-
246,648
-
230,696
230,696
15,952
15,952
96,182
112,134		 Unrestricted
£
34,858
669,087
47,819
15,923
767,687
44,254
818,914
863,168
(95,481)
(95,481)
531,481
436,000		 2025
Total
£
34,858
915,735
47,819
15,923
1,014,335
44,254
1,049,610
1,093,864
(79,529)
(79,529)
627,663
548,134		 Restated
2024
Total
£
83,514
771,674
47,933
12,634
915,755
68,962
899,769
968,731
(52,976)
(52,976)
680,639
627,663

All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in note 15 to the accounts.

Income comparatives have been restated for a prior period adjustment, as set out in note 18 to the accounts.

14

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Balance sheet

As at 31 March 2025

==> picture [453 x 362] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
Restated
2025 2024
Note £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 11 - -
Current assets
Debtors 12 75,280 93,579
Current asset investments 252,091 185,000
Cash at bank and in hand 274,358 376,295
601,729 654,874
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due within 1 year 13 (53,595) (27,211)
Net current assets 548,134 627,663
Net assets 14 548,134 627,663
Funds 15
Restricted funds 112,134 96,182
Unrestricted funds
General funds 436,000 531,481
Total charity funds 548,134 627,663
----- End of picture text -----

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

Approved by the trustees on 15 October 2025 and signed on their behalf by

Blaise White - Treasurer

15

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Statement of cash flows

For the year ended 31 March 2025

Cash used in operating activities:
Net movement in funds
Adjustments for:
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Decrease in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Net cash (used in) operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Dividends, interest and rents from investments
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents in the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year
Represented by:
Current asset investments
Cash at bank and in hand		 2025
£
(79,529)
(15,923)
18,299
26,384
(50,769)
15,923
(34,846)
561,295
526,449
2025
£
252,091
274,358
526,449		 Restated
2024
£
(52,976)
(12,634)
120,925
(11,640)
43,675
12,634
56,309
504,986
561,295
2024
£
185,000
376,295
561,295

The charity has not provided an analysis of changes in net debt as it does not have any long term financing arrangements.

16

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

1. Accounting policies

a) Basis of preparation

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. The registered office address is 40-42 West Street, Leominster, Herefordshire, HR6 8ES.

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities in preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

b) Going concern basis of accounting

The accounts have been prepared on the assumption that the charity is able to continue as a going concern, which the trustees consider appropriate having regard to the current level of unrestricted reserves. There are no material uncertainties about the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

c) Income

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

Income from the 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.

For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the charity is aware that probate has been granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor(s) to the Trust that a distribution will be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the charity has been notified of the executor's intention to make a distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, and the criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.

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 the economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised.

17

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

1. Accounting policies (continued)

d) Donated services and facilities (continued)

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) Funds accounting

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

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

h) Allocation of support and governance costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Governance costs are the costs associated with the governance arrangements of the charity, including the costs of complying with constitutional and statutory requirements and any costs associated with the strategic management of the charity’s activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities based on the proportion of staff cost by each activity as follows:

2025 2024
Raising funds 4.3% 8.2%
Charitable activities 95.7% 91.8%

i) Tangible fixed assets

Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows:

Fixtures and fittings

3 years straight line

j) Stock

Donated items of stock for resale or distribution are not included in the financial statements until they are sold or distributed because the trustees consider it impractical to be able to assess the amount of donated stocks as there are no systems in place which record these items until they are sold and undertaking a stock take would incur undue cost for the charity which far outweigh the benefits.

18

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

1. Accounting policies (continued)

k) 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.

l) Current asset investments

Deposit accounts and other liquid unlisted investments with a maturity date of more than three months from the date of acquisition or opening of the account are deemed to be held for investment and are therefore classified as current asset investments.

m) Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

n) Creditors

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.

o) Financial instruments

The charitable company 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 recognised at amortised cost using the effective interest method.

p) Pension costs

The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for its employees. There are no further liabilities other than that already recognised in the SOFA.

q) Foreign currency transactions

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at rates prevailing at the date of the transaction. Balances denominated in foreign currencies are translated at the rate of exchange prevailing at the year end.

r) Accounting estimates and key judgements

In the application of the charity's accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and underlying assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods if the revision affects both current and future periods.

There are no key sources of estimation uncertainty that have a significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements.

19

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

2. Prior period comparatives: statement of financial activities (restated)

Income from:
Donations
Charitable activities
Other trading activities
Investments
Total income
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
Net income
Transfers between funds
Net movement in funds
3. Income from donations
Donations
Legacies
Total income from donations
Prior period comparative
Donations
Legacies
Total income from donations		 Restricted
£
£
48,771
34,743
125,512
646,162
-
47,933
-
12,634
174,283
741,472
-
68,962
138,704
761,065
138,704
830,027
35,579
(88,555)
16,245
(16,245)
51,824
(104,800)
Restricted
£
£
-
33,753
-
1,105
-
34,858
Restricted
£
£
48,771
34,743
-
-
48,771
34,743
Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Unrestricted		 2024
Total
£
83,514
771,674
47,933
12,634
915,755
68,962
899,769
968,731
(52,976)
-
(52,976)
2025
Total
£
33,753
1,105
34,858
2024
Total
£
83,514
-
83,514

20

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

4. Income from charitable activities

Grants
Fees for activities
Total income from charitable activities
Prior period comparative (restated)
Grants
Fees for activities
Total income from charitable activities
5. Income from other trading activities
Shop, cafe and theatre sales		 Restricted
£
£
246,648
-
-
669,087
246,648
669,087
Restricted
£
£
125,512
51,000
-
595,162
125,512
646,162
2025
Total
£
47,819
Unrestricted
Unrestricted		 2025
Total
£
246,648
669,087
915,735
2024
Total
£
176,512
595,162
771,674
2024
Total
£
47,933

All other trading income in the current and prior period was unrestricted.

6. Government grants

The charitable company received government grant income in the year from Arts Council England, The National Lottery, Herefordshire Council and Leominster Council. The total value of such grants in the period ending 31 March 2025 was £183,516 (2024: £61,453). There were no unfulfilled conditions or contingencies attaching to these grants in either years.

21

==> picture [345 x 699] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 Total £ 855,256 14,272 89,174 43,782 13,056 54,345 977 1,000 20,579 1,423 1,093,864 - 1,093,864
costs £ 180,604 4,431 7,537 29,812 355 14,346 977 - 520 373 238,955 (238,955) -
Support and governance
Charitable activities £ 645,638 9,836 81,637 13,307 12,701 39,700 - - 17,491 621 820,931 228,679 1,049,610
Raising funds £ 29,014 5 - 663 - 299 - 1,000 2,568 429 33,978 10,276 44,254
Total expenditure Staff costs (note 9) Other staff costs Premises Office Equipment Fees & charges Trustee expenses Fundraising expenses Project costs Marketing & promotion Sub-total Allocation of support and governance costs Total expenditure Total governance costs were £8,727 (2024: £3,215)
Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025 7.
----- End of picture text -----

==> picture [334 x 700] intentionally omitted <==

----- Start of picture text -----
2024 Total £ 748,989 13,875 83,539 45,040 8,101 43,769 1,514 1,317 19,463 3,124 968,731 - 968,731
costs £ 192,728 3,428 12,063 28,538 222 3,498 1,514 - 1,723 - 243,714 (243,714) -
Support and governance
Charitable activities £ 510,780 10,397 71,476 16,147 7,879 40,117 - - 16,650 2,536 675,982 223,787 899,769
Raising funds £ 45,481 50 - 355 - 154 - 1,317 1,090 588 49,035 19,927 68,962
Total expenditure (continued) Prior period comparative Staff costs (note 9) Other staff costs Premises Office Equipment Fees & charges Trustee expenses Fundraising expenses Project costs Marketing & promotion Sub-total Allocation of support and governance costs Total expenditure
Notes to the financial statements For the year ended 31 March 2025 7.
----- End of picture text -----

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

8. Net movement in funds

This is stated after charging:

Operating lease payments
Depreciation
Trustees' remuneration
Trustees' reimbursed expenses
Auditors' remuneration (excluding VAT):
Audit
Independent examination		 2025
£
35,838
-
Nil
977
7,750
-		 2024
£
18,266
-
Nil
1,515
-
1,700

During the year, three trustees (2024: two trustees) had expenses reimbursed relating to postage and stationery, and travel.

In common with other charities of our size and nature we use our auditors to assist with the preparation of the financial statements.

9. Staff costs and numbers

Staff costs were as follows:

Salaries and wages
Social security costs
Pension costs
Total staff costs:		 2025
£
783,658
49,767
21,831
855,256		 2024
£
691,856
42,259
14,874
748,989

Relief staff costs are charged to the activity to which they relate.

No employee earned more than £60,000 during the current or prior year. The key management personnel of the charitable company comprise the Trustees, the Chief Executive Officer and the two Deputy Chief Executive Officers. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel were £115,987 (2024: £110,257).

Total redundancy payments in the year were £1,398 (2024: nil).

Average head count 2025
No.
48		 Restated
2024
No.
44

Average head count figures for 2024 have been restated to correct a prior period error.

24

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

10. Taxation

The charity is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for charitable purposes.

Tangible fixed assets Fixtures and
fittings
£
Cost
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 5,399
Depreciation
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 5,399
Net book value
At 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025 -

11. Tangible fixed assets

12. Debtors

Debtors
Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
Other debtors
Creditors : amounts due within 1 year
Trade creditors
Accruals
Deferred Income
Other taxation and social security
Other creditors		 2025
£
61,679
12,098
1,503
75,280
2025
£
25,284
19,209
900
6,996
1,206
53,595		 Restated
2024
£
58,311
31,422
3,846
93,579
2024
£
15,418
6,478
-
-
5,315
27,211

13. Creditors : amounts due within 1 year

25

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

14. Analysis of net assets between funds

Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets at 31 March 2025
Prior period comparative (restated)
Current assets
Current liabilities
Net assets at 31 March 2024
15. Movements in funds
Restricted funds
Eveson Trust
Advocacy Extra
Bailey Thomas
Arts Council
Leisure and Social Activities
Craft Activities
Life Skills Activities
Arts & Media Activities
Total restricted funds
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds
StEP Project (Lottery Community
Fund)
Unrestricted funds		 At 1 April
2024
£
25,000
-
-
1
2,400
2,393
22,082
11,841
32,465
96,182
531,481
531,481
627,663		 £
112,134
-
112,134
£
96,182
-
96,182
Income
£
-
36,463
12,000
40,385
106,869
8,855
19,144
5,761
17,171
246,648
767,687
767,687
1,014,335
Restricted
funds
Restricted
funds		 £
489,595
(53,595)
436,000
£
558,692
(27,211)
531,481
£
(25,000)
(21,948)
(12,000)
(4,833)
(96,701)
(4,486)
(27,076)
(14,079)
(24,573)
(230,696)
(863,168)
(863,168)
(1,093,864)
General
funds
General
funds
Expenditure		 Total
funds
£
601,729
(53,595)
548,134
Total
funds
£
654,874
(27,211)
627,663
£
-
14,515
-
35,553
12,568
6,762
14,150
3,523
25,063
112,134
436,000
436,000
548,134
At 31 March
2025

26

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

15. Movements in funds (continued) Purposes of restricted funds Eveson Trust

Fund to support salary of key staff member.

Advocacy Extra

Funding secures staff hours to support Participants involved in organisational governance.

Bailey Thomas

Fund to support salary of key staff member.

Arts Council

Funding is for the development of a new show by the About Face theatre group.

StEP Project (Lottery Community Fund)

The project is a national lottery community fund supported programme. Supporting individuals as volunteers throughout Echo projects and the community to gain work experience and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Leisure and Social Activities

Funding subsidises a variety of sports and leisure activities from football to music, club nights and yoga.

Craft Activities

Funding supports provision of a range of activities including craft skills, furniture upcycling and horticulture.

Life Skills Activities

Funding enables participants to learn basic skills such as cookery as well as supporting them to volunteer in their local community.

Arts & Media Activities

F unding is used to support the theatre, radio and sound and vision groups run by ECHO .

27

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

15. Movements in funds (continued) Prior period comparative (restated)

Restricted funds
Eveson Trust
Arts Council
Leisure and Social Activities
Craft Activities
Life Skills Activities
Arts & Media Activities
Inclusive Volunteering Project
Total restricted funds
General funds
Total unrestricted funds
Total funds
Unrestricted funds
StEP Project (Lottery Community
Fund)		 At 1 April
2023
£
22,971
3,050
-
-
3,737
4,648
20,293
3,755
58,454
622,185
622,185
680,639		 Income
£
25,000
4,665
54,028
6,857
31,075
14,541
38,117
-
174,283
741,472
741,472
915,755		 £
(22,971)
(7,714)
(51,628)
(4,464)
(12,730)
(7,116)
(25,945)
(19,999)
(152,567)
(816,164)
(816,164)
(968,731)
Expenditure		 £
-
-
-
-
-
(232)
-
16,244
16,012
(16,012)
(16,012)
-
Transfers
between
funds		 £
25,000
1
2,400
2,393
22,082
11,841
32,465
-
96,182
531,481
531,481
627,663
At 31 March
2024

16. Operating lease commitments

The charity had operating leases at the year end with total future minimum lease payments as follows:

Amount falling due:
Within 1 year
Within 1 - 5 years
More than 5 years		 2025
£
41,025
125,000
28,650
194,675		 2024
£
30,372
14,600
-
44,972

17. Related party transactions

There were no related party transactions during the current or prior year.

28

ECHO for Extra Choices in Herefordshire Limited

Notes to the financial statements

For the year ended 31 March 2025

18. Prior period restatement

Prior year funds have been restated due to the identification of grant income for which the charity met entitlement within the year ended 31 March 2024, incorrectly restricted income and expenditure in the year ended 31 March 2024 and the release of designated funds to general funds. The effects of the restatement are set out below:

Opening Funds
As at 1 April 2023 (original)
Restatement of restricted fund
Release of designated funds
As at 1 April 2023 (restated)
Income
Originally stated as at 31 March 2024
Recognise accrued grant income
Release of designated funds
Restatement of restricted fee income
Restated as at 31 March 2024
Expenditure
Originally stated as at 31 March 2024
Restatement of restricted fund
Restatement of restricted project expenditure
Release of designated funds
Restated as at 31 March 2024
Debtors
Originally stated as at 31 March 2024
Recognise accrued grant income
Restated as at 31 March 2024		 Restricted
£
59,245
(791)
-
58,454
Restricted
£
237,656
25,000
-
(88,373)
174,283
Restricted
£
(227,868)
791
74,510
-
(152,567)		 Designated
£
30,756
-
(30,756)
-
Designated
£
253,781
-
(253,781)
-
-
Designated
£
(274,794)
-
-
274,794
-		 £
590,638
791
30,756
622,185
£
399,318
-
253,781
88,373
741,472
£
(466,069)
(791)
(74,510)
(274,794)
(816,164)
Total
£
68,579
25,000
93,579
Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Unrestricted

29