FURNICHURCH TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT
1[st] APRIL 2022–31st MARCH 2023
A LOCAL CHARITY MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY
CHARITABLE PURPOSE: The relief of poverty for people in need who reside in Lincolnshire, through the provision of furniture and food.
WHO WE ARE: Furnichurch is a registered charity founded in 2005 in Mablethorpe by a group of local Christians in order to help local people in need, initially through the provision of items of furniture. In 2008 in response to the many requests we received for food parcels, the Mablethorpe Community Food Larder, which is based at and run by Furnichurch, was set up. In 2011, we expanded our work into Skegness as the coastal strip there is an area of high deprivation and we remained there for six years. In April 2017 we closed the Skegness warehouse mainly due to a lack of volunteers. We now work solely out of our Mablethorpe warehouse covering mainly the LN 12 area but we still respond to referrals along the coastal strip. We provide practical help to those in need in the following ways:
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Supply and deliver furniture free of charge to those who are in desperate need
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Supply good quality second-hand furniture to people on low incomes in return for a small donation.
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A food larder service, which provides 3 meals a day for a week for people facing financial hardship.
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A free collection service for surplus furniture.
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Supply hygiene packs, baby packs and pet food when necessary.
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Act as a referral point to other services that can assist our clients.
FOOD LARDER
Grants and donations:
In April 2022, we received a generous grant of £1,000 for the Food Larder from Tesco.
On 13 June, we received a huge grant of £5000 for the Food Larder and £5000 for the main account from a private individual, for which we are most grateful.
On 19 December we received a very generous donation of £1,000 from a local family. Also in December, we received another very generous donation of £1,000, the proceeds of a Christmas party organised by Julie and Paul Martin. ( They had also donated more than £400 from a Fashion Show ).
On 20 January we received an extremely generous grant of £6,000 from Julia and Hans Rausing from the Foodbank Fund. On 30 January 2023, ELDC sent us a grant of £2000 from the Household Support Fund. In March, we received a second grant of £2,000 from ELDC from the Household Support Fund.
From April 2022 till end of March 2023: Total Number of MEALS 28,400
Total cost ( food) £31,494
Total cost for meals and extra items £33,135
We also benefited from many wonderful donations both financial and in kind after the celebration of a number of Harvest Festivals in local churches, schools and other organisations.
Thanks to the wonderful support we receive locally from individuals, churches and
supermarkets, we have been able to supply parcels to more large families this year .
The total number of people helped was greater this year (1,511 and 1,385 in the previous year) but the actual number of meals was smaller ( 28,400 this year and 38,990 ) reflecting the fact that young children and babies do not eat as much as adults. However, the overall cost of food this year was higher ( £31,494) than the previous one( £30,124) demonstrating that we are still very much in a cost of living crisis as the price of food continues to rise.
FURNITURE DONATIONS
Income from donations for furniture continues to show a downward trend although we still had a few good months, particularly over the summer period in July and August.
2020 – 2021 2021 – 2022 2022 - 2023
£17,710 £35,186 £30,965
The very low figure for 2020 – 2021 is a result of lockdown restrictions when we were not allowed to carry on with collections and deliveries of furniture.
This area of our work continues to be challenging for a number of reasons. More people try to sell their furniture online these days rather than donate it to charity.
Our part time warehouse supervisor, Nigel Fereday, left to return to France in October 2022 meaning that there were fewer people to work on the van team so that figure of £30,965 represents a great deal of hard work and effort. It is always difficult to get volunteers willing to work on the van moving furniture so Michael, our Manager, often has to go out on the van himself. This means longer hours for him as he has to catch up with paper work later in the day. We are immensely grateful to Michael and all our volunteers for their commitment and willingness to go the extra mile.
We would also like to thank the many local people who continue to donate good quality furniture to us and who offer us generous donations for furniture. Every week, we are able to give away a number of items of furniture completely free of charge.
Over the year we have helped provide furniture to some people who were formerly homeless and have now been rehomed and to some former residents of Hope House homes when they were able to move to independent living and were given their own accommodation.
Huge thanks to everyone for your ongoing support.
CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT
Every year since Covid, we have had a number of ongoing challenges and just when we think we have turned a corner, there have been new difficulties to face. Stubbornly high inflation has caused lasting problems, Covid, while appearing to be more under control, is still with us and several volunteers and clients have suffered with it this year. The war in Ukraine which shocked many last year is still ongoing gand who would have believed that we now have a new, devastating war raging between Israel and Hamas in Palestine which inevitably has repercussions for the whole world. The cost of food is still increasing and many local people are in debt and are really struggling to make ends meet.
The Food Larder has seen more and more families asking for help and a few years ago, the number of children in relation to adults was approximately 25% -30% whereas now, the figure is nearer to 60% - 75% or even higher. The cost of family parcels is very high but thanks to the loyal support of so many l people locally, we have been able to meet this need. The number of people who contribute financially to the Food Larder every month has increased over time and many other churches and individuals support us with very generous donations of food on a regular basis.
ELDC have supported us with two grants of £2000 each from the Household Support Fund and as mentioned earlier, we received an extremely generous grant of £6000 from Julia and Hans Rausing from the Food Bank Fund. In June, a private individual donated the huge sum of £10,000 , to be divided between the Food Larder and the main account. FareShare has continued to provide us with a variety of food each week and though some of it is not exactly what our clients are familiar with ( items such as celeriac, pak choi and cassava, for example !!) we do get quite a lot of tinned goods and sometimes, special treats such as large boxes of Ferrero Rocher chocolates. The Co-Op in Mablethorpe, Lidl and Tesco have all supported us throughout the year. We are greatly indebted to all who contribute to the work of Furnichurch in any way and I would like to say special thanks once again to Michael and all our volunteers, to all our trustees and huge thanks to Earl, our former Treasurer, who has continued to look after the accounts for us, even though he had in fact retired after the last AGM.
The work we do, both with furniture and food, is a lifeline for many in our community. We had several Ukrainian families here in Mablethorpe and we were able to support them until their benefits were organised. Two of those families have returned to Ukraine because their father was seriously ill but they were all really delighted at the help they received from us.
During the last year we had a family of three who were victims of people trafficking referred to us for food parcels. We were able to help them straight away not only with food but with hygiene packs too and they couldn’t thank us enough. Another lady who had been a victim of domestic violence for many years and had at last managed to break free phoned up one day in tears asking for help and food. She was overwhelmed with the size of her parcel and said, repeatedly,’ You are all angels, every one of you.’
Together we are in some small way making a difference in our community and offering hope to those who feel they can no longer cope with all their problems. With your continuing support, we will be able to continue to help those in need in these challenging times. Huge thanks to all of you – we really appreciate all you do for us. Dorothea McMillan (Chair of Trustees)
ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE LAST YEAR
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1 Even though this has been an extremely challenging year once again because of the cost of living crisis and the ever increasing price of food, thanks to the wonderful support and encouragement we get from people locally, we have been able to fulfil our charitable purpose of providing good quality second hand furniture for a modest donation to people on low incomes and in addition, to continue to support those in financial hardship by supplying them with free food parcels that provide three meals a day for a week.
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2 We have worked with many other organisations and support workers this year who have referred people to us for food parcels and sometimes for help with furniture. We have also made some contacts with community workers who have sought our help in particular cases of need and who have kept us informed of new opportunities.
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3 We continue to offer a number of items of furniture completely free of charge every week.
OBJECTIVES FOR THE COMING YEAR
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1 To continue to achieve our charitable purpose through a more efficient use of our resources.
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2 To look for new volunteers to work on the van and in the warehouse in order to lighten the workload for the team and maximise the opportunity of getting more clients.
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3 To obtain a large grant to enable us to take on a part time paid warehouse supervisor.
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4 To find some new trustees and a new chairperson and treasurer.
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5 To strengthen our financial position so that we can continue to meet need.
TRUSTEES’ STATEMENT OF PUBLIC BENEFIT
Furnichurch operates in a very deprived area around Mablethorpe and the coastal strip of Lincolnshire to Skegness. The principal areas of deprivation concern health, income, education and employment. Many of the coastal wards continue to be in the bottom 15% nationally for deprivation, some in the bottom 10%. Some wards in Mablethorpe are amongst the most deprived in the country. The services we deliver provide a practical short erm solution to the poverty that many people in our area experience. We work closely with a number of agencies who make referrals to us and in response we deliver good quality second-hand furniture and food to those in need. Where people are referred to us, we provide our service free of charge or in return for a small donation towards our work. We are the only provider of this type of service in the coastal area of Lincolnshire.
As our furniture is second-hand, there remains a very slight risk of injury to the client but we carry out basic checks to see if anything is faulty prior to delivery thus minimising that risk. We try to
reduce other potential risks by not supplying any second-hand electrical items or items that do not have a flame retardant label attached. As we do have a number of electric recliner chairs these days, we ensure they are PAT tested before passing them on to the public.
RESERVES POLICY
Our cash at bank stood at £20,208.16 on 31 March 2023 which is down on the previous year when we had a balance of £29,005.05 mainly due to a lack of volunteers and more challenging circumstances. We aim to hold a minimum of £20,000 and a maximum of 30,000 at year end, as in a down turn or an emergency, we need to be able to cover our overheads and any unforeseen costs. We also run an expensive vehicle which may require repairs.
AGM
This was held on Thursday 3 November 2022
Four trustees were re-elected
Dorothea McMillan ( Chair )
Ann Briggs ( Secretary
Christine Collins
Chris Lilley
Michelle Houldershaw was elected as Treasurer .
Governance
The charity is run by the five trustees and a team of volunteers who are under the direction of one paid manager, Michael Collins. No trustee receives remuneration for their role. Earl Dunton stood down as Treasurer after the AGM.
CHARITY DETAILS
Name of Charity: Furnichurch
Charity Registration No: 1110984
Date of Registration: 23rd August 2005
Address for Correspondence: FURNICHURCH
MABLETHORPE furnichurch@btconnect.com
LN12 2AL
Registered Charity No. 1110984 97A Victoria Road, Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. LN12 2AL
Incorporating the Mablethorpe, Trusthorpe and Sutton on Sea Food Larder
Treasurer’s Report
And
Annual Accounts
1[st] April 2022 to 31[st] March 2023
TREASURER'S REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
1. My thanks to our former treasurer Earl Dunton who, even though he had retired as Treasurer, took over the accounting work after our new treasurer, Michelle Holdershaw had to resign due to her husband's illness. Our thoughts and prayers are with Michelle following Mike's recent death.
2. Furnichurch is an exercise in faith and patience. God has always provided for our operating costs. We are most grateful to those individuals and groups who have donated food or cash. Our thanks too to the supermarkets and FareShare who have either donated food or provided food at much reduced prices.
3. However in common with other Lincolnshire food banks we are having to buy more food to meet an increasing need. With the financial squeeze on individuals we are now more reliant on grants. These take up much time and the trustees are grateful to our Chair, Dot Mc Millan who undertakes the work. We are most grateful to the CCC whose donations have kept us afloat in these challenging times. The CCC completes its grant giving work next year and Furnichurch will need new sources of income.
4. Expenditure has been broadly in line with the previous year although the retirement of our assistant manager has reduced salaries. However this has had a knock on effect in the amount of time our manager Michael Collins can open the warehouse as he needs to drive the van. Consequently donations for furniture are down. We are very grateful for the hard work of our volunteers. Our team of volunteers is now very small and we need more help working on the van and in the warehouse to maximise turnover.
5. Our reserves are healthy at £20,208 but this represents only just over three months expenditure.
Revd Canon Chris Lilley Treasurer
Furnichurch Statement of Income and Expenditure 1st April 2022 to 31st March 2023
Opening Balance £ 29,005.05 Income Food Larder £ 30,166.01 Furnichurch £ 35,160.00 - Less Refunds £ £ 35,160.00 Total Income £ 65,326.01 Expenditure Combined £ 74,122.90 Less Deficit for the year £ (8,796.89) Closing Balance £ 20,208.16 Reconciliation Balance at Bank at 31st March 2023 Food Larder £ 4,476.25 Furnichurch £ 9,750.91 £ 14,227.16 Plus Cash in Hand (Food Larder) £ 351.00 Plus Cash in Hand (Furnichurch) £ 5,630.00 £ 5,981.00 Sub Total £ 20,208.16 Less uncleared payments (Food Larder) £ - £ - Total £ 20,208.16
Income
| Through the Food Larder Donations 18,166.01 £ Other Income 1,000.00 £ Grants 1 11,000.00 £ Total Food Larder Income Through Furnichurch Donations for Furniture 30,965.00 £ Refunds 2 - £ 30,965.00 £ Donations for Delivery - £ Clientele Gifts - £ Gifts 5,195.00 £ Other Income (1,000.00) £ Grants 3 - £ Total Furnichurch Income Total Income |
Through the Food Larder Donations 18,166.01 £ Other Income 1,000.00 £ Grants 1 11,000.00 £ Total Food Larder Income Through Furnichurch Donations for Furniture 30,965.00 £ Refunds 2 - £ 30,965.00 £ Donations for Delivery - £ Clientele Gifts - £ Gifts 5,195.00 £ Other Income (1,000.00) £ Grants 3 - £ Total Furnichurch Income Total Income |
19,166.01 £ 11,000.00 £ |
30,166.01 £ 35,160.00 £ |
Prev Year 9,325.00 £ - £ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11,000.00 £ |
9,325.00 £ 20,000.00 £ |
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| 30,965.00 £ - £ - £ |
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| 30,965.00 £ 4,195.00 £ - £ |
29,325.00 £ |
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| 35,186.00 £ (445.00) £ |
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| 34,741.00 £ 295.00 £ 964.00 £ |
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| 5,195.00 £ (1,000.00) £ |
36,000.00 £ 1,995.00 £ 7.00 £ 13,400.00 £ |
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| - £ Total Income |
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| 51,402.00 £ |
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| 65,326.01 £ |
80,727.00 £ |
Expenditure
Prev Year
| Furnichurch and Food Larder Combined Building Rent 6,360.00 £ 6,360.00 £ Utilities Electricity 406.82 £ Gas 331.00 £ Water 244.00 £ Phone and Internet 752.63 £ Waste - £ 1,734.45 £ Salaries Wages 22,433.04 £ PAYE 5,742.98 £ Pensions 1,019.70 £ 29,195.72 £ Deliveries & Collections Fuel 2,131.69 £ Tax 290.00 £ Servicing 1,352.69 £ Insurance 476.62 £ Outsourcing - £ Other 456.00 £ 4,707.00 £ Serving the Community Groceries 30,698.59 £ Kitchenware - £ Electricals - £ Bedding - £ Energy - £ Furniture - £ White Goods - £ Other 251.04 £ 30,949.63 £ Office Insurance 403.20 £ Stationery 114.21 £ Sundries 203.37 £ Sum-up Charges 55.32 £ 776.10 £ Miscellaneous 4 400.00 £ 400.00 £ Total Expenditure 74,122.90 £ |
6,360.00 £ |
|---|---|
| 6,360.00 £ 413.51 £ 414.21 £ 48.00 £ 665.98 £ - £ |
|
| 1,541.70 £ 24,223.12 £ 6,426.44 £ 1,125.02 £ |
|
| 31,774.58 £ 2,385.44 £ 275.00 £ 1,673.08 £ 482.81 £ - £ 902.00 £ |
|
| 5,718.33 £ 28,380.14 £ - £ - £ - £ 110.00 £ - £ 474.95 £ 52.00 £ |
|
| 29,017.09 £ 501.41 £ 50.79 £ 244.80 £ - £ |
|
| 797.00 £ 675.00 £ |
|
| 675.00 £ |
|
| 75,883.70 £ |
Resiricted Giving
Statement of Assets
For the year ended 31st March 2023
| Assets Notes Vehicles 5 Office Equipe 6 Cash Food Larder Furnichurch Total Assets Liabilities Total Liabilities Net Assets Funds Notes Brought Forward Surplus/(deficit) for the year Asset Adjustment Transfer between Funds Funds carried Forward |
Unrestricted Restricted 4,581.50 £ 82.33 £ 4,663.83 £ 4,476.25 £ - £ 9,750.91 £ - £ 18,890.99 £ - £ 18,890.99 £ - £ Unrestricted Restricted 29,005.05 £ - £ (8,796.89) £ - £ (1,998.78) £ 18,209.38 £ - £ |
Total 2022 4,581.50 £ 6,545.00 £ 82.33 £ 117.61 £ |
|---|---|---|
| 4,663.83 £ 6,662.61 £ 4,476.25 £ 2,640.06 £ 9,750.91 £ 26,540.22 £ |
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| 18,890.99 £ 35,842.89 £ |
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| 18,890.99 £ 35,842.89 £ |
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| Total 2022 29,005.05 £ 33,679.77 £ (8,796.89) £ 4,843.30 £ (1,998.78) £ (2,855.41) £ |
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| 18,209.38 £ 35,667.66 £ |
Notes
1 Food Larder Grants
Tesco £1.000
East Lindsey District Council - Household Support Fund £4,000 Julia and Hans Rausing - The Foodbank Fund £6,000
2 From returns of unwanted furniture
3 Furnichurch Grants
4 Miscellany
Independent Examiner's fee - £400
5 Vehicle Assets Adjustment of £1963.50 to show depreciation of 30% for the year.
6 Office Equipment Assets Adjustment of £35.28 to show depreciation of 30% for the year.
FURNICHURCH
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT
TO THE TRUSTEES OF FURNICHURCH FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] MARCH 2023
I report on the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2023.
Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner
As a charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 43(7)(b) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirement
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act, and
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to prepare the accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act have not been met; or
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To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Mrs Sara M Cooper Member of Institute of Certified Bookkeepers SC Bookkeeping Services Howard House
Old Trusthrope Road Sutton on Sea Lincs LN12 2LL
Date: 8[th] November 2023