Club Me2 Club Annual Accounts 2023-2024 Charity Registration: 1140812 Company Registration: 7557636 Registered Address: Unit 9, Indigo House, Fishponds Road, Wokingham, RG412GY
Objectlves, Attlvltles and Achievements Mlsslon Our mission is to address the challenges of i501ation and exclusion experlenced by chlldren and young people with additional needs and disabilities. Vlsion Our vision is to champion the rlght for inclusion for all children and young people with additional needs and disabilities across Berkshire, through our partnershlps with families, volunteers, activity leaders and other voluntary and statutory sector organisations. Offer Me2 Club supports children and young people with additional needs and disabilitles access mainstream social, sport5 and leisure artivities in the Wokingham and Reading Boroughs. We recruit and train volunteers to 'buddy' l..1 with the children so they can joir* in and have fun. We believe that every child should have the chance to engage in activities that promote personal growth, social interaction, and skill development. We run 3 family events throughout the year, which are available to children and young people and their families who are supported by Me2 Club. Me2 Club also run 3 participation projerts for younE people: TeenW&Rd- Opportunity for young people aged 13-19years to make new friends and to build their independence by choosing, planning and fundraising for activities. Include Me2 - Our Youth Social Action Group for ages 8 - 25 years and their siblings. Supporting young people to raise awareness of additional needs to address the barriers they face in their lives and in their communities. Say YES- Wokingham's SEND Youth Forum for 8- 25-year-olds. Our Core Service support5 children wlth additional needs at activitles around Wokingham and Reading. This service enables children to attend uniform groups, swimming lessons, drama classes, sports club5 and martial arts. Each child is matched with a carefully selected, trained volunteer who attend with them each week to provide the individual support each child needs. This year we have supported 167 children and young people via all the services on offer. Our Core Service. Say YES Youth Forum and TeenW&Rd Club supported many children and young people over the past year. Some of the children and young people accessed more than one of these services. We are proud to support children, familie5 and volunteer5 from a wide variety of backgrounds. Many of the children and young people we support across all our services have Autism. We do not require a dia8nosis for our support as we know how difficult it can be to gain a diagnosls and we do not want this to be a barrier for children and young people to acce55 our services. This year we welcomed children and young people from a wide variety of backgrounds into all our services. The majority of these are from white backgrounds, which correlates with the local populatlons of Wokingham and Reading. We are pleased to have reached so many other communities and hope to expand our reach in under-represented communities in the coming financial year. The majority176%1 of children accessing our services live in Wokingham and122%1 live in Reading. The aim of the core service is to help the children access activities which they otherwise may be excluded from. We also hope to support the children to Increase their confidence, independence and reduce their social isolation. The ultimate alm for some of the children accessing the service is to become independent enough to attend their activity without support from a volunteer. Feedback from our annual survey demonstrated Incredible impact. 97% of parents and carers reported an
increase in their child's confidence. Almost all of our parents and carers196%1 said that their child increased in sociability and connectedness and 63% rated their child a 4 or 5 out of 5 indicating a significant increase in the child's sociability at the activity. Thi5 is an incredible increase for many of our children who may have been experiencing a high 5evel of social isolation before starting with Me2 Club. Most of our parent carers193%1 rated their child had increased in their independence. 91% of children felt their volunteer was good at supporting them. with 91% of children said going to their activities made them really happy. Our core service volunteer5 provided 3,165 hours of respite to our parents l This year we have worked with 170 volunteers who supported children at their weekly activities. 100% of exiting volunteers rated their experience as'good or'excellent, 100% of volunteers used their experience in applications for employment or study. We are so pleased volunteering with Me2 Club helped our volunteers progress in the career or education goals. In total, we had 180 volunteers across our seNices including trustees, fundraising events. participation activities and our core service. This amounted to 4,014 volunteering hour5 in the last financial year. Our volunteers support children at a wide variety of mainstream activities that would otherwise be inaccessible to the children. We trained 75 new volunteers this financial year over 5 training sessions in April, July, September, November and February. We are always trying to improve our training to give our volunteers everything they need to feel confident in their roles. Our training programme covers additional needs, communication, understanding behaviour, safeguarding. manual handling, and their roles and responsibilities. We are so proud that volunteers find our training so impactful- 99% of volunteers trained increased their knowledge of additional needs after attending Volunteer Induction Training increasing their ratings of their knowledge from an average 5.5110 to 8.7110. 90% felt more ready to be matched after completing training, improving their ratings of confidence in being matched from an average 6.4110 to 8.7110 after training. 94% of volunteers rated their experience of training as 'Good', 'Very Good, or 'Excellent'. Our volunteers174%1 are largely aged between 16-18. which is helpful as many of our children have someone similar in age to help them take part. Our children have a range of needs and having volunteers from a variety of demographics, experience levels and ages means we can find the best volunteer for each child's individual needs. Most177%1 of our volunteers were female in all age categories. Nonetheless, we are pleased to have 30 male volunteers aged between 16-18 who have made a big difference to our children who preferred to have boy volunteer help them at activities like swimming and sports clubs. This year we celebrated 20 years of sUPPOrting children with additional needs & disabilities in Wokingham and Reading. As part of our 20th Anniversary celebrations, we were honoured to have afternoon tea with the founder of Me2 Club, Catie Blundell. It was a great opportunity for the team to learn about the origins of Me2 Club and how it has developed over the years. In April 2024, we celebrated the end of our 20th Anniversary by planting a willow tree in Elms Park, Wokingham. The act of planting a tree symbolises our mission of supporting children to grow and flourish in our community. The willow tree is known to not only survive but also thrive under challenging conditions, it provides a sense of belonging and hope. Me2 Club looks forward to continuing to create even more opportunities for growth, inclusion, and empowerment for children and young people with additional needs in Wokingham and Reading.
2024- 2025 promlses to be a busy and exciting year, as we continue to reach more children through our core service, grow our groups for young people, trial our parent/carer coffèe mornings and set out our future strategic priorities. We are very grateful for the new and continued support from many Trusts and Foundatiofls, organisatlons and individuals. This support is essential in allowing us to contlnue our work, developing, growing and most importantly enabling children and young people with additional needs to take part.
Legal and Administrative Information The organisation constituted itself as an unincorporated association on 17th March 2003 through the adoption of its constitution and registered as a Charity on 5th July 2004. The organisation transferred its artivities to a Registered Charity and Company limited by guarantee Ime2 Clubl and has worked under its new status since 1st April 2011. Me2 Club now has Charity Number 1140812 and Company Number 7557636. Registered Address Unit 9, Indigo House. Fishponds Road, Wokingham, Berkshire RG412GY The following Directors (who are also Trustees) served during the year Sonia Aulak, Chair Simon Crawford, Treasurer Katherine Sims, Secretary Giles Cross Amanda Coale, Appointed 23109123 Advisors to the Board No Advisors to the Board served during the financial year 2023124. Bankers HSBC Bank plc, 1-2 Market Place, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 IAL Newbury Building Society, Broad Street, Wokingham, RG5 3JJ Independent Examiner Sabina Reed ReseNes and Designated Funds Me2 Club's policy is to ensure reserves are maintained in order to protect and sustain the core service. The level of reserves are set to allow services, should they need to be withdrawn, to be done so in sensitive timeframe to ensure minimal impact. This is important for the health and wellbeing of the children and families we support and to allow for time to adjust to the loss of our services. This transition period of withdrawing services also aims to support attivity leaders to make adjustments to ensure they can still accommodate the Me2 Club child. The level of reserves set is also important to provide assurance to members of stsff and to those with whom we undertake commitments of the reliability of Me2 Club as an employer and business partner respettively. The current optimum reserve level is set at 6 months predicted fixed core service spend. The level of reserves required to cover these costs will be assessed annually by the CEO and Treasurer while preparing the annual budget for the following year and will be re-assessed if the structure or circumstances change significantly. The time period and level of reserve are set to allow a reasonable period to withdraw sensitive services should the charity have to tlose due to lack of funding. Given the nature of the children Me2 Club 5UPPOrt ladditional needs including learning disabilities and aut15ml, time and attention would be needed to allow for appropriate endings. A regular update of the ReseNes Policy takes place to enable the setting of the correct contin8ency/reserve level.
In these circumstances and with these Considerations in mind, the Trustees believe that it is vital to have a policy of careful cash management and to maintain an appropriate reserve level. The reseNe Is currently set at an optimum level of 6 months predicted fixed core Service spend1£90,000 for 2023120241 which reflects the increase in charlty expenditure in line with the recent growth. The Charit5 financial options are discussed at every Board meeting and there is a contingency plan In place if cash flow falls below 9 months fixed spend. Investment Policy Two bank accounts are used. one to cover day-to-day expenses and the other offerlng a higher rate of interest to maximi5e investment potential. In additiot), Me2 Club continues to hold an account with The Newbury Building Society to ensure funds allocated to future work gain a higher rate of interest whilst remaining secure. The investment of Me2 Club fund5 15 regularly reviewed to ensure the security of funds whilst achieving the best available rate of interest. Rlsk Review The Directors have considered the main current risks to which the Charlty is exposed, and a detailed organisation risk analysis has been carried out. There are two siBnificant external risks to the charity's operations,. 11 Staff retention. Sole Fundraiser resigned in September 2023, interim plan put in place with CEO undertaking lead with fundraisin8 and employing a Freelance Fundraiser10.21 to avoid disruption with fundraislng activities. 21 Funding. Funding remains a significant risk to the charity and is exacerbated due to the increasinglv competitive nature of Trust and Foundations grants. We recruited a part-time 10.61 Communitv Fundraiser in January 2023 to support income generation from Community and Corporate fundraising. Board of Trustees continue to carefully monitor income and expenditure against the organisations budget. Internal risks are minimised through the implementation of effective financial controls and Trustee and Staff responsibilities. A Trustee induction proce55 has been established to support this. Safeguarding risks have been considered and Me2 Club works to best practice in all areas of safeguarding including trainlng for Trustees. Staff and Volunteers. We have comprehensive Safeguarding Policies and Procedures in place, including pollcies on the use of Social Media. Me2 Club, adheres to best practice, has a comprehensive list of policies and procedures includin& Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Data Protection, Financial Rules. Risk. Confidentiality, Health and Safety. A Safeguarding review took place In the year to Identify specific threats and opportunities within the charity and an appropriate plan developed to drive continuous improvement. Risk assessments are written and reviewed before each Me2 Club activity Ifamily parties. community events, teen groupsl. Staff have been trained in completing dynamic risk assessments during the actual events. Trustees have updated and authori5ed the contingency plan. Trustee Re5ponslbllltles for the Flnanclal Statements Charity and Company Law require the Trustees, who are also the Directors of Me2 Club, to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and falr view of the state of affairs of the Charitable Company at the balance sheet date and of it5 incoming resources and application of
resources, including income and expenditure for that period. In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to.. Select suitable accounting policies and apply them con5iStently Make judgements and estimates 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 coneern basis. unless it is inappropriate to assume that the Charity will continue in business The Trustees are responsible for keeping financial records. which disclose with reasonable atcuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and that enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence must take reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. This report was approved by the Board on the 26 November 2024. Sonia Aulak, Chair/Direttor for and on behalf of the Trustees of Me2 Club
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of Me2Club On accounts for th8 year onded 31 March 2024 Charity no lif any) 1140812 Set out on pages 1-3 Respective The charity's trustee5 are responsible for the preparation of the responsibilities of accounts. The charity's trustees consider that an audit is not required for trustees and examlner this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 Ilhe Charities Act) and that an independent examination is needed. I It is my responsibility to.. examine the accounls under sectlon 145 of the Charities Act. to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission {Ltnder section 145151{bl of the Charities Act, and to stale whether parucular matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent My examination was carried out in accordance wlth general Directions exarniner's statement gwen by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the tharity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disckjsures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees conceming any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequenuy 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 ststement below. IER December 2017
Independent In connection th my 8xamination. no rnaterial matter8 have come to examiner's statoment my attention (other than that disclr)sed b8low ') which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect,: the accounting records wero not kept in a¢wrdance wtth section 130 of the Charities Act. or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records.. or th8 accounts did not comply with the appllcable requirgmanls concerning the form and content of accounts sel out in the Charities IAccounls and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the acwunls give a 'lrue and fairf vlew which is not a matter Considered as part of an independent examinatlon. I have have come across no other matters in wnnection wllh the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order lo enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words In the br8Gkels if th&y do not apply. Dato: 1611012024 Slgned: Name: Sabina Reed Relevant professlonal quallflcatlonlsl or body {If any): AAT Address: Holy Brook Associates Ltd Curious Lounge. 1Bt Floor Pinnacle Building Tudor Road, Reading, RG1 1NH Section B Disclosure Only o)mpletè if the examlner needs lo highlight matters of concem {see CC32. Independent examination of charity accounts: directlon5 and guidance for examiners). IER December 2017
ststement of Financial Activities Income and expendfture account forthe year end 31sr March 2024 Unrestrlcted funds Restricted funds Total Funds 2024 Total Funds 2023 Notes Incoming resources Voluntary income Investment income Other incomin Total Incomin 92,107 2,695 208,114 300,222 2,695 160,936 671 resources resources 94.802 208,114 302,917 161.607 Resources ex ended Costs of generating voluntary income Charitable activities Governan costs" Totsl resources ex 22,059 56,037 4,227 82,324 1,858 170,542 725 173,126 23,918 226,579 4,953 13,607 214,209 2,925 230,741 ended Net movement in funds 12,479 34,989 Total funds brou ht forward 100,031 33,983 134,014 203,148 Total funds carried forward 112510 68.972 181,482 134,014
Balance sheet as at 31, March 2024 Unrestricted funds Re5trictsd funds Totsl Funds 2024 Total Funds 2023 Notes Flxed assets Tangible assets Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Deblors 119,311 68,972 188,283 140,498 Total current assets 119,311 68,972 188,283 140,498 Creditors: amounts falling due within one ear 10 6,802 6,802 6.484 Nel current assets 112,510 68,972 181,481 134,014 Nol assets 112,510 68,972 181,481 134,014 Income funds Restricted funds Designated Funds - ReseNes Unrestricted funds Total funds 68,972 88,972 90,000 33,983 90,000 90,000 22,510 112,510 22,510 181,482 10,031 134,014 68,972 For the year endlng 31103124 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 pf the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The dirertors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting retord5 and preparation of atcounts. These accounts have been prepared with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies reglme. These accounts were approved by the executlve committee on 26 November 2024 and signed on its behalf bv: Simon Crawford Treasurer
Notes forming part ot the flnancial staternents l. Accounting policies • The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice.. Accounting and Reporting by Charitie5 ISORP 20051 issued in March 2005 and applitable UK Accounting Standards and the Charities Act 1993. • There has been no change to the accounting policies since last year and no changes have been made to accounts for previous years. Grants are recognised in full in the Statement of Financial Attivities in the year in which they are receivable. Incoming resources from investments are included when receivable. Resources expended are recognised in the period in which they are incurred. Resource5 expended include attributable VAT that cannot be recovered. Unrestricted funds are grants receivable for the objects of the charity without further specified PLtrpose and are available 35 general funds. Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure, which meets these criteria, is charged to this fund. Fixed assets are capitalised and depreciated over a period of 3 years on straight line basis. If the cost is equal to or less than £IOOO, the whole cost is written off in the year of purchase.
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Analysls of Incoming resources Voluntary income Unrestrlcted Restricted Total 2024 Total 2023 Trusts and Grants 67,182 187,717 254 899 136,821 Town & Parish Councils 5,665 5,665 Community Donations 21,536 21,536 8,501 Individual Donations 2,011 2,162 Fundraising Events 607 607 3,733 Corporate Funding 14,732 5,994 Gift aid 771 771 Total 92,107 208,114 300 222 244,096 Investment Income Unrestricted Restricted Tolal 2024 Total 2023 Building Society interest 1,976 427 Bank interest 719 719 244 Total 671 Incoming resources from charltable activities Unrestricted Restricted Totsl 2024 Total 2023 Statutory granls for activities Total Total Income 94,802 208,114 302 917 244 767
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Total resources expended Unrestricted Restricted Total 2024 Total 2023 Costs of eneratin volunta Fundraising - Purchases income 1,084 1,084 190 3,257 Fundraising - Costs 1.194 Fundraising- Salaries, Pension & Nl. 19,782 1,858 10,160 21.641 23,918 Total resources expended 22,059 1,858 13,607 Costs of activities In furtherance of the charity's objtiveS Salaries, Pension & Nl Unrestricted Restricted Total 2024 Totsl 2023 30,703 157,221 180,807 187.924 Employee travel costs 1,476 1,118 2.594 1,548 Employee training 1,219 907 2,127 2,464 Other staff costs and Troruitment 944 944 1,376 935 DBS checks 766 766 Volunteer training and expenses 158 727 885 851 Other expenses 509 509 320 Family & Children Events 1,313 4,885 6,198 Childrens activities 2,553 205 655 861 168 Bank Gharyes 159 159 72 Days A way Teenage Me&t Up 225 225 117 Office Accommtxjation 9,507 2,982 12,489 Telephone, IT, mail and stationery costs 12,256 7,562 1,031 Office equipment 9,432 1,088 328 Advertising and website 1,193 24 Total resources expended 983 214,209 56,037 170,542 226,579
Governance costs Unrestrlcted Restrictsd Total 2024 Total 2023 Insurance costs Professional Fees (Independent Examin8r" accountancy, payroll and HRJ Total resources expend8d 1,405 2,822 1,405 3,548 973 1,953 725 4,227 725 4,953 2.925 Total costs 82,324 173 126 255,449 232,448 * FDO salt7ry 15 ollocated betweenfundrolsing and business development. **An independent examinationfee of £380+VA T (£457 gross) wos payable in respect of reporting on the account5. The samefirms now 5upplie5 bookkeeping and account5 preparation Services to the charity and in oddition fees of £1,190+VA T (£1,428 Gross) were paid to thelirmfor these services during the yeor. 4. Grants made The charity did not make any grants or donations during the financial year. 5. Staff costs and numbers Total 2024 Totsl 2023 Number of employees at peak {FTE) Gross wages and salaries Employer's National Insurance costs Pension contributions Total resources expended 193,502 9,416 6,646 209,565 173,091 10,259 5,106 188.455 No employee was paid over£60.000 in the ye¢7r 6. Trustees and other related parties No payments were made to Trustees excepting reimbursement of any speclflc out-of-pocket expenses incurred in support of Me2 Club activities No trustee or connected person received any renumeration during the year. There were no related party transartions made by the charity. 7. Tanglble fixèd assets The charities policy is to capitalise any Individual a55ets over £IOOO as we deem this to be a material value for our purposes. The charity has no fixed assets or items being depreciated at this time. All items have been expensed In year of purchase. 8. Investment assets The charity held no investment assets at any time during the financial year-ended 31 March 2024.
- Debtors and prepayments Amounts falling due within one year This year St year Deferred and Accrued income Money owed by Pension provider TOTAL IQ. Creditors and accruals Amounts falling due within one year Accruals @ Yr End- Expenses Th15year £ Last year £ 2,619 4,183 6,802 457 HMRC and Pension owing TOTAL 6027 6,484
- Movement in funds Year Ended 31st March 2024 At 1 st April 2023 Incoming Resources Outgoing Resources At 31st March 2024 Restricted funds Alastair James Memorial Trust Andy Thomson Foundation 500 500 480 324 156 Baile Thomas Barbara Ward Children's Charit BBC Children in Need - YSA Berkshire Community Foundation Children in Need - Core Service Douglas Arter Foundation 5,000 5,000 5,000 5,000 42,946 42,946 10,000 5,000 5,000 12,759 12,759 500 500 D'O I Carte Englefield Charitsblè Trust 3,500 3,500 4,000 4,000 Ente rise T&G Garf5eld Weston Foundalion Gordon Palmer Memorial Trust 4,500 1,133 3,367 15,000 15,000 15,000 15,000 1,000 1,000 Goslin Foundation 7,400 7,400
Hen Smith Charit 30,000 KPMG restricted Leathersellers, Company Charitable Fund Masonic Charitable Foundation 450 450 2,500 2,500 3,000 2,783 217 Mobbs Memorial Trust Newbury Building Societ 1,000 685 315 500 500 Persimmon Pixel Fund 5,000 5,000 Postcode Socie Reading Borough Council Reading Blua Coat Foundation Rowan Bental Charitable Trust 19,058 19,058 1,500 5,000 4,427 2,073 250 250 250 250 Shanle Foundation 5,000 5,000 Sir Jules Thom 3,000 3,000 SNG IWIII 7,115 7,115 Souter Foundalion Stevenson Family Charitable Trust 2,500 2,500 1,000 1,000 The Chidwick Trust The Fence Club The National Lottery Communit Fund 4,000 4,000 10.000 8,254 1,746 Tho To Trust Town and Parish Councils Wokingham Borough Council 2,000 2,000 2,223 8,165 5,333 1,000 500 500 Total Restricted Funds 33,983 208.114 173,126
Unrestricted Funds Designated Funds - Reserves." Unrestricted and Designated Funds - Subtotal 10,031 94,802 82,324 22,510 90,000 90,000 100,031 94,802 82,324 112,510 Total Funds 134,014 302,917 181,482 ** Designuted reserves ore re-ossessed euch year und are set to ollow t7 reusonable period to withdraw sensitive service5 should the charity hove to close due to lack offunding. The reserve AS currently set at on optimum level of approximately 6 months predirtedfixed core service spend. 12. Other information The charity does not have any material commitments not provided for in the accounts. The charity has not given any guarantees to third partie5. The charity has not granted or been granted any loans. The charity did not make any ex-gratia payments during the year. -END-