2024-08-31-accounts

Wipe Your Tears Charity No: 1103897

Year Ended 31 August 2024

Report and Accounts

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Full Charity name Wipe Your Tears Chief Executive Wendy Hutchins Trustees Mark Foster (appointed 12 October 2017) Paul Hutchins (appointed 12 October 2017) Kathryn Worthington (appointed 12 March 2018 Offices 1[st] Floor Office, Healthcall House 25 Bolton Road, Salford M6 7HL Contact 08433 082 898 [e-mail] Website www.wipeyourtears.org.uk Bankers CAF Bank (Part of Charities Aid Foundation) Independent examiner Mr D A McCormick Perdata Limited 16 Brookfield Drive Worsley Manchester M28 1JY

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Wipe Your Tears Annual Report Year Ending 31 August 2024

Structure and governance

Wipe Your Tears was registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales (Charity No: 1103897) as an Unincorporated Charity on 24 May 2004 with a governing document in the form of a constitution adopted 20 April 2004 (since amended 4 October 2018).

The Charity is run by a Chief Executive and a Board of Trustees, who meet no less frequently than quarterly. Trustees are appointed by majority vote of the existing Trustees.

All Trustees and staff have been DBS checked.

Objectives

The objectives of the Charity are:

1. To provide support and assistance to seriously and terminally ill children and their families or carers.

2. To advance the understanding of the wider public in the needs of seriously and terminally ill children, and their families or carers.

3. To provide support and assistance to child victims of domestic violence in need, hardship, or distress.

4. To provide support and assistance to children and families who are in need, hardship, or distress.

Activities

During the year, we have focussed on:

Providing advice and significant practical support to a targeted number of children and their families, where the children are seriously or terminally ill. Providing small gifts to many children in sometimes desperate situations. Building up a financial reserve to enable us to respond quickly to a newly identified need.

Working to ensure we have continuing means of funding;

Seeking support from a range of grant-making

foundations; Improving our internal systems and controls.

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Promoting the name and objectives of the Charity.

Providing significant practical support to a targeted number of children and their families where hardship and/or distress was identified.

The nature of our practical support has ranged from providing “cuddle bags” for children affected by domestic violence to providing life-enhancing medical equipment for seriously ill children.

Here are a couple of examples of our work:

Ethan and Bailey – 16 & 14 years old

Humankind received a referral for Ethan and Bailey who lost their Father and Mother within a couple of years of each other; therefore, Ethan took over the care of Bailey who has severe autism and attends a special school, Ethan quickly had to step up to care for his brother very suddenly.

Ethan had to give up college and is not able to work because Bailey needs a lot of care and supervision, Humankind worked with the family on lots of areas of need and identified that they were in financial difficulty.

Christmas was looming and Humankind referred to Wipe Your Tears Charity for any financial help towards Ethan and Bailey’s wellbeing.

Wipe your tears provided monitors for gaming and schoolwork, a cash gift and an Asda gift card, Ethan and Bailey were forever grateful as were Humankind, if this was unable to happen the family would have really struggled significantly, Wipe Your Tears were able to make this happen enabling Ethan and Bailey to have a Christmas which they had struggled with since the passing of their mother.

Ethan and Bailey and myself cannot thank Wipe Your Tears enough for the lovely kind gesture, such a brilliant well needed charity.

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Children in Domestic Violence situations

These children arrive at a refuge with mum or dad who have been abused and as a child in this unforeseen circumstance they often arrive with little or no personal belongings of their own. It is difficult to imagine how a child may feel in this situation, leaving everything they have been familiar, comfortable, and safe with behind. We are confident that - like us - many people would endeavour to help make a very sad time a little bit happier, helping each child to gain some confidence and the hope that life will get better.

We offer support all year round with ‘Project Cuddle Bags’ helping to give these children some comfort in difficult times.

In addition, Christmas time sees our annual Toy Appeal ensure that each child has a gift to open on the 25[th] of December.

Wendy Hutchins

27[th] May 2025

Chief Executive

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Chief Executive & Trustees of Wipe Your Tears

I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 August 2023 which are set out on page 6

Respective responsibilities of the Chief Executive, Trustees and Examiner

The Chief Executive and Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts, and they have elected to prepare them on a receipts and payments basis under Section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charities Act).

Further, because the income reported in the accounts falls within the relevant band specified by legislation, the Chief Executive and Trustees have elected for Independent Examination under section 145(1) of the Charities Act

My responsibilities, inter alia, as Independent Examiner are to:

Check accounting records are kept to the required standard

Check that the accounts are consistent with the accounting records Compare the trustees’ annual report with the accounts

Report on matters of material significance

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that, in any material respect:

accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act or

the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.

I have no concerns and have come across no matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

D A McCormick

D A McCormick Perdata Limited 16 Brookfield Drive Worsley Manchester M28 1JY

2 June 2025

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Statement of Financial Activities Year Ending 31 August 2024

		Unrestricted	Restricted		Total	Total
	from:				01 Sep 23	01 Sep 22
Notes	to:				31 Aug 24	31 Aug 23
Income
donations		125,281			125,281	116,732
fundraising events		2,415			2,415	4,583
grants						3,160
		24			24
investment income						24
	Total	127,720			127,720	124,499
Expenditure
charitable		69,069			69,069	78,498
activities		(2,203)			(2,203)	1,614
cost of fundraising events		15,680			15,680	16,021
cost of generating income		38,610			38,610	27,867
administration	Total	121,129			121,129	124,004
	Net Income	6,591		6,591		496
Assets and Liabilities
cash at bank at end of period		5,499			5,499	4,041
donations in kind at end of period		370			370	370

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Notes to the Accounts

1. The Accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis in accordance with Section 133 of the Charities Act 2011.

2. There were no restricted or endowment funds.

3. In addition to the total donations figure were donations in kind (e.g., toys) which are given to the Charity for onward transmission to children and families in need. During the course of the year £9,145 was donated in this way (2024 £3,015), of which £9,145 (2024 £3,995) was distributed within in the year (leaving a balance of £370 (2024 £370) for future distribution).

4. The cost of staff time has been allocated across the following areas of activity based on an estimate of the actual time expended: charitable activities, cost of generating income, administration.

5. In addition to the allocated staff time, administration includes all other indirect costs such as rent, office costs, insurance, and accountancy.

6. The Charity has some office equipment of minimal value and no liabilities other than a small amount of monthly PAYE.

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