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2022-03-01-accounts

The Friendly Transport Charity number: 1131707 Service (Shropshire)

2021 - 2022

Contents

Page 2 Foreword by our Chair, Allison Richards
Page 3 About us
Page 4 Our Core Services
Page 5 Good Neighbour
Page 6 Shifnal Shuttle
Page 7 Out and about together
Page 8 Addressing the side effects of the pandemic
Page 9 School Contracts
Page 10 Groups and journey statistics
Page 11 Fundraising
Page 12 Financial Report
Page 13 Looking forwards….(our aims for the next financial year)

Foreword from our Chair, Allison Richards

After the extremely challenging times we faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns, the Friendly Bus team started the financial year 2021/2022 with hope on the horizon. In March, the schools re-opened and the ‘Stay at home’ order ended. During the following months, most of the constraints imposed by the government were gradually relaxed.

The focus for us was clearly to resume all our usual activities, including operating the Schools’ contracts, minibus trips and the community car scheme, but we felt that we had to do more. Many of our members had lost both their confidence and their mobility during the periods of enforced isolation. We decided to try and help them to address these issues with our ‘Socially Active Project’.

This was primarily financed by a substantial grant awarded to the Friendly Bus by the Postcode Community Trust. A three-pronged approach was devised to create opportunities for our members to meet, socialise and have some stimulation away from their own homes:

  1. Swimming - exclusive use of the local pool every week for an hour

  2. Outings - initially to open-air locations, such as parks and garden centres

  3. Befriending - including accompanied walks

The take-up of these activities was encouraging and the feedback very positive. I would like to thank all in the Friendly Bus team; staff, volunteers, donors and trustees for once again identifying a need in the community and offering our members a superb service in response.

This year we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of The Friendly Bus and can reflect on the organisation’s progress. We are also marking the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and this brings to mind the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service that was presented to us. The citation explained that the service is:

“ a key weapon in defeating the risks and effects of social exclusion in the remote southeast of Shropshire … an ‘ exemplar ’ organisation, citing … its ‘ ’ power to change communities .

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to ensure that this continues to be the case.

About us

The Friendly Bus is a registered charity “The Friendly Transport Service” (1131707), supporting our communities in Broseley, Much Wenlock and Shifnal (and their surrounding areas).

Trustees

Christopher White

Allison Richards David Marriott Margaret Dutton Elizabeth Mars Janet Robinson Nigel Porter Sue Cotton Terena Hutchings

Office Staff

Marie Monk-Hawksworth (CEO) Julie Brazier (Operations Manager) Caroline Nicholls (Training & Transport Manager) Laura Cooper (Communications Manager)

Paid drivers / Passenger assistant

Rob Aston (driver) Nachhattar Singh Thiara (driver) Graham Sockett (driver) Gareth Millington (driver) Helen Gough (SEN Passenger Assistant)

Volunteers

We currently have 41 in Broseley, 18 in Much Wenlock and 8 in Shifnal. Most of these are drivers and passenger assistants but some are fundraising or good neighbour Our Core Services….

Throughout the covid-19 pandemic, we continued to meet the needs of our members to get to their medical appointments including nearly 150 journeys for covid-19 vaccinations.

Getting people out and about to combat loneliness remains our top priority for one of the 2 key ‘at risk’ groups identified by Social Prescribing data. Transport is essential, and for those who cannot drive, public transport or taxis are their alternatives. However, when these aren’t available or cannot be accessed, the individual is isolated and often does not fulfil basic human needs.

As the lockdown restrictions began to relax at the start of the 2021-2022 financial year and members had received their double covid vaccinations, we were gradually able to resume

our remaining core services. After our members were unable to leave home for so long, all our trips (weekly shopping trips and outings) were in high demand with multiple buses often being needed. Our volunteers are not just

drivers. They’re the first face our member may have seen in over a week, the first person they’ve spoken to, they provide mental support and a holding

hand to a worrying appointment.

(Key elements of the Prevention Agenda).

Out and about together

We have the following vehicles in our Fleet:

Sadly the Renault minibus has had to be scrapped, so we bought a new 8 seat minibus in to replace it.

We continue to provide transport for our members to a wide range of activities:

.

Weekly Shopping Trips

Regular Clubs:

Outings/Leisure trips

At least 3 each month and at least one funded if possible.

Good neighbour

As a community transport charity, helping to meet the transport needs of our members will always remain our core priority. However, before the pandemic, other needs had been identified.

Having piloted elements of a Good Neighbour Scheme during the pandemic, we officially launched additional services to help our members, in July 2022.

Having hired a minibus in preparation of this new service, it remained unused when the pandemic hit. This was relaunched during the 2021/2022 tax year with new artwork and in partnership with Shifnal Town Council.

The project has recently recruited four new volunteers, who are currently being trained so that we can start providing this new service to the residents of Shifnal and surrounding areas.

Addressing side effects from the pandemic

We recognised the side effects of the pandemic on our members which included loneliness, isolation, reduced mobility and reduced quality of life. We successfully applied for funding from The Postcode Community Trust, a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. Our Socially Active grant of £5,860 was awarded to meet the following objectives:

This funding has enabled us to include at least one free trip each month to make us accessible to everyone, and subsidised other trips such as visiting the seaside!

We’ve also provided weekly swimming sessions for members to have exclusive use of the pool and free transport, funded by the grant.

School Contracts

We continued to meet our school contract obligations with Shropshire Council throughout the pandemic to provide journeys to/from:

Groups

Groups journeys have increased throughout the year as lockdown restrictions ease. The majority of Group journeys have been for local schools on day trips.

Journey statistics

190 (5%) journeys came under the ‘other’ heading (including funerals, polling station, personal business etc.).

----- Start of picture text -----
Journeys by category for financial year 2021-2022
Medical School Contracts
Socially Active Shopping
Other
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Fundraising

A big thank you to our dedicated fundraisers who tirelessly support us. As well as raising money they also help to raise our profile around the towns.

We have a regular stall at Much Wenlock Market on the first Friday of every month. A big thank you to Blandine, Carol, Ann and Marion who help with this. We have raffle tickets for our monthly hamper available along with homemade cards and crafts made by the kind Una.

Our members have been very generous this year, supporting us throughout covid and when our minibus was vandalised. In total we have received £5,353 this year. Thank you to everyone who has supported us!

Financial Report from our Treasurer, Margaret Dutton

Another strange year but one where we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Our main income was from the school contracts which enable us to carry out our core activities.

We also received funding from Shropshire Council for both Broseley and Shifnal, Furlough payments from the Government, Lost Fares Grants, a grant from Broseley Town Council and the Millichope Foundation.

We raised additional income from delivering Midas Training to other organisations and thanks go to Caroline for all her hard work organising and delivering the training.

We received £5,353 in donations this year. We had very generous donations from passengers and volunteer drivers to whom we are very grateful.

We were also able to start fund raising again and we raised £744 from raffles at the Pop-up Markets, Broseley Lights Switch on, Much Wenlock Christmas Fayre and the sale of cards made by one of our volunteers. Thanks go to everyone involved in these events.

As our activities started to return to normal so our costs increased. Our biggest expenditure as always was on staffing and vehicle running costs.

We made an operating profit of £17,085. However, we did have capital expenditure as we bought two minibuses, one to replace our old minibus which was vandalised and one for the Shifnal Project.

Outside of our normal activities, we were involved in the bid for a grant from Shropshire County Council which funded Broseley Bounces Back which in turn was used to run the Pop-Up Markets. The Friendly Bus were paid to administer the markets and Marie and Laura put in a lot of effort to make them a success.

We were also involved in organising the Welcome Back Party which was enjoyed by many of our members. This was funded by Broseley Town Council.

I am pleased to report that we have ended the year in a healthy financial position.

Income and Expenditure Accounts to 1st March 2022 Income and Expenditure Accounts to 1st March 2022 Income and Expenditure Accounts to 1st March 2022
Income 2022 2021
Grants
Shropshire Council 38932 49842
OtherGrants 23490 35713
Other income 7480
Service Shropshire CommunityCars 3701 3009
Friendly Bus Fares 119872 92104
Subscriptions 2490 960
Donations to Service 5353 5348
Fundraising 744 91
Bank Interest 24 188
Total Incoming Resources 202086 187255
Expenditure 2022 2021
Employment Wages, tax , NI, Payroll 114202 105227
Expenses Shropshire Community Cars 2134 3127
Volunteer Costs 763 465
Shifnal Vehicle Hire 216 6653
Vehicles 35946 26838
Office Rent Rates and Service Charge 3600 3600
Insurance 1149 1355
Repairs and Maintenance 49 155
Admin Printing Postage and Stationery 2238 1702
Telephone and Internet 2238 1422
Fixtures and Fittings 1194
General Catering andRoom Hire 482 74
Fees and Subscriptions 120 156
Accountancy Fees 855 822
Fund Raising Expenses 115 215
General Expenses 196 143
Other 4622 2213
Depreciation 16076 5165
Disposalofassets
Total Resources Expended 185001 160526
Difference between income
and expenditure		 17085 26728
Total funds brought forward 118115 91387
Total funds carried forward 135200 118115
Current assets 103,826 510119

A copy of the financial statements for the year ended 1[st] March 2022, as prepared by our accountants for Companies House is available to any member who requests it. The accounts presented above are a simplified version of these accounts which highlight information likely to be of interest to members.

Looking Forward

Throughout the last financial year, we’ve recruited 35 new members (i.e. people that

have never been a member before). From 1 January 2022 to June 2022 we’ve received a 15% increase in the number of new members finding and joining Friendly Bus.

Our aims for the next financial year will therefore focus on:

We’re also applying for funding to help us reach people who don’t currently use our services but would benefit from them. If successful, this project will focus on reaching out to….

As always, to achieve any of this we rely on us recruiting and retaining our wonderful volunteers.