Rusr ' INCLUDE INSPIRE INFORM The Ark Trust CIO Trustees, Annual Report and Financial Statements For the Year ended 31" March 2025 Registered Charity No: 1098204
Table of Contents IcKal people with disabilrtÈes and other disadvantaged gFOUPS bec vol- e4eils Independent Support Sup hEI4PJ e•pn Cltlxe ¢harlt) able te ple• volu . Week Intemet Charity Information Trustees, Report 18 Statement of Financial Activities 25 Notes to Financial Statement Glossary Independent Examiner's report
Charity Information Charlty Number. 1098204 Addre TRAK Mill Ride (off Fembank Rd), North AscoL Berkshire. SLS 8JW TRUSTEES Jon Codd (Resigned 23° November 2024) th Tommy Docherty (Resigned 14 November 20241 Hannah Escott {Co-opted IO" April 2025) Stephanie Guest Muriel Hanley John Horbury Simon Kenton (Appointed 2- November 2024) Poge I
Neil McGiffen Isabel Morgan (Appointed 2- November 2024) Antony Robinson {Chair} ZCE Fiobinson Peter Tobin Susannah Tyrrell MANAGEMENT Andrea Mccombie, Chief Executive Independent Examiner Sandra Fogwill, Camberley, Surrey. GU17 OBN Sandra checks the mone we received is spent how we said it was and that we have followed the rules. Page 2
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Trustees, Report Some words in this report might be a little difficult to understand. To help we have added a glossary (list of words and their meanings) at the end of this report. Structure, Governance and Management th Since 25 August 2020 the Ark has been registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation {CIO} - It has. however, been a local charitable organisation for 40 years. The Ark has a constitution. These are the rules that say what the charity does and how it is run. The Trustees delegate responsibility for the day-to-day operations and management of the charity to the Chief Executive. Every year, at the AGM. members can put themselves forward to be elected and appointed to the trustee board. The board can also co-opt (ask people to join) the board during the year if needed. The maximum number oftrustees the charity can have is l2. As a user-led organisation, we work towards 75% of the trustee board being people who could u* the charity's services or access its activities. All trustees give their time for free. Training and support for new trustees is provided and all the trustees must have a DBS check before their appointment is "A finalised. -?RTZk -T, Voting membership of the Ark costs £10 lone-off payment). In the event of the Ark stopping. this membership fee is each member's maximum contribution. Page 4
Risk Management Risk management means that we have thought about things that could affect The Ark and found ways to reduce any possible risk The most serious risks to the charity are: Loss of key staff Loss of key contracts Incident or accident Changes in legislation Mistake or error in the advice or support given Data Security Breach A future pandemic (COVID or other virus) Public Benef it The trustees confirm they have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on the public benefit published by the Charity Commission, and have kept this in mind when planning the services and activitie5 of the charity. Social Value The Ark takes into account the wider economic, social and environmental impact of its actions and. through its Social Value Policy, works towards ensuring these are positive. Page 5
T,1) Night Owls Evening social group Page 6
Fundraising Policy The Ark is a member of the Fundraising Regulator - who provide advice and guidance for charities when raising funds (money). FUNDRAISING REGULATOR The Ark does not pay professional fundraisers, individuals or companies to raise money for the charity. When fundraising or asking for contributions towards activities The Ark is mindful that many people who use its services and attend activites are vulnerable and may also have limited income. DI]NATE The Ark does, when appropriate, raise funds from the public. We also have a donation button on our website. Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge and thank the following groups and organisations for providing funding and other support during the year. Bally Thomas Charitable Trust Lloyds Bank Foundation Berkshire Community Foundation Microsoft Berkshire Primary Care Multiply Fund Bracknell Forest Council NHS England Frimley Health ICS Porgiter Trust Google Tesco, Martins Heron, Bracknell iNet Telecoms Ltd Warfield Parish Council Levelling Up Fund In July 2024 the Mayor of BrackneS1 Forest, Cllr Jenny Penfold, named us as her charity of the year (until May 2025). The charity would also like to acknowledge and thank the individuals who have donated to our work during the year. Page 7
Objectives and Aims The Ark's objectives our purpose, is to: Work with people in the South East of England with disabilities and/or long- term health conditions, with carers of people with disabilities and/or long- term health conditions and with young people who are not in education, employment or training. Support the community and voluntary sector in the area of operation of the charity, for the benefit of the public and to ensure the equality for all people to engage in citizenship. The Ark aims to: Advocate the value of and to enhance the lives of disabled children. young people and adults by providing access to and engagement with creative arts. digital and new media. To use creative arts, digital and new media as a means to inform and offer training to the wider community on disability issues. To provide information, advice and support to voluntary sector groups and individuals. To promote user-led organisation& As well as making sure projects services and activites meet our objectives and aims, it is yfirx important that people who use our services are involved in the planning developement. delivery and evaluation of these too. Page 8
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Volunteers Volunteering gives me a connection to thè local coinrnunity" and makes me feel as though l am contributing to society"_ Peter Our volunteers provide many hours of suppor( not just to us as an organisation. but to the wider community through our HIVE projects. They are an essential part of the Ark team. During the year, our volunteers have: •• transported carried out 162 2,434 people journeys volunteered carrfed out 2,183 1,387 hours at the vaccine centre tasks such as shopping and prescription collectlon Poge 10
Volunteers Our volunteers also help out at our shop Forget-me-Knot, help to run our social groups as well as volunteering at festivals through our Green Machine project. "I got into volunteering as the Ark was there when I was in a dark pla of my life and I wanted to do it as a thankyou, to pay back their support and understanding° Steph he look on people& happy fa5 and the conversotions we hove often turns into loughter and is my main reason and enjoyment of volunteering" _ John "Working in Forget-me-Knot has given me more confidence and I love working with the public° Neil Page li
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Making f riends Many of our groups and sessions involve taking part in activities or learning new skills but, most importantly, are also about making and seeing friends. "When I go on trips with the Ark I get to go to places I wouldn't usually . be oble to get to, travel independent of my parents and family, socialise and meet other people who have disabilities ond I feel safe. included and part of a group. Kate is fantastic, she alwa5 seems totally chilled no matter what people say or dol"_ Isabel Night Owls Evening gioup LUDE INF. PROJEC Page 13
SIGNAL 4 Carers The SIGNAL4Carers project supports unpaid carers, such as family members of people with disabilities or long- term health conditions, in Bracknell Forest. It is mainly funded through a contract with Bracknell Council's Better Care Fund. SIGN 1,031 268 104 carers signed up information sessions dellvered durfng the year careys signposted or r•ferred to other services durlng the year Our Carers Project Worker, Sharon Bowden, was nominated and won The Pride of Bracknell Adult Award in April 2024 Page 74
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Progress on Last Year's Future Plans Work with the Royal Holloway University of London on a research project to evaluate our social activities such as Friday Night Project and Night Owls. This will help us show potential funders the benefits of these groups and activities. We completed the project and it has provided us with valuable evidence of the benefits of our social groups. The project also produced a video which was posted on our Focebook poge. Look at what we are spending our money on to deliver our activities, support, services and projects and to see ifthere are ways we can reduce our costs. We reviewed all of our costs and the companies thot supply our electricity ond other services and made changes to save money. We also had to make the HIVE projects monoger post redundant. Decide if we will tender again for the Carers Support contract (the current contract ends on 31st December 2024). SIGNAL4Carers is supporting more and more people but the contract value has not increased for several years, and may even be reduced next time. We did tender for the contract ond were successful, but we have had to reduce the amount and type ofsupport we can offer as the contrort volue was decreased. Look at ideas to increase Forget-me-Knot's income as it is struggling to meet it's running costs, especially with the increases in the cost of electricity and rent. We had to moke the shop manager post redundant. We closed the shop for 3 months to add o snack bor to increase the income. Look at how we can continue to and increase working in partnership with other organisations and charitie& This could be to share or reduce costs or maybe to apply for funding together. In February, we storted to work with another local charity, The Alice Gough Memorial Homes Trust, and now provide their administr(7tion and support. Page 16
Future plans To seek long-term funding to support the work we do representing our members and beneficiaries on local and regional forums, panels and partnership boards. This funding would also support our independent disability information and advice work With the support of the Lloyds Bank Foundation. recruit a Strategic Financial Friend who will help us develop our long term financial strategy and governance. Develop our websites and online visibility. Poge 17
Statement of Financial Activites Financial Review The financial results for the year met the trustees, expectations. The loss was expected and measures were taken during the year to mitigate this going forward. The prudence of previousyears, financial policy, to build up to the optimum (best) amount of unrestricted reserves, means the charity again enters the next financial year in a strong position to be able to survive any continuing negative financial impacts of the cost of living crisis. Statement of Trustees, Responsibilities The charitys trustees must make sure that the charity keeps a record of the money it gets in and the money it spends. Each year the charity must prepare their accounts and get them audited or examined by someone who is not part of The Ark. This means that someone who knows a lot about money, like an accountant, makes sure the accounts are okay. Poge 78
In preparing these accounts, the trustees follow best practice and: . Select suitable accounting policies and then follow them . Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent . Financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011 The trustees are also responsible for protecting the assets of The Ark Assets means a useful or valuable thing. Under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 the trustees consider that although an audit is not required for this year, an independent examination is needed. Investment Policy The trustees have the power to invest the charitys funds and have made the decision, at this time, to take no risks financially and have placed £85.000 into a l year fixed rate account, which matured at the end of April 2025. In addition to the operational bank account. held with CAF, there is a savings account with Redwood Bank. Remuneration Policy for Staff No employees received em ployee benefits of more than £60,000 for the reporting period. Page 79
Reserves Policy The optimum, or best, level of reserves is based on 6 months turnover (income) minimum and no more than 9 months. Restricted reserves do not count towards this figure. We end this year with unrestricted resenies of 70,002 (which includes an allocation of £55,028 to cover redundancy and wind up costs if the charity was to close suddenly), which puts the charity in a good position going into 2025t26. Restricted Funds Restricted funds are used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor or contrarting party. Expenditure which meets these criteria is charged to the fund together with a fair allocation of management and support Costs. Where funds are not specifically allocated against expenditure in that year the balance is deferred and added to the balance brought forward on the restricted funds. It will be used in future years in line with the restrictions placed by the donor or stipulated in the contract. Particulars of any outstanding Guarantee given by the charity The trustees declare that the charity has given no guarantee vthere potential liability is outstanding at the date of the statement of assets and liabilities other than the restricted funds detailed in the income and expenditure statement and mentioned above. Page 20
Particulars of any Outstanding Debt The trustees declare that the charity has no outstanding debts which are secured by an express charge on any of the assets of the charity at the date of the statement of assets and liabilitie& Financial Outlook 2025f26 will continue to be challenging for many charities, including The Ark. The trustees and CEO will work hard to seek alternative funding to subsidise charitable work streams and to reduce costs. whilst still continuing to support the increased needs of its beneficiarie& The additional support from the Lloyds Bank Foundation will support our long-term planning and development. Ii'.I'i I I,',I zl. Page 21
The Ark Trust CIO Statement of financial activities for the 12 months ended 31" March 2025 Unv•trkted Atstrktsdlutyds T•lllunds Jnd$ 2ty25 Totslfvndy 2024 Lkin81kn7sandle8xwJ 11912 11162 73,W3 Gvarts membevshipsubs Ch8ntabte8CtNfties Iwily, ¥ssion &tdthyl•es Cofflrac¢s 47X 11&565 51.889 51. 49.1 Inreresrincon 2.9 24.045 .1.298 Shop$aies 16.950 117, 127m6 244318 284316 Staff &pmle$5ionalltts ktwty/nd project ddNUy 37.&)I 126Ard 156fi55 115A24 170N63 11.228 12,1))9 212J76 17. 17,867 26,187 Lltlilles&¢ommth)aii k14Vity, 5e5siw & Ib)iidayc05ts Generalo¥etheads&co3ts Equipment&ieprs Tranwjrt &weble¢0$ Aeni. rète$& insurance 201 17.9rJ 17, 5ml 10.320 3.323 12,(&7 11.218 20.%1 22.213 163528 27&161 313fi33 5.159 .31.343 .29.317 N•IlrMfflirfresowc•satlstlli)>I4 Tiansle¥sbelweenlwds SU1$1131*1Hlr¢h2Q25 FdI at31stMarch2025 183M9 21.8 18.786 ,YJ2 4.13) .31.X3 174.122 170XXJ2 Ail(K8ie¢llcoMlted UnailocaltTet 170XA12 Page 22
Where our money comes from £244,818 Donalions Grants Membership tiMty& se55K+n le45 c1r¥¢iS Im¥reinc¢)fflg SKIP Sales How we spend our money £276,161 Stam.. actMty& woieci deknvery • sialf." mana8emeo1n8¢kolle Utilii¢es & communicètstsn Aetiwty & se$sHM costs General Overt3 & costs Eouipment & r¢pair$ Tran5PDrt & vehicle ctsst5 8enl. walB58 in5uraTrGe Although we spent more money than we received in 202412025, it was expected due to the need to complete delivery of projects. Future restricted funding sought must include it's fair share of overhead funding as well as direct delivery costs (full cost recovery) based on rising costs due to the cost of living crisis. We still have healthy reserves: Restricted £4,120, Allocated £55.028, Unrestricted/free E114.974 Total: 74722 Page 25
ealan¢eSheeta5a131st March 2025 2024 Flx•dAsf•ls TanwbleA%sets 18. 22109 Curr•ntAss•ts Debtows 14,976 181.160 16.817 206A14 Cash at bankand in hand Prepaymentsand aCCrd irton 229,6B4 Cr¢dltws Am¢)uni$ lallingdtsowitbin¢J)oye *£erualsand defe• 44.401 Net CIKr8nlAssstessIL8b1Il¢lIs 155A22 183.056 Tol•lAs%ts l¢$sUablUII¢s 174122 206, R•s•ry•$ Unre5tricled lur 114974 130.435 Allocatedlcommktediund 53.184 Restiictedlund TDtsl reserye$ 174122 Page 24
Notesto Financial Statement These are the statements we have to make when we file (send) our accounts to the Charity Commission. They are not easy to read. If you would like to know more soyou can understand them. please contact the Ark office who will arrange for you to have a briefing session. f.asy Basis of preparatlon Basis of accounting The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statements of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS 102), the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from Ist January 2015. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. Going concern These accounts are prepared on a going concern basis; the charity has sufficient resoLJrces and the trustees have no reason to believe that the charity will not continue to operate next year or for the foreseeable future. Change of occounting policy The financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair, view and no changes have been made to the accounting policies adopted. Change to accounting estimates and material errors No changes to accounting estimates have occurred in the reporting period (3.46 FRS 102 SORP) No material prior year errors have been identified in the reporting period (3.47 FRS102 SORP) Page 25
Interest receivable Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable" this is upon notification of the interest paid/payable at the bank. Incom• Recognition of income These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) when: . The charity becomes entitled to the resources It is more likely than not that the charity will receive the resources . The monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability Offsetting There has been no offsetting of assets and liabilities or income and expenses, unless required or permitted by the FRS 102 SORP. Volunteer help The value of any voluntary help received is not included in the accounts but is described in the trustees, annual reporL Expenditure and liabilities Liability recognition Liabilities are reCognid where it is more likely than not that there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to pay out resources and the amount of the obligation can be measured with reasonable certainty. Governance and support costs Support Costs include central functions and have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. K)edundancy costs Redundancy payments of 595 were made during the year. These payments conslsted of statutory redundancy pay and were fully funded from unrestricted reserves at the balance sheet date. Creditors The charity has creditors which are measured at settlement amounts less trade discounts. Page 26
Provisions for liobilities A liability is measured on recognition at its historical cost and then subsequently measured at the best estimate of the amount required to settle the obligation at the reporting date. Debtors Debtors (including trade debtors and loans receivable) are measured on initial recognition at settlement amount after any trade discounts or amount advanced by the charity. Subsequently, they are measured at the cash value or other consideration expected to be received. Tangible fixed assets ft)r use by charity These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year and cost at least £750. They are valued at cost. The depreciation method. other than for vehicles (which uses valuation) is straight line, spread across the assets, useful life taking into account any residual value. AT*0¥Arttr•¥ Poge 27
Taxatlon The charitable status of the organisation has been confirmed by the Inland Revenue. This means that the charity is not liable to corporation tax on its surplus or gains to the extent that they are applied for charitable purposes. Trustees remuneration. expenses and related party transactlons None of the trustees received any remuneration for their role during the year and there were no related party transactions. Trustees are offered reimbursement for travel expenses incurred-to remove any barrier to prevent attendance at meeting Independent Examinoes Report The Sndependent Examiner's report to the Trustees of The Ark Trust CIO is attached to this report. Declaration The trustees declare that they have approved the trustee's report above. Signed on behalf of the charity trustee board by the following trustee Name: Signaturtr. Date: f-1-2oz6 Name: Signature: Date: /1 (kn26 Poge 28
-i ac form hone: 01344 26689 ail: info@theark.or
GLOSSARY Advocate- promote, speak up for. Appointed - chosen to become a trustee. Assurance- been told something to make us confident about what will happen, like a promise. Charities Act 2011- An Act or law that says how charities must be run and how they must operate. Citizenship - people working together to make positive differences to the society in which they live- locally, nationally and globally. Complied- met the requirements. Contract value- How much we get paid for delivering a contract, like SIGNAL4Carers. DBS Check - Disclosure and Barring Service check, is a criminal record check that employersfvolunteer managers can request as part of the recruitment process. Deferred - to put off or delay to a later time. Delegate- to give responsibility and authority to someone. Donor- a person or an organisation that gives money to the charity. Economic, social and environmental impact- how the charity benefits local people financially {money). their community and the environment. Evaluate- to look at how good/bad something is. Express charge- using a large item, such as a building or vehicle you own, to guarantee a debt. Fixed rate- the amount of interest paid/due remains the same for an agreed amount of time. Guarantee-to promise or make a binding agreement. Matures- some savings accounts pay the interest at the end of an agreed amount of time {this is when the account matures) - as long as you haven't taken any money out. Prudence- being careful with money and financial decisions. Public benefit- a legal requirement that the charitys work must benefit the public. R-8us- Bracknell Forest Council's learning disability transport service. Remuneration- How much people {staffj are paid. Reserves- money set aside in case needed or to spend at a future time. Social Value- the positive impact on people and communities. statement of assets and liabilities- this tells us what we have {money, items) and what we owe to others Subsidise- fund/cover the costs of.
Independent examiner's report to tbe trustee5 of 16The Ark Trnst CIO" I report on the financial statements of the company for the year ended 31 March 2025. To the fullest extent pemiitted by law, I do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charily and the charity Irustees as a body, for my work. R¢sp¢¢tive responsibilities of trustees and examiner The trustees are responsible for the preparntion of the accounts. The truslees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination. it is my re5FK)nsibility to: examine the accounts under section 145 of the 201 I A to follow the procedures laid dowi in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5Xb) of the 2011 Act to stale wheiher particular matters have come to my attention Basis of independent examiner's report My examination was carried out in accordance with the generdl directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presentd with ihose records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts. and seeking explanations from you as trustees conceming any sh matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audil and consequently no opinion is given a5 to whether the accounts present a 'tsue a1 fair view. and the rep)rt is limited to those matters set oul in thc 51atement below. Independent ¢xamin¢r's &talemeDt In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: to keep a¢countin8 records in accordance with seclion 130 of the Companies Act 2011 to Ppare Financial Statements which acco with the accounting records. and comply with the accounting requir¢mcnts of the Companies Act 2011. have noi been met; or to whtch, in my opinion. attention should be drdwn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounls to be reached. Name: S Fogwill CGMA 24 Woodville Close. Blackwater. CarnirICy, GU17 OBN Date.. 25 January 2026