(Registered Charity No. 1115643)
Accounts for the Year Ended 30th September 2025
Independent Examiner’s Report on the Accounts
Report to the trustees/members of Jigsaw (Bury) on the accounts for the year ended 30th September 2025 set out on pages 3 to 10.
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 145(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act,
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To follow the procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act, and
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To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of independent examiner’s statement
My examination was carried out in accordance with general directions given by the Charity Commission. 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 the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
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 requirements:
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 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.
Signed…………………………………………… Date: 01/06/2026
Name: Nicola Tamanis
Relevant Professional Qualification or Body: Association of Chartered Management Accountants
Address: Kenyon Fold, Broadhead Road, Turton, Bolton, BL7 0BW
Wait! What exactly am I reading?
You’re reading Jigsaw Bury’s annual report to its trustees and members, covering the period between the 1[st] of October 2024 and the 30[th] of September 2025.
Hold on a sec…. ‘Jigsaw’?
Jigsaw started as a befriending project in 1992, evolving into a social group for young disabled people in 1995. It became an independent charity in 2005 and registered with the charity commission just under a year later. It continues to run two arms, Jigsaw Link for over 50s and Jigsaw for 13- to 30-year-olds. For over 2 decades Bury Council has supported its services and developments.
From very small beginnings, with two members in 1995, Jigsaw now has 203 members, 55 active volunteers, 4 office staff and 9 Group Leaders, and runs a diverse programme of sporting, skills development, healthy living, and social activities. In 2013 Jigsaw received the Queen’s Awards for Voluntary Service, the MBE for volunteer groups.
Jigsaw is an awesome charity based in the Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester that seeks to combat loneliness among the borough’s disabled and elderly communities, by promoting the inclusion and independence of those communities. That’s all we’ll say for now, but we will go into our activities in more detail later in this report – and all our work is done on a not-for-profit basis.
So, Jigsaw is a charity… but how is it structured and governed?
Jigsaw is an association which consists of members, staff, and volunteers. Some of our members and group leaders also serve on the Board of Trustees, so we’re proud to say that we’re Member-led and have a clear means of ensuring that our members’ voices are heard at every level of the organisation. Jigsaw also works according to a governing document (our Constitution) which was originally drafted in August 2006, before being further modified in June 2015 and June 2016. Our trustees are formally appointed or reappointed at the Annual General Meeting; however, new trustees may be co-opted onto the committee at other times if there are vacancies and this is deemed necessary by the existing trustees. All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no remuneration or other benefits for these activities. The involvement of Jigsaw service users as trustees ensures that members’ views are represented in all discussions.
Do you work alongside any other organisations or bodies?
Some of our activities are run in partnership with other organisations, such as the Special Olympics organisation. This has provided the charity with several funding and additional sports opportunities. Jigsaw and Jigsaw Link also have a service level agreement with Bury Council, which covers the provision of support and socialising opportunities for disabled adults living in the Bury Council area.
Finally, how do you keep your members safe?
Jigsaw has a safeguarding policy in place, and as part of that policy Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are carried out on all trustees, staff, and volunteers. These checks are carried out every three years in line with statutory requirements.
Okay, sounds great… so how can I get in touch with you?
For official purposes, our details as registered with the Charities Commission are as follows:
Charity name: Jigsaw (Bury) incorporating Jigsaw Link Registered charity number: 1115643 Charity’s principal address: Unit 28, Bury Business Centre Kay Street Bury BL9 6BU
Alternatively, for more general enquiries, or if you’re looking to become a member or volunteer you can also call us at 0161 253 6853, or e-mail jigsaw@bury.gov.uk!
----- Start of picture text -----
I enjoy volunteering for
Jigsaw as it's full of nice
people, superbly
organised and it makes a
lot of disabled people
happy, who may
otherwise be lonely.
----- End of picture text -----
Jigsaw (Bury) is a registered charity, based in the borough of Bury, comprised of two sub-groups: Jigsaw and Jigsaw Link. We aim to promote fun, freedom, and independence for disabled people across the borough of Bury while also working to prevent social isolation, improve the self-esteem of our members and increase community integration.
Our Jigsaw arm is a sports and social group for young disabled people, accepting members from the age of 13. We aim to support our members to enjoy an active social life, to reach their sporting potential and to maintain a healthy lifestyle, running sports and social activities on average six days a week. The Jigsaw scheme provides our younger members with an opportunity to participate in mainstream activities and engage with the wider local community. Members are encouraged to believe in themselves and their own abilities, and this has created a lively, user led organisation which encourages active involvement of its members in the decisionmaking process. Activities are coordinated by the Jigsaw office staff and managed by group leaders, while our Volunteers provide assistance in a friendly, supportive way.
Jigsaw Link provides similar services to Jigsaw, in that it aims to support our members in enjoying an active social life just as Jigsaw does - but it is aimed at an older audience. Activities such as our regular Luncheon Clubs and group outings to interesting attractions and venues across the north-west and further afield are always well attended, and well loved by those who attend! Jigsaw Link also offers a one-to-one befriending service for people over the age of 50, as another means of working to prevent or reduce problems of loneliness and social exclusion among people who are at risk of becoming socially isolated, and who may be disabled or have an age-related condition. The befriending service works by linking members with a specific volunteer who will either visit them at home or call them on a regular basis. Finally, as mentioned above we also offer a weekly Luncheon Club and social outings throughout the year, as well as an Older People’s Active Living programme, and a telephone befriending service.
----- Start of picture text -----
"I've not had
such a good time
in years. Today
has put a smile
on my face and
I've had such a
fantastic day!"
----- End of picture text -----
The Jigsaw Board of Trustees for the 2024 - 2025 financial year was made up of the following amazing people:
(Appointed October 2021, re-elected June 2025) (Appointed June 2019, re-elected June 2025) (Appointed October 2021, re-elected June 2025)
Chair: James Thornton (Appointed October 2021, re-elected June 2025) Secretary: Michael Gwyn (Appointed June 2019, re-elected June 2025) Treasurer: James Thornton (Appointed October 2021, re-elected June 2025) General Board Member: Bill Mann (Appointed February 2025, re-elected June 2025)
Member Trustees:
Rebecca Lunness Liam Collinge
(Appointed July 2013, re-elected June 2025) (Appointed July 2014, re-elected June 2025)
Without these vital pieces of the puzzle, Jigsaw wouldn’t be the great organisation that it is today. Sincere thanks from the Board of Trustees and the entire membership go to:
Manager: Zoe Oldham Coordinators: Ellen Smith (Maternity Leave) / Dawn McCormick (Maternity cover)
Jigsaw Link Officer: Natalie Berger
The objectives of Jigsaw are twofold:
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To meet the needs of disabled people with a view to encouraging their active participation in the community
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To promote equality and diversity by combating negative perceptions of disability.
We’re proud of our achievements this year, so of course we’re more than happy to tell you about them! Read on for all the important facts and figures regarding Jigsaw’s activity, as well as more snapshots of the year’s highlights and testimonials from our members!
Over the course of this year 67 different members took advantage of the opportunities and services offered by Jigsaw Link. Roughly two-thirds of those people were happy just to attend our outings and weekly luncheon clubs, where this year’s highlights included the Jigsaw Link visits to Boundary Mill and Rivington Hall Barn, as well as our trip on the Canal boats at Marple, while closer to home we visited Ena Mill, Summerseat Garden Centre, Ikea Ashton, Aladdin Pantomime at Victoria Hall, Bolton, a Cabaret Lunch at the Bluebell, and Crown Green Bowling at Seedfield Bowling Club.
As part of the Older People’s Active Living Programme, Jigsaw Link ‘Have A Go Sessions’ took place at Trinity Baptist Church in Radcliffe once a month which included a Talks by the Police, Utility Warehouse and The Fusilier Museum Bury along with Chair-based exercises, quizzes & Games Afternoons. Jigsaw Link also offered 1 ‘Have A Go Session’ per month which took place at Prestwich Methodist Church from March 2025 through the Bury Wellness Investment programme. Activities which took place as part of this programme included Chairbased exercises with Alyson Livesey, Funky Monkey music session, Chair-based Yoga with Marion Rubins, along with Archery, Axe Throwing & Boccia sessions.
In addition to the good times we had, and friendships made at lunch clubs and on outings,
3 Jigsaw Link Members remain on the waiting list for a befriender. We’d of course like to thank our members for getting out there and getting involved throughout the year, and to those people still waiting for a befriender we ask only that you stay the course with us – we’re sure to find someone for you soon!
Our community of 163 active members were able to select from some 179 social and 178 sport outings - a grand total of 357 Jigsaw activities across the whole year. This figure has increased by 17% from the previous accounting year. The number of events we coordinate indicates quite strongly the local demand – and underlying need that there is for our locally unique service.
Our popular social outing programme included meals and lunches, monthly meetings, choir, dance & drama practices, bowling, pantomimes and theatre productions, quizzes, gardening, a trip to Blackpool illuminations, a visit to Manchester Christmas Markets, walks in local parks, arts and craft workshops, cinema visits, HUKD Golf, playing pool at Martini’s on The Rock and we introduced a brand new Litter Picking Group.
Our 2025 Summer Holiday Programme included a trip to the Trafford Centre, a day out in Blackpool, a canal boat trip with New Horizons, a magical wizarding ride on the East Lancashire Railway and a visit to Chester Zoo
Our fundraising efforts included fundraising collections at local supermarkets, partner involvement with the Bury 10k, bingo nights, summer fair, our annual Calendar, raffles, clothing collections, merchandise and Christmas card sales.
Sport and physical activity played a large role in Jigsaw’s activities across 2024/25. Jigsaw has offered the following as part of our monthly sports programme: Football, Boccia, Aerobics, Badminton, Kurling, Yoga, Pilates, Gym, Swimming, Archery, Axe Throwing, Volleyball, Cheerleading, Boxercise, Table Tennis, Tennis, Croquet, Crown Green Bowling, Dance, Corn Hole, Rugby, Athletics, Cycling and Rounders. and competed in the 2025 Rotary Games in St Helens.
Jigsaw had a Boccia Team of 10 players registered with Boccia England (Jigsaw Bury) and competed in the National League across the Northwest. The team played home & away fixtures in Bury & Stockport.
In July 2025, Jigsaw attended the Accessible Festival at Bury Athletics Track. Jigsaw provided a Boccia taster session on the day for attendees and other community groups. In September 2025 Jigsaw members attended the Rotary Games in St Helens.
Income in 2024/25 was £108,312, decreasing by 15.41% from 2023/24. Expenditure was £144,012, increasing by 7.03% in the previous year.
We aim to hold sufficient funds in reserves to cover a minimum of six months’ expenditure. However, as the accounts show there has been quite a significant reduction in the cash balance during 2024/25, and this has meant that the charity isn't holding reserves to cover 6 months of expenditure. We are not currently meeting our aim.
We held cash at the bank of £48,382 made up entirely of unrestricted funds.
Plan to Address the Reduction in Cash Balance in the 2025/26 Financial Year
During the 2024/25 financial year, the organisation experienced a reduction in its cash balance due to increased operating costs, project expenditure, and investment in activities that directly benefit our members.
To address this and strengthen our financial position, we have developed a clear action plan.
Income Generation
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Increase applications to charitable trusts, foundations, and grant-making bodies.
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Develop relationships with local businesses to secure sponsorship and donations.
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Expand fundraising activities, including community events, raffles, and regular giving schemes.
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• Promote membership contributions and supporter initiatives such as a monthly 100 Club.
Financial Management
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Review all expenditure to identify potential savings and improve value for money.
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Obtain competitive quotes for larger purchases and services.
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Monitor budgets monthly to ensure spending remains within agreed limits.
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Prioritise essential expenditure that directly supports service delivery.
Diversifying Funding
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Reduce reliance on a small number of funding sources by seeking a wider range of grants and contracts.
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Explore opportunities to generate unrestricted income through room hire, training, and community activities where appropriate.
Building Reserves
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Set annual targets to rebuild unrestricted reserves and improve cash flow resilience.
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Allocate a proportion of unrestricted income to reserves whenever possible.
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Maintain a cash flow forecast to identify potential pressures early and take corrective action.
Long-Term Sustainability
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Develop a three-year financial strategy aligned with organisational priorities.
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Regularly review income streams and service demand to ensure resources are used effectively.
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Continue demonstrating the impact of our work to strengthen future funding applications and supporter engagement.
These measures will help improve financial stability, rebuild cash reserves, and ensure the organisation can continue delivering high-quality services to its members in a sustainable way.
A massive thank you goes out to the following funds, grants and organisations - and of course every member of the public that donated during 2024/25 - for the financial contributions that they made to Jigsaw over the past financial year.
| Funding Source Bury Council SLA The D Oyly Carte Bury VCFA Valuing Volunteers Salford Community Grants Bury VCFA Wellness Investment Programme Arnold Clarke Asda Foundation Bury MBC Mayors Challenge Fund Bury Athenauem The National Gardening Scheme Grant Voicescape Bury VCFA Live Well Grant |
Amount 32,500 2,223 250 1,892 1,000 500 500 1,708.75 1,100 1,600 995 3,000 |
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Every penny of every donation - big or small - goes to improving the lives of people in your local community, and Jigsaw just couldn’t do what we do without you – so again, from the bottom of our hearts, THANKYOU!
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As you can see from the table above, the main sources of grant income in 2024/25 were the combined external grants, which totaled £14,768.75 and the Service Level Agreement (SLA) funding from Bury Council of £32,500 giving a total grant income of £47,268.75.
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As the accounts show, most of the income is used to support the costs of charitable activities including the organisation of activities, staff costs, volunteer expenses and transport.
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Nevertheless, Jigsaw members’ contributions towards the cost of social and sporting activities raised, £44,073.72 in 2024/25.
First and foremost, we will continue to deliver a member-led service, providing activities and opportunities that our members will enjoy, and which promote our core values of fun, freedom, and independence.
Jigsaw’s other plans for 2025/26 include,
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Increasing income to protect the reserves, ensuring the sustainability of the charity.
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Maintain strong leadership for the charity with the board of trustees, and office staff.
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Continuing to offer new sports and social activities for our members.
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Continuing to invest and retain quality staff and volunteers.
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Recruit more volunteer drivers for Jigsaw Link.
Charity Name Jigsaw (Bury)
No (if any) 1115643
Receipts and payments accounts
For the period from
Period start
date 1st October 2024
To
Period end date 30th September 2025
CC16a
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricte Restricte Endowment Total d funds d funds funds funds to the nearest to the to the nearest to the £ nearest £ £ nearest £ £ A1 Receipts Grants - Government & Public Bodies 32,500 - 32,500 32,500 Grants 15,419 - 15,419 27,038 Other Income 45,994 - 45,994 48,336 Donations & Fundraising 12,953 - 12,953 17,228 Interest 1,446 1,446 2,936 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sub total (Gross 75,812 32,500 - 108,312 128,038
Last year
to the nearest £
Sub total (Gross income for AR) 75,812
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
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Sub total -
Total receipts
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75,812 32,500
108,312 128,038
A3 Payments
Office Staff Wages
86,427 86,427 77,276 Group Leader Pay 18,095 - 18,095 11,662 Payroll Service Charge 522 - 522 492 Expenses 4,768 4,768 4,734 Direct Cost of Activities 34,200 34,200 40,392 - - - - - -
| - | - | - | - | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | - | |||||
| Sub total | 34,200 | 109,812 | - | 144,012 | 134,556 |
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
| - | - | - | - | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | - | |||||||
| Sub total | ||||||||||
| - | - | - | - | - | ||||||
| Total payments | 34,200 | 109,812 | - | 144,012 | 134,556 | |||||
| Net of | - | - | - | |||||||
| receipts/(payments) | 41,612 | 77,312 | - | 35,700 | 6,518 | |||||
| A5 Transfers between | - | |||||||||
| funds | 77,312 | 77,312 | - | - | ||||||
| A6 Cash funds last | ||||||||||
| year end | 84,082 | - | - | 84,082 | 90,600 | |||||
| Cash | funds this year | |||||||||
| end | 48,382 | - | - | 48,382 | 84,082 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
Unrestricte Restricte Endowmen d funds d funds t funds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ - - 19,114 29,268 - - - - - - 48,382 - OK OK OK Unrestricte Restricte Endowmen d funds d funds t funds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Categories
Details
Jigsaw Current Account Jigsaw Savings Account
B1 Cash funds
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments account(s))
Details
B2 Other monetary assets
B3 Investment assets
B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use
B5 Liabilities
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
| Details Details Details Signature |
Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) - - - - - Print Name James Thornton Michael Gwyn |
Current value (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
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| 30/09/2025 | |||
| 30/09/2025 | |||