Cambridgeshire Older People's Enterprise (COPE) Annual Report 2024-2025
COPE faced two main difficulties in this financial year. First, the lack of funding, apart from £2,000 from South Cambs and £3,500 from Cambridge City. However, donations from members and adverts in the Newsletter helped prevent the need to use any reserves. The second difficulty was in finding volunteers and above all trustees. We are gradually being able to find volunteers to help man the office with advertisments and help from CCVS.
Newsletter
COPE produced its 20 page bi monthly Newsletter to ensure its members were fully informed as to activities and help available. Plus articles on health nutrition and general fitness. In addition, quizzes to help keep mentally agile were provided and other articles to stimulate readers.The Newsletters were sent by post or email to all members as well as to Council Offices, Libraries, GP Clinics, Care Homes, Community Centres etc.
Social Events
Monthly social events were held at Queen Edith's Chapel, St Ives Corn Exchange and in March at St Peter's Church Hall. The March meetings started in November 2024 and now include Chatteris Community Centre. Attendences were back to pre Covid levels with Queen Edith's having an average of 20attending (8 fron South Cambs) and St Ives averaging 35 members. At all venues talks on a range of subjects were given wirth light refreshments. Christmas Lunches were held at Cambridge Regional College Restaurant and St Ives Corn Exchange. The Cambridge Lunch hosted 103 members of which many members came from St Ives and The St Ives Lunch hosted 52 members.
Outings
These were to Hougton Hall (May). Bletchley Park (June) , Springfields Retail Outlet & Leisure Centre, Spalding(September) Bury St Edmunds Christmas Market (November). Transport was provided from St Luke's Car Park and Milton Park & Ride. St Ives had outings to Southwold and Brick Lane Music Hall (London).
Projects
During the year COPE continued to fight against Loneliness which is still a large problem among older people. Recent surveys have shown that up to 40% of older people are often lonely, while 20% are frequently lonely. Phone calls are made to those who we know are lonely, and they are encouraged to join social groups. Several modern day factors are leading to lonelines, the biggest being digitalisation and the failure of authorities to provide face to face meetings for those needingh help. A large number of older people do not have or find difficulty in using smartphones. COPE therefore encourages the use of land lines which most have. The lack of cash and closure of many banks and post offices also makes it difficult for many people. We are continually contacting MP's Councillors and Companies emphasising the need to retain cash and ATM's especially in rural areas.
Talking Together
Telephone discussion groups have been a great success, especially among disabled and isolated people. There were four sessions during the year, each session having 4 to 6 subjects with up to 8 people discussing topics ranging from gardening, sport, art, literature, health and local history. There were also 3 Zoom sessions on cooking , poetry and art.
Administration
COPE's Office is in St Luke's Church Centre and manned by volunteers every weekday from 9.30 am to 12.30pm. An answering service ensures we can receive messages out of hours. A database of members is continually updated to ensure all receive the Newsletters. The Website
(www.copecambs.org.uk.) is updated monthly. Executive Meetings are held quarterly and Editorial and Research Meetings every month.
Membership
As expected we have a coninual loss of members but fortunately are recruiting more members than we are losing. The members list at the end of March 2025 is:
| Out of Area | 14 |
|---|---|
| South Cambs | 907 |
| East Cambs | 212 |
| Huntindon | 365 |
| Fenland | 84 |
| Cambridge City | 1355 |
| Total | 2937 |
Overall there was an increase of 61 members during the financial year, the largest increase of members was in Fenland where numbers increased by 30% due to establishing the March Friendship Club.
Thanks are due to our Trustees and volunteers for their help and support during the year enabling COPE to continue to ensure the needs and support for Older People in Cambridgeshire are maintained. It is therefore with sadness, that we learned of the death of Alice Zeitner, MBE, who since its inception was a member. As a committee memmber and trustee she helped steer COPE to e a force for the ineterests of \older people in Cambridgeshire. She is sadly missed.
David Bailey, Chairman COPE, 28 May 2025
COPE - Cambridgeshire Older People's Enterprise
Registered Charity No: 1110887
Receipts and Payments Account for Year 1 April 2024 - to 31 March 2025
| Receipts Grants - Cambridge City Council - Community Grants - Cambridge City Council – Community (QE) Grants - Cambridge City Council - South Area Commitee Grants - Cambridgeshire County Council Grants - South Cambs District Council Grants - Cambridge City Council – Talking Together Grants – Pye Foundaton – Talking Together Grants – Leys School – Talking Together Grants – Allen Foundaton – Talking Together Grants – Cambs CC Community Fund – Talking Together Grants - Evelyn Trust Donatons - Members Fundraising Income Actvity – Rafe Actvity – Sale of Refreshments at AGM/Events Actvity - Lunch Income Actvity – QE Actvity – Victoria Actvity – St Ives – Admission & Outng Fees Actvity – St Ives – Christmas lunch Newsleter Advertsing Income Weather Lotery Income Bank Interest HMRC – Gif Aid Other Income - Misc Total Receipts |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
£ £ £ £ £ £ £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds / South Cambs DC 30% Restricted Funds / Cambs County Council 54% Restricted Funds / Cambridge City Council 46% Restricted Funds / TALKING TOGETHER Project Unrestricted Funds / TALKING TOGETHER Project Restricted Funds / St Ives Unrestricted Funds / St Ives |
|||||||||
| 3,500.05 | 3,500.05 | ||||||||
| 700.00 | 700.00 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 2,000.00 | 2,000.00 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 3,000.00 | 3,000.00 | ||||||||
| 8,500.00 | 8,500.00 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 4,073.00 | 7.72 | 4,080.72 | |||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 58.15 | 276.50 | 334.65 | |||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 4,655.00 | 4,655.00 | ||||||||
| 377.00 | 377.00 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 3,823.00 | 3,823.00 | ||||||||
| 1,680.00 | 1,680.00 | ||||||||
| 2,070.00 | 2,070.00 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 590.58 | 590.58 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 11,823.73 | 2,000.00 | 0.00 | 4,200.05 | 11,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5,787.22 | 35,311.00 |
Payments
| Payments | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actvity - Hall Hire - Queen Edith Group Actvity - Speaker Fees - Queen Edith Group Actvity - Other Costs - Queen Edith Group Actvity – Room Hire – March Actvity – St Ives Meetngs – Hall hire & Speakers Actvity – St Ives Outngs – Coach & Entrance fees Actvity – St Ives – Christmas lunch Actvity – St Ives – Rafe Prizes Actvity - Newsleter Printng Actvity – Talking – Administrator Actvity – Talking – Phones/Zoom Actvity – Talking – Events Actvity - Lunch Costs/Xmas Lunch Deposit Actvity – Events Actvity - AGM Costs Advertsing / Consultants Costs Rent - St Luke's Community Centre Insurance Bank Charges Postage Admin & Statonery Admin Equipment – Computer Telephone Ofce Refreshments Website Costs Total Costs Net Income / (Expenditure) Transfers between funds Opening Balance brought forward at 01-Apr-24 Closing balance carried forward at 31-Mar-25 |
542.00 | 542.00 | |||||||
| 76.35 | 76.35 | ||||||||
| 160.54 | 160.54 | ||||||||
| 66.00 | 66.00 | ||||||||
| 887.40 | 887.40 | ||||||||
| 2,338.00 | 2,338.00 | ||||||||
| 1,287.73 | 1,287.73 | ||||||||
| 85.06 | 85.06 | ||||||||
| 6,542.17 | 2,000.00 | 4,200.05 | 202.02 | 12,944.24 | |||||
| 1,692.00 | 1,692.00 | ||||||||
| 2,548.81 | 2,548.81 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 3,872.50 | 3,872.50 | ||||||||
| 69.04 | 69.04 | ||||||||
| 550.00 | 550.00 | ||||||||
| 9,452.00 | 9,452.00 | ||||||||
| 238.00 | 238.00 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 354.43 | 494.11 | 848.54 | |||||||
| 169.95 | 169.95 | ||||||||
| 804.16 | 804.16 | ||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 0.00 | |||||||||
| 22,347.14 | 2,000.00 | 0.00 | 4,200.05 | 5,284.92 | 0.00 | 887.40 | 3,912.81 | 38,632.32 | |
-10,523.41 |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6,215.08 | 0.00 | -887.40 | 1,874.41 | -3,321.32 | |
0.00 |
0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| 32,707.45 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9,806.64 | 2,581.66 | 1,060.10 | 1,530.99 | 47,686.84 | |
| 22,184.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 16,021.72 | 2,581.66 | 172.70 | 3,405.40 | 44,365.52 |
RESTRICTED INCOME FUNDS
| Year Ending 31 March 2025 Accounts | Year Ending 31 March 2025 Accounts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund Balances | ||||||
| Fund Balances | c/fwd | |||||
| b/fwd | Incoming | Outgoing | at 31 March | |||
| at 01 April 2024 | Resources | Resources | Transfers | 2025 | ||
| Fund Name | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
| Cambridge City Council - Community | - | 4,200.05 | 4,200.05 | - | - | |
| Cambridge City Council - South AC | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Cambridgeshire County Council | - | - | - | - | - | |
| South Cambs District Council | - | 2,000.00 | 2,000.00 | - | - | |
| Evelyn Trust | 2,405.80 | - | - | - | 2,405.80 | |
| Cambridge City Council – Talking Together | 940.00 | 8,500.00 | 2,074.08 | - | 7,365.92 | |
| Pye Foundaton – Talking Together | 770.84 | - | 770.84 | - | - | |
| Leys School – Talking Together | 570.00 | - | 570.00 | - | - | |
| Childwick Trust – Talking Together | 1,870.00 | - | 1,870.00 | - | - | |
| Cambs CC Community Fund – Talking Together | 3,250.00 | - | - | - | 3,250.00 | |
| Allen Foundaton – Talking Together | - | 3,000.00 | - | - | 3,000.00 | |
| Huntngdon District Council | 693.40 | - | 520.70 | - | 172.70 | |
| St Ives Parish Council | 366.70 | - | 366.70 | - | - | |
| Total Funds | 10,866.74 | 17,700.05 | 12,372.37 | - | 16,194.42 |
Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at: 31 March 2025
| Bank – Lloyds (28621960) Bank – Lloyds (32561368) TT Bank – Lloyds (45107268) St Ives Building Society - Cambridge Pety Cash |
455.08 |
|---|---|
| 18,603.38 | |
| 3,578.10 | |
| 21,701.40 | |
| 27.56 | |
| 44,365.52 |
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Roport to the trustoosl member• of Cambridgeshire Older People's Enterprise On accounts for the year •ndod 31° March 2025 Charlty no (If any) 1110887 Sat out on pages l rnport to the tru8t888 on my examination of the a(unt8 of the above charlty (Ihe Trust.) for the year ended 3110312025 R•8pon81bllltlo8 and A8 the charity tru8te88 of the Tru8t, you are re8pon8ible for the preparation basls of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Ad.). 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. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disdosed below ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. accounting record8 were not kept in accordance with section 130 of Ihe Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examinefs ststement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enab18 8 proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Signed: 0710712025 Name: Christopher Hugh Barton Relevant professlonal qualification(s) or body (if any): NIA Addrnss: 1 a Richmond Road Cambridge CB4 3PP IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief detsils of any Items that the examiner wishes to disclose. None IER October 2018