overcoming conflict
MESH Community Cohesion Services
Registered charlty (1121249)
Annual report for the year ended
31 March 2024

MESH Communitii Cohesion Services
Contents Page
Legal and administrative information
pp.2
Trustees, report
pp.3-7
Independent examiners report
pp.8-9
Statement of financial activities
pp.10
Balance sheet
pp.11
Notes to the accounts
pp.12-14

MESH Community Coliesioi) Service5
Legal and administrative information
Trustees
Carol Borrill
Jessica Ryan-smith
Ben McGarry
Jo Buchanan
Elinor Harman
Luke Tilley
Charity Secretary
Ben McGarry
Registered charity number
1121249
Principal address
The Circle
33 Rockingham Lane
SHEFFIELD
SI 4FW
Bank
Royal Bank of Scotland plc
5 Church Street
Sheffield
SI IHF
Independent examiner
LSRN Consultancy Ltd
Sheffield
S6 6GL
Matthew Ellis (FCCA)

MESH Comniunity Cohesion Services
Trustees report
The board of trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ending
31 March 2024. These have been prepared to meet the requirements for a trustee's report and
accounts for purposes of the Charity Commission and comply with the Charities Act 2011 and
the recommended practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with
the financial reporting standards for smaller entities.
Structure, governance and management Governing document
The organisation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered as a charity on 17
October 2007 and converted to a CIO on January 9, 2024. The charity was originally established
under a memorandum of association which established the objects and powers of a charitable
company and is currently governed under its new CIO Constitution (August 2023).
Recruitment and appointment of trustees
All members of the board give their time voluntarily and have received no benefits in this or
prior financial years.
The board seeks to ensure that the charity's objectives can be met by the diversity of the trustee
body. To enhance the potential pool of trustees, the charity has recruited through organisations
that support development in the sector, and through contacts in relevant fields, and from
members present at the AGM. A periodic skills audit of trustees and staff is carried out, so that
in the event of particular skills being lost due to retirements, recruitment may be specifically
targeted.
As per the constitution. trustees must be appointed by a resolution passed at a properly
convened meeting of the charity trustees.
Trustee induction and training
Prospective trustees are given links to the Charity Commission's guidelines for trustees, and the
charity's website, to familiarise themselves with our range of activities. An interview follows, an
application form is completed and two references are sought. All of this is reviewed by the
board, which may then decide to invite the applicant to observe at board meetings. If the board
is satisfied that they are suitable, they are then invited to join. Duly appointed trustees receive
a copy of the current version of the constitution, and a copy of the CIO'S latest Trustees, Annual
Report and statement of accounts.

MESH Comniunity Cohesion Services
Organisational structure
The charity has a board that meets monthly and is responsible for the strategic direction and
policy of the charity. The trustees who served during the year are listed on page two of the
report. The charity has one employed staff member. Each member of the board has their own
area of special interest, and works with the member of staff to manage that area.
Risk management
The board considers the financial risks to which the charity is exposed at each meeting, and
where possible puts in place actions to mitigate these risks. These include diversification of
funding and activities, reductions in costs, evaluating competition from other providers and
working with related parties. Procedures are in place to ensure compliance with health and
safety of staff, volunteers, and clients. These procedures are periodically reviewed to ensure
that they continue to meet the needs of the charity.
Related parties
The charity maintains links within the community and with organisations with similar purposes
in the region, identifying relevant policy developments and prospective funding.
Objectives
Our charity's purposes, as set out in the objects contained in the charity's constitution, are
to:
To promote for the public benefit in the county of South Yorkshire and its adjacent
counties ( the area of benefit ) and with a view to the preservation of public order, the
provision of services directed towards mediation and conciliation between people,
organisations and groups who are involved in disputes or interpersonal conflicts where
that dispute or conflict results from or may lead to acts of nuisance, vandalism, personal
abuse or breach of the peace.
To advance the education of the public in the area of benefit in methods of such
mediation and conciliation and in particular the nature and causes of such disputes and
the means of managing it.
The aims of our charity are to enable those involved in disputes to reach outcomes of lasting
benefit to themselves and other members of the public, and to bring the education of the public
to a state where it is able to reach these outcomes independently. Our aims fully reflect the
purposes that the charity was set up to further.
Ensuring our work delivers our objectives
We review our aims, objectives and activities at least once each year. This review looks at what
we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at key
activity and the benefits they have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help.

MESH CommLinity Cohesion Services
The review also helps us ensure our aims, objectives and activities remain focused on our stated
purposes. The trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and
objectives they have set.
Activities
Our main activities for the year were:
Neighbour Mediation
Family Mediation
Community Mediation including the RUBIC Project
Training
Neighbour mediation
MESH undertakes cases referred to us by local authority housing senjices in Sheffield and
neighbouring towns. We have a service contract with Sheffield City Council. These cases are
mediated by freelance staff and trained to standards required for accreditation. We work in
coordination with council housing officers, and feedback on outcomes is given to the
contractors at quarterly review meetings. All our services are provided free to Sheff ield City
Council clients. We monitor feedback from clients and access to our services by gender,
disability and sexual orientation.
Between 01 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, 40 referrals were received from Sheffield City
Council and we provided the following neighbour mediation services: 63 support phone calls,
63 initial meetings, 10 series of conflict coaching sessions and 12 joint/shuttle mediations.
Family mediation
During 2023124 MESH provided 12 MIAM where both parties attended and 8 where only one
party attended and 7 joint mediation meetings between couples.
Community cohesion
MESH has moved away from contributing to Community Cohesion projects as a core activity,
however, we have continued to contribute as a partner in the cohesion project, RUBIC (Respect
and Understanding" Building Inclusive Communities). In March 2024 MESH completed the
partnership work for RUBIC2 which ran from April 2021 to April 2024.
The work will include attending partnership meetings and contributing to overall strategy and
planning.

MESH Commiinity Cohesion Services
Training
MESH ran a training session for medical students on a placement at MESH which provided them
with an overview of the basic principles and approaches in mediation.
The principles of mediation training were also provided for housing officers at Sheffield City
Council. Mediation training was provided for staff at a small horticultural charity.
Principal funding sources
The principal funding sources for the charity are currently by way of grant and contract income
from the sources listed in the above paragraph.
Investment policy
Aside from retaining a prudent amount in the bank account most of the charity's funds are to be
spent in the short term so there are no funds for long term investment.
Reserves Policy
The Board of Trustees has examined the charity's requirements for reserves in light of the
main risks to the organisation. It has established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds
not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets held by the charity should be between 3
and 6 months of the expenditure, so long as that is more than sufficient to cover our
liabilities in the case of staff redundancy. The present level of reserves available to the
charity is £38,395 which represents more than 9 months of expenditure. Significant
changes have been made to the organisation in past 12 months and the trustees have
decided to continue with this level of reserves, whilst the changes settle down.
Financial review
In the financial year 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 MESH income rose to £49,248 from
£40,602 in the previous year. This increase was due to an increase in service delivery. At
the same time expenditure fell from £52,245 to £49,674. This was the result of staffing
changes detailed above.
The financial situation of the organisation has improved significantly following the changes
made. In 2022123 financial year there was a deficit of £11,643. The accounts this year show a
near break-even position with a deficit of £426.
Trustees, responsibilities for the financial statements
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial period which
show the state of affairs of the charity and of net income or expenditure of the charity for that
period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

MESH Commursity Cohesion Services
select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent.
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to
presume that the charity will continue in operation.
state whether applicable accounting standards of recommended practice have been
followed subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with
reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable the Trustees to
prepare financial statements.
The Trustees are responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking
reasonable steps for the prevention of fraud and other irregularities.
This report has been prepared in accordance with the Charity Commission requirements for a
Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with an income above £25,000 and below the
threshold for a full audit.
This report was approved by the Trustees on 10.09.24 and is signed on their behalf by..
Carol Borrill
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Ben McGarry
Secretary

MESH Commiinity Cohesion Sproices
Independent examiner's report for the year ended 31 March 2024
I report on the accounts of the CIO for the year ended 31 March 2024. which are set out on
pages 9 to 12.
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 forthis year under section 144{2) of the Charities Act 2011
(the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act;
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 to state 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
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 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 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:
which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the
requirements: with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended
Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities have not been met; or
2. to which, in my opinion attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper
understanding of the accounts to be reached.

ESH Community Cohesion Services
(roercnffj¥fjgconnir.I
Signed.... ..............
aq
On behalf of
LSRN Consultancy Ltd
Sheffield
S6 6GL

MESH Conimunity Cohesion Services
ovgrLtsfrtifjg-,
Statement of financial activitles for the year ended 31 March 2024
Unrestrlcted
funds
Restrlcted
funds
Total
2024
Total
2023
Notes
Professional fees
37,192
37,192
31,742
Grants
6,960
6,960
8,860
Other income
5.096
5,096
49.248
49,248
40,602
Wages NI and payroll
20,298
20,298
27.951
Consultancy (inc. freelance)
16,538
16,538
11.927
Staff travel and expenses
67
67
314
Training
878
878
109
Insurance
1.440
1440
1.736
Rent
4.669
4.669
5.436
Room hire
826
826
loo
Publicity
120
120
470
Print, stationery and publications
330
330
93
ICT
1,338
1.338
1,286
Other expenditure
2.843
2,843
1233
Bank charges
77
77
50
Accountancy
250
250
1540
49.674
49.674
52,245
Surplus/(Deficit)
(426)
(426)
(11,643)
Total funds brought forward
38,821
38,821
50,464
Total funds carried forward
38,395
38,395
38,821
10

MESH Community Cohesion Services
Balance sheet as at year ended 31 March 2024
2024
2023
Notes
Current assets
Debtors
3.910
I,ioo
Balance at bank
34,313
38,975
38,223
40,075
Current Ilabllltles
Creditors
172
(1,254)
172
11254)
Net current assets
38.395
38,821
Net assets
38,395
38,821
Funds
Restricted
Unrestricted
38.395
38,821
Total funds
38,395
38.821
Approved by the Trustees on 10.09.24 and signed on their behalf by:
Carol Borrlll
Chair of the Board of Trustees
11

MESH Community Cohesion Servicf45
Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 March 2024
Accounting policies
(a) Basis of preparation
The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the Accounting and
Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities
preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS102 (effective from January 2015 and
updated with effect from January 2016) - (the Charities SORP (FRS102)), as modified for
smaller charities.
The Charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity as defined under FRSIO2.
(b) Income
Grant donations and Income from charitable trading activities are recognised in full in
the statement of financial activities in the year in which they relate. Any income received
in advance is accounted for on an accrual basis.
(c) Resources expended
Governance costs of the charity relate to the costs of running the charity such as the
costs of meetings, professional costs and statutory compliance, and includes any costs
which cannot be specifically identified to another expenditure classification. In the
opinion of the trustees all support costs relate to charitable expenditure.
(d) Tangible fixed assets and depreciation
Depreciation is provided on all tangible fixed assets at rates calculated to write off the
cost of each asset over its useful life.
(e) Fund accounting
Remaining funds held by the charity are funds which can be used in accordance with the
charitable objects at the discretion of the trustees. Restrictions of funds arise when
specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. These
funds are allocated within the P&L and utilised in the year they are raised
12

MESH Comm.Iinity Cofriesion Sei'vices
2024
2023
Debtors
Trade debtors
3,910
I,iio
3,910
I,iio
Accruals
These are expenses that have been incurred but have not been paid or invoiced
for during the accounting period.
2023
2023
Trade creditors
590
Accruals
(172)
664
(172)
1.254
Grants
Total
Unrestrlcted
Restrlcted
2024
2023
CHILYPEP (Partnership Work)
6.360
6,360
6,360
Sheff ield City Council - Community Fund
2,500
6,360
6,360
8,860
Staff Costs and Trustees. Remuneration
2024
2023
Salaries
20,013
27.192
Pensions
130
563
Payroll services
155
196
20,298
27,951
Average number of employees during the year: 2 luntil June 2023 then 11
No trustees received reimbursed expenses during the year (2022.. £nil)
No Trustees received remuneration during the year.
13