Christian Counselling Centre 242 Margate Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 6AH
Tel: 07768 848045 / 07462 775535 Charity No: 1139135
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2023 - 24
Trustee Names: Alan Hudson - Chair Sue Woan Maureen Francis
At the Annual AGM of the Trustees held on 10[th] May 2024, we reviewed the past year, and this identified that a robust framework was established to enable us to evaluate and monitor procedures and current legislation to promote good practice. All Policies and Procedures were presented at the Management Team in March 2024 and were reviewed and agreed at the April 2024 Management Meeting. In line with legislation on Data Protection Laws with the implementation of GDPR in 2018 training has been undertaken to ensure that SW has fully implemented the new policies and procedures, and these are regularly monitored, updated to ensure good practice.
We received and discussed the accounts for the Year Ending 5[th] April 2024, the Trustees identified a Year End Balance of £38,345.51, which showed an increase on last year of £12,377.00. The Trustees expressed confidence in the financial management of the Centre which has a robust account and recording system and at each Management and Team Meeting there are very clear statements of accounts provided giving a true balance of account at the end of each month and a record of year to date. Mr Roy Corker, Qualified Accountant has audited the accounts. It was identified that we were currently running at a loss each month of approximately £1,500.00, which has been counteracted by our fund-raising events. The monthly deficit was due to the fact that Still Waters were referred clients from many outside agencies who were unable to offer open-ended counselling to clients. The majority of these clients were only able to make a small donation and in some cases were unable to pay at all. As a result, this has caused a deficit each month of receipts and expenses.
The number of clients seen at Still Waters venues was 218, this counselling provided to clients amounted to about 3050 hours. All our counsellors are trained to Level 4 or higher. We also support trainee counsellors on placement in the last 12 months of their training – providing specialist supervision. We also have a student mentor on placement with Still Waters. This ensures the sustained growth in our qualified counsellors to meet the current and future service provision need.
We mainly provide counselling for any adults, children and couples from East Kent and particularly in the Thanet areas where these are high levels of poverty. We do also provide counselling for people out of area to meet their needs. Although we are Christians, we see people regardless of belief, gender or sexuality. We have continued to meet the needs of those requiring counselling online with counselling on Zoom. We provide professional counselling using a range of approaches tailored to the needs of the person. This may involve talking therapies such as Gestalt, Person-Centred, CBT and or creative arts approaches. The majority of these clients were only able to make a small donation and in some cases were unable to pay at all.
Still Waters has also provided voluntary counselling at a Safe House. There are now 3 counsellors providing counselling at the centre on a weekly basis. Also, a workshop has been carried out by the
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counsellors on trauma to cover all the clients at the venue. Some of this work involves counselling through an interpreter and working through creative arts therapy.
TAR – 2023/2024 -continued.
Funding has been boosted by grants received from local/national charities during 2023 -2024, we received £10,000.00 from John Swire 1989 Charitable Trust in 2022 & 2023 and they have pledged the same amount to repeat in 2024. Also, we have received funding from: Tory Family Trust at £5000, Vinson Trust to the value of £2,500.00, from Holy Trinity Church Margate for £600.00, Serenaders Seaside Singers a donation of £1,000.00, Counselling World a donation of £2,000.00 with donations from Birchington Baptist Church from their coffee mornings throughout the year and a Quiz evening. Additionally, our counsellors not only donate some free professional hours but involve themselves in fundraising activities, Murder Mystery Evening which raised £1,500.00 and received a donation from Barclay’s Bank who matched this event for £1,000.00. There have been 2 Boot Fayres to raise funds to provided additional income.
We continue to be grateful to Friends of Still Waters for their ongoing prayers and financial support. We have had regular giving from 60 Friends of Still Waters (who pledge £5.00 or £10.00 monthly, much of which is Gift Aided) amounting to nearly £730 per month.
Our main counselling venue is Queens Road Baptist Church, Broadstairs. We also have a counselling provision at Birchington Baptist Church, Birchington and The Vale United Reform Church, Broadstairs. The Methodist Church in Birchington is no longer a venue used and the counselling provision has been incorporated at the Birchington Baptist Church who have extended their provision to cover evening work . Queens Road Baptist Church provides an excellent provision with good communication and a good working relationship with the Administration Team at QRBC, this has established a positive and secure environment to ensure safe practice within this setting.
Still Waters remains a Centre providing counselling and is led by a Management Team consisting of 7 members. The Still Waters Team consist of 5 Supervisors and 18 qualified counsellors. We had 8 student counsellors on placement with us, 2 have become SW counsellors on completion of their Diploma. We now have 1 new student counsellor and a mentor, who are on placement with SW.
There are regular Management Meetings, Team Meetings and Supervision to ensure that all counsellors are made aware of updates in practice and to ensure communication between the Team members. Supervision is also offered to counsellors outside SW. The regular communication within SW promotes good practice and team building events continued to be organised to help to bring the team together and to fund the Centre. Trustees sit in as observers at both the Management and Team meetings whenever possible to ensure all areas are compliant with the policies and procedures of the Centre. They feel they have a good knowledge and understanding of the day to day running of the Centre and can address any issues should they arise.
Training course has been provided by Still Waters to provide continued professional development (CPD) for our counsellors. These courses/workshops have been very successful and are beneficial not only to our counsellors but also counsellors from outside agencies.
A newsletter is published and sent to interested parties and talks are given at local groups on the work of Still Waters; promoting fund raising events and awareness raising activities and has proved to be very informative to people.
The Management Team and Trustees have been discussing the way forward in the future for SW, looking at options to ensure that the Christian ethos remains the priority of the Centre. Research has been carried out and preliminary discussions in place with other Christian Charities working in this field.
Alan Hudson
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Chair of Trnstees
| month | Income from clients |
Income from training events |
Income from SW counsellors undertaking |
Donations/Friends of SW |
Other Income e.g. sales |
total | Fees paid to SW Counsellors |
Payments to tutors running training |
Fees paid out for supervision |
Admin costs including stationery |
New Life rent | Insurance | Costs of attending external training |
Advertising | Catering and refreshments |
Other Expenses | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6th | £1,516 | £0.0 | £60.0 | £478.0 | £2,054. | £0. | £0.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £0.0 | |||||||
| onwards | .00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | £0.00 | 00 | £0.00 | 0 | £0.00 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 0 | £0.00 |
| £4,315 | £0.0 | £130. | £5,738. | £2,178 | £12,36 | £5,850 | £0. | £555.0 | £250 | £500.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £8.0 | £7,163 | |||
| May | .00 | 0 | 00 | 00 | .61 | 1.61 | .00 | 00 | 0 | .00 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 0 | .00 |
| £3,976 | £40. | £90.0 | £706.0 | £947.1 | £5,759. | £5,960 | £0. | £765.0 | £500 | £500.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £8.0 | £7,733 | |||
| June | .00 | 00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | .00 | 00 | 0 | .00 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 0 | .00 |
| £5,025 | £0.0 | £130. | £13,66 | £849.0 | £19,67 | £6,150 | £0. | £855.0 | £450 | £1,000 | £0. | £0.0 | £121. | £0.0 | £8,576 | ||
| July | .00 | 0 | 00 | 8.00 | 5 | 2.05 | .00 | 00 | 0 | .00 | .00 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | 03 | 0 | .03 |
| £3,302 | £0.0 | £90.0 | £2,773. | £506.2 | £6,671. | £4,780 | £0. | £840.0 | £460 | £500.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £7.9 | £6,587 | |||
| August | .00 | 0 | 0 | 00 | 0 | 20 | .00 | 00 | 0 | .00 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 9 | .99 |
| £3,200 | £0.0 | £115. | £3,032. | £330.0 | £6,677. | £4,380 | £0. | £930.0 | £440 | £500.0 | £325. | £0. | £0.0 | £93. | £6,669 | ||
| September | .00 | 0 | 00 | 50 | 0 | 50 | .00 | 00 | 0 | .00 | 0 | 88 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 35 | .23 |
| £6,589 | £0.0 | £140. | £730.5 | £7,484. | £5,050 | £0. | £1,075 | £390 | £500.0 | £412. | £0. | £0.0 | £68. | £7,496 | |||
| October | .00 | 0 | 00 | 0 | £25.00 | 50 | .00 | 00 | .00 | .00 | 0 | 95 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 51 | .46 |
| £3,832 | £0.0 | £145. | £1,464. | £5,471. | £4,680 | £0. | £1,035 | £440 | £500.0 | £162. | £0. | £0.0 | £9.1 | £6,827 | |||
| November | .00 | 0 | 00 | 50 | £30.00 | 50 | .00 | 00 | .00 | .00 | 0 | 95 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 3 | .08 |
| £5,045 | £0.0 | £105. | £796.5 | £702.5 | £6,649. | £5,360 | £0. | £1,110 | £310 | £500.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £0.0 | £7,280 | |||
| December | .00 | 0 | 00 | 0 | 0 | 00 | .00 | 00 | .00 | .00 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 0 | .00 |
| £4,007 | £0.0 | £145. | £1,690. | £5,862. | £3,650 | £0. | £915.0 | £280 | £500.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £9.1 | £5,354 | ||||
| January | .00 | 0 | 00 | 51 | £20.00 | 51 | .00 | 00 | 0 | .00 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 3 | .13 |
| £3,279 | £0.0 | £465. | £710.5 | £4,472. | £4,505 | £0. | £1,005 | £480 | £500.0 | £145. | £0. | £93. | £84. | £6,812 | |||
| February | .00 | 0 | 00 | 0 | £17.50 | 00 | .00 | 00 | .00 | .00 | 0 | 00 | 00 | 32 | £0.00 | 08 | .40 |
| £4,070 | £0.0 | £145. | £3,598. | £269.5 | £8,083. | £4,300 | £0. | £840.0 | £340 | £500.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £9.1 | £5,989 | |||
| March | .00 | 0 | 00 | 50 | 0 | 00 | .00 | 00 | 0 | .00 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 3 | .13 |
| £3,180 | £0.0 | £40.0 | £560.8 | £177.0 | £3,957. | £4,310 | £0. | £1,095 | £310 | £500.0 | £0. | £0.0 | £9.1 | £6,224 | |||
| April 1-5th | .00 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 87 | .00 | 00 | .00 | .00 | 0 | £0.00 | 00 | 0 | £0.00 | 3 | .13 |
April 1-5th
Income Expenses balance Counsellin £51,336. £58,975. g 00 00 -£7,639.00 Training £40.00 £0.00 £40.00 Supervisio £1,800.0 £11,020. n 0 00 -£9,220.00 £41,999. £12,717. Other 84 58 £29,282.26
£95,175. £82,712. 84 58 Totals £12,463.26
Independent examiner's report on the accounts Sectlon A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the truste8sl members of Still Waters On accounts for the year ended Charlty no (If any) 1138135 0S-o*- ZDLq- Set out on pages Respectlve The charitws trustees are responsible for Ihe preparatlon of the accounts. responslbllltles of The charity's trustees consider that an audlt is nol required for thls year truste8s and examiner under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the Charitles Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to: examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charlty Commission {under section 145(5)(b) of the Charitles Act, and to state whether particular matters have com8 to my attention. Basls of Independent My examination was carried out in accordance with general Dlrectlons glven examlnar's statement by the Charity Comm15sion. An examinatlon Includes a review of the accounting records kepl by the charity and a comparlson of the accounts presented wth those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual Items or dlsclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the tnjstees concerning any such matters. The proc8dur8s undertaken do not provido all the evidence that would be required In an aud5t, and consequently no opinlon Is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair, vi8w and the report Is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent In connectlon with my examination, no matter has come to my attention examiner's statement lother than that disclosed below.) 1. which gives me reasonable cause to belleve that in, any materlal respect, the requirements: to keep accounting record5 in accordance with section 130 of the Charitles Act; and to prepare accounts whlch accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charlties Act have not been met; or 2. to whlch, in my opinion, attentlon should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of Ihe accounts to be reached. Please delete the words In the brackets if they do not apply, Slgned: Date: Relevant professional qualifl¢atlon(s) or body (If any): IER March 2012
Address: Af/ZU,+4 /j/frkf Section B Dlsclosure Only complete if the examiner needs to highlighl material problems. IER March 2012
Glve here brief detalls of any items that the examlner wishes to dlsclose. IER March 2012