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
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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

11
co

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

Green
Machin
/fyspify¢

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 fa￿5 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

rr,
racknell Forest
H I VE

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 alwa￿5 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

rorqel•me•knlL

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•l*llunds
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$5ionalltts
ktwty/nd project ddNUy
37.&)I
126Ard
156fi55
115A24
170N63
11.228
12,1))9
212J76
17.
17,867
26,187
Lltlilles&¢ommth)*aii
k14Vity, 5e5siw & Ib)iidayc05ts
Generalo¥etheads&co3ts
Equipment&iep*rs
Tranwjrt &web￿le¢0￿$
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•satlstl￿li)>I4
Tiansle¥sbelweenlwds
SU￿1￿$1131*1Hlr¢h2Q25
F￿dI at31stMarch2025
183M9
21.8
18.786
,YJ2
4.13)
.31.X3
174.122
170XXJ2
Ail(K8ie¢llcoMlted
Unailocalt￿Tet
170XA12
Page 22

Where our money comes from £244,818
Donalions
Grants
Membership
tiMty& se55K+n le45
c￿1r¥¢iS
Im¥re*inc¢)fflg
SKIP Sales
How we spend our money £276,161
Stam.. actMty& woieci deknvery • sialf." mana8emeo1n*8¢koll￿e
Utilii¢es & communicètstsn
Aetiwty & se$sHM costs
General Overt￿3￿ & costs
Eouipment & r¢pair$
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 aCCr￿d irton
229,6B4
Cr¢dltws
Am¢)uni$ lallingdtsowitbin¢J)oye
*£erualsand defe￿•￿
44.401
Net CIKr8nlAss￿stessIL8b1Il¢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 reCogni￿d 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¥Art￿tr•¥
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 s￿h 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 a￿1 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 P￿pare 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. Carni￿rICy, GU17 OBN
Date.. 25 January 2026