Link Age Southwark Communities supporting older people (A Company Limited by Guarantee) Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 March 2023 Company Registration Number: 05189161 Charity Registration Number: 1105923 Page Legal and Administrative Information Report of the Trustees Report of the Independent Examiner 13 Statement of Financial Activities 14 Balance Sheet 15 Statement of Cash Flow 16 Notes to the Financial Statements 17 Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31st March 2023 Legal and Administrative Information Trustees Caroline Havers (Chairl Adrian Greenwood IDeputy Chair & Company Secretary) Stephen Henden ITreasurerl Susan Sternglass Noble Rebecca Torry Dr Ruth Evans Funmi Olowe Resigned October 2022 Resigned June 2022 Susan Wilkinson Lucy Allen Zoe Bond Valerie Strachan Appointed October 2022 Appointed October 2022 Appointed October 2022 Appointed October 2022 Appointed October 2022 John Baldwin Yoko De Souza Kieran Payne Company Number 05189161 Charlty Number 1105923 Registered Office United Reformed Church, Tell Grove, London SE22 8RH Chief Executive Sophie Wellings Independent Examiners Bankers CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill, West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ Trustees, Report For the year ended 31 March 2023 The Trustees (who are also the Directors of the charitable Company for the purposes of the Companies Act), present their combined Directors, report and Trustees, report, as required bv company law, together with the audited financial statements of Link Age Southwark (the Charity) for the year ended 31, March 2023. The Trustees confirm that the Trustees, report and financial statements of the Charity comply with the current statutory requirements, requirements of the Charity's governing document, and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice ISORPI "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland IFRS1021 (effective l January 20191. Mission Vision Values and Activities Our Vision Friendly, vibrant local communities where older people thrive. Our Mission Link Age Southwark helps older people stay connected with their communities, alleviating loneliness, improving health and wellbeing and making communities stronger through volunteering. Our Values We are positive We bring joy, vitality and warmth to every setting we enter. We have a 'can do, attltude We encourage everyone to share their unique skills, talents, passions and experience with each other. We are always connecting We know that connecting with other people is critical to everyone's wellbeing. We respect the individual We see the person, not their age and always truly listen to the person in front of us. seeking to understand their point of view. We are not alone We work in strong partnerships and link older people with our volunteers and with other services when that will help them and their communities thrive. Achievement and erformance This year has been significantly different from the last two years of operation due to not having to adapt our operations to accommodate any restrictions imposed by the pandemic. We have worked extremely hard over the last 12 months to mobilise our in-person service delivery to include all the activities that we offered previously. We have also developed our activities to incorporate ways of working that have been beneficial from the periods of restrictions. This includes the incorporation of hybrid and online groups for Service users and carers as well as online interviews and training for volunteers. Having been through such a tumultuous period of constant change, it has felt important for the charity, our service users, staff team and volunteers to benefit from a period of consolidation and the huge enjoyment and benefit that has been derived from being able to see our service users in person and, once again, hosting large social events that are one of our most popular activities. Our service provision over the last year is summarised below.. Befriending There has been a high level of interest in this service provision from external referrers. We are still working through the backlog from the period of restrictions where we were unable to assess people at home. We have now incorporated telephone befriending as part of our core offer and offer this as an interim to service users who are waiting for an in-person match. Exercise, social and activity groups Our groups offer is well established and very popular with our service users. Our groups combine social, exercise and activity sessions. All our groups are dementia friendly, and we also run specialist groups for people with a diagnosis of dementia. Several of our groups are in partnership with local Churches or sheltered housing units who provide the use of their space for free. Practical support Our practical support consists of our shopping and gardening service to support those for whom these tasks have become too onerous. Our digital buddies also provide practical support within people's homes in the form of access to IT and smartphone use that is designed to increase digital capability and competence. Newsletter Our newsletter goes out every two months to all those on our database who have consented to receive it. The newsletter contains topical and useful information a5 well as details about local events and our groups and activities. Transport Our transport provision is for those who would be unable to access our services without this additional support. Our transport provision includes volunteer drivers, taxis and escorted transport for those with dementia. Inter-generational work with local schools The lifting of restrictions has significantly aided the return of our work with local schools. We now offer a 'Silver Surfers, IT group with students at James Allen's Girls, School IJAGSI. Alleyns School is also hosting regular tea parties for our service users. Christmas is a huge time for our intergenerational work with goody bag5 being donated by Heber School and Christmas cards to service users being handwritten by students from JAGS. Pupils from Goose Green Primary School have taken part in an intergenerational singing activity with our service users, and musicians from the Charter School East Dulwich and the Charter School North Dulwich have performed at our Christmas lunch and the Dulwich Grove Community Lunch respectively. Ageing Well Southwark This hub-based provision is offered as part of a contract with the local authority in partnership with the charities who make up the Consortium of Older People's Services in Southwark ICOPSINSI. Ageing Well Southwark offers a range of support services for older people and carers that are designed to reduce the escalation of need. Our Information and Support service that has been developed as part of this provision assists older people with a range of issues as well as signposting them to other support networks and organisations. Hospital Buddies Thi5 new service, commissioned by the local authority, is designed to provide emotional support for older people who are attending hospital for elective surgery. The service launched in July 2022. In 2022-2023, we.. Worked with 407 dedicated volunteers, who contributed 19,629 hours of volunteering which is worth the equivalent of £234,567 ILondon Living wage £11.95 per hour); Supported 867 service users Supported 200 older people with a diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia through the provision of in-person and hybrid groups and delivery of activity packs to stimulate people at home,. Provided Information and Support as part of our Ageing Well Southwark provision to 213 service user5 Offered 23 groups to 268 service users which were a combination of exercise, activity and social groups. Supported 199 befriending relationships; Undertook 137 shopping, gardening and digital tasks Launched our new Hospital Buddy service Supported 17 service users with our Additional Needs Service Hosted 2 parties and one Christmas meal at a local pub Carried out 28 intergenerational activities with local schools Delivered our bi-monthly newsletter containing topical and local information to 560 service users The last 12 months have been busy but significantly more enjoyable in terms of how we have been able to deliver our services and our ability to plan without disruption. This year saw the end of our 3-year strategic plan which had predominantly been focused on provision of our services during periods of restrictions. We achieved our strategic objectives and, in many ways, exceeded them given the conditions that we were operating under. Coming to the end of the current Strategic plan and having the opportunity to look forward and develop our new plan feels serendipitous and exciting. Plans for the Future After a period of an intense amount of change, the next 12 months will have a focus on consolidating our activities post restrictions. We have considered the current gaps in our service provision and are keen to attract new service users via offering groups in different parts of the borough as well as increasing the number of men who access our services. The knowledge held by our dementia team in terms of how best to support cognitive stimulation continues to grow and we are keen to further develop our specialism around this service provision. We offer several volunteer buddying services and are keen to grow this provision and the support that it can offer. Volunteer involvement is at the heart of what we do and we continue to strive to increase the diversity of our volunteers so that they become more representative of our service users as well as the population of the borough. Governance and Administration Public Benefit The Trustees confirm that in setting LAS'S objectives and planning its activities they have complied with the duty to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on Charities and Public Benefit. Link Age Southwark constitution and organisational structure Link Age Southwark is controlled by its governing document, the Memorandum and Articles of Association and is constituted as a charity and company, limited by Guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. The members of Link Age Southwark (all Trustees plu5 UP to 30 additional members from among our supporters, service users and volunteersl are eligible to elect Directors/Trustees, and to put forward and vote on resolutions at the Annual General Meeting IAGMI. staff The number of FTE staff has increased from seven to eleven. This has predominantly been in response to the extra demand for our services. We have also recruited staff to support the delivery of new services including the hospital and telephone buddying provision. Governance and decision-making Legal responsibility for the management and stewardship of the Charity is vested in the Board of Trustees. The charity has a Chair, Deputy Chair, Company Secretary and a Treasurer. Trustees meet every two months. The Board of Trustees has a finance committee, which meets quarterly throughout the year, reports to the Board, and ha5 Its own Terms of Reference. Trustees make strategic decisions, in consultation with the Chief Executive. Day to day management is delegated to the Chief Executive, who attends all Board meetings. Operational decisions are taken by the Chief Executive and Senior Management Team ISMTI. SMT members report to the Chief Executive. who, in turn, is line managed by the Chair. Recruitment and appointment of Trustees Rule 38 of the Articles of Association refers to a power to fix the maximum number of Directors. At the AGM of 19 October 2015. a resolution was passed to set the maximum number of Directors at 15, on the understanding that the usual number will not exceed 12. The period of office is three years. The Articles of Association provide that, at each AGM, one third of the Trustees lor the number nearest to one thirdl must retire from office.. those who have been in office longest retire first. Retiring Trustees may normally put themselves forward for re-election by the members of the charitv. A succession plan is reviewed by the Board regularly, and skills audits are carried out to inform Trustee recruitment. Trustees bring experience from the public, private and voluntary sectors and have expertise in management, finance, law, communications, IT and health including care of older people. Trustees are recruited on the basis of their ability to enhance the Board both in terms of diversity and skills. A recruitment drive commenced in May 2022, to source new Trustee5. We were particularly keen to find Trustees to join our Finance Committee. This resulted in five new Trustees attending their first meeting in September 2022 and being formally appointed to the Board in October 2022. During the year, Susan Sternglass Noble and Dr Ruth Evans resigned from the Board. Fundraising The charity is committed to ensuring that all of its fundraising activities are legal, open, honest and respectful. The majority of the income is derived from grant funding applications to Trusts and Foundations and the funding we receive via the Ageing Well Southwark contract for the provision of our hub-based services. The charity operates with an annual calendar of community fundraising events which are facilitated through the contribution of our volunteer Fundraising Committee. We also benefit significantly from our Patron scheme, regular supporters and organisation donations. No external professional fundraisers or commercial participators are used in these fundraising activities. The charity is committed to meeting the requirements of the new Fundraising Regulator, the standards of the Code of Fundraising Practice, and the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 around protecting vulnerable people and treating personal data with respect when carrying out fundraising activities. Tru5tees' Liability and Responsibilities The Trustees (who are also the Directors of Link Age Southwark for the purposes of company lawl are responsible for preparing the Report of the Trustees and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). Company law requires the charitable company Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing those financial statements. the Trustees are required to- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently- observe the methods and principles in the Charity SORP; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent- state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements,. prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business. The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy, at any time, the financial position of the charitable company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are a150 responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company 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. This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. Trustees are also aware of and aspire to ensuring that Link Age Southwark demonstrates all the hallmarks of an effective charity, namely to.. be clear about its direction,. have the right mix of skills and experience,. achieve its purposes and deliver its services efficiently; assess its performance to help improve its efficiencv; have the financial resources to deliver its purposes; be accountable and transparent,. Induction and training of Trustees The induction programme for new Trustees includes.. written information about LAS'S activities; a copy of LAS'S memorandum and articles of association; a copy of LAS'S policies and procedures,. a copy of the NCVO Code of Good Governance,. a copy of the Charity Commission's CC3 - The Essential Trustee information on Trustees, legal responsibilities,. a meeting with the President, Chair and the Chief Executive- an invitation to attend a service user referral and matching meeting; an invitation to attend an activity group to meet service users; an invitation to attend LAS'S activities in the community; attendance, as an observer, at a Board of Trustees meeting- Trustees are encouraged to attend relevant training courses. They also receive updates from the office on matters pertaining to effective governance. Risk Management Trustees maintain a risk register to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. LAS'S risk register is reviewed and updated annually, with appropriate mitigation measures put in place. At every Trustee meeting. the top three risks are highlighted with a discussion, as needed. io Fundin and Finances Summary Result5 for year Link Age Southwark completed the financial year 22123 with a deficit of £106,483 versus a budget deficit of £160,009. This is a robust performance particularly, bearing in mind the current prevailing economic headwinds, with a great deal of effort being made in fundraising and control of costs. The budget was agreed for a deficit, as the Trustees considered this to be a prudent investment in service delivery. The budget also took into account that the preceding financial years had delivered strong surpluses, hence reinforcing available reserves. The considerable improvement in outturn versus budget, is primarily due to expenditure being substantially lower than budget lactual £649.953 versus budget £729,555) this can be attributed to.. lower than anticipated salary costs, due to unfilled vacancies during part of the year . actual £491,799 versus budget £544.949 Project Direct costs actual £46,300 versus budgeted £96,270. This reduction is due to the evolving nature of service delivery post pandemic. So in summary, whilst income was delivered lower than budgeted Actual £543,470 versus budget £569,546 this was more than offset by the reduction in expenditure. It is also to be noted that the surplus at the end of 2021-22 was enhanced by the receipt of £85,000 in 2021-22 for the H05Pltal Buddies Project, whereas the costs for this were incurred in 2022-23, hence having an impact on the deficit for that year. Reserves The financial year ended with a deficit of £106,483. The impact of this was to reduce reserves from £544,994 to £438,511 which leaves Link Age Southwark in a robust position moving forward. It is also to be noted that the budget anticipated a reduction in reserves to £384,985 so the outturn is considerably better than planned. The reserve5 are made up of £322,900 unrestricted fund5 and £115,612 restricted funds. This is a very healthy balance between the two types of funds, as Link Age Southwark is free to invest unrestricted funds in service delivery and core cost recovery. li This report was approved by the Board of Trustees on 8th August 2023 and signed on its behalf by: INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORTTO THE TRUSTEES OF LINKAGE SOUTHWARK FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023 I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charitable company for the year ended 31 March 2023 which are set out on pages 14 to 23. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity trustees of the company land also Its directors for the purposes of company lawl you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 I'lhe 2006 Act'i. Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the charitable company are not required to be aLJdited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent exarnination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 I'the 2011 Act'l. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145151 Ibl of the 2011 Act. Independent examiner's statement Since the charitable Company's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner musl be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confimi that l am qualified lo undertake the examination because l am a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accounlanls, which is one of the listed bodies. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come lo my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause lo believe". 1. accounb'ng records were not kept in respect of the charitable company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act,. or 2. the accounts do not accord wth those records,. or 3. the accounts do not comply wth the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a'true and fair view which is not a rnatter considered as part of an independent examination., or 4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Slalemenl of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charrties preparing their a¢¢ounls in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republi¢ of Ireland IFRS 1021. I have no concems anLI have corne across no other matters in connection with the examination lo which attention should be drawn in this report In order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Mr Mark Cummlns FCCA tc account5.tax. legal.finaDcial planning The Courtyard Shoreham Road Upper Beeding Sleyning Wesl Sussex BN44 3TN Dated.. 13 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED Xlst MARCH 2023 YE8rended 31 M3rch 2023 VThrethUed Aesirtrted Ye4rendEd 31 M•rch 2022 Unie¥tilcled Restikled Tot¥1 Funds Fthid5 Fund5 FuDd5 F￿105 Note5 INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM.. Donations. Grants and Lega