Shopmobility South Gloucestershire Chair’s August 2024 Report
Dear Member / Carer
We are most grateful to our volunteer Tony who has been able to continue to operate a service on a Tuesday and cover periods of annual leave.
Sheridan had originally covered this day but given financial challenges reduced his hours partly in response to future funding uncertainties.
We have been reasonably successful in securing grants over the last 12 months from external grant providers and remain grateful to the local towns and parishes for their continued financial support to us.
I would like to thank our external grant providers for providing funding to us, most notably Quartet, Coop, Postcode Lottery and National Lottery.
We would like to thank the Yate & District Bowling Club for donating £400.00 to us earlier in the year.
We remain grateful to WECA, (West of England Combined Authority) who have provided us with a small grant and reimbursed the cost of hiring a scooter or wheelchair from us via the bus pass.
Securing funding going forward could be particularly challenging as there is uncertainty whether the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) will continue re-imbursing the cost of hire for bus pass holders after March 2025.
This bespoke arrangement has been in place since we started operating in April 2006 and was originally administered by South Gloucestershire Council until 2020.
WECA funding is crucial as some members on low income would struggle to pay a daily hire rate and create the very financial barrier we are trying to redress and disincentivize people from using the service.
The Area Wide Grant is likely to cease at the end of this year and the funding we request from each District Councilor is also likely to be reduced from £3,000.00 to £1,000.00
We have widely promoted our search for suitable volunteers who may be happy to provide a few hours a week to support Tony, which could lead to opening a further day.
I would ask people to contact Sheridan if you want to know more about the role before making any commitment.
We have increased promotion of our service by making more effective use of social media including regular updates and photos. I would like to thank Tesco for allowing us to promote our service by displaying posters in their foyer and toilets
This has led to a steady increase in user numbers since the impact of COVID and we expect more people will continue to use our service going forward given the ageing population, particularly if bus pass holders re-imbursement is able to continue.
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Registered Charity No. 1107379
We have registered nearly 100 new members between July 2023 to June 2024 and over 2,100 people since we started operating in April 2006
People continue to value the service, and this is reflected in the very positive responses we have received via our previous annual questionnaire that is emailed to our members or carer’s.
I would urge people to complete the annual questionnaire as a means of providing evidence to future grant providers that the service remains very important to people or those who have used us in the past.
We welcome any comments made which will be anonymized.
We strive to work more closely with Community Transport to encourage people without access to a car to reach our service and keen to work with agencies who might be able to assist.
We welcome to our Committee Bobby Oliver who joined our committee earlier in the year. Bobby has a wealth of knowledge on transport issues as manager of the Mobility Hub, representative of the national body of Shopmobility UK and Trustee of Bristol Shopmobility.
I would like to give my customary thanks to all the Trustees for their contributions to our charity and in recognizing the value of the service.
I would also like to offer my continued appreciation to Dick Whittington who provides us with extensive knowledge and advice on a variety of issues.
We would also like to express our continued appreciation to Yate library, Yate shopping Centre and Pearce Brothers for their support.
We have also had the support of Rich McDonnough, who is a local photographer for undertaking photos for us that we use to promote our service.
Our AGM will be held on Thursday 3[rd] OCT 2024 at Yate Library commencing 2.00 pm in the exhibition area.
We welcome anyone who wants to attend as we value any contributions people may wish to make.
You may of course raise any issues in the emailed questionnaire that can be discussed at the AGM.
We value comments about the importance of the service in the questionnaire as we need to persuade our grant funders how important the service is to both our member and their carers’ in terms of reducing social isolation improving health and wellbeing and promoting independence.
We can provide a paper version that can be collected from the office if required
Janet Biggin
Alderman J. Biggin Chairman Shopmobility South Gloucestershire
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Registered Charity No. 1107379
Shopmobility South Gloucestershire Registered Charity 1107379
Statement of Account to Year Ended 31st March 2024
The following accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) issued by the Charity Commission to comply with the Executive Committee's obligations as the trustees of the Charity for keeping accounting records
| Income Hire - Diamond Card Hire -Long Term and cash payments WECA Age UK Connecting Communities Community Transport WECA Coop Doddington Parish Sodbury Town Council Area Wide Forum Give as you Live South Glos Council Members Award Yate Town Council Quartet Interest Postcode Lottery Total Income Expenditure Office Equipment Equipment Insurance Accomodation Rental Telephone Memberships Wages Marketing & PR Accounts & Governance Miscellaneous Maintenance Project Support Total Expenses Surplus/Deficit |
2023/2024 4,892 1,489 2,100 6,000 2,059 657 500 1,500 750 500 2,500 61 4,500 27,508 597 1,500 1,012 100 12,924 122 208 379 465 1,560 18,867 8,641 |
2022/2023 4,892 1,216 2,000 1,500 0 0 750 750 1,500 30 1,750 500 12 14,900 |
|---|---|---|
| 405 795 597 0 0 20 14,910 779 323 |
||
| 533 | ||
| 815 1,560 20,737 |
||
| (5,837) |
Balance Sheet @ 31st March 2024
| Balance Sheet @ 31st March 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Current Assets Debtors Prepayments Current Account Reserves Account Petty Cash Total Assets Net Assets Funded By: Reserves B/Fwd I & E Members Funds |
2023/2024 4,500 622 20,608 6,075 130 31,935 31,935 23,294 8,641 31,935 |
2022/2023 193 597 16,410 6,011 83 23,294 |
| 23,294 | ||
| 29,131 (5,837) 23,294 |
Shopmobility South Gloucèstershire Registered Charity 1107379 Statement of Accountto Year Ended 31st Marth 2024 The following accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice ISORPI issued by the Charity Commission to comply with the Executive Committee's obligations as the trustees of thè Charity for keepin8 ac¢ountin8 records Income Hire- Diamond Card Hire- Long Term and cash payments West of En8land Combined Authority National Lottery Cooperatlve Society Doddington Parish Coun¢ll Sodbury Town Council Yate Town Council South Gloucetsreshlre Coun¢il- Area Wide Forum South Glos Council Members Award Quartet Communtty Foundation Postcode Lottery Aqe LIK Conne¢tln8 Communities Give as you Live Interest Total Income 202312024 4,892 1,489 2,ICMJ 202212023 4,892 1.216 2.C69 657 750 750 s 1.5 750 2.5(X) 1.500 1,750 1,5(Kl 30 12 61 Expendttur• Salary Costs Office Equipment Mobility Equipment & Maintenance Insurance Accomodatlon Rental Telephone Memberships Marketing & PR Accounts & Govemance Project Support Miscellaneous Totsl Expenses 12,924 14,910 1,610 597 597 1500 1.012 20 779 323 L560 S33 122 1560 379 20,737 SurpluslDefldt SA3
Balance Sheet o atst Mayth 2024 202312024 2022n023 Debtors Prepayments Current Account Reserves Account Petty Cash Totsl Assets 4.5(M) 622 20.608 6.075 130 31.935 193 597 16,410 6,011 23J94 Net Assets Sunded By: Reserve5 8IFwd I&E Members Fund$ 3L935 23294 23.294 8.641 3L935 29,131 15,8371 23.294 Not•9 to th• Accounts l. The accounts are prepared on a recdpts and payments basls and no acClnt has been tsken of atcruedl prepaid income or expenditure Independent Examlners Report to th¢ Tnts¢e¢s ol Shopmoblllty South Glou¢•st¢rshlr• Respectlve re5poMlbl15tle5 of Trustees and Examlner The eharlty's trustèes are SPonSIble for the preparation of thè actounts. The charity's trustees conslder that an audlt Is not requlred for thls year under sectlon 144 of the Charttles Act 20111thÈ charltie5 act) and that an Independent examinatlon is needed. It Is my responsibllity to.. examine the ac¢oLtnts under sertFm 145 ofthe Charities Art to follow the procedures laid in ihe general Directlon gNen by the Charity Commission (under sectk)n 14515llbl of Charities Act) and B•sls of Independent Examlneys St•temert My examination was carried out in accordance wrth 8eneral directions given by the Charity Commlsslon. An examlrtatlon includes a revlew of the account1 records kept by charlty and a comparison of the actounts presented with these reeLYds. It also Includes considèration of any unusual ttems or disclosures In the accounts, and seekin8 explanatlons from the trustees corternIA any such matters. The prcKedures undertaken do not prov6de all the tdÉn¢t that would be required In In aLMllt, and consequently no oplnion 55 8Sven as to whether the accounts present a *rue and falr. vlew and the report Is limlted to those matters set out In the statement below. Independent Examlners Ststement In connection with my examlnation, no matter has come to my attentlon.. l. whlch alves me reasonable cause to believe that in. any matefial rèspe¢L the requirements to keep accounting records in atcordanct with section 130 of the Charities Act to prepa accounts which accord with the accounting records and compty with the wlth the accounting requlrements of the Charltles Act have not been meL or 2. to which, in my opinion, attenti¢)n should be drawn In order to Ènable a proper understandlng of the accounts to be feached. r+lA J Bowles MJIB Accountin8 Ltd 07108n024