MEARS FOUNDATION Annual Report 2021 "part ng£urb **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 1** ## **Contents** |**Contents**|| |---|---| |**Our Vision / Our Mission**
**Our guiding principles**|**2**
**3**| |**Our activities**|**4**| |**Strategy / Forward look**
Operating environment|**14**
**14**| |Grant strategy
**Structure, Governance & Management**|**17**
**18**| |**Financial review**
Responsibilities of the trustees
Small company provisions|**19**
**19**
**19**| |**Accounting policies**
**Statement of fnancial activities**|**20**
**22**| |**Balance sheet**|**23**| |**Notes to the fnancial statements**|**24**| **The Mears Foundation is the independent, charitable arm of Mears Group plc.** ## **Hello** **The Mears Foundation is a grant-making trust. It seeks to harness the goodwill, talents and skills within Mears to raise money through charitable donations and fundraising activities. The income is then used to directly benefit the like-minded charities and good causes that provide practical support to vulnerable people and communities across the UK.** Registered Charity Number: 1134941 Company number 07021016 1390 Montpellier Court, Gloucester Business Park, Brockworth, Gloucester GL3 4AH **2** **Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 3** ## **Our Vision** To see a world where everyone can be an active member of their local community so they can flourish and actively contribute to society. ## **Our uidin rinci les: g g p p** - e Improve the lives of people living within communities in the United Kingdom. - e Help build community cohesion and integration. ## **Our Mission** To empower and assist people so that they can develop their own skills and abilities to their maximum potential. - e Provide career and skills development opportunities to those needing them most. - e Be a positive contributor to the environment. **We work to improve the lives and life chances of the many groups and individuals that share our values. We provide opportunities and skills that enable them to become stronger and more self-reliant.** **Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 5** **4** ## **Our activities in 2021** **The Foundation received 68 applications for support, all of which were acknowledged. The Foundation was pleased to award 58 grants to charities offering support to their communities, in addition to volunteer support by Mears staff.** - e 2021 saw the Foundation significantly increase its income from donations and therefore managed to increase considerably the number of grants awarded to causes that support the building of communities in the United Kingdom. - e Despite Covid restrictions, the Foundation delivered several successful fundraising events. - e The Foundation has worked with HACT to develop a social value calculator to better report on its impact. - e In 2021, for every £1 granted, the Foundation delivered £200 in social value. - e In 2021, the Foundation also launched its Friends of Mears initiative. This programme seeks partnerships with corporate supporters to extend the Foundation’s ability to support community projects for public benefit. **6** **Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation** ## **Herts Youn Homeless g** ## **Hatfield** **Herts Young Homeless offer many different services to support those facing difficult times at a young age. They offer the Homeless Hub, a front door to homeless prevention services in Hertfordshire, an outreach service for those 18 and over to provide mediation, health advice, and education.** ## **How we are helping:** Mears Foundation are helping this amazing charity with their Live Life Project. This project is for young people who have experienced homelessness (e.g. sofa surfing or staying in temporary accommodation). The Foundation grant will cover the costs of running this project allowing a Live Life member who has reached out to Herts Young Homeless for regular support throughout the year, including transport to and from regular Live Life meetings, training, employment and social skills plus signposting to any other services such as mental health support or counselling. **The Foundation looks to build strong, long-term relationships with likeminded charities such as Herts Young Homeless ensuring support is available for those who need it the most.** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 9** **Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** ## **The Health and Wellness Hub** ## **Motherwell** **The Health and Wellness Hub is a community organisation in Motherwell that provides a range of health and wellbeing activities (including holistic therapies, classes -yoga, tai chi, Pilates, Zumba, chair-based exercise and peer support groups). In addition, the hub provides volunteering opportunities to our most vulnerable community members, including people with a long-term condition, those who are long-term unemployed, people with a disability and people with a mental health condition.** ## **How we are helping:** The Mears Foundation has awarded a grant to The Health and Wellness Hub in Motherwell helping them to continue to offer services that alleviate social isolation and loneliness in their local community. **The befriending service has been a great lifeline for me and gives me contact with the outside world, it's been great receiving the calls but it would be nice to do something face to face with other people** **In most cases, those accessing the hub live in areas of** **deprivation and inequality including within the top 10-20% Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) Datazone categories.** With the grant the Hub will be able to fund their ‘Buddies’ project ensuring they can provide sufficient volunteers and telephone-based support to their service users, helping local people connect and transition back into wider group and community life after long periods of social isolation and exclusion due to Covid restrictions. The project supported 35 local people who required befriending support (both directly at social distance and by telephone) regarding mental health and wellbeing. This service enabled people to take part in group activities, allowed others on low income to get involved, increased confidence and wellbeing and made those in the group feel valued and in a better position to seek training and employment opportunities. Plus signposting to any other services such as mental health support or counselling. **10** **Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation** ## **The Curve Food Pantr y** **Octavia Housing, RBKC & Hammersmith & Fulham support people affected by ill health, social isolation, low income or unemployment in Central and West London.** **The charity delivers a young people’s programme which offers a wide range of innovative, inclusive and creative activities to provide opportunities for young people to try new activities in arts and digital media.** **They also have an employment and training team who offer one to one information, advice and guidance to empower individuals to reach their goals, and to provide them with the tools and resources to successfully search, apply for and gain paid employment.** ## **How we are helping:** The Mears Foundation has helped Octavia add to their services by awarding a grant that will be used to support those on low income and in food poverty. The stigma of using a traditional foodbank was proving a barrier to their residents accessing the very basic of needs – food. The grant awarded by the Foundation will help Octavia to set up their own ‘Food Pantry’, giving a more dignified approach to accessing vital food items, offering residents more choice and value. They planned to use a space in their community centre which is at the heart of their community that has more than 2,000 Octavia residents, plus those of Hammersmith & Fulham. **12** **Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 13** ## **Cleland Miners Boxing & Communit Club y** ## **Motherwell** **Cleland Miners Boxing Club is a boxing and community club for both male and females from the local area aged from age 8 to 40. The club currently opens three nights a week for training and keep fit classes, a dance class is also available one night a week. The club is run purely on a voluntary basis, with most of the coaches in 4 or 5 nights a week between 5pm – 10pm. The club feel that people should be able to train, keep fit, dance, and socialise without having to a pay a fee and therefore all classes are free. Anyone and everyone is welcome.** ## **How we are helping:** The Mears Foundation saw a great opportunity to help a community in a deprived area, where community activity was difficult to come by. Joining forces with Mears supply chain and friend of the Foundation, CEF, we were able to make a difference to this community’s meeting place. The Foundation instantly saw a great opportunity to involve CEF, electrical experts and one of Mears top suppliers, in helping this isolated community by getting involved in helping to update the clubs heating. **This has been such a heart-warming project to come through the Foundation. It's very difficult to understand how isolated a community can be where a village has very few facilities for the residents to get together. It was such an easy solution and one that will have a huge impact. ”** **Heather Tyrer / General Manager / Mears Foundation** By working together, the Foundation and CEF donated 10 new efficient heaters. This allows the club to stay open during the colder months and encourages the communities to get involved, which combats social isolation. **14 Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation** **15** ## **Strate / Forward look gy** ## **Operating environment** **2021 has been another challenging year for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to lead to unprecedented challenges faced by society, healthcare, food systems and the world of work.** **In the UK, the success of the vaccination programme promises a better operating environment for 2022. However, the impact of last two years on the most vulnerable members of society will be felt for years to come.** - **In 2022, the Mears Foundation will continue its work to build communities in the United Kingdom through grants and partnerships that alleviate:** ## **1. Poverty in the following forms:** ## **Food** - The UK's food poverty rate is among the highest in Europe. Since the start of the pandemic, household food insecurity increased, the use of food banks reached its highest levels, and campaign groups highlighted the importance of free school meals for families in the UK. Nearly 6 million adults and 1.7 million children were struggling to get enough food between September 2020 and February 2021, according to a report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee. **For the poorest in our society, up to 35% of disposable income will now be needed for food, compared to less than 9% for the more wealthy. This will increase reliance on cheap, highly processed, high fat, high sugar, high salt, and calorie-dense, unhealthy foods. Re-emerging problems of poor public health nutrition such as rickets and malnutrition in the elderly are also causes for concern.** ## **Fuel** In the latest estimates, around 13% of households in England were classed as fuel poor, 25% in Scotland, 12% in Wales, and 18% in Northern Ireland. Fuel poverty often leads to other problems. For example, cold homes can have negative impacts on both mental and physical health, potentially adding demand to the NHS and social care providers, and directly contributing towards excess winter deaths. Health impacts of cold homes include increased risk of heart attack or stroke, respiratory illnesses, poor diet due to heat or eat choices, mental health issues, and worsening or/slow recovery from existing conditions. In general, fuel poverty relates to households that must spend a high proportion of their household income to keep their home at a reasonable temperature. Fuel poverty is affected by three key factors: a household’s income, their fuel costs, and their energy consumption (which in turn can be affected by the energy efficiency of the dwelling). **Those most at risk of ill health from fuel poverty include children the elderly, and long-term sick and disabled people.** **16 Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 17** ## **Strate / Forward look gy** ## **Digital** Digital poverty is the inability to interact with the online world fully, when, where, and how an individual needs to. It exacerbates and is exacerbated by other socio-economic, educational, racial, linguistic, gender, and health inequalities. It is both the product and the cause of other forms of socioeconomic disadvantage. Over the past year and a half, the COVID-19 pandemic has irrevocably thrust digital poverty into the national spotlight, as many aspects of everyday life moved online to mitigate the spread of Coronavirus. The pandemic crisis simultaneously exposed how much of our life has already been digitised, how damaging digital poverty can be for individuals and society, and the need to urgently plan for a future in which people are simply unable to participate in society without access to devices and data. The Foundation will look to support programmes that help with Device and Connectivity (Affordability, Data, Infrastructure) Access (Accessibility, Availability) and Capability (Skills, Education and understanding). ## **2. Social Isolation and Loneliness** **We all feel lonely at times – it’s a normal human emotion. We are biologically wired for social contact, and loneliness is our signal that we need more.** Most of us will experience loneliness at some point in our lives, regardless of age, circumstance, and background. We all experience loneliness differently. Loneliness and social isolation have been linked to early deaths and an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, depression, cognitive decline and poor sleep. It’s as harmful to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Social Isolation has also been found to cause several mental health issues including depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, sleep problems and increased stress. People who feel lonely are more than twice as likely to develop Alzheimer’s (and other forms of dementia) than those who do not feel lonely. The Foundation will support direct interventions focussed on helping people maintain existing relationships and develop new ones. This includes supporting group activities such as lunch clubs and walking groups, one-to-one approaches like befriending schemes, access to psychological support for people for whom loneliness is part of broader mental health issues as well as developing volunteering, including people who might not ordinarily volunteer, mobilising peer support, and intergenerational support in neighbourhoods. ## **Grant strategy** **The Mears Foundation awards grants to projects in the UK only.** **The Foundation exists to support the vulnerable in our communities by awarding grants to charities and projects who are offering people and those communities a lifeline.** **The Foundation awards grants that are submitted /endorsed by a member of Mears Group plc workforce. The projects we look to support are ones that alleviate:** e **Poverty in the following forms:** e **Food** e **Fuel** e **Digital** e **Social Isolation and Loneliness** **Grant requests received and supported by a Mears Group plc employee are reviewed in March and September, and awarded in May and November annually.** **Digital exclusion is a key driver of social isolation** **19** **18** **Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation** ## **Structure, Governance and Mana ement g** **The charity was incorporated on the 16 September 2009 and is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006.** **The Foundation is managed by its General Manager, Heather Tyrer, under the guidance of the Chair and the Board of Trustees.** Registered Office: **1390 Montpelier Court Gloucester Business Park Brockworth Gloucester GL3 4AH** Registered Charity Name: **The Mears Foundation** Charity Number: **1134941** Company Number: **07021016 (England and Wales)** Bankers: Chair: **Barclays Bank PLC 18 Southgate Street Gloucester GL1 2DH** ## **Ms Christine Losecaat MBE** Company Secretary/Treasurer: **Mrs Judith Herbert** Trustees: ## **Ms Karen Duncan** **Effective 25/03/21 Ms Diana Green** **Mr Patrick Grace** ## **Mrs Judith Herbert** **Ms Diane Keay** **Mr Kevin Morrow** ## **Ms Alison Wilkinson** **Effective 25/05/21** Executive Staff: **Heather Tyrer** ## **Financial review** - e observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP. ## **During the year, the charity raised funds in the amount of £124,085.** - e make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent. - **From these funds, the £44,607 incidental running costs of the charity were met and grants of** - e prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation. - **£62,628 given. The excess funds remain in the bank account to carry forward for future projects and grants.** - The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993 and the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. The trustees 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. ## **Heather Tyrer General manager** ## **Responsibilities of the trustees** - The charity's 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 law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: ## **Small company provisions** This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006. On Behalf of the Board: ## **Christine Losecaat mbe Chair** - e select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently. 22nd February 2022 **20 Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation** **21** ## **Accountin olicies g p** ## **Basis of accounting** The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the inclusion of current asset investments at market value, in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective January 2015), the Companies Act 2006 and the recommendations in the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting by Charities (the SORP). ## **Incoming resources** ## **Donations and gifts** All monetary donations and gifts are included in full in the statement of financial activities when receivable, provided that there are no donorimposed restrictions as to the timing of the related expenditure, in which case recognition is deferred until the pre-condition has been met. ## **Grants receivable** Revenue grants are credited as incoming resources when they are receivable provided conditions for receipt have been complied with, unless they relate to a specified future period, in which case they are deferred. Grants for the purchase of fixed assets are credited to restricted incoming resources when receivable. Depreciation on the fixed assets purchased with such grants is charged against the restricted fund. All other income is included in the statement of financial activities when received or when the charity is legally entitled to the income. ## **Fund accounting** Restricted funds are to be used for specified purposes laid down by the donor. Such purposes are within the overall aims of the organisation. Expenditure for those purposes is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of overheads and support costs. Unrestricted funds are donations and other incoming resources received or generated for expenditure on the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds which have been designated for specific purposes by the Trustees, for necessary work in connection with the ongoing provision of services yet fail to meet the stringent criteria of contractual obligation set out in FRS12 (Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets). ## **Resources expended** ## **Grants payable** Grants payable are accounted for in the period in which the performance conditions attaching to the grant payment are met or, where no performance conditions apply, when a legal or constructive obligation arises. ## **Other expenditure** - Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred. Expenditure includes any VAT which cannot be fully recovered, which is reported as part of the expenditure to which it relates: - e costs of generating funds comprise the costs associated with attracting voluntary income and the costs of trading for fundraising. - e charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its activities and services for its beneficiaries. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. - e governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the audit fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity. - e all costs are allocated between the expenditure categories of the Statement of Financial Activity on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity are allocated directly, others are apportioned on an appropriate basis. **22 Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 23** ## **Statement of financial activities** |||**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**| |---|---|---|---| |||**Funds 2021**|**Funds 2020**| ||**Note**|**£**|**£**| |**Incoming resources**|||| |Voluntary income|1|**81,401**|9,466| |Activities for generating funds|2|**39,606**|3,546| |Incoming resources from|||| |charitable activities|3|**3,078**|674| |**Total incoming resources**||**124,085**|13,686| |**Resources expended**|||| |Cost of generating funds|7|**2,638**|1,057| |Charitable activities|4|**68,569**|9,410| |Salaries|8|**36,028**|7,665| |**Total resources expended**||**107,235**|18,132| |Net incoming resources for|||| |the period||**16,850**|(4,446)| |**Reconciliation of funds**
Total funds brought forward||**34,201**|38,647| |**Total funds carried forward**||**51,051**|34,201| The Statement of Financial Activities includes all gains and losses in the year and therefore a statement of total recognised gains and losses has not been prepared. All of the above amounts relate to continuing activities. The accompanying accounting policies and notes form part of these financial statements. ## **Balance sheet** |||**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**| |---|---|---|---| |||**Funds 2021**|**Funds 2020**| ||**Note**|**£**|**£**| |**Current assets**|||| |Cash at bank||**62,079**|35,601| |Debtor – Mears Group match funding||**22,292**|–| |||**84,371**|35,601| |Creditors: amounts falling due|||| |within one year|9|**(33,320)**|(1,400)| |**Net assets**||**51,051**|34,201| |**Funds**|||| |General funds||**51,051**|34,201| |**Total funds**|10|**51,051**|34,201| These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 and with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective January 2015). For the year ending 31 December 2021 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. ## **Trustee's responsibilities:** - e the members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the period in question in accordance with section 476. These financial statements were approved by the trustees and authorised for issue on 22nd February 2022 and are signed on their behalf by: - e the trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and the preparation of accounts. **Christine Losecaat MBE** **Chair** **Judith Herbert** **Treasurer** **24 Mears Foundation Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021** **Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2021 Mears Foundation 25** ## **Notes to the financial statements** ||**Total Funds**|**Total Funds**| |---|---|---| ||**2021**|**2020**| ||**£**|**£**| |**1. Voluntary income**||| |Donations|**81,401**|9,466| ||**81,401**|9,466| |**2. Incoming resources from activities**||| |**for generating funds**||| |Funds raised for Mears Loneliness project|**–**|2,995| |Amazon website link|**5**|–| |Sponsored events|**13,115**|40| |Mears fundays|**1,480**|–| |Collections / rafes|**25,006**|511| ||**39,606**|3,546| |**3. Incoming resources from charitable activities**||| |Gift aid|**3,078**|674| ||**3,078**|674| |**4. Costs of charitable activities by fund type**||| |Mears Loneliness project|**–**|3,299| |Auctions and rafes|**206**|167| |Sponsored events|**5,456**|444| |Mears fundays|**279**|–| |Donations|**62,628**|5,500| ||**68,569**|9,410| ||**Activities**
**undertaken**
**directly**|**Activities**
**undertaken**
**directly**|**Support**
**costs**|**Total Funds**
**2021**|**Total Funds**
**2020**| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**| ||**5. Costs of**||||| ||**charitable activities**||||| ||**by activity type**||||| ||Mears Loneliness project|
**–**|**–**|**–**|3,299| ||Mears fundays|**279**|**–**|**279**|–| ||Auctions and rafes|**206**|**–**|**206**|167| ||Sponsored events|**5,456**|**603**|**6,059**|444| ||Donations|**62,628**|**–**|**62,628**|5,500| ||**Direct costs**|**9,410**|**–**|**9,410**|19,066| ||**6. Governance costs**||||| ||Governance costs were met by Mears||Group PLC.||| ||**7. Analysis of support costs**||||| ||Charity giving administration fee|||**1,008**|257| ||Job advert fees|||**–**|800| ||Staf expenses|||**992**|–| ||Compliance fees|||**35**|–| ||Merchandise|||**603**|–| |||||**2,638**|1,057| ||**8. Staf costs and emoluments**||||| ||Salaries|||**36,028**|7,665| |||||**36,028**|7,665| ||**9. Creditors: Amounts falling due**||||| ||**within one year**||||| ||Other creditors|||**33,359**|1,400| |||||**33,359**|1,400| **10. Analysis of net assets between funds** All funds are designated as general funds **For more information about the Mears Foundation please contact Heather Tyrer, General Manager on: heather.tyrer@mearsgroup.co.uk**