The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
THE WOR HOOSE COMMUNITY PROJECT ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 March 2025
Registered Charity Number 1128032
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
THE WOR HOOSE COMMUNITY PROJECT
ANNUAL REPOHT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 March 2025
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|Contents|Page|
|Trustee’s annual report|4 - 8|
|Independent examiners report|9|
|Receipts and payments|10|
|Statement of Assets and Liabilities|11|
|Notes to the financial statements|12-13|
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
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|Registered Charity Name|Wor Hoose Community Project|
|Charity Number|1128032|
|Registered office|31 – 33 Hexham Avenue|
|Walker|
|Newcastle upon Tyne|
|NE6 3AL|
|Trustees|Linda Hellens – Chair|
|Zoey Blackburn – Treasurer|
|Sallyann Blaney – Executive Member|
|Charlene Paterson – Executive Member|
|Independent Examiner|Julie Maxwell|
|11 Edith Street|
|Jarrow|
|Tyne and Wear|
|NE32 5HS|
|Bankers|Barclays Bank|
|49/51 Northumberland Street|
|Newcastle upon Tyne|
|NE1 7AF|
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
The trustees are pleased to present their report and financial statements for year ended 31 March 2025.
Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, our Constitution and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities (effective from January 2019).
## **Structure, Governance and Management Governing document**
Wor Hoose Community Project is a registered charity, it is controlled by its governing document, our Constitution which is dated 27 November 2008.
## **Organisational Structure**
The Wor Hoose Community Project is run by a board of trustees who delegate day-to-day operations of the charity to the Project Coordinator, who reports to the board as defined in the Constitution.
## **Recruitment and Appointment of Trustees**
Trustees are appointed from within the community to meet the requirements of skills and diversity. Trustees attend 3 board meetings as observers before appointment and may then be co-opted as trustees. All trustees are then appointed at the AGM.
## **Risk Management**
The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error.
## **Public Benefit**
In planning the charity's activities for the period, the trustees kept in mind the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit. The focus of the charity's activities during the period, is set out below.
## **Mission, objectives and activities**
The objective of Wor Hoose Community Project (often known just as Wor Hoose) is the promotion of regeneration in areas of social and economic deprivation and in particular the Hexham Avenue estate and outlying communities. In response to the changing needs of our community, in April 2023 we reviewed our Vision and Values which have been amended as follows:
Our Values: Building a stronger community together.
Our Vision: A connected, kind and can-do community across Hexham Avenue and surrounding areas.
We provide services and activities and supportive community space which enable friendship, bravery, learning and growth; and by working with other communities and partners to achieve equal access to good quality of services for everyone in Walker and the surrounding areas.
The after-effects of Covid and the ongoing impact of the Cost-of-Living crunch continue to reverberate through our community. Our new vision encompasses both our traditional community-based activities and support services, as well as
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
developing an incubator approach, to grow and test community solutions that can then influence and support changes to address inequalities within systems.
This last year we hosted various community events to bring residents together, encouraging new friendships, and to develop new learning skills. Our support has focussed on:
▪ Courses in recreational and vocational subjects
▪ Wellbeing courses and 1:1 support.
▪ Mental health counselling.
▪ Employment support, welfare and debt advice
▪ Volunteering opportunities.
▪ Family and parenting support and activities.
▪ Activities for children and young people.
▪ Activities, events and outings for adults of all ages and abilities.
▪ Community Lunch club and café.
▪ Foodbank and hardship support.
Working with communities and partners to achieve equal access to good quality services we worked to embed resident-led action groups in all that we do to develop our own community solutions to local issues.
We believe we are always stronger together; our welcoming community project is a place where we can all belong, have fun, and shape the future of our community. We focus on building relationships with local people that lead to practical, community-led solutions. By working side by side, we strengthen connections, solve challenges, and create change that starts small but grows big.
The Wor Hoose Community Project is committed to shaping the system and bridging the gap between grassroots action and wider transformation. When residents feel safe, connected, and valued, they don't just change their communities, they change the system itself.
Our Project is:
Home from Home - A safe and welcoming space where everyone belongs. Flexible and Rooted – To make trusted relationships and create change through joint involvement with others.
The Bridge between Community-led action and a system transformation, proving that when residents feel safe, connected and valued, real change happens.
## **Review of our Activities**
During this reporting period, the Wor Hoose Community Project achieved notable successes across multiple areas and supported 1193 individuals.
**Warm Welcome**
**Space**
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
Open 6 days a week with free wi-fi and hot & cold drinks and snacks. 314 beneficiaries attended, with 70 of those signposted to other services. 260 beneficiaries reported benefitting from having someone to talk to, who listened and understood them.
155 people said they felt safe, valued, respected and supported to face challenges; had increased confidence and an improved sense of wellbeing; and felt more socially connected to others. The winter warm sessions and lunch club food days also provided additional meal kits for people to take away to prepare at home.
## **Digital Inclusion and Learning**
Our informal training programme activities and computer access support services supported 363 individuals access 1:1 support.
## **Community Outreach & Local Delivery (COLD) Programme**
Our community-focused initiatives showed substantial impact: the COLD programme ran outdoor information sessions every week and engaged regularly with 166 families at each session.
## **Housing, Tenancy, Utility and Welfare Advice**
The utility, housing and welfare advice project ran in partnership with the Wise Group’s Heat Service, the NE Law Centre, Newcastle East Credit Union and Newcastle City Council Housing and Tenancy teams supported 271 residents access specialist 1:1 specialist support. With 219 returning again for additional help.
## **Community Pantry Shop**
Ran in partnership with the East End Trussell Trust Foodbank, St Silas Church in Byker, the Neighbourly Group and Nourish Food School we provided families with food/toiletries and cleaning supplies. 1250 recipe kits were distributed out, with 355 food crates saved from landfill through help from Aldi Walker and Wallsend supermarkets.
## **Lunch Club and Café Activities, and Cookery Courses.**
Running 2 days a week to provide healthy meals, with 92 people attending regularly. During lunch club sessions we served 741 meals. A further 57 families regularly attended intergenerational group social nights to share food, news and play games and reported improved well-being. 72 people attended basic family cookery classes to learn how to budget and cook nutritional healthy family meals.
## **Family Fun Sessions**
Out of school holiday sessions were a resounding success, as 743 families participated in sharing food, arts and craft sessions, games, gardening, recycling and safe play activities. Families benefited significantly from targeted programmes: Messy Mondays saw participation from 37 families, including 9 new families, and our Wednesday evening sessions engaged 85 participants, with seven new families joining.
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
## **Summer Day Trips**
355 families attended day trips away and visited South Shields Beach, Blyth and Morpeth Park. These trips were widely appreciated; they brought families together and showcased the strength of our community engagement methods.
## **Christmas Activities**
We served a weeklong Christmas themed meals during December 2024 for different ages to attend. From single parent families to single people, older residents and for regular volunteers, our message was the same to say ‘thank you’ for attending.
Santa met with 83 children on Christmas eve. Children who attended participated in a family’s Christmas eve party and disco, saw a magic show and took part in festive crafts. Afterwards staff also distributed a further 55 Christmas food bags out to the wider community.
## **Mental Health Support**
284 people accessed mental wellbeing advice and support. Working in partnership with Church Walk and St Anthonys community health link workers and Tyneside Mind we delivered various confidential and compassionate weekly support groups.
210 beneficiaries reported improved health by learning new life skills to maintain their own well-being longer-term and reported they had reduced impact of stigmas through regular attendance. The group discussed common myths associated with mental illness, spotting signs, giving and receiving support, safeguarding and signposting. Peer group support opportunities were made for individual participants to share their own personal stories of managing mental health issues. Tyneside Women’s Health project also delivered some youth mental health and wellbeing sessions to help raise awareness.
## **After School Sessions**
Weekly after school and toddler sessions supported 58 children. With a free teatime family meal, information sharing sessions, library service and practical support we created a vital space for connection, learning and empowerment. Children played safely together and increased their self-esteem. A further 32 children attended homework club sessions.
## **Fitness and Physical Health**
178 families took part in free, accessible & fun exercise groups such as gardening, community clean up days, walking group and family supported park activities.
## **Weekly Wellbeing Groups**
Partnering with Talk Club, we delivered weekly peer support groups for women only groups, carers and for men to attend. These were all successful as attendees said they felt less anxious and saw an improvement in their wellbeing.
**Men’s Social Time -** 8 regularly attended sessions, socialising and participated in card games.
**Women’s Support Time -** 46 women attended women only sessions, to access advice, chat, a quiet zone, or essential items (toiletries, food vouchers), and services such as laundry and IT access/support services.
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
**Carers Support -** 68 attended, with 26 of those caring for a disabled child or relative. Working in partnership with Newcastle Carers we gave ongoing emotional support and shared information.
Feedback from both staff and project users was overwhelmingly positive. We collected feedback via informal chats within sessions and responses were 100% positive and appreciative. Comments included words such as “ _amazing_ ,” “ _fantastic_ ,” and “ _I’m so proud to be part of Wor Hoose.”_ All these comments reflected the enthusiasm and gratitude felt by the project users.
100% of attendees said they enjoyed co-designing future activities with ‘Wor Hoose.’ 28 became new volunteers and joined community focus groups to help raise awareness and signpost new families into our services, such as food and fuel poverty, money and employment advice, housing support, making connections with others, reducing loneliness and isolation. Through resident led focus group support we achieved an impressive 85% follow-up rate of people asking us about additional support.
## **Future services**
- Continue to expand our community café lunch club and all year ‘winter warm’ zones.
- Build new joint working opportunities to enable us to tailor family support activities.
- Reduce all kinds of inequality by providing activities which are welcoming and fully inclusive.
- Deliver early invention and preventative support to families and children
- Provide practical support, a library of things and hardship activities such as cooking classes.
- Deliver specialist welfare, tenancy support and money advice services
- Reduce anti-social behaviours through running wellbeing and ongoing support activities.
- Increase participation, access and inclusion in all neighbourhood activities.
- The Wor Hoose Community Project will continue to deliver activities to promote community calm, safety, and wellbeing.
We are profoundly grateful to all our staff but particularly to the Project Coordinator and Outreach Worker who showed compassion to everyone who they met and who worked hard, alongside partner organisations to help us achieve everything we did do. We would also like to thank everyone who has continued to support us and who have displayed a great deal of flexibility and responsiveness to changing circumstances and community needs.
## **FINANCIAL REVIEW**
The Wor Hoose Community Projects principle-funding source is from grants. The total income for the year was £58,089 a decrease from 2024. This income is allocated across respective funds on the Statement of Financial Activities in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) 2005.
## **Reserves policy**
The trustees have identified the need to hold a level of uncommitted reserves of between 3 and 6 months to the total budget. At this level, the trustees feel that they would be able to continue the current activities of the charity in the event of a significant drop in funding. The level of reserves would provide the time to
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
review services. The trustees feel that the reserves have reached a level, currently £4972 where they should now consider seeking to increase them as they currently represent less than 4 months of the running costs.
## **Pay Policy for Key Management and Project Staff Personnel**
The Trustees, who give their time freely, no trustees received remuneration in the year. We maintain our policy of paying our project staff at rates in line with local government salary scales and where appropriate at levels set by the National Living Wage.
## **Public Benefit Statement**
The trustees have referred to the Charity Commissioners guidance on public benefit when receiving the charity objectives and planning future activities. This annual report will aim to demonstrate the link between our charitable activity and how this benefits our service users.
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER**
Julie Maxwell was appointed as independent examiner for the ensuing year.
## **Statement of Trustee Responsibilities**
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and the Financial Statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The trustees are required to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which show the situation of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure of the charity for the year.
In preparing those financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP.
- make judgements that are reasonable and prudent.
- state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements.
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities
Signed on behalf of the trustees
## Date _**11[th] December 2025**_
Trustee Name Lynda Hellens
Signature _**L.M.Hellens**_
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES For the year ended 31 March 2025**
I report on the financial statements of The Wor Hoose Community Project for the year ended 31 March 2025, which are set out on pages 10 - 11
## **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 the period under section 144 of the Charities Act 201 1 (the Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under section 145 of the 201 1 Act,
- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the 201 1 Act), and
- 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
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
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:
- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements:
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act;
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act have not been met
- (2) to which, in in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Julie Maxwell Independent Examiner 11 Edith Street Jarrow Tyne and Wear NE32 5HS
Dated: 02/12/2025
|**Receipts and Payments Account at 31st March 2025**
**Unrestri**
**cted**
**Restricte**
**d**
**Total**
**_Total_**
**Funds**
**Funds**
**2025**
**_2024_**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**_£_**|
|---|
|**Receipts**
NCC Ward Activities
1,000
1,000
400
Connected Voice
4,800
4,800
0
Awards For all
10,000
10,000
19,335
Groundwork
1,640
1,640
0|
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
|Newcastle City Council
Community Foundation
John D Endowment
Skipton Building Society
Summer Youth Support (National
Lottery)
Defbrillator
Winter Warm Wellbeing Fund
HMRC
other
Bank Interest|2,450
34,952
500
650
1,621
450
26|2,450
18,955
34,952
6,500
0
1,761
500
0
0
7,689
650
0
1,621
3,250
0
5,000
450
6,590
26
0||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Total Receipts**|**58,089**
**0**|**58,089**
**_69,480_**||
|**Payments**
General Running Costs
Payroll
Core Costs
Examination Fees (Accounts)
Repairs / Equipment
Charitable Activity|3,840
44,391
4,735
360
4,434
4,427|3,840
_4,645_
44,391
_56,235_
4,735
_3,127_
360
_360_
4,434
_3,229_
4,427
_11,338_||
|**Total Payments**|**62,187**
**0**|**62,187**
**_78,934_**||
|Net of receipts (payments)
Total Funds B/F
Movement of Funds|-4,098
0
19,070
0|-4,098
_-9,454_
19,070
_28164_
0
_0_||
|**Total Funds to Carry Forward**|**14,972**
**0**|**14,972**
**_18,710_**||
|**Cash at Bank and in hand**||||
|Bank Current Account
Business Savings Account
Total Cash at Bank and in hand|14,946
26
14,972
0|14,946
_16,270_
26
_2,800_
14,972
_19,070_||
|**Total Funds as at March 2025**|**14,972**
**0**|**14,972**
**_19,070_**||
|**Statement of Assets and Liabilities**
**ASSETS**
Fixed Assets
Ofce equipment and IT
Ofce equipment and IT (depreciation)|**as of 31st March 2025**
£0
£0|**202**
**5**
**202**
**4**
£0
£0||
||Total Fixed Assets|£0|£0|
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
|**Current Assets**
Trade Debtors
Barclays Bank Current
Barclays Bank Deposit
**LIABILITIES**
**Current Liabilities**
NIC to pay to HMRC
Trade Creditors
**EQUITY**|£0
£14,946
£26|£14,9
72
£14,9
72
£0
£0
£14,9
72
£4,97
2
£10,0
00
£0
£14,9
72|£0
£16,2
70
£2,80
0|
|---|---|---|---|
||Total Current
Assets
TOTAL ASSETS||£19,0
71|
||||£19,0
71
£360|
||Total Current
Liabilities
TOTAL LIABILITIES
TOTAL NET ASSETS
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
Designated Funds
TOTAL EQUITY||£360
£360|
||||£18,7
10
£18,7
10
£0
£0
£18,7
10|
These financial statements were approved by the members of the committee and authorised for issue on the 11[th] December 2025 and are signed on their behalf by:
Director Name Lynda Mary Hellens
Director Signature _**L.M Hellens**_
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The Wor Hoose Community Project Annual Report and Financial Statements YE 2025 Charity No. 1128032
## 1. Accounting Policies
The accounts have been prepared on the receipts and payments basis. An Audit is not required by the Charities constitution and has not been requested by the trustees.
## 2. Movement of Major Funds
## **Movements of Major Funds**
|**Restricted Fund**
Connected Voice
Ward Committees
Newcastle City Council
Community Foundation
Awards for All
Groundwork
Unrestricted Funds
**Totals**
**Total Funds as At 31st**
**March 2025**|**Fund**
**Fund**
**balan**
**ces**
**balanc**
**es**
**Broug**
**ht**
**Incomi**
**ng**
**Resourc**
**es**
**carried**
**Forwa**
**rd**
**Resour**
**ces**
**Expende**
**d**
**forwar**
**d**
£
£
£
0
4,800
4,800
**0**
0
1,000
1,000
**0**
0
2,450
2,450
**0**
0
34,952
34,952
**0**
0
10,000
10,000
**0**
0
1,640
1,640
**0**|
|---|---|
||0
54,842
54,842
0|
||19,070
3,247
17,345
**14,972**|
||**19,07**
**0**
**13,247**
**17,345**
**14,972**|
|||
||19,07
0
58,089
62,187
14,972|
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