2023-09-30-accounts

NORTH STAFFS ASPERGERS AND AUTISM ASSOCIATION NSAAA HILDREM IN I*ED North 5tsffs ASPERGEIUAUTISM ASSOCIATION CHAIRPERSON'S REPORT for the AGM- 2024 By Megan Russan- Chair

We are well into our 3 decade as a local charity. This year has been a very successful year for Ihe charity with continued strong growth in membership and increases in activities wg are able to provide members. We are proud to continue seprfing members and always look to improve what we do. Committeel Trustees and Staff As we come to the AGM the trustees comprise myself, Megan Russan (chair), Pauline Hanrahan, (treasurer) Jane Titley, (secretary). with Charlene Gessey and Dee Clarke as general committee members. I wanl to thank them all for their hard work, great ideas and commitment to driving the organisation forward over the last twelve months. It's been yet another good year. I have been chairperson since March 2023 and this will be my last meeting as a trustee. Jane Titley has been the secretary for a great number of years and is a great asset to the committee. her expertise is around policy and processes. Pauline Hanrahan is our Treasurer. She continues to liaise with Wendy Knobbs, our current Finance Manager. Wendy continues to produce monthly accounts and makes sure the money accounts are accurate for auditing purposes. Her report will be reported later in the meeting. The staff members are Jill Broad. Rachel Linforth-Jones and Wendy Knobbs. We are pleased to employ staff with such a diverse range of skills. We are very sad that Heather has left us last year., we thank her for her hard work and continued support of the charity as a volunteer, we thank all of our staff, volunteers and trustees for their continued support and passion in helping and supporting our members. We are in the throes of appointing a new employee lo cover some of our weekly face to face groups.

Our current membership is at 416; this is an incredible achievement for the second year running. Previously our membership had not been much more than 250. This shows that the need for our charity is greater than ever. The long waiting lists for CAMHS and the long waits for EHCPS etc. add to the need for serrfices like ours that offer some support and help in those first days especially. Working PractI￿S We have a wide range of services on offer. We have the help line open 4 days a week for a few hours. Members and potential members can phone and ask for advice and guidance. There is a small lending library in the office with books on Autism. There are several fa￿-to-faCe social groups for children and teenagers that have continued to meet on a monthly rota. We have a much larger rota this last year or two for online groups as well. Our face-to-fac8 groups usually meet at King Street studios in Newcastle and our growing band of volunteers regularly support these groups; we thank them for their continued support. We have recently introduced a new group for a members aged over 35. Activities update:

1. Monthly Jumbo sessions for the children and their siblings has been enjoyed by many. This group has really taken off and we regularly have 20 children playing on a 3 Friday. We have started to do an annual Halloween Night too for all members. This has proved popular these last two Halloweens.
2. Our monthly craft groups continue online using zoom and face to face, they prove popular with a range of mernbers of all ages.
3. Regular school holiday activities continue to take place. There are always two extra activities a week in the holidays. They have included bowling, train trips, mini golf, tubing, Trentham Gardens and many country walks to name a few. The annual trip to Blackpool happened too. We have also had one-off events such as music making sessions. These prove popular.
4. The monthly swimming club has been running and we have had some changes of times for the weekend sessions as we are now using Stone Swimming Pool. The venue is great when we can meet and attracts strong numbers of attendees.
5. The Lego group still meets and has recently changed to a Friday; it has a loyal following.
6. The 16-25 young adults group has continued to grow from strength to St￿ngth and our aim to promote independence is evident in our young people. They love meal out or a trip to the bowling alley or cinema.

7. This year we have enjoyed our under 16s paty night and we have had lots of fun with our younger members. This has evolved from themed nights to a relaxed evening with our younger members. It has a fantastic, chilled end of the week vibe.

8. Our adult group is Ihriving, they are such an amazing group, and they enjoy meeting at King Street once a month, and they also enjoy Meeting during the monthly outing. Activities have included many meals out, bowling, and mini golf.

9. We have also enjoyed several fantastic theatre trips including the Panto, and plays at both The Regent and The New Vic. This is a great opportunity for the whole family to come along and enjoy a fabulous aftemoon of entertainment. The Adult members continue to meet several times a month. Thanks should go to our fabulous staff members for all the great ideas and suggestions you have put forward to create much needed fun! This is how our over 35s group started! We host a Parents, Support Group that has continued to meet at King Streel. This group provides a much-needed opportunity for a cup of tea and a supportive chat with Dee, who really offers our members such a warm welcome and friendly advice. Fundraising and awareness raising We continue to raise some much-needed funds for the charity moving forward into 2024. Our largest and most successful fundraising event of the year has become the charity ball which took place in Apri12023. Our accounts tell us it raised over £8,000. We have our next Ball in May this year which we are

hoping you can all support. It is not too late. You might just get a ticket in the next week. This year we have fundraised £9795; this is an amazing amount and comprises a huge amount of our expenditure. We have also been given £2707 in donations. Again, this is an amazing amount from friends, famili8s and local organisations and businesses. Grants and Money A lot of work has been done in this area, which is an ongoing commitment. Pauline has detailed these in her report. Some funding has been secured from Children in Need and additional funding has also been secured from Awards For All and the Alex Ferry Foundation, which will be detailed in Pauline's report. The effort from the committee and the members ensures that we now have a healthy bank balance going into the next financial year. The Future The NSAAA will continue with our key features identified such as the help line, support work, group work and holiday activities, and some face-to-face support. We will continue to grow and develop as an organisation, and we are always open to new ideas. We aim to increase rnembership and to increase the activities and services we offer to our rnembers. We are thrilled at how popular our online groups have been and will continue to host these in the future. It has been a pleasure to work with such dedicated people over the last twelve months and I thank you all.

North Staffs Asperger/Autism Association Accounts For the Year Ended 30th September 2023 Reglstered Charlty Number 1109817 Pauline Hanrahan Treasurer

North Staffs Asperger/Autlsm Assoclation 31Y' September 2023 Charity Informatl¢>n Trustees Delia Clarke charlene Gessey Honorary Officers Megarb Russan (Chairl Paullne Hanrahan ITreasurerl Jane Titley Isecretaryl Office Addres5 PO Box 3615 stoke -on-Trent staffs sr4 gLY Bankers Unlty Trust Bank Four 8rindleyplace Birmingham BI 2JB Nalmest Bank 75 High Street Newcastle-U-Lyme Staffs ST5 IPN

North Staffs Asp8rywlAutism A880¢iatlon 30tr Septembor 2023 TrusleK rgport Governance and managemont The charity is operated under the rules of its consbtutlon adopted 19104r2005 as amended on 2310212006 as arnended on 0810312008 as amended on 2910312012 Charltable objgcts 1. to promote the relieflunderslanding of people with autisttc Spectrum conditions for their families and carers. 2. to advance the education of the public in all manners conc8ming autisb"c speclrum disorders. The methods adoptod for the recruitm8nt and appolntm•nl of new trustees There is an open and welconNng oUt1￿k towards potential new Irustrees and every effort is made to keep numbers at a steady level. New Trustees are nominated and appointed at the AGM usually, but may be Covopled during the year as part of the monthly Trustees meeting. Publlc ben8flt The trustees ofthe Charity are aware of the Charlty Commission's guidance on PLtblic benefft and have had regard lo it in their administration of the Charity. Summary of the maln achlovements during the porfod As a recipient Df The Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2015. and hosts of an afternoon lea reception for HRH Sophie Countess of Wessex in 2017, we have continued to gain recognition and gr8at encouragement for what we are achieving in our WOTk. We have continued lo successfully adjust our vital work in an ever-changing climate and have secured support grants from Children in Need and Awards for All. The nurnber and diversity of events that we can off8r lo our members has increased. Our acts'vibes, events, and support and information services are being driven forward at an impressive level by our staff team and proactive committee. The charty's pollcy on reservas Reserves will be built up in order lo adequatsly cover the Tunning costs of the organisation for a maximum period of six months to assisl future cash flow should fvnding be delayed. The policy is reviewed annually by the Trusloes. Signed on behalf of the charity's trustee$-

Bank Sl natori orth Staffs As er Autlsm Assodatlon For Year Endin lem 23 Pauline Hanrahan-Treasurer Megan Ru55an- Chèlr Jane Titley-secretary Wendy Knobbs-Finance Officer Any two of four to Sl8n for both accounts

North Staffs As Recei ts and Pa er er l Autism Association ments for the Year Ended 30th Se tember 2023 Restricted Uywestricted Totrl Year E￿ad Funds Funds Funds Sept. 22 Balance Blfwd 01.10.22 7,178.48 22,583.63 29.762.11 26,474.19 Recei GIants / Funding Don2tion5 Memberships Fundraiging tnroTne from activities Reirnbursemenlslrefijnds Gift Aid Claim 20.446.00 20.446.00 2.706.80 2,775.00 9,794.82 6,538.36 0.00 356.35 24,998.00 3,808.22 2,467.50 9.635.85 3,669.19 0.00 323.33 2.706.80 2,775.00 9,794.82 6.538.36 356.35 Total Recei 20,446.00 22,171.33 42,617.33 44,902.09 ments Postag¢ l %tst / Print / Adv¢rt Telephone / Internetl Website Salaries INIC I Income Tax PPE Covid 19 Equipm¢nt Volunteer Costs Repairs and MaiDtenance Meetings & Room Hire Office I Computer Equipt. Events I Wo]kshops Insrnce I Pruf. Fees 23.38 832.79 9,91J5.61 0.00 498.42 753.09 14.160.89 0.00 174.30 18.99 3,947.00 521.80 1,585.88 24.066.50 0.00 174.30 18.99 5,222.(M) 210.00 13,841.54 1.51 1.42 149.68 1257.09 22,058.54 9.95 0.00 62.00 4,740.00 465.94 11,231.95 ,638.42 .275.00 210.00 5,334.40 44.30 8,507.14 ,467.12 Total Pa ments 17,625.48 29.526.95 47,152.43 41,614.17 BalaD¢e Clfwd 30.09.23 9.999.00 15.228.01 25,227.01 29.762.11

North Staffs As er / Autisxn Association Statement Of Assets & Liabilities For the Year Ended 30th Se tember 2023 Year Ended Sep22 Cash Assets Cash at baJJk & in hand 25,227.01 29,762.11 Re resented B Restrfficted FuDds 9,999.00 7,178.48 Unrestricted Funds 15,228.01 22,583.63 25,227.01 29.762.11 Thes¢ a￿D￿nIS were approved by the trustees on and signed on their b¢half by '. Megan Ru55an- Chair Pauline Hanrahan - Treasurer

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of North Staffs Asperger/Autism Association for the year ended 30 September 2023

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 30[th] September 2023.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

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

• the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.

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

08/02/2024 Signed ____ Date _______ Daryl Denson ACMA Employee of VAST